CMU School of Drama


Saturday, January 24, 2015

Guest Post: How the Female-Heavy Crew Making 'Little Accidents"

Women and Hollywood: Although it was never an intentional goal, one of the best aspects of making Little Accidents was making a film with so many strong women up and down the ladder of production and finance.

I became aware of Sara Colangelo’s script for Little Accidents from a number of people who called me to buzz about it out of the Sundance Labs. I read it quickly and was very impressed. It was a big, muscular script set in the world of coal country, but at the same time it was a very intimate portrait of families grieving.

2 comments:

Alex Reed said...

First off, let me just congratulate this amazing crew for a great show (or at least a great trailer). There are a lot of difficulties in producing a movie, producing movie in a rural town and producing with a female dominating crew. Good for them. Secondarily, the fact that they are a woman dominated team is great, and the idea of it and what It means for the industry should be applauded. However, I don’t think they what they themselves should be applauded. Here’s what I mean, their show should get the same critical review and awards as every other show of its caliber receives. The fact that they are women should not award them any more acclaim or appreciation, because that’s exactly what we’re working against. I’m sure that the artists want to be recognized for their wonderful work, not because it was a woman who made the piece. I hope they find much success in their careers as artists, not as women.

Nikki LoPinto said...

Alex has hit on almost every one of the points I was thinking of outlining -- especially pointing out the fact that though this movie was managed, directed, produced, and designed by a mostly female crew it deserves exactly the same amount of critique as a normally all-male crew would have. It shouldn't have to be 'special' that a majority of women are producing their own quality films, though that seems to be the case when I see headlines boasting the peculiarity and spectacularity of female directors and producers and designers. It's almost frustrating to see women like me being belittled by an industry that already does so much horror and discrimination to our sex. I honestly can't wait to see this film. And it's not because it was made by mostly women, though I've got admit that makes me so very, very happy and proud. I want to watch this movie because it just looks good. It looks like any other award winning, male produced film that has graced my movie screen for the past 18 short years of my life. It proves to me and to all those pigheaded producers in Hollywood who won't hire women directors and producers (because they make a certain type of movie) that they are so, so horribly wrong. There's nothing about movie-making that should scream a gender. Movies tell the human experience through the eyes of both men and women -- and, in recent years, those who refuse to identify as one or the other. I'm tired of labels. Just give me some good goddamn cinema.