"As a teenager I wanted to tell stories with images. And then I watched films by Mike Leigh and Terence Davies and thought: “Gosh there’s a voice behind that film.” It was an epiphany. But then I thought: “They’re all men.”" - Sarah Gavron, director.

Significance

To be an emerging practitioner in one of the most competitive industries in the world is a daunting enough plight as it is. Therefore, it both disheartens and angers me that my already slim chances of becoming a successful filmmaker are made even slimmer because I am a woman. The university cohort that I recently graduated with was comprised equally of male and female students, so why isn’t this statistic translated into the industry? It is not from a lack of female interest or ability that this imbalance stems. The reason is that the global screen industry is sexist. This issue is not only significant to female screen industry professionals; females make up half of the world's population and purchase half of all movie tickets, however, most films are a male character’s story told from a male filmmaker’s perspective. From a commercial point of view, that's half of the market that isn't being suitably targeted. From a diplomatic point of view, the vast majority of society (including other minorities) isn’t seeing themselves represented on screen. However, sexism and other forms of prejudice aren't limited to the film industry, but are prevalent in all corners of society. As most people have probably experienced some form of discrimination or inequality, this is a topic that would interest and relate to a wide audience.

Underlining Questions

Despite statistics that are seemingly undeniable indications of sexism in the film industry, many would still argue that equality between the sexes has already been achieved and that movements for equality, such as third-wave feminism, are redundant. Therefore, the proposed documentary will seek to answer the question: Does sexism exist in the film industry? The issue will be explored through a series of sub questions, including:

• How are female filmmakers’ careers hindered by sexism?
• How does the lack of female voice behind the camera translate onto the screen?
• How is this influenced by and how does this affect society?
• Is there a correlation between gender and commercialism?
• Is the issue more difficult to combat in a post-feminism, contemporary context?
• What is the solution?

Research

Source 1

Sexism in the Film Industry Stories, The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/27/sexism-film-industry-stories

This compilation of stories about sexism in the film industry tells the negative experiences of a wide variety of successful female screen professionals (including female directors, cinematographers, actors and art directors), demonstrating the multiplicity of ways that sexism exists and hinders the career development of women filmmakers. Director Sarah Gavon refers to the film industry as a ‘boys’ club’, a sentiment also expressed by the other interviewees. They address how the domination of the industry by males makes it difficult to break the cycle of exclusion experienced by women trying to progress in the industry.

"I have experienced sexism in that I have been directed by male directors 17 times and only twice by women. Of the producers I’ve worked with 13 have been male and only one has been a woman." - Emma Watson, actor.

Source 2

Sexism in the Spotlight: Gender Equality on Stage and Screen, The Australian. theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/sexism-in-the-spotlight-gender-equality-on-stage-and-screen/news-story/5399202af6b3a28e3fb3c065d71d1640

A study by Screen Australia shows that of the feature films it funded between 2009 and 2014, women directed only 15 per cent, wrote twenty three per cent, produced 32 per cent and only 28 per cent had a female lead character. Gillian Armstrong, the first non-American woman to direct a large budget film for MGM, once believed that women could advance in the film industry on merit alone as she did. She changed her mind when a study revealed that, despite contrary assumptions, the number of women directors in Australian film had fallen since the 1990’s. She now believes that these statistics suggest that female screen industry professionals are still facing undue barriers.

Source 3

Unmanageable Inequalities: Sexism in the Film Industry, The Socialogical Review. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/doi/10.1111/1467-954X.12239/full

In the article Unmanageable Inequalities: Sexism in the Film Industry, Deborah Jones and Judith K. Pringle address how the absence of industry or organizational interventions makes gender equality, particularly amongst below-the-line crew in the New Zealand film industry, seemingly unobtainable. Jones and Pringle advocate that the false perception that gender equality already exists contradicts statistics that prove multiple forms of sexism. As inequality in the contemporary film industry exists in a post-feminism context, it is usually ‘invisible’ and ‘unspoken’ and therefore difficult to combat. Overall, the article evaluates how women’s ideas and capabilities across a variety of technical and creative roles are less likely to be acknowledged than those of men.

"I can list endless examples of sexism, from the driver who refused to take me because he was told to wait for the director (which was me) to the executives who insist they need a male director for a film about boxing and fighting." - Lexi Alexander, director.

