Starting a Film and TV Course in Australia: The Gear You Need by Department

Starting a film and TV course in Australia? You do not need to buy a camera or a lighting kit to begin. Your school provides the big-ticket gear you will train on. What sets you apart on set is a personal kit: the gloves, tools, carrying gear and support equipment that make you useful, safe and employable in your chosen department. This guide walks through what to buy first as a student, and what each department relies on, using the professional brands we distribute across Australia.

Before you buy anything

Whether you are at AFTRS, a university program like the VCA or Griffith Film School, or a private college such as SAE or JMC Academy, the same rule applies: check your course kit list first, and do not rush to buy expensive gear you will be issued at school. Cameras, lenses and large fixtures are shared teaching equipment. The smart spend as a student is on the personal items you bring to every shoot and the support gear that shows you understand your craft. Start small, buy quality once, and add department-specific pieces as you specialise.

The kit every film student should own

No matter which department you end up in, a few things live in every crew member's bag from day one.

• Gloves. A good pair protects your hands for grip, cable and general set work while keeping the dexterity you need. The Setwear range is the industry standard on Australian sets. If you are not sure where to start, read our Setwear glove comparison guide and our guide to what gloves you need for your first day on set.
• A way to carry tools and comms. A belt with pouches, or a chest pack for a radio, keeps your hands free and your kit organised. See our Setwear pouch and chest pack guide and the full carrying solutions range.
• A bag or case. Somewhere durable to keep your kit and protect gear in transit. Browse our wider covers, bags and cases.
• The small stuff. Tape, markers and set consumables that you will reach for constantly. Our film and production supplies cover the basics.

Camera department

If you are heading for camera, as a loader, clapper, focus puller or operator, your training is in handling, building and supporting the camera. You will not buy the camera as a student, but you can start to understand and own the support and accessory kit that a camera team lives on.

Support: tripods and fluid heads

Steady, repeatable movement comes from a proper fluid head and legs. Sachtler and OConnor are two of the most respected names in camera support, from lightweight systems through to high-end heads built for feature work. Learning how a fluid head is balanced and levelled is a core camera-department skill.

Power

Cameras and monitors run on professional batteries, plates and chargers. Anton Bauer is the long-standing standard for reliable on-set power, and knowing how to manage batteries is a job in itself on a camera team.

Monitoring and accessories

Light Widow makes monitor mounts and motor mounting systems that attach the bits and pieces a camera build needs. Add a Setwear glove for handling and an AC pouch from our carrying range for your accessories, and protect your kit in transit with camera protection bags and covers.

Production carts and camera sliders

Once you are moving real gear around a set, two Bagside pieces are worth knowing. The Bagstation XL and the smaller Bagstation Mini are modular production carts: a rolling base you build up with crossbars, mounting clamps, pipes, a tripod holder, ball plates, storage troughs and shelves, so your camera, monitor, batteries and accessories travel together and are ready the moment you arrive on location. For a camera assistant or DIT, a well-built cart is the difference between a scramble and a calm, organised setup.

For movement, the Bagside Dolly Slider gives you smooth, controlled camera moves without a full dolly and track, a practical way for students to add production value to a shot. Browse the full Bagside range to see how the cart system and its accessories fit together.

Lighting and electrics department

If you gravitate to lighting, you will train on fixtures, dimmers and power. As a student you can learn the tools that professional gaffers and lighting assistants use every day.

Fixtures

Modern sets are increasingly LED. Litepanels soft and hard fixtures (the Gemini and Astra ranges) are workhorses across film and TV, and Quasar Science LED tubes are everywhere for practicals, edges and colour. Browse the wider lighting fixtures range to see how a lighting package comes together.

Shaping the light

A fixture is only half the story; how you shape it is the craft. Chimera softboxes and light modifiers control spread and softness, and Lee Filters diffusion and technical filters let you soften, correct and colour a source. Learning to read a swatch book and choose the right diffusion is a skill that will make you valuable fast.

Working safely around heat

Fixtures, frames and rigging get hot. A heat-resistant glove such as the Setwear Hot Hand is worth owning early; see our glove guide for how the options compare. Always follow the manufacturer's guidance on heat, no glove makes a hot fixture safe to hold indefinitely.

