The document provides information on routes into careers in the film and television industry, including festivals, training schemes, educational programs, networking opportunities, and work experience. It discusses comparing current skills to those required for two career opportunities and creating a four-year plan to achieve career goals through education and professional development activities like internships and freelancing. Notable film schools in the UK are also listed.

1. Professional Development Routes into
employment
Assignment 2- Career Plan

2. Learning Aims
• MUST be able to research potential careers in the film or Tv industry
and copy a job advertisement
• SHOULD be able to assess the skills and knowledge required for you
chosen career and routes into that career.
• COULD link your own skills development with training and experience
that will aid in your career progression.

3. The next assignment is your career plan
• Find 2 career opportunities and compare the skills, knowledge and educational skills you currently
have and those you require. Discuss how you intend to achieve them over a 4 year period. Compare
your development in an educational and professional context.
• Record of activities for wider professional development and exposure such as CV, online portfolios,
profiles on professional networks, work experience and certificates for short courses.
• 8-week development tracker

4. Routes into filmmaking

5. The Festival Circuit
• www.filmfreeway.com has all of the worlds
film festivals in one place.
• Films can be submitted to competitions
leading to work with real producers, or
leading to you winning a budget for your film,
or recognition.
• Directors who started at festivals include :
Wes Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, The Coen
Bros, Richard Linklater, Christopher Nolan,
Robert Rodriguez, Brian Singer, Steven
Soderberg, Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarrantino.

6. Training schemes that lead to entry into the
film industry
• Sometimes notable festival winners and interesting directors will
receive scholarships to start up their career (e.g Bafta Scholarships, BFI
scholarships http://diversity.pact.co.uk/tool-kit/schemes.html)
• https://www.screenskills.com/opportunities/ is a great way to keep up
to date with mentoring schemes, bursaries, networking and training
schemes.
• Most of the large production houses and TV channels offer training
schemes but they have a rigid selection process and interview (BBC
get in, tiger aspect etc)

7. Accessing opportunities and keeping up to
date
• Broadcast freelancer
• The knowledge
• The media production show
• Grapevine jobs
• Mandy.com
• Talent Circle
• Starnow
BBC academy
BBC writersroom
Myfirstjobinfilm.co.uk
Filmmaker.com
IndieWire
Shooting People
StudioWire

8. Facts about skills and Qualifications in the
media industry
• Overall, the media and creative sectors tend, on average, to employ a
more highly-qualified workforce than that of the UK as a whole. This
varies across the sectors: the design, audiovisual and publishing
sectors are very highly qualified.
• In publishing, for example, five per cent of employees were qualified
to level 5 or equivalences and above, 44 per cent to level 4 and above,
67 per cent to Level 3 and above. Over 80 per cent of freelancers in
the audio-visual industry are graduates, with 30 per cent of these
educated to postgraduate level.

9. Educational Routes
• Film and Television schools
• Universities
• Apprenticeships
• Internships

10. Educational Routes Pros and Cons
Type Pro Con
Film and Television schools They often work with industry professionals
and give you work experience.
Great networking opportunities
Some can be selective about who they take
They often have higher fees because they are
specialised
Universities Allows you to complete a level 6 qualification
and broadens your horizons and allow you to
specialise.
Often they offer specialist equipment and
resources that you wouldn’t get access to
elsewhere.
Tuition fees can be high. They don’t always
offer you the routes into industry that you
need.
Apprenticeships If you are lucky enough to get onto one at a
well recognised company it sets you up for
work with that company. Allows you to
network.
Not all apprenticeships lead to work, some
are exploitative and don’t necessarily give
you a qualification you can progress with.
Internships Again if you can gain access to work at a well
recognised company it is great for your CV
and you can get paid whilst you do it. Allows
you to gain contacts.
They are often temporary and don’t lead to
permanent work.

11. Notable institutions

12. Notable Film Schools
• National Film and Television School
• London Film School
• Met Film School
• Goldsmiths, the Screen School
• London Film Academy
• Raindance
• Central Film School

13. Networking events
• There are loads of networking opportunities for filmmakers both
locally and nationally.
• You might have to research them join groups on social media to find
like minded people and attend meet ups.
• Birmingham and Coventry offer occasional film discussions, through
royal television society, BFI. You just have to keep your eyes open. Plus
there are loads of opportunities for local meet ups with local
filmmakers.
• Host your own event?

14. Freelance
• Breaking into freelancing can be tough, you definitely need some work experience
under your belt before you attempt this.
• To freelance you need a good “book” of contacts from which you can circulate as
and when they need you.
• It is always good to take business cards to networking events and exchange them.
Then contact people if people have made you an offer follow it up!
• A good online presence will also help when accessing freelance options as the first
thing anyone does is go online and google you to see whether they want to hire
you (showreel, portfolios and professionalism online)

15. Work Experience
• This is important to get you onto the ladder, offer your services for
free to start out but you should not conduct more than 2 weeks of
unpaid work experience.
• After 2 weeks ask if there are opportunities or if you will be paid for
further work and politely decline as it is likely it wont lead anywhere.
• Contact local and national companies with your CV and showreel
enquiring about work experience.
• Often you will be expected to work as a runner at first, so go prepared
(e.g take a London A-Z and comfy shoes)

16. TASK- Assess the skills, knowledge, education
and experience you need for your careers.
• Find 2 career opportunities and compare the skills, knowledge and
educational skills you currently have and those you require.
• Discuss how you intend to achieve them over a 4 year period.
Compare your development in an educational and in a
professional context.