Source 4

Women in Film, Chapter 4 of Challenging Images of Women in the Media: reinventing Women's Lives. https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=yVJRToW-fA0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA35&dq=sexism+in+the+film+industry&ots=gRGTpN4le9&sig=j29eBL-u5aDU2f8tRY785uWkROI#v=onepage&q=sexism%20in%20the%20film%20industry&f=false

This chapter of the book Challenging Ideas of Women in the Media discusses the deficient representation of female perspective in films and the subsequent negative social effects. Theresa Carilli and Jane Campbell suggest that all women share the knowledge of gendered experience and that, in a vastly patriarchal society, what women represent in their films may differ from that of men. If women are being restricted from producing films, females will have scarcer outlets for expression. This lack of social inclusion is consequential to society and civil rights. There are business, ethical, social cultural and legal reasons why it is vital that women are allowed equal participation in the film industry. When decision makers are only representative of one segment of society, they will only draw from a limited range of experiences. A study found that the kind of films typically written by women do well in the US and that the industry is missing out on innovative stories and ideas by not supporting their production.

"There are so few Oscar-nominated films with female protagonists – it’s astounding what a boys’ club it is."

Additional resources

The following sources have been selected as resources to help establish why each ‘question’ that the structure of the documentary is based upon is relevant to the overall topic, as well as to aid in envisaging what the final outcome of the documentary will be after the questions have been fully explored.

1. How are the careers of female filmmakers hindered by sexism?

http://www.vulture.com/2015/08/film-industry-sexism-in-3-charts.html#

The USC's Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative’s report on diversity and representation in the film industry shows a ‘disappointing yet predictable’ imbalance between white men and everyone else (women and people of colour) both in front of and behind the camera. In the 100 highest-grossing films of 2014, 26.9 per cent of speaking parts belonged to non-white actors whilst 28.1 went to women. This is described as a problem that stems from behind the camera, as out of 107 directors credited in the sample, only 2 were women. Only 11.2% of writers and 18.9% of producers were female.

"We don’t get the benefit of the doubt, particularly black women. We’re presumed incompetent, whereas a white male is assumed competent until proven otherwise." - Dee Rees, writer/director.

2. How does the lack of female voice behind the camera translate onto the screen?

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/big-read-sexism-and-fear-keeping-women-away-from-hollywoods-top-jobs-367506.html

This compilation of interviews with male and female filmmakers discusses how to lack of female perspective coming from behind the camera translates into the stories being told onscreen. Some stories from writers in Hollywood include them being told things such as: ‘‘Can you insert a rape scene here?’’ and ‘‘Can they go to a strip club here?’’ and ‘‘Can you rewrite the fat friend for Eva Mendes? She has high marks for foreign distribution.’’ They also talk about how some directors blatantly state that they don’t want to work with ugly actresses. Because most storytelling is for men by men, it is always ‘reinforcing the male gaze.’

‘‘It’s harder for men to imagine themselves as the girl in the movies than it is for me to imagine myself as Daniel Craig bringing down the building. Boys are never encouraged to imagine what it is like to be female.’’ - Meryl Streep, actor.

3. How is this influenced by and how does this affect society?

https://www.udel.edu/comm245/readings/GenderedMedia.pdf

This article recognises media as one of the most prevalent and powerful influences of how we view men and women. Media ‘insinuates messages into our consciousness’ that perpetuate unrealistic, stereotypical and limiting perceptions of gender. The article identifies three main gender issues that are translated from the screen to reality. Firstly, the underrepresentation of women implies that men are the ‘cultural standard’ and women are substandard or unimportant. Secondly, both genders are often portrayed stereotypically in ways that reflect socially ratified and restrictive notions of gender. Thirdly, depictions of relationships between men and women reinforce traditional gender roles and normalise male dominance.

‘‘We are influencing culture, which is why it’s so dangerous, I think, not to have more women making movies,’’ - Leigh Janiak, director.

4. What is the correlation between gender and commercialism?

http://annenberg.usc.edu/pages/~/media/MDSCI/MDSC%20LUNAFEST%20Report%2010515.ashx

This study about gender inequality in the film industry reveals a correlation between gender and commercialism, declaring: “when money moves in, women get pushed out.” The study found that women become even more disadvantaged as they try to develop their careers, as female directors are rarely afforded large budgets. Women are often limited to making short films or documentaries because they are rarely considered for larger directing jobs, particular under the studio system. This is largely due to the statistically unsupported presumption that women’s stories aren’t as marketable as men’s and that women innately can’t direct action.

"Every time a female-driven project is made and succeeds, somehow it’s a fluke. Instead of just saying ‘The Hunger Games’ is popular among young women, they say it only made money because Jennifer Lawrence was luminous and amazing. Seriously, that’s ridiculous. There’s a very hungry audience of young women dying to see some movies." - Shonda Rhimes, producer/writer.

