By Elzita Beukes
African film audiences can look forward to a rapid transformation of their favourite medium over the next year, as moviemaking evolves into a digitally enabled and socially engaged art form, while remaining as entertaining as ever.
Certain clear movie trends are emerging that will boost efficiencies, grow audiences, and redefine what is possible in the world of filmmaking. These trends will benefit almost everyone who is involved in filmmaking – filmmakers, crew, content platforms, fans, and ultimately the audiences who get to enjoy the movies.
The AI era
Artificial intelligence and machine learning offer many opportunities to improve the filmmaking process. Many viewers are familiar with AI-generated video imagery.
This will continue to grow, especially in the area of special effects, or for creating environments.
However, viewers still react to the human engagement of real actors, so characters will likely continue to be portrayed by real humans.
Much of the contribution of AI will also come in the area of screenplay analysis, helping to create more impactful, entertaining scripts.
AI can also improve production scheduling, and help generate mood boards and storyboards during the early production stages. It can also be used to stimulate the brainstorming process, and eventually to automate the editing phase.
These applications are time-savers and efficiency boosters that will help emerging filmmakers make films more easily, and help bring more voices into the sector.
Immersive film sets
Particularly when telling fantasy, sci-fi or spiritual stories, it is useful to be able to create immersive, virtual film sets that place characters in an otherworldly environment. New technology employs entire walls consisting of tiny LED lights, which means almost any environment can be created digitally.
Another useful technology is real-time rendering, a type of computer graphics that analyses and produces images in real time. When combined with technologies such as LED walls, real-time 3D rendering allows actors to interact with the render as it is developed. This opens up a world of creative possibilities for filmmakers.
Authentic storytelling
This trend has long been part of the African film tradition. Homegrown productions like Op Pad Met My Potjie draw audiences of millions, who respond passionately to authentic, hyperlocal stories that they can relate to. These might be dramas that reflect real-world community dynamics, thrillers that evoke real human fears, or cultural practices that are part of viewers’ everyday lives.
Globally, audiences are also coming to demand more diverse and authentic representation in content and filmmaking. This is likely to create opportunities for African filmmakers and African films, as content from the continent reflects rich human experiences that are sure to appeal to wider audiences.
Sustainable filmmaking
Carbon emissions are a major international concern, as the reality of climate change becomes more obvious. Filmmaking has its own part to play in working to minimise emissions through its operations.
One of the most effective ways to achieve more sustainable filmmaking is by minimising transport and logistics operations. That can be achieved by sourcing cast, crew, and support services from local communities where movies are filmed. Developing skilled African film professionals is therefore the most effective way to achieve sustainable filmmaking on the continent. This process is well underway, through institutions like the MTF Academies – in Lagos, Nairobi and Lusaka – which develop TV and film talent through fully-funded, accredited training programmes.
Building communities
Today, half the fun of enjoying a film, a show or a series is in engaging with fellow fans. Social media allows communities to spring up rapidly. Viewers can enjoy a film on a TV or streaming platform, while sharing the experience with others, in real-time. In the digital age, these communities add an extra dimension to the experience.
For filmmakers, producers and content platforms, these communities are also now a vital part of the movie-marketing process. Films exist on the content platform – TV, theatre, or online – but they also exist as brands and cultural phenomena, complete with their own influencers, trends and sub-trends. Producers produce the show, but if it’s successful, eventually the movie becomes the property of its community – and part of the culture!
These trends will continue reshaping the industry of film, but also the experience of film, in the year to come. While it is difficult to predict exactly what films will look like in the future, it is inevitable that the best films will be richer, more easily – but more elegantly – produced, making a bigger social impact.
*Elzita Beukes is MultiChoice Namibia Corporate Affairs Manager
