Thursday 1 April 2010

work placement rocks

i love the Q.D design company this place rocks and is great fun thank you felicity denis and i are enjoying our-self's, it is so relaxed and chilled out here i love it.
this is the best work experience i have ever had and i hope to get a job at a place like this.
the staff are very friendly especially the man we work with Gary he is a fountain of knowledge and he is always here to help us if we need it and to show us some design tips and tricks.
we are designing wild life logo's at this time but if we can finish them and an additional poster by the time the week is up we can begin to try out some design's for the now summer c.d. and c.d. cover this a great opportunity for us to learn about the industry and how it works.
the placement is great for us and is letting us use the creative ideas we have inside us.

Wednesday 24 March 2010

jazz piece

the jazz piece work for mike has been completed on logic pro today and i was filmed for the project yesterday on the 23rd and it went well,
i completed the secondary underlay of the piece which consists of lower notes than the melody and are mostly played two at a time.

Monday 15 March 2010

planning radio advert for radio-play

voice over
For the voice over of the radio advert I will first introduce the play by name and genre this will take roughly 7-10 seconds at the start of the add about 3 seconds after the start,(this will require the music to be dimmed for the mean time.(The Stranger a horror mystery play by Emanuella, Susan, Phalak, and Patrick.)
The second voice over will be after the first snip from the clip and will be about the play and the main character this will be 9-10 seconds long,(the stranger the story of a girl who didn't listen to her friends and payed the price for a date she will never forget.)
the third voice over will be at the end of the add after the second snip of the script and will last roughly 6-10 second long.(tune in on sky four to listen to this one off preview of the play on sunday at 3 o-clock)

music
The music that will be played will be a file called shop in the I tunes system of my i-mac which was downloaded from the internet. The run time of the song including voice overs will be 44 seconds long.

script inputs
The lines from the script will be the lines between the main character and her best friend in the cafeteria when she is first signing onto Face-book 6-10 second long, and then the final one is when she is arguing the fact that she has the date then gets locked in the house this will be covered by the pre recorded sound effects 8-10 seconds long.

sound fx
the recorded sound effects that will be used are the squeaky door and floor board which will be played at the end of the add and the phone ring will be the first sound effect played at the beginning of the sound track before the music starts.

Thursday 11 March 2010

music industry jobs list

the first task has been lost and so i have had to make a new list and so i have found lots of jobs which are more focused more on the music industry and the preforming and editorial side of the industry.

new progress on the brochure

for my campaign brochure i have designed the brochure differently then i had first planned,
i had planned to have six to eight images in the centre of the outer page or the back of the brochure but they covered the back ground and i couldn't rid myself of the white outlined boxes,
so now i have deleted them and left it to show just the background image.

Monday 8 March 2010

music industry jobs. completed tasks 1-9

conductor: a conductor helps singers and bands to prepare and preform,

they do this by showing them and teaching them how the different sounds and voices of the instruments and the singers can work together to make the best music possible.


A conductor will also help you to refine and master your music and make sure that the lyrics and the notes are all in the correct place and will all make sense,

the conductor must have a wide range of musical skills and a history of musical achievements and must have a decent level in music they must be at least a grade 7-8.

it helps if the conductor knows a second european language generally the main three languages of great opera are french, german, and italian.

the conductor must be good with people and be very confident because no one is going to listen to a conductor who isn’t confident because the conductor is a leader and needs to lead the orchestra in the performance so they must be confident to pass it on to the musicians.


if a conductor is well recognized they will be earning £1000-£3500 per concert and if your a renowned conductor then you should have no problem finding concerts, sometimes a conductor will travel to different venues with his own personal group or orchestra example:(the london philharmonic orchestra).


a conductor will look for jobs in schools, orchestra’s they will contact the school requesting the job of the head of music or a normal teaching job as a music teacher this position can be in any school it doesn’t have to be a specialist school they could be just a normal school, they will get in contact with the schools head teacher if they have an opening for a music teacher then they would take a visit to the school meet some students and the teachers to see if the school is to their liking.


if the conductor is looking for a orchestral career then they will contact the orchestra or the owner of the orchestra like a sponsor and they will look for an opening they will search all over europe for these jobs. they will usually apply by telephone and then email their records and their necessary documents and info to their hopefully new employer.


if a company or a group is looking for a conductor they would use word of mouth if they belong to a famous organization and want to keep the job in a certain circle of people this way the they can hire someone they know and can trust.

if its just a group who needs help then they would probably post the ad in a magazine or on the internet and wait for a reply once they have left their contact details.


if a conductor is searching for a job or want’s to keep informed as to openings in the industry for conductors they will ask to be sent an email or a letter informing them by their prospective employer.


career development plan (conductor).



goal: to become a permanent member of a well recognized school or orchestra.



current education or job: grade 8 in piano,violin and grade 5 in flute and cello,

music teacher in s.t. Thomas More secondary school Manchester.

i graduated from the royal academy of music three years ago with my full degree in music and music technology. extra languages: german, japanese, french, italian.


education needed: degree/masters in music and at least level 5 in 2 instruments.


first step: the first step i need to take to get to my goal is that i need more education in how to teach larger choir groups or orchestra’s instead of secondary school kids.

