UNIT 11 Research Paper

The major pathways following my second year at college are higher education at a university, practical work in an apprenticeship or straight into industry work. In this paper, I will analyse these three options.

To begin, universities have their perks for being a form of higher education that will give me greater credibility down the line when looking for a job after three or four years of studies. Universities are an opportunity to network with people of similar ages who are interested in the same field, creating friendships that can be taken into the workplace. This is a shake up from school and college life as everyone at university is selected and dedicated to that one subject matter. It is also a wonderful opportunity develop independence in living away from home will studying. This is valuable for later life and truly leaving home. However, at face value, the drawbacks of universities are the costs. Now let’s look at some courses and universities I’m interested in to compare.

Bournemouth Arts – Film Production BA

To begin, their Film Production BA Honours course is 3 or 4 years, with an optional placement year between your second and third. Each year of the course moves up to another level in qualification, 4 to 6, with the first year acting as a foundation for those not previously studying film and the final pushing students into specialist positions to make work more accessible. Some of their lecturing staff include Mark Sheldon, credited as technical engineer or additional crew on productions such as Lost: The Final Journey, V the Arrival and Dreams Come True a Celebration of Disney, Marek Budzynski, award winning director, producer and editor, and Dr Romana Turina, a screenwriter and historian. During studies, students can use 4 production studios, each tailored to different needs: one sound proofed, one lecture theatre/ screening studio and two off site full prop and scenery storage studios. As well as this, the course also provides equipment including, but not limited to, the following: 8 x Bolex H16 16mm cameras, 2 x Arriflex SRII Super 16mm cameras with prime lens kits, Tascam and Sound Devices digital location sound recorders, Editing Suites with Avid, pro tools and adobe suite.

Royal Holloway – Film, TV and Digital Production; Film Studies BA

Royal Holloway offers a 3 year course, with a series of set modules as introduction in year one followed by a wide selection of modules to choose from in year two and three to specialise and choose from such as screenwriting, cinematography, creative social media and Film Theory: Hitchcock and Point of View. While year one is full of core modules, year two is focused on the creative industries and year three features either your Media Arts Dissertation or Media Research Project. The entry requirement is ABB-BBB. This can be lowered if an EPQ was completed alongside A Levels. The university wants students to take full advantage of the facilities on site aside from core studies. These facilities include media labs, a TV and sound studio and post production. Over the course, students are taught by world professionals, no specifics listed, and have lectures from special guests within industry.

NFTS – Assistant Directing and Floor Managing Diploma

This course is in partnership with the BBC Academy the course covers developing shooting schedules, set etiquette, team management, call sheet creation, etc. There are no specific qualifications needed to apply for this course. They ask you for a 1000 word application explaining who you are and your passion. Applications for the next year open 8th January 2024. They do hope you have had previous experience at a university or college in the subject area. The course entitles students access to their industry standard studio and 4K TV Studio. Tutors include Richard Lingard, credited for productions with Ridley Scott and first AD on short films for Channel 4, and Tom Allen, with first AD credits for the Stylist, Killers Anonymous and The Last Tree. The application deadline will be May 2024.

Alternatively, I have been looking into apprenticeships. Overall, the benefits of an apprenticeship are that you are working and earning on the side of your studies. You do all of this through the company and gain the rewards of a working life. Additionally, you are trained by experienced in house professionals and learn as you progress. This gets you a foot in the door and possibly full time work in the company following the apprenticeship if you’ve used the time to prove your worth and build strong connections. However, where this differs from university life is that you can accomplish this from commuting to the workplace so there is less need to begin will living away. Below are the apprenticeships I’ve been looking into to apply for.

BBC – Production Co-ordinator

The application process for this apprenticeship program opened on 16th November. The initial stage of the process is a simple form, including a 2000 character written piece about why you are right for this course. The apprenticeship promises hands on production work for either TV or radio, learning from world-class professionals. It is a perfect course for multitasking and accessible to all to get in the industry. The BBC has an excellent ethos with inclusivity and diversity, encouraging disabled applicants due to being a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. You will also be earning a £20,475 salary during a 35 hour working week with 25 days annual leave. This is a full on working environment and could open the doors to future work with the company if you meet the standards and make connections.

The application process takes on four stages. These go from online application of interest and compatibility before moving to an online assessment for stage two, video interview for three and finally a group teambuilding assessment. I imagine they will make a cut of applicants for each stage. The apprenticeship doesn’t have many spaces. As well as getting training from industry experts, you will have a dedicated Team Manager and Scheme Specialist to support development. The scheme runs for 18 months and the opening application works to confirm you’re age and ability to work in the UK. This apprenticeship would build on the foundation established in college and specialise me into the co-ordination and management.

