Newhouse School of Communications
Career Paths:
Television-Radio-Film
Television/Film
Movie theaters sell over a billion movie tickets every year, and national box office totals represent only a fraction of a film's intake. Year after year, the entertainment industry vies with the military complex to become America's number one source of exports.
Even so, the financial impacts of show biz are often outranked by its cultural impact. Where film focuses on the spectacular, television has assumed the pre-TV role of the American theater by dramatizing the stories of men and women from various segments of the U.S. population. Over the last 50 years, on a national level, television has been the single most important determinant of American culture. Internationally, U.S. entertainment products take in a Titanic 90 percent of the world market-affecting the Americanization of countless individuals.
As a medium that accesses the hearts and minds of most of humanity, the entertainment industry couldn't have a higher profile. Even so, few understand the underpinnings of the industry.
Development
Development is where potential projects are considered, scripts are read and financing is arranged.
Pre-Production
During pre-production, every aspect of the film or television show-down to the tiniest detail-is planned. Pre-production is actually when most of the creative decisions about a film or television show are made (though these decisions are constantly re-worked in the production and post-production phases.)
Production
Production, also known as principle photography, is the "lights, camera, action" work that most people associate with the entertainment industry.
Post-Production
Editing film or video, special effects and sound are done to create the final product.
Marketing & Distribution
When to release or schedule a film or TV show; how it should be pitched; selling commercial time and other financial considerations are handled in this step.
Information from experience.com 6/2000
Radio
Contrary to what some predicted, radio didn't die with the advent of television. Duopoly laws and recent FCC changes in ownership has kept the radio industry in a constant state of change in the '90s. The single or family-owned radio station is becoming a thing of the past as large media corporations add more radio stations to their empires. The vast majority of stations operate locally but are broadcasting more syndicated and/or national programming as they are consolidated. Music, sports, talk, news - radio provides a variety of opportunity for all interests. The emergence of satellite radio (Sirius, XM) is adding new dimension to this industry and making its radio programming more national in scope and multi-faceted in topic.
Talent and Programming
Formerly known as "disk jockeys," radio personalities are involved in listener relations, song selection and station promotions. News and traffic people are also employed as on-air talent. The programming director is responsible for the overall sound and image of the station. The PD has relationships with music industry executives as they depend on radio stations to promote their artists.
em>Production
Many commercials and promotions are made at the local level and the production department handles this area. Voiceovers, working the board and handling remote broadcasts are all responsibilities of the production staff. Increasingly sophisticated equipment makes it essential to stay on top of the latest technical developments.
Sales and Promotions
The lifeblood of radio, selling airtime is essential to their survival. Account executives work with research to determine viable advertisers and use their creative skills to pitch promotional events and concerts.
Written by the Newhouse CDC--revised 11/2005
Positions held by Newhouse Class of 2005 graduates:
- Production Assistant - "According to Jim," Los Angeles
- Production Assistant - "ElimaDate," NYC
- Production Assistant - ESPN, Bristol, CT
- Agent's Assistant - Paul Kohner, Inc., Los Angeles
- Casting Production Assistant - Stick Figure Productions, NYC
- Sales Assistant - TeleRep, Inc., Boston
