Ladies?

Where are all the ladies? I can think of but a handful who are authors or even buyers on Videohive.

This has always been a fairly male dominated industry, but this is ridiculous.

Is it the same on Envato’s other marketplaces?

How can we encourage some lady motion graphic designers to take part? It all feels a bit unhealthy all these shouty boys hanging out round the Videohive bikesheds all the time, spitting and swearing.

And incidentally… why is it that motion graphics has always been a fairly male dominated industry? It’s not like this in static graphic design, I’m sure. It’s something about moving image. Is it that it’s more technical? I’m off to Graphic River to make a 1 frame animation.

Any answers on a postcard to Videohive Lady Quiz. Australia.

-f.

felt_tips said
Where are all the ladies? I can think of but a handful who are authors or even buyers on Videohive.

This has always been a fairly male dominated industry, but this is ridiculous.

Is it the same on Envato’s other marketplaces?

How can we encourage some lady motion graphic designers to take part? It all feels a bit unhealthy all these shouty boys hanging out round the Videohive bikesheds all the time, spitting and swearing.

And incidentally… why is it that motion graphics has always been a fairly male dominated industry? It’s not like this in static graphic design, I’m sure. It’s something about moving image. Is it that it’s more technical? I’m off to Graphic River to make a 1 frame animation.

Any answers on a postcard to Videohive Lady Quiz. Australia.

-f.

What’s gotten into you all suddenly? XD

Dear Videohive Lady Quiz,

Interesting topic!

John Dickinson posted a similar question on twitter a while back and the answers were…. ummmm… interesting. A couple of ladies responded and said they didn’t really know why there weren’t more women in mograph. Most of the males responded that it was too technical, too lonely (?), women don’t pay attention to details, women are better designers not animators, or that they DID work in animation studios but were the secretaries (!!).

When I was in college there were maybe 2 or 3 females in my Computer Art (as it was called back then) classes. Sometimes I was the only one. Maybe girls in my generation, at least in the US, were and are still socially conditioned to believe that any math-y computer-y stuff is only for boys so they don’t try it. Or it could simply be the prevalence of males is intimidating; being the only girl in a room full of guys can be uncomfortable.

I have absolutely no scientific evidence for any of the above, just my thoughts and experiences which I’m sure will differ for everyone. However, for anyone to suggest (as some people do) that women can’t do something just because an industry is male dominated is down right goofy-especially an industry that doesn’t rely on upper body strength or height

I agree Felt, we need more ladies doing the mograph thing and specifically doing the VideoHive thing!

I don’t know about Videohive, but what I know for Motion graphics in Greece, is that for a long time we had many women working mostly as “Flame operators”. Great skills and aesthetics too! That was a brilliant time for Greek post production. Crisis seems to have influenced the female participation in MoGraph… it’s returned back to the man’s world again… History is showing that mathematics is mostly a female field, even Pythagoras was initiated in arithmosophy by Delphic priestess Themistokleia!

@Flux.

I didn’t know you are a lady, miss. (Doffs his hat) I guess that’s one thing, it’s hard to know who’s behind the avatars sometimes, but of those authors whose identity I do know, boys outnumber girls about 20:1.

My personal theory is that it’s a bit of a vicious circle. It started off being a man’s world because of the increased level of technicality and the slightly unsocial nature of pushing keyframes around on a computer screen, but as the profession developed and it became increasingly male dominated, a culture of competition, high pressure, long hours developed. This is something that guys seem definitely more willing to deal with… well, up until the point where they burn out. Which brings me to another point… how often do you see someone over 35 working in this industry? Maybe that’s for another thread.

Ultimately, I think it’s the industry’s loss. I think that under the conditions that often prevail in post-production houses, creative thought in general can get somewhat stifled under the pressure to achieve / hit deadlines / stay as long into the night as the guy sitting next to you. I also think that women being in an extreme minority in the industry means that it loses out on a different type of thinking, both creatively and organisationally.

It’s strange… I know countless women in the creative industry – graphic designers, photographers, editors, producers (especially producers), but really only a handful of motion graphics girls.

Funnily enough it’s the same in the world of camera on live shoots. I do know some female directors of photography, but I can count them on well… three fingers. Equally technical, equally pressurised, equally male dominated.

