Factors determining annual trend of documentary film production in the country

Financial considerations loom large. Shorter films on the whole cost less.

Factors determining film length trends in the country

The key determining factors are rooted in financial considerations.

Producers’ funding methods

• Up-front commission
• Self-sourced funds from personal savings, family, friends.
• When a work has been produced, distributors are willing to talk, especially when their potential interest is made clear.

Producers’ documentary film production budget estimation methods

Since the industry is still informal and fragmented, the budgeting is done mainly from direct experience in the industry. Because of the scarcity of commissions, budgets vary a great deal, with allocations for crews being highly flexible.

Most successful producers

The most successful production houses are propelled by NGO commissioned work.

Local documentary production funding sources

NGOs are the most active commissioners of documentaries.

Funding eligibility criteria used by local documentary funding sources

The critical eligibility criteria is that a production house is a legally registered entity with a bank account. A show-reel of previous work is also necessary, as well as a willingness to work closely with an NGO to craft the audio-visual message.

Submission requirements used by local documentary production funding sources for funding consideration

These will be determined by the commissioning organisation.

Ownership issues in documentary film production

In most cases the copyrights are retained by the commissioning organisation, but producers are able to submit and screen works with permission.

Documentary film production ownership issues resolution methods and experiences

• Ownership issues are best resolved before the documentary is made, and reflected in any agreements that are entered into prior to production.

Revenue allocation issues in documentary film production

As most documentary production in Uganda is NGO commissioned, the question of revenue does not really arise, but with the new internet based distribution platforms coming up, revenue allocation between distributor and producer is on the basis of a revenue split between platform and producer.

Documentary film production revenue allocation issues, resolution methods and experiences

Revenue allocation issues, such as ownership issues, need to be resolved in advance and covered by a signed contract.

Agreements between fund sources and producers in documentary film production in the country

Commissioning NGOs usually have quite comprehensive agreements that production houses sign for the work

Deliverables in documentary film production in the country

Most commissioning organisations specify the format in which the finished production should be delivered.

Reporting requirements during documentary film production in the country

Occasional presentations of what has been achieved at various points in the production are made.

Current professional development methods in the country

The availability of professional training institutions is inadequate given the interest from newcomers. Professionals in the industry, however, do a great deal of on-the-job learning. This is particularly true when experienced highly skilled filmmaking crews from countries with established documentary industries come into the country to film with local crews on location. Training programmes in the country also bring in highly experienced filmmakers to give workshops. These workshops tend to be quite popular on the whole.

Professional development service providers for the filmmaking community in the country

There are NGOs and a filmmaking school, the MAISHA Film Lab, that provides professional development services to the filmmaking community.

Professional development needs in documentary film production in the country

While most filmmakers appreciate the development phase of documentary film production, the commissions that come from NGOs, and that are heavy on message, do not provide the opportunity to fully derive the benefits from this phase due to narrow scripting demands.

Changing technology and techniques necessitate that continuous professional development is a must if work produced is to be internationally competitive.

Post-production is as equally important as actual production. Here too, technological changes necessitate continuous professional development.

Potential funding partners in the country, Africa, and beyond and their level of activity

• Diplomatic missions all have cultural The Danes in particular have recently been involved in supporting youth in filmmaking.
• There are quite a number of international funds which have already funded documentaries in the
• NGOs will occasionally commission

Film schools in the country

Several unaccredited schools offer training in filmmaking but their student figures could not be obtained, for example, Kibera Film School in Kampala.

Documentary film production training programmes in the country

• The Maisha Film Labs
• Kibera Film School in Kampala

Professional development courses offered in local film schools and training programmes

Maisha Film Labs do not charge for their workshops, but there is a necessarily strict filtering of applicants given the volume of applications.

Film festivals in the country

• Amakula Film Festival
• Uganda Film Festival
• African Film Festival
• Amakula Film Festival

Business management schools in the country

The Makerere University and the private Kampala University offer a full range of courses. These are reputable institutions.

Kampala University has a film course but it is not clear to what extent it is involved with the Ugandan film industry, nor the business management courses offered there.

Journalism schools in the country

Makerere University and the private Kampala University offer a full range of courses. With support from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, the Uganda Media Development Foundation (UMDF) is continuing its training programme for journalists at the regional and district levels.There is no direct involvement with the industry immediately evident.

