MCP Social Media and EPK team manager

I was the social media manager covering the development of both end of year Major collaborative projects at boa stage and screen.

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 Unfortunately for this project the brief given to me was very limited therefore giving me pretty much creative control over the entire basis of socials. The information provided to me was to create a social media presence for both major collaborative projects, that promoted the production to a wider audience. There was not how or what involved in this, so, everything regarding goals, strategies, tactics, target audience, key performance indicators (KPI’s), content themes and posting schedules was all down to me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the creative control and freedom to go wild, however, due to this being a huge responsibility and such a new and unknown topic, it was hard to get things started and at a place where everyone was happy with the vision. I had asked all departments of directors, crew and even my line manager (teacher), if they had any information or branding I could use to start off with, but after weeks of trying to obtain this, I ended up just cracking on with it myself and prepping my team to start getting posts up, in a way that wouldn’t interrupt to constantly evolving productions. I was also very new to social media management, with limited experience; I was very thankful for this responsibly but a little education and advice on this role would have been beneficial and would of saved a lot of my time researching and teaching myself on all logistical elements to social media management, it's definitely not an easy job, but I think that why I enjoyed it.  

The target audience section of a social media brief should provide a detailed description of the brand's ideal customer. This includes demographic information such as age, gender, location, and interests. It should also include psychographic information such as values, attitudes, and behaviors. I decided our target audience should be aimed at young adults and those interested in the general progression of the productions (e.g., family, friends, case, crew, staff etc.). Regarding specifics of the demographic, it would be 16-30 but not limiting, all genders, all locations but with a small focus on Birmingham and the west midlands and of course those with an interest in up-and-coming tv and film. Age was a tricky one to decide on as, these productions have a huge focus on high school life, with strong language and themes, so we would love to advertise it at a 13+ with discretion, as this will give us more reach, however, after speaking to the directors they advised that 16+ was more suited.  

The KPIs section of a social media brief should outline the analytics that will be used to measure the success of the social media campaign. This may include things such as engagement rate, reach, impressions, click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and return on investment (ROI), which is more applied when there is paid promotions and investments involved. From experience in operational management, KPI’s are a life saver and a crucial part in the development of a brand or institution. From start to finish, I often sent of reports of our progress, and surveys and even in person meetings, talking about said progression points and so if there was anything anyone wanted to add moving forward etc. As mentioned before, feedback is so important, and by doing KPI’s I can notice and pinpoint those falling areas. One example being how on our analytics tracker we noticed more people engaged with posts when there was something to gain; we launched a small competition on one point where the best caption to the picture would be shared on our page with a shoutout. We saw a huge boost of interaction from this including shares, likes, follows and had gained engagement from people who didn’t follow the account, and had then discovered the account through hashtags or shares. By having this tracker up to date, it helped me when planning and uploading future posts as I could immediately notice what works well with our audience and what was going to get us the best promotion and reach

The content themes section of a social media brief should provide an overview of the types of content that will be posted on each social media platform, for example this may include text-based posts, images, videos, infographics, or other graphic content. As stated before, we had full creative control over this which was fun but became difficult when trying to be original. This required hours of research on what's trending, what works well on younger demographics, or even what other similar pages had previously done. Funny enough, what I found the easiest to do during this research element was creating a file on Instagram where if came across a graphic or post I liked, or I thought would suit the page, I would save it and adapt it to attach on the posting schedule. This included a lot of content produced by bbcradio1 or even Alton towers, which were posts such as work searches, quizzes, reel ideas. Although these ideas were changed to suit our page, we had to be very careful that they weren't too similar as this could evidently be seen as plagiarism.   

The posting schedule may include specific days and times for each platform's uploads, however it's helpful for the whole team to have access to it as it will outline past, present and future tasks for all creators. Once I have finished drafting up a few ideas and posts, I created a huge schedule table. This included two main posting schedules, an ideas table for each person, an analytics table for each platform, and a table for any comments or notes regarding the above. I was constantly adapting to this due to changes in the production schedule and my team's availability. It was also noted on the table if posts were late and why, and who did each post. This was good as if there was an issue with anything posted or created, I was able to find out who and where I had come from and who to contact regarding the issue.  Finally, the budget section of a social media brief should provide an overview of the resources that will be allocated to the social media campaign. This may include funds for paid advertising, paid content creation, influencer partnerships, or other expenses. This was something I wanted to touch on as although this wasn’t used during this project, I have dealt with this during my time work on pr for ‘it's good to talk podcast’. 

If you do have a budget for your social media, it's often smart to set some aside for paid promotions, as it enhances your efforts to start up an account from nothing. It's all about getting your name out there, and by adding a paid advert onto your social media posts the algorithm with post the said upload onto more feeds. If relevant, it's also good to involve close contacts of influencers to share and promote your brand, this is done by sharing production or commission of shoutouts, in order for you to gain that reach from a high gross account. If I were also creating an industry social media department, it would be a requirement to pay my content creators for their work. I wish I was able to pay those on my team for their efforts on the MCP production, as their efforts were greatly appreciated, but unfortunately, we had no budget for this. With this said it also puts it into perspective that most accounts and big brands use this method of paid promotions, therefore it's important not to compare the MCP accounts to those, as managed to gain a loyal following and an impressive reach with zero budget, zero influencer reach and also, we did that in 4 weeks! So, although we had just over 100 followers in comparison to Instagram competition we did well. 

To ensure that my ideas meet these specifications, I first conducted extensive research on the industry of social media for tv and film productions and our target audience, to gain a better understanding of their interests and behaviors on social media. I would then develop a diverse social media strategy that aligned with the directors' goals and that incorporated their preferred platforms and desired vision. In terms of content creation, I ensured that all posts were tailored to the target audience and were consistent with the brand image and message. I also used analytics to track engagement and adjust the strategy accordingly to ensure that we are meeting the goals and targets. 

As a social media manager for a TV production, there are several challenges that you may come across. One of the biggest challenges is probably just keeping up with the fast-paced nature of social media. Social media platforms are constantly evolving, and it can be difficult to keep up with the latest trends and changes. Additionally, social media managers must also be able to create content that is engaging and relevant to its audience. This requires a deep understanding of the target audience and what they are looking for and engaging the most with.  Another challenge I faced was managing multiple social media accounts. TV productions often have multiple social media accounts across various platforms and in my case, I had to manage two productions at once, and it can be challenging to manage all these accounts effectively. This was one thing I feel I struggled with the most. During one point in production, we came to a point where we had more coverage for one than the other, just due to production schedules etc. And one production was getting upset that the other had more content. I can of course understand their frustrations, however, the more I tried to explain this issue, the more it got into an underlying problem that had previously occurred.  

