Tips for Slum Filmmakers

DON’T NEGLECT THE BASICS. Audiences will forgive a lot of technical flaws in your film if your story is compelling, your actors are engaging or your jokes are funny—but there’s still a threshold point where the technical mistakes start to get in the way. That point is usually when they’re no longer able to clearly see, hear or follow what’s going on. So get to know your equipment, and practice with it. Learn the basics of shot composition. Do your best to record quality sound, and if that’s beyond your means, make a silent movie—there’s too much talking in most movies anyway.
 
EMBRACE LIMITS.  The limitations of teenage filmmaking can often be discouraging. How the hell are you supposed to make a great film when all you’ve got is this crappy camera and your stupid friends? Well, the first step is to change your attitude. There’s an old French filmmaker named Robert Bresson who said, “Someone who can work with the minimum can work with the most. One who can with the most cannot, inevitably, with the minimum.” In other words, you should be celebrating the fact that all you’ve got is a crappy camera and some stupid friends: that means all your solutions to the problems you encounter are going to have to be creative ones, and as Robert Rodriguez wrote, “that can make all the difference between something fresh and different and something processed and stale.”
 
 DON’T GIVE UP. If you haven’t failed at filmmaking yet, then you probably weren’t being ambitious enough. If you have, congratulations; you’re on way to becoming a great filmmaker. Just keep at it, and as Beckett put it, “fail better” next time.
Finally, the über-rule which contradicts all the other ones:
 
 DON’T LISTEN TO ANYONE. Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman famously said of the film world that “nobody knows anything”; and it’s true. That doesn’t mean you should ignore everything anyone tells you, but if you’re really passionate about a project, don’t let anyone talk you out of it. Make the film that you want to make—not the film you think people want to see, or the film your teachers or your parents want you to make. Most of all, don’t listen to people who say that you can’t do something, or that what you’re aiming for isn’t possible. I’ve argued above that limitations are your friend, but the types of restrictions that really get in the way are the ones that you let get stuck inside your own head. Who says films have to cost a certain amount, look a certain way, be made a certain way, or contain this element or that one?

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

Tips For young Filmmakers.

STUDY FILMS. A lot of the mistakes that young filmmakers make could be avoided if teenagers actually just paid attention to their favourite films. Pick a movie you love and watch it with the sound down; look closely at the camera angles, the editing and the lighting. Watch short films on Youtube and see how an effective story can be told in five minutes. You won’t be able to match the production value of these films—and you don’t need to, anyway—but oftentimes the craft of good filmmaking doesn’t cost any money. You just have to actually watch films.

PUSH YOURSELF. Every film you make should teach you something you didn’t know before, and achieve something you didn’t know you were capable of. This doesn’t mean you have to go out every time and do something that you have no idea how to do. You should draw on the skills and techniques you’ve already learned—but if you’re not building on them, if you’re not pushing yourself further in some way, you’re playing it safe. It will show.

YOU CAN’T BEAT HOLLYWOOD. Tempting as it may be to try to imitate the style and gloss of your favourite blockbusters, let’s face it; the game is rigged in their favour. You can try, and your failure may be unique and interesting (or at least funny) in its own right—but you can also just do your own thing, and try something that the studios wouldn’t have the balls or the imagination to do in the first place.
KEEP IT SHORT.

WORK WITH WHAT YOU’VE GOT. Don’t write that epic crowd scene unless you know there’s a festival happening next week that you can steal as a backdrop. Play to your strengths. There’s probably something unique that you or your family have access to that you can use in your movie. If your dad has a tractor, write a movie around that. If he doesn’t, don’t.
 

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

Arri Team Visit

A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together...Von Goethe

The Arri Group is the largest world wide supplier of motion picture film equipment.

During a recent visit to Kibera Film School Thomas Binsert...Arri sales director Africa and Hart Muth Glaserthey shared alot with trainees and staff.

Thomas Binsert...Arri sales director Africa

Nyokabi Kahura

Godfrey a graduate of KFS explains to Thomas Binsert...Arri sales director Africa what the training entails

Thomas Binsert...Arri sales director Africa,,,, at Hot Sun Foundation reception

Josphat Keya program manager and Thomas Binsert

Anne Mwaniki financial manager, Nyokabi Kahura and Aida Achieng KFS coordinator.  

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

Kiibera Film School at the Arterial Network

Story by Dorothy Kangethe

On Saturday the 17^th of August 2013 an impressive delegation of Hotsun representatives attended the Arterial Network Artists workshop held at the Kenya Cultural Center, at the Kenya National Theatre.

The Arterial Network defines itself as a dynamic network of individuals, organizations, donors, companies and institutions engaged in the African creative and cultural sector. The Kenya chapter is one of several regional secretariats that are geared towards changing the working conditions and to deliver real and substantial benefits to artists on the ground.

