Dean Thompson, MD of Inferno Films.
South African film production startup Inferno Films has revealed plans to give talented locals equipment for filming in an effort to built the South African film industry.
HumanIPO reported earlier this week on Inferno Films becoming the South African partner for United Kingdom-based production company Jacaranda.
Working with freelancers, Inferno has a community rather than company focus.
Speaking to HumanIPO, Dean Thompson, managing director at Inferno Films, said: “It’s about giving back.”
Passionate about film, Thompson aims to train upcoming producers who did not have a previous opportunity to learn skills.
“I want to actually get people involved in video production who have not been exposed to it because as you know in the government schools sadly the guys are not exposed to the arts,” he said.
He plans to approach high school students in local communities and employ them as interns.
With a range of production experience, including at big names such as M-Net, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and MTN, the producer believes the South African film industry should improve in quality.
“I want to try and influence people off the street from quite a young age and use them to build up the industry because quite frankly our industry is not in the best way at the moment. The quality is not there,” Thompson said.
Referring to an alternative approach in the United States where courses are based on creativity and skills, he wants to prevent “talent go[ing] to waste” in South Africa.
According to his experience there are “brilliant” prospective producers being held back by the lack of equipment locally.
Open for sponsorship, Inferno plans to obtain cost effective video cameras to start empowering people with production equipment.
Inferno Films was one of the startups selected to travel to the UK as part of the Micro Enterprise Development Organisation (MEDO) International Investors Trip (ITP).
