An updated edition of this document.

1. Working in the Creative
Media Industry
Chaz Zalesinski

2. Introduction
• The media industry consists of many different sectors, each
involving their own products, practices and qualification required
to produce their content.
• Within this presentation we will take a look at each sector in some
detail, and go into further detail regarding one of these sectors
later on.
• Within this presentation we will also look at the varying job roles
within these sectors, as well as analysing differences and
similarities within them.

3. Media Industry Sectors
The different sectors within the media industry are:
• Film
• Television
• Radio
• Animation
• Publishing
• Computer Games
• Advertising and Marketing

4. • Now let’s look at each of these sectors individually…

5. Film and Television

6. Overview
• The film industry is known far and wide for its diverse range of products
and has been around for many years, and so it can be said that it is well-
established within the public and modern pop-culture as a whole.
• Just like every media sector, the film industry has its own set of job that
must be fulfilled when working on a production.
• These consist of: directors, producers, production designers,
screenwriters, editors, art directors, costume designers,
cinematographers, music composers and of course, the actors.
• Each of these roles is essential to the production of a film, and therefore
each job must be carried out professionally.

7. Job Roles
• Director – While directors are often compared to authors, this sort of comparison would be incorrect, as it assumes that
the director (like the author) does everything. However, this is simply not the case, as while the director may work at the
centre of the production, they are assisted by various artists and technicians to help their vision become a reality. To put it
simply, the director is in charge of overseeing the film’s shooting and overall assembly, and while they are a vital part of a
production, they are not responsible for it as a whole.
• Producer – The producer manages the given production from its beginning right to its very end. They develop the project
from the initial idea, make sure the script is finalised, arrange financing for the project etc. Essentially, the producer
manages the production team from start to finish to make sure that everyone is on-schedule and completing their work to
an acceptable standard. A movie cannot get made without a producer.
• Production Designer – The production designer is the first person to translate the written film into a visual one by creating
the storyboards that will be used as the film’s first draft. These storyboards are not only a beneficial guide for the director
during production, but will also serve as a template during the editing process.
• Screenwriter – The screenwriter writes the initial script that will be used for the production of a film in its later stages.
When writing the script, the screenwriter ensures that the dialogue within the story is adequate, that the story runs
smoothly, and that the sequence of events in the film is logical and interesting. The role of a screenwriter is often
overlooked, much like the role of a producer, however they are both essential to the production of a film… without a
script, there can be no movie.
• Editor – After the shooting of a film begins, the editor begins to organise the footage and begins to arrange the planned
sequences. The editor's choices of which shots to use, where to place them and how to manipulate them can have a major
effect on the final product within a film production. As stated before, the editor can use the initial draft storyboards
created by the production designer as a stylistic guideline during the editing process.

8. • Art Director – The art director is responsible for acquiring props, and making the sets for the film production. When they
are creating the setting for a given scene, they must take into account the stylistic choices of the film and consider
whether their created setting will fit in with the rest of the movie, and so their role can be considered essential to the
production process.
• Costume Designer – The name in itself describes this individual’s job pretty well, however there can be more to costume
designing than initially meets the eye. When designing a character’s costume, the costume designer must consider the
film’s time period, as well as the character’s social standing and any other ideas that they could convey within the costume
through mise en scene about a given character.
• Cinematographer – Also known as the ‘Director of Photography’, the cinematographer assists the director during shooting
to achieve a certain feel in a scene, using lighting and the camera’s technical properties. While this role may seem quite
simple, the craft of cinematography is known to be very specific and it is often a challenge to achieve certain atmospheres
when shooting a film.
• Music Composer – Music has been a crucial part of films since cinema’s beginning in the 2890’s. The job of a music
composer is to produce appropriate music for a film, as well as aligning it with the events happening on-screen. Music is a
huge part of making a film come to life, so a music composer is vital to a successful production.
• Actor(s) – The actors are responsible for portraying their given roles on-screen. While this may seem quite simple at first,
when looked into deeper one can see that an actor must take many things into consideration when portraying their
character in order to portray them faithfully to the original idea. The actor works closely with the cinematographer and
the director to achieve this accurate portrayal, and is one of the most essential parts of a production.