(even volunteer work)


target completion date: i aim to complete this task by may 2011.


step 2: the second step is that i have to go job hunting and apply for a teaching job as the teacher of a university or specialist music schools orchestra and music teacher, or become part of a professional orchestra and be a conductor for live shoes in opera houses and theaters.



goal accomplishment date: i plan to finish my training and become a teacher/conductor by 2013 when i have completed my training and have had greater experience at teaching larger and more diverse orchestra’s.


roadies: are the people who make concerts possible because they are the ones who build the stage arrange the instruments and tune them for the bands and singers,

the roadies are the people who prepare the concerts and make sure all the artists are well looked after and that they are happy with the equipment and the service they receive before a show.

a roadie could have about 200+ jobs on a big tour and is a great way to earn experience and learn about how the bands and singers got where they are, this helps them find more jobs because people always look for the most experienced roadies so as their concerts can run smoothly and well, this will increase chances of repeat performances by the bands and that will draw in more crowds which means more money.

a roadie would usually apply for a job via a connection with the band or one of its members or they would go and contact an agency that has been in need of roadies for a concert or a gig or even a tour for a group or singer.

they can apply for the job over the internet via email or they could phone up the company and arrange the details of the job and weather or nor they could apply for the job and then they would determine the rate of pay and the specifics of the job.

the way a company would search or recruit roadies is very simple they would request the help of a roadie they can trust or that they have hired before and were happy with there work.

the company can also post the job requests in magazines or on posters and even on some web sites asking for help especially when they have a big concert planned then they need all the help they can get and then when they find some applicants they review their history and check which shows they have helped set up before and weather or not they have the experience and can handle such a large job.

if a roadie needs to find work they will search for it on the web or in the usual music magazines, the amount of jobs depends on if there is a concern or gig playing, if they aren’t looking for anything big and they just want a local job then would use word of mouth and they would look for any news on the local band and if they have any gigs on or if there is a local festival on and the bands need any help setting up.

if a roadie wishes to be kept up to date with job opening they will keep checking on the company web sites that they are applying with and ask to be sent emails if a job opens up for them.

career development plan: roadie.



goal: to be a full time roadie for a record company helping set up concerts and festivals.



current education or job: 5 A-levels in music, drama, media(creative) and drama.

part time fork lift driver for ASDA looking for more roadie work.



education needed: past experience in roadie work.


first step: apply for jobs at some well known festivals for roadie work and improve your experience at setting up and maintaining larger live shows.


task completion date: i plan do achieve this by christmas 2011.


second step: contact a large/renown music company and apply for a full time job as a roadie for the bands they have there, or are sponsoring.


goal accomplishment date: 2012 i plan to have more experience in larger concerts and shows and hope to be working for a large music company and their bands and singers.

Tuesday 9 February 2010

list of media jobs in london

flash designer: pay £30,000-£35,000

qualifications:You will also be involved in a variety of other digital design projects too for online.
Dependant on experience the starting salary will be in the region of £30 to £35k and we operate a profit share scheme on top.

CV with URLs to a portfolio of corporate Flash work required.



web designer:pay £20,000-£28,000


You will definitely need:


To be able to demonstrate outstanding design ability in the field of web design

An attention to detail that almost makes you impossible to work with! ;-)

Solid working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator

To be an expert at CSS, semantic XHTML, and building websites to W3C guidelines

An awareness of accessibility and user centred design

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

A professional attitude to work

It is not necessary, but would give you an edge if you had:


Knowledge of Adobe Flash

Experience working with Javascript/AJAX

Knowledge of PHP and MySQL

Experience working with Linux servers



Creative and media Jobs in Greater London

Found 34 jobs

The latest Creative and media jobs in Greater London to view and apply for now with Guardian Jobs

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Exceptional Exec Assistant - Design Company

  1. IMPACT CREATIVE RECRUITMENT | £45,000

Office Secretary, Telecommunications

  1. JUDY FISHER ASSOCIATES | £21-22K

RECEPTIONIST / ADMINISTRATOR - Brand Design Agency

  1. ROYDS RAPHAEL | £18K-£20K

Marketing Assistant – Fashion

  1. ROYDS RAPHAEL | £18K + clothing allowance +...

Corporate Development Co-ordinator

  1. NATIONAL THEATRE | Central London | £19,000 per annum, paid by credit...

PA and Office Manager – Mobile Advertising

  1. JUDY FISHER ASSOCIATES | £25K +Bonus

PA to Chairman - Media & Marketing Group

  1. MEDIAFORCE | Fleet Street | £Attractive Package

PA to Directors, Media Phenomenon

  1. E J CHURCH | London | To £30,000

PA to HR Directors, Leading Global Brand

  1. E J CHURCH | London | £28,000 pro rata

PA to two Directors, Entertainment & Media Brand

  1. E J CHURCH | London | £28,000

ARCHITECTS – RECEPTIONIST/ADMINISTRATOR

  1. JUDY FISHER ASSOCIATES | Circa. £20K

Team Sec/PA

  1. REGAN & DEAN | London | £19000 - £23000 per annum

Team Based PA - Corporate Promotions

  1. TAY ASSOCIATES LIMITED | London | £30000 - £31000 per annum +...

PA - 9 month contract - Entertainment Company

  1. PATHFINDERS | London | £30K

RECEPTIONIST / ADMINSTRATOR - Creative Agency

  1. ROYDS RAPHAEL | £18K-£20K+bonus+bens

PA to Heads of Design & Marketing, Telecomms

  1. JUDY FISHER ASSOCIATES | c. £30k + Bens

Production Administrator - Advertising

  1. HANDLE RECRUITMENT | West End | £18000 - £20000 per annum

PA to CEO - Not for Profit

  1. HANDLE RECRUITMENT | City of London | up to £30k + Beneifts

Cool and Confident - Project Administrator Required

  1. ADREM RECRUITMENT | £28kCool and Confident - Project Administrator Required
  1. ADREM RECRUITMENT | £28k

PA to High Profile Designer

  1. ROBERTA GRADE RECRUITMENT | c £40k + Healthcare

Executive Assistant to MD - Design

  1. HANDLE RECRUITMENT | London | c£38k

EA to Creative Director - Media

  1. ROBERTA GRADE RECRUITMENT | up to £40k plus bens

MULTI-LINGUAL TRANSCREATION MANAGER REQUIRED FOR LEADING MEDIA AGENCY

  1. CHRISTOPHER KEATS | Up to 30K

Head of Ops/Facilities - Fab Media Co!

