Film, TV and Radio

Film, TV & Radio

Having a job in working in film, TV or radio makes people sound interesting. If you do pursue a career in this area you are sure to be proudly announced at parties as ‘here’s John, he works in film’… Immediately images of glamour and riches are summoned and if you smile mysteriously and avoid all follow-up questions you may be able to convince everyone that the reality is really that romantic.

Hard work and long hours are more likely than a trailer beside Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt but the attraction to the variety of careers in these sectors continues to rise. There is little job security, yet those wishing to avoid the nine to five lifestyle might relish this environment.
 
Education

Degrees in Film can be divided into two distinct areas. Film Studies, which is preoccupied with the academic study of film, including theory, criticism and history, is available from colleges such as Trinity, NUI Galway and Dublin Business School.

Production-focused programmes, such as provided by Dundalk IT, Dun Laoghaire IADT, Galway-Mayo IT, Dublin Business School (Film & Media), IT Carlow (TV & Media Production), IT Tralee (TV, Radio & New Media Broadcasting) and Limerick IT (Technology – Video & Sound), are more ‘hands-on’.
Students acquire technical skills such as Camera & Lighting, Editing, Script Production and Radio Broadcasting.

There is plenty of overlap however, with applied learning modules (e.g. filmmaking, scriptwriting) in the former, and film theory and history modules in the latter courses. Both approaches produce graduates with a rounded knowledge of the film and broadcast media industries and a variety of potential career paths.

Besides higher education options such as these, there are many TV & Film production courses accredited by FETAC offered around the country.

The Work

Graduates of production/broadcasting courses can look for work in local or national radio, independent production companies, as well as the national TV stations. The competition for jobs in all media is extreme, but career prospects are helped slightly by the ability to move from one medium to another (from radio to TV or vice versa).

Entry-level positions in TV and radio are often on a work experience or intern level. Even graduates with degrees start off making tea and labelling tapes in a production company or post-production house. You have to show initiative and talent to move up to more senior positions.

Researchers and production assistants on a TV or radio show have a wide variety of different responsibilities, including booking crew for shoots (cameramen, key grips, and so on), researching guests’ backgrounds, calculating budgets, making transport and accommodation arrangements, and suggesting creative ideas.

Broadcasting and sound engineers are responsible for the technical efficiency of a studio or outside recording scenario. Editors are involved in post-production, distilling the finished programme from hours of footage and adding music or a voice-over to a programme.

The producer is the head of the production team. Producers have an idea and put together a proposal for the programme, hire the crew and talent, receive a commission from a TV station or secure funding from other backers, and ensure the project comes in on-budget and on time.

The director is responsible for the finished content that appears on-screen. Directors plan visuals with the camera operators, deal with guests, interviewees or actors to help them perform in front of the camera, write scripts for voice-overs or montages and sit with the editor to put the finished project together.

Producers, researchers, directors and other media professionals can either work full-time for TV, a radio station or a production house, or they can work freelance on a contract basis. Freelance workers can often have very busy periods interspersed with quiet times. Working hours can be long, and shoots can be stressful.

Did you know?

The Late Late Show, which started in 1962, is the second longest running talk show in the world after American programme The Tonight Show, which started in 1954.

Further Resources

• Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI): www.bci.ie
• Irish Film and Television Network (IFTN): www.iftn.com
• Radio Teilifís Éireann: www.rte.ie