Job Patterns and Opportunities in the

Film Industry:
Jobs in the Creative Media Sector are categorised into two
areas known as creative and non-creative, the jobs in these
categories are then divided into 8 key areas of media jobs.
Media workers can also work in a range of schedules and
terms which are shift work, fixed term, office hours,
freelance, irregular pattern, hourly rates and piece work.

Shift Work:
Shift work is the most common type of job and means to
work for a certain number of selected hours a week to get
paid for it. Most technicians and camera and mic crew work
this pattern and get replaced by someone else who is
working the same pattern when they fulfil the number of
hours in their contract.

Fixed Term:
A fixed term contract is when an employer hires an employee
temporarily for a selected amount of time and when the
employee reaches the end date on their contract they no
longer work for that employer unless they are hired again in
a different contract. It also allows for flexible times as a set
time schedule would not be appropriate if a camera operator
had to shoot scenes around the clock. This contract is
popular with equipment operators as they may have to be
present at all times during shooting but will not be needed
during preproduction or postproduction, so they are given a
term from the dates that they are needed during the filming
process.

Office Hours:
Office hours are quite unpopular in media and are primarily
only for jobs where being flexible around the clock isn’t
necessary, like research, administrative and finance jobs.
Office hours consist of a set number of working hours per
day, typically the standard 9:00am until 5:00pm.

Freelance:
Freelancing is when a person works for themselves and has
no official employer, companies hire freelancers short term
to get a job done then let them go and they go looking for
more employment. Freelancers may create resources for
companies to purchase or offer their services for companies
to hire for a certain and usually short amount of time and
once they have completed whatever they were hired for they
are let go and go looking for another opportunity. Examples
may include photographers, animators or set designers.

Irregular Pattern:
Someone working irregular patterns would be hired short
time but work hours they have been assigned to with little
notice around the clock. They may work at noon one day and
the next day they could be working after midnight. This
usually includes camera operators and animators. This
working pattern is known to pay considerably well, due to
how irregular it is as it could disrupt sleep pattern or make
you have to cancel an event in your personal life.
Hourly Rates:
Employees working hourly rates get paid by the hour and is
very common in media. It allows production companies to be
flexible so workers can work suitable hours and it also allows
each job position to be easily replaced if someone leaves or is
fired. Hourly Rates are usually given to lower paying jobs
such as caterers and set builders.

Piece Work:
Piece work applies to people who are paid to create a one-
time piece for a company. Piece work can be short term or
long term depending on what needs to be created and can be
given to jobs like animators.

Key Job Areas in Media:

The key job areas in media are management, creative,
editorial, technical, research, financial, organisational and
administrative.

Management:
The role of a manager is to keep everything under control in
each department and make sure everyone in the department
is doing their job correctly. A manager is usually assigned to
each department that needs one to ensure that everyone
working is on track and doing what they are supposed to.
Typically, managers create plans for time management and
report the job the department is required to do, they mainly
only supervise what people do and have little control over
the specifics of a job role who work under them.

Departments that a manager is assigned to include, casting,

location scouting, financial, transport, production and
accounts.

Creative:
The role of someone in the creative area is greatly varied, but
mainly it is to create what the production is going to be and
to set the scenes to ensure that the film is accurate and
realistic.

People who work in this area can write scripts, control

camera and sound, control make up/hair and costumes,
create and control props and control the set.

There are many roles in the creative area, these include

director, producer, script writer, cameraman, sound man,
make up artist, hair stylist, costume designer and prop
designer.

Editorial:
The role of an editor is to select and prepare written, visual,
audible and film media used to present information through
the process of correction, condensation, organisation, and
other modifications in various media, performed to produce
an appropriate, consistent, accurate and finished product.
Roles in editing include postproduction supervisor, editor,
assistant editor and designer.

Technical:
The role of someone with a technical job consists of ensuring
all equipment and technology around the set is working and
set up correctly such as camera, microphones and lights.
These are set up to the demand of the director and they
make sure everything is working and ready to begin filming.

Jobs in the technical area include camera operator, moving

light operator, transmission engineer and boom operator.

Research:
The area of research can be described as searching for
knowledge, establish facts, solve new and existing problems,
prove new ideas and develop new theories. The main
purpose to discover, interpret and develop methods and
systems for human advancement.

A researcher is usually assigned to researching a topic that a

film may include or be based on and making sure it is
accurate to the original source or finding out appropriate
ways to portray certain aspects of film.

Jobs in research include location manager, music, composer,

transport and prop master.

Financial:
Working in finance consists of controlling the money involved
in a production, making sure the correct amount of money is
saved and spent and how much money should be lent.

Someone working in finance will be entrusted in managing

the money side of a project, controlling where the budget
goes and what money is output and input to the production.

Financial jobs include accountant, sales agent, unit publicist

and production accounts.

Organisational:
A person working in organisation is entrusted to keep the
production organised by making sure everything follows the
plan and meets the final deadlines. People in this role are
responsible for choosing which person does each task and
ensures everyone is working well and to schedule.

Roles in Organisation can include unit manager, careering

and transport manager.

Administrative:
Administration consists of the management of business
operation. People in this role are entrusted to organise
employees and resources correctly and efficiently to make
sure it is possible to create product the production team are
assigned me create.
Jobs in administration include preproduction, transport,
accounts and health and safety.