Produce a Case Study

SITES USED
http://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Camera_Operator/Salary
http://provideocoalition.com/freshdv/story/production_jobs_and_responsibilities_of_crew/
http://www.creativeskillset.org/film/jobs/camera/article_4688_1.asp



For this project we have to investigate the different jobs within a certain creative sector and provide examples of how to reach certain careers.There are many different creative sectors such as Production, Publishing, Game Design, Radio, Animation, and web-authoring. My Chosen sector Is publishing because my dream career is a Music video producer.

Production

Many people believe that the only jobs when working in production are, script writers, producers, directors and camera operators but there are many more. The roles vary from a range of financial, managerial, technical,creative and sales and marketing. Some examples of the job roles within production are.

Production staff
Casting Director
Production Manager
1st and 2nd assistant director
script supervisor
key production assistant
production accountant
location manager
publicist

Art Department
Art director
production designer
publicity designer
key makeup person
key hairdresser
costumer designer
set costumer
property manager
set decorator

Camera Department
Directory of photography
camera operator
1st and 2nd assistant cameraperson
continuity stills photographer
production still photographer
documentary videographer

Production Sound
Mixer/recordist
Sound assistant

Set Operations
Key Grip
Best-Boy grip
Set ops Grips
Dolly Grip
Construction Foreman
Construction Grips

Electrical
Gaffer
Best-boy Electirc

Post Production Staff

Editorial
Editor
Assistant Editor

Compositing
Lead Compositor/Visual Effects Supervisor
Compositors

Sound/Music
Sound designer
Composer
Mixing Engineer
Foley Artist

I have chosen to pick 1 from each department and go into further detail about each role to get a wider understanding.
The production accountant works closely with the UPM (Unit Production Manager) To make sure the production budget is used sufficiently and on everything that is needed for the production itself. Specific duties for this role will include the preparation of the budget in conjunction with UPM, maintenance of production accounts, facilitate release of expenditures and accounting for costs, and filling out cost reports. As a production accountant  you require certain skills. In addition to meticulous bookkeeping and accountancy skills, production accountant must also possess a thorough working knowledge of film making. they also need strong organisational and interpersonal communication skills and must be able to priorities jobs effectively and be able to work discretely, in order to maintain absolute confidentiality. Skills specific to the accounting role include expertise in accounting software as well as in movie magic or other budgeting and scheduling software.
Many production accountants are usually freelance (self-employed and hired to work for different companies on particular assignments.) The level of qualification required depends on the size and scale of the specific production. for example if there was a hollywood film being made they would depend on a extremely qualified in every area expected as to a short film production which may only require certain qualifications.
The average national salary for a production accountant or film production accountant is $77,000 (£46,891 GBP) The location of opportunity plays greatly on the salary average for example in LA, California the average production accountant salary is $79,000 (48,109) where as New York is $94,000 (£57,243)

In the art department, the set decorator works closely with the art director, production designer, construction foreman, and DP to dress and decorate the sets, some of their duties will include; painting, draping,arranging props and small-scale landscaping. The responsibilities of the set decorator include preparations for detailed prop breakdowns, marking the script up and listing requiremant for action props, animals, vehicles, dressing props and any graphic items (Letters, newspapers, posters, books etc).  The items that are required are then located, purchased or hired, and where necessary.  Set decorators may also work on product placement arrangements or on acquiring copyright clearances for branded items that may be used as props in the production. There is a wide knowledge in design and decorating required as part of the key skills needed to obtain this job role, aswell as basic computer skills and a full clean driving licence. some other skills include; Good eye for decoration and precise attention to detail, anthusiasm for dressing objects and for decoration, good sense of colour and form, a methodical approach to work, creative flair, ability to see the broader picture and to co-ordinate effectively, ability to work as part of a team and knowledge of the requirements of the relevant health and safety legislation and procedures. The working hours of a set decorator can be long and may involved working evenings and weekends in order to meet the deadlines required for the production, you could work in a studio, office or from home. Most set designers work on a freelance basis and there rates can very.  The average earned in May 2009 was £15,80 hourly or £32,890 annually. 

A camera operator is one of the most important job roles in the industry as depending on the camera operator results in the quality of the production. The camera operators usually begin work at the end of pre-production they usually assists the DP in camera operation aswell as the director and grip, they are responsible for the 1st and 2nd assistant camera operators and the camera trainee, specifit duties will include Operating the cameras, focus marking and pulling, and maintenance and management of camera equipment. The key skills needed in order to become a camera operator include; a good sense of visual composition, perpective and movement, a physical co-ordination and strength, the ability to combine creativity with technical skills, precise attention to detail, effective communication skills, ability to collaborate and to work as part of a team, diplomacy and sensitivity when working with artists and crew and finally the knowledge of the requirements of the relevant health and safety legislation and procedures. There are no specific qualifications required to work for this role althought film schools and training course tend to offer a good basic grounding in the skills and knowledge required for this role. The most useful courses offer alot of practical experience and may also include work placement experience. Some well known courses include City & guilds courses, BTEC HNC/HNDs, foundation degrees, first degrees and post graduate qualifications in media, film and TV production and even cinematography. Camera operators hours vary as they could be as often as possible, or long and irregular. they may also include working nights and weekends depending on the production itself. You will need to be flexible and available to work at short notice especially for news production as this can occur at any time. Freeland camera operators are usually paid a fee for each contract which are decided between each other. The national salary is 13,602 - £48,479 with a bonus of £300.00 - £5,500.

