Video Production in Ghana: A Study of Postproduction
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March, 2010,
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Abstract
The thesis seeks to discover ways of improving video production in Ghana by assessing the standard of locally made television and film genres. The study adopted the qualitative research approach with questionnaire administration, interview, focus group discussion and participant observation to analyse the content and quality of three locally produced movies as a means of identifying the factors that make it difficult for local films to meet international standards.
Based on a population of 42 filmmakers (editors and directors) and 142 literate, semi-literate and illiterate members of the viewing public, in Accra and Kumasi, and three selected movies – ¬“Fire for Fire” , “Kyeiwaa” and “Love Brewed in the African Pot” , the study revealed that most nonlinear editors in Ghana lack the requisite expertise for post-production. It also showed that most directors do not plan adequately ahead of production and also do not show much creativity in the productions. Because of high production costs, some local filmmakers cut down on the cost of postproduction and end up with substandard films.
Content analysis of the three films showed that “Fire for Fire” and “Love Brewed in the African Pot” were well edited than “Kyeiwaa” which has more than 10 series. Furthermore, it was evident that “Love Brewed in the African Pot” was shot with a well-constructed script which was also apparent in “Fire for Fire” . Most of the editing principles were also predominant in the two movies which make them good productions. Kyeiwaa lacks most of these qualities making it an unprofessional production. What the industry needs to grow are talents, equipment or logistics, money and legislation.
The study recommends among other things that, the industry should be strengthened through in-service training, the acquisition of better equipment and the appropriate software. This will foster creativity and skills on the part of editors to output high-quality productions. What’s more, a lot of groundwork must be done during the script stage including story boarding. This will guide the selection of shots during the actual production and help during postproduction.
Finally, the implementation of the Cinematography Act to regulate the video editing and filmmaking industry on the whole will be beneficial to industry. Alternatively, financial assistance from the government to assist these regulatory bodies will go a long way to make it more effective. The researcher is glad to suggest interesting ideas that can be used to better video production in Ghana.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Communication Design