OPENING UP THE EXCITING WORLD OF FILM, TV AND MEDIA PRODUCTION

A total of 43 YUTE participants received theoretical and practical training and work experience during 2014, in a range of skills in film, television and media production, as part of YUTE’s new strategy of targeting employment opportunities within non-traditional growth sectors.

These youngsters were excited to be enrolled in the first cohort of the YUTE Lens Support programme. The first, a pilot project, was supported by a grant from the Australian High Commission to Jamaica, through its Direct Aid programme (DAP). The intensive 10-week course included hands on experience during the six-week internship segment, and a number of graduates are now working part or full time in the wider multi-media industry.

According to Jamaica Trade and Invest (JAMPRO), Jamaica’s creative industries generated $267 million in local capital expenditure during the 2012-2013 financial year, creating more than 5,000 temporary and permanent jobs. Jamaica’s reputation as the cultural powerhouse of the Caribbean has positioned the island as a major producer of creative products for global consumption. In addition, Jamaica’s local film industry is currently experiencing a renaissance with a number of feature films released in recent years, led by a dynamic crop of young Jamaican filmmakers and producers. In fact, Jamaican film and television content is being screened in cinemas and distributed on television and online in the US, UK, Europe, South Africa and Japan.

However, although Jamaica’s film and television industry is on a growth path, there are few opportunities for young people to become formally trained in the range of skills needed in the industry. YUTE has therefore partnered with eMedia Interactive Limited to carry out the training for YUTE Lens Support. eMedia Interactive is the creator of iVutv, which is run by a team of young, creative entrepreneurs who share YUTE’s vision of empowering at-risk Jamaican youth. Members of the iVutv team live in some of the most troubled communities in Kingston and St. Catherine and therefore have the unique opportunity to connect with youth from these communities while giving them an opportunity to improve their employability and gain valuable professional skills and experience.

The curriculum for YUTE Lens Support, designed by eMedia Interactive, introduces participants to all areas of production including scripting, direction, producing, editing and cinematography, and also equips them in the production and programming of advertisements, news, reality and documentary features. It is delivered as 30 per cent theory and 70 per cent practical, hands-on learning.