School for Films, TV Courses, Study Filmmaking, Movie Classes, Schools, Institutes, Academy - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Australia

Film + Television Production //

It’s up to us to create something meaningful and beautiful – to make this world a better place...

The world just can’t get enough of the magic of the moving image, and the global uptake of digital technology is creating unprecedented demand for professional content creators. From producers to directors, cinematographers, scriptwriters, motion-graphics designers, editors and more, entertainment production is big business.

Film + TV at JMC is a hands-on production-based course that will give you the knowledge and the creative, technical and managerial skills to create and produce leading content for film, TV, live broadcasts, documentaries, commercials and music videos.

Both Bachelor degree and diploma are structured to help you develop above-the-line practitioners in key crew roles (which will appeal if you’re into serious filmmaking), as well as the range of skills you need to meet the diverse requirements of the industry.

TECH //

We take film and TV seriously at JMC, with studios full of the best tech in the trade. You’ll have access to highly sophisticated equipment and recording studios, including RED EPIC-W™ HELIUM™ 8K S35 BRAIN cameras, Sony FS 700s, green-screen studios, editing suites, colour grading equipment including powerful iMac Pros and Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Micro Panels, classrooms fitted with 5.1 surround sound and full student loan facilities with lenses, cameras, lights and sound equipment available.

course guide //

Bachelor of Creative Arts (Film and television)
[COURSE ID CRS1200343]
Diploma of film and television
[COURSE ID CRS1200347]

At Bachelor level, work on a short film, a TV commercial, a music video and a large-scale outside broadcast to create your professional showreel and filmography. Develop your creative expression and tech skills, and master screenwriting, directing, cinematography, motion graphics and postproduction, to launch you into the heart of the industry.

Collaborate with JMC Academy’s Music Performance and Management students on a production piece, a music video for example, and study advanced production management, post-production and motion-graphics

curriculum

Producing I

The unit provides you with an insight into the role of the film and television producer. An effective producer must possess excellent management, research, writing and verbal communication skills, and should have a sound knowledge of industry protocols, organisations and legislation.

A combination of academic research and writing alongside production paperwork exercises will equip you to plan, schedule and effectively produce their JMC Academy student productions, and gain a solid understanding of the Australian film and television industry.

Post-Production I

This unit provides you with both theoretical and practical knowledge of editing and a range of post-production practices. You will learn to engage with a range of software including AVID Media Composer 8 and Compression programs providing the fundamental skills required to edit and deliver most of your practical productions at JMC Academy.

Whether the production is a drama, documentary or music video, a solid understanding of editing theory, techniques and styles – including continuity style editing and montage theory - will help develop the student’s storytelling skills and creativity in the edit suite.

Camera and Lighting I

The purpose of this unit is to provide you with theoretical and practical knowledge of camera operation techniques. It will also examine lighting fixtures and lighting, enabling you to incorporate camera and lighting principles to a broad range of projects. The unit will also introduce and explore the relationship between lens and lighting as storytelling tools.

Production Project I: Studio Project

This unit is an introduction to the creative, technical, administrative and managerial aspects of film and television production. You will gain fundamental skills in the operation of cameras, lights, basic audio equipment and editing software, and engage with both single camera and multi-camera processes. This unit orientates you to the physical production environment (both studio and location) and develops their essential technical skills for all future production projects.

Camera and Lighting II

In this unit, you move beyond merely lighting a scene, to using lighting as a means to express what the scene is about. This requires an investigation into the aesthetics of image design, and a more in-depth technical understanding of the camera, lenses and lighting and the relationships between these.

The unit enables you to creatively analyse a script and use the camera and lighting to convey emotion, style and narrative. This unit also provides you with the practical skills and theoretical knowledge of camera and lighting in order to approach a broad range of projects. This unit covers the aesthetics of image design, investigating the relationships between lenses, light, framing, composition, movement and depth of field. Colour theory and the emotional qualities of light and images are also discussed during the course of this unit.

