There are six main job role sectors in the creative media industry; creative, editorial, technical, managerial, administrative, and financial.
Creative
An example of a creative job in the media industry is a screen writer. Screen writers are responsible for creating the basis for television shows, radio shows, video games, and more, and can write any genre including soap opera, drama, and documentaries. Depending on the popularity and success of the screen writer, the salary can differ greatly. However, the average salary for a screen writer is £34,495.
Editorial
A main editorial job in the media industry is a film editor. Film editors put together the film footage and manipulate it, as well as the sound and score, so that it fits with the script and flows well and creates an enjoyable whole piece of film. Like the screen writers, a film editor's salary can vary depending on their popularity and relationships with directors. An average starting salary for a film editor is between £18,000 and £25,000, which is usually the salary for editors working in television. For film editors with more experience, the salary can be between £20,000 and £35,000. For film editors with great experience, and are working on high profile projects such as Hollywood films, the salary can be up to £70,000, or even more.
Technical
Technical jobs in the media industry can include jobs such as camera operators. Camera operators are in charge of the cameras when filming, and they work with all kinds of cameras and camera set-ups to create a visually attractive. To ensure that they have all the correct shots, the camera operators use a shot script and take direction from either the director or the director of photography. Although they usually follow this script, they often suggest new or different shots to the director. The average salary for a camera operator is between £11,500 and £40,000, and depending on the job, the salary can be even more.
Managerial
An important managerial job in the media industry is a producer. Producers do many things within the production of a television show or film including fundraising, hiring key personnel, arranging distributors, etc. and they generally oversee the whole project from beginning to end. In television, as well as having a producer, there is an executive producer who will act as producer for the whole series rather than just one episode. For producers in both television and film, the salary can start at £18,000 and go up to around £70,000.
Administrative
An example of an administrative job in the media industry is an assistant director, who takes responsiblity for many important aspects of pre-production and production, so that the director is free to do what they need to do. They are essentially the director's "right hand" person, writing up storyboards and shooting schedules, among other things. Assistant directors earn an average salary of £24,000, but they can earn more depending on the project they are working on and the tasks they are doing.
Financial
An example of a financial job in the media industry is a production accountant. Production accountants work closely with the producers to maintain financial records and manage the budget of the production. The average salary of a production accountant is £42,000.
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Employment Opportunities in the Creative Media Sector
A contract is a legal document which two parties - the employer and employee - agree to the terms and conditions of employment. It will include things such as the hours the employee needs to work, how much they will get paid, and any rules they must follow when at work. Contracts are important as they let each party know what is expected of them. If the contract is broken by the employee, the employee can be fired, whereas if the contract is broken by the emplyer, the employer can be taken to court. There are several different types of contract, of which there are advantages and disadvantages.
A part-time contract is a contract where the hours agreed to can be anywhere from 16 hours to 18 hours a week. The advantages of this type of contract are that you can have free time during the week when you do not have to work, and you don't often have to work for very long a day. This type of contract can be ideal for students so that they still have time to go to college/university. The disadvantages of this are that you may not get paid much, and the hours might not be flexible, which might not be suitable for some people who can't work every day.
A full-time contract means that you will be working 35 to 39 hours a week. The advantage of this are that you can get a regular pay, with a stable job that you know will last for a while. This type of contract means that you can get benefits such as paid holidays and sickleave and maternity time off. The disadvantages of this are that if you wish to leave the job, you can't just leave, but you have to give notice, meaning that you still have to work for at least a week or two before you can leave.
A fixed term contract is a contract that can be either full-time or part-time but will last for a set period of time. For example, you may have a set contract for 3 months or a year. This can be seen as an advantage because you know that you will definitely have work for that time, however, once that time is up you need to look for a new job. This might not be such a disadvantage though, because if the employer thinks you are a good worker, they might offer you a part-time or full-time job once the contract has finished.
