High rigger to followspot operator
A high rigger already meets 47% of what the followspot operator role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.1/ 100
1 How much of what a followspot operator is expected to do is already part of a high rigger’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the followspot operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A followspot operator role treats 9 of its required skills as things a high rigger already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assemble performance equipment
- follow safety procedures when working at heights
- store performance equipment
- use communication equipment
- use personal protection equipment
- work ergonomically
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A followspot operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a high rigger background worth leading with.
- already held assemble performance equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held store performance equipment handling and moving
- already held use communication equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held work safely with mobile electrical systems under supervision working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held work with respect for own safety assisting and caring
- already held work safely with machines working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 12 carried skills, including the 9 the followspot operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn adapt to artists' creative demands required
- still to learn communicate during show required
- still to learn set up follow spots required
- still to learn understand artistic concepts required
- optional, not held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue optional
- optional, not held identify technical resources for performances optional
- still to learn prevent fire in a performance environment required
- still to learn follow safety precautions in work practices required
- optional, not held perform first fire intervention optional
- still to learn operate follow spots required
- still to learn de-rig electronic equipment required
- still to learn set up equipment in a timely manner required
- optional, not held pack electronic equipment optional
- still to learn prepare personal work environment required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a followspot operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt to artists' creative demands practise this
- 02 communicate during show practise this
- 03 operate follow spots practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held assemble performance equipment skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held store performance equipment skill
- already held use communication equipment skill
- already held use personal protection equipment skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held work safely with machines skill
- already held work safely with mobile electrical systems under supervision skill
- already held work with respect for own safety skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue optional
- optional, not held identify technical resources for performances optional
- optional, not held pack electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held perform first fire intervention optional
25 held skills the followspot operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assemble circus rigging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role assemble truss constructions skill
- not needed by the target role calculate rigging plots skill
- not needed by the target role define rigging needs for circus acts skill
- not needed by the target role design rigging plots skill
- not needed by the target role document safety actions skill
- not needed by the target role ensure safety of mobile electrical systems skill
- not needed by the target role evacuate people from heights skill
- not needed by the target role hang chain hoists skill
- not needed by the target role maintain chain hoists skill
- not needed by the target role maintain circus rigging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain rigging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage technical resources stock skill
- not needed by the target role operate forklift skill
- not needed by the target role operate telehandler skill
- not needed by the target role organise resources for artistic production skill
- not needed by the target role perform regular checks on rigging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role plot rigging movements skill
- not needed by the target role promote health and safety skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role provide power distribution skill
- not needed by the target role react to emergency situations in a live performance environment skill
- not needed by the target role use rope access techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use technical documentation skill
- not needed by the target role write risk assessment on performing arts production skill
Common questions about this move
Can a high rigger become a followspot operator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A high rigger already covers 47% of what a followspot operator is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 9 of which the followspot operator role treats as required.
What skills does a high rigger need to become a followspot operator?
10 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adapt to artists' creative demands.
How hard is the move from high rigger to followspot operator?
Its learning distance is 55.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.