Explore Vocational Screen & Media

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Lliam Freeman: Hi, my name is Lliam Freeman, and I'm the Associate Dean in vocational education for media, art, and communication programs here at RMIT University. I've been Associate Dean at RMIT for over four years now, and also have been actively involved in the creative industries and have worked as a professional musician for many years. Today, I'm going to tell you a bit about RMIT's suite of music industry, sound production, screen and media, and live production and technical services programs. I'll explain some of the key learning outcomes of each program, the structure of the programs, and the kinds of projects you can expect to work on as a student. It's my privilege to be a part of the vibrant screen and media, sound production, and live production community at RMIT, and I'd love to welcome you to one of these programs.

Lliam Freeman:           Wominjeka, everyone. Firstly, before we get started, I'd just like to acknowledge on behalf of RMIT University the people of the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung language groups of the Eastern Kulin nations on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the university. The university respectfully acknowledges their ancestors and elders past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the traditional custodians and their ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.

Lliam Freeman:           So just here to briefly talk through the main program areas that I'll be speaking to at this point in this presentation. So those include screen and media programs, which includes a Certificate IV in screen and media, a diploma of screen and media, an advanced diploma of screen and media, and also an associate degree in screen and media production. In addition to the screen and media programs, we also have two qualifications in music industry sound production, a diploma level qualification, and an advanced diploma level qualification.

Lliam Freeman:           Also, we have two qualifications in live production and technical services, a Certificate IV and diploma level qualification. Really, these areas and these programs focus on making films, creating and manipulating sound, producing cutting edge digital content. You'll be learning from industry practitioners, our staff who are themselves highly qualified and active in the industry as discipline specialists. You'll be subject to some theory content and also hands on tutorials, and you'll be learning to tell stories, build strategies, and execute your creative projects.

Lliam Freeman:           It's worth noting that RMIT University is ranked number one as a design university in the Asia Pacific and number 11 in the world, and also to study in Melbourne is a fantastic opportunity, because it's one of the most famous arts industry and arts related cities in the world. An example of that is the number of live music venues per capita, higher than any other city in the world.

Lliam Freeman:           To extend that overview, I'd like to briefly speak about screen and media programs where students will be writing, producing, directing, and editing screen content, and exploring areas such as concept development, storytelling, and all other aspects of production. In sound production, students will be developing skills in sound design, post production, broadcast audio, and audio networking protocols. This will expand your range of audio production knowledge. In live production and technical services, you learn a range of practical technical skills under instruction from teachers, including setting up, operating and maintaining lighting equipment, sound equipment, vision and presentation equipment. It's worth noting in this area that students are highly sought after, and in fact, many of our graduates are working at RMIT as technicians in the service area divisions of the university.

Lliam Freeman:           It's worth noting in terms of our selection requirements for all of those programs is that there is no ATAR requirement, so there's no need for an ATAR score. This is not part of how we make our assessments of suitability for programs. All applicants must complete and submit a selection task. Now, generally those are located online, online selection tasks for all of these programs. In addition, there may be a requirement for you to come in and have an interview with one of our staff. The agenda here, the focus here, is to assist us to match your skill sets, your career aspirations and goals with the program that best fits in order to set you up for success once you're studying here at RMIT University.

Lliam Freeman:           So in terms of pathways, one of the great opportunities at RMIT University is where you have the option of moving through a vocational education qualification. In these examples, you can see here, there are two sequenced qualifications, as in terms of the sample that's demonstrated here. You've got generally a diploma followed by an advanced diploma, and then if you wish, you may articulate into a undergraduate bachelor program.

Lliam Freeman:           What this represents is, firstly, over three and a half year period that you could end up with three qualifications, which is a great opportunity for students who may wish to equip themselves with industry ready skills and knowledge and potentially step off into industry and into work at different points. So you may choose to do that after the diploma qualification, if you successfully complete, or you may then move on into the advanced diploma offering and step off into industry at that point. If you wish to continue your study, you could then choose to move into an undergraduate bachelor degree qualification. The thing about vocational education at its heart is it's industry training, so skills development. So the purpose really is to prepare people for work, work situated skills, knowledge, and the application of that knowledge. So this is a really fantastic opportunity here where you've got, firstly, three qualifications rolled up into three and a half years and also the opportunity to step on and off should you wish if you complete the vocational qualifications at the different time points.

Lliam Freeman:           In terms of our core structure, I'll go through a couple of slides here that break down the qualification into the various units of competency, or otherwise you might think of them as subjects, or at RMIT we call them courses. So the first example here is the diploma of music industry in sound production. So here, all of these are modules that you are required to complete in order to satisfactorily move to through the qualification. You can see here, there are very specific areas of training and skills development modules, or units, that include things like Mix Live Audio, Record Sound, Edit Sound, Mix Recorded Music as an example of some of the practical sound production training subjects that we offer. In addition, there'll be also some training in copyright areas like WHS and broader industry training that prepares you to step into an industry with some sense of how the industry works, where the job opportunities are, and prepare you for work.

