7.3 Regulation and Employment in the Media Sector - Rebecca

PART A - Regulation

What are regulatory bodies?

A regulatory body within the media sector is an organisation that regulates content of numerous media sectors - such as making sure that television advertising is appropriate to viewers. The five regulatory bodies that I will be researching are the following: ASA, BBFC, Ofcom, PEGI, IPSO.

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

This regulatory body is a UK Independent regulator of advertising. They review all forms of advertising including (found from www.asa.org.uk): 

• Magazine and newspaper advertisements
• Radio and television commercials
• Television shopping channels
• Adverts on the internet 
• Commercial e-mail and SMS text message adverts
• Posters and legitimate poster sites
• Leaflets and brochures
• Cinema commercials
• Advertising within smartphone and tablet apps
• Direct mail
• Door drops and circulars
• Ads on CD ROMs, DVD and video, and faxes
• Sale promotions

The ASA can enforce their regulatory power by a process called 'Independent review process'. What this entails is during certain situations complainants (or advertisers themselves) can request a review from the ASA Council's ruling. From here if the reviewer accepts the request then they will conduct an investigation, and from there will make a recommendation to the ASA Council to reconsider its ruling.

If an advertising company do not adhere to the ASA's rules and codes of practice, this can actually lead to getting the advertisement that’s not following the rules to be removed completely. Furthermore, if said company continuously breaks the rules then the ASA will refer them Ofcom (another regulatory body).

An example where ASA have had to take action on a form of advertising was when the company Walkers Crisps, promoted a new product through a television advert. During this advert, it showed a double decker bus' roof being ripped off after going under a low bridge. This advert received 130 complaints in 2008, due to viewers saying that it could offend and/or upset those who had possibly experienced a similar accident. From here, the ASA investigated the television advert, but Walkers decided to remove the scene from the advert due to the complaints.

Another situation where a form of advertising was considered to break the ASA's rules, was when a national press ad offered incentives to the public to bet on the outcome of Oscar Pistorius's murder trial. There were over 5,525 complaints on the Paddy Power plc. advert in 2014, resulting in the ASA removing the use of the advert, because it caused serious offence by trivialising serious issues.

The majority (70%) of what ASA do is to make sure that all advertisements are honest and accurate. This is an important thing to do as otherwise companies can easily manipulate their consumers by giving them false information through their advertisements. Additionally, 30% of what ASA do is dealing with offence/harm and protecting children from unsuitable content. This is equally important to do as in this generation media is being used everywhere constantly, and therefore it shouldn't be regarded as unsafe due to things such as advertising, therefore the ASA are important as they prevent this happening.

British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)

This regulatory body regulates the film industry in order to bring uniformity to the classification of a film. This means that they review films and based on numerous facets, they give the film an age rating to protect children (and other members of the public) from unsuitable and even harmful content in films and videos. Along with this it gives the consumers information on the film on whether they can/want to view the film or video, (this is all done before the film is released). This is done by (usually) two examiners watching the film/video all the way through and give it a suitable age rating that they believe to be correct when taking in consideration the classification guidelines. From here a senior examiner will confirm whether they agree with the already stated age rating, but if anyone is in doubt during the process the film will be taken to higher authority. The same process is done for DVDs and Blu-rays.

The classification guidelines require the examiners to consider issues such as (found from www.bbfc.co.uk):

• Discrimination 
• Drugs
• Horror
• Dangerous and easily imitable behaviour
• Language
• Nudity
• Sex
• Violence

Upon not following these guidelines, the BBFC can remove/ban a film, however the film company can also (in certain circumstances) remove scenes from their films to prevent this and/or receive a lower age rating (which allows a broader demographic). An example of a film that was banned in the UK by the BBFC is a Japanese film called 'Grotesque'. This film was removed as it presented extreme violence, sadism (including sexual sadism) - it presented a young couple getting kidnapped and tortured with no main narrative. This obviously resulted in the film not being able to be released (although was released for a limited amount of time in Japan, and a few festivals).