5. Is the issue more difficult to combat in a post-feminism, contemporary context?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Filmmakers/comments/4fzmtf/a_great_article_on_sexism_in_the_film_industry/

In response to an article about sexism in the film industry, a Reddit user has retorted in the comments that women are not actually disadvantaged and that women who complain about sexism are making excuses and looking for special treatment. He argues that it is inherently difficult for every emerging filmmaker to succeed, regardless of gender, race or age. This demonstrates how, in a post-feminism context, sexism may be invisible or difficult for people to identify or understand.

"Women who say it’s not O.K. are considered wet blankets or sore losers." - Helen Hunt, actor/director.

6. What is the solution?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/magazine/the-women-of-hollywood-speak-out.html?_r=1

This article talks about how studios are starting to search for female driven ideas and are recruiting women to make them. This is talked about in Hollywood as the ‘Lena Dunham effect’ or the ‘Jill Soloway effect’, as both filmmakers have been ‘plotting insurrection and nurturing female directors.’ Recently, talented women in the industry have been dissecting the disparity problem and either plotting against it or trying to find a way to evade it. Some suggest quotas whilst others are hopeful that web distribution and new studios such as Netflix and Amazon are the paradigm they need. However, the problem may not be so easily solved, as many female professionals that make it to the top are too afraid to speak out about the issue or become equally as guilty of sexism as their male counterparts. This illustrates the inexorable paradigm of the film industry's exclusive boys' club and reveals the difficulty that women face in their pursuit for equality.

“I believe a lot of these women were like, ‘I’m here, I worked my ass off to get this job and I’m not gonna make hiring women directors my mission because then I’m going to get fired. It’s the metaphor of: You are on a raft, you got away from the sinking ship, are you gonna pull everyone onto the raft with you? What if that sinks your raft and you all die? That’s the sympathetic read. The nonsympathetic read is they want to impress their upper bosses and make money.’’ - Lena Dunham, director/writer/producer/actor

"We women directors are so starved for jobs, if you tap any of us to get into the club, we swear to uphold club rules and not rock the boat. If everybody wants to be “the chosen one” or “one of the guys”, you won’t have unity and solidarity – the only weapons that can combat the status quo." - Lexi Alexander, director.

Boys' Club Synposis

Sexism in the film industry is an issue that not only affects the careers of female practitioners but also the screen content that so drastically shapes our society. Through a collection of interviews, this documentary series will assemble the insights of a variety of filmmakers to expose the seemingly inextricable paradigm that is the film industry’s boys’ club. Each segment of the six episode series will address a different perspective of the issue, including: how sexism affects female screen industry professionals, how sexism behind the camera translates on to screen, how sexism in film influences society, how the contemporary context makes the issue unseen and difficult to combat, the correlation between gender and commercialism and a possible solution to breaking the exclusivity of the industry’s current model.

Documentary Outline

Background and Social Significance

As a medium that is heavily commercialised and able to reach millions of viewers globally, films heavily influence the society we live in. Therefore, it is problematic that the stories that represent and influence humanity in its diverse entirety are constructed from the perspective of only one group of people. Sexism is an issue that is prevalent in all corners of society and inhibits the careers of females in all industries. This is especially so in the extremely male dominated film industry. Although interest in filmmaking amongst emerging practitioners seems to be balanced between genders, this statistic is not translated into the overall industry, as sexism makes it more difficult for women to progress their careers. One study shows that 75% of blockbuster crews are male, which is just one figure in a sea of many that point to gender bias. This is not only important to the women whose merit is dismissed based on their gender and whose careers suffer consequentially, but is also relevant to society as a whole. The outlook of the filmmaker is translated into the film they create and, in turn, the messages and social constructs portrayed in films guide the way that we as humans operate on a personal and social scale. It is important that film as a medium is recognised for the hand it has in creating gender expectations and prejudices in reality and that we recognise the necessity of increased diversity and inclusion in the film industry.

Characters

Female screen industry professionals: The main characters of the series will be a variety of female screen industry professionals, including filmmakers and actors, Australian and international, who will share their experiences and viewpoints and discuss the issue of sexism in the film industry from their point of view.

Some of the women that have spoken out about the issue in the past and could be considered as possible interviewees are: Sarah Gavron (director), Emma Watson (actor), Lexi Alexander (director), Amma Asante (director), Agnes Godard (cinematographer), Ellen Kuras (cinematographer), Tess Morris (writer), Amanda Nevill (CEO of British Film Institute), Sandy Powell (costume designer), Gillian Armstrong (Australian director), Caitlin Stasey (Australian actor), Margot Robbie (Australian actor), Carrie Fisher (actor/writer), Meryl Streep (actor), Lena Dunham (writer/director/actor/producer).

