0Career Booklet

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Careers Handbook

Name:

Where to start
Before you start out on the time consuming, frustrating and often expensive pathway into the
Broadcast, Film and Video industry, you should ask yourself seriously:

“What sort of job could I realistically hope to do?”
“Why should anyone be convinced that I would be a good candidate for this sort of job?”
Unfortunately, every year thousands of people apply for jobs that they have not researched
properly, and for which they do not offer appropriate skills, experience, qualifications ‐ or
personality. Inevitably, they are rejected by employers, without even being interviewed.

How can you avoid this fate?
If you are very well informed, extremely realistic, and knowledgeable about the work area that you
decide to focus on it is far more likely that you will be able to persuade someone to give you a
break.

Consider your skills
Before you start to think about individual jobs, or potential employers, you need to think about
what you have to offer the industry. Remember, in these increasingly cost‐conscious times,
employers are looking for people who can make a contribution from day one ‐ and not just people
who would like to work in the industry 'because it looks interesting’. Think about what you do well,
and how you could present evidence of this effectively at an interview.

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TASK 1
Make a list of the skills you would be able to take to a job at the moment, and think of three
examples to support each one. Focus on your strengths and not your weaknesses.
e.g., “I am well organised”

“I manage my time in order to study and do a part‐time job”
“I keep track of my personal finances”
“I produced the Christmas Show successfully in High School”.

1. I produced a documentary in college that focused on stress
- Showcasing my skills, I had developed throughout my first year of the TV and Film
course.
- I communicated with people to try and get other people involved with the project
- I have skills using Adobe Premiere Pro

2. I hand in my work on time and at a good standard
- I will get on with the work unless I need help with the task at hand.
- I do not disrupt others, unless necessary.

3. I produced a music video for college
- Further skills developed using Adobe Premiere Pro and more practice with the software.
- I used Adobe After Effects to get animation in the music video.
- A piece of media I went out and made independently

4. I have taken Graphic Design and Photography and I am proud of some of that work
- Showcases that I have used Adobe Photoshop and the skills I have picked up form both
subjects
- I have creative skill and imagination in my work

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Skills and qualifications
When applying for new courses or jobs, you have to be sure that the information you provide is
correct.
When you think about all of those grades you have achieved, do you know what level they are?

Do you know what UCAS is and how their point system works?
Do you know how many hours a week you study?

There are so many terms and acronyms thrown around that sometimes it gets very confusing;
sometimes it is worth thinking about what you have actually achieved, what you hope to achieve
and what on earth all of these terms mean.

Task 2

Research, define and explain the following terms by relating them to yourself where necessary, e.g.,

Anne Example is currently studying A Level English, Law and P.E full time and has a part time job at

TK Maxx. The courses at the college are level 3 and she needs BBB to get into her chosen university –

that’s 300 UCAS points, etc.,

• Part time • Pass, Merit & Distinction in the BTEC

• Full time Nationals

• GCSE • Vocational

• AS, A Level • Bachelor of, Master of

• Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 • Graduate (Undergraduate,

Postgraduate)

Use the figure Part time is when you study or work for a shorter amount of time compared to full time, you may only work or study 1 to
and branches 3 days a week.
below to

‘draw a Full time is when you work or study 4 to 7 days a week. I am currently at full time education at college.

picture’ of GCSE is a qualification that you can be awarded after studying and completing an exam at school or college within a
yourself as certain course. I have multiple GCSE qualifications for school and college, like A* for photography.
you are now

(include your AS/A level is a further qualification than GCSE, the work is harder but the same study than exam process like GCSE. These
aspirations). courses are taught at college. A level qualification is better than an AS level qualification. I have AS and A level
qualifications, I have a E in AS Maths and D in A level Photography, I only got AS level in Maths because I need a D grade in

AS to pass on to the A level part of the course.

Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 are BTEC courses. Level 2 is taught as school and level 3 and level 4 are taught at college, some
level 4 courses are taught at University. I have some Level 3 qualifications in Programming and games development and
working on TV and Film.

