Camera, Lights, & Action

Paul’s Workshop. Photo courtesy of Pro Tisa Creations

Kenya has been a top destination for film productions as well as wildlife productions. From the 1930s The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Joy Adamson’s book Born Free, Out of Africa, 2005 box-office hit The Constant Gardener filmed in Loiyangalani, a small town on the southeastern coast of Lake Turkana and others by BBC Natural History, Discovery.

However, in the film industry in Kenya, this has been an elusive dream. With a conducive environment, this is a billion-dollar business. Lack of capital, equipment, minimal support from the government, and cheap films from Nigeria and soap operas from the Philippians has the Kenya film industry struggling to stay afloat.

Paul Kihuha, the founder of Pro Tisa Creations, was fed up with the quality of films that were being made in Kenya compared to those from other parts of the world. He thought of ways to improve it, and in 2013, Paul founded a company that manufactures film-making equipment. “Everyone calls me Pro Tisa. I came up with the name because I’m the last born in a family of nine, therefore the ninth product. ‘Pro’ is the short form of the word ‘product’ while ‘tisa’ is the Swahili word for the number nine”, he says

 

Film equipment is not easily or cheaply available in Kenya. Paul never thought that Pro Tisa Creations would turn out to be a great business where people would buy and rent film equipment affordably. 

Now, he supplies film equipment and props as well as doing set designs. Paul dropped out of primary school in his final year in 2002. He describes himself as a self-taught artist. Paul’s father was a blacksmith and it is through him that he gained the skill of making the metal equipment.

According to Paul, no one guided him in the production industry, but he used his knowledge in metal works to come up with the equipment. “I wanted to make Kenyan films better. For example, by having different types of shots like moving shots and not only the static ones”, he says. 

In Africa, Nigeria is the leader when it comes to films. In 2018, a Nigerian film Lion Heart premiered at the Toronto International film festival. Netflix is said to have paid $3.8 million (Kshs. 380 million) to acquire the film before its release. 

Paul started making various film equipment like dollies, sliders, cranes, car mounts. A camera grip is attached to a car for motion videos. The equipment is made using light metals. This is according to Paul, who also says that he gets all his metals and other materials he may need like timber and rubber from local hard wares. “When I was starting in 2013, I was using scrap metal, but I am grateful that I can now afford to buy the metals that I need”, he says. 

Paul explains further that the equipment takes different times to complete depending on what he is working on. “A dolly takes a day or two to complete,“ he says.

According to Paul, when it comes to pricing the products, he prefers to work with the client’s budget. This is because he wants to be inclusive even to the upcoming filmmakers who do not have a lot of money to spend on equipment. “One filmmaker can buy equipment for Kshs. 50,000 while another can buy the same equipment at a higher price probably even Kshs. 100,000,” says Paul. 

He, however, explains that the lower the price, the cheaper the material used to make the equipment. “The dolly is the most popular product I sell. I’m also glad that 50% of my props and equipment have been used in Kenyan film productions. Currently, my equipment is filming a popular Kenyan tv series, Selina, and also in Kenyan music videos,” Paul says. 

Comparing the prices of his products to those found in the shops, Paul says that his price is about a quarter of those in the shops. They can last longer too. “My products can live up to ten times longer because the material is pure metal. The others are made out of light material that is usually not long-lasting for easier shipping”, he says.

Paul Kihuha speaking about his work.

Pro Tisa Creations currently has twelve permanent employees. According to Paul, he is also a motivational speaker. He trains the youth on problem-solving, metal works, and filming. “I have so far trained 46 young people. I train them to solve their problems with what they have instead of waiting for help from other people. I also have a workshop where I teach metalwork. I am also able to train them on film because I work with filmmakers where I get to know”, he says. Paul says time and money are his greatest challenges. “I feel that I need to do a lot to fully implement my dream for high-quality films at an affordable cost, but time is a limit to me. Most of my clients also want to work personally with me and not my employees,” he says. Paul adds that he currently does not face competition in his film equipment production but says he is willing to work with anyone who may come up with a similar venture. Paul says he loves the art of making quality films and is glad to be working in a field that he enjoys and finds it to be his greatest achievement. “I can do what I love, and I do it when I want to, and I can earn from it,” he says. Paul is also building a creative hub (Pro Tisa foundation). He hopes to donate it to upcoming artists in the future. They can use it as an office to work on their ideas while interacting with fellow artists. Also, get mentorship. “I made the house plan, and I’m personally building the hub. It’s beautiful, and I can’t wait to complete it,” he concludes.