Nollywood : A Naysayer’s Swan Song

 So the past few weeks have been a paradigm shifting one for me in how i see Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry. First it was the teaser for “76″ by Izu Ojukwu, a story set in the 70′s against the backdrop of the Murtala Mohammed assassination. All i can say is WOW, it looks amazing, it is a first of it’s kind and i look forward to seeing it. Secondly i was at the cinema and two films completely entertained me; one was The Meeting by Mildred Okwo and the other was Phone Swap by Kunle Afolayan , both great comedies, that raised the game on all levels, writing, performance, directing and over all production quality. These movies showed me that things have truly changed in Nigerian cinema. It then finally hit me, that perhaps many of us have been giving Nollywood too much of a hard time. Hollywood had it’s stages , from the silent era, to the talkies, to color and finally the CGI overload era. As they had their stages so we should give Nollywood that room to grow. 

YES ,there are still productions with poor audio/video, bad performances and cliche predictable stories, but HEY, ever heard of B movies or exploitation movies? Every movie industry has their ugly ducklings, and Nollywood is no exception, but a few are breaking out and transforming into beautiful soaring swans.

 

Nollywood is evolving, and i believe it’s just in it’s 2nd phase right now and there is still a lot more room to grow in a world where Hollywood has come full circle and is retarding and inbreeding. 

 Now i previously wrote a blog about Hollywood and Nollywood collaborations and being excited about it , but i’m now having a re-think, though they are welcome, i think we have to be careful that they do not come and muddy the pure waters of our industries growth. Like the story of the kid that tried to help the caterpillar in metamorphosis out of it’s cocoon, but ended up killing it, too much outside interference can do the same. As Nollywood started from scratch on it’s own, during this second phase it can continue to thrive , all that is needed is to continue and increase the current momentum , master the distribution that the American seem to monopolize so much . 

If we continue this level of improvement, just like the music industry exploded beyond belief, and now we have more Nigerian music on radio and in clubs than foreign, i see a time where there are cinemas dedicated to ONLY Nollywood films , here and around the world, i see Hollywood studios scrambling over themselves to work with our directors, hire our actors and acquire the rights to our movies, but the next 5 years are going to be very pivotal, the birthing years and shift to maintenance of a steady 2nd gear. Personally, as we enter 2013 , i’m very excited about what the years ahead hold.

 

 

 

 

 

So a few weeks ago i hear comicon is happening in Lagos, first of all i was pretty surprised, it was always something for off, Stateside. So i decide to attend and see the turn out and what was on offer, boy am i glad i did. I saw some pretty good indigenous comic books and art work , but what impressed me the most , was what i can only describe as African Anime.

A small company by the name of Sporedust Media, who aim to be the Pixar of Africa have created a film called Chicken Core, and from what i can see of the trailer im highly impressed.

Im always going on about the future of Nigerian Live Action films, and New Nigerian Cinema, but WOW, these guys have me thinking about the place animation can have in Nigerian cinema. I wont say any more, check out their work and decide for yourself

Rise of the Naija Auteur- Pt 2

Recently came across this video written/directed by rapper turned Film Maker Tosin Igho(@Tosin_Igho), like his colleague Sanchez Aghohawa(How She Left My Brother) he’s ventured into the Web Series arena,and it’s pretty good, a lil rough story wise, but it’s definitely a good watch.

We are making progress people. Look out world, Nu Nigerian Cinema is here to stay.

What Angry Birds Taught Me

So i finally caught the Angry Birds virus. I haven’t really played video games since someone borrowed my SNES after high school and returned it two years later. So , im flipping through the applications on my phone (go team andriod) and i come aross Angry Birds. So i decide to check it out, and i liked it. Im getting into the game and try not to let the use of projectiles and arcs take me to the nightmares maths gave me throughout my academic career.
So on Day 3 of the game , i’ve advanced and im finally at that stage where the blasted pigs are covered by every concievable barrier, like a virigin bride,in castle with sniper, a piranah invested moat , while locked in a biometric time code lock accesible only by her comatose dad. So i launch one of the birds trying to break through and get to the next stage. It’s getting harder and harder and each attempt just seems to protect them even more. So , i launch one of the little blue birds and realize the projectile is not accurate and i try to recall the bird in mid flight( Doh, silly, i know). To my surprise the bird split into three, multilicity!!. I did not know this was a feature. It had increased my odds of going to the next level. Not only had i been limiting myself and progress from using only what i saw, but i had access to functions that were there to help me.

I also limited myself to seeing only part of the screen, launching from one half of the screen hoping it would hit the mark , i didn’t realize till much later that i could expand the screen and see the entire playing field,and actually plan my projectiles better.