Pass, merit and distinction are grades that are awarded for doing a BTEC course. Pass is the lowest, merit is a better grade
and distinction is the best grade, but you can get a starred distinction which is better. I have been awarded passes in
Programming and games development and aiming for a merit in TV and film.

Bachelor of or master of is a further qualification that A level allows you to be well educated in a selected area like art,
teaching or science to name a few.

Undergraduate is a someone how is aiming to go to university and study. A graduate is someone studying at university for
a bachelor or master’s degree. A postgraduate student is someone who is aiming for more study outside of the
undergraduate courses. I have applied for some university courses, this would have made me an undergraduate student.

Vocational work or study is practical based, this means less focused on preparing for exams like GCSE or A level courses
and full practical and coursework. I am doing and have done vocational work as BTEC courses are good examples of
vocational work.

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It’s a good idea to find out as much as you can about the information you give others; if you get
interviewed, you want to make sure you can answer all of the interviewer’s questions and you
don’t want to get caught out either.

What job am I best suited to?
Now you have compiled a list of your skills, strengths and accomplishments it is time for you to look
at the path you would like to take into the industry. Think of all those dreams and aspirations you
had when you were younger and those which you may still have; what do you want to do? What do
you aspire to be?

TASK 3

List any 3 jobs mentioned in class or any you may have already been considering. What is the job

role? What does it entail? Do you need any specialist training or skills? Is it freelance work or can

you be a permanent member of staff?

For example, you may want to consider specific roles in;

• Management • Technical roles

• Finance • Directorial

• Creative roles • Editorial

(Think of the credits at the end of a film or television programme, think how many people worked

on it and look at one aspect, for example camera operators, how many worked in that one area).

Editor – The job is editing footage during production and post production to make sure scenes flow
well. You must know how to use software that edits footage and get degrees in editing or
production of Film and TV. You may also need to have completed an apprenticeship within editing
or TV and film production.

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/video-editor

For more information on job roles, click this link below:
https://reecejohnsonfilmandtvblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/job-roles-in-tv-and-film-industries.html

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Avenues for recruitment
In May 2012, there were a total of 55,900 people employed in the TV industry in the UK1. There are
lots of jobs out there; you just have to be confident, persistent and patient. When looking for a job
or course for a new qualification, it can be difficult to know where to start; however, lots of
avenues do exist. There are many publications that offer help and guidance in addition to job
listings and the internet is an obvious and easily accessible tool when searching for development
and career opportunities. It is also a very good idea to keep names and contact details for people
you have met who could offer help somewhere down the line.
Who will be recruited?
If you are qualified and meet the requirements of a position, you have a good/equal chance of
getting the job – just remember that a lot of people may have applied for it. It is illegal to
discriminate against a person for reasons of gender, race, age, sexual orientation etc. However, the
industry is still dominated by white males.

Creative Skillset's latest research shows that:
• Only 39% of Creative Media employees are women
• Only 6% of employees are from minority ethnic groups
• Employees with disabilities account for only 6% of the workforce2

Task 4
Research, define and explain methods of recruitment in the
creative media industries. Try to find examples, where
relevant*
National Press* - national press is newspapers, Daily Mail,
Daily Mirror and The Sun to name few newspapers. You can
find jobs in a area where people pay a company to put their
advertisement in for jobs. The website for the Daily Mirror
has a link to a website to look for jobs.

1 http://www.prospects.ac.uk/ (May 2013)
2 Employment Census 2009, Workforce Survey 2010 and ONS Labour Force Survey.

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Trade Press* - is
newspapers, like
national press, but
it is in more of a
specific industry.
This can also
include magazines.
These newspapers
will have
advertisements for
jobs or companies
and what they do to offer opportunities to people looking
to get into the industry.

Pics from edition 224, published May 2015 from the
newspaper Broadcast Film and Video.