Lliam Freeman:           Similarly, the core structure for the Certificate IV in live production and technical services includes a number of practical modules, or units, that include things like installing and testing lighting equipment, operating complex vision systems, repairing and maintaining vision system equipment, and also looking at how you may work with other people in your industry area. So you might communicate effectively with other arts professionals or working with teams, working in teams. Also, most of our programs, if not all of them, would include a WHS component and some form of copyright component, as well. There's also a focus in across many of our programs that relates to how we might collaborate in a creative environment within a creative process, so that's a real focus for our programs. And in fact, many of our programs would be working across with each other in support of a major project that might be underway, which I'll speak to a bit later in the presentation.

Lliam Freeman:           Similarly, in the diploma of screen and media, we have units like Record Sound on Location, Shoot A Wide Range Of Screen Content, Create Digital Visual Effects, Develop Storylines And Treatments. So once again, these are very specific skillset modules that prepare you for industry. With vocational education, the intention is to deliver relevant and contemporary training to prepare you as work ready graduates once you've finished your studies. So a series of modules that are completed over two semesters for this particular qualifications, the diploma.

Lliam Freeman:           We also run an associate degree in screen and media production, also focused on practical outcomes and skills training at RMIT. That's the emphasis in that type of qualification at RMIT. We do consider it to be a vocational education focused outcome qualification. So once again, you can see that there are practical components through semester one and semester two, subjects like Documentary Production, video editing for visual effects, The Craft Of Storytelling, also content that involves working in a television studio production environment, and Screen Production 1, Screen Production 2, semester one and semester two. So the focus with this particular program is really around filmmaking and the production of films, and you'll be actively involved in both the creative elements of this and the practical skills oriented elements which relate to how to do it and working with equipment, and facilities, and software. It's also worth noting in the associate degree that there are some electives that students can choose in addition to the compulsory subjects. So these are listed on the right here. You can see here Compositing Animation And Live Action, The Actor's Perspective, Myths And Symbols In Screen Storytelling.

Lliam Freeman:           It's fair to say that the facilities that RMIT are state of the art. An example of that is the facility on Swanston Street, which we call the Media Precinct. This precinct and this facility offers state of the art facilities that support current and future trends in media production. It includes five TV studios, control rooms, and supporting spaces, such as green rooms and makeup rooms. These are used for live broadcast recordings and audio mixing, and the studios also include virtual reality and augmented reality set technologies where broadcast and gaming technologies converge. So these facilities are indeed the envy of industry.

Lliam Freeman:           When they were first commissioned, we had a number of leaders in industry coming in and have having a look at these facilities and they were blown away by the specs and the environment. So this really is quite an incredible facility for students who are studying, particularly in the area of screen and media and television production.

Lliam Freeman:           In addition to those facilities on the Media Precinct and for sound production students, we deliver much of our content in audio visual classrooms, recording studios, and mixing sound studios. Our three studios feature state of the art facilities, including a NEVE Genesys console, which is the first of its kind in the Southern hemisphere to be purchased by a training provider. So the object here is to learn to use professional standard tools for music creation, sound recording, editing, and mastering processes. So there's a number of facilities here for sound students which gives them hands on access to these contemporary equipment and software, which is a fantastic opportunity for students.

Lliam Freeman:           In addition to our studio environments, which include our sound production and our screen and media environments, we also have access to wonderful facilities that RMIT owned. An example of that is The Capitol Theatre, which has been refurbished recently and represents a remarkable environment in which students can engage in work integrated learning opportunities. This is a working theater, which is occupied by industry by night and students by day. This overlap of industry with training and education is something that RMIT students, presents an opportunity for students, which is unlike any other, I would say. So The Capital Theatre is one of the most important cinemas in Australia's history. The venue was constructed in 1924 and was reimagined by RMIT and Six Degrees Architects as a contemporary hub for education and culture. The Capitol hosts screenings and workshops, and gives our media students the opportunity to participate in live productions and screenings.

Lliam Freeman:           Another opportunity for our screen and media students, particularly, is the opportunity to engage with RMITV, which is our student run television station broadcast, which broadcasts on Channel 31. Channel 31 is really a partner to RMIT, and many of the activities that take place in the screen and media space. A great example of this was in 2019, we had students in the Certificate IV in screen and media working directly with the bachelor of journalism students and Channel 31 to broadcast the federal election live out of this facility on the night of the election. So that was an incredible opportunity for students to work both an amazing facility, partnering between vocational education students and higher education students and an industry partner in this case, which was Channel 31. A great example of what the opportunities are here at RMIT University.

