Honing those skills takes time and practice, so change may be frustratingly slow in that regard. We just need to make sure things keep moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of truth to the idea that as a female op, we have to try harder and be better so those of us who are currently working have to do our best every day. Currently, most hiring decisions are made by men so we need to make sure they are conscious of the lack of diversity in our job. I’m proud to say I’m currently (and generally) surrounded by extremely supportive male colleagues and bosses. But I guess that makes sense because they hired me! I also think we need be careful not to alienate our male colleagues who also struggle to establish themselves as camera operators. It is a very competitive job position and there is no one clear path to arrive at it. It's not like a guy can just decide he wants to be an operator and doors open to him either. Every operator has had the benefit of someone taking a chance on them to start their career. We all need to give each other a boost at times. I look forward to a time when there are equal numbers of men and women working as operators and we can all support each other equally. CO: What legacy would you like to leave with your career?
mentor, teaching me the art of dialogue-driven storytelling. Lilla was followed by DP, Therese Sherman who was the first ultra-badass woman I ever worked for...I mean, BADASS! Shana Hagan and Mande Whitaker are always sharing information and inspiring me to keep moving forward. Shana Hagan, Rachel Morrison, Abby Linne, and Sarah Levy have inspired and helped me in my narrative adventures. I hope to someday work with Nancy Schreiber and Ellen Kuras in the documentary genre. CO: How do you see this time in history with #MeToo movement and the new commitment to address the diversity issues in entertainment? How can women support this opportunity? What are the next steps to move forward? I began a women crew list 20 years ago consisting of the names of women I had personally worked with and could vouch for 100%. The list used to fit on one page, but now the list is a dozen pages long. When people call and I am unavailable for work, I will send the list to the line producer, or whomever is in charge of hiring. The more great women people work with, the more likely they are to hire women in the future. To support ourselves we have to support each other, and that means we need to give names and contact information to people who hire. If I am called for references in general, I send a list which is 50/50 men/women. If I only have two women to recommend, then I only send four names.
I strive to be known as an excellent operator, who’s pleasant to spend 12 hours a day with, and whose presence brings something of value to the production. I have benefited from diversity programs such as Film Independent’s Project Involve, as well as the faith of colleagues who recommend me for jobs. I endeavor to carry on that tradition of support for women and all others who are underrepresented in our industry.
CO: What steps do you take to welcome women on to the set?
GRETCHEN WARTHEN, SOC
I would like to leave the legacy that working in the dialogue-driven, single-chance-to-capture-the-shot world of reality and documentary series is a massive skill set, and women are perfect for this genre. We listen with our ears and our hearts, we are compassionate and less quick to judge, we multi-task like crazy, we can work long hours, and carry heavy loads without the indignant bluster of some of our male counter parts. It’s in our DNA to perform well in these genres. My legacy is witness to this MF FACT!
Gretchen Warthen, SOC is currently in Africa and Asia shooting a documentary feature focused on rhino and elephant poaching. Past credits include: ABC’s Splitting Up Together, Comedy Central’s Another Period, OWN’s international doc series Operation Change, and her first paid operator job on MTV’s Real World 7: Seattle. She is also a member of ICFC and Camera Women of the Apocalipse.
We should invite them for set visits and include them in our groups. A simple welcome isn’t enough, they also need to be actively included in conversations and invited to participate. CO: What legacy would you like to leave with your career?
CO: How did you get started in operating and what interested you in this career? My start was random, to say the least! I had been working at a law firm for 7 years when Madonna had a video contest on MTV, which my friends and I entered, and totally lost. However, I loved the creative experience so much, within a year I had aced Intro to Video-101 and ditched my law career. This led immediately to my first interest— documentary storytelling—which I found completely addictive. CO: What women in the industry have inspired you? After I graduated from Boise State University, I moved to Seattle where I quickly realized narrative productions were not hiring women for paid operator positions. Real World came to town and fate took over when I shifted to reality television where women were included. Lilla Fiumi, the first full-time woman operator in reality television became my first
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Photo by Ricky Escalante
SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG