LO2 - Skills needed to carry out a chosen media production role

Written communication
For my chosen media production role I have chosen to look at is when i undertook the role of a editor for Unit 46 Audio Visual Promos. In order to carry out this role effectively i would need to use multiple skills to efficiently complete the task. One of those being that of using written communication, an example of where i have used this during my job as an editor is when i created the rushes of our footage. This contributed to my team and role as the rushes are the raw footage from our shoots and after organising all the raw footage into a rush I could start to outline line what went well on our shoot and what footage would be usable in the final product. For example i have discussed in detail why each shot is either usable or not usable by looking at aspects such as lighting, audio quality, stabilisation and continuity between clips.  This would help contribute to my role as an editor and to the rest of my group as by stating what footage would be usable it allows us too quickly and efficiently start production on drafts of our final teaser trailer.

Verbal communication

Another skill that i would need to utilise was that of verbal communication an example of where i have used this skill is during the media pitch we had when discussing our idea for a teaser trailer to the rest of our class mates. During this presentation we discussed aspects such as narrative, locations and genre in order to receive feedback on how to improve our initial ideas. I talked about how we initially thought we would edit the trailer, the feedback i received was generally positive for my idea to edit with an overall fast pace due to the fact that it was only a teaser trailer and was a action film which stereotypically have very fast paced trailers. One critique we received was too include conventions off thriller trailers as our narrative did meet conventions off the thriller genre so it would make sense to include conventions into the teaser as well. After the presentation my group discussed in detail how we would edit the trailer and I liked the idea off including thriller conventions which my group eventually agreed on. This contributed to my role as an editor as we were then able to discuss aspects such as pacing, music and colour palette which helped me during the editing stage as it allowed me to already have an idea on what scenes would look and sound like.

Practical production
Another skill i would need to use in my role as an editor would be practical production an example of where i have done this is when i edited multiple scenes for our teaser t0railer. During unit 46 audio visual promos i had to edit multiple scenes including half of the first scene and the entirety of the second scene. While i was editing i utilised many tools on premiere pro for example i added a adjustment layer to the trailer i did this because i felt it gave the video a more cinematic feel and that the black and white also fit in with the film genre as many thriller teasers use the black and white effect. I also utilised the razor tool this allowed me too create jump cuts so that the trailer does not become boring for a viewer watching and gives the trailer a fast pace. I chose to give the scene a fast pace as it helped to build tension for the viewer. This contributed to my role as an editor as by using these tools it allow me to create a trailer that was more in line with what a professional product should look like with proper pacing and effective use of effects too enhance the trailer.

Creativity
Another skill that i would need to use in my role as an editor would be creativity an example of where i have used this is when I decided to have the teaser trailer in black and white. When we were in the middle of the editing process we were wondering on how we could make the teaser feel more cinematic due to feedback we had received so i decided to watch several thriller trailers as a complaint we received was that it felt too much like a action trailer after watching several thriller trailers i noticed that many thriller trailers utilised the black and white filter, this helped add to the dower and bleak tones of the trailers. Another way in which the black and white filter helped our trailer was that it makes the viewer focus on the content and the story, and it really concentrates your attention on what's in the frame. All too often, color can be a distraction, it's easier to make color look good, but harder to make color service the story. Black and white helps convey the tone of the story and creates fewer distractions for the viewer. This contributed to my role as an editor as it made the trailer more engaging and helped convey meaning to the viewer.

Gaps and action plan I believe that the gaps in my skills as an editor would be my knowledge off the many tools and techniques that can be utilised within adobe premiere pro. As it was only my second time using premiere pro i had a very brief understanding off the tools that were available as a result i was not aware of how to utilise them into my own work. In order to ensure that this does not happen again I will take time to learn and experiment with many off the different features that are offered on premiere pro, this will help in later projects as i will be able to utilise more advance techniques and create a better overall product. Other gap in my skills i could identify was taking on board criticism of out trailer. When we first gave in our 1st draft i was happy with how it turned, however we got a criticism from feedback for a while i was quite disheartened and it took me time to start working on improvements. In order to ensure i remove this as a gap in my skills i will need to learn to take on criticism as this will allow me to create a overall better product that has taken on criticism from multiple view points. I will be looking for an apprenticeship during the summer to better my media techniques.

