Video production careers: opportunities, salaries, and job market outlook

Careers in Video Production

From journalism to the Internet to Hollywood movies, careers for the video producer are modern, varied, and exciting. Schools offering degrees in video production also usually offer courses in acting and animation, for those who are interested in a multi-disciplinary approach to the career. Others may choose to pair the video production skills with newspaper reporting of photography. The following review of job opportunities and careers in video production will allow the video producer-to-be to obtain an accurate view of the industry.

Entry-Level Positions

Those with degrees of experience in video production need not have a great deal of experience in order to obtain a job. Throughout the United States, a variety of opportunities for video producers in entry-level positions are available. These jobs span from small firms that are not very well-known to large conglomerates like CNN. In fact, CNN hires entry-level video journalists, seeking people who do not necessarily have formal education, but have a passion for and a desire to learn the work ("CNN Job Openings").

The Job Market, Employment Outlook

According to Shonan, specialty programming and cable TV has largely enhanced the job market for the video production professional. Specialized channels like Disney and Discovery require their own video producers. Instead of years ago, when TV viewers would concentrate on simply a local station, the increase in these channels has largely increased the job market. The Internet has also increased the need for video producers. Internet videos by both amateurs and professionals are gaining interest, and companies now often employ video producers to sell their product. Furthermore, the use of video at theme parks and other venues has required an increase in the number of video production professionals available. The pre-high school, high school, college, and specialty sports world is also in need of professional video producers. Finally, the increased use of video in weddings and at other special events has increased the need for capable producers (Shonan xiii-xiv). Even some churches have professional video producers who work each time a service is held. Thus, the job market for video production is large and varied, especially when it is compared to the market of just a few years ago. While finding a job will most likely be relatively easy, new video producers may have to work as a freelancer for some time, along with working at another job, in order to make ends meet. When on cultivates a reputation, however, the second job can be dropped.

Where the Jobs Are Geographically

While one might expect video production jobs to center mainly around the Hollywood area, they are, in fact, everywhere. One might have more luck finding video production jobs in areas where it is warm and more outdoor weddings, sports games, and beach trips can attract attention, but companies need video producers to capture their product on film all over the country. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, most video producers work in clean and comfortable studios while others work on location, which can be more hazardous. The location of either the production firm or the on-location work will be given by the company that hired the video producer.

What are the Qualifications?

Qualifications for a job in video production vary greatly. Some jobs, like those at CNN do not require a degree. Many newspapers actually send their photographers to seminars in order to teach them to produce videos ("How Not to Do Newspaper Video"). Many different types of degrees are available for those who want to become video producers and work in the video production field. Education Portal states that many universities offer degrees in film and media production that teach students every aspect of this discipline ("Film and Music Production Degree"). Other programs offer degrees in subjects like fine arts that allow students to specialize in video production. Salaries and types of jobs available depend on varying levels of education.

What are the new technologies or trends that will impact career opportunities in your field time existed when video production used to be just about television and Hollywood movies. That time has gone. What will most impact career opportunities in the field of video production is the fact that many individuals now want video for a variety of reasons, whether those reasons are selling products or remembering a wedding. The advent of the Internet and newspaper video journalism has also had an impact on the jobs available to those in our field.