B1 Evaluation

Working in the media industry and Higher Education. 

After consideration and research on options for my future academic options, i am planning on going to Sunderland university to study Film, TV and media production. I also considered apprenticeships but decided against it due to the amount of competition there is between candidates along with the lack of opportunities for media apprenticeships in the North East. Another reason i decided to go down the University route is because of my interest in learning new skills in my field, both practical and theoretical, which i figured i would not get to experience both on an apprenticeships 

As for careers, i have been researching jobs in companies such as BBC, IVT, Channel 4.and Netflix. I am not sure exactly what profession i want to go into yet, bit after researching these 3 companies i am impressed and interested by their opportunities and starting salaries they have to offer post graduate students. Another reason i am interested in working for these companies are due to their opportunities to travel and work in places all around the country and even abroad. They also have hundreds of different positions which allows for growth and progression within the company. 

Although i have not yet decided what role i want to go into, i have had some thoughts about going down the camera operator, sound technician and lighting technician route. These are only considerations at this point and i am expecting them to change once i enter university and start exploring other roles that i may not have considered before or have never even heard of. I may even discover that i want to go into a creative role such as writing, directing, producing or editing.

In conclusion, i am happy with the choices i have made and am excited about what my future in education and excited for my potential career in media. 

Networking

Over the course of this year and last year, i have had several opportunities to Network with other people within the media industry. This has helped me get an idea on people in the North East and the companies which i can get potential employment with and other work with. I have also gotten the opportunity to learn about the companies within the North East which i otherwise may not have found out about such a DigiFin, which is a solo run media production company ran be Lee Axon.  

I have also had the opportunity to network with Universities and gain experience in what University education is like. I have taken part in classes and demonstrations which was valuable to me as i got a taster as to what to expect if i were to go to Sunderland University. I got experience and knowledge in what equipment i may be using and who the lecturers are i may be working with are. These networking experiences made me excited about University and the types of equipment i could be using. 

To conclude this, i am happy with the networking experiences i have taken part in. The lessons i have learned during these networking experiences have been valuable to me and will no doubtably benefit me in my future endeavors in years to come. 

Mock interview

After completing my mock interview, i am pleased with my performance and am happy with what i managed to do. I spoke clearly and with confidence and maintained good eye contact with the interviewer. I am also glad that i prepared well for the questions which makes me come across as organised and confident. I think the mock interview has made me more confident in my interview skills and allowed me to identify points where i can improve on to become a more promising and attractive candidate to potential employers. 

As for points that i can improve on, i was told that when an interviewers asks me to tell them about myself, i can expand further and tell them more about my personal life, hobbies, interests and education. I was told this will make me more presentable to the interviewer and that they can get to know my personality. I was also told that if possible, i should try and make my answers slightly longer for certain questions, such as identifying strengths and weaknesses. I can talk about when i used those skills and when i found out i had those skills, as well as my weaknesses, which i can talk about times where i have made an effort to overcome those weaknesses and what i have been doing to improve them. 

Creating my brand identity

A positive brand identity is the most important thing you can do for your career as it is the first thing that will be observed by potential clients, employers and viewers. It is where the initial impression of you and your brand will be made so it is extremely important that you create a positive, distinctive and professional image. I began creating my brand identity by researching different types of logos and learning about what style and format of logo is most favorable to employers and potential clients. I learned that the type of logo that is most favorable by the majority of viewers are 'descriptive logos', a type of logo which describes what the business does within their logo. The logo design i settled on was in the shape of a vintage reel projector, made in Adobe Photoshop using the shape tool and curve shape tool. I liked this design as it was descriptive, simplistic and professional. 

I then continued to design a name for my brand where i came up with 'Bright Light Studio'. I liked the name as i feel it has positive connotations as well as referencing the work i have been completing in college. Bright Lights also reference filmmaking equipment, as in lighting. I believe this name is effective because because it is has positive tones, which appeals to viewers and it also has references to filmmaking which makes it relevant to the context. 

The next step in establishing my brand identify was to create a business card. I wanted my business card to be simple and minimal, while still containing all of the necessary information needed for anyone to find me and my business. The business card is double sided, one side is plain and only shows the background design and logo and the other is full of information about my services. On the front of the business card, i used the background design to mimic light coming from the reel projector. i felt this was a subtle and well thought design feature i think people would appreciate. 

The backside of the business card contains all of the necessary information needed for potential clients to contact me. I added a short description of my business and what it is i do along with an address, social media links and phone number. 

Overall, i am pleased with the brand identity i have created and i believe that it is a professional, appealing and attractive. I think the brand is well thought out and well designed and would appeal to employers, clients and viewers. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, i am happy with the progress i have made over the course of this unit. I have learned a lot of valuable information and learned a lot about working in the media industry and the many different routes that i can possibly go down. The experience of this unit has taught me the importance of brand identity, interview skills, strong personal statement writing and CV writing skills. I am feeling more confident about these core skills, especially my interview skills, which is something i have always felt uncomfortable with. This has given me the confidence which will be crucial in real world job interviews and will benefit me a lot.