IWD: Shining the spotlight on women in post-production

A recent UK Screen Alliance survey showed that just 31.9% of the post-production workforce are women, which is not great.

While 73% of those in production management roles are women, only 17% of those in creative artist roles are women. This is where the major problem lies.

One positive is that by age there are more women in junior roles so 10 years of efforts and strategies around equity in recruitment practices are paying off, but we are still a long way from equality.

As the battle continues, how can the industry further support and promote gender equality and inclusivity to inspire more women to work in post-production, especially in the creative and technical roles?

I asked five senior women about their experiences and what more they think can be done to support women in the industry and inspire others to join.

Genna McWhinnie, head of post production, Azimuth

How do you approach collaboration and teamwork in a male-dominated industry?

I try to approach everyone as equitably as I can, with focus on individual strengths and abilities, so that people within a team can shine and help each other shine. I don’t tolerate bullish or bullying behaviour and make a point to diffuse any outdated notions or ways of behaving.

Have you faced any specific challenges as a woman working in post-production?

When I started over 20 years ago, there were minimal women in tech positions. On more than one occasion I had a male editor on the phone ask me to hand him over to a male technician. I always assured them that I could handle their issue for them, and always did. I found the key was to just be very good at my job even if that meant I had to work harder.

How have you seen the landscape of post-production change throughout your career?

There are definitely more women in tech positions but the creative roles of colour grading, online editing and dubbing mixing are still lacking in terms of diversity in gender and people of colour. Sad to say, it’s still very much male dominated.

What unique perspectives or strengths do you believe women bring to working in post-production?

I’ve always found the women I’ve worked with across tech and post producer teams to be much more detail oriented with exceptional organisational skills. Their ability to communicate well brings an additional level of excellence when dealing with clients.

How do you navigate the balance between work and personal life?

There are peaks and troughs to this. When I’m being especially conscious of my wellbeing, I work out, eat well and switch off, which brings a better ‘me’ to the workplace. When it’s busy/tough, I knuckle down, prioritise sleep, hydration and my vitamins to get me through. I do always try to model self-care and mitigating burn out for my staff, which I feel is of utmost importance.

What can the industry do to further support and promote gender equality and inclusivity?

Much more promotion of women in junior positions through tech and into grade, online and audio, with some dedication to training by post houses.

What advice would you give to women aspiring to pursue a career in visual effects?

It’s there for the taking, try to surround yourself with motivated and creative people also heading in that direction and don’t be afraid to approach folks like myself for advice and help.

Kate Davis, head of audio, Azimuth

How do you approach collaboration and teamwork in a male-dominated industry?

With confidence and clarity I guess, and calmness when necessary. Comfort in that has come with experience.

I still suffer from imposter syndrome, as do a lot of people I know – especially women, although it might just be that women are more prepared to talk about it.

Thankfully my reputation does precede itself nowadays but people were quite wary of trusting their programme with me when I first moved to London. It was tempting to feel like this was because I was a woman and an unusual sight to see behind the mixing console, but I do now realise that it would be the same situation if I was a man.

Clients have put their heart and soul into their films so they want a trusted pair of hands in the final stages, and usually can’t afford the time or the money to try someone out that they don’t know.

Teamwork can occasionally be difficult when people think they know well enough already and don’t naturally lean towards listening to my advice or instructions. I have learnt to be patient in these situations and people usually eventually realise that I know what I’m talking about.

Have you faced any specific challenges as a woman working in post-production?

In 2024, there is such a lack of females in a dubbing/re-recording mixer roles in the industry so still have people I meet assuming I must be in production, or editorial, and I even got asked if I could fetch the coffees at a recent event when I was one of three mixers, but the only female.

However, I have to accept that although it would be preferable for people’s ‘go to’ to be ‘she could be a mixer’, I know I am special, so it’s much better to try not to take it personally and educate people and inspire the next generation rather than to get upset or angry about it.

It’s mainly a generational thing because of their experiences, and until things are better balanced I don’t think this will change. It takes years to gain this amount of experience so I know it’s not going to change overnight – but things are changing slowly and we are seeing more young women.

