Careers in Television: Creative Portal

So, you're thinking about a career in television but do you know about all the different types of jobs involved in this sector? Have a look at the list below and see if any of them would suit you.

Researcher
Camera person
Editor
Dubbing Mixer
Sound Recordist
Floor Manager
Graphic Design
Set Design
Electrician
Props
Make up Artist
Craft jobs i.e. carpentry/painting
Journalism

Researcher

You need to be interested in finding things out. The majority of your time will be spent on telephone, asking questions and getting people to do things for you. You will mainly be speaking to strangers, so if you hate using the telephone, this is certainly not the job for you. So, if you're nosy, love questioning things and always seem to have great ideas, this job will really suit you. Researchers tend to move into scriptwriting, producing and directing.

The natural progression from being a researcher is to move into producing. Most people start as runners for little or no money. It's a great way to get in but beware, only do it for a few months, especially if you're not getting paid before asking for a 'real' job.

To become a researcher, you need to target specific producers. This will involve writing them a letter, so you need to make sure that you stand out. Once you've got an interview, it's down to your personality and charm but until then, you must take care to write a great letter. Be specific. Do you want to research for news, documentaries or drama? Tailor your letter to fit the type of programmes the company produces. Always take time to find out who you are writing to. A name is really important. And finally, be enthusiastic. Put across some of your brilliant ideas but make sure you write carefully with special attention to punctuation and spelling.

What qualifications do you need? Well, usually, you will need to have a degree but not necessarily in media or media studies. If you're interested in becoming a researcher for a science programme, a science degree is more than relevant.

Camera Person

If you're comfortable with taking direction and instructions from people, you will probably succeed in a career operating a camera. You will find that the job involves a lot of waiting around, so patience is a must. You will also need to have the ability to do several things at once and have a creative flair.

To become a camera person you will need to start as a trainee camera operator. This can sometimes be as long as two years but once there, most camera people remain in this career.

Sound Recordist

For this career, you need to be fit and be able to think quickly on your feet to anticipate movement. Most of the time you will find yourself attached to the camera person so it is important you keep up with their movements and stay out of shots! You will be interested in hi-tec equipment and not mind being shut in small rooms on your own with headphones permanently fixed onto your ears!

Editor

This is an extremely creative job. You will find that if you like to work things through from beginning to end, this is the job for you. The editor puts all the images together to make it look like a complete piece. It could be you that makes the difference between something looking OK and absolutely fantastic!

It takes a lot of time and money to train to be a great editor. Most start as runners before moving into the editing suite. Again, they tend to stay in that role. Due to the time and money a company will probably invest in you to become a great editor don't think you can use this as an opening to become a producer. Your company will not want to keep re-investing in training up editors.

Dubbing

This is a job for people with excellent attention to detail. If you're a perfectionist then you will really enjoy this type of work. You will also love to work with hi-tec equipment, ensuring that all the sound is at the right levels.

Floor Manager

Can you stay cool under pressure? Are you good at solving problems? Can you use your own initiative and think on your feet? Can you listen and do several things at once? Do you have great negotiations skills? Well, if you can, this is the job for you. Your role is to manage the floor, which means everything from the actors to the audience to the studio staff as well as listening to and following the directors instructions. Floor Managers tend to follow a progression route into drama production or directing. Again, you will begin as a runner before working your way up.

Make-up Artist

If you have a friendly, caring personality this career could suit you. As you will be working with a number of stars you need love working with people.

Most make up artists have either trained as a beauty technician or obtained a degree in drama or art. They tend to begin their careers in theatre working with make up and wigs.

Costume

You will need to have a good idea for colour and aesthetics. You will be a creative person but will need have a good knowledge of period dress, a feel for how particular characters would dress and understand how different lighting may affect the look and colours of the garments.

Most costume designers will have an art or fashion degree. They tend to have worked in theatre before moving into television

Graphic Design

This is a varied and interesting career. It involves doing things with typography and working on end credits to animation. So, if you love computers and have a creative flair, you'll love this career.

Graphic Designers usually have a related art or graphic design degree. You obviously need to be creative, have a good eye for design and colour and be technically minded to work with different design packages.

Television Journalism

Journalism is a good way of getting into television. It is important that you train first. There are lots of degree and post-graduate courses.

Have a look on the ITN website. They run a specific training scheme. Experience in working in news with radios is a good start and will look good on your CV. Another excellent foot on the ladder is to have the NCTJ accreditation (National Council for the Training of Journalists) www.nctj.com

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Another way to gain experience is to start working at your local radio station. Have a look on www.radioacademy.org

Three different ways to get in TV

1. Try to get yourself any job in television. Once you are in the company it is far easier to find out what jobs are going and what you need to do to get into the role. It's a great opportunity to network. Even if you have to offer yourself for free, the important thing is that you've got your foot in the door.

2. Apply for a specialised training scheme. There are several schemes. Have a look on the following websites:

www.itv.co.uk/
www.bbc.co.uk
www.screenyorkshire.co.uk
www.shootingpeople.org

3. Through a placement during your degree. Some universities have good links with television companies and a year is a long time to be able to make an impression and develop lots of contacts. Remember, network, network, network! That's what this sector is all about.

How to find the right course

It's all down to research and matching what you want to do with what different universities offer. The following websites are a great tool for research:

www.skillsformedia.com
www.nctj.com
www.support4learning.org.uk/careers/occup.htm
www.bfi.com

Another great way is to speak to people in the industry. Ask them what type of qualifications they would look for. Which courses and universities impress them? It is important that you enjoy your time at university but it is also important that is recognised by the industry.

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