More possible interviewees and some of their comments on the issue can be found here:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/27/sexism-film-industry-stories

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/magazine/the-women-of-hollywood-speak-out.html?_r=2

Male screen industry professionals: Male industry professionals will be interviewed to give an outsider’s perspective on the issue and to suggest that males should also be thinking about this issue, as well as offer insight into why they think sexism exists in their industry.

Some possible interviewees who have objected to sexism in the past are: Daniel Craig (actor), Stephen Chbosky (writer/director), Will Smith (actor), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (actor), Matthew McGrory (actor), Joss Whedon (wrtier), Hayao Miyazaki (director), Paul Haggis (writer/director).

Experts: Experts in the fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology, gender, etc. will give their views on the issue, hopefully divulging why it exists and what a possible solution may be.

Film students: Vox-pop style interviews with film students will reveal their sentiments, awareness and worries regarding the issue.

Dialectics Being Explored

The interviewees included in the film will be diverse in order to explore multiple different viewpoints on the issue. Viewpoints included will be those of screen industry professionals of a variety of crafts (directors, writers, producers, actors, cinematographers, below-the-line crew, art dept., etc.). Some males will be interviewed but most interviewees will be female in order to give an insight into the oppression they have experienced personally, allowing the audience to better empathise with the characters. Psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists will also be interviewed in order to discover the influence that the issue has on society, the cause of sexism in the industry and a possible solution.

Approach, Structure and Style

Boys’ Club will utilise statistics to introduce the issue of sexism, however, to give meaning to the numbers the documentary will primarily showcase the stories, experiences and sentiments of female practitioners, making it personal and emotional. The macro issue of sexism will be explored through the individual point of view of each interviewee. By the end of the series audience members, whether they are able to relate or were previously unaware of or unsympathetic to the issue, will hopefully understand the issue on an empathetic level and recognise a need for action.

The story will be split into six parts, each pertaining to one of the aforementioned underlining questions. Each segment will intercut between sections of interviews that relate to the topic. Part one will begin with female film students explaining why they love storytelling and why they aspire to be filmmakers, before we ask them questions such as “do you think your female classmates are less competent than the males” and “are you aware of the gender imbalance in the industry and are you worried this will affect your career?” Statistics enlightening gender inequality in the film industry will then be revealed, followed by interviews with female screen industry professionals who have felt the weight of sexism on their careers. The topic of part two will likely be explored through interviews with actors who have been treated with prejudice, been pressured to portray stereotypes or struggled with the limited range of roles available for females. Also, writers who have been forced to alter their work to satisfy a male’s outlook will be prominent in this episode. Also, the feminist film theory that most films are constructed to satisfy the male gaze will be investigated. The outcome of part three will be less predictable, but will feature the viewpoints of professionals and explore how film influences society. Part four will likely focus on the experiences of directors and writers who have been blocked from working on large budget projects, as female stories and abilities are not considered commercially viable. Part five will discuss how the subtlety of sexism that exist in the contemporary film industry makes the issue more difficult to combat and will explore the relevant stories of interviewees. Segment six will highlight the theme of female unity and propose solidarity as the only solution. It will express that, although many successful women in the industry are caught up in the paradigm and are contributing to the problem, there’s a growing number of women and men committing to disrupting the pattern of sexism in the film industry. The documentary will end on the same group of film students talking about how they support each other as professionals and the female-positive content they wish to produce in the future.

The documentary is in the expository style, narrated with audio captured during multiple interviews and structured in a manner that elicits empathy for the characters as well as an informed understanding of the issue. The theme of female unity will be highlighted through imagery that celebrates femininity and the diversity of women.

Theme

There are two opposing themes that will be explored in a way representative of two conflicting forces in a story. The first is the sense of hopelessness of fighting an inextricable paradigm, represented by the current sexist structure and inequality of the film industry. This will be expressed through the accounts of the interviewees, as well as the opinions of the experts, in order to portray the systematic sexism of the film industry’s ‘boys’ club’ as a powerful antagonist figure. The contrasting theme is female unity, represented by the band of women speaking out about the injustice and the proposed solution of solidarity amongst women and allies. This will become more prevalent through the documentary, as the filmmakers make clear their desire to see their gender treated as equal and to create content that justly represents them. This will also represent the solution to the problem and will therefore be most predominant in the final segment. A sense of hope will be generated by the current female practitioners that are already fighting to affect change, the proposed initiatives to fighting sexism in the industry and the featured film students. The film students at the end will represent the new generation of filmmakers; forecasting a change in the future, inspiring hope and encouraging the audience to reject all forms sexism and systematic oppression.