Country and nationality
Germany, German
Professional role in the film industry
Assistant Director
Years of experience in the film industry
15 years
Lisa started her career path studying Print Media driven by her ambition of becoming a journalist. After working in a Public Relations Agency, she quickly realized Journalism wasn´t the right path. She ran by accident into a director who was filming in Berlin and who invited her to visit the set as an intern. Lisa did not let the opportunity pass her by and accepted the invitation. Once on set, Lisa felt immediately hooked and quickly realized she wanted to work in the film industry.
Lisa is currently working as first Assistant Director and second Assistant Director in German featured films and international TV shows. One of her most recent works is as Assistant director in the Netflix TV shows “The Queen´s Gambit” and “Homeland”.
Challenges
The main challenges that Lisa had to face are mainly related to her personal relationships. Working in the film industry requires to spend many hours on set, often shooting at night. The very dynamic and fast-changing nature of the film industry can be very challenging for a family or when being in a partnership, such as in the case of Lisa, and she personally found it hard to deal with it.
On a professional level, Lisa witnessed gender discrimination in certain roles within the industry and struggled being taken seriously when she started working on set. Being a young female director has been challenging for her, as sometimes people did not respect or value her decisions enough.
Overcoming Obstacles
Lisa received lot of support from other professionals in the industry. In Berlin, people working in the film industry have a good network and they´ve been always supporting each other, either in terms of borrowing working assistance or helping each other out in difficult situations.
Recommendations
“Have a look first, and if you feel this is what you want to do, be persistent in your dreams, your passions, and go for it!”
The WIFILM Case Study Library will provide VET providers, females interested in developing a career within the industry, or those working alongside females in the industry with a series of case studies on successful women in the film industry. The Case Study Library will highlight the barriers to entry for females in the industry, including deficits in role models, confidence, and career planning.
The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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