Post Production II

This unit provides students with both theoretical and practical knowledge of advanced editing techniques and a range of post production practices. Students will continue to engage with a range of software including Avid Media Composer 8, Sorenson Squeeze or Compressor, Photoshop and After Effects. Advanced editing skills are required to edit and deliver most practical productions at JMC Academy. This unit will further enhance the skills needed to develop music videos, television commercials, web series and short films. You will explore advanced editing techniques, advanced image manipulation, and be introduced to motion graphics and compositing.

Production Project III: Short Film

Short films are artistic products in their own right that can find festival and online audiences all over the world. However they are also seen as a training ground for aspiring feature film or television drama producers, directors and crew. In this unit you will work in specific drama crew roles on the production of a short film. You will fulfil one key creative and one secondary role on productions to refine their understanding of drama production techniques, and will also be given the opportunity to produce a drama scene in both a single camera and multicamera studio context.

Outside Broadcast and Futures

This unit gives you essential knowledge required to understand broadcast and film processes, the complexity of the digital video signal and emerging formats. You are also required to research the current state of TV broadcasting, High Definition production and beyond 1080P.

You will gain a deeper insight into live production protocols using the 450 Tri-Caster system, the technical necessities of managing equipment operation, and setup procedures including testing and measurement procedures. You will also gain an insight into new and emerging large digital film production format technologies such as 2K, 4K and 3D acquisitions.

This unit forms part of the Integration program, which can include an outside broadcast event working with music, animation, audio and entertainment business management students. When a major event such as a showcase, contemporary music performance night, conference or seminar is scheduled to be produced, a technical and operations crew will be formed from this unit to run the event. For the outside broadcast event, rehearsals form part of this unit you will be required to engage in this process.

Screen and Genre Studies

An introduction to the study of film and television, video and digital media as mediums of fictional and documentary narrative, and a study of the major developments in the history of cinema. Films will be analysed formally in terms of narrative, editing, mise-en-scène, shots, lighting and sound, and stylistically in terms of genre and authorship. Different theoretical approaches to screen studies including aestheticism, discourse analysis and semiotics will be similarly investigated.

This unit will develop your ability to use a variety of critical approaches to studying screen and genre studies, with an emphasis on applying this to the development of your own creative projects.

This investigation will deepen the meaning of your creative projects and prepare you for advanced study and research. Successful engagement with this unit will enhance the process of ideas generation for graduate projects and provide a broader context to the impact of contemporary ideas.

Screenwriting II

This unit expands on the knowledge and skills developed in Screenwriting I, and introduces a more sophisticated range of writing tools. The unit explores various avenues of work for screenwriters, from short to long form, and one off films to series television. In the current screen production environment, developing original ideas that have a clearly identified target audience is part of the game. Market potential has a direct relationship to budget, but even writers for the HBO network need to consider the feasibility of their ideas.

You will learn to analyse the marketplace and audience for your own work, and balance the production requirements accordingly by keeping locations, cast, art department, wardrobe and VFX elements to a minimum.

In this unit, you will develop a synopsis and treatment for a short animated or live action film, TV series pilot or web series, then go on to develop the screenplay. You are actively encouraged to bring all of your work-in-progress to class for peer engagement and for lecturer comment and guidance throughout the trimester.

Production Project IV: Integration

The skills in this unit will develop your capacity to deliver high quality creative products in a client driven environment. Integration is a whole-of campus production environment where you will collaborate with students from other departments in the planning and production of a music video. These productions will require a ‘real world’ approach as you will need to respond to a brief from management students and then collaborate with management, performance and possibly animation students in the production of a high quality music video.

To deepen your understanding of clientbased production environments, you will also be asked to produce a television or web advertorial. Like the music video production, responding to a brief and demonstrating an understanding of image, branding and target audiences are part of the challenge.

