An assistantwill supportthe variousdepartmentsona production.Thiscaninclude assisting the director,producer,editor,soundrecordistetc.Theywill be expectedtohelpwithanytasksthatarise includingrunningerrands,organizingequipment,helpingwithpaperworkandgeneraladministrative duties.The bestwaytostartasanassistantisto beginasarunner.Thiswill give youagreatinsightinto how a productionworksandwhatisneededfromanassistant.You’ll be able toshadowandlearnfrom the professionals.Fromherethe naturalprogressionwouldbe toapplyforassistantroles.Thereareno formalqualificationsneededforanassistantjobhoweveradegreecanhelpyoustandout

1. Job Roles
Editor: As an editor,youwill be expectedtoworkalongside the directorandproducersthroughoutthe
entire editingprocessof the film.Inadditiontothis,youwill needtoworkforlongperiodswhilst
managinga teamof professionalsandtrainees.Anideal editorwillbe able toworkwithmostif not all
industrystandardsoftware.Be able toworkeffectivelyunderpressure whilstkeepingacreative flare
aboutthe editing.Otherideal qualitiesare goodorganization,adaptabilityforanysituationand
commitmenttothe production.Inorderto become aneditoryouwill oftenhave tostartas a runner
followedbythe variousassistantrolesbefore becomingatrainee editor.The average salaryforan
editorwithinthe UKis£25,900 perannum withmore beingofferedtoexperience/wellknowneditors.
The work hoursas mentionedbefore are extensive with12+ hoursbeingexpectedof youduringpeak
periods.Intermsof qualifications,youwill be betteroff withadegree inamediarelatedcourse from
universitybefore applyingforanyeditingrelatedjobs.However,freelance editorscanbe neededquite
ofteneventhoughattimesyoumayhave no work fora several monthperiod.
Producer: A producerwill followthe entire productionfromthe verystartuntil the redcarpet premiers.
Theywill oftenbe workingonthe office-basedjobsforthe productionsuchasadvertising,casting,
managementaswell asthe budgetingforthe production.Theywillworkwithteamsforsome of these
however;the producerhasthe final say.The producerwill oftenworkcloselywiththe produceronthe
overall developmentof the productionwhilstleavingthe majorityof creativedecisionstothe director.
In orderto become a producerona productionyouwill require alotof industryexperience.Thiswill
ofteninclude beingarunneror an assistant.Byprovingyourreliabilityandthatyouhave great
knowledge andskillsfora producer, role thenyoumaybe offeredtobe a producerratherthan a solo
producer.Asmentionbefore withaneditorrole Universityof highereducationqualificationsare always
a great wayto stand outfrom the crowd whenapplyingforajob.The average for a more experienced
producerisoftenbetween£40,000 up to £55,000. However,runnersof assistantwill oftenbe earning
between£18,000 and£25,000. As a freelance producer, yoursalarywillbe dependentoneverything,
fromexperience,referencesandpastproductions. The workinghoursforaproducerare extensive and
can oftenbe inconvenientorunexpected.
Production Designer:A productiondesignerisincharge of designingandmanagingthe productionof
filmsetsandsometimespropswhetheritbe fora TV program, theatre productionora film.Theywill
oftenworkwiththe producerand directortoget a sense of theirviewsandaspirationsonthe aesthetics
of the filmtoensure a greatvisual setiscreated.Asrequiredfromthe previouslylistedjobsexperience
isan almostcertaintywithsomeone startingasa draughtsmanfollowingonfromthiswill oftenbe an
assistantrole. A universityqualificationisidealhoweverisnotalwaysnecessaryasanyone whoisable
to logicallydesignagreatset thatcan be constructedwithinatime frame andbudgetcouldbe
consideredforthe job.A runnerwill oftenearn£600 a weekwhilstafull time productiondesignerwill
earnbetween£2,500 and£3,000. Productiondesignersare veryrarelyfreelancersdue tothe
commitmentandtime requiredhowever,theycouldalwaysbecome aproductiondesignerfull time
witha specificcompany.Productiondesignerswill oftenhave verybusyscheduleswith late nightsand
workduringweekendstoensure everythingiscompletedtoa deadline.
