The Sunday Mail
The two really did a good job in capturing the audience and convey every emotion from joy, dread, sadness and back to joy again with the happy ending when the film closes.
There are lots of filmmakers in this country, but only the unique ones survive.
Those that find their niche early in their careers are destined to stand out and succeed, and it is with that in mind that I wish to shine some light on a couple of budding filmmakers that I believe will be a force to reckon with in the near future.
Kuda Bwititi, not to be confused with my colleague here at The Sunday Mail, and Takudzwa Nyangani, are not exactly what one would call household names in the field of film, but should they continue on their current trajectory, not even the sky will limit them.
Their team is that of a sound editor and director/producer. I came across their works through a mutual friend after I heard that these lads were making waves in the short film industry.
Why short films, you might ask?
“Well, the short film is beneficial on two levels. Firstly, it is a developmental platform, one that allows us to horn our crafts without the labours of sponsorship problems, budget constraints and we have total creative control over products.
“Also it is a sure way to market our names and works fast and more efficiently, especially using social media and the internet,” said Nyangani.
I had the liberty to sample two of their short films, “Protection” and “Fate”, and they completely blew me away. I was really impressed.
The two films demonstrated their talents as “Protection”, which stars local actors like Ashton Msinjo, Elista Chamisa and Brighton Jaziri, is all about camera work and angles.
“Protection” is a comedy that sees Jack (Msinjo) prepare to go out to meet with friends, only to be Jack had left a condom wrapper in the dining room and the five-minute film explores Jack’s efforts to hide it from the adults.
The camera shorts were well done. They managed to convey the different emotions that the actors go through. The dialogue was short and precise, keeping the film flowing.
His attention to detail really impressed me the most as the dining room setting was very detailed.
I cannot stress enough the importance of “paying attention to detail”, something most filmmakers have been victim of and I have often given “Studio 263” as an example. In “Studio 263”, the Huni family was supposed to be wealthy but for some reason, they had a head office fitted with only two or three desks and chairs.
The sign post to denote their place of business was just there, a small sheet of metal hanging on the wall.
Another glitch was the annoying siren sound that was usually meant to alert the viewer that one is in a police station. Now that was just plain old laziness on the part of Ben Mahaka and his crew.
Back to the matter at hand, it is the collaborative effort between two budding filmmakers that really left an impression on me. “Fate” is a love story of sorts where a man who intends to propose to his girlfriend finds out that she is terminally ill.
He is faced with the decision of either going on with his intended mission or abandoning this girl with very little time to live.
It is a silent film and the two budding filmmakers have only their talents to rely on in their attempts to tell the story and convey emotion.
There is absolutely no dialogue, not even a narration to capture and create the scene. They achieve the mission to tell the story through sound and camera angles and shots.
The two actors Faith Mutsvangwa and Jaziri did a stand-out job in their roles as woman and man.
The two really did a good job in capturing the audience and convey every emotion from joy, dread, sadness and back to joy again with the happy ending when the film closes.
Watching these two talented and aspiring Thespians, l realised that the local film industry is not in as bad a shape as most would like the country to believe.
All that is needed is a new breed of thinkers, one that sees lemons and finds ways of making lemonade out of it.
Young Bwititi and Nyangani have found ways to get their names out there and not cower to the burdens of financial constraints.
Marketing has been made cheaper and easier by the advert of social media as these five to ten-minute films are easy to disperse and even cheaper to make.
One is only required to be creative.