  1. ROSE RECRUITMENT | up to 65K

Presentations Executive - Research Agency (Temp to Perm)

  1. IMPACT CREATIVE RECRUITMENT | Up to £23K

Office Manager, Marketing

  1. JUDY FISHER ASSOCIATES | £25-30K

Reception/Office Coordinator - PR

  1. HANDLE RECRUITMENT | London | £8.00 - £9.00 per annum + holiday...

Corporate Communications Team Assistant

  1. NORMA SKEMP | Mayfair | £25,000 + excellent benefits

Fundraising and Communications Executive

  1. REGAN & DEAN | City of London | £25000 per annum

PRIVATE PA (IDEALLY WITH FRENCH) TO CHARMING IRISH LUXURY BRAND FASHION ENTREPRENEUR, £40-£45K

  1. WORKING GIRLS | UPTO £45KA&R
    Also known as Artist and Repertoire. Good at sourcing talent? Good at linking people up? Good with a range of types of people? Think you know what the public will delve into their pockets for? This is potentially a big money maker for you.

    A&R man

    :: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/ar/ for more info.


    Agent
    Agents are responsible for sourcing and booking gigs for artists and DJs. You usually earn your cash through a commission rate – grabbing a certain percentage of your artist / DJ’s earnings. The more artists you have on your 'roster' the bigger the weight you carry with promoters. Oh and you don’t have to go to every gig.

    :: http://www.agents-uk.com for more info and contacts.


    Broadcaster
    Not sure about making the music, but love supporting it? Can you put your passion into words and appeal to as many people as possible?

    Broadcasting

    Listen here

    Apply for work experience at 1Xtra here: www.bbc.co.uk/jobs


    Caterer
    A very important part of the chain in the music industry. No food = unhappy workers = less creativity and action = less product = less money = more unhappy workers.

    Rider

    Check out your local catering college for more info or check outhttp://www.caterlinkltd.co.uk/ for information about the trade as a whole.


    Choreographer
    Movement, image and aesthetics are everything, especially in the mainstream music industry, and they come together in the role of choreographer. Communication is key, and you must be able to work with a range of artists as you never know who you might be asking to do a back-flip for the next video or stage show! Long hours are a given, as are sweaty leotards (ok maybe just in the 80's).

    Beyonce

    Listen here

    Can’t keep you’re feet still? Visit these sites for inspiration:
    :: http://www.idta-teentribe.co.uk/future.html
    :: http://www.danceuk.org/metadot/index.pl


    Designer
    There are many types of design needed in the music industry. Graphics for sleeve artwork can make a difference to casual buyers, and therefore to the pockets of musicians. You are responsible for representing the image of an artist, so a certain level of commercial empathy is needed - you know what people want to see.
    It might be that you are more of a moving pictures designer – looking through the eye of a camera. Music videos sell units these days, so how an artist is visually portrayed is all part of the end result (see Video Director and Stylist for more on this). You could also end up working on designing tour merchandise, flyers, anything associated with the artist.

    Designers

    Check out your local college/ university for design courses..
    In the mean time, here are some professional websites..
    :: www.designcouncil.org.uk
    :: www.britishdesign.co.uk
    :: www.photoshopuser.com


    Distributor
    No distribution – no music! Possibly the most underrated yet important cog in the machine. Distributors actually get the product to the shops and/or outlets; they supply on demand and have an excellent knowledge of how people spend money and buy music.

    Here are a couple of uk music distributors’ websites to check out
    :: http://www.properdistribution.com/
    :: http://www.southern.com/southern/label/SRD/


    Engineer
    You love mixing desks and hate natural light. You can work with a range of people, and have a skill for separating yourself from your own personal music tastes. Tolerance and patience are a must, as well as a deep technical knowledge of audio. A sound-engineering course is almost essential.

    Mixing desk

    Listen here

    Here are some places in the UK to learn the trade:
    :: http://www.sae.edu
    :: www.deepbluesound.co.uk
    :: www.pointblanklondon.com


    Hair Stylist
    Understand image, fashion and people? Prepared to work long hours and be part of a very large team of stylists for one artist? This one’s for you. Oh and you should make sure you don’t have a bad breath problem as getting close to people is a must!

    Your local college will definitely have a hair and beauty course.. why not check out the prospectus?

    :: http://www.ukhairdressers.com/ is a good site to keep up to date with the trade.
    :: http://www.hair-recruitment.com/rush/rushad.htm go here for help getting onto the ladder! Send them your CV once you have some experience!

    Independent Operator
    Step aside P Diddy, Clive Davis, and Jermaine Dupri. Tired of majors dictating your every move? Want to set up on your own? A good independent operator is business savy, disciplined, and focused. You have full control over your artists, marketing, budget in fact the whole thing is down to you.
    Have you got what it takes?

    :: Hear Jay-Z talk about making it in the game!

    P Diddy

    Here's a few independently operated labels:
    :: http://www.lowliferecords.co.uk
    :: www.bigdada.com/
    :: www.hospitalrecords.com
    :: www.679recordings.com

    Journalist
    No need to have formal training for this one. A fair mind and a flair for quick, catchy writing is essential however. It’s important to be on top of trends and public opinion and although you might be hired to give your personal slant on an artist or project, it’s essential that you know how your readers might feel in response. Like to stir things up? Like going to gigs (and that means a lot of events you wouldn’t go to personally)? Get scribbling!

    Listen here

    Fancy a course to tighten your grammar, spelling and general sentence making? Visit your local college or university. Study at your own pace more often than not...

    More here;http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/journalist/

    Why not send your favourite magazines/ papers your articles?
    :: http://www.rwdmag.com
    :: http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk
    :: http://www.hhcmagazine.com


    Back to top ^^


    Lawyer
    One of the backbones in an artist / label’s team, a lawyer is responsible for looking over and looking after an artist / label’s contracts and agreements right from the start. Who owns what, who gets what, who does what; publishing, management, record contracts - it’s an essential role. Formal training is key- you can’t blag your way into this one. The more you know the law and can manipulate it, the more you can do for your client, the more money you can potentially earn! Sometimes on commission, sometimes on a flat fee, the money is generally good when you reach a respectable level. You don’t need to like music, nor the industry for this one; you just need to know other peoples’ jobs better than they do!

