The Sunday News
Raisedon Baya
It has been a while since I was on a film or television set. I walked away after the chocking fumes of zero budgets or what we called shoe string budget films nearly suffocated my creativity.
I walked away to save myself and to stay sane. The good thing is I didn’t walk away from the arts. I focused on art forms that didn’t stress me too much. I remember when we started film.
I remember the excitement during our first courses at the Happy Valley Film Workshop with the likes of Priscilla Sithole, Ndumiso Ncube, Dennis Ncube, and others.
We started to dream big. I remember our crazy three months in Harare at the Unesco film school. The dreams became bigger.
After the courses it was back to the business of making films.
First all we wanted was to see ourselves on television or to see our names as part of the credits. That alone gave us plenty of orgasm. We were young and had no responsibilities.
But soon reality hit home. The pain of realising there was no money to make films in this country choked all our dreams, and made me seek alternatives.
So after years of struggling to tell stories through the silver screen I walked away to focus on theatre, training and festival management. But this year I went back to a film set. And God, I was so happy.
To be honest I had forgotten the excitement and the fun on a film set. I had forgotten about the exciting sound “Lights. Camera. Action”.
I had completely forgotten about the challenging working schedules. Waking up before 6am and going back home after 10pm.
Spending the whole day on one’s feet.
Watching actors going through their lines. Actors transforming into their roles. The make-up department trying to make the actors look good. But most of all it is exciting to the film crew moving into sets, mostly people’s houses, and turning them into their own vision of the set they want. With film every minute counts. One is always racing against time.
One is always praying for favourable weather to shoot. Praying that there are no rains to disturb the shooting. Praying there is no wind to terrorise your sound person.
One thing I like about film is that it is team work. Like soccer or any other team sport you are always praying you have the best team, people that complement each other, people that can work together with one objective; to come up with a good film.
So the last two weeks have been hectic. I have literally spent each and every day either on set or editing our new television drama Insuku Zokucina which is commissioned by Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe under their digitasation project.
Nothing has changed much from what I walked away from seven years ago. The resources for making films are still meagre.
Nothing to sing about. However, the difference with BAZ is they have made a commitment to support content creators with, most importantly, equipment, and transport to sets, catering for crew and cast and others basics.
Digitisation has allowed some of us to dream again. So it was back to business. While on set I realised how much I missed film making. I realised how much storytelling through film has changed. I realised how much talent Bulawayo has. Talent which is screaming to be seen but has few platforms to shine on.
I realised the potential Bulawayo has as a film hub. Two weeks on set had me dreaming again.
The Insuku Zokucina set has been fun. If the pictures and the acting quality on this set is what other projects under digitasation are getting then we are in for exciting times on television.
Insuku Zokucina is basically a story about a prophet who loses his powers after some sex scandals within his church. It is satire on the emergency of prosperity prophets and the rumours about where really their powers come from.
The drama features the talents of Elton Sebekhona Sibanda, Donna N, Precious Makhulumo, Musa Sibanda, Abigail Dube, Ishmael Muvingi, and veteran actor Memory Kumbota.
Three other projects are being filmed in Bulawayo under Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe.
