I'm working on an Independent Study Film right now. It's really fun, and there are a lot of talented people working on it. Many of them are in the theater school. I am not. Not because the theater school isn't good or anything, but it kinda seems like a particular type of person is in the theater school and I'm not that person... I digress. The point is that these people are talented and we are working toward a common goal of making this movie as awesometastic as we can. I don't feel like I should be competative with any of them, and with most I am not, however, I have noticed that I am with one particular person. This person happens to be a female. Her role is smaller than mine, but the director has allowed her to do many extra improvised takes. We take time out of the day to let her do these shots. I love improv. And here's the kicker. All of the takes are really funny. She's good. Really good. But I want to be able to do improvised takes too!
So I take these thoughts home and push them through the lens of this class. I believe I am more competative with this particular person because I am so very passionate about improv. Also, I prolly want to be the funniest person on set, which is selfish and mildly dickish, but if I'm not honest with my blog for games class then who can I be honest with? Our similarities made me more competative. Even in a room of intimidating theatery people, I compete most with the person who I share more interests with than anybody else.
Questions for the rest of the world. Do you think her gender matters? I'm still figuring that into the equation. She's female, which isn't like me, but somehow it makes me feel slightly more threatened. How can this film set be translated into a game? Maybe I can save that for another post, but it seems like an interesting idea to me.
Here's a picture of set. Hooray!
I don't think her gender has factored into your feelings of wanting to do improv and wanting to have the class's attention instead of her. However, I think her gender could possibly effect how you address the situation. For instance, if it was a guy taking the spot light doing your "thing", maybe you would be more comfortable to be competitive and fight for the crown of "imrpov king" in class by showing off your skills right back. Perhaps because she is a girl, you feel less comfortable confronting the situation this way because you don't feel as much satisfaction in "de-crowning" her as imrov queen as you would if it were a guy.
ReplyDeleteHope production is going well!
The issues of gender competition is a long standing one. Sure, genders are competitive in many ways - in athletics, human-rights, advocacy groups, the work place, even something such as this! What I personally found most interesting about your post, which does not answer your question in the slightest-just a tangent I found myself wondering about, is the fact that it was written from a male perspective. As a female, this is utterly refreshing. Just recently I went home for my spring break and my father sat me down and had me watch, in its entirety, the graduation address for the 2011 class at Barnard College. The Speaker's Point? Women empowerment. Women having goals, having aspirations, having drive, holding themselves to the equal standard of the male. I wanted to scream - "I GET THE POINT!!!" And many times throughout my life, I have heard this message. I have been pushed to be the women that is equal or the boss of the man in the workplace. And I LOVE that your post was from the opposite perspective. It is rare to hear a man feeling competitive with a woman. Because as I've learned, time and time and time again, this is a patriarchal society and it is the role of the woman to make herself equal. While I think you pose an interesting question, I selfishly think to myself "YES! Let a man be competitive/threatened by/jealous of with a woman for once" ;)
ReplyDeleteLoved this post!!
Upon reading this, I immediately chuckled at the thought of your slight insecurities (if I may call them that) coming from your competition being a female. The truth is, if she is funny she is funny. She is no more funny than you are because of her gender or her age or her spiritual beliefs. However, that is just my "people like to over analyze things and it makes me crazy" side coming out. Maybe you are threatened by her, but regardless, you performing at your highest level will not mean you trying to beat out a woman, it will mean trying to beat out a competitor.
ReplyDeleteGender competition is nothing new. We constantly feel threatened by the opposite sex because of what we feel we lack. Many times we have the same qualities, yet because the other is male/female we blame our insecurities on that. As Frankie V stated above, if she is funny, shes funny. There are insecurities that lie there because maybe she is indeed funnier than you. But the issue should not be if shes a girl or not. Because frankly its not based on that.
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