Skills Self Appraisal

My personal strengths

• Photoshop (important for digital imaging)
• Listening to other people (important in all film media jobs)
• Editing videos (important in film post-production)
• Know how to handle a camera pretty well (important for film production
• Visualizing (important when you want to create a film)
• Drawing (to some extent, sometimes helps get the point across)
• Script Writing (important for film pre-production)
• Photography (important for choosing locations for films)
• Creative mind (important for same reason as visualizing)
• Reliable (important in all areas)

Transferable skills

Transferable skills are important, not just in the media industry, but in our whole lives. These skills are important because these are the skills that get the job done, if you have no transferable skills, you're screwed for life. You would basically have a VERY hard time finding a job if you don't have any transferable skills.

• Punctuality (so that people know you'll actually be there on time)
• Reliability (people can trust you)
• Communication skills (so you can hire people for your film)
• Time management - deadlines (to save money and deliver the product on time)
• Organisation (so that you're basically all sorted to make the film)
• Functional skills (so that you know how much the film production's going to cost)
• Working as part of a team (get lots more done)
• Working on your own initiative
• Commitment
• Motivation
• Problem Solving

My dream job is...

To become a film director

The main skills required for this job

• Exceptional artistic vision
• Creative skills
• Commitment
• Leadership skills
• Inspirational and motivational
• Remain calm and think clearly under great pressure

How my skills match my dream job, and any areas I need to improve

I have exceptional vision and I'm very creative. However my leadership skills are definitely something that I could work on. In fact, my social skills in general admittedly fall a little bit flat, so that's another few skills I could work on.
I sometimes have a tendancy to snap at people when I'm under great pressure, so that area I could work on, just a little bit. Most times I'm quite calm under pressure, but yeah again there's that little possibility. Just a fair warning.

How I aim to gain these skills

I need to be a bit less withdrawn from everybody else. Admittedly I have a bit of a hard time trusting people who I don't know in my groups so I aim to work on that by experimenting (A.K.A trying to work with different people and see where that gets me.)
 Also in group work I tend to leave myself out and let everybody get on with what they're doing, I could try and get myself more involved in the work that's being done.

Dream Job

Dream job

Film Director

Tasks: A film director may write the script, commission it to be written or hired after the script is complete. Directors must then produce a vision for the final film and then define a way to achieve that vision. They must then take on other responsibilities, such as selecting the right cast, crew and locations. They also direct rehearsals and the performances of the actors once the film is in production.

During post-production, the director works closely with the editor to get the desired final film.

Skills: Directors must have exceptional artistic vision and creative skills to develop an original and engaging film. A deep passion for filmmaking and an unerring devotion for their project are essential, and strong leadership skills are completely necessary.

Goals

Short Term: Complete level 1 and 2 creative media. Maybe have a bit (or more than a bit) of work experience.

Long Term: Complete level 3 creative media and attend university. Then get a job as a film director. Maybe get a bit more work experience.

Contracts in the Creative Media Sectors

There are three main types of payment in the creative media sectors.

Salaried

A salary is a set number of hours, days, weeks or months which has a set pay.

Hourly Paid

Hourly paid is where someone is paid for how many hours they work.

Paid on completion

Where someone is paid at the end of their contract or end of a project.

Job Types

Full Time

A full time contract involves weekly hours that are 35 hours and up. An advantage is that you know how much you'll get each month nad you're covered for sick days. A disadvantage is that it ties you on to one employer. A good example of this is an advertiser.

Part Time

A part time contract involves less hours than a full time contract, so basically 34 hours or below. An advantage is that you can have more than one job and you get the same benefits as a full time job. A disadvantage is that you get less money than a full time contract. A good example of a part time job is a content creator.

Permanent

Permanent contracts are types of paid contracts that can last indefinitely. An advantage is that you have a permanently secure income. A disadvantage is that you have to come in no matter what (well, except if you're ill or something like that.) An example of a permanent job is a Personal Assistant (PA) or a TV presenter.