Internet* (for recruitment) - the
internet can help to look at employment
websites to look at apprenticeships or
jobs. A website called Indeed is a
website that allows to look for available
jobs within an area you live in or select to look in.

Trade Fairs* - a trade fair is an organised event
in a specific industry, like film, where products
and services are showcased. This is also a
chance for other companies or people to meet
with people that specific industry.

Word of Mouth – this is when you tell someone
something and that information gets passed to
others by communication

Personal Contacts & Networking – personal
contacts is when you get in contact with that
person by phone call or letter to their address
and networking is when you get in contact via
social media, like Facebook.

Internal Promotion – this is when you have a job with a company and someone notices your hard
work and promotes you to a better job.

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Presentation materials and documentation
Once you have decided that you are going to apply for a job, it is a good idea to consider every
aspect of the following journey. To initiate the employment process, you may produce and submit a
letter of application and/ or a CV; if lucky, this may lead to an interview.

Developing a C.V.
A CV is a portrait of you, at any moment in time. Depending on who will receive it, you can decide
which aspects of your skills, abilities, personality and experience should be highlighted. It doesn't
need to be very long ‐ one side of A4, well laid out is often the most effective size ‐ but it does need
to be RELEVANT.

Think about what an employer will be looking for ‐ for instance the skills and abilities often quoted

by people who recruit runners include:

• Common sense • Attention to detail

• Pleasant personality • Knowing when to shut up

• Good communication skills • Not afraid of getting their hands dirty

• Sensitivity • Not too grand to make the

• Lots of energy sandwiches/wash up etc.

• Curiosity • A PASSION FOR THE INDUSTRY!

There are no rules about CVs ‐ they are personal documents (in an industry that contains a wealth

of talent, some of them are very individualistic indeed!) But the best share common factors.

They are:

• Concise • Well laid out

• Relevant • They make the reader want to meet the

• Clean and flat (not creased) person and find out more.

Within the industry, video CVs are increasingly popular. They need to follow the same guidelines as
described for written CVs.

Once you've got a CV (maybe in two or three versions) you can either send it off to advertised
vacancies if the company doesn't specify their own application form, or make direct approaches to
people that you feel\hope may be interested in you. In both cases, you should also send a 'covering
letter'. These need only be a simple, typed document (keyboard skills are a real advantage), giving
information about where you saw/heard about the opportunity, and why you feel you would be
particularly suited to it. In the covering letter (also referred to as a speculative letter or application
letter), don't repeat information given on your CV, and make sure that your grammar, spelling etc.,
are all correct.

Task 5
Part 1
In Word, create a CV and cover letter for a (media) job that you have found on the internet/in a
media magazine. If you cannot find a suitable advert, create a speculative letter for an internship
and attach a relevant CV focussing on your media knowledge.
Part 2
Produce a video CV for a (media) job found on the net or in a media magazine.
(Upload the final version to your blog).

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Presentation materials and documentation (cont’d.)
There are several other ‘tools’ that can make you an attractive candidate such as presenting a
showreel or website to show off your creative abilities or by presenting yourself in a professional
and appropriate manner. Below are some key aspects which, combined, can lead to a success in job
hunting.

Task 6
Research, define, explain and provide examples for the following and relate them to yourselves and
past experiences. You should also attempt to create the following if you complete the other tasks
early.

• Portfolio/e-portfolio: A portfolio is a record or a sample of your work that you are proudest of
and is the best work you have ever done. This is shown to interviews for university courses and
work placements to allow the interviewer to know the standard and work equality from the
interviewee.
https://rjgdp123.blogspot.com/ - One I made for L4 Games Development

• Showreel: A showreel is like a portfolio, where the purpose is to show off your work to others,
but for film/video, allowing to show this to people in the industry of movie making, so they
know what skills and style you have.
The example below is form someone called Michael Tierney
and is a motion designer, this showreel showcase his work, click
on image to go to YouTube video of the showreel.

