Film critic Thelma Adams moderated a provocative discussion with filmmakers Courteney Cox (feature directorial debut "Just Before I Go," Friends actress, actress/producer/director Cougar Town), Debra Granik (Academy Award nominated director/co-writer "Winter’s Bone" nominated for four Oscars, "Down to the Bone" Best Director at 2004 Sundance Film Festival), Leah Meyerhoff ("I Believe in Unicorns" her debut feature premiered at SXSW 2014, previous award-winning short films have screened in over 200 film festivals), and Jenna Ricker (wrote, directed and produced her first feature film, "Ben's Plan" awarded Best Drama at the Aof Festival, Distinguished Debut at the London Independent Festival, and honored with the Mira Nair Award for Rising Female Filmmaker).
According to Celluloid Ceiling (the report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University) only 6% of directors working in the top movies in 2013 movies were women; a 3-point drop from 2012. Only 16% directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, cinematographers in 2013 were women. Women directors working independently, outside the Hollywood studio system, are finding more opportunities, but there is still a vast inequity.
Moderator Thelma Adams cited some additional statistics to which the panel commented about their dismay of the reality of these numbers before jumping in on the question:
What is this thing with the title women’s panel?
Granik: There’s always a question whether it’s a ghettoization of women or raising them up by using the word “women” as a gender identifier. Using language that allows a person to be a person without a gender identifier can feel more powerful than using the word “woman”.
Meyerhoff: We all struggle with how to identify as a female director. When I came to film, I felt I didn’t want to be pigeonholed. I founded a female filmmaker collective --Film Fatales (http://www.filmfatalesnyc.com/#!leah-meyerhoff/c14fk) for this reason. There’s strength in numbers.
Cox: I had one man on set of a project I directed, who would go to other people to get their opinions before he would come to me, the director. I called him up so I could understand why he was doing that. And then I told him to get over it.
How do stories live without gender?
Kathryn Bigelow’s name came up in the discussion (the first woman director to win the Oscar) and how Hurt Locker was not categorized in Hollywood terms as a female film. The panelists agreed that there are myths about what audiences want, and wanting to make movies about women was important despite the naysayers; there is indeed an audience for these films – the box office numbers confirm this.
Whining?
I asked the panel their advice to student filmmakers about breaking into the (independent and/or Hollywood) industry, opening my question with the quote from director Agnès Varda: “Stop categorizing us as women filmmakers,” which I cited in an article I wrote about her at the Locarno Film Festival this year, and the vitriolic Facebook post comment I received from a male producer: “Stop complaining and just make movies.”
Granik: We’re going through pushback. There’s often that accusation of complaining, calling women “whiners” when discussing this topic. The reality is that it’s not so easy for women to get a film financed. For students, they need to come to their power and work together as a collective. Their power is not to look at the industry for reasons to make films; go smaller. Work together
Ricker: I was on panel at Sundance and a producer on the panel said: “I won’t trust money with women directors.” The producer was female. For students at college now, they need to start working with their peers -- these are the people with whom you’ll be forming meaningful work relationships, which will continue after you graduate. Take advantage of these relationships at school.
Perhaps using male pseudonyms might further women’s careers
Adams : There was George Eliot.
The directors agreed that their first names were often a hindrance in getting hired, and jokinly added that in order to get the word out about women directors was to start the hashtag: #wheresthecock.
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
According to Celluloid Ceiling (the report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University) only 6% of directors working in the top movies in 2013 movies were women; a 3-point drop from 2012. Only 16% directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, cinematographers in 2013 were women. Women directors working independently, outside the Hollywood studio system, are finding more opportunities, but there is still a vast inequity.
Moderator Thelma Adams cited some additional statistics to which the panel commented about their dismay of the reality of these numbers before jumping in on the question:
What is this thing with the title women’s panel?
Granik: There’s always a question whether it’s a ghettoization of women or raising them up by using the word “women” as a gender identifier. Using language that allows a person to be a person without a gender identifier can feel more powerful than using the word “woman”.
Meyerhoff: We all struggle with how to identify as a female director. When I came to film, I felt I didn’t want to be pigeonholed. I founded a female filmmaker collective --Film Fatales (http://www.filmfatalesnyc.com/#!leah-meyerhoff/c14fk) for this reason. There’s strength in numbers.
Cox: I had one man on set of a project I directed, who would go to other people to get their opinions before he would come to me, the director. I called him up so I could understand why he was doing that. And then I told him to get over it.
How do stories live without gender?
Kathryn Bigelow’s name came up in the discussion (the first woman director to win the Oscar) and how Hurt Locker was not categorized in Hollywood terms as a female film. The panelists agreed that there are myths about what audiences want, and wanting to make movies about women was important despite the naysayers; there is indeed an audience for these films – the box office numbers confirm this.
Whining?
I asked the panel their advice to student filmmakers about breaking into the (independent and/or Hollywood) industry, opening my question with the quote from director Agnès Varda: “Stop categorizing us as women filmmakers,” which I cited in an article I wrote about her at the Locarno Film Festival this year, and the vitriolic Facebook post comment I received from a male producer: “Stop complaining and just make movies.”
Granik: We’re going through pushback. There’s often that accusation of complaining, calling women “whiners” when discussing this topic. The reality is that it’s not so easy for women to get a film financed. For students, they need to come to their power and work together as a collective. Their power is not to look at the industry for reasons to make films; go smaller. Work together
Ricker: I was on panel at Sundance and a producer on the panel said: “I won’t trust money with women directors.” The producer was female. For students at college now, they need to start working with their peers -- these are the people with whom you’ll be forming meaningful work relationships, which will continue after you graduate. Take advantage of these relationships at school.
