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FINDING YOUR CAREER PATH IN FILM AND VIDEO PRODUCTION
AN INTERACTIVE APPROACH

By

Thomas Steven Wolfe

A THESIS
Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

Department of Telecommunication

1 996

Abstract

FINDING YOUR CAREER PATH IN FILM AND VIDEO PRODUCTION
AN INTERACTIVE APPROACH

By

Thomas Steven Wolfe

This thesis focused on recent graduates and newcomers in the field
of Telecommunication, Broadcasting, TV, and Film. The central problem is
that many of these students lack a clear understanding of the structure
of the industry. Therefore, many have problems finding jobs in film and video
production..

In this study, we looked at different types of media organizations and
examined their structures. These included; an advertising agency and a
television station. More specifically, the structure of the production departments
within these organizations was the main focus of this study.

Finally an interactive multimedia program was produced which outlined
the structure of an advertising agency, job descriptions, and salaries for those
positions within the broadcast production department. This program was
evaluated by students and the results suggested that an interactive program

of this type could be an effective and enjoyable tool for job-hunting.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Bob Albers for being the chair on my thesis
committee. Bob helped keep my writing coherent and concise. I would also
like to thank the other committee members; Dr. Gilbert Williams, and Dr.Steve
McDowell. Special thanks go to Dr. Barry Litman for his support and very good
advice. I also really appreciate the unlimited support that Dr.Gretchen Barbatsis
has given me. Finally, I would like to thank all the support staff in the office,

especially Lucy Ramsey for her patience.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1
CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 3 - ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE ............................................... 23
CHAPTER 4 - DESIGN .............................................................................................. 38
CHAPTER 5 - STUDY EVALUATIONS ................................................................... 52
CHAPTER 6 - RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................... 60
APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................... 63
Organizational Structure of a Television station .......................................... 63
Script - Screen #1 Introduction ....................................................................... 82
Pre-Production Questionnaire ........................................................................ 84
Post-Production Questionnaire ...................................................................... 86
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................... 90

M1

Introduction

Computers, satellites, lasers and fiber optics are just a few examples of
the newer technologies which are changing the way we communicate with each
other (Ellis, 1992). Ellis says that, “these scientific marvels have ushered in an
age which is transforming the way companies do business, governments handle
diplomacy, schools instruct students and individuals manage their affairs. A
growing number of public and private organizations operate their own electronic
communication systems and thousands of businesses have sprung up to create
and produce programming and software for all of these facilities and their
customers.” This means that as we enter the twenty-first century the trend toward
media diversity will become more and more apparent. instead of trying to reach a
mass audience with few programs, we will instead target our communication to
specific groups or niches.(Ellis, pg.2 ; 1992) “The age of broadcasting is giving
way to a new era of narrowcasting-broadcasting to a specific narrow audience. “
Many new and different types of programming will be needed in order to reach
these specific audience groups or niches. This diversification translates to the
need for more and more highly skilled people to create quality programming and
communicate effectively with their audience. Despite this encouraging news, job-

hunting in the field of broadcasting and visual communications is extremely

l

2
competitive. Every year thousands of students are graduating from universities

and colleges, ready to look for their first job. ”Unfortunately, very few of these
recent graduates have a strong understanding of how this “industry" is really
structured and how to go about finding a job. More specifically, many new
graduates in this field only contact the most visible places for employment (i.e.
television stations and larger film/video production companies.)They lack a clear
understanding of how jobs are secured and how their goals, interests and
personality can be matched with a specific career path.

Both universities and colleges spend very little time educating the students
on how and where to find employment in this field. Michigan State University
Placement Services offers the Telecommunication (Media Arts) undergraduates
very little assistance in finding employment in this field. Because this is a
relatively small and “creative” industry, the hiring procedures and “channels” are
often times different from those of major corporations (i.e. Ford, AT&T etc.) Jobs
are typically not secured through personnel departments, but rather through I
“networking" and developing personal relationships with the producers,
department heads, or others with the authority to make the hiring decisions. With
this in mind, the student must have a clear understanding of how the industry is
really structured and where they might “fit in” within this structure.

This study will address this problem in two ways: (1) a written thesis
analyzing the problem; (2) design of an interactive multimedia program. A smaller

working “prototype” of this interactive multimedia program will actually be

3
created. This “prototype” will be used and evaluated by students as a learning

device to help them gain a solid understanding of how the field of Visual
Communications (film and video production) is structured and where to find
positions within this industry. Through this ‘interactive” approach the students
could explore many different career paths, including various job titles and

descriptions of those jobs which might interest them.

Chagter 2

Literature Review

Th - Th r r ' m ' i

L. Patrick Scheetz, Director of Career Development and Placement
Services at Michigan State University (“Recruiting Trends”,1994-1995) reported
that the communication industry in 1994 -1995 expected a 19.5% increase in the
number of new college graduate hires. This was the second consecutive year
that employers predicted an increase in job opportunities for new college
graduates.

In addition to job growth, computer technology, satellites, lasers and fiber
optics are drastically changing how we live and work. The technologies and
equipment we use for communications are changing so rapidly that this year’s
newest “marvels” will become outdated by next year. There is a growing need for
“visual communicators” trained in these new technologies.

m r ' l in

For the purposes of this study, “commercial broadcasting” (Ellis, 1992) is
defined as broadcasting stations and cable operations which sell programs and
“spots” to advertisers.” These commercial broadcasters are faced with the ever-
increasing challenge of reaching a more and more diverse audience. As

communication technologies continue to develop, the trend toward media
4

5
diversity will continue. Audiences will continue to become more and more

fragmented as narrowcasting to smaller “niche” markets becomes more and
more prevalent. This is very evident when we look at the eroding audience of
network television to cable and the VCR market. Fox Broadcasting President,
Jamie Kellner (Litman & Thomas, 1991, p. 148) says, “fractionalization of the
television market by programming competition from independents, cable
services, VCR’s, and the like, meant more available substitutes.” More and more
highly skilled people will be needed to create quality programming for these
specialized audiences. ( Noronha,1988 ) states that the INTV (Independent
Television Association) predicted that by1990, independent stations would need
about 40,000 hours of syndicated programming. She also says, “the proliferation
of new cable channels has led to a cable penetration of 45 percent of the over 90
million TV households in the US.” As of 1991 (Ellis,1992, p.16) “some 11,000
cable systems were serving more than 55 million customers in 28,798
communities.”

Commercial video production is expanding greatly, with more than $20
billion dollars in revenues annually. The biggest share of revenue comes from
producing slides and color graphics, but also includes hundreds of different types
of informational and entertainment presentations, everything from TV programs
and feature films to brief commercial and public service announcements. Some

11,000 part-time operations in TV stations, cable systems and other public and

6
private organizations make this industry a large employer of skilled

communicators.

Advertising agencies are another big employer of visual communicators.
(Ellis,1994) Advertising Age magazine reported that more than 73,000 people
were employed by U.S.advertising agencies. A large number of these employees
are electronic media specialists who create, write and produce radio and
television commercials.

Ngu-Bmadgasj Teleyj§igg

Noronha (1988) defines “non-broadcast” television as, “ corporations and
non-profit institutions which use video extensively for employee communications,
staff training, and the marketing and promotion of products and services. While
the majority of programs produced by these types of organizations are not
broadcast, some large corporations do “transmit “ some of their programs
worldwide to their other branch offices. For the purposes of this study, these
organizations will still be considered non-broadcast.

As mentioned in Chapter 1, a growing number of public and private
organizations, small and large businesses are operating their own
electronic communication systems. (Ellis,1994, p.117) “T he National
Telecommunications and information Administration foresees fiber optics and
computers giving birth to many new video, audio, and data services. As this

happens, it will create an impressive number of additional jobs.” Many

7
businesses are utilizing the skills and talents of visual communicators to produce

audio/visual programming for training and other types of internal and external
communications. A few examples of those companies which have in-house
audio/visual production departments include; the Amway Corporation (located in
Ada Michigan,) Phillips Petroleum Co.(Bartlesville, Oklahoma.) and GTE
(Florida) “The Chicago Production Bible” (Screen Enterprises Inc.; 1995, p. 5-2)
lists more than 60 different corporations that produce their own non-commercial
audio/visual programming just in the Chicago area. Linda Lee Mason, a
communications consultant and former journalism professor at the University of
Kansas (Ellis,1994) did a survey of 50 different businesses which produce their
own corporate television. About 75 percent were willing to hire recent graduates
right out of school. Corporate video employees number some 150,000, while
contract producers account for at least another 75,000. The total number of
video-systems employees is estimated to exceed 500,000 in North America The
post-production business alone is more than a $5.1 billion industry in the United
States and over $600 million in Canada America (Ellis,1994). These large
numbers of employees appear to be very encouraging news for anyone
contemplating a career in one of the many different areas of “Communications.”
N w - n m ' i n
While all these facts and figures definitely shine a positive light on

employment in the Communications industry as a whole, the fierce competition

8
for these jobs is a constant sobering reminder of one of the greatest challenges

facing newcomers to the field of film and video production. Why is this field so
competitive? (London,1977) answers this question with regard to the film
production industry. He says, ”In the past two decades, motion pictures have
become the central art form of our time just as fine arts, painting and sculpture
were the central art forms of the Renaissance, attracting the “best and the
brightest” of the younger creative artists. So it is with film, whether it be theatrical
films, documentary films, television commercials or any other forms of this
medium. The attraction of film as a career and a lifestyle is obviously very great.
it offers creative work in an art form; it offers the opportunity of excellent financial
rewards; it can provide great ego satisfaction (e.g., names on marquees etc); it
can provide travel to far-off, exotic and interesting places; and makes possible
lifelong associations with other creative, interesting, charismatic and intelligent
people.”

William Bayer (1989, p. 48) gives his assessment of the competition in
filmmaking. He says, ”in an average year there is room for two or three new
directors - in an extraordinary year, tour or five. All you have to do is think of all
your friends who want to make films, and then all of the kids everywhere who
want the same thing, and you can figure the odds for yourself. Look around any

room of film students and tell yourself that not one person in the class is likely to

9
have a chance to make a feature film; if you do that, you’ll have a realistic view of

just how tough the competition is going to be.”

Today in the 90’s, many young people are attracted to the glamour of both
film and television. For many college students in their late teens or early twenties,
MTV played a major role in their lives as they were growing up. in comparison to
television, film is a relatively small employer of “production” personnel, but
television is also fiercely competitive. Tony Verna (1987, p.235) describes the job
market by saying, “No one gives you a job, In television you fight for a job
simply because there are and always will be more people who want the jobs than
there are jobs.”

What makes job-hunting in this field even more difficult, is the fact that
there are so few openings that are actually advertised. Philip Kemper (Kemper,
1992, pg.3 ) emphasizes this point by saying, “Bear in mind that statistics
indicate that less than 10% of all professional, managerial and executive
positions in the Visual Communications industry are advertised.” Particularly in
film and video production, there always are many more applicants than there are
jobs.

Linda Guess Farris states that “there are more than 300 American
colleges and universities offering degrees in broadcasting and communications”
(Farris, 1995, p. 145). Every year thousands of students are graduating from

these schools ready to enter this extremely competitive field. Michigan State

10
University is a typical example of a four—year university that offers recent

graduates little in the way of employer recruitment for jobs in the field of Film and
Video Production. MSU is not really at fault. Instead, it just gets back to the basic
economic principle of supply and demand. With such a large number of
applicants, employers don’t need to come to the university looking for potential
new hires. William Bayer(1989, p.48). addresses this by saying,” There are no
recruiters coming to film schools, and the expansion of the economy has not
been accompanied by a need for more film directors.”

