A screenwriter practices the craft of writing screenplays for films, television programs, comics, or video games. They provide the blueprint for the input of producers, directors, editors, and cast and crew. Screenwriting is a freelance profession, so anyone can become a screenwriter with imagination and storytelling abilities. However, one generally needs representation from a talent agency to transition from amateur to professional screenwriter. Many screenwriters also have other jobs in the media industry like producer, director, or actor. Famous screenwriters include Aaron Sorkin, Robert Towne, Lorene Scafaria, Diablo Cody, and John Cleese.

1. EMPLOYMENT IN THE
MEDIA INDUSTRY
BY TALIA VACHMAN AND FILIPA SOARES-EUSEBIO

2. FILM DIRECTORS
A film director is a person who directs the making of a film and so must have great
leadership and organising skills as well as having the ability to keep calm and take control of
situations so as to keep a clear mind in pressuring situations and they must possess people
skills as they work in close proximity with many people.
The Director’s decisions greatly influence how the film will come to be, as they choose the
actors the film will cast and pick which roles they are given. Script editing, shot
composition, shot selection and editing are also responsibilities a director must carry
out..
They manage the technical aspects of filming including the camera, sound, lighting, design
and special effects departments and must have an artistic eye to frame shots and control the
dramatic aspects of the film while guiding the technical crew and actors in a way that that
their vision for the film can be attained.

3. TELEVISION DIRECTORS
A Television Director works within all genres. They are responsible for the look and
sound of a production and the state of the technical elements found in each episode
they direct. They work closely with Producers and/or Writers, enhancing and refining
original ideas made into finished programmes and are responsible for ensuring that
the final programme is remains loyal to the original concept.
They must have a clear and creative vision of the project they are a part of and what
materials are necessary to achieve it. Like film directors, they must be creative and
guide the crew to achieve their vision for what they shoot.
Unlike Film Directors, in television, the directors may constantly rotate and change as
the series continues, so no one director leads the crew for the entire production.

4. DIRECTOR
EXAMPLES:
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director of the 20th
century, also referred to as "The Master of Suspense" for his ability to create thrilling movies and his
ability to make them emanate...well, great suspense. He directed the 1960 film ‘Psycho’ as well as other
famous psychological thrillers/horrors like ‘Vertigo’ (1958), ‘The Birds’ (1963) and more.
He had a recognisable directorial style made by his use of camera movement that mimics a person's
gaze, so that viewers were made to engage in a form of voyeurism. He also framed shots to maximise
anxiety, fear, or empathy, and even reflected such emotions through his use of editing. Hitchcock
directed more than fifty films in his long-lasting career and is often regarded as one of the most
influential directors in cinematic history.
In the late seventies, according to film critic Roger Albert, Hitchcock was “universally considered by
film students to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time” and received a knighthood from Queen
Elizabeth II in 1980, as film Directors Sir Carol Reed and Sir Charlie Chaplin had been previously.

5. Steven Spielberg is an American director and is the highest-grossing director by
worldwide box office ($9.246 billion). Some of his most famous/credible work includes
‘Schindler's List’ (1993), ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ (1982), ‘War Horse’ (2011), ‘Jaws’
(1975), ‘Bridge of Spies’ (2015) and the Indiana Jones movie franchise, amongst many
other movies. Here are a few examples:

6. Tim Burton, is also an American director, known for his dark, gothic and eccentric
fantasy films such as ‘Beetlejuice’ (1988), ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993),
‘James and the Giant Peach’ (1996), ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (2010) plus the sequel in
2016, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), ‘Batman’ (1985) and many, many
more well-known films.
Tim Burton is such a successful director that he is currently the eighth-highest-
grossing director by worldwide box office ($3.998 billion)

7. Some more examples of films by Tim Burton...

8. J. J. Abrams is an American Director, as well as producer and screenwriter. He is
known for his work in action, drama, and science fiction genres and is credited as the
director of films such as Star Trek (2009), and also TV shows such as ‘Alias’ (2001-
2006) and ‘Lost’ (2004–2010) and more

9. DIRECTOR
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
For each Film Director, the conditions of their employment differs depending on their
contract, though for every director, it is generally always a rule that the Director must
not work on any other project whilst working on that particular film or he/she could
be fined, or worse, fired.
Film directors don’t earn an annual salary, but rather, are paid on a film-by-film basis.
How much a director can earn really depends on the film that they are working on.
Directors can earn anywhere between £10,000 and £1,000,000, depending if it’s a short
film or an internationally successful film.
The hours are intense, long and irregular, and filming can take place at any random
time of day, or even night, with the location potentially differing a lot.

