Katherine Estrada 6th period Pre-AP World History October 8, 2011

Women Behind the Scenes Film and Television: Are They Really Equal? Back in 2002, an anatomically correct Oscar stood in a billboard with the following sentence: Hes white and male, just like the guys who win! Up to that year, only two women have ever been nominated for an Oscar in best director, Lina Wertmller for Seven Beauties in 1976 and Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993. Later, in 2009, Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker. She became the first female to win the prestigious award. Women create 16% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films, 7% being directors, 8% of writers, 17% of executive producers, 23% of producers, 18% of editors, and only 2% of cinematographers. There are not enough women working in film and television today despite the belief of women and men being equals in this day and age and they most certainly are not treated equally to men. In 2006 to 2007, according to an annual study by The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, 35% of the writers of broadcast network, prime-time programs were women. Their most recent study now shows that it has dropped down to 15%. In various cases, it is felt that once is there is at least one female writer in the team and one of color, that the commitment to diversity is finally met and it has also been seen a that female writers in these positions are the juniors, staying below the rest of the writing staff for longer periods instead of rising along with the male writers and gaining more responsibilities. An anonymous writer comments, "If women aren't hired to write on staff they can't be mentored. They can't gain experience and they can't move up and then ultimately create their own show. They can't have overall deals. Women are not regularly hired as writers and in this way they cannot be given the experience they need to rise up to create their own show.

Katherine Estrada 6th period Pre-AP World History October 8, 2011

Women are often expected to write scripts such as the ones for New Girl by Elizabeth Meriwether. Often, a woman must prove herself to be one of the guys by action filled scripts, clashing with the stereotype that a female writers scripts are filled with romance. An example of a woman breaking this barrier would be Marti Noxon, famous for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has written for Mad Men, Private Practice and created the screenplays for I Am Number Four and Fright Night but has also been a consulting producer for the first three episodes if the FOX hit Glee. Nora Ephron, considered one of the best female writers, has written screenplays for Sleepless in Seattle, Julie and Julia, and Youve Got Mail, which are romantic comedies while John Hughes has written Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. If women cannot write good scripts and screenplays, then can men write good romantic screenplays? Hollywood, as cold as it is, is expected to be open and welcoming to any great talent but the reality is that 17% of senators are female, while 7% of females are directors. Film schools are graduating an equal number of women and men. Martha Coolidge, film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America, was told when she applied for New York Universitys film school that she could not become a director for the sole reason of being a female. None the less, she was accepted and has had a very diverse career, including independent films, TV movies and television series, and managed to launch the career of Nicolas Cage. In the eyes of film makers, it is believed that female directors and writers can only do certain types of films. According to Allison Anders (Gas Food Lodging, Grace of My Heart, Things Behind the Sun), women are partly responsible for their failure to get second films done. As soon as a director makes her first movie, she says, you have to have the next thing ready to go. Ive been amazed watching people who are not ready with their scripts when theyre getting

Katherine Estrada 6th period Pre-AP World History October 8, 2011

a lot of attention. Preferably you should already be shooting your second one before the first ones out there. Youve got to strike while the irons hot. When Gas Food Lodging was released I had already shot Mi Vida Loca. Thus, no matter how well received a womans first film is, it rarely generates the kind of frothing excitement with which Hollywood greets a parade of male prodigies such as Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction), Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, There Will Be Blood) and Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited , Fantastic Mr. Fox). Male executives are looking for fantasy images of their younger selves, says Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol, The Notorious Bettie Page, American Psycho), and this pertains to both the people (directors) and the films they celebrate. Female directors, producers, writers, etc. are all forced into corners to run into when they are scared by the bigger and better men or where they are put by these very men. This is tied into Hollywood, going hand in hand. We over look hits such as The Hurt Locker, which one would expect a man to have directed only because it got high praise and it an action film. It needs to be emphasized that women can do as good a job as men can in the film and television industry. We are told again and again that the classic novels and poems have been written by men, which are the ones we praise and honor.

Katherine Estrada 6th period Pre-AP World History October 8, 2011

Works Cited
(n.d.). Retrieved October 02, 2011, from Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film: http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/research.html Film Threat. (2002, February 26). Retrieved 10 2, 2011, from The Anatomically Correct Oscar: http://www.filmthreat.com/news/722/ Industry Statistics. (2010, August). Retrieved 10 2, 2011, from Media Report to Women: http://www.mediareporttowomen.com/statistics.htm Lambert, M. (2011, September 12). Why Aren't There More Female Writers in TV? Retrieved October 05, 2011, from Grantland: http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/33684/why-arent-theremore-female-writers-in-tv Ryan, M. (2011, September 8). Why Is Television Losing Women Writers? Veteran Producers Weigh In. Retrieved October 2, 2011, from AOL TV: http://www.aoltv.com/2011/09/08/women-television-producers-decline/ Where are the female directors? (2002, August 27). Retrieved 10 2, 2011, from Salon: http://entertainment.salon.com/2002/08/27/women_directors/