Teamwork, collaboration and professionalism are all crucial to the success of these productions. Ideally, you will develop relationships in this unit that they can take with you through the rest of your degree.

Directing I

The purpose of this unit is to provide you with an in-depth understanding of directing drama. These skills can be used in a number of mediums including; short films, feature films, scripted tv shows, TVCs and music videos.

You will be introduced to the creative elements of directing such as script analysis, visualisation of the story, casting, directing performances and camera coverage.

The practicalities of being a working director will also be covered, such as how to ‘pitch’ for a directing job, storyboarding, shotlisting, communication with actors and crew while on set and the post-production process.

Some class time will be dedicated to the analysis of acclaimed directors and encouraging you to develop your own distinct directorial voice.

Sound Recording and Design

The purpose of this unit is to explore sound, its properties, how it is captured and manipulated, and its relationship to the screen. You will be introduced to the fundamental principles of sound, investigate the techniques necessary to record sound in the field or in the studio, and edit and mix sound for a range of film and television productions.

Sound is an important tool for conveying ideas, story and/or emotion and the skills and knowledge gained in this unit will prepare you for your screen productions at JMC Academy and beyond.

Production Project II: Documentary Production

This unit equips you with the skills and knowledge required to pitch and produce your own short documentary. There will be a range of in-class activities to train you in story development and research techniques, interviewing techniques, sound recording skills, documentary shooting and lighting techniques and green-screen compositing. Many of these skills and techniques will be utilised and then assessed in the final productions. Research, planning and communication skills are crucial to documentary production and you will need to be prepared to crew on each other’s productions and interact with individuals and organisations outside of JMC Academy as your subjects.

There will be a series of assessments throughout the trimester including an initial pitch, production paperwork and the final documentary film, which will be screened in week 13. Reflective practice is an important part of the process, and you will be required to submit an honest appraisal of each production they worked on in this unit.

Screenwriting I

Provides you with a foundation in the craft of screenwriting. You will be expected to write a short screenplay for potential production in the following trimester. You will develop a fundamental understanding of story structure and learn to utilise the tools of a synopsis and treatment in the development of a short film or TV sitcom (situation comedy) script.

You will develop your screenwriting ability through the examination of other writers’ works and existing screen content, and by dedicating their time to the required writing and rewriting processes. You will also be asked to consider the production values and costs associated with your ideas, and encouraged to come up with short film or TV sitcom ideas that are achievable.

Screen History

An awareness of the history of film and television gives new screen practitioners the contextual knowledge to help them understand current technologies and protocols, and predict future trends. In this unit you will be given a broad overview of the major technological and cultural developments in the screen industry since the early days of cinema.

There is a focus on Hollywood, as a dominant influence on cinema internationally, and the Australian screen industry. You will be introduced to some of the major Western film movements, periods and relevant industry figures. The overall aim is to broaden awareness of the artistic, cultural, political and economic contexts within which the local and international screen industry has developed and operated. You will also continue to develop your academic research and writing skills in this unit.

Producing II

The producer is the driving force for film and television productions, setting the goals and steering both the creative and administrative processes. The role starts well before preproduction begins, and continues after the final product is delivered.

This unit is designed to further develop your producing skills by covering the current industry protocols from project inception through to distribution for a wide range of screen products. Production management paperwork will be covered including scheduling and budgeting, contracts, music clearances and licences, as well as the more creative endeavours of a producer – pitching, casting, compiling applications, financing, marketing and distribution.

Directing II: Mise en scene

In this unit you are introduced to the concept of mise-en-scène through the eyes of a director from both a practical and theoretical point of view. Image design and analysis is the focus, so the unit combines fundamental screen studies principles with an in-depth analysis of the creative production skills required from a director.

There are many varying definitions for mise-en-scène, but broadly it encompasses everything within the frame. You will gain insight into how directors view lighting, palette, camera selection, camera movement, lens choice, framing, set design, sound design, blocking and editing in the telling of a dramatic story. As an emerging screen story teller, you will be expected to develop an active visual interpretive perspective and use acquired insights for helping to discover your own directorial style.

