Most parents probably still let out a small whimper when told by their child that they intend to pursue a career in film, television or radio. This is mainly because the industry has suffered from a negative perception that there is limited career potential and that there are too few positions for the number of candidates who flood the market.
However, there are encouraging signs that the local industry is shrugging off its teething problems and heading for expansion.
The National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (Nemisa) based in Parktown, Johannesburg, was started in 2000 as a government-funded institute to nurture talent and to agitate the media industry to change and create fresh opportunities for young graduates. ‘There still isn’t transformation in the industry and to a large extent this is still a closed market,” says Stan Molema, head of training for Nemisa.
Molema says major stumbling blocks include the continued practice of buying overseas television programmes instead of producing local material. He says there are also limited employment opportunities.
‘At the moment only 40% of our first intake of graduates are employed but we are trying to rectify this by ensuring that we include modules in the curriculum that promote self employment and entrepreneurial skills,” says Molema.
Nemisa has a R20-million budget and each year takes on 20 students from around the country for courses that vary in duration from 18 months to two years. Eligible students range from those fresh out of school, to those who have some job experience and students who have studied in other fields. Full scholarships, which include accommodation and travel expenses, are awarded to these successful candidates.
‘We do favour students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and we are biased towards female applicants,” says Molema. He adds: ‘Particularly in a country like ours that has an emerging democracy we need people who are communicators and can use their skills for social re-engineering.”
When it comes to the film industry, there may be even more of a boom.Deon Opperman, one of three founding members of the Johannesburg-based South African School of Motion Picture and Live Performance (Afda), believes that the local film industry is beginning to show promise.
‘We may still be waiting for that big South African film that wins something like a Golden Palm award but what we are seeing from countries such as Australia is that once quality training becomes available the really good movies start making an appearance,” he says.
Afda offers a three-year degree course as well as the option of an honours year. Opperman says depth of training is vital to produce graduates who can add value to the industry and also secure well-paid positions. There is a strong emphasis on promoting management and business skills as well as incorporating experiential training for the students.
The minimum admission requirement is a matric certificate, although Opperman says the primary criteria for admission lies in having a passion for communication and the arts and also an interest in telling stories. Their own graduates are making waves as sought after professionals around the world.
The school currently has a healthy 96% of its graduates employed and Opperman is confident that there is enough work to make film a worthwhile career option.
Tanzil Abrahams of City Varsity’s Film, Television and Multi-media School in Cape Town is one who sees positive signs for the local industry. ‘It is estimated that it is 30 to 40% cheaper to film in Cape Town than it is in Europe or in the USA,” he says.
Abrahams also quotes statistics released by the Department of Arts Culture Science and Technology which indicate that the local film industry doubled its earnings from R2 billion in 2001 to R4 billion last year.
Lecturer at City Varsity Martin Botha says that a combination of solid skills training and imagination is vital in ensuring that the film industry keeps being a money-spinner for the country.
Botha says that students also need to be given a wide range of skills, be it scriptwriting, camerawork, lighting, editing, production or directing, so that they don’t limit their employment potential.
Minimum entry requirement for City Varsity is a matric certificate, although students are required to undergo an interview process and to submit sample artwork.
There are eight full-time courses that range from one to three years in duration. The campus is designed to simulate the workings of the real world, thereby giving students practical experience in their chosen fields.