Assignment 2: Skills Audit

L.O

1.     Understand freelance working in the creative media sector.

2.     Understand contractual obligations and financial issues in the creative media sector.

3.     Be able to plan for a professional development and skills maintenance as a freelance worker in the creative media sector

4.     Be able to develop a strategy to maintain workflow in a chosen freelance specialism in the creative media sector.

Different Sectors in Media

1.     Journalism

2.     Graphics

3.     Music Industry

4.     Radio and Television

5.     Film

6.     Interactive Media

7.     Games

8.     Advertising

Specialisms within

1.     Journalism:  - Journalist, Subeditors, photographers

2.     Graphics: - Artist,

3.     Radio: - Presenter, Producer, Advertising, Reporters

4.     Television: - Acting, Producer, Makeup, Sound, Writing

5.     Film: - Acting, Producing, Directing, Writing

6.     Interactive Media: -

Contracts

1.     Full Time: A job in which you are employed for 30+ hours of work. Contract for a set amount of hours a week, rolling contract. Set number of paid holiday and sickness benefit. No independence, tedious.  Gain experience and training; updating your skills for free. Suits parents.

2.     Part Time: - Fixed contracts (e.g. BBC employs on six months contracts) less security on a part time contract than a full time as you can be dropped when and as your employer pleases. Holiday and sick pay still available ‘Pro Rata’ means it depends on your contract; if you work a certain amount of hours then a certain number of hours will be allocated to you.  Suits students, or people wanting to build a reputation in the industry with a range of skills. Gives stability but with the chance to switch things up

3.     Freelance: - Employed on a job-by-job basis. For journalism it could mean by story, for a graphics designer per design. Effectively you are your own boss, you decide what time you start, finish, what days you want to work, whether you want to do the job or not, charge how much you want. You can’t make long term plans, have sick pay/holiday pay, You never know how much you will make one month it may be good pay the next may be very poor.

Costly business; paying for a computer and programmes.

Because you can set your own costs you can earn a lot of money.

You can go on a holiday when you want. Freedom.