Screenwriting : Bechdel Wallace Test in Contemporary Screenwriting by Ken Zakreski

Ken, my point in your other thread is that the Bechdel test is a very low bar to hurdle for female characters in a film. Extremely low. Insultingly low. Offensively low. It was off-handedly created in a 1980s-era comic strip to draw attention to poor female representation and the lacking portrayal on screen. To pass the Bechdel test a film must meet three requirements: there must be (1) two named women in the film, who (2) have a conversation about (3) something other than a man. And yet many films do not pass. Nonetheless, surely, you can see that much more could and should be achieved here, yes? Especially since your script has two female leads. Lol! The Bechdel test itself is not a good measure in that it lacks any substance. There's none, really. Two named female porn stars in a film could talk about the weather and pass. And not every film or story or subject matter will have or require female characters. And that's okay. So... just focus on writing a damn good screenplay. Create your female characters as you would for any character, as three-dimensional human beings with their own agency and interests and opinions and lives. Again, hope that helps!

I guess it's more about what you're really trying to accomplish with your story and characters. B-W has documented limitations, and especially if you take it at face value. Like, the actual meaning of those dialogues and representations/actions of those characters can still be considered pretty low and not significant. But it was a start, all things considered.

There are a ton of other tests that a writer can consider, too, but it all boils down to what you are really trying to accomplish, with regards to the significance of the role for women (and minorities) in your story.

Check out Geena Davis' website SeeJane.org, and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, too, and the website fivethirtyeight.com did a nice survey of female writers and the tests that they'd come up with, too. You also might want to take a look at this topic forum I started about female-led films a while back, and you should be able to see the results if you're not a subscriber to the Shift7 service.

https://www.stage32.com/lounge/producing/Female-Led-Films-Outperform-Mal...

Best fortunes to you, Ken!

Things like Bechdel are important as they act as a sign post to permanent change. Once the change has happened we can thank them and give them a place in history.

We need to address real issues that exist due to outdated traditions like minimum height for police officers. We dropped that because it prevented engagement with parts of the Asian community. If we just look for rules for comfort we may stifle our own creativity.

This is the first time I have ever heard of the Bechdel test. Maybe it was meant to provoke a riot, or belonged in some eighties sit com.

I've heard about it, but not crossed paths with it. Doesn't seem like anything that needs my attention.

I'm new here, and come from a background in community and campus radio, so I hope I am not speaking out of turn, but I have this to say about that.

Money wise is it clear passing the test improves chances of reaching a larger audience, so there is that, if you care about that.

Social wise, I am going to have to say the planet is on fire with 7 billion looking for an exit door. Society will need all the help it can get in obtaining a solution. Society has to open up and provide leadership in a subject called diversity, with that we can increase the chance of a successful outcome . So there's that.

Providing an opportunity for those not at the table to join the discussion is important in a financial and social manner. If you are part of the problem, you are the problem .

Thanks an entrance of actresses... Ken

Joining the table as an actress is one thing, and has gotten a little better over the last 15 years since Geena Davis founded SeeJane, but behind the scenes and in the studio C-level system, I doubt that Ms. Davis or anyone else would say all that much has significantly changed.

It's a start, though, but has been documented with a very slow, slow, slow amount of progress. Gender and racial diversity is not unique to media and Hollywood, nor to America, as those who have been paying attention here and globally know. Every industry has its issues, and hopefully the speed of change will increase over the next few years and beyond.

Actually, no, passing the Bechdel test does not have much to do with box office success nor reaching mass audiences. Movies that made millions (billion worldwide?) and played in thousands and thousands of theaters do not pass. Star Wars Solo, Captain America The First Avenger, The Avengers, Avatar, The Social Network, a couple of the Harry Potter films, Nemo, the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, do not pass. Blockbuster and/or much awarded smaller films like Slumdog Millionaire, The Imitation Game, Whiplash, Moonlight, La La Land, others, sorry, I'm too tired to mention the many many movies that audiences and critics love but yet do not pass. What keeps audiences from exiting the door is great storytelling, great cinema, great entertainment, and compelling characters. So write compelling female characters! Lol! Write female characters independent of men. Women do have lives and interests of our own, you know. ;))) Societal change is certainly needed and demanded—totally agree there—as you alluded to, Ken, change has to happen not only on screen but behind the scenes. A reductive test helps to spot gender issues on screen, sure, but it does so without any acknowledgment of the film's context nor demand of meaningful substance. The Bechdel test didn't even cross my mind while watching Dunkirk, for example. And why should it? Not passing the test seems irrelevant considering the content and structure of that film. Anyway... More diversity at upper levels of decision making will certainly affect change, those who greenlight projects, those who hire, etc. But... you are absolutely right. Whatever we can do to better represent people on paper and on screen the better we can affect change too. ;) Best wishes with your script and creative endeavors, Ken! Sounds like you have a great project!

