Emm, A 2001 Researching for Television & Radio London: Routledge
Golzen, G. 1995 Going freelance: a guide to self-employment on a shoestring London : Kogan Page
Golzen, G. 1997 Working for yourself: guide to self-employment London : Kogan Page
Llewellyn, S. & Walker, S. 2003 A Career Handbook for TV, Radio, Film, Video and Interactive Media London: Skillset
Sutcliffe, P. 2000 Battling for copyright: freelance journalists versus the media conglomerates London : National Union of Journalists

The early part of the module introduces the background and current structures of the commissioning process in radio and television, including the statutory obligations on broadcasters, through lectures, presentations from professional freelances and short practical research exercises. From this knowledge you will take on the role of researcher, with tutorial support and guidance from your supervisor, and carry out a detailed study of the working practices of a freelance broadcast professional or an independent production company. The aim is that your findings will form a complete picture of how they fit into the commissioning structure and how they organise their business. The report you produce will carry copies of all the documentation relevant to their part in the process. At the end of the module all the case studies generated by the class will be collected and published internally to become a permanent resource for current and future students on the award.

Visiting speakers
Library and online resources
Access to research tools: phone, email, fax.
Online publication in PDF format on the Faculty intranet.

A work based case study of the working practices of either a freelance radio/TV producer or an independent production company, to include the creation of a budget and production schedule for a single radio or television documentary consisting of 2500 words.

A significant and increasing proportion of radio and television programmes and programme packages are originated by freelance producers, who win commissions either directly from the broadcaster or do so indirectly through an independent production company specialising in particular forms of production. Production staff and researchers are also likely to spend a good proportion of their working lives as freelances. This module follows the process of getting a programme idea through the stages of testing and targeting, development into a pitch, constructing a realistic budget and production schedule and steering it through the commissioning process. The main aim is to present you with an accurate view of the realities of working as a freelance, including the extent of the independent production sector in the UK and the professional bodies and organisations that support it. You will meet with practising freelance programme makers and discuss different approaches to presenting ideas in the most suitable form. Your independent learning project will be to make a detailed case study of the working life of a professional in one area of this growing sector, through interview, tracking the documentation and mechanisms that go into getting an independent project to air and evaluating the strengths and limitations the process entails.