The art department designs, builds, dresses and strikes everything in front of the camera, and it has more ways in than any other department: short films, theatre, scenery firms and prop houses as well as features and high-end TV. At Stage 1 you have never had a paid job in the industry, so this is not the time to apply for jobs. It is the time to learn what the department does, get the drawing, software and driving skills a coordinator looks for, and start a portfolio. Stage 2 is experience, references and contacts, mostly on short films and placements. Stage 3 is paid work and a credit list. Work through the checklist in order, tick what you have done, and bring the gaps to an MFJF mentor. The Foundations course for this role covers the Stage 1 knowledge in detail.
Read the career guide for what the job involves day to day.
Stage 1: Before your first job
32 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 9
- If you are studying, push for work experience through your college or university.
- Look at the MFJF collaborations board for short films that need an art department assistant or set dresser.
- Find relevant experience with scenery companies, prop houses or theatres.
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Skills 12
- Take your driving test if you do not have a licence.
- Volunteer to drive vans to gain experience, and check the age limits on hire vans before you promise to drive one; never drive a minibus unless you hold D1 entitlement.
- Learn Photoshop and Illustrator to a working standard; graphics dressing and mood boards are junior jobs.
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Knowledge 11
- Research the example CVs on MFJF to see what a great first art department CV looks like, then build yours in the MFJF CV Builder.
- Research the art department and the many roles that are available; the BFDG's Job Roles Explained page and the ScreenSkills art department assistant skills checklist are free.
- Research companies to see if they are recruiting, or offering work experience.
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Stage 2: Experience and contacts
31 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 11
- Continue to apply for work experience on a variety of productions.
- Work towards 3 to 5 credits as an assistant on short films.
- Begin to build a network of contacts from short films; keep in touch with everyone you have worked with.
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Skills 11
- Are you able to demonstrate a professional attitude on set?
- Are you adaptable when working on different productions?
- Driving licence and your own car if possible.
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Knowledge 9
- Do you know what is required from you as soon as you set foot on set?
- Do you know all the terms for the set amenities and the general film lingo: pre-call, flying in, wild wall, hero prop, greeking, a nervous?
- Are you continuing to broaden your knowledge of architecture and furniture past and present? Judith Miller's Furniture: World Styles from Classical to Contemporary (Dorling Kindersley) is the standard guide.
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Stage 3: Paid work
23 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 7
- It can take two years as an assistant, or as a departmental runner on bigger-budget productions, to build the contacts that bring regular paid work.
- Continue to broaden your contact base working on short films.
- Use your contacts to find assistant positions on commercials, promos, corporate films, TV drama and streaming series.
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Skills 9
- Do you feel confident working with new people?
- Are you able to fit into an established team?
- Do you have the skills listed in the previous two stages plus a solid work ethic and drive?
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Knowledge 7
- Do you have a clear idea of which area of the art department you want to move into? Prop making? Set dressing? Draughting? Graphics?
- Familiarise yourself with how you will be paid: entry grades are normally PAYE, HMRC's Employment Status Manual ESM4118 lists the grades treated as self-employed, and off-payroll (IR35) rules have applied to medium and large engagers since 2021.
- Understand fully the work of the art department on set and on location.
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Ways in for a art department assistant
Real schemes, checked on the organiser’s own page. A shut one is still here with when it comes back, because half the big schemes are closed at any one time and that is worth knowing.
- Trainee FinderScreenSkillsPeople over 18 who live in the UK and have less than 12 months of paid production experience in their chosen department. No on-set experience is needed, and there is no upper age limit.Final deadline 28 October 2026
- Yorkshire's Screen Diversity ProgrammeScreen YorkshirePeople aged 19 or over who live in York and North Yorkshire and have not done a Skills Bootcamp in the last 12 months. No screen experience or qualifications are needed, and graduates and career changers are welcome. Screen Yorkshire particularly encourages applicants from groups under-represented in film and television.Final deadline 2 November 2026
- Sara Putt Associates Trainee SchemeSara Putt AssociatesTwo professional credits but under three years' cumulative experience, in Camera, Sound, Edit, Production Office, Art, Costume, AD, Script Supervisor, Locations, or Hair and Make-Up.Final deadline 24 January 2027
Sources and References
This is MFJF’s own three-stage career plan for a art department assistant, written up from the career plan and the careers guide on our site. Open any of them yourself.
- MFJF career plan: Art Department Assistant (PDF) the original plan this page was written up from
- MFJF careers guide: Art Department Assistant what the job involves day to day
- The Three Career Stages the framework all three stages follow
Every link checked 19 September 2026. The plan itself was last revised September 2026.
