TV

How to survive as a TV freelancer

(Credit: Jon Craig)

At “How to survive as a TV freelancer”, the panel cited toughness, persistence and resilience as key qualities needed to work in the television industry.

Transferable skills are also important. “You should be shooting, doing sound and showing your creativity,” said RDF West head of production Angela Oakhill.

One of Oakhill’s pet hates is interviewees who talk about RDF productions made in London: “Do your research – it’s easy to find out what shows are made here in Bristol.”

The Great History Debate

How times have changed.

Now presenters travel across the globe to bring back stories, sometimes reflecting the dress and even the food of the era. And the long running classic documentaries with archive and voiceover, have largely given way to a rich explosion of formats from lavish reconstructions and living history to compelling personal journeys.

Event Report: Update TV skills conference

Supported by the BBC Academy and Women in Film and Television UK, “Update TV skills” explained to people who have taken a career break how television has changed and what they need to know to make a successful return.

The day began with a presentation from Rowan de Pomerai, head of flexible delivery at Ooyala, which helps broadcasters and media companies manage the end-to-end digital workflow that is becoming the standard way of organising the production and distribution of TV programmes.

Sherlock named world's favourite BBC character

Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock has been named the favourite BBC TV character by a third of TV viewers surveyed.

The research was conducted in the lead up to BBC Worldwide Showcase. Over 7000 people aged 18 to 64 from Australia, France, USA, Germany, India, Japan and Mexico were asked to take part in the survey, which identified the most popular BBC TV character and most memorable scene from BBC television.

Event report: Working in television journalism

The comment came from Sky’s assistant editor (mobile), Peter Diapre, who said that bulletins are good at visual storytelling. He added that the same techniques apply across a range of platforms, even for bite-size news on smaller screens.

Eighteen experts from the BBC, ITV, Sky, Olympic Broadcasting, local TV and press, including a range of freelancers, were on hand to reflect on changing industry practices as well as outlining the unchanging skills required for visual journalism.