10. DIRECTOR
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
A Film Director must have immense artistic vision and creative skills as well as being a
strong leader, able to keep a clear head and make important decisions even under great
pressure, and direct both the technical and artistic aspects of the filming through
guiding the actors and film crew, constantly giving feedback and advice when needed.
They must have the ability to actualize the vision they have for their project to come to
life and be recognised as such. They must be prepared to inspire [success] and work
intense, long hours, always paying close attention to detail in everything.
It is suggested that one practises screenwriting and other such work to attain skills
needed for the job and gain knowledge about the industry, however one doesn’t
officially need a formal qualification to become one.

11. DIRECTOR
METHODS OF RECRUITMENT:
Just like other jobs, one can find a job as a film director through online sources such as ‘the
guardian jobs’ and other websites online such as:
www.indeed.com/q-Film-Director-jobs.html
https://www.jobisjob.co.uk/film-director/jobs
https://www.productionbase.co.uk/film-tv-jobs/director
https://jobs.theguardian.com/jobs/film/
https://www.sokanu.com/careers/film-director/jobs/

12. DIRECTOR
METHODS OF RECRUITMENT:
In addition, one may come across an advertisement in the paper looking for a director.
However, having said that, one generally doesn’t start off as a Director, rather gets
promoted to the job as they make their way from the bottom to the top.
Employers would usually like to hire a person with a lot of experience and knowledge
within many areas of the media industry, and need a demonstration of their good work
and efforts in the past before being given such an important role that requires so much
trust and talent and so, one may first have to work their way up to the top, on the way
gaining knowledge of the industry and various roles and how they work, as well as
making contacts and acquiring necessary skills for the job.

13. In the USA, directors usually belong to the Directors Guild of America.
The Canadian version of this is the Director's Guild of Canada
In the UK, directors usually belong to Directors UK or the Directors Guild of Great
Britain.
FERA, the Federation of European Film Directors, represents 37 national director's'
guilds in 30 countries.
The Guild covers mass media such as radio, TV, film, documentaries and news, etc. It
has various training programs whereby applicants are placed in different productions
to gain experience working in the film or television industry. As of 2017, the guild had
more than 16,000 members.

14. SCREENWRITER
EXPLANATION:
A screenplay writer or ‘screenwriter’ for short, practices the craft of screenwriting, writing
screenplays for films, television programs, comics or videogames, or any other media-related
subject based. They provide the blueprint so-to-speak for the input of the Producer,
Director, Editor, and the rest of the cast and crew.
Screenwriting is a freelance profession, so technically as long as one has a degree of
imagination and storytelling abilities, anyone can become a screenwriter, but one generally
needs a talent agency to present one in order to convert from an amateur screenwriter to a
professional and it takes a lot of trial and error until one may finally be hired for a job.
The majority of times, a person who is a screenwriter has other jobs in addition, within the
media industry such as being a producer, director or actor, etc.

15. SCREENWRITER
EXAMPLES:
Aaron Sorkin is an acclaimed American screenwriter. He wrote the scripts for ‘A Few Good
Men’, ‘Malice’ and ‘The American President’: three films that grossed approximately
US$400 million worldwide.
Robert Towne, also a screenwriter wrote notable film scripts including ‘Chinatown’ (1974),
for which he received an Academy Award; its sequel, ‘The Two Jakes’ (1990) and the
screenplays ‘The Last Detail’ and ‘Shampoo’ which were nominated for the Oscars and he
wrote the first two Mission: Impossible films. Towne has a "stellar reputation" in the motion-
picture industry as an uncredited script doctor, having worked too, on ‘The Godfather’,
‘Bonnie and Clyde’, ‘The Parallax View’ amongst other Hollywood films.
Lorene Scafaria wrote the screenplay for the film ‘Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist’ (2008)

16. Diablo Cody (real name, Brook Busey-Maurio) is an American screenwriter and
producer and has written the screenplays for the films ‘Juno’ (2007), ‘Jennifer’s Body’
(2009), ‘Ricki and the Flash’ (2015) and more.
John Cleese is an English actor, producer, comedian and screenwriter. He achieved
success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a scriptwriter and performer on ‘The Frost
Report.’ he wrote the screenplay for the television series ‘That Was the Week That
Was’ (1962–1963) and co-wrote many other shows in which many times he starred in
himself, such as ‘Fawlty Towers’ which he both wrote and starred in along with his
then wife Connie Booth. The series won three BAFTA awards and topped the British
Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes in the year 2000.