Grip department

Grips rig and support everything: stands, flags, clamps, and the hardware that holds cameras and lights exactly where they need to be. It is hands-on, physical work, and the right personal kit matters.

Stands and grip hardware

Matthews is a benchmark grip brand, from C-stands with turtle bases, grip heads and arms through to the flags and hardware that fill a grip truck. Our grip, stands and carts collection is the place to learn what a grip package contains.

Personal grip kit

Grips are hard on gloves, so a full-leather pair like the Setwear Pro Leather is a sound early buy; our guide to the best gloves for handling equipment breaks down the durable options. Pair it with a tool pouch and belt from our carrying solutions so your spanners, wrenches and tape are always to hand.

Sound department

An honest note: recorders, microphones and boom poles come from specialist audio suppliers, not from us. What we can help a student sound recordist or boom operator with is protecting and carrying the kit, and staying on comms. Our audio and monitor bags keep a sound bag organised and protected, and a Setwear radio and carry setup keeps your hands free while you work. Talk to your course about which recorder and mic package they recommend for your training.

Production, AD and on-set crew

If you are heading for the production office, assistant directing or general on-set crew, your day is about organisation, communication and being ready for anything. The kit that helps is carrying gear.

A radio chest pack keeps you hands-free and on comms all day, and a belt with pouches carries a phone, notebook, tape and the odds and ends an AD or runner always needs. Our guide to carrying a radio, tools and a phone at once covers both approaches, and the full carrying solutions range has the options.

Studio, presenting and broadcast

If your course leans toward studio, news or presenting, a teleprompter is worth understanding early. Autocue is the name broadcasters trust, and our prompting range covers studio and PTZ setups. It is a skill set that opens up corporate, news and live-event work alongside film and TV.

How to prioritise your spending

Start with the personal items you will use on every single shoot: a good pair of gloves and a way to carry your tools and comms. These are affordable, they last, and they signal that you take the work seriously. Add department-specific pieces once you know where you are heading, and lean on your school's shared equipment for the expensive fixtures, cameras and support systems while you learn. Buy quality once rather than replacing cheap gear every year, and choose brands that professionals actually use, because the habits and familiarity you build as a student carry straight into paid work.

Frequently asked questions

What gear do I need to buy before starting a film course in Australia?

Very little to begin with. Your school provides cameras, lenses and large fixtures for training. As a student, buy the personal kit you will use on every shoot: a good pair of gloves and a way to carry tools and comms. Add department-specific gear once you know whether you are heading for camera, lighting, grip, sound or production, and always check your course kit list first.

Do I need to buy my own camera as a film student?

Usually not for coursework. Film schools issue cameras and lenses as shared teaching equipment. Many students buy a personal camera eventually for their own projects, but it is rarely required to start, and it is not the first thing to spend on.

What should a camera assistant student buy first?

Focus on the support and accessory kit a camera team lives on: understanding fluid heads and tripods from brands like Sachtler and OConnor, professional power such as Anton Bauer batteries, plus gloves and an accessory pouch. You will learn the camera bodies themselves at school.

What is the most useful thing to own for a lighting or grip student?

A quality pair of gloves. Lighting students benefit from a heat-resistant glove for hot fixtures, while grips want a durable full-leather glove and a tool pouch and belt. These are inexpensive, last for years and are used on every job.

What is a production cart and do I need one as a student?

A production cart is a rolling, modular base like the Bagside Bagstation that carries your camera, monitor, batteries and accessories together so everything is organised and ready on location. You do not need one on day one, but understanding how a cart is built and used is a valuable camera and DIT skill, and it makes any shoot run more smoothly.

Does Black Flag Distribution sell sound recording gear?

We do not distribute recorders, microphones or boom poles; those come from specialist audio suppliers. We can help with protecting and carrying a sound kit through our audio and monitor bags, and with staying on comms using Setwear carrying gear.

Where to buy in Australia

Black Flag Distribution is the official Australian distributor of the professional film, television and production brands in this guide. We supply an Australia-wide network of authorised retailers and stockists rather than selling direct to the public, so there is a local dealer who can help wherever you are studying. To check pricing and availability and to buy, use the Black Flag Distribution store finder to find an authorised retailer or stockist near you. Search our store finder to locate your nearest Australian stockist and purchase from an authorised dealer.