In life sometimes we take things or people at face value. We make assumptions that they are all or only what we see,and sometimes draw conclusion that they can’t be of any use, when they could just be the key , the boost, that can make our progress easier. So let’s open our eyes, investigate,be discerning and realize what we have right under our noses

And for our next trick , we shall……………………..

So there are a lot of changes going on in the Nigerian Film industry. From making home videos we’ve gone to hitting the cinema, not only at home but abroad, with films premiering in the United Kingdom ,the US and even collaborations with East European countries. 

However as a huge movie fan, i noticed we are still sticking within a few genres and even sometimes same storyline (Nigerian immigrant gets into trouble). As we grow and get better, there are some genres and sub genres I’d like to see.

COMING OF AGE

Knowing my childhood, and the adventures I’ve heard my friends tell of theirs(very exciting) Climbing trees, taking short cuts across neighborhoods backyards and having to rabbit when they decide to have a little target practice. After school lessons and wearing double shorts to school when whippings(Doctor Bulahlah)  were in the wind. Childhood in the 80′s is full of good memories and i think that is a great story material that has not been harnessed. One great example of a coming of age movie is STAND BY ME(1986) by Rob Reiner. If you haven’t seen it before, please do. Another is LORD OF THE FLIES(1963). Ok, this one is  quite dark but it’s also a powerful commentary on humanity , touches a little on satire too. which is the next thing id like to see

SATIRE

With Nigeria’s political and social history, we are practically over flowing with potential satire movies. There’s so much going on , i’m surprised i haven’t seen a satirical movie made. We have them in literature in the books of Achebe(A man of the People)  and Soyinka(A play of Giants), and in newspaper comic strips but nothing to the best of my knowledge on the screen. George Orwell had two great ones ; Animal Farm and 1982. I think we are ripe for open season on satires. Even “The Simpsons” is a satirical look at dysfunctional suburban , America. On TV The Colbert Report is satIrical news, where vices ,follies, abuses and short comings are held up to ridicule. Just imagine the hilarity that could ensue.

BIOPIC/HISTORICAL BACKDROP

Ok, here we are making a little progress with two films lined up Lions of 76 and Half of a Yellow sun. Both have stories set within a historical backdrop. But as per biopic. We have many leaders, historical figures, From politics, to music to social movers, they all need biopics so the younger generations can learn about their forerunners. A Fela biopic has been talked about , but that’s not being done by Nigerians, not Nigerian producers anyway. In the US MLK, Malcom X , and Muhammed Ali have had biopic(s). Why can’t we have on Awolowo, Azikwe,Abiola, Soyinka etc

Taking it back a lil further. Most of us have seen Braveheart, or if not seen heard  of (if u never hear where u don dey) Though some creative liberties were taken with the story, the Scots are now very proud of the movie and recently used it for national promotion. I’m sure we have legendary warriors from pre colonial times whose stories would be fascinating on the screen.

ADAPTATIONS

Whether from our own writers( which there are many potentials) or just  great universal stories. Shakespeare has many great universal human stories, which can be set in an Africa Think Hamlet,Twelfth Night,Henry IV,The Merchant of Venice. How about Jane Austen? Think Sense&Sensibility. Now, imagine setting it in Pre Independence Nigeria.Get the picture. Or if you prefer to be Pan-African, we have books by Soyinka,Achebe,Ben Okri and others which can be translated to the big screen. Why haven’t we done them yet? 

URBAN LEGENDS
We’ve all heard those stories from boarding school friends or siblings. Enough stories to make several seasons of the Twilight Zone, Goosebumps and Tales from the Crypt. From Bush Baby to Madam Koi Koi to poo eating demons. The mere word of mouth illustration was enough to put the fear in many of us. What about a visual visceral illustration on an IMAX screen. Something that can put to shame Candyman, Boogie man , Mothman and every other western urban legend that’s scared the living daylights out of some of us. And we’ve not even touched on Slasher movies.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just some that come to mind right now. Let’s not restrict ourselves to just drama and comedy , let’s explore the sub genres that are out there and have more diverse cinema.

What other genre/sub genre would you like to see in Nigerian Cinema? Drop a comment . Cheers

WHEN DISAPPOINTMENT AND DELAY ARE A GOOD THING

My generation grew up with the microwave, instant pizza, pop corn and remote controls. We never really learned to wait or anything , If we wanted something we wanted it RIGHT THERE. This translated to our lives as adults, We wanted instant jobs immediately we get out of school and instant financial stability , the same our parents took 20 years to achieve.  But sometimes , we needs to wait. Instead of a microwave mentality we need that of a crock pot. A crock pot takes the time to cook and offers better cooked and more nutritious food than the microwave ever could.

