Ugandan Students to be Trained in Wildlife Filming

The Uganda Wildlife Research and Training Institute (UWRTI) has organized a three-week wildlife filming training aimed at promoting conservation communication and promoting the country’s tourism sector.

The training organized in partnership with Kent State University, USA will among others equip participants with hands-on skills in field cinematography, storytelling, cinema operations and editing, all tailored to conservation communication.

While briefing scores of participants at the opening of the three-week long exercise at UWRTI campus in Kasese district, Dave McGowan, a filming expert working with Ravenswood Media, Chicago, said the participants will acquire hands-on skills in camera handling, video editing and will be guided through the art of capturing the country’s breathtaking wildlife on camera.

“The training will equip you with skills, inspiration and renewed conservation for wildlife conservation and you should be able to apply the skills to tell stories of Uganda’s incredible wildlife,” McGowan said.

The Principal of UWRTI, Robert Baluku, while addressing participants urged them to optimally utilize the training to acquire life-long skills that cannot only enable them to capture the beauty and majesty of the country’s wildlife but also generate income.

“Videography speaks louder than any other form of communication and Dave, one of the leading film makers in the world, is here to share skills. Utilize these skills to improve your lives,” Baluku said.

He urged participants to hinge their scripts based on issues like human wildlife conflict, wildlife health as well as adaptability, among others.

Mr Baluku commended government through the Ministry of Tourism for sponsoring the training.

“The course is more than knowing how to use a camera. It is about learning to see with new eyes. I urge you to use the skills you are going to acquire to produce short videos in your respective languages so that the local people can appreciate the country’s wildlife and tourism potential,” he said.

The coordinator of the training, Emmanuel Okech, said this is the first-ever wildlife filming training and urged the participants to use the training to produce more targeted videos about the country’s wildlife.

He narrated that the idea of the training was birthed during McGowan’s visit to Uganda, a few years ago, when he heard a chilling story of a professor who had witnessed a grieving gorilla bury its young one.

“If the Professor had acquired filming skills, he would have captured such a spectacular moment and it would have been shared across the world,” Okech said.

Milligan Babulya, one of the participants and student of UWRTI pursuing a Diploma in Wildlife Management, said she expects to acquire skills in using gadgets like drones and cameras to capture wildlife moments.

“I have been using my camera to record videos but now I hope to acquire the basic skills to edit these videos and tell better stories to the world,” she said.

The training that started on Friday, June 20, will be concluded on July 15 is being attended by representatives from the Tourism ministry agencies, selected media houses as well as wildlife and tourism training institutions in the country.