Job Letter Template Response

To whom it may concern,


I'm writing this letter to you in regards to the advertisement you have presented for a job application, and I would just like to point out a few points that have raised concern for myself, and may have done for others also. The job role advertised, firstly, is presented in an ambiguous manner- although what is required of one is presented in a clear and concise manner, the benefits with this position are not so much. After one consented to this application and presented themselves as a viable employee, one would expect a fully written and concise contract including confidentiality and exclusivity clauses, that holds ones job position in a stable and secure manner.


The Equality Act (2010) was created as a result of condensing multiple legislation that covers discrimination against race- "a reference to a person who has a particular protected characteristic is a reference to a person of a particular racial group", gender, age- "A reference to an age group is a reference to a group of persons defined by reference to age, whether by reference to a particular age or to a range of ages", alongside other things and ensures that these acts are illegal. This Act is one to be considered when employing staff and when individuals or groups are presented and depicted on screen. I believe that the job application that you have presented infringes this law as a result of the age boundaries you have presented.; "below 30." This is not the only infringement however, another two that arose is the pay rat- "£15,000-£35,000 per annum + benefits" and the religious views that must be presented- "Christian." Firstly, the broad rage between the pay rate should not be so enlarged, but standardised payment for both genders, presented under The Equality Act (2010) -"The ‘equality of terms’ provisions in the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) entitle a woman doing equal work with a man in the same employment to equality in pay and other terms and conditions."


Employers' liability and employees' rights are a large part of a contract. Employers have the responsibility of the safety and well being of their employees whilst the employees' are only protected once under employment of a company. "It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business. Employers must do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this. This means making sure that workers and others are protected from anything that may cause harm, effectively." These factors are rights are not took into consideration throughout the job application that you have presented- "plan and produce a short documentary"- as one is only an applicant, one is therefore not protected under the Employers' and Employees' section of Employment Legislation, nor any Health and Safety Legislation.


Secondly, the representation that you have openly advertised within your job application, not only depicts teenagers in a bad way, but specifically males- "female victims and male offenders who talk candidly to the camera." Although the percentage of men having been raped is smaller than that of the female (1/71 : 1/5) it's not solely males that do offend and the statistics do not condone how the subject matter has been represented throughout this advertisement. Not only is the representation of the youth presented in an underdog tone, the moving image production that they have been asked to produce may, and in fact will, cause an uproar of social concerns. The way it has been suggested that one should "interview teenagers and other individuals who might/have been affected" is not only insensitive, but unethical. If one had been affected by the topic, I personally believe that one would not wish to talk "candidly" to the camera about the experience that they undertook, especially at the young ages of 13-16.


As you may be aware, Ofcom solely exists as a result of the Communications Act and Broadcasting Act. Via referencing this website, other issues have been highlight within the job application that you have presented- particularly Protecting the Under 18's Code. Suggesting that "people under 18 must not be cause unnecessary distress or anxiety by their involvement in programmes" dictates that the young adults that you are wishing to present this campaign to, must not be influenced or put in any distress by the campaign itself, and I believe that it would- "interview teenagers...might be/have been affected by the topic.." Not only does this relate tot the Protecting the Under 18's Act, but also the Ofcom Harm and Offence Code in the way that males and females have been represented; "female victims and male offenders." Due to the statement of the candidate having to "compliment the interview with re-enactments and dramatisations"- such content could violate the Violence, Dangerous Behaviour and Suicide Code which states "must not include material...condones or glamorises [violence]"- it could be glamorised as a result of the "popular music soundtrack" that has been asked of the applicant to place within their production.


