Ausstattungs-Assistent/Ausstattungs-Assistentin

Media sources related to this profession include Careers in Theatre, Stage Technology Review, The Network for Film and Television Professionals, The German Stage, Young Stage, and The Knowledge Portal of the German Film Academy.

Virtual real-time film sets and high-resolution LED displays create digital film environments during studio shoots. Film crews no longer work with a green screen; instead, a scenery previously recorded during an outdoor shoot is projected onto the displays. In these film sets, backgrounds change perspectively correct to match camera movement. Actors see the scene directly and can actively engage with the environment. This technology reduces filming costs by, among other things, minimizing elaborate outdoor shoots with the entire crew. Professionals in the film business will need to familiarize themselves with this development. In digital theatre, actors perform alongside avatars or robots, stage designs are created using holograms, and masks are made with 3D printing. Performances are streamed live, and audiences can control the plot via smartphone or with the help of virtual reality.

Equipment assistants usually work in offices and meeting rooms, in workshops and production halls, on stages, and outdoors. They may also work from home or remotely.

Core competencies generally required in this profession include: setup and dismantling (stage, film), equipment (film, television, stage), scenography, image and sound technology, stage and theatre technology, applying CAD (Computer Aided Design) systems, color design and styling, film architecture, calculation, managing costumes and props, set construction (film, television, theatre), interior design, and props. Further competencies that may be significant for exercising this profession include: television technology, form design, lighting technology, production (stage, film, television, video, audivision), pyrotechnics, style studies, theatre studies, and drawing.

Equipment assistants procure and provide a wide variety of equipment pieces, which can include costumes, props, and decorations. In meeting rooms, equipment assistants participate in conceptual discussions for the scenic design of theatre plays and film productions. In the office, they use computers to develop schedules or production documents. In workshops, they explain and supervise the manufacturing of equipment parts. On stages, at filming locations, or in studios, they control the setup of decorations, sets, and other equipment parts. During filming, they often travel to changing workplaces, both indoors and outdoors. In theatres, shift work is possible if equipment assistants are needed for rehearsals (during the day) or performances (in the evening). For outdoor shoots for film and television, they must expect long working hours.

Equipment assistants can become self-employed, for example, by starting a company for event and stage equipment services.

The exemplary minimum weekly salary ranges from 1,357 € to 1,507 €. This weekly salary does not include overtime, night work, or work under difficult conditions. This information is for orientation purposes only; no claims can be derived from it. Source: Collective Agreement for Film and Television Professionals Employed for the Duration of Production.

Art, culture, museums; drama, opera and musicals; ballet; venues for drama and musical theatre; concert organizers; variety shows and cabaret stages; theatre, spoken word and literature event organizers; other entertainment organizers; film, video, audio production; production of other video films, films and television programs; radio, television, other media dissemination; television broadcasters and distribution of video content.

Employers often expect an Ausbildung (vocational training) or Weiterbildung (further training) in stage design, for example, or a corresponding Studium (university degree).

Stage Design (undergraduate), Stage Design (postgraduate), Costume Design (undergraduate), Costume Design (postgraduate), Scenography (undergraduate), Scenography (postgraduate).

Equipment assistants find employment in theatres, opera and drama houses, with theatre and concert organizers, with film and television production companies, and with television broadcasters.

Equipment assistants are responsible for stage and film decorations, costumes, and other equipment components.

Job and applicant exchanges: Bühnenjobs.de, united, Der Theaterverlag, DTHG Stellenmarkt, kulturjobs.net, mandy.com, StagePool, VioWorld.

Associations and organizations: Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V., Deutscher Bühnenverein Bundesverband der Theater und Orchester, Deutsche Theatertechnische Gesellschaft e.V. (DTHG), Genossenschaft Deutscher Bühnen-Angehöriger (GDBA), Künstlervermittlung der Zentralen Auslands- und Fachvermittlung (ZAV), ver.di - Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, Verband der Berufsgruppen Szenenbild und Kostümbild e.V. (VSK).

Working conditions: This role involves manual work, such as creating scale drawings and models for all scenes in film and television productions. It also includes screen work, like developing schedules or production documents. Work is carried out in offices and meeting rooms within the film industry, at broadcasting and television companies, or at theaters, opera houses, and playhouses. Monitoring the production of equipment parts in workshops, production halls is also part of the job. Work takes place on stages and outdoors during location shoots. Irregular working hours (evenings, weekends, or holidays) are common, especially in film, television, and media. Group and team work is essential, collaborating with stage and costume designers, prop masters, and staff from film and television workshops. Tasks and work situations change frequently due to varying theater, film, or television productions.

Work items/tools: Documents such as stage and film decor concepts, color sketches, floor plans, cost calculations and billing, schedule and rehearsal plans, setup and dismantling plans, and checklists are used. Accessories, decorations, backdrops, and costumes are also work items. Office equipment like PCs, internet access, and telephones are utilized.

Tasks and activities (compact): Equipment assistants procure stage and film decorations, props, and costumes for theater performances and concerts. They create schedules, as well as view, color, and floor plan sketches. Additionally, they design scale drawings and models that serve as a basis for manufacturing workshops. During outdoor shoots, they ensure that equipment parts are available for various scenes and settings. They may also supervise reconstruction work during filming.

Access professions/activities: Stage Painter and Stage Sculptor / Stage Painter and Stage Sculptor specializing in Sculpture, Certified Prop Master.

Continuing education for adaptation helps to keep professional knowledge up-to-date and to adapt it to new developments (e.g., in the fields of television production, interior design, screenwriting, or accounting). Furthermore, the trend towards digitalization in theatre can become an important continuing education topic for Ausstattungs-Assistenten (Equipment Assistants).

Depending on prior professional education, further career opportunities open up through advanced training for career advancement (e.g., to become a Requisiteur/in (Prop Master)) or through a bachelor's (Studium) or master's degree (e.g., in scenography or stage design). Under certain conditions, a university degree (Studium) is also possible without a general higher education entrance qualification. For more information: Access to higher education in the individual Bundesländer (federal states) of Germany.

Participate in preliminary discussions, e.g., together with directors. Maintain lists of required equipment parts. Prepare schedules. Participate in location scouting, visit filming locations. Procure stage and film decorations, props, backdrops, costumes, and other equipment parts. Create view, color, and floor plan sketches or scaled drawings and models as a basis for production for workshops, and accompany production. Participate in the acceptance of decorations and equipment parts by directors and set/stage designers and costume designers, and prepare minutes. Organize and supervise work at the play or filming location, as well as the transport, assembly, modification, and dismantling of stage and film decorations. Calculate and settle equipment costs.

The following lists professions or activities that show similarities to the original profession. These professions represent a possible alternative for applicants. Furthermore, employers can consider individuals from these professions as alternatives for filling a position in the original profession. Some alternative professions only comprise partial activities of the original profession, while others require an induction period, which can vary in length in individual cases. The following immediate employment and staffing alternatives are available for the profession of Ausstattungs-Assistent/in (Equipment Assistant): Job and staffing alternatives for the overall activity (usually short induction): Bühnenbildner/in (Stage Designer), Bühnenmaler und Bühnenplastiker/in Fachrichtung Plastik (Stage Painter and Stage Sculptor, specializing in Sculpture), Kostümbildner/in (Costume Designer), Geprüfter Requisiteur/in (Certified Prop Master), Szenenbildner/in (Set Designer). In related professions: Bühnenbild-Assistent/in (Stage Design Assistant). For a complete list of possible professions, please check BERUFENET.