    Lawyer

    It’s more than suits and wigs... check out some of your potential employers here:
    :: http://ww.sheridans.co.uk
    :: http://ww.aprs.co.uk


    Manager
    Not one to steal the limelight, but one who loves being in the thick of the industry, a manager is a reliable, personable, presentable person who has true passion for the people they represent. Your responsibilities might range from grabbing the dry cleaning, to sitting in on deals made with lawyers, you have to be versatile and available on the phone 24/7! Communication skills are vital as you might be the spokesperson for your client so honesty and trust are musts!

    Listen here

    :: www.ukmmf.net is a bit like a union for managers.

    For the real scoop on what a manager does, try and ask the person standing next to your favourite artists next time you see them out! They’ll be more likely to speak to you than the artists, right???


    Make-Up artist
    See Stylist / Hair Stylist


    Music Editor
    The music editors are the ones who decide whether your video’s good enough to grace our TV screens. You are a quality controller and most importantly you know what your audience want. Part of your job is to find that diamond in the rough and so diplomacy, honesty and tolerance are a must. Confident in your decisions? This one is for you!

    Here's a couple of stations where the music editors have made their selections on whats hot:
    :: http://www.mtv.co.uk/mtvbase
    :: http://www.channelu.tv/

    Photographer
    For similar role see Stylist. Image and aesthetics sell records these days – as well as the product itself. Perhaps you’re the arty type and want to have your name on CD cover credits.. perhaps you love to travel and be the fly-on-the-wall character in an artist’s life for that multi-million pound book of memoirs... Not just for the music industry obviously, but if you love your tunes and you can pick up a camera, the artists’ ego always needs to be captured and exploited!

    Photographers

    Want to be inspired? Check out this storyhttp://www.tomoldham.com
    This photographer’s been doing it since he was 11!http://www.dennismorris.com

    For the other side of the music bizz, check out this photographer’s work; http://www.rockarchive.com/
    Check out your local college for course details... pick up that camera!


    Plugger
    Fact to impress your friends with; back in the day before CDs, when sheet music was the big seller, pluggers had to be able to sight-read music. They would visit the music shops which sold musical scores and played the pieces of music live to showcase their product – don’t worry – you don’t need that skill any more, just a flair for selling and diary-keeping. Here at 1Xtra and Radio 1, we get visited by pluggers who keep us up to date with tracks and tell us in person about forthcoming projects and/ or release dates etc. It may seem unnecessary when email is everywhere these days, but there’s nothing like a persuasive face..
    For similar role see press officer.

    Listen here

    Check out these two UK companies to get an idea of what the job's about:
    :: http://www.ish-media.com/
    :: http://www.angloplugging.co.uk


    Press Officer
    With over 1000 labels and 100s of radio/ tv stations in the UK alone, getting noticed is difficult – without a decent press officer. Communication and a knowledge of the media and how radio/ tv work are key to this role. Often you’re assigned to particular types of music dependent on your knowledge, so a great job if you have a genuine passion for certain pockets of music. Sell.. sell.. sell.. but don’t sell yourselfout – nothing worse for a radio/ tv producer to receive the same press-release again and again... Is it REALLY the biggest rap album on the streets right now? Hmm... honesty not (wholly) essential, but realism is. Keeping your credibility, much like the journalists, is the road to press success...!

    This UK agency recruits for press and PR (public relations) jobs:
    :: http://www.profilescreative.com/


    Publisher
    A music publisher is responsible for exploiting the publishing rights of a song. Recording rights are owned by the labels and are a different matter. Publishers buy the copyrights of individuals rather than recordings– these individuals could be songwriters who never even appear on stage themselves. When we talk about exploiting, we don’t mean in a bad way; perhaps you would try and get your clients’ songs onto an advert, ringtones, or a computer game. A vision of music as a commodity as well as an art form is really important. Much like the manager, you need to be trustworthy because you’re speaking for other people all the time. This is not one for the shy and retiring either – you have to talk money!

    These are a couple of large publishers.
    :: http://www.emimusicpub.com/
    :: http://www.umusicpub.com/ .

    To see how diverse the job can be, check out this company who deal mainly with guitar-based bands. http://www.complete-music.co.uk /


    Roadie
    Well, if you like the gym, or were just born big-boned this one’s for you. As with the engineer, a geeky passion for equipment is essential. Not only are you heavy-lifting speakers and rigging, but you also need to know why they’re there and what connects to what. Oh yeah, a passport and a love of temporary festival-style toilets are also essential. Phobia of body-odour and wires? Forget it.

    Roadie

    Check the network out right here http://www.roadie.net


    Songwriter
    Maybe you hate the limelight, but have a skill for writing tracks and empathising with music lovers? Not one to steal all the attention, you don’t mind swallowing your own ego for the sake of someone else taking all the credit. This is a real music-head’s job. You must be extremely accomplished as a musician and able to work quickly. Don’t get too attached to your work though - most of it probably won't ever see the light of day outside of the studio. It’s a slow-burning, but rewarding role.

    Listen here

    Go here http://www.britishacademy.com/ for course information and job opportunities.

    A very united profession, here’s the international website for songwriters http://www.songwriter.co.uk/

    Stylist
    “More diamonds over here please!” Well, it’s not all glitz and glamour – at the top end, yes you get to go to all the fashion shows and schmooze with designers who are desperate for your artist to wear their threads, but more often than not it’s your responsibility to make sure your client looks the part for the TV show, video, photo shoot, meeting they have to do. You’re the mate everyone wanted to take shopping with them to buy their ball outfit. You know what’s best for them end-of.

    Stylist


    Tour Manager
    You love roadies and mobile phones and you know where to get chinese food at 3am in the middle of the Arizona desert. You’re an organisational wizard and can definitely coordinate a drink-a-thon in a brewery. You’re the liaison between promoters and record companies and you have to please everyone, including the public. You know venues and outdoor spaces like the back of your hand. Don’t own a clipboard? Best pop to the shops quick.

    :: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/tourman/ for more info on the role.

    Sharon Osbourne

    This lady, http://www.sharonosbourne.com/ is one of the most well-known tour managers in the country – yes... it really is her...


