I know this question is gonna sound dumb but I am curious: it costs about 10,000 to make a movie and you receive about 40,000 (usually from direct to video DVD), my question is how does the person who is organizing the film, how does he receive that 40,000?

^^^^

Personally I would advise against shooting uber-tacky cheap p0rn. Also I have no idea how they get their money!

Is that dollars or naira?

@villageboi - Is p0rn cheaper than non-p0rn?

The average film cost between US 17,000 and $23000. Timewise, the movie is made in a week. Nationally 150000 Straight to DVD movies are sold. The US cost of a Nigerian movie is $2. So $2 x 150,000 = $300,000. Granted this is the average (NOT EVERY MOVIE), but it seems like you would have a small profit if you take out percentages. My question is since many Nigerian movies are made fast and does not have a large number of staff, who collects the profit? Who distributes it?

...anything goes in naija...
the producers, the marketers, the associations...
everybody's hustling everybody.
...but when there is loss, everybody hides.

Jayboy124: Is that dollars or naira?

@villageboi - Is p0rn cheaper than non-p0rn?

My guy I no sabi but at the prices OP mentioned (10K)... e no really go fit pass sub-standard film (especially if na Naija film)

VillageBoi:

My guy I no sabi but at the prices OP mentioned (10K)... e no really go fit pass sub-standard film (especially if na Naija film)

Looooooool.

But in reality, you could make a Nollywood classic with that considering our 'normal' cinema Nollywood films cost probably between 10 - 50 million. Not sure of the figures but you get where I'm going, right?

Jayboy124:

But in reality, you could make a Nollywood classic with that considering our 'normal' cinema Nollywood films cost probably between 10 - 50 million. Not sure of the figures but you get where I'm going, right?

Lol. Yeah but no one cares or wants to see any Nollywood classic 'razzies'... people need to stop making that utter garbage.
10k for a movie ko, movie ni.

10,000 naira? Can that amount make a short film sef?!

speedyboi: 10,000 naira? Can that amount make a short film sef?!

Na dollars oh. Loooooool.

VillageBoi:

Lol. Yeah but no one cares or wants to see any Nollywood classic 'razzies'... people need to stop making that utter garbage.
10k for a movie ko, movie ni.

You can make an honest and good film with 10k dollars in Nigeria na. Considering how cheap labour is here.

Jayboy124:

You can make an honest and good film with 10k dollars in Nigeria na. Considering how cheap labour is here.

For principal photography one probably could pull it off. But for any quarter decent post-production I seriously wouldn't even try that not to talk of marketing too.

We also should factor in that they do not invest much in quality of acting and the script. Which is what I would like to get involved with

^^^^

@ Josephite... kinda true about the quality of acting although there are some very good Nigerian actors and a TON of undiscovered people with talent.

More info on the getting into acting/screenwriting at your other thread - https://www.nairaland.com/1358893/got-question#16961876

Josephite1: The average film cost between US 17,000 and $23000. Timewise, the movie is made in a week. Nationally 150000 Straight to DVD movies are sold. The US cost of a Nigerian movie is $2. So $2 x 150,000 = $300,000. Granted this is the average (NOT EVERY MOVIE), but it seems like you would have a small profit if you take out percentages. My question is since many Nigerian movies are made fast and does not have a large number of staff, who collects the profit? Who distributes it?

Oh and one thing that I've not asked is where did you get your 'figures' from? Pls do put in the link; would like to read said article. Thanks.

Hey again VillageBoi, I got my information from many different websites so here are a couple:

http://www.southerninnovator.org/index.php/component/content/article/1-creative-econ/9-nollywood-booming-nigerian-film-industry

and just as a guide:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Nigeria#Distribution

Also the documentary "Welcome to Nollywood" provides some good information.

Josephite1: The average film cost between US 17,000 and $23000. Timewise, the movie is made in a week. Nationally 150000 Straight to DVD movies are sold. The US cost of a Nigerian movie is $2. So $2 x 150,000 = $300,000. Granted this is the average (NOT EVERY MOVIE), but it seems like you would have a small profit if you take out percentages. My question is since many Nigerian movies are made fast and does not have a large number of staff, who collects the profit? Who distributes it?

A producer can make a film for $5,000 and sell for $15,000 to a marketer. Then the marketer does the mass production and all that, then takes whatever profit he makes.

It's just like the way a big production company goes to Sundance and buys a "500 Days of Summer" kinda film. I think it works same way as in USA or any other place in the world.

Josephite1: Hey again VillageBoi, I got my information from many different websites so here are a couple:

Also the documentary "Welcome to Nollywood" provides some good information.

Now it makes sense. That is rehashed very old stuff. Any article that's going by anything around 'Welcome To Nollywood' is seriously dated. And the 'average' Nollywood has moved on since 2007.

One of the problems we have is 'Nigeria/Nigerians' don't really record 'figures'... so it's not that easy to say what movies 'do actually' cost to make and in the last few years anything worth mentioning at all has been going the 'cinema' route...
If anyone is still doing the direct to DVD or direct to 'market traders' then the film is probably not worth watching.

I do, however, get that your initial question is valid - (roughly translated as) "How do they get paid their money?"

What Jayboy says ^ above, I guess is, what happens for that 'type' of movie.

VillageBoi:

Now it makes sense. That is rehashed very old stuff. Any article that's going by anything around 'Welcome To Nollywood' is seriously dated. And the 'average' Nollywood has moved on since 2007.

One of the problems we have is 'Nigeria/Nigerians' don't really record 'figures'... so it's not that easy to say what movies 'do actually' cost to make and in the last few years anything worth mentioning at all has been going the 'cinema' route...
If anyone is still doing the direct to DVD or direct to 'market traders' then the film is probably not worth watching.

I do, however, get that your initial question is valid - (roughly translated as) "How do they get paid their money?"

What Jayboy says ^ above, I guess is, what happens for that 'type' of movie.

@Villageboi na those Iweka movies me dey talk about. Not like the cinemas movies and all. Just the ones that are made for straight to VCD/DVD things.

^^^^
Yes o, I know you meant the Iweka kind if movies, that's why I highlighted 'type' of movie in my post