17. David Judah Simon is an American screenwriter and producer amongst other roles in
the media industry. He was the creator, executive producer, head writer, and
showrunner for all five seasons of the HBO television series ‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
and also created the series ‘Treme’ with Eric Overmyer, which aired for four seasons in
2010-2013.

18. SCREENWRITER
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Sometimes to improve certain aspects of the screenplay, producers bring in an
additional Screenwriter to help out with the writing. If this happens, the credit may be
shared with the original Screenwriter or they may be credited for Additional Dialogue
or as a Story Consultant. Sometimes the original Screenwriter may be replaced entirely
by another Screenwriter. The original Screenwriter may then receive a "Screenstory
by..." credit on the finished film.

19. SCREENWRITER
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
Screenwriters have to produce highly creative writing, featuring an interesting plot
with engaging characters, producing an idea fit as a marketable film and must do so in
time to strict deadlines.
Their work must fit in with basic principles of dramatic construction, fitting the
format and style expected in the industry.

20. SCREENWRITER
METHODS OF RECRUITMENT
Screenwriters either pitch original ideas to Producers in the hope that they will be sold
or they are commissioned by a Producer to create a screenplay from a concept or true
story, or existing screen work/ novel/ poem/ play, or even a comic.

21. SO HOW DO THEY WORK TOGETHER?
A Director, Producer, Screenwriter, and Editor all have crucial roles in the making of their
footage, be it for film or TV. They are all, in a sense, the leaders, those who lead the
production; The director guiding the cast and crew, controlling the film's creative vision and
managing the shooting of the film script written by the screenwriter, sometimes based on a
particular concept or story whom usually the producer or director ask for, with the
producer overseeing the process of the production, (preproduction, production and
postproduction). They also ensure that the script is completed [well] and seeing to budgets
and other such business matters (if an Executive Producer).
For a television show, the roles slightly differ in that the show's producers are responsible
for the overall creative vision of the entire show and often write the episode scripts and a
television show director is usually only responsible for the filming of a single episode.

22. Producer
EXPLANATION:
Producer’s fill a variety of roles , they can be employed by production companies or independent, a
producer plans and coordinates multiple aspects of a film production, such as the selection of script,
coordinated writing, directing and editing, and also being able to arrange the financing. There is a stage
known as the “discovery stage”, the producer is inclined to acknowledge material with promising ideals.
When they have successfully chosen the appropriate materials, the producer is suppose to find an
appropriate screenwriter, unless of course the film is suppose to be based on an original script.
For countless reasons, it is not uncommon to find that the producer can not always oversee all the
production. If this is the case it is not odd for the main producer to appoint executive producers, line
producers, or unit production managers to oversee the work and represent the main producer’s
interests.

23. Producer
EXAMPLES:
Bernstein has produced, executive produced, written and directed more than
40 films, including Air Force One, The Hurricane (which he also co-wrote),
Spy Game , The Family Man and The Guardian. The movie ‘End of days’ was
produced by Armyan Bernstein. Bernstein is one of the few that founded
Beacon Communications in 1990, which has become one of the most
successful independently financed film companies in the entertainment
business. Producers have overall control on every aspect of a film's
production so he must have great organising and leadership skills to be able
to manage such big productions.

24. Other bernstein productions...

25. Producer
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED:
Turning story ideas into profitable films, you need to have the ability to see the creative and business
side of filmmaking, they have to be able to put together a talented cast and crew to match the general
idea of the production, the producer must organize how it’s going to go and who should be apart of the
process also who shouldn’t.
They are responsible for all aspects of a film's production and they have to have an in-depth
understanding of the productions process an example being the expanding of the starter idea and taking
the production a step further to bring the work out to it’s potential and be able to predict the end result
of their idea also.
To be a producer you must have creativity and vision as well as the ability to plan and manage the
production and its personnel, and to be able to work with the budget set and work around problems
that come their way.

