The media industry is a huge platform ranging from: film, television, radio, animation, computer games, publishing, press, advertising and marketing. All of these sectors all produce a product for example film and television both produce a source of entertainment and a virtual escape from reality. This product has been enhanced in computer games, virtual reality and computer games in general give the user an escape from reality and provide entertainment which can last hours at a time. Marketing, advertising, publishing and the press all provide information whether that’s on celebrities or a major companies new product. They all inform the audience by producing a product of either an article, advertising posters, adverts and media campaigns.
Warner bros is a huge film company and they are constantly in competition with Marvel, Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox. To create the blockbuster movies these major companies create you need an effect and efficient crew. These crews consist of: producers, directors, camera operators, sound recordist, picture and sound editors, scriptwriters and set designers. Producers produce the movie and ensure to create the vision the director has, producers do a lot of work and that’s way they get paid more money than the director does because it is their responsibility to ensure everything flows and works perfectly to the directors vision they are the second highest in terms power on a film or television set. The director has the most power because the director controls everyone on set to ensure his or hers vision is captured correctly. Directors begin takes, end them and call all the important decisions on set if there was no director there would be no film or television show. Camera operators are essential because their job is to capture the actors acting in different shot types that the director wants. Being a camera operation leaves you responsible for the quality of the shot types and how good the shots look however, timing is definitely needed to be a camera operator because camera shots can change rapidly or move fast especially in specific scenes In Film or television such as fight scenes. Sound recordists endure audio is clear and to a specific volume to ensure everything is heard clearly and not too loud when a scene is done for example a sound recordist will record a characters line whilst they are in a street and they need to ensure the audio picked up is the characters dialogue rather than background noise. Sound recordist can also be foley artists and their job is to create specific sounds that can not be heard within a scene when it’s being captured for example a horse running is most commonly foley work because it is a difficult sound to pick up when recording a horse galloping. Furthermore, picture and sound editors are significant roles because they ensure everything is perfect when stitching together all the audio and video clips. Their job is to go through all the footage and piece it together and make it run smoothly whilst creating pace and enhancing a scene with either audio or a variety of cuts. Scriptwriters create the script that the film or television show is based on and these scripts need to be perfect so everyone knows what they are doing on the days of filming. Having the scripts perfect and handed out on time to crew and actors is essential because they contain camera directions and all the actors lines and instructions. Finally set designers design the sets the scenes in the script take place and this job role is most commonly used in television shows because films in modern times normally use blue and green screens rather than having a set builder unlike television shows where their budget is not that big to have everything cgi. Being a set builder means you need to create the sets correctly to how the director envisions it. All the job roles explained above also apply for computer games especially rockstar which is a popular gaming company who is normally in competition with rocksteady games and many others. However the crew is dealing with virtual actors and characters and everything Created is done online rather than in real life.
Furthermore, advertising and marketing deals with more legal aspects such as managing legal risks, managing permissions and analysing the target audience of the company. Companies that advertise and use marketing can vary from small business to Kfc or McDonald’s, advertising still uses a crew that a film set would use however similar to films, tv shows and games they need to ensure they use non-copyrighted content to ensure the company they are advertising for or marketing doesn’t get sued for using copyrighted content. If a company did get sued for copyrighted content that has a negative impact on the company but as well as the audience of the company’s. So ensuring that everything used in advertisements and marketing is non copyrighted is essential and a significant job role. Permissions also falls into this category because certain content is allowed to be used within specific reasons and this means someone has to ensure the content with permissions attaches to it is used correctly and follows the permissions to ensure the reputation of the company is contained. Finally analysing the audience of the company is important to ensure you create content specifically for them to make sure you gain their attention and hopefully increase the company’s audience number as well as sales because of the advertisement made.
The majority of these sectors advertise their job roles by word of mouth, personal contacts, social media and personal websites. Companies such as itv and channel 4 advertise job roles on their personal website under a tab called “vacancies” and they do this because they know if anyone is looking for work within television they will look on company websites first before scrolling social media. Film companies normally hire people via word of mouth or personal contact as they may have worked with before. The reason they are more likely to do this is because they care about your personal experience and how you handle certain situations rather than if you have a masters degree in film but are not able to cope under stressful situations. Hiring someone they have worked with before can be effective because they will be familiar with the style they work in meaning they can work more smoothly together and be more time efficient. The guardian tends to advertise for its job roles via national press because they will be able to reach a huge audience and receive as many applications as they need compared to the BBC where they would advertise their job roles on air or on their own website much like channel 4 or itv. Within the gaming sector advertising for a job role is usual done on job websites because they are looking for people who have the skills required to fulfil the job role and the level of intelligence needed to complete the job. It is much more based on skill and ability rather than experience however experience is always good in any job. Social media is also a significant way of the gaming sector to promote job offers they have available. More than half of the population is online and actively uses social media which increase any companies audience when advertising products or jobs online because a large amount of people will see it which is what the company will want. When advertising on social media most companies use Instagram,Twitter and Facebook these are all highly populated forms of social media and would guarantee the company a lot of applications. There is also a possibility the users could show their friends the advertisement or send them it which would also increase the target audience for the company. Almost all companies advertise online with their personal accounts because it does not cost any money and reaches a large audience, the only way it costs money is if they are advertisements on videos and not just posted by their profile account.
