Organizing Work

This chapter begins by outlining the general contours of the British film industry. It sketches out the historical emergence of the industry's leading trade union, the Association of Cine-Technicians (ACT), before analyzing its evolution and how it favored men and their work at the expense of women in the workforce. The chapter then describes the chief characteristics of the ACT's membership records. Finally, the chapter presents an analysis of the women granted membership of the ACT for the six decades between 1930 and 1989. This discussion is structured into six main categories: Floor; Research, Development, and Publicity; Art and Effects; Camera, Sound and Stills; Cartoon and Diagram; and Postproduction. The analysis highlights the patterns of discrimination and opportunity for women in the context of technological and market shifts and trade union changes across the era.