Women Directing - What's Luck Got To Do With It?

Cracking Hollywood's celluloid ceiling - CNN.com

Check this article out on CNN.com about Charlize Theron as a director.

What follows, are my thoughts on the article . . .

Seems if it weren't for bad luck, as a group, we'd have no luck at all according to Theron who says, "Women have to make their own luck . . . there is no point in complaining about the tough time women have getting work behind the scenes in the movies."

Whhaaattt??? Is she kidding?

According to the article, "Last year, women made up just 16 percent of all directors, producers, writers and cinematographers who worked on the 250 top grossing films in the U.S."

16%!!!! Is that luck??? That's pretty pathetic. Wow, aren't we lucky?! - NOT!

Don't get me wrong, as a woman director I am always interested in what other women directors have to say about the business, particularly regarding the issue of the "glass or celluloid ceiling." Unfortunately, I can't help but be discouraged each time a woman director gets an opportunity to discuss the issue publicly and instead of taking it on they back down and under play our lack of parity and opportunity in the workplace.

And, the author has the nerve to say that Theron is a "template for what women can achieve in the industry." -- Boo, hiss, thanks for helping to advance your sisters, Charlize and Mairi. Is there a name for women that play the "Uncle Tom" role?

Women are underrepresented as directors and dp's. We are underrepresented as consumers. We make up 51% of the population and yet we don't even come close in the workplace. Yes, we are gaining ground. But 16% qualifies as a snail's pace. I for one, am tired of this paradigm where we are afraid to say what is for fear we will loose what little we have. I am tired of having the term "feminist" hurled at me because I've stood up for myself and have dared to dream, desire and ask for what should never be an issue--that I have an equal opportunity to realize my dream and work in the field and occupation I love--directing. Let's just take a moment and call it what it is--sexism.

Palmer Enfield

Director

Fan Club

Bonnie Sonder gave me permission to post a link to her awesome comments to me on Facebook about this blog and how useful she's found it. Click on the title "Fan Club" to read her comments.

I love knowing that people are reading and actually getting something of value from the blog. Thanks Bonnie for taking the time give feedback!

I hope more of you will join, follow and comment. 

You, after all, are my inspiration :-)

Twittering at Meetings

I've been talking about this for a while now to people - how to use Twitter effectively. I recently started suggesting it to my clients - especially my pharma clients who around this time of year hold their national sales meetings. Why not set up a private, event-specific Twitter account and have the attendees Twitter through out the meeting about their experiences, reactions, ideas, etc. Project the Twitters on screens in real-time in a common area or in the actual meeting itself. Imagine what you can create by doing this? 

Just to reinforce my point, here's an article I came across today that speaks about this same idea: If You Are Doing An Event, Bring Twitter Into The Room

Learning is FREE! And it's can't be repossessed once you have it!

I guess everyone loves free stuff. I know I love getting a gift bag full of goodies, I love swag and I especially love free workshops. I know we are all watching our money these days and many of us just aren't working as much as we'd like and consequently have a little more free time on our hands. I'm of the opinion that even if you aren't working at a paying job that you need to keep a schedule and engage in work related activities. Whether it be up dating your demo reel & resume and looking for work, networking, or doing what ever you can to keep current on the industry - we all need to be keeping busy.  So I've found some free or nearly free workshops that you should consider.

The first should be obvious to most of you since the majority of us in this industry are Mac owners . . . 

Your local Apple store has free hour long workshops on everything from how to use your new iPhone to iDVD and iMovie. Now I know that most of your think you know how to use this stuff but I also know that most of you don't really use all the features on your iPhone, your Mac, etc - here's an opportunity to make sure you really know how to use the tools of the trade. You've paid a lot of money for this stuff - ask yourself, "how dumb is it that you don't fully know how to use them efficiently?" And how dumb is that when there are free workshops you could take advantage of?

So go onto the Apple site and find your nearest local Apple store and sign up. 

Once you've run through the free one hour workshops, most Apple stores offer advanced workshops for cheap. You can take Final Cut or Photoshop or other workshops for around a $100 bucks. Trust me, that's cheaper than just about any where else that offers them. 

Next, is B&H Photo - yes, I know they are in NYC and you are in Philly or the Philly burbs. You certainly have a lot of excuses, don't you? Get off the sofa and stop watching Court TV - after all, I've already wrapped out how you can take The Bolt Bus or China Town Bus up and back to The Big Apple for cheap. 

