We collaborate with a variety of successful photographers, film production teams, NGO’s, magazines and fashion companies in Cape Town that provide some incredible film and photography internship opportunities. Our internships give you the chance to gain an important insight into the realities of working in film or photography, whilst learning from experienced and accomplished professionals in your field.
The best film and photography internships in Cape Town? We think so. We pride ourselves on delivering customised internship placements and on the ground support that offer life-changing, valuable professional experiences.
Cape Town is affordable to travel to and operate within, and coupled with the incredible natural beauty of the landscape and its all year Mediterranean climate, it makes the perfect stage for the filming of award winning movies, model photo shoots and international adverts.
We partner with a range of creditable local and international producers and photographers looking to impart their knowledge on eager assistants and show you the secrets of their trade! Taking part in a film or photography internship provides you with an ideal opportunity to develop your portfolio whilst establishing a network of professional contacts, and there’s no better place to do this than Cape Town!
Read on for a full overview of the best film and photography internships in Africa.
Here's what you can expect from the programme in a nutshell!
Of course, the list is much longer - but these are the skills our intern alumni reported back that they grew in the most!
We managed to grab some detailed interviews from previous interns on this programme, you can click on them below.
The one thing I love the most about Bridging Gaps are the people that work for the company are really relatable and young and friendly! We often went out for dinner together or went out for coffee to chat a few times. It was always so easy to chat to them because they just acted like friends!
What might your programme in this career field look like? Here's how it has typically shaped up for our alumni!
Arrival & orientation. Introduction to Cape Town, your accommodation and your internship host organisation and colleagues.
Get stuck into your film & photography internship placement and establish yourself with your organisation. Come to our free social events.
Enjoy a great work-life balance, getting out and about to see the sites alongside working hard on your internship.
Pick up more responsibility in your internship as you prove your capability. Enjoy regular activities in Cape Town outside of work. Come to another social!
Now you're flying (metaphorically) at work, you'll be more and more autonomous. Expect to pick up even more challenges!
Internship is going swimmingly, now go and do something crazy like swimming with some great white sharks or abseiling off of a mountain.
Regularly enjoy the benefits of Cape Town and at work, gather materials needed for portfolio (e.g. references from us and provider).
Putting the finishing touches to your internship and gathering feedback from us and your internship provider for use in your academic / career portfolio. Finalise paperwork for university (if needed)
Here's what others said when they applied. Some of these people came just for this career area, some mixed it with other career fields too...
What makes our internship programmes a worthwhile investment? Here's a swift overview of what you can expect!
We have two primary programmes to suit your needs. In some instances we also offer virtual placements.
You can come for as long as you need without paying any extra fees.You'll receive the same level of support.
We are 100% on your side. We guarantee every aspect of your trip with unrivalled promises.
Need to focus on a precise niche or two? No problem! Your programme can focus on your specialist areas.
We'll help you engage with the culture and personal benefits of being in a foreign country.
Save on travel and accommodation costs, pay a far lower fee. All while building your professional network.
We will handle all aspects of academic accreditation, including direct liaison with your tutors and academic staff.
We will write full reference letters for your placement(s) to optimise future employers' first impression of you.
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Here are some current or recent internship job opportunities in this career area. We do not publish all openings - so please contact us to hear about others.
Get in touch.
We have worked very hard to streamline our process to make your experience easy, fun and highly rewarding personally and professionally. Flick through the steps below, or read about our process in more detail.
Getting your dream internship all starts with you saying hello! Just pop your details into our enquiry form and we'll reach out to schedule a conversation with you that we call a 'discovery call'.
In your discovery call, you can ask us any questions you still have. We'll talk about your options in the career fields you've told us you're interested in to help you imagine your placement and decide if our service is right for you.
If everything sounds good to you, complete your application to put into words your dream programme. This forms the basis of the 'design' of your customised placement and will be the primary framework against which we validate potentially suitable opportunities.
We maintain a large and varied network of the best organisations in Cape Town. We will identify the best potential fits for your programme goals and preferences and reach out on your behalf to assess those organisations for suitability (learn about their current projects and initiatives).
Once you've confirmed which placement offer you prefer, we'll start helping you plan the rest of your trip. We'll book your accommodation, help with your travel arrangements and provide extensive advice and information on how to get ready for your time in Cape Town. Your Bridging Gaps mentor will be on hand to make sure you're fully prepared for your placement.
Finally, every member of our team will move mountains to make sure you get what you came for and MORE! It's essential to us that you're safe, you're learning and growing in confidence and developing the most important skills for your future career.
Our programme fees are shown below, for a full description of our service offering please click to view the programme or a side-to-side comparison.
Comprehensive support
Visa & travel assist
Accommodation assistance
Social events & excursions
... and lots more
We've answered some specific questions about this internship programme below.
Cape Town is known for its vast film, photography and media presence. As a relatively cheap location for filming the naturally beautiful backdrops of the Western Cape, many film studios have been established full time in the city, as well as international projects which choose to film in Cape Town.
It is very difficult to start any business without previous knowledge or experience. When looking to start your own photography business it is important to have either previous experience or technical training to build client trust. Gaining experience can be done in a number of ways. You may consider becoming an assistant to a well-established photographer, interning to build your own profile and learn the trade or doing pro bono shoots for people you know. Once you've built up your own portfolio, established your expertise and have some positive client reviews, you are well on your way to launching a successful photography business.
There are many jobs within the film industry, some of them include: producer, director, screenwriter, actor, set and costume designer, editor, composer, makeup artist, prop designer, graphic designer and animator.
Employers look for industry-specific experience when hiring within the film sector. A great way to gain this experience would be to take on an apprenticeship, internship or an entry-level graduate job within the industry to help you gain some experience and stand out amongst other applicants.
No! As long as you are passionate about film, photography or editing and you are enthusiastic and motivated to learn, we can find you an exciting internship opportunity!
Your daily tasks and responsibilities as an intern will depend on the local company we match you up with but some of the projects you could be involved in include; assisting with setting up shoots and equipment, contacting venues, hosting castings, assisting with script writing, editing film shoots and photos, promoting projects, arranging exhibitions and assisting with all aspects of shoots on the day.
Send it to us below and we will answer ASAP.
Hi, we're really sorry but we are no longer offering internship opportunities in this career field. However, we wish you the best with your search.