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Over the years we wonder why Nollywood has refused to grow exponentially like the music industry.
My answer is that Nollywood has ignored the basics for great movies. without comparing with Hollywood that has huge production cost , great stories still remains the bedrock for all great movies.




The simple cure is to get very good screenwriters that will tell the African story in a world class standard

However this important aspect has been disregarded in Nigeria.

Scriptwriters are so poorly paid that most have dropped the trade. the cure to Nigeria's poor movies is to start finding professional scriptwriters who will write quality stories with low production cost in mind.



This is my opinion, what's yours?

andrewdg:
over the years we wonder why nollywood has refused to grow exponentially like the music industry. My answer is that nollywood has ignored the basics for great movies. without comparing with hollywood that has huge production cost , great stories still remains the bedrock for all great movies. however this important aspect has been disregarded in nigeria. scriptwriters are so poorly paid that most have dropped the trade. the cure to nigeria's poor movies is to start finding professional scriptwriters who will write quality stories with low production cost in mind. This is my opinion, what's yours?

Never mind, they are already running for political post, very soon there will be nothing called Nollywood

hmmm

Story they say, is King!

The filmmakers just have to trust the script first.

Plus production, acting, directing, post-production and marketing need to be addressed too.

On point @op. Right now I am even thinking of leaving the industry. I am a scriptwriter but most producers do not respect the place of the scriptwriter. There are so many times I have had to walk away from jobs because of the poor pay and working conditions. Many of the so called producers and directors know nothing about the job and some boast openly they can write a script in a day . When you try to correct them they start reminding you that they put the money down for the production. I know of so many good writers who have left and I am working on joining them unless something happens.

lynx200:
On point @op. Right now I am even thinking of leaving the industry. I am a scriptwriter but most producers do not respect the place of the scriptwriter. There are so many times I have had to walk away from jobs because of the poor pay and working conditions. Many of the so called producers and directors know nothing about the job and some boast openly they can write a script in a day . When you try to correct them they start reminding you that they put the money down for the production. I know of so many good writers who have left and I am working on joining them unless something happens.

Hmmm...na wa for Nollywood.

But to be honest, I don't think we even have a reasonable number of 'good' scriptwriters yet. Everyone has to humble himself and continue learning, going back to the drawing board. But for naija, na lie. Everyone wants his or her work to quickly be out there in a 3-part movie so he can boast of a stinking resume as a scriptwriter.

For the industry to really improve in terms of story telling, scriptwriters shouldn't make scriptwriting their sole source of livelihood. Yes, we know una get the burning talent, unwavering passion, uncontainable imagination and what have you, but if you don't want to join the bandwagon of forcefully churning out nonsense to the Nigerian audience, albeit you're talented sef, you have to seek for other means of livelihood to support while you work on your craft.

I have written over 5 feature film scripts but I'm far from desperate to have my works out there. I'm even ashamed that I wrote some scripts when I reread them years later. When it's time, and time meets chance for production, I will know.

Same applies to acting too. Any job in the film Industry that doesn't grant you the control of actually making a film, if you want to constantly churn out quality, you must get another means of livelihood. Tunde Babalola (who wrote 'The Meeting' and 'October 1') is a practising lawyer. Those subpar alaba scriptwriters are not better or more passionate than him just because scriptwriting is all some of them do.

Now, we can now go to step 2 which is now honing one's craft.

Bro lynx, my Oct 17 brother, check out my short film script I posted here recently ('Wildfire'), I will like to hear your feedback.

Naija filmmakers, you too should pay good scriptwriters well o! Good stories are not created from hungry stomach abeg!

lynx200:
On point @op. Right now I am even thinking of leaving the industry. I am a scriptwriter but most producers do not respect the place of the scriptwriter. There are so many times I have had to walk away from jobs because of the poor pay and working conditions. Many of the so called producers and directors know nothing about the job and some boast openly they can write a script in a day . When you try to correct them they start reminding you that they put the money down for the production. I know of so many good writers who have left and I am working on joining them unless something happens.

lynx200 this is not time to leave. Let us just hope for the best.

I believe something will happen when the writers guild put down structures similar to what is obtainable in WGA.
You don't have to walk away because of these challenges the industry is facing. I believe that with time, good stories will become scarce while old ones would have been overused, then there will be need for more set of new stories that can qualify for the cinemas. That's when the service of really good writers will be needed.


