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THE PARADOX of NOLLYWOOD: the Structural Intricacies and Cultural Significance of the World's Fastest-Growing Film Industry Ma

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THE PARADOX of NOLLYWOOD: the Structural Intricacies and Cultural Significance of the World's Fastest-Growing Film Industry Ma THE PARADOX OF NOLLYWOOD: The Structural Intricacies and Cultural Significance of the World’s Fastest-Growing Film Industry by Felix Ohireime Odion Thesis Submitted to Flinders University for the degree of Masters by Research College of Education, Humanities, and Law 16/08/2018 Masters by research declaration I, Felix Ohireime Odion, declare that the Masters by Research thesis entitled The Paradox of Nollywood is no more than 70, 000 words in length including quotes and exclusive of tables, figures, appendices, bibliography, references and footnotes. This thesis contains no material that has been submitted previously, in whole or in part, for the award of any other academic degree or diploma. Except where otherwise indicated, this thesis is my own work. Signature…………………………… Date…26/09/2017………….. FELIX OHIREIME ODION ii TABLE OF CONTENTS MASTERS BY RESEARCH DECLARATION ................................................................. II LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... II LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... III ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ IV 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 1 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY ............................................................................................ 4 ASSUMPTIONS IN THIS RESEARCH PROJECT .......................................................................... 12 RESEARCH STRUCTURE AND METHODOLOGY ......................................................... 14 2. REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH LITERATURE............................................................ 16 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 16 THESIS TRAJECTORY ................................................................................................. 25 3. UNDERSTANDING NOLLYWOOD ....................................................................... 29 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 29 A BRIEF HISTORY ....................................................................................................... 30 THE MOBILE CINEMA AND THE TRAVELLING THEATRE ............................................ 32 NIGERIAN LANGUAGE FILMS .................................................................................... 39 4. NOLLYWOOD FILM GENRES .............................................................................. 55 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 55 ROMANCE FILMS ...................................................................................................... 62 COMEDY FILMS ........................................................................................................ 66 WITCHCRAFT OR RITUAL FILMS................................................................................ 69 ACTION-THRILLER FILMS .......................................................................................... 73 GOSPEL FILMS .......................................................................................................... 75 TRADITIONAL AFRICAN FILMS .................................................................................. 78 CITY GIRL FILMS ........................................................................................................ 82 iii GENRES IN NIGERIAN LANGUAGE FILMS .................................................................. 84 5. INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURE OF NOLLYWOOD ........................................................ 88 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 88 1. PRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 92 2. REGULATION ...................................................................................................... 102 3. DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................... 117 CASE STUDY: MY EXPERIMENTAL FILMS ................................................................ 125 4. EXHIBITION ......................................................................................................... 127 6. ECONOMIC CHALLENGES OF DIRECT-TO-VIDEO FILM ...................................... 137 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 137 DISTRIBUTION NETWORK OF HOME VIDEO FILMS ................................................ 141 PUBLICITY ............................................................................................................... 148 THE IMPACT OF PIRACY ON FILM DISTRIBUTION ................................................... 149 DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS IN NIGERIAN LANGUAGE FILMS .................................. 155 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 169 KEY FINDINGS ......................................................................................................... 175 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................... 178 INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED FOR THIS PROJECT ....................................................... 203 FILMOGRAPHY ................................................................................................... 204 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 ....................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 4.1 ..................................................................................................................... 71 Figure 5.1 ..................................................................................................................... 91 Figure 5.2 ................................................................................................................... 129 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. 1: Countries with the Highest Volume of Film Productions between 2005 and 2009 ................................................................................................. 5 Table 1. 2 Number of feature films by language group ................................................ 6 Table 3. 1 Difference between Nollywood and Past Nigerian Cinema ....................... 39 Table 5. 1 NFVCB Classification Format.................................................................. 105 Table 5. 2 Guilds and Associations............................................................................ 110 Table 5. 3 Irokotv Technical Specifications .............................................................. 123 iii ABSTRACT This study explores the Nigerian Film industry, known as Nollywood, with particular emphasis on the often ignored marketing and distribution structure of this low cost and high volume digital film production industry. This model has been described by film scholars as the new model for film-making in Africa. Few industry observers were optimistic about its future when it commenced with the VHS camera format in 1992. My extrapolation is that Nollywood defied the pessimistic predictions and has become globally relevant due to a new model it developed towards filmography in a way that resonates with Africans using the medium of low-cost, and sometimes feudal, digital technology. It is this determination to use the most affordable means of story-telling that has led to a prolific industry that now accounts for over 50% of films made in Africa. Film scholars, including Ramon Lobato, now refer to it as the fastest growing film industry in the world. There is an increasing body of creative work with high budgets in Nollywood, all with the aim of achieving global recognition. However, the ailing and now downward spiralling Nigerian economy, as is the case with most African countries, highlights the risk involved in high budget films. I argue in this thesis that the low- budget and high volume production model played a major part in the growth of the industry and a departure from this strategic archetype could be counter-productive. In arriving at my conclusion, I have incorporated interviews with over a dozen Nollywood practitioners. I highlight the symbiotic relationship between film genres and audience reception in Nigeria as well as their correlation to marketing and distribution. My research imperative is to outline the benefits of the distinctive features of the Nollywood model to global creative industries. iv 1. INTRODUCTION OVERVIEW In West Africa, storytelling predates western colonization and arches back to the beginning of the subregion. Although West Africans, like most African people, are predominantly oral peoples with art forms that are mostly oral, rather than literary (Agatucci 2010). This trend has since changed, as the use of motion pictures in storytelling has assumed a strong weight in West Africa and Nigeria in particular, but not without criticisms of the seemingly unprofessional approach to conveying stories through the
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