Exploring my potential progression routes into the industry

My research paper will cover various progression routes into becoming a producer and cinematographer while exploring and weighing my options for further education, apprenticeships and internships. I will focus on how I can acquire the hands on industry experience and skills needed to maximise opportunities and potential career paths I could take to begin my career within the film industry. In order to make my research as robust as possible and helpful for me, I intend to use industry sources and statistics to support my opinions and my personal choices regarding education and extracurricular activities to navigate my potential pathway.

Film to me is the most ambiguous art medium that combines sound, colour and costume to visually express intangible emotions and make an audience actively engage with characters and narrative. Being impacted by a good film or media text is the reason why I want to consider studying film in higher education. My main university choices are UAL London college of communication and Westminster. Both provide undergraduate practical film courses that develop creative, practical and technical skills. UAL film practice course has had students receive international recognition for their work, and attention from large studios like ITV. Westminster has successful Bafta and Oscar winning alumni with graduates going on to work for films like The Greatest Showman, Casino Royale and Wonderwoman with a 90% student course satisfaction rate. However university and film schools are not necessary in a progression route and won't guarantee a job within a competitive industry that prefers portfolios and past experience over degrees. Rina Yang, an up and coming DOP who has her own recognisable visual style and worked on Topboy, began working as a camera assistant for three years. She moved up to working on a range of short films, commercials and music videos, notably working with Matt Lambert and Jonas Lindstroem. She resonates with my own photographic interests with her use of texture, contrast and lighting. Unlike most cinematographers Yang does not have a long record of work, however she is an example of how someone can make their way up the industry through an entry level job without film school or university. According to the Guardian only 60% of film studies students went into full time employment after university in 2009. Which in my opinion concludes that some creative degrees are more for one's own benefit to develop industry skills and network. There is no promise of immediate postgraduate employment within an unpredictable industry that works around who you know not what you know. The Met film school and London film academy are appealing in terms of the specialised film courses that they offer, however the fees are significantly higher than studying at university, with a two year BA Hons practical filmmaking course starting at £46,000. Making film school an unrealistic choice for me financially.

My main goal is to develop a presentable video and photography portfolio which captures my aesthetic and personal brand, that I can submit to universities to have a greater chance of getting a place on a suitable film course. The current climate has made me decide to take a gap year that will be valuable to my industry CV. Coronavirus greatly impacted my decision and the lives of many other young people in education in the uk. According to London economics the likelihood of deferral amongst UK students was approximately 17% higher as a result of the pandemic. Gavan Conlon of London Economics said: “The analysis illustrates that there continues to be a huge amount of uncertainty amongst prospective students in respect of the potential higher education offer in September”. Restrictions and education being converted to being online, means that I cannot go to a university of my choice for an open day. I won't be able to get a face to face experience with potential tutors or see the facilities for my chosen course properly. Accompanied with the fact that I don't have any industry experience yet, or a suitable portfolio composed of enough video work, or savings. These factors combined influenced my decision to not apply to university this year. 230,000 18- 25 year olds take a gap year annually, statistics showing that 66% of students take their academic work more seriously with 90% entering university on their return, breaking the assumption that gap years can distract from education. Universities value students taking a break from education and are interested in students travelling, saving money and gaining new skills especially if it involves volunteering or community work (does not have to be abroad). Travelling is a definite plan for my year out of education, to learn about myself while gaining new work and life skills. Organisations like The Leep do programs and travelling packages to countries across the world. Focusing on wildlife conservation and community volunteering work In Africa, Asia, Australia, south and central america. Including scuba diving, safaris and trekking with learning opportunities in teaching and medicine. However, many of these voluntourism travel packages don't actually benefit local communities. It is argued that westerners treat poor children as an opportunity to enhance their cv and it fuels a white savior complex when people think they are helping locals, but it's in a self serving manner. Working ethically and having a good reputation is a rule to me. The idea of saving money and travelling around Europe at my own accord with friends and family seems more appealing and affordable. It would give me the opportunity to gain more independence financially, while creating my portfolio of video and photography work abroad in stunning locations.

Tailoring my gap year to relate to my specific area of study includes gaining experience within the industry through internships with studios and finding apprenticeships. There are many entry level jobs and assistant roles I would be interested in, being a runner or a DOP’s assistant and shadowing creatives will help me start out in my career. 80% of students in the uk found that taking a year out of education increased their employability correlating with 84% of undergraduates in the US who acquired skills that they believed would be helpful in their future careers. Studios like BBC and Warner Brothers offer paid apprenticeships schemes that typically last a year, they don't particularly look for previous media experience but instead value enthusiasm and passion for the industry to decide if you would be a considerable employee. However most apprenticeship schemes are based in London which would bring about the price of travel costs, from what I understand BBC, ITV and even Warner bros offer more business like apprenticeships and training in departments like marketing, PR and human resources. I would prefer being on set gaining hands on training in the creative side of the industry, to work my way up to being a producer or cinematographer. Approaching small production studios for internships by simply calling them up to ask if there are any projects that are being worked on, that require runners or any entry level roles, is more tailored to my path and can broaden my network of people while adding to my list of credits and studio work for my industry CV. The industry is built on networking and communication. People skills and making friends is essential to one's success within any role because the majority of work is not advertised online and most job opportunities appear through word of mouth.

The working culture of the industry is very fast paced and organised. Everyone has a role to play in their department and are responsible for their tasks that will ensure smooth production. All departments essentially work together to make a story come to life: The creative departments will be in charge of a film's visual feel and aesthetic, work will include building sets with production designers and art directors. Cinematographers working with lighting and camera operators and assistants to capture a film's visual feel. The technical details that make production happen, assistant directors and producers in charge of locations, planning and logistics through to approving scripts and financing. Work conditions are structured and planned out accordingly to ensure a smooth filming process because production schedules must be met. The production process and work environment relies heavily on teamwork, and leadership from all heads of departments. Communication is crucial when working with dozens of actors, extras and crew, it is what makes the industry work.

As a young woman starting her career in film, the gender specific opportunities within a male dominated film industry does come into question. According to the Guardian the number of women in the film industry has reached the current peak of 20% of women taking up behind the scene roles on the 100 top grossing films in 2019, a distinct rise from 16% in 2018. However men still overtake women in key roles including directing, producing and cinematography. The disparity in gender must be a result in the preferences of those who make the hiring decisions when statistics in the uk showed that there was an equal amount of male and female film students. There are no statistics for a deliberate exclusion of women from the film industry or specific positions, meaning that the gender imbalance mainly narrows down to an employer's unconscious bias. Even when we try to imagine what a director looks like our first thought will be a white man. Male employers hire a greater percentage of men which leads to a lack of female directors which then leads to low female representation within the industry. Films with at least one woman director had substantially higher percentages of women writers, editors, and cinematographers. On films with at least one female director, women comprised 73% of writers versus 12% on films directed exclusively by men in 2020. Proving my theory that there is evidence of an unconscious gender bias within the industry.

Researching all my potential progression routes, which focus on how I can acquire the hands on experience and skills needed, either through further education or internship and apprenticeship opportunities. My findings and statistics have aided me in navigating my career path, helping me decide to take a year out of education to develop a portfolio that reflects my ability, and to gain the necessary work experience in studios to grow my industry cv and technical knowledge. Exploring the nature and working culture of the industry it has made me come to the conclusion that a formal route via further education is still appropriate but also that my intention to take a gap year will significantly benefit me and further my progression.