A temporary contract can be similar to a fixed term contract in that it is only for a set period of time. However, a temporary contract can mean a seasonal job rather than just a few months. For example, companies often hire people over Christmas with a temporary contract. This can be an advantage as it is often just a way for people to geet some extra money, however, a disadvantage is that, as with a fixed term contract, once the contract is over you need to look for another job.
A casual contract is a contract where you have 0 hours agreed, and your employer calls you in when you are needed. An advantage of this type of contract is that when you are offered work, you don't always have to accept it, however, if you turn down work a certain number of times, you may lose the contract, and therefore the work. A disadvantage of this type of contract is that the work you get is often infrequent, and therefore your pay is infrequent and not stable.
An on-completion contract is where you are only employed whilst you are doing a certain job, and once that job has been completed, you are no longer employed by that person. An advantage of this kind of contract is that you know when your deadline is and know when you will need to look for more work. However, a disadvantage of this is that you do have to look for more work once you have completed a job, and also that if you miss the deadline, even by a day or even by just a few hours, your employer may deduct a percentage of your pay.
Freelance work is not contracted, as it means that you work for yourself. An advantage of this is that your hours are flexible and you can arrange your work around your life. However, a disadvantage of this is that if you do n have many contacts, or if you miss a deadline for one job, it may be difficu for you to find work.
A part-time contract is a contract where the hours agreed to can be anywhere from 16 hours to 18 hours a week. The advantages of this type of contract are that you can have free time during the week when you do not have to work, and you don't often have to work for very long a day. This type of contract can be ideal for students so that they still have time to go to college/university. The disadvantages of this are that you may not get paid much, and the hours might not be flexible, which might not be suitable for some people who can't work every day.
A full-time contract means that you will be working 35 to 39 hours a week. The advantage of this are that you can get a regular pay, with a stable job that you know will last for a while. This type of contract means that you can get benefits such as paid holidays and sickleave and maternity time off. The disadvantages of this are that if you wish to leave the job, you can't just leave, but you have to give notice, meaning that you still have to work for at least a week or two before you can leave.
A fixed term contract is a contract that can be either full-time or part-time but will last for a set period of time. For example, you may have a set contract for 3 months or a year. This can be seen as an advantage because you know that you will definitely have work for that time, however, once that time is up you need to look for a new job. This might not be such a disadvantage though, because if the employer thinks you are a good worker, they might offer you a part-time or full-time job once the contract has finished.
A temporary contract can be similar to a fixed term contract in that it is only for a set period of time. However, a temporary contract can mean a seasonal job rather than just a few months. For example, companies often hire people over Christmas with a temporary contract. This can be an advantage as it is often just a way for people to geet some extra money, however, a disadvantage is that, as with a fixed term contract, once the contract is over you need to look for another job.
A casual contract is a contract where you have 0 hours agreed, and your employer calls you in when you are needed. An advantage of this type of contract is that when you are offered work, you don't always have to accept it, however, if you turn down work a certain number of times, you may lose the contract, and therefore the work. A disadvantage of this type of contract is that the work you get is often infrequent, and therefore your pay is infrequent and not stable.
An on-completion contract is where you are only employed whilst you are doing a certain job, and once that job has been completed, you are no longer employed by that person. An advantage of this kind of contract is that you know when your deadline is and know when you will need to look for more work. However, a disadvantage of this is that you do have to look for more work once you have completed a job, and also that if you miss the deadline, even by a day or even by just a few hours, your employer may deduct a percentage of your pay.
Freelance work is not contracted, as it means that you work for yourself. An advantage of this is that your hours are flexible and you can arrange your work around your life. However, a disadvantage of this is that if you do n have many contacts, or if you miss a deadline for one job, it may be difficu for you to find work.
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Regulatory Bodies - Issues
What is a monopoly?
A monopoly is "the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service." This means that, in media, a monopoly is something a person or company has when they own a large portion of the market. For example, Rupert Murdoch has a monopoly of businesses in the media sectors because he owns many newspapers and television channels.
