Help and Opinions

[Flojojojo]

Hello!
I'd just like to introduce myself, I'm Flojojojo, and I admit, I am a media studies student (I know we can get annoying...) but I am genuinely interested, and have been for a long time in directorship, and it's a career I want to go on to do, so... obviously I decided to research British female directors.
I was wondering if some of you would answer some questions for me (so I can include some statistics in my research) and you guys are a lot more knowledgable than joe public. Please feel free to give me any opinions or help that you think may be useful, and I'm sorry if you think I'm wasting your time

So... on with the questions I guess!
1) Are you male or female

2)How Old Are You - 13-18 , 19 - 25 , 26 - 54 , 55 +

3) Rank these genres in order of preference (5 being the highest, 1 the lowest)
Horror ( ), Comedy ( ), Romance ( ), Action ( ), Sci-fi/Fantasy ( )

4) Which genres do you think men are most likely to direct? Rank the genres (5 being most likely to direct, 1 being the least likely)
Horror ( ) Comedy ( ) Romance ( ) Action ( ) Sci-fi/Fantasy ( )

5) Explain your highest and lowest choices for the above question...

6) Which genres do you think women are most likely to direct? Rank the genres (5 being most likely to direct, 1 being the least likely)
Horror ( ) Comedy ( ) Romance ( ) Action ( ) Sci-fi/Fantasy ( )

7) Explain your highest and lowest choices for the above question...

8) Summerise what you believe the term 'Chick Flick' to mean...

9) Why do you believe it is hard for Female Directors to break into the film industry? ....

10) Do you think that in 10 years time the stats for male and female directors will have evened out? ....



Thankyou to anyone who has taken the time to respond to this!

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Flojojojo Hello! I'd just like to introduce myself, I'm Flojojojo, and I admit, I am a media studies student (I know we can get annoying...) but I am genuinely interested, and have been for a long time in directorship, and it's a career I want to go on to do, so... obviously I decided to research British female directors. I was wondering if some of you would answer some questions for me (so I can include some statistics in my research) and you guys are a lot more knowledgable than joe public. Please feel free to give me any opinions or help that you think may be useful, and I'm sorry if you think I'm wasting your time So... on with the questions I guess! 1) Are you male or female 2)How Old Are You - 13-18 , 19 - 25 , 26 - 54 , 55 + 3) Rank these genres in order of preference (5 being the highest, 1 the lowest) Horror ( ), Comedy ( ), Romance ( ), Action ( ), Sci-fi/Fantasy ( ) 4) Which genres do you think men are most likely to direct? Rank the genres (5 being most likely to direct, 1 being the least likely) Horror ( ) Comedy ( ) Romance ( ) Action ( ) Sci-fi/Fantasy ( ) 5) Explain your highest and lowest choices for the above question... 6) Which genres do you think women are most likely to direct? Rank the genres (5 being most likely to direct, 1 being the least likely) Horror ( ) Comedy ( ) Romance ( ) Action ( ) Sci-fi/Fantasy ( ) 7) Explain your highest and lowest choices for the above question... 8) Summerise what you believe the term 'Chick Flick' to mean... 9) Why do you believe it is hard for Female Directors to break into the film industry? .... 10) Do you think that in 10 years time the stats for male and female directors will have evened out? .... Thankyou to anyone who has taken the time to respond to this!

1) "Yes" would seem to be the only possible answer to this question
2) Over 21
3) I don't think genres are important except to advertisers
4) I don't think genres are important except to advertisers
5) I don't think genres are important except to advertisers
6) I don't think genres are important except to advertisers
7) I don't think genres are important except to advertisers
8) I believe it means that the person using it is an idiot
9) I don't think it's any harder than for male directors
10) It depends on how good they are, not their gender

Possibly not the answers you were expecting

Steve

[Wolfgang]

I think genre can be useful for understanding film, for making comparisons and understanding patterns of construction with regards to particular types of film. It is interesting to study how they have evolved - for instance musicals have evolved into action, horror and porn where you get 'numbers' intermittently and stories are secondary consideration.

[JamesM]

1) male
2) 25-54
3) Horror (2.5 ), Comedy (2.5 ), Romance (2.5 ), Action (2.5 ), Sci-fi/Fantasy ( 2.5)
4) Most men aren't likely to direct films.
5) What highest and lowest choices?
6) Most women aren't likely to direct films.
7) What highest and lowest choices?

Originally Posted by Steve Crook 8) I believe it means that the person using it is an idiot

That's a great answer. I totally agree.
9) I don't remember saying it's difficult for female directors to break into the industry, are you putting words into our mouths?
10) No

Instead of asking us what we think the answers are, why don't you find out what the actual answers are?

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang I think genre can be useful for understanding film, for making comparisons and understanding patterns of construction with regards to particular types of film. It is interesting to study how they have evolved - for instance musicals have evolved into action, horror and porn where you get 'numbers' intermittently and stories are secondary consideration.

But I never go to see a film because of the genre that it's in. I go because of the story or the people who made it. Whichever genre you put a film in, there will probably be some that I like in that genre and some that I don't like. Genre is meaningless for me.

Musicals evolved into action, horror & porn? How strange.

