Reseaching Job Roles (unit 3- 1.1)

Introduction

I have always been interested in the media but I have recently narrowed it down to radio. For this task I will look more in depth into job roles within radio, or even research outside this sector to see if I can find any other job roles within the media that interests me.

Art Editor

Brief description of what an Art Editor does:

An art editor designs magazines and focuses on the overall look and style of the magazine, and they also commission photographs and illustrations. In order to be a successful art editor, there are a number of personal and technical skills needed such as:

• you will need to be able to have a great attention to detail
• be able to work well under pressure
• confidently use a mixture of deign software packages, such as Photoshop and InDesign
• be a excellent communicator
• have a deep and advanced visual style
• be able to employ imaginative ideas quickly and artistically

What does an Art Editor do? (continued):

Art editors ensure that magazines look presentable, readable, neat and stylish. To do complete this, they need to use a range of designing skills and IT skills to make the magazine, newspaper, book, journal etc, have a certain visual impact while ensuring the information is easy to read and take in.

Another responsibility that art editors would have to do is instruct photographers and illustrators on things such as designs and images they need for the magazine they are editing; this may involve searching for stock images. Even though a art editor sounds like they would only be needed in the post-production stages of the publication, they are needed and accountable throughout to overlook the making of everything.

If you're an art editor in more of a smaller company, you would typically work independently. Whereas, if you were to work in a more well known company you would be most likely to work in a team.

What are the qualifications needed to be an Art Editor?

Most art editors that enter the industry would have a degree somewhere in the artistic field, for example, Fine Art or Graphic Design.

What is the best route into this specific job role?

Ensuring you have a large portfolio full of impressive past work is essential as this way you can show case all of the work you've carried out, and show the employer the skills you have and just why they should hire you. The portfolio can be a mixture of personal projects or projects that have been completed during your time in education.

Having previous experience in the industry may be very helpful as it would allow you to have a closer insight into the job role. The best way into the role would be to work your way up, for example, begin with a junior role such as magazine designer and move your way up.

Radio Broadcast Journalist

Brief description of what a Radio Broadcast Journalist does:

Radio Broadcast Journalists identify, research and present news stories to a wide range of audiences. This job role of a RBJ is some what similar to the role of a radio reporter, however a radio reporter broadcasts news live from the scene as the events are unfolding. Whereas a RBJ focuses more on the planning, specific details, researching, writing and editing. Therefore to be a successful radio broadcast journalist you must:

• be able to know what audiences find most interesting
• know how to have an intriguing and motivating voice while on the radio
• be able to come up with original ideas and use them effectively 
• ensure you ask question while still listening to the interviewee
• adapt to different audiences
• work well and calmly whilst under pressure
• have an interest in news and have a common knowledge of past and recent stories
• be confident 
• know how to use modern recording equipment
• ensure that you can meet deadlines 
• understand the health and safety regulations 

What does a Radio Broadcast Journalist do?:

They are in control of coming up with new and original ideas, exploring the background information, ensuring that their information is from a reliable source, showing any new ideas or new news that could be contemplated by editors or any other people that can make them happen. They also research into different audios and locations they can use while looking for a possible person to interview. It is also essential that they prepare suitable questions for interviews, possibly take photographs so they're able to post it to websites and further promote either their company or their personal work.

Radio broadcast journalists additionally edit all their own work they have personally planned, researched, organised and recorded. While doing this, they will ensure they choose the right software package in which will allow them to edit the work to the highest quality, and edit the footage so only relevant is involved.

What are the qualifications needed to be a Radio Broadcast Journalist?:

No degree is needed however you may be accepted if you have a degree in a non-media related field. Having expert understanding in grounds such as science, business, politics or language could give you a very high chance in allowing you to acquire a job as a radio broadcast journalist. You can also begin in newspaper or magazine by writing columns and then work your way up from there into radio with at least two or three years' experience in journalism.

What is the best route into being a Radio Broadcast Journalist?

As mentioned above, the best way into the job role is to have at least two or three years of experience in journalism as this will allow you to have clearer view of what the job role is, what you need to do, the equipment you'll be working with, how to communicate well with your co-workers and how to work well under pressure. You may even decide at the end of the journalism that it's not all you thought it would be, and therefore decide that you want to do something else. However, if you do find that you enjoyed the work experience in journalism, looking for apprenticeships as a radio broadcast journalist at large companies may be the next step.