Another film that could not be released after the BBFC reviewed it was a film called 'The Bunny Game'. This film was rejected due to "the emphasis on the woman's nudity tends to eroticise what is shown, while aspects of the work such as the lack of explanation of the events depicted and the stylistic treatment, may encourage some viewers to enjoy and share in the man's callousness and the pleasure he takes in the woman's pain and humiliation". Despite this statement, the BBFC told the film company they could resubmit the film with suitable cuts, however the company did not do this, so it still remains illegal to supply it in the UK. 

Due to the BBFC's strict guidelines, it ensures that the film sector is always appropriate. They are definitely an effective regulatory body as there is no way for a film to be approved without going through them, and if they say that a film cannot be shown then it won't be shown. Although this is helpful for the public, it can cause a constraint for film directors/producers - they have create a film they are really proud of however if the BBFC have something that they think needs to be cut then this can be a strain for the director as that specific scene may have been an important part of the film. This means that people working within the film sector have to always take in the BBFC (and other regulatory bodies) into consideration when creating a film/video if they want it to be approved along with receiving the age rating they aspire for.

The BBFC are an important regulatory body, as without them films would not be reviewed and regulated. This would mean that anything (any amount of violence, horror, discrimination) would be released into cinema or DVD and Blu-ray, resulting in viewers engaging in shocking imagery. This could result in multiple issues, for example, if a film with high amounts of violence was released, then some viewers may imitate this and cause crime and danger in the UK. Additionally, if a film that had extreme racism, it would cause major offence to the oppressed race in the film, which would be a form of discrimination. Therefore the BBFC are a vital organisation in the UK in order to keep cinema, DVD and Blu-ray essentially safe for viewers.

Office of Communications (Ofcom)

This regulatory body is a company that regulates the content of all the UK's communication industries. For example, they regulate television, radio, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, and airwaves on which wireless devices operate on. What they regulate within these media sectors is that they ensure that (found from www.ofcom.org.uk):

• The UK has various electronic communications services (including high-speed information services).
• The range of television is high-quality and radio programmes are also required (must appeal to a wide demographic).
• All television and radio services are provided by multiple different organisations.
• The consumers of television and radio are protected from any harmful/offensive material.
• No one is treated unfairly in television and radio.
• The radio spectrum is used in the most effective manner.

Ofcom ensures that all communication is regulated by conducting investigations and reviews of communication, making sure that it follows the rules and regulations (also known as 'Ofcom Broadcasting Code, when it comes to television). All communicative media - for example television programmes - have to make sure that they are following this code, as if it breaks any of these rules then Ofcom have the ability to remove said communicative media. They do this for many reasons (as stated above) but primarily a piece of communicative media will be removed (or altered) as it is having a negative effect on the public. This means that Ofcom is an important regulatory body as communicative media is one of the biggest forms of media to date, therefore if it's content was not regulated, then many things could be broadcasted that were inappropriate for viewers.

An example when Ofcom have had to take action on something, was when TV personality Shaun Ryder repeatedly used 'bad' language during a live show of TFI Fridays. As this was live, it meant that the language used could not have been edited out, thereby it could have caused offence to viewers. After receiving complaints about the event, Ofcom took action by banning Shaun Ryder from appearing on any live shows presented on Channel 4.

Part B - Employment Opportunities 

Jobs Roles in the Creative Media Industry

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

Jobs Roles in the Film Industry

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.

When working within the film sector it is imperative that you regularly update your knowledge and skills, as it is a very competitive industry to work in. Although you can work your way up to the top, you must also do skill and knowledge building things in order to keep up with the competition - to do this you can take short courses on specific skills that you aim to gain, such as editing workshop courses, internships, short degree courses. Additionally, it is important to keep your CV/showreel up to date; as you complete more projects and tasks, you should always update your showreel to show clients your improvement and the range of projects you have worked on.  

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/).

As a lot of the job roles within the film sector are very competitive and based on skill/experience, it means that you have to work your way up like I have previously stated. Additionally to this though, there are a lot of different levels to different roles, for example you can have a producer but there will also be an executive producer and assistant producer. The reasoning for this is so that not only is there a lot of helping hands on board for these big film projects, but so that it allows films to be 'perfect' - by having an assistant and executive it means that an idea or issue must go through numerous people before anything is set in stone. Therefore this ensures that the best possible outcome is achieved and therefore creating a better and more successful film. Along with producers, there are many other job roles within the film sector that overlap and interconnect, another example would be that the role of the casting director is to find actors to be in a film to which they think would fit a specific role, however before anything is confirmed or set in stone the director of the whole film can decide differently to what the casting director chooses. 