9. Contracts
• When an individual chooses to seek a position within the media industry, it often depends on
their condition of employment with regards to how they will go about obtaining this position.
• If they are a freelancer in what they do (i.e. freelance editor, freelance writer etc.) their
main goal is to find a production team and employer willing to take them on for a specific
project. If they obtain this position and perform exceptionally, some individuals involved may
be willing to keep them around for future projects, offering them an extended position and
opportunity to gain further experience in their field.
• However, if an individual is seeking to gain a contract position immediately, they will likely
have to go about thi through a contact of theirs within the industry that could grant them the
reference necessary to be noticed by the other industry professionals, and offered a contract
for a single project or multiple projects at a specific film production company or studio.
• An example of this could be when an actor signs a multi-movie deal contract, which binds
them to a certain amount of movies they must appear in as either main characters or even
small ‘cameos.’ After that deal is up, the actors would have a choice between ending the
relationship with the studio or extending their contract further, should the studio be willing to
and wanting to keep them involved within their projects.

10. Summary
• As seen on the previous slides, there are countless amounts of people involved
in making a film or tv series when a project is being produced even beyond
what we looked into.
• The act of these people all working together is what allows the final product to
be of a high standard, and each individual’s responsibility is crucial to the film’s
success when it is being produced.
• This is not the only example of large bodies of people working together
however, as throughout this presentation we will see that many working
individuals are required to produce many different kinds of content within the
media industry.
• Both the film and television industry work on a very similar level, however it is
often the case that a tv show must first be pitched to a tv studio (like the BBC)
in order to be produced via corporate funding, whereas movies are funded on a
grander scale and with a different commissioning process.

11. Radio

12. Overview
• While the film and television industry has blown up in pop-culture
within mainstream audiences, many people forget to acknowledge
the radio industry as they continue listening to the radio in the
background of every day life.
• However, this does not mean that this sector is any less important
than the others, as it too features its own set of job roles that are
required to harmoniously produce quality content within the
industry.
• Within this presentation we will consider the jobs of: radio
presenters, radio producers, broadcast assistants and radio
commercial producers.

13. Job Roles
• Radio Presenter – The radio presenter is known as the “voice” of a station. The responsibilities of a radio presenter can
vary depending on the station that they work for. At times they may be required to travel on-location to carry out an
interview or cover a specific event, and other times they will simply be confined within the station’s studio and be
expected to keep the show running. Radio presenters are usually self employed, working on fixed term contracts, and must
be able to work well under pressure as well as having some experience with talking to an audience. A radio presenter must
also have some experience with technical equipment which they will be required to use within the studio, and it would
help them if they had some experience with performing as well as this would help them to develop a unique performance
identity and style which employers often look for.
• Radio Producer – The responsibility of a radio producer is to come up with and develop idea for the radio station’s
broadcasted content. This includes writing any scripted shows, as well as recording them and/or overseeing any live
productions that may take place. Much like a film producer, the radio producer is required to seek out and choose ideas for
the content of a given radio station. Without a producer, there can be no content to be broadcast.
• Radio Broadcast Assistant – While the presenter and producer work away to create a product of adequate quality for their
radio station, the latter are assisted by the broadcast assistant. The broadcast assistant helps the producer and presenter
to prepare for the content that they will be creating, by helping with research, technical maintenance etc. broadcast
assistants find it beneficial to be able to meet deadlines accordingly an also thrive on goo organisational skills, as this
helps them to manage their tasks and perform their job adequately.
• Radio Commercial Producer – The name of this position highlights the role of the individual perfectly – it is their
responsibility to produce advertisements that will air on the radio during the commercial breaks. This individual is required
to have and open and creative mind within their productions, and any interest in advertising and marketing will also help
them in this position (we will explore the advertising sector later on).

