Working in film and TV

There are many roles within the industry. The following resources provide an overview:

The Royal Television Society provides an overview and information about the many jobs available in the TV industry.

A helpful career map to the jobs available within editorial and TV production is available from ScreenSkills. ScreenSkills also has careers information on the job roles available in film and TV drama and unscripted TV.

Common entry-level roles include production runner, programme researcher, and production administrator. Administrative or hospitality experience is beneficial as these roles demand transferable skills.

• Production Runner: A popular starting point. Flexibility and availability for short-term or less desirable hours, such as weekends, are advantageous. Runner posts range from single-day roles to several months. Building experience as a student or while holding another job can be helpful.

In entry-level roles, you’ll be expected to work long hours, for example, ten-hour days. Showing enthusiasm and building connections can lead to further opportunities, as short-term contracts and freelance work are common in this sector.

Success in getting a job depends more on your skills, enthusiasm, experience and commitment than the subject you have studied. Advertisements for production assistants often ask for excellent attention to detail, editing skills and good interpersonal skills for dealing with people e.g. guests on a show. These skills will vary though depending on the type of roles you’re applying for. Being well organised is helpful.

Certain roles may require specific qualifications or training, so explore the job profiles that interest you on the ScreenSkills website.

Trainee schemes do exist, but are very competitive and may apply specific diversity criteria. Examples include BBC production trainee scheme, Channel 4, and ITV. Check ScreenSkills and the BBC for details of current schemes.

ScreenSkills currently advertises training schemes in high end TV and Creative Access also offer internships within the creative industries, sometimes including TV.

The Production Guild run short courses for runners and admin staff which are very popular. Future Learn, The Royal Television Society and ScreenSkills provide online courses to familiarise you with different aspects of the industry. Many other websites listed in our Where to find opportunities section also have information on news and events including courses, which could potentially give you the opportunity to network.

*Links to these scheme can be found below

Jobs (including entry level opportunities)

Some organisations ask you to pay them to access job vacancies. This is not necessary as the information is generally freely available. Water Cooler have an extensive list of websites where TV jobs are listed.

Many jobs are not advertised, so you also need to make speculative applications and network with people in the industry.

Vacancy sources

• RTS has links to entry level jobs and trainee opportunities
• Creative Access – have entry level vacancies and internships across the creative industries, many of which are aimed at applicants who are under-represented in the industry.
• TV Watercooler – lists links where jobs are listed (free of charge to apply)
• My First Job in Film – entry level jobs in film.
• Production Base - Jobs board (including runner/entry level) and news, events etc.
• Talent Base - Currently not many jobs listed, but it lists employers across the sector which could be useful for making speculative applications.
• Talent Manager - Jobs board, including entry level. Also, news and courses linked to the industry.
• The Knowledge - can be a good way to find details and emails of all organisations involved in this sector.  Job vacancies are no longer just based in London as companies receive incentives to relocate to other regions including Leeds, Manchester and Cardiff. 
• Independent Cinema Office – The job board advertises jobs at every level and some volunteering opportunities.
• Shooting People – A community of independent film-makers. Jobs board (but not many entry level). Additionally, competitions and resources aimed at film makers.

Facebook Groups

Increasingly, Facebook is being used to recruit runners. As well as the Facebook links below there are also Facebook groups around geographical locations like Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester, so if you are based in a specific location, it’s worth doing a search on Facebook for these groups.

• People in TV: Runners – Private Facebook group which advertises jobs for runners (this is already included in the TV Cooler website links list)
• UKTV Runners on Facebook - Private Facebook group for runners in the UK.

Trainee Schemes

• BBC Production Trainee Scheme
• Channel 4 Production Trainee Scheme

• Sky – Early Careers

Regional Opportunities

• Crew Directory - Filming in England – Opportunities outside London are advertised here as well as events and information for those interested in this sector. This organisation also offers a CV matching service and guidance on CV writing.

Regional Websites

• Film Birmingham - Covers Birmingham and the Midlands. As well as job opportunities there are also events and training courses relevant to film/TV listed.
• Film London - Covers productions being filmed in London

Work experience

• Endemolshine UK - 40 centrally funded, two week work experience placements per year on a rolling basis for those without contacts in the industry. They also offer a Brightbulb – Development Intern Scheme.
• Creative Access - entry level vacancies and internships across the creative industries, many of which are aimed at applicants who are under-represented in the industry.

Opportunities aimed at encouraging applicants under-represented in TV

• Creative Access – entry level vacancies and internships across the creative industries, many of which are aimed at applicants who are under-represented in the industry.
• Mama Youth Project - a diversity project called “What’s Up TV training” for 18-25 year-olds. No experience required. Three weeks free training followed by 10 weeks paid placements.
• The Network - work at the Edinburgh International TV festival for four days in September and then get 12 months of mentoring and access to job opportunities and events.

Volunteering opportunities

• Media Trust - Media charity offering volunteering opportunities, media mentoring and free masterclasses to young people and under-represented communities.
• Do-it.life - Putting key words such as TV / video may bring up opportunities to help charities with video production or similar.
• Independent Cinema Office – The job board advertises jobs at every level and some volunteering opportunities.

