Let’s Move On
I grew up as the youngest in my family of four siblings; two brothers and a sister. My sister was the eldest, therefore I did not grow up with her. She was already out of the house and on to college and moving towards her career before I was five. That meant that I grew up with two brothers, and my life was a tad bit different than other little girls. I usually played alone or with a friend, because playing with my brothers was out of the question. They were closer in age so they spent their time together, and I had to find other means of entertainment. But something shifted one day and it altered my life forever. When I was about ten, my brothers were about 15 and 19. Therefore my 19-year-old brother was becoming more invested in preparing for high school he didn’t want to play anymore with my younger brother who was 15. Therefore I became an option when Ronald (15) needed an extra hand when he was making short films in the backyard with his buddy. Therefore I was designated, cameraman. Even though I was not in the movie or even apart of the story process I was apart of making the movie with these two young boys.
If it wasn’t for my 19-year-old brother growing up I wouldn’t have been considered, because that’s just how boys were at that age. But by making the film with Ronald was fun and exhilarating. He gave me the chance and I came through. The films were fun and we got to show the families and it was a bonding experience that we never knew was there. He never asked until he ran out of hands. Which it may seem rather rude to only ask as a last resort, but I did not care. I was apart of something new.
The purpose of the story is to show that the unexpected happened by pushing past the norm and exploring other possibilities. Brothers don’t play with sisters and women don’t make movies. The unexpected can happen if we just push past what we use to know or what we thought we knew.
Now unfortunately the industry isn’t as simple as my backyard and a camera, it is a battlefield. Women are constantly proving themselves worthy, while men keep pushing them aside. A woman can do the job, but you have to let her try because if she never gets the opportunity you’ll never know. Hollywood only lives day by day on the past and stereotypes from past projects, but we need to move forward from that. Because stereotypes are killing female directors, screenwriters, and producers. When a woman walks in she already lost the job majority of the time. We need to end that immediately. Just because one person said one thing and passed in on to the next generation doesn’t mean it’s still factual. Hollywood as an industry changed with technology and the development process, why can’t we grow with gender equality as well. Because if we cannot grow now, then the history of filmmaking will heavily favor one gender, and that only discourages future women creators. My goal is to obliterate the idea of a woman being less capable. Prove your gender doesn’t affect your creative skills, motivation, and determination. It’s time to unravel the unexpected and create, and not think about the past, because more often than not the past is more deceiving than the future.
