LAFAAAC, the French-English-speaking Academy of Audiovisual Arts and Cinema, is a digital platform, whose main mission is to train actors in audiovisual and digital creation. Through its various programs, it offers young people and self-trained professionals working in the audiovisual industry in Sub-Saharan Africa, a more global vision of the professions in which they work and/or wish to pursue a career. ON ART MEDIA has set out to discover this platform, which provides expertise that is most useful to creators on the continent.
The vision of LAFAAAC
LAFAAAC was set up in order to meet the training needs of cinema actors mentioned in the think tank on the development of the film industry and film production, led by Lionel Zinsou and Stéphane Richard. Resulting from the collaboration between Olivier Pascal, Julien Bœuf and François Catala, the platform offers, via a mobile application, content enabling young people and professionals in the creative industries in Africa to improve their skills.
This platform also promotes cultural entrepreneurship for the expansion of the Made In Africa label in Africa and beyond. For LAFAAAC, the film industry has an important role to play in the development of Africa, and the academy intends to help. It has therefore established strategic partnerships with media groups, public authorities and schools, such as the Virtual University of Senegal, to facilitate the integration of those trained.
The training courses on offer
LAFAAAC trains in the fields of make-up, radio, publishing, management and co-production. The academy offers a variety of training packages:
- International co-production: it is a boxed set of 4 training courses that provide the skills needed to get started in international co-production. The offer integrates aspects such as drawing up contracts, project writing, financing applications and financing strategies ;
- Setting up a publishing house: as its name suggests, this package addresses the essential points for setting up a publishing house. It integrates aspects such as the editorial line, the business plan, the SEO mechanism, digital marketing and the choice of partners;
- Promote your books: this module essentially deals with the notions of digital marketing, brand management on social networks and digital transformations of the book;
- Cinema-TV Make-up: this is a condensed version of 7 training courses that teaches learners the gestures to master on a cinema or TV set. This package also includes modules dedicated to the acquisition of behavioral skills necessary to work within a film crew;
- Discover publishing: made up of 3 training courses, this package covers the essential points for promoting a book, the print publishing channel, the creation of a publishing house, as well as the main stages in the production of a book;
- The Radio package: through 5 training courses, this package teaches writing and animation for radio. It develops the knowledge necessary for the animation of any type of program.
An e-learning platform adapted to Africa
LAFAAAC’s trainings are delivered via a mobile application available on Android as well as on iOS. Each session is composed of texts, videos, sounds and images with tests and games to facilitate learning. The sessions can be followed online or offline. Tutorials are regularly organized in order to allow students to test their skills, do exercises and be accompanied. Finally, face-to-face practical workshops over 3 to 5 days are also frequently organized for the validation of acquired skills.