Lights, Camera, and Action in the Peripheries: Training and Work Experiences of Young Women in Audiovisual

Abstract

This article focuses on the training and work experiences of young women working in the audiovisual sector in the peripheries of São Paulo and their strategies for staying in the field, considering the strong presence of men and people from middle and upper classes. It stems from the expansion of educational initiatives in audiovisual production over the past decades and its crisis, deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the lack of data on the inclusion and type of work performed by young people in this sector, especially young women from the peripheries. It establishes a dialogue between authors from the fields of youth, work, gender, and audiovisual studies, incorporating contributions from bell hooks, Laura Mulvey, Ann Kaplan, Helena Hirata, Liliana Segnini, Guilhermo Aderaldo, and Vítor Ferreira. The qualitative research involved in-depth interviews with young women working in audiovisual production during the pandemic and post-pandemic contexts. Through their narratives, difficulties in the process of entry and retention in the field are observed, marked by precarious working conditions and gender, race, and class inequalities. At the same time, the relationships developed in their communities and with other young people and collective organizations emerge as fundamental for building training and work inclusion strategies, alongside confronting the invisibility of their precarious conditions. Work in audiovisual production is more than just a source of income; it becomes a political tool for valuing their perspectives, experiences, and utopias.