Types of contract
Full Time contract
A full time contract is given to someone who is looking to work most days in a week. A full time contract is usually a career for someone as it takes up so much time. A full time and part time contract is defined by the employer. A full time contract generally has more hours and pays more money than a part time contract. Someone on a full time contract is entitled to such benefits like holidays and health insurance. The person is entitled to this when they sign the contract. A full time contract in the UK is usually around 35-40 hours a week. This is commonly spread over 5 weekdays and is usually 8 hour days, most commonly 9am-5pm.
Part Time contract
A part time contract is very similar to a full time contract however it is just less hours and less pay. Part time contracts are most often offered to students as they can work there around their education and generally don't need too much money as they won't have bills to pay. A part time contract often provides minimum wage. Minimum wage depends on the age of the person.
- Apprentice=£2.73
- Under 18=£3.79
- 18-20=£5.13
- 21+=£6.50
Freelance
Freelance work means that the worker is self employed. They can work with other companies however this is usually just companies that help them promote their own business, such as online based companies. As a freelance worker you would often look after your own tax and national insurance contributions. As they are not employed by anyone they are not entitled to the benefits that full time workers would be. They have to take whatever money they make themselves, they can't claim minimum wage of anyone so it is important for a free lance worker to get a lot of business. This does mean that they can choose how to spread their money so if they make a lot then they would be able to keep a lot more of it. There is rarely a consistent amount of money made from freelance work. Freelance workers are not restricted when it comes to things like holidays however if they take a lot of days off then they would be loosing a lot of money.
Hourly paid
Someone who is on an hourly paid contract basically gets what is in the name. They get paid a certain amount each hour they work. People on these contracts do not often have a set rota of when they work. In some cases they can just be called in to work when they are needed and then get paid at the end judging by how many hours they were called in for. In some other cases they may be on a contract that only employs them for a certain time. An hourly paid contract is a lot like a part time contract as it not something you can call a career.
Piece Work
Piece work is when an employee is paid accordingly to the amount of work they produce rather than the time they have been working. This could be the number of tasks they complete or the number of products they produce. Like freelance there is not always a consistent pay. One of the differences between Piece work and freelance is that a piece worker has to get their minimum wage and the rest of their money just gets added on to that when their amount of work is totaled up.
Different areas of media
Creative
The creative side to the media sector is where all the ideas for productions come from. People who work on the creative side of a production usually start it off as they need to come up with an idea that they can let the other sectors work on. An example of a creative job in the media sector is a writer. A writer is in this sector as they create scripts for a production and so there whole job is based on being creative and coming up with new ideas for scripts. The creative jobs are probably the most important as without them there would be no production. Another job in the creative sector is an artist. Artists can have different jobs to do with different projects. If there was a film being produced then an artist would be needed to draw up storyboards or make designs of things that will be in the production.
Technical
The technical side of the creative sector involves the people who actually make the production happen. They are the people who use the technology to create the production. These are people like camera men. The camera men are technical because they use the cameras provided to record footage. Another technical job in the creative media sector is a sound man. The person with this job has to record sound on a production. This means they have to use the range of recording equipment to get good quality sound when it comes to the final project.
Editorial
Someone who works in the editorial sector would have to work on changing a project to get the best result from it. Their usual job is to make a production more fluent. This is usually by taking bad parts out and altering other parts to make them better for the consumer to listen to or watch. An editor would have to wait till all of the technical side is done and then they can can tweek their work so that becomes the best it can be. Editors have to be familiar and skilled with different editing systems so that they know what would be best to make the final product as good as it can be.
Marketing
The marketing sector is needed for when a production has finished being made. A job in the marketing sector would require you to try and sell your production and basically make as much money for it a possible. To do this, a marketer would have to go to distributors and try and persuade them to invest in the project and sell it out. Other jobs of someone in marketing would be to try and make money by creating brands and merchandise of the project. The marketing process would include lot's of research into different companies and productions and the marketer would be required to attend lots of pitches. This is because they need to try and portray their production well to others to make them invest in it.
