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Who Wants To Be A Nigerian Movie Star?
16 November, 2003 02:46:00
By Sola Osofisan
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Nigerian Movie Star Segun Arinze (pix: Sola Osofisan)
How can I get into Nigerian movies? That just may be the one question I have received here so many times, it's driving me around the bend. I mean it is harrowingly painful to see all these young people with genuine passion - and some of them will have real talent - all looking for a chance to let it show. Well, I decided to do this for you all. Hopefully, you will find something useful here.
Are You Sure You Want To Be In The Movies?
Life is not as rosy as you assume. If you think Ramsey Noah is having it easy, then you need your head examined. Make sure this is the path you really want to take before you go too far. There are easier professions to get into, so think hard. If you cannot work hard or you burst into tears anytime someone yells at you for screwing up, look elsewhere. If you cannot work under intense pressure, responding to intense deadlines, you don't belong here.
What Exactly Do You Want To Do?
Many of you don't have the faintest idea where your talents really lie. You just say "I want to act". But there are other jobs in the business, other fields that need more help and just may be easier to get into. For instance, hooking up with director Tade Ogidan is not as difficult as it appears. Just get to his Surulere office and hang around until he pops out or his secretary lets you in. He will easily let you join the production crew to understudy what they do and grow from there. You will do all the messy jobs of course, but you will get the chance to meet every important person in the business one on one and even become friends. From there, whatever talents you have will begin to shine. Are you a writer? There are computers there that you can use during production lulls to write a script for a potential movie or TV commercial. And these can get produced quickly too.
There really is no surer way of getting into the industry. Even In Hollywood, this is the time-tested way of cracking the door open for yourself and your gifts. Operating within a full-scale production environment will help you sharpen multiple skills as you have to think on your feet and watch others doing all these things. Some will be make up experts and some will assist the make up expert. Costumes and location hunting are special skill for instance. Some people are just good at it. Producing, directing, scoring music, editing, managing a production on location or in the office… I mean acting is not the only thing. What exactly do you want to do? Where do your skills lie?
Go Back To School
The days are long gone when people in the industry where thought to be drop-outs. Just because Genevieve Nnaji does not have a degree is no excuse for you not to go back to school. She still intends to go back…as soon as she can take a break from earning more money than MBAs. You get something in your back pocket. If the "Nollywood" ambition never comes to fruition, dust up your back up qualification and go work in a bank or something. If you already have a day job, don't quit it to become a star…Not until you become the star. Not until a career cross-over looks like a sure thing.
Many will actually be invited to come and become stars from totally different careers. A producer might walk up to your desk in the bank and notice you have highly photographic looks that suit a role he is casting. You could get invited to his office for a try-out and if you have the chops, there you go! And up you go!
Furthermore, the industry is in terrible need of professionalism. Study acting and hope to become an RMD. Major in directing to become another Tade Ogidan. Specialize in cinematography and you just may be the next Tunde Kelani. Artiste Managers, screenwriters, production and set designers, multi-media specialists, software programmers, the door is open friend.
Lady Luck
Luck is a key element in this industry. And this lady is very choosy where she beams her smile. Many who never contemplated a career in the movies have been rescued from their dreary jobs and 8 to 4 existence and sucked into the business where they have developed talents they never thought they had. Many who never went to acting or film production schools are in control of key sectors of the industry today, displaying more know-how than graduates.
Is Stardom Your Lot?
No one wants to play the bit parts, the roles we call "waka pass" in Nigeria. I mean those people you see in the background in movies. Occasionally, they have a line or a key action to contribute, but it will never go beyond that for some people. Most actors that qualify to be called stars today started out playing bit parts like these. Only a few people have the talent or personality to break out of the background. The background is really where most actors dwell, living from production to production.
Okay, you’re convinced that stardom is your lot. Are you good looking? Come on, how many ugly movie stars do you see out there? Good looks, great figure, hot smiles, sexy eyes…these things count. It isn’t enough that you can act. Hey, even if you can’t act to save your own life, your looks can get you pretty far. How many people have the combination talent and looks of Uche Osotule or Liz Benson? I don’t want to mention names here, but we also have the beautiful blank pages in the industry. Directors cast them for their face value, what we call “Eye candy” here, and that is all. Pretty is cool. Some men are no more than that too, screen fillers. They will never win awards for their talent, but they will continue to have jobs. If you have no talent, ensure you have a face that attracts. If you have both, you’re on your way then!
