Elise Erin lee
UAL
Extended diploma
in Creative Media Production and technology.
Professional Practice
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UCAS
Personal statement
I am applying for this chosen course as I feel that it is what I am best at but also I do not have much knowledge of, I want to be able to futher my skill set in order for me to be able to take on my dream role. I feel that this course in this university is the one for me, I many not be the smartest person or the most acedemic, I may not have gotten the best GCSE results in my year or gone on to do Alevels like all my other friends, but I worked just as hard and I know I can do the same again and have the result come out even better. This course will make me demtermented to achieve as it is something I have been working towards since I was tweleve years old. I also know that I will be guided through the whole way and that if I ever need any help or gudience I will have so many people along the way to support me.
This subject interests me as as I previsouly stated I have been working towards this course since I was tweleve years old. I have helped to manage so many different events from family and friendss birthday events to the year eleven prom at my high school, in which I had the whole year putting in there opinions and suggestions which were all very different from everyone and I had to make sure the event catered for everyones likes. I understand that the subject includes a lot of networking with people within the industry which is something I know will benefit me in terms of helping me grow in not just the course but in myself and what I can do.
I have been to have been apart of many different musical events over the years and understand how much hardwork and determination goes into the organisation of these huge events which are world known. From keeping the acts happy to keeping the festival campers happy. This takes a huge amount of people with many different opinions which should all be hear however there is one person who has to make the final the decision and that is the person I want to be, I feel confident that I will one day be able to take on not just this role but any role that this industry has to offer for organising any event. However I know that to be able to achieve everything I want to I need your help, without this course I will not be able to take on my dream roles and successfully manage events in my own way.
The current course that I am studying does not relate to the subject I am applying for as the course I am currently on relates a lot to media production for example tv and film. Even though I always knew what I eventually wanted to do I took on this course as I wanted to be able to gain different skill sets which I have. Before I started my current college course I had no idea how to even turn on a macbook and now I can edt with ease. I feel that as a person I wanted to be well rounded in terms of what I can do and how hugh my skill set is.
As I previosuly stated I was a pert of the year eleven prom team at my high school which was very intresting as it gave me a small insight into what the role would be like as I had lots of different suggestions coming my way and I tried to keep everyone happy which I hope I managed to. Earlier on in the year I was also a maid of hounour for my sister at her wedding which meant alongside the other bridesmaids I had to plan her hen do this was again a hugh event which the guests were going to remeber for the rest of their lives we also had a similar situation where we had lots of different people to impress and cater for. I managed to keep them all happy and they all enjoyed the weekend.
Freelancer research
A freelancer is somebody who does not work for a company however works for themselves and has to brand their own company to want to make people use their work.
I would say that the most common type of freelancer would be someone of photography or videography as people will here of them through word of mouth. There are a huge range of freelancers jobs for example App developers, events managers and many more.
As you can see there are many different job roles of which you can be a freelancer which is a good thing as it means that you are not stuck to one specific job. There are many different types of contracts which could be given to a freelancer, as you could for a sort amount of time work for a company who want you to be in at certain times and certain days however you could also be told that as long as the work is done you could work from home etc.
I would say that the strength of being a freelancer is that most of the time you are working for yourself so if you are a person who does not like to be mangaged then this would be the type of job for you. You will also be able to create your own fixed rates which means you can work on the money you want to work on. You will also have he comfort of working fro home.
I would say that the weakness' of being a freelancer is that in this industry it is very much about networking and a lot of your work can come through word of mouth. This could be a bad thing because if you make one mistake that could damage your reputation for life or if you do not brand yourself in the right way or communicate with the right or even enough people you could be out of work for a very long time. You will also have to be in charge of your own finances e.g taxes etc. I suppose their are a lot of pros and cons to being a freelancer and if that is where your carrer is going to take you, you should weigh up the pros and cons.
Self branding
Self branding, or personal branding, is a form of marketing that an individual uses to create a uniform public image that demonstrates his or her values and overall reputation. This branding form is a growing trend among celebrities and represents a successful marketing strategy.