Managerial
A managerial role in the creative media sector would be making sure that everyone else is doing their job correctly. They are in charge of everyone and would have to organise everything that goes on in the making of a production. People with managerial roles generally earn more money than everyone else. This is because they will have had experience with similar projects so know more about it than everyone else and it is a hard job to keep everyone organised. The main reason as to why they make more money is because if the project goes wrong then they have to take the blame because they are in charge therefore they need to make the most money because it needs to be worth the risk.
Administrative
The Administrative sector in media is all the paperwork and running of the sector. This is a necessary sector as a whole project can fall to pieces if someone is not there to do all the written work. There are lots of reports that need to be written up on most of the other sectors in media to help make sure that everything is going to plan. The administrators in media help to make sure there are no problems with a production as they can keep everything recorded making it easy for them to find a source of a problem and stop it getting in the way of the production. The administrative jobs are one that not many people aspire to do however for that reason they generally pay well and are not too hard to get.
Legal
The legal side to media is extremely important. If the legal areas are all kept in order then the production company should be safe. If not then they are at a major risk of loosing a lot of money amongst other things. One of the laws that is most important to take note of when involved in a media production is copyright. If something copyrighted is used then the company or person could be in danger of being sued for a lot of money. A job in the legal side would consist of making sure everything is under the law and avoiding getting in trouble for any of the work you or your company are involved in. Another job in the legal sector is health and safety. This is because by law the people involved in the production are entrusting their safety onto the production company when they sign a contract. If someone gets injured and the correct procedure has not been or is not carried out then that person can sue.
Financial
Jobs in the financial sector are people who deal with the money in a media production. This is not the same as the marketing section as the financial sector mainly deals with what money the company already has and how they should appropriately distribute it. They will be the ones who come up with an appropriate budget that lets others know how much money should be spent on what things. It is also important that the company does not go bankrupt. This is when they run out of money. Someone who is involved in finance must make sure that they have some money left over in case of any problems that occur during the process. The people in finance must be able to get the best quality of product that their budget would allow them to and not go over board with what they spend.
Job Roles in the Technical sector
A Camera Operator is a job role in the technical sector. A Camera operator's job is to record footage and shots. Most of the time they follow orders from a director as to what they want recording. Camera operators are most commonly used in films and TV shows. A Camera Operator must know how to work a range of different cameras to an expert level. They do not need any specific qualification as long as they can produce good work however they usually have studied higher qualifications in film production. To become a Camera Operator it is best to start as a Camera trainee and by becoming a Camera Operator you could go on to be a Director of Photography (DoP). Camera Operators who work on films are often Freelance workers and are just hired when something needs filming. This means that they can go a while without work so there is no telling how much they make however camera operators who work on TV and have steady work generally earn roughly around £200 to £500 a day.
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This is another big job in the technical sector. Their job is to adjust cameras focus to follow the action that is being recorded. They do this by setting marks on the floor and changing the focus every time the action crosses one of the lines. This job is similar to a camera operator's so the job requirements are more or less the same. You can also get this job by becoming a camera trainee however an apprenticeship is probably best because that would allow you to get hands on experience doing the job which is important as it is such a complex task. By doing this job you could then go on to be director of photography however not many do because this is a hard enough job to get and it pays well.
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Lighting Director
The Lighting Director's job is to create the right look for each different shot by using different lighting equipment and the help of the other lighting department. There is no specific qualification to become a lighting director however there is multiple training courses that most lighting directors complete before they take up the job. To learn how to become a lighting director it is best to actually get experience. Lightning directors with more experience get bigger jobs. Many Camera Operators have gone on to become lighting directors. The Lighting director is the head of the lighting department so there are not many related jobs that you could progress on to. People who work on lighting are also usually freelance workers so their salary would vary. The more experienced workers tend to earn more money each year. Lighting directors with little experience would usually make around £15-£18,000 a year. More experienced workers can make around £27,000 a year or even more depending on how big of a job they can find.
