Women In Film - An Interview With Pink and Red Productions
WRITTEN & INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY MUSKAAN MEHMOOD
Pink and Red Productions - a female-led production company started by a group of second-year DFP students at Ravensbourne. Sophie Lee, Sofia Kandasamy, Dinusa Sharveswaran, Matilda Smith, Ells Mitchell and I started this company after working on a music video for up-and-coming electro-pop artist Darla Jade towards the end of 2023. In this exclusive interview with the founders of Pink and Red Productions, I got to delve into the dynamic world of women in the film industry. The girls of P&R reveal how they work hard to break barriers and stereotypes around women in major production roles in 2024, not just behind the scenes but at the forefront of cinematic innovation. Keep reading to learn more about their stories, challenges and successes in an ever-changing industry.
To fully understand the goals of Pink and Red, we have to go back to the origins of it all. I asked DOP Ells Mitchell about the roots and inspirations behind P&R.
MUSKAAN: What inspired you to start a film production company while still at university?
ELLS: “Over the last 2 years, I and I’m sure the rest of the girls too, always felt a gap in the market for creative females in the industry and for women being able to speak comfortably and feel empowered in their roles. During my time at university, I’ve noticed that the industry was lacking in female leaders… Working on the ‘All for Nothing’ music video was also an eye-opener for us all - we realised that we let other people’s perceptions of us hold us back from showing off our talents and decided it was time to put ourselves out there… We created this company while at university because why wait? We’re surrounded by so many like-minded, female creatives at Rave who are also looking for a space in the industry - why not make that space ourselves?”
This is something I’m sure a lot of readers will resonate with, the lack of female role models in the industry is often offputting for a lot of us. Instead of waiting around for this to change, the P&R girls have taken matters into their own hands and are on a mission to make the film industry a warmer and more welcoming place for young, creative minds, regardless of their gender, background or culture. Being a woman in an industry as competitive and unique as ours can feel like a constant battle at times. It can be alienating and nerve-wracking to put yourself out there. It may be difficult but it isn’t impossible and one of P&R’s amazing set designer and cinematographer Sofia Kandasamy has proved it.
MUSKAAN: As a woman of colour in the film industry, what barriers have you faced and how do you overcome them, Sofia?
SOFIA: “As a woman in this industry, I’ve often felt quite limited in my creative ability because of how male-dominated it is. It’s hard to stand up and take the lead when you’re always being told you aren’t fit for the role, or that you’re simply not good enough. But the only way to overcome that is by doing what is best for you, not anyone else…. If you want to direct, direct. If you want to be a cinematographer, be a cinematographer. The only person who can get you to your end goal is yourself; I’ve learnt to overcome barriers by making the jump and not letting anyone else cloud my judgment.”
The girls of P&R have been working hard to get themselves out there and make their names known. What’s so unique about this group is that no one is the same. Everyone has their niche whether it’s writing, producing or cinematography - this combined makes a very powerful group of creators and it shows in the work produced. It’s not easy but it is always worth it as highlighted by production designer, Sophie Lee.
MUSKAAN: Soph, what advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers, particularly those facing gender-related challenges?
SOPHIE: “I think the rest of the girls will join me in saying that we have all felt overlooked by others at some point. That was something that held me back during the first year of our course - it was a mix of me not putting myself out there because of how other people would perceive me and not feeling confident enough to showcase my potential.
As a production designer, I feel like there are often gender-based assumptions made about women in the sector. Things like manual work on set are usually dominated by men because it’s just assumed that as a girl, I won’t be able to do it or even know how to. And every time it happens, the final product of our work proves everyone wrong. So if I could advise anyone wanting to get into film or production work or anything of that nature, no matter their background or gender, I would say use emotion and experience - no matter if it’s negative or positive. Use those emotions to create something meaningful and inspiring. Being afraid of pushing boundaries won’t get you where you want to be. It takes time but once you can overcome that fear of showing off your skill, you’ll go so much further.”
A lot of the time, women aiming for high-level professions are held back by the ‘overly emotional woman’ stereotype. What a lot of people don’t realise is that it takes a lot of emotional intelligence to make a piece of creative work and have it be meaningful and memorable to its audience. This is a high-pressure industry and no one should feel they can’t express themselves in their work or workplace in case they come across as ‘too emotional’.
MUSKAAN: Tilds, how do you prioritise self-care and mental health while pursuing your passions in the industry?
TILDA: “Within the industry, it can be hard to be able to always prioritise self-care and mental health, even though it is so important to do so. As a busy person, I like to have check ins with myself when things get stressful or if I have lot of work to do. Positive mental health is so important to your success in industry, and it should always be a priority even if it doesn’t feel important at the time.
Some ways that I battle stress and burnout, prioritising self-care and mental health, is through a weekly timetable. It allows me to identify free time that I have to myself and allow myself to not feel guilty about doing something that I enjoy. For example, if I schedule when I need to do work, or when I have placement, I can then spend the days that I have off, doing something just for myself. It’s so important to have a good support network when wanting to go into the industry and pursue my passions. Going out with my friends at the weekend and socialising, does make me realise that my work isn’t the only thing in my life, but also having friends that understand the industry and respecting that is also always a bonus. A word of advice for people trying to figure out a healthy balance, is by not feeling guilty about having your own time. As long as you are good at time management and work ethic, then everything is going to be okay.”
This can be a high-pressure industry to work in at times and it can be tricky to not let it consume our lives completely - it’s a heavy workload and finding that balance is very important.
The film and media industry is a wonderful place for stories to be told and there is so much to learn from other people’s experience. Film is full of new ideas and inspiration, but it’s not always a level-playing field for a number of communities. This is something the Pink and Red girls feel very strongly about as you’ve probably gathered.
MUSKAAN: How do you prioritise authentic and diverse storytelling, especially from underrepresented perspectives?
DINUSA: “We as a collective understand that the industry is not as diverse as we hoped it would be when we first started making our way throughit. Whether it be for women, or people of colour this sector of work isn’t moulded perfectly for us to fit into. Therefore, we are very particular about the projects we choose to collaborate on, we will help to spotlight female-led and person of colour-led projects in order to bring up the industry, one project at a time.
As young female talent, we have a responsibility to pave the way for individuals like us to be able to be in this industry as those before us did for us.”
To wrap it all up, it’s evident P&R is just getting started and the girls are bringing everyone around them along for the ride. This is a space for absolutely everyone to figure out what it is they want to get out of this industry and how they can showcase and utilise such diverse and original ideas. So watch this space because the girls are creating something strong here!