The media industry is a highly competitive scene, therefore it will be
difficult to secure a position somewhere in the hierarchy, the millions of
people around the world who want to be involved in some way will have to bring
something to the table that allows you to stand out among the rest.
The jobs and roles in the media industry are not limited to practical and
important roles, there are hundreds of jobs in the media industry and each job
in the hierarchy is intertwined with each other.
Creative roles:
At the top of the chain is the Producers and Directors which are
the most important roles in any film production as they are responsible for
how the finished product will look and how the project gets
funded. They call the shots for everyone else and require a strong ability
to communicate as they will be the most frequent to host meetings to discuss
the project and anything important to do with it, the director always has the
most pressure on their shoulders as everyone is looking to them for answers or
advice so in order to be a director, you will need a strong will and
determination to lead, giving feedback on scripts and planning schedules is
another important part of the job, which means that an eye for detail and
understanding of a story is required overall. You need to be determined. A director’s
salary is usually dependent on the size of the project because directors are
usually self-employed, the work days are not set in stone and you could work
between 10-12 hours while also being required to plan and attend meetings with
producers, writers and cast.
When it comes to the more practical and hands-on roles in the
hierarchy, the sound technician is a highly important and delicate role which
is required in order for a successful project. The role of the sound technician
is not as simple as it sounds and requires flexibility because the sound
technician could be working on set with the director to ensure everything
sounds good and is up to expectations, alternatively or in post-production
adding sound effects at appropriate segments in the finished product. There
will usually a team of sound technicians at a time so that everything is coordinated
therefore communication and listening skills are key for this particular role.
Lighting technicians are required to work 10 hour days with 1 hour for lunch,
they may be required to work night shifts too, the average salary for employed
lighting technicians is around £26,000 per year depending on the experience you
have at the time.
Technical:
Set designers are responsible for creating sets used in theatre and TV, they
discuss the plans with management (Producers and Directors) and get a base idea
on what is expected. Set designers are tasked with designing, modelling and
building sets while also managing and sticking to budgets. Set designers may
also organise meetings with construction companies in order to hire them
because already experienced constructors ensure confidence in building a set
perfectly as designed, set designers require a good eye and memory while also
being determined, especially when recreating a real life location because if
everything is identical then it's easier to become immersed in the set.
The average salary for set designers is around £43,477 and work full time.
Just like other jobs, hours may be moved around in order to meet a specific
deadline or to stay on top of a schedule.
The director of photography and Cinematographers are usually closer to the
director and work with them in order to realise the directors initial vision,
the director of photography is in charge of managing the camera and lighting
crews to make sure every scene is perfectly shot to the directors expectations,
they will also review footage in post-production to ensure everything is
perfect. Directors of photography require an excellent eye for detail while
also following directions given by both the director and producers, they also
have to be ready to make quick decisions to keep up with the director. The
director of photography and cinematographers usually earn between £50,000 and
£300,000 per annum. However junior camera operators will earn significantly
less.
Editorial:
The job of the editor is to work with raw, uncut footage and work their
magic by cutting, adding effects and everything else necessary to make the
final film eligible for release, this is another role that works really close
with the director so that everything is edited to the director’s expectations
and vision. Editors need an above average attention span and attention to
detail in order to add effects and seamless editing techniques that will not
ruin the flow of the finished project, editors will have usually made their way
up from a runner to get to the role they're in now and will need previous
experience in film so that they understand the essentials and what is necessary
for the project to be a "Cinematic masterpiece" Editors don't just
work on films however, they are an essential asset to music videos and adverts
that you see on an everyday basis. Assistant editors that are just starting out
can earn anywhere between £18,000 to £25,000 while a high level editor with
experience can earn up to £37,000 to £70,000 per year. Working on high budget
films or basic television usually leads to a 50 hour working week.
Marketing
The marketing director takes the reigns to plan and strategize the marketing
of the film and how they will market it, the marketing director cooperates
with the advertising and PR teams to ensure a cohesive campaign across all
platforms in order to spread word of the product and build anticipation for it.
The marketing director needs strong knowledge in the ability to branch out to
other companies in order to spread word of a particular project, a master’s
degree is a preferred requirement to become involved in marketing or to be a
marketing director, A marketing director's average salary is £30 per hour or
£64,983 per year while working a 37 hour week from 9am-6pm.
Financial:
The financial stage occurs before pre-production and is used to determine
how much the production is worth overall, there are multiple ways that the
finance department are able to fund a project.
Government grants for example are used to help reduce the
cost of a project if it is produced in their sector so that they can advertise
a location in the process and attract people to it.
Pre sales is usually getting the rights to distribute the
finished production in different countries and this is done BEFORE the
production is complete, however the distributor may demand specific elements of
content and cast. In order to secure potential finance, the producer must call
meetings with investors and pitch the production in order to convince them to
be on board with the idea.
Contracts:
When it comes to Contract jobs in the film industry, there are multiple different contracted roles including Full time, Part time, Fixed term and freelance to list a few.
A full time contract usually involves a weekly hour total of 39, a full time contract role usually consists of managerial, editorial or financial role in the industry. This comes with the benefits including pensions, holiday pay and maternity/paternity leave.
Part time has some of the same benefits as full time but since the amount of work hours per week is reduced, the benefits are also on a reduced basis, part time usually includes job roles like finance, sales and marketing.
Fixed term and freelance are quite similar except that employees under a fixed term contract may still be eligible for the same benefits that full time employees receive but only if it's written in your contract, freelance workers however are responsible for funding their own holidays, pension and sick pay. Employees under fixed term and freelance are most likely to be in the technical and creative roles in the industry.
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