OPPORTUNITIES in
Television and Video Careers REVISED EDITION
S HONAN N ORONHA
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Contents
Foreword Preface Acknowledgments
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1. The Television Landscape
1
The impact of world events. A new approach to career paths. Where the jobs are. New skills for new technologies. Reality check. 2. Broadcasting
21
Snapshot of the way it was. Satellite technology. The role of the FCC. LPTV stations. TV translator stations. Commercial broadcasting companies. Noncommercial broadcasting. Teleproduction and postproduction facilities.
v Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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3. Television and Video in Nonbroadcast Organizations
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Example of a corporate video department. Business television (BTV). Videoconferencing. Video in special job settings. How the government uses video. 4. Programming and Production
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Television news. Production. 5. Engineering and Technical Services
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Commercial and public TV. Cable TV. Unions and associations. 6. Sales and Marketing
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Broadcast television. Cable television. Nonbroadcast organizations. Selling skills and job demands. 7. Working Conditions and Employee Compensation 93 Work/life balance. Salary surveys. Employee benefits. 8. Education: Acquiring Skills and In-Depth Knowledge
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E-learning. High school preparation. Degree programs. Online resources to locate colleges. Internships. Nondegree programs. Seminars.
Contents
9. Professional Development
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127
Festivals, awards, and honors. Conferences and conventions. Professional associations. Publications. 10. The Job Search
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Research. Networking. Jobs and career information online. Demo tape. Résumé and cover letter. Job interviews. 11. Women and Minorities
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What the numbers show. Career planning. Nurturing organizations. Scholarships and awards. Industry initiatives. North of the border. Appendix A: Selected Periodicals and Directories Appendix B: Professional Associations and Societies Recommended Reading
175 185 197
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Foreword
There’s one picture that sticks in my mind from National Geographic magazine of a child sitting in the jungle in Brazil watching a television set, which is powered by several twelve-volt automobile batteries. Then there’s another picture in my mind from when I visited China. I had seen a young man working furiously, on I don’t know what, on a laptop computer; he was sitting out near a rice field with a battery pack powering the computer. At the time, I had also just learned that a nanosecond (a common computer term) means traveling at the speed of light for one foot. What do all three of these events have in common? What they have in common is not simply technological advances or the application of those technologies throughout the world; in my mind, it is the speed of the advances that is mind-boggling. Something that is hardly ever written about is the speed with which we are now able to know what is happening all over the world. “Satellite hookup,” “Internet system,” “distance-learning vehicle”—these are terms that have come into the human vocabulary only in the last five to ten years. But these technologies have ix Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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advanced human ability to communicate, for good or for evil, at a speed that is almost incomprehensible to the human mind. We are, in many cases, made painfully aware of ignorance, illness, poverty, and catastrophe from the events that occur around the world each day of our lives. Can you imagine two hundred years ago when America was attempting to free itself from the bondage of an imperial British Empire? It would take literally weeks for messages to go across the ocean to the King of England about what was happening in the American Revolution. Today we travel the world in a matter of seconds. Therefore, we have to consider that communication traveling roughly at the speed of light is a good thing because it keeps us informed. To be informed is the key to knowledge, and knowledge is the key to human advancement. Remember, historically, if it weren’t for the “hotline” that existed between Chairman Khrushchev and President Kennedy, we might have had an atomic war during the Cuban missile crisis. If it had been even twenty years earlier, we probably would have experienced a catastrophic war with Russia, because we could not communicate rapidly enough to stave off the seemingly inevitable event of hostilities. To communicate effectively is something all of us should be able to do. Effective communication has always been key to ensuring the future of mankind. Indeed, studying and knowing about effective communication—whether via television, multimedia, or telecommunications—is almost a moral obligation. And if we decide to earn a living as communications professionals, we accept the additional responsibility to understand the impact of our work and to use the power of communications in a socially responsible manner.
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This book is about the realities of working as a professional communicator. It is written by an award-winning communicator who has achieved success in journalism, education, and in video and multimedia production. Throughout her career, Shonan Noronha has taken advantage of every opportunity to gain knowledge of the human dimensions of communication and its technological enablers. As a teacher, writer, editor, director, and producer, she has also guided the careers of many entering the field of professional communications. She is, indeed, well suited to lead readers of this book to discover their own paths toward a rewarding career in television and video. William J. Morin Chairman and CEO WJM Associates, Inc.
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Preface
It is with great pleasure and excitement that I have completed this revised edition of Opportunities in Television and Video Careers. The first edition was published more than a decade ago and the last one four years ago. As you can well expect, so much has changed since then—not merely the names and addresses of companies, but also the way in which we produce and distribute programs. Today, even low-budget productions can be shot with digital camcorders, enhanced with 3-D animation, cut on nonlinear editing systems, and distributed on CD-ROM, DVD, or via streaming video on the Internet. New job titles such as “interactive scriptwriter” and “motion designer,” and even new industries such as “digital cable,” “virtual reality,” and “digital performance animation,” have moved from the pages of science fiction magazines to the want ads in just a few years. The number of job opportunities has swelled with the growth of cable TV and the increased demand for specialized programming on outlets such as the Discovery Channel, MTV, Food Network, and Court TV. Additional jobs have been created by the xiii Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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widespread use of video at theme parks, at outdoor staging events, and on the Internet, and by the increased sales of special interest videos and worldwide demand for American programs of all kinds. Video market segments such as college sports and legal and wedding video production have also expanded through the use of new technologies. To keep current with the number of changes in this field, I’ve added new material to this edition of Opportunities in Television and Video Careers. Topics include: • A discussion of how emerging technologies such as digital television and networked production are changing the outlook for careers in video and TV • A look at opportunities created by the recent growth in some industry segments, such as public access channels and independent teleproduction companies • A discussion of the need for work/life balance • A progress report on how women and minorities are faring in this industry and some key resources to help further their career development • Resources for Canadian readers and information on the Canadian video industry • A new approach to career paths tailored to the rapidly evolving technologies and business environments of TV and video I hope that this book will provide valuable assistance to those just starting out on a career in this exciting industry, as well as give working video, film, and television professionals an expanded view of their career opportunities.
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Preparing for a Challenging Career Although the use of “eyewitness” amateur video on network news and cable channels increased during and after the terrorist tragedies of September 11, 2001, a career in television and video requires that you have professional-level skills and a dedication to working in this field. Broadcast-quality programs call for expertise in both the science and the art of the medium. Production skills have to be learned and fine-tuned. For example: • Top-notch camera work demands an intimate knowledge of the art of visual composition. • Superior news reporting requires journalism skills and principles. • Documentary production calls for good storytelling and research skills. • A good lighting director should have a strong foundation in the physics of light. • Producers need to develop both people and project management skills. And most of all, anyone who hopes to succeed in this exciting, creative, and very competitive field must have a lot of talent, tenacity, and dedication. Preparation for a career in television and video requires more than smooth talk or good looks. My niece Kara loved using a slate and yelling “Lights, camera, action!” when she was barely three. At age five, she would do puppet shows for my video camera and let me know when to “roll tape” and “cut.” When she was seven, she told me that the “response time” on a certain CD-ROM game was too slow. No doubt she had picked up
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the jargon and its basic meanings. But the true language of a craft like television production consists of more than buzzwords. By all means learn the jargon, but dig deeper whenever possible. If someone you respect uses a semifamiliar term or phrase, such as “interface design” or “depth of modulation,” don’t be reluctant to ask what it means. You can almost always develop a deeper understanding of complex concepts by probing further. In this book you’ll also find a wide range of resources—websites, associations, and schools—to help you get to the heart of the matter. This is not a directory, so don’t be disappointed if your favorite program or the school you are attending is not described. The programs and groups mentioned here are used as examples to show you how diverse and numerous they are. This book is written to give you a feel for what you can do and to lead you to the resources you will need to make a career in this field. It is intended to help you “learn how to learn” about the TV and video business. Wherever possible, I have included in this edition the Web addresses of organizations that provide useful information. I encourage you to use the Internet for everything from researching your story ideas to finding a school where you can learn a specific craft. The Internet is a wonderful tool. Each time I go online, I get the feeling that I am at the edge of a vast and unexplored territory. It is a great feeling, and the ride is equally thrilling and full of surprises when I stumble upon some really new information—an audio file of some strange new music or a video clip that looks simply gorgeous. Television has always been a fun business and an exciting industry to be working in. The majority of us in this field are doing what we love and enjoying every minute of it. So if you haven’t decided on what you’re going to be when you “grow up,” check out
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the opportunities in this field. You may get hooked while watching Movie Magic, reading about a great filmmaker, watching a 3-D artist at work, or even taking a camcorder to your next family or neighborhood event. If you’re really lucky, you, too, may catch the wave of an adventurous, creative, and extremely satisfying fastpaced life. I wish you a rich and rewarding career.
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Acknowledgments
The success of every television or video production depends, to a large extent, on good teamwork. I did this book like I do every television project—I networked. My colleagues came through with the assistance I needed. I owe them a very special thank you. My deep and sincere gratitude to all those mentioned here and to many others who have enriched my professional life. Many thanks go to: • John Rhodes, communications technology consultant and author of Videoconferencing for the Real World, for providing insights on new and emerging technologies. Also for being a career-supportive husband and serving as technical consultant and collaborator on several interactive media programs that I have produced; • David Horn, director of music programming for Thirteen/WNET New York, for his insights into the production of music television; • David Campbell, president of 4D Media Group, for his input on the postproduction business. Also for the learning, xix Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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•
•
•
•
•
sharing, and synergy we enjoyed while producing and bringing to market our first consumer CD-ROM title; David Eatwell, founder and former president of Houstonbased Media Support Group, for succinctly describing what it takes to work in the field of legal video; Marc Feingold, president of Music & Media Associates, for his insights on the personal characteristics required for jobs in sales and marketing; Lynn Yeazel, director of sales for North America, Scopus Network Technologies, for his advice to people launching a career in video, his friendship of more than two decades, and his collaboration on not-for-profit industry projects; My first teachers of television—Father Francis Xavier McFarland, S.J., for giving me a solid foundation in mass media communication and launching me on my career; and Father Anton Weerasinghe, S.J., for teaching me the craft of radio and television broadcasting; and My editors Denise Betts, Ellen Vinz, and Ellen Urban for their infinite patience.
For munchies and crunchies, chocolates and flowers; for large doses of humor and much-needed TLC—all credit belongs with my network of family and friends. A very special thank you goes to: • My mother, Mary Felicitas, for being a constant source of inspiration; • My sister Sirikit, a movie buff with whom I’ve “thumbsupped” several lesser-known greats; • My nieces Kara and Bianca, for rekindling my joy in storytelling;
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• The “Noronha cast” of Jean, Antonio, and Avertano, for cheering from the sidelines; and my sister Simkie Sarkar and her family, for their continued interest in my work from thousands of miles away; • Jerry and Candice Landress, Roy and Julianne Singh, Christopher and Rohini D’Souza, Richard and Janet Cross, Chatur Advani, Rupa Iyengar, Karen Dautresme, and Meena Advani, for support and encouragement when it was needed most; and • My students, for their countless questions and boundless enthusiasm for all these cool new media.
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1 The Television Landscape
The dawning of the twenty-first century has ushered in a time of great change for the television, video, film, and new media industries. Innovations in communication technologies are making it possible to produce more and better programs in even the most extreme situations. The creative community has embraced this climate of change and is continuously exploring new ways to utilize the latest tools and develop new techniques to capture the attention of viewers to entertain, educate, inform, persuade, and communicate with them. The three major business trends that are impacting most industries—fierce competition, consolidations, and globalization—are also responsible for significant changes in the production and distribution of news and entertainment television programs. Media companies have always been dynamic and adept at responding to changing conditions. From the use of low-cost digital camcorders to the creation of “reality” shows that do not require professional actors, programming executives are finding new ways to stretch 1 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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production budgets. Creative media professionals, however, often find it more difficult to ride the tide of business change. Learning to relate general business trends and influences to the more limited world of the media is an important step in planning a career in television.
The Impact of World Events The economic and psychological impact of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, on both individuals and nations, can scarcely be overstated. In New York, the destruction of television transmitters was a major setback for the networks. Thirteen/WNET New York estimated its September 11 damage at $20 million. The station will merge with its sister station, Long Island’s WLIW, to ensure a solid presence for noncommercial public television in the region. The slowing down of the world economy has also had an impact on the U.S. media industries. The widespread downsizing of corporations has left many television professionals without jobs and the security of regular paychecks. But as the demand for new programs continues, the companies that downsize reach into the pool of freelancers that frequently includes former employees. According to the April 2002 report “TrendWatch Television/Broadcast Report,” 44 percent of cable TV stations use between two and four freelancers. This is good news for independent producers. Another significant trend is globalization. Once again we see large media conglomerates that own content and global distribution outlets in all media (print, television, video, cinema, and radio), and formats including tape, DVD, CD-ROM, CD, and MP3. On the one hand, globalization creates opportunities for
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synergistic creation and publishing across various media and expedites the cross-fertilization of creative styles from around the world. On the other hand, this same process frequently leads to homogenization of content and style and to the seemingly mindless re-purposing of material. So, depending on the economic climate and the degree of initiative shown by senior management in large media companies, globalization can appear to be either a utopia or a brave new world to those seeking fulfilling employment in television and video. Other visible effects on the television production industry include the following: • Location shoots now require more time and budget for planning, security clearance, and travel. • Increase in the use of teleconferencing, videoconferencing, and Web-collaboration services has created new employment opportunities. • New media technologies have expanded program distribution options. • The business climate appears to be more positive, with expectations that economic recovery will take place in the first quarter of 2003; however, according to a tracking study by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, layoffs at media companies were on the rise even in mid-2002.
A New Approach to Career Paths The traditional way to look at careers in television and video was by industry. Producers and other communications professionals would
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talk about working in the broadcast industry, nonbroadcast industry (industrial television as it was called in the good old days), or in the film industry. At many colleges, academic programs also were set up by industry. In recent years, many new industries have emerged based on market demands. For example, we now have the presentation industry, multimedia industry, Web or online industry, music video industry, and videoconferencing industry, to name a few. These and other new media industries also need skilled people to write, perform, shoot, edit, and produce content and to manage technology just like the traditional television and video outlets. So, as a producer today, you can be hired for a video production that may be televised, used in a corporate setting, or even end up as a module in an interactive CD-ROM. If you have on-air production experience, you may be called upon to direct a live distance-learning videoconference or a corporate special-event multimedia extravaganza. A new way of approaching career opportunities may be to take a close look at skills and plot their path across the many industries that employ people with those skills. For example, as a 3-D artist with design and animation skills, you could plan for a career working on movies in the entertainment industry, creating special effects for sports TV, designing characters and interfaces for CD-ROM games, creating content for a major corporate website . . . get the idea? There are at least four basic paths to explore in this brave new world of digital media: content, creative, technical, and management. Many jobs are available on more than one path, but the trends are characteristic of each area.
Content Providers of content include reporters, writers, editors, directors, and producers. The digitization of video is turning the creation of
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programming into a seamless and integrated process. With the increasing integration and networking of PC-based word processors for storyboarding, graphics, animation, teleprompting, editing, and even transmission systems today, content workers are more involved in all stages of production than ever before. Some local cable news operations, for example, have a single person handle a story from outline to final edit. This may include hands-on performance of all editorial, production, technical, and operational tasks with the assistance of a highly automated system. One person sometimes writes, interviews, shoots, and edits the entire piece. Versatility is the name of the game in content creation, and the more varied the skills you possess (especially on the computer) the better your chances of success. In addition to classes in such “story-based” communication areas as writing and directing, aspiring content creators would do well to gain some expertise in visual crafts like camera work, nonlinear editing, and computer graphics design.
Creative Those who work on the creative side, for example, camera operators, editors, and computer graphics and animation artists, have probably been empowered more than any other group by the digital revolution. Ever more powerful and cost-effective standardized systems have freed the creative process from the restrictions of space and reality, allowing virtually any effect or image that can be imagined to be put on screen. Computer-based nonlinear editing and graphics systems have reduced the time and money required to create programming and conversely given more time for creative exploration to those constrained by budget. On the cutting edge, virtual sets, vactors (virtual actors), and automated
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camera control systems are further blurring the creative boundary between reality and TV. The only downside to these changes is that the need for some conventional jobs, such as studio camera operators and live newsreaders, might become gradual casualties of the digital revolution. But just as the invention of the printing press actually increased the need for illustrators, the new technologies are providing new opportunities for creative employment—with a digital twist. Experience with a wide range of hardware and software will help you to develop essential skills in your area of interest. Any time spent learning the principles of good visual composition, design, and storytelling is a good investment—no matter what tools the future has in store.
Technical Every job in the new world of digital media is technical, but some are more technical than others. From the supernerd who writes custom code in C++ to the sales rep who runs QuickTime reels on a laptop, anyone who wants to be successful in this field needs to balance his or her specialized knowledge with a general technical familiarity of the basics of digital video. Even an accountant in this business needs to know the difference between MPEG-2 and Motion JPEG; and a good TD (technical director) will understand both the value of dramatic lighting and the key conditions of local trade union agreements. The networked and nonlinear nature of the new media requires that its technicians and engineers also be artists and diplomats. On a more concrete level, a working knowledge of HTML, TCP/IP, common LAN and WAN technologies, digital compression standards, PC and workstation hardware and operating systems, and
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a few other disciplines also will come in handy for both technical artists and video technicians. The increasingly automated nature of integrated production systems is splitting the role of the technician/engineer into two distinct jobs. One is the maintenance tech, who is able to get the system running again when all the “ones” have turned to “zeros.” The other role is the technical artist, who is able to form a bridge between the content needs of the producer/client and the “ghost in the machine.”
Management Managing the operational and business structure within which video is created has become more complex as a result of the digital revolution. New digital tools also have served to empower the new generation of executive producers, station managers, and entrepreneurs. Generic software for accounting, project management, contact management, and production control has been customized for the teleproduction industry. Unique and powerful digital systems have also been created for commercial insertion and studio management. Although people management skills continue to be paramount in the process and business of video production and distribution, a working knowledge of the technical underpinnings is a major asset. Particularly important is an understanding of the economic and workflow implications of the use of various production and distribution technologies. This becomes more difficult as the video business becomes more complex, especially within organizations where the same video program or clip may be distributed via broadcast, cable, the Internet, intranets, satellite, CD-ROM, or
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DVD. For example, the transition to HDTV has created a financial and logistical minefield for managers of stations and production houses. They must balance the enormous costs of converting equipment, audience demand, regulatory pressures, programming possibilities, projected revenues, the need for new expertise, and many other factors to make the right organizational decisions in just this one area of new technology.
Where the Jobs Are Television and video are used by film and broadcast companies as well as by corporations and other institutions in every industry where the media are used to help promote the company and its products and services or to teach employees how to use its products. The widespread use of video has created production opportunities at advertising agencies and the thousands of media production companies worldwide. Here is a short list of the types of organizations that hire people with production expertise: Commercial TV networks with national feeds Cable TV networks Satellite companies Public television stations Community TV stations Film production companies Universities, colleges, and high schools Religious organizations Government institutions Nonprofit organizations Manufacturers of television equipment
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Teleproduction companies Postproduction facilities Media publishing companies Advertising agencies Public relations firms Companies in other industries (see Chapter 3) Although it is easier to locate job opportunities and the appropriate department for the job you are seeking at traditional television stations and at media production companies, it is more difficult to locate the department responsible for producing video at nonbroadcast organizations. For example, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Video department is responsible for producing video segments as well as servicing the audiovisual requirements of other departments. The Science Bulletin department also produces a significant amount of the total video produced in-house, and the Exhibitions department produces interactive media. In addition, the museum also outsources the production of video, and the person with responsibility for outsourcing works in the Public Relations department.
New Skills for New Technologies Digital video has created a revolution in the way the world communicates. It also has created virtually unlimited career opportunities in dozens of fields in business and the arts. By breaking down the pixels and tones of a television program into digital structures of ones and zeros, computers create stable patterns that can be reliably processed by relatively inexpensive equipment and stored and transmitted through a wide range of inexpensive media. As a result, tools such as nonlinear editing systems and computer
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graphics have made good video easier to produce and have helped to move what was once achievable only with expensive video equipment into new realms of creative expression. At the highest end of the communications food chain, digital postproduction has integrated video, animation, and audio to produce magical illusions, freeing movie and commercial creators from the chains of time and space. At the grassroots, technologies such as Mini-DV, FireWire, Premier, and RealVideo on the Web have put the reach and impact of network TV into the hands of millions of communicators of all ages. In the real world of business communications, the plummeting cost of producing good video has combined with the increased use of satellites for business television (BTV), videoconferencing, and high-speed corporate intranets to create new jobs that did not exist even a few years ago. The music business has also embraced video in a big way, creating opportunities in music video for thousands of artists, techies, and entrepreneurs. Many of the new creative technologies are software-based. Hence it is necessary to reach a comfort level with each operating system and application program sufficient to free up your creativity. You should learn the programs most used in the field you aspire toward. For example, if you want to become a scriptwriter, you will need to have good skills with MS Word and a script creation program such as Scriptware or Final Draft. Aspiring video editors need to be well versed with a nonlinear editing system, such as Avid’s Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, or Media 100.
Directing in the Digital World Digital television and all the advancements in technology have made the role of the director/producer more exciting as well as
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challenging. Even veteran directors have to be focused on effective storytelling—using all the technology available without letting technology drive the process. The case for going all digital from lens to screen is becoming increasingly compelling. There are many projects in the world of entertainment that have been shot, edited, and projected using digital cinema technology. But for a majority of projects today, digital technology is in use only for portions of the process, thus making the transition to an all-digital production environment more evolutionary than revolutionary. In today’s digital world, a director/producer needs to be fully informed of the capabilities of the digital video medium at every stage of the production process. All too frequently these days, a director/producer is required to be the cinematographer on tightbudget projects. In my own work, I am often required to script, shoot, and produce a short program. It is a good idea to take handson courses in camera techniques and in editing, using a software package you probably will use for finished productions. Directing talent for a video clip that might be distributed via streaming video over the Internet also requires knowledge of video compression. And in the corporate media world, a director/producer must be aware of the latest media asset management and knowledge management solutions.
Nonlinear Editing Over the last few years, nonlinear video editing systems have evolved from expensive off-line curiosities to a major force for change in the television and video business. Thousands of Avid, Media 100, and other systems now form the backbone of the postproduction industry. Systems from Matrox, Avid, and others, all costing around $1,000, also allow anyone with a Mac or PC to
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produce professional results using Adobe Premier and similar software. Even the ubiquitous iMovie (it’s included with all new Macs) provides an excellent training ground for the “editorial eye.” Nonlinear technology has had a major impact on the teleproduction business. David Campbell is president at 4D Media Group, a production and postproduction facility in New York that specializes in designing and developing high-end projects from the storyboard phase to the finished product. He says, “For nonlinear video and film editing, we use the Avid Media Composer 1000 nonlinear editor. This provides clients with the opportunity to produce broadcast-quality masters for commercials, TV shows, on-air promos, and corporate projects in the most efficient manner technically available. Many versions of the same spot can be finished in minutes in nonlinear editing, whereas linear editing could take hours or days to accomplish the same result. The edited material can be easily combined with 2-D and 3-D animation created in our graphics studio, and then digitally composited with effects on the HAL or FLINT (video/graphic computing systems).” A video editor’s job is both prestigious and artistic. Several video editors have become rich and famous. It is really important to learn everything you can about computers if you want to become a successful video editor. Do not limit yourself to either a Mac or a PC—learn how to edit on both platforms. In fact, it is also important to learn how to install a video card and do other routine computer technical maintenance. On the creative side, watch the work of award-winning film and television editors with an eye to learning new techniques. And if you are able to take a master class with an editor whose work you admire, you’ll learn something new that will make a difference in your own work.
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Computer Graphics and Animation A vast array of hardware and software add-ons (for real-time video effects, 3-D animation, and so forth) form a logical continuum of capabilities from low-cost tools from Adobe, Miro, and others all the way to high-end multi-user systems from Avid, Silicon Graphics (SGI), and Quantel. For example, at 4D Media Group, the Macintosh/Windows Graphics Studio is equipped with Macromedia’s Director, Dreamweaver, Flash, and XRES; Equilibrium’s DeBabelizer; Adobe’s Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere, and Acrobat Pro; Autodesk 3-D Studio, Fractal Painter; and Sonic Solutions DVD Fusion DVD Authoring Suite of tools. DVD Fusion Accelerator is used for QuickTime, Windows Media, and MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 digitizing for Macintosh or Windows. Campbell says, “The uses for 2-D and 3-D animation and special effects are endless. We have used them in the development of TV show openings and interior graphics, commercials, virtual sets, sports arena presentations, computer-based sales presentations, CD-ROM titles, interactive kiosks for point of information, architectural walk-throughs, and websites.” According to Campbell, “Top-level design and engineering professionals need to be experienced on all the latest digital technology. We’re currently using quite a few, including the Quantel HAL Express Digital Compositor, Discreet Logic Smoke, Inferno and Fire; Power Macintoshes; Manipulator 3000 Motion Control Stand; and digital videotape machines.” He also reports that, “Our list of 3-D software is always expanding; right now we’re using Maya, Alias/Wavefront Power Animator, and even 3-D Studio Max quite a bit.”
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Internet Video Streaming video and video-on-demand on the Internet may be the fastest-growing segments of the video industry. The challenges are great, but the opportunities are virtually limitless. Obstacles to widespread acceptance of these technologies include a maelstrom of incompatible and constantly evolving compression schemes and business models, users with slow modems, LANs with limited bandwidth, and a raft of assorted technical, operational, and business issues. Many fledgling enterprises in this area were victims of the dot-com crash in 2001, but movement toward a more standardized environment with the deployment of MPEG-4 has exerted a stabilizing influence on this volatile application area. Most broadcast TV outlets, from CNN and ABC to local cable stations, deliver a substantial amount of video via their websites. Some even offer more material online than they do on the air. All this activity has created an increased need for content creation and has put a premium on Internet-video-savvy technical talent. Video, as both streaming and downloadable files, is used on news sites, corporate pages, and the promo sites of just about every TV and motion picture company and record label. Check your favorite search engine for some webcasts that are relevant to your interests. Good information on the latest in Net video is usually available at the following sites: • • • •
apple.com/quicktime/whatson real.com http://windowsmedia.com http://directory.google.com/top/computers/internet/ broadcasting
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Perhaps the best way to get connected with this rapidly evolving technology is to just do it! Multimedia video goes way beyond the Web. Though Internet applications are creating many opportunities, others like CDROM, DVD, kiosks, game consoles, and even coin-operated games are also hot growth areas. Many of the same skills and software are used to author and create both conventional and Webbased multimedia. Teleproduction companies such as 4D Media Group are combining their visual expertise with powerful new software to push the multimedia envelope. Campbell says, “The tools we currently use are QuickTime, Flash, and HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). Shockwave from Macromedia optimizes interactive files from Flash and Director for Web use, creating an efficient database that allows games and other interactive applications to be downloaded and experienced very quickly on the Web. Flash allows immediate streaming of animations via Web browsers, as well as being a strong stand-alone cell animation application for TV and film projects. Combining the power of QuickTime with Flash enables endless combinations of interactivity, video, sound, and animation, and supports XML and other data standards for powerful data sharing.”
