Authors:
- Marks the first in-depth study to examine the reasons behind continued gender inequality in filmmaking professions
- Contains original research based on interviews with employers of screenwriters, as well as with a range of screenwriters themselves, some of whom have many produced films and awards
- Written from the unique position of someone who has worked in senior roles within the UK film industry for many years but who also has a deep understanding of academic writing on film and creative industries
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
About this book
Reviews
“This is an outstanding book, which unequivocally demonstrates the sexism still rife in the British film industry. Using a case detailed and engaging case study of screenwriting, the book punctures the ‘common sense’ of screenwriting, including the myths of meritocracy, the gendering of good taste, and the exclusion of motherhood. Beyond the richness of the empirical data, there is also an important theoretical contribution rethinking Bourdieu and gender for the study of creative industries. The book will act as a call to arms for those fighting for change, and the data and excellent analysis should shame those standing in the way.” (Dave O’Brien, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland)
“As a female screenwriter I’d like to applaud and thank Natalie Wreyford for writing this book. For too long, we’ve been told we’re exaggerating the problem and there is no real gender disparity in our industry. ... Now Natalie has proved by meticulous research that this inequality is a reality and part of a systematic problem that needs addressing and changing. Women’s stories have been neglected for too long. By talking to women writers, listening to them, advocating for them, Natalie has given us voice. Most crucially, she points to a way forward for real change. Every producer, executive, commissioner, and financier should be given a copy to read, then act on. Time is most definitely up. “ (Andrea Gibb, screenwriter and Co-Chair of the Film Committee at The Writer’s Guild of GB, UK)
“Natalie Wreyford’s work on women in the film industry is authoritative and ground-breaking. The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has recently laid bare the shocking absence of opportunities for women screenwriters. This book strips away the myths and addresses the reality. It could not be more timely.” (Kate Kinninmont MBE, Chief Executive of Women in Film & Television, UK)
“This book makes a timely and important intervention in ongoing debates about women's participationin the UK screen industries, exploring exactly how and why female screenwriters are still underrepresented in British film production, and what can be done about it. Using statistics, interview data, and clear-eyed analysis to bust some persistent myths, it is absolutely essential reading for everyone who has a stake in making British cinema a place of greater fairness, diversity, and enrichment.” (Melanie Williams, University of East Anglia, UK)
“A must-read study of inequality in cultural work. Based on unique access to the UK film industry Wreyford exposes the multi-layered systemic barriers to gender equality in screen writing. A nuanced analysis that provides inspiration and conceptual direction for future research, on film and gender and beyond.” (Doris Ruth Eikhof, Deputy Director, CAMEo Research Institute for Cultural and Media Economies, University of Leicester, UK)
“I've been tracking the numbers of female filmmakers for over a decade. The numbers are still abysmally low. Natalie's book looks at the intersection of employment practices and industry cultures that lie behind these numbers and shows precisely how women are pushed out of creative film roles. Because film is an international medium and over 70 cents of every dollar is made outside North America, Natalie's book will be an essential read on both sides of the Atlantic for anyone fighting gender inequality and wanting to see more stories by and about women on the big screen.” (Melissa Silverstein, Founder and Publisher of Women and Hollywood, USA)
Authors and Affiliations
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University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Natalie Wreyford
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Gender Inequality in Screenwriting Work
Authors: Natalie Wreyford
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95732-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-95731-9Published: 02 October 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-07089-2Published: 22 December 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-95732-6Published: 22 September 2018
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 216
Topics: Screenwriting, Culture and Gender, Film/TV Industry