The Multichoice Talent Factory (MTF) kicked off 2020 with a masterclass instructed by acclaimed South African director Denny Y Miller.
The session held at the MultiChoice Ghana office attracted A-list directors, actors and actresses including Frank Raja, Ola Michaels, Van Vicker, Eddie Nartey, Bill Asamoah, Roselyn Ngissah, Zynnell Zuh, Gloria Sarfo, Regina van Helvert, Shugatiti and Sitsofe Tsikor, amongst others.
The MTF Masterclasses play a crucial role in priming industry players in the growth and sustainability of Africa’s film and television industry.
The Academy Director, MTF West Africa, Femi Odugbemi said “this class would help industry players understand that imagery matters more than words in performance.”
“By the close of the session, we believe these actors and directors would channel their emotions in a more powerful way when they comprehend the dynamics of acting for camera and not acting with camera,” he stated.
He also pointed out that MultiChoice and the MTF is committed to investing in improving the skills of personnel in the Ghanaian film and television industry.”
Whilst opening the session, Denny Miller highlighted an observation where some African actors tend to overdramatise their roles, taking away the authenticity of the scene.
He sharpened the skills of Directors with tips to spot and coach actors out of these acting flaws to improve the quality of films, series and productions during the live demonstrations.
Denny Miller, who has been in industry for over 25 years, started his career at the age of 19 when he worked as part of the crew in Egoli – Place of Gold. Since then, he has won awards for directing Isibaya and Swartwater. Miller directed season one of Africa Magic’s longest-running soap opera, Tinsel, mentoring a cast and crew that had little or no experience in the genre. He was also the creative director and director on two seasons of Moments with Mo, a hit Nigerian talk show and wrote as well as directed Kenya’s first talent search reality series, The Presenter.
While thanking participants during the presentation of certificates, Femi Odugbemi said, “these masterclasses afford the MTF an opportunity to interact with the film and television industry and ultimately share best practice and techniques to improve the skill set.”
He added that these masterclasses would eventually deliver a more professional and networked film/ television industry across Africa and expand the community of highly skilled professionals in indigenous content creation.
In conclusion he encouraged television and film practitioners to sign up on the MTF portal www.multichoicetalentfactory.com to connect with other industry persons from across the continent.