During the early days of content creation, I received a complaint that one day on set, two of my team members were sent to get some bts and content, but after wrapping up that day, I was told that, the two sent, caused disruption on set. This was apparently by talking loudly or being ‘in the way’. I apologized about this issue; it was mentioned that I would speak to the two sent on location that day and address that this was unprofessional and shouldn't be happening on set, however, I also said that they did had a duty to do, therefore if and when they were ‘in the way’, a polite reminder to be quiet or step out of the way for a moment, would have been enough.  after having a small meeting with the two regarding this issue, and by showing me the footage from that day proving the exact events, it was evident that it was the crew being too loud and instigating the unprofessional behavior. I mentioned to the whole team to just be aware of their behavior on set and to be extra cautious when they are filming. This issue seemed to be resolved. However, the word had gotten to one of our teachers about this issue, which was then blown completely out of proportion, and we were then told we could not go on location anymore with one of the production companies. This was totally unprofessional and unfair, especially after the issue was already resolved. I then took this up with the evidence of footage from that day and pledged that, if we are unable to go on location anymore (which the production company also disagreed with) we could not capture any on set socials coverage. This then resulted in us having a lack of content for that one production.  

As the process progressed this agreement was not working. I then pledged that we would have a meeting with all members of both departments (socials and said production company) to re-evaluate our options. By this point there had been tension that had emerged between certain members of the departments, and I wanted it axed straight away. It was creating a horrible working environment all due to something each group had no control over. I announced every point that my team had raised with me about the whole issue, including the evidence from that day on set, and addressed that the idea to stop content on location, was out of our hands and had been put in place by our teacher. In which they said they knew nothing about and that they did not agree to at all and were massively against the idea. The said teacher was in the room during this meeting and stated that they admitted to interpreting the issue the wrong way and were happy for us all to resume working together.  I understand that this was done at our best interest, however, it was deeply frustrating as we had mentioned before multiple time that the issue was resolved, and as we had now missed out on weeks of coverage opportunities and we were now playing catchup on double speed alongside other priorities due to their ignorance and misunderstanding of the whole matter.  

Little issues like this were 100% our biggest issue, as it was in theory just unprofessional behavior from both sides and allowing personal feelings to get in the way of work. It affected the work effort of my team and I now had to be careful who I sent on location shots, due to contrasting personalities. It also made motivating my team harder as they had multiple assignments going on at once and it became a very busy period. My main downfall in this role would be my empathetic side. Usually this is a huge advantage but, in this case, because i saw my team struggling with the workload, I ended up taking on a lot of the work myself, this was due to content being completed late or not even being created at all. This was deeply upsetting and was reiterated to them in a nice but professional way, that this was their job and what they signed up for, unfortunately the job was advertised that during production heavy periods, the workload will be increased and that commitment to these tasks and events was a necessary. I then started to encourage my team by giving them projects within their strengths, which did boost their engagement; however, it's hard trying to motivate a team to do a job they're not interested in doing anymore. This was also deeply frustrating to me as I had prepared a plan/ strategy to lift and boost these platforms, but I ended up at a point where it was just me and my deputy Sam, doing everything. This also led to the productions asking questions and because there were only two of us, we couldn’t be in two places at once. I then told the team that they needed to attend shoots as a requirement and had to mention that this wasn’t an extracurricular opportunity it was their job; addressing this authority was something I felt incredible guilty about, but I started to learn after getting reassurance from a few mentors that this needed to be done, and they said that I was doing an amazing job, which was very nice to hear after a really hard month.  

Another thing I personally found really frustrating in the first few weeks of production was that my role was constantly changing therefore, my responsibilities were changing all the time. This was very stressful as I began to do jobs and then I was told it wasn’t my job, or I was told I have full creative control but was then told I then wasn’t a social media manager I was a production manager for a documentary and bts footage. Once I noticed things starting to change, I stopped what I was doing a immediately went to get this cleared up. Before that term, there were job adverts you could apply for, I applied for social media manager; I presumed I was then a social media manager. I then went to my line manager (teacher) where I was told I was no longer creating socials I was creating a documentary. I then stated that that wasn’t what I signed up for and that I applied for said role as it was a future career prospect and that’s where my experience was based. I also stated that my team had all signed dup to be content creators for social media, not a camera crew or directors etc. This was unfair to be sprung on us and if we were to agree to doing this alongside socials, we would need an extra team of people, as 5 of us could not do fours social media accounts and a whole documentary. I then compromised and agreed to do this alongside but did state that me and the rest of my team were not happy about the lack of communication. This also now meant that I was now covering four social media accounts, the pre-production, production and postproduction of the BTS documentary, as well as co directing an external documentary with two other students. I then unfortunately had to drop out of the other documentary to be able to give full attention to the other.  

Regarding issues with my role and responsibilities, that also fall massively under the lack of communication from my line manager, as stated before I had to find a way to kick start all accounts and create a plan to get them up asap. However, once this documentary had been announced to us, we were then getting information of who, where and when my team needed to go and shoot bts documentary coverage, and issues that the right equipment wasn’t booked out. I explained that my team were scheduled to go out and film socials coverage or uploads and stories that day, and that the equipment booked out was what they needed to be able to do that job, I had factored documentary b-roll into the schedules for over the week after, but then my team were told to ignore my commissions and follow the production schedule to get b-roll (but this didn’t involve any socials coverage or editing time, so essentially socials were scrapped immediately without consulting me, which was causing massive stress and upset for my team). From my knowledge I was told I had full creative freedom, I was told to carry on creating schedules, which I had to adapt and add documentary b-roll and interview filming slots, to then be told that wasn’t my job and that I was just getting the content for the documentary. So again, after more issues were arising, I then spoke to my teacher and asked her to give me a full job title with all my responsibilities on, therefore I will know exactly what my responsibilities were and that I wasn’t going to end up spending hours creating things that I didn’t need to do. She then told me I was a social media with all the responsibilities stated on the initial job advert. The same reoccurring issue happened again 1 day after that conversation had happened, confirming I was a social media manager for all socials, I ended up going to my other mentor to ask for advice at this point and a bit of help on the situation. They were wonderful and spoke to the other teacher about the situation and cleared the situation up, which confirmed everything I had done was correct and that I should just carry on with what I was doing and that my team should follow my commissions not the teachers. I understand this was a very long and maybe even an unprofessional explanation of this problem, however, it was a huge problem that I faced during this process and it was one that made my whole journey a lot harder; my trust in my higher management and support had been lost, therefore when I was having an issue or needed a little education on an area within the job, I didn’t want to go there; I ended up turning to google or another teacher for help. I just felt as if my team had me to go to with their issues, support or queries, and I ended up feeling very on my own and especially disappointed as I am still a student just learning.  

