Janal Bechthold
Screen Composer
Chair of the Women Composer Advisory Council
Board Member of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada
Founder of Toronto Women Composers
Highlights from Gender in the Canadian Screen Composing Industry.
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I love using music to help tell stories - music that adds depth to the emotion, creates atmosphere, pushes the excitement, and elevates the audiences experiences!
It’s true that there aren’t many women working as composers. I recently headed a research study titled “Gender in the Canadian Screen Composing Industry”, released by the OMDC and the Screen Composers Guild of Canada. The study reports that women make up 15% of the screen composers in Canada, yet 95% of publicly funded audio visual productions in the last 5 years were scored by men or mixed gender teams. Some of the factors which limit women’s careers include “Insufficient compensation”, “Limited availability of contract work”, and “Not knowing the right people in the industry”.
For those working at production companies or in a position to hire talent, the first step to creating an inclusive workplace is starting with hiring practices. Look for potential candidates outside of the known talent pool and your personal network to include those from marginalized backgrounds. Women tend to be included more in “cattle calls” or general calls for pitches, so take the time to review candidates work and consider how their talents match with the type of content and stories you create.
"Women make up 15% of the screen composers in Canada, yet 95% of publicly funded audio visual productions in the last 5 years were scored by men or mixed gender teams."There is a cultural sociological factor called the ‘Ishtar effect’, where successes by women are considered accidental while failures are generalized to their gender. There is a cultural sociological factor called the ‘Ishtar effect’, where successes by women are considered accidental while failures are generalized to their gender. More women, inlcuding composers, need to be included in high level industry discussions, on panels, leading workshops, and in the media. Success stories need to become more common so that this perception of success changes and that exemplary women can become role models, not only to inspire and show the the next generation of women composers what is possible, but also for producers and directors who hire composers - a filmmaker is more likely to hire a woman if they have seen a successful female composer before!
