1. Unit 3: Introduction to
Professional Practice
Job Roles and
Working in the Creative Media Production Industry
2. Introduction to
Professional Practice
• Unit 3 is designed to introduce the variety of roles,
responsibilities, employment and progression opportunities
available in this sector, Media Production.
• As such you will be investigating your own options, methods of
work and planning for the future.
• Assessment in this unit is from set assignments and the
cumulative production journal at the end of the year.
• It is therefore important that you not only track the process of
how you have worked in each project, but also how you have
developed over the year
3. Assessment criteria/Task List
1. Understand progression
opportunities within the
creative media sector.
1.1 Locate, access and use
information to support
own development.
- Illustrated sector guide
- Practitioner research file
- Five Year Plan
2. Understand the skills
needed to pursue a career
in the creative media
sector.
2.1 Critically evaluate a range
of working practices and
methods.
- Music Video Process Log
- End of Year Review
2.2 Apply knowledge of
working practices to
support own
development.
- Music Video Process Log
- End of Year Review
3. Be able to carry out roles
and responsibilities
consistent with
professional practice.
3.1 Organise self and work
to meet deadlines and
targets.
- End of Year 1 review
3.2 Demonstrate
consideration and
professionalism in working
with others.
- End of Year 1 review
4. Task 1: Illustrated Sector Guide [1.1]
Research a sector of the industry that you are interested in working in [e.g. film
production, TV, radio, graphic design, etc]. Use the information you find to produce an
illustrated guide to that sector. Include facts about employment, skills needed,
workforce information, etc.
Task 2: Practitioner Research File [1.1]
Within your chosen sector identify someone who is a notable practitioner and produce
a fact file about them. Research their journey to where they are now; look at
education, experience, skillset and look for insightful quotes about them and by them
to build a picture of who they are and how they work.
Task 3: Five Year Plan [1.1]
Produce a plan taking into account where you are now, what you will need to do next
and how to go about that in the next 5 years. Outline educational requirements
[college, University, courses, etc], experience you will need/would like to gain and
personal development that will be necessary to you in your future plans.
5. Task 4: Music Video Process Log [2.1, 2.2]
Complete the Music Video Process Log to evidence how you worked technically during
the Music Video production phase. Screenshot and explain how you managed to get
your production finalised.
Task 5: End of Year Review [2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2]
Produce an end of year review looking at how you have worked across the year,
considering each stage of production, which productions have worked/not worked,
how you have managed your time, what skills you have developed, how you have
worked with others and how you organised your time, resources and equipment
throughout the year. You should then produce an action plan for Year 2 selecting 5 key
areas you wish to focus on to develop further.
7. Task 1: Illustrated Sector Guide [1.1]
Research a sector of the industry that you are interested in working in [e.g.
film production, TV, radio, graphic design, etc]. Use the information you find to
produce an illustrated guide to that sector. Include facts about employment,
skills needed, workforce information, etc.
8. What we want from you is research in to the part of the media industry that you are
most interested in. That could be films, magazines, video games, television,
journalism… whatever you are interested in.
Find out about that industry. What jobs roles are available? What skills do people
need to work in that industry? What level of education is needed? How diverse, or
not, is the industry?
We want some good facts and figures that you can take and then use in your
illustrated guide.
Write down the information that you find, and keep a record of where you found it.
It’s best to get lots of research, and then pick the most useful information from that.
9. When making your illustrated guide, think carefully about all the elements
involved.
A good guide will have:
• Concise information
• Consistent image style
• Clear, consistent typography
• A coherent colour scheme
All of these elements need to work together to create your guide.
12. Task 2: Practitioner Research File [1.1]
Within your chosen sector identify someone who is a notable practitioner and produce
a fact file about them. Research their journey to where they are now; look at
education, experience, skillset and look for insightful quotes about them and by them
to build a picture of who they are and how they work.
13. What we want from you is research a specific person that works in the part of the industry
you made your illustrated guide for. Focus on those involved in the production of media,
rather than people who just appear in it.
Find out as much as you can about them, to help you produce your fact file.
We want to know what their education was like, what experience they have and what skills
they have. Find quotes about them. Read about them. Get a good picture of who they are
and how they got to where they are.
Write down the information that you find, and keep a record of where you found it. It’s best
to get lots of research, and then pick the most useful information from that.
14. When making a fact file, think carefully about all the elements involved.
A good fact file will have:
• Concise and relevant information
• Quotes about the practitioner
• Information on their work and achievements
• Background on how they got in to the industry
• What insight you have taken from this that can help you in your
development?
This information can be presented with graphics, typography and a colour
scheme.