The Arterial Network seeks to create awareness on what’s happening in the country and the world about artists and grants. It’s a Pan-African based in South Africa and is a network of artists that supports art.

The key speakers from a wide range of artistic backgrounds in attendance included the likes of;

Gakunju Kaigwa (a Kenyan sculptor) 

Silvia Gishia (Director of Kuona trust)

Judy Kibinge (Filmmaker / Founder of East African Documentary Film Fund-DOCUBOX)

Buddah Blaze (Events promoter)

What I can say I learnt from the workshop was the basics of becoming an artist, believing in your dream and surviving in the budding Kenyan art scene. You’ve got to love what you do so that it gives you a reason to wake up in the morning because it’s all about passion.

Speakers emphasized the fact that it takes a lot of sacrifice to take up a practice. As well as the need to talk to people, communicate, learn more, be open-minded and network with people. This ensures that artists, whether freelance or employed have a consistent source of income and a manageable schedule. We as artists need to see beyond jobs that earn money to greater tasks in other sectors that will be more rewarding in the long run.

As for collective advice shared by advice

Don’t hold yourself back; don’t be afraid to start small.

Learn to open up, share, be ready for criticism

Success is not as overnight process, one has to start from somewhere 

Quotes

Gakunju Kaigwa, a Kenyan sculptor

Passion is the main thing to get you going.

Judy Kibinge, Filmmaker / Founder of East African Documentary Film Fund-DOCUBOX

Learn to share your idea/film, be ready for criticism and always share your fears

with the people you’re working with.

Being an artist, whether on the stage or behind the camera can seem like one of the most daunting tasks but this workshop definitely made a difference for novices and experts alike. We shared a commonality that needs to be emphasized so that we can feel united and actually make an impact in the arts. I will definitely sign up for the Subscribe to the arterial Networks newsletter to keep intouch with my fellow artistes.

For more information on the Arterial Network visit www.arterialnetwork.org

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

A COUNTRY WITHOUT A DOCUMENTARY IS LIKE A FAMILY WITHOUT A PHOTO ALBUM

Report by Kevin Kiarie

A country without a documentary is like a family without a photo album--Patricio Guzman

On Thursday 8^th August at Shalom House on Ngong Road was a beehive of activity as various filmmakers joined together for the prelaunch of Docubox website. Docubox is a website for a film fund for documentaries, an idea by Judy Kibinge, a renowned film and documentary director.

Docubox will provide a platform for documentary filmmakers from the East African region to showcase their scripts with unique and compelling stories that will appeal through trans-national lines. After submission, a panel of judge s will go through the scripts and grant will be given to the stories they believe are worth to be told.

Apart from the grant, interested filmmakers will be trained by international filmmakers on documentary filmmaking and production.

The goal of Docubox is to encourage filmmakers to continue making documentaries and telling the untold stories.

Hot Sun Foundation encouraged the idea and the student and trainers have already started compiling great stories to submit to docubox. It doesn’t come easy my fellow filmmakers let us all work hard. If you really want something and you have passion for it, spend quality time on it.

Judy Kibinge

Trainees set up to cover the event.

Kabash

FilmmakerBob Nyanja

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page

KIBERA FILM SCHOOL ALUMNI DAY.

By Kaberia Kibuthania

Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold.....Andre Maurois

For a first time as an event planner,  it is a bit hectic planning something meaningful. It takes time and dedication. Having put the Alumni day on a Sunday, it would be a bit hectic getting people together especially the fact that I had only a few days to prepare and contact all the Kibera Film School Alumni.

As the day started, it was a bit chilly and it persisted throughout the day. The organizing team got everything ready for the visitors- KFS alumni- who would be streaming in from 2 pm. The sign in sheets were ready, bitings were in plenty and music played to set the mood and at 2.30 pm the first alumni came in for the event. There was a continuous flow of visitors up till 3.30 pm when the program started.

The MC for the day, Roy Okello did a splendid job keeping everyone alert and the session interactive. First there was the ‘know what class so and so was in’, then there were various speakers from every class. These sessions were to the benefit of the current class. They were challenged on various aspects of film and networking.



“The film industry is all about who you know and how good you can prove you are”  Victor Oluoch- 1st KFS class

Victor Oluoch

“You would rather drop a camera and in future every film maker will know that you are a camera person, than take a bad shot” Vincent Oduor- 3rd KFS class









These were sentiments shared by various alumni who stepped up to share some of their experiences during and after KFS. As the day went on plenty was said but what was clear is that all these alumni expressed passion as what drove them.
As a current KFS trainee, what have you achieved so far? Where are you headed and do you have the passion to drive you in your film career ahead?

 

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page