Young people in the country have been urged to embrace the creative arts and film industry not only as a form of entertainment but also a way to make a living.
To help the youth achieve this, the department of film services under the Ministry of Youth and Creative Economy has been training the young people on technical skills needed for film production and has so far trained 200 youths.
The Department of Film services aims to empower youth groups by enhancing their knowledge, experiences, and skills while investing in their ideas, innovations, and initiatives in order to harness its demographic dividends by 2030.
According to the acting Director for Film Services Regis Ondieki, the students have not only received skills in storytelling but also been involved in hands-on training on handling various technical equipment used in filming.
Other technical skills taught include camera operations, sound and lighting in film, video and audio editing, costume designs, and acting.
Ondieki said that there have been gaps in the film industry, mostly due to a lack of enough technical personnel with skills to undertake different roles, forcing one person to be the producer, the film director, the sound engineer, and the actor, thus affecting the quality of the output.
“Film is there to tell a story, and at the same time, behind the scenes, we have the creative personnel that build up and create the stories and transform the written words into visuals and sound,” Ondieki said.
“If we train a cameraperson, then we know that he or she can run independently and do his or her own creative content or can be employed to help the employer add value to the content they have. We have sound technicians who can also create their own studios and employ others,” he added.
Ondieki, who was speaking after a 4-day training session of youth in Garissa, said that with President William Ruto’s negotiations with social media companies to monetize online content for Kenyans, the skills obtained will help them put money into their pockets.
“Whatever technical skills we are training the youth on, like performing arts, development of films, and the creation of content, will automatically bring money into their pockets, especially with the monetization of content by social media companies,” he said.
“We are equipping our youth so that they can be valuable in employment or be able to create their own employment opportunities,” he added.
By Erick Kyalo