Training in film and television is easily accessible. There are more than
300 colleges and universities which offer degree programs in film, video and
broadcasting. This doesn’t even take into account all the community colleges and
even high schools that are beginning to offer courses in media arts production.
Many people enter the field not through traditional channels (i.e. education,
training etc.,) but rather through establishing personal relationships with key
people who are in the position to do the hiring. Farris says, “You’ve heard it a
million times: It’s not what you know. it’s who you know. Professionals do not like
to be pressured into showing favoritism to friends of the owner - but it does
happen. In my years in local television, l was occasionally “assigned” intems.
They were often from well-to-do families, and they probably wouldn’t have been
chosen for the internship if they had competed in the open market because they

usually lacked that hunger” (Farris, 1994, p.101). Jobs in Hollywood are

11
frequently secured through family members or relatives. “Nepotism” is very

prevalent in the entertainment industry. William Bayer makes reference to this
regarding motion-picture labor unions in Hollywood. He asks, “ For what possible
reason should it be acceptable in our society that admission to a union local be
restricted to the sons of its members?” (Bayer, 1989, p.221)

Barry Litman ( 1991, p.11) uses the term, “barriers to entry" to describe
how easy or difficult it is for a firm to enter a particular industry as a significant
competitive force.” He says, ”the greater the difficulty of new firms in entering an
industry as significant competitive forces, the higher are the barriers.” This same
theory can be directly applied to the issue of competition between the number of
individuals seeking jobs in film and video production and the “barriers to entry.” in
this industry the barriers are low, making entry easier. For example, there are
people entering this field (film and video production) through many different
channels. Some choose the more traditional route and go through a four-year
college or university obtaining a degree in Film, Video or Broadcasting etc.
Others bypass that whole process simply by having “connections” (father,
mother, uncle etc.) with people who are prominent hiring “figures” already in the
industry. That’s not to say that these new employees don’t have to “perform”
once they are hired.” it does mean that many people are able to gain access or
initially enter the field of film and video production with little or no training or

education. Therefore, the barriers to entry are lower, enabling that many more

12
people to enter the field and compete for jobs. This same “ease of entry" is much

less prevalent in other professions (i.e. Engineering, Accounting etc.) where the
applicant must have the technical training and the academic credentials. This
would naturally make the “barriers to entry" much higher, and consequently there
would be less competition for jobs in these fields. These lower “barriers to entry”
help to intensify the keen competition for jobs in this industry.
r m i i - r r r i

What significance does this competition have to do with this study? in
chapter 1 the assertion was made that recent graduates or “newcomers” to the
field have little understanding of the structure of the film and video industry. As a
result, they’re less prepared for interviews and ultimately have a harder time
competing in the open job market. Patrick Scheetz (“Recruiting Trends 1994-
1995,”) talks about how the labor market in general is changing. He says, “over
the last decade there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of new
college graduate hires by larger employers. This was confirmed by 76.4% of the
employers who responded to this study.” This further underscores the need for
better preparation. Linda Guess Farris relates her own personal experiences.
She says, "When i first decided i wanted to work in TV, i had no clue how the
business operated. l committed the ultimate faux pas. l ventured out on
informational interviews unprepared. My lack of basic knowledge made it fairly

obvious that I had no idea where i might fit in and what I might have to

13
contribute” (Farris, 1995, p.1) Lisa Simpson with NBC News New York says,

“Present yourself as a solution to a problem. Understand the needs of the
organization, then tailor yourself to meet a need. Demonstrate that you really get
it.” She emphasizes the importance in understanding the ”bottom line”- profit.
She says, “Keep asking yourself - How can i help this station make more
money?” (Farris, 1995, p.142)

Unfortunately, many colleges and universities are not preparing new
graduates with enough practical skills to compete effectively in this highly over-
saturated market. Mel London (1977,p.129) stresses that a degree in
communications does not necessarily mean that a graduate is equipped or ready
for a career in film. He says, “T 00 much is dependent upon just what the school
emphasizes in it's curriculum, how much practical work is involved in the four
years, and the caliber of the instruction.” Typically colleges and universities put
much more emphasis on the theoretical and technical aspects of film and video,
and little time is actually spent on “job-hunting” skills. This gets back to the basic
assertion in this study; Students must have a solid understanding of the stmcture
of the industry. William Bayer (1989, p.12 ) reiterates this same point in reference
to filmmaking. He says, “Whether you like the system or despise it, you are
aware that if you want to make features, you must somehow find a way of
working within the existing structure. You are also aware that the best way of

doing this is to understand that structure so thoroughly that you can fight it on

14
your own terms and succeed in spite of it.” Farris (1995, p.127) echoes the same

advice for breaking into television. She says, ”People making the hiring decisions
expect applicants to be familiar with the workings of the business. You can’t
compete if you don’t know the language.” Even more basic than that ; if the job-
seeker has little understanding of the basic structure of the industry, how can
they effectively look for a job that’s compatible with their interests and skills?

Pr i ' nn 'r

MSU Telecommunication (Media Arts) students were given a
questionnaire to help determine their understanding of the structure of the film
and video industry and also their career goals. Secondly, they were asked what
issues and information would be important and helpful to them in their job
search? This information will then be taken and incorporated into the design of
the interactive program.

The sample population was 13 Michigan State University undergraduates,
students of either TC 442 ( Field Production) or TC 342 (Studio Production).
Instructors for these classes administered the questionnaires. 10 people actually
responded to the questionnaire. The 10 participants were all seniors in the
“Media Arts” production track here at MSU. The surveys were completed
anonymously, therefore, no gender information was recorded. The questionnaire

consisted of 12 questions followed by 3 demographic questions (i.e. what is your

15
class level? Which TC track are you in etc.?). A copy of the questionnaire can be

found in the appendix pg. 82.

in response to the question, “What type of entry level position will you look
for (in Media Arts)?, 5 of 10 participants, responded with “anything” or “very
open” or “anything that will pay me.” The other 5 participants answered with the
following responses; 3 responded with “Production Assistant,” 1 “Camera
Operator,” and 1 “Technical Director “ or “Assistant.” This same respondent that
said “Technical Director” or “Assistant” was asked, “What types of businesses
will you contact to look for a job.” They answered, “unsure - cable, broadcast
stations or production houses.” “Newcomers” to the industry are naturally going
to be somewhat unsure of their ultimate career goals, but how much of this lack
of “focus” will be conveyed at the interview? Not unlike our survey here at MSU,
Mel London (1977, p.167) also hears this phrase, “I’ll Do Anything,” quite
frequently. He says, “We understand your desire to transmit your eagerness to
the interviewer, but first of all, you don't really mean it. You wouldn’t really do
anything; probably you could think of ten menial jobs you wouldn’t do very long.
Second, perhaps even more important, if the interviewer believes that statement,
he has no way to categorize you for a potential opening. The word “anything”
means “nothing.” it limits your potential in talking to the prospective employer.”

When asked the question, “What do you ultimately want to do in Media

Arts Production?”, 5 out of 10 of the respondents in our survey said they were

16
either “unsure,” or gave very vague answers like “some kind of creative type of

production - very open." Another example was, “ produce for radio and film,
compose WWW(world-wide web sights.” ) The idea of producing for “radio”
and “film” is one indication of this person’s lack of knowledge of the structure of
the industry and basic lack of focus. While it is possible for one person to work in
both of these areas, the two media are so radically different that the time and
energy needed for both, would make such a dual focus highly unlikely. Even just
pursuing one or the other would most likely be a full-time job in itself. While it’s
natural for students to be unsure of what they “ultimately" want to do, 50% of the
respondents clearly seemed to be unfocused in their career goals. Again, these
type of “vague” responses are also very similar to the kinds of ”phrases” Mel
London (pg. 168) said he hears constantly from interviewees. The one particular
phrase he hears most often is, “I’d like to get into production.” He says, “fine but
let’s look at that one, too. In the first place, get to know what “production” really
means. Are you interested in editing, photography, writing? We’d really like to
know what film areas interest you and just where it is that you might begin.”

Bill Groody, president of North Country Communications, said to those
wanting to break into television broadcasting at a Radio -Television News
Directors Association regional convention, “You have to have a strategy. Start by

figuring out what you want to do. Do you want to be a Reporter? Do you want to

17
be a Producer? Do you want to be a News Director? The earlier you set that

goal, the better off you’re going to be” (Farris,1995, p.145).

Finally, the MSU participants were asked the question, “Using a five point
scale, how well do you feel you understand the structure of the film and video
industry and what type of jobs exist within this structure?” The five point scale
was designed with the number “1” meaning “not very well,” and “5” meaning “very
well.” 60% or 6 participants responded with a “3” ( meaning average), while the
other 40% responding with a “4”, meaning an “above average” understanding of
the structure of the industry. Based on the vague answers in our questionnaire,
one would really question how solid their actual understanding of the structure of
the industry really was.

The ructure

Central to this thesis is the proposition that the new job-seeker needs to
have a clear understanding of the structure of the industry. This research will
focus on five main areas ; television stations, corporations, advertising agencies,
production companies, and post-production companies. When the word
“industry" is used, these five areas will be considered the major “entities”
within the film and video production industry. There are also many other types
of organizations that use the medium of film and video for their internal and

external communications. Churches, schools and govemment are just a few

18
examples. While this study will not focus on these types of organizations, it is

important to recognize that film and video production jobs do exist within these
types of institutions. Therefore, the types of organizations discussed in this study,
should not be considered all the groups of businesses or organizations that use
film or video for communications.

This study will actually examine the structure of two different types of
organizations; the television station and the advertising agency. It will show the
“hierarchy" and the main jobs which exist within each organization. In addition, a
flow chart representing each “hierarchy" will be used to help clarify the structure
and how different departments interact with one another. Basic job descriptions
will be given with most of the emphasis on “production” related jobs.The actual
structure of each type of organization, including job titles and descriptions will be
discussed in detail in Chapter 3. The overall content and design of the interactive
multimedia program will also be discussed in this chapter.

WM

Why design this study as an interactive multimedia program? Why not
produce a program on videotape?

First of all, an interactive approach offers the students (“end-user")
several advantages over using videotape for this study. They can access the
information in a “non-linear" fashion. In a video the audience would receive this

information in a “linear” fashion. The videotape would start at the beginning and

19
play through the end. Using this approach, it would be very difficult for the

audience (end-user) to access only the pertinent information that may be of
interest to them. They would be forced to “skip” around the tape, awkwardly
shuttling back and forth, in an attempt to find those specific sections that were
most applicable to their needs. Conversely, with an interactive program, the
end-user could easily “skip” around and gain instant access to the most pertinent
information, allowing them to follow the “path” that would be most interesting and
appropriate to their career goals and aspirations. Secondly, with an interactive
design, the end-user could actually get “feedback” relating to their actions. For
example, starting with the most basic form of feedback, the student could click on
an icon or button and immediately receive an oral or visual response to his or her
actions. This could be as simple as clicking on a button and seeing it change
color. With this approach, the user is interacting with the program, the end result
being a more personalized and rewarding experience. Consequently, the
participant would be more likely to process and retain more information. The
following literature supports this assertion.

