The television and media industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of employment with jobs available with the smallest of production companies or massive corporations such as the BBC. Jobs also vary greatly from office-based occupations to presenting or acting in front of the camera.
In my quest to find out what it was really like to work in the World of television I met up with Colin Edwards who is the Leader of the Carlton Junior Television Workshop in Birmingham. The group is fast approaching their twentieth birthday in February and is heavily involved in teaching basics of television and the making and casting of many of Carlton’s programmes as well as independent production companies.
At present, it is unusual for schools, colleges and universities not to offer some form of Drama and Media based studies and in this competitive industry, looking good on the CV is extremely important, good grades with relevant subjects is essential. Yet as Colin Edwards explains qualifications are not always necessary:
“You hear so many stories about people who haven’t got any qualifications and join companies as runner/tea maker watching and observing, working their way up the ladder trying all the different departments before becoming a producer – I can think of many examples – there was a young lad who started as a work experience person in the sports department 13 years ago and is now a Sports Producer. Though there are many Media Studies courses, learning from a theoretical point of view but that isn’t necessarily the best way of doing it – it’s really a hands on experience that you need. You can write as many wonderful intellectual theoretical dissertations on it, it’s the practical element that is most important.”
The old clichéd advise about experience is also important to the CV; the more pervious knowledge you have gained puts you a-head of the game. This is accomplished by gathering as many contacts as possible – writing letters to different production companies – for example, you never know what opportunities or schemes are open to teenagers to learn the craft. Even joining in with school plays or your local amateur dramatic societies can start giving you a hand up. Remember it not necessarily what you know, but who you know!
The skills needed to be working in television are becoming more diverse and you have to become more of a dynamic, confident, out going person with a genuine interests but something simpler is also needed:
“It’s the old thing about teamwork really” muses Colin Edwards, “none of this pre-Madonna rubbish; believing you are any better than anyone else. The ability to be able to communicate easily and comfortably with people is definitely needed.”
Its many people’s dream to work in television become rich and famous, and live happily ever after – unfortunately it’s not that straight forward and never that glamorous! I asked Colin what was the worst thing about acting television?
“The hours! I was talking to Julia Burchell yesterday, who just played a prominent role in the last series of Crossroads and she was saying how tiring it was and at times for at least 2 or 3 weeks on-the-trot she was called at 6 O’clock in the morning till 9 O’clock in the night, she was telling me now gruelling and tiring it was. Plus it is incredibly boring standing around; you can be called at 6am and not be used until 10am and then only used for a couple of takes that day. You’re literally waiting around in the green room for someone to call you. At the end of the day you may have only worked for 20 minutes, but you’ve got to be able to keep yourself in shape so that when you are called upon for the ‘emotional’ scenes and do all that heavy stuff for example, you need to be able to spring into action, you have to have that facility to switch on to all that, it ain’t easy.”
Though when you see how much you can earn I think boredom maybe the last thing on your mind…
“There are enormous amounts of money if you became successful in television much more than in the theatre – the normal equity rate for some one starting in theatre is minimal - about £200 a week. Where as in television, for a day’s work, you can earn as much as £300/£400 a day - which is good money! Maybe too much for someone who is very young!”
There are a wide range of jobs to be had in the fun (if some what boring) world of television; besides the acting and presenting in front of the camera, behind the camera there are many including sound, continuity, researcher, producer and even the Director General of the BBC!
“All sorts of Jobs are available, Directing is the obvious one I suppose, but then I think if your going to become a director you have had to have gone through the process of having acting for television. You really can’t tell people what to do unless you’ve experienced it yourself. Sometimes people have made the jump but if you’ve learnt the ropes first I think that a better way and more successful way of doing it. Besides Director, Designer, as a Technician, Cameraman even – you can earn big money being a Cameraman. I was out on location watching a programme being made and I counted 28 people filming one very simple scene and each of those people had a very specific job – there are numerous roles to fill. How you get into those roles is another matter – I suggest getting your foot in right at the beginning and building your way up.”
Though is this a reliable career?
“No! I wouldn’t advocate going into it unless they were absolutely 110% committed to it” continues Colin, “because statistics show 80% of the time that you are Actor you are ‘resting’ in other words there is not much hope of a ‘normal’ actor getting work all the time. So you have to be energetic and enthusiastic, focused all those things in order to become a success – we’re not just talking about television here, theatre as well. Technical jobs seemed to be a lot more stable, even so contracts can only be six months at a time.”
Whether you want to be the next Shane Meadows or Steven Speilberg, from personal experience it’s a very tough and competitive profession with a lot riding of luck and ‘right time, right place’ before talent even enters the equation. Though it is essential that you are persistent and never tempted to give up although always being realistic and keeping both feet firmly on the ground! – But that’s show business…
© DEXTER O’NEILL
