Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games." (Murray Close / Lionsgate)
Check out the LA Times article here.
Despite the success of recent female-driven movies such as "Bridesmaids" and the "Hunger Games" and "Twilight" series, female representation in popular movies is at its lowest level in five years, according to a study being released Monday by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
By Corey Madden
Some woman whether gay or straight, single or divorced, married or widowed, 18 or 22 or 26 or 35 or 53 or 64 or 70, a wife and mother or girlfriend or sister or aunt or lover or just a friend; who may also be a volunteer or innocent bystander or perfect stranger, who works part-time or full time or stays at home or telecommutes or free lances or is a tenured or unionized teacher or lawyer or maid or accountant or business owner or baker or seamstress or sex worker, manicurist or nannie whose mother was Jewish or Catholic or Buddhist or Born Again or Muslim or Agnostic and is also Asian, Armenian, African, Indian, Anglo, Latino, or biracial and or transnational; who has lived in this country for five, ten, fifteen or thirty or ninety or two hundred or more years and is legal or illegal or naturalized or registered or not as Democratic, Republican, Green, Socialist, Libertarian or undecided is so busy before-work, during-lunch, after-work, after dinner, on the weekends and late into the night with her to do lists and errands to the post office, the bank, the library, the soccer field, the book store, the doctors, the vet and then to WalMart or Target or Costco or Smart N Final to get the plunger, the bath mat, the envelopes, the sleeping bag with just a quick stop for gas and maybe gum or diet something or Starbucks for a mocha, vanilla, hazelnut frappucino or Yum-Yum for coffee and a doughnut with or without sprinkles, but then right on to Ralphs or Vons or Fresh N Easy to pick up milk and eggs, meat and vegetables, pasta and sauce, beer and wine, ice cream and chocolate syrup, and just one of thirteen varieties of dill pickles, and then next door to Walgreens or Rite Aid or Reeds for multi-vitamins, greeting cards, lip-balm, condoms, K-Y jelly, People, Cosmo or the Star, for syringes, alcohol swabs, cough drops, Kleenex, antidepressants and a cane with a rubber tip, then to pick up the children, drop off the fed ex, deliver the flowers, rescue the animals, check on the neighbors, feed the homeless, plant trees, wire funds, refinance loans, file for bankruptcy or a divorce or a restraining order, while still needing to make sure to wrap that birthday, anniversary, wedding shower gift or install new locks, or research burial plots or headstones or hospice or colon or breast or cervical or lung or liver cancer and get to her hair, nail, doctor or dentist appointment and still she won’t forget to subscribe, renew, contribute and donate as soon as she can just put away the groceries, take out the garbage, recycle the empties, water the plants, pick up the toys, clear off the counter and cook dinner for herself, her husband and one, two, three or more children or step children or foster children or for her partner or boyfriend or hot date or roommate or mother in law or best friend or brother, who is visiting from France or El Paso or El Salvador or Alabama and who may be living downstairs or upstairs or next door or down the street and is recovering from a break up, an addiction, a bad fall or was recently released from prison or the army or navy or marines and just needs to get back on his feet, still not forgetting to clear the table, load the dishwasher, sweep the crumbs, feed the dogs and the cats, pay the bills, return that call or the email, now play with the children, check their homework or give them baths or read to them or tuck them in or sew a button on or lay out clothes or pack lunches or backpacks or suitcases or write a list for tomorrow or go out again to spend an hour playing softball, soccer or tennis or swimming or walking or spinning or doing yoga or Pilates but also have to swing by the mall or the outlet to shop the sales for socks, pants, shirts, shoes, towels, sheets, couches, cookware or solar panels before she has a moment to catch her breath, or watch the news or put up her feet or have a glass of wine or get back to their needlepoint, novel, or poem or play, or even get into bed and watch tv or movies or read about houses or fashion or heaven or hell or recipes or composting or heaven help her to have sex or realize just before falling asleep…that she will have to remind someone else to give her a call or send flowers or a card or take her out for breakfast or brunch or lunch or dinner to thank her for being one of those women who mother us, whether we call them mother or not.
"I love introducing screenwriters to the world of publishing… to see their faces when they hand over their work and realize they’re done, there are no more hoops to jump through."
