This document provides an overview of Unit 3 of a media production course, which focuses on introducing students to career opportunities and professional practices in the creative media industry. The unit involves students researching different job roles, sectors of the industry, and notable practitioners. They also create a five-year career plan and complete assessments including a process log and end-of-year review reflecting on their skills and development. The tasks are designed to help students investigate options and plan for their future in the field.

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.

6. Illustrated Sector Guide

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. Film Production: Writing/Directing
Film production consists of five major stages:
•Development: The first stage in which the ideas for the film are created, rights to books/plays are
bought, etc., and the screenplay is written. Financing for the project has to be sought and obtained.
•Pre-production: Arrangements and preparations are made for the shoot, such as hiring cast and film
crew, selecting locations and constructing sets.
•Production: The raw footage and other elements for the film are recorded during the film shoot,
including principal photography.
•Post Production: The images, sound, and visual effects of the recorded film are edited and combined
into a finished product.
•Distribution: The completed film is distributed, marketed, and screened in cinemas and/or released
to home video.
Some Directors started out as screenwriters, editors, actors, producers, etc.
A lot of Directors continue to write their screenplays then direct them, thus making them the Writer/Director.
There’s many different styles and approaches to filmmaking, for example some directors like to storyboard everything before
they start filming so they know what they are shooting on a specific day. Other directors prefer to improvise with actors and see
what happens. Directors like Wes Anderson have very specific/symmetrical cinematography and blocking whereas a director like
Terrence Malick lets the camera float and the actors move freely in and out of the frame, often letting nature dictate where the
camera goes.
The film ‘Day for Night’ (1973) directed by François Truffaut, albeit fictionalised. Is a fascinating look into what a director does on
a day to day basis and how involved they are with every step of production.

10. 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. Practitioner Research

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

17. 5 Year Plan.

18. What are you currently doing to pursue a career in your chosen field?
Taking a media course and making short films in my own time,
improving my craft.

19. What do you plan to do next in the pursuit of your chosen field?
Most likely study film at university while making short films and trying to submit them
to festivals.

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.
Film Studies BA (Hons)
Drama and Theatre BA (Hons)
Acting BA (Hons)
All York ST John, I think they would help me because they are
all areas I am interested in and would enjoy doing and
learning from.

21. 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?
I'd like to do work experience as part of a film crew or something on a film set. If I
could pick anywhere I'd probably pick experience as an assistant cinematographer or
something like that because I'd love to get a full understanding of how to capture a
good image.

22. 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.
Need to improve my research skills, which could be done by finding more interesting
ways to research rather than just using the internet.
I need to develop my writing skills, I can do this just by writing more and more stuff,
then going over it and finding where I can improve, also getting feedback from
others.

23. In 5 years time I will…
Hopefully working in film or starting to successfully write stuff.

24. Music Video Process Log

25. 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.
There is a specific pro forma that you will use for this as part of your music video
production. Ensure that is completed with your Music Video project, to complete this
task.

26. End of Year Review

27. 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.

28. Which productions have worked/not worked?
All the projects worked, but if I had to pick one I wish I could improve upon
it'd be the audio project. I like the foley work I did for it but I could have
made it longer and more fleshed out.

29. How you have managed your time?
I missed quite a bit of in college lessons this year but I think overall I
managed my time well enough to get everything in on time.
I think if I could have been there for the majority of it my time management
would have been better as there have been stressful times where I had to
rush to get stuff finished.

30. What skills you have developed?
Ive developed my cinematography and editing skills, also my foley sound skills.

31. How you have worked with others?
Havent really worked with others, mainly just been solo work.

32. How you organised your time, resources and equipment
throughout the year?
I think I've organised my time relatively well, getting everything in on
time. I havent really booked out any equipment for anything.

33. Produce an action plan for Year 2 selecting 5 key areas you wish
to focus on to develop further.
Area to work on Actions to take
Editing Watch editing tutorials and practice
Writing Write more stuff and get feedback
Time management Work more efficiently at college to avoid
to more at home.
Photoshop skills I want to be able to create good posters
and stuff, can improve with tutorials and
practice.
Storyboarding Can improve this by practicing artwork
and specific storyboard styles with tuto