In the sound production section there are 3 main roles. The mixer/recordist, boom operators and the sound assistant. the mixer/recordists' job is just as important as anyone else's as without the sound producer the sound would not be apart of the production itself which could decrease the popularity of the production. They are the on-set/on-location sound engineer that is responsible for the recording of the production sound and any sync-related sound mixing and play back. Some of the main or most important duties that they have when working are, supervising the capture of the audio onto various devices. The maintenance and management of the on-set sound equipment, so making sure that all equipment is safe, beign used correctly and in working order. they also assist in the recording of ADR, foley & music during the post production.
If you were ever interested in obtaining a job working as a mixer/recordist for a production team there are a series of key skills that are needed such as having excellent aural skills, good communication skills, diplomacy and tact, the ability to give and accept direction when or if needed, paying precice attention to detail, having the ability to make important decisions when working under pressure and having a knowledge of the requirements of health and safety legislation and procedures. 
The qualifications needed for this role usually need to consist of specialist training in sound recording before you start out at the junior level.
The average salary of a sound mixer in the UK is between £12,449 - £61,981.
The majority of production sound mixers train in sound recording but start working in the industry at junior levels as sound trainees.

In the set operation team the key grip has the responsibility to work with the gaffer in setting and cutting lights to create shadow effects for the set lighting and supervises the camera cranes, dollies, platforms and wild wall movements according to the DP. Grips are usually responsible for pushing the dolly (the wheeled platform that carries the camera and camera operator) and must create smooth movement that do not distract from the main camera. As a grip you begin work in the later stages of preproduction, when they join all other departments to help with technical recce. Most grips work in the british film industry after they have served their apprenticeship while working for one of the equipment houses, or started their career in driving the camera car.
Grips need to have excellent up to date knowledge of all camera equipemtn they should also be enthusiastic about mechanics and have the ability to assemle equipment. some of the key skills that are needed for this job roles are good leadership skills, the inititative and ability to respond quickly to different situations, the ability to collaborate and work as part of a team, diplomacy and sensitivity when working with artists and other members of the crew, have a high level of physical stamina and strength and since a camera grip has to lift alot of heavy equipement aswell as pull it they need a thorough knowledge of the requiment of the health and safety legislation and procedures to ensure that they do not harm there selves of any one else.

The electrical department is one of the most important departments within the media department as most if not all of the media sectors depend on electricity to get things done. The gaffer is also sometimes called the lighting designer. They are chief electrician who supervises set lighting in accordance with the requirements of the DP. The Gaffers key responsibility is health and safety due to being around electrical appliances all the time. The need to stay in control of risk assessments and oversee all the work taking place, it is also there responsibility to watch the lighting budget.The Gaffers check the list of lighting with the best boy to ensure that the correct equipment is ordered, and mediate between the lighting crew and the DoP.
It is difficult to say how much a lighting gaffer earns per year on average because it varys in the size of the contracts that they are signed to, and the majority of lighting directors are freelance so they negotiate with clients a salary per shoot of for a fixed term contract. Many gaffers will start out as lighting technicians who earn around £25,000 per year but at the very beginning they will work and train for a lot less.
To become a gaffer you need to require some of the more important skills. Gaffers must be imaginative, and must have a high-level of technical skills that have been proven over several years of work. They must also be able to solve problems and have excellent communication and team leadership skills. The role itself requires self confidence and assertiveness as working as a gaffer involves working with a group of 100+ people that you need to direct in teams.
Gaffers must also be fully qualified electricians with usually a rise through of the lighting departments. They may have a degree in electrical engineering and gained additional qualifications through training and education.

The editorial team are who bring the whole production together to create the final stages of the production.
The editors are the key head of this department responsible for first assistant editors and on bigger productions, second assistants and trainees. They work closely with the director before shooting begins, The key skills of the editor are having the ability to be creative under pressure, imagination and an understanding of narrative, an excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a developed sense of rhythm and timing when telling stories, highly developed aesthetic visual awareness, the ability to lead a team, having a good sense of patience, and attention to detail as well as good organisational skills and finally a knowledge of the requirements of the relevant health and safety legislation and procedures.
The average salary for an editor is £25,951 per year. most people move on to other jobs if they have more than 20 years experience as an editor.

