How Can Post-production Attract More Female Talent?

Image left to right: Eszter Nagy, Eman Alsheabi, Adrienn Major, Mai Bani Issa, Monika Gyuró.

This International Women’s Day, I want to celebrate alongside my fellow ladies in post-production. But the trouble is, there are still so few. I am one of only a handful of female founders of a post-production company, and it’s lucidly clear that there is a lack of female talent along all rungs of the career ladder, from entry to executive level. 

It’s amazing to me that more females don’t head into production careers. As a girl who loved production from a young age - I went on to train and work for agencies after finishing university - I knew early on that it was the right path for me. And I believe there is so much more that the industry can do to attract and train women and girls, and promote it as an exciting creative vocation that is not just for men.  

Ladies making leaps behind the camera

Huge steps have been made to increase diversity in the industry. There are more female directors and producers on rosters, and credited on some of the best ads and films out there. You only need to look at this year’s BAFTA winners. Directors like Yasmin Afifi won the short film Bafta and Charlotte Regan was nominated for Best British film. While super-talented writer, director, and producer Savanah Leaf took home the Outstanding Debut award for Earth Mama, alongside its female production team, Shirley O'Connor and Medb Riordan. These accolades spotlight the brilliant work of women in UK film.

At my agency, POD LDN, I’m lucky to work with some standout women from around the world, like Hungarian based senior colourist Eszter Nagy.  Eszter is a rockstar, and  is credited on a host of films from King Kong to Catwoman. Recently she has been co-directing Cabin Pressure, a documentary film coming out on HBO this year. 

And alongside stints in Hollywood she works on commercial projects, while also juggling motherhood. 

Other ladies to mention include Jordanian graphic designer Mai Bani Issa who we collaborated with on projects for Estée Lauder and Bobbi Brown. While the young, uber-talented animator and illustrator, Mónika Gyuró, worked with us on a film with Cloud9 for Mectizan. She was the illustrator for the entire project and we trusted her entirely. Additionally, Egyptian VFX artist Eman Alshehabi, a specialist in matte painting that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of a landscape or location, is another brilliant woman we call on time and again. 

But these names are still the minority not the majority in the industry and that needs to change. Post-production is still lagging way behind in increasing gender equality. 

What can the industry do to attract more women and girls? 

Perhaps we can start by ‘marketing’ post-production as more of an artform than a technical skill. Women are attracted to fine art and illustration, outnumbering men in art school intakes, but may wrongly see it as too technical. But in reality, there are many artistic roles, from animation through to VFX, and as art becomes increasingly digital, more artists may well be working in digital specialisms anyway. 

What’s more, there could be support through college courses and internships to promote post-production roles to girls, as well as encouraging more post houses to actively hire women. And what about a special award just for females in the industry, or those just entering? This would raise the profile of work by women and show others it could be a career for them. 

The growth of VFX and animation 

VFX and animation are specialisms where women just aren’t really represented yet, and they are huge growth areas for the industry, and predicted to grow in the future. 

Films like James Bond and Harry Potter, and TV shows like Game of Thrones, relied on effects, and as audiences continue to want jaw-dropping visual entertainment, there's more demand for techniques like stop motion, 2D, and 3D in film and advertising, and that needs artists to execute the work.  

So there are lots of opportunities for women and girls who want to enter the creative industries to skill-up and get on board with the exciting worlds of visual effects and animation. For women who might want to get involved with VFX specifically, work experience at post houses and agencies would be a good way to start, and attending specialist workshops and seminars can build essential knowledge and skills. 

Women bring unique capabilities 

Diversity is important in every industry, and more women in post-production can bring diverse perspectives to the work, helping film to chime with female audiences in ways men just won’t get. Women also bring unique skill sets that can help teams flourish, from attention to detail and planning to problem-solving and adaptability that all help efficiency. Women are also naturally great at helping to overcome project hurdles with ease, and these skills are all transferable to other creative sectors too.  

I think that it’s time to rebrand post-production as highly creative and artistic over technical and male-dominated. Let’s get more women on board.