Music Video The creation and distribution of music videos and music video programming have been revolutionized by the deployment of new technologies. From MTV to the websites of the smallest record companies, digital video has created a new paradigm for the way in which we create, distribute, promote, and enjoy music. As music video has become an integral part of the world entertainment cul-
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ture, it has increased the creative, technical, and business opportunities for media professionals at all levels. Beginning videographers shoot and edit videos for local “garage” bands, and topflight Hollywood directors create million-dollar extravaganzas for heavy rotation on music channels such as MTV and VH1. Between these extremes, thousands of music videos are produced by independent record companies with budgets of $5,000 to $20,000 for distribution to more than one hundred local and regional video music shows, and for release on DVD. Burning Heart Records, an independent label that focuses on punk and hardcore bands, released Hang the VJ, a DVD featuring sixty-one videos by groups such as the Hives, Bodyjar, The International Noise Conspiracy, and Mindjive. Not only did the label produce a sampler that exposed these bands to new grassroots audiences, it even succeeded in getting airplay for the Hives on MTV. Two good sources for information on producing music videos are the Music Video Production Association (mvpa.com) and the video-arts-oriented VJS.net (vjs.net).
Music Television Though related to music video production, the recording and broadcast of live musical performance calls for a different mindset and aesthetic. Concert-based rock, country, hip-hop, jazz, and classical music shows can be seen every night on television around the world, and DVDs of these productions have become a mainstay of the “record” business. Unlike music videos, concert-based programming has evolved a relatively simple and straightforward format. According to David Horn, director of music programming for Thirteen/WNET New York, who has won and been nominated for numerous Emmy Awards, “Concert music has not really
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varied in form since the days when Toscanini insisted that he be in every camera shot. It has become a craft wherein the director attempts to interpret the score by focusing on a particular instrument, a section of players, the entire orchestra, or the conductor.” Though rock and pop concert programs have incorporated the stage and lighting effects of these settings, the focus remains on creating a video window through which the viewer can experience a musical performance. This has resulted in a straightforward production approach, where the greatest creative, logistic, and technical challenges involve the seamless, interference-free translation of the live music experience into the video medium. According to Horn, “In this country, that is primarily true because of the pioneering work of Kirk Browning, who began his career as the director of the Toscanini broadcast and continues today, in his 80s, as the director of ‘Live from Lincoln Center’ telecasts. The difference is in technology: cameras that are more light sensitive so the lighting is reduced; miniature ‘lipstick’ cameras that can be hidden in the orchestra; digital tape and disc technology that allows the preservation of programs and enhances the quality; and high definition and wide-screen television, which is more theater friendly.”
DTV and HDTV The growth of DTV (digital television) and HDTV (high definition television) has been delayed by a number of market factors, standards conflicts, and regulatory snafus. During 2002, however, it appears that the increased viewer demand, more readily available programming, reduced cost for HDTV-capable displays (and increased sales of those TV sets and projectors) have finally reached the combined critical mass necessary to stimulate rapid growth. New features offered by both DTV and HDTV include
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improved video resolution and quality, video-on-demand capability, multiple camera angles, branching program, and integrated Web links. HDTV (typically 1080i) delivers film quality images and adds a powerful sensation of immediate reality to live programming. The new digital broadcasting formats present a plethora of technical and creative challenges to television professionals, and they represent a great opportunity for those who are prepared to master the possibilities of these new media.
DVD and Other Optical Media In 2001 sales of prerecorded DVDs increased 240 percent to more than $4.6 billion, for the first time surpassing sales revenue from VHS movies. The rapid sales growth of DVD titles and playback devices, with their dramatically better audio and video reproduction capabilities, have driven an increased demand for improved quality of production, including DTV, HDTV, and Dolby Surround Sound. The data capacity and random access nature of DVD discs have also expanded the market for more content, that is, supplementary material, which often includes information such as “The Making of . . .” interviews, historical background material, games, links to websites, and so forth. As producers learn to take even greater advantage of this format and audiences learn to demand leading-edge content, the need for production and technical personnel with the skills and imagination to create fully realized DVDs will grow at a rapid pace. Developments in the multimedia area, such as QuickTime and the widespread availability of CD-ROM hardware and software, have greatly increased the ability of personal computers to play back video and audio. This growth has spread from games and
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edutainment (programs intended to provide education while entertaining the viewer) titles into mainstream business applications such as kiosks and video walls. The rapidly expanding multimedia production business is opening up new opportunities for professionals with expertise in video production as well as interactive design skills, such as information mapping, graphical user interface (GUI) design, and multimedia authoring. The interactive discbased technologies currently in use include laser videodisc (the market for new productions on this format is now nonexistent), CD-ROM, and DVD.
Reality Check Before you devote a large chunk of your time and money to gaining specialized expertise, it might be a good idea to get a reality check from those who are already involved. There are user groups and newsgroups for devotees of most of the popular systems and programs. These groups, as well as trade shows, product demonstrations, and workshops, are all good ways to get your feet wet, but there is no substitute for hands-on training and practice. Hands-on experience is still the best way to really get into an application, whether it’s gained at a training school or during an internship. Read Chapters 8 and 9 to guide your educational and professional research. Then learn about developments in broadcast technologies, such as direct broadcast satellite (DBS) and the growth of cable TV and public access media, in Chapter 2, and about the widespread use of BTV (business television) and videoconferencing applications in Chapter 3.
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2 Broadcasting
Television has been the most powerful medium of mass communication for several decades. The pervasiveness of TV and its ability to grab the viewer emotionally and intellectually have made it the dominant news and entertainment medium of the second half of the last century. During the past five years, the Internet has begun to compete with television for the top spot in the media food chain. In the next few years, we can expect a combination of the two—Internet TV—to deliver information to us and to change the ways that we work, learn, and play. Television continues to be the instant informer, effective teacher, primary persuader, and great entertainer. Advancements in TV technology over the past decade have dramatically changed the nature of news. We now have the ability to deliver news as it happens—instantly, accurately, and vividly. Television as a teacher has revolutionized the traditional American concept of education. It is making learning more interactive while increasing the access to learning for many more people, through Web-based courses and 21 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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other E-learning programs, including distance-learning courses delivered via satellite to the desktop, local area networks, wide area networks, and videoconferencing. The persuasive power of television commands billions of advertising dollars annually. Television encourages consumers to buy goods and services, politicians and social activists to mold public opinion, and preachers to spread “the Word.” As an entertainment medium, television brings the most incredible and amazing visual stimuli right into the living room. Indeed, television has a tremendous influence upon our society in a great variety of ways. Rapid technological advances have also widened the scope of the use of television in all sectors of society, including business for applications such as training and marketing. The widespread use of television has led to a multibillion-dollar industry, generating employment opportunities in the programming, production, technical, marketing, and administrative areas.
Snapshot of the Way It Was In television, the term broadcast means to send radio frequency video transmissions into open space for reception by a broad group of people. Broadcast television has been transmitting programming to the general public since the first public display at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The occasion was a speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Within a few years, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) began establishing a network of video cables—called coaxial cables—that would allow them to route signals from their New York facilities to all their affiliate television stations across the country. They provided
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television coverage of primarily news and sporting events, which were in turn broadcast by affiliate stations to the local population. For years, this “cable highway” of coaxial cables served as the only link between the network and its affiliates. Beginning in the mid-1960s, communications satellites were launched into orbit around the earth. Most television networks now use satellites or digital fiber optics to distribute their programs to affiliate stations for retransmission to the local public. Today, in addition to the “big three” networks, there are Fox, UPN, and WB, and there are cable systems operating in every state of the United States. In 1950, cable systems operated in only seventy communities in the United States and served just fourteen thousand homes. By June 2002, there were an estimated 71.8 million cable subscribers.
Satellite Technology Satellites have become so popular for the distribution of programming that an entire new industry has developed around its use. The idea that any number of satellite dishes can be installed across a wide geographic area to receive live television programming has intrigued more than just broadcasters. Businesses are discovering that satellites offer many solutions to problems of communicating with employees scattered throughout the nation and world. An understanding of the basics of satellite technology is helpful in realizing the role it plays in the communications industry. Satellites broadcast signals at extremely high frequencies called microwaves. These microwaves are highly directional, meaning that unlike conventional broadcast transmissions, they do not bend around objects. They act like light, and to receive their signal, an
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antenna must be aimed directly at the source. For a satellite dish to receive a signal from a satellite in space, it must “look” directly at the location of the satellite. For this reason, the satellite must hold a stationary position relative to the earth. Otherwise, as it moves in space, it passes in and out of the view of the stationary dish. There is a circular orbit in space, about twenty-three thousand miles above the earth’s equator, that is called the geosynchronous belt. A satellite that is launched into orbit within this belt can be orbited at the same speed at which the earth rotates, so that the satellite appears stationary above the earth. The twenty-threethousand-mile distance is the point at which there is a balance between the gravity that tries to pull the satellite back to earth and the centrifugal force that tries to cast it further into space. The geosynchronous belt is the only location in space that allows a satellite to maintain a precise relative position over the earth. The satellite itself is nothing more than a relay station. It receives signals transmitted to the satellite from earth on a pre-assigned frequency (channel). It then retransmits the signal back to the earth on a different frequency. The signal transmitted back to the earth usually covers a wide area. Most U.S. satellites cover all of the continental United States and parts of Canada and Mexico. There are three bands, or frequency groups, that have been approved by the FCC for use by the public sector. Many of the older satellites are in the C-band, which operates at the lowest frequency ranges. Most C-band satellites have twenty-four analog video channels and generally operate with a low power output, sometimes as low as five watts. Because of this low output, a large dish antenna is required to capture and reflect the signals back to a receptor. The second most popular is the Ku band. This band operates on the highest frequency and generally transmits with a higher power output than do C-band satellites. Most of the Ku satellites
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operate at power outputs of forty to two hundred watts. Because of the higher output levels and characteristics related to the higher frequency, the dish can be smaller than those used for C-band. One drawback of the Ku band is that it is more sensitive than Cband satellite signals to atmospheric disturbances. Fog and heavy rain can affect the quality of the picture. Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) has a high power output and is used to broadcast a digital signal. DBS is used primarily to deliver digital satellite signals to small (eighteen-inch) and inexpensive satellite dishes directly to the home. Its main advantage over the other types of satellite systems is that it retransmits with as much as four hundred watts of power, meaning that an inexpensive, smaller dish can be used to receive the signal. Today there are an estimated seventeen million DBS households (which translates into forty-five million viewers) in the United States. Internet broadband via satellite requires a singular satellite dish; the same dish can be used for both satellite television and satellite Internet. Internet via satellite provides the consumer with connection speeds comparable or superior to DSL and cable modems for a price that is competitive with other Internet services. Since satellites beam content to subscribers simultaneously, the user should not experience any slowdowns or interruptions in service. The number of satellite subscribers is expected to reach thirty million by the end of 2005, with most of the new subscribers defecting from cable, according to industry experts.
The Role of the FCC In 1934 the United States federal government established the Federal Communications Commission as an independent federal agency to regulate radio and television stations. The FCC is
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responsible for the following: first, the allocation of space in the frequency spectrum; second, the assignment of stations, with specific frequency and power within the allocated bands; and third, the regulation of existing stations to ensure that they operate in compliance with FCC rules and technical provisions. In May 2002 the commission announced the following totals for broadcast stations licensed as of December 31, 2001. Broadcast Stations Licensed as of December 31, 2001 UHF low power TV 1,649 VHF low power TV 535 Total low power 2,184 UHF translators VHF translators Total translators
2,649 2,100 4,749
UHF commercial TV VHF commercial TV Total commercial
740 576 1,316
UHF educational TV VHF educational TV Total educational
254 125 379
LPTV Stations In 1982 the FCC established the Low Power Television Service (LPTV) and started granting permits for the construction of LPTV stations. The main LPTV regulations are the limits on effective radiated power (3 kilowatts for VHF channels and 150 kilowatts for UHF channels) and the interference protection standards.
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The low-power stations cover a distance of fewer than twenty miles. They are designed to serve specific audiences such as small rural communities or individual communities within large cities or urban areas. LPTV offers a low cost and flexible means of delivering programming tailored to special interest groups. In recent years, LPTV is said to have created increased opportunities for new entry into television broadcasting and fuller use of the broadcast spectrum. By the end of the year 2001, there were more than 2,184 licensed and operational LPTV stations, 250 of which are a part of a statewide network in Alaska. In the lower forty-eight states, 700 licensees operate approximately 1,500 stations. These stations are in 750 towns and cities that range in population from a few hundred to communities of hundreds of thousands. Some LPTV stations are operated as nonprofit corporations; others that sell commercial time do not have nonprofit status. A few LPTV stations scramble their signals and operate on a subscription basis. That is, they charge viewers a subscription fee, in much the same way pay-cable stations operate.
TV Translator Stations More than five thousand additional television translator stations in the broadcast service are operated for the purpose of retransmitting the programs and signals of a TV broadcast station. The LPTV branch of the FCC is responsible for processing applications for television translator stations. The FCC does more than grant permits and licenses. For example, its role embraces the interpretation of the U.S. Telecommunications Act of 1996. This act was the first major overhaul
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of telecommunications law in almost sixty-two years. Its goal is to let more people enter any communications business and to let any communications business compete in any market against any other. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 has the potential to change the way we work, live, and learn. It affects telephone service—local and long distance—cable programming and other video services, broadcast services, and services provided to schools. The FCC (fcc.gov) has a tremendous role to play in creating fair rules for this new era of competition. To keep abreast of the FCC’s role in implementing this new law, how you can get involved, and how these changes might affect you, check the FCC website.
Commercial Broadcasting Companies Nearly two-thirds of the channel allocations are to commercial stations. Hence, the majority of jobs in the broadcast industry are available at commercial stations.
The Networks The largest commercial enterprises are the well-known TV networks: Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS); National Broadcasting Company (NBC); and American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Some commercial television stations are associated with the networks and receive network feeds via microwave, satellite, or fiber-optic transmissions. Such stations are known as network affiliates. But the monopoly of the big three has been broken, and networks like Fox, UPN, and WB have gained momentum and are competing for first-run original programming.
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Independent Stations Commercial television stations not affiliated with a network are referred to as independent TV stations. Within this group are stations owned by companies like Cox, Jones Intercable, and Time Warner that air entertainment and educational programs. Independents use a variety of sources for programming including syndicated shows. While it is not uncommon for an independent station to rely heavily on the use of movie classics and reruns of programs previously shown on the networks, many of them also generate local news and other original programming. Several nationally known broadcasters began their careers at independent stations.
Cable TV According to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), “Not only is competition stiffer than ever, but the industry’s market share has eroded by 20 percent in the last decade.” This is due to the growth of DBS and other alternative video delivery systems. According to the NCTA report, there were an estimated 71.8 million cable subscribers in June 2002, representing 76 percent of the multichannel video delivery market. The NCTA further contends that its June 2002 estimates represent a 1 percent drop from the NCTA’s estimated 77 percent market share (68.5 million subscribers) in the previous year—and an even more alarming 19 percent decrease from the estimated 95 percent market share (or 55.2 million cable subscribers) in 1992. However, the most exciting new value-added service, subscription video-on-demand
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(SVOD), is expected to brighten the picture for owners of cable systems. Most cable operators offer consumers premium monthly services like HBO, Showtime, and the Disney Channel, or pay-perview (PPV) services. The programming needs from the demand for made-for-cable movies and specials (and PPV coverage of sporting events and concerts) have led to production and technical jobs. Court TV launched an aggressive and expensive programming slate for 2002–2003. Over a two-year period, the network will spend $160 million on shows, an unprecedented amount for the eleven-year-old service. During the new season (2002–2003) the channel will offer four new prime-time series and a new original film production, as well as more than three hundred hours of original programming. Some cable operators also create their own local news and special interest programming and provide access channels for public and institutional uses. Leased access channels are available to providers of services such as electronic shopping. All of these activities create opportunities for entry-level jobs. According to the Cable Television Advertising Bureau (CAB), total cable advertising revenues have soared from $122 million in 1981 to an estimated $15 billion in 2001. Advertising supports more than sixty cable networks. Regional cable outlets, such as Sportschannel, NY1, New England, and Cable News, which focus on news and sports programming, are gaining more viewers. Several local cable channels like Oceanic Cable in Hawaii (oceanic.com) and Time Warner Cable of Maine (twmaine.com), maintain their own websites. If you see local or regional programming on your cable channel,
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chances are that you can find information including career and employment opportunities on the station’s website. Cable stations all across the country are hungry for original programming. Because of its focus on individual communities, cable runs shows that networks may consider too narrow in appeal. Hence, there is growth in special interest programming. Local cable offers a wide variety of local sponsorship and community involvement opportunities. A good source for more information on the state of cable TV is the Cable Television Advertising Bureau’s website at cabletvadbureau.com.
Noncommercial Broadcasting In 1952 the FCC made channel assignments to 242 communities for noncommercial educational TV stations. The first noncommercial stations began broadcasting in 1953. Today nonprofit institutions such as local community groups, universities and colleges, and religious institutions operate public broadcasting stations. These not-for-profit stations do not sell any time for commercials, so they are dependent on funding from sources such as charitable institutions and individual contributions from their audiences. Public broadcasting stations are expected to provide programming on topics that usually would not be supported by commercial stations.
CPB In 1967 Congress passed the Public Broadcasting Act under which federal funds were allocated for the support of public broadcasting. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) was set up as a non-
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profit organization and is responsible for the receiving, distribution, and general administration of federal funds for the entire system. Congress appropriates federal tax dollars for the public broadcasting system. The federal appropriation for fiscal year 2000 totaled $300 million. State and local governments also supply some support, but more than two-thirds of the revenue for public television comes from private sources such as memberships, businesses, universities, and foundations. Almost five million individuals and families contributed $373 million to public TV in 1999. CPB also receives grants from foundations and corporations for specific projects. These grants allow CPB to provide for a variety of public service and telecommunications projects, including helping communities and creating inventive and effective use of technology to educate. CPB is the largest single source of funding for public programming.
PBS In 1969 CPB established the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to manage the production and distribution of programs and connections among local stations within the system. PBS does not produce programs. It obtains programs from public TV stations, independent producers, and sources from around the world. Its staff of four hundred members working in New York City, Los Angeles, and Alexandria, Virginia, is engaged in program acquisition, distribution, and promotion; educational services; new media ventures; fund-raising support; video marketing; and engineering and technology development. PBS is the largest noncommercial network in the United States, and for years it had been referred to as the “fourth network.” Through its 349 noncommercial television stations, PBS reportedly reaches more than 140 million people throughout the fifty
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states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. The major package of programs distributed to member stations includes children’s, cultural, educational, news and public affairs, science and nature, and skills programs. According to Cable in the Classroom’s national survey of teachers and school librarians, PBS is the number-one television resource in the United States for classroom programming. PBS’s Ready to Learn Service provides children’s programming each weekday, as well as workshops and learning resources to assist teachers, parents, and child care providers in preparing young children for school. PBS’s Adult Learning Service, which is a partnership involving public TV stations and more than two thousand colleges and universities, provides college-credit TV courses to nearly five hundred thousand students each academic year. In the area of education, Teacher Resource Service provides instructional programs and related materials for classroom use in grades K–12. PBS also provides national advocacy and leadership for the use of learning technologies in elementary and secondary schools.
ITVS An organization that is concerned about keeping public television public is the Independent Television Service (ITVS). Having noticed that the independent programs PBS funded were usually produced by local PBS affiliate stations, an advocacy group of independent film and video producers took their complaint to the CPB and Congress. As a result, ITVS was created with funding from CPB to finance independent film and video productions that have not had access to funding from PBS and CPB. The birth of ITVS spells good news for independent producers both in terms of funding for program production and access to distribution
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channels. To get an insider’s look at producing for ITVS, go to itvs.org and click on “For Producers.”
Public Access Cable TV Local cable TV franchise agreements obligate the operator to provide public access to the community. Check with your local station to learn of any opportunities. These may include availability of professional equipment and facilities (sometimes at a low fee) in addition to access time to air your program. According to the Alliance for Community Media (ACM), “Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) access television channels on cable TV serve a wide range of community organizations, including religious institutions, Lions and Rotary Clubs, local political party organizations, high schools, and colleges. Through PEG access centers, thousands of community groups and over one million individuals produce more than 20,000 hours of new local programming each week.” The alliance has identified more than one thousand organizations that provide PEG access services. These channels often provide a good way to get real world TV experience, while having a positive impact on your community. If you are interested in learning more about public television, you should visit the following websites: • Corporation for Public Broadcasting: cpb.org • Public Broadcasting Service: pbs.org/insidepbs/facts/ missionstatement.html • Thirteen/WNET New York: thirteen.org • The Alliance for Community Media: alliancecm.org
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Teleproduction and Postproduction Facilities The increased demand for original programming has led to rapid growth in the number of production companies. Many postproduction facilities that had invested in high-end editing suites with sophisticated 3-D paint and animation technology are now in the business of producing commercials, on-air promos, and half-hour sitcoms. Large production companies, such as Lorimar and MCA, produce half-hour programs for syndication or cable television. These programs include game shows, made-for-TV movies, sitcoms, and specials. While larger firms diversify the types of programs they produce to cater to mass market audiences, small firms tend to specialize. For example, in New York, 4D Media Group specializes in producing video and film projects that combine artwork, live action, products, and graphics, all composited to create the finished product. It has conceived, created, and completed work for broadcast, advertising, corporate, and interactive media clients. Other small companies specialize in location shoots, children’s programming, documentaries, infomercials, and even aerial or underwater production.
Producing Commercials New York and Los Angeles are the headquarters for most companies specializing in the production of commercials for advertising agencies. New York, Hollywood, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, and Miami have a large number of companies specializing in the production of music video and entertainment programs. There are hundreds of small and large production companies that offer job
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opportunities to video professionals in every major city. To work in a production company, large or small, you must have both creative and technical skills. Norry Niven has received five Emmy Awards for his network promotions and dozens of awards for his varied film works. He has directed hundreds of national commercials for such varied companies as Sears, Chrysler, Perrier, Sea World, and The Movie Channel. In discussing the career of a director/producer, he says, “Directing a commercial requires many different skills. The first and most important is the ability to understand the intent of the creative. What is the purpose of the communication in a given commercial? Without an understanding of that, a director is lost. The second skill is the ability to place a ‘style’ upon the commercial—to decide the direction of the spot. This may sounds simple, but the director will be required to hold up that style and see it through the completion of the commercial. The third skill is to manage people. There are many different people and personalities involved in the production of a commercial. So, it isn’t enough to be able to simply manage a crew or to direct talent. In fact, a director of commercials spends the least amount of time on directing talent. People skills are called into play from the first conference call with the advertising agency and continue all the way through to the postproduction facility.” Niven, who has been directing commercials and music videos for fifteen years, says that whether you are directing a commercial or a music video, your goal should be to inspire your team to a higher creative aesthetic. “I think that a director should inspire and excite those people involved in the creative process into making the most incredible commercial possible. The director’s goal should be the creation of pure art, and to achieve that, it is neces-
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sary to rally the production team around that effort—that is the number-one skill a director should possess. Forget the limitations of budget, at least in the initial part of the process, and allow the spot or the music video to become what it has the potential of becoming. In film, as in any art form, making the viewer feel emotion is paramount to the artist. Selling products or entertaining viewers will naturally follow after this emotional goal is reached.”
Postproduction Most companies maintain a small full-time staff but flesh out the crew with freelance help on a project-to-project basis. Producers of programs for the consumer, corporate, or broadcast markets use the high-end editing suites and production studios of companies, referred to as postproduction facilities. Large companies such as the Post House in Hollywood and Unitel in New York offer a complete range of production and postproduction equipment and services. They are known as full-service companies. Some companies like Audio Plus Video International, in Northvale, New Jersey, specialize in standards conversion. There are several companies that specialize in tape duplication and CD-ROM replication, including the packaging and distribution for the home entertainment and corporate/institutional markets. The hiring emphasis in these firms is on engineering, technically skilled personnel, and marketing/account executives. To locate production and postproduction companies, check directories such as the Motion Picture, TV, and Theatre Directory, which is listed in Appendix A.
