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By CHUX OHAI.
What has been happening to you?
Actually I have been out of the scene for some time. I have been trying repackage and rebrand myself.
What exactly do you mean by rebranding yourself?
I mean I am trying to do new things, to learn new technology, in order to move on to the next level.
You seem to be having a very tight schedule, lecturing and directing films and maybe doing a bit of scriptwriting, these days. How do you cope with the pressure?
I do not see it as pressure. It is part of my training. To be in this business you have to be up and doing every minute because the moment you relax a lot of things may pass you by. You have to keep in touch with what is happening in the industry, the current technology, and the new things coming into the market. You have to think about how to do good productions. Right now I lecture at PEFTI. That is part of my personal re- branding effort. I am trying to train a new generation of professionals who really understand what television and film production is all about. Also I have been busy directing television series and soaps and movies.
What television series are you working on at present?
At present, I direct some of the TV drama series produced by Wale Adenuga Productions, such as Soul Sisters, Papa Ajasco, and some episodes of This Life.
Do you also direct Nollywood home video films?
Yes, I have handled some Nollywood films.
What movies have you directed lately?
Just about some months back, I did a yoruba movie titled, Nkan Oni Mi.
How does it feel competing with younger colleagues?
There is no competition. The sky is big enough for everybody. That is why we are training a new set of people. We still have a lot to do and so I do not see it as a competition. This business is about quality; the quality of what Nollywood can produce, not about competition.
People have been talking about reshap Nollywood. How exactly do you think this should be accomplished?
They can only achieve this by insisting on professionallism. It is as simple as that. Let us stop churning out half- baked movies and stamp out mediocrity in Nollywood and things will get better. We should allow trained professionals to do the job. That is the way I feel about it.
What are the differences and similarities between the period when you started directing movies and now?
So far, there has been a lot of improvement in technology. Equipment used for production are better and more sophisticated than ever. But then, the movie industry has witnessed a massive influx of mediocres and people lacking professional knowledge of how to make movies. Many of them are simply not doing the right thing. This is because some people just come on location and after playing the role of a production assistant once, they want to direct and produce a home video film. Some of us who were trained for this job feel bad when we see such people ruining everything.
Is it compulsory that an individual must be formally tutored in movie making? How about those who are naturally gifted for the job?
Yes, in a way. It is either you go to school or you learn the ropes under somebody that is a professional. It shouln‘t be just because you were part of a production once and all of a sudden, you want to direct a movie. Once I was on location somewhere and there was this fellow who called himself a movie director, but knew next to nothing about what to do. The artistes on the set of the film in progress were telling him what to do. All he did was sit in a corner and shout commands to the cameraman. That was not what we were taught in school. I agree that talent is necessary for this kind of job. But then, it is either you go to school or you learn the ropes from somebody else.
What do you expect a real director to do right?
A good director must be able to communicate. He must be a psychologist, a creative person, and a father to all because he is totally in control. As a director, you must be knowledgeable in what you are doing and you must have good understanding of the script. You must be able to communicate with the cast and the crew. You must be able to actualize what the producer has in mind.
Don‘t you see enough of this quality in Nollywood movie directors?
No. I do not see enough of it.
Nollywood is currently rated as the second largest movie industry in the world. Do you think it deserves this ranking?
I do not know why Nollywood is rated as the second largest in the world. I would like to know on what basis. Is it in terms of quality or quantity? Yes Nollywood is respected outside the country, but is it for the quality of the films produced or the quantity? I don‘t deny the fact that some productions are good enough to earn Nollywood some respect outisde this country. In fact, I am impressed by Amazing Grace and Figurine, which was produced by Tunde Kelani. Those are examples of well-produced movies that will earn Nollywood some respect anywhere in the world. But what use is it when a small boy or girl can predict how a film will end by simply watching the beginning? In such a film there is usually no suspense, no intrigue, and no excitement. That is the way I see it.
What do you think about the quality of acting in the Nollywood?
There is a lot of improvement, but we still have a long way to go. Emphasis should be on proper casting and getting the right people to do the right thing, not casting people in a movie because they know one or two people at the top. I should not cast the wrong person for the right role just because I want to shoot a low-budget film. Also the fact that I am in charge of a film production does not mean that could use my brother to achieve this in order to cut corners. Those are some of the things affecting our production.
What do you think should be done and who should do it?
Those of us that are professionals have to get our acts together. In the first place, members of the various associations and guilds should stop fighting amongst themselves. Let us stand as one solid organisation and stop creating factions. By the time we get our acts together we would be able to control the industry.
The movie producers also complained about not having enough funds to make high quality films?
Maybe it is because they have not got the right stories yet. If you have the right story people would come out to sponsor it. Apart from that, there is a problem with marketing because many of the supposed sponsors complain of spending so much on production without making profits. So they are scared of putting more money into movie production. I have had the experience of spending so much money on a film and getting nothing out of it.
How do you identify a good script?
When you see a good script, you would know it. It must have a good story line, suspense, intrigue, and the plot must be convincing. I do not know how to put it, but when you see a good script you would know it. You cannot predict what will happen next and there is that urge to want to know more about the story.
In terms of good stories, would you give Nollywood a pass mark?