Steve

[JamesM]

The staging of fight sequences match that of the staging of dance numbers, I can certainly see that. I cannot think how the horror genre has borrowed from the musical genre. Which porn films have you been watching? Those made by the Arthur Freed of Our Inhibitions Unit?

[penfold]

Originally Posted by Flojojojo Hello! I'd just like to introduce myself, I'm Flojojojo, and I admit, I am a media studies student (I know we can get annoying...) but I am genuinely interested, and have been for a long time in directorship, and it's a career I want to go on to do, so... obviously I decided to research British female directors.

In which case, you should contact the NFT...the first meeting of the International Women Film Pioneers project is on Saturday 11th of November....I'd go but I have to work. Some very good speakers coming... BFI | National Film Theatre | Women and Silent Britain

[Flojojojo]

Originally Posted by JamesM Instead of asking us what we think the answers are, why don't you find out what the actual answers are?

The thing is, I need opinions, and your opinions are answers, thank you. I have my own answers, I have statistics, all I need now is opinions... read the syllabus before you tell me what to do.

[julian_craster]

Why should we bother to help you with these DUMB surveys ?

If you are studying , ask your fellow students at your college/university !

[Flojojojo]

I don't know why everyone is so negative about media students? I am asking you (you should be flattered by this) because I need people with opinions (i.e film lovers like you) to give me their opinions. What is a student going to know about the lack of female directors???
So, tell me, why are some of you so negative towards media students, because I've seen it before, when others have asked questions, all you do is insult us. We are learning about it because we have, like you, an interest in film which we want to develop. Do you not want the younger generation to know anything about film???
Despite this, thank you to those of you (i.e Penfold) who have actually helped me.

[penfold]

It must seem that way to you Flojojojo, and I'm sorry my friends have come across this way to you; but please bear in mind that we do get (Not in your case I hasten to add) some really mindless and occasionally downright rude demands for information, and opinions....dozens of them, and you can set your year calendar to academia by when they start and finish. There must be dozens of lecturers in campuses around the country setting these topics and a few of them must be aiming their students here. It does piss us off frankly....but we're not anti -student, and not anti you.
Good luck in your studies, do enjoy learning about film, keep an open mind
and learn to watch each film with an open mind, and not just to see what your lecturer has told you to expect to see. Be original. Form your own opinions...and if you want to bounce them off people, post them here....as most of us here are autodidacts, we will have original opinions too.
Have fun.

[Steve Crook]

Autodidacts? Is that something to do with cars?

Steve

[JamesM]

If you are going to conduct a questionaire for analytical purposes, you need to ensure that the options provided as answers cover all possibilities.

Question 1) this does suffice (without being pedantic).

Question 2) this almost does (under 19 needs to be the first option).

Question 3) falls down because films appeal to people on many levels and when someone is particular drawn to a specific genre (film noir, Honk Kong action films, Asian horror) they will still have no particular preference over other genres. If you want to find out how many people prefer to watch a defined genre over another defined genre, you should ask people which films they like, and then see how these films fit into your defined genres. If you were to ask people to list there favourite films that have been made in the UK in the last five years, you might see two science fiction / fantasy films in the list of one person alongside two films that could have a strong comedy element. There will be no apparent preference but once you have repeated that question you might find more people incude two science fiction films in their list than include two comedies. Although individually you might not be able to find a person's preference for a genre (becasue they do not really have one), you can still establish the preferred genres of your sample group. You can put our answers into defined categories by using the IMDb.

Question 4) It is not clear what you are asking. You could be asking which genres we believe are most likely to be directed by men OR which genres do we believe men, on average, would be more inclined to direct.

Question 5) This cannot be answered for the reason stated above.

Question 6) as question 4

Question 7) as question 5

Question 8) This can be answered. Steve does answer this question truthfully. To me it is a term that an idiot would use to categorize a film that would not appeal to their macho sensibilities. The term has been commandeered to mean films that would fit such a definition and, as such, is less derisive.

Question 9) This question can only be answered by someone who believes the statement to be true. The only way I can interpret the question to be true is to say that it is difficult for people to break into the film industry, but this makes the gender of the person irrelevant and inappropriate to question.

Question 10) Again, you need to be clearer as to what you mean. Are you asking whether the number of women actually working as directors will be equal to that of men OR are you asking whether the percentage of women who succeed to get to direct films will be equal to the percentage of men who succed to get to direct films OR are you asking whether the number of films a female director will make will be as high as the number of films a male director will make?

[Wee Sonny MacGregor]

IMO, if there's one thing much worse than media students it's the academics who produce unreadable books on the cinema all paid for out of public funds. I've just had the misfortune to read Bruce Babington's "Launder and Gilliat". Poor Elliott Huntley is struggling for a publisher for his Dennis Price biography while works like "John Mills and British Cinema, Masculinity, Identity and Nation" seem to have no such difficulties

I took one look at blurb and passed on this pearler. Let me quote from the author's summary of the contents: "Mills' performances extend beyond the stiff-upper-lip, and are rooted in an ethos of the underdog that offers a peculiarly 'feminised' ideal for audience identification. Mills' masculinity is precisely not that of class and racial superiority and I aim to explore why such a vulnerable masculine body should appeal so widely not only during the crises of wartime, but also in the post-war period and the changing climates of the 1950s and 1960s"

I rest my case.