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3 Television and Video in Nonbroadcast Organizations
Corporations as well as nonprofit institutions use television and video extensively for applications such as training, sales and marketing, and employee communications. A majority of corporate and institutional video programs are not broadcast. This segment of the industry has been called industrial television, corporate television, private television, or nonbroadcast television. Names used more frequently today include organizational TV, corporate TV, business TV, and professional video. The field of professional video embraces all organizations—business and industry, educational, government, and other not-for-profit institutions such as hospitals and museums. These organizations are not media companies; their primary business is not the making and distribution of television and video. These organizations use media technologies to communicate more effectively with their specific audiences—employees, customers, and stockholders; or, in the case of nonprofit 39 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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institutions—colleagues, donors, students, well-wishers, and the public. Although the majority of programs produced by these organizations are not broadcast, some larger corporate and institutional media departments “transmit” their programs to reach several geographic areas using broadcasting and webcasting technologies. Many companies use videoconferencing, satellite, and various Internetbased technologies to reach audiences at multiple locations. The development of the 3⁄4-inch videocassette recorder led to the initial expansion of corporate television departments into corporate video networks. Within these networks, relatively inexpensive copies of training and informational programs could be distributed to employees in well-equipped offices. Later, VHS videotape as a distribution medium made it possible for corporations to get their message out to branch offices even in remote areas, with much of the impact of television but at a lower cost. Some corporations distribute their videotaped programs to fewer than twenty-five locations, but larger corporations often have to distribute more than one thousand copies of some programs at events such as the annual shareholders meeting. The foremost industry association in the organizational TV area is the Media Communications Association-International (formerly the International Television Association). Its members represent corporations; health, medical, and educational institutions; video production and postproduction facilities; manufacturers, dealers, and distributors of equipment; and service companies. Many of these companies have full-fledged video departments staffed by managers, producers, directors, writers, designers, technicians, and engineers. But in-house corporate media departments are the first hit by corporate downsizing, reengineering, or other cost-cutting
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and employee reduction strategies. Fortunately, during such times the corporation’s need for video and other media continues and often increases. Corporations then outsource, or hire, independent producers to make their programs. With outsourcing comes the birth of new production companies. The membership directory of a media association, which is usually available as a membership benefit, is a good starting point for locating companies that use video for communications. Another way to approach this market is to select an industry of interest and then identify the companies that have video or media departments. Several associations in this field have special interest groups (SIGs) by industry or specific technology. Here is a short list of industries that use video communications: Industries Using Video Aerospace Computer Education Emergency services Financial institutions Government/military Health care Hospitality Legal
Museums Nonprofit organizations Petroleum and gas Pharmaceutical Public utilities Real estate Religious Sports Transportation
Training and sales and marketing applications have ranked high among the many corporate applications of video for business communication. In recent years the areas of management development and employee communications have experienced rapid growth, perhaps due to the need for communicating downsizing
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strategies while attempting to keep the morale of employees up. Here is a short list of application areas: Skills training Sales training Management training Sales and marketing Product demonstrations Point-of-sale displays Employee orientation Employee information
Employee news programs Management communications Annual reports and meetings Presentations for security analysts Government and labor relations Community relations Video news releases Employee benefits
Example of a Corporate Video Department Constellation Energy Group (formerly Baltimore Gas and Electric Company) in Maryland has a full-time video staff of five who produce approximately fifty programs annually. According to Dick George, director of Constellation’s Creative Media group, “These include a monthly video newsmagazine for all eight thousand employees, internal communications, sales and marketing, occasionally TV/radio spots, community service, and training.” The Creative Media group also produces the collateral material and packaging to accompany the programs. They produce live meetings for customers and shareholders and contribute to exhibits, multimedia, and Internet communications. They also handle videoconferencing for the company. The internal staff is supplemented with a liberal use of independents, who perform writing, videography, graphic, and talent services. “Our job,” says George, “is to advance the business objective of Constellation through effective, memorable communications.
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Video plays a key role as it can reach people on an emotional level not possible in other media.”
Business Television (BTV) The growth of low-cost satellite TV technologies has enabled many organizations to create private television networks and has allowed others to make innovative and profitable use of public facilities and networks. The most common applications involve employee training and corporate meetings. Today most point-tomultipoint conferences are broadcast via satellite and are called BTV (business television), though many of the largest users are institutional (for example, health care). They involve a one-way video and audio transmission, with questions or tabulated responses sometimes being relayed back to the originating studio via voice telephone or modem. Programming can be live, taped, or a mixture of the two, and it is often of high quality, employing the best available teleproduction equipment and talent. There are many companies that focus on producing BTV programming of a particular type or for a specific industry. Hospitality Television produces an award-winning BTV series for Outback Steakhouses. To help the restaurant chain maintain quality and a strong sense of community in a rapidly growing organization, Hospitality Television created train-the-trainer sessions. These sessions utilize a combination of broadcast video, live phonein Q&A, and interactive computing to keep the audience of restaurant managers focused on the content and involved in the program. The structure of the various broadcasts was evolved through testing, pilot programs, and feedback from postsession evaluation forms and discussions over several years. Outback’s net-
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work consists of one satellite downlink in each region of the country. The network has fifty-four downlink sites. Kitchen managers from each area get together and watch a private broadcast that originates from the Outback test kitchen in Tampa, Florida. A team of national food technicians cooks and demonstrates the proper way to execute Outback food items. Viewers call in with ideas and questions. To keep in touch with the field, Outback broadcasts two meetings via satellite and one live in a national location. This allows Outbackers the opportunity to meet and discuss ideas in person on a regular basis, while reducing the expense of the multiple monthly meetings. At the other end of the scale in terms of size, but no less effective in delivering critical information, is the JCSN—a network serving the eleven thousand medical facilities that work with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Ten ninety-minute live and interactive videoconferences are produced annually by Primedia Workplace Learning with the Joint Commission. The satellite broadcasts include live panels of experts, with opportunities for live local and remote Q&A, and prerecorded reports and case studies. Individual broadcasts cover such important subjects as “Pain Management: Preemptive Strikes and Needs of Special Populations,” and “Preventing Medication Errors: What’s New and What Works.” BTV also is branching out to include new media, and major production companies like Beach Associates and V-Span are ready to use whatever technologies may be required to get their client’s messages across. Many high-tech and creative skills are needed to make projects like these work, but probably the most important is
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the ability to facilitate the interaction of the scores of creative and technical specialists with each other and their diverse technologies.
Videoconferencing Videoconferences involve interactive two-way video and audio transmissions over digital networks. In many cases, presentation graphics and collaborative computing are integrated into the conference. Videoconferencing is generally used to facilitate meetings between small groups of people in two or more remote locations. Thousands of corporations, colleges, and government institutions employ this medium for training and meetings of all kinds. Many organizations use videoconferencing to improve productivity and reduce travel costs. For example, the cost of a videoconference between San Francisco and New York can be less than $100 per hour, while a round-trip airline ticket during peak season can cost more than $1,000 per person. A company that uses videoconferencing in lieu of sending a team of six people to a meeting saves a lot of money, time, and wear and tear on employees. Because of the limited video quality of the signal that has been compressed or “squeezed” over low-cost digital lines, little attention has been paid in the past to production values and staging for these conferences. Recently, decreases in the cost of bandwidth and the increasing importance of multimedia presentations in business has focused more creative attention and resources on videoconferencing. There also has been a trend toward combining videoconferencing with other communication technologies, such as BTV, collaborative computing, and distribution of video to the desktop. These trends have created a demand for producers who
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can create a better look and feel and a tighter structure for multimedia conferences. Large commercial financial institutions, such as Citicorp and CSFB (Credit Suisse First Boston), have fullfledged departments of production and engineering staff dedicated to ensuring that these video meetings run without a hitch. Anyone seeking to work professionally in visual communications (in any medium) for a large organization should have a basic understanding of the uses, limitations, and jargon of all the technologies discussed in this chapter. Buzzwords and perhaps even some useful knowledge can most easily be acquired by visiting the websites and attending chapter meetings of professional organizations such as the International Communications Industries Association.
Video in Special Job Settings Although the job titles and functions of video professionals may be similar from company to company, job demands vary considerably from industry to industry. This is so because each industry provides an environment or job setting that is different from that of the other. Some video professionals find it difficult to work in certain environments—hospitals, for example. It is important to have an understanding of the kinds of demands made by different environments before accepting a job in a particular industry. In the following pages, David R. Eatwell discusses the special demands of working in legal video, or video used in the process of law. Eatwell was founder and former president of the Houston, Texas–based Media Support Group, which specializes in providing media services to the legal profession.
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Legal Video: Example The litigation process is by definition an adversary process. It is designed to mete out justice when each side of the matter in contention has made his or her case known as clearly as possible to a judge or jury. The power and clarity of video lends itself to the concise, accurate depiction of the matter at hand. Slowly assimilated into the legal process in many states, video can now be found in many areas and applications. For example, product liability and personal injury torts lead the way and still employ the widest range of video products. Early stages of case development might include videotape of an accident scene and interviews of witnesses, victims, treating physicians, or rescue workers. Later in the discovery process, depositions of key witnesses may be videotaped. A video crew may be dispatched to document the lifestyle of a victim who has been left with permanent disability or pain. Once the plaintiff ’s case has taken form, a documentary may be produced for presentation to the defendants in hopes of settling the case without the time and expense of delaying motions and trial. As trial approaches, expert witnesses may turn to re-creation of the accident on video to depict the event for the jury. This accident re-creation can take many forms. The accident may be reenacted at the scene, with commentary and close-ups delineating the physical processes evident in the cause of the accident. Or the videographer may use computer-generated animation to portray the events leading up to the injury. Such documentation would then be presented to the jury as part of the testimony of the pertinent technical expert witness.
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In very large cases, videotape is often used to prepare a witness for trial. A nervous witness may be rehearsed in answering questions from a hostile attorney. A key witness with distracting mannerisms or poor speaking style may be coached in making a clear, credible presentation to the jury. Seeing oneself on video can be shocking to the uninitiated. Cases have been won and lost due to the preparation a witness received prior to trial. Personal injury trials often include what has come to be called the “day-in-the-life” tape. This tape is edited from the raw footage shot by a crew who follows the plaintiff through an average day. Verbal description of what it is like to be paralyzed is a far cry from the accurate depiction on videotape of normal activities of daily living. Though some decry such videotape as gruesome or inflammatory, the frustration of quadriplegia or the pain of burns healing cannot be fully described with mere words. Legal video is still in a dynamic growth stage. The future holds no limits.
Legal Video: Challenges An overabundance of aspiring videographers has developed into a large body of legal videographers with little experience and relatively unsophisticated equipment. State, local, and national certification programs have arisen to solve the problem of prejudicial or incompetently produced video evidence. Some types of legal video, such as settlement documentaries, call for all of the artistic expertise of a video producer. These products are not required to meet the rules of civil procedure pertaining to evidence. They are, however, subject to the scrutiny of a strong code of ethics.
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Any video evidence to be shown in court must pass a strict test laid out by federal and state rules. Currently few technical and procedural standards are set. The limitations primarily pertain to content. Federal rules, along with some state rules, stipulate that the video equipment must be in good working order and that the operator must be qualified to render an accurate record of the evidence. Videographers who choose to enter this arena take on a responsibility for ethics, accuracy, and technical reliability that far surpasses the rest of the video industry. Indeed, failure in ethics, accuracy, or technical ability can lead to the videographer being sued. Only in a few areas does a professional videographer have this type of exposure.
Legal Video: Special Skills The legal videographer must have the production expertise necessary to ensure that the equipment is set up and operated correctly. In the case of a malfunction, backup measures must be taken, which requires that the videographer be a good troubleshooter. Because the legal videographer has little or no control over the video location, he or she must possess flexibility and the ability to deal with any situation. In general, the low glitz factor and high professional risk of this line of work call for a special type of person. Getting into the legal video business calls for more than printing business cards and buying a camcorder. It is not wise for a novice videographer to consider independent work in this area due to the legal liabilities. A few years of experience with a corporate or commercial production crew that does lots of location work are
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a prerequisite. Frontline work is the only way to get the necessary experience. There is no special place to gain experience in dealing with attorneys. Be prepared to wear a suit to depositions and court for tape playback. Be forewarned that many lawyers are suspicious of video and its practitioners. On the other hand, attorneys can be demanding, with specifications and standards of accuracy laid out in law books and court decisions made over the years. In response to increased technical requirements, many states are now moving for controlled certification of legal videographers. As the use of video in litigation abounds, the threshold level for certification will rise. That is good. The average juror, who is an average citizen, watches about three hours of television daily. That level of viewer sophistication demands that legal videos be better than home movies. A videographer who delivers less than professionalquality video has performed a disservice to the client, the attorney, and—more significantly—to the person represented in the case. More than in other applications of video, legal video tangibly affects people’s lives. The product may contribute significantly to the outcome of the case. Therefore, the decision to pursue a career in legal video is one that should not be made lightly.
How the Government Uses Video The largest government-operated broadcast enterprise is the Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (AFRTS). It operates more than eight hundred radio and television stations in fifty nations worldwide. In some cities, AFRTS operates out of conventional broadcast stations; in others, it has closed-circuit television (CCTV)
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operations. AFRTS employs both military and civilian personnel to operate its television facilities and create programming. Other government agencies at the local (city/county), state, and federal levels, also use television extensively. Though the majority of them do not broadcast programs, most of them operate and maintain audiovisual equipment. Some departments generate their own programming, others contract with independent production companies to develop programs, and still others rent or purchase prerecorded videocassettes. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides numerous video services to its medical centers. The VA operates a satellite network with nearly two hundred downlinks. The Learning Resources Center in Washington, D.C., is the VA’s video production center, which produces training and informational programming that is distributed via satellite as well as on videotape. The VA produces more than twenty-five satellite broadcasts annually. Also at the federal level, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) uses video to communicate internally within the bureau, to other government agencies, and the public about the 262 million acres of public land that it administers. Most of BLM’s offices located in twelve western states have their own videographers who usually produce programs at the local level. The main production centers are located in Denver and Phoenix. Other government agencies utilizing video include public health, postal services, transportation, agriculture, and law enforcement. City/county and state agencies are finding that, with cutbacks in workforce and tight budgets, video is an effective medium for disseminating information to employees and citizens. Several counties are utilizing local cable TV channels to transmit their programming.
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A good starting point to learn more about communications at government agencies is the National Association of Government Communicators (nagc.com), a national not-for-profit professional network of federal, state, and local government employees who disseminate information within and outside government. Among its members are editors, writers, graphic artists, video professionals, broadcasters, photographers, information specialists, and agency spokespersons.
4 Programming and Production
Television is indeed one of the more dynamic industries in which to work. It offers a high-tech environment and the excitement of contact with interesting people. Work in the TV business is full of creative and technical challenges and is hectic and often stressful. Along with the stimulating work in the fast-paced television news programming area, for example, comes long hours and erratic schedules. Nevertheless, the satisfaction of working with such a powerful news and entertainment medium makes for a rewarding career. Since breaking into television is no easy task, it is essential to go about it in an organized and systematic manner. The first step is to understand how the industry is structured and identify the area of the business you want to be in. Most commercial and public television stations operate with five divisions: general administration, program-production, television news, engineering, and sales. Although there are a small number of on-camera or on-air
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positions, the majority of employment opportunities are in offcamera television jobs. Several independent production companies make programs for broadcast outlets. Therefore it is important to take a look at the larger arena, which includes independent production companies that shoot and produce local magazine programs that are inserted into the evening news, as well as specialty or boutique studios that make animation sequences or special effects for entertainment shows. In the following pages, job titles, descriptions of responsibilities, and the qualifications required for various programming and production positions are briefly discussed, so as to give you some idea of what television and video professionals do.
Television News As the primary news source for most Americans, television stations strive to provide viewers with up-to-the-minute news, from early in the morning to late at night. All the networks, and many local stations, interrupt programs with newsbreaks or update news by using crawl lettering at the bottom of the screen. The networks employ a relatively large staff and spend considerable sums of money for news gathering and delivery. Independent stations have smaller departments, but the emphasis on the news at any station can scarcely be overstated. Job opportunities in television news and information departments are growing. This is due in large part to the increase in local television news coverage. With the growth of cable television, there are more programs aimed at audiences with specific or special information needs. While sports, weather forecasts, and traffic reports are regularly covered as specific news items, new special
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interest topics such as farm reports, consumer economics, health, and science are receiving local news coverage. Television news gathering and reporting is both an exciting and a demanding job.
Job Titles Typical job titles in television news include the following: News director Assistant news director News producer-director News desk assistant News production assistant
News writer Reporter Anchorperson Sportscaster Weather reporter or meteorologist
Job Descriptions and Qualifications A TV news director has overall responsibility for a news team of reporters, writers, editors, and newscasters as well as the studio and mobile unit production crew. The job involves quick decisionmaking abilities, especially in situations yielding fast-breaking news. This is a senior administrative position, with responsibilities that include determining the events to be covered and how and when they will be presented in a news broadcast. This position calls for developing and administering the budget, monitoring and evaluating the performance of news staff, resolving production and technical problems, and coordinating news department activities with the programming and traffic or continuity departments. A prerequisite for this managerial position is usually a college degree in broadcast journalism, mass communication, or political
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science, plus several years of experience in other television news positions or in radio news. An assistant news director, also known as a managing editor or assignment editor, is responsible for making news coverage assignments. The person in this position is responsible for supervising the newsroom and coordinating wire service reports, tape or film inserts, network feeds, and stories from individual news writers and reporters. A news producer-director at some stations may be responsible for the same functions as the assistant news director, but the news producer-director has the additional responsibility of designating the technical crews for each assignment. Preferred candidates for the positions of assistant news director or news producer-director usually have an undergraduate degree in journalism, mass communications, or political science plus several years of experience as a reporter or in other news functions. They also must have strong organizational skills. A news desk assistant carries the responsibility of providing general assistance to the news department. This job entails general office duties such as answering telephones, opening and distributing the mail, delivering newspapers and magazines, filing scripts and correspondence, and distributing wire service copy to news writers and reporters. The person in this job may be called upon to transcribe portions of an interview and also collect routine information such as sports scores. The basic requirement for this job is a high school diploma, preferably with additional college courses in business. This entrylevel position is a good place to begin gaining the valuable experience that will help in qualifying for higher-level jobs.
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A news production assistant has general duties such as organizing and maintaining the filing system for visual materials and locating library film or videotape footage for use in a newscast. The job may call for the preparation of all character-generator information. In addition, the news production assistant may have to type out a lineup of the subjects being covered in the program, including the timing of tape inserts. This job generally requires a high school diploma. It is a good entry-level position for those aspiring to be news producers. A news writer is responsible for writing and editing news stories, continuity pieces, and introductions and descriptions that are used by anchorpersons in scheduled newscasts. A person in this position also writes narrative copy used as voice-overs for tape or film inserts. News writers must have an undergraduate degree in journalism or mass media communications, with a strong liberal arts background. One year of related experience or as a desk assistant is preferred. A television reporter is a journalist who gathers news from various sources, analyzes and prepares the news, and reports it on the air. At a network station, a reporter who is assigned overseas is called a correspondent. Reporters gather and investigate news through library research, telephone inquiries, interviews with key people, and news conferences and press briefings. They then develop the information into an understandable report, which is delivered on the air in a clear and concise manner. Candidates for this position must be college graduates in journalism or political science, with a strong liberal arts background, and at least two years of experience as a news writer. Preference is given to those with excellent writing and speaking abilities.
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An anchorperson or newscaster hosts regularly scheduled newscasts. This person is responsible for reporting some of the major news items and for providing lead-ins for other stories. The anchorperson is the most visible element of a newscast. A person in this position must have a thorough understanding of news developments and the ability to analyze and interpret them for the viewing audience. Several nationally known anchors frequently research and write their own special news reports. Candidates for this high-level position must have a distinctive personality and an ability to communicate with integrity and credibility. A college degree in journalism or political science is required, along with many years of experience in other TV newsroom positions. A weather reporter, also called a weathercaster or meteorologist, reports the weather conditions and forecasts that are a part of regularly scheduled newscasts. The person in this position is responsible for gathering information from national satellite weather services, wire services, and other local and regional weather bureaus. The weather reporter works with the production crew and director to set up sophisticated visual equipment that will illustrate weather conditions. This position has very limited employment opportunities. Major market stations and networks prefer college graduates in meteorology with good public speaking abilities. A sportscaster is responsible for reporting athletic and sporting events that are a part of regularly scheduled newscasts. A person in this position usually selects, writes, prepares, and delivers the sports news for each newscast. This may include interviews with sports personalities, live coverage of games broadcast by the station, and selection of video material for use in the sportscast. A college degree
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in journalism and a good knowledge of all sports are required for this position. Some newsroom experience also is valuable. At a few major-market stations where there are several sportscasters, each sportscaster specializes in a particular sport. At these stations, there is usually a sports director who supervises and coordinates the team of sportscasters. Sports directors originate and develop special sports features and maintain contact with regional and national sports figures such as players, coaches, and managers.
Unions and Associations News directors are usually members of the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). Membership in the association also is open to assistant news directors and other professionals in the field. Many news anchors and television reporters, several weather reporters, and some sportscasters have RTNDA membership. Assistant news directors with duties that include news writing or news reporting on the air may be members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) or the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). At network stations and a few major-market stations, WGA or AFTRA may represent news writers, news anchors, and television reporters for bargaining purposes. Some sportscasters at network stations and a few major-market stations are members of WGA or AFTRA. Sportscasters usually belong to the American Sportscasters Association. Most desk assistants are not represented by a union, but at some major-market and network stations they are represented by the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET).
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Television reporters who cover Congress can belong to the Radio and Television Correspondents Association (RTCA).
Production Although it may be your dream to become a producer-director, you must remember that every television pro started at the bottom of the career ladder. So the best thing for you to do at the start is, well, everything. Get broad-based training and experience in as many production-related jobs as you can. At major-market television stations, job titles and functions are more streamlined and specialized. The smaller the station, the more varied the kinds of jobs you will get to do.
Job Titles Typical job titles in production include the following: Production manager Producer Executive producer Associate producer Director Assistant director Unit manager Floor manager Production assistant
Lighting director Art director Graphic artist Cartoonist Cinematographer or videographer Videotape editor Scriptwriter
Job Descriptions and Qualifications A production manager has overall responsibility for conceptualizing, designing, and developing programs for television. This function
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calls for coordinating and directing creative teams that include producers, directors, lighting directors, set builders, graphic artists, announcers, and on-air talent, to name only a few. In addition, the production manager has to supervise all local studio and remote production staff such as camera operators, production assistants, and floor managers. A person in this position has to prepare budget estimates as well as determine space and equipment needs. A college degree in radio-TV, communications, or theater is a prerequisite for this management position. Some stations prefer candidates with graduate degrees and a minimum of five years of experience as a television producer. A television producer is responsible for planning and developing individual live or taped productions. The producer selects and directs the script, talent, sets, props, lighting, and other production elements. A person in this position is responsible for keeping productions within budgets and on schedule. Producers are expected to have a liberal arts college degree, with some training in TV, drama, or filmmaking, and at least three years of experience as a director or associate producer. An executive producer conceives, develops, and produces an entire series or some special production. Networks and large stations employ several TV producers, who report to an executive producer. A minimum of three years of experience as a producer is essential for promotion to the job of executive producer. An associate producer or assistant producer is the right-hand person of the television producer. A person in this position provides administrative and professional support in all aspects of production, from conceptualization to the final production. Associate producers help organize and implement production schedules and work closely with the operations manager in scheduling facilities and equipment.
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Most employers hire associate producers with at least two years of varied television production experience plus a college degree in radio-TV or mass communications. A director or producer-director is responsible for rehearsing and directing a television program. This involves hiring the cast, plotting the camera shots, and determining production elements. These elements include equipment and engineering requirements as well as creative elements such as music, lighting, and sets. Many TV directors have an educational background in theater and film. To be hired by a station in this position, an applicant must show at least two years of production experience. An assistant director is responsible for ensuring that all production elements—performers, equipment, sets, and staff—are ready for rehearsals and taping as scheduled. This person is also responsible for ensuring that slides, film, and tape inserts have been assembled and timed in the preproduction stage. On-location assignments call for arranging transportation, lodging, and facilities. Two years of experience as a unit manager or floor manager are required for promotion to an assistant director. A unit manager is primarily responsible for logistics and budget expenditures. With regard to logistics, a person in this position works on the setup, maintenance, and operation of all facilities and equipment during the preproduction stage. For remote productions, the unit manager arranges the rental of the location, the delivery and setup of all equipment necessary for production, and the dismantling and return of all equipment upon completion of shooting. Although this position does not call for college education, a minimum of two years of experience in film or TV production is essential.
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A floor manager coordinates all crew and talent activities in the studio as well as on location, in accordance with the director’s instructions. It is the duty of the floor manager to follow along with the script and cue performers. Often, during production, the floor manager has to operate the teleprompter, place props, and position easels. During production, the floor manager communicates the instructions of the director to the crew and talent, using hand signals. A high school diploma and some college training in TV are usually required to become a floor manager. Those who wish to get this job in a major-market commercial station should have a college degree. A production assistant does research, writes copy, schedules guests, interviews potential talent, and works on sets, costumes, and makeup—doing any and every job necessary at the time— to ensure that the production flows smoothly. This position is a stepping-stone for a career as a television producer. Although the minimum requirement for this position is a high school diploma, the competitive nature of the business is making employers partial to candidates who possess college degrees. A lighting director is responsible for achieving the lighting effects desired by the director in a production. Lighting directors use a variety of floodlights, spotlights, filters, and other accessories to provide the balance necessary for lighting a set. Some stations consider lighting to be a function of the engineering staff. In some cases, the duties of a lighting director are considered a production job. Stations that consider lighting an engineering function require candidates for the job to have a high school diploma plus a secondclass FCC license. Most lighting directors have at least two years of experience in related functions.
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An art director, a graphic artist, and a TV cartoonist are all considered part of the creative support team. This team designs and creates all art and visual materials used to enhance a television program. Duties include the production of visual elements such as photography, graphics, and animation art. The jobs also may call for the modification of existing sets and for scenic design. Art directors usually have undergraduate degrees in commercial art and at least five years of experience in artwork for film or television. A cinematographer or videographer is a cameraperson who is responsible for shooting all film and tape to be used in a program. Today most television stations use portable electronic news gathering (ENG) cameras for location work rather than film. A videographer must be adept at using many different types of cameras and recorders and must have technical expertise. In addition, imagination and creativity are essential. Keen competition for job openings is expected in the years ahead as the number of talented people with skills has increased. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, about one-fourth of camera operators are self-employed. An undergraduate degree in film and a minimum of one year of experience in the field is required for this position. A videotape editor assembles and edits various pretaped segments, together with special effects and sound, into a finished program. Many editors specialize in the use of electronic paint and animation systems and digital video effects (DVE) devices. Videotape editing is a high-technology art form today. Opportunities for videotape editors also exist in production and postproduction facilities, some cable stations, and corporate studios. The position of videotape editor usually calls for a person with experience in sophisticated editing techniques using computerized editing equipment.
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A scriptwriter develops a script as a blueprint for a production. TV and video scripts are typed in two columns, with audio on the right and video on the left. The audio column usually contains narration and dialogue as well as instructions for music and sound effects. The video column contains descriptions of sets, instructions to performers, and directions for camera shots and movements. Scriptwriters use a variety of styles such as documentary, talk show, sitcom, and drama. Often scriptwriters are called upon to write the audio portion after the documentary footage is shot. Candidates with undergraduate degrees, usually in English literature, and some writing experience for film or television qualify for the job. They also should possess creativity and imagination.