B&H Photo is offering free workshops -go to  www.bhphoto.com/eventspace to check out the current offerings. You'll find workshops covering everything from still photography, directing, screenwriting, producing and more. Not only are they FREE (are you listening to me? I said, "FREE!") but you'll be hangin' with other folks and you can network - who knows who you'll meet. Don't forget to RSVP to reserve your space!

If you are hell bent on "keeping it local" there are some great options here in the Philly metro area as well . . . 

While the offerings aren't as frequent as I'd like to see, the Greater Philadelphia Film Office often has free (or nearly free) workshops and events worth attending - www.film.org

Free, nearly free (or at least relatively cheap) workshops:

Scribe - www.scribe.org - workshops are film and video related and based in Philly.

MiND TV (formerly WYBE channel 35) is offering the following workshops: MiND Bootcamp "How to make a 5-minute TV Program" (FREE), Camera Training (March 24th) and Video Pre-Production (April 7th) and Audio Recording (April 13th) - www.mindtv.org

And for those who want to break out of a rut, get their creative juices going and need a little hand holding on getting the inspiration mojo back there is always, Landmark Education - www.landmarkeducation.com - their introductions are free and there is NO OBLIGATION to sign up for future programs. They have a center in Philly and most other major cities. I've took the basic core curriculum( The Forum, The Advanced Course and The Self-Expression and Leadership) seminars last year and found it to be an effective way re-energize myself, re-focus my energies and re-discover what is possible. 

Know of other free, nearly free or cheap workshops? Let me know. Email me at palmer@redmaiden.tv and I'll add them to the blog.

And as a last suggestion - Mandy.com posts workshops on their "Noticeboard" and ShootingPeople.com also frequently lists free or cheap workshops on their email newsletter. You can sign up to get the basic newsletter for free - you'll get it a day or so later than the paying members or for a couple of bucks you can join and get the daily newsletter. I get it and have found it to be an excellent resource for everything from jobs to workshops, and then some.

Tweet! Tweet! How to Twitter - A Must Read

Everyone is talking about it, doing it and complaining about it - social networking. It used to be all about MySpace and Friendster. Now it's Facebook, Meebo, Bebo, and LinkedIn. Not to mention hi5, Orkut, PerfSpot, Yahoo!, Zorpia, Netlog - the list grows on and on. Just do a search for "social networking" on Wikipedia (you do know what that is, don't you?) and you'll be awestruck by the alphabetical listing of current and defunct online community sites . . . 

And now, to completely blow your mind, just when you though Facebook was the ultimate time suck - not so new on the scene and yet contending to be the ultimate time vampire is . . . Twitter. 

Whaaatt??? 

I know, I know. No more you say. Not another one. 

And yet, hunkered down in front of your computer you and I and a whole host of folks are exploring and experimenting with Twitter. 

It could be just what the doctor ordered for taking your personal branding to the next level. It could make the difference in getting your film the exposure you know it deserves.

Or it could only further lighten your pallor and make you need to double your dose of vitamin D - a problem solved by learning to Twitter on-the-go on your iPhone ;-)

Now I know that sounds a little more appealing doesn't it? But you're still thinking - "I don't get it." Don't worry. I didn't get Twitter at first either. And quite honestly, I'm still working on "getting it." And I'll go further to say that when my directing colleague Adam Tweets endlessly about the script he's writing or the mac n' cheese he ate for lunch after he's suffered through a casting session with chicks in bikinis or when my friend Brian Tweets about jetting off to Sundance, SXSW and Cannes to promote and network for his CD making company -- I often find myself thinking, "Who gives a flying f---???" But truth be know, I'm listening and they've got my attention.

So if you find you're thinking about Twitter and you're wondering "what can this do for me?" and you're asking, "Okay, so now what?"- but you still don't get it, don't understand how or why to use it, know that you you are not alone as even the most savvy social networkers don't really understand HOW to really make Twitter work for themselves.

So to help all of us muddleheads out, here's an article from the WSJ from a woman who does get it. How to Twitter - WSJ.com

And I think once you've read it . . . you'll be a giant step closer to "getting it" and then maybe you'll be ready to go online and read Mashable - www.mashable.com

And when you get up and running, don't forget to add me to your list of Twitters you follow:

palmerx

Palmer needs a new lid!

Director Palmer Enfield is known by her hat as well as her head for creative production. Here's her online video plea for a new lid. Help her keep her head warm and the ideas flowing - join the Facebook group "PALMER NEEDS A NEW LID" and support this frivolous but fun pursuit. After all, what is social networking for?