Linda Tway says, “interactive programs allow the student to solve
problems in a more realistic environment (after all, the real world does not
operate in a linear way) and to explore how a given situation relates to other
situations and other disciplines” (Tway, 1995, p. 236). Tway draws a comparison

between reading plain text and receiving the same information through a

20
multimedia approach. She says. “surveys have shown that people retain about

10% of the material represented in text alone, but the addition of other media,
such as interactive sound, graphics and video, show that retention levels jump to
nearly 50%. If the same information is looked at several times, it has been
estimated by some that the retention level may be as high as 80%.

Pat Franzen (Tway, 1995, p.244) an 8th grade teacher in Danville Illinois,
offers her perspective on interactive multimedia. She says, “Multimedia lends
itself to the auditory learner, the visual learner, and because of the interactivity,
the hands-on learner as well.” In a study done by Christel two versions of a
hypermedia course were evaluated. One version used full-motion video
(30 frames per second) while the other version used the same sound, but with
slides (one image every 4 seconds.) After the course the students were asked to
identify information that had been taught. The full-motion users remembered 89%
of the information, while the slide-show users only remembered 71% of the
information. The Christel study suggests that the full-motion users experienced
more enjoyment by watching video images that moved “continuously,” as
opposed to slides that only changed every four seconds. Consequently, this
higher level of enjoyment resulted in higher retention rates.These findings
suggest that the same potential exists for multimedia which integrates together

the elements of text, graphics, animation, and sound.

21
Nicole Yankelovich and Norman Meyrowitz (1995, p.346) describe the

advantages of electronic documents over paper ones. “Perhaps the greatest
advantage of electronic documents over paper ones is their ability to handle
many more graphic elements. By combining a variety of media, electronic books
can provide not only static images, but also dynamics (e.g., computer animation’s
and computer controlled video sequences, interactivity and sound. These
features all help in creating better audiovisualization.” The Christel, Tway, and
Meyrowitz studies all suggest that better “audiovisualization” means a higher
retention rate.

Jakob Nielsen in his article “Hypertext Usability" (1994, p.333) reveals
another side to the story. He says, “some studies indicate advantages to
hypertext while others indicate disadvantages. It depends on the hardware and
system software used ,it depends on the design of the hypertext system, and it
depends very much on the user's task and individual characteristics." He goes
on to say that another important factor is age. The younger age groups were
more accepting to the new technologies.

This agrees with the findings in our Pre-Production questionnaire using
undergraduate college students who were typically between the ages of 18-25.
We asked the question, “how helpful do you think an interactive multimedia
program might be which explains the structure of the film and video production

industry, and where you might fit in as a recent college graduate in Media Arts?”

22
Using a 5 point Likert scale, the results were as follows: 50% responded with a

“5” (meaning very helpful) and 40% responded with a “4” (meaning helpful). 10%
responded with a “3” (meaning neutral.) Overall, 90% of the participants
responded favorably to the concept of using an interactive multimedia program to
help them find their career path. These positive responses encouraged us to

move forward and incorporate a multimedia program in this study.

' Chapter 3

Organizational Structure

Overview

This chapter will focus on the structure of an advertising agency. The
structure of a television station is discussed in detail in the appendix starting on
page 63. The other three types of organizations will not be addressed in this
study, but would be described similarly in a fully developed project.

The chapter describes the structure of each organization. It will include;
1.) job titles, duties, salary ranges, entry level jobs, 2.) the department heads
(by job title) in charge of doing the hiring for those entry level jobs, 3.) job-hunting
resources, and 4.) general words of advice for those trying to break-in
to each type of organization. In Chapter 4, the content will be integrated into the
actual design of the multimedia program.
An Advertl§ing Agency

Qua/jaw

Advertisers develop and produce the products that are marketed to
consumers. They range in size from huge retailers like Sears and Exxon to small
“mom and pop” grocery outlets. In turn, the advertisers contract the services of

an advertising agency to market their products.

23

24
A full-service advertising agency typically provides a broad range of marketing

services. This includes everything from media buying (buying advertising space
in magazines, radio, and television) to actually creating full media campaigns
for radio, television and print. Conversely, smaller advertising agencies may not
be considered full-service, but instead only specialize in print or public
relations,etc. *

There are more than 6,000 advertising agencies in the United States
(Runyon,1984). Their sizes range from large operations with billings of over 8.3
billion to small operations with total billings of less than $850,000. Every day
more than 5 billion advertising messages pour out from newspapers, magazines
and periodicals (Runyon,1984, p.5). Radio stations broadcast over 730, 000
radio commercials a day, while television stations reach millions of people
broadcasting over 100,000 commercials a day.

Typically, the larger full-service agencies are the ones that have broadcast
production departments and are more likely to have entry-level opportunities for
recent college graduates. These broadcast production departments are
responsible for producing all the radio and television commercials for the
agency's clients (Mungons, 1994). The advertising agency rarely produces the
actual television commercial in-house. Instead, they usually contract the actual
production out to a production company. The production company would

coordinate all the production crew (i.e., director, camera,grips, etc.) The agency

25
producer acts as the Iiason between the production company and the agency’s

client. They usually handle all the budgeting of the production, post-production,
and provide creative input along with the creative team (i.e.,copywriters, art
directors) at the agency. The agency producer will usually supervise each phase
of production throughout the entire process. They will typically use the services
provided by many outside suppliers. These include post-production houses,
recording studios, music composers, sound designers, and animators.

Many of the larger agencies have their own audio/visual departments
in-house. These AN departments typically function as support centers for
the broadcast production department and the entire agency. Their responsibilities
include making dubs for clients, off-line editing rough-cuts,
and animatics for commercials, recording demo radio commercials, and
producing any internal communications for agency presentations, meetings,
etc. This is an excellent area in which to look for an entry-level position. Many
people move from this position into becoming an agency producer.
WW

|-) W

This department is also referred to as Account Services. It functions as the
liaison between the advertising agency and its clients. The account management

team consists of Account Supervisors and Account Executives.

26
Their responsibilities include; working with the client on a day-to—day basis and

understanding their business needs, and working closely with the agency to
develop advertising plans and recommendations for the client.

IL) W

This department is responsible for the creation and execution of
advertisements, radio and television commercials, and often package design,
point-of-sale material, and other promotions.

a.) W

This person usually is head of the creative department. He or she
is responsible for over-seeing the creatives (copywriters & art directors.) and
making crucial decisions on creative advertising strategies, campaigns, etc. At
a smaller agency this person could also be in charge of hiring the broadcast
production personnel.

b15299!

Copywriters are generally assigned to specific accounts and are
responsible for conceiving ideas for print, radio, and television commercials.
They write headlines, subheads, and body copy. and usually work closely with art
directors.

0-) Act

The art directors in an advertising agency are responsible for the

advertisement’s design (layout) and for its pictorial elements. In the case of a

27
television commercial, they would design the storyboards which depict the

sequence of action in the commercial. They also may be in charge of
contracting free-lance artists, photographers, and independent art studios
since very little finished art work is actually produced by the agency.

d.) Prim Prmugtign

After copy, lay-out, artwork, and mechanical specifications have been
completed and approved, the advertisements must be produced. Since the
agency does not actually produce finished ads, the print production group acts
as a purchasing agent to select and oversee outside suppliers.

6) * Ira—“is

In order to insure meeting of deadlines and schedules, the traffic
department is responsible for submitting advertisements and commercials to
media. They also follow-up with television and radio stations to make sure the
commercials are being aired at the correct times, etc. The traffic department may
be part of the creative services group or a separate department. * This is an
excellent place to find entry-level positions. Many people that start in the traffic
department are able to move into broadcast production.

t) W

This department supervises the production of radio and television

commercials for the advertising agency.

28
10W

This management position usually exists at the larger agencies. The
largest agencies may even have another position called “Head of Production”
that is ranked higher than the Executive Producer position. Depending on their
size, either the Head of Production or the Executive Producer would supervise
the entire broadcast production staff. They typically delegate production
assignments out to the other producers. They are also in charge of making the
hiring decisions within the broadcast production department. Smaller advertising
agencies may have only one producer that makes up the entire broadcast
production department. (Salary range: 30 - 125 k )

2.) Pr ucer

The day-to-day job responsibilities of a producer Include consulting and
coordinating with the creative team and account management in the
development and planning of each television or radio commercial.They also
evaluate production bids and supervise all phases of production and post-
production. The larger agencies may also have the job classification of “Senior
Producer.” According to sources at Bozell Inc. in Detroit, a ” producer” or “senior
producer” really have the same basic responsibilities. Their job titles are based

on skills, experience and politics. (Salary range: 30 - 60 K )

29
3-) * W

This position is typically found in a larger agency.The responsibilities
include assisting the producer in casting sessions for radio and television
commercials, supervising post-production, scheduling meetings and booking
recording sessions for the producer. * This is an excellent entry-level position but
a very difficult job to secure. Again, the larger the production department the
more likely it is that this position exists. (Salary range: 20 - 30K )

4-) * W

Depending on the size of the production department, this position may be
very similar to an Assistant Producer’s job. In a larger agency, the Production
Coordinator’s responsibilities may be more clerical than those of the Assistant
Producer. They would answer phones, type contracts,organize the videotape
library, and fulfill various other organizational tasks. In a smaller department the
Production Coordinator may also help the producers by supervising outside post-
production sessions, coordinating pre-production meetings, etc. * This is also an
excellent entry-level position. (Salary range: 15 - 25K)

5-) W

This position includes the responsibilities of negotiating contracts and fees
with the actors and voice-over talent. It also requires being very familiar with all
union rules ( ie, SAG, AFT RA), and tracking the payment of residuals to actors,

musicians, and voice-over talent, etc. (Salary range: 28 - 50K )

30
6.) AW

This position is also typically found at larger advertising agencies.The AN
Supervisor would be in charge of billing for services rendered to clients, and
other departments within the agency. These audio/visual services would include
dubbing, editing, videotaping focus groups, interviews, and recording radio
auditions. Most agencies expect the audio/visual department to be a
“profit-center.” This makes the AN Supervisor responsible for the billing of all
time and materials used in each project. They are also responsible for
supervising all the audio/visual assistants. In a smaller advertising agency there
may be only one person in this department, or this department may not even
exist. (Salary range: 25 - 40K)

7.) * AudioNisual Assistant

This person would be responsible for making audio and video dubs,
offline editing, recording radio auditions, videotaping focus groups and new
business presentations. * This is an excellent entry-level position that often leads
to being promoted to an Assistant Producer. (Salary range: 18 - 25 k)

"U W

This department is typically made up of three sub-departments. These are
Media, Sales Promotions, and Research. All three of these departments
focus on effective ways to promote the client’s products and reach the target

audience. They decide which medium would best suit the client’s needs

31
(i.e.,TV, radio, print,etc.). The following are the three sub-departments within the

Marketing Services division

8!) Media
The media department analyzes, plans, selects, and contracts for the media that
will be used in the advertiser’s marketing program. Media departments employ
print and broadcast buyers who analyze enormous amounts of data on the
various media and their audiences before making final recommendations to the
client. They must work very closely with the creative department and the client’s
budget restrictions.

b.) gles Promotion

This department specializes in designing point-of-sale material, product
display racks, contests, retail presentations, and other promotional materials.

