Screenwriting Basics

It created the platform for us  to tell our own stories. Despite the low ebbed professionalism and shoe string budgets, movies were being churned out in their thousands annually, which propelled the Industry into the top three global movie producing industries.

The use of Beta cam sp cameras, endless flow of flawed scripts, parodies, high predictability rate, abysmal soundtracks, bland, formulaic movies, characterized the Home Video Industry.  Home videos which caught viewers attention back in the days apart from Living in bondage include Nneka the pretty serpent, Onome, Rattle snake, Glamour girls, Domitilla, Deadly proposal, Diamond ring, Taboo, Mortal Inheritance, Violated. Perhaps, the man who stood out from the lot, not willing to compromise the making of good quality movies he’d been taught to cleave to at the London Film school, dared to make a difference. Tunde Kelani’s works have stood out from the lot with movies such as “Efunsetan”, “koseegbe”, “Oleku”, “Saworoide”, “Thunderbolt”, “A “Agogoeewo”, “The Campus Queen”, “The Narrow path”, “Abeni”, “Arugba” amongst others.

From 2006, the movie chart began to record a gradual rise in its quality output. Good quality became the reference point for their works, bringing International fame and fortune to the filmmakers. It is worthy of note, that these array of film makers happen to be young, dynamic, enterprising youths, who have, to say the least outshone their predecessors. Kunle Afolayan’s, “Irapada” and his latest work, “The Figurine, araromire” (which carted away five awards at AMAA 2010), Jeta Amata’s “The Amazing Grace”, Stephanie Okereke’s “Through the glass”, Jude Idada /Lucky Ejim’s “The tenant”, Chineze Anyaene’s “Ije”, amongst others have raised the quality bar.

These young crop of film makers have shot movies on 35mm or through the digital process with high tech cameras, have better story lines, cinematography, sound/visual/special effects than their predecessors. Their movies are watched in the cinemas prior to being released on DVD /VCDs, unlike what obtained in the former era, were movies were shot and released to the public on VHS tapes then VCDS (most still practise this method). A few film makers in the earlier era under review also towed the cinema path such as Kingsley Ogoro with his movie “Across the Niger”, Lancelot Imaseun’s “Home in exile”, Teco Benson’s “Mission to nowhere” and his latest work “High blood pressure”. This is a step in the right direction as a boost in the quality production of the movies coupled with other extrinsic requisite factors needed to produce mind blowing movies will increase the chances of attracting higher  patronage of  Nollywood  movies both home and abroad.

One can only hope that the new generation of film makers will turbo charge the Industry and make it one to be reckoned with, not just in terms of quantity output but also in terms of outstanding quality productions.

So long…auggiepo@yahoo.com

Image taken on 2009-07-21 15:39:11. Image Source. (Used with permission)

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