Despite that, as a team we did also face issues of creating content that was tailored to each platform while maintaining that consistent brand voice across all the platforms. I feel we overcame this very well as we often had discussions about the scheduled content and how we all thought about keeping it relevant. These included designs of posts, creating catchy captions, keeping the colour scheme and keeping the aesthetic of the page the same to keep that branded look. All posts were also approved before posting; therefore, all content was kept to a high standard.   Finally, social media managers must be able to navigate the legal and ethical issues surrounding social media. This includes understanding copyright laws, privacy concerns, and advertising regulations. This meant I had to ensure that all content posted on the pages was legal and ethical while also still being engaging and relevant to our audience. In conclusion, being a social media manager for a TV production like the two MCP projects, comes with its own unique set of challenges. From keeping up with the fast-paced nature of social media to managing multiple accounts and department issues, social media managers must be able to adapt quickly and stay on top of the latest trends and changes, as well as being a trusted point of contact for your team. 

A social media account for a general TV production serves several purposes. Firstly, it allows the production team and cast to connect with their audience and build a community around the show. We did this by adding regular updates on the progression of the show, sharing behind-the-scenes content, teasers, and engaging with our fans, we can then create that buzz and excitement around the show before its put out into the public. This can lead to increased viewership and engagement once it is released. Secondly, both social media accounts will be used to promote upcoming episodes or events related to the shows. This can include hosting a Q&A session maybe with cast members or vox pops on the premier date. One example of this would be when we did social media takeovers with the cast or doing a day in the life reel of one of our 1st AD’s. By using the accounts to promote these events and episodes, we can reach a wider audience and generate more interest in the show. Thirdly, they can be used to gather feedback from our viewers. By monitoring and replying to comments and messages, we can gain insights into what viewers like or dislike about the show. This feedback can be used to make improvements or changes to future episodes or events, or even future uploads on the social media accounts.

To promote ticket sales, we created a campaign that included an advertising post, ads on the main boa account, and we also used other content that highlighted the event and that would hopefully encourage people to buy tickets (e.g., stories and videos of the cast encouraging people to buy tickets). We also used hashtags to increase the visibility on the feed and boost engagement. User-generated content (UGC) is any content created by users of a product or service. This can encourage attendees of an event or production to share photos, videos, and other content from your event on social media using a branded hashtag. This not only helps promote your event but also creates a community for future events. We used UGC content in pretty much every aspect of these accounts, this was by tagging the accounts on every point or using the production hashtags. This became very effective and was one of the main reasons our following grew so quickly. Evidently, promoting ticket sales on social media requires a strategic approach this would work by creating a social media campaign, and by using things like paid advertising, partnering with influencers, offering exclusive discounts, it can increase visibility and promote ticket sales dramatically, but unfortunately, we didn’t have the budget for that. 

 social media account for a general TV production serves several purposes. Firstly, it allows the production team and cast to connect with their audience and build a community around the show. We did this by adding regular updates on the progression of the show, sharing behind-the-scenes content, teasers, and engaging with our fans, we can then create that buzz and excitement around the show before its put out into the public. This can lead to increased viewership and engagement once it is released. Secondly, both social media accounts will be used to promote upcoming episodes or events related to the shows. This can include hosting a Q&A session maybe with cast members or vox pops on the premier date. One example of this would be when we did social media takeovers with the cast or doing a day in the life reel of one of our 1st AD’s. By using the accounts to promote these events and episodes, we can reach a wider audience and generate more interest in the show. Thirdly, they can be used to gather feedback from our viewers. By monitoring and replying to comments and messages, we can gain insights into what viewers like or dislike about the show. This feedback can be used to make improvements or changes to future episodes or events, or even future uploads on the social media accounts.  

To promote ticket sales, we created a campaign that included an advertising post, ads on the main boa account, and we also used other content that highlighted the event and that would hopefully encourage people to buy tickets (e.g., stories and videos of the cast encouraging people to buy tickets). We also used hashtags to increase the visibility on the feed and boost engagement. User-generated content (UGC) is any content created by users of a product or service. This can encourage attendees of an event or production to share photos, videos, and other content from your event on social media using a branded hashtag. This not only helps promote your event but also creates a community for future events. We used UGC content in pretty much every aspect of these accounts, this was by tagging the accounts on every point or using the production hashtags. This became very effective and was one of the main reasons our following grew so quickly. Evidently, promoting ticket sales on social media requires a strategic approach this would work by creating a social media campaign, and by using things like paid advertising, partnering with influencers, offering exclusive discounts, it can increase visibility and promote ticket sales dramatically, but unfortunately, we didn’t have the budget for that. 

I decided our target audience should be aimed at young adults and those interested in the general progression of the productions (e.g., family, friends, cast, crew, staff etc.). Regarding specifics of the demographic, it would be 16-30 but not limiting. Age was a tricky one to decide on as, these productions have a huge focus on high school life, with strong language and themes, so we would love to advertise it at a 13+ with discretion, as this will give us more reach, however, after speaking to the directors they advised that 16+ was more suited. The productions are advertised for all genders, all locations but with a small focus on Birmingham and the west midlands. Both productions are Birmingham based with strong themes of being in Birmingham. On example being that one of the productions is literally called ‘only in Brum’. 

The Product we delivered I feel suited our target audience well as thankfully for us, young adults are one of the biggest active communities on social media, therefore everything tailored to trending content would've suited that demographic well. We also used designs that had been approved and recommended by the young adults at our college, therefore hitting our top audience mark, and giving us a great start on reaching a wider audience. We also produced content specifically aimed at the Birmingham community, which was an interactive post celebrating the city's culture; in every post we also added hashtags relating to Birmingham and Birmingham students. 

