Acknowledgement of Country
I acknowledge the Traditional Owners, the Whadjuk Noongar People, upon whose land I am standing, teaching, living, breathing, writing & creating. I recognise their continuing connection to land, water & community as well as their ongoing contribution to arts, media and education. I pay my respects to them, their cultures, their Elders past, present & emerging. I recognise that sovereignty was never ceded. It always was and always will be: Aboriginal Land.
Header Image: Filming Alter Boy: Bad Dream Break In Music Video. Photograph by Nirrimi Firebrace.
The Dread of Subject Selection…
So, you’re in high school and suddenly you’re being asked to choose subjects and weigh up your options for the future. Your school (or parents… or both?) might be encouraging you to prioritise a ‘STEM’ subject. And while the need for more doctors and scientists in the face of COVID-19 is definitely, without a doubt, hugely important!!! I believe it’s still worthwhile giving some time to considering Media as one of the viable options on offer.
I know you probably feel like a rag doll: stretched, pushed & pulled. As an arts & media advocate, my goal is not to tell you that you “have” to study Media. I’ll leave that job to your actual media teacher. The aim of my post today is to inform you of the possibilities that studying Media can offer you. I’ll start with the most obvious (and strangely enough, the most contested).
You can get a job in the media.
“Really?” You might ask.
The answer should be a no-brainer, “yes!”.
Put yourself in the shoes of a new start-up company. A new business. It can be any business.
As soon as they’ve registered, planned and taken care of the nitty-gritty paperwork, what’s the first thing they do to get the word out there in our current society? Answer: They need to advertise. The cheapest way to do this is via online social media marketing. But maybe this business owner never took a Media class. They don’t know what an aperture is. They don’t know what a tripod is. And they also don’t know why their videos just don’t look professional. All of a sudden there is immense value in knowing how to use a camera, how to construct an image, how to communicate with an audience, how to edit things together and how to distribute! This is where you come in.
Increase in US advertising by 2022
The 2020 AdAge Marketing Fact Pack notes that there will be a 60% rise in US advertising spending by 2022. [1]
Australian Online Advertising Industry in 2019
In Australia, online advertising alone is a 9.3 billion dollar industry. [2]
Increase in Social Media Professionals from 2010 to 2013
A LinkedIn sourced study found that between 2010 and 2013, in the space of three short years, social media professionals rose by 1357%. [3]
Reason 1: New Employment Opportunities.
There is an increase in innovative job opportunities, specifically catered to those that can understand & create media texts. Like the new business owner in the example above, employers are actively seeking people to handle their social media presence creating a boom in Australian work opportunities.
It’s no longer enough just to be able to schedule social media, you need to be able to create the content too.
I’m increasingly being approached by clients looking for a gun who can do everything from social media strategy, analytics, paid and content creation, experience of tools such as Final Cut Pro (video editing), Indesign and Photoshop. – [4]
Western Australia is in a unique position for aspiring new film productions. W.A. is set to establish a film studio in the upcoming months/years/indefinite future, which will create a boom in our already blossoming industry. [5] Not to mention that we are fortunate enough to (at the time of writing this) be operating in a State which has not had to face major film production shut downs due to COVID-19 as some others have. As horrible as this year has been for many, the Western Australian film industry has bounced back incredibly well.Â
Reason 2: Video Dominates Content Creation.
When comparing video and other forms of advertising, video holds engagement and has statistically proven to be more effective at converting users to sales.
of marketers say that video is an important part of a marketing strategy in 2020. [6]
of marketers are tailoring their advertisements for YouTube (which boasts over 2 BILLION users) [7]
more conversions (sales & clicks) attributed to video marketing with 2-3 times more engagement than image-based advertising. [8]
Reason 3: Travel Opportunities.
In my freelance career, I’ve filmed & photographed in the following places:
I love travelling with my work – doubly so when it’s paid for by my clients! As a photographer or filmmaker, you often need to travel to diverse destinations to capture the unique landscapes and opportunities that life provides you. Being able to work anywhere in the world is a luxury that my work in Media has allowed me.
