The Sunday News
Thembinkosi Khumalo, Sunday Life Reporter
IN pursuit of living up the phrase, “sharing is caring” Pasha Cardinal Films are set to host a Cinematography Master Class in Bulawayo on 29 May.
The self-taught cinematographer and videographer Pasha Mpala from Cowdray Park, Bulawayo is the young man behind Pasha Cardinal Films. Lately, he has been the one of the most sought-after videographers in the city and beyond.
With the knowledge and experience that he has gained over the past four years in the filming industry, he is keen to spread it to all camera lovers.
In an interview with Sunday Life Pasha said, “I am a curious and hardworking man who believes that knowledge outweighs the money. I am an autodidact and I fell in love with the camera back then when I was dancing for Super Geeks.
The inspiration was triggered by the fact that we could not afford to pay professionals to shoot our dance videos hence, I had to step up to fill that void.”
While the lockdown was unfruitful for many individuals and companies, the cinematographer committed himself to sharpening his filming skills on YouTube and started experimenting on the platform.
As someone who was now ready for the field, he started to work for Nikkorlane for a year as an editor and cinematographer. After that, he started a company called Pixel 360 with a few friends.
“Falling in love with the camera was unintentional, whenever I get something challenging, I get carried away, and I want to know more. That is what happened and before I knew it, I was hooked.
The key thing was that as the creative that I am, I was able to create my art using cinematography techniques. I spent the first lockdown locked up in my room studying film online, when it was over, I re-joined the world and started Pasha Cardinal Films,” he said.
Over the year he has worked in prominent spaces and with prominent figures like She’s birdie (USA), GQ Magazine (SA), Yanaya (Zim), Mineazy Mining (Zim), and beauty queens, among others.
“The knowledge I have now has given me a reason to exist, I hope that it also changes someone’s life as it has mine. My wish for Zimbabwe is that we grow and be able to produce international work, I wish that such skills are in abundance that is why I thought of doing this master class which is by public demand,” he said.
Commenting on the challenges they face as cinematographers he said, “Normally people say our challenge through the cinematography journey is funding, in my case, it is not. My challenge was getting knowledge, the right kind of knowledge. I knew that the best gear in the world cannot save me for as long as I do not know how to use it.”
