maybe you want to check my blog too,(www.kunleafolayan..com
@combrazor and Sisikill please cease fire no more war.
but i support Sisikill sha,

The story lines in nollywood 'homevideos'(relative to their audiences&patrons) aren't dat bad though there's def a lot of room for improvement.

What we need is/are film school(s) & supervisory body(ies) for the Arms of Film making

Directing
Acting
Writing
Producing

These bodies will approve who takes part in any film,based essentially on one passing through the film school or some other transparent development prog.

Superstory(Wale Adenuga productions) seem to be the best on average due to the fact that they have some measure of a film school.

Esss said it all. It didn't take Denzel a day to become an actor and director.

I think when Producers start buying script for good money and after production the writer get some royalty or something.Again I think we need a Film Critic Body that can air a programme to tell me people the kind of movies they should watch or buy with their money.
Also proper auditioning for the right Actor should be carried out always.

I often wonder whether the movie makes (producers/directors) in the country put any thoughts or efforts into researching ie. costumes/make-up, or even researching the characters given to them to play.

I often wonder whether the movie makes (script writers/producers/directors) in the country put any thoughts into researching ie. costumes/make-up, or even researching their characters given them to play.

First of all, the scripts are poorly written. The budget is very low. The crew and cast are mediocrits etc

Lol, oh no! Combrazor, we've been deleted! I guess things got a little heated yesterday.

Sincerely apologise for that guys, didn't mean to cause any brouhaha.  Honestly my mama taught me better than that

Some suggestions of mine are:

Lights
0. The name of the films, ? I mean they make it easy 4 nigerians and anyone to follow but come on.Also, part 1,2 ,3 ,4 ,5, ?
1. The environments should stop being crowded by too many bystanders and onlookers esp outside, except when needed for the scene.
2. Try and make the storyline more appealing, most naija films are either about love, crime, church or jazz, with mostly the same storylines so it'll help if there was some other form of movie. A very good mordern comedy wud be nice, also tv series with as good quality as 'edge of paradise'.

Camera
3. Improve sound effects, since they be using them all the time, they might as well use more mordern ones that sound better than their effects that sound like a 1982 game or something. zap-zap, twiiiiiuuu. Also the original score (soundtrack) of the film should have some more work on - I personally believe this wat makes a movie to be watched over n over.
4. Improve CGI sections, especially in action films, and we need to see more intruiging action films too (the terminator, anyone, ?). The CGI parts of naija films are too poor and in this modern age, they should have at least improve the standard of that part by now.

Action
5. Actors and actresses should undergo more training in acting 'gerenally', with the way they act, anyone can act, the most prevailing part in these movies i think is crying (n they seem to be very good at it)
6. Filming n editing sometimes is disgraceful, one movie I watched (find it hard keeping track of their names) the camera man was actually visible in a bedroom scene through the mirror in the room! It was quite funny, cause he noticed afterwards n he slowly n gradually shifted away from the mirror. There was this other one where the overhead mic kept poppin in and out of the scene.
7. Commercializing is another factor, they are a no of cinemas now so i guess they can start showing naija films b4 they come to discs. Movies boards, ratings and oh yeh those horrid adverts, should be checked!

Big up to Seun, wish u d best in ur endeavour in producing

they shd react naturally with more spontaneity in the film. ( especially Emeka Ike, and Emeka Enyiocha ) who keep over doing it

The actors should cram their scripts well ( like Ramseh Noauh and desmond elliot ) so that they say it fluently when they are acting. Not like Ameachi Big Belle who
forgets his lines and has to say " Shut up " in order to fill in the blank spaces

