Feminist Cinema Research at Archimedean Upper
In the summer of 2018 a group of high school students from Archimedean Upper Conservatory conducted a survey for their Women's Studies class. The students in the group are Grant Maspons, Andrew Reyes, Yonell Quintero, Camila Paez, and Destinie Baldonado. The purpose of the experiment was to choose an area of work and find an inquiry they would like resolved on that area, in this case it was concerning female versus male representation. The survey involved students from Archimedean Upper Conservatory filling out an online questionnaire. The purpose of the project was to show how underrepresented women are in the film industry.
Thesis[edit]
The students were attempting to prove that in America there clearly existed gender discrimination towards women in the cinema industry, and in their project they set out not only to expose how this discrimination came about, but also how pervasive this discrimination truly was, by showing that the average Archimedean Upper Conservatory student would not be able to name a movie in which the leading role is female, or that was directed by a female. The group based their initial hypothesis, that women were discriminated in the film industry, off statistics published in The Celluloid Ceiling and The Motion Picture Association of America's Theatrical Market Statistics for 2016, which stated that in 2016 women made up roughly 52% of all movie goers in America but only made up 29% of protagonists, 17% of behind the scenes roles, and 7% of directors.
Data Collection Method[edit]
The group randomly selected ten students from each grade at Archimedean Upper Conservatory. In the survey, selected individuals had to answer four questions. The first question is to name a movie in which the leading role is a male and the second question was to name a movie with a female leading role. The third question was to name a movie that was filmed by a male director and the fourth was to name a movie with a female director.This experiment was carried out for all four grades in order for the group to ensure that there is no bias based on age, gender, etc. The group expected to see results that show that most students cannot name a movie in which women are the lead role, as well as a female director.
Analysis of Data[edit]
Data from the completed online survey indicated a 100 percent ability to identify a movie with which a male was the lead, such as James Bond and Deadpool. Similarly, 100 percent ability to identify a movie in which a female was the lead, including movies such as Mulan and Hunger Games. 90 percent of the students were able to identify a movie in which was directed by a male; however, there was a 60 percent ability to identify a movie in which was directed by a woman.
Conclusion[edit]
In conclusion, the group thesis that most students would not be able to name a movie with a female lead was incorrect. Rather than proving there was an inability to identify female roles and directors, a distinct gap was demonstrated when students had to identify male and female directors. 90 percent of the surveyed students were able to identify a movie with a male director, but only 60 percent of students were able to identify a movie with a female director. Upon review, the group also found that all films directed by a female passed the Bechdel Test, and all but one film directed by a male passed. The group concluded that, although most students were able to name a film with a film lead, the inability to name a female director showed a lack of representation for women in behind the scene roles in film and cinema.
References[edit]
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xOXoX2sBOEOlXyndAgKfa6ucIDd0W8XQcg1lJOQ4WFk/edit#responses https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2017_Celluloid_Ceiling_Report.pdf https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MPAA-Theatrical-Market-Statistics-2016_Final.pdf
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