Director: A directorisin charge of all of the creative decisions,scriptchanges,managingthe filming
production,creatinganimmersivefilmforthe audience.Theywill define the filmandwillsometimes
use a camera themselvestogeta certaindesiredshot.Theywill workcloselywiththe directortomake

2. sure the entire productionrunssmoothly. A directorwillalsobe one of the decidingvoicesduringthe
castingprocessof a film.Asmentionedbefore arunnerisoftenalwaysagood place to start inthe road
to becomingadirector.Asa runneryou’ll move uptobeinganassistant.Fromhere,you will be able to
followwhathappensinthe industryfromadirector,learnhow theythink,make importantdecisions,
and well prettymucheverything.Afterthis,aDirectorsAssistantpositionmaybecome available which
will thenleadontoadirector’srole.Inorderto be a directorthere isnoright or wrongqualificationfor
the job.Some are preferredmore thanothersare however;theycanofteninvolve athree-yearmedia
relateddegree atuniversityfollowedbyamaster’sdegree orrarelya doctorate. The salaryfor a big
Hollywooddirectorcanbe £200,000 pluswiththe more low-keydirectorsearning£30,000 per annum.
The workinghoursof a directorcan ofteninfluence how muchtheyare paidoverall however,the
average directorwill overtime onboth eveningsandweekendstokeepthe productiononschedule.
Runner: A runneristhe most well-knownentrylevel jobforapostgraduate studentwithinthe media
industry.Theirjobisto basicallydoall of the menial taskssothe more importantstaff can get onwith
theirspecificjobrole work.Thisoverall will helpthe productiongomore fluentlyandmore efficiently.
Thisis alsoa job thatis handedoutfor workexperience orforpeople whowanttoshadow someone
withinthe industry. Anyqualifications of A Levelsorhighercanmake you applicable forajobas a
Runnerwithpeople withuniversitydegreesbeingmore acceptable forlargerproductioncompanies.
The salary as a runnerwill varyfromemployertoemployerwiththe hoursworked,type of worked
done,skillsandyourdependence factoringintohow muchyouearnan hour. The average wage
howeveris£8.50. With an average of 6 workingdaysonlarge scale productions.
Director of Photography: A directorof photographyisthe personwhomanagesall of the cameraand
lightingcrewstocorrectlycompose the shot.Theyworkwiththe Directorto watch footage asits
happeningandafterwardstodecide if the shotneedstobe redone aswell ascomposeddifferently.
Theywill oftengothroughthe scriptbefore filmingandplanoutthe filmintermsof shots and
equipmentrequired.The bestwaytoenterintothe careerpath for a directorof photographyjobisto
jointhe productioncrewas a runneror 2nd
assistant,learninghow everythingiscorrectlydone.After
thisyoucan become eitheracameraoperatoror a memberof the lightingdepartmentbefore becoming
a directorof photography.A degree inphotographyisideal howevernotalwaysnecessaryaslongas
youhave a goodcreative eye andare able to show it easily. The approximate salaryforadirectorof
photographyis£40,000 per annumwithan increase salarybasedonexperience,talentandthe location
of the production.Itwill be commonforthe directorof photographytowork on unusual hours,
eveningsandweekenddue toall of the otherexternal factorsthattheywill have toworkaroundsuchas
weatherandcast availability.
Location Manager: A locationmanagerorganizes,managesandworkonany locationsthatmaybe
neededduringthe production.Theycanoftenbe requiredtogoout on locationreecesaswell asfiling
all of the correct paperworktouse private andpublicland.Theyare alsodiscussthe paymentsfor
permissionstofilmonlandwithlandownerpriortofilming.Overalltheyalsoneedtofeedinformation
back to the directorand the producer.Alongwithsome othercrew theycanbe expectedtomake sure
that a locationwill have accessandspace for all of the equipment,be safe for the castand crew in
additiontobeingconnectedtothe local powergridor enoughspace forgenerators.The mostsuccessful
jobto start witha locationmanagerisa runnersoyou can go withthe staff to potential filmingsitesand
fromthe experience gainedfromthisbecomingalocationscouter.There isnosetqualification
requirementsforalocationmanagerhoweverdue tothe equipment,accessibilityandhealthandsafety
a degree/qualificationinhealthandsafetyisanideal startingpoint.The majorityof locationmanagers
workon a freelance basiswithlocationmanagerswithagoodreputationworkingforacompanyfull

3. time.The salarywill oftenvarybetween£22,000 and £38,000 withmore moneydependingon
experience, sizeof productionaswell as workhours.The workhourswill oftenfollowatypical schedule
dependingonthe seasonforexample summertime isalwaysoptimal forloadsof daytime shooting
comparedto the winter.
