Earlier this year SABC2's lifestyle magazine show Eastern Mosaic put out a call for auditions for presenters and the casting process began in late August.
Over a thousand aspiring presenters themselves at the first round of auditions that were held in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Each candidate was screened by judges drawn from the television industry and the electronic media, with the selection process involving interviews and live screen tests.
This was done in order to assess the candidates’ interpersonal skills and their ability to relate to an unseen audience through the eye of the camera.
Successful candidates then underwent a second round of auditions - this time facing a panel of judges drawn from the industry and SABC 2 as they delivered a prepared script.
The aim wasn't to test a candidate’s ability to memorise lines but rather to see if he or she had the confidence to project their personality and convey a concise message while working under pressure.
At the end of this process 60 candidates were chosen and are currently preparing for round three. Having reached this stage the emphasis will now fall on empowering and nurturing these promising candidates.
This final round of auditions will be more informal, with candidates working
together on a variety of practical projects and then making individual presentations to camera.
Throughout the auditions, members of the Eastern Mosaic team will be on hand to offer guidance and advice, based on their own extensive experience in this field.
They'll also debunk some of the popular misconceptions surrounding the perceived “glamour” of the television industry and share their insight into the real‐world challenges facing a presenter.
The aim of this final round is to empower promising candidates - their recorded performances will give an indication of their progress, which the panel will assess.
The ultimate goal is to select six candidates who embody the description outlined in the original call. After the third round of auditions viewers will be invited to give their input in the selection process.
The idea isn't to vote for “winners” in a competition because the Search isn't a
talent show but rather to engage and communicate with viewers to assess sentiment on who the most suitable candidates are.
Further info about this process will be revealed once the third round is complete.
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