"In order to protect children from unsuitable and even harmful content in films and videos and to give consumers information they might need about a particular film or video before deciding whether or not to view it, the BBFC examines and age rates films and videos before they are released." In reference to the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, the moving image production that you wish to be produced would be certified a 15 as a result of the BBFC allowing descriptions of sexual violence to be depicted. "There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence (for example descriptions of rape or sexual assault in a courtroom scene or in victim testimony) but any portrayal depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by context." Another way in which legal issues can be introduced as a result of this production is copyright infringement by the suggestion of using a "popular music soundtrack" which is not at all necessary or relevant due to the seriousness of the topic. 'No Means No' rape campaign is also a trademark and so by wishing to create a short documentary using this name, would be enforcing that the applicant is presenting trademark infringement also. As previously mentioned, the applicant would not be protected under the Employers' and Employees' section of Employment Legislation.


As a result of this issues that I have brought forward to you, I suggest that you re-think the application that you have put forward and take legal and ethical issues into much larger consideration.



Yours Sincerely,


Lucia MacLachlan



Reference List
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/part/2/chapter/1

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/private-and-public-sector-guidance/employing-people/equal-pay/equal-pay-and-the-equality-act-2010

http://www.hse.gov.uk/workers/employers.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_statistics

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/broadcast/831190/section2.pdf

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/how-does-classification-work

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15

Job Roles Booklet

Understanding Developing Technologies in the Television and Film Industries

Reference List

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/consumer-goods.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_television

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=analogue+tv+definition

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=digital+tv+definition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_television

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_television

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay-per-view

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_on_demand

 https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=streaming+content+definition

Careers Handbook

Task One; make a list of the skills you would be able to take to a job at the moment, and think of three example to support each one.

1. Competent in IT skills; learning to use Premier Pro and After Effects, alongside creating media productions.
2. Communication; listen well, work well in a team and distribution of communication evenly
3. Time Management; upkeep a part time job whilst at college, revision timetable, focus more time on important and urgent factors over less important things
4.  Experience in a work place; work in retail, worked at a local bar and restaurant and my work experience took place with children
5.  Organisation; folders for each subject at college, colour co-ordinate all of my work and create to-do lists daily.

Task Two; research, define and explain the following terms by relating them to yourself where necessary.

I'm currently studying an A Level in Communication and Culture alongside a BTEC in Creative Media Production, and I have a part time job at Argos. I need 300 UCAS points (BBB) to get into my chosen University (Bournemouth) to study Communication and Media. Before attending college, I took my GCSE's (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and acquired 12 A*'s - C grades. I have A Levels in English Language and Literature also, and undertook my work experience at a local primary school and also have previously worked for Waveney Gymnastics Centre.

Task Three; list any 3 jobs mentioned in class or any you may have already been considering. What is the job role? What does it entail? Do you need any specialist training or skills? Is it freelance work or can you be a permanent member of staff? 

• Magazine Journalist- interviewing / writing articles / research. HND/Degree. Flexible hours, average of 9-6. £35,000 a year.
• Newspaper Journalist- investigating stories / contacts / press conference. Degree. Long irregular hours. Pre-entry or direct route. £15-50,000 a year.
• Editorial Assistant- accounts up to date / point of contact / interviews. Degree that is relevant. Standard 9-5. £15-40,000 a year.

Task Four; research, define and explain methods of recruitment in the creative media industries.

• National Press- this is a newspaper that concerns with matters of national events of a country collectively. An example of this is Jobs 24. Jobs 24 is in conjunction with The Advertiser, a local newspaper, that has it's own versions and publications across the country. Jobs 24 allows you to search for jobs within your own region and via the use of keywords, so it's a lot more simple and efficient to find a job in the area you wish to work in. A more widespread example is The Guardian- within the press, paper form itself, as well as the Internet, it advertises job availability for not only the company itself, but for jobs in multiple sectors. 

• Trade Press- a trade magazine with the intention of targeting a specific industry or type of trade. This type of media is targeted towards a specific demographic. It allows information to be broadcast and publicized to a specific audience and not to those who have little or no interest in the subject matter. An example of this in relation to the media industry is Brand Republic- this organisation also allows you to update your CV onto the site, and has different sections for 'Now Recruiting' and 'Job of the Week.' One can browse jobs by function and/or location.