The different types of employment include part-time, full-time and casual labour. Within radio production, many employees are employed on a full-time contract, especially radio presenters. This is because the audience of the radio broadcasted show will rely on the same presenters for entertainment, security and consistency, and therefore the presenters will need to be permanent employees of the company. Furthermore, the entire "behind-the-scenes" section of employment within a radio company will also be hired as full-time employees on a permanent basis, due to the fact that a radio show is constant, and does not tend to stop, therefore proving that a constant supply of staff is required to keep the radio company active, and so employees with a full-time contract are easier to maintain for the company in comparison to hiring new people often or having more staff but on a part-time contract. However, not all employees within radio companies are on full-time contracts. Radio presenters will often have guests within their show, that will appear once or twice, showing that the radio producers will have hired these "special guests" on a casual labourer's contract, or as a temporary employee.Also, within the games development sector of work, these employees are on a variety of different contracts, depending on the type of work that they do. For example, a games developer may be hired on a full-time contract within a gaming company such as Rockstar, so that the company can produce constant games, to keep their income consistently high. However, a game tester may only be hired on a part-time contract, as games are not created every single day, and so a game tester would only spend a certain few days each week actually doing their job, therefore showing that it would be easier for this type of employee to be on a part-time contract. On top of that, game companies often tend to hire white hat hackers or ethical hackers on a casual labourer's contract, once a game is created and ready to be published, so that they can "hack" the game and exploit any weaknesses within the game, so that the company can re-evaluate the security of the game that they created, before publishing said game. On the other hand, some games are developed, tested and produced personally (where the creator does not work for a specific gaming company), which means that this person will be self-employed, and will only be paid for the work that they produce, rather than a set wage (like what is given to those on a full-time contract).Similarly, the television and film industry tend to hire a multitude of different working sectors. For example the filming crew will be hired on a full-time contract (or at least until filming for the film is complete), as film production is stressful work, and so it is easier to keep the staff the same throughout the entire production of the film. However, some employees may be hired for the day or for a few days, meaning that they will be on a casual labourer's contract, depending on the role they play within the production of the film, for example if they play a small part in the background of the actual film. Also, the film industry can contain part-time jobs such as a driver. This role contains the responsibility of transporting essential materials (such as actors and gear) from one location to another, which does not have to be done every single day, and so meaning that they would be on a part-time contract.Overall, many companies are more likely to hire employees on a full-time contract, as it is easier to manage (with a consistent pay and consistent hours, providing a consistent amount of work), rather than a part-time contract or a casual labourer's contract, however as full-time workers will work for more money, this means that companies will tend to hire less employees who will earn more money, due to the company's need to pay tax based upon their profits, therefore saving the company money if less people are hired on higher-paying contracts (such as full-time) and more people are hired on lesser paying contracts (such as part-time), meaning that the company will pay the same amount in tax, but pay out less in wage. Bigger companies such as radio production and the film industry will earn a higher income (stereotypically), and will therefore hire the minimal amount of staff on high paying contracts, and everyone else needed on lower paying contracts, so that the income therefore remains high even after the income tax paid and the wages paid.On top of that, within companies, people may be hired as full-time promoters. This involves running social media pages, or advertisements of the company, to boost the popularity and to improve their reputation, therefore bringing in more customers to the to company, and gaining a higher income. For example a magazine company may hire someone (typically a younger person) to set up a social media page based upon the magazine that they produce, giving insights to the younger generation (who are more commonly found on social media) of what their magazine involves, which is a full-time job as this social media page would need to be consistently updated to actively gain a following or to keep the entertainment. Also, some companies such as the film industry will hire a temporary, one-time employee to create a poster or a billboard design to promote their movie, therefore showing that self-promotion can involve both full-time and one-time occupations.
Showreels are used to show off and express a persons capability by having content and products a person has created on a website or on social media to show an employer. These are often used to highlight the skills you have and can perform whilst showing off your creative side to the employer.
A portfolio usually consists of work you have gathered over a period of time that you believe express you in the best way possible when it comes to working. Employers could look into these to see what you are capable of and what your work ethic is like to help decide on employment.
Having a website allows you to showcase all your projects whilst also having feedback from clients which helps employers see the skills you contain within communication and how you act upon that information. They also allow you to contain extra information such as cvs and even your portfolio to help back up your skills and abilities even more, employers will most defiantly look into a website to help them see what you are most capable of with a significant amount of evidence.
Furthermore, having a social media account for your work can be extremely beneficial because employers will see you have a fan base that are interested/ enjoy the content you create which will appeal to them because if you have a big fan base you must be creating good, creative content. The content can range from short movies to creative photoshop work as long as people enjoy what you are doing then this can be very beneficial. Having a social media account can also make it easier to manage all of your projects and work into organised places to help locate them easier.
