After one of my previous blogs on my set of questions for inquiry, Paula left me a comment with suggestions for more questions to answer/think about. When reading the questions I realised that they were simple and just about thinking of the basics behind the industry. I think I jumped in too deep at first and overlooked simple questions which I have to consider and find out about before I can launch an inquiry in to the television industry. These should help me with my research in to the industry and hopefully help me with my career transition.
What is presenting? It is a profession which involves hosting or co hosting a program or event. This could be on the television or just to a theatre audience. I would like to aim for television. A presenter is the glue that holds many programs or shows together i.e. during a variety show or a magazine style show, the presenter is the element of the show which is the same and consistent throughout therefore the audience rely on the presenter for the smooth running of the show. A presenter is the ‘face’ of a show and is the link between the program and the audience.
Who does it? There seems to be a variety of different types of people who have been and are successful within the television presenting industry. The choice of presenter seems to depend on the type of program and the target audience i.e. a gardening show is presented by a gardener or someone who knows about gardening, a property show is presented by a property expert or someone who was an estate agent. There are also many presenting duos who have been successful (Ant and Dec, Richard and Judy, Eamonn and Ruth). I think it is often a case of ‘right place, right time’ as opposed to being a certain type of person.
Are there different levels? It looks like many presenters start in children’s television so perhaps this is classed as the lowest or beginning level. Then there is presenting on slightly more obscure channels such as sky shopping channels. Then there are specialist programs i.e. interior design, property, fashion etc. So perhaps this is a level up. The ‘highest’ level would seem to be reality shows and chat shows as these are presented by some of the most well known and respected presenters around at the moment i.e. Davina McCall, Dermont O’Leary, Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield.
What competencies/capabilities do you need? Intelligence, likeable, personality, quick witted, aesthetically pleasing, specialised knowledge, talk well, spontaneity, ambition, determined, easy to relate to, reliable. There are obviously many more but these are the first ones that spring to mind!
What should a presenter’s show reel look like? From what I have gathered so far, it should be; 3 minutes maximum, well edited, of good quality, show your versatility or speciality subject, be a true representation of how you look and obviously do you justice as a presenter.
Is there anyone in your wider network who can advise you? Yes, I had a meeting today with a big agent and she answered some of my questions without me even asking! I will blog about this in my next post.
Where do presenters train? There doesn’t seem to be extensive training but more of a ‘you either have it or you don’t’ type of approach. There are a lot of courses you can go on and I have done one of them but the main purpose of them is to make your show reel as opposed to train to be a presenter. I have been told a lot of them are purely a money making scheme but if you have no material for a show reel then they are the only option for getting something filmed.
What are the pressures in the industry? Obviously there is the classic pressure of image and appearance and the emphasis on this in television is all about looking young as I learnt today. This has been brought up in the media recently with a case of ageism by presenter Miriam O’Reilley who accused the BBC of ageism after they ended her contracts as the presenter of countryfile. This is a news article detailing the incident;
By answering these questions I have been able to consolidate my basic knowledge of the industry and now I feel I am ready to start exploring some deeper questions and think about ways I can break in to this industry. I realise now that background research is paramount and I have a tendency to overlook the simple things which could actually help me more than I may think.
Hi Natalie
ReplyDeleteIt is good to see that you have taken your research right back to it's simplest form before you start adding in the more complicated information. I too have reached this point where I wondered if I was starting to run before I could walk!
So I am going to follow your footsteps and go right back to basics with some simple questions for myself and work from there.
Thanks