Specialised Project III

This unit goes hand in hand with FTV 408 Graduation Project, providing students with the opportunity to devise and collaborate on several major creative projects. The project units are designed to showcase the students’ unique skills and talents. Ideally the production work submitted in FTV 408 will become the student’s ‘calling card’ in the industry.

Graduation projects can include a studio program, short films, web series, television or feature film pilots or documentaries, but regardless of the production type, all projects are subject to time limits set by the lecturer. Productions under 12 minutes will be looked on most favourably, but all projects will be considered on merit. Script or program development, the evolution of a creative vision and pitch, and pre-production are the main areas of focus of this unit, with some productions moving into the shooting stage during this trimester.

All students will crew on each other’s productions, and contribute the appropriate pre-production planning and paperwork required. Each student is required to do one major and one minor role (on separate projects) over the slate of productions, but there is also the option of doing four minor roles if a student wishes to specialise in a specific crew role, or does not want to take on the responsibility of a major role.

Post-Production III

This unit offers you the opportunity to understand the collaborative nature of creating and producing broadcast and film title designs, station identities and graphics for the screen.

During this unit you will develop your skills and knowledge in the process involved in responding to return briefs and creating projects from pre-visualization to effective realization.

Studying this unit will also enable you to develop and finalize their motion graphic sequences for inclusion into your own major work. You will be able to utilize your pitching skills for effective communication and also build a professional portfolio for prospective employers. The final rendered sequence will be an important acquisition to each student’s showreel.

International Cinema

This unit examines a range of non-Hollywood national cinemas from a global and transnational perspective. Key theoretical approaches to national and international cinemas are examined, along with significant historical, textual, representational, and ideological issues. You will also explore the significant differences between Hollywood mainstream productions and the critical challenges posed by local production, distribution and exhibition models, along with those faced by filmmakers within these different cultures.

Professional Development

This subject is aimed at giving you the tools and skills needed to seek employment upon completion of the program. Preparation of showreels and portfolios, letter writing and interview skills, and the promotion of oneself as a unique “brand” in a creative industry all form part of the content. You will have the opportunity to test your presentation skills in both mock and real environments. You will draw on the work completed during the course as well as charting a direction for the future, and preparing a set of materials to take with them into their job-seeking. You may, as a part of this unit, have the opportunity to connect with industry representatives at site visits, “speed-dating’ interviews, and other events.

Graduate Project

The purpose of this unit is to draw upon your ability to apply conceptual knowledge and creative and technical skills to a polished professional standard in the production and post production of the Major Production that was pre-produced in FTV404.

This unit provides you with an opportunity to collaborate on a range of complex, real world projects in both major and minor roles and working to a deadline. This unit completes your professional and practical study at JMC Academy. You are now in a position to establish yourself as a film and television industry practitioner with a portfolio of work that can become your ‘calling card’ in the industry.

Throughout the trimester, there will be some directed classes, but most weeks you will be expected to attend scheduled post production meetings with your team mates and lecturer.

Cross Institutional Project

This elective unit enables students to attend one of JMC Academy's study abroad options like the LA trip and the Japan study tour.

An introduction to the fundamentals of film and TV, the Diploma will let you explore cinematography, editing, lighting, location, sound recording, sound design, screenwriting and production management; crew on an industry production to get the inside perspective; and even produce your own doco.

Investigate the techniques and aesthetics of screen language and storytelling while working on a range of projects including a television studio program, green-screen exercises and documentary production, and gain experience crewing on other productions.

curriculum

Producing I

Post-Production I

Camera and Lighting I

Production Project I: Studio Project

Sound Recording and Design

Production Project II: Documentary Production

Screenwriting I

Screen History

Careers in the Industry //

Film + TV production relies on a combination of art forms – writing, photography, music, design, acting and more. At its heart, however, is the pure power of imagination.