    Video Director
    “I need more naked people at the back! MORE NAKED PEOPLE!” Love shouting and bossing people around? Do you have a vision as soon as you hear a tune? Videos are key to selling big-time units these days. You don't have to be on top of fashion or trends - perhaps you know how to make something stand out from the norm? Technical knowledge of camera operation and lighting is essential, as is an understanding of the artist/ act you're working with. You might not always get the creative freedom you want because record companies like to be involved in the image of their client. Working to a brief and sticking to it takes tolerance as well as creativity.Reporter - Brooklyn, NY
    News 12 Networks
    Brooklyn, NY
    News 12 Brooklyn is seeking the right individual to generate story ideas, gather information, and produce and present stories and other content for all platforms and in a manner that is clear, relevant and meaningful to news consumers. Ensure all content meets News 12 Network standards for journalistic integrity and production quality. The ideal candidate needs a minimum of 1 year of full-time professional news reporting experience. News 12 Brooklyn is a "one-man-band" operation, candidates should know how to shoot and edit video. Must have excellent organization and time management skills as well as communication and interpersonal skills with leadership and the ability to identify problems and develop solutions. Knowledge of current events and history, effective news writing ability for all platforms and maintaining a professional personal appearance is mandatory. Knowledge of news gathering equipment and computers, understanding of news production techniques and the ability to develop engaging presentation as well as the ability to analyze news situations in order to provide accurate information, insight, and perspective is required. Must have the ability to think quickly and respond appropriately in high-pressure situations. Must have a valid driver`s license and have the ability to work a flexible schedule. Bachelor`s degree preferred. To submit resume, please copy the URL below into your browser. Cablevision is an equal opportunity employer and drug-free workplace. Demo tapes are required. Please send to News 12 Human Resources, 450 Raritan Center Pkwy, Edison, NJ 08837 http://jobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_home.asp?partnerid=25032&siteid=5181&Areg=9574BR&Qsite=5180&Codes=EXT,ITVS

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    Reporter
    News 12 Networks
    Yonkers, NY
    News 12 Westchester is seeking the right individual to generate story ideas, gather information, and produce and present stories and other content for all platforms and in a manner that is clear, relevant and meaningful to news consumers. Ensure all content meets News 12 Network standards for journalistic integrity and production quality. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of one year full-time professional news reporting experience preferred as well as a Bachelors degree or equivalent experience preferred. Should have on-air performance, effective news writing ability for all platforms and a knowledge of news gathering equipment and computers. Must maintain professional personal appearance as defined by News 12 management. An understanding of news production techniques, ability to develop engaging presentation and the ability to analyze news situations in order to provide accurate information, insight, and perspective are highly essential to position. Should have a valid driver's license with good driving records and should be flexible to work any assigned shift. Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills as well as the ability to identify problems and develop solutions essential. To submit resume, please copy the URL below into your browser. Demos required. Please send to News 12 Human Resources, 450 Raritan Center Pkwy, Edison, NJ 08837. Cablevision is an equal opportunity employer and drug-free workplace. http://jobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_home.asp?partnerid=25032&siteid=5181&Areg=9445BR&Qsite=5180&Codes=EXT,ITVS Please send demos to: News 12 Staffing One Media Crossways Woodbury, NY 11797

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    News 12 Westchester is seeking the right individual to assist in the development and production of news by writing and formatting scripts and coordinating program elements for all News 12 services. Specific responsibilities include; write clear, accurate copy with sources checked and on a strict deadline, write to video and other graphic elements, act as producer as necessary, assist in the training of coworkers as required, maintain familiarity with local, national and international current events, important issues and newsmakers. Other responsibilities will be to monitor News 12 content and maintain familiarity with it on a continuing basis, take part in editorial process and propose stories to be covered, work accurately under pressure, coordinate with studio, graphics, assignment desk, field crews and other colleagues, write stories when assigned and represent News 12 services in a courteous and professional manner. The ideal candidate needs a minimum of one year of journalism experience and a minimum of one-year experience as a news Associate Producer preferred. Must be familiar with newscast production techniques and competent in broadcast news writing. Must have knowledge of and interest in local, national and world news with the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines. Must have the ability to work a flexible schedule including nights, weekends and holidays. Bachelor`s degree or equivalent experience preferred. To submit resume, please copy the URL below into your browser. Cablevision is an equal opportunity employer and drug-free workplace. http://jobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_home.asp?partnerid=25032&siteid=5181&Areg=9412BR&Qsite=5180&Codes=EXT,ITVS

Monday 8 February 2010

creating a record

the phonograph 1877: The phonograph was developed as a result of Thomas Edison's work on two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone. In 1877, Edison was working on a machine that would transcribe telegraphic messages through indentations on paper tape, which could later be sent over the telegraph repeatedly. This development led Edison to speculate that a telephone message could also be recorded in a similar fashion. He experimented with a diaphragm which had an embossing point and was held against rapidly-moving paraffin paper. The speaking vibrations made indentations in the paper. Edison later changed the paper to a metal cylinder with tin foil wrapped around it. The machine had two diaphragm-and-needle units, one for recording, and one for playback. When one would speak into a mouthpiece, the sound vibrations would be indented onto the cylinder by the recording needle in a vertical (or hill and dale) groove pattern. Edison gave a sketch of the machine to his mechanic, John Kreusi, to build, which Kreusi supposedly did within 30 hours. Edison immediately tested the machine by speaking the nursery rhyme into the mouthpiece, "Mary had a little lamb." To his amazement, the machine played his words back to him.

Edison Home Phonograph

Businessman Jesse H. Lippincott assumed control of the phonograph companies by becoming sole licensee of the American Graphophone Company and by purchasing the Edison Phonograph Company from Edison. In an arrangement which eventually included most other phonograph makers as well, he formed the North American Phonograph Company on July 14, 1888. Lippincott saw the potential use of the phonograph only in the business field and leased the phonographs as office dictating machines to various member companies which each had its own sales territory. Unfortunately, this business did not prove to be very profitable, receiving significant opposition from stenographers.

