"IS FILM AN ART OR SCIENCE"

a film is a story recorded as a set of moving pictures to be shown on Television or at the cinema (OXFORD ADVANCED LEARNER'S DICTIONARY).
acting is the art or occupation of performing in a play, film, Television, etc. (OXFORD ADVANCED LEARNER'S DICTIONARY)
many people in the growing Ghanaian film industry have argued out reason why filmmakers are to go to learn film making. they have said several times that film making is ab art and for the reason, no one can teach art but rather nurture it.
on the 17th of June, 2011, Socrates Sarfo, the producer of Movie Africa and the director of the infamous movie,"HOT FORK" said on the THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY SHOW (TGIF)that, "there is no reason and sense in training people to become filmmakers but rather those who are already practicing the craft, should rather be trained even though he had said before that you can't train art but nurture it.
he said one disheartening problem for him is the laid down criteria one needs to to attain to be able to go to a film school. he sees no sense in the fact that one needs academic knowledge and credentials to go to a film school besides he was denied formal training when he failed to acquire those credentials.
he believes that the structures that are in place to teach filmmakers are wrong because it teaches people who want to become professional filmmakers instead of teaching those who are already filmmakers even though they don't understand the ethics of film making.
i find his disposition a very shameful one. the talent to act is just not enough, one needs discipline too. the processes one goes through to make a film is a very cumbersome one. the tools used in film making are not talent oriented. the camera is not a talent oriented device, the lighting techniques to simulate reality is not a talent oriented technique, directing is not talent but discipline, make up is not talent and even acting is not just talent but discipline.
standing before a camera to act is not about your talents but rather your knowledge of the tools used in the profession.
the film making process is one that needs careful training. film is a very powerful tool and it can make and unmake society. just because it is lucrative is not a necessity for every one to jump into it.
it is absurd to say that one doesn't need to be trained to become a filmmaker but rather one should practice it and then later be trained. if this is the assertion of Socrates Sarfo and his colleagues, then i fear for the future of the industry.
i do agree that those practicing already needs training to stop them from doing the wrong things they are already doing but the reality is that,
there must be structures to determine who can become a filmmaker and who can't.
the film bill must be revised and promulgated into a law to shape the industry to prevent the incidences of the ATTA MORTUARYMAN, HOT FORK, GREEDY BASTARDS, ETC.

ALBERT KYEI BAFFOUR
A STUDENT OF NAFTI!