1. 10 YEAR PLAN
TV runner – As a runner in the TV and film industry, you would work behind the
scenes and do any small jobs and basic tasks necessary to help the production run smoothly.
You need to be willing to turn your hand to any task that needs doing. You need to have
good communication skills to develop good working relationships with people at all levels of
the production. You have to be organised and be able to manage your time well and be able
to think on your feet and use your own initiative when you need to. When working as a
runner you could work in any area of the TV and film production including: a production
office, a studio set or location, art departments or animation studios or in post-production
editing facilities. The jobs you do within these sectors can be varied these tasks can include:
collecting delivering equipment, scripts and other items, disrupting post and running
errands, filing and photocopying, answering phones and greeting visitors, driving vehicles
around sets and locations, finding props , looking after studio quests , keeping sets clean
and tidy and getting lunches and making tea.
When becoming a TV runner there is specific route to becoming one, employers are usually
more interested in enthusiasm, common sense and initiative. It is also good to show that I
have administrate and organisational skills, so it would be good for me to have previous
experience in office work , customer service or even hospitality, this is good as I already
have previous experience in both customer service ( retail) and in hospitality. I will also need
to complete my level 3 diploma in film and TV production, this is not essential but it is a
benefit if I have this qualification. I will also need to gain some experience in the industry,
this shows employers that I have had previous experience working in their kind of
environment and it also gives me a taste of working in the industry, aswell as giving me a
chance to meet new people within the industry and develop new contacts. By developing
these industry contacts this can be a way of finding myself in the future longer term paid
work. Companies such as the BBC, ITV and channel 4 all offer work experience. These 3 big
TV Company’s also offer apprenticeships which include being a TV runner, to get an
apprenticeship I would have to look on the national apprenticeship website find the right
apprenticeship for me and see if my GCSE grades and qualifications matched the entry
requirements for the one I want.
http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/film/job_roles/1701_production_runner
TV OR FILM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - Assistant directors are also known as AD’s,
they support the director by organising and planning everything on the set. Tasks the AD’s
deal with is : planning filming schedules , organising the daily running order on set and
recruiting cast and crew. They will also work closely with director to break scripts down in to

2. 10 YEAR PLAN
a shot by shot story board and then decide the order of the shooting, overseeing the hiring
of locations and props, making sure filming stays on schedule, motivating the cast and crew
and being responsible for health and safety on set are all other tasks assistant directors do.
If I wanted to become an assistant director it is extremely important and will benefit me lots
if I get experience of the production process. It will also work a lot in my advantage if I
gained a wide range of contacts in the industry. As in this type of work employers are more
interested in experience over qualifications. To work my way up to being an assistant
director I would have to start off as some kind of runner or production assistant on set.
http://www.productionbase.co.uk/film-tv-jobs/assistant-director-01.15.0090055
Skills set trade unions and national careers service
These websites can help me in many ways; they help to find the correct available jobs for
me in the industry, Job descriptions and advice on how to get into the industry. They can
help me build up professional CV’s and goals, and put me in contact with the right people
within the industry. They can give me tips on how to apply for jobs in the future and inform
me about opportunities that may occur. These websites offer a 1 on 1 service where it gives
me the opportunity to talk to a professional about anything career related.