CUA20225 Certificate II in Creative Industries
– Esports Production & Broadcasting

This introductory subject establishes the foundational operational and structural frameworks required to bring an esports event to life. Students begin by exploring the global esports landscape, comparing the anatomy of massive professional events to local, school-level competitions. Through collaborative planning sessions, the class acts as a production crew to establish a definitive event strategy, which includes mapping out the tournament’s vision, scope, target audience, rule sets, and game selection. This subject also guides students through their first hands-on technical steps, introducing the core layout of OBS Studio, establishing Work Health and Safety (WHS) protocols for setting up hardware workstations, and evaluating industry-standard streaming networks like Twitch and YouTube.

Learning Outcomes:

• Differentiate between professional industry operations and local school event structures.
• Develop a comprehensive Event Strategy outlining tournament rules, scope, and target audience.
• Navigate and configure the core user interface, scenes, and sources within OBS Studio.
• Conduct a production area risk assessment and set up a computer workstation according to safe WHS guidelines.
• Collaborate with a team to assign individual responsibilities and establish clear information-sharing protocols.

In this subject, students transition into creative designers to build the distinct visual and aesthetic identity of their upcoming broadcast. The curriculum explores the fundamentals of digital branding, teaching students how to synthesize custom logos, color palettes, and comprehensive style guides that remain legally compliant with copyright and content licensing protocols. Using a project-based design brief, students learn to navigate digital editing suites to produce professional media assets such as static overlays and webcam frames. Additionally, students examine the technical and psychological design principles behind broadcast HUDs, learning how to configure stream widgets, browser sources, and live-updating scoreboard displays.

Learning Outcomes:

• Design a cohesive visual identity and brand style guide tailored to a specific live-stream brief.
• Create static graphic overlays and lower-thirds using industry-standard or open-source digital design software.
• Apply copyright and licensing protocols correctly when selecting assets for a media package.
• Build and integrate live web widgets, browser sources, and animated countdown timers into a broadcast layout.

This subject dives deeply into the physical and digital architecture of broadcast engineering, focusing on studio signal flow and control room operations. Students trace the path of media data as it routes from gaming stations, through physical capture cards, and into a dedicated production computer. Practical lessons walk students through standard “Bump In” procedures, teaching them safe manual handling techniques while organizing hardware components using HDMI, USB, and XLR cabling. The curriculum places a strong emphasis on professional audio mixing, instructing students on microphone techniques, gain staging, software noise filters, and sync delays. Finally, students master complex multi-source scene management in OBS Studio and configure hotkey shortcuts to quickly execute clean camera cuts.

Learning Outcomes:

• Construct a functional broadcast environment by correctly routing HDMI, USB, and XLR cables across multiple PCs.
• Manage a studio audio panel desk, executing sound checks and adjusting levels to balance gameplay, music, and commentary tracks.
• Program hotkeys and stream deck shortcuts to smoothly transition between a complete scene list (e.g., Gameplay, Analyst Desk, Interviews).
• Implement safe manual handling during equipment assembly and execute standard “Bump In” processes.
• Ingest, align, and organize raw media files and audio tracks in a structured format ready for live deployment or post-production editing.

Shifting focus from technical execution to on-air presentation, this subject refines public speaking, storytelling, and professional staging techniques. Students dissect real-world broadcast recordings to analyze the specific factors that captivate or alienate streaming audiences. Practical modules split students into distinct on-air roles, coaching them through high-energy play-by-play commentary drills and calculated color analysis exercises. Beyond vocal performance, students learn the fundamentals of scriptwriting for live event introductions and post-game interviews. They also practice physical presentation skills by utilizing basic three-point studio lighting configurations and framing high-quality camera shots for the caster desk.

Learning Outcomes:

• Deliver natural, engaging live commentary by adapting vocal range, pronunciation, and pacing during high-energy gameplay.
• Differentiate in practice between the analytical roles and conversational pacing of play-by-play versus color commentary.
• Script and conduct professional on-camera interviews using proper framing and basic three-point lighting techniques.
• Critically review historical broadcasts to evaluate audience engagement factors and refine presentation styles.
• Manage and deploy real-time graphic prompts and lower-thirds to support unfolding match narratives.

This subject shifts focus to management, pre-event synchronization, and broadcast marketing. Students step into leadership roles to construct a minute-by-minute Run of Show (ROS) production schedule that coordinates crew movements, talent cues, and media assets. File management is heavily emphasized, requiring students to establish highly organized digital directories for video assets, music, and graphics to enable instant retrieval during live operations. This subject also guides students through rigorous contingency planning and full dress rehearsals to stress-test their technical frameworks against simulated system drops. Lastly, students look outward to promotional marketing, learning basic video editing workflows to log clips, add background music, and cut exciting promotional highlight reels.

Learning Outcomes:

• Produce a highly detailed, minute-by-minute Run of Show schedule to synchronize all production staff and media cues.
• Organize cloud-based and local project folders systematically for instant asset retrieval during live operations.
• Execute a full dress rehearsal to test, identify, and resolve technical and interpersonal workflow conflicts under pressure.
• Cut, log, and edit raw tournament footage into short promotional “bumper” videos using basic video editing functions and timecode logging.
• Gather, apply, and document peer feedback to amend video sequences and optimize individual production practices.

The final subject serves as the ultimate culmination of the qualification, bringing all prior modules together on production day. Students step into their designated crew roles—whether calling shots as the Producer, mixing sound as the Audio Engineer, or driving the broadcast as the Technical Director—to execute a real-world, multi-source live tournament stream. Following the high-energy conclusion of the event, the focus shifts to post-production and reflection. Students conduct a thorough review of Video-on-Demand (VOD) recordings and stream analytics to objectively evaluate their technical execution. The qualification concludes with a complete studio pack-down using professional “Bump Out” procedures, the generation of technical handover documentation, and the compilation of a professional digital portfolio showcasing each student’s best individual work.

Learning Outcomes:

• Perform successfully as a collaborative media crew member (e.g., Producer, Technical Director, Caster) during a live, unscripted broadcast event.
• Troubleshoot and resolve live operational equipment or software issues smoothly as they arise mid-broadcast.
• Critically analyse recorded VODs and stream statistics to assess audio quality, graphic timing, and overall pacing.
• Execute professional “Bump Out” procedures by clearing, packing, and labelling equipment safely while reporting any hardware faults.
• Compile a personalized digital production portfolio demonstrating a student’s best work in graphic design, casting, or technical directing.