SAQA All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED UNIT STANDARD THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: 

Operate sound for film, television and video production 
SAQA US ID UNIT STANDARD TITLE
117530  Operate sound for film, television and video production 
ORIGINATOR
SGB Audio-visual Media Production 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY
-  
FIELD SUBFIELD
Field 04 - Communication Studies and Language Communication Studies 
ABET BAND UNIT STANDARD TYPE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL CREDITS
Undefined  Regular  Level 4  NQF Level 04  7 
REGISTRATION STATUS REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE SAQA DECISION NUMBER
Passed the End Date -
Status was "Registered" 		 2004-12-02  2007-12-02  SAQA 0657/04 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2008-12-02   2011-12-02  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This unit standard does not replace any other unit standard and is not replaced by any other unit standard. 

PURPOSE OF THE UNIT STANDARD 
The purpose of the unit standard is to enable learners to specialise in production sound by ensuring that learners are able to set up and operate sound for film, television and video productions, in both inside or outside environments. This unit standard requires learners to identify the requirements for sound, set up sound equipment, determining whether sound equipment is functioning properly, capture sound, prepare and play supplementary materials, and safely operate sound equipment to meet specified requirements for film, television and video productions.

Improved sound equipment operations improves safety during film, television and video production, as well as the quality of film, television and video productions by achieving the sound requirements of shots. By attaining the required competencies, learner employability is improved by ensuring that they are able to contribute to film, television and video productions by means of assisting competently with the sound equipment used in film, television and video production.

Credited learners are capable of:
  • Identifying the sound requirements of shots.
  • Setting up and fitting sound equipment safely.
  • Capturing sound using appropriate sound equipment.
  • Prepare and play selected supplementary material. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    The credits and level assigned to this unit standard is based on the assumption that learners have already attained the following competencies:
  • Communicating (reading, writing, speaking and presenting) at NQF Level 3.
  • Working in a team.
  • Electrical operations. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD RANGE 
    Learners are required to attain the specific outcomes in both inside or outside environments. 

    Specific Outcomes and Assessment Criteria: 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 1 
    Identifying the sound requirements of shots. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Assessment of feasibility of specifications against the operational constraints is accurate. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Agreement is reached with relevant persons regarding equipment, effects and associated equipment. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Communication regarding sound equipment requirements is aimed at relevant persons for specific contexts (those that need to know). 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    Sound requirements identified are appropriate for given targets. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 5 
    Instructions or sound equipment requirements are clarified if appropriate. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 6 
    Deadlines and agreed industry standards are confirmed. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 2 
    Set-up and fit sound equipment safely. 
    OUTCOME RANGE 
    Equipment includes wireless equipment and fitting equipment to performers. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    All the necessary directly supplied and hired-in equipment is obtained and checked. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Equipment set-up meets specifications. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    All equipment used is safe and in working order. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    Defective, damaged or lost equipment is dealt with according to specified requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 5 
    Equipment is set up as specified. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 6 
    Set up is completed in specified deadlines. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 7 
    Specified documentation is completed accurately. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 8 
    The environment is clean and tidy after setting up and de-rigging. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 9 
    Interference is minimised. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 10 
    Equipment, batteries and transmitters operate effectively once set up is completed. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 11 
    Information given to performers meets specified requirements, including what is to be done. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 12 
    Solutions to functionality problems are feasible for specific contexts. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 13 
    Structural support is adequate and balanced. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 14 
    Concealment of equipment, for example, in hair and clothing, is effective. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 15 
    Evaluation of and response to requests from performers and others is positive. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 16 
    Hazards are identified and addressed according to specified requirements. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3 
    Capture sound using appropriate sound equipment. 
    OUTCOME RANGE 
    Equipment can include wireless equipment, handheld poles, mechanical booms, and handheld microphones. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Assessment of the probability of co-channel interference is accurate. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Positioning of equipment is effective in terms of optimising sound pick-up and discriminating against unwanted sound sources and noise. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Positioning meets safety requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    Positioning is unobtrusive. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 5 
    Positioning causes the minimum disruption to performance. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 6 
    Positioning enables best quality sound, given specific contexts and constraints. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 7 
    Capturing meets perspective, dynamic range and stereo information requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 8 
    Balance between sound sources is appropriate for specified requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 9 
    Response to cues is immediate. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 10 
    Cues are responded to in a co-ordinated way. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 11 
    Equipment is moved smoothly, fluidly and unobtrusively, and minimising unwanted sound. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 12 
    Equipment is secure and safe when not in use. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 13 
    Calculation of timing is accurate and meets specified requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 14 
    Communication with others is discreet and minimise disruption. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 15 
    Unwanted noise and plosives are eliminated. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 16 
    Handling noises are minimised. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 17 
    Moving microphones is smooth and without unwanted noise. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 18 
    Booms and poles operation, and moving and positioning microphones and supports are unobtrusive, and minimise disruption and impediment to others. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 19 
    Effects of personal items that may affect transmission are removed or minimised. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 20 
    Performers and others are treated tactfully, courteously, sensitively and politely. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4 
    Prepare and play selected supplementary material. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Requirements for supplementary materials are accurately identified. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Preparation and playing meet production requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Selection of material meets production requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    Materials selected are in suitable formats and media to meet requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 5 
    Timing of played-in material meets requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 6 
    Response to cues is accurate. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 7 
    The clean and tidy environment is maintained during and after use. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 8 
    Content, length, quality and creative effect are judged against given pragmatic and artistic criteria. 


