Firstly, my apologies for the long wait between blog posts. A lot has gone on, and now I'm back.
On to the subject at hand; Women In Film. More specifically, women in charge of making films and in positions of power and creative control.
What does that mean?
It means, more women screenwriters, more women producers, more women directors, more women cinematographers, more women etcetera.
There are many women in the business, but the numbers of women in positions of creative control are few and far between, at least at the studio level.
In indie film, women are making as many movies as men (so I am given to understand), but receive less representation and bigger obstacles to creating content that is received on the world stage (look it up, I swear it's true).
There are women creators all over the place but we have not traditionally, so far, been given a bigger voice. This has to change. Aren't we 52% of the population?
We have much to say, and are as creative, and good at making decisions about business as men. We are not a minority but are marginalized for a wide variety of reasons.
I personally, would love the chance to write and produce, and eventually direct a film that gets shown on a movie screen or streaming service (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, are you listening). I'm not going to toot my own horn, but until someone listens, I have to. I have stories to tell, and need a platform to do it.
Women creators can change the face of entertainment, not to exclude male voices, but just be included in the options.
We can write/direct/produce action, sci fi, and horror, genre's that have been traditionally male dominated, just as well. Kathryn Bigelow made a little movie called Zero Dark Thirty; a war movie with a male protagonist. It won awards. But where is her voice now? Catherine Hardwick directed the wildly successful first Twilight movie. Where is she now? Diablo Cody wrote an Oscar winning screenplay for Juno. She had limited success after that, but we barely hear her name anymore.
We are legion and we deserve a place at the table.
So, I invite anyone who can, women or men, to seek and find new talent. I invite you to nurture female screenwriters, both represented by agents/managers and those still seeking their first sale. I invite you to hire female directors for any project they might be interested in. I invite you to encourage and finance female creators to make content that inspires them and they feel passionate about.
We don't want to take away, we want to add our voices, to enrich the business and the creative with stories that are just as interesting to any audience. Entertainment isn't gender specific anymore, if it ever really was.
I say all this, not just for myself but for all my sisters in the industry, those who are still outside and seeking a way in, those who toil at day jobs whilst pursuing their dreams of becoming screenwriters, directors, producers, sound techs, cinematographers and more.
You can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs, and you can't make a profit without some risk. Take a chance, pretend it's the beginning of the movie industry, pretend you are a maverick who wants to make a mark.
Sisters, ARE doing it for themselves. Why don't you join forces with us, TODAY!