In addition, having references can open doors in many media sectors because references tell the employer our work style , work ethic and the good things about how you work. This can set you aside from the competition because most people can say they are determined and thrive on challenges however don’t have the references or evidence to back it up.
To increase job interview it is important to list your skills on your cv as well as your education and training. Showing your education and training can set you aside from other people applying for the same job and this could be because you are trained in a specific area which is very beneficial to the employer or you have a higher level of education than other candidates so you will be consider for the job role more.
Furthermore, showing you have work experience wether this is in a specific area or voluntary work in a park it shows the employer what you do in your spare time and also how you could have experience in a specific field relevant to them. In addition, updating your cv, showreel and website can help create a significant advantage you could have over other candidates as it shows you are frequently expanding your knowledge and developing your skills which is what an employer will be looking for.
Overall what really stands out during an interview is your professionalism, time management and your reliability and these can all be demonstrated on your cv, references and even during an interview. Employers want to ensure who they hire is reliable and can be trusted because this means they will also be dedicated and determined when provided work to complete and won’t miss deadlines this also links into time management. To help advance and excel within the media industry showing you are capable of managing your own projects around work and other activities which demonstrates you are very time efficient and will help you work higher up the employment ladder. Also adapting to modern society and learning new software could help you significantly in excelling in the media industry as new job offers could arise because you understand the new technology/ software. Finally contributing to team projects and working along with colleagues shows how you are capable of working with others, determined to reach the end goal and will take control if necessary to ensure success. Doing this will help you succeed because it shows how you are taking on responsibilities and executing the required work whilst working with others overall showing your determination for success.
Structure of the media sector
Majority of the media sector is structured very similar if not identical however the structure entirely depends upon the sectors end goal and the end product the sector focuses on. The film and tv sector is very similar whilst gaming has a few changes to set themselves aside. Furthermore, publishing and press are very similar in the structure they use although opposed to radio sectors.
Public service media
Public service media is a service which reports to the public via the media for example radio or news broadcasts on television. However to have a successful and efficient public service team you will need:editors, journalists, writers, sound mixers and many more which can also be used on a television set such as the BBC news that takes place on a night.
Commercial Media
Commercial mediais the use of advertisements in the media to generate a profit. Companies such as KFC or even Argos all advertise products online to gain the audiences attention and hope they are persuaded to buy their product which will allow the company to gain a profit. To have a team that advertises you would most likely need an editor, writer, camera operators and possibly animation specialists.
Independent media
Independentmedia is any form of media that isn’t controlled by the government or any political party that has certain beliefs that reflect in their articles. The sun newspaper distributes its newspapers bother online and in print.
Vertical and Horizontal Integration
Horizontal integration consist of only being invested in the same sector throughout its existence. However Vertical integration consists of big corporations such as Disney which branch out into different media sectors.
Cross media
Cross media is the distribution of different products throughout media sectors. eBay is a perfect example of this as it sells games, toys, electronics, furniture and even books.
Multi-platform media
Multi-platform media consists of the distributing content over a variety of media outlets for example Microsoft. Microsoft create gaming consoles such as the “x box” and other generations of it as well as tablets, gaming pcs,games and software such as PowerPoint etc. The employees needed this for this would include: plenty of marketing and technology specialists.
Multinational media
Multinational mediais the use of distributing media across the whole world for example square Enix are based across the world to deliver significant news on their latest games. Which will require a huge marketing team to allow for all of this to happen.
The nature of many gaming companies is to provide consumers with the latest video game with high resolution and industry changing graphics. For example Rockstar games specialises in open world games such as gta and they continue to change the industry especially with Gta 5. They have made many GTA games and all have been successful which shows how each one pushes the boundaries and challenges their competition. The size of the organisation has increased massively through the years as their teams and projects increase because of their ideas getting bigger. This means they’d need a bigger team to help manage and maintain everything to ensure it runs smoothly and ease the production, Rockstar hires employees from all over the world and has many teams working in different countries.
Furthermore, ownership within the industry is whom owns the rights and maintains most of the power and in Rockstars case it would be Take Two interactions which is another video game team. In addition, one of the most significant rules in a company like Rockstar is confidentiality because games such as GTA 5 have an online mode and the release frequent updates to keep the audience entertained and they don’t want the public to see what they have planned next because it would ruin the surprise and the hype the company usually gains. Although this can also happen to another game they could be talking about developing but not follow through with it which could disappoint the public/ their audience. Rockstar have many investors which will fund them on products they wish to create or even advertise however, they also use money that the company holds themselves for creating products to hopefully make a profit and make more money. Although the money is also spent on staff and licences to ensure they do not gain any copyright claims which could lose then a lot of money. Legal and Ethical issues within the media is important because once it’s online it’s their for ever so every company must ensure they are completely respectful to all customers if any background whilst using appropriate language. Furthermore, companies such as Rockstar need to ensure they gain rights for all things they use because within their GTA 5 game they use well known music by the community and if they did not gain the right to have that music in the game then they would have a copy right claim and be in court which will result in a huge loss of money and the company would gain a bad reputation.
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