In difficult times, community is more important than ever; some creatives are coming together to support their colleagues, in the 42 day lockdown instituted by the Uganda government to curb the COVID pandemic.
Dilman Dila , a writer , filmmaker and all round story teller is one of the creatives that has stepped up to help out fellow creatives in his field. The Science fiction film creator has found a way to be a source of motivation and inspiration for other creatives by offering free mentorship sessions for script writers and a couple of jobs to those that need to make money during the lockdown.
So, this lockdown, I could help a bit? Anyone wants to spend the next 42 days learning how to write film scripts? DM me for free mentorship, if you are some kind of writer. If you are good at it, I always have screen writing gigs. Max. 5 people. Please RT or Tag someone.
For Dilman, the Lockdown might not be such a huge problem since 70% of the time, he works from home, but the fact that he sometimes needs to work with other creatives to produce films, the lockdown partly affects his creative process. That is why he feels the need to help others that could be affected either way.
‘’I am always mentoring different people. If they have potential to grow, I am more than willing to help, but for the lockdown in particular, I thought I should just offer my time and skillset to everyone that could use this time to grow or make some money. I am also always looking for people to work with, and thought It would help for more people to know, so they can check in whenever there is work to be done.’’
On Why Creatives Should Embrace Fellowship and Collaboration
For me, it’s more about knowing that you have people you can rely on to move your work towards a certain vision or goal. When I started out in 2010, the creative industry (film in particular) did not give writing any serious thought. There was little or no emphasis given to a particular story and to compensate for that would switch characters at any point in time.
With film, you have to work with a bunch of people to achieve an ideal goal. It is not a solo project, that’s why I started training people because I couldn’t find enough people out there to work with. When it comes to writing for film, there should be balance and coordination with each writer working on the same project. You need some kind of unison.
Collaboration is a great deal. Why would you work with a cinematographer who only cares about shots/ aesthetic appeal but has no sense of story? You need to work with someone that aligns with the vision and also helps the story as a whole. People in the creative industry want to ‘’arrive’’ quickly and do not bother to learn or hone their craft.
Advice to creatives
The best advise it to think about your Audience. Every type of Art needs an audience to appreciate it. If you are working on something, ask yourself: Who are you doing it for? Don’t just think of a mass market, do it for a specific type of audience. Know your target audience.
Be-friend people with the same interests, and let them be your first critics. Share your work with them. If they like it, chances are your wider target audience will also like it.
Second, think of how this Art is going to support you. How is it going to market you? Always think long term.
Dilman Dila is a Ugandan writer, film maker and a social activist. He is the author of a collection of short stories, A Killing in the Sun, and of two novellas, Cranes Crest at Sunset, and The Terminal Move.