Why is it important to ensure that no one single media producer in the UK has a monopoly?
It is important to make sure that no one person in this country has a monoply because if they did, the media would be mostly - or entirely; controlled by them. This means that everything we see, hear, and read would be controlled by that one person and therefore the information can become unreliable and of the opinion of that person, and things would stop being in the public's interest. It would be harmful to the public if one person had a monopoly in this country because they would not get fully correct information and would be influenced by the same person every day without really noticing.
Why is consumer choice so important?
It is important for consumers to have choice over the things that they see, hear, and read because they need to be able to decide what the best thing is for themselves. If they had no choice, they would hear the same thing over and over again, and it may not neccessarily be correct information. To have a varied choice is important so the news they hear is not biased or false. Also, competition is important in the media industry because if there was no choice, a certain business, such as Sky for example, could charge a high amount of money for their services and the public would not have a choice in paying it as there would be no where else they could go to to get a lower price.
What is censorship?
Censorship in the media industry is when some things are removed or supressed for the benefit of the public, and it usually happens when something is considered to be offensive or harmful to the general public.
What are the arguments for and against censorship?
Censorship can keep a certain degree of control in the media and therefore is usually seen as a good thing. It stops harmful, offensive, or obscene things being seen by the wrong people, (for example, children) and can make the media safer. However, some people argue that censorship is bad because it can prevent people from seeing the truth and it can restrict freedom of speech.
Why should under 18s be subjected to particular considerations by regulators?
People under the age of 18 are often seen as vulnerable people, and should therefore be protected. They should not be shown things which could be potentially harmful to them. For example, when BBFC decide which certificate a film should have, they must consider younger people and make sure that only people of the appropriate age group can see a certain film. If, for example, a film has graphic scenes of violence or obscenity, the BBFC would choose to give the film an age certification of 18 to ensure that it could not harm, upset, or offend anyone significantly.
A monopoly is "the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service." This means that, in media, a monopoly is something a person or company has when they own a large portion of the market. For example, Rupert Murdoch has a monopoly of businesses in the media sectors because he owns many newspapers and television channels.
Why is it important to ensure that no one single media producer in the UK has a monopoly?
It is important to make sure that no one person in this country has a monoply because if they did, the media would be mostly - or entirely; controlled by them. This means that everything we see, hear, and read would be controlled by that one person and therefore the information can become unreliable and of the opinion of that person, and things would stop being in the public's interest. It would be harmful to the public if one person had a monopoly in this country because they would not get fully correct information and would be influenced by the same person every day without really noticing.
Why is consumer choice so important?
It is important for consumers to have choice over the things that they see, hear, and read because they need to be able to decide what the best thing is for themselves. If they had no choice, they would hear the same thing over and over again, and it may not neccessarily be correct information. To have a varied choice is important so the news they hear is not biased or false. Also, competition is important in the media industry because if there was no choice, a certain business, such as Sky for example, could charge a high amount of money for their services and the public would not have a choice in paying it as there would be no where else they could go to to get a lower price.
What is censorship?
Censorship in the media industry is when some things are removed or supressed for the benefit of the public, and it usually happens when something is considered to be offensive or harmful to the general public.
What are the arguments for and against censorship?
Censorship can keep a certain degree of control in the media and therefore is usually seen as a good thing. It stops harmful, offensive, or obscene things being seen by the wrong people, (for example, children) and can make the media safer. However, some people argue that censorship is bad because it can prevent people from seeing the truth and it can restrict freedom of speech.
Why should under 18s be subjected to particular considerations by regulators?
People under the age of 18 are often seen as vulnerable people, and should therefore be protected. They should not be shown things which could be potentially harmful to them. For example, when BBFC decide which certificate a film should have, they must consider younger people and make sure that only people of the appropriate age group can see a certain film. If, for example, a film has graphic scenes of violence or obscenity, the BBFC would choose to give the film an age certification of 18 to ensure that it could not harm, upset, or offend anyone significantly.
