For these working within the {industry}, the shortage of girls holding below-the-line positions on movie and tv units isn’t stunning, because it’s been the case for so long as anybody can bear in mind. However on a regular basis viewers simply acquired a style of that actuality.
When season three of Euphoria premiered in mid-April, a behind-the-scenes video began circulating on social media of a scene being filmed with star Sydney Sweeney, who performs Cassie on the Sam Levinson-created drama. The scene in query featured Alexa Demie’s character Maddy capturing Cassie’s OnlyFans content material in a tiny crimson and white bikini by the latter’s residence pool.
Within the BTS video (beneath), Sweeney is seen posing on the poolside lounger, with a number of crew members round her as they put together to movie the scene. The unique video has since been deleted, however not earlier than the clip was re-uploaded and unfold throughout social media.
For individuals who have labored on energetic movie and TV units earlier than, nothing seemingly appeared out of the extraordinary. Nonetheless some followers had been fast to level out that almost all of the crew members seen within the clip had been males. And what made the clip much more jarring to the typical eye is that Sweeney was in a suggestive pose on the time.
“How uncomfortable it must be to film all those scenes with a bunch of old dudes,” one individual wrote on X. One other individual added, “Wow, isn’t there a woman in this production for Sydney Sweeney not to be so uncomfortable????”
On Reddit, a screenshot from one other video, HBO Max’s official behind-the-scenes of episode five, once more put a highlight on the predominantly male crew surrounding Sweeney. This time, it was for the Godzilla-like monster scene. “Especially this season the women on the show feel way more observed than understood imo,” the Reddit person wrote. “Sure, the aesthetics are incredible and the emotions are heightened, but to me there’s always this lingering sense that the camera is fascinated with these girls and their bodies rather than truly inhabiting their perspective.”
To be honest, for those who look carefully on the first BTS clip, there look like at the very least two girls crew members standing behind the clip. However the on-line discourse nonetheless spotlights an actual ongoing subject in Hollywood — the shortage of progress in women-held below-the-line positions.
In 2024-25, the ReFrame Report — an initiative launched by Sundance Institute and WIF in partnership with IMDbPro to trace gender fairness — noticed little change in these kinds of roles since 2020 general, however did see small positive factors throughout the 12 months throughout the high 100 collection.
Whereas some below-the-line positions noticed will increase in illustration (girls, nonbinary and trans folks) — administrators of images (6 p.c enhance), first assistant administrators (8.5 p.c enhance), unit manufacturing managers (6.5 p.c enhance) and manufacturing designers (10.5 p.c enhance) — these roles are nonetheless held by nearly all of males. Total, girls, nonbinary and trans folks solely accounted for 33 p.c of manufacturing managers, 46 p.c of first assistant administrators, 26 p.c of administrators of images and 39 p.c of manufacturing designers. Line producers and composers additionally noticed decreases of seven.5 p.c and 4 p.c, respectively.
Kirsten Schaffer, the CEO of WIF, the L.A.-based group that advocates for girls throughout all display screen industries, tells The Hollywood Reporter that whereas they “take the small wins,” seeing slight will increase in some positions, it’s nonetheless “a huge problem” industry-wide within the post-#MeToo period.
“There are still a lot of men in the core decision-making roles, and they tend to hire people who they have worked with the most in their careers, which also tend to be men,” she explains.
San Diego State College’s Boxed In report examined these relationships and located that broadcast and streaming tasks in 2024-25 with at the very least one girl creator employed greater percentages of girls as administrators (42 p.c), writers (62 p.c) and editors (32 p.c), in comparison with packages with males working as creators, which noticed girls account for 20 p.c of administrators, writers and editors, respectively.
That’s additionally why Schaffer stresses the significance of “more male advocates,” who’re dedicated to gender equality, hiring extra girls behind the digital camera and paying them equally, reminiscent of Bradley Cooper, the late Chadwick Boseman and Chris Pratt, who beforehand promised to share wage data and to advocate for pay parity with girls co-leads. She additionally names director Paul Feig, who helmed the Sweeney-starrer The Housemaid, as somebody who’s additionally been dedicated to gender equality on his units.
When Autumn Durald Arkapaw turned the first-ever woman to win finest cinematography on the Oscars this 12 months, she additionally shouted out Sinners director Ryan Coogler for giving “us those opportunities to shine and be ourselves and work in a creative environment where we’re leading, we’re strong, we have power, trust us, and that’s a very important thing, and it doesn’t happen very often.”
Arkapaw’s win wasn’t simply history-making but in addition put a vivid highlight on girls’s abilities and talents. Schaffer additionally notes that awards are the “most helpful” approach to change the narrative round these behind-the-camera roles.
One more reason the Euphoria BTS movies had been unsettling for some followers is that there have already been on-line debates all through the present’s three-season run in regards to the sexualization of girls within the collection. Schaffer admits she’s not stunned by the movies, saying it falls on the person in control of the set, Levinson, who could be behind staffing his crew.
“Because Euphoria has such strong female leads, you just expect that that’s gonna be reflected behind the camera, and then when you don’t see it, it’s surprising,” she says. “I mean, it was surprising to me a little bit, but then when I thought about it some more, that really is his [Levinson’s] show from start to finish. He directs all the episodes. It’s ultimately disappointing, but it’s not surprising.”
THR reached out to HBO for remark, however didn’t hear again on the time of publication.
When an {industry} like Hollywood has been male-dominated for this lengthy, particularly in below-the-line roles, it takes time to see any form of progress. However Schaffer reminds folks that even when the enterprise goes by a “tough time” — reminiscent of the present finances cuts, manufacturing relocations, AI considerations and undertaking cancellations — “it’s time for us to double down on gender equality and maintain all the progress that we’ve made.”
IATSE and Teamsters, the 2 largest labor unions representing behind-the-scenes staff, didn’t instantly reply for remark.
Schaffer additionally calls on the general public, notably those that additionally wish to see change behind the digital camera, to make an influence by “voting with their dollars.”
“If they want to see more gender equality in film and television, then go to the theater and see the films that are produced by women, directed by women, have women in leadership roles,” she says. “Go watch TV shows that are created by women and have gotten the ReFrame Stamp, have gender diverse sets.”