well personally, i gat issues wiv naija home videos, it's cos they got a number of things wrong wiv em. i don't think, these directors en actors, do research on their films en characters, that's why we get a fat ass woman tryin to be an assasin, en stuffs like that. it's a horrible sight!!!!
they just wake up, decide to make a movie with a whack storyline en call the next hottest actor/actress to act. en that's why we can watch a movie where a guy en a girl are lovers, then watch anoda movie, where they are mother en son. it's soooooo lame,
CGI, don't even go there now, cos we're still lightyears behind, but that don't stop us from makin beautiful movies, pleasin to watch, original naija, en a whole lot more. No more copycats, i mean i watched a movie some days back,en they were tryin to copy the laser dodgin scene in sean connery's entrapment, with some thin red ropes, en something reddish on the wall acting as the laser lines en switch respectively. Imagine!!!!! It was a sight to puke at for movie bufffs like me.
En then, there's budget issues, Gosh, u hear the amount spent on a movie, en u start havin headaches, then worry about how the heck that movie's supposed to look like. it's annoyin. makin movies is expensive stuff, en they beta know that. i don't mean gettintthe flashiest rides en houses, that don't show naija at all. but u spend moni on what u'r supposed to spend it on, well.
We've gone past the days of "Nneka the pretty serpernt", "living in bondage" en stuffs like "agbara nla", en quiet frankly, we all tired of watchin the same ol, same ol! I am anywayz!
Maybe the fusion of yoruba en ibo movie industries might help a bit, cos i think those are where the real movies are made.
Big ups to mainframe pictures for movies like "thunderbolt" en the rest. we gotta see more of that.
these guys beta start doin their jobs right. research your movie, research your role, cos i mean that's why they're called professionals for chrissake, otherwise anyone can just jump into a scene en play the part.
Let em take a cue from the music industry, everyone's doin their thing, naija style, en r makin it!

bring in new and creative people with fresh ideas. Better directors and many of the actors and actresses in the nigerian industry are already good, so wot i will say is improved performance and a very good story and script

I think most Nollywood Script Lack Xter Development.In Hollywood, you don't see Denzel's face every week in the cinemas but here you can Jim Iyke Every week for Idumota/Alaba/Aba.Nollywood don't encourage up coming act because the marketers control the business and most of them tell producers who they want on the movie.When Nollywood have major distribution body and Film Critics I think that would help.

This thread isn't really about what is wrong with the movies. It's about what can be done to improve them! Suggestions, not condemnation!

it pains me that people dont semm to understand that the problem is the script. lets face it; nigerians cant make a film like titanic or troy but what about a film like last don? lets face the writers the have writing prowess to make films like that. low budget story with sense will do much. good directors too. i am a writer with this quality, try me

the way of life of a people has the most influence on the films they produce. before the militant issue in the Niger Delta can u lay ur hands on any militant-related film in this country? the same applies for the americans as it regards UFO, aliens etc.

i think professionalism is lacking in the nigeria film industry. a fine face, big boobs, willingness to sacrifice self esteem for lucre, broad shoulder and handsome face etc. are usually the credits for acting in nigeria.

i don't like watching nigeria home videos because most lack the touch, mostly repeated story lines, unreasonable story line, etc. i mean, a lot has happened in this country to write in scripts and act!

lets go back to the cinema and theartre life, then the "yau-yau" (brush gloss) thing called home video can be built on solid foundation of professionalism.

a fine face, big boobs, willingness to sacrifice self esteem for lucre, broad shoulder and handsome face etc. are usually the credits for acting in nigeria.

Hmmm, it's basically the same in Hollywood. People love looking at pretty faces on screen. No beef.

i hope they learn to improve like their contemporaries in the music and comedy industries

andrewdg:

it pains me that people don't semm to understand that the problem is the script. lets face it; nigerians can't make a film like titanic or troy but what about a film like last don? lets face the writers the have writing prowess to make films like that. low budget story with sense will do much. good directors too. i am a writer with this quality, try me

What the f*** are u waiting forhuh, already i can see ur writing pretty much(oversabi). the movie industry problem is hydra headed
1 - Weak Scripts like u said,
2- Hungry Directors who are in a rush to make more money, thus sacrificing quality,
3- A cast dat is devoid of proffessionalism, fullof quaks
4- Poverty(yes poverty),
5- No Originality(west is good, africa is bad) they end up copying and that makes u second best - ask urself why 2face sells more than Dare
6- No equipment
7- Some directors feel they have acheived in life cos they get some cheap popularity??gives no room for improvment
8- The Knowledge level of the Nigerian masses has been reflected in our movies, we like it, we buy it, that's why those guys feel they are doing a good job
GABBAGE IN GABBAGE OUT.