At Azimuth I am lucky enough to have the talented Isabel Derr as my assistant and we will have more brilliant creative women join the team as the department grows.

How have you seen the landscape of post-production change throughout your career?

It’s certainly been slow, but it is happening. A lot of the post houses across the country have really sat up over the past few years and pushed hard to find young women that want to get in the tech and creative roles but there are still so many barriers.  It’s so difficult to be able to afford to live in London where such a large proportion of the post houses are based, and therefore where runners’ positions and training opportunities are.

Also, a lot of people just don’t know my job exists, so it’s getting back to the grass roots of education, especially targeting girls and showing the possible roles and routes into the industry rather than the old school ‘mates’ route in.

What unique perspectives or strengths do you believe women bring to working in post-production?

It’s hard to pin down really as it varies so much from person to person, and it’s not like men don’t have a lot of these qualities too, but for me I know I think about things in a different way than a lot of my male colleagues have over the years.

I love figuring out why things aren’t working, and working my way through a problem with a process of elimination to find out how to fix something or prevent it happening again, rather than just making it work for now and forgetting about it.

I often look at a broader picture rather than the moment, but that might be from my experience as a head of department. It’s hard to know what is down to me being a woman and what is down to my experience. I feel like maybe our immediate reaction of ‘am I good enough to compete with all of these men?’ might be a difficult one to deal with at the time, but it makes us stronger in the long run.

I’ve worked really hard to get here and don’t regret any late night or stressed weekend as it’s all added up to my experience, attitude and ability that has got me here.

What can the industry do to further support and promote gender equality and inclusivity?

We need to find the young women, show them that these super cool jobs exist, show them that they can do them, and help them find the opportunities to make it happen and support them through it. I know that’s easier said than done but we need to pull together and do what we can. From Rise, Women in Film and TV, the Ch4 PP Scheme and Screenskills, there’s some fabulous schemes and access out there we need to help build on so that we can pass on our experience and help the next generation of awesome women in post-production find their place.

Katherine Jamieson, colourist, Halo Post Production

How do you approach collaboration and teamwork in a male-dominated industry?

Overall, I’ve been lucky to work with brilliant and collaborative clients both male and female. The approach is always to be sympathetic to the story, some clients are technical and have specific ideas about the colour grade, while others work on a more emotional level, describing how they want to feel during particular parts of the film.

The latter I find more interesting as it’s more open to interpretation and often more creatively rewarding. I have in the past had some primarily older male clients who like to blindside you with lots of technical jargon straight off the bat, but ultimately once they feel confident that you know what you are doing and see the work, they drop their guard and the collaboration begins.

Essentially, I want everyone to feel safe in the grade space and that their ideas will be heard and implemented where possible – that’s when you get the best out of people and the project.

Have you faced any specific challenges as a woman working in post-production?

I’ve definitley experienced moments of sexism, verbal sexual harassment and bullying over my 20 years in post-production. I don’t notice it so much these days, when I started out in the industry I was young and as the years go on I’m not sure if I’ve hardened to it and learnt to ignore it or there is genuinely less of it.

I’m lucky it was nothing too serious, and as I become more confident in my craft and as a person, I manage to filter it out more. Despite the above, one of the hardest challenges I found was coming back to work after having kids. I have two children and trying to negotiate and designate my time and effort around them whilst building my career has definitely been challenging.

It was almost expected that I wouldn’t come back to work and I remember during my first pregnancy many other (male) colourists saying I wouldn’t want to come back, their wives didn’t work after their kids etc and I was regularly told I can’t have it all, I can’t do both, have a successful career as a colourist and be a mother.

I was determined to prove them all wrong and though it has been hard at times it’s definitely achievable.

How have you seen the landscape of post-production change throughout your career?

I’ve worked in post-production for nearly 20 years and its definitely changed. When I first started out I only really knew of one other female colourist and it’s great to see that there are so many fantastic female colourists over here in the UK at the moment.

