Women to Watch: Incredible Women in Production Are Blazing the Trail for Others in the Industry

Historically speaking, the industry has been male-dominated. The Celluloid Ceiling Report states that by role, women comprised 18% of directors, 19% of writers, 25% of executive producers, 31% of producers, 21% of editors, and 7% of cinematographers last year. Films with at least one woman director employed substantially more women in other key behind-the-scenes roles than films with exclusively male directors.

However, the tides are changing, and quickly. An increasing number of incredible women are assuming these roles and are continuing to have a major impact on the industry as a whole. Each year, we aim to spotlight a few of these incredible women, to help shed a light on their stories, as well as inspire other women to bring their own dreams and talent to life.

​Marcy Robinson, colourist

Marcy is an experienced colourist with an undying passion for film stemming from her earlier career as a photographer and analogue photographic printer. With a deep love for the medium and a firm grasp of the histories of photography and film, she has a unique talent for preserving such textures and temperatures inside of a digital world. Marcy’s work includes Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story and DePalma, Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and Gemini Man, award-winning documentary The Truffle Hunters, and Mary Harron’s horror series The Expecting.

Q> When did your career in post-production start? Was this something you’d always known you’d wanted to do?

Marcy> I was obsessed with taking pictures from a young age and was in the darkroom by the time I was seven. My love for printing followed me into high school and college and after graduation, I opened my own lab in New York where I worked for 13 years. But the world and film started changing, and this pushed me to find a new path into colour grading. I was barely able to send an email when I started as a colourist. Being rather resistant to technology has certainly hindered me in some ways, but I feel my knowledge of analog film and photography and all my years in the darkroom have benefited me in other ways.

Q> Since you entered your role, how has it changed and evolved?

Marcy> When I first started as a colourist I was nervous, I had already found that the tools involved in print were infinite and now I was entering into a world where the possibilities were even more infinite. Over time it became more natural to me and I’m now comfortable working in digital spaces.

Q> What opportunities have you been able to have working in your role?

Marcy> I’ve been stretched in a lot of different ways and met many amazing people. All in all, it’s been a very satisfying process for me. I’ve been able to grow into new ways of working and I’ve gotten to understand film in a totally different way.

Q> What have you learned about yourself through your career experiences?

Marcy> I really am always learning. I still get surprised by how each and every project can feel so different and exciting. I’ve learned that I’m open, I groove well with all sorts of people and projects, and I have the ability to work with technology in ways I never thought I would.

Q> Can you share what excites you the most about the work you do?

Despite the intensity sometimes with tight deadlines and heavy workloads, I still love sitting down and doing the work. I really do love colour grading. It’s extremely satisfying.

Read the full ProductionHUB article here.