Careers in TV

Directors are the creative leads of the film. They hold the creative vision throughout the whole process, from pre-production through to the final edit.

Producers are at the financial, practical and creative heart of a film or TV drama. They are often the first to get involved, spotting the creative opportunity and commercial viability of a production. They continue as the driving force right through to distribution.

Screenwriters write and develop screenplays for film or TV drama. They do this either based on an original idea, by adapting an existing story into a screenplay or by joining an existing project.

Gaffers work closely with the director of photography (DoP) to bring to life the overall look of a film by creating and controlling light.

Sound mixers head up the department responsible for all the sound recorded during filming. This is predominantly dialogue but can include sound effects and atmosphere.

Directors of photography are responsible for the photographic heart of a production.

Colourists contribute to the mood and look of a film by defining its colours. They work with the director and director of photography to decide the palette; whether it’s restrained or hyper-coloured, whether it uses milky colours or primary ones. Colourists are able to contribute to these looks by changing the luminance levels (brightness) and chroma (colour).

Film archivists are the librarians of the film and TV drama industry. They work for large film studios, like Pinewood; for broadcasters, like ITV and the BBC; for organisations like the British Film Institute, British Pathé; and for regional film archives.

Subtitlers make it possible for films to be enjoyed by audiences all over the world and by the deaf and hard of hearing. They translate all the dialogue, music and sound effects of a film into two-line written captions that appear on the screen, either in the language in which the film is made or in a foreign language.