Though it is improved, I think there is still some way to go. Post-production and particularly creative roles such as colourists, online editors and dubbing mixers are still predominantly male and still predominantly white. I’m yet to meet a male creative who has had to make concessions on their career since starting a family and would be genuinely interested to hear how other people have navigated parenthood in post.

What unique perspectives or strengths do you believe women bring to working in post-production?

I don’t want to be reductive and it generally comes down to personality traits more than anything but It’s widely known that women have better colour perception than men and in my experience there is often less ego in the room to negotiate with women.

Meryl Streep explains it brilliantly, and I’m paraphrasing, that women speak the language of ‘men’ that we have had to for centuries and grew up in the house of ‘men’ that we learn to speak it and dream it whereas men don’t speak ‘women’ they don’t dream in it.

I think this is so true and subsequently women have this amazing insight and empathy into people and that’s a very powerful tool that allows for more emotional storytelling.

How do you navigate the balance between work and personal life?

That’s the million dollar question. I’m not sure I’ve ever got the balance quite right but I make a point of scheduling my time so that half of my working week (I currently work four days a week) I leave on time (or some would deem early in our industry) to put the kids to bed.

Then I make up any time lost on the other two days. This way the work is still done and I feel like I’ve got some precious time with my kids to ease the mum guilt. This was something I had to fight for but I’m glad I pushed for it, and it can be done, I am proof of that and would hope it has set a precedent for those hoping to do something similar in the future.

What can the industry do to further support and promote gender equality and inclusivity?

It’s about representation from the ground up, more gender equality in tech roles in post that move up and are supported through training into creative roles. And those of us that have made it through need to support and push for new talent coming through. I also believe flexible working like Anna Whitehouse is campaigning for with the ‘flex appeal’ project gaves some flexibility in the workplace to allow for non-standard working hours.

More often than not women bear the brunt of when it comes to sacrificing their careers. The idea that it’s achievable and practical to work in this industry whilst maintaining a family/social life is only going to help attract a more diverse demographic.

What advice would you give to women aspiring to pursue a career in grading?

If it’s your passion to be a colourist then go for it. Try to get in at a post house if possible so you can spend time with existing colourists, soak up all you can from them whilst constantly doing it in your spare time. There is great free software out there for you to start on, film your own stuff and work on it, try out looks, find looks you like in other mediums and try to replicate them, dissect them and try to see why you like it, how it makes you feel. Training your eye doing this is a great way to hone your craft.

How do you approach collaboration and teamwork in a male-dominated industry?

Making a film or TV show is 100% teamwork so even if it’s one person’s name in the credits, there’s a whole team behind the work.

As a woman I’ve sometimes found a bit of resistance at the start of conversations especially in tech roles. Sometimes I’ve felt I had to do a bit more work to gain respect and that was frustrating, but even in those cases after time it hasn’t stopped me from building some great relationships and friendships that are going to last.

I think it’s all about making that initial step and finding the way to express yourself and communicate with each other.

I have also worked with amazing teams where I was the only woman and that never came as a negative to me, it really depends on who you are working with. I like measuring myself and adapting to new situations that make my creativity thrive.

Have you faced any specific challenges as a woman working in post production?

My biggest challenge has always been me. It’s facing my own fears, fear of being judged, expectations, being less confident than I should be. Once I’ve overcome these I can fully enjoy my job, which I love. While post-production can be an exciting place, it can also be demanding at times, a lot going on, long hours and competition.

Getting over a tough day is not always easy, I know mates that can wash off the disappointments much more easily than I do, and I’m so jealous of their strength. Perhaps as women we do worry more.

For me, having a laugh is the biggest cure, and of course working in a team of people that have mutual respect can make all the difference. I overcome these challenges by creating connections around me and concentrating on my work – and of course a nice glass of Chardonnay at end of the day helps too.

How have you seen the landscape of post-production change throughout your career?

Since I started in the industry, years ago (all the way from Italy) I’ve seen a lot of changes, this also comes from a difference in cultures.

