Diploma of Screen and Media
CUA - Creative Arts and Culture
Screen-and-media diploma covering editing, sound, camera operation and short-form production.
Entry requirements
- Portfolio interview (most providers)
What you will learn
The CUA51020 covers production-focused screen and media practice across film, TV, online and motion graphics. Core units include developing ideas for content, working effectively in the screen and media industries, producing screen content, editing complex sequences in Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, recording and editing sound effects and dialogue, operating cameras for production, producing motion graphics in After Effects, and producing video content for short-form digital platforms. Specialist streams allow focus on editing, sound, camera, directing or motion design. You also study copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 and freelance contracting under the Australian Consumer Law.
Skills you build
- Camera operation (DSLR, cinema cameras)
- Editing in Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve
- Motion graphics in After Effects
- Location and dialogue sound recording
- Sound editing and mixing in Pro Tools
- Pre-production planning and storyboarding
- Colour grading and finishing
How the course runs
Most students study full-time over 12 to 18 months. Around 900 to 1,200 hours of formal training including studio shoots, location production, edit suite labs and critique panels. Practical production dominates at around 70 percent of contact hours. Most providers run final-year short film, documentary or content production projects as graduating capstones. No mandatory work placement.
How you will be assessed
- Short film and content production assignments
- Edit and grade tests under workshop conditions
- Written knowledge tests per unit of competency
- Capstone production with full pre and post production
- Industry critique panels each semester
Workplace and placement
No mandatory work placement, though most students take on runner, assistant editor or post-production junior roles during the course (the typical industry entry pathway). Freelance crew work is common during the course. Wages follow the Broadcasting, Recorded Entertainment and Cinemas Award or freelance day rates set by industry norms (e.g. AFTRS, MEAA recommendations).
Typical employers
- Post-production houses (editing, sound, VFX)
- Production companies (drama, documentary, factual)
- Content marketing studios and brand video production
- News and current affairs (ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, Ten - shrinking)
- Streaming platforms (commissioned productions)
- Freelance and contract crew work
Is this the right course for you?
You probably thrive here if
- You can take direct critique on creative work
- You can self-manage long projects to deadline
- You can handle freelance and project-based income
- You can work irregular hours during productions
- You can keep building skills in new software and gear
It is probably not for you if
- You expect a stable salary with set hours
- You cannot take critique on creative work
- You struggle with self-directed portfolio building
- You cannot tolerate freelance income gaps
After you finish
After the Diploma you can pursue the Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media (CUA60620) or progress to a Bachelor of Film and Television, BA (Screen Production) or Bachelor of Communication (Screen) at RMIT, Swinburne, AFTRS, Griffith QCA, QUT, Bond and many others with credit. Specialist streams in cinematography, editing, sound design and VFX often need additional industry training (AFTRS short courses).