adminservices, said his college has set its eyes at revolutionalising film industry in the country.
He says the entry of Global Academy would have a bigger say in how film production proceeds in the country from now onwards.
“In the past local students intending to attain higher or seek advancement in film studies were forced to seek colleges in foreign lands because either the country did not have the latest equipment or no college was offering advanced training.
“That is now a thing of the past as our aim is to train local students in new filming techniques in visual arts script writing and animation,” he said.
Investment in the local film industry has been coughing due to reduced funding as the biggest investor, Government has been crippled by illegal economic sanctions.
These sanctions have made it difficult for the central Government to replenish the ageing equipment or be in speed with new technological developments in the sector.
As such local production companies and broadcasting institutions have been largely left to cover the gaps in training.
But enter Global Academy in the fray, Zimbabweans wishing to enter into areas like animation, designing visual effects and design for web can now do it locally.
Mr Maramba said they were there to fill up the gap that exists in the film industry in the country.
“We are aware that most of the training is theoretical. That means local graduates have had to be retrained to suit the industry demands. That is what we are there to address. Through interacting with both local and foreign experts we seek to build a rapport between industry and trainees,” he said.
In its endeavour to become the main film training school in Zimbabwe, Global Academy located in Eastlea has already acquired another property in Belgravia where it intends to construct the main teaching and training centre.
The academy has acquired modern photographic, filming and editing equipment for use by the students in class and on field trips. Students in each class number between eight to 10 students per class to promote maximum interaction between students and their tutor.
“Our vision is to promote interactive learning and proper monitoring. Our course content is spread over five subjects areas that include film studies, animation, visual effects, design for web and design for print and are offered on full-time for a year at certificate level.”
Students enrolled for the main courses at the academy are mostly high school graduates who have a passion for film and visual arts.
“The short courses are meant for those already in industry but seeking to improve themselves. Our focus is to push the industry into becoming one of Zimbabwe’s top foreign currency earners just like what is the case with India and Nigeria”, Mr Maramba added.
Although Zimbabwe has had successes in film production and acting, the industry has been progressing on a snail pace due to lack of investment.
The bulk of the people that have been trained in filming and production have found their way to South Africa and other bigger economies.
Run by a board, the academy has staff mainly drawn from leading individuals in the film industry. The team is tasked with ensuring that the academy keeps track of improvements in hardware and software equipment in the industry.
“Global Academy came into existence in response to widening gap between the practical requirements, the work situation and the skills learnt in the traditional school system.
“The academy was born out of a vision to have a school where a student could learn the latest theory and get practical experience that allowed them to be immediately useful either working with others or as a freelancer,” said Simbarashe Maveresa, one of the lecturers at the institution. He says the growing need for a film school of this magnitude came out after the founders, who are also in the industry could not find qualified media professionals to work on various projects as they lacked experience, exposure to the work environment and familiarity with the latest equipment and media industry trends.
Online Reporter