Make an appointment on MyCareer and get our advice on CVs and covering letters as the sector prefers a concise targeted CV and well researched letter. Evidence of your passion and commitment will be looked for alongside skills related to the role you’re applying for.

Top tips for TV CVs

1. Make sure your CV is succinct and matches the criteria being asked for
2. Don’t use colour or photos
3. Use bullet points rather than blocks of text so your CV is easy to read
4. Skills like driving and transferable skills gained via hospitality are often looked on favourably, so make sure you make these stand out in your CV/cover letter
5. If you have skills that would be useful for that specific production, that is working with animals, children and so on, include that in your CV, but only if it is relevant
6. Make it clear where you are based or can be based for locations (that is, can you stay at parents or friends if it’s where filming takes place?)
7. In the footer of your CV, insert a GDPR statement such as: ‘GDPR Statement: This CV may be kept on file and distributed for employment purposes’. This will allow organisations to share your CV with others who may be interested

For further advice on targeting your CV to the television industry specifically, take a look at this helpful advice from The TV Watercooler website.

Crew Directory from Filming in England provides a service matching CVs to opportunities they have and will also give feedback and guidance on your CV.

Cover letters

At a recent RTS event, a talent manager offered the following guidelines.

1. Address your letter of application to a named person, so do your research.
2. Indicate where you saw the advert and state your availability
3. If a speculative letter, specify the role you are seeking, for example, your first entrant role
4. Confirm that you have a full UK driving license and can travel to the location. State why you would be interested in a particular role, and production and briefly outline your skills and experience.
5. Sound confident and polite, make it concise.
6. Only apply for roles which you are enthusiastic about. Evidence of motivation is key to success. Location roles are demanding so showing you can be resilient is important.

For further advice on targeting your cover letter to the television industry specifically, take a look at this helpful advice from The TV Watercooler website.

Interviews

A recruiter for a TV production company offered the following tips:

• You need to be more than just passionate about TV, be able to prove it.
• If you are going for a role as a PA on for example, Gogglebox, you must know the characters and say which ones you like best and why.
• Do not say how much you enjoy presenting if applying for a PA role
• Talk about what content you have made at university. 
• Give examples using STAR technique. 
• Reflect on which directors you admire and why? Do your research.
• Think carefully about why to want to work in TV/film
• What was on TV last week? What is your favourite film? And what did you most enjoy and why? Any questions for us?
• “It is a tough industry, but we are still expanding and looking for talent. More production teams are needed, and new studios will be opening. There is more content needed than ever before.”

Building your skills

Brush up on your essential professional skills and use your time at university to find relevant work experience where possible.

Those in the industry require good organisational skills and the ability to work under pressure owing to it being a fast paced environment, often with long hours being worked  Make sure you can evidence that you can do this.

Recruiters seeking PAs often prefer those who have office or administrative experience or can demonstrate good attention to detail. Excellent communication skills are a necessity. Volunteering or working for a student society can help you develop some of these skills and the ability to work to tight deadlines. Brushing up on your administration skills including writing emails and being competent at using Microsoft applications such as Excel and Teams will also help equip you for your first role in TV.

Online resources help you to hone your production skills, and platforms like YouTube and stock agencies enable you to host or broadcast your work for free. Developing a portfolio of work will provide invaluable experience and demonstrate to potential collaborators that you know your TV and are passionate about it. If you want to try your hand at scriptwriting start to collect scripts and write for Impact magazine. If you’re making films at University, then you could use TikTok or YouTube to showcase them.

Another way to build your networks is by getting casual work as a crowd actor or 'extra', which will give you the chance to meet likeminded people, and get first-hand experience of a working film set.

Getting involved with a student society

The university has several Students' Union societies which offer training and opportunities to gain hands-on production experience by working with like-minded people. These include the Film Making society which would be relevant if you are looking to work in film/TV drama. Visit the Students' Union's society pages for more information. You might also join the Creative Student Network where you may get to meet alumnus from film and TV.

Networking

At a recent session run by the RTS, networking skills were strongly encouraged. Clearly when attending events in person you can practice your networking skills though meeting and talking to people in the industry. Be polite, professional and friendly and don’t forget to do your research beforehand. There is nothing worse than commenting on a TV show that you thought your contact produced, only to be told that they worked for a different production company! Joining film or TV related groups, gaining work experience and attending industry related events will expand your network.

In Nottingham, the independent Broadway cinema hosts screenings, and film making training. The Royal Television Society runs numerous TV workshops and events.

Online networking

If online networking is more you style or a necessity then ScreenSkills offer mentors and are good places to meet people from the industry.

Following people you admire on social media can work well. Again it is essential to do your research first. Those in the industry encourage persistence, but stress the importance of being polite and professional.

Having a professional LinkedIn can be helpful, look at our webpages on building an effective profile or speak to a careers adviser.

Please be aware that study abroad, compulsory year abroad, optional placements/internships and integrated year in industry opportunities may change at any time for a number of reasons, including curriculum developments, changes to arrangements with partner universities or placement/industry hosts, travel restrictions or other circumstances outside of the university's control. Every effort will be made to update this information as quickly as possible should a change occur.