Part C - Application Pack

Job Advertisement

This job advertisement is for the role of a trainee runner (for a company called Working Title Films). The job is based in London, and would require someone to join the company as a runner for a six-month internship. The personal skills that are asked for are:

• Having interpersonal skills
• Good attitude
• A lot of energy
• Keeping calm under pressure
• Interest and passion for film

The technical skills that are required are:

• Understanding of technology used within the industry
• Previous office experience (would be ideal)
• Additionally a degree-level or equivalent qualification

The job doesn't state that any additional evidence is needed from the applicant (such as a portfolio, or showreel) however, due to the website it is on, an online application form will most likely needed to be filled out.

Letter of Application

Dear Working Title Films,

I am writing to you in regards to the job role as a a trainee runner you posted online, to which I think I am very suited for. I am going to be completing my final year at Coulsdon Sixth Form College in June, with a BTEC qualification in Media Production, as well as an A-level in Photography. I would be very appreciative to work for this established company, as I working within the film industry is something I have aspired and worked towards for numerous years now.

The skills that I have that I think will be beneficial to your company are that I am a very hard worker with the determination to complete all tasks to my best ability. Furthermore, I have gained the ability to stay level-headed under pressure as during my studies at college I have had to handle many assignments at once, which I always completed on time and to an excellent standard. As well as this I have gathered technical skills that would make me legible for this job role, for example I have used many editing and recording softwares when creating projects during college.

Previous to studying media at college, I had also studied media at high school; I believe that this shows my true interest and passion for the media industry and throughout this process I have gained to understand my love for film specifically. I think that my strongest assets would be not only my qualification in the related area that has provided me with lots of industry knowledge, but also my time-management abilities and being able to work either independently or within a team.

I hope that you will take me into consideration when deciding on the role for the trainee runner. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Tia Lewis

Media CV

Tia Lewis

Coulsdon College Student

34 Made Up Road, Croydon, CV66 7RF

T: 0870 061 0121 M: 0777 000 0000 E: tia.l@email.com

PERSONAL SUMMARY

A college student studying photography and media production, with various previous experiences in employment. Previous jobs have given communicative skills, along with an understanding of merchandising and audiences’ needs. Very capable to multitask, work within teams and/or independently, and deal with client’s needs. Creative thinker that has strong initiative and organisational abilities, whilst being emotionally mature and vigilant.

Currently looking to a new position within the media industry that not only makes best use of my skills and abilities, but also challenges me to help with further personal development.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Retail Department Store – London

SALES ASSISTANT    November 2014 – November 2015

Duties:

• Helping customers with any questions or situations.
• Managing tills, and handling money.
• Understanding and knowledge of stock.
• Stock management.
• Keeping department clean and presentable.

Theme Park – London

GAMES HOST              June 2014 – August 2014

Duties:

• Merchandising stock.
• Keeping area presentable and appealing.
• Rounding in customers.
• Handling large amounts of money.
• Cashing up. 
• Ensuring customers needs are met.
• Understanding of layout of theme park.

KEY SKILLS

• Multitasking different tasks at once. 
• Communication and listening skills.
• Working within a team and independently.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Vigilant and careful.
• Being in a positive mood to keep up atmosphere.
• Strong initiative to complete various tasks.
• Handiness abilities (e.g. handling large boxes)
• Being able to reach targets and deadlines.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

Outstanding Qualifications:

Coulsdon College 2015-2016

• BTEC LVL 3 (120 Credit) Creative Media Production
• A2 Photography

Completed Qualifications:

Coulsdon College 2014-2015

• BTEC LVL 3 (60 Credit) Creative Media Production – Distinction*
• AS Photography – C
• AS Graphic Design – D

Harris Academy 2009 - 2014

• English Language – B
• English Literature – A
• Mathematics – B
• Media Studies – A

REFERENCES – Available on request

Showreel