Careers News

Careers in Film and Television

Whether you’re in Middle or Senior School, it’s always a good time to think about your passions, your interests, what you enjoy doing and how you might turn those things that stimulate and excite you, into a career! And it may be a career that you hadn’t even thought of or known about. With most industries, there’s a multitude of related pathways just waiting to be explored. 

This week we have chosen, FILM AND TELEVISION as a possible career path and consider all the different occupations that make up that diverse landscape and the courses available to study them…And there’s a truckload of them!

Have you ever read all the credits at the end of a movie, a live show, a sporting event or a news programme? 

Think of Acting, Screen Writing, Photography, Directing, Floor Managing, First Assistant Directors, Production Managing, Production Design, Art Director, Costume Designer, Set Dressing, Props Buyer, Editing, Boom Operators, Grips, Gaffer, Location Manager, Location Finder, Producers, Musicians, Composers, Sound Engineering, Sound Mixer, Sound Design and Animators. 

And it doesn’t end there. Carpenters to build the sets, Electricians, Hairdressers, Makeup, Beauticians, Safety Officers, Onset Nurse, Stunt Co-Ordinators, Stunt people, and even catering (Actors and crew need to eat while they're on set).  More recently a new role has emerged, an Intimacy Coach! 

Then there are the peripheral occupations that Film and Television could not operate without - Accountants, Project Managers Administrators, Lawyers, Logistics and Traffic Management.

There’s an endless variety of both skilled and semi-skilled occupations that service this industry.

In many departments, it pays to have added qualifications-a Forklift Licence, Heavy vehicle licence, Scaffold licence, First Aid and many more. They’re never a burden to carry and will often set job applicants apart. 

Someone has to drive those huge outside broadcast trucks and they need an endorsed licence to drive them. Grips will sometimes have to build Scaffold platforms to get a camera shot and though it’s a relatively safe working environment, there are accidents and First Aid is sometimes needed. 

There are almost as many people involved in the Film and Television world as there are people who use and enjoy all that this industry has to offer.

There are also many tertiary institutions that offer a wide range of courses; Short Courses, Certificates, Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas and Degrees. An ATAR score is not always required for careers in Film and Television and other related fields. 

So when thinking of a career in Film and television, dare to think outside the box. There’s a multiplicity of pathways that you can take to get to that destination.

Or if you’re thinking of other careers, know that any acquired skills can have great mobility and can be utilised elsewhere in a vibrant economy. Who knows where your plan might take you! 

To find out which tertiary Institutions deliver related courses, go to this week’s Career News and find the links for the institutions that you are interested in. 

Donna McKinlay

Careers Support

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