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BTEC Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production

Unit 7: Understanding the CreativeMedia Sector

Learning outcome 4:

Know about employment opportunities and job roles in the media sector

Name: Thomas Williams

Employment opportunities and job roles in the media sector


The purpose of this workbook is to get you to understand different job roles, different ways of working and opportunities for professional development. You will have to explain different terms, give opinions and source relevant additional information in order to help you comprehensively explain employment opportunities and job roles in the media sector with reference to elucidated examples.

This first section considers different ways of working. You should use information from the lecture, your own experiences and further research to help you answer each question. Wherever possible, you should use specific and detailed examples. This will help you achieve a higher grade and also give you a deeper understanding of the subject.

Describe the following different types of employment and some of their advantages and disadvantages:Full time work is where you work a minimum of 40 hours per week. An advantage of this is that your job is more permanent and it gives you more money. A disadvantage to working full time is the lack of free time to yourself, you may also have other commitments that impact your ability to work full time.Part time work is where you do any number of hours that is below 37.5 hours per week. Part time workers may have set hours or it changes from week by week with a minimum amount of hours. An advantage is that you have a lot more time to do other things outside of work. A disadvantage of part time work is that you may not be guaranteed hours if your on a 0 hour contract.Freelance is when you work for multiple clients sometimes at the same time for a set period of time. An advantage of this type of work is that you are able to work with lots of different people expanding your skills. A disadvantage is that you may not be able to find work for a while.Voluntary work is when you work for free to gain experience in a field that you might not have any. An advantage of this type of work is that you can gain invaluable experience. A disadvantage to this is that you are not being paid.

Describe shift work. What does it entail and what types of media job might require it?Shift work is when a company may need staff to man the business up to 24 hours a day, so what they do is split the day into 8 or 12-hour shifts. These shifts could be rotating so they will do one shift pattern for a week and then change and so on, or they will constantly be on one shift. A media sector that involves shifts is the print industry especially newspapers which need to be printed over night. Another media sector that involves shift work is TV, when shift work is used in TV is for the operator that ensures the shows all run properly and on time.

A permanent contract is one where: It is a formal agreement of when you will work, how much you will get paid, holiday’s, etc. This contract is not a guarantee of work forever, but it does mean it is on going for now.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of such a contract?An advantage to a permanent contract is that you are in a stable job that as long as you don’t do anything wrong can stay in for a long time. A disadvantage to a permanent contract is that you may not be allowed to work a second job as some people especially in this day in age have there own little business.


A temporary contract is one where: Is a contract that gives the employer the flexibility to remove you from the business with out any notice, it could also be a contract that is exactly the same as a permanent one but is for a fixed term.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of such a contract? An advantage to a temporary contract is that you have the flexibility to have a second job to boost your income. A disadvantage to this type of contact is the your job is not secure and you could some weeks not have any work.

What is multiskilling and which skills could you combine together? Multiskilling is when you are trained in a second skill that you can use at the same time as your primary skill. Companies love multiskilling as instead of having to hire 2 people they just have to hire one. In the media sector 2 jobs that are combined together regally is a director and a producer.

What is casual work? Who does it benefit the most? What are some of the arguments against casual work?With casual work you would be on a temporary contract as employers only do casual work for the really busy periods like Christmas. Casual work benefits the employer more as they can boost their ranks for known busy times. An argument against casual work is that there is a large number of people who don’t have work in quite periods of the year.

Explain hourly paid work. Find a job, which pays by the hour to help you with your explanation. Hourly paid work is just what it says on the tin, it is where you have a set rate per hour you work, this amount can fluctuate for certain days like Sundays and bank holidays. For instance at my job at Tesco I am paid £7.39 per hour I work, if I work a Sunday or a bank holiday I am paid time and a half, which means I am paid £11.09 per hour.

What is Piecework? What do employers need to be careful about when employing someone this way? Piecework is when someone is paid per item or project. This will be a pre agreed amount, much like hourly paid work. Employers need to be carful if they do want to pay per piece that the amount is at the correct level because someone still needs to achieve the hourly wage. But sometimes if someone is commissioned to make a piece of art it is up to them how much time they want to put into it because they will still have the same amount at the end.

This section is concerned with finding work. You will have an idea of the sort of job you might like to do in the future. Keeping a specific job role or industry in mind when completing these questions will help you provide more detailed and focussed answers. Starting to think about a specific area of employment at this stage will help you in later sections of the workbook.

