Let’s face it, the industry is male-dominated. That makes the female filmmaker perspective invaluable. Here are some wonderful ladies who can teach us a thing or two about video production.
How many women are on your Post Team? How many female DPs have you worked with? Directors? We know most of our readers will answer with a number that matches so much industry data we’ve seen. Probably very few. Like fewer than 1/4 of the people you have worked with on set and in the edit bay.
This conversation is not new, and part of fixing an issue is talking about it and putting it on full display. As we can see from the numbers, there are more women working in film than ever. A bright spot we find in otherwise grim percentages.
We watch a lot of YouTube content for filmmakers. We also share our own. We love to support fellow creators and video makers. And that’s why this list is so important to us. This list is special because in each of these channels, we see ideas we don’t see anywhere else.
Here, we find a fresh take and new way to think about things like optimizing your editing speed or problem-solving techniques while on location as a solo filmmaker.
Without further adieu, here are our favorite female-run YouTube channels:
1. Lila
Lila is a filmmaker, content creator, and all around creative powerhouse. If you’re looking for tips on upping the quality of your vlogs, there’s no better place to start.
Lila (pronounced Lee-La) has an incredible camera presence, pace, and structure to her videos. They make learning fun and easy. Before you know it, you’re at the end and not only did you get three strong techniques for specific color grades, you also got a lesson on the “why” of color grading and how to use it strategically to elevate your work.
If you’re a vlogger, this channel is a must-subscribe for you. Lila has some incredible ideas on how to polish your vlogs with practical editing tips, advice for what to say (and not say) while filming your footage, emotional intelligence, and setting the vibe . . . she really covers the gamut in this video.
2. Micro Four Nerds
Emily Lowrey is the force behind the Micro Four Nerds channel. As the name indicates, this is a deeply technical channel—for nerds like us.
The origin story for Micro Four Nerds (as seen in Emily’s first video back in 2017) was to document her experience switching from full-frame systems to MFTs as a photographer.
In the years since the channel launched, she’s perfected her style and even worked in some action-packed tutorials for shooting video on an MFT system.
Micro Four Nerds has provided countless deep-dives into tech and camera reviews. Her videos are definitely worth the watch if you’re thinking of purchasing any of the cameras she has reviewed.
3. Becki and Chris
Becki and her husband Chris co-run the channel Becki and Chris. We think even Chris would agree that behind the scenes, Becki is the real MVP bringing all their videos to life.
Their channel covers a wide variety of topics—home renovation vlogs, filmmaking tutorials, even short films. There’s something for every creative person on their channel, plus the non-tutorial content is incredibly well-produced and just fun to watch.
But, we’re here for tutorials so let’s take a second to check out how Becki brought their short documentary short film, “Chris Finds Out If He Has HIV,” to life. The film document’s Chris’ exposure to HIV from an accident at work and is a truly compelling story about the risks healthcare workers take just to do their jobs.
This BTS shares valuable insight about documenting such a personal experience, as well as several practical filmmaking and storytelling tips.
Another thing we love about this channel is that they do deep-dives into industry-specific shooting styles. Check out this one on shooting better real estate video using a cost-effective gimbal and camera setup.
4. Brittney Janae
Brittney’s channel About page says it better than I ever could.
And that she does. Brittney shares short films, documentaries, camera reviews, and interesting filmmaking tutorials. Her perspective is unique.
Of the very few women in film, the statistics for women of color in film are even more staggering. According to data captured between 2016-2018, a mere 1.4% of editors, 1.5% of production designers, and 1.6% of producers were women of color.
We’re thankful that Brittney Janae is sharing her wisdom and perspective with us and helping all who see her videos become better filmmakers. Her personality and professionalism shine in every video and tutorial she releases.
In this video, she shows us her home YouTube studio setup. It’s full of budget-friendly tips for setting up your own YouTube creator studio in a small space.
She talks about all the gear she uses and also offers practical considerations for keeping the set-up nimble so her space can remain livable.
5. Moo Smith
Moo’s channel is on the rise and definitely one to watch. She’s an incredible photographer, and expert video and content creator.
Moo has a wit and sense of humor that make watching her videos full of “lol” moments. She has an exciting edge to her and is full of wicked advice for beginners and experienced content creators alike.
One of our favorite videos on the channel follows Moo as she sets out to create a new portfolio website in twelve hours. She covers the various website hosting options all the way to what content to feature on your portfolio page.
It’s just as important to share everything you do in a cohesive and stunning portfolio site as it is to create amazing content.
6. Premiere Gal
No list of filmmaking YouTubers to watch would be complete without mentioning the GOAT, PremiereGal. She has amassed a whopping 377K+ subscribers with her in-depth editing and motion graphics tutorials.
One huge benefit of following and becoming a Patron of Kelsey’s YouTube channel—she shares her project files! That can give you a huge leg up when you go into creating motion graphics for your videos. Especially if you’re new to creating mograph and more sophisticated transitions.
The Premiere Gal channel has so many insightful and inspiring editing and motion graphics tutorials for both After Effects and Premiere Pro.
However, some of our favorites feature in-depth insight and advice on creating exciting edits and effects using a mobile workflow. This video is instructs the viewer on how to capture footage and what to do to cut the footage together using a free mobile editing app called CapCut.
Below is a list of other woman-lead YouTube channels that pack a big punch. All these ladies deserve mention, and it was hard to limit this list, so we wanted to mention them.
Please go check out their channels and support them by subscribing!
- Jordan Dunseath
- Flick
- Young360
- Film It Yourself
- Lizzie Peirce
- Lucy Martin
- atola visuals
Cover image illustration via JoyImage.