Unit 3 - the creative media sector workbook

UNIT 3: THE CREATIVE MEDIA SECTOR

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What makes up the media industry?

The media industry covers a wide spectrum of companies that produce media products.

These could be radio or television programmes, newspapers or magazines, films, interactive

CD-ROMs/DVD’s, pod casts or websites, or even computer games.

The main media industry sectors

The main industry sectors can be categorised as:

Television Press Film Photo imaging

Radio Music Interactive media Advertising and marketing

The diagram below shows how the media products fit into these sectors:


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On the worksheet below, add the names of some of the products you have seen or heard

next to the industry sectors.

Media type Name of product

Radio Adverts, Kerrang! , Radio 1, Galaxy

Television Family guy(BBC three), Simpsons(SKY and channel 4),

American dad (BBC three)

Photo imaging News(BBC One, ITV one, Channel four, FIVE),

newspapers, Face book, YouTube

Press Magazines, newspaper, internet,

Music Kerrang, Kiss, Smash hits, MTV

Interactive media Facebook, YouTube, Msn, Bing, Video Games

Film The Mask, Rush Hour 3, Die Hard, Happy Gilmore, CLICK,

Advertising and Marketing Daily Mirror, Sunday Times, Go Compare,

Gold4Cash,Microsoft, Sony, comparethemarket

The size and shape of the media industry

The media industry is not just relevant in one country or one continent but across the whole

world. Many media companies operating in the UK are owned by parent companies in other

countries.

Look at some of Viacom’s brands, which of these have you heard of, read or watched?


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Think about the media industry in our local area. What types of media companies are

there? Fill in the table below with media companies in the Central Region.

Media industry sector Name of company

Television BBC Regional

Radio Kerrang!

Press Express and Star, The chronicle, Cannock

post

Music Ozzy Osbourne

Photo imaging

Advertising

Some of the companies you have listed above may have an influence on other parts of the

country, and some of them may belong to national companies.

PHM Productions is a media production company based in North Yorkshire. They are an

example of a small, independent media company. The majority of the media products they

produce are made for clients across the UK. They use their website to show clients what

they can do.

Look at the PMH Productions resume, to see their mission statement and information

about their client base.

The Cannock Chase Post & Burntwood Post are the leading newspapers in Cannock and Burntwood, with more readers than any other free weekly title within their distribution area.


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The papers have been serving the community with strong localised news coverage and a reputation for editorial excellence for nearly 20 years.

They are one of the top sources of information in the area, with comprehensive advertising platforms such as motors, entertainments, classified and recruitment.

They are owned by the media group Trinity Mirror Midlands Limited.

http://www.trinitymirror-midlands.co.uk/index.html

Structure and ownership of media companies

Media companies can be classified as:

Private companies In the UK, this is usually a company that is owned by an

individual or a group. They need to make available only

limited information about their operations to competitors.

Public companies In the UK, this is usually a company that has shares traded

on the stock exchange. They report on their business

http://www.trinitymirror-midlands.co.uk/index.html


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operations to their shareholders and to Companies House.

Publically owned companies These are companies owned by national, regional or local

government.

Cross-media companies These are companies, such as Viacom, that own media

operations as well as other diverse companies. Viacom have

interests in film, music libraries and music programming.

They also run cable channels for children’s programming.

Until recently they owned the Blockbuster chain of shops.

They were able to release their films, produced by

Paramount Pictures, through this outlet and so saved money

on distribution costs.

Companies House is an organisation that registers new companies, keeps records of existing

companies and makes this information available to the public

News Corporation is another example of a cross-media company.

Identify what media products each of these News Corporation brands produces.

Identify one other brand they produce and add it to the table.

Movies/films

Sports, TV station channels, Movies,


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Books

TV Shows, Movies, sports, real life films, art channels,

broadband, Music

News, Sports, TV, Showbiz, Bizarre, Motors, Travel

How could the ownership of media products influence how you think about media issues?

How might you be influenced to buy a product –or think about the news –if all of the

information came from just one source.

For example, a newspaper is owned by the same person who owns a satellite television

company. This person also owns a commercial radio station and has linked these to

websites giving 24 hour coverage of news across the world. How much influence do you

think this person has if they decide to favour one

political party? How much influence do you think

they would have on sales of one brand of a

particular product?

Vertical integration is the term applied to

companies with a common owner that are linked

along the production-distribution chain. The

companies a can co-operate to produce the

materials needed for production, undertake the

production process and distribute the end


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product. This provides a reliable workflow, with increased profits for the company. An

example of this is Apple, who design their computer hardware, operating systems and much

of the software used in their products. They have also opened Apples stores for retail sales

and Apple iTunes. Example: American Apparel own companies all along their production

process.

