Second Expository Essay

Hi all.

Well, after a whopping three hours of sleep, I was back up and at it this morning. :) I'm a little loopy, but I'm getting things accomplished - yay me! :) I finally completed my second expository essay assignment for English Comp and submitted it. The problem I had with this assignment was that it was on the diversity subject we are using for our final project, except expository. All fact, no persuasion. The problem with that was that all of my research and thought processes on my topic were all from a feminist, persuasive point of view, so it was tough to tone the personal opinion out and focus on the facts. In the end, I'm happy with the result. Let me know what you think.



Hollywood Still Predominantly a Boy’s Town


Each year, Martha M. Lauzen, Ph.D., takes a statistical look at the film industry with regard to the status of women, or lack thereof, in its ranks. The focus of these studies is the “celluloid ceiling”, a variation on the typical “glass ceiling” most women find themselves coming up against in the workplace. Her research finds that while some women directors are starting to make names for themselves, Hollywood is still very much a “boy’s town”.

In 2007, women comprised only 15% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films (Lauzen, 2008). In an article in USA Today, director Jane Campion, who won an Oscar for her film The Piano in 1993, and is one of only three women to ever be nominated for an Academy Award, poses the following hypothesis on the lack of female peers in the industry: “I just think this is the way the world is, that men control the money, and they decide who they’re going to give it to” (AP, 2007).

In her report Women @ the Box Office, Lauzen finds what may be a link between her research and Campion’s thoughts on what might account for the lack of higher-ranking females in the industry. Lauzen found that when women and men filmmakers have similar budgets, the resulting box office grosses are also similar. In other words, the sex of filmmakers does not determine box office grosses, but film budget does (Lauzen, 2008).

Taking all of Lauzen’s research into consideration, one possible resolution to the problem of under-representation seems to be one that director Catherine Hardwicke chose when she went to make the film Thirteen. Co-written by herself and a young family friend, Hardwicke had trouble finding the financing and support to get the film made. As an alternative to the standard studio system approach, she went the route of self-financed independent film, refinanced her home, badgered financiers and recruited friends to work without pay to get the film made (UC Regents, 2009). As a result of all of her hard work, the film won the Director’s Award at the Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for supporting actress Holly Hunter. It also paved the way for Hardwicke to be given the helm to the film adaptation of the movie Twilight based on the popular young adult novel by Stephenie Meyer. That film went on to be the highest grossing film for a woman filmmaker to date.

In addition to going it on their own, women filmmakers also have an opening for assistance with getting their films made from the Women in Film Foundation. The foundation’s Film Finishing Fund supports films by, for and about women by providing cash grants and in-kind donations to independent moviemakers (Murphy, 2009).

As Lauzen’s research numbers indicate, the celluloid ceiling in the film industry continues to be a significant hurdle for women filmmakers trying to get their voices heard. While there are some avenues for female filmmakers to get their messages out in the form of grants and independent films and festivals, for the time being at least, the Hollywood studio system still appears to be a “boy’s town”.
 

References

AP. (2007, May 20). Jane Campion Laments Lack of Female Directors. USA Today. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from http://www/usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-05-20-jane-campion_N.htm

Lauzen, M. (2009). The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top 250 Films of 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from San Diego State University Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film web site: http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/files/2008_celluloid_ceiling.pdf

Lauzen, M. (2008). Women @ the Box Office: A Study of the Top 100 Worldwide Grossing Films. Retrieved April 29, 2009 from San Diego State University Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film web site: http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/files/Women%20@%20Box%20Office.pdf

Murphy, N. (2009). Women in Film Foundation Empowers Female Moviemakers. MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://www.moviemaker.com/producing/article/women_in_film_foundation_finishing_fund_20090323/

UC Regents. (2009). Women Filmmakers Break Down Barriers. UCLA Today. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/040224closeup_women.aspx



I managed to keep the assignment to the required two page limit this time. We were supposed to use three sources, I used five. Not too over the top. :) Plenty of in-text citations. I think I did okay. We shall see.

So....stayed up all night and did my in-class note taking and lectures and what-not and got my assignments for this coming week. Stupid Success Strategies is actually going to have us do a project as well (dammit!) so I'm going to actually have to do some real work in that stupid class. Shit. Ah well. Lots going on in all of my classes so there will be plenty of new fun to post later. Have great weekends everyone and as always, your thoughts and constructive criticism are welcome. Cheers!