the day we start doing things for passion and not money or cos theres everyone is doing it, then we will have a good NOLLYWOOD, come to think of it, the name nollywood is a mimic of nollywood? what do u expect?

fei long:


5- No Originality(west is good, africa is bad) they end up copying and that makes u second best - ask yourself why 2face sells more than Dare

sorry donot quite understand this bit

West is good, Africa is bad, a fallout of the arian theorem of nuthing good is from black africa, tuface sells more cos he represents and stands for a people he is from, Dare for crying out loud , has he met luther?? thats by the way. the point is we try to mimick the west too much and it has been instituted in us and we dont even know wen we do it, how come some nigerians were SILK basket ball singlets under the tropic sun?? some sisters were leather under the sun!! The whole drift is, project urself to the world in the best u can not copy the west and expect to beat them??no way, the problem with Nigerian moies is us? we buy it, means we like it, means we understand it, means we relate to it? wat are u expecting

The question is "what can be done to IMPROVE Nigerian movies". You guys are not answering it!

I know right.

They should spend more time rehearsing, have u guys noticed how some movie producers just release them like 20 movies in a week, WHAT D HECK?! and most of them turn out to be wack! Spend more time on your movie before u release it

They should work on their action scenes too. You will see them using toy guns, or guns made out of woods, when someone shoots all you hear is a sound, you don't see anything. Dem shoot person for head, d person go dey scream "MY HEAD MY HEAD" how fuked up is that?!

Their love scenes are wack too, especially in those yoruba movies. I'm Yoruba and I can't even stand most of their movies. Learn from people like Tade Ogidan (that guy is a genius), main Frame Productions is the best. and this lady Funke something, she's a great writer. They should learn from people like that.

For once those english people movies shout try and be ORIGINAL
you will see movies like
"What is love" "Is this love" "Ok for sure, this is love" "definition of love" "who killed your father" "did I kill your father?"
, and the list goes. movies with different titles but the same story line. Did y'all see that movie, they copied "Two can play that game" BE ORIGINAL!

[s]naija movies have a long way to go mehn, damn![/s]

FactorChic
I watched the imitation of two can play that game
Haba Naija!!, that Film was really stupefying

There is sooooo much that can be done to improve the movie industry in nigeria.

1. We as a people should stop accepting mediocre work(not just in movies but in all aspects of our lives)
2. Put time and effort int the movies.
3. More mentalling stimulating plots and themes
4. Better directing, editting, acting.
5. We need to get more professioinals in the industry, not just hand cameras to people and say press that button.
6. Commit to excellence
7. Hold open auditions and discover fresh talent

This list can go on and on

[b]my simple suggestion is this

1- Script writers should try to brush up on their written English.
2- They should try to be creative instead of bringing up tales that belong to Hints and other magazines of that nature.
3- Educated people should act roles and not people who just spit out word for word whatever mistake the script writer has put down.
4- Actors like Hanks Anukwu should not be allowed anywhere near a film set or location cos I sincerely think they don't belong there but in a mental home until they can figure out their origins.
5- Soundtracks should not be songs that are being sung on set narrating the whole story line. Producers can use songs by Nigerian artists as soundtracks to movies unless they are scared to pay the artists for that.
6- Unnecessary scenes should not come into play and when it does, it should be edited. Scenes that depicts the thoughts of an actor where he recalls incidents that occurred when he wasn't even there. It makes one imagine where the thoughts are coming from.
7- Our producers and directors should know that make-up and costumes go a long way to make or mar a movie so that aspect should be given real consideration.
8- Roles should be played by people who fit them and not by names. In this case I mean that Jim Iyke, Desmond Elliot, RMD, and all others must not take up roles because they are who they are but rather the role must be done by someone who fits it.
9- I guess its high time we do away with some faces as principal actors in Nollywood cos they don't even play their roles perfectly e.g Jim Iyke, Desmond Elliot, Rita Dominic, Emeka Ike, Hanks Anukwu, and all the other sickos. Some should be done away with entirely (Hanks and Rita) while others can be used in supporting roles or crowd filling scenes (jim, desmond and emeka).
10- Time should be taken during the whole process of acting and producing so we don't end up with scrap on our screens. No need making a movie that one would see just ones in 2 days when we can take like months or years to come out with something that you wont mind seeing over and over again.
11- Movie titles should be brief and meaningful instead of one long stupid sentence.
12- When doing a particular scene, our directors and producers should take note of the arrangements and environment whenever it has to be reenacted so that we dont end up watching a scene where Shan George is sporting a head-tie but on another camera angle of the same scene you get to see her without the head tie but with braids.
13- Time should be taken to edit the movies properly so as to correct point 12 above.
14- Finally (for now), our NFVCB national film and video censors board should please shun the tips handed to them by Emmalex and co so as to approve the drama they put together in the name of movie.[/b]