• Internet- jobs are advertised online on websites such as The Guardian. This website offers jobs not only for the guardian itself, but also for jobs in different aspects of the working industry. Alongside UCAS and apprenticeship opportunities are also offered. Another example is Indeed- all that is required is for you to sign up and you can even upload your own CV. It's a quick and reliable way of searching for jobs in a specific area or industry of work.

• Trade Fairs- this is an organised exhibition so that companies in specific industries can showcase and demonstrate their latest developments. Berlin Music Week is an example of this. Not only are these beneficial to the company or organisation, but also to individuals. They allow people to gain a better and more in-depth insight into specific areas of an industry, and to fully understand what jobs are available. It can influence their career choice massively. 

• Word of Mouth- this is all about who you know, and verbal communication with the right people. If you impress one company or person, your name is likely to be heard elsewhere which can be referred and create larger opportunities for a future job/career.

• Personal Contacts and Networking- when out on a business meeting or having an interview, it's best to gain as many contacts as possible as you never know when they can come handy in the future. Whether it's receiving business cards, or handing one out to each individual present- the media industry thrives on networking

• Internal Promotion- in the media industry this usually means starting off as a runner, but it involves working your way up in the industry, within the company you are working for. Many opportunities arise in this way of promotion, and it can further one's career greatly if one is to impress managerial roles in any given company. 

Task Five; CV + Cover Letter

Task Six; research, define and explain the following and relate them to yourselves and past experiences.

• Portfolio/E-Portfolio- this is a collection of ones work, whether it be in paper form in a large folder, or on an online blog. It is a showcase of ones work within the industry they wish to apply for. I am currently creating my own for an interview for a college course in Media Production.
• Showreel- this is a montage of ones productions- still and/or moving image- and is designed to show off ones best pieces of work to potential employers.
• Personal Website- this can either be a blog or an actual website, with information on personal and work related issues, and can be used as a networking device to show off ones work. Websites such as Tumblr and Blogger can be used to create these. 

Task Seven; research the following presentation skills/methods and explain what you believe would be 'good practice' for each. 

• Interviewing Skills- DO dress smartly, punctuality is key, take time answering questions and think of examples, sell yourself. DON'T be late or swear, don't slouch and don't lie about anything- if you don't understand something then don't be afraid to ask questions- it's better to ask than not to know. 
• Presentation Skills- when presenting work and portfolio's, know what you are presenting so it's not required that one reads from the paper constantly, be confident in what you are saying and what you believe in. Elaborate on your points, and ensure that you can answer any questions that are aimed in your direction, don't leave them closed or shoot them down.
• Self-Presentation- Linguistic codes are key; your word choices for the answers you give are considered carefully. Don't self doubt constantly and 'hedge' too often; come across confident and at least pretend to know what you're talking about- but DON'T lie. Dress codes are also very important- make sure the clothes one chooses out are ironed and are smart, yet sensible. If you know the interview will require practical work, it's not smart to wear 6 inch heels and a short skirt. Interpersonal skills are the skills required to interact with other people. If one cannot communicate well or clearly, then this doesn't hold well for future interviews. 
• References- these are people that are contacted to find out more information about you, so make sure that they are people who would be useful to further your opportunities professionally. Examples to consider are past and present employers and/or faculty members.

Task Eight; research, define and explain the following terms.

• Training on the job+continuing professional development- this allows one to develop their learning whilst working at a company, whether it be learning how to use new software or developing skills for a later promotion. This new learning takes place whilst working for a company and having job stability- however it can lead to individuals picking up bad habits from other individuals and create some themselves.