Meanwhile, the Edison Factory produced talking dolls in 1890 for the Edison Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Co. The dolls contained tiny wax cylinders. Edison's relationship with the company ended in March of 1891, and the dolls are very rare today. The Edison Phonograph Works also produced musical cylinders for coin-slot phonographs which some of the subsidiary companies had started to use. These proto-"jukeboxes" were a development which pointed to the future of phonographs as entertainment machines.

gramophone 1895: Emile Berliner began working on a recording machine in Washington D.C. after seeing the graphophone unveiled by Tainter and Bell in 1886. He set up a laboratory in his home on Columbia Road, and showed an early device to the patent attorney Joseph Lyons by April 1887 that recorded a lateral pattern on lamp-blacked paper wrapped on a cylinder, similar to the phonautograph of Leon Scott, but with an oil applied to the surface mixed with lampblack to make a fatty ink better able to be engraved with a cutting stylus, then producing a stereotyped copy engraved into metal by a photoengraving process, and played back on another device with a stylus following the lateral grooves and making a diaphragm vibrate. For his patent application, Berliner created the name "gramophone" from the terms used by Leon Scott for his "phonautograms" and "phonautographic records."

The gramophone U.S. patent 372,786 was filed by Emile Berliner May 4, 1887, and granted Nov. 8, 1887. During 1887 Berliner developed the idea of making a negative matrix directly from the glass lampblacked disc and produced zinc copies. The earliest known Berliner disc is one of these zinc copies dated Oct. 25, 1887. This new process was described in his British patent 15,232, applied for Nov. 7, 1887.

The first news story of Berliner's invention was published by Electrical World in a two-page article Nov. 12, 1887. It described a device driven by a weight box and controlled by a paddle-wheeled governor that recorded four minutes of sound on an 11-inch glass disc at 30 rpm.

After Thanksgiving 1887, Werner Suess joined Berliner in his lab as an assistant to perfect the device that was still only experimental. Suess helped make an improved device with the reproducer mounted on a pivot arm that Berliner used in a public lecture and demostration at the Franklin Institute May 16, 1888. The discs played at this lecture were copper duplicates electroplated from wax originals.

Berliner in August 1888 began to use celluloid from J. W. Hyatt to make his duplicate copies rather than zinc, but the celluloid wore down too quickly. Some of these Hyatt discs have survived in the Smithsonian Museum. Berliner described his improvements in the article "The Improved Gramophone" in Electrical World Aug. 18, 1888.

By July 1889, Berliner used hard vulcanized rubber rather than celluloid for his disc copies. By December 1888 he had improved his device to begin making plans for sale to the public. His first efforts would be in Europe and he departed on a trip in August 1889. He gave a demonstration of his device Nov. 26, 1889 at the Electro-Technical Society in Berlin. The first pressing of 25,000 single-sided 5-inch Berliner discs was made in Europe in late 1889, but "the sound quality was so dubious that a small rectagular paper label imprinted with the actual words was glued to the back." (Koenigsberg 1990 p. lvi)

Berliner arranged for the first gramophones to be made in Europe during the trip to Germany 1889-90. According to Raymond Wile, "It was in Germany that the first commercial beginnings of the gramophone occurred - presumably in July 1890. The toy makers Kammer and Reinhardt in Waltershausen (Thuringia) began to market small hand-propelled gramophones and a talking-doll. For the doll, a small 8 centimeter (just over 3") disc was prepared, and for the regular machine a 12.5 centimeter (just under 5-inch) disc. The records were available in three substances during the period they were marketed. Without adequate documentation it is impossible to determine if the copies made in hard rubber or celluloid were contemporaneous, or which substances had precedence. For an additional price, zinc discs also were available. The records were produced by two companies, one known solely by the initials GFKC, the other was the Rhenische Gummi und Celluloid Fabrik Werkes of Necharan, Mannheim. The machines and records also were imported into England, notably by J. Lewis Young, but were available for only a few years in both countries" (Wile 1990 p. 16). As a result, Berliner's efforts led to the establishment of Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DGG, later to become PolyGram).

After returning to the U.S., Berliner in 1891 paid a New York clock maker to produce a spring mechanism to power his gramophone. Berliner created the American Gramophone Co. on Apr. 23, 1891, but it was a short-lived company. A new assistant Edward L. Wilson developed a coin-operated gramophone in 1891, filed for a patent Dec. 3, granted Apr. 5, 1892. But Wilson left by 1894.

In April 1893 Berliner transferred all patents to a new company, the United States Gramophone Co., moved to a new lab at 1205 G Street NW in Washington D.C., hired Fred Gaisberg to record talented singers. According to Gaisberg, "Professional phonograph vocalists of established reputation like George J. Gaskin, the Irish tenor, Johnny Meyers, the baritone, and Dan Quinn, the comedian, were expensive, but they had loud clear voices and provided us with effective records of 'Down went McGinty to the Bottom of the Sea,' 'Anchored,' 'Sweet Marie,' 'Comrades' and so forth. We averaged up by employing lower-paid local talent secured from the beer-gardens and street corners of Washington. [These included such individuals as the monologist and former Indian Medicine Troupe member George Graham and his side kick John O'Terrell.]" (Wile 1993 p. 180)

In 1894 Berliner opened a factory and showroom at 109 North Charles Street in Baltimore. The flat record size was standardized at 7 inches, and 2 gramophone models were produced with electric motors in addition to the hand-cranked model. By the fall of 1894, Berliner's company had sold 1000 machines and 25,000 records. Berliner published his first list of gramophone discs for sale, at 60 cents each, 6.875-inch diameter (after 1895 are 7-inch), 2 minutes in duration, made of celluloid (after 1895 in hard vulcanized rubber), one-sided, with name and date stamped in center (paper labels after 1900).

In 1895 Berliner received patent 534,543, filed March 30, 1892, and granted Feb. 19, 1895. According to Allen Koenigsberg, the most important statement in this patent was Claim 5, the "reproducing stylus shaped for engagement with [the grooves of] said record and free to be vibrated and propelled by the same, . . ." and this self-driven, zig-zag feature "later became Victor's most valuable patent, in glorious dominance the full 17 years (1895-1912)" (Koenigsberg 1990 p. xxxvii). This patent victory allowed Berliner to seek new investors to expand production. He signed an agreement with William C. Jones who organized the new Berliner Gramophone Co. chartered Oct. 8, and sold a territorial license to Frank Seaman who formed the New York Gramophone Co. to sell records and machines in New York and New Jersey. Other licenses were sold to the New England Gramophone Co. and to the Gramophone Co. Ltd. in Britain founded by William Barry Owen in 1897. The first London discs were made on August 8, 1898, including a piano record by a Mr. Castle, and a cornet record by C. Burgess, and four by the clarinetist A.A. Umbach.