Unions, Guilds, and Associations In major markets and at some smaller-market stations, broadcasters are covered by collective bargaining agreements negotiated by labor organizations or professional guilds and associations. Here are a few that you can get more information on via their websites: AFTRA American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (aftra.org) is a national labor union affiliated with the AFL-CIO. AFTRA represents its members in five major areas: news and broadcasting; entertainment programming; sound recording; commercials; and nonbroadcast, industrials, and educational media. The union negotiates and enforces more than four hundred collective bargaining agreements that guarantee minimum (but never maximum) salaries, safe working conditions, and health and retirement benefits.
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NABET-CWA The National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (nabet53.com), the broadcasting and cable television workers sector of the Communication Workers of America, AFL-CIO, represents more than ten thousand workers employed in broadcasting. Along with CWA, the largest telecommunications union in the world, it represents six hundred thousand workers in private and public sector employment in the United States and Canada. NABET-CWA holds more than one hundred collective bargaining agreements, spelling out wages, benefits, and working conditions for its members. Among major employers of NABET-CWA members are NBC, ABC, and independent companies covering the private and public sectors. IATSE International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (iatse.com) locals represent videotape and film editors. IATSE is also known as the Motion Picture and Videotape Editors Guild. WGA Writers Guild of America (wga.org) is the premier bargaining representative for writers in the broadcast, cable, motion picture, interactive, and new media industries. It negotiates minimum basic agreements with major producers of motion pictures and television programs as well as contracts for the staff at radio and television stations. SAG Screen Actors Guild (sag.com) represents its members to several creative communities, including filmmakers. SAG basic agree-
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ments cover contracts, wages, and working conditions for television, theater, industrial and educational productions, and new media. It also has a low budget agreement. DGA Although the majority of directors are not represented by a union, a few who work for television networks and some independent production companies are members of the Directors Guild of America (dga.org). Several assistant directors and unit managers working on TV network films also are represented by DGA. Art directors and graphic artists working in the broadcast industry are represented by NABET. Many art directors and graphic artists who are not employed at television stations but work on television commercials and film promos are members of the Broadcast Designers Association (bdaweb.com). There are no associations solely representing the interests of producers or assistant producers. Many executive producers are members of the National Association of Television Program Executives (natpe.org), and those involved with corporate or nonbroadcast work belong to Media Communications Association-International (mca-i.org).
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5 Engineering and Technical Services
Good engineering and technical people are always in great demand. Due to rapid growth in the consumer electronics, computer, and Internet industries, there is a real shortage of qualified technical personnel in television and video. The increasing number of video facilities in nonbroadcast industries and the steadily evolving cable industry also account for the growth in opportunities for those with technical school training and television engineering experience. The quality of video and audio signals transmitted by a station depends on the work of its engineering and technical staff. Also of great importance are the performance and reliability of professional video equipment used in production or postproduction facilities and in corporate video departments. As the level of sophistication of equipment constantly increases, so do the demands that technicians and engineers
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upgrade their skills and become proficient in handling new technology. By January 2003 most satellite and terrestrial broadcasters will be required to enhance up to 50 percent of their schedule with “value-added digital programming.” This will place a premium on the skills of technicians and engineers who are well versed in these new technologies. Engineering and technical job titles and functions differ not only on the basis of station and facility size but also as the employee moves from a major market to a smaller market. Vertical job mobility is a common way to advance in a technical career. For example, an engineering technician with a year or two of experience at a station may get promoted to the position of master control engineer. An engineering technician also can move further up the career ladder by joining a smaller station or moving to a smaller market. Lateral moves are more common among engineering management personnel. Some chief engineers can often advance their careers by moving to a smaller market in a job with the same title but with more responsibility and at a higher salary. Job titles and functions at commercial and public TV stations tend to be similar, but the nature of the functions at a cable TV station is often different. Working in a technical or engineering job at a facility in a nonbroadcast industry is similar to working at a small commercial station in a very small market. Operations and maintenance functions are combined, and often the equipment is less sophisticated. Major production and postproduction facilities and organizations, on the other hand, often have equipment and technical requirements that exceed those in all but the largest broadcast facilities.
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Commercial and Public TV Job titles, descriptions, and qualifications for engineers and technicians working in commercial and public TV and large private facilities include the following:
Job Titles Chief engineer Assistant chief engineer Engineering supervisor Maintenance engineer Computer specialist/ maintenance technician Transmitter engineer
Audio-video engineer Videotape engineereditor Master control engineer Engineering technician Technical director Camera operator
Job Descriptions and Qualifications A chief engineer, sometimes known as the director of engineering, is ultimately responsible for all of a television station’s technical facilities and services. This person also supervises the engineering and operations staff. The position calls for long-range facilities planning, system design, budgeting, and purchase of equipment. The chief engineer is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all station operations are in compliance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations and other applicable local, state, and federal laws. Therefore, a thorough knowledge of FCC regulations is a prerequisite. A chief engineer must have a general radiotelephone operator license. The preferred educational background for this position
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includes an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and technical training in broadcast engineering. Usually five years of experience as an assistant chief engineer is one of the prerequisites for the position. An assistant chief engineer is responsible for overseeing the dayto-day technical operations of the station. This includes scheduling facilities as well as the technical staff. The job calls for overall staff training in the operation and maintenance of new equipment. The person in this position is expected to supervise equipment modification and replacement, conduct transmission tests, and oversee inventory of parts and other supplies. Qualifications for this high-level job include a high school degree (though an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering is preferred), plus technical training, a first-class FCC license, and at least five years of television engineering experience. An engineering supervisor is directly responsible for the proper operation and maintenance of equipment on a day-to-day basis. A key duty for this person is the supervision of the line staff, from videotape engineer-editors to audio-video engineers. This position calls for maintaining and reviewing technical reports as well as diagnosing and correcting technical problems. A minimum of a high school education plus one or two years of technical school training is expected of an engineering supervisor. Candidates with an FCC general radiotelephone operator license plus at least two years of experience as an audio-video engineer are preferred. A maintenance engineer is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all television equipment at a station or production facility. The job calls for ensuring that the equipment meets the design specifications. Therefore, a person in this position must be adept at using
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a variety of testing equipment to gauge the performance of production and transmission hardware. A maintenance engineer must be able to handle complex repairs and equipment modifications. A high school diploma and at least one year as an engineering technician will qualify candidates for the job. Manufacturers’ training and certification on the adjustment and repair of specific equipment are also preferred. Most maintenance engineers at TV stations take the examination for the FCC general radiotelephone operator license. A computer specialist/maintenance technician is responsible for maintaining and adjusting both conventional and networked digital equipment. Requirements for this job include certification in computer operating systems, such as Windows 2000, and a computer networking background. Video and audio troubleshooting/repair experience in both analog and digital realms (for example, DVC-Pro and beta tape machines) are preferred, as is transmitter/RF experience. An FCC license is also preferred. Candidates should also have knowledge of broadcast operations, including familiarity with master control operation. A transmitter engineer operates and maintains a television transmitter. Transmitter engineers are often known as field service engineers, since the transmission tower and antenna are in some instances located in a remote spot away from the main studio. Because this job calls for the continual monitoring of all incoming satellite, network, or regional broadcasts, a transmitter engineer is assigned to various shifts during a broadcast day. Typically, transmitter engineers have a high school diploma, training in broadcast engineering from a trade school, skills and certification in the maintenance of electronic equipment, and an FCC general radiotelephone operator license.
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An audio-video engineer has the overall responsibility of operating all electronic audio and video equipment. Audio-video engineers are an essential part of the production team because they are charged with the responsibility of achieving the best possible sound and image quality. An audio-video engineer works in the control room during production, in a remote truck during a location shoot, and in the editing suite during postproduction. Audiovisual engineers, audio technicians, and video technicians are employed at commercial and public TV stations, production and postproduction facilities, and television or media departments in nonbroadcast industries. Some employers require audio-video engineers to have an FCC general radiotelephone operator license, as well as specialized training on the specific type of equipment they will be required to operate or maintain. The position usually calls for a high school diploma, some technical training, and experience as an engineering technician. A videotape engineer-editor is responsible for the setup and proper operation of all videotape machines. The person in this position cleans, makes adjustments and alignments, and sets up videotape recorders, editors, and players prior to operation. With the relative ease of use and maintenance of today’s sophisticated recording and editing videotape systems, the videotape engineereditor is not actually required to be an engineer. At a production or postproduction facility, people hired for this position are responsible for dubbing (duplicating) tapes and assembling and editing commercials and other promotional spots. Since the emphasis today is more on videotape editing than on engineering, people from creative production backgrounds are moving into this position.
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A minimum of a high school diploma and some technical training are prerequisites for the job, along with experience in computerized videotape editing or a year as an engineering technician. Some stations require videotape engineer-editors to have a secondclass FCC license. A master control engineer ensures that all of a television station’s scheduled program elements, such as on-location feeds and prerecorded segments, are smoothly transmitted. This job calls for coordination of the output of several departments as well as the handling of electronic machines. The person in this position operates the master control switcher and audio console during station breaks. A master control engineer is directly responsible for ensuring that all transmissions meet FCC requirements. Consequently, candidates who have an FCC general radiotelephone operator license, experience as an engineering technician, and some technical training beyond completion of high school are preferred. An engineering technician is responsible for a variety of engineering duties, such as the maintenance and setup of cameras, videotape, audiotape recorders, signal routing switchers, and testing devices. A person in this position at a TV station usually reports to an engineering supervisor. At facilities in nonbroadcast industries, an engineering technician or operator technician reports to a technical director or chief engineer, depending on the size of the facility. After gaining experience for a year, engineering technicians usually get promoted and trained in an area in which they have shown talent and interest. Prerequisites for the job include a high school diploma and some formal technical training. Candidates with an FCC license or specific technical certifications are preferred.
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A technical director works closely with the program’s director in determining the specific requirements of a production. The person in this position is responsible for operating the production switcher. He or she also directs studio and control room technical staff and—according to the director’s instructions—guides camera operators. For this job, applicants must have a high school diploma, some technical training and experience as a lighting director or camera operator, and a thorough understanding of both the production and technical aspects of television programming. Many stations prefer that candidates for the position have an FCC general radiotelephone operator license or other professional certifications. A camera operator is responsible for setting up and operating television studio and electronic news gathering (ENG) cameras. Although camera operators are considered part of the engineering department at some stations, they are part of a production or news department at other stations. Many camera operators are also independent cinematographers and videographers. Videographers are camera operators who may also perform many other functions, including those of soundman and even field producer. TV stations hiring camera operators require that candidates have at least a high school diploma and training in photography, film, or video, plus some experience in television production.
Cable TV Job titles, descriptions, and qualifications for engineers and technicians working in cable TV include the following:
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Job Titles Chief technician or engineer Bench technician, maintenance technician, service technician, trunk technician Installer
Job Descriptions and Qualifications A chief technician in a cable TV company is responsible for the supervision of system installation, transmission, and operation. At a multichannel, multipoint distribution service (MMDS) or at subscription television (STV) companies, a chief technician is sometimes called a chief engineer. This job calls for both technical and administrative skills. Engineering responsibilities include supervision of the construction and installation of antenna towers, dishes, amplifiers, and other signal-processing hardware. Administrative functions include evaluation and purchase of all equipment, procurement of permits from telephone and local electric companies, and supervision of all technical staff, which can vary from three to more than twenty employees. Chief technicians or chief engineers are expected to have good design skills. This position usually calls for at least five years of broadcast or cable engineering experience, an FCC general radiotelephone operator license, and preferably college coursework in electrical engineering. A technician in cable TV usually carries a more specific job title that reflects a specialized position, such as bench technician, maintenance technician, service technician, or trunk technician. Each tech-
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nician is responsible for the installation, maintenance, and repair of a certain type of equipment. For example, bench technicians work on subscriber converter boxes, while maintenance technicians work on damaged cable between telephone poles, testing equipment, transmission antennae, and signal scrambling units. Service technicians repair receiving antennae and subscriber signal descrambling units. Trunk technicians work in the field repairing main cable lines. Service technicians are sometimes expected to have an FCC general radiotelephone operator license. Some cable companies also expect trunk technicians to have an FCC license. A high school diploma and some trade school or junior college training in electronics are general requirements for these positions. An installer’s job function varies according to the type of company the installer works for. This position at a cable company calls for wiring the receiving end of the television signal from a telephone pole to the connector box to the TV set. At an STV or MMDS company, an installer is responsible for attaching an antenna to the roof of the subscriber’s house. The installer connects the antenna to the descrambling unit and to the subscriber’s television set. If an installer works for an independent contractor, the job may call for digging trenches, relocating telephone poles, and laying down cable between poles. A high school diploma and demonstrable mechanical aptitude and technical ability are required for this entry-level position. In nonbroadcast industries, titles may vary slightly, but the duties and responsibilities are similar to those for broadcast and cable engineers and technicians. Nonbroadcast titles include:
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Media technician Production technician Video/audio engineer Video/audio technician
Unions and Associations In commercial TV, technical directors, engineering technicians, videotape editor-operators, audio-video engineers, transmitter engineers, and maintenance engineers are usually represented by the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians—Communications Workers of America (NABET-CWA) or the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Information on NABET-CWA Local 57 can be accessed at nabet57.com. Public TV employees usually are not represented by a union. However, at some major-market community stations, several individuals with these titles are union members. The titles of engineering supervisor, assistant chief engineer, and chief engineer are considered management positions and therefore are not represented by a union. Individuals who may have been members of a collective bargaining agent or union such as NABET or IBEW let their membership lapse or become inactive members upon assuming a management position. Individuals with engineering or technical services management positions usually belong to a professional association to increase their technical knowledge, share mutual concerns, and advance their careers. Some broadcast engineering executives belong to the Society of Broadcast Engineers (sbe.org) or the Society of Motion
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Picture and Television Engineers (smpte.org). Some engineering executives maintain membership in more than one association. There are no unions that represent installers, bench technicians, maintenance technicians, service technicians, or trunk technicians working in the cable television industry. Chief technicians or chief engineers are usually members of one or more of the following organizations: the Society of Cable Television Engineers (scte.org), SMPTE, or SBE. Video service technicians, maintenance engineers or technicians, and media technicians who work in nonbroadcast industries are not represented by unions. Maintenance engineers are usually members of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (ieee.org). Video/media service and maintenance technicians usually belong to either the National Electronic Service Dealers Association (nesda.com) or the International Society of Certified Electronic Technicians (iscet.org), which represent the interests of professional technicians in all fields. Other useful sources of specific, up-to-date information on jobs in broadcasting include tvjobs.com, an Internet-based employment service for technical and production jobs. In addition to the expected postings of jobs and résumés, the site includes employment-related industry news and discussion groups.
6 Sales and Marketing
It has been said, “If all you want for dinner is a pizza, go do production; if you’d like spaghetti and meat sauce, then get into service; but if you’d like to afford a gourmet meal, sales is your best bet.” Well, it took a salesperson to make a statement like that! It is generally true, however, that the sales and marketing area is the most lucrative in this industry. Sales jobs can often be a steppingstone to marketing management, general management, and other high-level positions in the television and video industries. Television stations derive revenue from the sale of on-air time. The three main sales sources are national and regional advertisers, local businesses, and network sales (in the case of network affiliates airing network commercials and programs). The income received by each station varies with the size of the station and the market in which it operates. By and large, national advertisers spend far more money in major markets than in smaller ones.
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Broadcast Television When selling time, a television salesperson is in reality selling the demographics of the audience that watches the station’s programs. Media buyers are interested in knowing how many men, women, and children can be reached with a TV commercial at a particular time. Therefore, television salespeople rely heavily on research and audience demographics. The price of advertising time is proportional to the number of people who can be expected to watch it. A TV salesperson must have a thorough understanding of the station’s programs and sales policies. A salesperson also must be able to make complex cost computations and propose a commercial schedule to a potential advertiser. A television station’s local sales staff makes calls on advertising agencies and, if need be, on an agency’s client. Many large TV stations in major markets engage the services of a national sales representative firm to function as the station’s out-of-town sales force. These firms work on a commission basis. TV sales employment opportunities are available at TV stations, ad agencies, and national sales representative firms.
Job Titles Sales and marketing titles found in broadcast television include: Marketing manager, director, or vice president General sales manager, sales director, or advertising sales manager National sales manager or assistant sales manager
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Advertising salesperson, time salesperson, or broadcast salesperson Sales coordinator, traffic coordinator, or sales assistant
Job Descriptions In broadcast television a marketing manager or marketing director is responsible for the promotion of the programming and demographics of the station, for the purpose of increasing both ad sales and viewership. Frequently this job involves managing relationships with partners, that is, organizations with which the station has complex sponsorship and/or comarketing relationships. An undergraduate degree in marketing, advertising, or business administration is preferable. Candidates with several years of experience in broadcast advertising sales or marketing have a competitive edge. Often stations or networks have many levels of marketing personnel, corresponding loosely to the structure of their sales organization. A general sales manager has the overall responsibility for generating all advertising revenue. In conjunction with the general manager of the station, the general sales manager establishes the station’s advertising policies. The job calls for establishing advertising rates, preparing a sales forecast, developing a sales strategy, and supervising a sales team. An undergraduate degree in marketing, advertising, or business administration is preferable. Candidates with a minimum of five years of experience in broadcast advertising sales have a competitive edge.
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A national sales manager has responsibilities that include supervising and servicing all national accounts; hiring, training, and supervising sales staff; establishing and monitoring quotas for each advertising salesperson; and preparing and maintaining sales records. An undergraduate degree in marketing or advertising is preferred; a minimum of a three-year successful sales record in television advertising sales is required for a promotion to this position. An advertising salesperson is involved in the day-to-day selling of advertising airtime. Each salesperson is assigned a specific territory, such as local sales or national sales, or to a task such as obtaining sponsors for particular programs. Duties include calling on advertising agencies and businesses. Advertising time is sold in tenor thirty-second spots. In selling a time spot, the advertising salesperson is expected to match the station’s available advertising airtime with a client’s advertising need. To be effective, a salesperson must understand specific audience shares and rating. Candidates with an undergraduate degree in marketing or advertising and with a minimum of one year of retail or print advertising experience are preferred. A sales coordinator serves as an administrative assistant to the sales manager in coordinating all advertising activities. Duties include maintaining the master sales files and schedules, writing advertising orders, and maintaining a schedule of available airtime. A person in this position also may be responsible for coordinating sales activity with the traffic continuity department and the production department. A minimum of a high school diploma, with some general office administration or secretarial training, is preferred. Because most of these positions require the use of a computer, computer literacy is required for this position.
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Cable Television Local cable companies get most of their income from subscriber fees and local advertising. Hence, many cable marketing jobs involve door-to-door or telephone sales, especially where new systems have been installed. Many of these jobs pay a commission only on sales made. At some companies, the position of marketing or sales manager is a staff position. The job calls for sales promotion activities, processing customer requests, and increasing subscriber and advertising sales. The largest job sector in the area of cable TV is in customer service. Companies hire customer service representatives at the local level. A person in this position is responsible for resolving current customer complaints and upgrading current customers to better service plans. Job titles and functions in cable TV vary considerably from company to company.
Job Titles Sales and marketing titles found in cable television include: Marketing director, manager, or vice president Sales manager Salesperson
Job Descriptions A marketing director is responsible for the overall marketing, promotion, publicity, and advertising activities necessary to increase the number of cable subscribers and advertising sales revenue. A person in this position is often responsible for the supervision and
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training of sales staff. He or she usually establishes rates, discounts, and special offers for both program services (for viewers) and advertising (for sponsors). Larger cable TV organizations (for example, Cablevision) have multitiered marketing organizations that include a wide range of jobs ranging from marketing coordinator to vice president of marketing. Most cable TV marketing directors have an undergraduate degree in marketing or advertising and at least three years of experience in telecommunications sales and marketing. A sales manager has direct responsibility for all sales. Most cable TV outlets separate the responsibilities of subscriber sales and advertising sales. Duties include assigning salespeople to particular accounts or territories and supervising their activities on a daily basis. A person in this position has to keep all sales staff informed of changes in services, prices, discounts, special offers, and organizational policies. The main task of a sales manager is to work closely with the sales force to aggressively sell the station’s services. A salesperson for a cable television station is either responsible for selling advertising time or signing up customers for a station’s program services. Most sales are made on the telephone and through door-to-door selling. A high school diploma and some retail or telephone sales experience are necessary for these jobs.
Nonbroadcast Organizations Manufacturers and dealers of television equipment hire sales and marketing people to promote and sell their products. In these companies, sales and marketing personnel need to have a thorough understanding of the company’s products, its applications, and the
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special needs of its user groups. They also must have the ability to strengthen marketing strategies so as to give the company’s product maximum visibility.
Job Titles Sales and marketing titles found in nonbroadcast organizations include: Marketing manager, director, or vice president Product manager National sales manager Regional sales manager District sales manager Salesperson, sales rep, or sales agent College marketing representative
Job Descriptions Sales and marketing jobs in nonbroadcast organizations are available at consumer video stores, professional video dealerships, equipment rental facilities, the distribution and sales divisions of television hardware manufacturing companies, and at production and postproduction facilities. At production and postproduction facilities, an account executive sells studio time. In nonbroadcast, video-related companies, a marketing manager or marketing director is responsible for the promotion of the products and/or services of that organization. Marketing management in these organizations is frequently responsible for market research and product development. Where responsibilities extend to product development and even P&L (profit and loss), these jobs
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often carry a product manager title. In some organizations the sales function reports to marketing, while in others marketing responsibilities are limited to advertising and public relations. An undergraduate degree in marketing, advertising, or business administration is preferred for entry-level marketing management positions. Many companies prefer to hire marketing managers from within their own sales force (or that of a competitor) because these individuals have valuable front-line experience with the company’s products, customers, and sales processes. Although many of the sales and marketing aspects of the jobs listed in this category are similar, job titles and specific duties may differ according to product and size of the company. At professional video dealerships and at manufacturing companies, the career path for salespeople starts at the sales representative level. The career ladder runs from sales rep to district sales manager, regional sales manager, national sales manager, and onward to management positions such as marketing and sales manager and general sales manager. Most positions in hardware sales at manufacturing companies call for prior experience either in video retailing or at dealerships. A national sales manager is responsible for the sales of a certain group of products nationwide. Duties include writing proposals and marketing bulletins highlighting the competitive edge of their product; determining special pricing; hiring, training, and supervising regional sales staff; developing marketing strategies; and making media buying decisions regarding print advertising. A regional sales manager is responsible for supervising the activities of district sales managers. Their duties include achieving quotas for the region; setting up exhibits at regional trade shows and at local video association meetings to introduce new equipment to dealers and end users; and overseeing dealer contracts and regional office staff and facilities.
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A district sales manager usually has several dealerships as accounts within a specified territory. A district sales manager’s duties include aiding dealers to sell more products by identifying the unique applications of a product that meet a client’s production requirements. The job may entail hauling heavy equipment or crawling behind racks of equipment to set up and adjust products for demonstration. District sales managers follow up on sales leads. They are responsible for achieving their quotas on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and annual basis. The job of a salesperson for a cable television station is very similar to that for both broadcast and cable television. It involves selling advertising time or signing up customers for a station’s program services. Sales generally are made on the telephone and through direct mail. A record label, such as Sony Music, usually hires a college marketing representative, who plays an integral part in getting exposure for the company’s developing artists. College reps are responsible for organizing club nights and listening parties, and they are expected to interact closely with record stores and other lifestyle stores in their markets. The job involves setting up in-store appearances and “meet-’n’-greets” for the artists, as well as initiating and setting up press interviews. Requirements include enrollment in college with at least two years before graduation, a car and answering machine, and more significantly, knowledge of and interest in alternative music.
Selling Skills and Job Demands Contrary to what most people think, you do not have to be “born” a salesperson to be successful in sales. There are many sales skills that can be acquired by those who do not innately possess them.
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However, there are several personal attributes that are prerequisites for a successful sales career. Experts on selling suggest that the primary attribute of successful salespeople is a strong desire to make money and a tremendous confidence that they will succeed. In addition, they must be self-motivated and have a positive self-image. Sales jobs require courage and perseverance, a pleasing personality, and honesty and integrity. According to John Rhodes, former director of sales and marketing at Pinacl Communications, “It is important to have a thorough knowledge of your product, its end users, and competitive products in the market. Equally important is your ability to talk about these topics in an intelligent yet comprehensible manner.” To be in sales, you must be articulate and persuasive in speech. You must have the ability to listen attentively without interrupting the speaker. You must be able to write effectively. To be successful in sales, Rhodes emphasizes, “You must have excellent organizational skills. The successful ones use a pre-call planning method to prepare for sales calls and are very thorough with follow-up correspondence. They are very disciplined with their paperwork—be it writing a sales order or filing an expense report.” According to Marc Feingold, president of Music and Media Associates, “The essence of sales is service. Give service—honest, good service. Get involved with your customers. You have to understand their business and find new ways to serve them. You have to be willing to go out of your way to help your customers, even if it means driving hundreds of miles. You don’t have to be a good storyteller or be able to tell jokes. But you must have a sense of humor and the ability to laugh, as many difficult situations may call for it.”
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You have to be good at getting out of bad situations. If you have a problem, you must face it right away. Salespeople always have to maintain a positive disposition, even in the face of adversity. As attractive as a sales job may appear, it can be very demanding and stressful. Given a territory, your life is pretty much on the road. Living out of a suitcase is always difficult, and it can be physically tiring. With much of your time away from home, it also can be difficult on your family. Many sales and marketing jobs in this industry, particularly mid-level positions, require that 30 to 60 percent or more of one’s time be spent on the road. Much of the stress associated with selling is related to achieving sales targets. Since most of the sales jobs are compensated largely on the basis of commissions or bonuses for achieving quotas or sales targets, the push to achieve results can be stressful, but the monetary rewards can be substantial. Successful marketing managers have many of the same characteristics as successful salespeople. They must be competitive, knowledgeable, organized, and good communicators. The differences are those of scale and perspective. While a salesperson’s work focuses on effective communications with one customer at a time, marketers need to create communications programs that serve the needs of many customers. Successful salespeople are always seeking to strengthen long-term customer relations, but the focus of their jobs (and their compensation) is very here and now. Daily, weekly, and monthly sales goals are the basis of this job. Marketers, on the other hand, must think and act strategically—often with yearly marketing plans and quarterly budgets as the baseline for their work. These distinctions are not always hard-edged. Key account sales managers or market development managers often have strategic goals and long-term compensation
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plans, and marketing managers in the Internet age sometimes have to revise advertising or distribution plans on a weekly or daily basis. The differences notwithstanding, sales and marketing jobs in the television industry can be personally and financially rewarding if you are competitive, organized, and a good communicator.
