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Step 1 · Learn online · Camera

Camera department Foundation

Eight lessons in the order a camera trainee meets the job: safety, who's who, prep, kit care, slates and camera reports, media, lenses and marks.

Start lesson 1 Board mode for teachers

Time: About 6 to 8 hours
Lessons: 8
For: Anyone 18 or over who has finished Day One and wants to work as a camera trainee or clapper loader.
Pass mark: 80%; safety must be right
Window: 12 weeks
Ends with: Online learning record. Next: book your competency check.
Last reviewed: 11 November 2026

The lessons, in order

8 lessons · 385 min. Safety comes first. Lessons marked 'safety gate' must be passed before the lessons after them open.

What you'll be able to do

Each outcome is mapped to a line in a ScreenSkills skills checklist. The checklists are guides, not accreditation.

Lesson 1 · Identify

Identify the hazards a camera trainee meets (heavy kit, cables, batteries, heights, vehicles, weather) and act safely on each, before touching any kit.

ScreenSkills camera trainee skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Route and secure cables safely, avoiding trip hazards and blocked access"
ScreenSkills camera trainee skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Maintain battery supply: charging, labelling, safe storage and sequencing"
ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Read risk assessments from production and comply with all safety requirements"

Lesson 2 · Describe

Describe each camera grade, from trainee to DoP, and which jobs a trainee is and isn't given.

ScreenSkills camera trainee skills checklist · Overview of the role: "Camera trainees support the clapper loader on high-end TV and scripted drama"
ScreenSkills camera trainee skills checklist · Transferable skills and attributes: "Teamworking across departments"

Lesson 3 · Check

Check a camera package against a kit list at prep, find what's missing or faulty, and record it.

ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Keep an inventory and consumables list for camera equipment"
ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Deal quickly with faulty gear by repairing it or ordering replacements"
ScreenSkills camera trainee skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Flag faulty equipment, report losses or breakages"

Lesson 4 · Describe

Describe the build order of a cinema camera and clean, cover and pack lenses and kit correctly.

ScreenSkills camera trainee skills checklist · Role-specific skills: "De-rigging, maintaining, cleaning and packing cameras"
ScreenSkills camera trainee skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Protect equipment and monitors from weather"

Lesson 5 · Complete

Slate takes using the British running slate and complete a camera report accurately.

ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Operate clapperboards and clearly announce takes"
ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Log clapperboard information on camera report sheets"
ScreenSkills camera trainee skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Mark actor positions and focus marks, and operate the clapperboard"

Lesson 6 · Handle

Handle camera media safely from camera to DIT, so no footage is ever lost.

ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Pass recorded digital media and supporting information to the DIT"
ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Store, label, document and deliver media and rushes to production"

Lesson 7 · Explain

Explain focal length, T-stops and the four things that change depth of field, and predict which set-up is harder to keep sharp.

ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Select and hand over requested lenses to the first AC"
ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Mark up and call out focus marks when needed"

Lesson 8 · Practise

Lay actors' marks, measure distances safely, and practise a simple focus pull off set.

ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Set actors' marks during line-up and rehearsals"
ScreenSkills second assistant camera / clapper loader skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Explain the colour-coded mark system to actors"

How this course is assessed

Checks

Every lesson: three questions drawn from a bank of eight. You need 80%, and any safety-critical question must be right. Three attempts in 24 hours, with new questions each time.

Tasks

Every lesson ends with a short task. A trained reviewer marks it Met or Not yet, with a comment. Not yet means try again, not fail.

After this course

Book a short competency check with us, online or in person, then a practical on our unit. The FIF Certificate comes from the practical. Book a competency check.

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