0.) Research

The people in the marketing research department gather, analyze, and
report information that will be helpful in preparing the marketing plan and
developing advertising. Their activities range from consulting with the client to
preparing forecasts, conducting surveys, and testing advertising concepts,

headlines, and finished commercials.

32
IV.) AM

This division could be considered the business or administrative part of
the organization. It is typically made up of three departments; Finance,
Accounting, and Human Resources.

a.) Beam

This department is responsible for all the major financial decisions
being made within the agency. They do spending projections, approve salaries,
and basically evaluate and plan out the agency’s short and long-term
financial strategies.

b.) Accounting

Accounting is responsible for accounts payable and receivable,
payroll, and any tax preparation. They often work closely with the finance
department.

0-) W

This department deals with all employee related issues. Typically, they are
in charge of hiring for mostly secretarial positions. They also coordinate benefit
packages, arrange for furniture and supplies, and many other day-to-day

employee related.

33
inni h r

** m n d on

When applying for entry-level broadcast production positions, try to avoid
sending your resume or making any initial contacts with the Human Resources
department. "If at all possible, go directly to the department head (i.e., Head of
Production, or Executive Producer.) To find out who the appropriate person is,
simply call the main number and either ask for the Broadcast Production
Department, or ask the main operator or receptionist who is the department head
of Broadcast Production. This same approach can be applied to any other
department within the advertising agency.

A word of caution: Many receptionists who answer calls from the main
switchboard don’t know who the actual department heads are.You also may
encounter a few agencies that route all initial job inquiries through Human
Resources, but that happens quite infrequently.

mm

For this study, on site interviews were conducted with two advertising
executives. The interviews were recorded on audio cassette. Specific sound bites
will be extracted from each interview and used in the “produced” multimedia
module.

The participants interviewed were; Craig Mungons ( Senior

Partner/Broadcast Producer at Bozell Inc. - Southfield , Ml ) and

34
Jack Helder (Senior Copywriter/Producer at Pace & Partners - Holt, Ml ).

These two people were chosen because of their contrasting job responsibilities,
experience, and the difference in size between their respective agencies.Craig
Mungon’s sole responsibility at Bozell, Inc.is functioning as a senior level
broadcast producer. Bozell is considered a large advertising agency with over
300 employees in its Southfield office.

In contrast, Jack Helder’s responsibilities are split between broadcast
production and copywriting. Pace and Partners is a small agency with
approximately 30 employees.

Both participants have at least 15-20 years of experience in the field of
advertising. Craig Mungons has spent his entire career in the field, while Jack
Helder was an English professor at Michigan State University prior to making a
career change into advertising. The following are excerpts from these interviews.

121 - - 1.. - .:nro P n--r an ,; 'r-.: r- ;.o_:l . . - 1- fi . I I
1.) How did you get started in advertising?

a.) graduated from MSU In Telecommunication in 1977

b.) always knew he wanted to be in advertising

0.) began career as AN manager
2.) What’s your advice on how to break into advertising production?

a.) Make your initial contacts within the department that you want to

work. ( i.e., Producer - contact Head of Production/Executive Producer)

35

b.) Do some research on the agency, their accounts, etc., before the

interview.

3.) What qualities are you looking for in potential new hires?
a.) Be focused, don’t want to hear, “ I’ll do anything.”
b.) Looking for people that are goal-oriented.
c.) Looking for a self-starter. ( production is problem-solving).
d.) Must be comfortable with the relationship (creative work is very
dependent on interaction between employees).

4.) How would you describe the role as an agency producer?
a.) Problem-solver.

b.) Being able to coordinate time, people and resources.

egk Helgr - Senior Cmmriter/Broedcast Prodggr - Pace & Partners
MM
1.) How did you get started in advertising?

a.) graduated from MSU in advertising

b.) worked for Sears in Chicago

c.) went back to school to get doctorate and teach

(I) returned to advertising

2.) What is your advice on how to break into advertising production?

a.) Look at the larger agencies for nuts and bolts of production, and look

at smaller agencies for more conceptualization of ideas.

36
b.) Get as much variety of production experience as possible.

c.) Be patient - it comes your way sooner or later.
3.) What qualities are you looking for in potential new hires?
a.) Must be responsible.
b.) Looking for people that have creative ideas.
0.) Must have good portfolio (“break-through" ideas).
4.) How would you describe your role as an agency producer?
a.) Wearing many hats.
b.) Worked with writers, editors, cinematographers etc.
Jeb Hunting Resourees
1.) local newspapers, yellow pages
2.) lntemet
(trade publications)
3.) Advertising Age (Crane Communications)
6500 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 2300
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(213) 651- 3710
4.) Adweek/West

5757 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. M110
Los Angeles, CA 90036 (213) 937-4330

5.) Back Stage Shoot
5150 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 302
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(213) 936-5200

37

6.) LA 411
PO. Box 480495
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(213) 460-6304

(professional organizations)

7.) Adcraft Club
(810)962-7225

8.) Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP)
25 W. Hubbard
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 329-1877

9.) Broadcast Ad Club
225 N. Michigan Ave. #1900
Chicago, IL 60601
( 312) 861-7035

10.) Detroit Area Film and Television
Annette Alexander-Frank
Royal Oak, MI 48068
(810) 547 - 0847

11.) Detroit Producer’s Association (DPA)
(810) 737 - 4240

12.) ITVA (Detroit chapter)
(810) 549 -7538

Chapter 4

Design

v N w

This chapter will address design issues and how they will be
incorporated into the production of this multimedia program. The design and
layout of each interactive screen (module) will be described in detail. For the
purpose of this study, each type of organization will be referred to as a
“module.” In designing the multimedia portion of this study, all five types of
modules would be created in a similar fashion, Due to the time limitations of this
study, only one module (an advertising agency) will actually be described in this
chapter. For the TV station module all screens and interactive buttons will be the
same as those in the advertising module. Refer to the appendix for a description
of the design of the television station module. The description of screen layouts
etc., will not be described again, except for any design differences that are
unique to the television station.

The first screen of each module (after the main screen) will always be
the organizational chart depicting the structure of that particular organization
09., advertising agency, TV station etc.).This will make the program more

cohesive and easier for the participant to navigate through the different

38

39
branches of each module. This will include a description of titles, graphics, audio

or video segments, and all buttons or icons used for interactivity. All interactive
buttons will also be the same design throughout each module.
# _.. - ..

The first screen would be the “Introduction.” The purpose of this screen
would be to give the user a basic summary of the program, while at the same
time “enticing” them to continue on to the next screen. Through this interactivity
and “non-linear" exploration of different “branches,” the user could develop a
better understanding of the structure of the film and video industry. As the study
suggests, this interactive multimedia program could ultimately help the user find
their “career path” or area of interest within the film and video production
industry. The following screen will not actually be produced because of time
constraints.

n ri i n

The participant would begin by clicking on the “start” button. Full-motion
video would be used in this section. An “on-camera” male host would enter the
frame and the camera ( a wide shot) would follow him as he walks through a
busy television studio. He nods and says “hello” to the busy crew members who
are moving a flat getting ready for an in-studio shoot. We also see camera

operators moving the cameras into place. The talent moves across the frame

40
and begins to pull up a director’s chair to sit down. As he does this, the camera

moves in closer to a medium shot. As he sits down and addresses the camera,
he begins to speak.

meningitis

As the host finishes giving about a 45 second overview of the program, he
rises and begins to move towards the busy crew in the background. The camera
pulls back to a wide shot and we see the whole set with all the crew members
busily working. At the same time, the opening title flips into frame, keyed over the
television studio in the background It reads, “Finding your Career Path in Film
and Video Production.”

M i FX

As the title flips into the frame, we hear powerful rock music to accentuate
the movement of the title. This music should be 5 -10 seconds long to match the
moving title. When the title moves completely into frame, we’ll hold for 1 to 2
seconds and then freeze frame.

r In r i ' - n

As the music rings out, we’ll see a flashing red button on the lower right
side of the screen which reads,” Career Super-Highway.” The user would then
click on this button to proceed to the next screen. If the user does not want to
continue, they can click on the “Quit” button located in the lower left side of the

screen.

41
Sewn fig-“T he Career Sumrhighwef

Screen #2, entitled the “Career Superhighway, could really be considered
the main screen of this interactive multimedia program. On this screen we will
see a highway which extends off into the horizon. This road will have yellow lines
simulating lanes of the highway. Along both sides of this highway, we will see
different colored signs or billboards representing each of the five types of
organizations described in this study. These will include: 1.) a television station,
2.) corporation, 3.) an advertising agency, 4.) production “house,” and 5.) a post-
production company. Out of these five, the advertising agency will be the only
“active” module in the “working” prototype. The user will be able to click on this
Icon and “branch off” onto other screens. The other four organizations will be
“inactive” buttons simply to illustrate an accurate representation of this particular
screen.

In the background and off in the distance we will see the blue sky
and “billowy” white clouds. Through these clouds, we will see many different
company logos (i.e. CNN, CBS, Unitel, J. Walter Thompson, etc.) Ideally, these
will be soft graphics or text that will show through the transparent clouds, creating
the feeling of a “dream-like” journey. These logos are representative of the types

of organizations discussed in this study.

42
r-ln ivi -B n

On this screen the interactive buttons will include the sign labeled
“Advertising Agency,” and two buttons on the bottom of the screen, labeled
“Intro” and “Quit.” If the participant clicks on the sign named “Advertising
Agency”, they will branch off to the organizational chart of an advertising agency.
If they click on the “Intro” button, they will go back to the introductory
screen featuring the on-camera talent describing the program. Finally, if they
decide not to continue, they can click on the “Quit.” button. As mentioned earlier,
the other four icons depicting a TV station, corporation, production company, and
post-production company are inactive in this prototype. If this program was
completely produced ( rather than a prototype,) the other signs would be working
links and function in exactly the same way as the sign labeled “Advertising
Agency.”

Qeejge (Advertising Agency module)
# - “ ' h h F w"

On the main screen entitled “ The Career Superhighway,” the participant
has already clicked on the icon of a television station. From there, we go to
screen #1 and see an organizational flow chart of an advertising agency which is
very similar to the one in the appendix. This screen will be called “Go With the
Flow,” used as a” play" on the words “flow chart.”

The top of the chart reads “How an Advertising Agency is Organized.” In

the background will be different agency logos.

43
In the foreground will be the organizational flow chart. Like the chart in the

appendix, this one will also list all of the job titles and departments within a
advertising agency. Please see Figure #1 in the appendix pg.80.

geer lntereetivity - Benege

At the bottom of the screen will be a button which reads “Overview.” The
participant can click on this button and proceed to the next screen (#2), entitled
“Overview of an Advertising Agency.

Going back to the flow chart on the previous screen (#1), we see how
each job title fits within the organizational structure of an advertising agency. All
entry-level jobs will have an asterisk placed before the job title. (i.e. * production
assistant) The participant can click on any job title and transition to a small
pop-up screen (#3) with text describing the duties of that position. Each
entry-level job will also include the appropriate contact person (listed by job title)
to inquire about employment opportunities. All jobs within the broadcast
production department will also include the average salary for each position.

At the bottom of screen #1 will also be three other buttons. On the left will
be a button called “The Career Superhighway.” When this button is clicked, the
user will go back to the main screen showing all five types of organizations along
the highway.

