Be Your Dream Gap Year Program

Overview

The Be Your Dream Gap Year program is a new venture of Be Your Dream, whereby a small group of people will become involved in Be Your Dream over the course of a year. Students will get the opportunity to see how certain aspects of the entertainment industry work on a practical level. Knowing how things work on a theoretical level is important, but seeing and experiencing the positive and negative elements of an industry first hand is something that cannot be studied or taught. This program is not designed for students to study, learn and be tested on the knowledge and experience they acquire, but rather it is an opportunity for them to experience first‐hand what goes on in this industry. They will be able to have fun doing so, and will also be given the opportunity to meet important people in the industry.

Be Your Dream is run by and employs professional people who have much experience in their fields of work, ensuring that students get the best advice and insight into their fields of interest. Furthermore, students will be given the opportunity to meet high‐profile people in the industry such as music artists, musicians, sound engineers, directors, producers, journalists, editors, and stylists, among others.

We aim to attend to each student’s individual wishes by adapting the program where possible in order to to accommodate the student’s aspirations. We cannot promise any degree of success to students, but we will strive to help them discover the path they wish to pursue within the entertainment industry.

Areas of involvement

1. MUSIC

1.1 Performance
Students will learn a musical instrument. They may choose between the guitar, piano/keyboard, bass, drums, or singing. This includes no more than 2 music lessons per week. Students are expected to practice their chosen instrument in order to develop skills that they can take away with them once the program has been completed. Additionally, students may attend musical events and venture behind the scenes in order to experience the workings of a live show. This will include stage, band, and sound setup, as well as show production and live sound engineering.

1.2 Production
Students will spend time in the Be Your Dream studio, watching and learning about the various processes that must take place in order to record a song, jingle, or a voice‐over for an advertisement. This includes recording of music or prewritten scripts, and the post-production processes of mixing and mastering the recorded material. As an essential part of the Gap Year program, students will have a song produced for them, valued at R30 000. They may be a part of the songwriting and production processes in whatever capacity they are able, whether to sing their song, play an instrument on the recording, or to be a part of the mixing and mastering processes that follow. If the area of music production is pursued, it is essential for the student to learn the keyboard as an instrument in addition to any other instruments they wish to learn.

1.3 Songwriting
Students will be given the opportunity to participate in songwriting sessions. They will be able to give their input and see how a successful song is written, both musically and lyrically.

2. TELEVISION

2.1 The Be Your Dream TV Show
Students will be given the opportunity to be a part of the process of recording the Be Your Dream television show, which is aired on Kyknet on Sunday evenings. Elements that will be covered include scriptwriting for the show, filming in studio and in the field, as well as the editing process that follows recording.

2.2. Advertising

Be Your Dream produces television commercials that air during the weekly TV show. Students may learn about the processes that take place to produce a television commercial, from the creative scripting, to the recording and sound production of the commercial.

2.3. Music Video
For each of Anais’s songs, there is an opportunity to produce a music video. Students will be given the opportunity to be a part of the process of producing a music video. This includes elements of creating an idea for the video, selecting locations for the shoot, and filming and editing the video.

3.MAGAZINE

3.1. Journalism
There are numerous types of articles that can be written for a magazine. These can be stories about real‐life events, interviews with people, reviews, creative stories, or informative articles. Students may take part in the journalistic process of how to gather appropriate information to be published in the magazine. As a part of the gap year, it is essential for students to write a short article that will be published in the Be Your Dream Magazine. The type of article written will be assigned by the Editor in Chief. The story will be either a creative, reflective, investigative article or descriptive. Our magazine editor will assist students with the type of article they wish to write, and with the writing process.

3.2. Editing
The editing process is a vital part of creating a magazine. Students will be able to shadow our magazine editor as she compiles the Be Your Dream magazine. They will learn about various elements that must take place including story editing, magazine layout, as well as article, photograph and advertisement selection.

4. PHOTOGRAPHY

Students will be able to shadow a professional photographer as he does shoots for Be Your Dream. These include band, CD, and fashion shoots. As a part of the gap year program, students must take part in a photo shoot of their own, being either a model in the shoot, or the photographer. They will receive a disc with the photos that are taken for their portfolio.

5. STYLING

Students will get many opportunities to be a part of the hair and make‐up processes that take place before a photo shoot, television shoot, or a live performance. Special effects make-up is included in this.

Additional Information

At additional costs, students may accompany Anais and her band on a local (South Africa) and an international tour. This will include food, accommodation, and transport. Students are encouraged to take part in all areas in which Be Your Dream offers involvement. This will help them to gain a broader understanding of the entertainment industry, and make an informed decision regarding which path they wish to pursue in the industry. Details about weekly hours of involvement, and any other questions the students have, will be discussed during an interview that will be arranged with the individual candidates.

Application Form

Download the Be Your Dream Gap Year Application Form

Once completed send it off to maurice@beyourdream.co.za