Importance of Women Behind the Camera
Importance of Women Behind the Camera (3:07)
“There’s never been a better time to come into these industries as a female. The stories have not been told. All of the women of the world, all of the women from different cultures, and all of the women from different economic backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, they all have a different perspective. It’s time for young women to make their voices heard. Not through a man’s eyes, but through women’s eyes.”
Role models in order of appearance: Eileen Rivera, Kim Williams, Lois Vossen, Day Permuy, Emily Wiedemann, Cody Ryder, Angelica Perez-Castro, Rumi Tominaga, Cidney Hue, and Julie Dash.
1) In the video, one role model told us that she thought about picking a career by asking herself, “What do I love?” It’s important to consider the types of things that you love to do when thinking about a career. What things do you love? Can you think of any careers that involve the things you love?
2) In the video, listeners learn that there are not as many women and girls in the film industry as men and boys. Why do you think there are more men than women in the film industry? Do you think that this will change in the future? Why or why not?
3) One role model told us that in life “there are going to be obstacles and there are also going to be people who try to get you down… [but] if you keep pushing forward, then those things will pass.” This means that it’s important to never give up when faced with an obstacle. What challenges or obstacles have you faced? Have there been people who “try to get you down”? What have you done to keep pushing forward?
4) You heard someone in the video say, “The ways in which you can influence change and new voices, new stories, in this industry is so far reaching.” Stories have always had the power to transform people’s opinions and ideas. In what ways would you like to be able to educate or influence people? What is something that you would like everyone in the world to know or understand? Explain your answer.
5) A role model in the video said, “Our voices, our authentic voices, aren’t heard. There are a lot of men who are writing roles for us.” This means that men are developing female characters and writing their stories in the film industry. How does this make you feel? Do you think that men can tell women’s stories? Why or why not?
There’s a huge opportunity for girls who want to be a producer, director, writer in this entertainment industry. There’s not enough girls out there, and I think the voices of young women need to be heard.
There’s only been one female director that’s won an Oscar and zero female cinematographers. In order to really, fully understand each other through storytelling, we need more female perspectives.
Our authentic voices aren’t heard. There are a lot of men who are writing roles for us.
When I was younger, I didn’t see a lot of possibilities. When I started to see role models who showed me that I could dream bigger, and then when I really started to say to myself, “What do I love?” and what I loved was storytelling, and when it occurred to me that I could make a living somehow, working in movies, was one of those glorious moments. And then it was just like, how do I make it happen?
There’s never been a better time to come into these industries as a female. The stories have not been told. All of the women of the world, all of the women from different cultures, and all of the women from different economic backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, they all have a different perspective. It’s time for young women to make their voices heard. Not through a man’s eyes, but through women’s eyes.
There are going to be obstacles and there are also going to be people who try to get you down, and just know that if you keep pushing forward, then those things will pass. And also, you can overcome those trials and tribulations.
Trust yourself and believe that who you are is someone that’s worth watching and someone that’s worth listening to and someone whose story is worth hearing. If you’re someone who wants to be a storyteller, you have to believe in your own story.
We are really good storytellers, and I think we have very great attention to detail. And I feel we can add a lot more to the story, just visually.
The ways in which you can influence change and new voices, new stories in this industry is so far reaching. There’s so much potential.
The world needs to hear from a variety of people from a variety of backgrounds, and women and girls especially. You need to create that world that you want to see on the screen. And so make sure you go out there and you tell your own stories, you foster your own voice, and don’t let anyone else take that from you.
When someone says that you can’t do something, it should only feed or fuel the fire, the passion within your heart that makes you know that you can.
Independent Learning Guide: This all-purpose guide can be used by educators, parents, and mentors to jumpstart a lively discussion about the importance of women’s voices in the film industry.
Did you know that most of your favorite movies and TV shows are made by men? Role models in this video share about the importance of including more women in the film industry and why it’s so crucial to have women and girls’ voices heard on film.
Classroom Lesson Plan: This step-by-step lesson plan is available to guide a more in-depth “before, during, and after” learning experience when viewing the video with students. This lesson plan is also suitable for use in after-school programs and other educational settings.
Use Empowerment Activities as a fun way to reinforce the video topic and build community with your students.
Related Empowerment Activities:
Fun Page Activity: In this “What Would You Say?” activity, you are challenged to respond to people’s negative opinions about women and girls in the film industry. Sometimes, just being prepared to confront an obstacle can help you overcome it.