Job roles in the media Industry

2. A photographer’s job is to create visual images for a range of creative purposes.
Most photographer’s work for a client or an employer but can work independently.
Although a photographer can take pictures of anything, some photographers
categorise their work into a genre.
For Example:
 Advertising
 Corporate
 Edititonal
 Fashion
 Fine art
 And social photography (weddings, commercial and portraiture)
These types of genres help clients and employers find the right photographer for
what they are aiming for.
As much as photography can be fun there are lots of responsibilities required when
working with a client or employer.
When working with a client you really want to aim to meet their set brief, although
you can use your creative mind sticking to their brief will please them!
Use your imagination! A shot might not look good in your mind but through the lens
the shot could look amazing!
Working hours
Hours can be long depending on the client or employer, for example if you are
working with a client, the hours will be up to them. If you are a freelance
photographer you may have busy weeks than others.
Qualifications are important in a competitive business working as a photographer,
the main qualifications to have are:
Art and Design, fine art, graphics, media studies and of course photography.

3. Salary
In the creative industry salary can vary, most photographers are freelancers,
meaning they charge to what they think they can do with the amount of work they
can handle. So income will vary.
If you are working in full time employment salaries can start from £12,000 to £22,000
this is a very good starting salary for a photographer! But salaries can increase to
£25,000 to 65,000 for photographers that are well known.

4. Product designers work on new products or improving on existing products. They
use their knowledge and understanding of technology to improve the design and the
usability of a product.
Some work involves:
 Designing
 Modelling
 Testing
 Producing prototypes
They work alongside other clients for example engineers and model-makers.
Working hours
Working hours are usually 9-5 working days but you may have to do overtime due to
deadlines or design difficulties. Although overtime may drag! Usually the hours will
not include weekends or shifts.
Salary
Starting in the industry you could expect a salary between £17,000 to £25,000. This
is a good starting salary!
Designers with a lot of experience, for example a product designer team leader could
make between £25,000 to £45,000 a year.
Even more experiences designers for example senior product designers can earn
£60,000 or more!
Qualifications
Most product designers have a degree, foundation
or HND in a subject related subject.
Although you could also have a degree in Spatial
design, 3D design or industrial design.
You may not have the skills and experience to
begin with but you will learn a degree of technical
knowledge. You will have visual spatial and
commercial awareness.
Eventually you will have the goal and
determination to achieve a good end result.

5. Directors are driven in the creative industry especially with film production they bring
a visual and defining style to a film. They carry out roles such as casting, script
editing, shot composition and editing.
Working hours
Working hours depend on the shoot that you do! Some hours will be long and some
will be short. Depending on the production you may work out on location or in a film
or TV studio. Work may involve travel do different countries or locations depending
on the set for the film/TV show.
Salary
Freelance directors are mainly paid a fee for each project they do, this can vary
depending on the production company. You can contact BECTU (Broadcasting
Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union) for pay guidelines.
Some Directors working on films could agree to work for no pay on the chance that
they will share in the profit that the film will make.
Training and qualifications
You can go to university for film production and make you way up the job roles
starting from being a runner, which will help you gain your commitment into the
industry, this will also give you an insite into the different media roles in the filming
industry.
You can have
extended training
for example going
to film school or
different agencies
to gain extra
experience and
training before
applying for job
roles.

6. Sound Assistants, are strong team players, that have the skills to work in a team,
and pay attention to detail. Being patient is a key skill for this job, especially working
with sound and the changing of audio.
Qualifications
For this job you don’t need a qualification just an interest in the job, and some
experience, experience is not nesseary!
But courses are available for this job role in the UK, and HND to to a degree level in
sound, audio engineering, and music recording.
Working hours
Working hours can be extremely long depending on the project, they will be long and
very unsocial. This will include evenings, and weekends. Your hours will adapt
depending on the project for example if a breaking news story has just come up.
Salary
Depending on the role and production, you may start a salary at £16,000 to £18,000
this is a beginners wage. If you have experience before applying, your salary could
rise to £30,000.
With sound assistants, freelance work is very popular, this will determain your salary.
This a good job to look around all the different media indstry jobs, giving you an
insight of an area you could improve into.

7. A television camera operator works with different types of technology, for example
digital, electronic and film cameras. They produce quality shots with a creative visual
skill. They work with a director or DOP (director of photography).
You may be at different locations for example in a studio, outside broadcast or on a
location. This will give you a different rariety of working conditions and the hours you
may be working.
Working hours
For this job role the hours are very unpredictable, these hours will include evening
weekend and night shoots. Hours can vary from 6-14 hours a day.
Qualifications
This job doesn’t require a
degree, but its always good
to have a degree in an
area based on the media
industry. For example:
 Journalism
 Media production
 Media studies
 Performing arts
 Photography, film or
television.
As I stated above you don’t need a degree to work as a television camera operator
but with a degree in the media industry it will give you the extra skills and experience
to help you better your job.
Salary
Most camera operators are freelancers, and their rates will change depending on the
production.
Some Television Camera Operators can earn up to £254 to £300 pounds a day
depending on the production. The better experience and skills you can offer to a
production the higher your pay rate will be.
This may not be a job you want to stick at for the rest of your life, but It will give you
an insite into other media indstry jobs that you could then work your way to.

