Hosted by Crystal Newman today on the The Groove Cafe at RX radio, Nampa Azida has compared the weight of making films to studying a science course at the University.
Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Filmmaking at Kampala Film School, Azida says a lot of people perceive the pursuants of the course as people who failed at other professional courses hence many face criticism from society and parents.
“Film making may be a virgin industry but it's a profession. This is bigger than being a lawyer or even a doctor. When you are doing something you love, you are going to keep people glued to the screen, watching what you've created. Most people think that film is getting a camera, filming and everything puts itself together but it's a long process,” Azida said.
She continued, “I want to tell all parents out there that this industry isn't for people who failed in school because trust me, we have people that performed the best in high school and they are doing film. And it is not for weak people, you need to have brains to create. It’s more like a science because you even find the science course units that you dodged in school.”
Now a third year student, Azida specializes in directing and writing which she had done since her primary school.
“In my primary 4, I had this teacher whose other name I can't recall but she was called Agnes. She just got interested in me, especially in the English and writing subjects. So she would tell me that everyday I had to come with like 10 proverbs and idioms which I would explain to her the following day,” she recalled.
“So in senior one when we were told to write stories in composition writing, I wrote a story about a bride in a black gown. I don't even know where it came from but then this teacher called me and was like, ‘how did you come up with this story?’ She decided to buy me breakfast for the whole term in school. So I've always written stories, I also had story books.
She mentioned that although her parents wanted her to pursue a science course, she was passionate about creative arts and writing. However, in one of her first productions, Azida recalled being overwhelmed that she messed her project up.
“When you go to a film school, you don't get to first year straight, you first go for a preparatory course for 6 months before doing an interview that gets you on the course itself. And that's how I did my first short film (Silly Me). It was such a huge experience. I almost lost it on set because it was too direct. You have a lot of people, you have to tell them what to do and some people may not want to listen to you. But I think everyone experiences this the first time directing,” she said.
Nevertheless, she noted that the film registered considerable success as it got submitted in Kampala minutes. She has also worked on a documentary known as One eyed Art, and has written numerous short films.
The Groove Cafe with Crystal Newman airs every Weekday from 4-5pm on RX Radio.
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