15. Danny Boyle – Film director
Danny Boyle was born on 20 October 1956, in Greater Manchester. He was brought up in
a working-class catholic family and was an alterboy for years, as his mum had preisthood
in mind for him. This was until he started doing drama. Danny Boyle stated "I think, all
these directors – Martin scorsese, John Woo, – they were all meant to be priests. There's
something very theatrical about it. It's basically the same job, poncing around, telling
people what to think." He attended Thornleigh Salesian College, a Catholic boys' school
in Bolton, and studied English and Drama at the University College of North Wales
(now Bangor University), where he directed several productions for the student drama
society.
After graduating from university he began his career at the Joint Stock Theatre Company,
before moving onto the Royal Court Theatre in 1982 where he directed "The Genius"
by Howard Brenton and "Saved" by Edward Bond. He also directed five productions for
the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1987, Boyle started working in television as a producer
for BBC Northern Ireland where he produced multiple tv films such as "Arise and Go Now"
as well as "For the Greater good".
16. Boyle's Film Career
"It had eviscerated my brain, completely. I was an impressionable twenty-one-year-
old guy from the sticks. My brain had not been fed and watered with great culture,
you know, as art is meant to do. It had been sandblasted by the power of cinema.
And that's why cinema, despite everything we try to do, it remains a young man's
medium, really, in terms of audience." - Danny Boyle
The first film Boyle directed was Shallow Grave. The film was the most commercially
successful British film of 1995, and won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, as well
as led to the production of Trainspotting, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh. Working
with writer John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald, Shallow Grave earned Boyle
the Best Newcomer Award from the 1996 London Film Critics Circle. Shallow Grave and
Trainspotting caused critics to claim that Boyle had revitalised British cinema in the
early '90s.The BFI ranked Trainspotting the 10th greatest British film of the 20th
century. The great success of these films helped Boyle become the producer he is
today.
18. What are you currently doing to pursue a career in your chosen field?
I am currently studying a Level 3 Creative Media course with intentions of working
in the creative media/photography industry.
19. What do you plan to do next in the pursuit of your chosen field?
20. Select at least three potential University courses that would help you further your career aims. You should state
what the course is, which university it is run by, the entry requirements and why you think it would help you.
After college I would like to spend a year studying art and design at leeds arts university to
help build up a portfolio and get a better understanding of the industry before going onto a
different university to study a diploma. The course is split into 3 stages:
Stage One — You will be set a range of short projects that will develop your understanding
of art and design ‘languages’ in a wide range of media. You will also develop your technical
understanding across a range of workshops.
Stage Two — Your work will begin to follow a specialist path focussing around the following
areas: Graphic Communication (which may include graphic design, comic and concept art,
illustration, animation, creative advertising, photography and filmmaking) Fine Art (may
include drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation and performance), Fashion &
Textiles (which may include fashion or costume design, fashion branding or textile design)
or 3D Design (which may include product design, interior design, theatre design, design
crafts and architecture). You will have the opportunity to work with a wide range of media
and engage in a series of one-to-one tutorials and group critiques.
Stage Three — This stage is a 9 week project that is proposed, time managed and
undertaken by you. The project forms the bulk of the work that you will exhibit in the End
of Year Show. A programme of lectures, seminars, research and reading will introduce you
to the breadth of art and design. You will develop an understanding of contemporary
practice within your specialist pathway and will compile a critical journal; this will prepare
21. Select at least three potential University courses that would help you further your career aims. You should state
what the course is, which university it is run by, the entry requirements and why you think it would help you.
The entry requirements for this course are GCSE results and projected A level
grade. As well as this I wll also be required to send three examples of your work
which shows your interest and ability in art, design and/or technology. I think this
course will help me because I will learn a lot more about the creative industry
while also building up a portfolio to allow me to study a diploma course at a
university of my choice.
22. What type of work experience do you think you would need to help you in your future career? How might you
be able to find work experience placements? If you could pick anywhere to do work experience, where would it
be and why?
To help me with this I will try to get work experience at independent fashion
magazine companies. I feel this will help me as part of the course I want to specialize
in would be creative photography/fashion photography. I will be helped by the
university to find a work placement that represents what I want to do.
23. What specific skills do you need to develop? There should be a mix of industry specific skills and also personal
development points. When you identify these, come up with suggestions as to how you might make those
improvements.
26. Task 5: End of Year Review [2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2]
Produce an end of year review looking at how you have worked across the year,
considering each stage of production, which productions have worked/not worked,
how you have managed your time, what skills you have developed, how you have
worked with others and how you organised your time, resources and equipment
throughout the year. You should then produce an action plan for Year 2 selecting 5
key areas you wish to focus on to develop further.
Complete the following slides to review your year. You can add images if you want to.
You can get screenshots from any part of your previous projects to support your work
on this.