Directly to the right of this button will be another button which reads

44
“Job-Hunting Resources.” This button will take the user to another screen which

lists several different resources useful for job-hunting in the field of television
broadcasting.

Over to the far right will be another button entitled, “Getting Your Feet in
the Door.” Clicking on this button will allow the user to navigate to another screen
entitled, “Getting a foot in the Door." Using both audio and text, this screen
provides pertinent career advice from professionals currently working in the field.

r - “ v rvi w f A i in n ’
This screen entitled “Overview of an Advertising Agency,” would use text
to describe the function and operation of an advertising agency. There also will
be a graphic of a person divided up into four sections representing each major
department of an advertising agency.

In the center of the screen would be the text which describes different
types of advertising agencies and how they operate. This information would be
presented in a”paragraph-like” form similar to a text book. in creating this
multimedia program, the same style of font should be used in all the large
“chunks" of text throughout. This would help to maintain the continuity between

different modules.

45
In r ivi -B n

Screen # 2 will also include all three buttons previously mentioned and
one additional button. This button will be called “Go With the Flow.” This will
allow the user to navigate back to screen #1. All buttons will be rectangular and
easily identifiable to the participant.

To make navigation easier, the buttons will be placed in ascending
“screen” order, from left to right. For example, if the participant was on screen
#2, “ Overview of an Advertising Agency,” on the far left would be the button
called “Career Superhighway.” This is the main screen used to select each type
of organization. To the right of the “Career Superhighway" button will be “Go with
the Flow.” This interface would be designed to give the participant a feeling of
familiarity.We read from left to right and usually think of numbers ordered
in the same way. Most people would write down a row of numbers in ascending
order from left to right. In the process of designing this interface, the goal is to
make it very “intuitive” for the user. This means the user could easily navigate
from one branch to another. While the whole idea of interactivity is supposed to
be “non-linear,” designing interactive buttons in this fashion suggests that the
user could think more intuitively of going “ back" to previous screens by clicking
on a button located on the left side of the screen. Conversely, they could think of
moving “forward" by clicking on buttons that are placed on the right side of the

screen .

46
r n#-“ D riin”

Screen #3 is called “Job Description.” The participant would come to this
screen after clicking on any one of the job titles shown on the screen entitled,
“Go With the Flow.” This screen will be very simple with text that describes the
typical responsibilities of each position.

For example, let’s say the user clicked on the job title “ Producer.” They
would immediately transition to a screen called “Job Description.” This heading
would be at the top of the screen in a larger bold font. Directly beneath this
heading would be the sub-heading, ‘Producer.”

Below the sub-heading would be one or two color or black and white stills
of someone working at an advertising agency, doing the job of a Producer. These
photos are merely a rough depiction of what the person in that job may do on any
“ typical ” day.

Beneath the sub-heading will be text that describes the typical
responsibilities of each position. As mentioned earlier, if the position is an entry-
level job, there will be an asterisks next to that job title. This would be included on
the organizational chart ( “Go With the Flow" screen, ) as well as the “Job
Description” screen. This will be used to alert the participant that this position
could be considered “entry-level.” Also, towards the bottom of the screen, after
the job description, will be the contact person (department head) who would

typically do the hiring. For example, if the entry-level position was a production

47
assistant, listed at the bottom of the screen would be; Contact: Executive

Producer or the Head of Production
r Int iv' - n

At the bottom of this screen would be the same two buttons as mentioned
previously; “Career Super-Highway” on the left, and “Go With the Flow" on the
right. The buttons would look exactly the same as previously described.

r #-“ i rF inhDr”

As mentioned earlier, the user can click on this button and go to the next
screen which displays still photographs of industry professionals in advertising
production. Along side of each photograph will be the person’s name,
organization , and job title. Each photograph will be bordered in blue to tell the
participant this is a link to another page.

The user would click on any one of these buttons (photographs)and go to
the next screen. On this screen they would see the title “Getting Your Feet in the
Door” in bold type with a sub-heading that reads, “Words of Advice.”

In the background would be a graphic of a door that is partially open.

In the upper left comer of this page would be a smaller version of the same still
photograph that the user had clicked on in the previous screen. Next to, or just
below this photograph, would be the same information (name, organization, and

job title.)

48
Next to each photograph would be questions that summarize each

comment. These questions would be broken up into categories. For example, the
first questions might be “ How did you get started in advertising?
The user would click on this link (shown in blue type) and hear a sound bite that
corresponds to this question. Another screen or a mini -- page would appear that
reveals matching text. This text would be in a smaller or different sized font than
the heading, sub-heading and link. The importance here is to make the text very
legible and easy to read. Combining the written text and audio would allow the
user to read the information as they hear the sound bites.

User Interactivity - Buttons

This screen will include four buttons. Like all the other screens, these
buttons are located at the bottom of the page. From left to right, the buttons are
as follows: “Career Superhighway," “ To the Hunt,” “Go With the Flow," and “An
Overview ". From screen to screen, each button will look consistent and contain
graphic images that are easily associated with each particular screen. For
example the “Career Superhighway" button would contain a piece of a highway in
the background with the title “Career Superhighway" superimposed in the
foreground. The road would look very similar to the one shown on the “Career
Superhighway" screen. “

“T o the Hunt” will show a small graphic depicting someone hunting,
looking around, or possibly blowing a horn like they're off on a fox hunt. Again the

title would be superimposed over the background. “Go with the Flow” would

49
show a small section of an organizational chart in the background with the title in

the foreground.

“An Overvievri’ would show someone making a gesture like they’re looking
out at something. Perhaps a magnifying glass could be shown
depicting the metaphor of “taking a closer look.” Whichever image is chosen, it
will be in the background, with the title superimposed over the top. In order to
maintain consistency, it should be stressed that all images or graphics will look
the same each time they reappear on buttons or screens.

W

Sound effects would be used to give the participant feedback when they
click on a certain button. These sounds would also add another element of
interest to make navigation through the program more interesting.

For example, these sounds would include “screeching tires” or a horn
honking when the “Career Superhighway” button is pressed. For “Go With the
Flow,” the sound of rushing water might be a good “signature” sound. “An
Overview “ might be the sound of a harp gliss. When the button “To the Hunt” is
clicked, we will hear a short trumpet fanfare. Finally, for “Getting Your Foot in the
Door” we would hear the sound of a creaking door opening and maybe a voice
saying, “Come in, Come in." Another possibility might be the sound of a door
being broken down or heavy pounding on a door. These sound effects will also
be used in the TV station module along with the same interactive buttons at the

bottom of the screen.

50
green #5 - “Te the Hunt " (Job Hunting Resources)

This screen will include a list of resources that the participant can use
in their job search. They include the lntemet, yellow pages, magazines, and
professional organizations.

This screen will be designed in the following way. The background will be
similar to the screen called “Go With the Flow.” It will have advertising logos and
graphics of different things that relate to an advertising agency ,(i.e. commercials,
print ads etc.

In the foreground will be a list of job-hunting resources. The same style of
font will be used as in the other screens. Because this text will be presented in
the form of a list ( as opposed to paragraphs.) it may be slightly larger. Again, the
most important concern here is legibillty.

W - buttons

This screen can be accessed from the screens entitled, “Career
Super-highway,” “Go With the Flow,” and “Getting Your Foot in the Door.” The
participant would simply click on the button called “ To the Hunt.” As mentioned
. previously, we would hear the sound of a trumpet fanfare and transition to
the screen entitled “T o the Hunt“ (Job Hunting Resources.)This button would be
rectangularly shaped with a small graphic of a horn, etc. Similar to the others,
this screen would also include the other four interactive buttons; “The Career
Super-highway,” “Go With the Flow," “An Overview,” and “Getting Your Foot in

the Door.”

51
Im mn in

All the screens for the final produced portion of this program will be
created using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Macromedia Director. Most of
the major graphic design, manipulation and rescaling of images is done in
Photoshop and then imported into Director. Director will primarily be used for
interactivity and each active button or link will have “lingo” attached to it. This
lingo Is a set of commands which tells the computer which screen or graphic to
display next.

All the sound bites and music will be edited and saved as compressed
8-bit, 22,050 khz.sound files using the audio editing software called “Deck ll" by
Macromedia. The audio files must be compressed in order to make the file sizes
as small as possible. This improves the performance once they are imported into
Director.

The finished program (“movie’) will play from Director in what is called a
“projector.” A projector allows these programs to be played on other computers
which don’t have Director installed on them.

When the final “produced" portion of this multimedia program is created,
certain elements may change based on aesthetic decisions made by the creator.
This portion of the study merely represents a general framework in which to
describe the basic audio/visual elements and how they would be integrated into

the design of this multimedia program.

M

Study Evaluations

After the multimedia program had been produced, it was evaluated by
eight Michigan State University students. Seven out of the eight students were
undergraduates, and all eight were Telecommunication majors.

Testing was done in two different computer labs during the week of
December 9. Both labs were located in the Communication Arts and Sciences
building.

Each participant was given a brief verbal explanation of the program
and its contents. They were told the program was a prototype, with an
“advertising agency “ being the only organization (out of the five shown) that was
actually working. A questionnaire was also given to each participant to answer as
they navigated through the program. There was no time limit, although most of
the participants were able to finish in under 30 minutes.

Tested were the organization of the content , its effectiveness, potential
usefulness, ease of interactivity, entertainment value, as well as the overall
“production” quality of the program. The questionnaire consisted mostly of
questions using a 5 point Likert scale, and a few open-ended questions at the
end.

As discussed in Chapter 2, the results of the pre-test questionnaire
seemed to indicate that many students had limited knowledge of the structure of
the film and video production industry. When asked where they would begin
looking for work, many replied with very vague answers. Most of those surveyed
also said that a multimedia program of this type would be very useful in their job

search. The post questionnaire was designed to examine how effectively this

52

53
interactive program outlined organizational structure, and provided joj

resources and advice. Based on this content, each participant evaluat
program. The following section will discuss the results. A copy of the ‘
questionnaire can be found in Appendix C.
mils
The results of the evaluations were analyzed by looking at the total
number of responses for each question and tallying the totals for each number
of the 5 point likert scale. For example, there were 8 participantsrandioumnb

, Writoa particular question._Ihanuestion—weuldbeeocied

 

I
i-Jogether.

Within? ”ranking of? entire Likertlscale. For this study,

the results were grouped together, meaning that all responses ranked 4 or 5

on the Likert scale, would be considered in one group. Likewise, all responses
with a ranking of “1” or “2 ” would be considered as another group, and a ranking
of “3" would be put in a third group. All the responses to each open-ended

question were looked at individually and similar comments were grouped

The study evaluation contained questions which addressed three main
categories. Each of these main categories had sub-categories. The following
is an outline of these categories and their sub-headings.