• Self-training- this is where one teaches themselves how to use a particular program, or anything of the sort. They may develop their learning and/or understanding as a result of basic training, or out of pure interest.
• Sources of Information- Trade Unions is "an organized association of workers in a trade, group of trades, or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests." Examples of Sector Skills Councils are Creative England- these offer out sector specific information and skills, and are organisations to offer help and guidance. Careers Services are websites which offer careers advice and information on a wide range of job roles. Examples are Creative Skillset and IdeasTap

Task Nine; identify the opportunities you have had in the courses that you are currently studying for developing your functional skills (English, mathematics and ICT)

• Media- English in the blog posts and essays we are required to produce. Mathematics in the editing of footage down to specific time slots. ICT in the learning of Adobe programs and internet research, alongside blog posts.
• Communication and Culture- English in the written coursework and notes on theorists and political and economical movements. Mathematics is not applicable here. ICT in the creative coursework that one is required to produce.
• Law- English in the reading and written notes of specific cases and terminology. Mathematics in the calculations of time served and years of cases. ICT is not applicable here.
• Psychology- English in the reading and writing of case studies and numerous details alongside qualitative data. Mathematics with quantitative data, graphs and tables. ICT in conducting research and online surveys. 

Is T.V News a "Window on the World"?

It's often portrayed that the television news is a wide representation of the world, and ensures that viewers get a good insight into what is happening all around the globe. The analogy which is most commonly used that is the news gives us a "window on the world", suggesting that stories from all over are shown to us, and therefore presented in an unbiased and neutral way. However, we now know that this is not entirely true.

T.V News presents itself to be neutral in many ways- firstly, the starting sequence. Many news programs have starting sequences which include images from all over the world, often landmarks and political buildings. The starting sequence of any given news program is symbolic of the values and ideologies that a given station wants to represent and put forward in their own "window on the world" via the use of iconography and time references etc.. The starting sequence used in the ITN opening scene from the 1980's divides the screen into four sections, representing the "four corners of the world", each division containing an image of a different political and/or monumental building. The screen then wipes out slowly, with the face of a clock editing out each image in turn, to represent the different time zones in the multiple places of the world. This connotes that the news station is in contact and up to date with the happenings of situations all over the world, giving the audience a false sense that they are really getting news from all over the world.

These factors give the viewer a false sense of trust towards the news broadcasters, in the form that they are only being shown a small representation of news from around the world on that given day. The presenters themselves are somewhat pressured into being neutral and unbiased in the way that they present the news, whether it be their tone of voice, or their facial expressions and body language- it is important that they give no indication of their own opinion when presenting any given story. Another way in which the news presents itself to be unbiased is as a result of the laws put in place to ensure a neutral representation of particular narratives. These laws ensure that newsreaders present the news with a sense of impartiality and in a neutral tone.

The hierarchy of truth is another factor which contributed to a way in which the news is presented to be a "window on the world."  The hierarchy of truth is an implication of a typical news structure. It suggests that the first, most common, structure is the newsreader and studio being shot in the same frame, reading the news to an audience in an impartial manner. Usually, this is followed by footage of the location of the incident that happened, or at least very near it- this is presented by a field reporter with more in-depth information on what happened exactly. Finally, 'actuality' footage is depicted to the audience. This provides evidence that the event being presented actually happened and is a crucial and essential stage of the hierarchy of truth.

However, as we have more recently discovered, this is not the case. All news corporations are required to undertake a process aptly named 'The Gatekeeping Process.' This particular process is comprised of an average of 8 stages;
1 - The event itself, whether it be a bomb threat in a local area or a lion escaping from a zoo. This is then followed by;
2 - News Sources; these are where the news stories themselves are looked for, such as police stations and political buildings. Reporters will stand outside the building and try to gain a further insight and more information on the latest breaking story.
3 - Galtung and Ruges' News Values; frequency (short term events like murders are preferred over long term developments such as global warming), threshold (the size of an event indicates its importance- a bomb threat is a lot more sizable than most other news), unambiguity (does not have to be simple, but must be identified by the public), meaningfulness (cultural proximity and relevance), consonance (also known as correspondence), unexpectedness (element of surprise), continuity (once a story has achieved importance it will covered for some time), composition (sense of balance, foreign with domestic and gloomy alongside happy) , elite nations (more likely to be mentioned if part of the developed world), elite persons (famous and wealthy are more newsworthy than ordinary people- The Royal Wedding over any other couple), personalisation (events are seen as acts of individuals), negativity (bad news is good for the press; threshold is much lower for bad news).
4 - News Gathering Routines; legal constraints such as "views and facts must not be misrepresented", late breaking stories and technical problems can lead to stories being binned.

