Film, Television, and Electronic Media: Television Arts Certificate

Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill, CA

Cost: $2,097
Length: 48 weeks
Working 6 months later: Not reported

Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.

What happened to people who took this

No outcomes reported for this program

About a third of California programs report nothing. That is a fact about the program's reporting, not evidence that it works or does not.

The jobs this trains for

This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.

Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.

No regional figures for this program's city

Pleasant Hill is not one of the metropolitan or rural areas California names when it publishes wages and openings. A neighbouring area's figures would look exactly like a correct answer, so none are shown and the statewide figures stand alone. About half of California's programs are in this position.

Audio and Video Technicians

Job ads may call this: Stagehand · Audio Technician · Media Technician · Video Technician

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

Notify supervisors when major equipment repairs are needed.
Diagnose and resolve media system problems.
Direct and coordinate activities of assistants and other personnel during production.
Compress, digitize, duplicate, and store audio and video data.

Show 3 more things this job involves

Install, adjust, and operate electronic equipment to record, edit, and transmit radio and television programs, motion pictures, video conferencing, or multimedia presentations.
Monitor incoming and outgoing pictures and sound feeds to ensure quality and notify directors of any possible problems.
Control the lights and sound of events, such as live concerts, before and after performances, and during intermissions.

Typical pay in California: $66,429per year
Projected openings: 9,360
Projected change: +6.3%
Usually needs: Postsecondary non-degree award

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: Under a month

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: Four-year degree — 36% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: Postsecondary non-degree award. That is not one of the steps below, so there is no way to count how many people meet it.

No high school diploma: 3%
High school diploma: 15%
Started college, no degree: 28%
Two-year degree: 12%
Four-year degree: 36%
Master's degree: 6%
Doctorate or professional degree: 1%

This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job. It is also measured on a different scale from “Usually needs” above, so the two cannot be subtracted from one another.

Lighting Technicians

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

The Department publishes no list of daily tasks for this job. This is how it describes the work instead.

Set up, maintain, and dismantle light fixtures, lighting control devices, and the associated lighting electrical and rigging equipment used for photography, television, film, video, and live productions. May focus or operate light fixtures, or attach color filters or other lighting accessories.

Typical pay in California: $96,703per year
Projected openings: 2,490
Projected change: 0%
Usually needs: Postsecondary non-degree award

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: Under a month

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: Four-year degree — 36% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: Postsecondary non-degree award. That is not one of the steps below, so there is no way to count how many people meet it.

No high school diploma: 3%
High school diploma: 15%
Started college, no degree: 28%
Two-year degree: 12%
Four-year degree: 36%
Master's degree: 6%
Doctorate or professional degree: 1%

It is also measured on a different scale from “Usually needs” above, so the two cannot be subtracted from one another.

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

Job ads may call this: Cameraman · Videographer · Camera Operator · News Videographer

Compose and frame each shot, applying the technical aspects of light, lenses, film, filters, and camera settings to achieve the effects sought by directors.
Operate television or motion picture cameras to record scenes for television broadcasts, advertising, or motion pictures.
Edit video for broadcast productions, including non-linear editing.
Instruct camera operators regarding camera setups, angles, distances, movement, and variables and cues for starting and stopping filming.

Show 4 more things this job involves

Adjust positions and controls of cameras, printers, and related equipment to change focus, exposure, and lighting.
Confer with directors, sound and lighting technicians, electricians, and other crew members to discuss assignments and determine filming sequences, desired effects, camera movements, and lighting requirements.
Operate zoom lenses, changing images according to specifications and rehearsal instructions.
Observe sets or locations for potential problems and to determine filming and lighting requirements.

Typical pay in California: $109,892per year
Projected openings: 5,700
Projected change: +7.7%
Usually needs: Bachelor's degree

Getting in

Experience needed first: None
Training after you are hired: None

No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: Four-year degree — 56% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: Bachelor's degree. 35% of the people doing it went less far than that.

No high school diploma: 1%
High school diploma: 8%
Started college, no degree: 18%
Two-year degree: 8%
Four-year degree: 56%
Master's degree: 8%
Doctorate or professional degree: 1%

Program details

This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.

A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to the operation and maintenance of camera and lighting equipment and the production of finished still video and film products under the supervision of photographers directors and editors. Includes instruction in equipment setup and maintenance lighting power supplies studio and film set tasks such as camera operator grip and best boy plate and negative handling and development laboratory procedures and digital software applications.

Provider's website →

Someone else may be able to pay for this

This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

Concord America`s Job Center of California / East Bay WorksComprehensive center
Phone: 925-671-4500
4071 Port Chicago HighwaySuite 250Concord, CA 94520about 5.1 miles away
Hours: M-F 8:30 am-5:00 pm
Has a veterans' representative
East Oakland Neighborhood Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 510-568-8349
7200 Bancroft AvenueSuite 140Oakland, CA 94605about 13.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Unity Council Career & Resource CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 510-535-6101
1900 Fruitvale AvenueOakland, CA 94601about 14.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.

Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List

How this gets paid for, and what to ask →

Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.

The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.

How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →