Between Hollywood and Nollywood: Filmmaker Vigil Chime

Vigil Chime

She was introduced to me by a friend in his popular New York store where he distributes Nigerian and African movies. I was going to say hello and mentally dismiss her as someone I wasn’t likely to ever meet again. Then my friend said she had come to supply his store with another consignment of her movies. A filmmaker! Ah…

This interview for www.naijarules.com and NollywoodNOW! magazine is the outcome of that meeting with Vigil Chime, the writer and director of digital video films like “African Dilemma”, “African Youth” and “Manchester Bound”.

www.naijarules.com: How young where you when your parents relocated to the US in 1978? Did the move impact on you in any obvious way? 

Vigil Chime: We arrived to Houston, Texas in August 1978.  I was 10, going on 11.  The move to America was so traumatic for me I literally did not leave our home.  I found the American landscape so utterly foreign in its practicality; it was a shock to my eyes.  I mean, the roads were so straight, the lawns so tidy and tended in rows, the cars parked neatly on driveways.  And the most shocking aspect of all, no one was walking on the streets - unlike Lagos where we had just left.

To recover from all that I saw from the drive from the airport to our new home, I stayed in the house for much of my childhood.  I read every book I could get my hands on - yes, my love of story/literature resulted.  I left the house only to go to a local primary school, and ran home almost immediately because my four younger brothers and I were constantly chased by our African-American neighbors who assailed us with unprintable words about being Africans. 

The home was the safest place for me, and I took my adventures in the pages of the books I consumed.  When I looked up again, I was 24 and ready to move out of my cocoon to travel alone to graduate school in New York City.  New York City fostered the "no-fear" attitude which makes up much of my character today. 

www.naijarules.com: Take us back to the exact moment you knew you were going to become a filmmaker and writer. 

Vigil Chime: You would think being a filmmaker was a foreknowledge, given I was enrolled in Columbia's film school, right?  Not at all.  I was in the film school to avoid going to the English department.  I realized at the last minute I did not want to be an English professor, which is what I wanted to do all along.  I had a crisis once I arrived in New York City.  I realized one day that this African girl knew nothing about African literature, yet could debate you on details of English literature.  I don't know what type of brainwashing I had undergone, or who was responsible for it.  I woke up in time though, and thought the last thing I would do would be to stand in front of a room full of white kids talking about Poe or Shakespeare!  But what to do?

I decided on film school due to a friend's urging.  We were recently graduated from the University of Houston.  He went on to USC's film school (in California) while I sat out the year to nurse my spiritual crisis.  Off the cuff, he asked me to look into film school in New York City, since the city housed two of the more famous ones, Columbia and NYU.  I thought it was a brilliant idea.  I still needed to be around art, and thought that film would allow me the opportunity to continue either reading or writing stories.  So I applied to both schools and got into both.  I chose Columbia only because of the great lawn.  There is no lawn entrance for NYU.  I guess I was missing all that space in Houston.

When I graduated, I still didn't think I could be a filmmaker.  The school prepared me for Hollywood, and it seemed no chance in hell I would be a successful Hollywood filmmaker - I had no means to raise the millions it would take to make films, nor the contacts, nor a wealthy old man, etc.  So I left school very discouraged, wondering if I should just go to law school.

When Ahmadu Diallo was gunned down in 1999, that was when it all clicked. 

www.naijarules.com: What did you do between 1996 when you finished film school and 2005 when you made the first in the "AFRICAN LIFE" series of films? 

Vigil Chime: So, after film school, with discouragement squarely sitting on my shoulder, I wandered around as a teacher in the New York City public schools, and then as a temp.  I worked in most of the top law firms in the city doing paralegal work, proofreading, etc.  But the one thing I never stopped doing was writing.  I wrote for the same reason that people smoke crack cocaine, I suppose, for sanity.  I couldn't stop writing.  But I wrote and stacked the story on my shelves in my apartment, and then began another screenplay.