Actors Act
If you want to become a star, then do the job. Sending email and posting on message boards that you want to act serves no purpose. The people who cast shows go to specific places to get the names and faces they need. Make sure you are listed in all the important places. More important, act wherever you are now. Start small if you have to. Gain experience, and it will someday translate into exposure. Actors are actors because they act, not because they dream of acting. Get off the Internet. Act.
In addition, downplay that dream of acting in the Nigerian movie industry if you're not physically in Nigeria. Act in whatever country you're in now. Make a name there if possible. The experience counts big time. Someday soon, hopefully, you will relocate to Nigeria where the name will precede you - or you will get into collaborations with the Nigerian team.
Stop dreaming. Start acting.
Can You Make A Living Here?
How much does it pay? Is it worthwhile financially? Most actors do other things to supplement the acting job. You have to get to the level of The Nnajis and Noahs to be able to generate enough income to live as a star in Nigeria. Even then, you have to play any kind of crappy role just because the money offered by a producer or director who obviously know nothing about the job is so enticing. Only the A-List Stars earn anything worthwhile…Say 300.000 Naira per movie (and that is for a job that keeps them on location no more than a week, or they get restless). It can be higher or lesser, depending on negotiating skills and the budget of the movie. The bit parts earn next to nothing. Many work at this level to pay their dues and do not care very much if they get paid.
Some actors can make a movie happen. Richard Mofe-Damijo, for instance. If he expresses interest in a story or script, there's almost a guarantee that it will be get funding and be filmed. He is also the highest paid today because he has created a profile - a personal sense of style - off and on set that keeps him far above the others. He is cultured. He went to the university to study dramatic arts. He can act better than most people and he has paid his dues in the industry. RMD can sell himself more than any other actor. He thinks on his feet, on the run. Above all, he's just like the guy next door in his simplicity and does not carry the fire of stardom around on his head where it can burn his fans. They have remained solidly behind him over the years, both old and young. That helps.
The Fans
Hey, in the long run, they are the most important set of people, the reason why the industry exists. Fans spend the trickles of money that go on to become billions of Naira. Fans make actors want to be actors. They give directors a job by loving the movie. They help producers make a living. Without the fans, there is no business, no industry.
Some people only have the talent to be fans. There is no harm in remaining a movie fan. Fans often steer the industry in the direction it goes by identifying with certain productions and not others, thereby prompting the producers to make more of that product and movie. It is the reaction to movies that make it all worthwhile. When you laugh or cry or clap or jump up excitedly or scream a warning at the character in the moment… That is precisely what the people behind the scenes thrive on. Your reaction. Ignore Genevieve Nnaji today and she might burst into tears, wondering why, where did she go wrong, what did she do wrong? Stars who ignore their fans go nowhere fast, because movie fans can switch so incredibly fast.
Some fans tell themselves, "I can do that". In many cases, they can and have gone on to deliver. Some fans have no idea what it really means when they say that.
Can You See The Light?
There's always a price to pay. Anything you do in this world, you pay a price. The price is higher for those who want to make a living doing what gives them pleasure. It is higher because making a living in most parts of the world is usually tantamount to doing something that makes you miserable. Only a handful of people are doing what they really want to do in this world. Be ready to pay the price.
If you become a star, say goodbye to any illusion of privacy you ever had. Tabloids are going to write about you. They will fabricate stories and misinterpret scenarios just to grab a catchy headline. The people own you too. You will live your life to please them, playing roles that have worked for you in the past, doing just what they would like to see you do… Just like a puppet on a string. The work hours are also killing, day, night, round the clock just to can a scene, constant journeys to distant uncomfortable locations, risk of accidents, etc. There's a hell to pay…
What If…
Some people just never make it. They move in the right circle, and work like horses behind the scenes for years, unable to break out in any area, unable to create an identity that can earn them a living. Most people in the industry fall into this category, those who will die perpetually stuck in the small print section of movie credits, never seen, never noticed. For every Tade Ogidan, there are 10 dreamers hurting under the weight of their hopes. For every Genevieve Nnaji, there are a 100 hangers on crawling production houses, hanging out in producers' offices, hoping for the break that never comes. Be warned…
Do Dreams Come True In Nollywood?
They do, really. Many come from out of state to work as production hands in Surulere, the real development heart of the Nigerian movie industry, hoping someday that they will hitch a ride on a star. Some have become powerful directors today. Producers, actors, writers… You just have to hold on to your dreams.
So, don't just sit there and dream dreams. Don't just talk about it. Go ahead and do something about it. Do it. Get those hands dirty. Work hard and patiently at it, but above all, do it.
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