Stark facts about under-representation of women behind the camera

Thanks to George for alerting me to this sadly unsurprising news story which clearly reveals how much of a boys' club modern Hollywood still is:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/24/idUS215708133320120124/

In summary:

• The percentage of women directors has declined since 1998 while the percentages of women writers and producers have increased slightly. The percentage of women executive producers, editors and cinematographers have remained the same.
• 94 percent of the top films of 2011 were directed by men.
• Women made up 14 percent of writers in the top films.
• 77 percent of the major films of 2011 had no female writers.
• Women made up 25 percent of all producers on the top 250 films of 2011.
• Women made up 20 percent of editors in the biggest films of 2011, but 76 percent of those films had no female editors.
• There were fewer female cinematographers than directors on the top films of 2011: only 4 percent of cinematographers were women.
• Women were most likely to work in documentaries, dramas and comedies and least likely to work in horror, action and animated films.

The death of television and the desktop PCs???

A new report by Childwise about the way young people (they refer to "children" between 5 and 16)consume the media confirms what we have all suspected: that mobile devices (mobile phones, laptops, tablets) are replacing older media technologies in the lives of children.

As Media students, we should ask ourselves WHY that should be.

Here's how the BBC reported it:

"The way children use media through the day is also changing, says the research, suggesting a push-button, on-demand culture, which is moving away from scheduled television programmes.

Before school, children are now more likely to play with their mobiles than watch television.

When children get home from school, instead of rushing to switch on the television, they are more likely to reach for the internet.

When children are reading at home, it is more likely to be through a screen rather than a book or a magazine.

Even in bed at night, the mobile phone is being used by 32% of children across the five to 16 age range.

It also seems to be approaching game over for old-style PCs in children's bedrooms - which have been replaced by laptops and tablet-style computers.

Land-line telephones are also looking like yesterday's world for many of these youngsters - with the research claiming that more children know how to send a text message than find a telephone number."

And here's a link to the full BBC story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16475278

Why the digital revolution may not be hurting some parts of the music scene, erm, by Henry Rollins

An interview with former hXc punk singer and Popeye-armed mouthpiece Henry Rollins on how the digital revolution has been enabling for bands.  As a pro-DIY argument it makes a refreshing change from the kind of whining we are used to hearing from the mainstream music industry about how mp3s/piracy are killing music.



And here's a video of Hank singing in his old band Black Flag, from sometime in the early-mid 80s.



Blimey.

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings...

Hamleys, LEGO and the new New Wave of feminist anger

Unsurprising that at this time of year there has been a huge backlash against the gendered toy industry.  Both sides seem to have been sharpening their knives.

There was the furore over Hamleys toy shop's decision to change the way it divided its stock into boys' toys and girls' toys after pressure from one particular feminist blogger:

http://delilah-mj.blogspot.com/2011/10/hamleys-toy-shop-promotes-gender.html

Then the outraged-right jumped on the band wagon:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8952627/Toy-signs-changed-after-Hamleys-accused-of-sexism.html

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100124017/hamleys-sexism-theres-no-point-pretending-kids-are-gender-neutral/

The second article above is written by Toby Young, co-founder of Britain's first free school (really, how much more convincing do you need that free schools are an awful and dangerous idea?).

The established feminist blogosphere has been chipping away dutifully at all sorts of dreadful gender bias in toy ads and toys.  Some have been mourning LEGO's early 80s approach to gender as demonstrated in the ads below:

Anger against LEGO's new line of "feminised" product and marketing has reached something of a crescendo with feminists blanket commenting LEGO's facebook page and setting up an online petition:

https://www.facebook.com/LEGOGROUP?sk=wall

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-lego-to-stop-selling-out-girls


The f-word website is full of heartfelt posts from desperate feminist parents regarding gendered toys:

http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2011/12/all_i_want_for

Anita from Feminist Frequency had lots to say about this last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZn_lJoN6PI

And the Pinkstinks campaign has been gathering a fair amount of attention via facebook and other media: the women from Pinkstinks have made appearances on Loose Women, Daybreak and various local radio stations in the last couple of months.

The Guardian has been giving feminist voices a real hearing recently - whether it be the "pornification" debate:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/01/feminists-pornification-of-women

or the first ever "Muff March" organised by UK Feminista to highlight the issues surrounding cosmetic "designer vagina" surgery:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/09/muff-march-against-pornified-culture

So, are we in the midst of a new wave of feminist activism?  Against the pornification of young girls and women in general? Against limiting gender stereotypes in adverts and toy shops?  Against the absence of women characters in mainstream film?  Against the lack of women in positions of power and visibility in our news media? Against pressure on women to opt for dangerous cosmetic surgery in search of the "designer vagina"?

Let's hope so, eh?

Year 12 and 13 Festive Film responses

Please use this blog post to add comments regarding the films you chose to watch from my Christmas film recommendations.  I'm thinking Year 12 and 13 Media and Film students, predominantly, but anyone else who stumbled across my holiday viewing list can have their say too.

Comment away.  If you like.

Where are all the women?

Guardian article by Kira Cochrane, discussing the lack of prominent women in the media.  Great stats from her "content analysis".  To quote one of my students: "You'd think women have got it much better these days, but they haven't have they?"

Quite.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/04/why-british-public-life-dominated-men

And here's a Media Talk podcast which features Kira Cochrane and Maggie Brown discussing the article's findings.  Listen:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/audio/2011/dec/09/media-talk-podcast-women-in-the-media?INTCMP=SRCH