Director Ashleigh Jadee specialises in fashion and music shoots. She hopes that other aspiring filmmakers will see her success and be encouraged to break into the industry themselves. © Rackz Media
Studies show women are still hugely underrepresented in the film industry. Just 20% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the top 100 grossing films in the US in 2019 were female. Clearly, the industry still has a long way to go in terms of welcoming women into its ranks, but progress is being made.
The Women Who Photo & Film campaign was launched by The Photography Show & The Video Show in 2018 to shine a light on the work of female photographers and filmmakers. This year the show was held virtually and included 21 female ambassadors.
Carys Kaiser has worked in nearly every job within the industry, from sound recording all the way up to self-shooting PD. She's worked on TV productions in the UK for over 17 years and in 2015 she branched out into drone photography.
Heather Hughes went deaf at the age of three, but never let it get in the way of her a career as a videographer, producing travel, corporate and social videos, as well as filming weddings.
Director Ashleigh Jadee started out in stills photography before moving into videography, production and direction. She specialises in directing shoots for the music and fashion industry and has filmed for artists including Skepta, Wiley and Wretch 32.
Here, the three pros, all based in the UK, share their experiences of working in the film industry and offer tips for those hoping to follow in their footsteps.