An Evaluation of the Emerging Schools and College Film Festival on the Development of Local Content for Television

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to do an evaluation of the emerging schools and colleges film festival on the development of local content for television. Essentially this was to analyze the experiential growth of schools and college film production since it begun in 2012 and to gauge its manifest potential to generate quality local content for television broadcast. In order to achieve the purpose above the study assessed the schools and colleges film production knowledge and also examined how they meet their film production needs. The study also looked at factors that affect the quality of film production in schools and colleges and lastly the study sought to find out how schools and colleges raise funds for their film production. The formalist film theory and the diffusion of innovations theory were used to ground the study in a theoretical background that guided the study. The study used a descriptive research design approach in order to explore and table a detailed account of the interaction of the variables in this research. The mixed method research design was used to acquire both qualitative and quantitative data as well as subjecting one film through the content analysis method. The study targeted only schools and colleges within Nairobi County that participated in the KNDF 2015 program through a purposive sampling method. The population of study was the teachers and students who are involved in the actual film production process in schools and colleges. The data was collected through questionnaires, interviews and the one film acquired in video format for content analysis. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis techniques and discussions presented in univariate techniques and prose format. The study found that most respondents had a fair grasp of the film production knowledge however more film workshops needed to be carried out. The study also established that most respondents deal with a very small budget and are forced to clip out certain production items in order to work with only essential budget items. Technical crew and film equipment were found to be the biggest budget items that almost leave nothing else to be budgeted for. Schools and college administrations offered great support for film production and was a significant factor in the growth of the film festival. The study found out that the schools and colleges rely wholly on the funds given by their administrations and therefore limiting the creative potential of their productions for lack of other sponsors to fund their productions. The study also established that a majority of schools and colleges were not aware of how to get their content on television and their intellectual property rights to the content they generated. The study therefore recommends that the ministry of education take up the challenge to consider film as a co-curricular activity and create education policies that enhance its growth for the students who take up the film production. The study also recommends a workshop audit of the film lessons taught in order to make the workshops more practical and skill-oriented for better productions. Lastly the study recommends that the best schools and college productions be given production sponsorships and corporate attachments as a way of motivating the film festival to grow and also screen the best shows for television broadcast to create brand awareness.