Advertising and Editorial Photographer

Brief description of what an Advertising and Editorial Photographer does?

They take professional photographs that will be used for adverts, promoting a certain brand, idea or product. Photographs are used in adverts to tell a story through the use of still images, and they're most common found in magazines, billboards, books and websites. Again, there are a number of factors which you need to be able to say you can do to such as:

• you must be able to understand how to use colour, tone and shape effectively
• ensure you are organised, imaginative and experimental
• have a friendly personality, and be able to stay calm and keep the people around you calm also, in stressful situations
• have a strong passion for traveling, talking to new people
• be confident and highly motivated
• ensure that you have good written and verbal communication skills
• be confident and skilled with manipulating images 
• be able to translate and illustrate a story and successfully promote the idea, brand or product.

What does an Advertising and Editor Photographer do?

An advertising and editor photographer takes photographs for a specific company or client, and the client could be part of a designer brand or advertising firm. The images can be categorised into specific factors, for example:

• landscape
• portraiture
• still life

Some work is done in studios, but most of it is mainly carried out in studios using studio lighting, props and other accessories. Some people that work in this job role specialise in well-lit images that are mainly used for medias such as catalogs and packing. These are known as 'Pack' or 'Pack Shot' photographers. Self-employed advertising and editor photographer get commissioned to do high-quality images that sell the benefits of brand awareness.

What are the qualifications needed to be an Advertising and Editorial Photographer?:

There are no set qualification needed to be an AEP, however having a strong portfolio to promote the work you've done in the area, having a good reputation and a track record can help you progress into the job role. There are many courses available in the UK that allow people to learn new technical skills, and help you get work experience. Employers also like it when people who want to get into this job role, have work-based qualifications such as apprenticeships.

What is the best route into being an Advertising and Editorial Photographer?

It is always good to work your way into the job role as an assistant photographer or working along side another photographer to see how they work and what the job role intakes. This will ensure you have the correct type of experience, also by asking to work along side projects, stand in on meetings, asking to meet clients, in order to fully understand the production stages of being a photographer.

Art Director

Brief description of what an Art Director does:

An art director is in charge of creating and designing advertisements, making sure that the images within the advert give the correct messages, all whilst ensuring it is pleasing to the eye and grabs the audiences attention. There are a number of factors you need to be able to have to be a successful art director such as:

• have a great imagination 
• have a great knowledge of advertising brands
• have good communication skills as you'll have to speak with different clients
• understand the target audience of each project, and adapt your work to meet the needs of the audience as well as the client
• ensure you are enthusiastic about your work, and that you can try keep the people around you enthusiastic also
• be able to develop original ideas
• be able to work effectively in a team and individually 
• be able to draw by hand well

 What does an Art Director do?

Art directors are responsible for directing the creation of advertisements, mainly visual advertisements and they are mainly found on posters, billboards, and magazines, possibly adverts on TV, mobiles applications and websites.

What are the qualifications needed to be an Art Director?:

Having a degree in a field such as graphic design, advertising o film making will get employers attention as they shows that you have a great knowledge in designing, team work, working individually, etc.

What is the best route into being an Art Director?

Art directors come from a variety of backgrounds and will usually have a degree in advertising or design. Then form a partnership with a copywriter while studying and look for a first job as a team. they create book or portfolio to showcase the work you've done.

Working Practices

The amount of money you earn all depends on the hours in your contract, how old you are and your position or activity in a business. A contract is physical or electric documentation that specifies the commitments an employer must follow, the hours you will work per week, how much you will get paid per hour and the benefits to the employer. The term unsociable hours, as I believe, means the employer may be working past hours of daylight, for example, working the night shift.

Full-Time- a permanent job usually consists of working a minimum of 39 hours in one week. 

What are the Advantages of Working Full-Time?

1. A full-time permanent job means that you have steady and guaranteed hour and income, therefore there is less financial stress.
2. Benefits such as health insurance, paid sick leave, and retirement plans are provided for full-time workers.
3. The more you work as a full-time employee, more social security benefits will be received once you retire.
4. You get to work as a team
5. Gives you the opportunity to get recognised and get promoted if you're completing your task on time and to the best of your ability.