Why would you use careers guidance? Provide the names of at least 2 organisations which can help people plan their careers.


People would use a careers guidance service to help them decide on what career they would like to do, what qualifications they may need and how to get into that field. CGS and Aspire-igen Group Opportunity Centre

What is a trade fair?A Trade fair is when a group of companies from a given industry get together to show off their products.

Which trade fairs could you attend to help you with your career? How could they help you? Be specific here to help you comprehensively explain.London Film & Comic Con, this expo could help me with future career plans because lots of people from the film industry will attend and will provide a chance for me to try and network.

What could some advantages and disadvantages be to using the national press to look for work?A disadvantage to looking for work in national press is that companies will be based all over the country so may require you to relocate to work there. An advantage to looking a national press for work is that there paying more and looking for the best people.

What trade press publications could you use to help you find work? Would this be a better option than using the national press? Explain your answer using detailed examples. Film magazine will have trade sections that will advertise this like trade shows and they might even have a careers section.

What would be a good way of keeping track of and in touch with your personal contacts? How could this help you when looking for work?Keeping track of your contacts has become very easy with the technology available to the normal person today. Most people carry a mobile device with them and can add a contact in no time at all. By building this contact base of people relevant to your chosen field you can use them to help you find work, this might be as simple as phoning them up or sending them an email.

What is networking and how could it be useful to you?


Networking is where you create contacts within a single sector to be able to discuss opportunities. Networking would be useful to me because it could help me find work or find someone for a project.

Explain word of mouth as a way of getting work. Is this a reliable method for obtaining work? How I could find work through word of mouth would be if a friend or college mentions to someone that I am looking for work. This wouldn’t be a very reliable method because there is no guarantee that the people you speak to know the correct people to pass on the information.

This next section requires you to do further research in to your chosen career. Creativeskillset.org is a fantastic resource which will help you learn about the qualifications, skills and experience you need to gain to work in industry. It also gives detailed overviews and case studies, to help you understand what each job really involves.

It will help you find other useful sources of information from details on unions, trade websites and publications to job adverts. You should investigate your chosen job role or sector and sum up the skills and qualifications you need to do that job as well as fully investigating what it involves.

What job role would you like? Explain your reasons? What kind of job is it (creative, technical, editorial etc.)?(http://www.creativeskillset.org is a great place to start)The job role I would like to do is to be a producer, I like the idea of being able to source new material to turn into a profitable film. This job role has aspects of all the different roles in this industry, a producer has to be creative to be able to produce a 2 hour film from a book which might have a lot or a lot less info then needed. You also need to have a technical mind so that your creativeness doesn’t get away from yourself and into the worlds of the unrealistic.

What skills will you need for that job? Organization, creativity, team work, self motivated, good negotiator, problem solving and good communication.

Summarise what is involved when doing this job.

http://www.creativeskillset.org/


This job will involve being part of all aspects of the production of a project, mostly though in the pre and postproduction for the project. Their key responsibility is to create an environment where the talents of the cast and crew can flourish. Producers are accountable for the success of the finished film. They steer the film from beginning to completion and beyond.

What qualifications are required for that job? There are no specific qualifications needed for this job role, but experience is looked at like qualifications. If you have no experience in the film industry then you are unlikely to get a producers job. Even though no specific qualification are needed, production courses are highly regarded.Find at least 2 courses you could do to help you get in to the industry. You should state the name of the course, the level of qualification (level 2, level 3, Degree etc.), the institution that you would attend and their entry requirements) BSc (Hons) Film and Television Production at York University, this is a degree level course, there entry requirements is DDD

BA (Hons) Film at the University of Westminster, this is a degree level course, there requirements are DDD

Where could you find out more information? (Investigate at least 2 other sources of information and give a brief summary of why this resource is useful) Tutors, lectures and students who will be able to give you a first had knowledge of the course.

A prospectus is another place to gather information, some universities provide more in depth prospectuses then others but all info is also on there webistes.

This section requires you to do some job hunting, so you can see what is required from the perspective of employers in the industry. You should think about the different places you could look for work. It is good to see what jobs are available, what they pay, and what you need to do to get them.

Use at least 2 different sources to find a job that you would like to do.Job: Boiler Room are looking for a talented Producer to join the newly formed Film Team.The successful candidate will report to the Head of Film you will be working on projects from creative documentary, performance and editorial content production to high end branded content for major multinational brands.Were looking for an exceptionally organised, creative and motivated individual who can juggle the complex process of producing creative content whilst keeping projects on budget, managing and scheduling resources and dealing with day?to?day communication with our clients and our internal project management teams.

