ACE Film Producer and Director, Femi Ogunsanwo, has urged the government and corporate entities to invest in Nollywood, saying the sector now boasts vast opportunities.
Ogunsanwo spoke at a capacity building conference for creatives recently organised by ‘Feemo Academy’ in collaboration with Kokopelli at Lekki, Lagos State.
According to him, “there has never been a better time in Nigerian history to invest in Nollywood. This is the best time to invest in the movie industry because we didn’t have Netflix and Amazon coming to license our movies but we do now. It comes with the same benefits for anyone that invests in business – Return On Investment.”
Ogunsanwo also advised moviemakers on different strategies they could use to get good returns on their movies. He emphasized the need for collaborations with different television stations and streaming platforms. Highlighting the challenges of filmmaking in Nollywood, he gave aspiring moviemakers some tips on how to succeed in the industry.
He said: “Filmmaking in Nigeria faces the same challenge as every other business. The economy affects you but you have to find a way to resolve the problem. If it was going to cost N1million to make a film before now, it is going to cost you N130 million.
“If you had three investors before, you are going to need four now. The streaming services like Netflix and Amazon are also commissioning films, which means that if they commission any of your films, you don’t have to take money out of your pocket but the films they license, they watch in the cinemas and decide if they want to license them or not.
“My advice to upcoming moviemakers and producers is that if you want to shoot, shoot don’t talk. People do much talking and the problem with talking is that it affects you; so talk less and shoot more. Let your actions speak louder than your words.”
Speaking in the same vein, Theatre Film Content Creator, Kelvin Mary Ndukwe, advised actors and aspiring actors to cultivate skills that would earn them more money.
“A lot of people in the Theatre and Film Industry look down on themselves considering the fact that the industry is a very competitive space for the average practitioner. For the most part, a lot of people do not look at their transferable skills; skills as basic as documenting, writing, typing, computing, leadership and project management.
“For instance, you know how to make hair but you are not getting acting roles at the moment; how do you survive? Perhaps you can approach the producer of another movie and ask to help out in their hair department, and before you know it, you will realize that you not only know how to do this job but you can lead a team. You have to be very intelligent to function in this creative space. It takes a lot of introspection to harness it. So, take your time and find your skills. If you are rusty, tune up, approach people, and ask them to show you the way. So, it is harnessing the skills that can sustain you in the industry,” he said.
He also advised upcoming actors to prioritize visibility over money, noting: “If I am an actor and I have to come and tell you that I was in a particular film, there is a problem and I will feel bad about it and it doesn’t matter if I was paid a high amount for the film. Your biggest reward is visibility; visibility will get you more jobs and more jobs will get you money.”
On her part, Head of Feemo Academy, Ifueko Gbinigie (who spoke on behalf of the CEO of Feemo James Omokwe) explained that the conference was organized to bridge the gap between aspiring producers and veterans and to build the capacity of stakeholders in the movie industry to cater for themselves financially and mentally.
Her words: “I think many people are used to sending direct messages to producers and directors but now is the opportunity to ask them questions upfront and get a feedback instantly. I think we need to start having conversations to drive the industry forward. If we cannot drive the industry forward, we will keep on going in circles.
“When the lockdown happened in 2020, seeing how a lot of veterans suffered during the lockdown inspired a lot of conversations. We noticed that a lot of people were bored; they needed something new to do. Also, some people need the opportunity to harness all the skills that they have not looked at because they have not had the time.
“Thirdly, we now noticed the gaps because people had been affected mainly because they are moving from set to set. And if you are moving from set to set, you will not have the time to explore other opportunities.
“So, this conference is not just about working better, it is about collaborating better because we speak about collaboration but how many people really collaborate? It is about getting certain people who have actually collaborated in the industry to come and speak about their experiences in collaboration. I think we still need to have certain strategic conversations on creativity because in these times, nobody is ready to just come and drop a hundred million in your laps; you just have to find a way to motivate yourself.
“We are not only looking at the industry topics, we are also looking at mental health. For example pensions, investment funds and how people can save for the rainy day, like what happened in the pandemic when their source of income was taken from them.
“So, it’s cutting across a lot, from which HMO to sign up on so that we can stop this whole ‘GoFundMe’. We have had a lot of actors who have passed away and it is very saddening when you see people doing ‘GoFundMe’ for them. If we were all looking after ourselves and health, we would surely be in a better place.”
Participants at the conference included actors, actresses, movie directors, producers, scriptwriters and aspiring movie makers who were keen on building their capacities and establishing new networks.
Nollywood actress, Deborah Nwaohiri, who was present, noted: “One of the speakers spoke about diversifying, like what can you do? You know sometimes you get so stuck in that one thing believing that a jack-of-all-trades is a master of none so you want to be a master of one. Meanwhile, there are so many things you can do in that field. This is just meant to guide you in other aspects and to think along other lines.”
Nelson Allison also said: “Initially, I was trying not to be in that Nollywood entertainment space but with what they have said so far, I have been able to pick few things as regards the fact that there is no money in the industry because people have to use their own money except when they get investors. But you have to use your skills set to appeal to the production house you are working with to see how you can make something for yourself. Also don’t take any opportunity for granted and try to build relationships with people.”