Arts & Entertainment
Conclusion
Lesson time 05:12 min
Jodie concludes her class with a note on the future of filmmaking, female filmmakers, and her final words of wisdom.
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Topics include: Female Filmmakers · Just Do It
Teaches Filmmaking
In her first-ever online class, Jodie Foster teaches you how to bring stories from page to screen with emotion and confidence.
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You know, I always say it's interesting. I've been in the business for 50-some years, and I've only made one movie with a female director. When I first started making films and television commercials, i never saw another woman's face. Occasionally, I would see a script supervisor, or maybe there was a makeup and hair artist, but other than that, it was just me and a bunch of guys. That was the world that we lived in. We didn't know any better. That's just how it was. Little by little, things changed. More technicians came into the fold. You know, you might see one technician come in, and then little by little, more technicians came up. And then you know, maybe writers or producers. And then, suddenly, there were studio heads that were women. Interestingly, that didn't change the landscape of women directors-- at least in America. The indie world, they started creeping in. Television, they started creeping in. But for some reason, women really had a hard time cracking mainstream movies-- I mean, mainstream-distributed films. That is all changing. We understand the reasons why psychologically, I think, it was difficult for the change to happen. I don't think it was a plot of some kind, that people were trying to keep us down and keep us out of the director role. I think that it was difficult for people in power, men and women, to conceive of women as more than just a risk. I think they saw, inherently, the choice of a woman director in a leadership role as a risk they were taking. Not really quite sure why women were more of a risk than men. But I think that was just the internalized prejudice. Now that there's an awareness about that, that is really shifting. I'm really proud to have been part of the few women in the business in my era. And I have to say I was given that opportunity because people knew me as an actor. And these old guys, these wonderful grandfather and father figures, pointed at me and said, you're my prodigal daughter. I trust you. I know you. You said you were going to come at 8:45, and you arrived at 8:45, and I trust that you're going to bring that movie in on time, and I trust that you have a vision and that you can communicate yourself, and that you're one of us. And I was given opportunities that other women were not given. And I'm grateful for that, but I also understand that I have a lot to give back. And I really want to encourage women to become directors and to assume their rightful leadership roles for the next generation of women filmmakers out there. If it's you, I hope that this is a more fertile place and time for you and for your stories. But I also know that, you know, this is a community. It's a community of brothers and fathers as well, who are waiting for your input, who are waiting for your influence. I was lucky. I had amazing fathers and brothers in this industry. And I was a girl who was raised without a dad, so I have a very fond feeling for these men that taught me everything...
About the Instructor
Go behind the scenes with two-time Oscar-winner Jodie Foster, star of Silence of the Lambs and director of Little Man Tate. In her first online film class, she’ll teach you how to bring your vision to life. Jodie discusses her experience on both sides of the camera to guide you through every step of the filmmaking process, from storyboarding to casting and camera coverage. Everyone has a story. Learn how to tell yours.
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Jodie Foster
In her first-ever online class, Jodie Foster teaches you how to bring stories from page to screen with emotion and confidence.
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