Channel 4

Channel 4 offers a range of apprenticeships. For now, there is limited information available for them over the next couple of years as the applications don’t open until January 2024. However, they offer 14 to 36 month apprenticeships. They don’t look for any specific qualifications going in as they are more focused on the personality of and skills of an applicant. Their courses range from Level 2, 3, 4 or 6. In my case, I would be interested in Level 4 or 6.

ITV

ITV is in a similar state. Currently, they don’t have many apprenticeships on offer. Their program is a work experience program with Lifted Entertainment. This is entry level and designed to get people into the industry in a one year scheme. They are trying to increase their diversity and make the company more accessible. However, there is no pay as this is simply a work experience program.

The third option for my progression is to jump straight into work either for a studio or independently. Preferably, I need to build up a network to achieve this first as that is the primary way of entering the industry. The benefits of doing this will be that I am gaining first hand and real experience on a professional production. If I perform well in doing this, it may mean I can climb the ladder of positions over my career, gaining valuable references along the way. However, this may be great in the short term to get me working but I may fall short over time from not having any physical qualifications past this current course. Below are a list of studios that I am reaching out to along with the general positions I’m interested in over my career, ranging from entry level to high end.

Pinewood

On 25th November, I attended the Pinewood Futures Festival, an event designed for networking and giving young people a look into the industry. I have a contact at the studios who was able to secure me a ticket. I’ve been discussing possible part time work at the studios with him for the last few months and this is a perfect opportunity to sync up face to face and also meet many of his colleagues to build a larger network. Pinewood studios doesn’t currently have apprenticeship programs but my contact is trying to get the ball rolling to allow young people access.

Marlow Studios

The Marlow Film Studios, as of writing this, have not yet been built. However, they are promising around 4,180 job vacancies in their modern 21st century studio. Here is the link to their website with more information on their plans for future and the current development of their site: https://marlow.film/planning-application/

Leavesden Studios

This is another studios in a close distance that could be an option for my development in industry. Leavesden is primarily known for Warner Bros Studios, especially with the Harry Potter franchise. They supposedly offer schemes to give young people access but their information is very limited on this at the moment. I discovered online that they’ve previously taken on 12 apprentices to work on Jon M Chu’s Wicked as of January 2023.

Runner

Salary:

£11.95 to £16.70 per hour
May pay more depending on skills shown

Previous qualifications:

No specific qualifications. More looking for personality and willingness to work

Working hours:

Unpredictable, can be 6 day weeks Freelance – may be unstable

Skills:

communication, teamwork, calm under stress, networking, initiative, flexibility, motivation, research skills, prioritising

Responsibilities:

Hire props, order stock, admin tasks, set hygiene, transcribe production tapes, write shot lists, drive, craft service runs, collect cast, camera bag sorts, etc

Producer

Salary:

Junior - £18,000 to £25,000
Researcher - £24,000 to £30,000
Assistant Producer - £36,000 (more with time)
Experienced Producers - £40,000 to £55,000
Head of Department - £60,000 to £80,000, plus benefits

Previous qualifications:

An apprenticeship or HND in film (media studies, multimedia, photograph)

Working hours:

Unpredictable long hours with weekend work and meetings. Freelance – may be unstable

Responsibilities:

overseeing the production, discuss finances, read and assess ideas, supervise, support the director, hire staff, etc

Casting Director

Salary:

£40,000 - Only a senior position

Previous Qualifications:

BA in film or theatre, years of casting experience previously

Skills:

Contract Negotiations, photography, Communications

Responsibilities:

Interviews, Negotiate with Agents, design a cast, work with the director

To conclude, this research paper was very useful in identifying different options going forward. In my evaluation, I will discuss which of these options is the best fit for me and will begin applying for places. I can now use this paper to inform my presentation as I have a clearer direction. My next stage will be writing a personal statement as, although I don’t believe I will be heading to a university, this is good practice and provides a base for other applications for specific companies. It gives me the platform of expressing myself and what I want to achieve. There were many other sources I looked at for information but these were the more interesting set that my notes will help whittle down. Below is a bibliography of my findings.

Universities:

- https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/

- https://aub.ac.uk/

- https://nfts.co.uk/

- https://lfs.org.uk/

- https://www.westminster.ac.uk/film-and-television-media-and-communication-courses/2024-25/september/full-time/film-ba-honours

- https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2024/film-television/

- https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/film/

- https://confetti.ac.uk/

Apprenticeships:

- - https://careers.bbc.co.uk/search/?createNewAlert=false&q=PCA24&locationsearch=&optionsFacetsDD_department=&optionsFacetsDD_shifttype

- https://careers.itv.com/teams/early-careers/apprenticeships