Diploma of Screen & Media

The Diploma of Screen & Media at Collarts is a one-year, hands-on qualification for people who want to work in film and television. It runs 40 weeks and is built around making things, not just reading about them. You will shoot, edit, record sound, and work in crews, learning the practical side of screen production from people who have worked in the industry.

As an Australian diploma, this course sits at level 5 on the Australian Qualifications Framework. That means it is a vocational qualification, usually delivered over two or three study periods across the year. You complete a set of units of study, each with a credit point value, and you need to pass all of them to graduate. There is no research thesis at this level. Instead, the final part of the course is typically a capstone production project where you take on a crew role and help deliver a finished screen work. Assessment is mostly practical: you make short films, exercises, and production documents, and you get feedback from tutors and peers.

The skills you pick up are the ones employers actually ask for. Camera operation, lighting, sound recording, editing, production planning, and on-set safety. You also learn how a set runs, how to take direction, and how to work with a team when the schedule is tight. If you have never held a boom pole or logged footage before, that is fine. The course starts with the basics and builds up. By the end you should have a showreel and a set of credits to show people.

This diploma suits school leavers who know they want to work in screen, career changers who want a practical way in, and people already doing casual crew work who want formal training. It is also a common pathway into a bachelor degree in film and television, with credit for your diploma studies, though you should confirm credit arrangements with the receiving institution. International students can apply. You need to meet the English requirement, and for a Student visa you also need to meet the Department of Home Affairs threshold. While studying, a student visa usually allows work of up to 48 hours per fortnight. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available if you meet the requirements. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register. Check the official page for current unit lists, intake dates, and fees.

• Camera assistant or camera operator on film and television productions
• Sound recordist or boom operator
• Lighting technician or gaffer assistant
• Editor or assistant editor for short-form and online content
• Production assistant or runner on set
• Content producer for advertising, marketing, and social media teams
• Roles in Australian production companies, broadcasters, streaming service productions, and freelance crew pools