    UNIT STANDARD ACCREDITATION AND MODERATION OPTIONS 
  • Assessment of learner achievements takes place at providers accredited by a relevant ETQA (RSA, 1998b) for the provision of programs that result in the outcomes specified for this unit standard.
  • Anyone assessing a learner against this unit standard must be registered as an assessor with a relevant ETQA.
  • Any institution offering learning that will enable achievement of this unit standard must be accredited as a provider with a relevant ETQA.
  • The relevant ETQA according to the moderation guidelines and the agreed ETQA procedures will oversee moderation of assessment and is responsible for moderation of learner achievements of learners who meet the requirements of this unit standard. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD ESSENTIAL EMBEDDED KNOWLEDGE 
    Credited learners understand and can explain:
  • Compatibility issues between mono, stereo, multi-channel and surround sound.
  • Acceptable compromises in the quality of the sound captured.
  • Documentation and format requirements.
  • Levels for playing materials.
  • Principles and techniques of lighting, which techniques are in use in the production (and why) and their implications for positioning and operating equipment.
  • Principles and techniques of picture and sound post-production.
  • Principles of phantom powering.
  • Principles of picture composition and how they apply to specific shoots.
  • Principles of transmission (e.g., RF, induction, infra-red) and how they apply.
  • How to optimise transmission system operation for performers.
  • Boom tracking and how to track to meet production requirements.
  • Characteristics of microphones and accessories and applications.
  • Characteristics of required sound, what the sound sources are, and what changes or movements in source(s) are planned.
  • Cleaning materials and procedures to use them efficiently.
  • Common defects, how to identify them and to whom to report them.
  • Copyright requirements.
  • Criteria and methods for evaluating and, when necessary, agreeing changes to positions.
  • Criteria for judging acceptability of sound set up.
  • Criteria for selecting options when material is not available.
  • Criteria for selecting or checking appropriate formats.
  • Current safety checking procedures for mains operated equipment, including portable appliance testing.
  • Expectations of clients or producers.
  • Hygiene requirements and how to check and maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of personal equipment items.
  • Indicators of defects and malfunctions, how to recognise them, what remedial action to take, and how to minimise disruption to performances.
  • Indicators of errors, faults, failures and breakdowns, and how to contain and correct them with minimum disruption.
  • Looping.
  • Properties of reflective sound surfaces and how to recognise and compensate for them.
  • Relevant acoustic principles, particularly the methods of control.
  • Requirements for reproducing and handling old formats and media (e.g. 78 rpm disc).
  • Requirements of safety legislation and procedures and how to meet them.
  • Safe disposal of batteries and current waste disposal regulations.
  • Safety regulations and procedures as they apply to de-rigging, storing and transport and to making working environments safe after work.
  • Supplementary power systems, IFP, IEM.
  • Types of wireless systems.
  • Mechanics of boom and microphone suspension, including cabling, stringing and tyre pressures.
  • Potential for parallax errors by operators, and how to avoid or correct them.
  • Relevant electrical safety regulations, and how they apply.
  • Requirements or expectations of performers and clients or productions.
  • Technical specifications and production requirements.
  • Timescales and deadlines of the production.
  • Compromises in the quality of sound captured.
  • Camera angles and lenses in use, and their implications for positioning and operating booms, poles and microphones.
  • Cleaning materials and processes, and how to use them economically.
  • What cues mean, how to recognise them, and how to respond to them correctly.
  • Documentation needed for hired equipment and how to process it.
  • Labelling procedures.
  • Particular sensitivities that performers have to wearing radio equipment and how to adapt the use of equipment to them.
  • Sources of information concerning legal requirements (power, frequency, deviation, licensing), and how to access them.
  • What the cues are, and how to move booms and poles smoothly in response to them. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME 
    N/A 