• Personal website: A personal website is a website that you own
and allowed to put content on that website, this might be to
hold a virtual portfolio or work that you are most proud of and
would like to share it with the world.
The image to the left is a website from Michael Tierney,
showcasing more of his work, http://www.tierney.tv/

(If you do not manage to create the above in class, have a go over the summer so you can use them
when applying for university, other higher education opportunities and employment).

At an interview
Before answering any question, take time to think ‐ why are they asking this? How does it relate to
the job? How can I get over all the important information about my skills and experience within the

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confines of this (sometimes very short) time. You may be desperate to tell them about your
film/book/project, but it's best to sit on it, until asked. Take your chosen examples of work to the
interview unless specifically asked to enclose them with your application.

Remember that they are looking for someone to join a team, and the 'fitting in' factors are some of
the most important things they're trying to assess. A dose of modesty at this stage (especially if
you've won an award or the like) can be very refreshing. However much you think you know before
you join the industry, don't push it around - it can be embarrassing to find out that you still have a
lot to learn!

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Task 7

Research the following presentation skills/methods and explain what you believe would be ‘good

practice’ for each (a list of dos and don’ts would be a suggestion).

• Interviewing skills:

Do’s Don’ts

Show up to the interview a little bit early Show up late

Be prepared, practice before going. Have no preparation for the interview

Ask questions that show that you are Show no interest in hat you are applying for

interested about the subject or job you are

applying for.

Research into what you want to do No research/getting things wrong

Present yourself well. Well dressed Showing up looking like a hobo

• Presentation skills: Don’ts
Do’s Make the presentation boring and just talk
Be interactive with the audience to the audience
Having an essay on each slide of the
If using a PowerPoint, have a necessary PowerPoint
amount of text and images to back up the
text Stopping to think as you are improvising on
Practice your lines you are going to say. the spot, and your terrible at do this.

• Self‐presentation
o linguistic codes: practising and having a planned talk/script or notes to guide you;
telling you what to say and questions you may what to ask.

o dress codes: Being well dress for the interview or presentation will be important as
people will take you more seriously. If you show up with dirty/ripped clothes, people
will judge you on the clothes and will not take you seriously.

o interpersonal skills: having these skills will mean that you are willing to work with
others and listen to them, as well as helping the team by overcoming problems and
being responsible for your work. This also means you are flexible for the team and is
motived to complete and help others with the work; you can be dependable to get
the work done and have patience for others. These skills are all valued for team-
based projects or work.

• References: References are people that can be contacted to back you up when applying for
a job or apprenticeship. Companies, businesses or people will get
in contact with your references as they will be people that know
you and be able to say how you are and what you where like for
them; due to this, you need people that you know that will say
positive things about you to get good information across. These
references are put in CVs, something you give while applying for
a job or apprenticeship.

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Once you're in, you've crossed the threshold, and your chances of progressing from an entry level
job are quite high. But before you get promoted, you will need to do that entry level job quite
brilliantly and you may still need to spend free time gaining skills, knowledge and generally making
yourself indispensable.

Continuing professional development and institutions
Once you are in employment, you may still be required to (or just want to) update your knowledge
and understanding of specific practice and equipment. Even when you have your perfect job it
never means that it is the end of the journey. When employed there are still plenty of opportunities
for self‐development and learning new skills. Institutions also exist in order to ensure individuals
continue to learn new skills. As always, it is useful to be aware of these aspects to aid in your own
progression.

For example, in order to deliver lessons on using subject specific software, Media teachers must
keep up to date with the latest programs and must also know how to use certain ones that are
installed in that institution. Similarly, professional editors would keep track of the latest and
greatest programs and become proficient in using them in needed.

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Task 8
Research, define and explain the following terms.

• Training on the job & continuing professional development: training on the job means that
you are still developing skills for a job that will help you out by making the work easier or
being able to do other work roles with that job. Apprenticeships area good example as they
will hire people with not too much knowledge of the job, but by the end of that course thee
know what to do for that job and may get hired to do that job with same company that gave
the apprenticeship or a different work place with the job they have trained for.
Continuing professional development is when you carry on picking up new skills during a job
that can be applied later, so you can include that work in a portfolio or say to another
employer that you have developed these skills.

