CityVarsity: Growing entertainment industry in SA needs trained video professionals

15 Apr 2020 - 21:21

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

When most people think about the music industry they usually visualise someone singing, playing an instrument, sitting behind a sound console, managing an act on the road or preparing contracts for the next big discovery. Yet one of the biggest subsectors of the industry involves the production of videos, which have become the driving force behind hype and brand creation for almost all artists looking to make a worthwhile impression in their respective scenes. Just imagine what the music industry would look like if videos did not exist. The Golden Age of Radio in the 1920s-1950 would be an apt visual to evoke, when families huddled around a tube receiver to get their daily dose of information and entertainment.

CityVarsity offers state-of-the-art facilities at its campuses.

But things have changed greatly since then, with moving visuals dominating the media space. Video has not only “killed the radio star”, as the popular song suggests, but with the rise of the Internet also buried and forgotten about it for good. And although South Africa is still one of the last bastions of significant radio consumption, its dominance is constantly being disrupted by improving Internet infrastructure and affordable data costs. This means that video content, which has also superseded text-heavy content and by extension reading, is becoming more accessible and sought after by the day.

The South African entertainment industry is set to grow at an exponential rate and the need for skilled and creative sound engineers, music producers, sound designers and videographers is set to grow alongside this explosion. – Kevin Leicher, Sound HOD at CityVarsity’s Braamfontein campus

With demand comes a farrago of opportunities for a new generation of writers, directors, editors and camera operators, among many others, who produce the video content required by the music industry. There are literally hundreds of African music videos being produced daily, making the sector a lucrative one for well-trained professionals who can deliver high-quality products.

As a way to set and maintain high video production standards, CityVarsity is currently offering some of the most cutting-edge and competitively priced courses in film and TV at its Johannesburg (Braamfontein) and Cape Town campuses in South Africa.

CityVarsity divides its offering in diploma and degree programmes, both with a duration of three years, as well as a host of short learning curricula designed to prepare graduates for the working environment, including courses in camerawork and lighting, digital video editing, directing, DSLR filming, scriptwriting and web coding.

The short courses are designed as a cost-effective way to prepare students for the job market and equip them with the necessary tools to run successful businesses in the music and broadcasting industries. This is done with the help of state-of-the-art facilities and professional video production equipment housed at the Braamfontein and Cape Town campuses.

Kevin Leicher, Sound HOD at CityVarsity’s Braamfontein campus, encourages young creatives to get audio and video training in an industry showing great potential.

“A band or artist is only as good as the quality of the sound emanating from the speaker system,” Leicher says. “A film or television programme is only as moving as the accompanying audio track. Sound and music inform emotions and trigger the imagination. The South African entertainment industry is set to grow at an exponential rate and the need for skilled and creative sound engineers, music producers, sound designers and videographers is set to grow alongside this explosion.”

CityVarsity course options on offer:

Department of Film and Television Production

Bachelor of Art in Film and Television (visit website for more information).
Diploma in Film Television and Production techniques (visit website).
Short programme in Camerawork and Lighting (visit website).
Short Programme in Digital Video Editing (visit website).
Short Programme in Directing (visit website).
Short Programme in Introduction to DSLR Filming (visit website)
Short Programme in Scriptwriting (visit website)
Short Programme in Web Coding (visit website)

Department of Sound Engineering

Diploma in Sound Engineering (visit website).
Short Programme in Music Production (visit website).
Short Programme in Sound Design and Post-production (visit website).

CityVarsity's short sound engineering and music production programmes offer comprehensive training in audio software such as Pro Tools, Reason and Cubase.

For more information about other music industry-related courses, visit the CityVarsity official website.

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