At the same time, I wandered around talking to African vendors on the streets of New York.  I loved chatting with these guys and girls, who were not Nigerians.  In fact, it was in New York City that I really grew to love Africans.  Being from Nigeria, I never knew about the other Africans!  Yet, on the streets of New York City, I met them all - there were the Senegalese, the Ivorians, the Gambians, etc. 

To me, they were the most beautiful people I'd ever seen.  They were so filled with integrity and royalty!  I thought, how come no one saw them on mainstream media?  Their stories were always heart-breaking - the children left behind to come to America; those who missed the burial of parents because of lack of paper; those who worked 15 hour days to take care of entire villages at home. The stories were endless and my love for them grew and grew.

Then Ahmadu was gunned down, and I wept!  That was when I decided to be a filmmaker!  It was like the light went off.  Ahmadu represented every African I met and spoke to on the street during those years.  There he was, shot to death as if he belonged to no one! No one had told his story!

But first, there was some personal stuff I had to deal with myself.  I met and married the father of my son, then the marriage failed right as my son was born.  To ease all these pains, finally, in 2002, I bought a camera and decided to document the Africans and their stories - a day in the life of Mohamed the handbag trader, type of thing.  I aired these half-hour documentaries on the local access channels in all five boroughs of New York City, from 2002 to 2005.  This show was called the AFRICAN LIFE TV SERIES.

In January 2005, I embarked on short films, which also aired on the TV show.  I loved fiction more than documentaries, I realized very quickly.  Plus, at that point, I had collected enough stories from doing the African interviews I could pretty much write dramas with my eyes closed.  I could not do both, produce the TV show and the films, so I shut the TV show down in mid 2005 to concentrate on fiction entirely.  Those years preceding the film series taught me everything I know about making films guerrilla style today.  I found out I did not need 10 million dollars to make films.  In fact, with the phenomenal success of Nollywood, I saw that it was possible to make "home videos" on digital film and distribute as DVDs to the same Nollywood viewers. 

I was not a temp by that time, and had been gainfully employed for five years in a law firm.  But I gave up my high-paying salary in December 2005 to pursue producing AFRICAN LIFE FILM SERIES full-time.  I've never looked back since even though the distribution of our films is what is killing us. 

I have full confidence that everything will work out in the end, though, and that AFRICAN LIFE FILM SERIES will be the brand name film phenomenon I envision it to be. 

www.naijarules.com: Speaking of Nollywood, you said during a previous conversation with me that your initial plan was to release a movie a month, each shot within a week (or more when necessary). But you also disassociate yourself from Nigeria's Nollywood. Nollywood is notorious for churning out movies, most shot within a handful of days. You have more in common with Nollywood than you think. So how are your productions different from Nollywood's? Or to phrase it differently, what aspect of home video movies made on the Continent would you like done differently? 

Vigil Chime: Good question.  As I think about how to answer, I have to be careful not to offend anyone or alienate myself from the diehard Nollywood fans, of whom number in the millions at this point, I'm sure.  I can never knock Nollywood for its achievements are monumental.  I would not even be thinking the AFRICAN LIFE FILM SERIES has a chance of survival were it not for Nollywood and its fans.  We mimic Nollywood in the aspect you have mentioned - the idea of churning out movies in record time. 

In film school, I never understood why it took months upon months to complete a film.  Mostly, what I saw was a lot of waste, in terms of film stock, people's time and a general sense of self-absorption on the parts of the filmmakers.  I resolved that whenever I got an opportunity to make films, I would run my set differently.  We would be quick and to the point. 

And remember, our stories are not up for Oscar consideration (at least, not yet).  This is everyday life, shot on digital camera!  The most we would allow is two takes per scene (to allow the editor to choose the best of two) and a third take because someone f*cked up his/her lines or something.  You could shoot a film this way with one camera, shoot 12 hour days, no breaks written in for that slows folks down.  Eat when you can, and rest if you want, but the shooting never stops!

