UNIT 8 - Job roles in TV

Technical

This area of work consists of an audio technician, costume designer and the Director of photography.

Audio Technician

This job role consists of an audio technician, costume designer and the Director of photography. The overall  role of the technical team is to help with different parts of production be it before, during or after. More specifically a Sound technician helps operate all audio output into a production, they can work in different areas such as television, radio and other sound recording productions. As well as editing sound onto pieces of work they also need to be able to understand all the different sound equipment for example a sound board on stage for someone to throw a concert. They can help set up events and ensure that everything is running fine by doing sound checks etc.


Director of photography

The director of photography is in charge of all the images shown on a production, they can sort this out by either taking and producing the images on their own or having a team of photographers take pictures and everything would run through the director to see if it would make it onto the actual production. They usually have a degree in Photography or any media related course and the job requires knowledge in the obvious field photography. This job can also include editing visual effects on a certain frame or image. The director of photography is in charge of making decisions on what effects to use and how to apply it to certain images. Some qualities that are valuable in this role are:

• have good technical knowledge of photo-chemical and digital processes
• know all about camera equipment
• have in-depth knowledge of lighting techniques and how to achieve them
• have considerable industry experience
• be flexible in order to adapt ideas instantly
• be able to take decisions quickly
• know about photography, painting and the moving image

Costume Designer

The costume designers job is pretty much self explanatory, they are the people who design and create different clothes and accessories for either models or characters in a production and many more roles. The costume varies depending on who its for the so the costume designer would take that into consideration and create a costume accordingly. As well as creating costumes the director of a production may have told them to, costume designers can also create their own ideas and put those pieces forward as suggestions. This job role requires creativity and attention to detail as the conventions are meant to be realistic as possible when it comes to performance on television.

Editorial

This area of work consists of the News editor, Film editor and After effects Editor.

News Editor

The News editor is in charge of editing all the information given out on the news, they edit the news in a way it comes across as informative and formal. The news editors job requires high editing skills as on screen analytics are most common to pop up during the news. They also have to edit up the videos that come up when news reporters cut to the field reporters. The job requires many different editing techniques and follow a strict time frame. This role is highly specific as the editing has to be on point.

Film Editor

The role of the Film editor is to piece together all the footage captured on camera. They have the important role of editing different parts of a film. This can vary from the scenes being put together to show continuity or some CGI effects that make animation come to life. They spend most their time with the director of the film as they ha would usually have a rough idea on what the film needs to look like. This job is extremely time consuming as the editing takes the longest when producing a film, everything needs to be on point so it has to be done to perfection.





After Effects Editor

The after effects manager is the person who edits a final piece or production to check if its accurately edited and suits the producers standards. They have the job of over viewing the entire production in terms of editing and they can add many effects they think will make the production look better/realistic. They have to have an eye for accuracy as it is one of the most important factors in this role.

 Managerial

This area of work consists of the production manager, Location Manager and the Field Manager.

Production Manager

The role of the Production Manager is to ensure that everything during, before and after the production is running smoothly. They have to make sure everyone is doing their job and they do regular check ups to see where the whole production team stands in terms of their time schedule. They have to manage different clients and have many responsibilities such as health and safety regulations that have to be met.  They require good communication skills and reliable when it comes to time. This job can be very stressful as having such big responsibility can have its toll however they have the freedom of checking every sect of the production and can oversee everything that is going on. 

Location Manager

The role of the location manager is to arrange where and when something will be captured on camera e.g. a scene for a film. The location manager has to find a location suitable to what they are filming and ensure it meets all the standards and safety regulations first. they can have a rough estimate in what they want a scene to look like and they then try to find a location exact to it, or they can have the other production team help them setup a stage at that location. This also requires them to look at the production schedule as the whole team would have to travel to that area.


Field Manager

The role of the field manager is to oversee employees that travel to work or sites while on the job. They supervise the people on set and make sure that everyone is performing their responsibilities so that things can get done quicker and more efficiently. This is an important role as it helps everyone keep up to date with their job and they can stick to the time schedule. This job role also requires good communication skills and reliability as everyone can rely on the field manager to inform them on what to do in the worst case scenario.

Creative

This area of work consists of the Director, Script Writer and the Graphics Designer.

Director

The role of the director is to manage the whole film itself, the directors idea gets turned into reality as they are the ones who control how the film goes. They are the ones who have the original idea for the film and they can tell the editors and pre production team what to prepare and how they want it portrayed. They are obviously the ones who thought of the idea for the film, this can be done with other people to help but they are the main person who thought of the idea for the film itself. During filming the director oversees each scene that is shot and evaluates it as it is being filmed to see if it is good enough or "meets the standards". For example a director like Steven Spielberg has made and directed films like 'Jaws' and 'Saving Private Ryan', both films of which were highly successful and were directed with accuracy and detail to the directors idea.  

Script Writer

The role of the script writer is to of course create and write the script for the production. They have to have the creative mindset as this will be the piece that the actors read off of in a film. They work with the director and can add to the idea. This requires good understanding of the language as the script is what is going to make the film interesting. The script not only tells actors what to say but also tells them what to do, be it on stage or on set. This gives structure to the actors performing and helps them get into the characters zone. The script writers also need to understand how each character is portrayed as they can effect how the audience see them with what that specific character has to say and do. E.g. if the character is playing the villain in the production then what they say and do is going to be different to the heroin. The difference in what they say has a big impact on what the films overall look will feel like for viewers so this is highly important.


Graphics Designer

The role of the Graphics designer is to create visuals by hand or more often;y by computer. they share ideas that can inspire them to create a piece. They can develop the overall layout and production design for advertisements, TV, magazines etc. This role requires a lot of knowledge on digital arts as it is something that will be used in this role. The graphics design team can develop ideas. Here are some of the requirements and qualities that will be needed for this role:

• Meeting clients to discuss the business objectives and requirements of the job.

• Estimating the time required to complete work and providing quotes for clients.

• Reliability with deadlines

• Thinking creatively to produce new ideas and concepts 

• working with a range of media, including computer design and keeping up to date with new emerging technology.