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Documentary is a genre that aims to share information about real-life events, people, and societal issues. There are different formats of documentary, which all have their own codes and conventions. The first one is an Observational Documentary. This format aims to capture reality as it unfolds without any intervention from the filmmaker. It Is often referred to as a fly on the wall documentary; observing the events without any narration or interviews. The goal is to create an immersive experience for the audience, which allows them to come up with their own conclusions about the subject. Another is an Expository Documentary. This format uses voice-overs or narration to talk the audience through a subject. The documentary presents a clear argument or point of view and uses interviews, existing past footage, and other visuals to support their argument. The aim is to inform and persuade the audience. A Participatory Documentary is a format that involves the presenter actively participating in the subject. They may appear on camera, interact with the guests, or even become part of the story themselves. The goal is to create a more personal connection between the audience and story. Next is a Poetic Documentary. This uses visual and audio elements to create a mood or atmosphere around the topic. The documentary may use abstract images, music, or sound effects to project emotions or ideas. The goal is to create a creative interpretation of reality. Finally, there is a Reflexive Documentary. This format draws attention to the film process itself. The documentary may include behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with crew or cast members, or even break the fourth wall by talking to the audience directly. The goal here is to question the nature of documentary filmmaking and challenge traditional storytelling. 

he Faces Behind the For You Page 

It’s a fact that the evolution of social media has shaped our generation. We are what’s known as the Ipad kids or the square-eyed teens. In a sense this is true, I don’t know about you but I can’t sit down and start my lunch until I’ve found something to watch, and by the time I usually go to eat the meal I’ve just cooked, It’s cold. I also feel I can speak on behalf of our generation as I myself am 18 years old and currently studying media, and well, social media marketing falls beautifully under that. So you can definitely say I’ve grown up at the peak of developing technology. I know this essay is about social media, however, I do think technology itself is a crucial catalyst influencing the power of social media. After all, we couldn’t have social media at the tip of our fingers 24/7 if it wasn’t for the latest smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, Ipads… the list goes on.  

Tikok. It’s great isnt it? A healthy or unhealthy addiction, we can all admit you can spend hours on that app without realising it. I feel like all you hear from all of these tech experts, psychologists and scientists, is negative stuff about this platform, but from a personal overview, I think it’s great. Where else can you learn the 50 states of America, the best Japanese food places in Manchester or which crystal gives you the best career prospects, all in the space of a 15-30 second video that also maintains your complete attention? The truth is you can’t. It’s a great educational resource for schools and students, it’s a space to share art, create and share businesses, find like-minded people, share inspiration, find jobs, get help on finding jobs, wellness tips…the list ‘again’ goes on. But not only can you post anything or watch anything, but you can also now make a living from it. You can earn money. Scrap that, you can earn BIG money. You can earn a living from just being yourself, why wouldn’t you want to become a tiktoker?... 

So, i've got a metaphorical proposal that I want you to imagine. It’s 10 pm you’ve just got home after a busy day at a work/school that you hate, a long day of travelling to your job/ school and back again, you’ve been moaned at all day for not hitting targets, and you crash on the sofa with the biggest migraine ever and just want to sleep, but you’ve just received an email in your inbox that says;  

Hello [your name], 

I apologise for the out-of-the-blue email, however, I have been meaning to contact you for a while. 

We think your realism and individuality are qualities that deserve to be seen by the world. Therefore, we would love to offer you an ambassador status with our agency.  

We are a new company that celebrates people’s values and talents and we help them to do this for a living.  

The role and responsibilities: 

• Post a minimum of 3 videos a week of your choosing onto one of your social media accounts. 

• Quit your awful degrading job/ school course 

• Attend celebrity parties, holidays and events for free at no extra cost 

• Receive PR packages from huge names brands at no extra cost 

• You will meet likeminded people and make friends 

• with minimum pay of £1,500 per video that you post 

• You will gain millions of followers and become verified on all platforms. 

All you need to do is say yes and all this will be yours. 

Best wishes 

[your dream brand]  

Okay, so if you say no to this next question you are lying. Would you take this, or even consider taking it? If we were to discount all of the negatives that we surround with an ‘ambassador or influencer status’ you would jump at this opportunity. You read those responsibilities and if your brains are anything like mine I immediately would have said ‘fuck yes’ and quit my job there and then. So, what were your initial thoughts? What was the first thing that popped into your head? A word or phrase, anything but don’t overthink it. I know my advancing thought was then ‘What’s the catch?’. We’re humans, right? Trust is something so hard for the human mind to comprehend. It’s the fear of the unknown, the sidetracked thoughts of influencer horror stories. Is this a joke? Is this real? Could I actually make it by just being me? Well, these are the exact reactions I can imagine most of the modern social celebs have experienced in their initial breakthrough. An interview with Charlie d’amelio and ‘Entertainment Tonight’ talked about how this was precisely how Charlie’s fame began. She was living a normal life, and then she was sent an email. It just so happened that, that one email would change her life forever.  

With TikTok being such a huge platform in the present day, it has almost become easier to get more and more out of it. What i mean by this is that more and more people are downloading the app therefore, engagement and activity is growing at a rapid rate, which encourages promo to advance and also investment. That investment has ended up pumping millions of pounds into tiktoks algorithm. Companies like ‘campfire marketing’ have a whole ideollogy based on the power of TikTok marketing and how it’s ‘the next big thing’. This huge investment has led to tiktok becoming a paid ambassador hub. There are hidden AD’s everywhere. As mentioned before this proves that there is big money in the business. Which is maybe why this career prospect has become so appealing. The only issue with this is that its directly happening in front of the public eye, people are watching these average people, start from nothing and become millionaires. Why spend a year studying and working at dead-end jobs to make it to the top when nobody else you see is? The other thing with that point is that people are working behind the scenes to become millionaires or gain successful careers, it’s just that it isn’t plastered all over your phone every time you go on there for a quick scroll.  

This is where there are incredible dangers for our upcoming generations. This new idea of success is not deemed as ‘realistic’ and younger people are giving up the whole realistic route for the one they see on their for you pages. TikTok is changing young people’s career prospects. But i want to explore whether this is a good or bad thing.  

