AS part of the industry sessions at the just concluded Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), award-winning Director, Kunle Afolayan, facilitated a Master Class in film directing, providing insights into the fundamentals of the filmmaking process from his wealth of experience.
With award-winning movies like Araromire (The Figurine), Phone Swap, October 1, and most recent, The CEO, the seasoned Director provided ample information based on personal experiences and research which he hoped will prepare burgeoning filmmakers and others alike for their next projects.
“Some directors focus only on the artistic performance of actors while others focus on the technical aspects of a production, thereby choosing one and undermining the other. I personally tend to focus on all areas of a production. Nobody is a boss and people have to work together in order to make a good film,” he said.
Afolayan identified a general problem which was the nature of most individuals who tend to talk more than they act, basically belittling every other person’s effort without having any credit themselves. “The best filmmaking experience is on the job,” he added.
He continued his charge on the need for Directors to seek to broaden their outlook and aim at versatility; “Do not learn only one style, learn the global style and know the do’s and don’ts before you choose what style resonates with you. As a filmmaker you have to watch a lot of films, both good and bad, because the bad teaches how not to make a movie.”
Going further to share his personal experiences, he underlined the necessity of every member of the crew to be in tune with the job at hand, an understanding of the vision and the combination of ideas to aid the achievement of the set goal. He advised that everyone on set must read the script so that interpretation is more of a collective effort rather than the explanation of one person.
“As a director you must be able to defend anything you create, even if it is bad; but take note that what seems bad to everyone else may just be an effort of you as a director to be different or think out of the box. The growth and the interpretation of the actors lies with the ability of the director to make known the uncertain.” He concluded.
