Specific job roles in the media

1. Aaron Mistry
JOB ROLES IN THE MEDIA BUSINESS

2. CREATIVE
Costume designer
• Being in charge of designing, creating, acquiring and hiring all costumes for
Actors and extras
• Manage a team of personnel
• Supervising practical issues, such as budgets and schedules, the organisation of
running wardrobes, and costume continuity
• They arrange fittings for actors and extras.
• Supervise fabric research and purchase.
• They should be on set whenever a new costume is worn to make sure that
performers are comfortable, to explain features, and to make any alterations.
• Once filming is completed, they are responsible for the return of hired outfits, and
the sale or disposal of any remaining costumes.
• May be required to work long hours; evening and any extra work may when
working to deadlines.
• Can be based in a studio, office or at home when designing and making
costumes.
• Travel to locations and they are required to attend meetings at theatres or TV/film
production companies.
• Starting salary between £13,000 and £18,000 a year, which could rise to around
£28,000 a year with experience – Senior Costume Designers may earn over
£35,000 a year

3. EDITORIAL
Editor
• Working closely with director to finish final product
• Working in an edit suite for long hours
• Running a team of assistants and trainees on big
productions
• Editors work long, unsociable hours, often under pressure,
in an edit suite.
• They are employed on a freelance basis by the producer
based on their reputation and experience.
• The Editor works closely with the director deciding how to
maximise the potential of the screenplay
• Editors select the best takes and edit them together to
create scenes. In some cases, an improvised line or an
actor’s interpretation of their role may create some on-
screen magic that can be developed into a new and
exciting scene.

4. RESEARCH
Location manager
• Finding ideal locations for a film shoot
• Negotiating fees, terms and permissions
• Managing the location during the shoot
• The search for exactly the right location can take months of research
and scouting.
• Work starts in pre-production, to understand the Director’s creative
vision for the film.
• They have to negotiate the cost and terms of the hire, crew and
vehicle access, parking, noise reduction, power sources, catering
requirements and any official permissions that may be needed.
• They have to make sure that everyone in the cast and crew knows
how to get to the filming location, that it has been signposted clearly
along main routes
• Health and safety must be taken into account at all times
• After the shoot, have to make sure that the location cleaned and
locked up, before returning it to its owners in a satisfactory condition.
Any damage must be reported to the production office and any
insurance claims dealt with.

5. TECHNICAL
Script supervisor
• It is the Script Supervisor’s role to monitor whether it is
possible for each filmed scene to be edited into a verbally
and visually coherent sequence.
• Dramas are usually shot entirely out of script sequence, so
the Script Supervisor ensures that the finished product
makes continuous verbal and visual sense.
• In pre-production they check the script for any errors and/or
inconsistencies and prepare estimated running times and
they attend recces and pre-production meetings to feed back
any identified issues.
• They check the shooting schedule to ensure that the
required scenes will be shot and covered from all required
angles, distances, etc.
• They work closely with the director to solve any potential
problems. They keep a detailed written and photographic
record of dialogue, action, costumes, props and set design,
all camera and lens details and scene number information,
so that when different takes are edited together, the film is
not disrupted by continuity errors.
• They develop story synopses and character breakdowns.
• They liaise closely about continuity with other departments including
sound, costume, make-up and hair, props and lighting.
• Where pick-up shots are required, they provide actors with dialogue
start points and exact continuity details.

6. ADMINISTRATIVE
Assistant accountant
• Assisting with the day-to-day running of the accounts office for a
production
• Maintaining financial records, preparing accounts payable and other
accounting tasks
• Using accounting and film production software
• Their duties for that specific project are defined at the beginning of each
production by the Key Assistant Accountant and Production Accountant,
and may vary depending on the needs of each production.
• On larger productions the Production Accountant may hire additional
Assistant Accountants who manage data entry, processing cheques, filing
and auditing petty cash envelopes.
• An assistant accountant is mainly office based
• Other tasks include helping to monitor production costs, running a payroll
in line with Inland Revenue and other relevant Government regulations
and preparing insurance claims.
• Assistant Accountants also contribute to a safe and secure production
environment by conducting risk assessments in the workplace.