To break it up i want to start with a video trend that was out a few months ago. The BBC released a competition through TikTok which was a current cbbc newsround presenter reading out a teleprompt. It was then instructed for others to duet with this video, tagging the creators, where the new CBBC presenter would be selected via the best video. This video had 6.2m views and was dueted 1.4k times. This was a legit advertisement which lead to two ordinary people being hired based on this tiktok. I don’t know about you but out of 1.4k people that’s impressive. Its crazy to think that TikTok could now become the future of hiring or advertising jobs. But what about the people who have trained for years in media and acting to get that presenter job? Does education and training mean nothing anymore? I have just recently applied for a job with Camp America which I saw and discovered on TikTok! There’s a positive right there. why couldn’t it be the future of advertising jobs? it’s fast, free promo and reaches a large audience at once. However, you could also argue that it’s made the employment scene even more competitive.  

I stand by that our world is in an employment crisis. Scientists are becoming lorry drivers and accountants are working as McDonald’s managers. This is something we have all been made aware of for years. Personally, I think tiktok has made it worse. What was an overwhelming desperation for a job you enjoy, has now become an desperation for a job that pays well. Which is where it merges into the appealing nature of becoming an influencer. Young people are seeing the struggles their parents and family members face. They watch their trusted adults come home miserable and exhausted from jobs that are the opposite of their dreams and aspirations. One of the biggest fears going into this world is now ending up in that exact position. One thing I have noticed from people my age is that money is now deemed the key to happiness. You may say that’s an exaggeration, but i urge you to find someone aged 13-17 and ask them, what’s your dream job, then why? I guarantee you will end up in the conversation of ‘it pays well’. Teens and young adults are desperate to become financially free, therefore once they see that, that could end up in the palm of their hands they will do anything to get there. 

Following on from that it also explains why when many people see an ‘influencer’ role in their sights it then becomes an ideal prospect. Some people will even put pull focus into this from a young age, therefore, abandoning their education to focus on it full time. Due to this seeming like such an incredible role, people brush over the negatives, because in fact, I think its one of the hardest jobs in the world.   

The psychological pressure from this job is more intense than anything you’re ever been prepared for. We all know about the dangers of social media, the skyrocketing linked suicides, catfishing, cyberbullying, scamming etc. Still, because a lot of this is so new, there is so little research out there to help these influencers deal with the issues they come across. As soon as they step into that public eye, they are no longer people. So, if they’re not people, then what are they? And to be honest i don’t have an answer for that. What im trying to say is they have a voice. People will listen to them, inflict inspiration, and opinions and will be the first point of contact for people they don’t even know. The trouble is that these people are just people. They will not be able to fit society’s perceptions of everybody, but that is where it gets difficult. I could go into detail about this but it’s not the point of the essay I’m writing. I just want to make it clear that these human beings face more than we think they do, and the next time you think of putting that comment or dm, just remember to differentiate between reality and think if you heard that in the street you would just accept that no one is the same and no one will agree with everyone, so just scroll on and let it be. They are not just faces behind the for you page, they are people behind the for you page.  

The other night I finally got around to watching the Bafta-winning I am Ruth, on channel 4. What an incredible production. From the emotional performances to the heart-wrenching soundtrack, it was so incredibly powerful. If you haven’t seen ‘I am Ruth’ then firstly go and watch it, but alternatively, it is a moving short series that explores a mother and daughter relationship that is then corrupted by the negative effects of social media. They touch on themes of depression, anxiety, self-harm and underaged sexual exploration, which are all effects of social media. Ruth is a concerned mother who battles with her internal conflicts and troubles in order to save her daughter. They both find their relationship deteriorating due to the pressures of social media and also even social standards.  

I wanted to mention this, as I feel such themes have tried to be recreated before in multiple forms, however, I have nothing as of yet, ever communicate it with such realism as this piece does. This is also perfect timing for my research. Studies have found that Bark, a parental social media watchdog app, saw a 25% increase in self-harm and suicide alerts among young people between the ages of 12 and 18 in 2021, and More than 43% of young teenagers and nearly 75% of teenagers were involved in conversations or situations involving self-harm or suicide. Those sentences alone from Bark, evidently prove that teens are suffering life changing effects due to social media.  

The question is then why, and how do we stop this from happening?   

Why? Are we just the ‘snowflake generation’ who takes everything to heart? Are we too sensitive? The thing is back in the day when there was no social media or messaging platforms, if you had something horrible to say, the only way to do it was to say it to someone’s face. Who’s ever heard the saying from your parents saying ‘id knock them out’ or ‘In our day we just scrapped it out?’ I don’t know if it was just a northern thing and because well if you said anything to a northerner that they didn’t agree with, they would probably lamp you, but besides the point, in those days if you were upset by a comment there would just be a fight and it would be over. So, in theory, we must all be the snowflakes, because I don’t know about you, but I think lamping someone over a small comment, is taking it very much to heart.  

The contrasting situation of our generation is that our frustrations or retaliations cannot be evidenced in the same way, one because the majority of the time we don’t know the person on the other end of the nasty dm or comment, and two because we are so conscious of our digital footprint that we are just told to ignore it and move on. However, we then end up in a situation of not being able to voice our frustrations or resolve them, it all then gets built up and our frustration comes out onto ourselves in ways of self-sabotage or it accumulates to mental health struggles, or it comes out onto those closest to us. Either way, you’re creating a negative environment for yourselves either for your surroundings or your internal state. Once that is then bottled up, it will get berried by more and more negative situations online until we eventually explode and become ‘too sensitive’. 

AC2

When the initial process started, we were given a small brief to create a social media that would promote the two MCP productions. Once I had met my team I sat down and explained to them what we had been commissioned to do, and the small bits of information I was given regarding the productions so far. I then opened it up to the group to share any content ideas or even any logo designs they had in mind, as at this point, we didn't even have a logo for one of our productions. During this idea generation period, I also was deep into the process of communicating with the directors to gain as much information and resources as we possibly could. This included bi-weekly meetings with both production heads and plenty of emails back and forth. I personally believe peer discussion is so important and it can help you refine your thinking and maybe even develop more well-rounded ideas. 