The main thing to keep in mind, to put it briefly, is that women are not accessories to men. They shouldn't be solely used to flaunt, adore or oggle over. Write stories for women, about women.

With all the "female remakes" of formerly fully male casts, we also don't feel those deserve an automatic pass, specifically because changing the anatomy without much of the personality just so studios can say "look at us and the female centered content we "create" is populist at best.

Beth, just to source my comment that Bechdel Wallace Test pass movies exceed at the box office, THEREFORE attendance (which is a extrapolation) is based on this report. https://shift7.com/media-research/#arrow-jump

Is the report in question? I haven't verified it independently.

I'm already familiar with that study, yes. Dunno if it is in question? Nor am I sure of how accurate it is? But... That study is about MORE than just the Bechdel test, it compares female-lead to male-lead films between the years of 2014-2017. "Of the 350 films in this dataset, 105 are listed as female-led and 245 are listed as male-led in Studio System." They are using medians and averages, which give different results. They compare different budgets, revenues, etc. That research also states: "Since 2012, all films that have made more than $1B in box office revenue have passed the Bechdel Test." However, in smaller print right underneath that statement, they say: "This test is a low bar, yet 40% of the films in this study do not pass it." ("It" being the Bechdel test). All the films (which made millions, even a billion+) that I listed off the top of my head above do not pass the test. But, hey, it's great to know (according to this study) that in more recent years female-lead films are doing really well. That's encouraging! ;)

The key point is from Bill, " it's more about what you're really trying to accomplish"

The goal is to tell a fascinating story. I want to see tears in the popcorn used for salt.

Do you see gender getting in the way of telling a mystery romantic comedy?

In the mystery romantic comedy genre space does gender of the director matter?

Wow... yeah, no. ;) Yes, sure, a female director may bring more insight (and a different perspective) to a story, depending (my two cents). Ken, just hire whoever seems best for your project, male or female. ;)

This is a good forum topic because it has stimulated discussion.

Personally, I never heard of this test before last week and couldn't give a rat's posterior about it. In my world of imagination, all characters are created equal. Make them interesting.

Beth and Erik have disparate views on this topic.

Regarding levels of competence and gender. In story telling I would argue, as in life, balance is the important factor. Looking to my background in community and campus radio here in Canada, we live diversity and the strength that brings to the table. When the internet came and broadcast radio took the hit, it was the Community Radio national organization that survived when the Commercial Radio National organization faltered. Diversity and gender balance gave us strength.

imo and experience, gender balance and diversity will make a production more stable and should provide a better project outcome. I just hope there are enough woman directors available when we make budget. or atleast one.

Disparate? I just didn’t find Erik’s last comment funny—humor is what I assume was intended. Lol!

I too think/believe there is more here to consider than competence. Producers, studios, etc, are now looking for people who have some personal connection or life perspective or added insights that they can bring to a project, which can be anything, of course. A couple of producers and an agent told me that just last week. But, statistically speaking and imagination aside, things are not equal in reality. Of the top 100 grossing films in 2018, women only represented 4% of directors and only 15% of writers. That’s sad. So we’ve got a long way to go. And to deny by thinking that gender or race or ethnicity does not factor in some way seems rather to ignore or deny those different perspectives, yes? Just saying. What I find encouraging is that there is a demand, a better awareness, and a widening door of opportunity. More and more people are being invited to the creative table. So I believe great things are ahead for everyone. ;)

It's probably best not to try, in my view. If you try too hard to be progressive it comes off as preachy.

Would a new Bechdel test mean that those women can't talk about shoes, clothes, motherhood, or a man? You'll get a load of incidentally female characters talking philosowaffle just to prove that women can talk about highfalutin' topics too and the point will have been missed entirely.

The period of liminality regarding the position and role of women in society itself, in my view, provides a wealth of internal conflict that makes for good writing now. The question of 'what I want from life' versus 'what life wants from me' is a legitimate philosophical question that female characters, and writers, seem to be in a better position to have good reason to wrestle with, be it in mud, baby oil, or just their pyjamas.