Regulatory Bodies
A regulatory body is an independant body set up to control different sectors of the creative media industry. They control things such as the press, films, television, and radio, and if any of their regulations are not adhered to, they will punish the person or business responsible, often with a fine. Below are the main regulatory bodies.
Press Complaints Commission (PCC)
The Press Complaints Commission are a voluntary regulatory body set up in 1995 who deal with regulating the press. They give newspapers, magazines, etc. a set of rules that they must follow, and there are consequences if they do not. They mostly set ethical guidelines (as explained in an earlier post) including the "Editor's Code" and rules about harrassment.
PRS for Music
The Performing Rights Society was set up originally in 1914 when it collected fees for live performances from sheet music. In 1997 The Performing Rights Society formed with the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society to form the PRS-MCPS Alliance and then in 2009, they adopeted the name PRS for Music. They collect money to pay artists when their songs are played on a TV show or on the radio, for example. They charge people for a licence when they play music to a large audience which changes depending on the size of the building or company.
British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)
The BBFC has regulated films in the UK since 1985. Before a film can be released (either through cinema or disc) they BBFC must approve it and give it an appropriate age rating to ensure that it will not be harmful to audiences. Its ratings go anywhere from a U to an R18. If your film has not been classified before release, the BBFC will charge you up to £5000 with a possible 6 months in prison.
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
The ASA are a regulatory body set up to monitor advertisements in the UK officially set up in 1962. Since then, they have made sure that advertisements are suitable for the audience. They deal with everything from billboards to online advertisements and if they find anything unacceptable, the advertisement will be banned.
Ofcom
The Office of Communications is commonly known as Ofcom. It was set up in 2003 to oversee the many different sectors of the media industry including television and radio. It is the largest regulatory body as it controls so much, and has replaced several other regualtory bodies. It protects the public from harmful and offensive material in the media through its rules and regulations.
Press Complaints Commission (PCC)
The Press Complaints Commission are a voluntary regulatory body set up in 1995 who deal with regulating the press. They give newspapers, magazines, etc. a set of rules that they must follow, and there are consequences if they do not. They mostly set ethical guidelines (as explained in an earlier post) including the "Editor's Code" and rules about harrassment.
PRS for Music
The Performing Rights Society was set up originally in 1914 when it collected fees for live performances from sheet music. In 1997 The Performing Rights Society formed with the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society to form the PRS-MCPS Alliance and then in 2009, they adopeted the name PRS for Music. They collect money to pay artists when their songs are played on a TV show or on the radio, for example. They charge people for a licence when they play music to a large audience which changes depending on the size of the building or company.
The BBFC has regulated films in the UK since 1985. Before a film can be released (either through cinema or disc) they BBFC must approve it and give it an appropriate age rating to ensure that it will not be harmful to audiences. Its ratings go anywhere from a U to an R18. If your film has not been classified before release, the BBFC will charge you up to £5000 with a possible 6 months in prison.
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
The ASA are a regulatory body set up to monitor advertisements in the UK officially set up in 1962. Since then, they have made sure that advertisements are suitable for the audience. They deal with everything from billboards to online advertisements and if they find anything unacceptable, the advertisement will be banned.
Ofcom
The Office of Communications is commonly known as Ofcom. It was set up in 2003 to oversee the many different sectors of the media industry including television and radio. It is the largest regulatory body as it controls so much, and has replaced several other regualtory bodies. It protects the public from harmful and offensive material in the media through its rules and regulations.
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Ethical Constraints in the Creative Media Sector
Ethical constraints in the media industry are different and more complicated than the legal constraints because, whereas legal constraints are definite as they are written in law, ethical constraints are more the opinions of a certain person or company. There are not necessarily any guidelines that the people or companies concerned can follow, but rather, they should do the things that they can justify as correct or in the public's best interest. There are often guidelines that the company writes for its employees to follow, and in many cases, what the presenter, journalist, etc. does is allowed to go ahead as long as their boss says that it is acceptable, although it is not always seen as acceptable by the public.
