Everything in life is a lesson - Bellion

The first thing I do in the morning....
On a busy day, when I wake in the morning I do a few push ups to refresh my body, have breakfast, shower, pray and head out for work.

The first thing I do when I get to work.....
As a filmmaker (cinematographer) the first thing I do when I get to work is to check the gear (equipment) for the day. I do a test run with the rest of the crew and set up, check through the location and confirm the buildup with the director or client before work starts.

My earliest childhood memory…..
I remember when I stole Shs100 to take to school, we ate like dons that day. But on returning back home, Mzeei had to chase me for almost 10 minutes in the fields to get wiped.

The first book I read…..
I am not so sure really but the best and earliest I could remember is Gulu Gulu Goes to School, it was some crazy goat story.

My first girlfriend...
(Laughs….) Its back then, I can’t remember her name. What I recall is that we at the school and given how shy we were, we could communicate on paper (writing notes) and she could not miss sending me eats.

My first kiss….
My first kiss was in my Senior Six vacation if I remember well. It was just a kiss though nothing more.

My memorable experience….
It is way back when I joined Kampala Film School, it was a turning point in my life. I learnt new life skills and earned new brothers and sisters with whom we have strived and lived to date. It’s a cinema learning process filled with fun, adventure and loyalty that I will never despise.

The female actress I crush on and why…..
That female actress has always been Salma Hayek, (the babe was hot back then, I mean she does not even force a smile, she is so natural).

My first girlfriend….
My best friend! Well I have a couple of diehard friends I have gained over the years but my all time has been this brown guy, Tadeo Mugisha Kagawa I have been with since primary one. He is that person with whom we never hide secrets and considered brothers by everyone. I remember him always asking me to push him to his then girlfriend’s house and we spent about Shs20,000 (transport) just to go sit in the sofas then come back home.

My current job…..
I am into film business. I am the CEO of a filming/ videography and Photography Company called GingNation Films. We shoot films, events, cooperate functions and TV commercials in Kampala. We live for cameras and shoots by the day or on a daily basis. (Besides that, I am also a freelancer cinematographer (camera person for hire).

What I dislike about my job……..
The lack or little respect given to artists like us, respect comes with value but most times, we work with clients that believe are more important than the rest. These are people who don’t know the value of the people they employ to do them the kind of things we do forgetting they can’t do it themselves, they see us in t-shirts and belittle us. The other challenge is the delayed payments from clients after all the work is done. I also hate the fact that a lot of people have found the art industry as a hiding place to earn a living, these are the people who buy cameras and start working the next day without any research, experience or even training. We end up losing a lot of potential clients as well as their trust in such scenarios.

My first salary………
My first salary was Shs100,000 around 2014, it was paid after a music video given to us by one of the film school administrators called Ms Phibie Ntandegwawo. It was I deal I worked together with my partner Kyazze Cruiz Fahad. The best part about this project was that, we only had to edit the footage but we ended up re- shooting the whole video. That money wasn’t much but it was my worth back then, I was a new film school recruit after all.

My biggest regret in life……..
I don’t have regrets at the moment. I believe everything in life learning process and a stepping stone to amend what we have broken. I am the kind that keep no regrets, grudges or even feelings. I strongly believe in life young forever (living forever young wild and free).

My best advice ever……..
The best advice was to myself back then when I was in my senior six vacation, everyone wanted me to join university and pursue a course that would get me a white collar job. I decided to follow my heart, I did and I am now living my own advice. I am living my dream.

What I have achieved in the last 10 years…….
It might not be necessarily 10 years but as a Ugandan filmmaker, I have managed to establish a brand as a Cinematographer in the industry. I am lucky to also have won a national film award at the Uganda Film Festival. I have started a production company called GingNation Films with a group of friends. We want to shoot for the stars. I have managed to feature on a number of award winning films both locally and internationally and I am very proud of this. I look forward to achieve many more.
The strategies I have laid to achieve 2020 goals….
I visualize myself as a CEO going into research and drawing a new approach towards reaching a new clientele base to enlarge our brand (GingNation Films) across the country. I also wish to seek mentorship from the people who have been in the game all along and lastly being open to collaborations with upcoming and established film makers. We look forward to a good 2020.

About David Kisakye
Much as he runs his own production company, Kisakye started out as freelance film-maker attached to different film production companies. He worked as a cinematographer (camera person) and an editor with Kampala Film School, Ebony Hue, Murahworks Films, Ola Visuals, Magic Films, Ivad Productions, Nabwiso Films and Savanna Moons.
Kisakye went to Ananda Marga Mission School, an Indian school in Lugazi for my primary education. He joined Lugazi Homeland College for O-Level and completed his secondary education at Seroma Christian High School in Mukono in 2012.
He later enrolled at Kampala University for a year to pursue a certificate in Mass communication since it was one of the requirements for joining the filming school.