The “distaff side,” as it was once called, got short-shrift at Disney for so long, it’s remarkable to see an newspaper article in 1940 telling how women were making progress at the studio. Even more amazing is in the entire story, not one woman is named!
You would never know reading the article that the woman referred to at the outset was Bianca Majolie (right). And you would never know of the harassment and the condescension she had to put up with. That was finally told in 2019 in the book The Queens of Animation by Nathalia Holt.
The article points out there were female animators elsewhere—you won’t find La Verne Harding or anyone else’s name mentioned—with the odd logic that this somehow proves that Disney was right and women were incapable of the job. It also doesn’t address the irony that Disney’s first regular character in shorts was a girl and his first feature film was about a young woman. There were many, many more female lead characters in Disney features, so many the company could mash them together and create a highly-salable entity of “princesses.”
This story comes from the Hollywood Citizen-News of February 23, 1940. There is no byline.
On the Distaff Side At Walt Disney’s
IT IS no longer news when a woman takes her piece in a men's work-a-day world. But it was news when a women artist invaded the strictly masculine stronghold of the Walt Disney studio.
The event took place about four years ago. Until that time the only girls in the studio were the few necessary secretaries and the girls who did the inking and painting of the celluloids.
The girl who caused all the excitement was a young artist who, as a child, had gone to school with Walt in Chicago.
In 1934 she was in New York trying to market a comic strip. Remembering the little boy who used to draw pictures in her school books and who was now drawing Mickey Mouse, she wrote asking his advice about the strip. He replied promptly offering much good advice.
Shortly after this she arrived in Los Angeles on the first leg—which proved to be the last leg— of a trip to the Orient. She had luncheon with Walt. He thought she should try working at the studio, but he was not sure that a woman would fit in the story end of the business. But she was eager to try and was admitted to the “charmed circle.” Not only has she proved herself in the story end of the business, but was instrumental in breaking down the prejudice against women in this particular field of work.
Up through “Snow White," there were only two girls working on the story—the above-mentioned veteran of a couple of years, who sketched as well as worked out ideas, and another who developed sequences and wrote dialogue.
The reason for the lack of women artists until the last year or so, was that animation was just about the only field. The studio was concerned with making only short subjects, which is child's play in comparison with putting out a feature production. The backgrounds used to be more simple; there was no multiplane camera for which layers of backgrounds and overlays had to be painted on plate glass in oils; technique had not reached a point where there was a great deal of air brush work used, and story sketches were not the little gems many of them are today, because it was necessary to make only rough colored pencil action sketches for a Mickey Mouse or Silly Symphony.
WITH the advent of the features came the widening of new artistic fields, and although animation is still the backbone of the productions — for without animation you would have nothing but beautiful still pictures — the beauty of the Disney animated picture as a whole has been caused by more varied artistic technique.
For instance, in days gone by, the animators maintained a uniformity of a character by following model sheets of the character drawn characteristic poses. Now, for feature productions, the Character Model department creates dimensional figures which not only enable the animator to get a better idea of what a character would actually look like, but it makes for better drawing, for they can be studied from any angle.
A young woman creates many of these little plaster figures used in the studio, as well as those used as models for the commercial industries that put Disney ceramics on the market.
Although there has never been a ban against women artists in the studio, they are in the minority. However, there are about a dozen young women artists creating atmosphere sketches and paintings for stories. These paintings, which are miniature works of art, are used by the story men and those connected with the picture to set the mood for the sequence and as a guide for the coloring.
Several of the girls in the story department started with the Disney organization as inkers and pointers. Their skill with the brush and pen coupled with visualizing ability has landed them in the story sketching division. For one of the future feature, productions they are working on an entirely new technique — that of painting their sketches directly the celluloids.
Another girl entered the Disney organization direct from an art school. Her forte is the creation of the enchanting little animals, favorites of all lovers of the Disney pictures.
ALTHOUGH there is not a woman animator in the Disney studio, the girls in the airbrush department come the closest. These girls, picked from the painting department, are capable of doing simple effects animation. Trained in the elements of animation by the special effects animators, in whose department they work, they create the movement of smoke, clouds, dust, rain, glitter on jewels, twinkling of the stars, the glow around a candle flame. Women are playing a very important part in the preliminary work — known as story research. Here story properties are tested for possible value to the studio. These girls gather all available information on stories and books which look like possible Disney features. They take inventory of all phases of fantasy, folklore and legends of all nations, searching for basic story material of certain type that would be adaptable to the Disney medium.
ONE of the most interesting jobs in the organisation is that of the girl in charge of the fan mail department. What makes it interesting is that the fan mail received by the studio is unlike that of any other studio. The bulk of it is written by people who do not usually write fan letters. In the letters they express appreciation of the productions or intelligent criticism, although the latter is in minority. What is more amazing is that the majority of the letters is from adults!
There are two departments which the girls have to themselves — the secretarial and Inking and Painting departments.
In the Inking and Painting department 200 girls trace and paint the animators' drawing onto the celluloids which are photographed over backgrounds.
In the early days of the studio men did the inking and painting, but they were always being snatched away and turned into animators. Finally they hit upon the idea of having only girls as inkers and painters. Girls not only have more patience and a finer sense for detail line and color — so necessary for this work on celluloids, but there was no chance of their being set to work on animation. There never has been a woman animator in the Disney organization. The consensus is that a man has a better feeling for action personality and caricature. There are several women animators in other studios — the exception which proves the rule — but it is doubtful if there will ever be any women animators in the Disney organization.
WHAT corresponds to script clerks in a "live action” studio are unit secretaries at Disney's. There are 10 of these girls in the studio, each assigned to a director's unit. Her connection with the making of the picture begins with the preliminary story conferences.
Taking notes at a story conference calls for psychic powers on the part of the secretary. When creative minds start popping thoughts back and forth, it's a case of get it now — or it's gone!
Thus while the organization is still predominantly masculine, the outposts have fallen and feminine influence is on the ascendancy!
No comments:
Post a Comment