Academy Award season through the lens of three of SAIT’s certificates of achievement

It’s Academy Awards season once again, that time of year when one question keeps coming up again and again: What the heck do some of these categories mean?

The Academy has the answers, and so does SAIT.

In January 2025, Calgary was celebrated on MovieMaker Magazine’s 2025 list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker in North America. As the city continues to be recognized as a destination for filmmakers, there are lots of ways to develop or enhance your skills.

Certificate offered through SAIT’s Continuing Education and Professional Studies delve into specialized skills used in the media and entertainment industry — perfect for anyone dreaming of taking home a gold statuette one day, or those who are already working in the field and looking to level up their skills.

Let’s take a closer look at the skills filmmakers and event broadcasts are using behind the scenes.

Setting up the live broadcast

Before we even get into the award presentation, we have to set the scene. Lights, camera, action.

Lights first.

The spotlight swivels around the stage to capture speakers, recipients and musical acts. Lighting fixtures controlled by consoles light up the recipients and awards, who need to be seen by both the live audience and cameras capturing the event for the folks at home.

Now cameras.

In a multi-camera event like the Academy Awards, you’ll see sweeping shots over the Hollywood crowd smoothly transition to the stage, awardees and reactions. These framing changes are an essential and teachable skill controlled by a video switcher.

During the action — behind the control systems, technology and near-flawless delivery — there’s a human who knows the ins and outs of complex systems, including the niche language and workflow of a shows and events.

👉 Explore the Event Technician Certificate of Achievement at SAIT

Category: Film editing

Most smartphones take great photos and video, making the world of digital recording seem simpler now than ever. But, for professionals and enthusiasts, cameras are also recording more incredible content than ever before.

Think of the increases in quality that have occurred over the last few years in media. The gold-standard of 4K was challenged by Blue-ray, then high definition, and now ultra-high definition. The crisp tuxedos and glittery dresses on the red carpet have never looked sharper. These beautiful photos are the product of correctly adjusted lighting, aperture, shutter speed and more.

👉 Explore the Photography Certificate of Completion at SAIT (Fun fact: SAIT has the largest traditional darkroom in Calgary!)

Category: Sound mixing

What is sound? Is it what you hear — acoustic transmissions that enter our ear canals? Is it what you feel — rumbling from a booming noise, the tiny vibrations of a high-pitched one? Or is it what you perceive — something known as psychoacoustics, which is the combination of our bodies receiving and interpreting sound?

You’ve probably guessed correctly. It’s all of the above.

Audio design is a massively complex, multifaceted field that includes everything from how digital audio is created and transmitted to the physical placement of speakers in space design.

When watching Oscar-nominated movies, these qualities can provide directional cues, such as making the audience think that sound is coming from one side of a room, or creating an immersive battle scene that shakes the floor beneath your feet. During the award show itself, effective sound mixing keeps volume levels consistent between speakers, and optimizing the Dolby Theatre’s acoustics to make sure noise carries across the whole space.

👉 Explore Digital Audio Certificate of Achievement at SAIT