How the 2016 Cape Town International Jazz Festival grows new arts writers and photographers
Are you an arts writer, blogger or photographer who wants to broaden your horizons?
If so, you will once again have the opportunity to achieve those goals at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) Arts Journalism, Photojournalism and Mentoring Arts Journalists programmes. The trainers leading these short courses use the Festival as backdrop and context for developing and honing the skills needed to do justice to South Africa’s nuanced cultural narrative. The courses help participants to apply their knowledge to reporting any arts topic, whether for traditional press, broadcast or new media.
The growth of digital media has seen an increase in the demand for content across the board. There is a hunger for specialist and unique pieces that spark interest and capture attention. The arts and entertainment beats provide rich pickings for creating unique content, but spotting and reporting on these needs skill, particularly for short form writing. Participants on the CTIJF programmes will have access to the festival’s workshops, master classes, and performances, and to some artists and other festival role-players behind the scenes. The courses will support them as they learn to drill down to the heart of the story and format it into newsworthy and engaging copy. They’ll also learn more about the history, context and content of the festival’s music.
Building reporting capacity in an era of shrinking newsrooms and increasingly intense competition on multiple platforms, is tough. The media that win the struggle for readers will be those that provide ‘a good read’ and thought provoking images; those that that can connect, engage with and retain often-fickle audiences. Editors and media owners can give their platforms a head start by offering their writers, photographers and arts/lifestyle team leaders access to ongoing training and skills development such as these courses.
Says Gwen Ansell who directs Arts Journalism: “Training is always a worthwhile investment. These courses cover relevant national curriculum and offer young reporters the chance to take home unique stories from the festival for publication and their portfolios.”
Led by respected professionals, all three courses are well established (Arts Journalism is in its 14th year) and highly regarded by the industry. As a result they attract far more applicants than there are places available. Submit your application at the earliest date possible.
For further details please see: www.capetownjazzfest.com