Fixed Term

A fixed term contract is one that lasts a tixed period of time, say 1, 2 years, something like that. An advantage is that once the contract is finished, you can choose to renew your contract and work for another 1-2 years, or you can stop there. A disadvantage is that when the contract is in effect, it is very hard to get out of it. In fact I think the only way you can get out of it is if you're fired. An example is a person covering for maternity leave.

Freelance

A freelancer is someone who works for him/herself and can have any number of employees. An advantage is you can be employed in more than one company at any one time. A disadvantage is that if you don't have a credible reputation, you're screwed. An example is a freelance reporter.

Film Media Jobs

The runner is the person who's responsible for getting everything done, for example if someone wants a copy of the script or something like that, the runner goes and photocopies the script and gives it to whoever. The runner is possibly the most important person on the set. On bigger productions, there may be more than several runners, particularly the production office runners and floor runners. Then at least one runner is assigned to each main department such as the editing suite, cameras, sound department and art department. Working hours tend to be long and unpredictable, up to 6 days per week, with low pay, about £7 per hour.

Make-up artists have the job of making sure the models and actors have suitable hairstyles and makeup before appearing in front of a camera or audience. They are involved in a number of things, including film and television. Junior make-up artists can charge around £200 for a 10 hour day, whereas make-up designers can charge £300. Notable make-up designers are Sam Fine, Charlie Green and Pat McGrath

The film director is probably the most important person in the whole film production. Their responsiblities include creating a vision for the finished film, then start planning the film out. During pre-production, the director does the crucial parts, including selecting the right cast, the right locations, etc. They don't really do that much during production. During post-production, they work closely with editors, ensuring that they have the desired effects, sounds, etc for the final version of the film. Directors are very highly paid, with pays between £10,000 (for a short film) and £1,000,000 (for a successful feature film).

The producer is an important role to take as he/she is in charge of pretty much everything that goes on in the set, and also outside events, including fundraising for a proposed production. They get paid an average about £100,000 annually.

The writer has a very important role, writing the script, obviously. The writer is possibly the second most important person on the whole set. But sometimes, some films might not have a writer because the director might have written the script him/herself, but that is probably only for short films, definately not for full length films. A writer's salery may be between £10,000 (less known writers) to about £100,000.

Film projects also need accountants, people who handle things like budgets, payrolls, taxes, insurance claims and at the end of the film production, closes the film down financially. Short films may hire only one production accountant, but bigger films may hire at least three. Accountants must have strong numerical and organisational skills, as well as being good team players. They must also have strong social skills to talk to financiers, producers and other production staff. Production accountants are paid at least £1500 per 5 day week. Experienced production accountants demand and get at least £2000 per 5 day week.

Construction managers are those people who determine how the whole film looks, from the planning to the last coat of paint on a finished set. They are hired by and report to the production manager. Construction managers lead a team of craftsmen, including; carpenters, painters, riggers and plasterers and make sure that everything is completed to deadline and within budget and that they meet the production requirements. Construction managers need to have excellent organisational and management skills, pay close attention to detail and need to be able to see the 'bigger picture` when it comes to set making. Construction managers are paid at least £42,000, but on average they are paid £56,000 for the whole project.

Geodemographics

Geodemographics are divided into three main categories, local, national and international.

Local geodemography is paying attention only to those who live in the local area, examples include the Gazette and BBC Tees.









National geodemography is where media is directed at people living in the country (or in my case the whole of the UK). Examples of this are the whole of the BBC and ITV.









And last but not least, internationally. International geodemography focuses on everyone in the world. Examples of this is the film industry, you can basically watch, I don't know, James Bond movies any place in the world or Harry Potter. The reason for this is because film studios release them globally.

Creative media sectors: Radio and Publishing

Radio has been around the UK for over 100 years. Now it is undergoing a digital revolution, which will decide its fate. Radio today falls into three main categories; publicly-funded, commercial and community. This media sector has been growing steadily recently, now employing over 22,000 people, more people than terrestrial TV. They range from the well known radio stations such as BBC, to not-for-profit (or voluntary) community radio stations


Publishing has been around for almost twice as long as radio, but in the age of growing technology, this particular sector in media is now in danger of becoming extinct since less people are using it. They are most common in books, newspapers and magazines.