Now, to the dissociation thing with Nollywood.  Remember, having arrived to the US at the tender age of 10, when I was not reading, I was consuming movies.  In fact, the film that made me want to be a filmmaker, although I did not know it then, was David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia".  Then there was Francis Ford Copolla's "The Godfather" (the first one).  Steven Spielberg’s "Jaws", and a host of others too numerous to mention here - all, sumptuous feasts for the eyes and spirit. 

Nollywood and its brand of predictable storylines, repetitious plots, mundane scenery, etc., leave me, well, dissatisfied.  Maybe I have not seen the right Nollywood films.  I have, after all, seen only about one dozen - to completion, I would say about half that.  It does not help that I did not grow up in Nigeria.  I simply do not get the films.  I believe their storylines can be done better.  I apply now all that I learned in school when I tackle a story.  This is principally what separates our films from Nollywood - story and execution. 

www.naijarules.com: How about Nigeria's Nollywood as a whole? How do you see that emerging industry? 

Vigil Chime: I believe that the Nigerian Nollywood scene as a whole can only improve.  After writers, directors, producers become tired of the same old same old, they are naturally going to try and invent new ways of telling stories.  The industry, I am told, is only about 15 years old.  Perhaps after 25 years, we might see "films" now coming out of there.  This is inevitable.

www.naijarules.com: What do you think African Video filmmakers living in Ghana, Nigeria and other parts of the Continent can learn from African filmmakers like yourself based here in the US? 

Vigil Chime: Well, it all depends on what they want.  If they are satisfied with their scene on the Continent, they can learn nothing (and should learn nothing) from American-based African filmmakers like myself.  However, if they want their films to have "cross-over" appeal, to be consumed by all manner of peoples regardless of race, culture, creed, vision, then I suppose, they might be able to learn something from folks like me.  I make films using the language of American cinema, not African.  And yet, my films revolve around the same people they tell their stories about also.  I guess you could say the AFRICAN LIFE FILM SERIES is a bridge of sorts, between Hollywood and Nollywood.  I feel comfortable saying that.

www.naijarules.com: Is there a story behind the name of your company, Breakfast Pictures? 

Vigil Chime: Ha, ha!  Indeed there is and you won't believe it.  The idea behind the "breakfast" of Breakfast Pictures has nothing to do with food, but rather, efficiency. 

While I was still in film school, I used to meet over the weekend with a buddy of mine.  We wanted to debunk the same idea of how long it took to make films in film school.  We met for breakfast on Saturday mornings and before we finished the breakfast, we had to come (up) with a story idea we would then spend the rest of that day shooting to completion!  This was brilliant and we shot and completed many short stories this way.

Well, when it came time to incorporate a company in the summer of 2002, I could think of no other representation of my philosophy on film - hence Breakfast Pictures.  We had to be as efficient and thorough as the habit my buddy and I had begun way back when in school. 

www.naijarules.com: What kind of feedback have you received so far from the immigrant community whose stories you tell? 

Vigil Chime: I don't want to lie, we've basically blown people away - and this with only three films, what I call our "starter' films.  Were it not for distribution woes and lack of funds, there are about 10 scripts waiting to be produced as we speak.  These, as of yet unproduced storylines will knock our current titles out of the water.  All are simple tales too, but intense. 

www.naijarules.com: How about the host communities...how do they react to your stories? Have you ever had your themes misunderstood/misconstrued? 

Vigil Chime: Ah yes ... there is the host community.  The stories have not been misunderstood or misconstrued in any way.  The remark we get often from them is this, "Oh wow!  I had no idea Africans lived that way!" or are going through this or that.  I find their take most amusing because it begs the question what on earth they thought we lived like prior to the "revelation".

www.naijarules.com: Are your movies funded internally or do you have outside money? 

Vigil Chime: Alas no ... no outside money.  All have been funded by li'l ol' me.  When I had the high-paying job, this was not a problem.  I had to take out a personal loan to release our two latest.  Of course, my mother thinks I'm crazy and prays her novenas each morning for me to come back to my senses and go back to a "real" job!

www.naijarules.com: What kind of budget do you have to play with per movie? Do you make back your investments? 