/ l Meeeege Design yd Content
A.) organization of material
B.) how informative
C.) how useful

D.) entertainment value

II W
A.) ease of navigation

8.) how effective as compared to a book

54
/ C.) Do you know more or about the same?
/

-/ D.) What did you Ieam?
\ E.) Any additional comments
I” Qualig of Production Elements
A.) graphic design (selection of images and button design)

B.) sound bites

..--
.—-“'

C.) music/sound effects

i n t
1-) mm
For the first question in this evaluation, the participants were asked to rate
the organization of the information presented. A five point Likert scale was used
with “5” being very unorganized and “1” being well organized. Seven out of
the eight participants rated the information as being well organized with either a
“l" or a “2.” Only one student answered this question with a “3."
2.) Hew lnfermetive
The next question was, “ How informative is each section of this
multimedia program?” The word “section” refers to each main screen of the
program. The program consisted of 5 main screens. The following represents a
breakdown for each main screen. The Likert scale was “5” meaning very
informative and “1" meaning uninformathre.
A.) “ he Cerfir Sgperhjghwe!’
The responses were quite varied with four students ranking this
screen as a “4” (quite informative,) two ranking the screen as a “3”, and
two giving this section a “1” and “2" meaning uninfonnative. It was

surprising to see that 50% of those tested considered this screen to be

55
quite informative, even though it really didn’t offer much information.

Instead of being informative, it was intended to be visually appealing

as the opening screen of the program.

B.) “the Overview"

Six out of the eight participants gave this screen a rating of “4”
meaning “quite informative.” One ranked this section as ‘3” (average), and
one gave a rating of “2” (uninformative)

C.) “Ge Wn’ h the Flev_r"

This screen was definitely ranked the highest in terms of being very
informative. Six out of eight students gave this section a rating of “5”
meaning very informative, while the other two gave a rating of “4.”

D.) “Getting Your Fmt in the 0M:

This screen was ranked the second highest in terms of being
informative. Six out of eight respondents gave a rating of “5” or 4" meaning
quite informative. One gave a rating of “3” and one didn’t answer the
question for this screen.

E.) file the Hunt’

The ratings of this screen were more varied with two “5”,
three “4”, and one not answering the question.

3.) How Useful was the infermatien?

When asked this question, seven out of eight responded by giving a rating
of either “1” or “2” (quite useful.) Only one participant gave an “average” rating of
.3...

4.) Entettainment Value

When the participants were asked to rate the entertainment value of the
program, three gave it a rating of “2" (quite entertaining”), while four rated it as

a “3” (average), and one gave it a “4", meaning “not very entertaining.”

56
i i iv

This next set of questions addressed the areas of interactivity, and
the programs effectiveness in conveying information as compared to a book.

6.) W

The participants were asked, “Overall did you find navigation through this

program DIFFICULT or EASY? Seven out of eight gave a rating of “1" or “2"

(“easy”), and one ranked the program as a “3” (average-not easy or difficult).

7-) W

The question was asked, “Overall, in terms of retaining information and its
effectiveness, did you find this interactive approach to learning, MORE, LESS, or
about the SAME as reading a book?” Six out of eight responded with a rating of
“1” or “2” (meaning “more”), one gave a “3” (meaning “neither less or more"), and
one gave a rating of “4” ( “Iess”).

8.)-ooYK . . = . .13.- n: .zm:=_ =:1o : '. h ' 0.0 ..

This question was asked in reference to production in advertising. Seven
out of eight wrote “more”, while one responded with the “same.”

9-) WWW

About half of the participants responded by saying they learned more
about the strwureéf an advertising agency. The other half made direct

references to learning more about interviewing, and job-hunting tips.

 

Seven out of eight participants responded with a rating of “1” or “2”

meaning “quite useful.” One student gave a rating of “3” (“average.”

W
This last set of questions focused mainly on the production quality
of the program. The participants were asked to rate the graphic design,

sound, and image quality. Again, the five point Likert scale was implemented

57
using “5” as being “excellen ” and “1” being “poor.”

r hi D I n

All eight participants rated the graphic design using either a “5” or a “4”
meaning “very good.”

Batten Design

Six out of the eight students gave ratings of “5” or “4" (very good’), while
two gave a “3” meaning “average."

' n M i n it

While sound bites and sound effects were tested as two separate items,
the evaluations were very similar, so the results have been combined in this
section. Six out of eight participants rated the sound elements as “ quite good”
with a “5” or a “4.” Two gave an “average” rating of “3.”

Image Qualiy

All eight participants rated the image quality with either “5” or a “4”
meaning “very good.”

We

This last open-ended question gave an opportunity for each participant to
comment openly about any aspect of the program. The following is a summary of
those comments.

Many students were very complimentary about the organization of the
program. Most liked the “Words of Advice” given by industry professionals. A
couple of people suggested that the sound bites should be more concise.

As for interactivity, many commented positively on the button design
and the overall “look” of the buttons. Several students suggested that the active
links “roll-over" to show the user the area is active. “Roll-over" means that
any time the mouse passes over an active link, it changes color or in some other
way shows the viewer that this is an active link.

Most of the participants commented on how much they liked the

58
screen entitled “Go With the F low." Many said it provided a lot of interesting

information.

Finally, several students said they would definitely like to use
this program in their job search if it were produced in its entirety.
Mm

While this study does not show hard quantitative statistical data, it does
suggest that an interactive program of this type could be used as a viable tool for
exploring different career opportunities in film and video production. Admittedly,
these results do not prove that interactivity is more effective than a book for
retaining information. This could not be proven unless each participant was
tested using the same information presented in both the book and the interactive
program. Instead, it seems to suggest that interactivity offers some potential as
an alternative learning device.

During the testing it was also interesting to watch how students navigated
through the program. Most took full advantage of the non-linear capabilities that
this type of multimedia program offered. For example,soon after launching the
program, several participants went directly to the screen entitled,"Getting Your
Feet in the Door.” This screen featured “words of advice” from industry
professionals. If one were to follow the sequence of buttons at the bottom of the
screen from left to right, It really was the fourth button over that corresponded
with this screen. Many of the students were “jumping” back and forth between
screens. This suggests that the students took advantage of the program’s non-
linearity, and they also seemed to navigate through it easily.

While the total sample of participants was small, the study was targeted
to a very specific group. This group were Telecommunication majors considering
a career in film and video production.

The goal of this study was to provide the student with useful information

that could help them in their job search. Based on the results, about 90% of the

59
participants considered the information quite useful and would seriously consider

using a program of this nature in their job search. This is not to say that a much
larger sample of film and video job-seekers would feel the same way. One
important consideration would be an economic one. If the students had to pay
to use a program like this, how likely would they be to purchase or pay a fee to
use it. Most definitely that would depend on the cost.

Again this study was based on qualitative research suggesting that an
interactive program of this type could potentially be a valuable tool used for this
type of career exploration. As mentioned in Chapter 1, the other important goal of
this study was simply to educate the user about the structure of the film and
video industry. The evaluations seemed to suggest that this specific goal was
reached. Many of the participants commented on how lnforrnative the
screen entitled “Go With the Flow" was. This screen was an organizational chart
of an advertising agency that described all the departments and jobs within each
department of the agency. As mentioned earlier, this screen was ranked the
highest in terms of it being the most informative.

Finally, this study examined how well students understand the structure
of the film and video industry. Based on the results of the pre-production
questionnaire, many students seemed to lack a clear understanding of the
structure of the industry. The thesis suggests that this understanding of the
industry plays a critical role in conducting a job search. Craig Mungons, one of
the industry professionals echoed the same thing by saying, “Make your contacts
directly within the department that you want to work.” Consequently, if the job-
seeker does not understand the structure of the industry they won’t know which

department to contact and what jobs actually exist within that department.

”W
Based on the results of the evaluations, it appears that most participants

after using the program, knew more about production in advertising, and had a I,

. . I

clearer understanding of the structure of the Industry. ”,2

M

Recommendations

The multimedia program addressed the area of industry structure by
attempting to clarify how a particular organization was structured. In the case of
this study, a working prototype of a multimedia program was produced which
focused on the organizational structure of an advertising agency. This is only one
of five types of organizations mentioned in this study that use film and video
production in their daily operation. The other four were the television station,
production company, post-production company, and corporate media. If the
program was produced in its entirety all five types of organizations would be
addressed and the structure of each would be clearly outlined. To go one step
further, a larger group of participants could be chosen from different schools and
tested before and after using the program. In the pre-test they could be asked
questions about the structure of any one of five types of organizations. After
using the program they could be asked similar questions. Their scores from
before and after could be commred and measured to see if there was a
significant difference in their understanding of the structure of the industry after
using this program.

Another interesting area which could be addressed in future research
would be “personality traits,” and how they relate to certain jobs within film and
video production. This section could be incorporated into the multimedia program
to help the user find a more compatible career that matches their personality
traits. For example, there could be an animated graphic of a rotating brain that’s
divided into sections. These sections would be labeled, Creative, Administrative,

Sales, and Technical. The user could click on “Creative," and a list of all the

60

61
creative jobs would appear with descriptions of each. This could allow the

participant to explore more fully different career paths that might be more
compatible with their personality traits. Obviously, many of the personality traits
may overlap between different jobs, but this approach could be more interesting,
entertaining, and informative for the participant.

One additional area that could be included is interviewing skills. The
participant could be asked questions simulating a real interview. Perhaps real
audio of the industry professionals asking these questions could be recorded.
The participant could respond and compare their answers with suggestions
given by the industry professionals. This could be a valuable experience for
those job-seekers that are new in the field.

This type of multimedia program could be marketed to colleges,
universities, and other career placement centers. The program could be
distributed on CD-ROM. Another method of distribution could be the lntemet.
This program could easily be adapted to use as a web page. More links could be
added, allowing the user to go directly to the web site of any particular
organization. For example, in the prototype, Craig Mungons from Bozell inc. was
interviewed. If the user wanted to find out more about this particular advertising
agency, there would be an active link enabling them to go directly to Bozell’s web
site. This would allow them access to much more information about any given
organization.

This study has focused primarily on the structure of the more “traditional"
types of organizations within the film and video industry. Within the past few
years newer types of businesses have emerged which need people with
many of the same skills that are required in traditional film and video production.
These are companies that design interactive CD-ROMS, web pages,

computerized games, and training programs. These types of organizations could

62
also be included in this program allowing students that are interested in film and

video production to explore that many more possibilities.

Job-hunting and career changes can be very frustrating and tedious for
many people. Based on this research, it appears likely that this type of an
interactive multimedia program could potentially be a way to make the job search

amuch more effective and enjoyable process.

APPENDIX

Orgasm-pm

T l vi i n i n

derview

Television stations can be divided into two main groups; commercial
and non-commercial broadcasters. Commercial broadcasters are stations
which sell advertising time and operate for profit. Non-commercial stations
are those which don’t sell advertising and are typically run by non-profit
organizations such as local community groups, universities and religious
groups.

About 80% of commercial broadcasters are associated with one of the
four major networks (i.e. ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.) These stations are known
as network affiliates, and receive their programming via microwave and
satellite transmission. An affiliated station usually broadcasts at least three
hours of network programming nightly, with additional hours during the day.
Many of these affiliates also produce their own local news.

