Traditionally, Broadcast is where all the cool stuff happens.

With big budgets, celebrities, light and glamour, the lure of working in broadcast television is a driver for many people who enter the profession of filmmaking.

But the boundaries are seismically shifting. And I say seismically, because it’s a slow and fundamental shift in how we make a living, doing the things we like to do.

At the top end of the food chain, say a BBC costume drama (Downton Abbey) or long form documentary (Frozen Planet), there are big budgets available to producers to make extraordinary work, Also with huge entertainment formats such as X-Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, there is huge support financially for the production companies that makes these goliath type programmes.

Scratch beneath these mega-programmes and the picture is not so rosy for Broadcast.

I spent a large proportion of 2010 trying to get a broadcast series commissioned or independently funded for a BBC channel. In fact any channel. But BBC was were we felt it was best placed. I can’t go into the details too much of how we eventually made it happen, but we managed to get the 8 part series broadcast on the BBC World News channel. Financially, it didn’t make a return – probably never will. But it was aired and continues to be aired worldwide through a distributor.

For smaller production companies who lack the time to schmooze the TV execs, getting a TV programmed commissioned is very difficult. Despite a good idea, you definitely need a celebrity to front it for you. Without that, it appears you are onto a looser. If it doesn’t have a celebrity, then it needs to be sensational. Which is sometime an uncomfortable compromise to make if your programming idea wasn’t ‘sensational’ enough in the first place.

Suppose you want to make a wholesome, worthy and inspiring film?

Forget it. It’s too dull for TV and you won’t get it funded. That’s my experience with three programmes now. It needs to have celebrity, or be sensational or be a ‘format’. Without these it’s very very difficult to secure a channel and/or funding.

So how do you make a living if you don’t have these aspects?

If you go down the corporate or voluntary sector route are you selling out on your dream just to make a living?

Well, personally, I’m not so sure. A few years ago, before the advent of high quality internet distribution models, then I would have said ‘yes’. But these days, the corporate world is waking up to the idea of high quality video for their web sites and PowerPoint presentations. Particularly with the shallow depth of field cameras, we filmmakers can make very good looking short films and charge a living wage to the corporate community – and survive the changing and challenging times we are in.

Even the voluntary sector is picking up on this now. A lot of the larger charities have known about high quality video promotion for years, but the smaller ones are prioritising their budgets to include video. So it’s possible to pick up some income from them as well.

But is this selling out?

No. All the skills to make an interesting film are needed in the corporate and voluntary sectors. You still need to produce and direct, light, write scripts, acquire good audio, etc etc. In fact, it can be more of a challenge from a planning point of view. So, a good place to hone your skills. Often you need to educate you client in the basics of film making to make sure you both get the results you want. This is all very healthy to ensure you don’t stagnate as a filmmaker.

Corporate and Voluntary sector work isn’t the quiet back water is once was perceived to be. On the contrary, it’s a fertile environment of challenge and development!

Spend time to perfect your skills, develop your scriptwriting, refine your interpersonal skills.

And remember – it’s still ‘Broadcast’. If it’s on the internet, then it’s still broadcasting.

You have so may choices – YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion etc, or you can broadcast live with Livestream and UStream.

Be encouraged. Telling stories, creating amazing images and making a living is where it’s at. Whether it’s on a screen in the corner of the room or on a screen on someones desk or lap. What’s important is that the message is vibrant, entertains, engages and changes peoples mind or perceptions.