Vigil Chime: AFRICAN DILEMMA hovered around $9,000.  We barely made it back.  The two recent hover at about $5,000 each.  Only time will tell if we will make them back.  But this is due to not being able to get the DVDs to enough stores, I think.

www.naijarules.com: Is your business model and what your site calls a "Wham bam" production style going to remain the same, even if one of your movies makes enough money for you to be able to afford to take more time, keep the actors longer, etc? 

Vigil Chime: Actually, this wham bam style has worked for the three movies, owning more to their storylines than to anything else.  The story tells us how it wishes to be shot.  For example, the October/November story is so important, in terms of what we want to do with it afterwards, that we are taking an entire month to shoot it. 

That is - at most, two scenes a day, compared to the usual 10-15 the rest have taken.  We want to see the difference in production value this will yield.  Of course, this is the one we plan on taking to the festivals and such.  As I said before, the three stories we have now are our "starter" stories.  Their storyline did not necessitate long production periods.  But henceforth, the stories that come afterwards, require more "cooking" time.  Other than this October/November story, which is designed to be shot over a month period (an experiment, if you will), I imagine the average of all of our future shoots will be hovering at two/three weeks max.  Anything longer than that and I'm just not interested. 

www.naijarules.com: Beyond shooting fast using a skeletal crew, how else do you control your budget? 

Vigil Chime: You have to know what the f*ck you want!  Each shot is measured before we take it.  Once taken, it's rare to "re-shoot".  Camera people have to know the camera; actors have to be prepared; director needs to know what he/she wants and not waver once the decision is made; actors bring their own clothes; do their own makeup (or no makeup at all, which I prefer); do not over-practice scenes for the best is done before the camera is turned on; make sure location is secured before we get there; the skeletal crew is mostly by design, for we found that too many people around and people become idle and lazy, and of course, need to be fed.

www.naijarules.com: Guerrilla filmmaking is often considered radical, daring... But you and I know it is also very easy for it to become hasty, sloppy filmmaking. How do you keep it professional and worthy of your Alma Mater? 

Vigil Chime: You need a solid script, people who know what they're doing and a very sound camera person.  The rest is forgiven.

www.naijarules.com: You said earlier that your films go direct to DVD, but I am aware you have screened in New York. Do you usually screen before the DVD release? And what has the screening circuit been like for you and your movies? 

Vigil Chime: Believe it or not, we screen for the actors and their friends and family.  My co-producer says screenings are necessary, and so he is more or less responsible for the noise to get everyone there.  I appear when I'm told to.  For me, the movie is done once we edit it.  I'm usually off writing something else or editing something else.  I detest the entire screening night thing, to tell you the truth, since I am a natural recluse.

The screening circuit, aside from my own shyness at dealing with crowds, has been successful in that people are always shocked at who we are and what we are about.  They want to know why the series is not already housed on some network.  We tell them we are trying everything possible, so if they know someone at BET...

There is no standard with us and the screenings, but it appears we screen after the DVDs are out.  This could change in the future.  

www.naijarules.com: Do you screen or distribute your films outside New York State? The festival circuit perhaps? Outside the United States? 

Vigil Chime: We screen only in New York for now.  We distribute outside the state, yes.  The festival circuit?  No, because we do not feel we have a strong story yet to do the festival scenes.  But this is about to change with our next films.  

Outside the United States?  There are only three individuals that make up Breakfast Pictures right now.  Frankly, there is no one who can pursue the outside the US angle at the present time. 

www.naijarules.com: I understand you're not using any of the traditional DVD distribution channels to market the movies. Why? And how are you getting your movies into the hand of Mr. and Mrs. Public? 

Vigil Chime: This is a funny thing you say.  I never knew there were "traditional" DVD distribution channels.  For African films?  Do tell!  This is how we do it:  finish the film, print posters, take posters myself to DVD stores, return later with actual DVDs that the owner has ordered.  Since I do not have a car, I do all this with the New York City subway system.  And since I have no car, I do not go outside the City.  Therefore, any DVDs I send out of state, first I send to family and friends living there.  They in turn take the posters to local DVD vendors and I ship DVDs to them. 