14. Summary
• While the radio sector of the media industry does seem to require less
personnel than the other more demanding sectors, this does not men that less
work is done by each of the previously mentioned individuals.
• Each of these positions require the person to work hard in order to stay on-
schedule and therefore not to slow down the production of any projects that
may be created within the radio industry.
• In fact, due to the lower amount of required individuals, it could be said that
each of these individuals is required to do larger amounts of work as there are
less assigned people on a particular project.
• However a person may see it, in the end the radio industry requires just as
much time and effort as all of the other industries discussed within this
presentation, but it does feature some of its more unique attributes like its
primary focus on sound equipment and conveying ideas through voices and
sounds, which truly differentiates it from the other media sectors.

15. Animation

16. Overview
• From its beginning in the 1920s all the way to one of its most
thriving times, animation has always been a unique sector of the
media industry, allowing for the creation of products
conceptualised by only one’s imagination.
• The animation genre can be split into three major sub-genres: 2D,
3D, and CGI.
• All three of these sub-genres require many of the same types of
personnel as the film and television industry such as directors and
producers, however the job roles that we will consider within this
presentation are more specific to the animation sector of the
media industry.

17. Job Roles
• Animator – The responsibilities of an animator vary depending on their circumstances. Animators range from 2D/3D animators to stop-motion
animators to CG animators, each of them requiring specific skills within their type of animation. The main job of an animator however, is to
make images move and come to life on-screen using their skills. The characters they use to do this are often designed by them, although they
can also come from another source linked to a specific project like a character designer.
• 3D Artist – A 3D artist is responsible for creating any 3D objects that will be used within a project linking to any type of 3D animation. This can
include both settings and characters, and can even include certain objects. A 3D artist must have experience with modelling using specific
software popular within the industry, and must be able to manipulate this software accordingly to produce adequate character rigs or setting
models to be used within a project.
• Compositor – The compositor’s responsibilities are employed during the final parts of the post-production process within an animation project.
Their job is to take all of the created layers and blend them in a way that allows them to work seamlessly with each other to achieve a desired
effect. This can include VFX layers and animated layers being joined together to form a certain sequence, and the compositor must be very
precise with regards to the placement of each layer so as to match them perfectly with each other.
• Matte Painter – Matte painters are responsible for creating a photo-realistic image for it t be used as a background setting in a scene when it is
too expensive or impossible for it to be created in 3D or in live-action photography. While traditional matte painters would paint their paintings
on glass for them to be used with real-life footage afterwards, as time progressed and the modern age introduced computers into animation,
matte painters have moved away from glass painting and onto a more digital approach. However, both digital and physical painting skills can
come in handy within this particular line of work.
• Motion Graphics Artist – The work of a motion graphics artist can often be seen within the end-credits sequence of a film, as they are
responsible for 3D typography, digital graphics and other such visual effects, sometimes even within commercials. Visual communication plays a
vital role within this line of work.

18. Summary
• After looking at some of the job roles within the animation industry, it is
clear to see that synchronisation and working in harmony with each
individual’s practices is vital to a successful production of an animated
project.
• While the film and radio sectors of the media industry also rely on
harmonious work within the production team, it can said that the
animation industry relies more heavily on this as each person’s own
products work more closely with the others.
• Each employed person creates their own piece of the puzzle, and it is
then all interconnected into one final product, which is a unique
example of intertwining responsibilities within the media industry.

19. Publishing

20. Overview
• The publishing sector of the media industry differs greatly from
the previously discussed sectors within this presentation, as it is
the first one within this presentation to only include written word
as a means of communication.
• The publishing sector has a unique selection of job roles within
the writing industry, which we will look into soon, each being a
part of a writer’s commissioning process.

21. Job Roles
• Book Editors – Book editors are responsible for finding and working with talented writers to help them perfect what they
are writing, so that the final product is of adequate quality when it hits store shelves.
• Copy Editors – Copy editors not only work within book publishing, but also within magazines, newspapers and websites. It
is their job to seek out any grammatical errors while working with the editors to help them perfect their client’s work.
• Literary Agents – This individual works much like the editor, however their job takes place earlier in the process. It is they
who find the author and then proceed to sell their book to an editor, taking a share of the proceeds gained.
• Literary Scouts – This individual is more closely linked to the film and television industry, as it is they who search out
authors and books to be adapted into an on-screen production once their work has been published and has gained some
success to be considered.
• Publicists – This individual helps their client to develop their social image, as well as managing their relationships with
publishers and corporations in order to be able to pitch any future ideas to them on behalf of their client. Sometimes when
their client is in a difficult situation, the publicist may be required to settle speculations and calm people with regards to
their opinions on an individual.
• Production Editors – It is the production editor’s responsibility to make sure that manuscripts for books are edited,
proofread, designed and printed on-schedule, as well as helping the author make their books look more polished and
original.