This industry consists of mainly small companies, 88% of them having less than 10 people. And yet the 3% with 200 or more employees have over half of all those working in the industry on their payroll.

The main area of employment is London and the South East. The rest of the East of England is next, followed by the South West, Scotland and the North West. In Wales and Northern Ireland the sector is mainly made up of smaller newspaper companies.

The most well known newspaper companies are Daily Mirror and The Sun. A less well known company is The Sentinel, since that's regional to Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.

Media Sectors: Advertising/Marketing and Interactive Media

Advertising is a form of communication intending to persuade an audience to take action, usually purchasing a product or service. It is driven and focussed on the client and advertising need for the product. Advertising crosses multiple forms of broadcast, billboard, print and online.

There are around 13,000 business in the sector who produce £6.2 billion of the UK GVA annually.

Around 70% of the UK's industry is based in London, the north west has the second biggest buisiness concentration with 6%. It is a young industry with 47% under 34. 46% of the workforce is female and only 6% is from black, asian or ethnic minorities.

Some of the best advertising companies include Aegis Group and PhotonMedia in London. A less known advertising company is Thinkingjuice.

The interactive media sector is a very fluid and flexible sector. It overlaps and converges with a lot of other media sectors. It's not really considered a sector, more like a discipline, and it's worth billions of pounds, with more than 43,000 employees.

It also makes up approximately 22% of all media.

Some of the most well known interactive media companies include 2Comm and 3. A less known interactive media company is Bima.

Difference between Public and Private Ownerships

Public ownership is paid through TV licences, which everybody has to have if they own a TV. The public have to pay £145.50 per year for a colour TV licence. However if they want a black and white TV licence (which in these days is extremely rare) they only have to pay £49. There are others though, who get discounts, and sometimes don't have to pay at all. Blind people and care home residents get reduced fees, where people aged 75 and over don't have to pay at all. A prime example of public ownership is BBC, who get funding from the government through the licence fee.








Private ownership is paid through their own methods, such as advertisement, membership and sponsorship. SKY and ITV are good examples of this.

Media sectors: Photo Imaging and Games

Photo Imaging is a small but popular sector in media, comprising of around 43,100 people. About 51% of these are based in the south of England. Around 68% of all these photo editors are independant or freelance.

The companies can be divided into these categories


Image producers
Photo retail
Picture libraries and agencies
Manufacturers
Support services

A few well known companies include Eastman Kodak, Fujifilm and Canon. One less known company is Spiratone.



Games are one of the most popular industries in media and the whole world. The first games were developed in the 1960s and 70s. Games like pac-man and others that have survived through time were developed in the 1980s, at that time gaming exploded into popularity. Today, game making teams and top of the range game titles, like EA and Rockstar North are developing games that now cost even more than movies. Games such as Grand Theft Auto 5 are now costing hundreds of millions of pounds to create and develop.

Some examples of game producers and makers include:

Visceral
EA
Rockstar
Bungie (before it stopped making the Halo series)
343 Studios (for Halo 4)
Activision

TV licences

A TV license is a licence you have to own to watch TV. If you don't have a TV licence and you watch TV, you will be prosecuted, face court and be fined a maximum of £1000.

This is where all the money goes to. We spend £145.50 a year for this.
Or £49 for black and white users but I think those went extinct long ago.

But care home residents and blind people are entitled to reductions to their fees. People aged 75 or over don't have to pay for TV licences at all.

Media Sectors Animation and Film

Animation is one of the least employed, but most popular forms of media in the media industry. This form of media industry has made some characters that are known throughout the world, such as Wallace and Gromit and Shrek. Animation is a very small sector, but it is growing in popularity and success.

One of the most successful animation companies is Disney. A smaller film company is Aardman Animations.


Some of the most famous film series using animation are Toy Story, Shrek and Ice Age.



Film is one of the most popular businesses in the Media Industry. This form of media has made numerous characters and film series' that are known throughout the world, such as the Harry Potter series, Paranormal Activity series etc I could go on all day, but I'll spare you that horror for now. Even today it is still growing on popularity.

A few of the most successful film companies are 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros Studios. A smaller, less known film company is Eon Productions, the maker of the original James Bond film series.