Male-dominated but Passion Driven: Females working in Film & Photography

The Film & Photography industry has come a long way since the 1980s. Jane Seow chats with female filmmaker Wee Li Lin and female photographer Annabel Law on their journey in their careers.

“I think this is a little sexist question which I don’t want to reply!” Annabel Law chuckled when asked about how she is set apart from a male photographer.

Annabel started her professional career at a tender age of 18 and is now the founder of a full-fledged female wedding photography company.

Capturing Cancer; a self-initiated passion project of Annabel Law. Image credits: Annabel Law.

“I started this team, not because of Feminism or Female Empowerment, but more because I wanted to create awareness that female photographers are as good as male photographers.”

In the wedding scene 10 years ago, it was not common for a female to be seen with a camera snapping shots away. “Can you do it anot?” was asked countless times by her client’s loved ones.

The persisting gender wage gap has further increased to 13%, the widest in this decade of Singapore’s history.

This disparity was based on an analysis done by Glassdoor: Progress on the Gender Pay Gap: 2019.

There are however two sides to this spectrum.

According to data from MOM, as much as women are less represented in higher-paying jobs, there are also several jobs which women earn more than men. These include Nursing, Clerical & Housekeeping jobs.

However, the Arts & Entertainment industry has the smallest wage gap with a woman earning an average of $126 less than a man, as stated from the BusinessInsiders.

For Annabel, it ultimately was not her pay which made her feel out of place, but the perceptions of people towards her. “The job scope of a Photographer is not restrained to one’s gender, so why won’t a male and a female be paid equally?”

Wee Li Lin, who made her film directorial debut in 1997 said, “I don’t feel any difference...It all boils down to your skill level, your experience and your unquote quote how famous you are and your style.”

Although a film enthusiast, Li Lin never expected herself to take this route only till her first feature film won a recognition at the Singapore International Film Festival. Image credits: Wee Lilin.

Fast forward 20 years to managing her own production company, Bobbing Buoy Films, she runs it the same way as she was treated.

“The female cinematographer who I’ve worked for the past three projects was paid the same as everyone else too.”

When asked where she gets her inspiration for her films from, Lilin said confidently that she “never runs out of ideas.” “My films are very cathartic for me to help me tell the stories that matter to me, the things I’m going through.”

Although both Li Lin and Annabel have self-declared themselves as a lao jiao (experienced), they humbly acknowledged that they are still finding their way around the industry.

“It’s still difficult,” said Annabel, who is seeking to venture her business to China in the coming year.

Both women shared that besides the occasional teasing, there was only one gender-specific challenge: Motherhood. “The hours are very long and it can be very physical too, so if you want to start a family or be a stay-at-home wife, these are things you’ll have to consider,” said Lilin who had to sacrifice her pak tor (dating) time with her husband.