Roles in the TV and Film Industry

By Tristan Kassam

Director

“The Big Chief”, “The Captain”, other names of the role of the Director. The Director is primarily the main creative force behind a film or TV programme. They have the role of translating a screenplay, wrote by the writer, to what is shown on the big screen.

ProducerProducers have overall control on every aspect of a film's production. They bring together and approve the whole production team. Their key responsibility is to create an environment where the talents of the cast and crew can flourish. Producers are accountable for the success of the finished film. They steer the film from beginning to completion and beyond.

WriterScreenwriters create screenplays for films. They provide the blueprint for the creative input of the Producer, Director, Production Designer, Composer and Editor, cast and crew.

When a person reads to the script, they should be able to imagine how the film will look on screen. Scripts should include fascinating characters, an exciting plot, and a great idea for a marketable film.

Camera OperatorCamera Operators carry out the Director of Photography’s and Director’s instructions for shot composition and development. They are usually the first people to use the camera's eyepiece to assess how all the elements of performance, art direction, lighting, composition and camera movement come together to create the cinematic experience.

ActorActors interpret others' words in order to bring a script to life, and to put flesh and blood on the characters they portray. Theirs is the public face of a production, representing many others' work and efforts. It is rare for the public to see the Scriptwriter, the Producer, or the Director - their perception is based on what the Actors portray on screen.

Some writers will place themselves in the production with a very minor role. They would usually play the character of a writer.

Management RolesManagement - Management in businesses and or workplace is the function that coordinates the efforts of people to accomplish goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. Managerial skills includes planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization to accomplish the goal.

A great example of a management role in the TV and Film industry would be the Director. As I wrote in my description of a he/she is the captain of the ship. He manages the actors and crew to successfully make a production.

Creative Jobs

The creative workers in the industry are a big part of the production as they have jobs in directing, camera work and they essentially decide how the media looks.

They create a genre within the piece of media and have the very important roles of making sure the production has a professional look.

There are a vast amount of creative jobs in the industry as that is where most of the work is put in. The main role areas are; Direction, Production, Casting, Camera, Lighting, Script, Music, Props.

Editorial PositionThere are various editorial positions in publishing. Typically, one finds editorial assistants reporting to the senior-level editorial staff and directors who report to senior executive editors. Senior executive editors are responsible for developing a product for its final cut. The smaller the publication, the more these roles overlap.

As a film or video editor, you'll be responsible for assembling recorded raw material into a finished product that's suitable for broadcasting. The material may include camera footage, dialogue, sound effects, graphics and special effects.

Editing is an essential role for the post production process and your skills determine the quality of the end result. The editor will usually work closely with the director to achieve the desired final piece.

Technical RolesTechnical job skills refer to the talent and expertise a person possesses to perform a certain job or task. One of these jobs roles is the camera operator.

Camera Operators usually start at the end of pre-production and attend technical recces with other Heads of Department. They work closely with the Director of Photography, Director and Grip, and are responsible for the First Assistant Camera, Second Assistant Camera and the Camera Trainee.

After the Director and Director of Photography have rehearsed and got the actors and cameras in position, the Camera Operator and Director of Photography decide where to position the camera and what lenses and supporting equipment to use. Camera Operators liaise with the Grip and other Heads of Department, and keep them informed about how the position and movement of the camera might impact on their workload.

Research JobsIn the TV and Film industry there is just one main job title for researchers and that is a Media Researcher.

As a media researcher you would support producers by finding the information, people and places needed for television or radio programmes. If you like investigating things and can get your creative ideas across to people, this could be the ideal job for you.

TV Researchers originate or develop programme ideas, drawing on their knowledge and understanding of industry requirements, and present their findings to decision makers. They are also fact checkers and brief writers who write scripts for on-screen presenters.

Financial Jobs

Finance is the science of of funds management. Finance includes saving money and sometimes lending money. The field of finance deals with the concepts of money, risk and how there are interrelated. It also deals with how money is spent and budgeted.

Jobs that are available in the accounts area of the TV industry are Production Accounting and Fanatical Controller. In distribution there are Sales Agents and Distributors.

Organizational Jobs

Organizational jobs require the individual to have the ability to organized and manage people or objects and make sure that everything goes to plan and that the production meets the deadline. They also make sure every person has a job and that they are completing it to a good enough standard and to the deadline.

Administrative Jobs

Administration is defined as the universal process of organizing people effectively and efficiently to complete common goals and objectives.

Administration consists of performance or management of a business operations and thus making important, major decisions.

Jobs that are available in this are; Accounts, Casting, Locations, Transport.