5 - Finances can determine whether stories are covered or not- the example of Tiananmen Square is often used to describe this stage in the process. As the story broke out near the beginning of the BBC's financial year, they were able to send out broadcasters to deliver and receive information on this breaking thus influential story. In contrast however, ITV missed out as a result of not having the financial means, and having covered another large story earlier in their financial year.

6 - Competition between news teams. Although this stage happens throughout the process of broadcasting a news story that has been created, this has a large risk of being placed into the 'dustbin of history'- which not only means that a story won't be broadcast on a particular day, but not at all.
7 - The broadcast itself
8 - The final story at the end of production.


All media is a representation of reality. All representations involve choices. All choices are made according to the beliefs. Therefore it is the beliefs of the news creators that are encoded.

However, does any of this really matter? It's not as if we are going to suddenly change the world on the basis of learning a different news story about a different part of this corrupt world. Us, as a society, are intelligent enough to know that other major things are happening throughout the world every single day, without a news broadcast to tell us so. The claim itself is barely recognised by the audience of news programs anyway, and even if it was, we focus on the information delivered and not the process it has to go through.

Media Ownership and Funding

Public Service Broadcasting (PSB)
An example of a public service broadcaster is the BBC. Lord Reith said that it's about "public service not public exploitation" in the way that the audience isn't sold to advertisements. The BBC is not funded via the government either, but is a system that tries to educate and inform its audience whilst requiring a license fee. Other channels such as ITV have PSB Regulations but are commercial broadcasters, such as ITV; they are required to broadcast at least an hour of religious television each work. OFCOM sets these requirements.

Commercial Broadcasting
This type of broadcasting exists to make a profit, by selling their audience to advertisements- such as Channel 4 and ITV, which are primarily funded from the revenue of advertisements. Other broadcasters such as Sky make additional money by selling their audience to subscriptions.
 


Corporate and Private Ownership
Corporate ownership is often listed as a public economy in that "it involves the creation a legal identity separate from those of its owners." - meaning that it is listed as a public company. An example of a corporate owned company is Microsoft.
Whereas private ownership is set out as a company that is own by an individual and an example of this is Dell.

Global Companies

An example of a global company is News Corporation, owned by Rupert Murdoch. This corporation owns numerous amounts of smaller companies such as Foxtel and The Daily Telegraph- one of which is based in the Cayman Islands as it's a low tax rate location- an advantage of this is that it's easy and simple to exploit tax differences alongside advertising products to a wider demographic. Nonetheless, it can take years for a company to be able to make a profit, no matter the tax returns or exploitations.






Concentration of Ownership
Roughly 6 companies own around 90% of the world media, creating a monopolisation of all companies. These companies are; Vivendi Universal, Time Warner, The Walt Disney Co., Bertelsmann, Viacom and News Corporation. Positives of such companies is that it cuts out much competition and so begins to monopolise the trade. It also makes it a lot easier to create a synergy across organisations. This is where, for example, The Sun will include a competition to win a ticket to a movie premier of a 20th Century Fox film, resulting in Murdoch gaining all publicity and profit. It's also known as a cross platform.

Vertical Integration
This is where one company or corporation owns things in different sectors. For the production of a film, for example, to make the most profit, a company will own the production stage (studio), the distribution sector (different companies to sell this product) alongside the exhibition (cinemas). A perfect example of this being put into practice is the Warner Bros- they now own the Harry Potter Studios for production, Time Warner for the distribution, and also exhibition centres.

