TRAINING NEWS

First 20 participants for DStv Film Skills Development Programme

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:34

Twenty aspirant South African filmmakers have been selected to be part of the DStv Film Skills Development Programme (FSDP) for 2011. Chosen from over 160, entrants, the aspirant filmmakers have now taken the first steps to achieve their dreams in film. The programme is targeting to train 26 filmmakers.

The DStv Film Skills Development Programme is part of the DStv Be More initiative. DStv believes that South Africa would be a better place if everyone (industries, corporate, communities and individuals) did their part and strived to be more - not just acquire more, but challenged themselves to continually be more. This is the ideal behind the DStv Be More initiative. Through this programme, DStv is creating a platform for aspirant filmmakers to realise their full potential and become even better in this craft.

The DStv Film Skills Development Programme is an intensive 10 month training course with clear objectives: to give the 20 chosen participants from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, free filmmaking training and mentorship by top industry professionals, thereby contributing towards skills development in the Film and Television industry in South Africa.

These 20 filmmakers will now interact with some of the best industry specialists and receive experiential training in technical specialisation, lighting design, cinematography, production management, editing, sound and research.

“The programme has been enhanced this year," says Itumeleng Letebele, the Corporate Social Investment Manager at MultiChoice. “We have extended the applications in the first phase to include 20 candidates as opposed the 14 in previous years and have included six candidates in the second phase of the producer director segment. All of the candidates will have the opportunity to develop work for Mzansi Magic and the Mindset Learn channel.”

“This facet to the programme provides the participants with exposure to working with and producing work for clients. It prepares them real life experience within the industry”, says Letebele.

The training is conducted by the award winning Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking in Auckland Park.

The second phase of the programme has also kicked off in search of six candidates for the director and producer segment of the programme. To date 40 nominations have been received from the industry and an esteemed panel of judges will go into an evaluation process to select the lucky six.

Since its launch four years ago, the DStv Film Talent Incubator has better equipped 64 filmmakers to excel in this highly competitive industry.

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