One way we used discussion to shape our ideas was by actively listening to what everyone had to say. This meant listening to every idea and opinion, and asking clarifying questions, and then trying to understand their point of view. By doing this, you can gain a deeper appreciation for everyone's perspective and potentially then be able to incorporate their ideas into my own thoughts. Another way I used discussions to shape my ideas was by engaging in constructive debates. This meant respectfully challenging each other's ideas in a way that encourages that element of critical thinking and idea growth. By doing team building activities like these, you can identify weaknesses in your own thinking and refine your arguments as well as others. Activities like these are also good as they add an element of healthy competition and build teamwork qualities among the group. One example would have been the meeting we had with both departments, where we discussed issues regarding production's progression. We discussed previously  

I feel it's also important to be open-minded when discussing ideas with peers. This means being willing to consider viewpoints that may be different from my own, and by being receptive to feedback and criticism, it ended up developing my ideas more than what would have happened within independent study. By doing this, you can then create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions. 

Receiving feedback was an essential part of shaping my ideas. It allowed me to gain a fresh perspective, identify areas for improvement, and refine my thoughts. One example I used feedback to shape my idea was by using student surveys. We often posted polls on socials or even mentioned it to our peers, about what posts they would like to see in the future. We would then review this and rearrange our posting schedules to be able to essentially ‘give the people what they wanted’. However, by getting feedback from a variety of individuals (teachers, peers, audience etc.) I can gain a more comprehensive understanding of how my ideas are perceived by others and then also use it to identify potential blind spots in my ideas. By being open-minded and open to constructive criticism it often gave me the developing points to make my ideas better.  

Another key element that shaped this project was the constant requirement to get things approved before posting. This was important to do as the two pages were associated with the boa group, therefore, everything posted would somehow link back to being in association with them. This meant everything had to be age appropriate and also represent their values. Even though it was frustrating at times it also was good in a sense that we were getting constant feedback the entire process of this project, which was a nice change from the independence of my last project. This would shape our work as there was that pressure to make everything perfect and flawless. It Definity made us think a lot more before posting pictures or graphics and made us maybe even think more about things such as colour correction or the iso and exposure when taking the photos, more than we would've without that pressure.  

Lighting was a huge element that I had experimented with this term. As part of our commitment to promotion we were also required to do photoshoots from time to time. By just using the light sabers with different tones and colors, we were able to convey an atmosphere and mood in a photo. This included using reds with the magic Marvin photos, which not only complimented features of his outfit but also added that contrasting element of mystery and suspense, which I say in contrasting because magic Marvin Is the complete opposite, but this worked great for marketing. I also got an insight on warmer tones and reflective light in outdoor environments. By using a shield, we were able to bounce natural light onto the faces to enhance their features and bring the natural light to life. Regarding warmer tones, we tried to avoid blue as it is a very wash out colour, so we stuck to reds, pinks and shades of orange  

Another would also be photography. During this project I had had the chance to develop my commercial and event photography skills, which I had not had the opportunity to do before. I enjoyed this and found it almost exciting and stimulating by taking photos of people being people, and that sense of achievement when you capture that incredible and unique moment. This also taught me about cameras e.g., adjusting aperture, frame rate, iso etc. Which I probably couldn’t have done before all this practice. As I said just, it gave me the time to play about with the cameras and find my niche. Test shots were really crucial, especially for the big photoshoots, as we could test the lighting and environment, to be able to then plan what equipment we would need. It also gave us the chance to try different things before we went for the real take, therefore taking more time off reviewing footage and also utilizing the actors' time more.  

Regarding experimentation with sound, the only aspect of this I can touch on is maybe editing music for reels and videos. I have always loved mixing audio and a little DJ-Ing. Unfortunately, I didn't get to explore this to the extent to what I would have liked, but hopefully this is something I can go into in more depth next term. 

The message we were trying to portray was that we wanted people to see the incredible talent of those at our college, we also wanted to promote and spread the word of the productions. We wanted to let people know that amazing productions based in Birmingham are happening and shine a light on local talent. This relates as our target audience is young people with interests in film and tv, which is exactly what our content in about. Young people also find comfort in seeing others reach potential and reach similar dreams. It will provide some people with the motivation or starting point to pursue their own interests.  

AC2

I had planned to include camera techniques in our preproduction by planning our shots and frames. Framing was important as we needed to get the footage fast and, in the moment. This allowed us to be prepared when we grabbed people for interviews.  We didn’t really plan our camera techniques regarding stories however, we did plan our images for photoshoots. We did this by drafting up shots and setting up the cameras and lighting before we called the actors down. The thing with social media that we soon realized is that it was always a second thought and everything that we needed to do needed to be done fast and in the schedule gaps. This had to be considered in the planning phase as our plans always needed to be able to be flexible. We also wanted to maintain strong engagement therefore by doing polls and percentage questions we were able to predict our next few stories. Regarding editing we mostly did everything on Canva. This worked well as it provided us with all the recourses, we needed to execute each post. We edited images using lightroom by removing Chromatic Aberration, correcting white balance, boosting shadows and overall creating a more aesthetic image. We edited all our graphics on canva by using image editing techniques and by adding elements and external features to create engaging designs. Although canva is a very beginner friendly platform, from working with the bbc last week we soon noticed It was one of the software's that they used. This proves that the skills we are developing will be helping us to go into the industry and that the skills we know already are hirable qualities. 

We could improve this by maybe having more plans in place to replace back up plans, as once a plan had gone to shit, we were then running round trying to communicate with different Depatments to rearrange another one. The issue we were having is that we couldn’t decide on a new plan without communicating with other departments about what they were going to do next. I would next time maybe invest in a few walkie talkies or getting everyone's phone number to ensure quicker responses. 

AC3

I had planned to include camera techniques in our preproduction by planning our shots and frames. Framing was really important as we needed to get the footage fast and, in the moment. This allowed us to be prepared when we grabbed people for interviews.  We didn’t really plan our camera techniques regarding stories however, we did plan our images for photoshoots. We did this by drafting up shots and setting up the cameras and lighting before we called the actors down. The thing with social media that we soon realized is that it was always a second thought and everything that we needed to do needed to be done fast and in the schedule gaps. This had to be considered in the planning phase as our plans always needed to be able to be flexible. We also wanted to maintain strong engagement therefore by doing polls and percentage questions we were able to predict our next few stories.   

