Task 7 - Prep Notes

Presentation

What is Freelance?

Freelance in the media industry is close to self-employed; mostly include working to briefs and assignment for other companies following a deadline to a brief. A freelancer is given is usually given a task to do by an employer to do in a certain deadline and will be paid for the finished product within the deadline. They usually work for multiple employers over a course of a year. A freelancer is like a manager in professional sports, they sell their services for the highest bidder except they don’t work for the same employer for a long time. Free lancers may work part time or full time whatever they prefer because they are their own boss and all the employer or client is interested in is the your finished product within the dead line and the client’s specifications.
What’s good about freelancing?
§  Being you own boss - which can be extremely enjoyable and satisfying;
§  More money - freelancers are usually paid more than employees working alongside them on a project;
§  Freedom - e.g. Freelancers can, to varying degrees, choose when and where to work, when to take holidays etc.;
§  Variety - by moving from contract to contract and company to company, freelancers can develop very varied experience and an impressive CV;
§  Less tax - freelancers who take professional advice can also greatly reduce the amount of tax they pay.

Whats bad?
Isolation
Lack of benefits
Variable workloads and income
Round the clock coverage
Accountability
Lack of job security



Some freelancers in different media sectors

Choreography

Danny Cooke

Danny Cooke is a c based in Torbay, Devon, UK. His work as a director involves him directing a team of people and the film protagonists and has a first-hand understanding on the roles of a cinematographer and editor which helps achieve the best possible outcome. As a cinematographer he operated primary on a Sony 4k FS7 camera but has experience with large array of systems from DSLR up to RED. He also has an additions kit that offers 360 motion control rigs for dynamic time lapses and experience with Steadicam or MoVI gimbal rigs. As an aerial cinematographer he operates a DJI inspire Drone/UAV. I am licensed; Licensed; CAA approved and a qualified pilot up to up to 7 kg., holding a BNUC-s Theory and RPQ-s Flight Assessment certificates.  He also has editing experience with basic colour correction from TV and web commercials to documentary or music videos. Whilst using the final cut pro or adobe CC suite. He worked for companies such as CBS, Sunspel Channel 4, Sony Music, Samsung, Etsy and Lexus.


He went to Portsmouth university and did BA(Hons) in Media Arts  Danny Cooke has shot and edited documentaries, including the award winning ‘Ray: A Life Underwater’. He also won the award for Outstanding Student at the 2012 Vice-Chancellor’s Enterprise Awards.

Web Designer

(Michael) Mike Moore

Owner / Freelance Creative:

Mike Moore Design is the trading name for my Freelance Design business. Currently working for direct clients and taking bookings from specialist digital agencies.
Senior Creative (freelance tenure):
He worked with the team for seven months providing cover for the outgoing Creative Director & Senior Designer. During his my time with Skylab he worked purely on digital projects. Creating websites for Hasselblad, British Swimming, Badminton All England and SK:N Clinics. Disciplines included; Front End Design, Art Direction, Wireframing, Information Architecture, Branding and some Motion Graphics work (After Effects).
He worked on many aspects of brand development, website design, brochure design, flash animation and art directing photography. In addition he handled the majority of print for the group which included quoting and seeing the job through to delivery.
Graphic/Web Designer:
Brilliant first job. Learnt so much in a short space of time mainly thanks to David Hassall who He worked closely with for many years. Worked on integrated accounts for:
·         Hepworth Building Products
·         Eclipse Magnetics
·         Manchester Shop fittings Ltd.
·         Saville Stainless
·         Adis International
·         Dams International
He did everything from web design, art directing photo shoots, branding, brochure design right through to passing jobs on the Heidelberg press for our clients.
Education:
West Thames College

Journalist

Matthew Howarth

How he got into freelancing

He went to the University of Kent to study sport and exercise science and after that he did a Masters in sports journalism at Sheffield Hallam University. When he graduated from that he did a week of unpaid work experience at the Newcastle Evening Chronicle newspaper, followed by three weeks at the Sheffield Star newspaper. He also took part in a one-day masterclass at the Guardian entitled 'How to be a football journalist’. After applying for several full-time jobs, he was finally offered paid work by Bundesliga.com, which is the official English-language website of German football's top division.
How relevant his degree is to his work

He states that his post graduate degree helped alot securing jobs but if he didnt do a post graduate course in sport and exercise at undergraduate level he wouldve never got a place on a sports jounalism course. He also states that the skills he leanred during his postgraduate degree (e.g. how to write match reports/features) have proved invaluable. However, it's only when you start your first job that you become accustomed to the tight deadlines and really start to improve as a writer.

Typical day at work

"No two days are ever the same in journalism" he states. But when hes working Bundesliga.com, he writes and/or edits match previews, match reports, news stories, features, etc. for the website. Occasionally, hes sent out to report on Bundesliga matches and conduct interviews with players and/or managers. When he’s not working for Bundesliga.com in Munich, he translates articles for FIFA.com and the FIFA Weekly football magazine from home.
He advices to start your own blog and write about anything you feel like - opinion pieces, previews, match reports - it's important to get used to writing articles on a regular basis. You can provide regular links to your blog on social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).


Contractual obligations

As mentioned, contract obligations generally depend on the specific subject matter of the contract. Contract obligations for a sales contract may be much different than other types of contracts, such as a rental agreement contract. However, most legal agreements contain some of the same types of contract obligations, such as:
·         Payment:  One party (the buyer) is usually legally bound to provide payment for the sale of goods or services. The contract terms may state obligations regarding payment amounts and the deadline for payment.
·         Delivery:  The seller is usually bound to provide delivery of the goods or services. Again, the contract may state specific obligations in terms of delivery dates, method of delivery and other terms.
·         Quality of Goods:  The seller may also be bound to provide goods of a certain quality. This may be specifically described in the contract