Professional and peer mentorship in the filmmaking community

Mentorship is very informal and often described as taking someone under the wing. Experienced producers and editors will often share advice with junior colleagues, or even new entrants into the industry, but not much time can be afforded for mentorship. Experienced writers will often share advice with junior colleagues, or even new entrants into the industry, but not much time can be afforded for mentorship. Among writers, mentorship is most easily achieved because of the nature of the endeavour. Writing can be exchanged and constructively critiqued more readily than can a producer’s or director’s performance, which needs in situ feedback from a mentor to be most effective. With editors, informal ad hoc mentorships are formed on a project by project basis. Crews tend to shuffle and knowledge and skills are disseminated by coming into contact with colleagues who may have picked up new knowledge or techniques from previous projects.

Categories of relevant tech-related companies in the country

Professional filming cameras and editing software are imported and not locally procurable through an agency. There are many consumer computer and camera shops in the city, but these do not have the ‘industrial strength’ equipment required by most filmmakers to produce work to international standards. No direct involvement with the documentary film industry is immediately evident.

Film sales companies operating in the country and services offered to local documentary filmmakers

Specialised sales companies dealing with films simply do not exist locally. There have been cases where foreign brokers have sold documentary films to air on foreign television stations. With the advent of the internet distribution platform, producers are able to deal directly with the distributor. These aggregators of content are coming up fast and will be able to negotiate more favourable terms for themselves and filmmakers with broadcasters in particular. No direct involvement with the documentary film industry is as yet immediately evident.

Film distribution companies operating in the country and services offered to local documentary filmmakers

In Uganda, Fast Track Productions has launched an internet distribution platform http://www.africafilmonline.tv/. They have developed the service to an advanced stage and already have some of their own productions, a soap series titled Hostel, online. Initially their main target market is the Ugandan Diaspora.

Filmmaking community advisory groups in the country

Censorship is active.

• There are many advisory groups in Uganda advising on various issues and aspects of They include:The National Advisory Group, Youthful Advisory Group, and others.

Nature of involvement of advisory groups in the professional development of documentary filmmakers

Especially in the making of documentary films to do with public health, these advisory groups are consulted in order to help shape the message the commissioning organisations seek to impart to society.

Local advocacy groups operating in the country

Advocacy groups do exist in Uganda. Many of the international NGO are advocating for something, and are the most active in commissioning filmmakers to make documentaries and message-driven dramatic features. Local advocacy groups include:

• Uganda Debt Network
• Uganda Youth Network
• DENIVA
• Uganda Rural Development & Training Programme
• AYPARI

Nature of involvement of advocacy groups in the professional development of documentary filmmakers

Advocacy groups need their messages put in film as well, and will occasionally engage with filmmakers in this respect.

Documentary and news archives in the country and its volume

Broadcasters have extensive but unorganised collections of footage, access to which is limited. In most cases, documentary filmmakers have to resort to foreign archives maintained by organisations such as A24 Media, Reuters, and others at great expense.

Method of archive access and use by documentary filmmakers

It is quite straightforward, when funds are available, to purchase footage from established archives abroad.

Existing forms of documentary film distribution in the country and their capacities

• DVD
• Broadcast Television
• Internet distribution

Distribution options taken by local documentary filmmakers and why

• DVD
• The delivery requirement for commissioned documentaries is usually in this format.

Educational film distributors operating in the country and their capacities

The Documentary Educational Research Company is an online educational material distributor.

Non-profit film distributors operating in the country and their capacities

YouTube allows any filmmaker to distribute their product for free on its platform. Though not strictly a non-profit, it is virtually free for producers to put their works out to be seen by the world. What’s more, YouTube has a tantalizing profit-share formula that depends on the number of views the film gets. There are no local not-for-profit film distributors in Uganda. Some of the foreign not-for-profit distributors include Invisible Children Inc., which was responsible for the KONY 2012 viral video phenomenon and the Uganda Humanitarian Communications Initiative.

Benefits local documentary filmmakers get from educational and non-profit distributors operating in the country

Documentary filmmakers want their work seen, so any effort to make this happen is a boon to documentary filmmakers.

Laws and regulations governing the distribution of documentary films in the country

• There are copyright laws in Uganda which have, of late, been enforced by authorities.
• Filming requires
• Government censors are quite

Laws and regulations governing audience-building for documentary films in the country

Some audience-building strategies require that producers advertise and/or publicize documentaries. Consumer protections laws will, as a matter of course apply, though how well these are enforced is another matter.

Experiences of documentary filmmakers with legal framework governing distribution of and audience- building for local documentaries Narrative

Apart from signing legally binding agreements and making sure their production houses are registered and up to date, there is little interface documentary producers seek with the law.

