Are you qualified to work in technical theater, film, TV, or AV?
beingzoe 11 months ago // 2 responses // Stagehands Tips, tricks, and advice

So you think you have what it takes do professional stage, film, TV, or AV technical work? Now you can find out.

While wandering the internet as I am wont to do, I found SkillSet.org which bills itself as the sector skills council for the audio visual industries. I wasn’t sure if I should have already known about these people until I realized they are a UK organization, but they have a lot of good resources over there that you will find useful wherever you are working.

Most interesting is their National Occupation Standards which outlines and defines the skill sets required to adequately fulfill such positions as camera operator, costumer, lighting, production, editing, sound, and even the ubiquitous stagehand. If SkillSet had nothing else on their site it would be an invaluable resource, but it extends beyond that with resources broken down by industry focus with detailed job descriptions, pay rate expectations, and breakdown of the typical workforce demographics for that industry (remember they are in the UK).

From their about statement:

Skillset is the Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries (broadcast, film, video, interactive media and photo imaging). Jointly funded by industry and government, our job is to make sure that the UK audio visual industries have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time, so that our industries remain competitive.

We conduct consultation work with industry, publish research and strategic documents, run funding schemes and project work, and provide information about the challenges that face the industry and what we need to do to overcome them. We also provide impartial media careers advice for aspiring new entrants and established industry professionals, online, face to face and over the phone. Whether you are a freelancer looking for training information, a student seeking careers advice or a public agency partner, we aim to provide you with easy access to the information you may require.

List of standards at skillset.org

• Access Operations & Rigging
• Animal Training
• Broadcast Journalism
• Broadcast Media Technology
• Camera
• Costume
• Design for the Moving Image
• Directors
• Editing
• Grip and Crane Technicians
• Hair & Make-Up
• Interactive Media and Computer Games
• Lighting for Film & TV
• Photo Imaging Standards
• Production
• Production Accounting
• Production Design
• Props
• Radio Production
• Senior Producers
• Set Crafts
• Sound
• Stagehands
• Studio & Technical Operations

I have a fairly broad knowledge of technical theater, my expertise is within the Audio department and sound. But if I was curious how my other skills stacked up to qualify me for other positions in the field I could get a good idea at this site. After glancing over the sound qualifications, I realize that my logging and paperwork skill set could probably use some work…

As I find more resources like this I will continue to expand this article.