By Martha Agas
Jos – The National Film Corporation (NFC), Jos on Monday commenced a five-day training for practitioners and youths on modern trends in the film industry.
The training, according to Prof. Christy Best, Rector of the National Film Institute, is aimed at updating the skills of the beneficiaries so as to equip them to excel in film production.
Best, whose institute is handling the exercise, said that the training, which is holding in Jos, would cover key areas like scripting, cinematography, production management, editing, still photography and directing.
“The training will empower the youths and create opportunities for them in the creative Industry.
“Nollywood is ranked second in revenue generation in the country; it is also famous for employing thousands of youths. What we want to do is to empower practitioners with better skills to boost the quality of their performance,” she said.
Mr Brian Etuk, Head, Public and Intergovernmental Affairs of NFC, in his remarks, said that more participants were expected to join the 80 already registered.
He said that similar training would take place in Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Umuahia, adding that 90 persons had indicated interest in Lagos.
Some of the trainees, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), thanked the NFC for the opportunity to improve their skills, urging the outfit to conduct such exercises more regularly.
Cpl Osunwale Anthony, a soldier and trainee on still photography, told NAN that he was keen on acquiring better skills on pictorial stories.
“I need this training to help my desire for clear and credible pictures,” Anthony, who is serving with the media unit of Operation Safe Haven, the outfit maintaining security on the Plateau, said.
He said that the training would expose him to new skills, more sophisticated equipment, and broaden his horizon on general photography.
Anthony thanked the NFC for making the training free, saying that it had saved him the financial burden of sponsoring himself.
Miss Joy Suchomel, a trainee on scripting, said that the exercise would shore up her script writing skills.
She advised women to take advantage of the training to rubbish the claims that certain jobs were exclusively for only men.
“ I have worked for nine years as script writer in Nigerian Television Authority; many of our script writers have retired and there is a huge vacuum that must be filled,” she said.
She commended NFC for the training, saying that she would use it to horn her skills on drama and film making.