The other 20% of commercial stations that are not affiliated with a
network are commonly known as independent TV stations. These stations rely
heavily on the use of motion pictures and network reruns. Many of them also
produce their own local news, commercials and other types of programming. All
commercial stations, (affiliates and independents) are required by the FCC to

broadcast at least 28 hours a week.
63

64
According to the National Association of Broadcasters (Television page;

internet,1996 ) there are more than 1,550 commercial and non-commercial
television stations operating in the United States. About two thirds of all channel
allocations are assigned to commercial stations. As a result, these stations are
the largest employers in the broadcast industry. Statistics from the National
Association of Broadcasters show the average number of full-time employees at
a typical television station is 90. Small market stations average about 63, while
stations in the top 25 markets have staffs of 130 or more.
r T vi i ' n

This section will focus mainly on the structure of “commercial”
broadcasters, as they represent the majority of all the television stations.
The information for this section of the study was obtained through several
different sources. These include the following books; “Broadcasting Careers,"
by Elmo I Ellis, and “Jobs in Arts and Media Management," by Stephen Langley
and James Abruzzo. Personal interviews were also conducted with three
different production managers from television stations located in Lansing and
Detroit These include; Mike Marino - Production Supervisor/Director at WLNS
in Lansing, Michigan; Sandy Norton - Production Manager at WILX in Lansing;
and Jim Miller - Supervisor of Editing and Field Operations at WXYZ in Detroit.

These stations were chosen because they represent both medium
and large markets. Lansing is considered a medium - size market with a

ranking of 106, while Detroit is a “large” market with a market ranking of 9.

65
Ellis (“Broadcasting Careers”; pg. 16) defines a “typical” TV station as one with

about 90 employees. He also says, “in the 25 largest television markets , staffs
of 130 or more are not unusual.” Both Lansing stations ,WLNS and WILX have
between 90 and 100 employees, while WXYZ in Detroit, has over 200. All three
stations are network affiliates. WLNS is a CBS affiliate; WILX an NBC affiliate,
and WXYZ is an ABC affiliate.

Please see the organizational chart in the appendix; pg. ---- which shows
a diagram illustrating the following job titles and how they form the structure of a
television station. The following jobs and descriptions represent those in a
“typical” or medium-size station. This study does not suggest that the following
information describes the structure of every television station. Many smaller
stations may combine job titles and responsibilities, while many larger stations
may have additional jobs which may not be addressed in this study.

After each production job title and description will be an average salary.
These salaries are the average for all television stations nationwide. Since the
main focus of this study is jobs in film and video production, only those
positions directly related “production” will have salary lnformation.Thls
information was obtained from Ellis’ book,“ Opportunities in Broadcasting.” The
original source was a 1990-1991 survey of commercial television stations in the
US. This survey was conducted by Broadcast Engineering Magazine, National
Association of Broadcasters. Broadcast Financial Management Association,

and the author. Additional salary information was also obtained through a

66
salary survey done by Verne Stone, Missouri School of Journalism;1 994. An

asterisk placed before a job title indicates that it may be considered an entry-
level position depending on the size of the station. Some of the job titles with
asterisks are not in the production department, but were included as potential
entry-level positions. This suggests that these positions could be good
“stepping stones” into production positions. The average salaries for these jobs
will also be listed. Again, this study does not suggest these should be
considered all of the entry-level positions that exist within a television station.
There may be many other clerical or secretarial positions, but this study’s main
focus is on production-related jobs. Therefore, it’s beyond the scope of this
thesis to describe every single entry-level job. This part of the study should
serve mainly as another resource which could help the user gain a basic
understanding of the structure of a television station and where “potential” entry-

level positions may exist within this structure.

ri i n
1.) General Manager

The general manager is responsible for the proper business
management of the staff. He or she would be in charge of hiring personnel and
developing a staff, supervising both short and long-term planning and fiscal
management, and serving as the liaison to the community, the FCC, and the
broadcast industry. In addition, the general manager also has the ultimate

authority and influence over the programming of the station.

67
A.) W

1-)§§L$.§M8fl§9§t

He or she heads the television station’s sales team. They have the
responsibility for preparing sales forecasts and directing local and national
sales efforts to meet budget projections in advertising sales.

2-) W

He or she is responsible for the selling and servicing of advertising
accounts beyond the TV stations primary coverage area. They also work closely
with national sales representatives and assist the sales manager in some
operations.

3.) Legl Sales Manager

The local sales manager recruits, trains and supervises a staff of local
salespersons. They assign accounts and check reports of contacts made and
results obtained. The job also involves working with the general sales manger,
marketing and research directors to develop new kinds of business and
increase the size of existing accounts.

41W

This sales person works under the local sales manager. Their job is to
call on and try to sell marketing programs or commercials to local retail and

corporate advertisers.

68

B.) Traffie Department
1.) Traffie Manager

The traffic manager is responsible for tracking programs and
commercials on a second- by-second basis. They are ultimately held
responsible for each program and commercial airing on-time. They also
schedule announcers and other on-air assignments and work with the sales
department to schedule the placement of commercials.

2-) *W

This job involves the responsibilities of checking content, length and
condition of commercials, program materials, tapes, cassettes and slides. They
also oversee necessary corrections and approve for broadcast. In addition, they
review the daily program schedule before it is printed. (average salary:$20,000)

3.) “WW

He or she prepares a computer printout of the daily operational schedule
and assists the traffic manager in maintaining a computerized inventory of the
television stations advertising accounts and the time periods allocated to each
one. This position may be combined with #7 above, (The Traffic Continuity

Specialist) at a smaller-size station. (average salary: $17,500)

69

C.) W
1.) Pregram DireetertManager

This person is responsible for selecting, buying, and scheduling all local,
network, and syndicated programming aired by a television station. Decision
making is a very important part of this position. If the Program Director picks a
program that doesn’t attract enough viewers, the consequences could prove to

be very costly to the station. As a result, some stations have transferred this
responsibility to a programming team. (average salary: $45,000)

2.)Public Affairs Director

This person surveys local needs and problems on a continuing basis and
develops programs, announcements and special events to address the
interests and concerns of the community. They maintain a relationship with local
business leaders, social service agencies and professional organizations within
the station’s viewing area. (average salary:$32,000)

3.) Preeeetien Manager

The production manager directs and coordinates production of all local
programs and commercials that originate in-house or at a remote location by a
television station. He or she supervises and monitors the work of producers
directors, floor managers, production assistants and any other production
support personnel. They also develop budgets and negotiate with performing

talent. (average salary: $35,500)

70
4.) W91

This person develops and produces any programming or special events
coverage (other than news) for the television station. They also discuss and
approve budgets, talent, scripts, sets, props, lighting and sound. During
rehearsals and actual telecasts, they direct the performers, technical crew,
and “call the shots.” (average salary: $26,500)

5-) “Wm

This entry-level position calls for providing any assistance needed by the
producer or director. Duties may include word processing, research, preliminary
interviews with newsmakers or talent, running errands, and operating the

teleprompter or audio equipment. (average salary: $17,250)

Stadio Crew

6-) W

He or she is responsible for the technical quality of the television
production. They also transmit instructions from the producer or director to
the camera operators, sound and lighting technicians. The job also involves
operating video switching equipment as the director calls out the camera shots.
(average salary: $25,250)

7-) Warm

The camera operator runs the camera during the shoot. He or she will

listen to commands given by the director. In larger markets this position is being

71
eliminated as many stations are using robotic cameras. (average salary:

$22,500)

“The floor manager or floor director works in the studio alongside the
performers and camera crew. During the rehearsal and production they are
giving cues, operating a teleprompter, overseeing set and prop changes, and
relaying instructions from the producer or director. This position is sometimes
considered an entry-level job and part of theproduction assistants duties.
(average salary: $ 23,500)

The audio person is responsible for anything related to the process of
recording and mixing audio. Tasks include setting up microphones, setting
levels for performers, music and sound effects and following the director's
instructions so that each sound begins and ends at the right time. At some
television stations this position may also be part of the production assistants
duties. (average salary. $22,750)

8-) W

This person is responsible for receiving, checking, filing and return of
tapes and films at a television station. Since most news, advertising and
programming from outside sources is now delivered by satellite, other job titles
for this position are satellite operations manager or satellite traffic manager.
Other responsibilities are booking and coordinating satellite feeds.

(average salary: $23,500)

72
91W

This person designs and executes a variety of graphics for
TV programs, station promotion and newscasts. This involves solid skills
operating electronic graphics equipment and a strong knowledge of
computer graphic design and illustration. (average salary: $30,500)

10.) Annettneerttalegt

This person is responsible for doing any voice-over or on-camera work
for the station. They typically do voice-overs for the station promotions,
commercials or special events. (* salary range: $25,000 - $150,000
depending on market-size and popularity of TV personality.)
D.)Promotions/Creative Servicee Department

1.) Promotions Director

Often known as director of creative services, this person is responsible
for promoting the station’s image, programs, and personalities through the use
of advertising. A typical day involves producing in-house promotions, preparing
press-releases and brochures, and program schedules.

2-) W

This person works under the supervision of the promotions director and
helps develop various kinds of mass-media station-image promotional

concepts.

73

E.) Women!
1.) Nefle Direeter

The head of the news operation manages the staff of reporters, editors,
producers, news specialists and assistants. They must be experienced in all
areas of news coverage and be a creative but practical leader and mofivater.
They also must be capable of preparing a realistic budget and operating within
its limits.

2-) W

This person is second in command in the news department They
supervise the newsroom staff, make assignments, and assist the news director
in budgeting and long-range planning.

3-) W

The producer/director is responsible for planning, preparing, and
producing the television newscast. This job is very graphics intensive and
requires a clear-headed and calm person. It also requires a person that is
imaginative and has sound news judgment. (average salary: $23,000)

4.) * ewe Pregumien Aegietant

This person works directly for the senior producer. Their duties include
checking out news tips,wrlting and rewriting news, editing and timing of news

tapes, and assembling segments of a newscast. (average salary: $17,250)

74
5.) Newe Reeeger

A TV news reporter covers local news ranging from fires and murders to
meetings with the mayor and civic Iuncheons. This position requires excellent
communication skills and proficiency in the use of cameras and other electronic
transmission devices. At a larger station, the news photographer would be
responsible for “shooting" the reporter using a video camera.

6.) Nefle Aneher

This person is the foremost personality around which a television
newscast is built. They are responsible for reading news items, introducing live
and taped inserts, investigative reporting, writing news, editing copy and
videotape, hosting discussions, making speeches and personal appearances,
and participating in TV station promotions.

7.) SQQEIS Qireetert Aneher

This person is responsible for sports news and play by play coverage
presented by a television station. In a smaller station the sports anchor may be
required to carry a camera and shoot interviews and sporting events.

8-) WWW

He or she collects, analyzes, and reports weather information. If this
person is a certified meteorologist, added importance is attached to this

position.

75

9.) News Writer

This job exists primarily at larger stations where news is presented 24
hours a day. Responsibilities include; writing, editing, and rewriting news
stories based on information supplied by reporters and wire services. This copy
is used on newscasts, documentaries, and news specials.

101W

The news photographer covers news live with an (ENG) electronic news-
gathering camera or a camcorder. Other responsibilities may include writing
and reporting news stories, and videotape editing. In a larger station the job title
of editor may be considered a separate position from the news photographer.
(average salary: $20,000)

11.) Neyye Graghjee Aniet
The person in this position designs and creates lettering, graphs, cartoons and
other graphics used to add pictorial interest to a news presentation.

(average salary range: $20-30 K)

12.) Newe ALcflivieyLierag'an

This person is responsible for indexing and filing news tapes,
maintaining a computerized inventory of every sound bite, prominent person,
and important news events in the station’s archives. This archiving is done so

that the material can be retrieved quickly when needed.

