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Filmmakers discuss film and the new media era at Lagos Startup Week

Unlike the past where people watched programmes on Television, viewing centres and in the cinemas, now this content is available on desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Filmmakers discuss ‘The New Media Era and
it's advantage for filmmakers’ at Lagos Start Up Week 2016

Filmmakers and film enthusiasts gathered at the the Lagos Startup today, September 26, 2016 week to discuss ‘The New Media Era and it's advantage for filmmakers’.

The panel was made up of cinematographer and actor Kunle Idowu aka Frank Donga, animator and founder of YouNeek Studios; Roye Okupe, Spinlet customer executive; Tosin Sorinola and Management consultant/writer Prince Ajibade. Nigeria is the biggest producer of films on the continent, serving out over 2,600 movies a year.

Filmmaking made easier

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Director of “The Life of a Nigerian Couple”, Osunkojo spoke to Pulse about how digital media and technology have served production in this era.

“Filmmaking is more affordable, I can network with people on social media, the kind of people I want to work with, I can source my cast and crew from the Internet, from social media platforms and see what blogs have written about them", she said.

“You don’t necessarily have to have so much money to make a movie anymore, you just have to be creative.

“Right now every filmmaker should open their imagination to tell as much stories as they can because technology will allow them and social media will bring them in contact with people that need them, people that can sponsor them and people they need to work with.

Online access to content

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Unlike the past where people watched content on Television, viewing centres and in the cinemas, now this content is available on desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

In June 2016, Africa Infotech Consulting (AIC) revealed that penetration of mobile phones remained on the upward swing with about 94 per cent penetration in Nigeria. Their research also showed that smartphone penetration has increased gaining about 30 per cent penetration with features phones having a 70 per cent penetration.

Thanks to the Internet, social media, YouTube and pay TV platforms such as Iroko TV, Ibaka TV and even Netflix, Nigerian content

Social media is a blessing

Comedian Idowu spoke to Pulse Nigeria about how social media gave his brand more visibility.

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“I’ve been doing this since I was in school cracking my friends up, it was just part of me, my alter ego, I can’t turn it off, I can’t help it, but social media created that window for bits and pieces of what I do to filter through to other parts of the world.

“Social media is a real deal breaker right now. For me, people wouldn’t have known my stuff, I started off on YouTube on a TV platform now I do Instagram, I do memes on Twitter. Social media has really helped me, it has opened doors of opportunity for my craft”.

The issues

Despite this advantages, the Nigerian motion picture industry still suffers from piracy, copyright issues, poor marketing strategies and poorly written scripts.

Osunkojo told Pulse Nigeria the challenge now is being creative.

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“Because there is so much technology, we are forgetting the most important thing which is the acting and the story”.

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