Jobs Roles in the Creative Media Industry - Rebecca

The creative media industry is a very broad industry in regards to job roles. Furthermore, most jobs can sound similar, and overlap in some sense, however all roles in this industry are very specific. For example, there are the primary sectors within the industry (ie, advertising and film) but then job roles are then refined even further. Some examples of specific job roles that all fall under the creative media industry are (found from http://creativeskillset.org/):

• Accounts Trainee
• Actor/Actress
• Dialogue Editors
• Advertising Account Executive
• Editorial Photographer
• Advertising Art Director
• Aerial Camera Pilot

Personally, I am most interested in the film industry. Although I don't know what specific job role I would be interested in for the longer-term, some of the roles I do find interesting at the moment include:

• Camera Operator
• Casting Director
• Producer
• Director
• Director of Photography
• Editor
• Screenwriter

Most jobs within the film industry require a lot of experience and knowledge, due to the high technicalities used within the sector. However, some jobs are entry-level posts; this means that the job role does not require any knowledge or skills. Out of the jobs I am interested in, I don't believe that any of them are considered to be entry-level posts, as they are quite specific jobs that require a certain amount of understanding of the industry and role to be able to perform the job effectively and correctly. However, some of these roles do require more than others, for example, an editor requires a lot of knowledge on how different editing softwares work, as if they did not know this then they wouldn't be able to edit the film. But a screenwriter, does not require as much technical knowledge, but rather they must have an understanding of narrative and story.

Depending on how big the film being produced is, determines whether each of these job roles are short-term or long-term. However, the majority of job roles within the film industry are short-term freelance roles as you would only be needed for a certain amount of time during a making of a film (whether than be during the pre-production, production, post-production, or multiple stages). For example, a editor would be employed on a freelance basis by the producer based on their experience and reputation. 

One of the job roles that I take a big interested in is being a editor; this job role entails you to be editing a film during post-production and put it all together, along side working closely with the director. Specifically, an editor has to work long hours in an edit suite, editing the film putting it altogether and making sure that the story flows effortlessly from beginning to end. Editors do not need any specific qualifications, however going on to high education to study a film production course can definitely help you receive a job as an editor. Additionally, it is unlikely to become an editor straight away, regardless of the qualifications, therefore the best way in is to work your way up from working as a runner. A runner deals with various office admin tasks along with helping around set by making teas. Furthermore, an editor will most likely be hired due to their reputation and experience, therefore sometimes a portfolio, showreel, or CV will be required to present the work you have done previously. Lastly, the amount an editor makes depends on the project they are working on, and their experience, but the median annual salary for an editor in the UK is £26,673 (found from http://www.payscale.com/).