lo2: SKILLS NEEDED TO PURSUE A CAREER
FREELANCINGSomeone who does freelance work or who is, for example, a freelance journalist or photographer is not employed by one organisation, but is paid for each piece of work they do by the organisation they do it for.
"I'm a freelance person, and I've always been able to support myself" - Gloria Steinem
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A freelancer is a self employed person offering their services to clients setting their own hours, working full time or part time on the jobs they choose. Many successful freelancers can build a good reputation for their quality of skills and work for the same set of clients over long periods of time.
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Pros and cons of freelancing |
PROS:
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Why is it important to sell yourself as a freelancer?
Freelancers need to build a good reputation for themselves (or their company) as they want customers to recommend and come back for the services they provide. When a customer goes to employ a freelancer, they are looking for someone with experience, a good quality of work and a loyal customer base. If you are selling yourself as a freelancer by saying you haven't got much experience and not many of your customers would recommend your service, your career will not be successful.
Where could I advertise myself for Freelancing?
Video Collective is a website for both companies and freelancers in the Film and TV industry offering work for professional freelancers and freelancers for companies working on projects. The website gives you the option to find a job or post a job depending on your position. As this website is specifically Media based, I think this would be the best place to advertise my work as a freelance video editor. The website can be found at: http://www.freelancevideocollective.com/#s=1
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Upwork Inc are a company that connect freelancers to customers by listing jobs freelancers can choose to take on with clear information on pay, budget, upload date and the task set. The website is not just film industry specific however it seems to work for freelancers who specialise in web and mobile development, design, writing, customer service, accounting and marketing as well as the film industry which suggests the company has been successful. The website can be found at: https://www.upwork.com/o/jobs/browse/skill/video-editing/ |
Production hub has been a back to back resource for professionals behind the scenes in media and entertainment for over 20 years. The website allows you to browse through freelance and vendor profiles worldwide as well as view reels and portfolios and contact directly for quotes. It states on the front page that the site has been trusted by huge media companies such as the BBC, Universal, NBC, CNN and FOX. I could advertise myself for work on here by displaying a showreel of my work and by communicating with potential customers. The website can be found at: https://www.productionhub.com
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References |
Wilde, T. (Year Unknown). The Pros and Cons of Freelancing. Available: http://www.social-hire.com/blog/candidate/1429/the-pros-and-cons-of-freelancing/. Last accessed 17th Jan 2017.
Duermyer,m D. (2016). What is a Freelancer and What is Freelancing?.Available: https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-freelancing-1794415. Last accessed 17th Jan 2017. Quotes from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/freelance.html |
Regulations and discriminations
The guild of
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GBFTE aims to:
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Changing HORIZONS |
Changing Horizons are a visual communications agency that work with businesses to create video, photo and interactive content. This means they create adverts, promos, charity videos as well as showcase films. They have worked with companies such as Walkers, Bupa, P&G, PepsiCo and are based in Reading.
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I investigated Changing Horizons team and found their motion/video editor Tom Coombe. This then took me to his Linkedin page where I could gain information on the skills and experience he has gained to get to the position he is in today. Coombe has worked as an Assistant Editor, Cameraman, Motion and Graphics Editor and now works as the Senior Graphics Editor at CN. He went to the University of Winchester and has skills in Video Editing, Post Production, Video Production, Film Production, Television, Camera Operation and Final Cut Pro. This gives me a good understanding of the skills I need to learn and path I should take towards a job similar to this.
Gender bias in the film industry: 3/4 of blockbuster crews are male
British writer and producer Stephen Follows complied a report studying the gender of many employees who worked on the 100 biggest box office films each year from 1994 to 2014. His results were rather alarming, concluding that in 2000 of the biggest grossing films in the past 20 years, 22% of the people involved in making the film were female. This percentage also dropped to 21.8% in 2013. Traditionally woman have been found working in a make up artist or casting position of the production, however in the modern world we live in shouldn't woman have an equal opportunity to work in what seems to be mens positions on the production of a high budget block buster? Some of Follows results seemed surreal; in visual effects 17.5% were female, music - 16%, camera and electricals - 5%, editors - 13%, writers - 10% and only 5% of directors were female; no wonder Follows went over his research twice. Beryll Richards, director of various successful TV series, blamed the freelanced driven side of the industry, where she said: "There is no one monitoring and no one challenging the pattern that is replicating itself, that is why nothing is changing." This means freelancers are not subject to to the same conditions on equality as every other work field causing males to exceed in the industry while females are seen as less beings.
This video studies why there is a gender bias in the film industry and what are the causes. There are facts as well as real accounts from female film makers throughout the video which challenge gender discrimination in the film industry. One woman talks about how tradition and gender stereo types have caused men to enter the technical side of film making while women have entered the casting and make up side. She says this is because boys are encouraged to learn skills and measure their worth based on capability and girls are encouraged to socialise and measure their worth based on social relationships, this reflects on their adulthood and in the workplace; for example in the film industry, most men aim to work on the technical aspect whereas women work in costume and make up.
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REFERENCES |
Ellis-Petersen, H. (2014). Gender bias in the film industry: 75% of blockbuster crews are male. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/22/gender-bias-film-industry-75-percent-male. Last accessed 18th Jan 2017.
Rowan Ellis. (2016). Why Are There No Female Filmmakers?. [Online Video]. 7 August 2016. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rySvX6nF4U. [Accessed: 18th January 2017]. |
SKILLS REQUIRED
time management |
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Presentation SKills |
Organisational Skills |
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Creativity |
Role skills (video editing) |
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Software Products / Equipment Skills |
The way you carry yourself |
Video Editors need to be flexible and work at short notice if necessary as well as working much longer hours, in some cases up to 60 hours a week to meet project deadlines. I'd work in studios and editing suites so long periods of time are spent on a computer. This would mean I should present my self in an organised way whilst being myself and dressing how I normally. This reflects my work as an editor to my employer as organised but tells highlights my creative element which should be their priority when employing me.
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possible issues encountered |
HUMAN:
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