12 Jan 2020

For some people, movies are more than just a way of passing the time. They’re more than a fun night out with mates, more than procrastinating study and more than a bad idea for a first date.

For some people, movies are a way of fully immersing themselves into another world. They are dazzled by the visual effects, in awe of the cinematography and bite their nails during the suspenseful scenes getting completely absorbed into the story.

If this is you, then actually working in the film industry could be for you.

Fortunately, being a hot-shot actor isn’t the only way to make it in Hollywood.

So much goes into the making of a film: screenwriting, casting, shooting, production, sound recording, editing… the list goes on. There are so many aspects to filmmaking that it can be hard to know where to start.

Lucky for you, we’ve found three paths you could take into the magical world of movies and what to study to get the ball rolling.

1. Learn about audio

Sound engineers are some of the unsung heroes in any of your favourite movies. Heading outdoors and getting a clean, crisp take of Chris Hemsworth yelling something in Thor fashion, then getting the balance just right as you add sound effects and background music to it is no easy feat.

If you think you’ve got the ear for sound production, then you should consider studying a Bachelor of Audio at SAE Institute. With an internationally-accredited bachelor degree, you could find yourself behind the scenes in the making of the next (and hopefully the last) Sharknado.

2. Become an animator

I hate to break it to you, but none of those lions in the new Lion King were actually real. In fact, nothing in that movie was real - except for my tears when Mufasa died.

If you did think they were real, though, you could be forgiven. Animation has been getting incredibly realistic over the last decade, and it probs won’t be long until we won’t be able to tell fact from fiction.

Animators basically get to bring their imagination to life. SAE’s Bachelor of Animation will teach you to do just that at a professional level in only two years - meaning that while your mates are stuck in their final year of uni, you could be fully employed, getting paid to bring Mufasa back from the dead for me.

3. Learn to direct and/or produce

Maybe sitting behind a computer screen tweaking sounds or animations isn’t your thing. Maybe you envisage yourself on set, yelling “CUT!” at your favourite actors and getting them to absolutely nail their parts so your movie turns out exactly the way you intended it to.

If you want to be a director or a producer, then SAE’s Bachelor of Film (specialising in production) is where you wanna head. They’ll teach you everything you need to know about filmmaking and cinematography, while giving you all the practical experience and technical knowledge you need to make it in the industry.

Nothing caught your eye yet?

If you know you’re creative, and know you wanna work in creative media, but still aren’t sure where exactly in the industry ya see yourself shining, there’s no need to freak out. SAE also offers a Diploma of Screen and Media, which will give you an intro into Audio, Animation, Design, Film and Games. Basically, whatever you're interested in, you'll be able to get a start on it with this diploma. 

You can check out more info on all SAE’s courses and how to apply (turns out, you don’t need an ATAR) by grabbing your free course guide over here.

Or you could head to any SAE campus on Wednesday, 22nd January for a tour their facilities and a chat with some of their current lecturers. This would be worth your while – some of their staff have worked on major films like Star Wars, Thor and Captain America and could give you some amazing insights into the various parts of the film industry. It’s completely free and it could help you sort out ya plans for 2020. What have you got to lose?