Once in London, I immediately found the industry more open minded, but there was still a much smaller number of women in tech roles even as junior assistants and when moving up the ranks I was the only one on many occasions. Today I see way more assistant roles held by women and this sets the path for more girls to come up into the senior positions.

What unique perspectives or strengths do you believe women bring to working in post-production?

Men and women are different, they bring something different, both add qualities the same way different cultures, backgrounds and generations do. For example, we can establish relationships in different ways with colleagues, clients and the work we do. Women might have a different sensibility to a job then a man would, and I think it’s important to be able to offer all the options.

The quality of the work immediately elevates when you mix all these ingredients, especially in a creative process like colour grading. My knowledge always benefits when I work with a diverse groups of people. The best work I’ve been part of has come from successful collaborations of different minds.

How do you navigate the balance between work and personal life?

I don’t have a family of my own to juggle outside work, but even still finding time to rest and leave “the work” at work can be difficult. If I become obsessed with a project I will think about it constantly and everything else I do can become caught up in that.

I’d go for walks and when the light looks lush I think about how I can make it look so good in my work. Other than that, it’s finding the time to exercise and getting enough vitamin D to try to negate the hours spent in a dark suite.

I really look up to those women that manage a family as well, they are the real legends.

What can the industry do to further support and promote gender equality and inclusivity?

I think an open minded attitude towards everyone and less egos can help bring balance in the industry. We shouldn’t hire women just to tick a box but for the talent and value that someone can bring. Young generations of women are growing stronger and have a new perspective so that’s already a breath of fresh air.

My advice for a career in colour grading is to work hard, be nice and don’t shy away from being yourself so you can enjoy the journey.

How do you approach collaboration and teamwork in a male-dominated industry?

While the industry is male-dominated and comes with its unique set of dynamics, I’m very lucky that the facilities I’ve worked at have had a lot of female leaders.

That being said, before joining Fitzrovia Post, I had never worked with other female sound engineers. I’m now fortunate to be part of a very diverse team, with more women than men in technical roles and a director who’s actively seeking to level the playing field.

Have you faced any specific challenges as a woman working in post-production?

I’ve had to put up with my share of condescending remarks and inappropriate behaviours over the years, like most women I suspect. It’s not always been common practice nor acceptable to call these out.

Thankfully, now in my current role I am encouraged to monitor and condemn any misbehaviour to ensure everyone in the team is treated with respect.

For better or for worse, my way of dealing with discrimination has been to bite my tongue and let my good work speak for itself.

Seeing a woman behind a mixing desk can still feel unfamiliar to some people, often from an older generation. Less so nowadays, but I certainly used to raise a few eyebrows when I first started.

To dissipate any awkwardness, I like to approach any situation with kindness and understanding of people’s biases, and to quickly demonstrate my skills in order to build trust. I’ve found it’s the best way to turn people around.

How have you seen the landscape of post-production change throughout your career?

There are a lot more conversations and research taking place on the benefits of diversity. “Diversity” and “inclusion” have become buzzwords and I’d like to think it has had an effect on hiring practices, although I do not have any stats. It certainly felt great to be able to talk about the issues more openly. But there’s still a huge amount of work to be done to promote equity, not only in terms of gender but also socio-economic background, ethnicity and disability.

How do you navigate the balance between work and personal life?

That’s always been a tricky one, and I know a lot of men struggle with this too.

I’m probably a terrible example, as I’ve had to put some personal goals on the back burner in order to pursue this career. However, I know of other inspiring women who have been more successful at achieving a good balance.

What can the industry do to further support and promote gender equality and inclusivity?

I’ve witnessed a lot of progress over the years, but employers should work even harder to monitor the make-up of their workforce and meet their diversity targets. To do so, they need to take chances and get out of their comfort zone.

If you’re a woman aspiring to pursue a career in sound, please don’t let the lack of other women put you off. You’ll need perseverance, but there are a lot of schemes and organisations that support women specifically with training and networking opportunities. And the women who have made it into the industry are a supportive bunch. You can always drop us a line.