Horizontal integration is the term used when media companies own several producers of

products in one sector. An example of this is EMI, who are the world’s largest independent

music company. They own several separate record producers and music publishing

companies.

http://www.emimusic.com/about/

Job roles in the media industry

Job roles in the media industry range from technical and creative to administrative and

financial. Each job role plays an important part in the production of a successful media

product – and ultimately in keeping the media company in business. Media products are

generally made by teams of people, and every team member has a role to play.

http://www.emimusic.com/about/


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To understand the variety of roles better, first decide on a sector to investigate. You may

have a particular interest in one of the sectors –perhaps you are planning a career in it. You

may have already done some in depth research. Think about the job roles in your chosen

sector, such as:

Area Job roles

Technical e.g. camera or sound operator, lighting technician

Creative e.g. director, lighting cameraperson, journalist

Editorial e.g. editor, sub-editor, sound or vision editor

Managerial e.g. producer, location manager

Sales and marketing e.g. sales manager, telesales

Administration e.g. production assistant, secretary

Financial e.g. accountant, payroll clerk

Homework: Watch a DVD or TV programme and make a note of some of the job roles that

appear in the credits. Some of these you might not have heard of. Use the Internet to find

out what these jobs are.


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Professional Working Practices

People working in the media industry have to work to professional standards. These are

referred to as codes of practice, and though they are not generally compulsory, everyone

should follow them.

Here is an example from the press sector’s code of practice:

http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=174

http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=174


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The BBC’s editorial guidelines are outlined as:

www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines


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The advertising code of practice states:

www.asa.org.uk

These codes of practice help media practitioners to keep within guidelines of taste, decency

and truthfulness.

There are legal restrictions that workers in the media must observe. You cannot simply say

what you like, go where you like or record what you like.

You must carefully consider the legal issues such as:

Libel Law: libel is the defamation (damaging) of someone’s character using written words.

Slander Law: slander is the defamation of someone’s character, using spoken words.

http://www.asa.org.uk/


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Can you find some examples of both of these instances?

Race Discrimination Act – these statements are from the Commission for Racial equality:

Racist incidents, ranging from criminal harassment and abuse to physical violence, are

offences under criminal law.

Publishing and disseminating materials, such as leaflets and newspapers, that are likely to

incite racial hatred is also a criminal offence.

Racially offensive material in the media contravenes codes of practice. Complaints can be

made to the Press Complaints Commission or the Broadcasting Standards Authority.

Complaints about racially offensive advertisements should be made to the Advertising

Standards authority.

Further information on Equality and Human Rights can be found at:

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/

Other legal restrictions you will encounter are:

Copyright: you must not use other peoples work and claim it as your own. If you want to use

someone else’s work, you must ask for written permission. You always need to be aware of the

issue of copyright, and how it impacts on the working life of a media professional.

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/


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Censorship: you have to abide by decisions of government on what you can print or report about

certain sensitive issues.

You have been asked by your manager to secretly record an interview and broadcast it on your radio

programme. The interview is with the leader of a group of extremists. What legal issues should you

consider?

Contracts, conditions and pay

There are a number of different types of contract offered to people working in the media industry:

Full-time permanent This type of contract provides work on a full-time basis,

with benefits, which could include a pension scheme, sick

pay, holiday entitlement or bonuses.

Part-time permanent This contract provides part-time working to an agreed

pattern, with benefits, which may be the same as those in

a full-time permanent contract.

Fixed-term A worker is hired to work on a particular project that lasts

for a limited time. For example, you might be hired as a

alighting technician for a television drama being shot on

location over three months.

Stringer This is where you are contracted on the basis of being

available at short notice to cover emerging stories. This

might be an article for a local newspaper, filming a football

match or recording an interview for radio.

Freelance This is one of the most common contracts in the media

industry. A freelancer works on a project in a role, such as

a journalist, for a contracted amount of time. Freelancers

can be working on a number of projects at the same time

for different clients.

The term ‘stringer’ originated in the newspaper industry, where journalists were employed to ‘string

words together’. They were paid according to the length of the articles they produced –as measured,

some claim, by a piece of string.


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Working on a permanent contract provides stability for media workers. A fixed-term contract allows

them to experience working for different clients, with guaranteed work for a fixed term. The

stringer is only given work when there is no one else available, so this is not regular employment.

Many stringers do this role as well as other jobs, which might not be in the media.

The freelance role is becoming the standard in the media industry. Freelancers have to find their

own work, control their own budgets and pay their own tax and national insurance. There is

generally no holiday entitlement or sick pay, so they only get paid when they are actually working.

Freelancers can be out of work for long periods, so they must maintain a wide circle of contacts, to

use when searching for work.

Work patterns in the media vary greatly. Sometimes you simply have to work until the job is done.

Some administrative jobs follow office hours, but a production assistant will be working alongside a

production crew, and will follow their work pattern. Location work, recording interviews, reporting

ongoing news and preparing advertising material may require long, unsociable hours. However, the

rewards of seeing your work in print, on the television or hearing your work on the radio are well

worth the long hours.

Getting a job in a media sector

Skills and qualifications

Many employers in the media industry look for people with formal qualifications. These are

not always qualifications in a media subject, thought they could be related to the subject,

such as English Literature if they are looking for writers or journalists. Potential employees

with experience of using media equipment as part of their course are more likely to be

shortlisted for an interview. Experience of working in a voluntary capacity, such as a

hospital radio or students newspaper, could be seen by a potential employer as an example

of good skills development and commitment.

