Video is part of a skit, not real event 

A video that has sparked anger on social media with a man seen brutally whipping two of his step daughters and making them draw a plough in a field is actually a scene taken off an episode of a local drama series.

The video has garnered a lot of attention online, including that of the President’s Spokesperson George Charamba who amongst others has called for an investigation and arrest of the ‘cruel man.’

The screams from the girls who bend and twist and beg for mercy when the father lands the whip; and the stern voice from the ‘abusive’ father and his use of brutal words brings out a convincing act to anyone watching the video.

However, the different shot angles used to capture the scene should be a telling sign that the incident was choreographed. This piece of evidence flew over the heads of many.

The skit is an excerpt taken from the upcoming sixth episode of a local drama series called ‘Ndave Pamuromo’ produced by Cosmake Arts Production. 

According to the producers of the series, the skit was meant to promote the upcoming episode.

Watch here.

Key things that will help you differentiate a real event (unchoreographed) video and an act:

1.  Steady pictures. Choreographed scenes usually have steady and clear pictures suggesting the use of professional cameras and camera stands. On the other hand, real events videos are usually taken using a phone with unsteady and hazy pictures.
2. Sound. The quality of the sound in acting scenes is clear suggesting the use of professional microphones whilst that of a real event video is usually noisy with a lot of background noise from moving feet, hands and breath.
3. Shot angles and sizes. It’s almost impossible for an unplanned video to have different shots. Many such videos have a single shot, usually a long shot from a single angle. It is unusual to have a close up shot in an unplanned video.