For me self branding is very important especially for freelance worker I also do feel that even if you work for a company and you aren't a freelance worker you still should self brand yourself just so that when you are networking with different people they will remember you and who you work for.
Self branding is so important as it makes you unique to everyone else and you will be remembered for what makes you different and potientally would be asked to work for similar people again and again and build relationships with these people.
This is an article which I have been reading to understand how to self brand, I was interested to read that even what you post and share on social media even what you caption your pictures can really effect who you work for and what kind of level you will be able to work at.
Methods of self branding
Creating a social media account specially for your work and always monitor what you are posting, when you are posting and who you are following and even who follows you.
Creating a website that is easily useable for all members of the public to use.
Creating a portfolio of your work to show people when you meet them at networking events or at interviews.
Photography
I like this photography freelancer as his home page is very simple yet classy, the page does not feel too busy and that you are bombarded with photos and prices. His website is interactive which I really like as as you can see was able to look at a wedding photo gallery and was able to look through confidently with ease. I like the way that on Rafe's home page there are interactive buttons to different places on the website so you are able to go straight to where you want to go. the white background makes the whole page seem more elegant which will appeal to the audience. What I like about this photographer is that on his social media account his cover photo is clearly something he has produced himself however his profile picture is himself which will make his clients feel that they have a deeper connection with him which they may not find with any other photographer they look at.
Videography
This is a videography page which again is usually used for weddings this page to me seems a little more serious as the red writing on a black background is a bit formal which I don't like myself. I did feel that this is not what I would want my brand to look like. I do feel that as a freelancer you should be as professional as possible however you still want people to hire you and not feel intimidated by you as you look to formal and that you won't be down to earth as much as they would like you to be.
Wedding planner
This a page for a wedding planner and freelancer, I like the fact that in her name the two oo looks like wedding rings as it is very fitting for the job she has. For me her website seems a bit too crowded and busy however as I feel that she has included too many bright colours and too many different sections with too many different descriptions on the front page which should be on a different section. I like the colour scheme. The home page has a lot of information about the persons brand, the website is easy to use and I was able to navigate my way around it with ease. I do like that at the end of the few paragraphs that this event planner has on her first page she has written "Call us now to discuss your dreams". I feel like that is a really lovely touch that she has added at the end of the page however to some people could seem a tad too pushy.
From each of these freelancers I have learnt something about what I want my portfolio to look like and how I want my navigation to look. I like the idea of having a white background with black writing as I feel that it looks more elegant and professional. I do like the idea of having images of my work on the homepage however I would still have an images section. A section I would consider having on my own website once I get myself established is a review section as I believe this will be important to gain clients.
The services I am planning to offer as a freelancer is Events management, I hope to be able to take my company worldwide in order for it to be able to be International events management one day. I would like to offer this service as I know that making memories for people is the kindest thing you can do for someone and that these memories can last a life time for some people. I would say that some people may say that events management is a dying art and that not as many people hire an event planner for their parties or weddings as people do love to organise their events themselves. This is why I want to be able to brand myself so well that people will only ever want to work with me. I will do this by asking people to tag me in their photos and status’ on social media, if my clients use any other freelancer such as photographer etc I will ask the photographer to also tag me in their uploads just to get more business for myself. My USP will be that I will make my clients my best friends I will be available for the to contact me day and night whenever they have any questions or worries about their event.
I would like for my brand to be elegant and beautiful just like the freelancing photographer I researched Rafe Abrook. I do not want my website or social media to look too busy so that my clients and potential customers won’t feel that they are overwhelmed when they are looking on my page. I would like to use black on white writing with a clear font and marble effect settings to make it look more appealing. I like the idea of using my own name for my logo and branding I feel that I would like to do this as I feel that if I use my own name that my customers will already have a connection with me which is what I want.
In my website I would contain photos of the different events that I have already planned, prices and reviews. I would include these three things before anything else as from talking to a freelancer before they have informed me that they conducted some customer research through their website and that they were the only three sections that the customers clicked on and that from then on they were the only sections they had on their website and have not received any complaints or questions since.
