Cape Town film industry internship

Cape Town Film Industry Internship

Position: Production Assistant
Number of available positions: (2)
Duration of internship: 10-12 weeks

Students and graduates who are interested in purusing a career in film should consider our Film Industry Internships in Cape Town, South Africa. The following is a description of the South African film industry and the prospective internship opportunities that exist for our program participants.

Internship Description:

South Africa's political transformation in 1994 vastly benefited the film and television production industry. Not only did it broaden and liberalize the South African market, but it also opened the world to national film producers and vice versa. The film industry - still mainly dependent on overseas producers- is one of the top five growth industries in the Western Cape. Movies that have recently been shot in the Cape include Country of my Skull featuring Juliette Binoche and Samuel Jackson, Lord of War with Nicholas Cage, Ultimatum with Vinnie Jones and Eddie Griffith, The Piano Player, featuring Christopher Lambert and Dennis Hopper and Manhunt with SA-born mummy star Arnold Vosloo.

The opportunities for filming in the Western Cape are almost unlimited. The Western Cape has Alpine-style mountains and lakes, tropical beaches, rugged rocky coastlines, rolling wheat fields and mysterious forests. Within a short distance from the international airport, filmmakers can find a Roman Colosseum, a Hong Kong street market, a Paris fashion show, South Beach Miami, 1960's London as well as numerous other generic American cities. And, of course, there is the weather. It is nearly guaranteed that the sun will shine for at least fourteen hours a day in the Cape, in the middle of the European winter.

In addition, shooting a film in Cape Town is at least 30% cheaper than in Europe and the United States and 20% cheaper than in Australia, making it all the more attractive to overseas film producers. To engage the industry of filming, the Cape Film Commission and thirty film companies in Cape Town are trying to develop the market. Film industries in Europe and the United States are highly-developed and offer South Africa big competition, especially in post production facilities.

The most lucrative part of the film industry in the Cape is the international commercials business with over 400 film shoots per year. Cape Town offers 6 equipment rental companies, more than 25 stills production companies and around 45 commercial service companies. The city attracts 58% of all commercial shoots. A R30 million post-production facility opened in summer 2003, enables international film companies to complete their total film productions in Cape Towns and solidifies the city’s prominence in the international film industry.In addition to the film industry, Cape Town boasts a number of commercial marketing firms, television stations and print media.

South Africa in general, and Cape Town in specific, has become one of the preferred film production destinations in the Southern Hemisphere, and with good reason. In Cape Town alone it is possible to shoot more than 15 different “countries” and that doesn’t even count the vast open spaces of the surrounding countryside, the verdant Winelands, the sandy beaches and plethora of quirky towns that are all within striking distance of the city. Add to this our pleasant year-round weather and you can understand while film crews from around the globe have been flocking to our sunny shores.

International companies that have collaborated with local Cape Town film production companies include:

•    Jerry Bruckheimer Films
•    Warner Bros.
•    New Line Cinema
•    Disney
•    Dreamworks
•    Universal
•    Sony Pictures

If you are considering a career in the film industry, you cannot let this Cape Town film industry internship opportunity pass you by.
 

As an intern in our program, you will be placed at a local production company based upon your professional interests within the industry. Interns most commonly work as a production secretaries and as a set coordinator whenever the company is managing a film shoot. You will learn to communicate and work with a wide variety of people involved in a film production and will gain exposure to all aspects of a film shoot, from catering to equipment. Any potential applicants must have a passion for film and be considering a future in the film industry. It is also recommended that applicants have some film experience. Please note that should you be awarded the summer film internship position you will be expected to work long hours while on set.

See more photos from this internship in our Cape Town internship gallery.

 -An intern on set during the filming of a commercial during a Cape Town film industry internship.