- Holly Root, Literary Agent @ WonderCon 2013 // Waxman-Leavell Literary Agency
The business of Hollywood has changed a lot in the past ten years. Less and less original material is being made, with a bigger focus on adaptations and remakes. Budgets are ballooning, and with that decision comes increased risk. A studio exec is less likely to develop a spec script, work with a first-time director, etc and so forth. Which means, it’s harder than ever to get a foot in as a new artist.
I graduated in 2008 with big dreams of being a writer/producer. We all know the routine, that you have to make a feature to sell a feature (i.e. the chicken or the egg dance), so I chose to go the indie route, trying to raise money outside Hollywood and thus “prove myself” to the industry.
Then the stock market crashed. Investors tighten their wallets, and my plan didn’t work out so well. So I made a shift and started focusing on writing.
I am one of the fortunate few who have a manager and agents. It’s worth noting that I had to win a competition to get them, but my spec scripts sealed the deal. But therein lay the problem. My successful spot was a comedy piece, where my scripts are anything but. My agents didn’t send out my specs because I was not ‘known’ for those genres.
So, I had a choice. Try to write something that can sell, or find a new way to become ‘known’ for the stories I want to write. I tried the former first, to the expected miserable results. But hey, at least I was writing.
It was a frustrating process, and fortunately not without a silver lining. I discovered that I loved telling stories, but it broke my heart when I couldn’t share them with an audience. With a script it takes a mountain of money and an army of people to make your story see the light of day. More often than not, that baby you spent the last year honing ends up in a drawer.
Enter epiphany. A novel, the germinating IP for many a feature film, is a complete story told exactly as I (the writer) envision. I can tell the stories I want to tell and when my polishing is done, it can be shared via traditional publishing or with a bit of sweat equity via digital self-publishing.
Plus, as Hollywood has become more risk adverse, having a sold fan base for my material is like an ace in the pocket. I’d no longer be an ‘untested’ screenwriter, but a published author with numbers I could quote in a pitch meeting.
Alas, the publishing world, at first glance, appeared to be another closed door industry that newbies bang their heads against while trying to get noticed. But I wasn’t deterred, and I started attending seminars and workshops from the pros to learn the industry.
And what I discovered was very encouraging…
It’s easy to get discouraged after you spend years developing your projects and they get shut down before they even start. For an artist there is no greater frustration. But the storyteller in us still has a chance to get our material out to the world.
Yes, I still write scripts. I even write my novels with an eye towards adaptation. But now I’m building my audience before knocking on Hollywood’s door, because sometimes, that’s the only way they’ll let you in.
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Tess Burningham is repped at Untitled Entertainment & Resolution Entertainment for film and the The Literary Group International for novels. She currently has a MG fairy tale and a YA Sci-Fi novel out to publishers.
A couple of days ago a New Zealand actress posed in a photo with a hand written ‘I’m with Stupid’ note that pointed to the bloke posing next to her. He was the Prime Minister. This woman’s mother is a well-known NZ filmmaker and the national newspaper decided to slander her as a hypocrite as some of her films have received funding from the government and leader that she is helping to shame. What a load of crock. It’s like the State of California giving you a nice grant to finish off that feature – but God forbid if you speak out against Uncle Brown’s support of fracking as a way to ‘curb’ climate change! But I digress. This is not about politics (or the horrors of fracking). Instead it is my sad attempt to introduce the idea of government funding for filmmaking. NZ is one of the lucky countries to have a film commission and an on-air television funding board. These government bodies help with not only funding emerging and established filmmakers but also foster talent growth and support. There are schemes for shorts, features, development, post and even outreach/marketing for certain films. Is it perfect? Of course not. Are they always fair? It’s the government. And they don’t always care when there are budget cuts (see the tragic demise of the UK Film Council who made The King’s Speech)2
My point is that at least it’s something and in a world where no one really ever makes money in the arts, it’s great to have some of that state funding go into creativity. I know the US does not have this but there are many independent organizations and foundations that do the same and my hope is that we continue to apply and utilize these so that they in turn grow and encourage more artists. Artists with a freedom of expression, even if that expression is shaming the very hand that feeds you.
By Ghazaleh Golbakhsh
A big congratulations to USC Cinema aluma, Meera Menon, who has been awarded the very first Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival this last week! Also a shout out to the crew - producer Liz Singh was a panelist at our Crowd Funding event last December. Congratulations to all - excited for you ladies!
