Who the hell wants to be a YouTuber?
Literally everyone, and nobody (depending on who you ask).
Millions of subscribers, ad revenue, brands just knocking on your door for sponsorships… That’s the dream right?
The one route to go that’s often popularized is being a vlogger (think, Emma Chamberlain). But there’s a whole other avenue of YouTube: filmmaking.
The amazing thing about YouTube through this lens is the opportunity to learn, not just be entertained or procrastinate for another 13 minutes to avoid starting your homework. Popular videographers not only publish their work, they become known for their tutorials, their gear reviews, and their personalities.
It’s a community.
I’ve learned everything I know about editing and cameras from this online marketplace for ideas. These creators are selfless, sharing their knowledge and presets and LUTs with everyone. I have friends who would be wasting their time at film school, because they’ve learned everything there is to know from the Internet.
But as I started to notice who exactly I was learning from, one characteristic came up again and again: they were all male.
Searching up “well known directors and producers” on Google presents a string of white middle-aged men.
Although gender imbalance is known in the movie industry, the same pattern exists today, too.
YouTube and modern social media is supposed to be great because of its accessibility to everyone. Anyone who wants a shot at success can build themselves up, not like Hollywood where you have to know the right people to get anywhere. You don’t have to wait around for decades to one day make a big break, you can create yourself now, regardless of your identity.
Even so, the YouTuber filmmakers I watch and love, Peter McKinnon, Chris Hau, Matti Hapooja, Matt Komo, Daniel Schiffer, and Sam Kolder, are all guys. Even my friends our age who make videos around Naperville are guys, too.
And don’t get me wrong, they are not undeserving at all of their success. They all produce amazing content.
But why aren’t there more women?
I know there are female photographers, sure, that’s easy. But through three years of creating videos for clients and North, watching and learning from other content creators online, why have I never stumbled across a female videographer?
Not just someone who makes videos, but someone who defines herself through her filmmaking. They surely exist, but I’ve never discovered their work effortlessly like I have done of Peter McKinnon. Their content doesn’t come up on autoplay or in the suggested column.
Alright so if the dang algorithm won’t show me a female producer, I’ll find one myself.
This is just an introduction to one female filmmaker’s work, and where she fits into a male-dominated field.
Marla Fay
She’s 17 and well, literally our age. Her goal is to visit all 195 countries. She travels the world making vlogs and cinematic shorts, sent by companies for free to explore Hawaii and Thailand and every single ocean that’s blue and swim with turtles. (Below is a clip from her trip to the Galapagos).
Her social media is like that of any influencer, but on top of that, is a call to action. Her color grading is characteristically orange and teal (widely used by every cinematographer because it, well, works).
Sometimes she gets some flack for posting bikini shots, but then you watch shirtless Sam Kolder go cliff diving or some other videographer taking shots of his girlfriend in a bikini, and they don’t get talked down at all.
Her reception outlines the double-standard society holds against women. Sometimes she herself fits into the “girly” stereotype of using softer music and vlogging a lot more throughout, but this speaks to how culture has taught us to expect emotions from women and none from men.
The one thing that Marla Fay and other female filmmakers have done that is so powerful is this:
Keep going.
She continues to create, share, and inspire, paying no mind to what’s expected of her. The purpose of life is to feel, and videos are a way to bring moments back to life.
So whatever you identify as, whether you’re a filmmaker or not, never stop creating. And when you get a moment, appreciate those who never stopped creating either, like women in film.
The double standard demonstrated on social media comments for YouTubers does seem extreme! It is amazing how such a young female is successful in videography as normally photography is more popular. Is videography more time intensive or expensive? That could be a factor in that matter.
This was so interesting! Personally, planning on working in a STEM field in the future has opened my eyes to gender disparities among many facets of working fields. You explored the gender gap in a very eloquent way; you didn’t bash male creators just because they are men, rather you did a great job of asserting that more women creators should get the same kind of attention.
I love how you touched on the double standard you see in filmmaking. Like most other areas, women are expected to be emotional in their creations. What I took away from your piece, however, is that this doesn’t have to be that way. Women can create films (or any other kind of art) how they want, not how they are expected to. It takes perseverance to push through those double standards, no matter what field you’re in.
Thank you for taking the time to research and support other women in your field. It is important that as women, especially women that are in a minority position in their fields, support one another, and you are doing just that.
June, I love this, I can feel the power through your words! I’ve always been aware of the imbalance of gender, as well as other things, representation but I’ve never considered it in the Youtube filmmaking industry. I really like the line where you say, “culture has taught us to expect emotions from women and none from men,” because it conveys the toxicity of gender norms towards all parties. What are your opinions on the under-representation of race in the filmmaking industry? I feel Hollywood is slowly becoming more inclusive, however, we are nowhere near where we could be.
I absolutely adore how you explored the topic of why there aren’t as many women aren’t in film making. I think your blog was very detailed and it provided a lot of information about women in film making and how YouTube is a community, yet it seems to be very male dominated. Now that I think about it, I agree that I do see men dominating the film industry and there should definitely be more women showing their talent as well. I feel like women are more centered around being influencers, but they should definitely start branching out more to the film making industry. The video you put in the blog is amazing! That film maker has some amazing talent! I think it really shows that if you love something so much, that you will put it out there for the world to see. The turtles in the video are super cute as well. A few things I would suggest is maybe adding your own story to it! I know you’re very talented in film making and photography, so maybe you could talk about how film making influenced your life and how you could explore it in the future? Just how much film making has had on your life. One more thing to add would be a thought provoking question, something to really leave me thinking at the end of your blog. Other than that, I feel you blog was influential and very well written. I really liked your overall message to keep going, I think that was a good note to end off on 🙂
This is so awesome!! I agree that there’s such a lack of diversity, especially the field of film/media. Even the rare few female videographers that do get more mainstream exposure are dismissed or put in a box. I find that the “vlogger” trend that has become popular among teenage girls can sometimes mean that women are not taken seriously in their craft, or as you say, held to double standards. You are right in that the best way to move forward is to keep creating what you want, regardless of what’s expected of you, and not to back down but commit to your art. I’m excited to see what content you have in store this year & appreciate and engage in your work!!
I really understand this post. As someone who wants to go into broadcast journalism, I understand the difference in representation in the film industry. You point out in this post so much that goes unnoticed by society. There are so many little stereotypes that often get blown off becuase “it’s just the norm”. The only way to prove that it is ok to go against these norms is to start talking about it. You bring up someone who did this and that was so powerful, it proves that it is possible to break this norm. People are often terrified of being the “first” of anything, therefore showing a success story will help your audience see that it is very possible.