Television

[Big Jay]

Hi,

 

I will be graduating in July this year and currently weighing up me career options. I have applied to a few universities and have already been denied from 1 and am awaiting a Yes or No from Central School of Speech and Drama, which I feel is the uni that would benifit me the most in the career path I am wanting to go into. My main question is:

 

If I was not to get into Central School of Speech and Drama I am really wanting to get into television, working on programs such as Dancing on Ice, X Factor ect. Becuase I have always worked in theatre, I have no idea were to start looking for work in the programs such as above. Does anyone have any advice as to how to go about looking for jobs in television, Is it a hard area to get into. And just for information, I am wanting to go into Lighting Programming mainly automated/digital or Stage Electrician.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciaited.

 

Thanks

Jonathan

[Ynot]

Hi.

 

Now, not wanting to dampen your enthusiasm, the one thing I will say is be realistic, especially when you start out.

If you don't get Central, there are other options, though I'm not best placed to offer opinions on any of them.

 

But whilst it's great to have a dream, and a target for you to aim at, you must realise that before you're likely to get anywhere near programmes like X Factor or Dancing on Ice you'll have to serve a great deal of time with much lower-end jobs (if any at all). Unless you're extremely lucky!

 

And as with any job, make contacts along the way, because often it is as the old adage says - it's not what you know that sometimes counts!!

 

Best of luck.

[zonino]

For a start, it's spelt programme!!

 

Many people I meet started in theatre and then moved into TV, so some theatre experience on your C.V. won't hurt!

 

Bear in mind that television is an extremely competitive area to enter (I can't remember the figures off the top of my head, but I think its something in the region of 30,000 media graduates a year, and 40,000 jobs in T.V.), and one of the large employers is currently cutting its workforce.

 

Another possible route would be to get work for a hire company that supplies gear to studios (most will have preferred suppliers), that will help you make some contacts.

 

This isn't to put you off! But be prepared for a slog...

[Big Jay]

Thanks for the replys, I am very aware it is not going to be easy, but I am MORE than prepared to put in the hard work. Please keep the comments coming, I appreciate all opions.

[zonino]

Also have a look at the Skillset website, in particular the standards page.

[gareth]

You've set your sights on a very difficult goal there! TV is one of the hardest areas of our business to get into - lots of people trying, very few openings. The problem's even more pronounced now that many broadcasters are cutting back on salaried staff and relying more and more on freelancers. Not only that, but you've chosen to home in on one of the most 'niche' jobs in the TV sector - automated lighting programmer. There are a small handful of very, very good programmers (Ross Williams, Roger Williams, Nigel Catmur, Oz Owen and the like) who tend to do pretty much most of the big LE jobs - for the simple reasons that they have long-established relationships (and therefore a well-developed 'shorthand' when it comes to programming) with the LDs who light these shows, and that they're extremely good at what they do. You have to be the best to do what they do - you have to be really fast around the console, you have to be able to have a lot of input into the look of the show (in sympathy with what the LD's trying to achieve, sometimes almost to the point of knowing what you're going to be asked for and to be part-way through programming it by the time the LD asks you for it!), you have to be able to get it right first time every time (no room for f**k-up in live telly). Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that many studios these days won't even consider letting you do anything vaguely electrical unless you've got your C&G 16th Edition.

 

When I was freelancing, doing mainly theatre and corporate work, I decided to dip my toe into the waters of television. I did a bit of sparkying, some moving light tech work, a little bit of moving light console op'ing - but while it was an enjoyable diversion, the majority of my work still came from theatre and corporates. It's a very, very difficult side of the business to get into - far more difficult than live events or theatre work. If you want to have a go, then by all means go for it - but expect it to be a long, hard journey unless you happen to be very, very lucky in terms of meeting the right people in the right place at the right time. Try getting in touch with some of the companies who service the TV industry and offer your services as a warehouse monkey or flightcase humper.

[Big Jay]

Thanks for that Gareth, even though I have set myself the target of doing the job I stated, I am still more than willing to be doing anything in the electrics dept. I am not going to give up theatre to pursue this ambition, but it is just somewhere I would like to end up.

[Bobbsy]

Some good advice above, especially from Gareth. However, I might expand on it even more.

 

At your age, even if you're sure it's television that interests you, you might want to consider expanding your horizons even more and considering a general course in TV production that, initially at least, will include all aspects of lighting, sound, editing etc. etc. At best you might discover something that takes your interest even more than moving light programming but, at worst, you'll be a moving light programmer with an appreciation of how the whole system works.