LO1 - Analysis of two job roles

Analysis of a Editor
There are a variety of different job roles within the film industry. One such job role is that of a film editor. The main job of the film editor is too work closely with the director in order to craft a series of rushes that will then be used as reference in order to craft a series of scenes, that once completed will be become the final feature film. Editors usually work as freelancers by the producer based on their experience and portfolio of previous works. Editors usually work long hours, under pressure, in a editing suite. Before shooting even begins the editor works closely with the director in order to maximise the potential of the screenplay. During the production process the editors will check the technical standards of much of their equipment such as tablets, PCs and monitors this is in order to make sure that no vital equipment stops working during the editing process. Software that is commonly used by editors in order to construct the recorded footage into a film that meets the directors vision is software such as Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro, these are popular among editors as they offer a wide array of features that allow editors to make very specific modifications to the timeline of footage that can allow the film to be more engaging through the use of editing.Other popular choices are Adobe After Effects too create visual effects and Avid Media composer is another popular editing software used in film making. Skills that you would need in order to become a film editor would be attention to detail, understanding of narrative and being able to lead a team. In terms of qualifications you don't need a specific qualification in order to get into film editing  however there a a variety of courses at higher education that can help in terms of editing such as BA (Hons) Editing and Post Production and BA (Hons) Film.

Analysis of a screenwriter Another job role within the film industry is that of a screenwriter.  The main job of the screenwriter is too create a screenplay that will allow anyone reading it too understand how the film is being laid out by having it meat conventions of a typical screenplay, this will then make it easier for the producer, director, editor and actors too fully understand the diegesis their working in. Screenwriters work on very strict deadlines in order to produce highly creative writing within a development team that will eventually become a finished screenplay. Screenwriters are mostly freelancers they often pitch their own ideas to producers in hopes they may take on the idea or they would be commissioned to create a screenplay from a concept. Equipment that would be needed by a screenwriter would be a computer, printer and a fax machine. These will allow the screenwriter to create the screenplay and send copies between the writers and other members of the cast and crew. Skills that would be required to become a screenwriter would be being able to work as a team, have a understanding of narrative and character also being able to work under strict deadlines. For qualifications that would help in becoming a screenwriter you wouldn't require any specific qualifications  however there are multiple higher education courses that would that would help in terms of becoming a scriptwriter such as BA (Hons) Film.

Comparison of the two jobs
When we look at both of these job roles I can see that there are many similarities and differences between them. For example in terms of similarities both jobs would be working under very strict deadlines in order for their specific roles to meet their quotas as editors will be working long hours usually under pressure this is because feature films can take months to fully compile together in order to meet the films release date so editors will be under constant pressure to complete scenes, special effects and audio within given amounts of time. Screenwriters will also be under strict deadlines as their work takes place in the pre-production process, they will be creating a screenplay that will allow the director, producer, editor and actors to begin the production process by having a finished screenplay that features a exciting narrative and engaging characters. In terms of differences between the two roles they both take play during different stages off the production process for example a screenwriters job would take place during pre-production as its their job to provide the screenplay before production of the film can begin. Editors on the other hand, their roles normally take place during the production and post - production stages as in the production stage the editor will review footage each day as it is filmed in order to decipher what footage is usable and what is not. This allows the editor to get a jump - start on post - production by being able to decide what will be used in the final edit. During the post - production process the editor will first begin by creating the first assembly this is where the editor takes starts to take raw footage and places it into a timeline, once this is completed the rough cut will be created where the final shots are chosen and the narrative is being constructed and then finally the final cut is where cutting and timing is finalised.





Creative skill set
(2017) Job roles
Accessed on March 7th 2017
Available at https://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/film/job_roles