I would rate Nollywood average in terms of good stories. After we shot and released Battle of Musanga, which I directed, everybody wanted to do epic movies from then on. But Battle of Musanga is a movie that revolves around the introduction of Christianity into a community in Igbo land. The story is told in different plots. That is what I call a good story. Suddenly everybody started doing epic movies up to the point that people started picking stories out of Battle of Musanga itself and started writing topics out of the movie. If anybody comes out with a successful love story today for the next one month everyone else would be writing about love. If it is about robbery, everybody would be writing about robbery. That is not how it should be. People should be creative and come out with different stories. Look at Things fall Apart, for example; it was made into a movie and became a huge success. We still have stories like that and nearly all of them are classics written by the likes of Ola Rotimi, Femi Osofisan, and Wole Soyinka. These authors have written stories that we can adapt into movies. Instead of just concerntrating on scripts, we still have writers that are still around and good enough to write stories for the screen.
These works that you have mentioned are literary. Do you think literary works are easily adaptable to films?
The Americans do it in Hollywood and it is done everywhere in the world. Don‘t forget that Things fall Apart was a literary story and it was converted into a screenplay and a movie. It can be done. It is done everywhere.
How come marketers, instead of producers or directors, decide what happens during movie productions?
The simple answer to that is the insincerity of the producers. When they hold meetings of their guild and mutually agree on a line of action, instead of sticking to the general decision, most of them go out and do a different thing. There was a time when producers got together and said they did not like the way the marketers were treating them. So they tried to create an outlet for the marketing and distribution of their films. In the end, some of the producers went back to doing business with the marketers.
Are you saying that in spite of its success, Nollywood is not really organised?
It is not organised. Let us be frank with each other. You can see what is happening now, with people fighting everywhere. It is not organised. Anybody can kill me for that if they like.
At what point in your life did you decide to live by directing movies?
I have always been in love with movies, even as a youth. I was born and bred on Lagos Island. When I was growing up, we had mobile cinemas. Men came in vans and set up the screens and they showed films to the people. In those days, we went out to watch those films. We watched cowboy films, Indian films, and all those action films then. After seeing these movies, during the week we would leave school and go out to draw cowboys on the posters. That was when I got interested in the title, Art director. I never knew the meaning then and I always told myself that one day I would become an art director. After drawing all the cowboys on the posters, we used to do this caricature thing: we would set up a box, light a candle behind it, and then cut out cardboards in human forms and show them to our friends. Back then we were small. I got the idea from my uncle who lived in America. He told us some things about the caricature stuff. Later we learnt that the Chinese also had something like that. It has always been in my interest to be invloved in show business.
When did you actualise this dream?
When I got to the University of Ibadan where I studied Theatre Arts and majored in directing for stage. During the compulsory National youth service I worked with the Nigeria Television Authority. I did some shots for NTA, Kano. When I returned to Lagos I started working with NTA Network on production. From there, I moved on to NTA Television College, Jos. I am now specialised in television production and technology. Besides, I have attended seminars and workshop abroad. I got really excited when I was nominated to be part of the United Nations-sponsored workshop on Sesamie Street.
What was your experience at the workshop?
They wanted us to start something like Sesamie Street in Nigeria. It was an exciting experience and an opportunity to see new technology, new things, and interact with producers, directors and writers from other countries. For me, it was a good exposure.
As a graduate of Theatre Arts, you could have opted for a career in stage drama. What led to your interest in the movies?
To be frank with you, I can still do stage production because I still do it for my church and my club. But, like I said before, I have always been interested in television and film.
What attracted you to television and film?
Creativity. There are things you can do with a camera and an editing machine that you cannot do on stage. It is about creativity.
Which is the first movie that you directed?
The first movie I directed as an associate director was ‘Rattle snake‘. Also I went to Enugu to direct ‘The Unpardonable‘. It was the first full-length movie that I ever directed. It was an Igbo film. Can you believe that I could not speak Igbo language and I was directing an Igbo film. It was quite interesting and after that one, I have directed many other movies.
Some actors and actresses are very selective, are you?
Yes. I am, because your last job is as good as your future job. Everything depends on the script. It is the script that decides what you do.
You are probably one Yoruba movie director that has worked on more films marketed by Igbo businessmen than others. So what has been your experience working with these people?
It has been very interesting and rewarding working with them. No regrets.
Are you aware that there is division among stakeholders in the film industry and that some Yoruba actors, actresses, even producers, do not consider themselves a part of Nollywood?
If the truth must be told, there is division in Nollywood and that is where part of the problem lies. There is this tribal thing.. It is just now that some producers are trying to integrate some Yorubas actors into the English speaking movies and vic versa.
What do you think is the cause of this problem?
The Nigerian factor and all the tribal nonsense. I have worked with the Igbo and I had no problem with them. Also I worked with the Yoruba. It is one of the things that Nigerian politics has foisted on our social life.
What was it like when you were growing up?
It was fun. In those days, we never knew who was Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa. We played together on Lagos Island and ate together. You may not believe it, but during the war some of our parents were hiding the Igbo to save them from danger. You hardly knew they were Igbo because there was no discrimination. Politicians are ones that have brought this tribal issue on us
When you compare the past with the present, is there a lot of difference?
Of course, there is a lot of difference. Things are not the way they used to be, even in the entertainment world. In a way, it is better because we have more music albums recorded by Nigerians unlike the past when it was dominated by foreign music. Even in drama production you have more Nigerians getting involved. It is better in a way.
What has been your most challenging movie?
Every movie has been challenging to me. But I think the ‘Battle of Musanga‘ was most challenging because of the large cast, the location, and the fact that we had to build many sets and I had to be there to supervise everything. Yet every movie or production that I take part in is a challenge to me and I give it my best.
You have been working with Wale Adenuga Productions for a while now. What has been your experience?
It has been great working with Wale Adenuga. Good scripts, good equipment, and committed crew. Besides, here I am working with professionals. Of course, you can see what we do on the television. The production speaks for itself.
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Originally Posted by Simisola
