A New Year, How About a New CV?

Is your CV sending potential employers the desired message? What’s your sales pitch? It’s the New Year so how about a new CV to match? Elsa Sharp, author of How to Get A Job in Television is on-hand to remind you of all the do’s and don’ts of CV engineering.

A New Year is usually a time for new resolutions and optimism but 2011 is going to be a tough year as the cuts bite with increased competition for jobs. It’s now even more essential to market yourself, your skills and experience as effectively as possible so your CV will be read, stand out and get you an interview.

I am constantly amazed at how so many people fail to present their CV properly – by over writing, cluttering the layout and sometimes omitting key information. As a former TV series producer and now talent manager I’ve seen hundreds of CVs. Far too many are difficult to read, badly written and poorly laid out – even at senior level.

Are You Sure You Fit The Bill?

Are you sure you fit the bill?

PB often spot checks applications made through the site, mainly to make sure that they are being received correctly and that employers are viewing them. From time to time, we come across applications which clearly fail to meet the requirements of the job posted.

The most common complaint from employers is that they feel their time is wasted sifting through unsuitable applications. When applying for a job on PB it’s crucial that you address the specific requirements of the job and it’s even more crucial that you can relate that to your actual experience or work to specific requirements. We recently posted a position for a Historical Researcher and the employer was shocked that previous applicants considered a GCSE in History to be adequate experience.

It may seem obvious, but read the job description fully and ensure that you address the needs of the employer detailing your relevant skills and experience.

Richard Morrison – A Man Of Entitlement

Richard Morrison - A Man Of Entitlement

As a titles designer with over three decades in the business, Richard Morrison has seen plenty of changes in the industry. Here he discusses how credits have become part of the filmgoing experience. Text: Chris Patmore

Although the majority of cinema-goers leave their seats as soon as the end credits start to roll, the opening titles have become an unmissable part of the film-viewing experience. One of the pioneers of integrated credits sequences is the highly-respected British designer Richard Morrison who, over more than 30 years, has created opening titles for more than 130 films; among them such memorable movies as Ghandi, Brazil, A Passage To India, Batman, High Fidelity and Sweeney Todd. It’s surprising to learn, then, that Morrison didn’t set out to be a titles designer.

“I was a graphic designer-painter-photographer, then a friend of my father, who was a film editor, said, ‘Do you fancy doing a stint at a trailer company near Pinewood?’” he recalls. “So I said I could do that, and I bumped into Maurice Binder [designer of the iconic Bond titles]. That was in the days of rostrum cameras, film opticals – an organic way of creating stuff. He showed me a few things and said I should have a go at it myself. The first one that I did was Quadrophenia.”

Media Qualifications – What’s Their Worth?

Media qualifications have received much cynicism from the industry, but the number of students who flock to pursue them continues to grow. This week TV lecturer Royston Mayoh who nominated his former student and winner of the Runner of the Year Awards, Jade Gilbert, weighs up their real value.

How wonderful to hear that, Jade Gilbert, won the 2010 ProductionBase Runner of the Year award, and my personal congratulations to her for that, but how strange that in the very same week I am asked to write about my experiences as a college lecturer in TV production, what my view is about the value of these ‘media’ qualifications.

It is no secret that a degree in ‘media’ is viewed by both the academic world and the TV world with a certain amount of scepticism. Although it would be quite unfair to make a sweeping generalisation I think that, in the main, most would agree that the academic world regard it as a ‘soft’ subject, whilst the TV world regard it as having very little real value.

Jumping Hurdles, But The Race Is Not Won

2010 is a big year for Women in Film & TV UK (WFTV). This is the year we celebrate our coming of age. That’s right, we’re 21 years young! But we’re not the eldest in the family. WFTV UK was the third chapter to be established (our older siblings being LA and New York) as part of an international community of women working in the media that has grown to include over 10,000 members within 37 chapters worldwide. Women in Film and TV, as a brand, is well established in the industry, and well respected.

As Head of Communications here in the UK, I’m often asked (usually by men) why there’s a need for our organisation to exist in the 21st Century. I would love to be able to say there isn’t one (even though it would mean I’d be out of a job). But the statistics clearly show that, 21 years on from our founding, there most certainly still is.

The 2009 Skillset Employment census showed us that nearly 5000 women had left the TV industry since the recession, compared to just 750 men. It also found that, in general, women were over-qualified, over-worked and underpaid compared to their male counterparts. Broadcast Magazine’s annual survey of women in the TV industry for 2009 seemed to paint a similarly worrying picture. It found that the gender pay gap, ageism, and sexism had all worsened in the industry since their first survey of 2006.

Keep Up To Date With Recent Commissions

Every week we update our Recent Commissions page with the latest TV and film projects that have been given the go ahead. This information can be an invaluable guide to freelancers wanting to gain an insight into what’s currently in development and the productions that have been recently given the green light. It’s also very useful for finding out which companies will be looking to staff up over the coming weeks .

If your production has been recently commissioned, please let us know, and we’ll share the news with our members.

Awarding Those Who Matter

This week PB’s Joe Mahoney gives a brief update on the forthcoming Freelancer of the Year Awards and networking event.

Many thanks to all the production companies and freelancers that have sent in their nominations to this year’s Freelancer of the Year Awards. The response has been fantastic and has made the selection process for the judges a real headache – but we wouldn’t want it any other way!

We are delighted to welcome on board our sponsor, Sony Professional Media, who have graciously offered up prizes worth a few thousand pounds to the category winners.

I think it’s important to remind people why we do this; so many production people miss out on the usual gongs that are handed out every year via the well established ceremonies. Of course, richly deserved though they are, many talented and hard working people simply don’t get a look in.

What Production Companies Say About PB

Want to know what production companies are saying about ProductionBase? Here’s some of our recent feedback from companies using PB:

Endemol “Productionbase has been an indispensable recruitment tool ever since it’s launch. Endemol UK uses Productionbase for advertising production positions to ensure a diverse selection of talent when recruiting and it is an excellent backup for our own database. Its members are of a high standard and when we are recruiting at very short notice or looking for a specific credit and immediate availability, it is often our first port of call.“
Chloe Samwell-Smith, Production Recruitment Manager, Endemol UK

4Talent “In my role at Channel 4 to train and develop the freelance community I use Production base to keep track of current trends and network with the community. I find Production base easy to navigate and accessible to all which is an important not only for me but other Talent Managers in the creative sector.”
Jo Taylor, Head of Learning and 4Talent, Channel Four

Research, Empathise, Relate

Research, empathise, relate

Whether you’re applying for a job or scouting for work, it’s essential that you do your research. If it’s a production company, a knowledge of their programming and overall mission is essential. How can you empathise with this and how can you relate to the work they do? In doing this you could also consider their competitors and the content that they produce, what makes this company appeal to you and how can you help the company achieve its goals? Adding personal opinion or comment will hopefully make you more memorable (and for the right reasons), engaging with a company and the work that they do can only benefit you in your application. Remember, stating what you can bring to the table is paramount.

Why Has It Gone Wrong?

In place of our usual editorial piece this week, I wanted to highlight a debate that has been going on in the PB Watercooler discussion forum this past fortnight. It’s an extremely interesting thread from experienced freelancers within the TV industry discussing how working life is now very different than in the past. And not always for the better.

Below are some extracts to give you a taster but please take a look at the Watercooler for the entire thread. It’s well worth a read, particularly for our less experienced members…

ProductionBase Community