In 1896, Berliner contracted with Eldridge Johnson to develop an improved spring motor for an improved gramophone described in an article in Scientific American May 16, 1896. Johnson turned to machinist Levi Montross to help him manufacture a spring-motor gramophone for the Berliner company, and they filled the first order of 200 machines that Berliner requested Aug. 10 to be delivered in 60 days at $4 each wholesale. Montross received patent 598,529 for his design Feb. 8, 1898.

By October 1896, Berliner changed from vulcanized rubber to shellac records, using material from the Duranoid Co. of Newark NJ. Frank Seaman organized the National Gramophone Co. Oct. 19 to expand the sales and production of gramophones and records. "Berliner's best year for record sales was 1898 when he sold, mainly through Frank Seaman's National Gramophone Co., 713,753 discs" (Koenigsberg 1990 p. xxxvii).

In 1898, Eldridge Johnson received patent 601,198 on his gramophone March 22, 1898, filed Aug. 19, 1897. It was this patent that "effectively launched the disc talking machine in America" (Koenigsberg 1990 p. xli). Johnson was able to sell his own machines through his Consolidated Talking Machine Co., defeat Frank Seaman in a patent dispute, create the Victor Talking Machine Co. in 1901 and join with Columbia to create a disc monopoly for many years. The "Berliner" and "gramophone" names disappeared in the United States and were replaced by Victor and the victrola.


Thursday 4 February 2010

history of radio plays

Radio drama is over 70 years old, and, for all serious purposes, has been dead for 50 of those years, being used only occasionally in the classroom as a novelty or curiosity. During the middle to late 1940's, radio drama reached its peak, then, with the advent and expansion of television, it quickly faded into history. Before the 1920's formal radio programs were unknown. Most broadcasts were one time events consisting mainly of talk and music. Broadcast hours were irregular, usually four or five hours a day, and the only regularly scheduled broadcasts were weather reports. Once in a while, musical events such as symphonies and operas were broadcast from the locations where they were being performed. Occasionally stage plays were broadcast from the theatre, and sporting events were broadcast with play-by-play announcing.

In the mid 20's, larger stations began to develop programs using announcers or narrators. These programs used definite openings and closings and were built around specific program ideas. Radio drama was born in 1927, when networks began adapting short stories, and even writing original scripts, for broadcast.

During the last part of the 1920's many one-hour, sponsored network programs started. Musical variety and concert music programs were the most popular forms during this period. Some of these network variety programs used a different format each week—a musical program one week, a talk or a debate the next week, and perhaps a dramatization the third week. During this period the network schedules included two or three minstrel variety programs and a comedy variety program using a series of several comedy acts in a half hour. Song-and-patter teams, usually two person teams that used talk between songs, became popular during this period. Later on patter-only comedy acts appeared. The Amos 'n' Andy show was one of the first to use this format. At first Amos 'n' Andy presented patter five nights a week for fifteen minutes each night.

During the 1930-31 season, the comedy dramatic form became an important part of radio programming, when Amos 'n' Andy adopted a story line. Amos 'n' Andy was so popular that the program survived even into the TV era.

In the early 1930's national advertisers recognized the potential for radio advertising and became willing to buy air-time and sponsor programs. As this happened, networks competed for their share. The result was the development of many new program forms. Among the new program types were: vaudeville variety programs, dramatized news programs, programs built around a comedian, advice/interview programs, amateur contest programs, town meeting programs, daily network news programs, daytime "soap opera" serialized drama, after school juvenile serialized adventure drama, and hillbilly variety programs. As network daytime serials became popular, stations developed daytime schedules.

In order to survive the depression years, many local stations scheduled commercial religious programs, programs with cultural appeal (country music for instance), and astrology programs that included strong appeals for donations to keep the show on the air. During this time, local news programs were usually one fifteen-minute broadcast per day, getting their news from daily newspapers.

In the early 1940's, radio programs reflected America's involvement in World War II. As the number of news and human interest programs grew, evening variety, musical, quiz, and audience participation programs shrunk. During this time, evening dramatic programs exploded in number.

As a result of the country's involvement in the war, the number of hours per week devoted to news broadcasts nearly doubled. It was probably this abundance of war news that propelled the spectacular growth of evening dramatic programs. As listeners grew tired of war talk, they turned to other programs for escape. The forms that offered the most escape were comedy-variety, comedy drama, and thriller drama. As a matter of fact, one of the dramatic series created during this period was entitled Escape. During the 1944-45 season, the networks scheduled 8 hours of comedy variety, 8 hours of comedy drama programs, and 14 hours of thriller drama each week. By the end of this period, networks offered 47 hours a week of dramatic programs during the evening and on Sunday. Thriller drama programs counted for about 25 hours of these each week.

In the early years of television, not enough homes had a TV receiver and national sponsors were hard to find, therefore, production costs had to be controlled. It was too expensive to create new forms and take a chance on an unknown show, so the forms that existed at the time on radio were moved directly to television. In fact, many of the successful radio series went directly to television. Gunsmoke, an extremely successful western drama, was one among several that could be heard on radio and seen on TV. Suspense, radio's longest running thriller series, was another.

'Radio Drama can be produced by anybody with a microphone and a tape-recorder. The time is auspicious for rebirth of American Theatre, and radio could be a good place for it to happen.'- David Mamet 'Writing in Restaurants', Faber & Faber 1986.

