Nollywood: Lagos, UNDP train aspiring film-makers

As part of its employability initiative across five sectors of the economy, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has said it will commence training for aspiring film-makers in strategic areas of film production.

Spanning a period of 18 months, the training, which is organised for unemployed youths in the state, will focus on developing skill sets in areas such as scriptwriting, film editing, set design, sound engineering, gaffers among others.

Mr Lawrence Akande, the Master Trainer for Media and Entertainment, ArcSkills speaking after the stakeholders’ engagement session organised by LSETF to brainstorm on the modalities and programmes for the training exercise, said the initiative was put together to fill the gaps identified in the sector.

“Everyone wants to be an actor, directors or producers. This is evidently because of the instant fame and glamour attached to these professions. But actors alone do not make a movie.

“For instance, we have the good stories, our problems is how to tell them. From the conversation we had with stakeholders in the movie industry, we have realised that we need more script writers. It is not just about writing stories for film, but doing them using modern technology.

“We also need to improve on the sound system. In Nollywood today, most times only one person is assigned to coordinate sound. The process is different elsewhere. We need more sound engineers in the movie industry. We also need more set producers, more film editors and gaffers.

“So, we are developing a curriculum for the training with an Australian based company so that after we have trained these young people they will be adequately equipped not just to work for other people, but to be self-employed,” he said.

Also speaking, Mrs Ibironke Ogunmade, the Head, Employability, LSETF said the 18 months pilot programme will be structured according to levels of participants’ skill development.

“The training is at different levels. We will start with level one. We have people that are interested in the entertainment industry but have basic knowledge, these ones will not be suitable for level one. This is to say that the level we have are organised according to the participants educational and skill status.

“Nevertheless, the life cycle of the training is for eighteen months. This is a pilot phase, after eighteen months, depending on the potential and opportunities, we can decide to scale up,” she said.

She enjoined interested participants to register at the LSETF website, noting that the database will be used to monitor the performances of the trainees after the training.