Make the work.
On set
Students learn through productions rather than isolated classroom exercises. The set is part of the classroom. The mistakes are part of the learning. The solutions become part of the craft.
You arrive before call time. You check your equipment. You review the shot list. The director walks the scene with the DP. You set up the first shot. You wait for the light. You shoot. You reset. You shoot again. The actor finds something new. The DP adjusts. You shoot again. By lunch, you have three shots. By wrap, you have twelve. You will use eight.
The set teaches you what no classroom can.
- You work on productions from your first term
- You rotate through departments
- You learn to solve problems on set
- You learn how to work under pressure
- You learn how to work with a crew
A classroom can teach you what a light is. A set can teach you how to light.
In the studio
KFS has a dedicated 7 × 12 metre production studio for controlled shooting, lighting exercises, rehearsals and production.
The studio gives students a space to understand controlled environments before taking those skills into the real world.
- Lighting exercises where you learn to shape light
- Blocking rehearsals with actors
- Controlled shoots — interviews, inserts, green screen
- Scene work where you can shoot the same thing twelve ways
- You work with controlled lighting setups
- You learn how to block scenes
- You rehearse with actors
- You understand studio workflow
- You learn how to work with a director of photography
A studio is where you learn what can be controlled. A location is where you learn what cannot.
On location
Kampala and the Lake Victoria region provide real environments in which students work with natural light, locations, communities, weather, landscape and changing production conditions. You learn to solve problems that cannot be solved from a classroom.
The sun moves faster than you think. The sound you planned around is a motorcycle that passes every ninety seconds. The location you scouted is being used by someone else. You adapt. You move. You find another angle. You shoot anyway.
Location work is where you learn that nothing goes exactly to plan.
- You learn to work with natural light
- You learn to solve weather problems
- You learn how to negotiate access
- You learn to work in real communities
- You learn to shoot in real conditions
In the edit suite
KFS has 12 edit suites. Students work with professional post-production tools including Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Avid and Pro Tools.
Editing is not an afterthought. Sound design is not an afterthought. Colour is not an afterthought. Finishing is part of filmmaking.
You shot three hours of footage. The film is eleven minutes. You have to find the eleven minutes. You watch, you select, you assemble. Something emerges that you did not see on set. The film becomes what it always was, hidden inside the footage.
The edit is where a film is made for the second time.
- You learn the full post-production pipeline
- You learn how editing shapes meaning
- You learn sound design as a discipline
- You learn colour grading
- You learn finishing
With professional equipment
Students work with Blackmagic, Sony FS100 and Canon cameras, professional lighting and professional sound equipment. Equipment is part of the learning environment.
- You learn on the equipment professionals use
- You learn how to maintain equipment
- You learn how to prepare for a shoot
- You learn what equipment to use when
You do not learn on toys and then graduate into the real thing.
In crews
Students collaborate across disciplines. They learn production-team responsibilities. They learn what happens when one department fails to prepare. They learn why every department matters.
A film is a chain. Every link matters.
The sound recordist needs the camera to be quiet. The camera needs the lighting to be set. The lighting needs the grip to have the stands. The grip needs the producer to have arranged access. Everyone depends on everyone. When one link fails, the whole chain feels it.
- You work with other departments
- You learn to communicate across disciplines
- You learn why preparation matters
- You learn to take responsibility
- You learn to lead
A crew that works well together makes better films. A crew that does not cannot.
With working filmmakers
Masterclasses and professional sessions bring practitioners into the school. Students encounter filmmakers who can speak from experience. The purpose is not simply inspiration. It is knowledge, craft, discipline and perspective.
- Masterclasses with working directors
- Sessions with cinematographers and editors
- Sessions with producers and sound designers
- Feedback from professionals on student work
- Conversations with industry professionals
You learn from people who have done the work.
Around the campus
KFS is a community of filmmakers. Students screen work. They discuss films. They collaborate. They meet people from different disciplines. They build relationships that continue beyond school.
- Cinema Tangaza every Friday
- Screenings of student work
- Screenings of regional and classic films
- Events that bring the community together
- A network that continues after graduation
A community of filmmakers is stronger than a group of students.