The compositing team consists of two roles. The lead compositor/visual effects supervisor and the compositors them selves.
The visual effects supervisors are the lead compositor they work under the supervision of the director, DP and the art director in coordination with the editor to design and implement compositing effects. The visual effects create everything in a film that cannot be captured on a single piece of film in the camera it often is known as special effects. but technically special effects concerns live sequences that take place on a film set such as animatronics, pyrotechnics or wire-work.
A lot of people start as assistants at visual effects and post-production companies, they are very good places to start out because you get a first class look at everything that goes on and a basic knowledge of the techniques used in this departments. To get into the compositing business you need to have a good basic knowledge of camera equipment and techniques, film lab processes, compositing techniques and software. you also need a good visual sense and a creative approach to telling a story.
A visual effects supervisors each on average a salary of £44,500 per year.

The sound/music team are the final production team that i'm going to talk about as this is one of the final stages of editing which draws the entire production together.
The sound designer is possibly the main role within this department. They work in conjunction with the director and are responsible for the ideation and creation of the overall soundtrack of the film. The sound designer also supervises the mix of music, dialogue, ADR, Foley and sound effects.
All sound designers start out as sound enthusiast and have usually spent many years recording and experimenting with everyday sound before they start a career in the sound industry. Sound design is a highly competitive area even the most highly qualified participants must be prepared to start out from the beginning. As well as an enthusiasm for sound and film, sound designers must have a good understanding of acoustics and an expert knowledge of sound recording and editing techniques. some of the key skills that are included to have for this job role are. Excellent aural skills, creativity and imagination, the ability to work conceptually, have excellent communication skills, the ability to work under pressure to tight and changing deadlines, organisational and financial skills and a knowledge of the requirements of the relevant health and safety legislation and procedures.
a sound designers salary per year is £23,000.

professional behaviors

When working in any job sector it is extremely important to follow certain professional behaviors if you don't follow these it could result in a number of things from creating a bad example of the business, a bad production and even loosing your job.The environment you work in will always be different to a previous job; there will be many different ranges from your job role/title, to your dress code, how much time you get off and the general office atmosphere. Some of the main behaviors that you must follow are;

• Punctuality -
• Attitude-
• Presentation-
• organization - 
• reliability-
• communication skills - 
• Time management
• Respect
• work on own initiative
• motivation
• commitment
• self presentation
• and working as part of a team

These are all in there own way very important but work the best when they are all used together.
It is very important to be, punctual, and reliable in media. This is because if you are late to shoots it can jeopardize the production schedule, as well as being as reliable as possible and sometimes production may not go to plan due to natural causes such as weather, and this cannot be helped so you would have to be available to work when ever needed, same for working late nights to meet deadlines.

 Your appearance and attitude are also important, although a lot of job roles in media are behind the scenes is it still important to present yourselves in a professional manor, especially for interviews, meetings with clients and even for working behind scenes. if you turned up to work in just baggy old clothes these could even cause a risk, for example. If you are the camera man and you are wearing really baggy clothes, trousers especially, that droop along the floor you could catch wires linked up to expensive equipment and break things or trip over. Your attitude, like appearance, is again very important. If you meet with clients with an un interested attitude you could loose out on possible productions, as well as if you act lazy during the production you could upset colleagues, the bosses and the clients.

 Media can be a very stressful experience when it is unorganized. this makes organizational skills one of the most important techniques for this sector.  If you organize yourself during pre-production it speeds up the production process, and makes the situation 10 times easier. the main things to organize are the people involved, the equipment, the location and the schedule. if any of these are not organized before shoots it could jeopardize the shoot itself. for example if you forget to bring some important equipment you may not be able to film and it would waste a day of production.

You should always make sure that your communication skills are involved in media, without communication no one would know what is going on. If you didn't have good communication skills you could turn up to events which have been paid for on your own without any one else. it is extremely important to make sure that all people involved in the production are aware of what is going on at all times

It cost a lot of money to work in media, due to the amount of equipment, people employed and props involved in creating good quality production, so when a lot of money is being used to create things in time for the dead line it is your responsibility to make sure that you are always on time, dedicated to the job and motivated to do the best possible.
With good time managements skills you can ensure that no money is wasted during production, as there is nothing worse than planning a shoot and important people not turning up and this could cause issues such as the production not going ahead or certain scenes being cut jeopardizing the production.

In my opinion the most important professional behavior to have when working in the media sector is the ability to work on your own initiative as well as working as a team. You should always have the ability to decide when something needs to be done to help improve the production or to keep thing running smoothly but these will mean nothing if the whole team are not made aware of this. As well as this the media sector has so many different things going on at the same time that it would be impossible or extremely hard to do it all by yourself. This is where working in a team helps everyone involved in the production, not only does it give everyone the oportunity to bond and build relationships as part of the production team but it also allows the stress of the production to be evenly spread out giving everyone involved a different job role that needs to be carried out for the production. if you didnt work as a team during productions this could increase the budget as you would need more shoot days as you would only be limited to one shoot a day, it would also mean that you are not very organized because it would become very easy to remember what has and hasnt been done.

Overall i believe that if you have knowledge of all of the professional behaviors used in the creative media sector you should have no trouble working in it.