Lliam Freeman:           That example of the way students worked with the RMIT facility, the media and ready precinct, with Channel 31, and then bachelor of journalism students towards the broadcast of the federal election in 2019 is one example of the way students will work on industry projects with real clients and take part in local and overseas work placements can form part of that opportunity, in addition to attending field trips in studio practice and receiving mentoring by industry professionals.

Lliam Freeman:           It's worth noting that RMIT in 2019 our students undertook 11,000, upwards of 12,000 work integrated learning placements, which is really a focus of RMIT's opportunity. This is, once again, it's about working with industry, partnering with industry, and including that as part of our training and education agenda. So it's not exclusive to just coming in studying at RMIT. There are partnering projects, which will skill students up for industry through working with industry.

Lliam Freeman:           The next slide, which is just an example of some of our industry partners. So here you've got the ABC Fact Check partnership. So ABC Fact Check is actually work onsite at RMIT. They're situated here, which is once again, it's a great overlap where you've got a partner working on site, and that gives rise to many opportunities where students can be paired up and partnered with some sort of project that involves an organization like ABC and the Fact Check area is a great opportunity, great example of that. In addition, Gravity Media, MKTG, and JAM TV. Another example of a partnership that's emerging at the moment is the AFL. You may have heard of the ARC or the AFL Review Centre, which is where they review football decisions live in an environment, a production environment on South Bank, and we have students being placed into that environment to work with the AFL and work with ARC. And in fact, JAM TV are also involved in that partnership. So that's another example of the way students, and in this case, those students are Certificate IV in screen and media students, are placed into real environments and real workflows.

Lliam Freeman:           Another example of an industry project is what we call the Collide project, which involves five vocational programs, more than 120 RMIT students, and a number of high profile music industry professionals. In this case, students work together on an event that is part television broadcast and part live music concert. Over six days, the students film, record, live mix, light, and photograph, and interview a number of emerging Melbourne music artists. This brings together students collective skills to complete one major production in real time, working with professionals, directors, camera operators, and sound engineers. Again, another great example of working across discipline, so different programs working together. In this case sound production students would be working with live production students, who would also be working with screen and media students in a state of the art facility with industry partners and artists coming in. So it's a very exciting project that one. Students love that.

Lliam Freeman:           In terms of global opportunities, we also have a number of those that come up from time to time. A good example of that is where we have our advanced diploma of sound production students partnering with students from the DePaul University in Chicago. So this is what we would call an online collaboration, which happens once a year, and it's been running very successfully for the last two or three years. This is really a creative partnership where they're developing sound designs and sound materials, and post producing those materials across and running those between the DePaul students and the RMIT students.

Lliam Freeman:            In terms of our alumni, we've had a number of highly successful student graduates over the years. These are some examples of our graduates who've gone on to do great things out in the world, out in the creative areas and creative industries. So Andrei Eremin's one example of that. So he's worked for Sony, Warner, Future Classic, and has also earned Grammy and ARIA nominations, and gold selling status, including number one spots across the iTunes and Billboard charts. So great success story there with, with Andrei.

Lliam Freeman:            In addition to Andrei, we've got a couple more students profiled here. Adriana is one who finished the Cert IV in live production and technical services, and also Arron Farrugia is another student who graduated out of the advanced diploma of screen and media.

Lliam Freeman:           In terms of some of those industries and some of those career outcomes, there's a list here we can see. So in screen and media, camera assistant, cinematographer, editor, special effects specialist, TV graphics designer, producer. A number of career outcomes there in screen and media. In live production, AV technician, data wrangler, studio operator, broadcast TV or radio technician, lighting desk operator, lighting designer. A number of fantastic roles there for students who graduated out of live production programs.

Lliam Freeman:           In terms of sound production, audio engineer, so either in the studio or in a live setting, producer and post production specialists. We find in sound production that many of our students get opportunities getting increasingly sought after in the digital media space. So for example, music and audio for gaming for games, for example, is one area that's a growing opportunity for students who graduate out of our sound programs.

Lliam Freeman:           So in terms of the important data to note down, to take note of in vocational education, our orientation for 2021, intake begins on the 8th of February, which is also the same week where classes begin. The last day to enroll for semester one is the 15th of February. This also applies for our vocational education programs and our associate degree programs, as well.

Lliam Freeman:           Let me end by saying thank you for taking the time to hear about our fantastic vocational education programs at RMIT. For more information about these programs, check out our website or call Study@RMIT on 9925 2260. Take care and have a lovely day.

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