combrazor:

and basically, subtitles limit the audience. while D-reloaded might say that people who don't want to read subtitles may be "morons," i guess that is an easy thing for those of us in the worldly lettered classes to say, but i think you might be surprised to learn how many people in Nigeria are either flat-out illiterate, or not literate enough to read subtitles and follow the action onscreen at the same time.

(even here in America, most reasonably educated people who are not foreign film buffs don't like to read subtitles. as one guy once told me: "the cinema isn't a library and so i don't think i should go to the movies to read!"

Um. Again this is about having OPTION to pick and choose. Who's saying those people have to buy subtitled films? Did anyone say that such things were mandatory? Im sure those who didnt want to deal with subtitles bothered watching Living In Bondage and co, those of us who dont mind however HAD THE OPTION to buy such films so the whole "well some people cant read blah blah" is just a lame excuse IMO.

Btw my slowpoke comments goes especially to Americans who cry about subtitled movies. "omg watching a movie and reading is such hard work" Give me a damn break

Btw comb, wasnt there a time when Bollywood movies was a HUGE thing in Nigeria, last i checked they were subtitled and the same "illiterate" Nigerians loved them either way.

because the assumption is that the target audience of Nollywood movies can not or does not read.

And that doesnt offend you?


Anyway you people have yet to tell why they cant have BOTH movies accessible to people. Same way I dont have to go to Korea to watch "OldBoy", I shouldnt have to go to the East to watch Indigenous Igbo movies that were once acessible to me in the first place.

The whole answer lies in the perceived marketability of igbo movies.


People stop insulting yourselves,

I am an igbo man,but i am not really happy because igbo movies are now difficult to get.It is not that we igbos dont value or respect our culture.The problem is that most of these producers and marketers are very greedy,they only want english movies so that they can make more money.

My dear, i would have also asked this question long ago if i had the opportunity. I wish this question could be directed to the igbo movie producers cos it was fun then. I am Igbo and i don't like this at all.

When you travel to the eastern part of Nigeria you will definately find some.

Acting and movies in general cuts through the language barrier. I watched Iche -Okwu (remember that Igbo court drama on old skool TV, with a funny interpreter - I hope my spelling is right) for long, without understanding a word of Igbo. If a movie is good, one doesn't really need to understand the language.


For goodness sake, someone needs to talk to the interpreters in Yoruba movies, make dem no kill man with big grammar.

A very interesting thread,if one leaves out the tribalistic tirades.
There is not a doubt that using the english language is a big advantage in winning a wide audience base and making more money.Businesswise it makes more sense.Factum;english language is an ubiquitous language,and there is nothing anybody can do about that.
But somewhere down the line,questions will need to be asked whether sole profit consideration justifies the deliberate sidestepping of using indigenous tongues.
But like other posters have said,any moviemaking industry is mostly profitdriven and there is little anybody can do about that.
Investors will choose whatever options that will guarantee a very quick returns of their investment cash.And in the english speaking sector of nollywood,that investment cash volume is substantial,much more substantial than in the indigenous language sectors,and that includes yoruba movie sector.
That's the situation of nollywood,for now,atleast.

As for the subtitling,i believe that more people should be trained in subtitling skills.The yoruba sector,for example,do seems to grossly underestimate the importance of precision subtitling and how much it impacts on the audience.
But i am beginning to see improvements in this area because more and more yoruba movies are coming out with more competent subtitling.If a movie has a very good plot,it won't matter in what language the lines are delivered as long as the subtitling is pretty accurate,people will definitely sit down to follow the plot to the end.

Another point that needs to be emphasized on is the use or, maybe i should say,the overuse of spoken words in yoruba movies,for example.All nollywood flicks in any language are very verbal,relying almost exclusively on words to narrate the storyline with little or no use of actions,sounds,props,etc(visuals) to propel the movies' plots.
Now,while the english lang movies may not be - to a very large part - affected by this style of storytelling simply because they use a language that is ubiquitous(english) ,the indigenous lang movies are very disadvantaged,because the more they rely on spoken words,the more difficult it becomes to accurately subtitle them,and the more their viewership base shrinks.

So,in a nutshell,the only way for the indigenous lang sector of nollywood, like the yoruba movie sector, to compensate for the language disadvantage is to use the visual language more,meaning that they should cut down on the dialogues overload in their movies more and be much more visual.
The visual language is far more universal than english,and that is why it is better to "show it" than "talk it".
Every soul on this planet,who is not blind,understands what they see much more quickly than the spoken languages they hear.

Right now,the verbal/visual usage ratio in most yoruba flicks is about 90/10 in percentage in favour of the verbal.Give or take 5%.That is way way too high,IMO.Almost every scene is a damn conference with the actors just sitting around like logs and blabbing away!The "igboenglish" movies can get away with that,but not indigenous lang movie sectors like yoruba and igbo.
If verbal percentage can be cut down from 90% to say, under 60%,yoruba movies will be a lot easier to watch,follow,and understand by non-yoruba speaking audience.All that should,ofcourse, be supported with a very precise and professional subtitling.
The producers of igbo language movies can also take a cue from this suggestion,too.

Jagunlabi, you do know this stuff. Good talk.

Picture this scenario in your minds eye;A Yoruba job seeker goes to an office in bid of a job, he was hinted prior to the interview that the interviewer is a yoruba man and h enters the room greeting- EKARO SIR the response was reciprocated in yoruba language, same thing applies to a Hausa man man in same circumstance and he was replied in same language which he spoke(ina-kwana), in the case of an ibo man in the same circumstance this is the case
JOB SEEKER: Nwanne ndewo!
INTERVIEWER: Yes, may i help you?
How can he make an igbo movie when im never form yankee finish, haha- definitely not possible.Picture the likes of Jim iyke,segun arinze,chididi mokeme,stephanie okereke and the likes, i guess that answers your question,

The above post makes no sense whatsoever.

So Igbo people enjoy the English Language a bit too much.

I'm an Igbo movie producer, I'll like you guys to know that the marketers are the major problem that is demoting Igbo movies to day. Yah! Because we do packaged some good stuffs that gats all it takes to represents at eny competitive and needed time, but the marketers doesn't appreciates them enymore, so, no producer will like to produce a film that no marketer will buy.

lordchon: I'm an Igbo movie producer, I'll like you guys to know that the marketers are the major problem that is demoting Igbo movies to day. Yah! Because we do packaged some good stuffs that gats all it takes to represents at eny competitive and needed time, but the marketers doesn't appreciates them enymore, so, no producer will like to produce a film that no marketer will buy.

i would like to have ur contact

My number is 08036683603, tanks.