    UNIT STANDARD LINKAGES 
    N/A 


    Critical Cross-field Outcomes (CCFO): 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO IDENTIFYING 
    Identify and solve problems where responses to problems show that such critical and creative thinking has been used to make responsible decisions regarding the functionality of sound equipment. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO WORKING 
    Work effectively with others as a member of a team, group, organisation or community to share information with the right people and in collaboration with other team members to reach agreement regarding equipment, and supplementary materials. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO ORGANISING 
    Organise and manage oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively to ensure safety and health, leave the environment clean and tidy, and keep to deadlines. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COLLECTING 
    Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information regarding functioning of sound equipment, and selecting solutions to functionality problems that are feasible for specific contexts. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COMMUNICATING 
    Communicate effectively using visual, mathematic and/or language skills in the modes of oral and/or written presentation when equipment needs are clarified with relevant persons, and deadlines and agreed industry standards are confirmed. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO SCIENCE 
    Use science and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the environment and health of others to position sound equipment according to specification, ensuring that structural support is adequate and balanced, and adhering to health, safety and environment requirements. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO DEMONSTRATING 
    Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation, by positioning equipment to enable best quality sound, given specific contexts and constraints. 

    UNIT STANDARD ASSESSOR CRITERIA 
    Assessors should keep the following principles in mind when designing and conducting assessments against this unit standard:
  • Focus the assessment activities on gathering evidence in terms of the main outcome expressed in the title to ensure assessment is integrated rather than fragmented. Remember we want to declare the person competent in terms of the title. Where assessment at title level is unmanageable, then focus assessment around each specific outcome, or groups of specific outcomes.
  • Make sure evidence is gathered across the entire range, wherever it applies. Assessment activities should be as close to the real performance as possible, and where simulations or role-plays are used, there should be supporting evidence to show the learner is able to perform in the real situation.
  • Do not focus the assessment activities on each assessment criterion. Rather make sure the assessment activities focus on outcomes and are sufficient to enable evidence to be gathered around all the assessment criteria.
  • The assessment criteria provide the specifications against which assessment judgements should be made. In most cases, knowledge can be inferred from the quality of the performances, but in other cases, knowledge and understanding will have to be tested through questioning techniques. Where this is required, there will be assessment criteria to specify the standard required.
  • The task of the assessor is to gather sufficient evidence, of the prescribed type and quality, as specified in this unit standard, that the learner can achieve the outcomes again and again and again. This means assessors will have to judge how many repeat performances are required before they believe the performance is reproducible.
  • All assessments should be conducted in line with the following well documented principles of assessment: appropriateness, fairness, manageability, integration into work or learning, validity, direct, authentic, sufficient, systematic, open and consistent. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD NOTES 
    N/A 

    QUALIFICATIONS UTILISING THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
      ID QUALIFICATION TITLE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL STATUS END DATE PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QA FUNCTIONARY
    Elective  61450   Further Education and Training Certificate: Film and Television Production Operations  Level 4  NQF Level 04  Passed the End Date -
    Status was "Reregistered"     		 2023-06-30  MICTS 
    Elective  49120   Further Education and Training Certificate: Film, Television and Video Production Operations  Level 4  NQF Level 04  Passed the End Date -
    Status was "Registered"     		 2007-12-02  Was MICTS until Last Date for Achievement 
    Elective  58820   National Certificate: Advertising  Level 5  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5  Passed the End Date -
    Status was "Reregistered"     		 2023-06-30  MICTS 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. BLC Entertainment 
    2. College Africa Group (Pty) Ltd 
    3. Digital School of Marketing (Pty) Ltd 
    4. Epitome Villa (Pty)Ltd 
    5. Eshybrand Pty Ltd 
    6. EYETHU NATIONAL COMPUTER COLLEGE PTY LTD 
    7. FILM Mentorship & Training SA 
    8. Greater Tzaneen Community Foundation 
    9. HILLCROSS BUSINESS SCHOOL (PTY 
    10. Information Technology Resource Centre 
    11. K Boneng Consulting Services P 
    12. Metanoia Ratings PTY LTD 
    13. Mufuka Business and Technical 
    14. OL Afrika Media 
    15. Peo Entle HIV Wellness Management and Youth Skills Development NPO 
    16. Posh Multimedia 
    17. Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology Pty Ltd 
    18. The Finishing College (Pty) Lt 
    19. Training B2B CC 
    20. Varsity Institute of Science & Technology (Pty)Ltd 
    21. VUTHLARI MARKETING CONSULTING 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.