Whether you are drawn towards content creation or production, JMC graduates find jobs in a wide variety of creative, technical or managerial roles within the screen industry – in fact, some of our grads recently collaborated with Warner Music and TheMusic.com.au to film and record Stonefield, Pajama Club, Eskimo Joe and more.

Specific roles may include

CREATIVE
Director
Cinematographer
Scriptwriter
Editor
MANAGEMENT
Producer
Production Manager
Post Production Supervisor
Business Owner
Freelancer

TECHNICAL/CRAFT
Technical Director
Motion Graphics Designer
Lighting Designer
Sound Recordist
Camera Operator
Camera Assistant
Data Wrangler

spotlight //

"JMC really kicked the door open for me. With solid skills training and industry networking opportunities, JMC really does hold the key to success in this industry."
Charles Duncombe, Head of Creative, SoHO & Showcase Channels - Foxtel Network, Film and Television Production Alumni
and 2014 Alumni Award Recipient and Promax and Astra Award Winner

"The foundation I gained at JMC made me feel competent from my first role. Now I drive to work through Hollywood, where I work on amazing projects every day. I have reached my life goal!"-Brett Morris
Brett Morris, Senior Motion Designer, Capacity Studio, CA USA, Film and Television Production Alumni

"I loved my time at JMC Academy and got a lot out of my degree which combined elements of digital animation and film and television production."
– Scott Petts
Scott Petts, Art Director, HBO New York, Film and Television Production Alumni
and 2012 Emmy Award Nominee for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media (Game of Thrones)

Creating and learning alongside people who are on the same path as you is one of the most fulfilling things I could have asked for.
Sarah Cabanilla, Multi-award winning Director at Sunshine Short Film Festival, Film and Television Production Alumni

Faqs //

Do I need to provide samples of work to support my application for the Film & Television Production course?

No, you do not need to provide any samples of work to be eligible. However, you are welcome to provide samples of work. Any scripts you’ve written, youtube clips, short films, story boards you’ve drawn, visual and written ideas for films or tv shows, and any technical experience you may have had either in school, via extracurricular activities, work experience or volunteer work.

I have never used film equipment. Will I still be able to do well in the Film & Television Production course?

Absolutely. You need not have had any experience with film equipment as we cater to all levels of experience.

What equipment and knowledge will I need for the Film & Television Production course?

You will not need to purchase your own computer or any film gear as we have fully equipped editing suites and an equipment loan service with quality mics, lighting, cameras and a myriad of accessories available for student use.

What software programs will I use in the Film & Television Production course?

You will mainly be working with AVID editing software, and you will also gain exposure to Media Composer, Photoshop and After Effects, and certain types of screenwriting software.

I want to be a film maker and am not as interested in television. Is the Film & Television Production course the right course for me?

Although you may want to be a film maker, it is important to have a wide range of skills when entering the industry. You will still learn about film making in great detail, however this course will provide you with a greater range of career options upon graduation. The skills learnt may be applied to film as well as television production.

What kind of assessments will I do in the Film & Television Production course?

You will do a range of assessments that will demonstrate your understanding, including short film making, documentaries, television commercials, music videos, live broadcasts and multi-cam, pitches and presentations, sound recording, film analysis and screenplays. At the end of the Bachelor there is project based work where you'll be able to choose your main assessment, which could be any of the above.

When can I start using the cameras and equipment in the Film & Television Production course?

You'll start learning the proper way to handle the film gear in your first Trimester. Students are then assessed on their competency for handling the equipment. Once this is undertaken, students are able to loan cameras and equipment suitable for their on campus or on location shoots, projects and assessments.

Make it.Film + Television Production

Film + Television Production //

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Make it.Film + Television Production

Film + Television Production //

TECH //

on campus

fees

next intake

entry requirements

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course guide //

Careers in the Industry //

Specific roles may include

spotlight //

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