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Between us, we have over 10
years experience in the television, film and broadcast industries.
We are both currently, working
at Reuters Television, London,
England. Its television part consists of News, Financial News, Sport and
Entertainment.
SOME ROLES IN TELEVISION:
| Director |
Directs
production. Has visual and technical control. In charge of
technical crew whilst filming. |
| Producer/
Assistant Producer |
Produces,
creates and looks after production, script and costs. Concerns
are anything from the script, the cast and crew to the budget. |
| Production
Assistant |
Booking,
coordinating guests, feeds and equipment, assisting all crew
and cast. Enters script details, captions for guests. |
| Camera/
Lighting/ Cinematographer |
Responsible
for the visual content of Production. The shots, lighting,
storyboard. Camerapersons must go out and shoot as
one-man-bands. I (Lesa) use DVC PRO/ BETA SP cameras,
with lights and tripod. The cameras are getting smaller and
there is more usage of DV cameras so that non- technicians can
operate these in field situations. |
| Sound |
Responsible
for the sound quality for anything from a studio programme to
location sound. Most common piece of kit used is an SQN-4
mixer, various mics (e.g. a boom mic), and cans (headphones) |
| Editor |
The person
who takes the shots and assembles them and any graphics/
effects together to tell a story/ convey a news item. |
| Graphic
Artist |
Creates any
graphics and effects, charts etc. on screen. Any animations,
title sequences are usually the work of the graphics
department. |
| Broadcast
Maintenance Engineer/ IT Support |
Responsible
for the maintenance and functioning of all equipment. This can
range from fixing a monitor to fixing satellite equipment
maintaining servers on a network. |
| Satellite
Engineer |
Can work in
an MCR (Main Control Room) coordinating satellite feeds and
ensuring feeds go out to the client. Can also, work in a truck
in the field. This requires a lot of traveling. |
BECTU and NUJ Unions
At some stage it is a good idea
to be part of a media union. They give you advice in all sorts of
areas. They are very important for Permanent and Freelance staff, as
source of contact and reference. We are members of BECTU.
It is possible to join as a student (as I, Lesa did). The two main
unions are:
| B.E.C.T.U
(The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre
Union |
This is the
union for staff in such industries |
| N.U.J
(The
National Union of Journalists |
This is the
union for journalists and the equivalent |
BECTU's monthly distributed
magazine Stage, Screen & Radio gives information on
current television news stories, courses, trade fares, the latest
equipment and services available, legal aspects and job vacancies. For
anyone offered work at a new organisation, a list is created monthly
of workplaces reported to BECTU as having treated members unfairly.
You could say a 'shame-and-name' list of suspects!
COURSES AND
TRAINING
- " So How Do I Get
into The Industry?"
If we had a pound for every time
someone asked us this, we'd be richer than Bill Gates! We are always
asked by 'budding young directors,' who are yet to go off to study at
colleges and universities... "How do I get into TV/ Film ?"
The simple answer is - There is no right or wrong way to go about it. We
usually, give the following points of advice:
- Be confident and persistent.
Don't take "NO" as the final answer. There is always
a chance you could work at the chosen place in the future, when there
is a vacancy.
- Get experience.
We can't stress this enough! Everyone must start at the bottom and
work up. The most sought-after and successful people, who are starting
in the industry, are those who are willing to (maybe) work for next to
nothing. This shows you are keen and enthusiastic. Remember there are
thousands more coming up behind you!
- I (Lesa) studied
a 'media course' with art and design. My advice would be, if you
are wanting to study such a course, combine it with another subject.
Make sure the course has a practical element! Some TV and broadcast
companies are wary of new 'Media Studies' graduates and may not even
consider your C.V. There are also some very relevant and useful
courses in engineering. The industry is becoming more
computer-based. Aim to find a course that also teaches the 'New
Media' areas; digital media, web design/ development, video streaming,
online journalism/ producing etc. It may even be worth your while to
do an computing course (if you are that way inclined?!) Another way
'in' is studying a journalism course. The mind-set of people running
the industries at present seems to be training journalists/ producers
to become technicians rather than the other way round (note the
cynicism from an 'ol Techy!!)
- The most
successful people in the industry for getting opportunities are those,
who are multi-skilled. You can't survive otherwise and it does make
life far more interesting and varied!
- Have interests
and hobbies, as well as your work. You could be asked to create new
production ideas.
- Remember there
are SO MANY companies out there. You don't just have to
just consider the main TV stations. They usually, commission work for
a smaller production companies anyway. The same goes with Film
production.
- There are some
great magazines to learn from. What would I have done without them at
college, I don't know?! Sight and Sound and Screen
International are two to name. A main weekly spread for the TV
employee is Broadcast. No TV Pro would be without on on
Thursdays!
- Look at the ads
in The Guardian
newspaper on Saturdays/ Mondays. They give you all the clues to skills
you will need to know, in order to work within the industries.
- GET CONTACTS!!
Most jobs aren't advertised. They are 'found' by word-of-mouth. People
recommend people they know and trust to do the work. As the
saying goes..."You're as good as your last job"!...
- GOOD LUCK. It is
a combination of hard work, bugging people and a lot of luck!
- Visit the BECTU Web site to find
out about SKILLSET. This is a service that provides careers and
training advice (especially for Freelancers): www.bectu.org.uk/skillsbase.html
- MEDIA works (Bristol) on
(0044)(0)117 976 2640 specialises in courses in Multimedia.
- Media Training Ltd also
specialises in 'New Media' training. Visit their Web site: www.mediatraining.ltd.uk
| If you would
like to contact us with any questions/ comments, please E-MAIL: leegeed.web@btinternet.com
/ or you can look at our C.V.s by Clicking button:
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