A GUEST BLOGGER'S VIEW
*Behind the Scene*
In the motion picture industry, it is a fact that more work is done behind
the scene in a bid to achieve the finished movie or documentary we all sit
in the comfort of our homes to enjoy or criticize. Unbelievably, it takes
months and sometimes years to fully realize that blockbuster movie or
documentary you spent just about 90 minutes to see in a cinema or in your
home. I bet you didn't know that it took about 8 years to achieve the 17
Academy award-winning blockbuster trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.
Surprised, right? I can as well imagine you saying that spending such a
long duration in the process of film making only obtains in the western
world where professional film making is regarded as a serious business,
unlike in Nigeria. Anyway, let's leave the Nigerian factor for another day.
The truth is, what you see on screen while seeing a movie or
documentary is just a fraction of the entire process that combined to make
the production a finished product. A whole lot transpires behind the scene
during the pre-production, production, and post-production processes of
film making. Behind the scene is where you find the bulk of practitioners
in the motion picture sector. Behind the scene is where you find the crew,
without which there will be no production. But how many viewers in Nigeria
actually know those working behind the scene? I bet you're one of those who
fast-forward a movie just to avoid the opening credit. You don't give a
damn about the director, screenwriter or cinematographer. All you want to
know are the number of the stars that featured in the movie. Once you see
the likes of Majid Michel, Jim Iyke and Mercy Johnson in the movie, then
the movie is good to go.
The perception, albeit ignorantly, of what actually makes a movie
a must-watch has resulted in most people trying desperately to become movie
stars, even when most of them know they don't have what it takes to be good
actors. Behind the scene, there are various fields one can venture into,
such as directing, screenwriting, DOP, costuming, make-up, continuity,
producing, sound, lighting, special effects, soundtrack/music, still
photography. Others are welfare, editing, production management, artistic
directing, production coordinating, props/set, location management,
production assistance etc. In Hollywood, nobody goes to the cinema to see a
movie just because it featured the likes of Al Pacino, Denzel Washington
and Angelina Jolie. Movie goers consider, among other things, the crew that
worked on any movie hitting the box office. If the screenplay is done by
the likes of Fran Walsh, Syd Field and Quentin Tarantino, the prospective
movie goers put such movies on their top list. If the movie is directed by
the likes of James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and Peter Jackson,
it makes it better.
Here in Nigeria, with the gradual and steady return of cinema
culture, some significance is now being attached to crew members of movie
production. And with the statistics of unemployment still on the rise, why
not key into this money-spinning sector and join the crew behind the scene
with a view to calving a niche for yourself in your chosen field and
putting food on your table?
Christonbonnie@gmail.com
BB Pin: 21E64621
CINEMATIC ZONE
*Behind the Scene*
In the motion picture industry, it is a fact that more work is done behind
the scene in a bid to achieve the finished movie or documentary we all sit
in the comfort of our homes to enjoy or criticize. Unbelievably, it takes
months and sometimes years to fully realize that blockbuster movie or
documentary you spent just about 90 minutes to see in a cinema or in your
home. I bet you didn't know that it took about 8 years to achieve the 17
Academy award-winning blockbuster trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.
Surprised, right? I can as well imagine you saying that spending such a
long duration in the process of film making only obtains in the western
world where professional film making is regarded as a serious business,
unlike in Nigeria. Anyway, let's leave the Nigerian factor for another day.
The truth is, what you see on screen while seeing a movie or
documentary is just a fraction of the entire process that combined to make
the production a finished product. A whole lot transpires behind the scene
during the pre-production, production, and post-production processes of
film making. Behind the scene is where you find the bulk of practitioners
in the motion picture sector. Behind the scene is where you find the crew,
without which there will be no production. But how many viewers in Nigeria
actually know those working behind the scene? I bet you're one of those who
fast-forward a movie just to avoid the opening credit. You don't give a
damn about the director, screenwriter or cinematographer. All you want to
know are the number of the stars that featured in the movie. Once you see
the likes of Majid Michel, Jim Iyke and Mercy Johnson in the movie, then
the movie is good to go.
The perception, albeit ignorantly, of what actually makes a movie
a must-watch has resulted in most people trying desperately to become movie
stars, even when most of them know they don't have what it takes to be good
actors. Behind the scene, there are various fields one can venture into,
such as directing, screenwriting, DOP, costuming, make-up, continuity,
producing, sound, lighting, special effects, soundtrack/music, still
photography. Others are welfare, editing, production management, artistic
directing, production coordinating, props/set, location management,
production assistance etc. In Hollywood, nobody goes to the cinema to see a
movie just because it featured the likes of Al Pacino, Denzel Washington
and Angelina Jolie. Movie goers consider, among other things, the crew that
worked on any movie hitting the box office. If the screenplay is done by
the likes of Fran Walsh, Syd Field and Quentin Tarantino, the prospective
movie goers put such movies on their top list. If the movie is directed by
the likes of James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and Peter Jackson,
it makes it better.
Here in Nigeria, with the gradual and steady return of cinema
culture, some significance is now being attached to crew members of movie
production. And with the statistics of unemployment still on the rise, why
not key into this money-spinning sector and join the crew behind the scene
with a view to calving a niche for yourself in your chosen field and
putting food on your table?
Christonbonnie@gmail.com
BB Pin: 21E64621
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