76
13.) * Newe Aeeietant

This entry-level position includes answering phones, filing news scripts,
word-processing and other general secretarial duties. Many student intems are
hired for this job. (average salary:$12,000)

E.) W

1.) Chief Engineer
The chief engineer manages a staff of technicians who operate, inspect, and
maintain the studio cameras, microphones, audio equipment, mobile
telecasting units, videotape recorders, and any other equipment used for
television broadcasting. They also advise management on new equipment
purchases, prepare operating and capital budgets and work with management
on communications research, development, and regulations.

2.) WW

Maintenance technicians are responsible for repair and servicing of the
television station’s broadcast/communications equipment and facilities. Each
technician usually is assigned to one area of maintenance responsibility, such
as transmitter, ENG cameras, studio cameras, switchers etc.

F.) W

1-) W

This person acts as a financial adviser and consultant to the general
manager and department heads. They are responsible for all station financial

activities, including accounting policies and procedures, development of

77
financial data for reports and projections, and supervision of business

department employees.

2.) W

This person assists the business manager in running the financial
operations of the television station. They handle accounts receivable and
payable, billings and payroll. The job also includes maintaining financial
records for use by management in daily business dealings and budgeting.
W

n H n

For any entry-level position in the production department, the job-hunter
could contact either the program director or the production manager. All three
production managers interviewed for this study were in charge of doing the
hiring. At a very small station the general manager may have this responsibility.

For entry level positions in the news department thenews director or the
assistantnews director would be good contacts.

W r vi

As mentioned earlier in this chapter, interviews were conducted with
three different people in supervisory production positions at two television
stations here in Lansing and one station in Detroit. The following is advice on

how to break into television production at a television station.

78

r' - Pr ti n ervisor/Director- WLNS TV- Lansin
What qualities do your look for in potential new hires?
1.) Looks for people that want to work and start at the bottom.
2.) Must be flexible and willing to wear many hats.
3.) Gain as much hands-on experience as possible before entering
the job market.
- Pr i n - / X - i
What qualities do your look for in potential new hires?
1.) Must love what they do over money.
2.) Must be driven and motivated.
3.) Must be patient and willing to work their way up.
4.) When conducting an interview Sandy will ask the following
questions:
a.) “How are you at time management?”
b.) “ How would you handle a typical work day?” (give examples)
c.) “ Whatare your career goals over the next five years?”
1111: - urv' orfr‘n-_o:o .: . Fi-ol Our; in - W Y - I: i
1 .) “Television is a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week business, and you must

be willing to work nights and weekends. ”

79

499 Hunting Reeegrees

1.) local yellow pages, newspapers
2.) Internet (search under TV jobs)
3.) RTNDA national job hot-line 1-900-40-RTDNA

4.) National Association of Broadcasters
1771 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 429 - 5300
* one of the largest trade organizations for broadcasting

(Trade publications)

5.) Broadcasting
Cahners Publishing Company
1735 DeSales Street,NW
Washington, DC 20036

6.) Broadcast Engineering
9221 Quivira Road
Overland Park, KS.

7.) RTDNA Communicator
Radio and Television News Director’s Association
1735 DeSales Street,NW
Washington, DC 20036

8.) Variety
154 W. 46th St.
New York, NY 10036

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rr - r n#1lntr u io

(ON - CAMERA ANNOUNCER)

“ Hello, and welcome to our television studio. We’re just getting ready to
shoot our next television series entitled the “New Millennium.” You know--The
90’s have introduced us all to a lot of new and exciting changes in
communication technologies. Computers, satellites, lasers and fiber optics are
just a few examples that will change the way we live and work forever. A growing
number of public and private organizations operate their own electronic
communication systems and thousands of businesses have sprung up to create
programming for all of these facilities and their customers. Back in 1990, the
INTV predicted that independent television stations would need more than
40,000 hours of syndicated programming. Commercial video production is also
growing rapidly with revenues exceeding $20 billion dollars a year. What do all
these facts and figures mean? Well here’s the good news - this translates to a
growing need for more and more highly skilled visual communicators to create
quality programming for a very diverse audience.

Despite this encouraging news, job hunting in the field of film and video

production has always been - and will continue to be - extremely competitive.

82

83
With more than 300 colleges and universities churning out thousands of TV &

Film “hopefuls”, competition for that first production job is fierce. But don’t get
discouraged - sit back and get ready to hop on our “Career Superhighway"

and explore to your heart’s content. Using text , graphics and sound ,we’ll take
you inside five different types of organizations which produce programming for
broadcast and non-broadcast television. You’ll learn how production
departments within a television station, an advertising agency, a corporation,
production company and post-production house are really structured and who to
contact to find out about entry level positions. We’ve also included job titles,
descriptions and salary ranges. Finally, you’ll get great advice from top industry
professionals on interviewing techniques and how to break-in to this fast-paced
competitive, and very exciting field.” “So, relax, drive safely, and the best of luck

in finding your career path in the exciting world of film and video production."

Pro-Production Questionnaire
W1 It is understood that by completing this questionnaire,
that you are yeltmtaflty agreeing to participate in this
study.)
1.) After graduation, are you planning on pursuing a career in Media

Arts production? (either film or video tape)

2.) If so,describe the steps you will use to help you find a job?(ie. newspaper, friends etc.)

3.) What kind of information do you think would be most helpful in finding
a job In Media Arts ?

4.) What do you ultimately want to do in Media Arts production ?

5.) What would a person in that job do on a daily basis?

6.) What types of businesses will you contact to look for a job ?

7.) What type of entry level position will you look for ?

8.) What kind of salary range are you expecting for your first job ?

84

85

9.) Using a five point scale, how well do you feel you understand the structure
of the film and video production industry, and what type ofjobs exist within
this structure?

(not very well) 1 2 3 4 5 (very well)

10.) Using a five point scale, how helpful do you think an interactive multimedia program might be,
which explains the structure of the film and video production industry, and where you might fit in as
a recent college graduate in Media Arts?

(not very helplul)1 2 3 4 5 (very helpful.)

1 1 .) Would you like to have actual descriptions of what people do in these jobs?

12.) What other kinds of inforrnatlon do you feel would be useful in helping

you learn more about the film and video production industry, and ultimately

help you find your first job ?

a.) What is your class level ? El freshmen EJ senior
D sophmore D graduate
El junior El other

b.) Which TC track are you in ? El Media Arts
[:1 ITS
El Multi-Channel Management
[J other

0.) Which of the following courses have you taken?

El TC 240 - Media Arts Production El TC 443 - Advanced Audio Production
El TC 342 — Studio Production [:1 TC 446 - Hypermedia Design
[J TC 343 Basic Audio Production El TC 842 - Media Design

El TC 442 - Remote Production

Post Production Questionnaire

Thank you for your participation in this questionnaire. The results from

this research will be included in a Master’s thesis from Michigan State
University. The data received will assist in evaluating the effectiveness

of the content and production techniques of THE CAREER SU PERHIGHWAY.
As we have discussed, please view the multimedia program and then complete
the following questionnaire. Once completed, the questionnaire can be placed
in the attached envelope and then you may leave the envelope in my office

( RM. 421 comm. arts. bldg.)

PROGRAM: THE CAREER SUPERHIGHWAY

_a__P rtl WM

1.) Please rate the organization of the information presented.
unorganized 5 4 3 2 1 well organized

2.) How easily understood is the information presented in this multimedia
program ?

notvery understandable 5 4 3 2 1 easily understandable

3.) On a scale from one to five, with one being uninformative, and five being

86

87
very informative, how would you rate the following sections of this multimedia

program.
Uninformative Very Informative

A.) Screen 1 - Career Superhighway 1 2 3 4 5

B.) Screen 2 - “Org Overview” 1 2 3 4 5

C.) Screen 3 - “ Go with the Flow” 1 2 3 4 5

D.) Screen 4 - “Getting your Foot in the Door” 1 2 3 4 5
E.) Screen #5 - “ To the Hunt” 1 2 3 4 5
4.) Of the topics presented in this multimedia program, which ones did you

find MOST Interesting?

5.) Of the topics presented in this multimedia program, which ones did you

find LES]; interesting?

6.) Overall, how useful do you think the information presented would be in
helping you with your job search?

NOT VERY USEFUL 5 4 3 2 1 VERY USEFUL

88
7.) How would you rate this program in terms of its entertainment value?

NOT VERY ENTERTAINING 5 4 3 2 1 VERY ENTERTAINING

8.) Overall, did you find navigation through this program DIFFICULT or EASY?

DIFFICULT 5 4 3 2 1 EASY

9.) Overall, in terms of retaining information and it’s effectiveness, did you find
this interactive approach to learning MORE, LESS or ABOUT THE SAME as
reading a book.

LESS 5 4 3 2 1 MORE

10.) Do you feel you know MORE or about the SAME about production

in advertising, than you did before using this program?

11.) How useful would this program be if it were produced in its entirety,
including all five types of organizations. ( i.e., production company,

post-producfion, TV station, advertising agency, and corporate media).

NOT VERY USEFUL 5 4 3 2 1 VERY USEFUL

12.) What did you learn from this program?

89

Part II Production

1.) How would you rate the following elements in the program?

A.) graphic design EXCELLENT 5 4 3 2 1 POOR
B.) audio sound bites EXCELLENT 5 4 3 2 1 POOR
C.) sound effects EXCELLENT 5 4 3 2 1 POOR

D.) selection of images and photographs

EXCELLENT 5 4 3 2 1 POOR
E.) image quality EXCELLENT 5 4 3 2 1 POOR
E.) button design EXCELLENT 5 4 3 2 1 POOR

2.) Please list any additional comments that you would like to make about this

program.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bayer, William. Breaking Threugh, Selling Get, Drepping Dead.Limelight
Editions 1989

Berlyn, David W. Exploring Gareere in Gaple-TV. New York: Rosen Publishing
Group, 1985

Ellis, Elmo I. Gppeflthmesjn—Brpaeeaetm. Lincolnwood, Illinois:
National Textbook Co.,1996

Farris, Linda GuessT l vi i n r r A i Br kin n n rin.
Fairfax, CA: Buy the Book Enterprises, 1995

Goldblatt, Deborah. LA 41 1- Thirteenth Edition . Los Angeles, CA: LA 41 1
Publishing Comapny, 1991

Kemper, Philip H. The app Henter’e Hanepeek fer the A-V Vieee G Film lnpestty

Chicago, Illinois: Kemper Associates,1992

Litman, Barry and Thomas Laurie. Fox Broadcasting Companv - Whv Nevfi
Journal of Broadcasting and Electroninc Media, 1991

London, Mel. Getting lntp Film. New York: Ballantine Books, 1986

Mungons, Craig. What Do Preepgre De? Southfield, MI, 1995

Noronha, Shonan F.R. WWW

Lincolnwood, ILL: VGM Communications 1989

Runyon, Kenneth E. Agvettjeing. Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co,Columbus,
Ohio: 1984

Scheetz,Patrick L. Reetuiting Trenee 1224-1225.
East Lansing,Ml :Collegiate Employment Institute, 1995

Screen Magazine’s. hi Pr ' n Bi l .Screen Enterprises Inc. Chicago,
IL, 1991

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91

Tway, Linda. Meltimedia as Eepeator.
La Jolla, CA: AP Professional, 1995

Verna, Tony. Live TV. An Inside Look at Directing and Producing.
Sonneham, MA: Butterworth Publishing, 1987

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