Ethical constraints usually include:
Ethical constraints usually include:
- Representation of age, race, gender, religion, etc.;
- Protecting underage individuals;
- Interviewing vulnerable people;
- Anything that could be seen as harmful or offensive;
- Invading privacy;
- Influencing public opinion.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Legal Constraints in the Creative Media Sector
There are certain legal laws and legislation which control the creative media sector. These laws constrain the things that people working in this sector can and cannot say, do, publish, etc.
Libel Law
Libel and slander are similar, however libel is written accusations and slander is spoken accusations. They are also known collectively as defamation. Defamation is a false accusation or a misinterpration of a person's words or actions. It is often a person or a group of people spreading lies about another person which can damage the other person. If this happens, the person affected can take the accuser to court and sue them for damages.
In August 2011, cases of online libel cases had apparently doubled mainly due to social networking sites and the rise in their popularity. In March 2012 the first Twitter libel case was taken to court. Former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns sued Lalit Modi for £90, 000 in damages. It was reported that Lalit Modi had posted a tweet about Cairns, who found the tweet offensive and damaging to his reputation.
Obscene Publications Act
The Obscene Publications Act was first used in 1857. This gave the courts permission to ban and destroy material which was deemed too obscene to be seen by the public. The first person to be imprisoned under this act was a man named William Dugdale who was sentenced to a long term in prison after his books were deemed to be too pornographic. This act was revised in 1959 and 1964 as the previous act did not make exceptions for artistic merit. Under this act, the works should be seen as a whole, not just certain parts, and must be depraving and corruptive in nature. If, however, the work is seen as in the interest of art, science, literature of other aspects of the public interest, then it cannot not be found to be in breach of this act.
A recent example of a banned film under this act, is the Human Centipede 2. The British Board of Film Classification has denied the film an 18 certificate as they say it is a "real risk" to the public.
Copyright and Intellectual Property Law
The current UK copyright law is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This act gives the creators of artistic works the right to control their material and works and the ways in which they are used. This means, for example, that downloading a song on the internet for free, without the artist's permission would be a breach of copyright law.
In 2012, Apple took Samsung to court after Samsung alledgedly stole Apple's iPad idea. The case was dropped after the judge found that few people would confuse Apple's iPad with Samsung's tablet.
The Broadcasting Act
The Broadcasting Act of 1990 was a reformation of telvision liscensing which led to the reinstatement of two regulatory bodies: The Independent Television Commission and Radio Authority. The Independent Television Commission was set up to regulate all television services in the UK, with the exception of the BBC and later, Channel 4. The Act put ITV up for sale, and it was to be awarded on financial grounds. The Act also introduced Channel 5 and introduced cross-media holdings to prevent ownership being concentrated in too few hands.
Privacy Law
In the UK, there is no law directly concerned with privacy. However, the Human Rights Act of 1998 states that "everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence." This provides leeway, however, as it only states that one should have "respect for" a person's privacy, and does not say that they cannot interfere if they wish to.
In mid-2011, it was revealed that News of the World, a newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch, had hacked the phones of several members of the public who were in the news for various reasons at the time, as well as celebrities. This is a popular example of invaded privacy, which could suggest that privacy laws in the UK need to be reformed.
Libel Law
Libel and slander are similar, however libel is written accusations and slander is spoken accusations. They are also known collectively as defamation. Defamation is a false accusation or a misinterpration of a person's words or actions. It is often a person or a group of people spreading lies about another person which can damage the other person. If this happens, the person affected can take the accuser to court and sue them for damages.