Sometimes we aren’t ready for what we want, other times it isn’t ready for us , and we need time to percolate, or come out like an underdone cup of coffee, bad tasting and only fit to be spit out or poured down the drain.

The clip below  is DeNiro’s  THE GODFATHER screen test for the character of Sonny Corleone. Good thing he didn’t get it ,cos James Caan was brilliant in the role. Im pretty sure he was gutted, devastated and disappointed that he didn’t get a callback.But as we know he was recalled for the sequel and was AWESOME as a young rising Vito for which he won an Oscar .

You may not get that role you auditioned for. Those marketers may refuse to fund your film or distribute it because there are no known names in it,or the names they want. You may not get accepted by the first few publishers you approach.you may not get the record deal and watch lesser mortals get all the shows, recognition and accolades. Some
times it may be that we need to go back and reassess are strategy; but through it all,keep your chin up, it aint over.

Sometimes not getting what we want, when we want it, is not such a bad thing.

 

WEBISODES – THE NEW FRONTIER; How she left my brother

Young film makers in Naija face a lot of odds. The first of all being finance. How do they get their tv shows and films funded. when they manage to overcome that they face the issue of getting it on air. From Bureacracy to greedy broadcasters that want something in exchange its a frustrating hurdle.

But with shorts, indie feature and now web series young creatives are defying the odds . One of them being rapper turned director, Sanchez Aghahowa, the TINSEL director has created and directed a new 7 episode series called How She Left My Brother, an experimental series that is off to a good start. From the first episode im quite excited. I like the kind of humor they went for and the stylized tone.

I look forward to two things, More episodes and work from Sanchez, and also more innovation like this. The performance from lead actor @ivie_okujaye is likable and believable and presents a good host guiding us through the web of her brothers relationship and family dynamics.

But i’ve said too much, watch and decide for yourself.

 

THE TIDE: THE RISE & RISE OF NEW NIGERIAN CINEMA

So a little while ago i talked about the tide turning in Nollywood. An age where the things it’s been known for; contrived plot hole ridden stories. poor production audio and visual and hammy acting. The days of Nollywood just being admired for quantity,are coming to an end and the wave of quality from New Nigerian Cinema is coming in and it has several riders.

I’ve seen several trailers that have me intrigued and excited. From the premise to the performances it seems an epiphany A-bomb was dropped on the industry and sent ripple effects around. One of the recent trailers to catch my attention is HOOD RUSH starring OC Ukeje,Gabriel Afolayan and Bimbo Akintola making a return to acting after a hiatus Another is also starring OC Ukejwe,co directed by James Omokwe & Ethan Okwara, a true indie film made by a couple of friends on a tight budget.

The first being a musical thriller with two of the hottest young actors in the game. I foresee a very bright future ahead of these two if they keep making the choices they make. From the trailer, i can say I’M very excited.The latter , is a film, about movie making. The first of it’s kind as far as i know for Nolly (of this production quality anyway). One of my earlier entries talked about “Lions of 76″ and “Half of a Yellow Sun” going biopic/historical,and hoping the kind of budgets they had would become more frequent, in spite of that though, with these contemporary stories things just keep getting better.

Everyday there are new film makers rising. Both resident here and those returning home, (much like the music industry), fresh blood and new thinking is changing things and the quality of work we are seeing. From short films to tv shows the game is changing and it’s evident that things aren’t what they used to be. Films directed by Nigerians are now getting wide theatrical openings and screenings in Europe and America , something that didn’t and couldn’t happen some 7 years ago.

If we keep up this momentum and keep raising our game, i see Nigerian Cinema being a rally point for black actors and being the go to place for International collaborations in Africa. We may see a time when African Americans no longer play African roles but our body of work showcases that we have enough talented peeps to play the roles. In fact, i foresee it getting to the point that Hollywood is throwing money at us just so we can create content so they can service the diaspora market.

The tide is rising, and i pray we ride this wave like the big one.

NB: As i haven’t seen any of the films, im basing this on trailers and teasers that have been released. Like everyone else i’ll have to wait to see the final outcomes.

PLEASE LIKE ME, PLEASE ACCEPT ME, PRETTY PLEASE…….WITH SUGAR ON TOP PLEASSSEEEEE

Brands extend their products or dumb down their offerings or slap their brands on inferior substitutes all in the name of reaching the masses.- Seth Godin

Inspired by Seth Godin once again (the dude’s writing rocks) his blog about marketing made me think about film making, my work(current and intended)  and the industry as a whole.

As a film maker are you pandering? Are you watering down the strength of your story, characters or dialogue simply because want to cover as many demographics as possible, and lets face it, make as much money as possible? While that is fully within your rights, does it serve you as a film maker and the story you are trying to tell? Does it serve the purpose you got into the business.? Can you really please everyone?