22. Summary
• Overall, it can be said that the publishing industry has its own
unique way for each working individual to work through the
commissioning and publishing process.
• From the editors to the authors themselves, everyone once again
plays a vital part in finalising the initial product in hopes of
releasing a near-perfectly formatted publication.
• To put it simply, every single individual helps to create a given
product within this industry, much like the other sectors within
media, as the collective effort of each job role helps to perfect
the final product as a whole.

23. Computer Games

24. Overview
• While each of the previously discussed sectors of the media
industry has something to offer to the audience (or reader), none
of these platforms really give the audience any sort of input into
what they are viewing or reading.
• This is where computer games revolutionise the media industry, as
this opens up countless possibilities for player-driven narratives
and other such unique features that could only exist within this
media sector.
• However, creating such innovative products is not easy task, which
is why it’s worth acknowledging the work and individuals behind
the majority of modern games.

25. Job Roles
• Project Manager – This individual’s responsibility is to ensure that the project is completed on time and that the entire
production is always running on-schedule. Before the production of a game begins, this individual sets milestones and
assigns teams and equipment in preparation for the project, so that everything is in place once production begins.
• Creative Director – At its core, the creative director’s job is to define the artistic approach that the team will take
towards a game. They work within their specific team, and oversee the production of concept art of the game (an element
they can also undertake themselves) which will ultimately define the game visually. This individual can also research and
test out different models, animation, textures and lighting techniques which will be used to give the final product a
distinct and unique style. After tis process, the creative director then oversees the art and animation teams, specifying
what needs to be produced and ensuring that deadlines are met and that their budget is being used wisely.
• Concept Artist – This individual produces the concept art for a game throughout the production process, which is often
used as a starting point for the art and animation teams with regards to the game’s setting and character designs.
• 3D Modelling Artist – As the name implies, the responsibility of this individual is to take the objects and characters
presented to them in the concept art and create 3D models of them that will later be used within the game itself.
• Environment Artist – This individual creates the worlds that the video games take place in, using their knowledge of both
artistic and technical processes in order to achieve a desired effect for their game.
• Special Effects Artist – This type of artist is responsible for effects such as smoke and other such minor yet important
details within a game.
• Texturing Artist – Working closely with the 3D modelling artist, this individual creates the textures that will be applied to
the created 3D models within the game.

26. • Lead Programmer – The lead programmer of a game manages the software engineering of the project. It is their
responsibility to check for any coding bugs and fix them, as well as ensuring the effectiveness and quality of the game
code. It is also their responsibility to assist the programming team to achieve adequate graphics, physics, build engineering
and in some cases, artificial intelligence.
• Gameplay Designer – The gameplay designer defines the rules within a game – they have the final say about what the
player will and won’t be able to do, as well as deciding whether a system of player progression will be implemented.
• Level Editor – The level editor is responsible for designing the levels that a player will go through within a game. During
this process, they sketch out ideas that are to be 3D tested, as well as develop a number of assets (both gameplay related
and technical) to assist within a particular level.
• Sound Designer – This individual’s job is described perfectly by their job title – they create all of the sound effects within a
game, often working closely with the audio programmer and in some cases even owning this position as well.
• Audio Programmer – The audio programmer produces a game’s sound design, working with sound designers, composers etc.
in order to create a wide variety of sounds appropriate to the game that is in production.
• Assistant Producer – The assistant producer oversees the production of a game, also overseeing both internal and external
communication. Some of their responsibilities are milestone tracking, review and approval processes, filing and archiving
game assets, handling outsourcing, organising press visits and releasing game demos.
• External Producer – The external producer advises the developer and ensures that the publisher has the information
required to make the game a commercial success, including coordinating the release of screenshots and gameplay demos
for he public, handling outsourcing with the internal producer and running focus tests.