7 Working Conditions and Employee Compensation
Although television is “show biz,” it does not necessarily mean that working in this field will bring big bucks. Working in a television studio, be it in a broadcast or nonbroadcast environment, does offer the excitement and some of the glamour of show business. It also will offer you a challenging career. But only a few career television professionals get really rich at it. Most make a reasonable living, and some do see difficult days. The majority, however, gain career fulfillment and job satisfaction that far outweigh their paychecks. Although studios are usually plush and pleasurable, location assignments may be tedious for those who are ill prepared to handle inclement weather conditions and other production difficulties that arise when on a remote shoot. Again, some people thrive on tight deadlines and the fast pace of a newsroom environment, but others may find it nerve-racking and emotionally taxing. 93 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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It is necessary to have a good understanding of the working conditions and compensation (salary and benefits) before embarking on a career in this field. Read several industry survey results to get an overall picture.
Work/Life Balance During the past decade and especially since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the need for balance in our lives is a topic that has gained increasing attention. Although the majority of media companies do not have formal work/life productivity programs, many have managers who are flexible and proactive in helping valuable employees find alternative ways to balance work and home situations. Several companies, such as Sony, have begun to offer jobsharing and part-time job options. However, the first step to finding a suitable alternative frequently lies with the employee. Hence it is important to think of options and more importantly to ask your boss or human resources department to help you make the change. The popularity of benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, association dues, and professional training and education is growing. In the International Communications Industries Association’s survey “2001 Dealer Compensation and Benefits,” companies reported that salary increases are the most popular reward for employees who enroll in training. The popularity of flextime has also increased over the years. Another indicator of the increasing awareness and implementation of programs for work/life balance is the most recent research sponsored by International Telework Association & Council. The ITAC study shows that there were 23.6 million teleworkers in the United States as of October 2000, compared to 19.6 million a year earlier.
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For those interested in this topic, the website of the Women in Cable and Telecommunications Foundation (wict.org/foundation) provides a page with links to other organizations that offer information on work/family or work/life research. Career burnout is common in the television industry. Most creative media people brave job stress as if it is a necessary evil and continue their marginal lives in an attempt to hang on to their jobs. Fortunately, a few experienced and evolved pros are beginning to share their insights on how to rejuvenate and develop your career while enhancing your entire outlook on life. Articles on the subject are occasionally published in trade magazines and more frequently on the Web. “Avoiding Creative Burnout,” an excellent article by Timothy J. Allen of NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, was recently posted on Creative COW’s site (creativecow.net). “COW” stands for “Communities of the World,” and the organization’s director, Kathlyn Lindeboom, states, “Professional digital video and dynamic media design is a high-stress industry, and it’s always good to have a release valve from which to blow off a little steam.” Creative COW supports several user forums, and occasionally you may find or even start a discussion on job stress control. You may not come across articles on how to prevent or deal with on-the-job stress regularly, but when you do come across one, it will be worth your time to read it.
Salary Surveys A number of organizations report the employment figures, salaries, and fringe benefits of TV and video employees, based on a survey of their members or on a certain segment of the industry. These surveys, usually conducted on an annual basis, provide a method
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by which those working in the industry can compare their income with national norms. Survey results will give you a good indication of the number of opportunities available on the basis of job titles as well as the salary range of employees currently holding positions with those job titles. Because salaries reflect the general health of the industry to some extent, survey results should provide you with some insight into how those working in the industry are faring financially. You’ll be able to judge which segments of the industry are doing well or facing hard times. In addition, a number of survey reports will point out trends in salary increases or decreases over the years. Read and use all salary and employment statistics with a grain of salt, as the methods for gathering and analyzing data vary quite a bit from study to study. To further complicate matters, finding the truth in this welter of data sometimes requires more complete analysis than is provided in summaries and published accounts. A good source of useful information that can be accessed on the Web is the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, (2002–03), at bls.gov/ oco. Here you will find detailed information on the following occupations: • Actors, producers, and directors • Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers • Announcers • Broadcast and sound engineering technicians and radio operators • News analysts, reporters, and correspondents
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• Television, video, and motion picture camera operators and editors • Writers and editors The following survey reports can be purchased from the sponsor, but the price is sometimes beyond personal budgets. If you are not in a position to buy a survey report, you could review one at a library. In addition, several trade magazines feature at least one article a year on general trends in employment, including salaries. The report “2001 NAB/BCFM Television Employee Compensation and Fringe Benefits,” jointly sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters and the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association, carries a cover price of $149.95. It includes information on: • • • •
Average starting salaries and increases Average compensation for more than thirty staff positions Average number of paid holidays, sick days, and vacation days Fringe benefits offered by different stations
Figures for television stations are provided by DMA (Designated Market Area) groupings for affiliate stations and independent stations, as well as revenue groupings and regional breakouts. The survey “RTNDF/Ball State University Survey,” from the Radio-Television News Directors Foundation, reports salaries for both radio and television by job title and market size. Excerpts are published in Communicator, RTNDA’s monthly magazine (subscription is free to members).
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The report “Public, Educational & Government Access Channel Operators: Salary & Benefits Survey,” published by the Alliance for Community Media in June 2001, is available from ACM for $30 for nonmembers. The International Communications Industries Association’s “2001 Dealer Compensation & Benefits Survey” includes data gathered from its membership. Anyone working in or seeking a job in sales and marketing or the technical side of this industry must at least glance at the data in this report. The eighty-page report has detailed charts showing salaries for thirty positions, commission rates for positions sorted by size of company and number of employees, specialized benefits sorted by company revenue, and more. Copies of the report may be ordered from ICIA for $130 plus $5 for shipping and handling.
Compensation at Broadcast Television Stations The following tables are from the report “2001 NAB/BCFM Television Employee Compensation and Fringe Benefits.” Questionnaires requesting salary and fringe benefits information were mailed to all U.S. commercial (nonsatellite) television stations in May 2001. Of these 1,095 stations, 441 stations returned useable questionnaires resulting in a response rate of 40.3 percent. From the information collected, thirty-one tables were prepared based on revenue categories, station type (affiliated, independent), and DMA rank. Fox affiliates were included with the three traditional network (ABC, CBS, and NBC) affiliates. Also, UPN, PAX, and WB were separated from the other affiliates. The average and median base salary for fifteen different department heads as well as their average and median annual bonuses
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are reported here. Also included are the average annual and average starting salaries of twenty different support staff positions. Salary and compensation averages for sales staff as well as the average, high, and low total compensation of account executives are presented here. A few television stations included “regional sales manager” in either the national sales manager or local sales manager salary and compensation. Therefore, care should be taken when using the reported values for these positions.
All Markets/All Stations Department Heads Average Base Salary General Manager Assistant General Manager/ Station Manager Operations Manager Program Director Director of Engineering/Chief Engineer News Director Marketing Director Promotion/Publicity Director Production Manager Business Manager/ Controller Traffic Manager/ Supervisor Community/Public Affairs Director Art Director Research Director Human Resources Director
Average Bonus
Median Base Salary
Median Bonus
$163,172
$56,049
$150,000
$36,596
104,156 57,573 53,320
24,555 6,127 8,796
95,500 51,500 45,000
15,500 4,210 4,250
66,412 83,986 59,764
8,136 9,230 8,966
61,781 75,000 53,000
4,625 5,950 6,000
52,281 45,615
5,663 3,879
46,000 41,493
3,885 2,000
62,383
8,493
57,569
5,000
37,917
3,589
36,000
1,500
47,464 47,568 49,353
4,571 3,325 4,390
41,835 45,000 44,610
2,150 1,100 1,881
44,260
4,735
41,500
1,810
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Average Number and Compensation for Support Staff Full-Time Employees Operator Technician Maintenance Technician Technical Director Floor Director Film/Tape Editor Film Director Weekday News Anchor Weekend News Anchor News Producer News Reporter News Photographer Weekday Sportscaster Weekend Sportscaster Weekday Weathercaster Weekend Weathercaster Assignment Editor Production Assistant Producer/Director Staff Artist Traffic/Assistant
8 4 4 3 3 1 4 2 6 7 9 1 1 2 1 2 4 4 2 2
Years Employed at Station 8 12 8 9 7 12 7 4 3 5 6 8 4 6 3 5 5 8 6 6
Average Annual Salary
Starting Annual Salary
$28,551 38,369 30,577 27,760 27,190 32,474 80,592 44,762 30,287 34,647 28,996 65,779 37,405 70,561 36,655 34,925 22,233 34,818 31,740 23,326
$21,473 28,730 24,603 22,028 22,254 26,565 49,658 34,568 25,035 26,885 23,364 42,843 29,358 43,759 30,703 27,325 18,687 26,072 25,961 20,313
Reprinted with permission from the 2001 NAB/BCFM Television Employee Compensation and Fringe Benefits Report. Copyright 2001, National Association of Broadcasters, 1771 N Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. All rights reserved.
Compensation in Nonbroadcast Organizations Television and video professionals will tell you that although working in corporate TV is not a road to fame or riches, it does offer far more than broadcast companies in terms of a career path. An onair job at a broadcast station may offer a great deal of glamour, but most people in the business agree that such a job has very little, if
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any, job security. It is often said that in broadcast television, you are only as good as your last ratings. However, those working in corporate video seem to have a better sense of job security. Karen Rogers, former supervisor of Video Services at Constellation Energy Group, says that, “Through our business communications projects, I had to travel across the United States; meet local and national sports, music, political, and pop culture personalities; and do it all pretty much on a Monday through Friday schedule. Our company gave us the resources—state-of-the-art equipment and creative freedom—to produce programming for internal and external audiences or for cable and broadcast viewers. As an employee of a Fortune 500 company, I not only had creative freedom, but a medical, dental, and pension plan, and paid holidays and vacations to accompany a sense of professional development.” Information on the nonbroadcast area can be gleaned only from more general studies based on the circulation of trade magazines that reach a mixed group of nonbroadcast, teleproduction and postproduction facilities, and cable and broadcast stations. Major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago offer many attractive opportunities for employment in TV and video. But because they also attract a glut of talent, the job market in these cities is very, very competitive. A better place to look for entry-level positions is in the secondary markets—midsized cities that are large enough to support a thriving production community. The pay for the same job in different industries may vary quite a bit. A producer in a hospital media department may not earn a salary comparable to a producer at an aerospace company. Writing a freelance script for a local corporate training tape also will pay considerably less than a similar writing job for a glitzy product introduction video.
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Employee Benefits Benefits given to employees vary considerably depending on the segment of the industry (broadcast, cable, or nonbroadcast), the market size, and the size of the station or organization. Since this is not an industry where most salaries are on the high side, the benefits package is often more significant to most full-time employees. People in the business confirm that in some industry segments you can negotiate a better fringe benefits package at the management level or for sales and marketing positions. Employee benefits typically received in this industry are similar to those in other industries. They include medical insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, sick leave, vacation, stock purchase plan, profit-sharing plan, savings plan, pension plan, bonus (based on individual or department performance), trade show attendance, paid conference or seminar expenses, tuition refund plan, and automobile (furnished by the station or company). There is no standard plan, but the majority of television and video employees receives medical coverage and paid sick leave. Bonus and pension plans are considered fringe benefits. Many companies calculate merit bonuses based on agreed-upon performance objectives for both the individual and the department. Several organizations also offer profit-sharing and stock purchase plans. Although some organizations offer tuition refund, perks such as a company car are not common. In recent years, flextime, the work-at-home or telecommuting option, and child/elder care assistance are becoming increasingly important to employees.
8 Education: Acquiring Skills and In-Depth Knowledge
There is no single ideal path to a career in television or video. The proliferation of video and multimedia-capable PCs has made it much easier for budding producers to get their feet wet at an early age. For preteens, playing with creative computer programs like Kid Pix or HyperStudio can develop skills (consciously and unconsciously) that will prove useful in later years. Some youngsters have a chance to play with the family camcorder, and even to edit their own “shows” with simple, powerful programs such as iMovie. A lucky few get an early start—a relative in the business helps them shoot and edit a class project. Several elementary schools are beginning to encourage students to enrich their book reports with multimedia. Many future Emmy Award winners begin in high school, setting up audiovisual equipment and shooting local news, documentaries, and music videos with their friends. Some go to college already set to major in communications with an emphasis in jour103 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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nalism, advertising, or broadcasting. Still others get liberal arts degrees and learn about television on the studio floor in their first job. Some specialize in telecommunications or instructional technology in graduate school and then, after grad school, embark on a career in media. No matter what your path of learning, the most valuable lessons usually come from working with people with many years of experience in the field. Whether these mentors are friends, family, teachers, or coworkers, the real-world lessons they impart are a vital component of a successful career in video. Start early and learn as much as you can from as many pros as you can—especially those who are creating the systems and content that you like.
E-Learning Many basic skills can also be learned without the benefit of live human contact. Training programs on videotape, CD-ROM, DVD, and online provide basic training as well as a wealth of resources for technical and production related skills. E-learning is technologybased education in dynamic learning environments where learners can work at their own pace yet receive the benefits of in-depth instructional content, practice exercises, and proficiency assessments typically associated with instructor-led classroom learning. A wide variety of media is used for the delivery of training, as well as communication and collaboration with instructors, mentors, experts, and peers. These media include the Internet, intranet/extranet (LAN/WAN), audiocassettes, videotape, CD-ROM, DVD, videoconferencing, and satellite broadcasts. E-learning has proved to be particularly effective in mastering software programs.
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Disc and Tape Training Many popular video production software tools include basic training on CD-ROM with the product. Pinnacle’s PC-based editing and effects package includes a one-hour training disc. Adobe sometimes bundles versions of its new software releases with two hours of instruction from the company’s certified course provider, Total Training (totaltraining.com). Adobe’s Classroom in a Book Series offers solid CD-ROM and book-based training on many of its popular software tools including Premiere, After Effects, and, of course, Photoshop. Other disc- and tape-based instruction includes the following: dvcreators.net 2286 Ronda Vista Drive Los Angeles, California 90027 (323) 661-5626 (800) 965-3976 for orders only Fax: (888) 329-0414 dvcreators.net The digital media training company dvcreators.net conducts two- and three-day workshops in several cities and during national trade shows such as Macworld and the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention. Its Making Awesome iMovies CD-ROM for Mac OS only, priced at $29.95, contains excellent instruction on professional shooting techniques, proper lighting and exposure, and various editing styles. The company also offers CD-ROM–based instruction on other advanced software applications, with prices upward of $70 per course.
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MacAcademy/WindowsAcademy 102 East Granada Boulevard Ormond Beach, Florida 32176 (386) 677-1918 (800) 527-1914 Fax: (386) 677-6717 macacademy.com/indexmac.html MacAcademy/WindowsAcademy provides both CD-ROM and videotape based training on a wide range of applications including Final Cut Pro, Premiere, After Effects, and DVD Studio Pro, for about $59 per volume.
Popular creative magazines, such as MacAddict, frequently include trial versions of software on a disc, along with tutorials and useful reviews.
Online Courses Expert instruction on topics ranging from screenwriting to news production is also available online. Internet Film Group 124 Cumberland Street, 3rd Floor Toronto, Ontario Canada M5R 1A6 (416) 928-0463 Fax: (416) 928-3399 cyberfilmschool.com Cyber Film School, an Internet Film Group venture, offers a wide range of creative and production resources online, including free how-
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to articles and interviews with successful film and video professionals. An instructional CD-ROM integrates with the website to provide interactive moviemaking lessons, assignments, tests, and practice editing clips.
Grass Valley Group, a leading manufacturer of video production equipment, delivers instructor-led online technical training in subjects ranging from Digital Television Essentials to Media Area Networks. The courses are priced at $395 and up. The company’s E-learning offerings can be accessed at: grassvalleygroup.com/ training/courses/online/ELearning.html. The online courses from InfoComm Academy are a quick way to get a solid grounding in the systems side of video and multimedia. The Design School online course, for example, costs $150 and covers everything from reading drawings to techniques of room and system design. For more information visit the association’s site at: infocomm.org/education. Macromedia University charges flat fees for one year’s access to libraries of online courses, ranging from $99 for a selection of basic courses on Flash and other topics, to $399 for access to the Web Professional’s Library of more advanced courses ranging from A+ certification to Director and Cold Fusion design. Several software companies offer free online tutorials to give those interested a good demonstration of the product’s capabilities. At Adobe’s Expert Center, http://studio.adobe.com/expertcenter, you can access free QuickTime tutorials on Premiere, After Effects, GoLive, and Photoshop. Macromedia offers a number of free tutorials at its design developer’s center at macromedia.com/ desdev, and its free Training Café at trainingcafe.com, designed for educators who register.
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Another online learning experience is offered through product demos or tours at the websites of software companies. Frequently companies offer trial or limited edition versions of new releases that you can download to your hard drive. If you want to try out a really cool 3-D animation and visual effects program, you should download the free Maya Personal Learning Edition, aliaswave front.com/en/products/maya/index.shtml, which is a fully functional noncommercial version of Maya complete with full save capabilities.
High School Preparation You can start preparing for a television career while you are still in high school. Students who develop good study habits are laying the foundation for the future. Discipline and research skills are essential for many video and TV jobs. Although most of the subjects you study in school will serve you well in the future, pay special attention to writing, history, geography, social studies, art and music, mathematics, and computer science, because they will be of the most practical value. Channel some of your extracurricular activities toward developing communication skills—written, spoken, and visual. Join a drama group, poetry reading club, or debating society to improve your public speaking abilities. Your participation in theater arts may involve assisting with set design or setting up lights. Read and watch as much as you can about radio and television. Books on broadcasting are available at most public libraries. Visit your local radio station and television station and production facilities, and arrange to talk to the people working in areas that interest you. Ask them questions about their jobs—what they like and don’t like about their work, and how they got into the business.
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If you are fortunate enough to go to a school that has cable television or video production facilities, do anything necessary to get involved. Some schools operate a closed-circuit television (CCTV) studio and offer basic television and video production courses to junior or senior students. If your high school has such a program, make sure you become a part of it. If your school or community operates a CCTV or cable access studio, volunteer some time to assist the staff. Do anything they need you to do for the program—including going out for coffee—and learn as much as possible. The Alliance for Community Media publishes a directory of all the community access stations—public, educational, and governmental—in the country. To locate the station with a website nearest you, check out ACM’s Web Tables, a listing of access centers from around the country with links to each center’s home page. Read ACM’s Producer’s Handbook—a very useful guide for everything from how to get your program onto an access channel to how to shoot and edit a program. See Appendix B for ACM’s contact information.
Degree Programs A college degree is not required for some jobs in broadcast television. However, because the industry is so highly competitive, candidates with a college degree find it easier to get a job. For most supervisory and management positions, higher education is required. More than thirty thousand junior and senior college students opt for a major in some aspect of communications and the electronic media at U.S. colleges. Upon graduation, a majority of these students will be seeking employment in television and related industries. So, as you can see, the competition is stiff.
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Although it is important for you to learn the craft of making television, video, and multimedia programs, it is equally necessary to develop a broad knowledge base and some general business and problem-solving skills. Hence you should plan for a well-rounded education. Over and over again, television executives interviewed for this book stressed the need for students to obtain a comprehensive liberal arts background. According to Erik Barnouw, professor emeritus at Columbia University, “An encouraging tendency in television curricula, and one to which students have warmly responded, is a choice of double majors. The student who is a specialist in television but also in history—or also in government, anthropology, sociology, psychology, public health, or international relations—is assuming growing importance. Such broad-based, interdisciplinary approaches help fill in more of the television ‘window’ and should certainly be encouraged.” Although the depth and quality of education at broadcasting and telecommunications departments vary considerably, all accredited schools observe some fundamental standards. Before selecting a college or university, be sure to get as much information as possible from a number of the institutions you are interested in. You will need to get answers to some basic questions: What is the emphasis of the department’s curriculum? Are the majority of courses offered theoretical or practical? Have the faculty members worked professionally in radio, film, television, or other mediarelated jobs? Does the school have well-equipped production, postproduction, and broadcast facilities to provide students with hands-on training? Can you opt for a double major? Does the department have an established internship program? Does the school have a job placement service?
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If you are unable to undertake a four-year course of study, consider a two-year program. Some junior colleges and community colleges offer two-year programs in broadcasting and communications. These schools can provide you with the basic knowledge required for many entry-level jobs. At the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) in New York City, students in the corporate and cable communications program train on state-ofthe-art equipment and have access to uplink and downlink satellite teleconferencing facilities. Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded the Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree. On the graduate school side, several universities offer courses of study leading to master’s and doctoral degrees. At this level you should be selecting a school based on the specific program and faculty. If you want to specialize in cinema, for example, you may consider a film studies program at New York University; or for advanced studies in new media technologies, you may want to go to MIT’s (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) New Media Lab. The University of Missouri is well known for its journalism program; and for multimedia, UCLA’s (University of California, Los Angeles) and SFSU’s (San Francisco State University) extension programs should be considered.
Online Resources to Locate Colleges The Internet has made the job of researching schools, colleges, universities, and other training centers enormously easy. You can begin your search by accessing the following directories of institutions offering training in television, film, video, and multimedia.
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Artslynx International Film Resources at artslynx.org/film/ index.htm offers several databases including one on schools of film and video. Other listings include screen writing resources, sound and music resources, and film design, technology, and production resources. Internet search engines, including Yahoo! and Google, will yield a list of schools and colleges with television and media production departments. Google will lead you to a comprehensive list of schools with links to each institution. The following two Google universal record locators (URLs) will yield media training schools: • http://directory.google.com/top/arts/movies/ education/film_schools • http://directory.google.com/top/business/ training_and_schools/media The Foundation for Continuous Training in Cinematic and Audiovisual Art, sponsored by several Swiss organizations under the umbrella organization FOCAL (focal.ch/defaulte.htp), hosts “Training Centres Database” on its website. The database provides information on the leading film, audiovisual, and multimedia training centers around the world. There are many online resources to locate degree programs in television and other media arts. Your search will be much more productive if you have an idea of which field of study interests you most and geographically where you would prefer to pursue an academic program. Lynn Yeazel, whose career spans three decades of working in many job areas of the television and video field—from producerdirector, to innovator, to marketing manager, to entrepreneur—
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offers the following advice to people launching a career in the video industry: 1. Mix your course work. Get some drama, public relations, advertising, writing, and production experience. 2. Take some business courses. I don’t recommend that everyone should get an M.B.A., but business-related courses are imperative. I learned to do department budgets, business plans, and so forth, the hard way—on the job. A chance to experiment in the realm of the academic environment could have saved me some costly mistakes in the real world. 3. Get a part-time job. If you know which industry you would like to work in, test it and try it out in a part-time job. It will give you a feel for the industry as well as whether or not you enjoy working in that field. A very positive or very negative first experience should be tempered by trying another employer. 4. Learn to write well. Good written communications is very important in selling ideas up the corporate ladder. I’ve learned to write too much, too little, and about right. It is important to know how to do each and to know when to do each. 5. Understand statistics. I have learned the importance of brief statistics. It is helpful to understand statistics, but wise to learn that unless you are doing a thesis, managers want net numbers—their simple, concise meaning, and recommendations based on the numbers. 6. Read the trade press. Keep up with your industry and allied industries by reading the many monthly controlled-
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circulation publications. These trade magazines and journals are free. Even read the ones that are not free; you may find them at your local library. In the past, I often started working with technologies I had read about only several months before in the trade press.
Internships One of the best ways for students to gain hands-on experience in the field of television is through an internship program. Educators view internships as a bridge between the fundamentals learned at school and the actual demands of the job environment. Employers view internships as opportunities to develop new talent and a prescreening time for new employees. For the student, the time spent learning while working in a professional environment provides an opportunity to build confidence, earn college credits and often even a stipend, and make contacts. Internship programs such as Career Connection combine a self-paced study with an internship program where mentors are actively involved in the learner’s progress and curriculum. According to Dr. Alan Richardson, a former professor in the Department of Telecommunications at Ball State University, Indiana, “Our university considers the internship program one of the most valuable learning experiences possible during a student’s college career.” He identifies five primary benefits to interns: first, they learn to relate to the business environment and understand the performance criteria that are expected from an employee; second, they learn to relate to their peers on a professional level— often, for the first time in sixteen years (interns are not treated as students in the work environment); third, they make contacts, sometimes leading to a job upon graduation; fourth, they are able
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to add a valuable reference to their résumé; and fifth, often, during an internship, students are able to identify the jobs or environments that are not suited to them. Several universities have well-established internship programs that provide placement and faculty supervision. If your school does have such a program, be sure to take advantage of it. If your school does not have an internship program, take the initiative to contact your local cable or network station and ask if you can intern there. You also may be able to set up an internship program for yourself by contacting associations and organizations that sponsor internships. Dr. David Ostroff, professor of journalism and communications at the University of Florida in Gainesville, has several suggestions for students seeking internships. For example, if your school has eligibility rules for internships, you may have to complete a minimum number of credits within your major, or have reached a certain class status, such as being a sophomore. Either your school or the internship site may require that you have completed certain courses. Organizations with established internship programs will seek candidates by contacting appropriate departments or placement offices. Some will select interns through formal interview procedures, while others will accept the first qualified applicant. You might also contact sites where students from your school previously have had successful internships. Faculty members or other students can tell you about the quality of the experience, who to contact, and what to expect. Smaller organizations, including government and not-for-profit agencies, may not have previously considered interns. Once approached, they may be willing to do so. Searching for an internship is like seeking a regular job. Identify geographic areas where you would like to work, and determine
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potential internship sites, using resources such as the telephone directory, directories from trade and professional organizations, and your network of contacts. Write or call the site to determine if it takes on interns. If necessary, arrange for an interview. Check with your department to see if there are rules about registration, whether you are required to submit a report, and any other requirements. If you are seeking a summer internship, remember that many other students will have the same idea. If you are seeking an internship at a particularly attractive site, you may be competing with students from all over the country. Start your search early! Dr. Ostroff also provides insights on how to get the most from an internship. Internships should help prepare you for a professional career. An internship may also allow you to explore professional options by working in or observing many different jobs. Get a written statement from the internship supervisor describing your specific responsibilities. Sometimes organizations agree to take on an intern without thinking about what they want the person to do. Sitting around with nothing to do is frustrating for the intern and the people at the site. This does not mean you shouldn’t expect to do some less desirable tasks. Someone has to make photocopies, pick up lunch for the executives, or carry the heavy gear, and interns are at the bottom of the pecking order. The important thing is to carry out your job efficiently and enthusiastically. If you impress your supervisor and coworkers, you will be given more responsibilities. An internship with a major film studio or a television network might seem to be better than one with a local production company or small-town television station. Not necessarily! Because of union rules, or the level of expertise required for many of the jobs, interns at “glamorous” sites may sit around with little to do. The intern at smaller sites may have more opportunities for hands-on experiences.
