Dr. Martha Lauzen at San Diego State University has for the first time drilled deeper into women’s representation on films looking into the numbers of women production designers, production managers/production supervisors, sound designers, supervising sound editors, key grips, and gaffers
Here are the numbers for of women working on the top grossing 250 movies of 2008:
Women accounted for 25% of production managers working on the top 250 films of 2008. Eighty five percent (85%) of the films had no female production managers.
Women comprised 44% of production supervisors. Seventy-two percent (72%) of films had no female production supervisors.
Women accounted for 20% of all production designers working on the top 250 films. Eighty one percent (81%) of films had no female production designers.
Women comprised 5% of sound designers. Ninety seven percent (97%) of films had no female sound designers.
Women accounted for 5% of supervising sound editors working on the top 250 films of 2008. Ninety six percent (96%) of films had no female supervising sound editors.
Women comprised 1% of key grips. Ninety nine percent (99%) of films had no female key grips.
Women accounted for 1% of gaffers working on the top 250 films of 2008. Ninety nine percent (99%) of films had no female gaffers.
Sigh. It’s amazing what statistics can show.
Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film
I know it’s dismal out there, but all I can focus on right now-
my film had a female gaffer, female DP, female Prod. Super, female & male Producers, female and Male ADs and the usual suspects- Wardrobe, M/U & scripty – all female. I’m female and I directed/wrote/produced. My son prod. designed it, so a male, yes, but a pro feminist one- actually- all the men involved are pro feminist – and most of the crew were minority-or raised by a single mom- as well as the lead and child actor.
It may just be an itty bitty low budget short, but, it’s a start…
I’d like to see the stats on indie films-
women seem less likely to be union than men in this industry.
And yet if you look at production coordinators the percentage of females in that position would be extremely high, although that is changing somewhat. The pink ghetto is alive an well in the film industry.
Leslie, high, but not extremely high when you’re talking about the top 250 films.
the positions most commonly held by women are:
Make-up Dept.
Hair Dept.
Wardrobe/Costume Dept.
Script Supervisor
POC (prod. office coordinator)
APOC (assists the POC)
Assistant to the producer, director (not Assistant Director/AD)
actors, etc.)
Craft Services (snack table)
I’ve spoken to more than one make-up artist who went to film school with the original intention to become a director.
Same with scripty, etc. etc.
The software industry is the same. When you see who is in control of software design, architecture and the top tier of management: it’s a guy world. This is true in your mundane software, your gaming and animation, and the powerhouses. You can’t say it is because of the heavy lifting. But here is another place where helming and really being in control of creation is lacking – and therefore the wealth and power.
Thomai in LA,
No need to translate the positions for me, I spent 5 years in the trenches only where I come from it is PC and APC for the production office types and FACS for first aid\craft service (combined position).
I am just saying that there seems to be no problem hiring women for positions that are derogatorily perceived to be populated by a bunch of bored secretaries filing their nails.
I went to film school and ended up in the office. So what. By the same tolken I had friends with film degrees who ended up in the camera and AD departments. Had we not become diillusioned with the industry at the same time and run screaming for the hills who knows where we’d be right now. No everyone wants to direct or be a HOD (head of department)