The Nigerian movie industry; a glimpse of a brighter future

Introduction

Nollywood remains an integral part of the Nigerian entertainment industry. Over the years, it has kept a significant number of people glued to their screens as they enjoy every bit of humour, suspense, action, and comedy that comes from it. Undoubtedly, we rarely see any Nigerian family that doesn’t derive pleasure from watching this insightful work of art. Not only has the Nollywood movie industry provided Nigerians with mind-blowing entertainment packages, but it has also gone a long way to provide job opportunities for numerous Nigerian citizens. Today, the Nollywood movie industry is flooded with many youths who strive to present their best to the masses. One can now wonder where these youths would have been if the industry was extinct?

However, despite the successes/milestones attained by the Nigerian movie industry (Nollywood), there are visible lapses that can be spotted in the system and the quicker these problems are tackled, the better it will be for the Nigerian entertainment industry and Nigeria as a whole.

In 1992, we had the very first indigenous Nigerian movie titled ‘Living in Bondage’. This movie was unarguably a blockbuster that spoke loud about the dexterity of Nigerians when it comes to entertainment. Although this movie had significant errors in its production, we understand and are fully aware that it was a stepping stone to greater heights, which we hope to attain and witness in the nearest future. However, what has triggered concerns is the fact that the industry seems to be lagging day by day with little or no improvement. Today, we have many Nigerians who would opt-out to watch American and Philippine movies instead of our own indigenous movies and this is because of the quality of Nigerian movies.

As it is said, identifying a problem without giving valid solutions to it is more or less a wasted effort, therefore, we shall illuminate some problems facing the Nigerian movie industry (Nollywood) and how they can be tackled effectively as a matter of fact.

Problems and Solutions

First Problem: Inexperienced and tactless movie producers/directors: lack of experience and well-grounded movie producers/directors have gone a long way in constituting a terrible setback in the Nollywood movie industry. Today, we see lots of Nigerians diving into the occupation of movie production without actually figuring out what it means to be a ‘Movie Producer/Director’. This set of individuals probably jumped into the movie industry largely because of frustration and not seeing anything useful to lay their hands on, and when one goes into an occupation mainly because of depression and not due to passion, there is bound to be problems and chaos. Some of these producers do not even understand what it means to choose a setting for movie production. They have barely sat down to think about what the masses really want from them and when a producer or director can’t come up with something tangible and appealing to present to his audience, success can’t be attained.

Solutions for overcoming the problem of inexperienced producers/directors: the remedy to this problem isn’t far-fetched. To tackle the menace of unskilled movie producers in Nigeria, an academy can be set up to train individuals who are interested to tilt towards that line of occupation. This academy would take these individuals through the basis and tenets of movie production for an appreciable number of years. Only those who successfully graduate from this school should be bestowed with the license of movie production. By enacting a law that prohibits an individual without this ‘movie production license’ from making movies, the problem of uninteresting and boring movies in Nigeria can be solved.

Second Problem: Lack of talented actors and actresses: this to a large extent has contributed to the downfall and backsliding nature of the Nollywood movie industry. One would agree with me that in recent times, we witness an influx of individuals with little or no passion for acting flooding the industry, all in a bid to earn a living from it, which has gone a long way to ruin the reputation of the industry. When an inexperienced individual mount the stage to perform, what do we expect, if not disgrace and shame? This problem has rubbed the industry’s name on the mud for ages, and it ought to be tackled adequately.

Solutions to the problem of untalented actors and actresses: addressing this problem should be the number one priority for the Nollywood heads if they really want a positive change in the industry, and this is because the actors and actresses are the visible characters in a movie and if they don’t possess the needed qualities, nothing extraordinary can be done to handle the situation. In Nigerian universities, we have a discipline known as ‘Performing Arts or Theatre Arts’; the name varies depending on the institution. Graduates of this discipline should be the set of individuals meant to take up movie roles, largely because they understand the rudiments of film production. One can wonder what will happen when a lawyer or a medical doctor is called to take on movie roles, the outcome may not be palatable at all.

Third Problem: Limited Funds: Lack of sufficient funds has also posed a big problem to the Nollywood movie industry. From a realist point of view, making top-notch movies requires enough funds and resources, and when these necessary things aren’t readily available, we are left with a haphazard and unenjoyable drama that may just occupy our screens. Investing in movies should be a normal phenomenon. These days, we see producers who aren’t financially buoyant trying to make movies for the masses to ‘enjoy’. The question remains, how possible is this? There is a popular saying that ‘money answereth all things’. Therefore, if there are limited funds, problems are inevitable.

Solutions to the problem of limited funds: This problem ought to be tackled effectively if the industry must move forward and attain great heights. Before venturing into the idea of movie-making, a producer must ensure that his pockets are intact; ready to execute any task that shows up and even survive contingencies if they appear in the course of time. Moreso, the government should also provide a helping hand to the movie industry by providing a source where upcoming producers who may be struggling with the problem of finance can access loans and grants to finance their creative thoughts. This would really go a long way to give the industry a new look.

Fourth Problem: Weak storyline: if there’s anything that has made Nollywood movies less captivating and intriguing, it’s the problem of weak storylines. Lately, the industry has been flooded with lots of movies with similar storylines which doesn’t promise anything new. Nigerian movies have been considered to be very predictable right from the start and this isn’t a good image on its part. People at first glance now determine how the end of a movie would look like, and unfortunately, it will still end that way without presenting new ideas or contents. This has made lots of Nigerian youths pin their focus on American movies or other foreign movies which they consider better and exciting to watch compared to the indigenous movies. This perception has affected the industry in so many ways.

Solutions to the problem of weak or predictable storylines: This is where the dexterity of a movie director or producer comes in. The producer should have the ability to foresee and assume what the audience really want from movies they watch; either the action, romance, betrayal or comic side of it. These are what should run in the mind of any moviemaker before he or she thinks about presenting the work of art to the public. A shift from the normal rituals, royalty and local storylines would be appreciated by the audience. If this is done, we can be assured that the zeal of watching Nigerian movies will gradually be rekindled in the minds of Nigerians.

Conclusion

In sum, the Nollywood industry despite its shortcomings has made a significant impact in the Nigerian entertainment industry. Its ability to entertain and keep Nigerians happy despite the ups and downs of life is one thing we must commend. However, as it is said ‘nobody makes it 100%’, the ability of the industry to pick up on the latest trends in movie making would undoubtedly guarantee top-notch entertainment. I believe that if these points raised here are duly considered, we can have a better and more captivating movie experience.