I have also stood at 125th Street in Harlem hawking my DVDs to passers-by.  Abysmal, isn't it?

My ideal situation is to finish a film, print posters, call some master marketer who will order 5,000 (or more) units from us.  Said marketer would have paid for the 5,000 and then we ship the DVDs to him.  He then wholesales to everyone else while we return to making the next project, and so on and so forth.

My dream has not yet caught up to reality though.

www.naijarules.com: Your DVDs look professional in packaging. If it isn't a trade secret, how do you manage to keep duplication and printing costs low enough for self-distribution to work? 

Vigil Chime: Thank you for that compliment.  The look of the product is second to the strength of the script for me.  I have resources that took about one year to root out on the internet in terms of that look.  Suffice it to say, if anyone really wants to know how we do it, they should just call me.

www.naijarules.com: I'm increasingly being approached by minority filmmakers who are also trying to get their finished movies out there to the US audience. Is there any likelihood of your company becoming an official distributor of DVDs produced by others, based on your experience marketing your movies? I mean there is more money in selling these movies than there is in making them, right? 

Vigil Chime: I have been asked this already by the so-called minority filmmakers.  After I get over being flattered, I gently turn them down.  This is for several reasons: a) we ourselves have not solved the problem of distribution for our own films; b) we are in this business to move our films only and not move other people's; and c) we are filmmakers primarily and not distributors.

Having said all this, i Imagine, once we figure out how to move our own units, we MAY consider doing so for others.  But this is about a decade away. 

www.naijarules.com: Your business model as posted online wonders if it is "possible to be a film production company and survive making and self-distributing films that go straight to DVD?" – It’s been more than 2yrs now. Do you have an answer to that question? 

Vigil Chime: Hell yes!  I would not be in it today if I still did not believe this.  Distribution, to be sure, is our greatest challenge.  But like any problem, it too has a solution.  We just have to find it.

www.naijarules.com: To any African Immigrant out there considering making that first movie...What would you say? Don't!? 

Vigil Chime: I would not say don't.  I would say make it for under $3,000.  The equipment had better be yours, therefore, especially if you want to make more movies.  I would say don't make your "baby" first.  Let the "baby" be the second or third movie.  The first is the "experiment" movie.  Make all your mistakes with that first one.  I would say do it on the weekends.  I would say do it fast.  Therefore, your location had better be where you live.  Thereafter, assuming you enjoyed the process of the first, get ready to make films.  These are the things I would say.

www.naijarules.com: Looking back now, you're probably not as comfortable as you were working full time in 2005. Do you have any regrets? 

Vigil Chime: To be sure, to be sure, I never knew what being in debt was until I became a filmmaker.  Still, I have no regrets and would change nothing in my life.  However, I am looking for a wealthy Jewish guy to shack up with.

www.naijarules.com: For the benefit of anyone interested in more information about you, what's the name of your website? 

Vigil Chime: www.breakfastpictures.com, www.africanlifefilms.com, vigil@breakfastpictures.com

www.naijarules.com: As a parting shot, is there any issue untouched by this interview that you would like to respond to anyway? Last thoughts? 

Vigil Chime: Dude!  I'm exhausted!  You got it all!

www.naijarules.com: Thanks for this conversation, Vigil. But before you go, tell my readers how you came by the name Vigil. Is there a story there somewhere?   

Vigil Chime: There is indeed a story!  The full name is "Vigilant".  I was born during the Biafran War, you see.  My folks said they had to be extra vigilant to escape the bombs dropping from the sky!

For some strange reason, not knowing who I am, when people see the name in print, they believe I'm a white man.  Go figure.

 - Sola Osofisan is the webmaster of www.naijarules.com, www.nollywood.net, www.africanwriter.com and www.nigeriansinamerica.com. He publishes NollywoodNOW!, a monthly magazine on Nigerian movies, in New Jersey.