It would not be any surprise to the reader that the one character in British broadcasting who would give drama a go on the radio was the charismatic Captain Peter Eckersley. He marshalled his friends in the famous former Royal Flying Corps hut at Writtle near Chelmsford. His own account of the adventure can be found in his 1942 publication 'The Power Behind The Microphone'. In the absence of any other recorded evidence it would appear that he led the first radio drama experiment in British broadcasting history on October 17th 1922 from the research station at Writtle near Chelmsford, Essex in England:

'We did a wireless play. We chose the balcony scene from Cyrano: it is played, on the stage, in semi-darkness with virtually stationary players and so it seemed very suitable for broadcasting. 'Uggy' Travers, a young actress and her brother came to help. We sat round a kitchen table in the middle of the wooden hut, with its shelves and benches packed with prosaic apparatus, and said our passionate lines into the lip of our separate microphones...

It was all rather fun. Doubtless at times I was horribly facetious, but I did try to be friendly and talk with, rather than at, my listeners...We failed to take ourselves seriously, and broadcasting, as we saw it, was nothing more nor less than an entertainment, for us as much as the listeners.'

Two years later the BBC broadcast the first British play written for the radio medium. It was later translated into several different languages and in some countries it became their first radio drama production. Research by Kent University Drama lecturer Alan Beck has revealed important information and background on the cultural and artistic imperatives of story telling in a new medium. It is rather prosaic that Richard Hughes revealed in a 1956 talk that he wrote the play overnight at the request of BBC producer Nigel Playfair. Fortunately parts of the text of his speech were reproduced in the BBC's weekly periodical for the intelligentsia- 'The Listener'. It is now defunct:

'Those were the days of the silent film', he said, 'and our "listening play" (as I dubbed it) would have to be the silent film's missing half, so to speak, telling a complete story by sound alone. Yet even the silent film did not, strictly speaking, rely on pictures only. It used sub-titles. Usually there was a sad man thumping appropriate themes on a piano. Some of the grander cinema-houses even employed an "effects man"; he wound a wind-machine and pattered peas on a drum for the storm scenes; he accompanied the galloping cowboy with clashing coconut shells. We thought of using a narrator but agreed it would be a confession of failure. No, we must rely on dramatic speech and sound entirely- and it had never been done before.

Our audience were used to using their eyes; this was a blind man's world we were introducing them to. In time they would accept its conventions but how would they react on this first occasion? Better make it easy for them, just this once. Something which happens in the dark, for instance, so the characters themselves keep complaining they can't see. Perhaps we could get the listener to turn out his lights and listen in the dark.

"Here's a first line for you", said Playfair. "The Lights have gone out!" Back in my flat in New Oxford Street I turned over possible situations. "The lights have gone out!" Not a bedroom scene- There was Major Reith to consider; nor did I care much about bedrooms, to be candid. An accident in a coal mine? I knew nothing about coal mines either, but it offered what I wanted technically. Total darkness; explosions and rushing water; the picks of the rescue-team, and that stripping of the human soul dramatists delight in. But all miners' voices would be too hard to tell apart. Better a party of visitors- an old man, a young one, a girl. So I wrote all night and Playfair got his play with his morning coffee: "Danger".

With rehearsals and production however, a cold awakening! I had spread myself on sound effects without considering how they were to be done. Someone ran round the corner and enlisted the effects man from a cinema in the Strand- wind machine and all. But still we could make nothing sound as it was meant to sound; even in the studio, and leaving out of account the primitive transmission of those days which reduced all sounds to a single indistinguishable "wump" which might be the buzzing of a gnat, the clash of swords, the roaring of Niagara or the shutting of a door. Moreover the studio was a vast padded cell designed to make voices sound as if they were floating in outer space.

How were we to make our voices sound like an underground tunnel? Playfair solved that one by making his cast put their handsome heads in buckets. And the Welsh choir we had collected (in those days, Welsh miners were singing in the London streets for coppers)- the script called for "distant snatches of hymn-singing", but once started nothing could stop these chaps: only one studio, one microphone- Playfair put them in the corridor outside, with a sound-proof door he could open and shut.

But the climax came when we said we wanted an explosion. The engineers had helped all they could, but this was the last straw. Even popping a paper bag would blow every fuse in Savoy Hill. But Playfair was something of a genius, and utterly unscrupulous. Reporters and critics were going to listen in a room specially provided for them, with its own loud-speaker. It would never do for them to hear no more than the diminutive "phut" like the roaring of a sucking-dove, even if that was all the public would get. So Playfair staged a magnificent "explosion" in the room next door to the press-room. Our "explosion" got top marks with the press. They never discovered they had heard it through the wall.

And so - presumably for the first time in history, anywhere in the world - some sort of "listening play" specially written for sound somehow went on the air, thanks to Playfair's ingenuity and the helping hands of all Savoy Hill. Radio drama had emitted its first, faint, infant wail.'

The broadcast of 'Comedy of Danger' generated coverage in at least one national newspaper. It certainly did not amount to the faint infant wail described by Richard Hughes. The headline in the Daily Mail on Wednesday 16th of January 1924 was 'Drama Thrills by Wireless.'

The play was broadcast from the BBC's London and Glasgow stations so it was not entirely nationwide. One newspaper writer acknowledged that Richard Hughes had to bear in mind that as his audience could not see the play the action had to be represented by sound to represent rushing water, explosions, and pick-axe tappings. Listeners-in were advised that as the action of the play took place in the dark, they should hear it in the dark, and many adopted the advice and lowered the lights. The Daily Mail reporter described the production of the play at Savoy House:

'In a brightly lit room a young woman in evening dress and two men holding sheets of paper in their hands declaimed to a microphone their horror at being imprisoned in the mine. Outside the room a young man sat cross-legged on the floor, with telephone receivers on his ears, and as he heard through the receivers the progress of the piece he signalled to two assistants on a lower landing to make noises to represent the action of the play. In a passage stood five men singing through a partly opened door leading to the broadcasting room. They were a group of "miners" singing in another passage of the mine.'

At the end of the report the journalist observed that 'Miss Joyce Kennedy, Mr. Kenneth Kent, and Mr H. R. Hignett acted very well.'


these text were taken from the websites www.balancepublishing.com/golden.htm

www.irdp.co.uk/britrad.htm