Netflix & USC School of Cinematic Arts Introduce Film & TV Industry Training in Africa

KAP Film and Television Academy to host post-production workshops In Nigeria

The School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) at the University of Southern California (USC) and Netflix have partnered for a series of training workshops in Africa. The first in the series of talent development initiatives is a post-production training programme in collaboration with Kunle Afolayan Productions (KAP) Film and Television Academy.

The 10-week workshop opens for applicants on the 21st of January and closes on the 31st of January 2022 via the KAP Film and Television Academy website. The training programme aims to nurture professionals and upskill the already existing pool of talents to master the new forms of post-production techniques including picture editing. The workshop will have a curriculum with covers; Picture cropping, Editing and Sound Post-Production led by world-renowned editors and SCA faculty, Douglas Blush, Stephen Flick and Richard Burton from USC School of Cinematic Arts.

“Africa is a hugely important region for Netflix and as we grow the number of productions is important for African stories to be able to meet the growing demand for quality storytelling,” says Allison Triegaardt, Netflix Grow Creative Manager for Africa. “Our Grow Creative partnerships like the one with USC and KAP in Nigeria will help bridge the skills gap, upskill experienced crew and improve diversity head-on. This will also ensure an even stronger diversity of voices, stories, and points of view for our global audience.”  

Kunle Afolayan, founder of the KAP Academy who also recently directed Netflix’s original Nigerian Christmas movie, A Naija Christmas, “It has been amazing working with the Netflix team to produce dynamic Nigerian films, and it will only get better now that we are partnering with Netflix and USC to train the the newest crop of film post-production experts. These editors and sound designers will go on to craft Nigerian stories on a world-class level.

“For over 90 years the USC School of Cinematic Arts has trained Hollywood’s top picture and sound editors,” says Rachel Gandin Mark, Director of International Programs for the USC School of Cinematic Arts.  “Now, thanks to this exciting partnership with Netflix and Kunle Afolayan’s KAP Studios in Lagos, our world-class and award-winning faculty, Douglas Blush, Stephen Flick and Richard Burton will bring their expertise in helping to train the next generation of Nigerian cinematic storytellers.”

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is one of the most prestigious schools in the world for the study of all facets of the cinematic arts. Notable alumni include; Hwang Dong-Hyuk creator of Squid game; Jon Chu director “Crazy, Rich Asians”; Shonda Rhimes, creator and showrunner of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “Bridgerton,” Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther; George Lucas, creator of “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” George Lucas,” and Ron Howard, director of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” Ron Howard.

Since 1929, the school has nurtured and inspired the writers, directors, scholars, entrepreneurs, producers, animators, interactive designers, and others who have developed an unparalleled mastery in cinema, television, and new media.

Space for the sessions are limited and the deadline to apply for Session 1 is January 31st so to book your space, apply on kapfilmandtelevisionacademy.com from 10 January. How to apply: visit kapfilmandtelevisionacademy.com/application. Applicants are expected to also include a statement of results, CV/portfolio, short personal statement, and reference letter.

Upcoming session dates:

Advanced Editing Workshop – Mar 8-May 10, 2022, Sep 6-Nov 8, 2022

Advanced Sound Post-Production Workshop – May 24-Jul 26, 2022, Jan 10-Mar 14, 2023

About the USC School of Cinematic Arts Faculty:

Douglas Blush, an award-winning director, producer, editor, writer and cinematographer whose work includes over 150 feature and television projects like the 2019 Academy Award winning Period. End Of Sentence, the 2018 Academy Award winning Icarus, and, as editor, the 2013 Oscar-winning 20 Feet From Stardom, for which he also received the ACE Eddie Award for Best Documentary Editing.  He was Co-Editor and Associate Producer of Kirby Dick’s The Hunting Ground in 2014, and the Oscar nominated and Emmy and Peabody Award winning The Invisible War in 2012, to mention a few.

Stephen Flick is an Academy Award winning sound designer with over 170 film credits, including work that has earned him two Oscars, one for Robocop, and one for Speed, and three Academy Award Nominations for Poltergeist, Total Recall, and Die Hard.

Richard Burton has worked on more than 100 feature films as a sound editor, sound effects editor, supervising sound editor, and dialogue editor, being nominated three times for the Golden Reel Award, the Editing profession’s most prestigious honor, for Best Sound Editing for Sound Effects and Foley for his work on the feature films BABEL, X-MEN and THE MUMMY and received the Golden Reel award for UNDER SIEGE.

About Netflix:

Netflix is the world’s leading streaming entertainment service with 214 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries, feature films and mobile games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

About USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA):

The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts is one of the leading media schools in the world. Founded in collaboration with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1929, the USC School of Cinematic Arts has fueled and mirrored the growth of entertainment as an industry and an art form. The School offers comprehensive programs in directing, producing, writing, cinema and media studies, animation and digital arts, production, interactive media and games, all backed by a broad liberal arts education and taught by leading practitioners in each field. Its more than 16,000 alumni are among the world’s most distinguished animators, scholars, teachers, writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, sound experts, video game designers and industry executives. Since 1973 not a year has passed without an alumnus or alumna being nominated for an Academy Award or an Emmy. https://cinema.usc.edu/

About Kunle Afolayan Productions (KAP) Film and Television Academy:

Founded by Kunle Afolayan, one of Nigeria’s foremost film makers, the KAP Film and Television Academy is a film production learning institution imparting film industry knowledge through a robust curriculum as well as firsthand learning from tried and tested industry experts. Located in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, the KAP Film and Television Academy offers both offline and online courses in a wide array of filmmaking courses.

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