PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES IN NIGERIAN HOME VIDEO FILMS

The Nigerian home video industry which formally began in 1992 with the production of Kenneth Nnebue's Living in Bondage has become very vibrant, producing hundreds of films per annum. The films are very popular with audiences and dominate television screens on the African continent and in the African Diaspora in Europe and America. The industry employs a large number of Nigerians as actors, scriptwriters, directors, camera men and costumiers while many others are involved with distribution, sales and exhibition. Over the years, some studies have been carried out on some aspects of the' industry such as the historical development of film in Nigeria, the contributions of cinema to social change in West Africa and the impact of the film medium on aspects of national life. There has been no study on the techniques involved in the production of these films. This study critically examines the home video film from a practical perspective, which is, looking at story lines, acting, directing, locations and post production - use of sound and music and editing. In doing this, we employed the use of certain methodological approaches. We examined existing literature on the film and home video film industry in Nigeria, Africa, the United States and the other film producing countries to enrich our understanding of the film medium. Interviews were conducted with some selected stakeholders in the film industry to throw more light on the state of the industry. Visits were also made to some production facilities in Lagos, Onitsha and Aba in Nigeria and Los Angeles in the United States to have a deeper insight into the technical facilities and personnel involved with film production. We also previewed some selected home video films to assess their production quality. Using the above methodological approaches, we arrived at the following conclusions. That little progress has been made in raising the quality of production of the films; this is while many avoidable problems still remain with the films. The stories although derived from the rich African traditions, lack depth and receive poor treatment. Acting is amateurish and stage oriented while directing is weak. Costume and makeup which enhance the quality of films in the other film industries are rarely used in the video films, editing is poor while cinematic time and continuity are not utilized to serve narrative functions as found in Hollywood films. This we adduced to be due to the poor finances available to the filmmakers, the absence of well trained manpower, lack of government support and inadequate finances to indulge in quality productions.