 

(I write this as somebody who recently retired after a 35+ year career in TV. I started out thinking I wanted to do camera and lighting, but by the end of my operational duties (I spent some time in management) I'd gravitated more towards editing and sound.)

 

Even if you feel it has to be lighting, I'd try to get a solid grounding in conventional lighting techniques; every programme you watch has somebody doing lighting but only a relatively small percentage need to employ a moving light programmer. The more "strings you have for your bow" the better your employment prospects. And, speaking personally, I'd rather be the overall lighting director who employs somebody on movers from time to time than limit myself to such a specific area.

 

If you do decide to try a more general course, the best I know personally is the one at Ravensbourne College at Bromley in Kent. It can be notoriously hard to get into....but has an excellent record for finding employment for its graduates.

 

Bob

[Big Jay]

Thank you Bobbsy, maybe I should have mentioned it before, but I am already trained in all aspects of Technical Theatre including the management side of theatre. Thanks for the infor on Ravensboourne, please, if anyone else knows of any courses or apprentiships even, plesase do let me know, as I have had difficulty finding relevent courses.

 

Thanks

Jonathan

[Ynot]

I am already trained in all aspects of Technical Theatre including the management side of theatre.

 

Hmmm...

Sorry, but it's statements just like this that will do you no favours, and certainly not win friends & influence people here on the BR! B-)

 

At 17, you can NOT call yourself "trained in all aspects of Technical Theatre " in any way shape or form.

You may have a good grounding for someone of your age, but "trained in all aspects" - not a chance!

 

Maybe you didn't quite mean it to sound as it does, but I suggest you tone that down a little!

[Big Jay]

I am already trained in all aspects of Technical Theatre including the management side of theatre.

Sorry, I have been tought in many aspects of technical theatre, including the management side of theatre.

[Bobbsy]

What Ynot said.

 

I'm 55 years old with 35+ years experience in both broadcast TV (up to Director of Operations and Engineering level for a multinational company) and live theatre....

 

...and I still learn new things on a daily basis. Indeed, life would be pretty boring if you didn't keep learning new things!

 

On a purely practical level, if (at 17) you walk into an interview for a job or a good course saying "I'm already fully trained" you'll probably be shown the door pretty fast. Employers and colleges want juniors with an enthusiasm for learning, not people who think a couple of years at school can teach them everything.

 

Bob

[Big Jay]

I completely understand were your coming from, I asure you, I did not intend for it to come out like that.

[Bobbsy]

Details of the course I had in mind can be foiund HERE. They also have other courses that focus more strongly on the engineering side or on the non-technical production side which might be worth looking at to see which might suit best.

 

Bob

[gareth]

I am already trained in all aspects of Technical Theatre including the management side of theatre.

Sorry, Jonathan - I know other people have already picked up on this point, and I don't mean to harp on about it, but you HAVE to be realistic. What does this training encompass? GSCE and perhaps part of an A-level course with exams coming up this summer? The first stage of a BTEC? While I fully appreciate that your education thus far has incorporated an element of technical theatre, you have to understand that, at the stage you're at, you've realistically only scratched the surface. The fact that you're doing cassie work as well is good, as it'll be broadening your experience, but you still can't possibly claim that you're "already trained". It's like someone doing A-level physics and maths and then claiming that they're sufficiently equipped to give Stephen Hawking a run for his money. (Hmm, sorry, perhaps "run" isn't the most appropriate choice of word in relation to Stephen Hawking ... B-))

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to p*ss on your fireworks - you have ambition, and that's great. But you also have to have a grip on reality. (The large helping of cynicism will come in due course!)

 

Keep your feet on the ground - the best way to utterly fail to endear yourself to people is to steam in with an attitude of "I can do all this, I'm fully trained, you can't teach me anything" and then fall flat on your face. If you really want to get into TV, get yourself onto a good general course as Bobbsy recommended - to make any headway in the industry, you really need to have a good general understanding of the production process before you can afford to concentrate on one particular area. It's no good trying to get a job as a console op if you don't really understand what the racks guy is doing at the other end of the room and how closely it relates to what you're doing, for example. And when you start to get yourself some work in the business, there's an awful lot to be said for keeping your head down and absorbing as much knowledge as you can from the experienced people that you'll hopefully end up working with.