I would use formal language on my website and social media as I want people to know that even though I am down to earth I am also very professional to work with and am able to adapt to every customer every time. When I meet with customers I will meet in a place of their choice so that they feel comfortable and it is easy for them to get to. I will dress professional when with my clients and will bring my own portfolio to discuss with them their ideas for their special event.
Personal statement final draft
From 21st birthday parties to family meals out to the local beefeater just because my parents payed off the mortgage: in my family celebrating has always been a huge part of who we are and what we love to do. Organising and making sure everything goes to plan has always been and at the centre of life and something that I have always treasured doing. The thought of being able to take that even further, from a passion to a career, enthuses me. This subject interests me as I love the idea of creating memories for people that will last a lifetime whether that be at a family event or a world known music festival. I know that on this course communication and confidence are central; this is something that I pride myself on being able to do with confidence and ease. Reading festival: it fascinates me. How much work goes into organising this big event every year from inviting artisits, getting hold of catering companies, hiring out the field and how they manage to keep the ticket prices within a reasonable price considering the main target audience is 16-20 year olds while still making sure they can pay the artists their asking price, to name only a few of the considerations. This reminds me that no event goes unplanned to the finest of details. Even down to when the line-up is released, which is just before Christmas which means many tickets can be bought as presents. I believe I am suitable for this course as I have a set of social skills which have been developed and improved over the past few years. I very excited to be able to network and talk to different people to find out what works for them and to be able to ask for their advice on my opinions to find out how I can develop in both my research and ideas. I would consider myself to be quite a social person and have no issue with talking to new people everyday. I know that this would benefit me while studying the course as I will be able to lead presentations with confidence and influence. I am excited to be able to learn more about my course to explore iconic events to understand why they are so iconic and world known. Some may say that all my previous studies and my college course do not have much to do with what I want to study at university however in my course I am studying at college I am always planning for our productions, making sure everyone is happy in their role and making sure we had enough people for what we are hoping to achieve. In my first year for our final unit I created a documentary about small and large charities in the town that I live in. The documentary featured six charities who we convinced to work for us for free and on our schedule. I am so proud of the end result of my documentary and I feel like from creating this it has helped me grow even more and helped me understand how to network professionally. This is something I pride myself on and was so happy with the outcome of the documentary. I have taken part in different activities over the years which have involved events management, such as my year eleven prom. This was something that was very challenging for me as I knew that this was a night that everyone in my year had been looking forward to for so long. As I am sure you can imagine when planning this event I had to stick to a very strict budget I was constantly being asked by different people in my year wanted different things and I had to make sure that I made the night memorable and special for everyone.
Production Log
This is my second logo that I would use as a freelancer, I like this idea as I really wanted to go for something simple as I when researching I did not like the freelancers that had too much going on as I felt that it looked a bit too busy and distracting. I wanted to use a bold font as I feel that it stands out more and looks more professional. I used the balloons as I felt that even though I want to look professional I also want my clients to know that I will not be completely formal and that I am very down to earth. I am not very familiar with photoshop and so I did have some issues at first when trying to work out how to use it.
Final logo
Production log
For my final logo I loved my original idea of the libra star sign with "Elise's Events" in between. I love this idea as I feel that it is the logo that best reflects who I am and what I love. I found the libra sign on google and imported it into photoshop then wrote my company name using the text tool. This is something I wanted my company name to look like and I am very proud of what it looks like.
Rough edit
Final edit
Production log
This is my logo ident that I made in after effects, I made it so that my name would slide in from the left, I love this idea as i feel that it makes my logo look really professional and formal.
Production Log
This is my business card that I made on photoshop, I am very proud of this edit as I am not too familiar with photoshop, I wanted something very simple as I did not wan it to look too busy.
Peer feedback
I really liked the way your card is very simple and does not look too busy and very professional. I especially like that there is contact information available which is clear and can be seen easily. To improve I would just straighten everything up and make it a bit more even.
Linkedin profile
Headshots