Horizontal Integration / Monopolisation
Much like vertical integration, horizontal allows a company to own multiple parts in an industry. However, in this case they are opted to by out rival companies within the same sector, more than the following processes. An example of this is Disney buying out Pixar and Marvel studios, allowing them to increase market shares.

The License Fee
This creates a balance between propaganda and exploiting the audience, and is a method that the BBC use to save becoming a victim of the other two ways of making a profit. It's around £145.50 a year and allows us as an audience to legally watch the television in our homes, and use online services.

Subscription

This is another method that corporations, such as News Corporation, use to make money. It causes the audience to pay a set fee every month to allow them to watch certain channels and additional extras, such as Sky. Most include offers to add packages and deals to a subscription, such as adding sports or movies- however these come with an additional fee.


One-off Payment to Own Product
Examples of this is a free view box, and purchasing a film on DVD or blu-ray. The consumer only has to pay that set price on the one occasion, the day of purchase, and no additional charges are added. 


Pay Per View
This is where a consumer has to pay each time they wish to view a certain television program or other form of media and a good example of this is wrestling. It illuminates the hassle of having to return rented items, and competitive prices are often available as well as TV Series deals. 










Sponsorship
This is where mediums are funded by other corporations- which allows other business and corporations to advertise and enlarge their audience. Coronation Street and X-Factor-funded by Talk-Talk- are examples of this, where the corporation is at the start and ending of every advertisement. For more than 20 years of it's lifetime, from 1961 to 1989, went out twice a week and attracted, often, more than 20 million viewers. "Such huge viewing figures, week after week, brought ITV the advertising revenue and financial stability that underwrote its less popular "quality" programmes."

Advertising
ITV uses this to sell its audience to advertisements - it's a secretive and clever way of making a profit, as consumers don't understand or realise that they are being bought via this method. Depending on the amount of viewers and spending power of the audience, it's a lot more costly to have airtime for the advertisement of a product. For example, advertising slots for when X-Factor is being aired is a lot more expensive than advertising when Dickinson's Real Deal is being aired.



Product Placement
This is where a product is placed in a text. Certain companies place their products in films, for example, promotional values and as a substitute for sponsoring a film. 'James Bond', for example, will always be wearing an omega watch and driving an expensive car, as they are who sponsored and advertised the film franchise.





Private Capital
This is where an independent company or individual raises the funding for a production themselves. This can be borrowing from friends or using your own wages and disposable income. Rodriguez's' debut film, El Mariachi, is a perfect example of how this can pay off and really create someones career for them. Rodriguez sold his body to a month long stay at a medical research facility earning him the $7,000 that he used for the production of the film. However the distribution rights were bought out as a result of executives at Columbia Pictures becoming so fond of the production- this then made Rodriguez's writing and director career and reputation for what it is.

Crowd-Funding
Kickstarter is a prime example of this type of funding. It allows up and coming producers to develop their ideas and portfolio and if people like their ideas, they can pledge money towards the production of such mediums. "Kickstarter is a platform and a resource." Funding such as this allows new producers and creators to develop and even improve their ideas, as well as building up their portfolio with small yet creative and amazing ideas. 44% of productions that have been advertised on Kickstarter have received 100% funding. An example of where this has worked remarkably well is for Benjamin Pommeraud and Guillaume Colboc- the producers of Demain La Veille (Waiting For Yesterday)- who launched a public internet donation which gave them a total of £13, 579 in just a month allowing them to fully produce the film.















Development Funds
This is financial aid given to some countries for certain film productions. An example of this is when the lottery give out a small amount of money to the BFI to enable them to fund projects created by up and coming producers- this type of funding is not able to fully fund the production costs however, just assist with the funding. The BFI "welcome applications from new and established film makers...can be made at any time, and you can expect a response from us within six to eight weeks." If one was to apply for a fully funded application, then it would be expected that they get rejected automatically, as no matter the cost of the production it will never be fully funded via the BFI. 

Other types of funding are also available through bank loans and private investors.