Hey,

can anyone inform me a little bit on how many women there are on these boards?
I'm talking to a girl about these wonderful boards, and she says it's a typical 'man' thing to do, looking at these boards and being so involved with technics.
I told her it's just handy to learn every day if you want to do your job well, and I said I believed there were a number of females at these boards too, so I decided to post this question, more out of curiousity.

Is it a typical male thing to do?
Isn't it in fact the same thing if you as a male cinematographer looking at the technics of a specific camera to do your job better, in comparison with (to use a stereotype cliché) a female who is designing fashion and learning about all new kinds of clothing?
Or are we, males, a little bit more busy with technics?
Because for me, I'm only interested with technics if it has something to do with movies, but other things (for example cars) don't interest me one bit.

Ps: I hope no one sees this question or example as offending or sexist.
I know the example (male - technics, female - fashion) where very stereotype.
I tried to let the girl believe there were many many girls on these boards too ;-)

There are several females on this board. A lot of them are skilled in what they do, and still stop by to either get some info, or offer advice. Just like us males. Only, they have better fashion sense, and can coordinate their camera's accessories in pink ;)

Keith, am I going to have to deal with you? ;)

Hi Mathieu,

I think there are probably around a dozen "active" posters here, but I don't pay that close of attention.

From the time my best friend (a guy) said, "Wouldn't it be fun to do music videos?" and then the words that have come back to haunt us time and again, "How hard can it be?" -- I've been hanging around here getting as much help as I can.

This place is GREAT. Everyone is so willing to help, kind, and PATIENT. :) I wouldn't have stuck with video this long if it weren't for DV Info. It's said so often that I hope it doesn't get old, but "Thank you, Chris Hurd." And "Thank you, everyone who has helped and been so kind."

Hope I don't get in trouble now: The trick here is trying to determine possible "boys only" threads and keep my thoughts to myself. To be perfectly honest, I believe that guys need places where they can get away from....um.....stuff--stuff that comes from that other side of the world. So I try to be careful with that, though sometimes I say what I want (what a surprise?).

On the other hand, by actively corresponding on this board I now have three of the greatest friends I've ever known. It just doesn't get any better than that.

BTW, Keith. All my extra stuff is blue. :)

This place is GREAT. Everyone is so willing to help, kind, and PATIENT. :) I wouldn't have stuck with video this long if it weren't for DV Info. It's said so often that I hope it doesn't get old, but "Thank you, Chris Hurd." And "Thank you, everyone who has helped and been so kind."


It never gets old ;-)
Couldn't agree with you more.

Mathieu,
As one of this place's registrars I can tell you that new members using recognizably feminine names are few and far between. The number of female posters is even smaller. (Interestingly, only about 10% of registered members of any gender ever post more than 1 message.)

Quite some time ago we mods discussed ideas for making DVInfo more female-friendly. But basically we concluded that it's already there. That is, it's free from flaming and it's a genteel place for exchanging information.

Gear-oriented venues --such as boards devoted photography, audio, autos, and video-- just don't seem to attract female participation in great numbers although I've long suspected that many of our lurkers are women. When women, such as Lorinda, do come forward they nearly always deliver a breath of fresh air and broader perspective to topics. So I really do wish more women would become active here.

"BTW, Keith. All my extra stuff is blue. :)"

See? I told you they can coordinate and accessorize better than us ;)

HAHAHA!! Good one, Keith. Oh man, how am I gonna survive next year in Miami with FOUR wiseguys??

Either smiling or screaming :)

Hi,

I'm Mark. I'm a New York based DP, I like long walks on the beach and soft light, I'm an Aquarius, I'm a Canon and Panasonic user, I like to cook and prefer Kodak film stocks, I like Electronic Ambient, I drive a Fisher Ten dolly, I don't like the "shakey cam", I have a big camera and lighting package, I prefer Lavalier micing rather than shotgun and I'm a point of light.

I'm looking for a woman with similar lighting and camera sensibilities: natural looking soft lighting with some pools of hard light, or edges 'n' kickers. But she might also like deep dark shots with only small hints of color or light. She likes smooth camera moves, with the occasional lock-off, depending on what the script calls for. She likes long steadicam shots that track forever and she's qualified to do a live tie in.

Very clever Mark,
I laughed through your whole post and loved it. It is one of the most clever posts I have read in a long time. I guess it's a bummer I'm not a girl though. Well done.
-Jon

I know one of the very few female VariCam owners personally and would love to talk her into posting on our boards here. We could all learn a thing or two from her!

Hi,

I'm Mark. I'm a New York based DP, I like long walks on the beach and soft light, I'm an Aquarius, I'm a Canon and Panasonic user, I like to cook and prefer Kodak film stocks, I like Electronic Ambient, I drive a Fisher Ten dolly, I don't like the "shakey cam", I have a big camera and lighting package, I prefer Lavalier micing rather than shotgun and I'm a point of light.

