This would not endear me to any Women On Film panel (despite the fact that I am maybe the most feminist-minded male moviegoer around -- seeing as how I, unlike most people of both genders -- actually DO go to see certain movies based on the female lead.)

But anyway, it would behoove more female directors to shoot in widescreen and have SOME visual style. Obviously this will seem a WHOPPER of a generalization and not endear me necessarily to The Voynar, but too many female-directed movies feel like ACTOR-DIRECTED MOVIES.

IE, nice script, good actors, strong enough story and thematics... and all the visual style of a Welcome Back, Kotter episode. Even though I'm a Kathryn Bigelow fan, I wouldn't recommend that ALL or even more than a few femme directors emulate their male counterparts and try to keep pace with the Bays and Scotts and Camerons.

But a little HOLLYWOOD PANACHE, some flair and visual distinction, distinguishes a true, born filmmaker from someone who's taking on the job as a whim or to make a statement just that one time. I'd get more excited at the prospect of "female director!" if it didn't so often mean some kitchen-sink looking 1.85:1 frame and maybe a BROWN TINT while some talented actors stand in the middle of frame and talk about getting old or some shit.

Again, this probably doesn't sound P.C., but it is a pretty universally regarded truism that men as a whole are "more visually oriented." And the best directors are visual artists, rather than people who aim a Panaflex lens at what is essentially a stage play.

I'm not painting all female artists with this broad stroke, but the idea that a critic, male or female, or even a CASUAL FILM VIEWER, should champion bland, craftless mediocrity just because a woman was at the helm? That's selling everyone short.

Lex, when you want to, you can make some excellent and astute points. But while I agree with you about a lot of films shot by women not being very visual, I think this is true of a lot of independent films generally, whether they're made by women or men. Look at the "mumblecore" films, for instance -- wouldn't you consider most of those films to have the same flaws you're talking about here?

I think it's partly an issue of accessibility, in that it's easier and cheaper these days for anyone who wants to to get their hands on equipment, gather some friends and shoot a movie, but that doesn't mean they necessarily have an understanding of *how* to shoot for a big screen, and they don't always have the technical knowledge to do the things you're talking about. They have a good idea for a story, maybe, and their stories tend to be character-focused (which, actually, I like, mostly), but they don't know about color palettes, or aspect ratios, etc.

I had a conversation a while back with Jason Kohn, the director of Manda Bala (which I thought was a gorgeous film) about how many docs being made these days are not really made to be seen on the big screen, however much their directors might like them to be, and I think this is true for a lot of independent filmmakers. Ramin Bahrani's films are beautifully shot, because he works consistently with a cinematographer who knows how to shoot for a theatrical experience. Nerakhoon (The Betrayal) isn't a perfect film, but it's stunning visually, because Ellen Kuras, the director, has spent her career as a cinematographer and knows what she's doing when it comes to shooting.

So I'd argue with you that the issues you raise are not specific to female filmmakers, but are more of a broader issue in the indie film world. And as a side issue, Lex, you've argued before, I think, that a lot of people who review films take only story and character into account while overlooking things like editing and cinematography. Do you think the way in which indie films are reviewed contribute to the issues you're raising?

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