Additional Research into my Industry

ScreenSkills - https://www.screenskills.com/

The website 'ScreenSkills' is a National Lottery funded company which refer to themselves as one which supports "growth across the nations and regions by investing in the skilled and inclusive workforce who are critical to the UK screen industries' global success". Their site contains lots of helpful information for those looking to get involved in the creative industries, whether this be by finding a job in the industries or creating their own.

Under the 'build your portfolio' section, their are many tips on how to make a good showreel in order to have a better chance on getting into the industry. This is useful to me, due to me intending on having a page on my website where past examples of my work are going to be displayed so potential clients can know what I can do for them, with one of these pieces of work potentially being an up to date showreel. These include making sure it is short, not putting in too much information as a result of recruiters in the screen industries being too busy to commit lots of time to looking through long showreels. They also mention that the opening is really important, acting as a first impression to whoever is watching. They state that employers will "often have a quick look and then divide them into two; those that they will look at again and those that they won’t", so standing out in some way from the start is a good idea. They also suggest to do some research into the person you are sending the reel to (as to allow yourself to mould it to fit more to that specific person, whether they are a producer, talent manager or anything else), send the reel on a site which looks good and does not include any other content as that may be irrelevant or giving off the wrong impression, and keep it up to date as to best reflect your evolving skills and knowledge.

The site also gives help on Freelancing and all the aspects to do with it, including how taxes and national insurance work when working for yourself. For my situation, there are two possibilities of the type of Freelancer I will become - Sole Trader and Limited Company. As a sole trader, I will work completely for myself, and as a result will be responsible for invoicing my services and completing 'self-assessment tax return' each financial year's end. You would also be responsible for registering as self-employed with the HMRC on the 'Government Gateway', which once complete will lead to you being sent a 'ten-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference' (UTR) number. On the other hand, registering to run your freelance operations through a 'Limited company' is another, albeit more complicated route, which often requires advice from professionals and support from an accountant to be done properly. As a result, this route of running a freelance job is likely something to look into once the career develops and becomes more successful, due to its advantages over sole trading such as it limiting your liability. However, it does still offer disadvantages, such as additional costs and complexity, so it definitely isn't right for everyone.

https://norfolkknowledgehub.co.uk/