8. A runner’s job is a junior role in the media industry, this is a job to get into the
industry, and work your way up the job roles.
The job of a runner includes:
 Tea making
 Transporting scripts and equipment
 Taking messages
 Looking after important guests
 Getting everything ready for a shoot.
This job may be slightly boring and dull but it offers experience and a knowledge of
other departments around the production.
Working hours
For a runner hours are extremely unpredictable, and can be six days a week
depending on the production. You may
work weekends and nights too!
Salary
Some runners work voluntary to gain
experience in the industry, but some
production companies pay runners up to
£8.80 an hour. Depending on the skills you
have. Although working for free, sounds
terrible but it does gain good experience
and working for free shows that you are
determined to commit to the industry.

9. Like most jobs editors mainly work freelance, this gives them different price ranges
to work at depending on the production. Your job is to create a finished product that
is suitable for that production company. You will use camera footage, dialogue,
sound effects, graphics and special effects to make your final piece.
Working hours
Most editors do 9-5 this is office hours, but depending on the production deadline
you may be required to work overtime to ensure that the product is complete to be
screened.
Qualifications
You don’t need a degree in video editing, most learn how to edit through experience
and watching tutorials, this would be gaining experience but you can get a degree in
a related subject to help gain experience and knowledge about the industry for
example:
 Communications
 Media studies
 Photography
 Film and television
 Technology and
multimedia
 Graphic design.
Salary
Depending if you are freelance or
signed by a production company
the salary can be slightly different.
If you are employed by a
production studio the salary could
be between £18,000 to £25,000
this is with very little experience.
If you have experience as an editor for film or video, you could possible earn
£20,000 to £25,000
If you are at a higher level so this could be with a degree and a good level of
experience, you could earn between £27,000 to £70,000

10. This job role requires you to have a high level of responsibility for the arrangements
for locations used for shoots. You will be organising crews and other staff members
to ensure everyone is at the correct location.
Working hours
Working hours vary with this job depending on the season, summer would be the
busiest period due to the weather and the winter being the quietest.
Location managers are the first to arrive on location and are the last to leave to make
sure that everything is in place before actors and arrive and that everything is ready
for the next day.
Qualifications
Although location manager doesn’t have a certain degree you can get a degree in
any media subject to come a location manager the experience is the most important
aspect. Degrees in certain subjects could include:
 Communication
 Media studies
 Film and television
production
 Media and broadcating
production
 Photography
All these subjects will give you
experience with working on
different locations and sets.
Salary
Location managers usually work
freelance and are paid using
contracts, different productions will settle different payments depending on the
qualifications and experience a location manager can offer.
Rates of pay will change, depending on experience and reputation in the industry.
The more reputation you have the more likely you will be given the job at a higher
pay.

11. As a researcher you will contribute your own ideas as well as improving others to
make a good idea, you will find contacts and contributors and collect and prepare
information for the production. This job is often used for starting in the industry to
make your way up to a job you love to do.
Working hours
Most researching jobs are 9-5 depending on the production company that you
employed by, depending on the deadline for that production you may be required to
work overtime to ensure that the idea is complete and everything is prepared.
With researching jobs travel may be required to find contacts or information that you
can’t find over the internet.
Qualifications
This job is open to all aspects for example experienced, degree or neither. But to win
over a production you may
want to consider having a
degree or grades in one of
these subjects:
 Architecture
 Art
 Media
 Design
 English
 Journalism
 Politics.
Salary
Salary can change
depending on experience and reputation in the industry for junior rates it can be
between £400 for a 50-hour week. Researchers with experience can earn up to £650
for a 50-hour week.
Its more common for a researcher to be freelance rather than contracted. This
means they can charge more depending on the project.

12. A producer will watch over each project and help complete the product making sure
everything looks okay. They may also be involved in marketing and distribution.
A producer will work closely with DOP (director of photography) directors and
location managers to ensure everything looks good and is running smoothly. They
have a lot of responsibility, for making sure they have the correct money, enough
research is complete, that writers have completed the script. They will have the
responsibility to hire staff with enough experience for what they are looking for and
also having the budget to do so.
Working hours
Hours will be weekends and most evenings very unsociable hours, for example
going to meetings or being in the office all day completing paperwork.
Qualifications
Although you can work up the media industry with experience its always sensible to
have a degree in a subject related to the job you are applying for.
Subjects like:
 Communications
 Photography/film/television
 Technology
 Broadcasting.
Salary
Salary’s for producer with little experience can be from £18,000 to £25,000 and with
experience can be between £40,000 and £55,000. Freelance producers will vary
their cost depending on the production and the working hours.
All my information gathered for this booklet was found at
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/ and http://creativeskillset.org/