–Focuses on the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the craft

By Jasmaine Payne

OVER the past few years, we have seen Guyanese filmmaker Yaphet Jackman move from being known as the “Upscale Poetry guy” to a full-fledged cinematographer.

From developing his own short films to working on projects with well-known artists in the Caribbean, he has certainly made a name for himself over the past few years. Now, Jackman will be passing on some of his knowledge to local filmmakers in his “Nuts and Bolts of Cinematography” workshop. The workshop, which began on June 6 and runs until June 9, is among the planned events that are part of the ongoing Timehri Film Festival, which is powered by the Caribbean Film Academy (CAFA) and Third Horizon.

“[Their] agenda has always been to encourage, inspire and develop Caribbean filmmakers, hence the workshop initiatives and outreach efforts in each of their festivals. My workshop will be bringing theory to participants, and also challenging the way they look at cinema,” Jackman told The Buzz in an interview. “The greats in cinematography have always consulted art; relished in the science of light and colour, and found ways to mimic life in their craft. It is my intention to share these tools and knowledge with the participants.”

The workshop is geared mostly towards cinematographers, but videographers interested in developing their skills were also encouraged to attend. Components of the workshop include lens selection, shot listing and storyboarding, camera movement and other key aspects of cinematography.

THE 592 48HR FILM CHALLENGE

Another fun feature of the Timehri Film Festival is the 592 48hr Film Challenge. A direct product of Jackman’s own creative mind, the Challenge is the first project under Jackman’s Bent Street Films LLC, and will run from June 7-9.

The Challenge will give local filmmakers 48 hours to create “imaginative, undiscovered short content” filmed right here in Guyana. According to the summary on its website, it seeks to “identify talented storytellers from across Guyana who want their voices to be heard and their stories seen”. The challenge is principally a platform for Guyanese filmmakers, content creators and students to find, develop, and share their voices and stories, and is geared toward encouraging creatives to choose visual storytelling as their medium.

“I’ve wanted to pull off this event for a while and I thought I had so much work to do to get it done, but like an unplanned child here it is in utero and I have to make everything work,” Jackman admitted. “Not only would it result in films being made by Guyanese residing in Guyana, but it would provide an opportunity for us to mobilise, strengthen and support the industry in Guyana, while at the same time providing an engaging way for people to think about creating content.”

Jackman believes that more than just winning prizes, participants will get the opportunity to work with local organisations to develop and encourage their skills which will hopefully spark innovative initiatives among content creators and filmmakers and forge new relationships with new collaborators that they may not have known existed.

He stated that the top winners will also receive screening deals on a Caribbean online streaming platform – Studio Anansi TV.

WHO IS IT FOR?

“I’m encouraging people to be involved in these programmes because it provides an opportunity to help them fill the gaps in local content creation and engagement. If you’re interested in seeing more of yourself and your culture on your television then this is a platform and event for you to do that,” Jackman said.

“If you’re wondering how to write a Guyanese TV show or movie, then this is the programme to invest and engage in. If you’re fed up of trash TV and you want to see more wholesome, child-friendly, family edutainment content, then come and let us equip you with the knowledge and tools you’d need to do just that. For these reasons and so much more, I urge people to get involved in these programmes.”

Jackman describes his journey to this point as a challenging one but admits that it gets easier with persistence and hard work.

Most importantly, all his hard work has brought him full circle back home to Guyana where he is now able to impart lessons based on his experience into the minds of Guyanese filmmakers.

“Using my privilege to help the underprivileged has always been the mission. I feel absolute fulfilment when I’m able to do so through these events and initiatives. I have a lot more to learn which would, in turn, give me more to teach. I’m always reminded of why I had to leave Guyana to embark on this career and I’m also reminded that not everyone has the luxury of just getting up and doing so,” he said.

From here, Jackman will immediately begin preparing for next year. He also wishes to continue collaborating and organising initiatives, programmes, and events to educate and develop the Guyanese film industry, while also working to get his first feature film under his belt.