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The SATIS Department of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Aix-Marseille offers a professional course in the field of audiovisual production techniques (mainly television and film).

Four streams (shooting, sound or music, editing, production) each provide training for different well identified professions.

  • The image professions

    Sectors of activity

    • Audiovisual, film and institutional production
    • Multimedia production
    • Services (production/post-production)
    • Television broadcasters.
    • Cultural structures

    Jobs available

    • Cinematographer or director of photography (Discover the job of director of photography with the documentary"In the head of a director of photography" directed by Raquel Vidosa and Pauline Pello in the framework of the Master 2 SATIS).
    • Camera operator or cameraman
    • Steadycam operator
    • First assistant operator
    • First assistant operator HD
    • Second assistant operator
    • Scientific Camera Operator

    Accessible jobs

    Head grip, grip operator, head electrician, electrician, set photographer, JRI (Journaliste Reporter d'Image), vision engineer, colorist, lighting director, lighting designer.

    Regulation of activities

    The names vary according to the sector of activity, the company, the existence or not of wage agreements or collective agreements. Whether it is a fixed-term or open-ended employment contract, or a contract of use ("intermittent"), the term "camera operator" (OPV) covers all the generic tasks of the jobs concerned.

    Furthermore, it is essential to specify that, as in many professional sectors, executive jobs (director of photography, cameraman, assistant cameraman, etc.) are only very rarely accessible on completion of the training. The student who becomes a professional must logically begin with an assistant mission and then gradually climb the ladder.

  • The professions of sound or music to image

    Sectors of activity

    • Audiovisual, film and institutional production
    • Multimedia production
    • Services (production/post-production)
    • Television broadcasters
    • Cultural structures

    Jobs available

    • sound recording operator (sound recording, mixing)
    • on-air mixer (sound recording, mixing)
    • sound editor, sound designer, musical creator (sound recording, mixing), sound control at the output of a coding system (operation, mixing)
    • studio assistant (sound recording, mixing, operation)
    • mastering and sound restoration technician
    • monitor sound engineer (sound engineering, mixing)
    • front of house sound engineer (sound engineering, mixing)
    • sound assistant (assistant sound engineer, operation)
    • sound manager (sound recording, mixing)
    • on-air technician (sound engineering, mixing)
    • sound technician or assistant (initially).

    Discover the sound professions on the Vimeo SATIS channel"Les métiers du son". 5 documentaries made by SATIS students to discover the jobs of sound engineer, sound engineer, editor, mixer and composer.

    According to his potential and the professional experience acquired, the holder of the diploma will be able to evolve towards the functions of :

    • Boom Operator (sound assistant on a film set)
    • Chief sound operator/sound recordist
    • Sound editor
    • Stereo and multichannel mixer
    • Sound designer
    • Assistant and "sound engineer" for the recording and mixing of music



    For the "Music for the image" course:

    • Artistic director/advisor (studios), production manager (music videos)
    • Radio sound designer, multimedia installation
    • Sound engineer: in a music recording studio, in a film mixing studio or for television (recordings)
    • Film music composer/performer (cinema and television, advertising), sound illustrator, sound designer.

    Accessible jobs

    • Sound manager
    • Sound engineer
    • Musical illustrator/soundtrack designer
    • Sound engineer.

    Activity regulations

    The names vary according to the sector of activity, the company, the existence or not of wage agreements or collective agreements. Whether it is a fixed-term or open-ended employment contract, or a contract of use ("intermittent"), the term "sound operator" (OPS) covers all the tasks generic to the jobs concerned.

    Although the term "sound engineer" has become part of everyday language, there is no such thing as a diploma in sound engineering. In reality, it is a general title that designates the person in charge of all or part of the sound chain for a project broadcast live or recorded on a medium. He or she is the "ear" of a production, the person who must render, i.e., interpret, and retranscribe a sound space, its timbres, its resonance, and its sonorities.

  • The assembly trades

    Sectors of activity

    • Audiovisual, film and institutional production
    • Multimedia production
    • Services (production/post-production)
    • Television broadcasters
    • Cultural structures

    Types of jobs available

    • Chief editor
    • Assistant editor.

    Accessible occupations

    • Editor
    • Truquist (additional training is nevertheless necessary for this job)
    • Synchronizer
    • Director
    • Sound editor
    • Scriptwriter.

    Regulation of activities

    The names vary according to the sector of activity, the company, the existence or not of wage agreements or collective agreements. Whether it is a fixed-term or open-ended employment contract, or a contract of use ("intermittent"), the term "editor" covers all the tasks generic to the jobs concerned.

  • Production jobs

    Sectors of activity

    • Audiovisual, film and institutional production
    • Multimedia production.
    • Services (production/post-production)
    • Television broadcasters.
    • Cultural structures

    Jobs available

    • Production Secretary
    • Production Assistant
    • Assistant Director (Third, Second, First)

    To reach the position of First Assistant Director, theoretical training is essential, combined with practical training as an assistant director, stage manager or even as a trainee scriptwriter.

    The position of Third Assistant Director may be accessible after graduating from SATIS, the position of Second Assistant Director may be accessible at the end of the course on short projects

    Scripte : To become a scriptwriter, theoretical training is essential, combined with practical training in internships, filming and editing. The position of Trainee Scriptwriter can be accessed after graduating from SATIS, the position of Scriptwriter can be accessed at the end of the course on short films

    Director (Assistant, General) The position of Assistant Director can be accessed after graduating from SATIS on short projects, several experiences as a Trainee Director on long projects open the access to higher functions.

    Accessible jobs

    • Production Manager: The post of Production Manager is accessible after several experiences as General Manager
    • Director : If film schools offer training leading to the profession of Director, experience on film sets is essential, combined with a curiosity for the world and a deep and sincere desire to try the adventure
    • Producer: There are three ways to access the job/trade
      • experience in the audiovisual industry in an organizational or supervisory role - Assistant Director, Stage Manager, Assistant or Production Manager -, possibly complemented by a mastery of management techniques and the methods of financing an audiovisual production;
      • a higher education background in management and administration combined with knowledge and experience in the implementation of a project;
      • progression in the public audiovisual sector, by internal competition, with the experience required in the first of these three cases, or in any public sector or private group integrating an audiovisual field.

    Regulation of activities :

    The names vary according to the sectors of activity, the companies, the existence or not of salary agreements or collective agreements. It is generally a contract of employment for a fixed or indefinite period of time, or a contract known as an "intermittent" contract.