Idea no. 1 - Women

Idea No. 1
"The Weird World of Women"

Brief
A film with the aim of explaining the strange traits about women that men find confusing. Covers topics such as relationships, sex, diets, periods, beauty. A real 'warts 'n' all' documentary, with brutal honesty and a sense of humour to go with it.

Audience
Adults, both genders.

Existing Products and Influences
"How to Be a Woman" by Caitlin Moran - Book
Targeted at women, this book takes a look at life as a female, looking at the challenges we face, things we learn, how we grow etc, all with a sense of humour.

On Caitlin Moran's website, the book is described as this:

"1913 – Suffragette throws herself under the King’s horse.

1969 – Feminists storm Miss World.

NOW – Caitlin Moran rewrites The Female Eunuch from a bar stool and demands to know why pants are getting smaller.

There’s never been a better time to be a woman: we have the vote and the Pill, and we haven’t been burnt as witches since 1727. However, a few nagging questions do remain…

Why are we supposed to get Brazilians? Should you get Botox? Do men secretly hate us? What should you call your vagina? Why does your bra hurt? And why does everyone ask you when you’re going to have a baby?

 

 

Part memoir, part rant, Caitlin Moran answers these questions and more in How To Be A Woman – following her from her terrible 13th birthday (‘I am 13 stone, have no friends, and boys throw gravel at me when they see me’) through adolescence, the workplace, strip-clubs, love, fat, abortion, TopShop, motherhood and beyond."

The book has been extremely succesful, winning these awards:

• Galaxy Book of the Year 2011
• Galaxy Popular Non-Fiction Award
• Irish Book Award (RTE Listeners Choice)
• British Society of Newspapers – Columnist of the Year
• Cosmo Ultimate Writer of the Year

"Where the Water Meets the Sky" by Camfed

A documentary by and about Zambian women who were taught to make a film and then used their new skills to create this piece about their community. The film’s synopsis:

"Narrated by Morgan Freeman, Where the Water Meets the Sky is the story of a remarkable group of women in a remote region of northern Zambia, who are given a unique opportunity: to learn how to make a film, as a way to speak out about their lives and to challenge the local traditions which have, until now, kept them silent.

Many in the group can’t read or write, most are desperately poor, and few have been exposed to film or television. But with the help of two teachers, this class of 23 women learn to shoot a film that portrays a subject of their own choosing. It involves an issue that is traumatic for them all, and rarely spoken about: the plight of young women orphaned by AIDS.

Their film recounts the real-life experiences of Penelop, an 18-year-old orphan, and her struggle to provide for herself and her siblings in the wake of her parents’ deaths.

What begins as a workshop about filmmaking, and a quest to tell Penelop’s story, becomes a journey in empowerment as the women rise to the challenge of pressing their community to change.

Uplifting and poignant, Where the Water Meets the Sky is the story of an unforgettable group of women who defy long traditions of silence and who demonstrate with courage, humor and resilience that their futures are once again something of promise."
 

The trailer can be found at: http://www.watermeetssky.com/

Conclusion

A documentary focussing on female issues would be extremely interesting for me to make. As the subjects are close to my heart, I would be able to produce a truthful and accurate reflection of women today and be passionate about the topic. However, I would have to ensure that my documentary would also appeal to a male audience. I would also need to find a group of women from which to construct a representation.