Employers understand the value of part-time education, and you might be able to attend a

local college to gain further qualifications once you are employed.

Some sections of the media industry operate a ‘closed shop’, so you will need particular

qualifications to work in this area. One example is the newspaper industry, where you need

a qualification from the

National Council for the

Training of Journalists to

work as a journalist.

http://www.nctj.com/

http://www.nctj.com/


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Employees in the media industry should also consider ongoing professional development.

The nature of the industry means there are constant changes to standards, techniques and

technology, so even once you have a job, training should not stop. The BBC offers ongoing

training to its staff so that they can build new skills and develop new roles.

It is unlikely that anyone taking aLevel2 qualification would be successful in their application

for a senior production or managerial role in the media industry. It would be better to take

on a lower role and then build up their skills in order to progress. Undertaking a Level 3 will

provide a higher level of knowledge, understanding and skills, but still may not be

appropriate for some media-related jobs.

There are a number of Universities offering media qualifications, often these can provide

valuable work-experience or work related activities, such as being involved in student radio

or newspapers.

If you want to work in the media industry, you should consider making contact with

potential employers to find out what they are looking for in media job applicants. Taking on

voluntary media jobs wherever possible will build on and demonstrate your media skills.

A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a useful marketing tool. A CV can demonstrate your commitment

to developing media skills by outlining all the projects you have undertaken. It also gives

you an opportunity to sell yourself to a potential employer or client.

Imagine a CV as a brochure all about you and your skills. What can you do that would make

you stand out from the other candidates? What can you offer an employer? What are your

strengths as a potential media employee? Maybe the way you present your CV could show

initiative (see http://issuu.com/).

http://issuu.com/


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The CV should demonstrate your team-working skills – through your work on a media project or as a

member of an organisation. Employers do not know you or anything about you, so you must tell

them what you are good at, and how you can benefit their company.

Produce a CV, using word, that demonstrates your skills you have gained so far

Save the file as a .pdf

Open an account with Issuu.

Upload your CV

There are a number of trade unions that offer protection and advice to their members. It is no

longer necessary to belong to a union to work in any of the media sectors, but it can be beneficial to

have the strength of a union behind you when negotiating pay and conditions, or when you are in

dispute with your employer.

Open the file Support Media Organisations.pdf.

Transferable skills

People working in the media industry have a wide range of transferable skills – knowledge and

technical skills, for example, or commitment and efficiency. You will need knowledge and technical

skills in media production if you want to make media products and be committed to making these

products in the most efficient and cost effective way.

It is important to be reliable and punctual. Working in a media team requires you to be at the right

place at the right time.

It is important as a potential media worker that you have self-presentation skills. You will have to

pitch your ideas or discuss the finished product with a client, and you may have to give a

presentation in order to win a contract. You will certainly have to ‘sell’ yourself at an interview. All

of these require self-presentation skills.

You have been given instructions on how to get an address where you are to interview a famous

musician. The musician has only a ten minute window before they have to leave for a tour of the

USA. What would you do to ensure you have got to the correct address before they leave?

Methods of recruitment

The media industry uses a number of techniques to recruit staff. One technique is to advertise

media jobs in the nation press – the Media section of the Guardian, for example, published every

Monday. The paper provides several pages of media jobs and includes them on their website.

There are a number of media trade publications that have sections for jobs. Media Week is a

publication that specialises in keeping media professionals informed about events in the media.

They have a section of jobs in their magazine and on their website.


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Recruitment agencies tend to recruit for specialist areas – the television industry, for example.

Inspired Selection is an agency that specialises in recruiting both creative and administrative staff

for the publishing industry.

http://www.inspiredselection.com/

Media professionals find the Internet is a useful tool for job hunting. It provides instant

access to job details, pay and conditions, and job locations. You can quickly contact the

recruitment company or the potential employer to ask for further details, using email rather

than ‘snail mail’.

Sometimes, simply doing a good job will be a recommendation, so that a company might

approach a media professional directly. A media professional might also have built up a list

of personal contacts that they can refer to when looking for work. These contacts, too, need

evidence of projects the media professional has worked on and their standard of work.

Once you have a job in a media company, there is always the possibility of internal

promotion. The BBC has a policy of advertising internal job opportunities to staff before

advertising them externally. You need to show the transferable skills mentioned earlier if

you are to achieve internal promotion.

http://www.inspiredselection.com/


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Find three examples of advertisements for media jobs and identify:

What qualifications you need for the job

What the job involves

The contract being offered

The salary being offered

The location of the job (if any)

Summary

This booklet you have worked through will have covered all of the outcomes for this unit.

You should now know:

1 how the creative media sector is structured

2 about job roles and conditions of employment in a creative media industry

3 how to gain employment in a creative media industry.

Unit 3 - the creative media sector workbook

Documents

Transcript of Unit 3 - the creative media sector workbook