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/nora-ephron-prize-for-farah-goes-bang/
Below is the bio of writer Corey Madden who will be contributing some wonderful essays. Stay tuned!
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COREY MADDEN is a grad of USC CINEMA screenwriting 2011. Her first feature, AMBER ALERT, is in development with Divasdero Pictures and is a 2013 finalist in Sundance’s producer’s lab (notification in May). She is also the founder and Artistic Director of L’Atelier Arts, which creates site specific performances for theatre, museums and public art festivals. L’Atelier Arts co-produced Tales of the Old West, an immersive theatrical experience at the Autry Museum in April 2013, Rain after Ashat the Pacific Asia Museum for AxS Festival in 2011, Day for Night for 2010 GLOW and 2011 Transatlantyk Film and Music Festival and Three Weeks in January for LACE and the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time Performance and Public Art Festival in 2012.
Madden is Director of Artist Programs for the Pasadena Arts Council, running fiscal sponsorship and professional development program for independent producers and artists. Madden’ writes regularly for PAC’s blog, BLEAP! and also has been published on the blog, Howlround. Madden was Associate Artistic Director of the Mark Taper Forum from 1993-2005 and worked there for twenty-two years. Madden also directs theatre and music events and has worked at the Public Theatre, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Disney Hall and Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Film Independent's signature diversity program is currently accepting submissions for its 2013 class. Now in its 20th year, Project Involve continues to cultivate the careers of filmmakers from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film industry. Selected filmmakers from various filmmaking and industry tracks—writers, directors, producers, distribution and more—receive one-on-one mentorship, workshops and production opportunities from October through June.
Project Involve Seeks to:
Click here to read more about Project Involve and apply now.
Application deadline is April 29.
Below is the bio of former WCA Co-Chair '08 Tess Burningham, who will be contributing some articles in the future!
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Tess Burningham is an adventurer, traveller, scuba diver, novelist and film maker. In 2011, she struck lightning in a bottle, making the #1 commercial of the Superbowl on a shoe-string budget. She has won several awards for her feature screenplays and was a semi-finalist in 2012‘s Writers of the Future competition. She is a trained marine archaeologist and currently lives off the coast of Southern California. As a partner at Mythmakers Entertainment, Tess aims to create classical tales full of new worlds and fantastic adventure. She has a BA in Anthropology from UC Berkeley and an MFA in film production from USC.
Hi WCA,
Below is an upcoming project by a friend of the WCA! The interview he includes was posted by WCA member, Olga Lexell, and features two women merging their knowledge of science and passion for storytelling on the TV show "Bones". Enjoy!
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Nzara '76 is a USC Thesis and Alfred P. Sloan award-winning film based on a number of accounts of the first 1976 outbreaks of the Ebola Virus in Sudan. The film follows the first WHO doctors to reach the town of Nzara and the nurses who stayed behind while others field to do the best they could for their people.
As for myself, before attending USC's School of Cinematic Arts I received my Bachelors in Biology from the University of Rochester. While there I worked in Virology and vaccine research with a goal of going into medicine. While I decided to peruse a different path, my love for science has remain a huge influence on my life and work. I am so thankful for the Sloan Foundation and the opportunity to inspire and educate others through science and entertainment.
There were two stories that came out of the first Ebola outbreaks that really stuck with me. The first was the stories of the doctors themselves. The lengths to which these people went to stop the disease, to track its origins felt more akin to an adventure film than the life of a doctor or scientist. This was the story I knew. The other story, that of the Sudanese nurses, I found during my research. These stories of the nurses tasked with running hospital decimated by an unknown disease led me to completely rewrite my story. When medical personal fled, fearing for their lives, each town had it's own story of the nurses who stayed behind and risked their lives, many dying, to do the best they could for their people. There was an amazing sense of courage and strength I found nearly unfathomable and absolutely inspiring. On their own, both stories are inspiring examples of people going above and beyond, risking life and limb to save their fellow man. Together, the stories paint yet another image, a clash of culture, one wherein a common desire to save lives gives way to understanding.
In addition to our short film, we decided to do a companion documentary piece about Science Advisors, their jobs on their respective shows and the importance of accurate science in entertainment. To that end, we sat down with Nkechi Okoro (writer) and Donna Cline (Science Advisor) of the show BONES to get an idea of the process of bringing science to the show and the role of science in entertainment!
INTERVIEW: http://www.nzara76.com/bones.
Jon Noble