A female filmmaker's on set wardrobe
Steffie while filming her short documentary A Life Before This
Sure, we've probably all had this thought before: Can I wear this to work? But when Refinery29 wrote an article about dressing for the job you want and also had a suggestion for film directors, a lot of female directors weren't exactly happy with their recommendation. Members of Film Fatales responded in an article of Filmmaker Magazine. #girlcrew's Steffie also has a thing or two to say about what to wear while working on set.
It started early, when I was an intern at a local broadcaster and hasn't stopped since: people commenting on my outfits in relation to the work I do. Anyone who knows me will tell you; I like to dress up. Meaning, I wear a lot of dresses and skirts. To put it more strongly, I only own one pair of pants (yoga pants not included). That is simply my style. People often ask me if I'm going on a date, or have an important meeting, when I'm just dressed to go into work or run around town. I am fine with that.
What I am not fine with however, is constantly getting questions about my outfits when I am in the field working as a documentarian, producer or video journalist. "I always see you around here in dresses and such. But uh, how can you work in that? What if you have to run or something?" a male co-worker asked me during my first internship at a local broadcaster. He asked me this question in all earnest as if my work was that of a war correspondent, requiring me to run for my life at any moment, instead of my actual position as a local news reporter. "I can run in this" is all I said, while pointing at my sandals (it was summer) and long dress.
Wearing pants (check out that cable!) on the set of Juul's documentary Where Memories Live
I'm not about to change the way I look and dress because I am shooting. Will I think carefully about what to wear before I go out on a shoot? Of course. But if I don't have a problem with running around in heeled boots, they are actually often helpful because they make me a bit taller, then someone else definitely shouldn't have a problem with me wearing them. My boots are comfortable on long shoots. The jumpsuit I'm wearing in the photo? It has pockets I can put batteries or SD cards in, the same goes for the faux leather jacket. Yes, I did think that outfit through.
That also applied for all the times I had to crew on someone else's film as a sound recordist. For that very special occasion I bring out the pants, as I can keep the cables together with the help of the belt loops. If I'm shooting outside in 32 degree (0 celsius) weather? I layer up on the leggings underneath my skirt and add some fingerless gloves. That one time I had to walk and film a 17 mile march in 77 degrees (25 celsius)? I switched out my heeled boots for my running shoes combined with some yoga pants, a sports bra and tank top. Filming at a gala? A long flowy dress that makes it very easy to move around in. I could go on and on. It's not that I am trying to dress up for the job, but that I refuse to dress down who I am.
Instead of asking me if I can film (or run) like this, just assume I'm professional enough to take that in consideration before I head out in the morning. After all, nobody asks a male camera operator or director if his jeans are too tight to do his job. If I ever miss capturing an important moment because my outfit gets in the way, then we can talk. But so far nobody has ever asked me what I was wearing after seeing my work.