Writers should never complain that their profession is the most abused in the movie industry because that is how it is all over the world. That is how it has always been. Sadly.


Things will improve, I believe.


P.S:
I used to watch "Dormitory 8" and whenever it gets to the end credits I'll see your NAME boldly written. Then with bright eyes, I'll tell my cousins "that guy is one of the best writers in Nigeria and he is my friend".


I still believe it all starts with a "good" story. And if it is so, good stories will soon be in high demand if truly the industry is on the verge of Renaissance.

Nollywood a mess

NOLLYWOOD a place where a mad woman wears long glass nails even after 20 years of madness


NOLLYWOOD a place where light skinned girl grows to become a dark geh

NOLLYWOOD a place where chinyere Wilfred is zack Orji's mother...



I HAIL THEE NOLLYWOOD! !!

Who told you there standard is poor?when the government said they are a major contributor to the GDP,they are a multi billionaire industry,according to the government

It's not about script-writing only, but the execution. I

Low budget too. They do not spend enough money to execute scripts to standard. They also rush in producing movies.

I AM KING!!!

The day i will start respecting Nollywood is the day i will see a movie where My. Ibu speaks good english

Its clear you all do not know tthe major cause of the slow growth of nollywood

PIRACY is

Who would want to spend N200m on a movie and not see his profit... Instead d movie will be put in a 70 in 1 dvd collection

Some actors/actresses shouldn't even be aired, they can't act, they just seem fortunate to be there, and why would a movie last up to part 6? Who does that? They should stop all these silly names they give the movies

M

Shoot any body wey produce stupid film for leg

it is quantity over quality for them

The problem isn't de scripting, It's de production itself. These guys budget very low for a classic script therefore given it wrong interpretation. They producers always want a quality script and they always get it at cheap price. But kill de story while producing it because they wanna be economical. Most Times, they kill it with Wrong Casting. Speaking from experience, anyway

Nollywood still sells so much so they feel its not necessary improving anything.

I don't even no were to start self cause am an actor,they problem with nollywood is too many...

Coming soon to a theatre near you...

GEJ and GMB.
2015 Election.
And Buhari cried.
Journey to Otuoke.
Mama Piss and Aisha.
Bayelsa and Katsina.
The First Lady Grammarian.

Don't laugh. Nollywood had worse.
Dearth of creativity.

/

I fink Nollywood still have a long way to go.For christ sake don't you guys watch Korean films?What we need is somthing more realistic,full of suspense and anticipation not the movie you easily could guess and grasp were is leading and heading to,or would end and the result/outcome its just obviose.Both in quality and quantity I prefare Korea movies I just enjoy watching those guys in big time.

I think the solution is one and only one.

The solution is fighting piracy.

Piracy is killing the industry.

I have seen "scripts" for nollywood films, they look like a synopsis written just for starters. Some 50page crap called a feature film script. I once wrote a 140pg script and I had friends telling me it won't work for nollywood because it is too long.

Thats how poor the standard is in Nollywood.

I think also its not just about the scriptwriter, the interpretation of the script from paper to film is also very important and thats where a good director is needed.

the sciptwriters too are so particular about the money that they sometimes miss the right director.

One thing I have realised in Nollywood movies is the very poor scripts, you can always predict what will happen next and how it will end. You don't always need huge budget to make a nice movie. Anyone that has seen that British movie called Locke will testify to this. That movie has less than 7 actors in it but was thrilling and full of suspense throughout. That movie won lots of awards worldwide. You watch Nollywood movies and it's always about love, jealousy, evil and mother-inlaws and revenge.

No producer want to spend big. Small money=crappy movie. Its no rocket science

U guys know nothing about what happens underground cos if u do , u wont blame nollywood, nobody in his right senses would invest a huge amount of money on a single movie in d nigeria of today, unless its a straight to cinema flick to recoup d money b4 the pirates come 4 d movie,......and even dat is a risk cos u dnt know if people wud actually pay to see ur movies in d cinema....@ d end of d day, u are the one loosing money via piracy or lack of intrest in ur movie by viewers.

This is d reason they take d easy way out by making a poor quality movies where they dnt hav much to loose , and if its successful, they gain profits, rinse and repeat..

STOP BADMOUTHING NOLLYWOOD!

Wrong sir op

post-production to me is the basic including Continuity