This is a follow-up to yesterday's post. A recently concluded survey of the animation industry found that just 16% of the 'creative' positions were held by women.
They stretched the definition to include modelers and other folk in the computer animation categories who are doing 'artistic' work but who might not actually be in charge of the decision making process. If you look to see how many women actually influence the story content of the films--the percentage would be a good deal lower. It's probably better than live action, though that is damning with faint praise.
Quick! Name a female director or studio head.
It's easier to find them when you are outside the USA, but here they may be counted on the fingers of one hand.
So 16% of the population will not be responsible for 100% of the bad decisions in filmmaking.
As it stands there have been many wonderful directors who happen to be female; Joanna Quinn's name is the first that comes to mind, but there are others, particularly in Eastern Europe, where the 'equal rights of women' appears to have been taken seriously for the duration of the old system.
4 comments:
Yes, they are easier to find outside USA. I personally love Michaela Pavlatova. Maybe _you_ can make a difference :)
Dear Manuel, I have never heard of Ms. Pavlatova but I know there were many women making animated films in Russia at Soyuzmultfilm, and hope that this practice has continued in the present system.
Anyway, the marvelous Joanna Quinn is probably the best advertisement for women animators right now, and she's in the USA touring more than is her wont, so maybe someone will finally give this woman an Oscar already!
Ahem...shouldn't post so early in the morning...
Anyway Joanna Quinn's name should be coupled with the description 'animator/director'.
As for me, I've been directing since I got out of college at the age of 21, but it is nearly impossible to see some of the films. I'm teaching now partly because it is precisely like being a director/producer, only instead of money you use time as currency. The students must finish films in time and the crew has a high turnover (at least at senior leve.) But their work is comparable if not superior to what I am seeing on some of the animation forums. The future of animation at least in this country may be in the short films rather than features, especially since it is now far easier to get films distributed. You don't need the big studios with the Net around.
That aside, women are still underrepresented at a lot of events. Even the book signing next month only has two female authors among the seventeen who will be at the gallery signing books, though I am told that a third (a very special guest) might make an appearance.
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