CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Another Part of Hollywood Where Women Are a Minority: Lighting

Public Spectacle | Los Angeles | Los Angeles News and Events | LA Weekly: Andrea Sachs is much more comfortable controlling the spotlight than she is underneath it.
She had a hand in the light that dappled the frogs in the series of mid-'90s Budweiser ads, and in the soft, eerie glow that perpetuates Diana Ross' music video "Pieces of Ice."
Sachs is a gaffer, the head of the lighting department on a film set. She currently works on Carls Jr. commercials.

4 comments:

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

I'm honestly a little surprised that so few women are working in the lighting industry. I am close friends with a professional designer back home who is female and has taught me a huge amount of what I know. The work she does is brilliant and it makes me kind of sad that there is some gender inequality in the business. I think both men and women are more than capable at doing amazing lighting work whether it be design or technical implementation. I personally love lighting and want to share my passion with anyone and everyone.

Katie Pyne said...

I always wish that there were more women in places like these. Coale is very eloquent in this situation. Rather than being "poor me, I'm a woman," she spins her situation in a positive way. While stage management does have its fair share of women, I have experienced sexism backstage. Coale talks a lot about having a tough skin when faced with this situation. It might feel better to yell at a colleague, sometimes it's easier to just suck it up. I found it funny that her boss didn't swear in front of her because he thought she didn't swear. It's silly.

Nikki Baltzer said...

It saddens me to hear there is not more women working in the field especially in today's society and that sexism still exists that strong in the industry. I always had the idea ingrained in my head that crude jokes is just a culture standard in any part of the backstage theater industry, but I find it highly offensive that there are people out there in the world that treat women differently because they believe we can't handle it. And that we shouldn't be subjected to it. My mentor back home told me that right from the start it will seem like there are things in lighting I won't be able to do like the tall strong men around me, but all it really means is that not that I can't do them, I just have accomplish the task a little differently. And with this always in my mind nothing can stop me from following my dream.