They need to stop trying to sound british or american, well jim iyke does a good american accent it sounds natural, they also need to dress a little bit better unless thats how the character was intended to look like, that includes makeup and sometimes hair, the plots should also be more suspenseful, and not rush into everything

Maybe they should stop making em and use the capital to build cinemas so we can watch real movies.

Or here's another thought, maybe they should go to school and learn the art before they start making movies.

Take a cue from some nice soaps and maybe that'd be a start

Lastly maybe when they stop scaring kids shitless with all that Voodoo stuff, maybe that'd help!

But seriously we need to give it a rest. Forget it! It seems hopeless cuz for one manageable movie three hundred pieces of crap comes out.

Am thinking of doing my masters in design science(digital media) where i can learn how 2 do splendid animations like shrek and bee so as 2 bypass all this whole mess of no quality cameras , lightning, and all. having a good naija concept in animation wld be good. just pray i make it.

Am thinking of doing my masters in design science(digital media) where i can learn how 2 do splendid animations like shrek and bee so as 2 bypass all this whole mess of no quality cameras , lightning, and all

The camera issue is not it at all. Under proper lighting, you don't need a great camera. The cameras they use have more resolution than your typical 21 inch TV set. But they have to reduce squeeze it down for VCD; maybe that is the real problem.

Animated film production using 3D isn't easy. You have to write a very good script. You have to assign facial expressions and physical gestures to each word or action in your movie. You have to get good voice actors, and that requires almost as much skill as actual acting. You have to add music, believable sound effects. Any one of these tasks alone can take years to master, but you have to be proficient at all. Not easy!

So it's not really easier than live-action movie production. Animated Hollywood movies cost about the same to make as blockbuster movies. Nothing in movie-making is easy. That's why we want suggestions and not condemnation.

Seun,
I consider it a waste of time watching Nigerian Movies. Don't get me wrong, it has absolutelynothing to do with patrotism. Most of their so-called scripts are plagiarised hollywood scripts and you are able to decipher their storylines even from the beginning.

To improve film production in Nigeria:

1. Proper research of the movie.
2. Proper research of roles
3 . Proper interpretation of roles
4. Less annoying Adverts.
5. Audible dialogue and good diction. Not faking oyinbo's accent in a Nigerian Film.
6. Good language construction. They are reading from scripts for crying out loud.
7. To ensure that Actors cast for important roles and real thespians, not Cut and roll Actor.
An idiot can act to a Clapperboard. Our Actors should go on Broadways. That is Theaters.
Theatrical Acting makes a good TV Actor.
Most of the big name in Hollywood started their careers in the Theaters and when they are not on the Big Screen, they still go back to the Broadways to sharpen their acting Skills.

8. We should stop applauding mediocrity. Sheer population and the number of humongous bad quality films be churned out from Nollywood does not itself rank it along Hollywood and Bollywood. Nollywood still has a long way to go.

9. Good post-production editing is a sine quanon.

Alright, you gats to improve urself in everyway it means, then as u are doing listen 2 suggestions from friends ,enemies, critics, mentors, protogees and you just might pick something from those who condemn you. then d most important follow through.thank you