In August 2011, cases of online libel cases had apparently doubled mainly due to social networking sites and the rise in their popularity. In March 2012 the first Twitter libel case was taken to court. Former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns sued Lalit Modi for £90, 000 in damages. It was reported that Lalit Modi had posted a tweet about Cairns, who found the tweet offensive and damaging to his reputation.
Obscene Publications Act
The Obscene Publications Act was first used in 1857. This gave the courts permission to ban and destroy material which was deemed too obscene to be seen by the public. The first person to be imprisoned under this act was a man named William Dugdale who was sentenced to a long term in prison after his books were deemed to be too pornographic. This act was revised in 1959 and 1964 as the previous act did not make exceptions for artistic merit. Under this act, the works should be seen as a whole, not just certain parts, and must be depraving and corruptive in nature. If, however, the work is seen as in the interest of art, science, literature of other aspects of the public interest, then it cannot not be found to be in breach of this act.
A recent example of a banned film under this act, is the Human Centipede 2. The British Board of Film Classification has denied the film an 18 certificate as they say it is a "real risk" to the public.
Copyright and Intellectual Property Law
The current UK copyright law is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This act gives the creators of artistic works the right to control their material and works and the ways in which they are used. This means, for example, that downloading a song on the internet for free, without the artist's permission would be a breach of copyright law.
In 2012, Apple took Samsung to court after Samsung alledgedly stole Apple's iPad idea. The case was dropped after the judge found that few people would confuse Apple's iPad with Samsung's tablet.
The Broadcasting Act
The Broadcasting Act of 1990 was a reformation of telvision liscensing which led to the reinstatement of two regulatory bodies: The Independent Television Commission and Radio Authority. The Independent Television Commission was set up to regulate all television services in the UK, with the exception of the BBC and later, Channel 4. The Act put ITV up for sale, and it was to be awarded on financial grounds. The Act also introduced Channel 5 and introduced cross-media holdings to prevent ownership being concentrated in too few hands.
Privacy Law
In the UK, there is no law directly concerned with privacy. However, the Human Rights Act of 1998 states that "everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence." This provides leeway, however, as it only states that one should have "respect for" a person's privacy, and does not say that they cannot interfere if they wish to.
In mid-2011, it was revealed that News of the World, a newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch, had hacked the phones of several members of the public who were in the news for various reasons at the time, as well as celebrities. This is a popular example of invaded privacy, which could suggest that privacy laws in the UK need to be reformed.
Thursday, 25 October 2012
Sources of Income
The sources of income in the creative media sector come from many places depending on the company, show, etc.
A popular source of income in the television industry is product placement, which used to be only a part of US television, but has now been introduced to the UK. The first appearance of product placement in the UK was a coffee machine on ITV's This Morning. The company that made the coffee machine paid ITV to have their product on the show. This Morning did not have to mention it or the brand, but it just had to be in the background. The product placement logo appears in the corner of the titles of any show that uses it.
A popular source of income in the television industry is product placement, which used to be only a part of US television, but has now been introduced to the UK. The first appearance of product placement in the UK was a coffee machine on ITV's This Morning. The company that made the coffee machine paid ITV to have their product on the show. This Morning did not have to mention it or the brand, but it just had to be in the background. The product placement logo appears in the corner of the titles of any show that uses it.
For most television channels, funding comes from advertisements. The only channels that do not have advertisements are BBC channels as the BBC gets their funding through the licence fee. Adverts advertise certain products and try to influence the viewer into buying them. The company that wants to advertise on television pays the channel for it to be aired in between a certain show or at a certain time.
These sources of income are the most popular, but there are also things such as sponsorships, downloads, sales, and merchandise to consider in other parts of the creative media industry. For example in the publishing sector, income comes largely from newspaper, magazine, book, etc. sales and advertisements. Advertisements are popularly used in most newspapers and magazines. Businesses, members of the public, and others pay the publication to advertise their business, product, etc. for different prices depending on the size and placement of the advert.
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