“Trying to please everyone will water down your efforts,frustrate your forward motion and ultimately fail”.- Seth Godin

Apple is the biggest brand in the world, bigger than the Olympics, YES, a bigger brand than the Olympics, yet there are many people that refuse to own any apple product. Not because they can’t afford it, they just don’t dig it. Coca Cola is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, but some people are determined not to drink it, they prefer pepsi or water.

Bringing it back to movies (yep, i do that). Can you really make a movie that is for everyone? Really, Think about it. Can you? No matter what genre. If it’s a vampire movie, The fans of John Carpenters “Vampires” aren’t likely to pay to go see Twilight. If it’s romance, fans of Blue Valentine aren’t likely to rush out to go see “She’s out of my league”.

In the horror genre , fans of The Exorcist, The Shining or Poltergiest, aren’t likely to be impressed by Friday the 13th:Jason in Space. Even within reality TV , fans of Keeping up with the Kardashians, aren’t likely to be caught watching The Apprentice( ok, maybe im wrong on this one) . No one show, can please EVERYONE, there would be people simply uninterested, and others that outrightly refuse to watch and disdain it.

Film makers like Spike Lee, Lars Von Trier, Woody Allen,Terrence Malick and several others know they can’t cast a net and catch everyone in it with their films, and they don’t try to.If they did, they would not have the quality body of work and respect that they have ammased. While they may not have the box office success of a Michael Bay (who has his own haters club), they do have a more loyal following. And while there is nothing wrong in making a crowd pleaser, say like The Avengers (which still has some people unimpressed). With that crowd pleaser still try to maintain some sort of artist’s intergrity, other wise the real people that appreciate your work will see right through it and call you on it(even within the confines of their couch..setee if you prefer)

As in life , as artists in our work, we can’t please EVERYONE. Even Citizen Kane, a film regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, has people saying “This film is boring”, ditto for The Godfather or any other classic you can mention.

Like you learned in high school,you can’t get everyone to like you(even the popular kids had their disdainers) and you probably also learned directly or indirectly that pandering to be liked is not pretty,and is not respected (does the opposite actually) and it dilutes the effectiveness of your work.

Yes, you can pander, and if you’re a public company and have promised an infinite growth curve, you may very well have to. But if you want to build a reputation that lasts, if you want to be the voice that some (not all!) in the market seek out, this is nothing but a trap, a test to see if you can resist short-term greed long enough to build something that matters.- Seth Godin

So while you keep the audience in mind and don’t get self indulgent in creating, have specific audiences in mind, not the entire ocean of humanity.

WHEN YOU’RE GONE

So, i was reading a blog by Seth Godin (brilliant mind, great writer). And there was an entry titled

The best way to be missed when you’re gone

“Is to stand for something when you’re here. Works for people, works for brands”.

Now, he’s talking about brands and marketing, but in my case, and in my current thinking, i applied it to film making and writing(my first love).

A few weeks ago a programme came on TV,talking about how Shakespeare plays were being reset in a  African setting by African thespians in diaspora. It really struck me. Shakespeare has been dead for several centuries now, but yet, his stories remain so relevant, to many cultures he may never even heard about.

In the 20th century alone, there were countless incarnations, retellings and simple renditions of his stories, both on and the stage and screen. Makes me wonder , if he knew his stories would transcend over a 100 years on.

Then later on, the Sight&Sound list came out , and Citizen Kane’s reign of over 40 years at the number one spot , was toppled by “Vertigo”, another film that is over 40 years old.Several of other Hitchcock films are highly regarded classics, and just a few days ago his post humous 113th birthday was acknowledged by fans worldwide(just shows how much awe and respect he is still regarded in) 32 years after his death.

It initiated another thought. There are film makers out there churning out movie after movie, sometimes 3-4 (or more) in a year. Now, while they may make a killing at the box office,in the next 5, 10,20, 50 years, how will those films be seen? Would anyone remember them? Would they be stored on the virtual holographic cloud drive of future generations 25 years from now? Will they have film school students, in awe of what you were able to achieve, analysing it to see what they can pick up? Would it just be a great oldie to watch and be entertained? Would it have film fans and critics pontificating about your work as a film maker. Or literary stalwarts , chat over coffee about your great writers voice. Do you really want to make a film, that people may enjoy, but never desire to own or see again and quickly forget by the time another movie comes out?

Not everything we do as artists, is going to be a masterpiece. Not everything will enter the annals of what is deemed as “classic”. Not everything has to aim to be an award winner or critics choice. There are many pop corn/escapist books and movies that transcend generations. However, i think we should aim to create things that would enable people to remember us when we are gone and continue to enjoy our creative output centuries after we are laid to rest. After all, isn’t that why we are artists?