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Boom Operator
The Boom Operator's job is to control a device called a boom arm. This is a long pole with a mic on the end that records sound. It is their responsibility to get the best quality of sound as possible on a project. To be a Boom Operator all you need is a good understanding of sound recording technology. Other basic skills are needed like working well in a team and being patient. This is a fairly easy job to get compared to the others. All you need is to show enthusiasm towards the project and have a good knowledge of the equipment you will be using. Depending on who they work for, Boom Operators usually work freelance. They often work long days however this all depends on the project they have been assigned. Roughly, a Boom Operator would earn around £139 for an average 8 hour day.
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Gaffer
A Gaffer works in the lighting department. They do a lot of work with the Lighting director. A Gaffer does not operate any of the light equipment they just manage everyone who does. They tell them where they need to be and what they are lighting. One of the most important parts of their job is health and safety. They need to make sure all the lighting team know of any risks and they know how to minimize it. To be a Gaffer you must be a fully qualified electrician. This is so you know how to work all of the lighting equipment and can assess them properly. Gaffers can often progress on to being a Lightning Director. A Gaffer could make anywhere between £17,000 to £28,000 a year depending on how much they work. Gaffers also get paid overtime money if they work more than 40 hours in one week.
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Radio Producer
A Radio Producer's job is to create content for live and pre-recorded radio programs. Radio Producers are generally for the technical side of the broadcast that no one hears as they do all the recording of the sound. They need to ensure that the best possible outcome comes out on the radio for the listeners. Most Radio producers have a degree in radio or other media related subjects however it is not necessary. Another way people get to be a radio producer is by starting as a trainee for a larger company. After you have the experience of a radio producer, you could move on to be a presenter or programme editor. Some people stay as producers but move on to bigger companies with bigger audiences. Radio Producers can often get on a full time contract with programs. A less experienced producer can get around £16,000 a year whereas a more experienced producer can earn as much as £45,000 provided that they work for a big station.
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TV Director
A TV Director is responsible for how a TV recording looks and sounds. They have to look at what has been recorded and enhance it to get the best final product possible. Part of their job is to make preparations before anything is recorded to try and make sure everything is done right. At the end they go over it all and take out any mistakes. A degree in a media or drama related course is usually best to get this kind of job however there are no specific requirements. You just need to be familiar with all the stages that go in to TV production and the technology behind it. TV directors make a lot of money by earning around £55,000 a year however it is not an easy job to get and requires a lot of experience in the industry to get a job like this.
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Director of Photography (DoP)
The DoP is one of the most important jobs in the film and TV business. They are responsible for the overall appearance of the production. They have to work with all the lighting crew, camera crew and director to make sure they are all getting the best outcome from their fields. The DoP must ensure that anything that will appear in the production looks its best. DoP's often have a degree in photography and/or a degree in film or media studies. A lot of DoP's came up after working as a camera operator or other jobs in the camera department. You would almost certainly need to have a different job in film before you become a DoP. It can take a while to get this title however they can get paid around £63,000 a year if they get a good project as they usually work on a freelance basis.
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A Radio Traffic Manager has an important job on commercial radio stations. Their job is to schedule adverts and promotions on a radio program to try and increase the money brought in to the station. Commercial stations make the majority of their money from advertising so this job is an important one. To get this job it helps to have a degree in a media related subject. The main thing is to be able to demonstrate skills like keeping close intention to detail to get the job. From this job you could move in to a big radio station but doing the same job or you could go further into TV or advertising. As this is an important job you could earn from £24,000 to £50,000 depending on how big of a station you work on.
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Network Operations Assistant
The Network Operations Assistant has the job of making sure all productions from each department involved in TV are handed in on the deadline. They need to ensure that everything is done to a good quality before it is handed in and that it will be good enough to present. To get this job you just need an understanding of the media sector and everything that goes on in it. This job can take you on to do further Network operations. These rank from
- Network Operations Assistant
- Network Operations Co-ordinator
- Network Operations Supervisor
- Network Operations Manager
A Network Operations Assistant is generally a full time job.
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