Source: Jobbio.comSummarise the skills required:


Previous experience, client relations, tech-savvy, communication, management, decision making, adaptability, budget control, extensive contacts and negotiating ability.Is this job full time/part time/freelance? Full-time.

What do you need to do to apply? Fill in an online application with skills, experience and education.

Job: The Natural History Unit is looking for a confident and experienced Series Producer for Animal Stars (working title) a high profile BBC1 3 x 60 presenter led natural history series. This is a chance to develop a brand new format combining strong animal character and contributor based storytelling with innovative filming techniques.Source: mandy.comSummarise the skills required: Creativity, original ideas, motivational, recruitment, budget control,

Is this job full time/part time/freelance? Fixed term – full time

What do you need to do to apply? Complete online application.

Work experience can be a good way to test out working in industry and can be a way to get a foot in the door. If you perform well during your work experience or internship, you will put yourself in a good position if a bigger role becomes available.

There are lots of media organisations that have work experience and intern programs as well as other companies who specialise in getting placements for their clients. Be specific when answering the questions below. Give website addresses and discuss what you have found. The more detail, the better your grade.

Work experience:What are some of the benefits of work experience? Some of the benefits of work experience is gaining skills that you cant full grasp in an educational environment, the employer can see if you will be a good fit for the company before having to pay you, you can also gain contacts which you can use further down the line.Where could you look for work experience? You can look for work experience in the same places you for full paid work, which is on the internet, national papers and trade press.


Where would you like to do work experience? How would you go about applying? I would like to do work experience with the BBC, I would apply for work experience with the BBC through there website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/home)

As well as looking at your industry skills, employers want people who are able to work efficiently and communicate effectively. In this section, you should evaluate your own functional skills level and consider what action, if any, you need to take to improve your skills in this area.

What grades do employers normally like to see people have for GCSE Maths and English? The roles I have been looking at don’t state specifically what grades needed for maths and English at GCSE level, but as with most work of this level I would assume a minimum of a grade C would be required.Why is it important to have good functional skills? (English and Maths) It is important to have good functional skills because with English you need to write a lot of information regarding the day to day running of a production, English is required because one of the key tasks of a producer is to control the budget.

Are there any areas of Maths, English or basic I.T skills that you need to work on? I don’t think I need to work on any of the above skills, I am very confident with my ability in maths and IT, my English is of an acceptable standard even though I am dyslexic.

This final section requires you to think about your own skills for employment. You will be assessed on this as you progress throughout the course. This helps formalise your ideas on these key skills. Some questions are very similar to those you might see on a detailed job application or are questions you may be asked in an interview. Thinking of examples of when you have used these key skills before an interview is a good way to prepare.

How reliable, committed and efficient are you? Give examples when you have demonstrated some of these qualities. Do you need to improve any of these areas?I showed my reliability and commitment during the film part of the year because even though I had family issues happening at home I spoke to my tutor and agreed on an extension that meant I could still submit the work at a reasonable time. I showed how efficient I am in the video games section where I was able to finish the main bulk of work early which gave me a chance to go back to work and make improvements.Attendance and punctuality are very important. What was your attendance and punctuality like at school? If your figures were good, how will you maintain them? If your figures need to improve, what steps do you need to take to improve those figures? Be specific in your answers. My attendance at college for the first year is at 83% this is because of my age I had to miss Friday afternoons for majority of the year so I was able to go to work. These figures do not reflect my true attendance and punctuality because I have been to all other lessons.How important do you think self presentation is during an interview?


I think self presentation is one of the most important parts of an interview, this is because even though people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover the interviewer first reaction to you could be the difference between a job and not.

Can you think of a time when you contributed to a group project? What was the project? What role did you take and how successful do you think you were? I contributed to a group music video where I took the role of the director. I feel I was very successful in this role as I was able to get the shots that the group had decided on.

Give an example of when you have had to manage your time carefully and how you went about it? I had to manage my time all throughout the first year, majority of the time my plans for when I was going to do work were spot on but sometimes I did run over when I was trying to get other work perfect.

Give an example of when you had to take personal responsibility for something. What was the scenario and what was the outcome? I was the branch administrator for a recruitment company for a long time and one of my roles was handling the payroll for our 200+ staff. I had to take personal responsibility for this because if there were any issues they would fall onto my shoulders. The outcome of this was when there was a problem I has to sort it.

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