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Most interns are not paid, but you must receive some compensation (pay or academic credit) to comply with wage and hour laws. Enrolling for credit may also be required for insurance coverage. Many things—your class schedule, the rules of your school, and the needs of the internship site—will determine the amount of time you work on your internship. Try to arrange your internship so that you work in the longest possible blocks of time. You will gain more from an internship if you work once a week for a full day than you will by working one to two hours each day of the week. Finally, if your circumstances allow, take an internship at the end of your academic career. That way, since you have done such a great job and impressed your supervisors, you will be able to accept that job they offer you at the end of your internship! If you are considering a newsroom internship, you should read Internships in TV and Radio News: Paid and Unpaid by Vernon Stone, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In the article posted at missouri.edu/~jourvs/ index.html, Stone discusses how the unpaid have taken over, how interns are favored in entry-level hiring, and how to play by the rules. In addition to Internet-based resources (see Chapter 10) and directories of television stations and facilities (see Appendix A), two useful resources to help locate internship programs are: WetFeet.com (888) 220-1087 wetfeet.com Under “Find a Job,” click on “Internship Listings.” The search engine at this site includes location and category criteria. The category search includes television/video, telecommunications, and Internet/new media.
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Peterson’s Internships 2003 (800) 338-3282 Published by Peterson’s, Internships 2003 includes nearly fifty thousand descriptions of paid and unpaid opportunities at more than two thousand corporations and organizations all over the world.
Nondegree Programs All major cities and most smaller ones offer an abundance of opportunities to train for video and television jobs. The popular fascination people have for video, the rapid growth of employment opportunities, and the increased availability of affordable television equipment have led to the proliferation of short courses and workshops. So high has been the demand that several industry veterans, as well as some midcareer professionals, are now in the seminar business. Nondegree programs can offer you several advantages. Many of them are conducted on days and at times that meet the scheduling convenience of working individuals. They are usually taught by working professionals and so are quite practical. There are workshops on almost every craft within the field and seminars on topics that range from the basics of staying in business to the impact of cutting-edge technologies. Some programs are conducted with collaboration from an academic institution and offer continuing education units (CEUs); others, like those of the International Communications Industries Association, offer certification. Before selecting a seminar or workshop, get as much information as possible from the sponsor. You will need to know: who the instructor is and what his/her credentials are; what the course content is and perhaps even an outline of topics or skills taught; if there are any prerequisites to enrollment; who the course is designed for; and what the course format is (lecture, demonstration, hands-on, field trips).
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You will also need general information, such as course fee (does it include use of lab/studio and materials?), registration dates, schedule and location, and what the sponsor’s cancellation policy is. There are several types of nondegree programs: • Product-specific skills training, usually sponsored by manufacturers and vendors of video hardware, software, and services • Specific skills training, usually offered by specialists in a specific area of production, such as video editing or animation (these also are offered by academic institutions that have set up special programs in a specific skills area) • General video-production training, offered on a yearround basis by local chapters of national associations or commercial enterprises such as magazine publishers • Workshops and seminars conducted on an annual basis in conjunction with annual conventions and trade exhibitions To get you started on your research of nondegree video and television training, check out the following organizations: American Film Institute (AFI) 2021 North Western Avenue Los Angeles, California 90027 (323) 856-7600 (800) 999-4AFI Fax: (323) 467-4578 afi.com AFI provides a broad spectrum of courses in television, video, film, and new media arts and business. Specific courses cover writing, acting, producing, computer graphics, animation, and the business aspects of production.
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Avid Technology, Inc. Metropolitan Technical Park 1 Park West Tewksbury, Massachusetts 01876 (978) 640-6789 (800) 949-AVID (2843), ext. 2071 Fax: (978) 640-1366 avid.com Avid offers certification programs through authorized training centers. In addition, Avid has two training locations: Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and Burbank, California. Course categories include videography, video technology, and digital postproduction including video compression. Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) 2727 Mariposa Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, California 94110 (415) 861-3282 Fax: (415) 861-4316 bavc.org BAVC offers more than four hundred workshops annually. Course categories include videography; video technology; digital postproduction including video compression and advanced Adobe After Effects, and video editing using the Media 100; and multimedia including project management for CD-ROM titles.
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Broadcasting Institute of Maryland 7200 Harford Road Baltimore, Maryland 21234 (410) 254-2770 (800) 942-WBIM Fax: (410) 254-5357 bim.org Established in 1969, the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland is a nationally accredited school with an emphasis on hands-on learning. If you are serious about a career in broadcasting, BIM prepares students for real-world employment in the broadcasting industry. To be accepted, a candidate must complete three requirements: be a high school graduate or have earned a GED before the beginning of class; successfully complete the Wonderlic Scholastic Aptitude Exam, a twelve-minute test provided to all candidates during their personal visit to BIM; and successfully complete a reading audition. The curriculum includes training for on-air positions, news/sports reporting, TV production (camera work, lighting, editing, and postproduction), media sales and promotions, and public speaking. The school maintains a telejob hotline and provides graduates with job leads and opportunities for employment in the broadcasting industry. There is no additional charge for this assistance, and it is available for a lifetime.
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Film Arts Foundation (FAF) 346 Ninth Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, California 94103 (415) 552-8760 filmarts.org FAF is a nonprofit, membership-based service organization for independent filmmakers. It offers low-cost rental access to 16mm, Super8 film, digital video camera packages, and sound and lighting packages. The postproduction facility includes Super-8, 16mm, offline (VHS), and nonlinear (Avid, Pro Tools, and Final Cut Pro) video editing rooms, as well as an optical printer, an animation stand, and an audio lab. Seminars are offered in tracks including screenwriting, production, postproduction, documentary, experimental, and master classes for experienced filmmakers. Future Media Concepts 305 East Forty-seventh Street New York, New York 10017 (212) 888-6314 Fax: (212) 888-7531 fmctraining.com Future Media Concepts has offices in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. It offers a full range of classes in digital media technologies including nonlinear editing, sound editing, Web design, Web programming, DVD authoring, graphics, compositing, 3-D animation, and color correction. It is a vendor-authorized training company for Avid, Boris, Digidesign, NewTek, Softimage, Sonic, and Sony, to name a few. The cost of training at FMC varies by duration of course and depth of training. For example, Introduction to Avid Media Com-
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poser, a three-and-a-half-day course, costs $1,175; and the Avid Media Composer Master Class, a twelve-day course, is priced at $4,950. The ten-week Film Editing Workshop Level I costs $9,250. ICIA Academy (International Communications Industries Association) 11242 Waples Mill Road, Suite 200 Fairfax, Virginia 22030 (703) 273-7200 (800) 659-7469 icia.org ICIA Academy offers high-quality technical training workshops with certification. Held throughout the year in Fairfax, Virginia, programs include installation school, CTS test, design school, and rental school. Several courses are now offered through its website. New York Film Academy 100 East Seventeenth Street New York, New York 10013 (212) 674-4300 Fax: (212) 477-1414 nyfa.com The New York Film Academy offers hands-on workshops in 16mm and 35mm film and digital moviemaking. The one-year program starts in September. Four-, six-, and eight-week filmmaking workshops are available. Special workshops include Acting for Film, Screenwriting, and 3-D Animation. The four-week digital editing workshop is designed to equip learners with fluency in nonlinear editing using Final Cut Pro.
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Rockport College P.O. Box 200 2 Central Street Rockport, Maine 04856 (207) 236-8581 (877) 577-7700 Fax: (207) 236-2558 rockportcollege.edu Rockport College offers a variety of short- and long-term courses, one-week workshops, and master classes in conjunction with the Maine Photographic Workshops and the International Film & Television Workshops. Hands-on training sessions are offered on subjects relating to the craft of film and video such as screenwriting, directing, shooting, editing, animation, and cinematography. The workshops range from a three-day spring term to fifteen-week courses, depending on the area of study. Accreditation and associate and M.F.A. degree programs are available. Sony Training Institute 3300 Zanker Road SJ2A6 San Jose, California 95134 (408) 432-6071 (800) 686-7669 http://bpgprod.sel.sony.com/professional/training/index.html The Business and Professional Group of Sony Electronics conducts three-to-five-day courses and workshops on topics including maintenance, operations, technology, postproduction, and multimedia. Most of the courses are held in San Jose, California, but a few are held in other cities. The fees vary according to type and length of course. For example, Introduction to Video Production, a four-day class priced at
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$1,725, takes you through the video production process from concept to finished program. The five-day hands-on camera course entitled Video Editing: Aesthetics and Techniques, priced at $2,150, covers the principles of linear and nonlinear editing. UCLA Extension Entertainment Studies 10995 Le Conte Avenue, Room 437 Los Angeles, California 90024 (310) 825-9064 (800) 825-9064 Fax: (310) 206-7435 uclaextension.org/entertainmentstudies Single courses or an entire curriculum including the new media, film, television, and video are available. Every aspect, from preproduction through packaging and distribution, is covered. Through this program you can study with top professionals in the field. Weynand Training International 16430 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 200 Encino, California 91436 (818) 995-1719 Fax: (818) 995-1625 weynand.com Weynand Training offers courses in digital image creation on both SGI (Silicon Graphics Inc.) and NT computers in 2-D, 3-D and compositing, nonlinear editing, tape operations, switchers, and all other postproduction equipment. Call for a brochure of current courses and training programs.
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Seminars For your continued professional development, consider attending the monthly meetings or special sessions on topical subjects hosted by the regional chapter of a professional association in your area. For a small fee, these seminars generally do a great job in bringing attendees up-to-date on technologies and techniques. Another good opportunity for learning is the trade show environment. Seminars are offered at several events including Macworld, InfoComm, and ShowBiz Expo. User group conferences, such as Macromedia DevCon, offer practical, hands-on training; in-depth technical sessions; certification testing; and networking opportunities for approximately $1,000. Software companies also offer free sessions to demonstrate the capabilities of a new version of their product. The schedule for Adobe’s free city tours and eSeminars, posted at adobe.com/events, are designed to bring attendees up-to-date on the latest versions of the company’s software packages, including Premiere and Photoshop. For information on Apple’s free seminars that will give you hands-on familiarity with Final Cut Pro or DVD Studio Pro, go to seminars.apple.com. Avid (avid.com/tour) also visits several cities and conducts free seminars on the latest versions of Media Composer and Xpress. Another opportunity is free seminars hosted by value-added resellers (VARs) or equipment dealers and rental companies. Take advantage of such programs to keep abreast of the technology and the industry. Chapter 9 discusses the benefits of continued professional development and lists annual conferences or conventions and trade shows, as well as professional associations. Make your own list of the associations and conferences that will help you in achieving your professional goals.
9 Professional Development
Landing your first job in the television industry may not be an easy task. More difficult, however, are holding onto that job, making the right career moves, and building a successful and rewarding professional career. But once you have decided to make a start, your professional development should be a lifelong affair. The intensity of your desire to improve will determine how much time and commitment you invest in continuing media-related education and participation in professional associations and other industry events. All this in addition to a full workload on the job! The ongoing task of professional development is more easily accomplished by participation in festivals and competitions, conferences and conventions, and professional associations. In addition, there are many books, directories, trade magazines, and newspapers published in print and on the Web to keep professionals in this industry abreast of trends. Reading is an essential activity in professional development.
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In the next few pages you will find information on each of the components of professional development. Some insights are provided so as to give you a better understanding of the benefits of planned professional development. You also will find a list of selected festival names and sponsors, major conferences and their sponsors, professional associations, and periodicals. None of the lists are exhaustive, but they are comprehensive enough to give you a good start in your search for resources. Use them to create your own professional development strategy. For information on media-related continuing education seminars and courses, take a look at Chapter 8.
Festivals, Awards, and Honors The glamour and excitement at an awards ceremony in the television industry is truly electrifying. You may have caught a little of the excitement just by watching the Emmy Awards on television. The red plush seats and crystal chandeliers, the powerful searchlights and giant screen, the evening gowns and tuxedos all add up to that heady feeling of success and stardom. Many organizations bestow recognition on their members for the outstanding quality of their work. Some honor excellence in the craft areas of the video industry; others recognize technical achievements, including innovations; some present awards to individuals who have contributed significantly to the advancement of the utilization of video. Several associations honor the distinguished service of those individuals whose contributions of leadership and dedication to the industry extend above and beyond the call of elected office. One way you can build your credentials is by entering and winning awards at television, video, and film competitions. An award is a definite plus on your résumé and can give you a major career
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boost. It will set you apart as a top-notch producer-director, camera operator, editor, or whatever your area of excellence may be. When a program wins an award, it does wonders not only for the individual on whom it is bestowed, but also for the production crew. In the broadcast industry it spotlights the station. In the nonbroadcast industry it brings stature to the communications department. Winners agree that an award is a great morale booster and that it elicits approval and support from top management, be it in broadcast or organizational television. Television and video festivals have a way of furthering the standards of achievement. Each year’s festival entries appear to raise the level of excellence. Participating in festivals can only reinforce your confidence and spur you on to greater heights of achievement. Video festivals give participants a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment. Walter Hamilton, a former national chairperson of the Monitor Awards, likened awards gala events to a harvest festival: At the end of the harvest, when all the crops had been gathered and the flocks and herds had been fattened, the people came together to celebrate. The toil and all the hard work were behind them, and it was time to praise the Lord and make merry with friends, old and new. To stop for a day and let the cares of the past year fade away in song and dance and laughter. We are urban folk, and the fields we plow are different, but the toil and the hard work remain. The struggle is still there. We come together to bask in the joy of the event. Some people will be winners and some people will be nonwinners, but most of the people there will not be involved in winning or losing. They are there to have a good time with friends and colleagues.
Most trade journals and magazines carry information on video festivals and competitions. If you intend to participate, it is best
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to contact the sponsor early for detailed information and entryapplication forms. There are a great number of entry categories, which include commercials, public service announcements, and music videos in broadcast. Nonbroadcast program categories include employee communications, training, sales or marketing, and information. In some competitions, student entries are judged in a separate category. A number of well-established international and national competitions and festivals are described here. For details on those sponsored by professional associations, contact the sponsor at its address listed in Appendix B. Contact information on other sponsors of festivals is provided here with descriptions. For an extensive list of festivals in Canada, go to the Queen’s University Department of Film Studies website at film.queensu.ca/ links/festivals.html for links to the sites of festival sponsors. Producers Masterguide offers a comprehensive list of film and TV festivals and awards on its website (producers.masterguide.com/ globalmedia/festivals.html), with links to the websites of the sponsor of each festival. Among the numerous competitions, the few described here have been selected to give you an idea of the categories, formats accepted, and the prestige they command within the different media communities. Pay attention to all the fine print before sending in an entry. Eligibility to enter may require that the program not have appeared on any national feed of a major network (including Fox and UPN). It may require, for example, that only programs produced within the past two years be entered. Some organizers charge a fee for converting a program to the accepted format. Non-Englishlanguage programs may require subtitles or a translation of the
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script to English. If the length (time) of the entry is specified, make sure you edit your program to the specification if you want it to be viewed by the judges. In community media and cable television, the annual Hometown Video Festival, which is organized by the Alliance for Community Media, draws a great deal of attention. Entry forms can be obtained by providing a mailing address to the alliance by fax at (202) 393-2653, or via E-mail to
[email protected]. The Educational Foundation of the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) sponsors a student production contest each year to encourage full-time undergraduate college students to produce a television program. The winning student receives a scholarship, with a matching cash donation going toward the winner’s academic department. Check out its website at natpe.org. Clarion awards recognize the best in communications in ninetythree categories including television. The Association for Women in Communications sponsors the awards. For more information visit womcom.org or call (410) 544-7442. Other sources of festivals, awards, and competitions include the following: Atlanta Film Festival (AFF) Image Film & Video Center 75 Benett Street NW, Suite N-1 Atlanta, Georgia 30309 (404) 352-4225 Fax: (404) 352-0173 atlantafilmfestival.com Image Film & Video Center hosts the Atlanta Film Festival. Since 1977 the AFF has offered rich opportunities for the Atlanta commu-
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nity to experience the work of local, regional, national, and international media artists. In 2002, the twenty-sixth Annual Atlanta Film Festival broke all previous attendance records, presenting more than 150 films and numerous panels to more than fifteen thousand attendees. The deadline is February; preview on NTSC VHS only; screening formats include Beta SP, DVD, 16mm, and 35mm. Films chosen for competition will compete for more than $100,000 in cash and in-kind prizes. Competition categories include narrative and documentary features. The Short Film Awards include narrative, documentary, animation, student, and experimental categories. Short narrative works screened in the AFF are eligible for Academy Award consideration. The Atlanta Film Festival is produced annually by Image Film & Video Center, a nonprofit media arts center that promotes and supports the production of independent film and video in Georgia and the Southeast. Over the past twenty-six years, the festival has introduced audiences to some of the most exciting and innovative media being created. Ranging from the hilarious to the visually arresting, from the provocative and highly controversial to the boldly experimental, the Atlanta Film Festival has become one of the country’s premiere showcases for work by independent media artists in the United States and abroad. CINDY Competitions (The) 57 West Palo Verde Avenue P.O. Box 250 Ocotillo, California 92259-0250 (760) 358-7000 Fax: (760) 358-7569 cindys.com
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CINDY—an acronym for Cinema in Industry—began in 1959 as an industrial film competition. Today the international Cindy Competitions, held twice a year, include several media formats, and the awards honor production professionals in the various media industries. CINDY Awards are currently presented by the Association of Audio Visual Communicators. Programs are judged in many application categories, and formats include film, videotape, photo CD, videowall, CD-ROM, websites, interactive multimedia, slide, filmstrip, audio and technical artistic crafts, and multi-image. Best student work also is recognized. To qualify for the student entry fee rate (50 percent of the regular entry fee), the entrant must have obtained unit credit for the project. Proof of student status at the time the project was produced must accompany the entry form. Dallas Video Festival Video Association of Dallas 1405 Woodlawn Avenue Dallas, Texas 75208 (214) 943-1099 videofest.org Dallas Video Festival celebrated its fifteenth anniversary in May 2002. Over a four-day period, it screened as many as two hundred diverse programs to an audience of nearly ten thousand media enthusiasts. Unique to its anniversary celebration was the “24-Hour Video Race,” a zany, friendly competition among production teams and independent video makers in the North Texas community. Production teams in six categories were given the same instructions—to create a fiveminute digital video in the allotted twenty-four-hour period. The videos were judged live at the 2002 Dallas Video Festival.
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New York Festivals (The) 780 King Street Chappaqua, New York 10514 (914) 238-4481 Fax: (914) 238-5040 nyfests.com The New York Festival hosts the International Film and TV Festival. It sponsors nine separate competitions including separate categories for television and cinema advertising, television programming and promotions, film and video, and new media. The Global Awards recognize the world’s best work in health care communications and the Midas Awards recognize the best in financial services communications. Entries are accepted in NTSC and PAL. Various tape and media formats are accepted but vary according to category. The basic entry fee is $175, but it varies based on format. Telly Awards 4100 Executive Park Drive Cincinnati, Ohio 45241 (513) 421-1938 Fax: (606) 324-6038 televisionawards.com Telly Awards was founded in 1980 to showcase and give recognition to outstanding non-network and cable commercials. Still the most coveted award among advertising agencies and producers of commercials, the competition was expanded several years ago to include film and video productions.
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U.S. International Film and Video Festival 713 South Pacific Coast Highway, Suite A Redondo Beach, California 90277 (310) 540-0959 Fax: (310) 316-8905 filmfestawards.com The U.S. International Film and Video Festival celebrated its thirtyfifth anniversary in 2002. It received fifteen hundred entries from thirty-three countries in categories that include more than forty application or special interest areas, such as agriculture, nature, history, medicine, and so forth, as well as media production categories. Gold Camera Awards, Silver Screen Awards, and Certificates for Creative Excellence are presented, typically in June. The annual entry deadline is usually March 1. Videographer Awards (The) 2214 Michigan, Suite E Arlington, Texas 76013 (817) 459-0448 Fax: (817) 795-4949 videoawards.com The Videographer Awards is a national program directed by communications professionals to honor talented individuals and companies in the video production field. The categories in this competition include special interest productions—such as medical, religious, and videos for sale—that are not included in many of the other awards programs. Also unique is the number of awards recognizing creative talent in categories such as art direction, humor, voice-over talent, and original music, to name only a few.
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In addition to international and national festivals and competitions, the regional and local chapters of several associations sponsor their own awards competitions to recognize accomplishments within their unique media production community.
Conferences and Conventions Whether you are a beginner or a pro involved in any aspect of the television industry, your attendance at a trade conference at least once a year is a must. Television conventions and exhibitions provide you with an opportunity to try out the latest equipment for creating superb programs. They offer you a shopping arena for the products and services you need. On the exhibit floor, leading suppliers display their new product introductions and let you experiment with demo equipment. You can talk with product representatives about your needs or get technical advice and solutions to your production problems. Attending a trade show is one way of keeping tabs on technology. Several associations offer a seminar program at their annual conferences. At a conference or seminar you will have the opportunity to expand your knowledge of proven techniques for television production, distribution, and management. Professional seminars are offered at all levels of expertise, from basic to advanced. Full- and half-day seminars are offered on a wide variety of topics, broadly classified as follows: production, postproduction, audio-for-video, technical, management. General sessions include topics on leadingedge technology as well as practical topics such as jobs in video. Seminar speakers are high-caliber, award-winning professionals who have a wealth of experience to share. What you can learn from their insights is often much more than what classrooms and textbooks can offer.
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Registration fees for conference attendance vary according to the sponsor and whether or not you have membership status with the sponsoring association. Some commercial enterprises sponsor trade events that include a seminar program and exhibition. At most of these events, your registration fee for a seminar will entitle you to free admission to the exhibition. Fees for seminars can cost a couple hundred dollars. Admission fees to the exhibit halls are about $25 per day. Exhibitors at trade shows receive a good number of free passes to the exhibition, which they give to their preferred clients and potential customers. If you need a free pass, contact your local representative of an exhibitor company early, because there is a great demand for these passes at major shows. If you are a full-time employee, your company may pay for your attendance at a professional conference once a year. Many corporations have an annual budget allocation for continuing professional education or training. Several video managers at large corporations report an annual departmental budget in excess of $5,000 for the continuing professional training of their staff. If you are allowed only one conference a year, you will want to select very carefully the one you will attend. You should identify your objectives for conference attendance clearly, so that you will get the maximum benefit from it. Another advantage of attending seminars and conferences is the opportunity to meet and exchange views with colleagues who work in different parts of the country. You will undoubtedly expand your network of industry contacts at these meetings. Talk to as many people as you can. Let them know if you are looking for a job, and be specific as to what kind of job you want. You will be surprised at the number of job opportunities that are made known and filled at conferences.
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Some conferences have an on-site job posting or referral service. Be sure to check this opportunity for finding employment. Call the association and ask if the service is available. A good way to be prepared for such an opportunity is to bring your résumé and a tape of selections of your work to the conference. Bulletin boards for “positions wanted” cards are on display at some conventions. Post your name, address, and phone number. A major industry event is the NAB Annual Convention and International Exposition, hosted by the National Association of Broadcasters. Billed as the world’s showcase of broadcast equipment, it attracts more than 150,000 professionals to the exhibit booths of more than six hundred manufacturers and vendors of broadcast and professional-grade products and services. The following is a list of selected associations and companies that sponsor annual conventions and conferences: • Audio Engineering Society. AES has a convention, presentation of papers, workshops, and equipment exhibits. • International Communications Industries Association (ICIA). InfoComm International sponsors exhibits of video, computer graphics, teaching and instructional equipment, and material; and holds general sessions and seminars. • Macworld Expo (macworldexpo.com). This is held in San Francisco in January and in New York in July. It is the most comprehensive Macintosh OS event, complete with a conference program and product exhibition. • National Association of Broadcasters. NAB sponsors a convention, exhibits, and conference concerning television and radio. • National Association of Television Program Executives. NATPE sponsors a conference of workshops, meetings, and
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programming marketplace. A separate production conference on television draws production people and equipment manufacturers. National Religious Broadcasters. NRB sponsors one national and six regional conventions. PCxpo with Techxpo (techxny.com). This is held once a year in New York City. Radio-Television News Directors Association. RTNDA’s annual convention offers excellent workshops. Special Interest Group of the Association of Computing Machinery (SIGGRAPH). Its conference includes technical presentations, tutorials and seminars, a large exhibition of hardware and software products, and an art exhibit. ShowBiz Expo (showbizexpo.com). This show attracts the entertainment production community. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). The fall convention offers papers and an equipment exhibition; the winter gathering features papers on a few main topics.
Professional Associations The best way to enhance your career in an industry is to join a professional association. These organizations, consisting of groups of individuals with common career objectives and vocational interests, are set up primarily as a communications vehicle for members. An association serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas. Television professionals depend on their associations to provide an environment for the sharing of ideas and information about emerging technologies and their applications. When you join a professional association, you become part of a support system that
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provides access to a wealth of resources. The most important benefit is the chance to meet and interact with other professionals. People working in television and video agree that the one thing most precious to a career in the industry is contacts. Kathy Morris, president of Chicago-based Morris Communications and former president of the International Television Association, states the case for networking succinctly: Video communications is not an industry of “one-man bands.” Oh, it may seem that way at times . . . like when you’re slumped over a script at 4:00 a.m. . . . or on a Saturday afternoon when you’re recutting the fifteen-second, thirty-edit montage open because you caught a glitch during the final screening that no one else noticed . . . or when your boss’s offhand comments during a staff meeting about equipment budgets becomes, “Let me have the dollar figures and rationale for the new studio by next Friday.” It is easy to feel that the weight of the production, the department, the whole company rests on your shoulders. Thank God for contacts. It is during moments like those that the value of colleagues becomes clear . . . when the three writers you met at the annual conference and who sent you their [telephone techniques] sample scripts get you past your writer’s block . . . or when you find the home phone number of the engineer at the local postproduction facility who patiently talks you through an adjustment to your VTR so you can have the master to the duplicator first thing Monday . . . or when you meet the manager of another company’s video department who, over breakfast, outlines the exact equipment package you need to get started and tells you whom to call for current prices. Need a job? You need contacts. Need the best VCR maintenance person? You need contacts. Need thirty seconds of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Statue of Liberty? You need contacts. Contacts mean you can get the job done, no matter what the job is, even if you are the only person on the video staff. Contacts mean that while your facility may not be “edge-of-the-art,” you know
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whose is and how to take advantage of that. Contacts mean that manufacturers and distributors of equipment are people you rely on for information and whose insights you respect. Professional associations make it easy to make contacts, and contacts make the video communications industry an exciting place to be.