Australia
Perth, Fremantle, Broome, Kununurra, Port Hedland, Karratha, Merredin, Albany, Geraldton, Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, Alice Springs, Cairns, Darwin
International
Iceland, Ireland, London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, Singapore
I love travelling with my work – doubly so when it’s paid for by my clients! As a photographer or filmmaker, you often need to travel to diverse destinations to capture the unique landscapes and opportunities that life provides you. Being able to work anywhere in the world is a luxury that my work in Media has allowed me.
Reason 4: Be Your Own Boss.
My media studies took me on a path of discovering that I love being my own boss. There’s flexibility working professionally as a freelancer. You decide which projects to take on. You have creative control and can dictate the steps that work best for your process. You’re accountable to your clients directly, which comes with practising management skills daily. As a freelance filmmaker, I’m my own boss. If I want to go on holiday, I can. If I decide it works better for my lifestyle to work nights, or early mornings, or whatever hours, I can easily bump things around.
Sure, there are both pros and cons to being a freelance worker. For example, project-based work can come with uncertainty unless you employ practices of financial sustainability. It takes planning, patience and a lot of administrative tasks. But with that comes a payoff. As the boss, you decide your rate of pay and are in the privileged position of being able to negotiate costs. You also are granted the honour of choosing who to work with. I’ve been fortunate enough to make connections with several other freelancers, all experts in their independent fields. Subcontracting production roles allows you to Quality Control your end products and make things you’re truly proud of – while getting paid appropriately!
Filming in a helicopter over Tropical North Queensland. Photograph by Jarrad Seng.
The 2016 Women’s March through New York.
Photograph by P. S. Cheng.
Reason 5: You Develop Critical Understanding of Constructing Texts.
Media Literacy is a vital lifelong skill that will help you critically evaluate the information that is presented to you. Every day we are inundated with media texts – but the intention of media authorship has become incredibly cunning, as the accessibility and relative ease of publishing or posting publicly often lacks self-regulation: such as disclosures of sponsorship, promotion and even the fact-checking efficacy of credible sources. For example, the blurry line between what ‘is’ and ‘isn’t’ a sponsored post on social media. [9] Or the lines between advertising and news. [10] And what about the increase of “fake news” and polarizing political discourse that requires a nuanced understanding of media literacy to deconstruct? Comprehending media texts & authorship a skill that should be taught, trained & practised rather than undervalued, as it will make up so much of who you are and what you believe in.
Reason 6: Media is Powerful.
Media is a far more powerful tool than just driving sales or entertaining us.
What if a TV Series could topple a monarchy?[11] Well, The Crown has shaken up how we view the royal family. [12]
What if a camera could connect hundreds of millions of people in a time when everyone was isolated? [13]
How can a single video rally half a million people to protest? [14] The death of George Floyd rippled across the world, bringing race relations to the forefront of conversation. In Australia, this continued to lead to protests over disproportionate deaths in custody and rates of imprisonment of the Indigenous community. [15] Video has the power to mobilise people. To empower them and make them feel safe. To give users a voice, but also to help people’s stories be seen and shared. As the adage goes, “with great power, comes great responsibility.” It’s a cliche, I know… but in my experience, the only morals and ethics I can trust beyond doubt are my own.
Reason 7: Media Skills are Transferrable.
The skills you will learn in your media course are transferrable to shaping the rest of your life. You will develop your media literacy skills, improving your critical thinking and ability to deconstruct media texts. You will learn how to collaborate, manage and work in a team towards a common vision. You will learn how to communicate your ideas effectively across written, visual and audio texts. You will study and develop an understanding of culture, history, technology and creativity, ultimately serving you with tools to equip you for your life in a modern workplace.
I hope that this writing assists you in informing your upcoming decisions. I don’t envy the situation you find yourself in – grappling with weighing in on the subjects that you love most. I wish you every success in whatever you choose to pursue. Take comfort in knowing that no matter how overwhelming the multitude of options before you now, paths and alternative options will always appear for those who seek them.
Stay safe,
P. Cheng
Your Mental Health is Important.
Whether you’re anxious, stressed or overwhelmed – if you feel like you need someone to talk to, please contact LifeLine on 13 11 14. You’re not alone and support is available to you.