Evaluation

My first stage in my project was to inform my ideas, this was done by completing research into potential careers and job opportunities in the industry. Throughout the course of this unit, I have researched into my future options at many different points in separate ways, looking at websites, having talks within college about future options, and doing my own personal comparisons of the different routes I could go in my future. First, there was a post in the teams channel posted by one of my lecturers (Neil Wilson) which was a link to a BBC apprenticeship option. I investigated this specific apprenticeship and thought it was a fantastic opportunity to get experience in the media industry while still getting paid as well as getting another level3 qualification and I plan to do this apprenticeship assuming my application is accepted. The apprenticeship would involve getting hands-on experience as a technical broadcast operator in the studio, on location and behind the camera as well as honing my skills in filming, sound, editing and producing all while studying towards a level3 broadcast tech operator qualification. There was a lengthy application process which involved me answering multiple short answer questions as well as 2 essay type questions, finally having to send in a video recording of myself answering some interview questions, you can see more detail of thin in my ‘BBC Apprenticeship’ post on my blog.  I also looked on the website https://careers.channel4.com/4jobs to see if there were any available apprenticeships or even just work within channel 4. I found a few career options: Digital producer (4Studio), Producer (4Creative), and Digital Video Editor (4Studio). I saw all these placements as something that would be suitable for where I want to go in my career as well as being compatible with my skill set, I am taking these different placements under careful consideration however I have not yet applied for any of the placements yet. I have also looked at different job opportunities on https://uk.indeed.com/ which are within the media industry. I looked at roles such as: Video editor, Advertisement Assistant, and Freelance Photographer. These all seem like good fall-backs to go straight into employment if I am not accepted into any apprenticeship placements. Finally, I have not considered university, I have been told about them and the different opportunities within them inside my college as well as looking at some university opportunities online however it is not the direction I want to go towards in my life, so I am not going to be applying to any universities. In conclusion of my research into future careers I have learned the different benefits of the different routes into the industry I can take, as well as learning the type of skills I will need to be part of the job I am hoping for, this will involve a lot of technical skill so I will have to work on developing my technical skills by completing different videos and edits in my own time and I will most likely document this process in some sort of production diary. 

I have had many networking opportunities in this unit. The first of these networking events was a chance to pitch a TV show with BBC. We were given a couple of weeks to write up a plan and pitch it to a member of BBC suing a PowerPoint during a teams call. This was my first time pitching anything to an actual company and it was a vast experience which allowed me to understand how to pitch an idea and gave me a great confidence boost as I got mostly positive feedback minus a few points. I know different points I need to focus on such as the overall goal and target audience of a tv show or film, as well as general pitching skills such as skimming over my points explaining a summary of each slide, I had created highlighting key details rather than simply reading everything out as it helps maintain attention and bring my main points across stronger. I have also attended multiple talks from Liam (a FutureMe speaker) who has talked about university, apprenticeships, student loans, and most recently academic/personal writing. The talks have taught me a lot such as the application process, benefits, drawbacks and financing of different future opportunities which has helped me decide on what I want to do after college as well as how to apply for a university if I change my plan in the future. I have also recently attended a talk from Laura Pearman who spoke about work experience, apprenticeships, managing a business and website design. This talk gave me valuable insight into these topics and has made me think more about my future as she has made me aware of how much work you need to put in to get where you want to be. Finally, I had an opportunity to take part in a mock interview situation. For this mock interview I was given a certain amount of time to research the company (in this case channel 4) as well as look into interviewing techniques. I was told to try and find a bad quality about myself and try to make it into a positive so when the subject comes up about my greatest weaknesses, I can talk about them in a way that makes them seem like a strength. This was a very useful experience and has helped me feel more prepared for future interviews and made me more confident in my ability to answer questions, especially about what I do in my own time and my weaknesses. 

This entire unit I have been learning how to create a brand identity, creating a brand identity and developing different skills and products which help to complete my brand overall. For all the components of my brand identity (logo, business card, digital profile, website) I first looked at existing examples of each of these things to help mw understand the codes and conventions of each, helping me successfully create my own products as well as helping ne identify any mistakes and see any improvements I could make. The first thing I done was create a logo as it is important for people to have an image in their head that they can directly associate with your brand. I made the logo clear and simple while making it obvious about what my business was, as well as this I used my logo to define the colour scheme for all my other products (business card, website, etc.) I used the existing logos I had looked at for inspiration which ultimately made me decide on a simple, easy to read, logo with a standout font and colour scheme. I gathered feedback on my logo via google forms and made the necessary improvements. My logo was made on photoshop, I used a square frame so the logo could be used for multiple services, and I used the text and select tools to type my brand and colour the logo, the fonts I used were downloaded from https://www.dafont.com/. The next thing I done was create a business card these are important to spread your brand to a wider audience as well as giving out information such as contact information. As I mentioned earlier, I kept the colour scheme from my logo on my business card, I made sure to include all essential information, incorporate my logo and included a QR code which links to my website. I noticed some problems with my initial design (font and colour clashing) which I rectified before seeking feedback on google forms and making any further improvements suggested. This was again created on photoshop this time on an 85mm x 55mm frame (which I researched to be the correct size for a business card). I used the text tool for the title and information on the card, again using fonts downloaded from https://www.dafont.com/. I used the shape tool to make the information side of the card more visually pleasing. I also added the QR code (which I personally created on https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/)  using the snipping tool. Finally, on the other side of the card I inserted my logo as well as 2 film reel strips which I cropped and edited to go well with the card design. I then created a showreel, I included my best projects, titles for each and links to the full products. This is my first time creating a showreel, so it is not the best quality and there is defiantly room for improvement. I inserted all the clips I was going to use and cropped/trimmed them all appropriately then synced each clip and cut to the added music. Finally, I created my website, a lot of detail went into this from layout to colour scheme to the information included and presented. kept the entire website to the same colour scheme as my logo to keep everything streamline and related. I added a Bio to give easy access to basic information. I added a separate section for my showreel. Finally, I added a second task bar to the right side of the screen which has links to all my social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Blogger) and it can be seen on all pages of the website. I decided to use a format that I felt was the easiest to navigate the website. Every page can be accessed from just scrolling but there is also a quick way to access specific pages by using the task bar at the top of the screen. All decisions and design ideas made throughout these products were based on existing examples.