Perhaps using male pseudonyms might further women’s careers
Adams : There was George Eliot.
The directors agreed that their first names were often a hindrance in getting hired, and jokinly added that in order to get the word out about women directors was to start the hashtag: #wheresthecock.
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting at Purchase College Suny, and presents international seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog...
- 10/29/2014
- by Susan Kouguell
- Sydney's Buzz
Man, that was fast! After airing only three episodes (including tonight's installment), ABC has decided to remove "Happy Town" for the remainder of May sweeps. The series will go on hiatus for two weeks, returning on June 2nd, when the first of its five remaining eps will air.
Per TVSeriesFinale.com next week’s episode will be replaced by an edition of "Primetime: What Would You Do?". On May 26th ABC will present the network premiere of the Transformers movie.
The series got off to a poor start two weeks ago with a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 5.25 million viewers. Last week, for Episode Two, viewership took a nosedive to a 1.2 in the demo and 3.79 million viewers.
"Happy Town" stars Geoff Stults ("October Road") as Tommy Conroy, Sam Neill (Daybreakers) as Merritt Grieves, Lauren German (Hostel: Part II, Dark Country) as Henley Boone, Steven Weber (Desperation, The Shining mini-series) as John Haplin,...
Per TVSeriesFinale.com next week’s episode will be replaced by an edition of "Primetime: What Would You Do?". On May 26th ABC will present the network premiere of the Transformers movie.
The series got off to a poor start two weeks ago with a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 5.25 million viewers. Last week, for Episode Two, viewership took a nosedive to a 1.2 in the demo and 3.79 million viewers.
"Happy Town" stars Geoff Stults ("October Road") as Tommy Conroy, Sam Neill (Daybreakers) as Merritt Grieves, Lauren German (Hostel: Part II, Dark Country) as Henley Boone, Steven Weber (Desperation, The Shining mini-series) as John Haplin,...
- 5/12/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
With "Twin Peaks" far away in the rearview mirror, fans have been looking for a new strange destination to hang their hats. Could ABC's "Happy Town" be it? Dig on the first few minutes and judge for yourself!
"Happy Town" stars Geoff Stults ("October Road") as Tommy Conroy, Sam Neill (Daybreakers) as Merritt Grieves, Lauren German (Hostel: Part II, Dark Country) as Henley Boone, Steven Weber (Desperation, The Shining mini-series) as John Haplin, Amy Acker ("Angel", The Cabin in the Woods) as Rachel Conroy, Sarah Gadon (Canadian TV series "Being Erica") as Georgia Bravin, Robert Wisdom (The Collector, "Supernatural"'s Uriel) as Roger Hobbs, Jay Paulson ("October Road", "Mad Men") as Eli "Root Beer" Rogers, and Ben Schnetzer (Ben's Plan) as Andrew Haplin.
Josh Appelbaum ("Life on Mars", "Alias", "October Road"), André Nemec ("Life on Mars", "Alias", "October Road"), and Scott Rosenberg ("Life on Mars", "October Road") are executive producers.
"Happy Town" stars Geoff Stults ("October Road") as Tommy Conroy, Sam Neill (Daybreakers) as Merritt Grieves, Lauren German (Hostel: Part II, Dark Country) as Henley Boone, Steven Weber (Desperation, The Shining mini-series) as John Haplin, Amy Acker ("Angel", The Cabin in the Woods) as Rachel Conroy, Sarah Gadon (Canadian TV series "Being Erica") as Georgia Bravin, Robert Wisdom (The Collector, "Supernatural"'s Uriel) as Roger Hobbs, Jay Paulson ("October Road", "Mad Men") as Eli "Root Beer" Rogers, and Ben Schnetzer (Ben's Plan) as Andrew Haplin.
Josh Appelbaum ("Life on Mars", "Alias", "October Road"), André Nemec ("Life on Mars", "Alias", "October Road"), and Scott Rosenberg ("Life on Mars", "October Road") are executive producers.
- 4/23/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Several days ago we told you about ABC's "Demand It" campaign for its new series "Happy Town" whereby once they reach 50,000 demands, everyone who participated will be able to watch the show online in advance of its April 28th premiere. Now that we have a longer synopsis of "Happy Town" that includes its full cast, we're pretty sure you'll be wanting to head on over to Eventful and take part if you haven't already.
"Happy Town" stars Geoff Stults ("October Road") as Tommy Conroy, Sam Neill (Daybreakers) as Merritt Grieves, Lauren German (Hostel: Part II, Dark Country) as Henley Boone, Steven Weber (Desperation, The Shining mini-series) as John Haplin, Amy Acker ("Angel", The Cabin in the Woods) as Rachel Conroy, Sarah Gadon (Canadian TV series "Being Erica") as Georgia Bravin, Robert Wisdom (The Collector, "Supernatural"'s Uriel) as Roger Hobbs, Jay Paulson ("October Road", "Mad Men") as Eli "Root Beer" Rogers,...
"Happy Town" stars Geoff Stults ("October Road") as Tommy Conroy, Sam Neill (Daybreakers) as Merritt Grieves, Lauren German (Hostel: Part II, Dark Country) as Henley Boone, Steven Weber (Desperation, The Shining mini-series) as John Haplin, Amy Acker ("Angel", The Cabin in the Woods) as Rachel Conroy, Sarah Gadon (Canadian TV series "Being Erica") as Georgia Bravin, Robert Wisdom (The Collector, "Supernatural"'s Uriel) as Roger Hobbs, Jay Paulson ("October Road", "Mad Men") as Eli "Root Beer" Rogers,...
- 4/8/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
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