Who knows….. I just think it’s a shame. We need more girls in the mograph world.

-f.

I recently gradutated from a design education, don’t really know how to call it and I doubt the school even knows. Anyway I had 4 female students in my class and most of them where more into the graphic design, sketching on paper, working in Photoshop/Illustrator that sort of stuff.

At work I have one female co-worker who is a video-editor and know her way arround in After Effects and Motion but that’s the only female I know in this area.

felt_tips said
My personal theory is that it’s a bit of a vicious circle. It started off being a man’s world because of the increased level of technicality and the slightly unsocial nature of pushing keyframes around on a computer screen, but as the profession developed and it became increasingly male dominated, a culture of competition, high pressure, long hours developed. This is something that guys seem definitely more willing to deal with… well, up until the point where they burn out. Which brings me to another point… how often do you see someone over 35 working in this industry? Maybe that’s for another thread.

It’s funny you mentioned that. Just the other day one of my best friends was describing his workplace. He works full time at one of the bigger post-houses/advertising agencies in NYC . And he mentioned the work as grueling. 12 – 14 hour days are the norm, and 90% of the people in the trenches are between 25 – 35, no families, and drink Scott like it’s Fruit Punch. The burn out rate is ridiculous, and by the time people reach 36+ most leave to look for a different career choice.

MarkBrodhuber said

felt_tips said
My personal theory is that it’s a bit of a vicious circle. It started off being a man’s world because of the increased level of technicality and the slightly unsocial nature of pushing keyframes around on a computer screen, but as the profession developed and it became increasingly male dominated, a culture of competition, high pressure, long hours developed. This is something that guys seem definitely more willing to deal with… well, up until the point where they burn out. Which brings me to another point… how often do you see someone over 35 working in this industry? Maybe that’s for another thread.

It’s funny you mentioned that. Just the other day one of my best friends was describing his workplace. He works full time at one of the bigger post-houses/advertising agencies in NYC . And he mentioned the work as grueling. 12 – 14 hour days are the norm, and 90% of the people in the trenches are between 25 – 35, no families, and drink Scott like it’s Fruit Punch. The burn out rate is ridiculous, and by the time people reach 36+ most leave to look for a different career choice.

Oh goodness, that sounds horrible!

VinhSonNguyen said

MarkBrodhuber said

felt_tips said
My personal theory is that it’s a bit of a vicious circle. It started off being a man’s world because of the increased level of technicality and the slightly unsocial nature of pushing keyframes around on a computer screen, but as the profession developed and it became increasingly male dominated, a culture of competition, high pressure, long hours developed. This is something that guys seem definitely more willing to deal with… well, up until the point where they burn out. Which brings me to another point… how often do you see someone over 35 working in this industry? Maybe that’s for another thread.

It’s funny you mentioned that. Just the other day one of my best friends was describing his workplace. He works full time at one of the bigger post-houses/advertising agencies in NYC . And he mentioned the work as grueling. 12 – 14 hour days are the norm, and 90% of the people in the trenches are between 25 – 35, no families, and drink Scott like it’s Fruit Punch. The burn out rate is ridiculous, and by the time people reach 36+ most leave to look for a different career choice.

Oh goodness, that sounds horrible!

Thats why we have Videohive, so those 36+ year olds can come back and chill while working in their bunny slippers.

I’m headed into a terrible 12-14hr days work in the film industry, and just speaking to profesional grips they tell me “First 2 years your trying not to screw up, and from then on your asking ‘What did I get myself into?’” But I’d never want to be working like that until I’m old, it will be a fun run, but in the end its all the same

It’s an interesting topic. When I attended Full Sail, there were 2 females in my class of 30, which at the time was called Digital Media. And throughout the entire school (which teaches everything from Audio Engineering to Game Design) I believe the percentage hovered around 90% male, 10% female.

We used to call it “Full Sausage” or “Full Male”, but that’s a conversation for another day…

That was way back in 2002, though, so things might be different today. I’m not really sure why it’s such a male-dominated industry, but can you blame the girls for not wanting to hang around a bunch of nerdy guys?

One thing I do know is that we can always use a lady’s touch around here, which is why it’s awesome to have great authors like Flux here!