What are the Disadvantages of Working Full-Time?

1. You may find that you don't get along with someone who works with you, and as you are working with them all day, nearly every day of the week this could possibly cause stress or demotivate you to work.
2. Full-time may be a disadvantage to a parent as they won't get enough time to spend with their family.
3. Little to no spare time and heightened stress levels
4. A lot of multi-tasking may need to be carried out in order to get the work load completed on time.

Part-Time- also permanent and for students are trying to earn some money either on the weekend or on days where they have days off from college or sixth form. Part-time workers get the same rights as full-time workers, they just work fewer hours. 

What are the Advantages of Working Part-Time?

1. Part-time work allows students to gain an income and save up for the future while they don't need to pay bills (if they don't already own or rent a property).
2. This working practice can also allow parents to work during the day while their children are at school and they are able to pick them up at the end of the day, if they don't want their children to go to a child minder.
3. In the professional industry, people chose to have a part-time job so they have more time for family and their personal life.
4. It's a great way to develop new skills while having the chance to pursue other projects.

What are the Disadvantages of Working Part-Time?

1. Due to only doing a certain amount of hours, therefore this means you are receiving a low income to what a full-time worker would get and this may create some problems financially, especially if the employer has a lot of bills or children.
2. It may be difficult for a person to move up in a business and get promoted if they are only there for a certain amount of hours.
3. Part-time workers usually have no health benefits, in particular businesses.
4. Stress could arise for students if they work part-time and have coursework to complete at college/sixth form

Freelance- explained as someone who doesn't have a full time or permanent contract with a specific company, therefore they can work with a certain business for short period of time and then move on to a different project at a different work place and an example would be, if I was to work as an article writer or as a radio producer.

What are the Advantages of Freelancing?

1. The first advantage is that you'll get paid more, due to being allowed to discuss and confer how much you are willing to work for, as a result of working for yourself, you don't need to pay for sick leave or any holidays.
2. You get to keep the profits form the projects you complete, as you no longer have to work for a flat rate.
3. Another advantage is being able to choose your own hours and be able to go where ever you like, travel and visit places you may not be able to if you were working full-time.
4. Having complete independence may not be a good idea for some people, however some people may find that they prefer to have all the work and do it by themselves.

What are the Disadvantages of Freelancing?

1. There is not a certainty that you will have a job lined up and it's not exactly reliable, due to workload and income being inconsistent.
2. As you are working for yourself, you may find it difficult to find a line between your personal life and your business life.
3. A lot of responsibility and pressure is being put on you to find your own work, complete projects and deal with financial problems by yourself and completely individually.
4. There are no benefits like you would get if you were working for specific business permanently, such as discounts in certain stores, health insurance, sick, personal and maternity/paternity leave, child and elder benefits and life and disability insurance. 

Flexi-Time- this type of working practise ensures employees can be flexible with their hours. They have the opportunity to chose the amount of hours they have to complete in a week. For example, if a person decides they want to work 30 hours a week, they could only work 4 hours one day and or even 3 hours the next day, bu they have got to work a total of 30 hours by the end of that week.

What are the Advantages of Flexi-Time?

1. Travelling could be cheaper for the employee as they could decide to travel when there is little to no traffic.
2. Balancing their personal life and their work life can be much easier as they can work around other commitments.
3. Flexi-time means that the company is progressive and takes in to amount the needs of their employees.
4. This working practise ensures the employees are more loyal and happier towards the company.

What are the Disadvantages of Flexi-Time?

1. If an employee decides or needs to work little hours throughout the week, they will need to work the rest of the hours at last minute.
2. Flexi-time could create difficulty with organising meetings and training
3. Working flexitime without having a manager or supervisor could cause some difficulties with employees that don't know how to organise their duties and tasks.
4. Lower levels of employees makes it difficult to cover all hours of the day.

Job Share- When two employees in the same business share what one employee would have to do, they share the same responsibilities, the same tasks and and work load. It's all just split in half so two employees can complete it. They will also share the same resources, equipment, desk and computer.