2016 was brought to a climatic close with the release of the romantic comedy drama, The Wedding Party. At 450 million Naira from only cinema showings in Nigeria, this movie is proof that Nollywood may just be the industry, investors need to leverage upon.
The Wedding Party is the brainchild of Executive Producer, Mo Abudu and was produced by the ELFIKE film collective. BUSINESSDAY interviewed 3 of the producers from the collective. IJEOMA AGUKORONYE worked with EbonyLife TV on this production. Read on to discover what she had to say about the importance of marketing and publicity when making movies.
Can you describe what you do?
As producers, we are responsible for running the movie. Contracting actors and contracting crew as a project making sure that all the elements are present in the movie. It is almost like a project manager.
Was it a deliberate strategy to include A-list actors alongside musicians and comedians?
Yes, in a way. During the auditions, the actors fit into the role very well. Each person brings their own uniqueness to it, so that helped the movie. They were not just actors, everyone brought a different touch.
Who were your favorite characters from the movie?
I loved TinTin’s (The Bride’s) mother played by Shola Shobowale, Somkele’s character- Yemisi, and Alibaba’s character- Bamidele
Were all the producers present during the auditions? What was the voting like looking for the “it” factor
Even though it was the executive producers and director that had the final say, it was glaring who was deserving of each role.
Do you think it is better for movie producers to come together and form film collectives?
I think it works because if you look at the ELFIKE collective, all of the players had their strengths. Every member of the collective had something unique to offer. Whether it was on the technical side with distribution, equipment, marketing and publicity, or overseeing the scripting. That created a very strong synergy for the movie.
How long did The Wedding Party take in pre and post-production?
Pre-production was about 2 months, production was about 2 weeks, and post production was about another two months. So, roughly about 4-5 months.
What are some key elements often overlooked that went into producing The Wedding Party?
Every movie will have its own demands. The Wedding Party was character driven so it didn’t require Computer Generated Imagery or stunts but it is important that you give a movie the time required to make it. For example, the scripting. I don’t think people realize that the script had to be rewritten several times because we wanted it to hit home. We didn’t just accept the first draft of the movie, it was revised 3 to 4 times. Then, Wonu, Zainab Balogun’s character was one of the most difficult to cast as we were looking for a certain quirkiness. Given the constraints of the Nigerian environment, it is great to see that we had team players who were willing to work with us.
What is the ideal budget to stick to when making Nollywood movies?
That is tricky because The Wedding Party was on the high side budgetwise. It was basically a 6-day wedding reception with 200 extras. You can imagine that will cost a lot I would say focus on the subject matter as this is hinged on how a movie is received. It is not sufficient to just produce a movie, you must make sure people know about it. The Wedding Party invested in publicity as it was promoted on several platforms. When these two are done right, covering the budget for a movie would not be a problem. I believe in filmmakers being innovative and pushing boundaries, but I believe it is important to have a tight budget.
Why should investors come to Nigeria and invest Nollywood?
Nollywood is evolving at a fast pace. Every year, you see an improvement. Lagos was the focal city for the Toronto International Film Festival and 7 Nigerian films were screened. This was content people outside of the country could identify with. It is not the same storyline of witchcraft and 419 anymore. These are subjects we can relate to. The talents and skills are also improving. Even people behind the scene. A Nigerian cinematographer, Yinka Edward recently won a BAFTA award. Investors should know that if they put in all the checks and balances and make sure the process is executed well, they will recoup their investment and more.
How do you feel about your first movie producing experience?
You can tell that Kemi loves what she is doing. It was great working with the team of producers and executive producers. You could see the labor of love. As a producer, my ultimate goal is to keep pushing myself. What brought me into media and production is knowing that no two days on the job will be the same. A different experience is always what I seek when I make movies.
Watch a video clip from the interview HERE