I'm looking for a woman with similar lighting and camera sensibilities: natural looking soft lighting with some pools of hard light, or edges 'n' kickers. But she might also like deep dark shots with only small hints of color or light. She likes smooth camera moves, with the occasional lock-off, depending on what the script calls for. She likes long steadicam shots that track forever and she's qualified to do a live tie in.

Oh, my!!! That oughta get you some e-mail. But be prepared for one question: After the shoot, do you stick around for post-production?

Zing! Score another one for Lorinda there. Whew.

I'm just wondering if he uses a cover for his boom mic.

We're getting alittle off message here, guys......

I happen to be a female videographer and new member to this fabulous board. I worked 11 years as a network news camerawoman along side with 12 guy photogs. I was the only one who ever read a manual and therefore knew more about the equipment than they did.

I think it's more a matter of the number of female camerapeople than whether or not they are interested in boards such as these.

And remember most men don't read instructions or ask for directions.
he he

Stephanie

So Stephanie, what's your theory on why there are so few women slinging cams?

And I do read instructions ... if:

A. It doesn't work right after assembly
B. There's important looking parts left over.

what's your theory on why there are so few women slinging cams?

I'll bite. My aching back may tell some of the tale. :)

Truly, the hauling of all the gear may be a hindrance, although in my case, wasn't a consideration because I'd been hefting bulky 80's Crate audio gear for years.

"Wiring" may have a lot to do with it. Can't speak for Stephanie or anyone else here, but I never did play with dolls and stuff like that. And the conversation in which most women engage? Well....

I finally decided that a woman can enjoy working with boys toys and still be feminine. (At least I hope that's the case. :) And at my age (45) who cares what other people think, anyway? But schlepping* gear to and from special events in 4-inch heels can be a pain sometimes. I'd love to be able to work on creative projects (like Mark's allusion!) but besides not being good enough, there are those pesky bills...

As for the importance of these boards, I'll add one thing unconfessed to this point--I really do like talkin' with the boys. By and large, they're good-hearted, SMART (love geeks!) and know how to have fun. When you like laughin' as much as I do, ya just gotta be around tech guys, that's all there is to it!

*thanks for the word, Ken T.!

On a related note:

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=278246#post278246

So Stephanie, what's your theory on why there are so few women slinging cams?

And I do read instructions ... if:

A. It doesn't work right after assembly
B. There's important looking parts left over.

Hey Dennis,

Your'e very funny! Here's my two penny response:

My theory about why so few women are camerapeople is that it just never occurred to them to do so. When I was studying film and television production at SDSU every girl who arrived at the production classes in skirts and high heels never had any intention of climbing that 14 foot ladder to hang a 1K or haul heavy production gear on location. They were there to learn how to be IN FRONT of the camera, not behind it.

It's just that pesky stereotype imprinting. I believe the same reason that men with athletic abilities don't usually become ballet dancers or men with an interest in physiology don't consider becoming nurses is the same reason that women with interests in journalism don't even think about slinging cameras. "That's a man's profession, don't ya know......"

Thank you Lorinda for also mentioning the weight issue. My herniated disc from 1998 SO recognizes your insight into this matter. It's not just a "girl" thing however. 3 of the 12 guys that I worked with also have herniated their discs. I guess discs know no gender. Everyone try to keep to those stomach muscles tight.....

Thank you all for this wonderful board. Much success to everyone.

Stephanie

Just skimming the boards and found it to be a rather interesting topic. I am a newbie when it comes to being a mini DV camera operator -- something I picked up while being a field producer on a doc program. Love it.

Just did my first full fledged gig as an operator--one of ten-- and FOUR of the operators happend to be women, which was a pleasant surprise. I was tired and sore after shooting roughly seven hours of footage. Granted I was using the most unwieldy camera (XL 2 w/ anton bauer battery pack --everyone else had a panasonic and one pd 150) but it might have someting to do with being out of shape!

There are plenty of women working in tv in New Zealand. Walk into any studio or control room in the three major networks and you'll see heaps of them. Producers, directors, vt, graphics, floor managers, make up, camera operators. Crikey!! they're everywhere in production. Have yet to see a female tech though. No doubt there are some.

Well I guess I'll just have to do my job and make sure my 23 month old daughter gets a good helping of camera imprinting. I guess I could have laid the camera beside her right after she was born for some wholesome imprinting...wait that only works with geese...

But really, I guess it's what we grow up with, and how we raise our kids. My daughter is already very adept at removing the adjusting knobs on my manfrotto gear (aack!) and is very familiar with what does on behind the viewfinder....these days there's a lot of her there. She's also a big fan of "Daddy's garage", where all the fun projects happen. With so much more film production happening out of people's homes, I'm guessing the same is happening everywhere...and that's good news for a bit more balance in the ranks.

