On the 7th to 11th November 2018, York St John’s University hosted the Aesthetica Short Film Festival which takes place every year around the city of York. This included a number of talks which involved the showcase of ‘Women in Film: Prospects and Perspectives’ at York Theatre Royal Studio on the 8th November. The university has a longstanding film production reputation going back 50 years.
The discussion covered a number of gender imbalances of women in the film industry both onscreen and behind the camera. Sharing their experiences, a panel of female filmmakers, previously alumni students of York St John’s University, offered their take on the current industry. They have also made a series of short films during their time in the fabrication.
The panel chair Tracy Willits, who is a lecturer at York St John’s University, has had over 20 years of experience in the industry. Tracy worked as producer at GMTV and Granada overseeing Lorraine Live and This Morning. She introduced us to 6 panellists who are all award-winning individuals. These included Meridian Griffiths, Anna Bennett, Lisa Cooke, Jesse Grace, Sarah Broadbent and Aisling Anthony.
Panellist Meridian Griffiths is a Production Co-ordinator at Middlechild Productions in London. She has worked across a number of factual entertainment shows including Channel 4, BBC and Channel 5. She said, “I worked on The Great British Bake Off as a Production Secretary and my role was to make sure everything ran logistically, I even got to taste some of the bakes”. Meridian started out working for a small production company but due to being female, she felt she had to work harder in order to stand out. She found work through an agency which helped people from ethnic minorities find a job.
Another Panellist Jesse Grace found the industry a lot trickier. She decided to pursue her lifelong dream of being a photographer, which led her to studio fashion work and later wedding and family photography. Jesse said “Women are always having to prove themselves in the industry more than men. It is improving but I do believe the gender pay gap is real and there are jobs that are going to one person, but I think it’s been conditioned that way and it’s a big thing to try and break out of”. She loved working as a camera operator at university so that helped inspire her to start her own business.