26. Producer
LOCATIONS OF JOB ADVERTISEMENTS:
You can find advertisement for the job of producer in “The Guardian Jobs” if you search ‘Media jobs’ or
‘film jobs’ you will find a variety of jobs entailing the needs for producers from independent and large
organisations. If you search “film and tv pro” you will find a site you can login to and post your works so
that other producers or directors etc. can see and scout potential producers or crew for upcoming films.
You can also find a site called “indeed” which allows and advertises jobs of all kinds and allows you to
find a job suited for your choice’s you can find jobs were personal contracting is used by an individual to
get a certain type of producer to join their group.

27. Producer
LOCATIONS OF JOB ADVERTISEMENTS #2:
Links to sites:
https://www.indeed.co.uk/Media-jobs
https://www.indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=film&l=
https://www.filmandtvpro.com/uk

28. Producer
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS:
Starting salaries for assistant producers may range from £18,000 to around £25,000 and with experience,
salaries can reach from £40,000 to £55,000. Heads of department can earn from £60,000 to £80,000,
plus benefits such as fees from freelance producers may vary considerably, depending on experience in
production work. Long hours will be spent in meetings on or off location as well as the occasional
unsociable weekends, as a producer you must expect the environment to change the location will never
be the same and this may be because of weather .
The job can be very stressful and you must be able to withstand these high pressure conditions if you
expect to be able to get past problems you need to have a high level of motivation.

29. Editor
EXAMPLES:
Thelma Colbert Schoonmaker is a French-born American film editor who has
worked with director Martin Scorsese for over forty years and successfully
edited multiple films of his getting her multiple nominations for editing awards
world wide.
Thelma Schoonmaker is an editor known for one of her great movies “the
departed” a 2006 movie starring people such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt
Damon, Jack Nicholson. Schoonmaker won 3 Oscars and another 27 wins & 62
nominations, she was known to mostly have worked with director Martin
Scorsese, most of her editing credits except for two from feature films and
documentaries were from films directed by Martin Scorsese.

30. Editor
EXPLANATION:
Editors have the jobs of preparing written, visual, audible and film media used to convey information to the
audience. The process of editing may involve correction , organisation and many other modifications
Done with the intention of producing a correct and consistent complete piece of work in order to bring out the
films potential they make the movie flow better and make sure everything is set in place they basically
assembling shots .
The editing begins with the original idea in place and then being editted around and adding more to it, this
process becomes a joint effort between the editor and the author on how they could change it to become more
visually appealing to their audience.
Editing involves creative skills a social and well thought out plot as well as precise methods to get everything to
run smoothly. In editing there is a hierarchy for the editing process such as when an editorial assistants
reporting to the senior-level editorial staff and directors who report to senior executive editors, who finish the
last editing and make sure everything is in place before the release date.

31. Editor
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED:
For this job you need to be able to actively communicate and share with people, they must be able to
make relevant and well thought out decisions as well as the ability to coordinate with people on the
project and task given. They have to know how to perform quality checks and continuity must be
checked all the time, the match on action must be well put together.
They have to be able to operate a computers and equipment, they have to be able to manage people and
the money given to their department accordingly. They must have an associate degree at least to be able
to be and editor they have to have the knowledge to work it. Editors work closely together with the
directors for the sake of a well made final product for the film, producers are also in close contact with
editors as they tell them what they want the end result to resemble and how it should be, screenwriters
often visit the editors to collaborate on what needs to be changed or modified.

32. Editor
LOCATIONS OF JOB ADVERTISEMENTS:
https://jobs.theguardian.com/searchjobs/?Keywords=film+editor&radialtown=&Locatio
nId=&RadialLocation=30&NearFacetsShown=true&CountryCode=
The link above is from “The Guardian Jobs” it has multiple jobs that are available advertised there and
up for grabs for anyone interested, all you have to do is search up ‘film editing’ jobs and you’ll find a
wide variety to accept, you could also search ‘media’ jobs.
https://www.indeed.co.uk/Film-Editor-jobs
The link above is to a job advertisement website called “Indeed.com”, this a job advertisement site
where you can find your desired job, you just search up your job choice in the search bar and a varying
amount of jobs to match your description appear.

33. Editor
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS:
They must have an average salary of $61k or in pounds £47929.60, or more. They must be able to have
appropriate amount of time off, they always work inside and normally share a space with their co-
workers. During the week they work about 40 hours per week. However, they may be without work
between projects and are allowed to take breaks in this time.
They must be able to work in a group as editing is a group project and this condition means they require
a degree of social skills. Generally have a set schedule for their work However, there is the potential to
work long, irregular hours to meet deadlines.