27. Summary
• The computer game sector of the media industry is quite unique when
compared to the other sectors, as it requires noticeably larger amounts
of people to make the project a success in the long run.
• This is not a surprise however, as games tend to require a lot more
technical considerations and attention during the production process,
meaning that a larger number of people working on the project is logical
to say the least.
• This larger amount of staff could raise problems however, and so
organisational skills of the producers and project leaders will come into
play very often in order to meet deadlines accordingly and to avoid any
bumps along the way.

28. Deeper Analysis of the
Film Industry

29. Introduction
• Now that we have taken a look at each of the media sectors
individually, it is also beneficial to consider one of them in detail
to gain a greater understanding of the inner workings of the media
industry as a whole.
• In this case we will take a deeper dive into the film industry,
analysing the logistics that are involved within it, including the
major players, financing and legal and ethical considerations that
need to be made when working on a project.

30. Major Players
• While it is possible for individual and lesser known studios to gain some
attention and popularity within the film industry, the main spotlight is usually
confined to larger production companies and studios. These include but are not
limited to:
• Warner Bros.
• Sony Pictures
• Walt Disney Studios
• Universal Pictures
• 20th Century Fox
• Paramount Pictures
• Lionsgate Films
• All of these ‘major players’ within the film industry attract huge numbers of
individuals that wish to be employed within their staff, meaning that standards
are always set high when one is searching for a job within this industry.

31. Financing
• When a film is ‘greenlit’ for production, most commonly it is the responsibility of the
producer to organise financing for the project that they are overseeing.
• At times this can even mean that they themselves have to invest in the project to meet a
desired budget and pay for talent, equipment etc.
• In other cases, the producer may have the option of taking a loan and offering to return the
money from the revenue that the film creates after its release.
• In almost all cases however, financing is directly linked to the risks of creating the film in the
first place, as there is no promise of an adequate revenue at the end of the project’s run.
• This could mean that in some cases, the personnel and equipment that is hired for a film
project would need to be kept to a minimum, and if this were to be the case within most
projects, it would make it increasingly hard for individuals with high-end expertise to find
employment within their sectors as the majority of active projects would be confining
themselves to a small number of staff, therefore reducing employment options for those
seeking to find a job within the film industry.

32. Legal and Ethical Considerations
• When a film is being produced, there are some legal and ethical considerations
that could impact a project as a whole if considered too late within the process.
• Some of these considerations are: extreme violence, sexual content,
controversial topics and libel/slander of specific persons or groups.
• The majority of these considerations initially take place during the scriptwriting
process within a movie production, however this does not mean that they are
any less impactful, as these considerations often have the power to change a
film’s story if it is too heavily focused on violence and gore or sexual themes.
• However, these considerations become even more prominent when a film may
be accused of slander towards a certain racial or social group, which throughout
history has been shown to be able to affect whole studios’ reputations and
social standings, therefore again running the risk of low employability rates.

33. Major Player – Kevin Feige
• A major example of a successful and powerful
individual within the film industry is Kevin Feige,
who started as a simple producer and slowly
worked his way up to becoming the head of
Marvel Studios. Kevin’s position within the
company is so high that he would rarely gain the
opportunity to be questioned by any of his
supervisors in higher positions so long as he turns
in a profit, which he has been able to do
consistently following the success of the MCU as
of this day.

34. Conclusion
• In conclusion, the film industry, as big as it may be within modern
pop-culture and society, is surely not immune to the variables that
may impact it on a financial level, which in turn also affects the
employability within this media sector.
• The many inner workings of staff, financing and legal and ethical
considerations within a film project all have the power to change
a project’s (and occasionally even a whole studio’s) financial
status, meaning that all of the would need to be kept in-check
regularly by producers in order to avoid any issues that could arise
because of a lack of maintenance upon them.

35. Thank you for viewing
this presentation!
I hope the information provided is beneficial.