Your membership dues will buy you more than just an opportunity to make contacts and network within the industry. Association benefits include job lines, salary surveys, membership directories and other publications, and seminars and conferences. Salary surveys conducted by associations enlighten members as to appropriate compensation. Job descriptions enable them to clarify their functions and responsibilities to company management. Several employers have a company-sponsored membership program through which their company will pay an employee’s membership dues and related expenses for meetings. Employers expect their staff to play an active role in professional associations. Several corporations encourage their employees to serve on committees and play a leadership role in the industry. Listed below are some professional associations, with brief descriptions of their activities and the specialized groups they serve within the television and video community. Addresses of these organizations appear in Appendix B. Most of the associations listed below are international in character and accept members worldwide. Many groups have chapters and international affiliates, and some offer student memberships. Benefits usually include a newsletter, magazine, or journal, plus group medical insurance and discounts on meeting fees. • Audio Engineering Society (AES). Members work professionally in audio or have an engineering degree in audio. Papers and workshops are presented at section
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meetings and annual conventions. Student membership is available. International Communications Industries Association. Members are presentation producers, manufacturers, and dealers of equipment and software used in audio and audiovisual communications by business, industry, government, education, and health care. ICIA offers a certification program for business and sales professionals in audiovisual equipment, software, and services. The association is active in legislation matters affecting audiovisual manufacturers and dealers. National Association of Broadcasters. Members are television and radio executives, managers, and engineers. Since its founding, NAB has represented the broadcast industry in discussions and negotiations with the FCC and Congress. It works with other industry groups to affect policies and laws in a positive way. National Association of Television Program Executives. Members are station program managers and other professionals. NATPE provides faculty development grants. National Cable Television Association. Members are U.S. cable TV systems operators, equipment manufacturers, and program suppliers. NCTA lobbies for the U.S. cable television industry. National Religious Broadcasters. NRB is an association of more than thirteen hundred Christian communicators who foster electronic media access for the gospel. Member organizations own and operate broadcast stations and produce religious programming for radio and television. Radio-Television News Directors Association. Members are news directors and others involved in electronic journal-
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ism. One of RTNDA’s principal objectives is the fostering of journalistic freedom to gather and disseminate information to the public. Student membership is available. • Society of Broadcast Engineers. Members are radio and television engineers. The SBE certification program confirms that a member engineer has successfully completed certification and is qualified to perform the duties of specific levels of competence. It has a student membership category. • Special Interest Group of the Association of Computing Machinery. Members are artists and technicians who work in production and postproduction facilities, advertising agencies, corporations, equipment manufacturers, and software developers. SIGGRAPH provides a forum for computer graphics research and applications. • Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). The society’s specialized groups develop and establish standards for film and television technologies as they are used in theatrical entertainment, news, and in industry. Local chapters hold regular meetings. It has a student membership category.
Publications To keep abreast of developments in this rapidly changing field, you must read trade journals and magazines that address your specific job function. For example, if you are a television engineer, you should read the SMPTE Journal. Likewise, if you are the director of a corporate communications department, you should read AV Video Multimedia Producer or Video Systems. There appear to be as many magazines as there are areas of specialization in this field. Many of them address the issues and con-
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cerns in overlapping areas such as video and computer graphics. Ideally you should read or at least scan as many trade publications as you can. Carefully select the magazines you want to receive. Make sure the ones you subscribe to are related to your job environment and specific job activity. If you are an indiscriminate subscriber you may waste some money, but worse still, you will be overwhelmed with mail! Read trade magazines regularly, as they provide articles on innovative applications areas as well as tips on troubleshooting. Columns in trade magazines are often written by television or video pros who can give the reader practical production and management advice. Feature articles are usually thoroughly researched. Some offer in-depth analysis of outstanding productions and focus on unique teleproduction techniques used in award-winning programs. News sections include briefs concerning people and companies, including changes and accomplishments affecting the industry. Several magazines publish lab test results and critical reviews of new products, indicating their appropriate application areas. Many periodicals include help-wanted sections; some include positions-sought sections as well. The periodicals listed below address various segments of the industry and are directed to people working at broadcast and cable stations, teleproduction facilities, corporate and organizational media departments, and independent production companies. AV Video Multimedia Producer Broadcast Engineering Broadcasting & Cable Cable World
Digital TV DV Magazine Electronic Media EMedia Live Film & Video
Professional Development
Government Video Hollywood Reporter Millimeter Multichannel News International Post
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Satellite Business News SMPTE Journal Variety (Daily/Weekly) Video Systems Videography
Subscriptions to most trade publications are free for those who qualify as professionals. All you have to do is fill out and mail a subscription card, which is available from the publisher and frequently is available within the magazine. As a student you may not qualify for a free subscription, but you will be able to receive a magazine by paying its cover price. Appendix A lists trade publications with contact information. Journals published by professional associations usually are mailed to members as a membership benefit and at no cost to the member. Some regional and local chapters of national associations periodically publish a newsletter. These are an invaluable source of information because they frequently list job openings as well as special events in the area. In addition to media-related literature, you should read selected periodicals related to your job setting. For example, if you produce or manage video for a hospital or health care clinic, you should read industry-related literature such as HeSCA’s Feedback to stay current. Some special interest groups and committees of professional associations publish newsletters that may better serve your specific job-setting information needs.
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10 The Job Search
Professional communicators have frequently been accused of an inability to communicate! The skill most required in looking for a job is the art of communicating effectively. Expressing yourself clearly—both in writing and in speaking—is essential for the two steps that are most critical in landing a job: preparing a résumé and being interviewed. Basic communications skills should be brought into play when looking for a job. You will need to research the job market, write a résumé and cover letter, and perhaps even produce a demo tape of your video production work. You may need to sell your skills (even by using advertising media) and conduct your own public relations. While the whole field of communications is growing at a rapid pace, so also is the number of trained people trying to enter it. The marketplace is truly competitive. Nevertheless, it is possible to get the job you are looking for, if you go about it the right way.
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Be prepared for hard work and some disappointments, too. Looking for a job can, in itself, become a full-time job.
Research The most critical factor in job-hunting is research geared toward targeting a job market. Once you have determined your area of interest and your career goals, you should make a list of specific industries and companies to approach. For your quick reference, directories that list employers in various areas of television and radio are listed in Appendix A. Use them to develop your target list. In addition, you should use the membership rosters of associations in the field to identify the names of the hiring executives. Read trade publications that report on people moves within the industry to update your list. Your research also should include brief profiles, in particular the needs, goals, and philosophy of the organizations where you seek employment. Many of the job-search books listed in the Recommended Reading section include resource sections on how to learn more about the specifics of an industry and a company. In addition, there are several directories of corporations that list company addresses, telephone numbers, and information such as the nature of the business, the company’s annual sales, and the names of officers and directors. These directories are available in the reference section of public and university libraries.
Networking Most jobs in the television and video industry are obtained by word of mouth. That is why it is very important to start making
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and maintaining contacts with people in the profession at an early stage of your career. Maintaining contacts is an ongoing process. Creative people often find it difficult to admit that they are looking for a job. But your chances of finding a job will be greater if more people know that you are looking for one. Often the best way to find a job is through people who know you and what you are capable of doing. So tell your family and friends, and their friends, as well as alumni and other professionals, that you are looking for a job. Be specific—let them know what kind of job you are seeking. It always helps to meet people who are doing the kind of work you are interested in. They may offer some valuable advice on jobhunting and perhaps introduce you to hiring executives. Ask to see people in the industry, even if they do not know of a job opening. Use these meetings as informational interviews to learn more about an area of the industry or specifics, such as how a station operates, or about the corporate culture of an in-house TV studio. Such interviews frequently generate job leads. In any case, it will lead to more contacts and expand your professional network.
Jobs and Career Information Online The World Wide Web has created a revolution in the job market. Nowhere is this more evident than in high-tech industries like video, multimedia, and television. Up-to-date information on virtually every job, internship, and volunteer opportunity in TV and video is now just a few clicks away. Though the surest path to the right job may still be through your network of friends, teachers, and colleagues, the Web offers some major shortcuts to identifying specific opportunities.
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Sources for employment information on the Web can be divided into three categories: 1. Job listings maintained by trade organizations. The National Association of Broadcasters Career Center at nab.org/bcc is a resource for jobs at call letter TV and radio stations. You can also post your résumé at this site. The Broadcast Education Association offers active links from beaweb.org/bcstjob1.html to jobs available at its member state broadcast associations. 2. Web directories with employment listings. Perhaps the quickest way to locate available positions is through a search of career Web directories. Broadcast Employment Services maintains a site called TVJOBS at tvjobs.com with a substantial number of late-breaking media jobs as well as useful television career–related information. CareerBuilder (careerbuilder.com) has a searchable database of available positions, and if you set up your “personal search agent,” it will E-mail job listings of interest to you. 3. Employers’ sites. TV stations, production facilities, and other corporate citizens of the media world have pages on their websites listing the employment and internship opportunities available at their organizations. Once you have identified a specific television station or nonbroadcast company you wish to work for, its Web page may be the quickest way to get on board. Many TV networks such as PBS (pbs.org/insidepbs/jobs/ index.html) list current openings and internships on their sites. Production and postfacilities usually provide general information on job opportunities and a specific E-mail contact, but several,
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like Blue Sky Studios (blueskystudios.com), list up-to-date job openings with details including job description, responsibilities, and required qualifications. Video-related manufacturers such as Adobe (adobe.com/aboutadobe/careeropp) post job opportunities as well as college recruitment and internships on their sites.
Demo Tape Traditionally a demo reel or tape was a requirement mainly for on-camera jobs. However, don’t be surprised if you are asked to present a sample tape when applying for a video production job. The relative ease with which employers can access playback equipment today is making demo tapes commonplace. A sample tape can be your key to success. Competitive as the job environment is, it is important that you project your skills, talent, and—above all—professionalism. A good way to do so in the television production field is with a short videotape. A demo tape is an investment in your career. You should put together a high-quality video résumé before beginning a job search. Ron Osgood, professor and production manager in the Department of Telecommunications, Indiana University in Bloomington, over the years has surveyed professionals who either hire production personnel or who have used a video résumé to obtain their current jobs. Here he provides valuable insights to anyone who is considering submitting a demo videotape or disc in support of an application for a television production position: • If you are applying for a position that relates to television production, even as a manager, you will likely be asked to show your reel.
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• Your videotape will have some degree of influence in the hiring decision. • Your videotape should be technically very good and include a series of short clips showing a wide range of programs and styles, followed by a complete program that demonstrates your skill at completing a project and telling a story. • Your series of clips should be between four to six minutes in length. Longer programs probably will not be viewed in their entirety. • Be prepared to submit your tape with your initial application. If you haven’t submitted a tape and are called for an interview, bring the tape with you. • Currently, VHS is the most common format for copies. DVDs are gaining popularity, but it’s critical that the person viewing your work has access to whichever format you choose. • Let the viewer know exactly what your role was in each segment. • Do not take credit for anything that you did not do. • Do not put any material on the tape that you would apologize for. In addition, Osgood has developed the following guidelines for the production of a sample demo tape: • Use the same technical and aesthetic values in your tape that you would expect to see in any high-quality program. • Avoid using any material that may infringe copyright or cause other legal problems. • Show only your best work.
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• Use high-quality graphics to provide important information on each segment of your tape. In conclusion, Osgood states, “Always consider your sample tape as a production on its own. Your creativity in piecing it together can help you achieve your goal of securing a production job.” With regard to creativity, Stephen Wilson, a former writerdirector of video production at Arkansas Power and Light Company, encourages producers to explore the full potential of the video medium in preparing a demo tape. According to Wilson, the video résumé has the potential to do three things: 1. It can show what the applicant has done. 2. It can suggest what the applicant is capable of doing. 3. It can provide some insight into the personality of the applicant. When putting together excerpts of your work, remember to alert the viewer to how well you accomplished the task. Some applicants use on-camera narration or voice-overs to introduce excerpts, as well as to point out the extra production value that they have brought to the project. When showcasing what you have done, use only the best of your work. Most demo tapes begin and end with the first thing Wilson identified: they show what the applicant has done. Although a selection of excerpts from your best productions should be an important part of your video résumé, guard against it becoming a mere recount of your work history. Wilson’s second suggestion— what you are capable of doing—is what most hiring executives really want to know.
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If you are an entry-level applicant, this is all the more significant because you may not have a large number of programs to draw from. Use your video résumé to demonstrate your ability to meet a variety of production challenges. For example, it can include footage that you shot during your college commencement ceremony or college football game. This will demonstrate your ability to cover a live event. Footage you shot of a house collapsing under a falling tree during the worst snowstorm of the season could demonstrate both your ability to work under difficult environmental conditions and your sense for what makes news. It is not customary to include insights into your personality on a video résumé. But according to Wilson, “Remember, you want to use the video résumé to make it easy for the employer to hire you. It is easier to hire someone that you feel you know.” Creative video résumés run the risk of being cutesy. Be sure not to underestimate your viewer’s level of sophistication. Remember, too, that your tape will not be seen under the best viewing conditions. Managers are busy people, and your tape may be viewed amid many distractions. Therefore, the segments included should be short and the explanations concise. Be prepared to ship out or drop off a demo tape to the hiring executive. Allow for a reasonable amount of time before you get persistent about its return. It will serve you well to have several copies of your demo so that while one is being reviewed, others are available for screening somewhere else, even at a moment’s notice.
Résumé and Cover Letter Your written résumé must be clear and to the point. It must be free of errors, and the layout should be clean and neat. It should look
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organized and perfect in every respect. Remember, to a certain extent, it is a reflection of your personality. A résumé should be designed to meet the specifications of the job for which you are applying. Hence, it is advisable to have more than one résumé. Better still, if you have access to a word processor, maintain your résumé on a disc so that you can tailor it to the requirements of each job you are applying for. Your résumé must be an honest account of your work history, but you need not list every job you have had. Restrict it to media-related jobs and those in which the experience would prove valuable in the position you are seeking. For example, your experience with the Emergency Medical Service will clearly give your résumé an edge when you apply for a job in a hospital or health care media department. A résumé is your way of presenting or selling your skills to a potential employer. Therefore, it should reflect all pertinent information regarding your education, skills, employment experience, and career goals. You can use any of a number of different formats. Take a look at the different formats and styles presented in sample résumés found in reference books that offer detailed advice on preparing them. Such books may be checked out from the library or purchased at a bookstore. Your local photocopy shop also may maintain a file of sample résumés. The format you choose should be one that will set you apart from other applicants, as well as one that will be attractive enough for the hiring executive to remember you and grant you an interview. Here are some suggestions that may be useful when you design your résumé: • Your résumé should contain your name, address, telephone number, work history, education, awards and honors, professional appointments, and association memberships.
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• A résumé should not exceed two typewritten pages, and it is better if it fits on one. However, be sure to leave enough margin and white space so that it does not look cluttered. • List your work experience (if you have any) before your education and training. For most production jobs, work experience is valued more than higher education without experience. • All items on your résumé should be listed in reverse chronological order (that is, with the most recent items first). • Stress the link between your skills and the job responsibilities to be assumed. • Use action words (such as planned, initiated, developed, managed) to indicate your competence. Such words also show the prospective employer that you have handled responsibility. Each cover letter should be personalized and targeted to the individual company executive. The cover letter should specify the job or type of work for which you are applying. Keep the cover letter as brief as possible. Remember that the cover letter is your first sales pitch, so it should be an attention-getter. It should be creative, yet professional. It should be straightforward, lucid, and informative without repeating the contents of the résumé. Use it as an opportunity to highlight the experience and training you’ve had that best match the job requirements. End your cover letter with a statement indicating that you will call to set up a personal interview.
Job Interviews The impression you make at an interview is extremely important. The two points to remember for a successful interview are:
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1. Be prepared. 2. Be yourself. Bring an extra copy of your résumé to the interview just in case the hiring executive does not have it at hand. As part of your preparation work, you should thoroughly research the company at which you are seeking employment. You should find out everything there is to know about the company— its clients, its philosophy, and its corporate “culture.” Many corporations have annual reports, which you can ask for and study. These reports will give you an overall idea of how the company is structured and how well it is doing. Also find out as much as possible about the professional experience of the executive you are interviewing with. This will help you establish any grounds of common interest that can help set the tone for a warm and productive interview. Be yourself at all times—don’t play a role. If you put on an act, you will find it difficult to keep it up under detailed inquiries, close scrutiny, and stressful situations. Your dress and manner should be appropriate for the position you are seeking. A job interview is one occasion when first impressions do count. You will be judged, to some extent, on how well groomed and styled you are. Presentation skills are another important factor in making a good impression. If your command of the spoken language is not up to par, consider taking lessons and practicing speech. A video technician will perhaps be forgiven for stumbling over words. But for job functions that call for effective communication with other people, speech defects will not be overlooked. You should come across as a confident and self-assured person. Remember that you will not get a second chance at making a great first impression!
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Hiring executives in the television industry look for good interpersonal skills in the candidates they interview. You must demonstrate the ability to listen without interrupting. A good listener observes the speaker attentively and actively participates in giving feedback. Be careful not to seem to control the conversation or to talk too much. Be at ease as much as you can. Answer questions in a direct, brief, and accurate manner, but try not to seem abrupt. It is important to be pleasant. When you respond to a question, take the opportunity to emphasize your strengths. For example, you may be asked what kind of experience you have had with lighting sets. Instead of merely listing the situations, you can talk specifically about how you overcame the difficulties posed by multiple mirrors in a beauty salon. But don’t ramble on. Be brief and focused when giving examples. Most interviewers want to know more than what is stated in your résumé. They quickly get an idea of what you have accomplished and then need to hear what you think you can do for the company. Discuss the company’s or department’s needs and your abilities to help meet them. This should impress the interviewer. It will demonstrate your interest in and enthusiasm for the organization and will establish an image of you as a bright and intelligent person. Media executives like to hire high-energy people. Be positive and show enthusiasm for the job. You must indicate that you have both the energy and the commitment it will take to get the job done. One executive commented that among candidates who qualified equally, he gave the job to the one who asked for it. Before you leave, make sure you know what the next step is: Will the interviewer get in touch with you or should you call? Follow up your interview with a letter of thanks. It should be brief and include a sentence reinforcing your interest in the job.
11 Women and Minorities
Over the last few years, there has been some movement toward equality of employment for women and minorities in TV and video. This progress has been slow, and in many areas it seemingly has been dependent on special circumstances and funding. When the political climate cools, or the funding runs low, progress grinds to a halt. The good news is that now there is much more news and cultural programming representing the various minority groups on commercial television stations than ever before. There is more Spanish-language programming on all program outlets, and more Italian, Greek, and Indian programs on cable channels. Public access and community media programs are encouraging minority community involvement. And this means more career opportunities for women and minority professionals. Widespread access to new media technologies is nurturing a new generation of visual communicators. Low-cost camcorders, nonlinear editing systems, and CD recorders are just a few examples of the tools that are democratizing electronic communications. 159 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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Also helping to nurture the talent among minorities are several major organizations within the broadcast and other media industries. To take one example, the Directors Guild of America’s African-American Steering Committee and the Writers Guild of America/West’s Committee of Black Writers frequently sponsor meetings for directors and writers to discuss common issues. Project Phoenix is another collaborative endeavor. In cooperation with schools of journalism at major universities, the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) cosponsors journalism workshops for Native high school students. The workshops are designed to increase awareness of communications careers and provide print and electronic media literacy. The bad news is that the glass ceiling has become a filter— keeping all but a few women and minorities from rising to positions of influence in video and TV. Those who do “pass,” with a few notable exceptions like Charlene Hunter Gault and Edward James Olmos, seem to do so by leaving their roots at the door. Mainstream media opportunities for women and minorities have been further limited by the consolidation of broadcast organizations under multinational corporate umbrellas and politically motivated reductions in the funding for public media. Don’t be too disappointed if some of the programs and opportunities mentioned in this book have vanished without a trace. New organizations and initiatives always arise to fill the needs of the people. Seek and you shall find—probably on the Internet.
What the Numbers Show National statistics are good indicators of trends and the industry’s commitment to ensuring diverse representation on and off the
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screen and in other employment sectors. For several years, Children Now, the NAACP, and other organizations have criticized network TV for its lack of diverse programming. According to “Fall Colors 2001–02,” a report released by Children Now, primetime network television continues to do a dismal job portraying ethnic minorities and other groups, despite repeated pledges by TV executives to reflect more of America’s diversity. “Fall Colors 2001–02” is available online at childrennow.org. The following findings of the report are indicators of disparities in on-screen jobs on prime-time network TV based on race and gender: • Just 7 percent of prime-time situation comedies in the 2001–02 TV season had racially mixed casts—down more than half from the previous season. • Game shows in network prime time were all cast with whites. • During the 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. time slot, 61 percent of all network shows are peopled with casts considered all white or all black. Shows at 10:00 p.m. feature more diverse casts. • Although the percentage of Latino representation increased from 2 percent to 4 percent in the 2001–02 TV season, these increases were primarily limited to secondary and nonrecurring characters, and Latinos were over-represented as service workers, unskilled laborers, and criminals. • More gay and disabled characters appeared on prime-time television in the 2001–02 season, but white males played the majority of those roles. • Women represent only 36 percent of all prime-time characters.
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The Children Now report focused only on network television (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, UPN, and the WB) and not on cable or pay-per-view. Cable television—with its wider range of shows and availability of such specialty channels as BET (Black Entertainment Network)—does a better job than network television of showcasing more diverse programming. Several organizations conduct annual salary surveys of media professionals (see Chapter 7), but only a couple track and report data regarding minorities and women working in media organizations. The studies listed here should provide you with a broad picture of gender and race disparities in the workforce. According to a survey conducted by Ball State University for the Radio-Television News Directors Association, minorities held almost a quarter of all jobs in television news in 2001, the highest level ever. The percentage of women in television remains steady at about 40 percent. Significant findings of this survey include: • The percentage of women news directors in television is at 20.2 percent, down from a record high of 24 percent in 2000 and up slightly from the 20 percent recorded in 1999. • Women hold 12.6 percent of general manager jobs in television. • Women make up 39.7 percent of the television news workforce—the same as recorded in the previous year. • Minorities now hold 24.6 percent of all jobs in television news, including those at Spanish-language stations. That’s up from 21 percent recorded in 2000. • Minorities hold 21.8 percent of all jobs in English-language television newsrooms.
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• The percentage of minority news directors at television stations in 2001 fell to 8 percent from 14 percent recorded in 2000. The 2001 level is similar to the one in 1999, leading researchers to believe that the 2000 result was an anomaly. • Minorities hold 8.7 percent of general manager jobs in television. A complete report of the “2001 RTNDA/Ball State University Women and Minorities Survey” is available at rtnda.org/research/ womin.shtml. Vernon Stone, professor emeritus at the Missouri School of Journalism, has been conducting national surveys on television newsroom jobs and salaries for more than twenty-five years with support from the University of Missouri. Stone has tracked the progress of women and minorities. Findings are available on the World Wide Web at missouri.edu/~jourvs/index.html. Stone’s analysis in the following two reports are particularly insightful and useful to those considering a career in electronic journalism: • “Women Break Glass Ceiling in TV News: Women Now Run One-Fourth of Newsrooms.” The survey tracks changes since 1972. • “Minorities and Women in Television News: 2001 Updates and Projections.” The survey tracks gender shares of the workforce and TV news director positions. Recently, Bloomberg News reported that only 23 of 1,288 U.S. television licenses are held by minorities. That’s less than 1.8 percent.
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In the past, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) used to release five-year minority and female employment trend reports for the broadcast and cable industries. The last report was released in mid-1997 for the period 1992–96. There are no organizations that have tracked the numbers or salaries of women and minority employees in the nonbroadcast area over a period of time. Trade publications that serve the nonbroadcast area pay little or no attention to this subject. A few magazines that publish annual salary surveys give token coverage to the subject. Some associations informally report that women make up two-thirds of the producer-level workforce. That there are increasing numbers of women holding media positions at corporate and independent production companies is evident from the membership of several trade associations. The progress of minority groups in this area is more difficult to track. According to “Progress or No Room at the Top?,” a study released by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania in 2001, only 3 percent of the 757 executives from media, telecom and E-companies were women with “clout” titles (for example, chairperson, chief executive officer, vice-chairperson, president, chief operating officer, senior executive vice president, and executive vice president). In 2002 the FCC initiated a proceeding to develop employment outreach rules and policies for broadcasters and cable entities.
Career Planning A well-qualified and capable person should not fear discrimination on the grounds of sex or minority status. In the United States, the law provides for equality of opportunity. In addition, several
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organizations and many prominent individuals are helping build awareness of the need to increase the representation of women and minorities within media organizations. Your experience, however, could vary based on individual circumstances. As you may have gleaned from the statistics presented in this chapter, the pace at which women and specific minority groups make strides does vary. National statistics do provide an overall picture, but they should not unduly inflate or deflate your enthusiasm and verve to break into mainstream media. Although women and minority professionals are gaining access to a larger number of jobs, the competition is stiff. Hence the need for careful career planning and a greater awareness of the opportunities open to these individuals as a result of their special status or background. In addition to the career preparatory steps discussed throughout this book, experts offer the following suggestions to women and members of minority groups: • Get the qualifications and develop the competencies you need to work in this business. You will need both. • Be willing to go where a job is available. Do not limit yourself to major markets or certain regions of the country. • Demonstrate your talent and dependability. Be willing to take on responsibility. • Demonstrate your ability to learn. Be willing to start at the bottom and do the assigned work with enthusiasm. • Do not anticipate special consideration—or discrimination. • Utilize the assistance offered by organizations specially geared to serving the needs of women and minorities.
