1. Unit 2 Learning Aim B
Understand the structure and job roles in a media sector
The TV is quite possibly the biggest sector within the media industry. This sector employs
over 50,000 British people per year and this industry is increasing at a rapid amount
especially with the release of digital technology which is changing the way in which we
watch TV content. In the UK there is a collection of broadcasting services which distribute
content these companys provide over 430 channels for the audience to consume the
content on.
Radio, Broadcasting the radio is a mass media platform and is also one of the oldest and is
also something which you can listen too anywhere whether that may be from home or your
car A tradition of radio services is that the signal is often received through a signal from a
transmitter. This transmitter may be close by or could even be in the middle of nowhere.
The radio can also be accessed on pretty much anything which has WI-FI and because pretty
much everything has wi-fi nowadays even a fridge can have Wi-Fi which is one of the
reasons as to why the radio is as widely spread as it is because it can be accessed on almost
everything
Video Games. These are extremely popular. In 2003 this industry has surpassed other
industry’s such as the motion pictures in revenue The Markets for video games also includes
the consumer buying games etc rather than which platform the consumer plays the games
on.
Film Industry. This is quite possibly the most profitable sectors within the media industry.
This sector is controlled by major film companies such Disney, Paramount and many others.
In the UK the film industry is mainly controlled by the producers and also companies.
Animation. This is used In multiple other media sectors. Animation is also that used in a lot
of advertisements and also movies. The Lion King is a very well known and popular movies
which uses animation
BBC. This is the British Broadcast Corporation this is a public broadcasting service in the UK
this was founded almost a 100 years ago in the October of 1922 by a man called John Reith
this is the biggest broadcasting company in the UK with around 50 thousand workers. The
headquarters of the BBC can be found in London
Industry Size
Back in 2011 the global media industries accounted for nearly 2 trillion in revenue. Within
the media industry there is a large commercial group known as the copyright industries
these company’s make sure that no copyrighted material is being shared about. The content
may slightly differ to an existing content however It may get flagged for copyright is it is
deemed to be too similar
2. Core Industries are industries which have the purpose of create, and distribute or Exhibit
copyrighted content. These could include things such as Music, Motion Picture broadcast
and more
Partial Copyright. These are only applicable when some of their products can qualify for
copyright protection for example if you look at some Car companies their products can not
be fully copyrighted where as sport companies such as Sky and BT Sports for example are
fully copyright protected and if some of their content is being streamed elsewhere they can
have it taken down.
Independent industry this is a company that will manufacture and then sell products that
may enable the creation distribution and also consumption of potential copyrighted
material. This industry includes DVD players, gaming consoles cameras microphones and a
lot more these or products that rely on the copyright industry.
Publishing
The publishing category mainly includes magazines, news papers and also book publishing
these however are growing at rather slow rate where as business information is the only
one growing at a more steady speed. Each of these known as mature industries this
therefore means that they will likely face a degree of threat from the internet this is mainly
because online newspaper articles and magazines are becoming a lot more popular now
which therefore means that the print versions are becoming a lot less popular now
Characteristics of the media industry
Health and safety advisors who work within the film industry will give advice on the health
and safety systems within each production. They also review each company’s health and
safety protocols and also ensuring that the health and safety policy that is in place is
suitable and ensures the safety of all cast and crew, As well as this before a production goes
ahead their must be several risk assessments completed in order to ensure the crew’s
safety.
Employers liability
The majority of employers must insure against liability for injury and diseases for the
employees by law. The employer liability act 1969 ensures that employers have employer
liability insurance.
Employer rights
All employees in a workplace have employees rights which the employer must take into
consideration these rights can range but not limit too
A safe and clean work environment
Pay when sick for so many weeks a year
The ability to request your employer for flexible working hours
Breaks
Time to train
Equal opportunities to all workers
3. Equal Opportunity’s is an act where all people in the workplace should be treated equally
and certain people should not be looked down upon due to things such as race, religion,
sexual orientation and more
In the TV/Film industry confidentiality is a key aspect due to the fact that there is certain
things that need to be a secret in order for other companies to copy their ideas and in most
cases new workers must sign a confidentiality agreement form when they are working on a
project which means that if they leak information after signing the form then the company
can take legal action on them.
Another thing is the Exclusive act which means that when an actor is working on a project
they may be made to sign a form which doesn’t allow them to work with another company
or star in another movie and are also not allowed to work with another company for a
certain time which would be in the contract after leaving the company
Ethical Issues
When it comes to the media industry gender is a topic which is often passed and often
overlooked by the media. This is mainly since sexismis common with society however this
doesn’t mean to say that it should be allowed. In movies stereotypes which are sometimes
seen would be a woman acting in roles such as a housewife which is a thing that some
people stereotype with females whereas men are sometimes seen to be doing more
masculine which is another stereotype of society
Another topic which is rather controversial is religion. Especially with how easy it is for the
media to potentially discriminate against a religion or even insult them which may even be
accidental, and with the amount of followers certain outlets have.
Roles
Producer: The producer is the one who is responsible with managing the production
throughout. The producer is also the person who is in charge of developing the project from
the initial idea and manages things such as the financing and making sure the production
team is working otherwise he will lose money. The producer is also usually known as the
leader of the production team
Screenwriter: The scriptwriter develops the dialogue from scratch. They also are tasked with
shaping the sequence of events in the project and also trying to make the scenes switch
from one another while making the switch look realistic.
Cinematographer: they have the role of directing the photography of the production and
also capturing the script on video
Editor: Shortly after the production has started to take place the editor will then start the
arrange the clips and also some of the individual shots into a continuous sequence. For
example in a scene there is still a lot of shots that need to be taken and the editor is tasked
with where to place the clips in order to keep it flowing while also trying to keep it in order
with the script.
4. Costume Designers: The costume designers have a rather important role in production as
they have to design costumes for the actors which matches the time period the project is
set in and also what matches how they are described in the script
Production designer: this is an important role because they must translate the script into a
visual form before a single clip had even been shot, The production designer is also in
charge of creating a number of storyboards to give a brief visualisation of how the shots are
going to look
Actors: the actor is somebody who will work closely with the director and also the
cinematographer as they are the ones responsible for portraying the character in the movie
Music: music is something that has became a key part in movies since back in the
19thcentury when silent movies where a thing and the music supervisor is someone that is in
charge of picking music to suit the movie and also the audience which the movie is aimed at
Director: The director is a key role and is the one who oversees the production, Shooting
and assembly of the movie. The directors is someone who works close with people working
on the project
