Films made by women 'more likely to make money', and help for female writers, directors and producers.
Employing more women in writing and directing roles makes sound business sense for the film industry, according to new research from the British Film Institute, BFI.
Analysis of the performance of UK films between 2010-2012 shows that a high percentage of the most successful and profitable independent British films had a female screenwriter and/or director.
But women are currently still under-represented in writing and directing roles in the film industry.
Of all UK independent films released between 2010 and 2012, just 11.4 per cent of the directors and 16.1 per cent of the writers were women.
However, 18.2 per cent of the directors and 37 per cent of the writers of the top 20 UK independent films over the same period were female.
And 30 per cent of the writers of profitable UK independent films were female.
Amanda Nevill, CEO of the BFI, said: “Women are creating stories and characters that resonate with
audiences in the UK and around the world, and it’s encouraging, and absolutely no surprise, to see films
from women writers in particular really making an impact.
“Frustratingly, overall the numbers of women in writing and directing roles remains low and there is still much work to do to ensure female voices can come through.”
Notable successes included Jane Goldman, with 'The Woman in Black' and 'Kick-Ass'; Phyllida Lloyd and Abi Morgan and 'The Iron Lady'; Debbie Isitt and 'Nativity 2', and Dania Pasquini and Jame English with 'StreetDance 3D' and 'StreetDance 2 3D'.
A number of women also saw success on UK films which were financed by major studios in the USA, including Sarah Smith and 'Arthur Christmas'; Susanna White and Emma Thompson on 'Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang'; Jane Goldman with 'X-Men: First Class' and Lone Scherfig and 'One Day'.
The research found that a number of successful female writers and directors were attached to more than one project, and many of the directors were also working in other media including television and theatre.
According to the BFI, this indicates that there is now a critical mass of women with established writing and directing careers.
The report also shows that films with female writers or directors were more likely to have female producers or executive producers, and have received financial support through BFI Lottery and BBC Films or Film4.
The report follows research from Creative Skillset, which showed that the number of women employed in the creative media industries grew by almost 16,000 between 2009 – 2012, with representation rising from 27 per cent to 36 per cent of the total workforce, reversing the decline seen between 2006 and 2009.
And Bird's Eve View, an organisation dedicated to supporting women filmmakers, has just launched FILMONOMICS, a business training programme consisting of six sessions on topics such as 'understanding audiences and building confidence' plus three months extra support from industry experts.
According to Birds Eye View, “The 21st century filmmaker needs to know about digital delivery, audiences, positioning and marketplace.
So participants on the FILMONOMICS programme 'will gain an understanding and knowledge of the business behind film, enabling them to make smarter, targeted and market aware decisions on all aspects of their own projects including areas such as positioning, collaboration with key practitioners, distribution methods and reaching audiences'.
FILMONOMICS is targeted at film teams of two, for example writer and director, producer and director or writer and producer.
Between them they must have a portfolio that includes production of a short film that has been screened at an international film festival or a feature film in development with a public funder or a published script and/or book. And either the writer or the director must be female.
Interested? The deadline for applications is 2 January 2014. To find out more, click here.
Story published on Women's views on News, December 4, 2014
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