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• Acquire broad-based experience and skills. Move from specific tasks or job areas to general administration if you want to move up into management. • Be patient. Do not expect to move into management too soon. • Blow your own horn (modestly). Promote yourself—your skills and unique abilities. • Be ambitious and set your goals high. Women and minority employees who have already distinguished themselves in the television and video industry have had a positive influence on management and have paved the way for those just starting out on their careers. Study the successes of those with whom you share a commonality of background or ideals. It is a good idea to find a mentor among their ranks and “hang on to his or her coattails.”
Nurturing Organizations Several organizations identify opportunities and encourage the professional growth of women and minorities working in the media. Brief descriptions of only a few are included here; for contact information see Appendix B. Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT) is specially geared to serving the needs of women who work in the cable TV industry. Its stated mission: “To empower women in cable and telecommunications to achieve their personal, professional and economic goals and to influence the future of the industries we serve.” One of the ways it fulfills its mission is by providing educational opportunities, such as the annual National Management
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Conference, and several development seminars held at different locations across the country year-round. WICT has nearly five thousand professionals in twenty-two chapters across the nation. The entry-level membership category includes students. American Women in Radio & Television (AWRT), a national, nonprofit, professional organization of women and men who work in the electronic media and closely allied fields, is another organization dedicated to advancing the impact of women in the electronic media. There are more than twenty-five AWRT chapters that provide an opportunity for regular local meetings with peers in your area to discuss common issues and plan local activities. According to AWRT, it is through local, regional, and national programs that members discover how to do their jobs better: how to make technology work for them, how to function effectively in a diverse workforce, and how to become a valued source of information. Student membership classification is available. AWRT’s Careerline is a list of job openings across the country; it is compiled and updated biweekly. Black Broadcasters Alliance was formed in June 1997 to better educate and assist those who seek career opportunities in the broadcast industry. Its membership is primarily comprised of African-American broadcasters who represent the interests of both employees and owners in the broadcast communications industry. Its mission is to better educate and assist those who seek career opportunities in the television, radio, and cable industries and to campaign for an increase in African-American representation in the broadcast industry’s ownership, management, engineering, and sales sectors. Latino Public Broadcasting funds projects through a competitive grant proposal process. An independent panel of broadcast pro-
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fessionals makes the selection of projects for funding. LPB funds television programs including dramas, documentaries, comedies, satire, or animation. These may be single programs or limited series, new productions or works in progress. LPB is especially interested in programs that provide thoughtful dialogue and stories with impact, giving voice to those not normally heard or seen. The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), founded in 1984 to address barriers and challenges facing Native journalists, serves print and electronic media professionals. NAJA’s programs are designed to improve media coverage of Native Americans, to offer training and support to Native Americans already in the field, and to increase the number and quality of Native journalists. Membership includes a student category for Native Americans, and a non-Indian journalist or media instructor can join NAJA as an associate member. NAJA maintains a job bank for Native American journalists seeking employment. Directors Guild of America (DGA) has several committees serving the minority groups within its membership. The primary purpose of the Latino Committee is to address the special needs and interests of DGA’s Latino membership. The committee explores how Latino artists can advance their careers, enhance their job opportunities in both the English- and Spanish-speaking media, and improve their craft skills within the television and motion picture industry. Members view the Latino Committee as a networking association whose goal it is to educate the industry about their talents and availability. The National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA) was founded in 1980 by producers and community activists to further an awareness of the issues and concerns of a growing minority population. NAATA’s mission is to advance the
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ideals of cultural pluralism in the United States and to promote better understanding of Asian-Pacific American experiences through film, video, radio, and new technologies. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has helped NAATA with financial assistance as well as program distribution. To help increase the numbers of racially and ethnically diverse managers and supervisors in the nation’s broadcast newsrooms, Chriesman & Associates in Birmingham, Alabama, has launched two projects under the Media Diversity Initiative banner. The MDI Listing Service is a password-protected database where interested broadcast journalists can submit their biographical data and job preferences free of charge. News stations that are clients of Chriesman have access to the database to fill open positions in their newsrooms. MDI Academy is a not-for-profit enterprise designed to offer workshops and programs for the continuing education and career development of minority media professionals. For more information visit Chriesman.com on the Web.
Scholarships and Awards Scholarships, internships, and other tuition assistance programs are offered by several organizations. For example, Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) has established the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute, for which it accepts up to twenty-five fellows each year. The year-long program is designed to help fellows hone their leadership skills through self-assessment, mentorship, and industry involvement. The WICT Foundation, established in 1985, offers three annual scholarships to WICT’s National Management Conference: the Lucille Larkin Fellowship, the Cheryl Greene Scholarship, and
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the June Travis Scholarship. Go to wict.org/wictforum/scholar ships.html for more information. The Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television, Inc. (AWRT) honors and encourages the positive and realistic portrayal of women in entertainment programs, commercials, news, features, and other programs with the Gracie Allen Awards, which recognize current and future leaders in the electronic media. In addition, each year the AWRT presents the Silver Satellite Award to an individual for outstanding contributions to the broadcast industry. AWRT’s Star Awards are granted to three individuals and three companies in radio, television, and cable who have demonstrated a commitment to the issues and concerns of women. And the Achievement Award is given to a well-respected member who has strengthened the role of women in the industry and contributed to the betterment of the community. Radio-Television News Directors Foundation grants several fellowships and scholarships each year. The Michele Clark Fellowship ($1,000) and the N. S. Bienstock Fellowship ($2,500) are awarded each year to young and promising minority television or radio journalists. Fellowship winners receive an expense-paid trip to the RTNDA International Conference. The Ed Bradley Scholarship ($10,000), the Ken Kashiwahara Scholarship ($2,500), and the Carole Simpson Scholarship ($2,000) are granted annually to deserving minority students. As part of the Newsroom Diversity Campaign, RTNDA annually awards a number of three- and six-month paid internships for qualified minority journalism students to learn and receive handson experience in news management at participating radio and television stations across the country.
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NAJA has scholarship and internship programs that provide opportunities for outstanding Native American college students pursuing communications-related degrees. Scholarship recipients receive financial assistance with books, tuition, and other education costs. Internship participants obtain on-the-job learning opportunities with Native and mainstream media organizations.
Industry Initiatives Members of the Radio-Television News Directors Association benefit from its foundation’s initiative, RTNDA’s Newsroom Diversity Campaign, which enables electronic news professionals to participate in accessible and inexpensive management training and counseling for women and minority professionals who seek news management careers in television and radio. RTNDA’s Minority Recruitment Directory, now in its second edition, provides the names and phone numbers of more than 160 resources that could prove useful in a news director’s search to recruit minorities and women into newsrooms across the country. RTNDA encourages news and related media groups to download copies of this directory, free of charge, for their management teams and human resource departments. This directory is updated twice a year. “Managing Diversity Assessment Guide,” created by WICT’s foundation, is a confidential self-assessment survey designed to provide a framework for working through three critical aspects of preparing an organization for the future. The foundation also has developed CableForce 2000 Resource Handbook, a compilation of work/life programs being instituted throughout the industry.
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The Latino Committee of the Directors Guild of America is working with the National Latino Communications Center (NLCC) to create an archive to preserve Latino films. NAJA is working to develop a journalism curriculum for use by tribal colleges that aspire to expand course offerings to include the field of communications. This need was documented in a survey conducted by NAJA in early 1993 among colleges serving Native populations.
North of the Border Awareness of the need to nurture the careers of women and minority media professionals extends into Canada as well. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has been tracking its representation of women employees since 1976 and now posts the figures on its website. At CBC, the total number of women employees increased from 35.3 percent in 1988 to 40.0 percent in 1995. Within occupation areas or job functions, the most significant increase was in technical occupations, which increased from 4.3 percent in 1988 to 8.9 percent in 1995. The percentage of women in management positions increased from 29.8 to 38.0 for the same period reported, and the increase in the number of women producers was from 36.2 percent to 47.5 percent. The pace of growth seems steady over the years reported, with significant growth in some job areas from 1982 to 1988. Canadian Women in Communications (CWC) believes that the future success of the Canadian communications industry demands the involvement of women with the required skills and experience. CWC members work to ensure that future by identifying employment opportunities, creating professional develop-
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ment strategies, and serving as a forum for networking and the exchange of ideas. Founded in 1991, CWC is a national, bilingual, not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the involvement and impact of women in the converging communications industries. It works with all sectors of the industry including broadcasting, telecommunications, cable, film, print, and the new media; and with representation from all work areas including human resources, programming/production, creative/design, engineering/technical, sales/marketing, on-air, general administration, and legal. Unique among its membership benefits is CWC’s Mentorship Program. It matches CWC members seeking a mentor with a senior member of the communications industry for one year of informal coaching, advice, and development of leadership qualities. The program is informal; the mentor and the mentored together decide on the nature and frequency of meetings and determine the objectives and desired outcomes. CWC has chapters located in British Columbia, Calgary, Edmonton, the greater Toronto area, Manitoba, the National Capital Region, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and southwestern Ontario.
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Appendix A
Selected Periodicals and Directories
The following is a selected list of publications that have served this industry over the years. The publishing industry is dynamic and changes result in new owners, new magazines, and, frequently, new subscription rates. Due to the economic slowdown during 2002, the industry continued to experience mergers and downsizing. Major publishing corporations have invested in more robust websites, and you might find that the Internet offers faster access to a title than tracking down a printed version. Many of the publications listed below are also available on newsstands. Directories are usually available through public libraries, as well as university and association libraries. Some directories are available in print, CD-ROM, and online. Access to some online directories requires membership on an annual or semi-annual fee basis.
175 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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Selected Periodicals and Directories
Periodicals AV Video Multimedia Producer 701 Westchester Ave. White Plains, NY 10604 (800) 800-5474 Fax: (914) 328-7107 avvideo.com Broadcasting & Cable 360 Park Ave. South New York, NY 10010 (212) 337-7027 (800) 554-5729 (within the U.S.) (818) 487-4552 (outside the U.S.) Broadcast Engineering (BE) 9800 Metcalf Overland Park, KS 66212 (913) 341-1300 (800) 441-0294 broadcastengineering.com Cable World 470 Park Ave. South, 8th Fl. New York, NY 10016 (212) 545-3657 Fax: (917) 981-2933 cableworld.com
Selected Periodicals and Directories
Digital TV 460 Park Ave. South, 9th Fl. New York, NY 10016 (212) 378-0400 Fax: (212) 378-2160 digitaltelevision.com DV Magazine 600 Harrison St. San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 947-6000 Fax: (415) 947-6006 dv.com Electronic Media 6500 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 2300 Los Angeles, CA 90048 (323) 370-2432 Fax: (323) 653-4425 emonline.com EMedia Live 213 Danbury Rd. Wilton, CT 06897 (203) 761-1466 (800) 248-8466 Fax: (203) 761-1444 emedialive.com
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Film & Video 701 Westchester Ave. White Plains, NY 10604 (800) 800-5474 Fax: (914) 328-7107 filmandvideomagazine.com Government Video 460 Park Ave. South, 9th Fl. New York, NY 10016 (212) 378-0400 Fax: (212) 378-2160 governmentvideo.com Hollywood Reporter (The) 5055 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 600 Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 525-2068 Fax: (323) 525-2379 hollywoodreporter.com Millimeter 2104 Harvell Circle Bellevue, NE 68005 (402) 505-7173 (866) 505-7173 (U.S.) Fax: (402) 293-0741 millimeter.com
Selected Periodicals and Directories
Multichannel News International 360 Park Ave. South New York, NY 10010 (646) 746-6400 tvinsite.com/multi-international Post Advanstar Communications 545 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02116 (617) 267-6500 Fax: (617) 267-6900 advanstar.com Satellite Business News 1990 M St. NW, Ste. 510 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 785-0505 Fax: (202) 785-9291 satbiznews.com SMPTE Journal 595 W. Hartsdale Ave. White Plains, NY 10607 (914) 761-1100 Fax: (914) 761-3115 smpte.org
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Variety (Daily/Weekly) 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 120 Los Angeles, CA 90036 (800) 552-3632 Fax: (818) 487-4550 (subscriptions) variety.com Video Systems 9800 Metcalf Overland Park, KS 66212 (913) 967-1832 videosystems.com Videography 460 Park Ave. South, 9th Fl. New York, NY 10016 (212) 378-0400 Fax: (212) 378-2158 videography.com
Directories Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook R. R. Bowker 630 Central Ave. New Providence, NJ 07974 (888) 269-5372
Selected Periodicals and Directories
Community Media Resources Directory Alliance for Community Media 666 Eleventh St. NW, Ste. 740 Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-2650 alliancecm.org Directory of Canadian Universities (The) AUCC Publications 350 Albert St., Ste. 600 Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1R 1B1 (613) 563-1236, ext. 205 Fax: (613) 563-9745 aucc.ca/english/dcu Directory of Religious Media National Religious Broadcasters 9510 Technology Dr. Manassas, VA 20110 (248) 559-4200 Fax: (248) 559-5750 nrb.org/directory.htm Gale Directory of Publications & Broadcast Media Gale Research 835 Penobscot Bldg. Detroit, MI 48226-4094 (800) 877-4253 galegroup.com
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Internships 2003 Peterson’s 2000 Lenox Dr. P.O. Box 67005 Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 (609) 896-1800 (800) 338-3282 Fax: (609) 896-1811 Mandy’s International Film & TV Production Directory Lighthouse Internet Ltd. 89 Mayfield Rd. London N8 9LN +44 (0) 20-8374-6847 Fax: +44 (0) 20-8374-6924 mandy.com Motion Picture, TV, and Theatre Directory Motion Picture Enterprises Publications, Inc. P.O. Box 276 Tarrytown, NY 10591 (212) 245-0969 Fax: (212) 245-0974 mpe.net New York Film & Video Guide 207 S. Fifth Ave. Highland Park, NJ 08904 (732) 572-9193 (800) 572-9190 Fax: (732) 572-9194 nyfilmguide.com
Selected Periodicals and Directories
Television & Cable Factbook Warren Publishing, Inc. 2115 Ward Ct. NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 872-9200 (800) 771-9202 warren-news.com U.S. Directory of Entertainment Employers Studiolot Publishing 5632 Van Nuys Blvd., #320 Van Nuys, CA 91401 (818) 776-2800 entertainmentemployers.com
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Appendix B
Professional Associations and Societies
United States Alliance for Community Media 666 Eleventh St. NW, Ste. 740 Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-2650 alliancecm.org Association of Computing Machinery (ACM-SIGGRAPH) 1515 Broadway, 17th Fl. New York, NY 10036 (212) 869-7440 siggraph.org
185 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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Audio Engineering Society (AES) 60 E. Forty-Second St., Rm. 2520 New York, NY 10165 (212) 661-8528 Fax: (212) 682-0477 aes.org Broadcast Education Association (BEA) 1771 N St. NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 429-5355 (888) 380-7222 beaweb.org Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) 201 N. Union St., Ste. 440 Alexandria, VA 22314 (703) 549-4200 Fax: (703) 684-1167 ctam.com Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau Inc. (CAB) 830 Third Ave. New York, NY 10022 (212) 508-1200 cabletvadbureau.com Corporation for Public Broadcasting 401 Ninth St. NW Washington, DC 20004-2037 (202) 879-9600 cpb.org
Professional Associations and Societies
Digital Video Professionals Association 1603 Main St. Dunedin, FL 34698 (727) 738-0656 (888) 339-3872 Fax: (727) 738-0659 dvpa.org Directors Guild of America (DGA) 7920 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046 (310) 289-2000 (800) 421-4173 dga.org Hollywood Post Alliance 115 W. California Blvd., #299 Pasadena, CA 91105 (626) 799-1733 Fax: (626) 799-1247 hpaonline.com Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 445 Hoes La. Piscataway, NJ 08854 (732) 981-0060 ieee.org
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Professional Associations and Societies
International Communications Industries Association (ICIA) 11242 Waples Mill Rd., Ste. 200 Fairfax, VA 22030 (703) 273-7200 (800) 659-7469 infocomm.org International Radio & Television Society Foundation, Inc. 420 Lexington Ave., Ste. 1601 New York, NY 10170 (212) 867-6650 Fax: (212) 867-6653 irts.org Media Communications Association-International 9202 N. Meridian St., Ste. 200 Indianapolis, IN 46260-1810 (317) 816-6269 Fax: (800) 801-8926 mca-i.org Music Video Production Association 940 N. Orange Dr., #104 Hollywood, CA 90038 (323) 469-9494 Fax: (323) 469-9445 mvpa.com
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National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 1771 N St. NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 429-5300 (800) 342-2460 Fax: (202) 429-4199 nab.org National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) 2425 Olympic Blvd., Ste. 600E Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 453-4440 natpe.org National Cable Television Association (NCTA) 1724 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 775-3550 ncta.com National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) 9510 Technology Dr. Manassas, VA 20110 (248) 559-4200 Fax: (248) 559-5750 nrb.org
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Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) 1600 K St. NW, Ste. 700 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 659-6510 Fax: (202) 223-4007 rtnda.org Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) 9247 N. Meridian St., Ste. 305 Indianapolis, IN 46260 (317) 846-9000 Fax: (317) 846-9120 sbe.org Society of Cable Television Engineers (SCTE) 140 Philips Rd. Exton, PA 19341 (610) 363-6888 (800) 542-5040 Fax: (610) 363-5898 scte.org Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) 595 W. Hartsdale Ave. White Plains, NY 10607 (914) 761-1100 Fax: (914) 761-3115 smpte.org
Professional Associations and Societies
Society of Television Engineers Universal Studios, Inc. Bldg. 480/MZ Universal City, CA 91608 (818) 777-7778 ste-ca.org Special Interest Group of the Association of Computing Machinery (SIGGRAPH) 1515 Broadway, 17th Fl. New York, NY 10036 Fax: (212) 302-5826 siggraph.org Writers Guild of America, West 7000 W. Third St. Los Angeles, CA 90048 (323) 951-4000 (800) 548-4532 (outside southern California) wga.org
Canada Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 250 Lanark Ave. P.O. Box 3220, Station “C” Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1Y 1E4 (613) 724-1200
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Professional Associations and Societies
Canadian Film Centre Windfields 2489 Bayview Ave. Toronto, Ontario Canada M2L 1A8 (416) 445-1446 Fax: (416) 445-9481 cdnfilmcentre.com Canadian Film and Television Production Association 151 Slater St., Ste. 605 Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1P 5H3 (613) 233-1444 (800) 656-7440 Fax: (613) 233-0073 cftpa.ca Canadian Independent Camera Association 63 Indian Rd. Toronto, Ontario Canada M6R 2V3 (416) 535-9831 cancam.com Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission Les Terrasses de la Chaudière 1 Promenade du Portage Hull, Quebec (819) 997-0313 Fax: (819) 994-0218 crtc.gc.ca
Professional Associations and Societies
Canadian Women in Communications (See listing under “Women and Minorities” in this appendix.) Commercial Production Association of Toronto (CPAT) P.O. Box 1204, Postal Station ‘A’ Toronto, Ontario Canada M5W 1G6 (416) 729-3265 Fax: (416) 729-0019 cpat.ca National Film Board of Canada (NFB) 3155 Cote de Liesse Rd. Saint-Laurent, Quebec Canada H4N 2N4 (514) 283-9000 (800) 267-7710 (in Canada only) Fax: (514) 283-7564 nfb.ca Possibilities Project 425 Adelaide St. W Toronto, Ontario Canada M5V 3C1 (416) 392-4558 Fax: (416) 392-4404 possibilitiesproject.com
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Professional Associations and Societies
Women and Minorities The following organizations are dedicated to advancing the concerns of women and minorities. Brief descriptions of some projects and activities are included in Chapter 11. American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) 1595 Spring Hill Rd., Ste. 330 Vienna, VA 22182 (703) 506-3290 Fax: (703) 506-3266 awrt.org Association for Women in Communications (The) 780 Ritchie Hwy., Ste. 28-S Severna Park, MD 21146 (410) 544-7442 Fax: (410) 544-4640 womcom.org Black Broadcasters Alliance 3474 William Penn Hwy. Pittsburgh, PA 15235 (412) 829-9788 Fax: (412) 829-0313 thebba.org
Professional Associations and Societies
California Chicano News Media Association USC Annenberg School of Journalism 3800 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90037 (213) 743-4960 Fax: (213) 743-4989 ccnma.org Canadian Women in Communications 67 Yonge St., Ste. 804 Toronto, Ontario Canada M5E 1J8 (416) 363-1880 (800) 361-2978 (in Canada only) Fax: (416) 363-1882 cwc-afc.com Latino Public Broadcasting 6777 Hollywood Blvd., Ste. 500 Los Angeles, CA 90028 (323) 466-7110 Fax: (323) 466-7521 lpbp.org National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA) 346 Ninth St., 2nd Fl. San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 863-0814 Fax: (415) 863-7428 naatanet.org
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Professional Associations and Societies
National Association of Minorities in Communications (NAMIC) One Centerpointe Dr., Ste. 410 La Palma, CA 90623 (714) 736-9600 Fax: (714) 736-9699 namic.com National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) 1724 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 775-3550 ncta.com Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) 3359 Thirty-sixth Ave. South Minneapolis, MN 55406 (612) 729-9244 Fax: (612) 729-9373 naja.com Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT) 230 W. Monroe, Ste. 2630 Chicago, IL 60606 (312) 634-2330 Fax: (312) 634-2345 wict.org
Recommended Reading
This is a selected bibliography representing the different dimensions of careers in television and video communications. For directories see Appendix A.
On the Job Search Bloch, Deborah Perlmutter. How to Write a Winning Résumé, 4th ed. Chicago: VGM Career Books, 1998. Bolles, Richard. What Color Is Your Parachute 2002: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters & Career-Changers. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, 2002.
On Media Careers Crouch, Tanja L. 100 Careers in Film and Television. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barrons Educational Series, 2002. Ellis, Elmo I. Opportunities in Broadcasting Careers. Chicago: VGM Career Books, 1998. 197 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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Recommended Reading
Scheer, Laurie. Creative Careers in Hollywood. New York: Allworth Press, 2002.
On Production Browne, Steven E. E. Video Editing: A Postproduction Primer, 4th ed. Woburn, Mass.: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002. Burrows, Thomas D., and Donald N. Wood. Video Production: Disciplines and Techniques, 8th ed. Burr Ridge, Ill.: WCB/ McGraw-Hill, 2000. Button, Bryce. Nonlinear Editing: Storytelling, Aesthetics, & Craft. Manhasset, N.Y.: CMP Books, 2002. Clark, Barbara, and Susan J. Spohr. Guide to Post-Production for TV and Film: Managing the Process, 2nd ed. Woburn, Mass.: Focal Press, 1998. Jackman, John. Lighting for Digital Video & Television. Manhasset, N.Y.: CMP Books, 2002. King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Laybourne, Kit. The Animation Book: A Complete Guide to Animated Filmmaking—From Flip-Books to Sound Cartoons to 3-D Animation. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1998. Meyer, Trish, and Chris Meyer. Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects. Book & CD-ROM. Manhasset, N.Y.: CMP Books, 2000. Musburger, Robert B. Single-Camera Video Production, 3rd ed. Woburn, Mass.: Focal Press/Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001. Ward, Peter. Digital Video Camerawork. Woburn, Mass.: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2000.
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Whitcomb, Cynthia, and Philip Martin. The Writer’s Guide to Writing Your Screenplay: How to Write Great Screenplays for Movies and Television. Boston: Writer Incorporated, 2002.
On Cable Television Ferguson, Douglas A., and Susan T. Eastman. Broadcast/Cable/ Web with Infotrac: Strategies and Practices. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 2001. Whitaker, Jerry, and Blair Benson. Television Receivers and Cable/Satellite Distribution Systems. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2002.
On Digital Television, Video, and Multimedia Doucette, Martin. Digital Video for Dummies, 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 2001. Jack, Keith. Video Demystified: A Handbook for the Digital Engineer. LLH Technology Publishing, 2001. Labarge, Ralph. DVD Authoring and Production. Book & DVD ed. Manhasset, N.Y.: CMP Books, 2001. Poynton, Charles A. Digital Video and HDTV Algorithms and Interfaces. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2002. Rice, John, and Brian McKernan. Creating Digital Content: Video, Production for Web, Broadcast, and Cinema. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing Group, 2001. Symes, Peter D. Video Compression Demystified. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing Group, 2000. Vaughan, Tay. Multimedia: Making It Work, 5th ed. Berkeley, Calif.: Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 2001.
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About the Author
Writer, producer, educator, and internationally recognized authority on mass media communications, Shonan F. R. Noronha is president of Media Resources, a White Plains, New York–based consulting firm serving the media, corporations, and educational institutions. Her essays and articles on television and the new media have been published in journals and industry magazines all over the world. She is currently working on projects involving the deployment of video to the desktop and the instructional design of E-learning courses. She is also the editor-in-chief of Radio City Entertainment’s Headliner magazine. Most recently, Dr. Noronha held the position of vice president and chief content officer for Learning Technologies Group, where she was responsible for the design and delivery of Web-based courses for NYIF Online, an E-learning environment of the New York Institute of Finance. She has also designed courses for ChaseExecTech, a technology training program for the bank’s senior management.
Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
Noronha was previously the editor of Teleconferencing Business magazine and editorial director of AV Video, Multimedia Producer, Computer Pictures, and Tape/Disc Business magazines. For several years Dr. Noronha chaired the Mid-Career Scholarship Committee of the ITVA Foundation, now under the Webb Foundation banner of Media Communications Association-International. Noronha’s broadcast experience includes production work with PBS New York; Radio Telefis Eireann, Ireland; and All India Radio & Television. She was also TV host of the International Youth Program during the early days of New York’s cable television. She has written and produced training and marketing programs for distribution on a variety of media, including videotape, laser disc, and CD-ROM, for a broad spectrum of corporate and institutional clients. She wrote the interactive script and served as executive producer for the popular CD-ROM title The Orvis Fly Fishing School. Noronha was awarded a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Technology by Teachers College, Columbia University, where she also earned Master of Education and Master of Arts degrees. She completed her media studies from the Xavier Institute of Communication Arts in Bombay, after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from the University of Bombay, India. Dr. Noronha served on the faculty of Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, where she taught broadcast journalism and video production. She also served as adjunct associate professor at the Graduate School of Corporate and Political Communication, Fairfield University, Connecticut. She is frequently invited to speak on the applications of new media technologies, and her research work forms the basis of design decisions made by several communications hardware and software companies. Shonan Noronha serves on judging panels of domestic and international video competitions.