Sound Recorder: A soundrecorderis someone withaspecialistjobwhichisrecordingsoundstoa
realisticeffect.These caninclude simplesoundssuchasfootstepsoritcan include the soundof a 12 car
crash on a busymotorway.Theycan alsowork onenhancingandoptimizingthe soundsdietetically
recordedtoset a good tone andmood.Theywill alsohave the jobof managingsoundand workingwith
the editorsonthe variouseditsthroughoutthe postproductionprocess.Thisjobcanbe relativelyeasy
to start with.Asa runneryou’ll be able tocome up withideasandsuggestthemto the soundrecordist
and gainexperience andinsightbyshadowingatrainedprofessional.Fromhere anassistantrole canbe
goodbefore specializingevenfurther.A sound/musicrelateddegreeandqualificationsare alwaysbest
for an aspiringsoundrecordistalongwithacreative mindtocome up withnew waystocreate desired
soundsandways inwhichto effectandalterthem.The average wage fora soundartist is£45,000
howeverlike previousjobsmentionedearlieritdoesvarybasedonthe workedinputneeded,
experience andthe challengeof achievingthe desiredsounds. The workinghoursforthisjobare in a
constantstate of flux withasoundrecordistbeingrequiredinthe middle of the night,forlongsessions
duringthe day as well asthe demandforthe desiredsounds.
Researcher:A researcher’sjobistodevelop aninitial ideaintoascript,thiscan be done bylearning
anythingneededtocreate the scriptas well asusinganyknowledgethattheymayalreadyhave.The
can alsobe incharge of keepinganeye outfor factual errorsduringfilming.Theywill doall of thiswhilst
workingwiththe scriptwriter.A goodjob forthisas an entrylevel will be arunnerasyou’ll be able to
shadowthe professionalsandalsogive yourowninputat the correcttimes.Howeversometimesif
you’re reallyknowledgeable aboutacertainsubject/topicthiscangive youa boostand you’ll become a
researcherrightawayfor that production.There isnohighlydesireddegree/qualificationforthisjob
howeveradegree ina mediarelatedsubjectcanbe useful soyouknow whatinformationwillbe needed
or pointlessforthe production. Anexperiencedresearchercanearnbetween£600-£700 per 48 hour
week.A juniorresearcherhoweverwill earnbetween£400-£500 onaverage.Most researcherswill work
on a freelance basisandwill work7daysa weekhoweverbasedonwhatisrequiredthe workinghours
can be quite flexible.
Camera Operator: A camera operator’sjobisto filmwithateam of othercrew.Theyare also the people
whomanage the equipmentthattheyneedforthe filmingaswell asanytechnical specifications.They
workin close collaborationwiththe directoraswell asthe directorof photography.Theyare also
responsible forcomposingthe shotwiththe setting,propsandcast before filming.The idealcareer
route intothe camera operatorjobindustryisas a runneror 2nd
assistant.Thiswill give youshadowing
experience fromwitnessingfirsthandeverythingthatgoesonbehindthe scenes(quite literally).From
here youcan work yourway to graduallybecominga1st
assistantora camera operator.Whilstthere is
no specificqualificationstobe a camera operatorhighereducationof some kindislookedforwitha
mediaor photographyrelateddegree beingoptimalforajumpstart intothe industry.Mostcamera
operatorsworkbasedon a freelance basiswiththeirsalaryforthe productionbeingpredetermined
before anyworkiscarried out.For a highbudgetproductionthe average dayrate for pay will be
between £600-£700 withmore beingaddedforexperience.