Job Description

Responsibilities:

The person appointed will be required to teach technical, creative and theoretical aspects of cinematography, with a specific emphasis on camerawork and lighting. The lecturer will champion the discipline of cinematography within the division. The person will be required to mentor student digital film productions and be involved in curriculum design and development, project assessments and be responsible for playing a leading role in steering the technical infrastructure in the division.

Candidate Attributes:

Besides lecturing in Cinematography as a specialisation, the person appointed will also be required to teach in other courses, hence some background in critical theory, cinema studies, or other filmmaking disciplines would be beneficial.

The post requires involvement with divisional and School portfolios as part of their academic citizenship. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to broader academic planning, and to teach in other courses in the School, as well as partake in general divisional meetings and operational processes.

Who we want: industry experience, attributes and orientation

We are looking for a professional with extensive experience as a Director of Photography across a variety of factual and fictional formats - minimum 5 years of film and television industry experience in the camera department.

As a division preoccupied with 'film as art' we would like to see a diversity of work in your showreel that demonstrates an ability to execute different stylistic/aesthetic approaches, and illustrate your creative understanding of cinematography - i.e. one that views filmmaking as an expressive art form and not just a profession for hire.

Apart from a core cinematography focus, the successful candidate should have a deep understanding of the whole filmmaking processes and be up to date with the latest digital video technologies, experience with pre-production / on-set production and, to some degree, post production workflows.

We would like to find someone who would be able to help drive and update the development of our technological infrastructure, new ways of distribution and equipment check-out systems. The candidate should ideally also have an appropriate understanding and passion for the new emerging digital technologies and in new media delivery landscapes.

Preference will be given to suitably qualified candidates from designated groups which includes people of colour and womxn as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998.

Academic qualifications, experience and attributes:

As a minimum, have a Masters degree but candidates with a PhD (or in process of obtaining a doctorate qualification) will be given preference. Candidates who express interest in completing a doctoral degree and pursuing creative research will be given strong consideration. Some teaching experience is a prerequisite - although university-level teaching experience would be an advantage, it is not a requirement. This 100% position is ideally suited to someone from the industry wishing to transition to a full-time training and teaching career and would want to develop research and/or creative profile in film studies within a School of Arts. Be invested in the teaching process, and suited to managing student productions, as well trouble-shooting technological issues and contributing to video/film equipment training, maintenance and upgrading processes. Be a committed team player within the division, but also be invested in cross-disciplinary explorations within the School of Arts. Be able to start by January 2026.

Remuneration:

Consideration will be given to qualifications and experience

Enquiries (for information

ONLY, not to apply):
Dr E. Teddy Mattera
Head: Film & Television Dept. Wits School of Arts
email: teddy.mattera@wits.ac.za










Detailed Description

Job Requirements

Additional Details

How To Apply

To apply, submit your details and a letter of motivation via the portal noted below, as well as a detailed CV and the names and contact details of three referees (incl. e-mail addresses).

Internal employees are invited to apply directly on Oracle by following the path: iWits /Self Service application/

External applicants are invited to apply, by registering a profile on the Wits i-recruitment platform located at https://irec.wits.ac.za and submitting your application.The University is committed to employment equity. Preference may be given to appointable applicants from the under-represented designated groups in terms of the relevant employment equity plans and policies of the University. Designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, as amended, means black people, women and people with disabilities.


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WITS Employment Equity Policy: https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/footer/about-wits/transformation-office/documents/Policy%20-%20Employment%20Equity.pdf

Closing Date: 17 November 2025

NB: Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please note that only applications via the website will be considered for shortlisting. The University reserves the right to verify all information provided by candidates and to verify credit standing.

The University is committed to employment equity. Preference may be given to appointable applicants from the underrepresented designated groups in terms of the relevant employment equity plans and policies of the University. The University retains the right not to make an appointment and to verify all information provided by candidates.

Please note that correspondence will only be entered into with shortlisted candidates. The University reserves the right not to make an appointment or to re-advertise.





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