Boomerangs were often something we used which incorporates movement, camera techniques and framing. This was simple but effective and looked great for Instagram stories. The purpose was to upload a photo but capture the movement at the same time, and a boomerang was perfect to do this with. As I have said before we used framing and the rule of thirds with our interviews to keep consistency. We used mostly still shots for b-roll for the documentary. We used landscape videos for b-roll but used portraits for all social content to suit the platform. Most footage gained on the day was sorted after each shoot, therefore we had to get rid of footage daily to make sure everything was organized, and we didn’t get up overloaded with footage. 

We didn’t really use sound during production as it wasn’t an area that impacted our work too much. We had to use the lapel mics and shotgun mics during interviews and vox pops. This was equipment we had already used therefore, felt confident on. We also worked with adding music over the top of stories to improve them. Regarding music we also used Sullivans own music in our documentary to keep that brand consistency.

Regarding editing we mostly did everything on Canva. This worked well as it provided us with all the recourses, we needed to execute each post. We edited images using lightroom by removing Chromatic Aberration, correcting white balance, boosting shadows and overall creating a more aesthetic image. We edited all our graphics on canva by using image editing techniques and by adding elements and external features to create engaging designs. Although canva is a very beginner friendly platform, from working with the bbc last week we soon noticed It was one of the software's that they used. This proves that the skills we are developing will be helping us going into the industry and that the skills we know already are hirable qualities. 

AC4

As part of my course, I had to apply for a work placement within the college's major collaborative projects (MCP). I applied for the position of social media manager for both collaborative teams. This involved leading a team of four content creators and creating social media accounts for both year 12 projects. 

this role has given me the opportunity to develop my skills and also provided me with amazing experience in many subjects including,  designing aesthetic and engaging posts and pages,  managing the day-to-day handling of all social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, adapting content to suit different channels and audiences, planning and delivering content across different platforms, scheduling posts and meetings, networking and communicating between departments and directors, arranging and writing up bi-weekly's and running meetings, developing engagement tactics such as competitions etc. making connections with likeminded pages to promote the accounts, conduct market research, respond to analytic reports and the development of the accounts in response, keeping up to date with rush logs, maintaining awareness of competition and the latest trends, set weekly targets and priority lists, brief teams each week on negatives and positives, motivating teams and of course even educating the team on things they're not sure on. 

i have loved this role and it has provided me with confidence that it may be a career prospect in the future. Even though my role was a social media manager, i also loved being hands on, therefore i attended as many shoot days as possible and even created a lot of the content alongside my deputy, when my team had other commitments. This involved being hands-on with photography, Broll, graphic design and editing. 

regarding it being my responsibility for this project to be successful,  I directed shoots, created the content lists, scheduled the content lists, commissioned ideas to directors, arranged availability schedules, checked over footage once each team had wrapped, uploaded and captioned posts etc. but even though it seemed challenging at times, i couldn't of produced such an amazing standard of work without my amazing team. 

We used professional language throughout the whole project, this was important to us when speaking to others about our marketing strategies, as it was able to one kind of show people that we knew what we were doing, and two explain our targets and goals. 

These terms include:  1. “Target audience: Refers to a specific group of people or demographic that a marketing campaign or social media strategy aims to reach and engage with. Identifying and understanding the target audience is crucial for tailoring the messaging and content to their interests and needs.  2. Brand positioning: Involves defining how a brand wants to be perceived in the market and differentiating it from competitors. It includes determining the unique value proposition, key messages, and overall brand image that will resonate with the target audience.  3. Content strategy: Refers to the plan for creating, distributing, and managing content across various platforms during a marketing and social media takeover. It involves identifying the types of content that will be most effective in engaging the target audience, as well as establishing a consistent tone, style, and frequency of posting.  4. Call-to-action (CTA): A prompt or instruction given to the audience to encourage them to take a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or sharing content. CTAs are essential for driving engagement and conversions.  5. Key performance indicators (KPIs): Metrics used to measure the success of marketing and social media efforts. KPIs can include metrics like reach, engagement rate, conversion rate, click-through rate (CTR), return on investment (ROI), etc. Tracking these indicators helps evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and make data-driven decisions.  6. Influencer marketing: Involves partnering with influential individuals or personalities on social media platforms to promote products or services. Influencers have established credibility within their niche and can help reach a wider audience through their recommendations or endorsements.  7. User-generated content (UGC): Content created by users or customers that showcases their experiences, opinions, or interactions with a brand. UGC is valuable for building trust and authenticity, as well as increasing engagement and social proof.  8. Analytics and insights: Refers to the data and metrics collected from social media platforms and marketing campaigns. Analyzing these insights helps understand audience behavior, preferences, and trends, enabling marketers to optimize strategies and make informed decisions.  9. Conversion rate optimization (CRO): The process of improving the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. CRO involves analyzing user behavior, testing different elements on landing pages, and optimizing the user experience to increase conversions.  10. ROI (Return on Investment): A measure used to evaluate the profitability of an investment or marketing campaign. It compares the gains or benefits generated from an investment against the cost incurred.  11. Engagement rate: The percentage of people who interact with a social media post relative to the total number of people who see it. High engagement rates indicate that the content resonates with the audience and generates interest.  12. Brand awareness: The level of familiarity and recognition that a brand has among its target audience. Building brand awareness is crucial for attracting new customers and establishing credibility in the market.  13. A/B testing: A method of comparing two versions of a webpage or marketing element to determine which one performs better in terms of engagement or conversion rates. A/B testing helps optimize marketing efforts by identifying the most effective variations.  14. Influencer outreach: The process of reaching out to influencers or industry experts to collaborate on content creation or promotion. Building relationships with influencers can help expand reach and credibility within a specific niche.  15. Social listening: Monitoring social media platforms for mentions, conversations, and trends related to a brand or industry. Social listening helps identify opportunities for engagement, address customer concerns, and gather insights for future marketing strategies.” - deffinitions are from www.hubspot.com  These are just a few examples of professional language and lingo that we applied during this marketing and social media takeover. It is important to adapt the language to the specific industry, target audience, and brand identity to ensure that desired communication. 

