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Sector Outlook
As you might expect, careers in film and television can be competitive. Actors and
entertainers are by nature self employed and until a major film or TV contract is secured,
have to supplement their income with other job roles.
The industry, of course, offers a variety of job roles and as well as being in the public
eye opportunities exist to work behind the scenes. If you want to work as a lighting
technician or a make up artist, for example, you can find employment with television
production companies, film producers and facilities companies.
It’s worth knowing that the majority of contracts within the sector are short term so if
you can offer a variety of skills and have the ability to get on well with people you’ll have
a better chance of finding more work.
If you would like to work in film and television but are not sure which career to choose,
you could consider media design given that the UK has one of the most advanced digital
media industries. The majority of creative and media workers are based in the South East
and the North West of England. However, it can be difficult to get on the first rung of the
ladder so to give yourself the best chance possible build upon your qualifications, accept
any work experience you are offered and be willing to learn new skills.
Most television companies are based in London although opportunities for work are
appearing in other parts of the country. The BBC, for example, is moving more of
its operations to Salford. Unfortunately the corporation has announced that a 20%
budget cut will lead to 2000 job losses over the next five years but vacancies are
still being advertised on its website including broadcast journalist, creative director,
communications manager, business analyst, operations engineer, social media content
producer, data base administrator, senior web developer, content migration specialist,
media services supervisor, sales manager and regional support assistant among others.
Many posts are permanent or fixed term with some being offered on a freelance basis.
You can also research job opportunities with the independent television companies. ITV
is currently looking to recruit suitable candidates to the following posts; senior features
producer for ‘Lorraine’, researcher for ‘Good Morning Britain’, production journalist,
operations support manager and a post production support engineer. Apprenticeships
are also on offer giving you the chance to work alongside industry experts.
Film studios and production companies tend to be based in London and the South
East. However, Aardman Animations, the company that brought to life Morph, Shaun
the Sheep, and Wallace and Gromit is based in Bristol. At the time of writing Aardman
Animations is offering a certificated course in character animation and has secured
a number of industry partners who have signed up to offer workplace internships to
budding animators.
Film and TV