The lack of formal professional training for those wishing to pursue a screer in filmmaking - writers, directors, technicians, actors, etc - has long been an concern in Sierra Leone. Although there have been some temporary, short term courses and initiatives, no courses have succeeded in addressing the problem of providing a structured training programme for sustainable career development.
The result is that, with the exception of a handful of dedicated individuals few of those who were encouraged to attend courses by other providers (sometimes being given money as an incentive) and had their expectation raised (sometimes even being given free equipment), are actually able to maintain their interest after the (usually) foreign tutors have gone and the attendant 'circus' of excitement and attention has left town.
The unsavoury fact remains that the vast majority of those that have attended these courses never continue in filmmaking after their initial encounters. Partly this is due to the economic climate and the difficulty of pursing filmmaking (anywhere in the world, not just Sierra Leone). More importantly, it points to a major deficiency; that, to date, there is no provision for a sustained course of professional development that can ensure the teaching and practice of skills appropriate to the long term raising of standards and that can contribute to an economically viable and self-sustaining indigenous industry.
We believe that the best way to inspire and encourage filmmakers and impart real knowledge and skills is through relevant experience to support and apply professional theory. It is vital that, alongside, learning the theory, fillmakers are able to practice their knowledge - not for a week or a month, but in an ongoing process of discovery and experimentation.
Hence the use of the ‘workshop’ model; a way to provide hands-on training, complemented by study. In this way, the Film Workshop offers a creative, technical and administrative framework within which filmmakers can operate. We can offer help in managing the various stages of a production process ‘from script to screen’ without interfering in the freedom for young filmmakers to create their own productions and develop their own working methodologies.
This has been achieved, for instance, by inviting international filmmakers and production crews who are visiting Sierra Leone to conduct workshops with local filmmakers. These professionals, some of whom are receiving help with their own productions via the Film Workshop, return the favour by generously giving up time to share their knowledge and experience with locall filmmakers. Whilst this may necessarily involve some educational and instructive training, we are not a formal film school. Rather, our objective is to be a ‘filmmaker resource’, providing educational assistance and professional guidance through the various stages of ideas, development, production, and distribution.