How to become a film or tv director in Australia
Film, Television, Radio and Stage Directors direct the artistic and production aspects of film, television, radio and stage productions.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the film, television, radio and stage directors group are projected to grow 19.1% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Studying scripts and scenarios to determine theme and setting
- Assessing locations and staging requirements for productions in association with specialist designers
- Overseeing creative aspects of film, television, radio and stage productions
- Determining lighting, film, shutter angles, filter factors, camera distance, depth of field and focus, angles of view and other variables to achieve desired mood and effect
- Viewing film and video tape to evaluate and select scenes and determine which scenes need to be re-shot
- Planning and organising the preparation and presentation of programs
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the film, television, radio and stage directors group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 55% a degree or higher, 15% a diploma, 7% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria24 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Film and Television (Honours) · Swinburne, Hawthorn80.55 Media and Communication (Cinema and Screen Studies major) · Swinburne, Hawthorn64.70 Screen Production · Swinburne, Hawthorn62.40 Arts (Film and Television Studies major) · Deakin, Melbourne Burwood60.60 Film, Television and Animation · Deakin, Melbourne Burwood60.40Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 12 of 24 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT12 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Screen Media (Arts and Production) · Western Sydney76.25 Bachelor of Film Production · Canberra60.00Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 6 of 12 matches. Search every course.
Queensland28 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Film and Screen Media Production · Griffith, Brisbane City91.50 Bachelor of Creative Arts (Film and Screen) · QUT, Kelvin Grove71.20 Bachelor of Film and Screen Production · UniSQ, Springfield61.50Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 7 of 28 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia4 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Creative Media in Screen Production · Murdoch, Perth70.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Creative Arts (Screen Arts) · Curtin, Perth63.85 Bachelor of Screen Production · ECU, City63.40 Bachelor of Screen Production (Creative Humanities Portfolio Entry Pathway) · ECU, City63.40Matched on course names, 68 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Artistic, Enterprising, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Producers and Directors", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Media producer$2,179 Author or editor Public relations professional$2,046 Actor$1,692 Musician$1,766Done this job, or studied for it?
Tell Year 12s the one thing you wish you'd known. First name only, and we read every story before it goes up.
Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.