My sister started college the same time I started kindergarten. She went to a polytechnic institute and studied architecture. It never occurred to me that there were women's jobs and men's jobs. Thinking back on college now that you mention it there were far more girls in front of the camera than behind. But I wasn't the only techy chick and I always thought playing with the gear was more fun.

In fact, I think I've got the best job now because I'm both technical and creative. I haul my own gear (bought a trolly) set up the camera, lights, microphones, etc. I also do my own editing, am generally left to my own devices about determining the best stories to tell from a given set of interviews, and the committee doesn't get involved until it's time for review.

As for active posting on the boards, I read more than I post. Being a one woman show I'm constantly swamped so I don't generally have time unless I have a question that I'm trying to find the answer to. On the other hand, when I see a discussion or question that I have an answer to I don't hesitate to jump in. I don't know that that says anything at all about other women who might be out there since I never really thought of myself as typical.

At least you can tell your friend that the boards aren't guys only.

Though I don't know really how many women are on this board...I must say that I'd contribute one of the main reasons I'm on this board posting almost every day can be traced back to a reel done by Laura Beth Love. Prior to seeing that reel I sorta fumbled around the forum once or twice...but after seeing her miniDV reel I was inspired...

I just had to find out how someone could shoot something like THAT on minidv (it had a mini35 on it)...and so I ended up pouring over the mini35 forum for weeks....then all the sudden i noticed up there at the top of the page --- the mini35 forum was just a subforum...so I click and I'm in shock at just how much info is before me...and then I found the alternative imaging forum and they were building their own mini35's....and I was hooked.

So even though there may be more men than women here...I can definately say if it wasn't female cinematographers I wouldn't be here.

Funny...that makes it sound almost like ladies night at a bar...there are 5 times as many guys, but the only reason they are there is because of women.

I am thinking about getting my Mom one of those new ultra compact Sony HDV cameras the one that weighs only 1.5 pounds. I want her to have something that totally outguns those big standard definition shoulder mounted ENG camcorders yet I want it to be compact so that it will fit in her purse and I want the look to be so unintimidating that even a child could use it. In other words I want it to be user friendly. When I bought my first bigger HDV camcorder my Mom thought that I was trying to shoot the Moon but with this ultra compact version it looks like now I'm getting Mars.

Mathieu,



How can I contact you? Please send me an e-mail. I'm a filmmaker from Antwerp.

Thanks!

Eugène Presley

it ain't rocket science why more women don't shoot film and video...

after all, look at the astounding number of role models out there for women in the field!

NOT!

i grew up with a girl who, last i heard, is now a 1st assistant director for a tv series and, from all reports from her through mutual friends, there is a huge glass ceiling to wallop your head against in career advancement. just to even join the union was supposedly a huge deal.

i actually wish i could meet more women in the field. a friend and i started a women-only video production group in colorado to help each other learn and refine our techniques, and it is huge fun.

p.s., if there are any other video girls and women in colorado lurking about who might want to join a fun group, shoot me an e-mail.

tommy, after you get your mom her camera, be sure to encourage her to post to dvinfo.net, so we can swell the ranks.

Mathieu,



How can I contact you? Please send me an e-mail. I'm a filmmaker from Antwerp.

Thanks!

Eugène Presley

I sent you an email, but in the case you shouldn't read it: you can mail me at sidderke@hotmail.com.
Best regards,

Well its going to be a long uphill battle. The perception in the industry is that you need a big shoulder mounted camera or you are not a professional. So a lot of the television networks would not even consider a woman thinking that she could not handle a big camera. With recent advances in technology small and lightweight High Definition single chip camcorders have been invented. Both Sony and JVC make these products. These cameras are so lightweight that even the most petite woman could operate them and the performance of these high definition camcorders simply blows away any shoulder mounted standard definition camcorder. The response of the industry was simply to ban the use of these cameras. Citing that these cameras were not 3CCD they were deemed to be of no professional value because they could not accurately reproduce colors. However the truth was that the cameras did an excellent job of reproducing color sometimes even exceeding their standard definition counterparts. But it was no use. "Ban the junkcorders" the television executives said. Every executive said this except Paula Abdul who allowed the use of the "junkcorder" as a audition camera for the broadcast of American Idol in stunning High Definition.

Whatever happened to Helen Bach? I haven't seen her post in a while. Too bad. She's one of the most knowledgeable members of this forum.

I haven't visited this board in a while. But I'm back, and I've been in television for over 10 years now. Yes, there was injury from carrying cameras in the beginning (dislocated shoulders are no fun), but no, they are a lot lighter and can be handled a lot easier.

As for the group in Colorado, do you talk to Nebraskans?

I love my job and encourage others to pursue their dreams in this field as well.