• Self‐training: self-training is simple, you research into something you what to teach yourself,
for example how to use Adobe Premiere Pro, you would go about looking up tutorials on
YouTube, buy books that give you helpful information on the software. People do this to
gain new skills during free time to help them get a job or apprenticeship they may be after
and by having that skill they picked up by themselves, making them seem that they work
hard and enthusiastic to get that job/apprenticeship.

• Sources of information
Trade unions: The BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and
Theatre Union) is a trade union. Information of what they do below in image, click
image to go to website.

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Sector Skills Councils: these sector skills councils
are independent, employer-led, UK–wide
organisations designed to build a skills system
that is driven by employer demand.
ScreenSkills is one, they specialise in the TV and
Film area, they have a website that allows to get
information on jobs and how to get them as well
as news of new people getting into the industry.
This website is helpful to get knowledge of how
to get into the industry.

https://reecejohnsonfilmandtvblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/job-roles-in-tv-and-film-
industries.html - research of job roles, ScreenSkills was a big help to complete this
piece of work.

Careers services: National careers services
helps you get more information on a job you
may want, it says the qualifications you must
have to get the job, as well as any additional
requirements like work experience,
apprenticeships, etc. They also give details on
work hours and pay that you might get, but
these are rough estimations. You can search any
job that you might desire for information and
look for a location of where jobs are and
available in a selected area.

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Transferable skills and the hidden curriculum
Throughout your lives, you have all picked up skills and knowledge from a range of places and you
have then applied those skills and that knowledge when needed. The hidden curriculum is the term
given to ‘lessons’, skills and abilities that you learn in particular classes that are then useful in other
classes and situations.

For example, a presentation in English requires you to communicate information clearly, project
your voice and possibly answer questions at the end – skills which would be vital in an interview.

Aside from benefiting from the ‘hidden curriculum’ you are also being exposed to functional skills.
“Functional skills are those core elements of English, mathematics and ICT that provide
individuals with the skills and abilities they need to operate confidently, effectively and
independently in life, their communities and work. The functional skills standards are
embedded in the revised programmes of study for English, mathematics and ICT. However,
functionality within the curriculum is not limited to these subjects. The curriculum
opportunities in the programmes of study for all subjects encourage working beyond the
school and making links with other subjects and many key processes have the potential for
functional skills development”. 3

Task 9

Subject Opportunities for functional skills
1.
TV and Film English Maths ICT

2. Written work in the course Working out grades Use of IT to make videos is
Graphic design
requires good written skills requires a good knowledge very important, making

of multiplication, adding sure how to run the

Patching ideas requires and subtraction. software, and use the

good communication skills. Music video production or tools as wells as the basics,

any video production like turning on the

requires basic maths to computer, turning volume

know how long to have a up and down and opening

scene to fit a gap in the software and using the

video or not to over run internet.

and underrun a runtime The use of IT allows

requirement. written work to be done

Budgets is important, so easier and to allows

basic math is required for handing in the work at any

working out cost of time.

production

Good writing skills when Ba able to identify shapes Have a good knowledge of

you research artists, and when making hand Photoshop, to make digital

analysis artists work and made pieces, being able to work and know the basics

annotate your own work. measure and mark out of IT.

3 http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk

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when to cut a piece of Be able to use the internet

paper. to research artist and

styles that you might like.

(applies to photography

too).

3. Good writing skills when Understand the numerical Editing photos requires a

Photography you annotate your own settings on a camera, like good knowledge of

work, research artists and ISO and aperture. Photoshop and to work it,

analysis artists work. you must have a basic

Timing for darkroom prints understanding of IT.

is important and be able to

read the time and work Be able to understand how

out how long to put your to get images form the

print in the chemicals. camera to the computer.

Identify the opportunities you have had in the courses that you are currently studying for

developing your functional skills (English, mathematics and ICT).