Audio Video Production: A Detailed Career Guide
In this post, you will learn what steps to take to work towards a career in audio video production We take an in-depth look at the education one needs to attain, duties, salary, and some of the professionals you are likely to interact with within the field.
What Is an Audio Video Specialist?
An audio-video production expert is someone responsible for the maintenance and operation of audio and video apparatus on a recording set.
Often audio video experts can also set up and take down equipment before and after an event, respectively.
Some of these events include
- Live performances
- Meetings
- Sporting events
- Broadcast productions
In addition, audio-video specialists work with sound systems, lighting tools, projectors, video screens, and recording equipment.
Audio Video Production Duties
Also called audio-video specialists or audio-visual equipment technicians, they handle a wide range of responsibilities including:
- Installation and maintenance of video equipment which includes projection screens, microphones, and video monitors.
- Repair of worn-out or malfunctioning apparatus
- Teaching other company employees how to use and handle equipment
- Advising the management on the best apparatus to buy for compelling video and audio subscriptions.
- Discuss editing and filming techniques with directors
- Edit audio, video, and sound files
- Select the appropriate equipment for audio or video recording
- Record sound, special effects, speech, music, and other types of sounds
- Operate mixing and soundboards
- Synchronize dialogue and sound in cinematic, movie, or television productions
- Setting up and tearing down video and audio apparatus in live events.
What Skills and Traits Do You Need to Become an Audio Video Specialist?
As with all forms of careers, having a particular set of skills will make it easier for you to thrive as an audio/video production expert. Below are some of the skills you will need You should be:
- Creative
- Able to operate equipment
- Well organized
- Excellent communication skills
- Able to work under pressure
- Effective critical thinking skills
- Detail oriented
- Adaptable
Do You Need a Degree to Become an Audio Video Production Specialist?
The audio video production industry is highly competitive and has some of the best trained and learned professionals out there.
Hence for you to stand a chance against such competition, you should have a degree from a recognized and certified institution or a lot of industry experience already under your belt.
We recommend having at least a certificate in audio video production to get an entry-level position in the industry.
However, you likely will move up faster if you have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
What kind of degree do you need?
If you want to become a skilled audio video production expert, you may wish to enroll in an audio-visual degree program at a university or technical school.
Before you decide to get your degree from a specific college or university, you must ascertain that it is accredited; qualified to offer the courses you need.
This is because some may find it hard to get employed when you obtain a bachelor’s or an associate degree from an uncertified institution.
You can check the prospective college or university accreditation by visiting the school’s website; many of the accredited academic institutions usually have at the bottom section of their front page, which leads to their status of accreditation.
For US residents, you can check the US Department of Education website or the Council for Higher Education website.
Non-US residents can check their particular countries’ higher education monitoring institution’s websites.
Once you have confirmed that an institution is certified, you can enroll for an associate degree in video production and audio production.
Some of the items you will most likely tackle include.
- Field and television production
- Audio recording
- video editing
- Sound production
- Multimedia design
- Marketing concepts
If you take the course as a full-time student, you can have your associate degree in audio-video production after two and a half years.
You can also study for a bachelor’s degree in broadcast and electronic communication arts, where you specialize in multimedia production.
In this program, you will take courses on
- Media performance
- Radio programming
- Video production
- Interactive media
- Electronic media
Depending on your particular institution, it can take you between three or four years to graduate.
Career Path
As an audio video expert, you could choose to specialize in one area, either video or audio production, to command higher pay from employers.
Let’s take a look at each of these fields...
Audio Production
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupation Output handbook states that all of the top sound engineering engineers have a degree in audio production.
Additionally, a vast portion of those employees that are the lowest paid possess only a high school diploma.
You can take two or three years to complete a certificate or associate degree program and help your chances to command the highest paid salary you can.
In audio production school, you will learn plenty of theoretical and practical concepts in mediums of music, film, video, and the web. Some of the items you will learn include.
- Sound mixing
- Sound editing
- Music theory
- Electronics
- Recording techniques
- Analog and digital audio production formats
- Audio distribution and delivery systems
- Recording
- Live sound
- Pre-production
On completion, you will need to create a portfolio of your work or projects you were involved with, a critical component that will aid you while looking for work as an audio engineer.
Audio Engineer Duties
After you successfully get a job in recording studios, television broadcasting radio stations, newsrooms, or any other company, your duties can include
- Synchronization of sounds and voices for TV shows, music videos, and movies
- Using computers to edit live recordings and previously recorded audio files
- Operation of mixing boards and other sound equipment
- Mixing, recording, and reproducing music, voices, and sound effects
Video Production
You can quickly enter the video production industry with a high school diploma or associate degree, which takes between two or three years to complete.
However, if you want to move up to high-level positions that also have hefty salaries, you will need a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of experience in the field.
The industry requires that you have a thorough knowledge of all types of film or video editing software like adobe premier plus any other applicable tools.
Below are some of the areas you will study while at a video production university
- Lighting
- Camera operation
- Sound design
- Video Editing
- Scriptwriting
- Directing
- Producing
- Graphic design
- Post-production
- Motion graphics
Additionally, you will have to create a portfolio and work as an intern to gain hands-on instructional experience in video camera handling, broadcast, and film production.
Video Producer Duties
As a video producer, your primary job tasks will include
- Editing video recordings
- Troubleshooting equipment
- Adjusting and monitoring apparatus to increase the quality of the visual
- Setting up and operating broadcasting gear
- Repairing and maintaining video equipment
Professionals You Will Interact With Out in the Field
Here are some of the professionals you will most likely interact with while working as an audio-visual expert.
Recording engineers
They operate sound and video equipment to create special effects.
Sound mixers
They create soundtracks for television shows and movies. Sound mixers also insert sounds by dubbing.
Field technicians
They operate various types of equipment outside a studio.
Foley artists and sound engineers
They mix, synchronize and add music, voices, or sound effects in television broadcasting, live events, movies, video productions, and recording studios.
Foley artists also recreate physical sounds using props. For instance, a foley artist will clap coconut shells to produce a sound similar to that of a horse walking on a pavement.
Camera operators
They primarily work in broadcasting studios alongside video engineers where they video subjects while at a fixed location.
Videographers
They videotape documentaries, commercials, weddings, high school graduations, music videos, and everything in between. A lot of videographers are self-employed and work on a freelance basis.
Broadcast technicians
They set up and handle machines that regulate sound clarity and signal strength for television and radio broadcasts.
Filmmakers
They create and direct movie productions; they also work as video editors for production companies.
How Much Can I Earn?
The United States Bureau of Labour statistics published a report in 2021 that showed the annual earnings of audio video production experts.
According to the report, audio-video production specialists earned an average income of $47920.
The report also states that audio-video production experts working in motion picture industries took home an average income of $66,900 in 2021.
On the other hand, those in the television and radio broadcasting industries averaged $52,970 in the year.
The BLS also noted that audio-video production specialists working in television broadcasting took home higher salaries than those in radio or podcasts.
Note these are just averages and the top end of the market can command far higher premiums for pay.
Conclusion
Despite the intense competition, audio video production is a fascinating and rewarding career, especially for millennials.
Once you gain a few years of experience in the field working for others, the profession is set up well to allow you to be a long-term freelancer building your own book of business and client relationships. This flexibility can be particularly appealing to folks that want to move around a lot and keep their day-to-day schedule flexible...
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions on the subject or have a video project you need help with!
