Not everyone wants to be an engineer or a doctor. Today students are willing to try something new for their careers.
They are looking for a career that is not only creative but has a great future.
Therefore in this article we will be talking about career in film, TV and media. We debate everything from career opportunities to salary.
Future of Media & Entertainment
Film, television and media are growing rapidly in this country. If you know in 1990 there was only one news channel called Doordarshan but now we have thousands of news and entertainment channels in the country.
There are job opportunities for all kinds like technical as well as managerial.
Moreover the salary is also good as compared to a mediocre engineer.
Media and entertainment industry is for creative people and you will have a great future in this industry.
Career Opportunities in Film & Television
First let us start with job opportunities in film and television.
To keep it simple here I am not talking about jobs like actors and actresses. We will talk about jobs that majority of graduates can do.
Basically there are 3 categories of jobs in this industry. You can divide into
- Technical Jobs
- Creative Jobs
- Managerial Jobs
Let us debate them one by one.
Technical Jobs
Technical jobs are for masses. Most of the jobs related to film and television industry are technical jobs. Jobs are realistic because everyone can’t be an actor or a producer.
Here are some of them.
Camera Operator or Cameraperson: You will be recording motion pictures and
television shows. You will be responsible for lighting, focus and various effects.
You must have good eyesight and know how to work with different equipments.
You can start with entry level camera operator and then work your way up to become more experienced cameraperson.
Video Tape Editor: Your job will be putting together the entire film or the TV show you are working with.
You arrange the film shots or footages in the right sequence to make a complete film. You must have great technical skill.
Lighting and Sound Engineer: Your job will be dealing with lighting and sound while a video is being recorded. You have to work with various lighting and sound effects in order to get perfect effects.
Production Assistant: You will assist the producer of the film. You have to work with your entire production team and manage things so that everything goes normal.
So these were some of the technical jobs.
Creative Jobs
Now let us see more creative jobs. Creative jobs are difficult than technical jobs.
Director: This is one of the most creative jobs in the film and television industry. Entire film or a project depends upon the director. However not everyone can be a director. But you can start with small TV serials.
Cinematographer: Cinematographer is culmination of a cameraperson. If you are a creative cameraperson then you can also call yourself a cinematographer. Only difference is here you have to be more creative as compared to a cameraperson.
Music Composer: Everyone can’t be A R Rehman but you can work at lower level in a sound recording studio. You have to work with various instruments to tune a song to get best out of it.
Script Writer: Script is the most important thing in a film or a tv series. Not everyone can write but if you can then there is no shortage of jobs for a script writer.
Researcher: Here you research everything about the film you are working on.
Managerial Jobs
Finally managerial jobs! These jobs are very less and only few can do it.
Producer: Here you invest money and also have a say on various creative and technical 
aspects of the film. You basically deal with basic administrative issues.
Production Manager: Similarly production manager deals with procuring technical equipments and consulting both producer as well as director of the film.
So these were few job opportunities that you can find in film and television industry.
Best Colleges to Join and Salary
Here are list of some of the best colleges in India.
- Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune
- Center of Research in Art of Film and Television (CRAFT), Delhi
-
National Institute of Film and Fine Arts (NIFFA), Kolkata
- Asian Academy of Film & Television (AAFT), Noida UP
- Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Chennai
As far as remuneration is concerned you make money depending upon your qualification and experience.
If your job is technical then you can make Rs 300,000/- to Rs 500,000/- a year.
If it is creative then you make Rs 600,000/- to Rs 24,00,000/- a year.
For managerial jobs you make lot more.
Career in Media
Career in Media and mass communication is also great just like film and television.
You have following job opportunities.
Correspondent/Journalist: You will be reporting a story from ground zero to headquarter of the news channel you are working with. Initially you work as a correspondent but with time you become an active journalist.
Anchor Person: You will anchor a news program for a given time slot. You may be a newsreader as well as compere a news show.
Video Jockey: Video jockey is similar to anchor person however here you host a program other than news show.
PR Manager: You can also become a PR manager managing public relations. PR is a great career opportunity.
Event Management: You can be an event manager where you organize various events like concerts and ceremonies.
Advertising and Branding: You can also learn about advertising and branding working with media industry.
Best Colleges, Course Fee and Salary
Best colleges to join for media and mass communication courses.
- Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication (SMIC), Pune
- AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, New Delhi
- Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi
You can check list of 20 more colleges here. Courses can cost your anything between Rs 50,000/- to Rs 200,000 per year.
Salary would depend upon qualification and experience. You can make up to Rs 1 million a month but in starting you get something like Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 only.
