For me, entering a male dominated industry is not intimidating or disconcerting because my technically-oriented career path prior to attending CADA enabled me to grow accustomed to working predominantly with men”, says Christine Baldelli who was a graduating student this year from the Masters Program in Digital Imaging and Design at New York University’s Center for Advanced Digital Applications,(CADA) a division of the School for Continuing and Professional Studies.
CADA’s students predominantly comes from the U.S., but also include a diverse population of students from outside the US, including; Asia, Israel, India and Africa.
For her thesis project, Baldelli designed a pilot for a youth oriented television show that she plans to pitch to television networks. The core curriculum at CADA is divided into three sections: Motion Graphics, Animation and Compositing. Of 58 graduating Thesis students this year, nearly twenty were women who had selected a 3D concentration for their career focus. Many of these students would like to stay in the United States to work professionally.
“There’s is without a doubt a need and an opportunity for more women in the industry” says JWT New York creative director Eric Weisberg, who with senior partner/creative director Gary Boyd are working on conceptual thinking with a current NYU thesis class which is graduating in January 2007. “As is clearly evident from NYU CADA, women bring a different sensibility and a refreshing point of view to their work. Most notably, they bring a softer and more elegant touch that is often missing in the cold, hard world of 3D”.
Another CADA student who graduated this month, Michal Finegold, a transplant from Israel, has lived in the United States for nearly two years during her studies. “In terms of the aesthetic that people look for in CG, I used to think it was a really masculine one, and that somehow distinctly feminine styles would not be as popular.
“But that was based on what’s out there on forums and popular websites for CG artists. When I look at what’s actually being done in the industry, I think there is an openness to all types of aesthetics, depending on the needs of the different projects. So clearly, the industry is NOT looking for just masculine design schemes and random big-breasted Poser women with guns.
Before completing her Master’s Degree, Michal was a software engineer. “I studied computer science and physics–also male-dominated fields,” so she says she is used to it.
With so many young women entering the industry, the numbers have to give and women will start making up more of the general population of 3D artists as many of the post houses and larger studios begin to employ women in the CG departments.
“I notice the male dominance more in the industry than at school. I had plenty of women in all my classes” reports Finegold.
“Yes, 3D has traditionally been a male industry. Probably has something to do with Superhero comics and in the early years boys were more likely to use computers than girls. There are exceptions of course, and that is definitely no longer the case” according to Gavin Guerra, former head of Black Logic’s CG Department and currently a top NYC area 3D and compositing freelancer, who is also an adjunct professor at CADA.
“I never sensed any discrimination toward women in the field. Women are usually accepted with open arms as a welcome change from geeky men. When I ran Black Logic’s CG dept, I used to hire mainly women. It just worked out that way.” In fact she says, “The company that I’m freelancing with now just spoke of the need for more estrogen in the office–“
“I think with the advent of programs like CADA, the tide is shifting.
Basically, talent rules, in every industry and if the women CG artists are good, they will have no problem finding work”.
Jenga Mwendo, long term modeler at Blue Sky, tucked away in White Plains, states it plainly and boldly: “It should be recognized that there ARE women in this industry!! And, I’d like to encourage other women to get into it.”
Watch out post world. Here they come.
Benita Raphan is a filmmaker and clinical assistant professor at New York University, Center for Advanced Digital Applications, and can be reached at benita.raphan@nyc.edu
Trump Issues An Executive Order To Suspend TikTok Ban. But Can It Stick?
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to keep TikTok operating for 75 days, a relief to the social media platform's users even as national security questions persist. TikTok's China-based parent ByteDance was supposed to find a U.S. buyer or be banned on Jan. 19. Trump's order could give ByteDance more time to find a buyer. "I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok," Trump said. Shou Zi Chew, TikTok's CEO, attended Trump's inauguration earlier in the day, seated with American tech heavyweights. Trump has amassed nearly 15 million followers on TikTok since he joined last year, and he has credited the trendsetting platform with helping him gain traction among young voters. Yet its 170 million U.S. users could not access TikTok for more than 12 hours between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The platform went offline before the ban approved by Congress and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court took effect Sunday. After Trump promised he would pause the ban Monday, TikTok restored access for existing users. Google and Apple, however, still have not reinstated TikTok to their app stores. Business leaders, lawmakers, legal scholars, and influencers who make money on TikTok are watching to see how Trump tries to resolve a thicket of regulatory, legal, financial and geopolitical issues with his signature. How did the TikTok ban come about? TikTok's app allows users to create and watch short-form videos, and broke new ground by operating with an algorithm that fed viewers recommendations based on their viewing habits. But concerns about its potential to serve as a tool for Beijing to manipulate and spy on Americans pre-date Trump's first presidency. In 2020, Trump issued executive orders banning dealings with ByteDance and... Read More