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Culture July 12, 2017
The underbelly of sexism in film that no one talks about.
With the recent release of “Wonder Woman” and the push for more female directors in Hollywood, one could think that sexism is slowly, but surely being abolished in film.
Even though Patty Jenkins directed the latest Marvel movie, and even though Sofia Coppola is the second female director to win a Palme d’Or at Cannes for her latest movie “Beguiled,” it does not mean that we’ve solved all of the issues women face in film.
Let me tell you about the underbelly of sexism in film that we don’t often talk or even know much about.
Welcome to the camera and G&E department, a department formally known as the Bro club, where a woman can occasionally be expected to be treated similarly to Peggy from “Mad Men.”
We work below the line, and yes, women working below the line are not in the media and do not have much of a voice — not in the way, that say Jennifer Lawrence does, where she can complain about her pay rate on big blockbuster films.
But it’s important to give these women a platform, to hear our voices on how we deal with sexism, how we’ve prevailed and what we need to change.
If you aren’t fully knowledgeable about the film world and the different departments, here is a list of important crew members that go unnoticed.
The cinematographer is head of the visual creation of a film. Alongside the director she or he advises them on what is visually fitting for the story’s vision and concept. Although she or he has a lot of power behind the visual creation and is often credited for all the genius of it, her or his visuals wouldn’t come to fruition without an amazing camera, grip and electric department.
Within this department, you have your camera operators, who handle camera movement and operation during a take, most of the time the cinematographer assumes that role. You have your camera assistants, who build, manage and take care of the camera. You have your gaffer, who sets your lighting plan and is the second hand to the cinematographer.
Under the gaffer he runs a team of grips who help build and construct the lighting set up, making it safe. You also have your electricians and best boys who run power for camera and for lights and make sure no one gets electrocuted on set. As you can imagine, the job is pretty intense and physically demanding. And most of the time, these roles are all taken by men.
And even when women are up to the task, men don’t really believe them. Rita Lundin, a driver for movie productions, was told by her Teammaster Coordinator that he didn’t think she could handle the job and he wouldn’t rest well with her on staff, stressed that she wouldn’t make it to set, Variety detailed in a 2014 article.
Even though Lundin has an impressive working background as a driver, with a resume including blockbuster movies such as “Iron Man” and “The Hangover,” he couldn’t rest easy. Really? It just goes to show that no matter what her experience may be she will always have to prove her worth and capabilities to her male co-workers.
In film, there is a huge misconception that because the job is so physically demanding, in and outside of camera and G&E crew, that women can’t handle it. But you can’t just accuse men of not letting women into the department.
Some of the disparity is also due to the intimidation factor of the job. Recently there has been a push for more female crews as seen on the film “Band Aid“ released on June 2.
The director and lead actress Zoe Lister-Jones, according to an interview by The New York Times, wanted a more female crew, and didn’t let men on set so they could feel more comfortable. “Band Aid” is not the only film crew to push for female crew members though. Shows like “Transparent” and “I Love Dick“ seek to fill key positions in the Camera and G&E department with women more than before.
Although the act is commendable, it does not seem to be the right answer to solve gender inequality in film. The director and the cinematographer should have the right to hire whomever they are most comfortable with, but we shouldn’t be hiring people based only on their gender, but instead really evaluate if they are the right fit for the job.
According to The Guardian, 75 percent of film crews on blockbusters are male-oriented, which is shocking — but not surprising, since, according to Variety, women only comprise seven percent of directors of the top 250 films (per a recent study). Another study by San Diego State University in 2014 showed that 92 percent of cinematographers were men. So we’ve got quite the uphill battle, even today.
But should we only blame men for not hiring women cinematographers? According to another study published by The Guardian, when female directors are employed on a film, 26 percent of cinematographers are women, which is still a low number. But of course, when men are the directors, that number drops all the way down to only five percent.
More than anything, I think what needs to be assumed and understood is that there is a huge misconception about this department. It’s a physically demanding job that women and men can both handle, and if they were to both work together and mutually respect each other, we could create a healthy, fun and safe environment.
After all, we have one of the best jobs in the world — we make movies for a living.
Now the real issue when it comes to being a woman working in that department are the comments that are often made to you. My biggest pet peeve is when a male coworker will address me, not by my name, but by calling me darling or honey.
The issue here is they may not know how to address women, but they don’t work to change their ways and so many times we brush it off with humor afraid of coming across as a bitch for sharing our feelings or opinions, an opinion similarly shared by Lynda Reis, prop master on “True Detective” and “American Beauty.”
She says, “The best thing to do is to defuse it with humor, and remove yourself from whatever situation you’re in.” This is not normal and definitely not okay. When I feel uncomfortable about a comment I shouldn’t have just to brush it off.
So many times when I walk on set, I’m automatically either asked if I’m a cast member, makeup or part of costume department. Again, not a poor assumption, as those departments have a higher percentage of women than men. But let’s be real, no one ever assumes I work camera and I know it’s because of the way I look.
Another element that women have to deal with almost every single time, is men assuming I need help. I’ll be holding gear and a male crew member will just take it out of my hands. They don’t even bother to ask, but instead just straight up rip it out of my hands. And no, that’s not okay.
The questions male crew members need to consider every time they are about to open their mouths are, “Would I say this to a male coworker? Would I address a male coworker as such?” and “Would I do this to a male coworker?” If the answer is “No,” then don’t do it to women.
The same rules apply to women and men — Consider what you are doing, and how it effects your surroundings.
I think it’s time to teach the film industry – and the rest of the world – that women can handle the job and are just as equally talented, inventive and capable as their male crew members.
I sure as hell know I am and I shouldn’t have to prove my worth every two seconds. Can you imagine how stressful that is — never being allowed to make a mistake?
How is one expected to do their job effectively if they are always worrying that they can’t make a mistake and need to constantly be proving their worth?
Let’s hope we day we won’t have to find out.