Audience-cultivation strategies used in the country in descending order of effectiveness

• Word of mouth and by popular acclaim
• Advertising, especially on the radio, and posters
• Publicity through interviews in media

Originators and executors of audience-building strategies for local documentary films in the country

• The Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) has a membership that has been devising such strategies as their mission.
• Many other marketing and advertising agencies

Revenue generation strategies for local documentary films in each distribution channel in the country

Broadcasters in Uganda cannot be counted on to generate revenues for documentary makers. In fact in order to have their work aired producers pay the broadcaster for the right. The internet distribution platforms now coming up promise a better way of generating revenue. For DVD sales to generate any significant revenue, the volume must be so large and the unit price so low as to de-incentivize any pirates.

The content also has to be pretty sensational for the general public to be sufficiently interested to spend its money. Commissioned documentaries suffer no such challenges, and this is the route most filmmakers take.

Originators and executors of revenue generation strategies for local documentary films in the country

All revenue generation strategies are up for negotiation, but with internet platform distribution, producers are offered distribution agreements by the platform operator.

Social movements in the country and nature of engagement with local documentary filmmakers

• The impact of a recession economy seems to have brought many Ugandans together to demand There have been demands from medical students, and unions have become more active in their demands too. On the artistic front, poetry has gained a momentum that is sure to carry on for some time. There is also an anti-gay backlash that is being driven by evangelical churches, particularly from the United States. The ruling party considers itself a movement, the National Resistance Movement.
• Uganda Land Alliance

African civil society groups in the country and nature of engagement with local documentary filmmakers

• National Advisory Group (NAG)
• Gulu NGO Forum
• National Union of the Disabled Persons of Uganda
• Anti Corruption Coalition of Uganda
• National Association of Uganda Small Business Organisations
• Kabarole Research Centre
• Soroti Civil Society Network

Local civil society groups will occasionally engage filmmakers to document events.

Potential ADFF partners in other activist groups in the country and the nature of engagement with local documentary filmmakers

Activists can be found in Uganda, and their activities are often in broadcast news. Before it was banned for being a security threat, the exploits of the Activists for Change were well documented by local media outlets. Other activists include:

• Campaign to End Genocide in Uganda Now (CEGUN)
• Sexual Minorities Uganda

Issues concerning distribution rights in each distribution channel and their resolution

All such issues are to be covered in distribution agreements, failing which, determination by an arbitrator or court of law is required. Laws concerning copyright are enacted in Uganda.

Securing and administration of distribution rights in the country

Distribution rights are secured by means of legal agreements entered into between content providers and distributors

Prevalence of copyright piracy of film in general and documentary works in particular in the country

The prevalence of piracy is high. Any film, documentary or otherwise, that is popular, expensive in the original, and not widely available is vulnerable to piracy.

Measures in place to deal with copyright piracy in the country and their effectiveness

There are enacted copyright laws in Uganda. Anti-counterfeit mechanisms for DVDs have been introduced. Some filmmakers think it would be wise to engage the pirates and bring them out of the shadows with distribution deals, thus taking advantage of their wide distribution networks and reducing piracy.

Internet penetration in the country

• Population – 34,612,250 (est 2011)
• Internet Users – 4,178,085
• Internet Penetration – 1%

Potential subscribers for an online local documentary library and/or Internet channel

Even if we peg this at 5%, it equates to about 200,000 users.

Internet usage by local documentary filmmakers

YouTube has brought about a revolution in audio-visual access by millions of people. This has not gone unnoticed by filmmakers the world over who have posted trailers, showreels, and completed works on the platform. Ugandan filmmakers have been no different. Most production houses also have an internet profile.

Political sensitivities

• Opposition politics
• Staple food prices

Modes of communication between local documentary filmmakers and funding sources

Face to face presentations are common.

The communication channels in Uganda are good, mobile telephones have proliferated with about five network operators, and courier services are available in the city. The internet has certainly made communications very easy, though slow at times.

Channels of communications that allow private exchange of information in the country

Face to face communications are usually best, and so are courier services. DHL have agents in Kampala. Email communications are also quite secure.

Information sources used by local documentary filmmakers on various aspects of documentary production in the country

Word of mouth and informal exchanges of information are the most prevalent means by which filmmakers obtain the information they need to do their work. It is inefficient. Conventional information sources like newspapers and magazines are also used. Lately, bloggers on the internet have taken to reporting the on-goings in the arts world of which documentary filmmaking is a part.

Kinds of information that local documentary filmmakers would benefit from being in a directory or guidebook

The documentary is in constant need of information on funding sources and information on how to successfully apply for funding. Since the industry is quite fragmented, an organised directory of industry players and their contacts and profile, and the details of suppliers, including prices of products and services would really help filmmakers.