Chapter 2 - Draft 1 -
The Animation Industry
This next section will discuss the animation industry
itself, looking into the roles and positions, women had in the workplace and
why this was. Was it for the same reasons as mentioned above or other reasons?
Many people have different and conflicting opinions to how women were treated
and why they had the roles they did.
To have a better understanding and back up my findings, I
will be looking into a specific studio, which will be Disney studios. This will
be specifically Disney without any of the other studios they have since taken
over. What I am going to discuss has not been found to only happen in Disney
but many studios, I will just be concentrating on Disney.
The ‘girls’ which they were commonly referred to as, were
young women, usually under the age of 25, who would work in the inking and
painting departments at Disney Studios.
The inkers would precisely outline what the animators had
drawn out onto cells. Then the cells would be given to the painter, who would
flip the cells over and paint in between the line, using many different
colours. They had to make sure they worked fast so that the paint did not leave
streaks. Once they had finished painting the cells would then be photographed.
Although there were quite a few women in the inking and
painting departments, there were virtually no women animators. It was studio
knowledge that women
Chapter 2 - Draft 2 -
The Animation Industry
This chapter will aim to discuss the animation industry
itself, looking into the roles and positions, women had in the workplace and
why they had these roles. Was it for the same reasons as mentioned above or are
there other factors involved? Many people have different and conflicting
opinions to how women were treated and why they had the roles that they did.
To have a better understanding and back up these findings, a
specific studio will be investigated. This studio will be Disney, without any
of the other studios and sectors they have since taken over. Although the
following discussion has not only been found to happen in Disney, these other
examples will not be looked at, as the focus is solely on Disney.
The ‘girls’ which they were commonly referred to as, were young
women, usually under the age of 25, who would work in the inking and painting
departments at Disney Studios.
The inkers would precisely outline what the animators had
drawn out onto cells, and then these cells would be given to the painter, who
would flip the cells over and paint in between the line, using many different
colours. They were required to work fast so that the paint did not leave
streaks. Once they had finished painting the cells would then be photographed.
Although there were quite a few women in the inking and
painting departments, there were virtually no women animators. It was studio
knowledge that women were not recruited for anything other than the ‘female’
roles and jobs (such as secretary, inkers, painters and cafeteria workers).
This was due to society’s impact on women and the workplace. Society wanted to
keep women in their homes and with their families, instilling from a young age
that that was what they should do. Any women that did work, whether in industry
or not, did not last very long.
In regards to working women in the animation industry, it
was much of the same story. “Each time they were
beginning to get good they’ve quit to get married or something. So now he’s
thumbs down on girl animators.” (Rae, Vanity Fair) The ‘he’ referred to
in the quote, from a past inker, is Walt Disney himself. He was known back then
for having very specific views on women in the workforce and for not wanting to
employ them in more important departments, because he thought that they would
get married and leave to start a family. This accusation was backed up by just
how many actually did get married. These beliefs were often shared by opposing
studios. Although these instances were happened in many studios, it was
surprisingly more common in Disney, as one studios press release stated “romantic paradise for young women … for the amount of
romances and marriages far exceeds that of any other studio.” (Vanity Fair) Walt
moved the inkers and painters to the other side of the building, away from the male
animators to try and stop the relationships.
On the other hand, there did seem to be exceptions to this. “Though many of the women fulfilled Walt’s prophecy and put
family above their careers, Rae married but continued working ad Disney off and
on until the mid-60s.” (Patricia Zohn) Rae was an inker who worked in
the Disney studios. These rare occasions could be compared to anomalies, which
could be arguably a large contributing factor to why women were not often
employed.
REWORD
During the war in 1944 many men we called to the war and so
many more women were needed. Disney starting making propaganda films and “Rae was also selected as one of the only two women to work
on Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series”(Zohn).
It can be argued that although one or two women were anomalies there
should have been more. Women were still just stuck in the two departments they
were only allowed to be. “she was the first woman from
our department who went into animation – who made it.” (June, Vanity Fair)
Although the above is before and at the time of the 1950s,
it is still relevant as it was not until after the 1950s closer to the 1960s
that the industry started to really change.
expand
Women were treated unfairly compared to the men.
They had lower pay
Women’s equality – “(new girls were still making only $18
per week while top animators made $300)” (Zohn)
Were worked so much to try and get the animations finished,
that when they hired extra hands where hired for their looks as it meant they
could work longer hours. While the men would play sports like tennis during the
day.
“Marie Foley Justice found out later her application had
noted her young, healthy looks, which, she quipped, indicated “They figured I
could stand up under the over time”” (Zohn)
Didn’t actually need to know how to ink.
“I didn’t know the first thing about inking…” (June, Vanity
Fair)
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