Reagrding the use of production management, this was incorporated into everything I did daily. As social media manager one of my main responsibilities was problem solving, so fast thinking and managing events and challenges as and when they happen was crucial. As a social media manager, there were several project management techniques that I applied to effectively achieve success for all social media-based projects. These helped in all aspects including planning, organizing, executing, and controlling the social media accounts to achieve those specific goals. From my research I found some of the project management techniques that are commonly used by social media managers include Agile, Waterfall, and Scrum. 

project management is a flexible approach that focuses on collaboration, adaptability, and ongoing improvement. It is best suited for social media managers, as it allows for quick adjustments and changes to be made based on weekly/ monthly feedback and analytics. Agile methods such as ‘Scrum or Kanban’ can be used to separate social media projects into smaller tasks, this allows them to prioritize tasks based on their level of importance. One specific point where I tried out this technique was when we were conducting location day story takeovers. This was a project where we had no control to plan out our exact posts as it when with the flow of the day. This approach was very useful throughout the whole time of this takeover, as I found by taking things freelance and as they came, it sparked so much spontaneous creativity, and allowed us to keep that relevant and up to date connection to our audience. 

The Waterfall method is a straightforward approach, where each level of a project is completed before moving on to the next one. This method is suitable for social media projects with set plans and not suitable for constantly adapting accounts. In this approach, the management would follow a step-by-step process of a plan to deliver content, scheduling, publishing, monitoring, and analyzing. The waterfall method was something that I feel had been using for a while, way before discovering it. This was a technique that I pushed onto my team to help them when workloads were getting intense. By being able to physically see a priority list and be able to see where and what they were doing next, put me and them at ease. By having physical lists, I was also able to see where everyone was at, this helped me when completing my own work and especially when scheduling people in for future projects.  Scrum is a repetitive and progressive framework that enhances collaboration and self-organizational teams. It involves breaking down the project into smaller time-based sections called sprints. You can use Scrum to plan and execute campaigns by creating a list of tasks and again then prioritizing them based on their value, amount of work required for each task, and delivering potentially higher quality and polished work at the end of each sprint. One example where I found the scrum system useful was towards the wrap up of the project. Once all productions had officially wrapped, we then had all the content we needed, which then put up as an advantage of organizing all coverage, scheduling and finally having the time to create content. We then could factorize in when content would be produced by and along with deadlines etc. A there was no longer a pressure to be everywhere at once. 

If I'm being honest our coverage and files are everywhere; Like an organized mess. However, all the admin heavy assets, and all the scheduling and data logs are very well organized in files, SD cards, USB sticks and excel sheets.

As the social media manager, there were several health and safety measures that had to be applied to ensure the well-being of both myself, my team and our online audience. These measures contain various components, including mental health, privacy, content moderation, and online security. It was important for me to prioritize these aspects to create that safe and healthy environment.  its true that social media managers and content creators often spend a significant amount of time online, which can lead to increased stress levels and potential mental health issues. To reduce this, it is crucial for everyone to establish a healthy work-life balance. This was done by setting clear boundaries between personal and professional life, which I made sure was achieved through taking regular breaks from social media platforms, and engaging in activities that promote relaxation and well-being. For example, personally I set timers on all my social media apps to prevent over-use, and in my spare time I also do a lot of meditation and yoga, so incorporating exercises that maybe addressed stress and grounding breath work was massively beneficial. For the others I just promoted saving space for their social lives and often took the team to breakfast or for lunch before and after shoots. Additionally, there was also the offer of support from myself or those in a higher position, Aswell as giving regular check-ins to all team members. For professionals there are also online communities of fellow social media managers or creators, which can provide valuable resources for managing stress and maintaining mental health.  Protecting personal information is essential for both social media managers and the audience members they interact with. I had to be so cautious about others sharing personal details online and by ensuring that our privacy settings were properly configured on all platforms. It was also important to stay updated on the privacy policies and guidelines which are provided by each social media platform. By being mindful of privacy concerns, I could maintain a safe environment for us and our audience.  

As a Social media manager, I played a crucial role in ensuring that the content shared on the platforms adheres to all community guidelines and ethical standards. I had to actively monitor comments, messages, and posts to keep an eye on any inappropriate or harmful content. This meant Implementing and creating awareness of effective content moderation strategies such as keyword filters and user reporting systems. By also staying informed about current trends in behavior online and understanding the potential impact of certain content helped by making decisions regarding what should be shared or removed.  I prioritized online security to protect ourselves and our accounts from potential threats. This included using strong and unique passwords, enabling two-factor authentication through phone numbers, and regularly updating software and applications. We had to also be cautious of phishing attempts, suspicious links, and malware that could compromise our personal information or the security of our audience. Staying informed about the latest cybersecurity practices and being vigilant in identifying potential risks can help mitigate online security threats, I tried to keep on top of this. However, the best way to keep on top of this was by using twitter.  In conclusion, as a social media manager, it is crucial to prioritize health and safety measures to create a safe and healthy environment for both you and your audience. By focusing on mental health, privacy, content moderation, and online security, it allowed me to effectively manage our platforms whilst ensuring the well-being of all of us involved. 

AC5

The intended impact on the audience was to make them interested in the productions being advertised. We wanted them to feel excited and inspired by the creativity from these young people, and hope that it will inspire others to create other amazing projects. The style of this project was generally family friendly but aimed at coming of age. This was great when trying to target that teen and young adult audience. We were inspired by other productions such as Netflix shows the Witcher or stranger things, these are both productions that have a mass audience in the same age range we were targeting. This made it easy to take inspiration from their work and use it to approach the same generation.  

As mentioned, we didn’t use many filmmaking techniques as our angle was social media. However, we did convey our message through storytelling and stills. We creatively used storytelling posts to give hints about the production, therefore hopefully making other curious for more, which then makes them come back for more. We used angles from the audience which captured other options and reactions as well as showing their vision, which will then create a sense of a virtual audience and make everyone at home feel included through the screen. We used music on stories to engage and communicate to our audience, this was by using familiar music to entice people in, and also by manipulating in to tell a story. For example, when magic Marvin was running over the hill, we used music that incorporated just that, also adding humor.  

Our content was designed with the intention for social media; therefore, all posts were intended to up onto Instagram, Facebook and twitter. Our videos were posted on both TikTok and Instagram as reels. We would just export everything straight from our camera roll onto a platform. Our job was essentially to promote the productions; therefore, socials was the best place to get this reach. 

Written jessica-chloe watson