Two young Toti filmmakers received certificates from eThekwini Municipality deputy mayor, Cllr Nomvuzo Shabalala for their participation in the inaugural Durban Film Office’s (DFO) Scout programme.
Nick Gumede of Illovo and Linda Ndlovu of Adams Mission were part of eight filmmakers who participated in the location scouting and management programme which forms part of the DFO’s skills development initiative to support and grow the city’s film economy.
Scout is an intensive programme that has been developed by the DFO to provide and professionally develop local location scouts and expose young and previously disadvantaged filmmakers to the business of location scouting, with the aim that they will eventually move into full location management and production services.
“The programme aims to increase the number of locations scouts in Durban by providing support dedicated to local development and by doing so, effect transformation in location management in the Durban industry,” said Cllr Shabalala.
“As we work towards developing Durban as a film city, with a lively and robust industry that can contribute to the growth of the economy, it is vital that we continue to upskill and train young people who can provide the requisite skills needed to support this sector.”
According to head of the DFO, Toni Monty, location scouting and management play an important role in the film and commercial production value chain.
“One of the most critical members of a modern day film-making crew, is the location scout. This is an individual who goes out in the field and looks for places and locations that best resemble or suit the aesthetic needs of the scriptwriters, producers and directors.
Location scouts are vital in the pre-production stages of a film, as they are responsible for acquiring the right kind of information about the sites and locations that are necessary to shoot a film or television commercial, and therefore also play a key role in attracting productions to a region.”
