ENTERTAINMENT: THE EVOLUTION OF THE MOVIE INDUSTRY

By Onyinyechi Obike

Since the days of box televisions and white and black screens, different calibers of actors have graced the screens of Nigerians. Morphing from low-budget actors to veterans shaking and making the entertainment industry, the talents embedded in Nigerian actors have no limits. Year after year, the movie industry takes its standard up a notch, and they definitely did the same this year. Nigerians have been entertained with numerous back-to-back cinematic productions with appealing storylines and outstanding acting.

This year, movies like Far From Home, Jagun Jagun, Shanty Town, Battle on Buka Street, and The Black Book have highlighted the massive growth the movie industry has experienced. These movies swept Nigerians off their feet, making it fascinating to witness how Nollywood has evolved from being a localized industry to one that is gaining recognition internationally. This feat is not only predicated on the scintillating nature of the scripts but also on the innovations that are put in place to produce these blockbusters that continually glue movie lovers to their screens.

Learning from the strides of the early fathers of Nollywood, they have effectively improved on the standards of the movies produced, introduced state-of-the art technologies, and made adequate use of the internet as a tool for furthering their craft. It’s evident that things will not remain the same as these successors of the movie industry are determined to produce content for national and global consumption.

However, this writer could not help but reminisce on the days when, even though movies were luxuries, the whole street gathered at a particular time to join the one person who had a television set and a DVD player. Or the feeling of nostalgia attached to the sacred time of family bonding in almost all Nigerian households as they huddled together, laughed, cried, and argued as the scenes from the movies rolled by.

Of the fondest memories this writer has, a few particularly stand out.

1. Black and White Box Television: Certainly, it will interest this present generation to discover that before the era of Netflix and YouTube, the only colors that could be viewed onscreen were black and white. Regardless of how colorful the scene and costumes may have been in reality, the viewers could only keep guessing as everything was portrayed in neutral colors. Likewise, unlike the flat-screen, high-resolution smart televisions we have today, the televisions made in those days were literally box-shaped. There was no household where children didn’t fight to sit directly in front of the box TV in order to have the best watching experience.

2. Cassettes and CDs: Then, the movies were stored in little plastic rectangles called cassettes that contained black tape that extended endlessly. When cassettes were no longer in vogue, the era of CDs and video players sprouted uncontrollably. Even though these CDs were pirated and low in resolution, people still bought them in their numbers, and when they couldn’t afford to buy them, they traded films in their arsenal with their friends to get another one.
3. Phenomenal series: coined by this writer to highlight how remarkable these series were, for they were received with joy and enthusiasm in countless households, ranging from the parents to the children. The likes of Super Story, Fuji’s House of Commotion, Papa Ajasco, This Life—the list goes on and on. WAP Production was a blessing to our television viewing. Not to forget the unforgettable theme songs that came with these series. They are forever etched in our memories.
4. The race to watch cartoons: It was every child’s pride and joy to rush from school with the speed of light in order to get home in time to watch their favorite cartoon. Seeing that the majority of our viewing was transmitted from the television station, there were scheduled times for certain shows. For example, if one’s favorite cartoon was transmitted at 4 p.m. and that person were absent, they would have to wait till the next day for the next episode with the hope that the episode they missed would be replayed. This whole scenario is what propels the after-school race to get to the TV before the favorite shows begin.
5. News at 8 p.m.: At 8 p.m., in virtually every Nigerian home, the whole family will be seated around the TV to know the happenings in the country. For those who were not given the opportunity to watch cartoons, this was a source of entertainment and, in some cases, inspiration for them, as it birthed in some the desire to become a news broadcaster and be involved in the mass media.
6. Antenna adjustment: Back in those days, a television set consisted of different channels or stations that transmitted various shows through cables and radio waves, which were then received by the television antenna and shown as visuals. Perhaps it’s faulty, or maybe it’s just network issues; one will need to keep twisting, rotating, and adjusting it till it’s able to receive transmission. Although this process was extremely exhausting, the joy of finally setting the antenna in the perfect position could be compared to none other.
7. Special effects: The special effects of that era can send Gen Zs stumbling down their chairs with laughter. Due to the limited technology invented then, certain stunts were done to achieve thrilling or fantasized scenes, but their efforts are quite hysterical. From horrendous car accidents to Patience Ozokwor tasting the poison that would kill a person without dying, these scenes left people laughing in disbelief.

The list is endless, and the memories are infinite. Knowing this gives a broader understanding of the changes that have taken place in the movie industry and the transformation that has occurred in recent times. In spite of this, it is important to know that the evolution of Nollywood is not exclusive to the evolution of the movie industry worldwide. While transfiguration took place in Hollywood studios, it slowly seeped into other production houses globally. And like Nollywood, Hollywood also had its early beginnings and periods of development.

Particularly, for a long time, what did exist was a camera used to capture still images to store memories until the Lumiere Brothers (Auguste and Louis) projected the first moving pictures in Paris, France. This began the start of a new age of renowned entertainment. As a side note, they built on the works of Thomas Edison’s (Kinetoscope, which gave rise to their own invention, the “cinematographe” The cinematograph created the illusion of moving images, an improvement from the basic film-making techniques of projecting still images in dark rooms.

As the engine of innovation started gearing, many joined the train of discovering new techniques and production. Another is George Melies’s introduction of superimposition of images, fading, and scale models. Then onto the creation of animation from Walt Disney and the introduction of sound effects and colors in movie frames.

A gradual process of revolution led to solving critical problems that were initially faced by the production studios, such as location, weather, lighting, publicity, and changing of scenes. As technology became a part of industries, movie production experienced massive growth. For example, the issues of location, weather, and scene changes were solved by the introduction of LED walls, multiple camera setups, motion capture, and nonlinear editing. In addition, computer-generated graphics, HD cameras, drones, and 3D displays played a great role in the quality of films we have today.

One must’ve forgotten that the internet has also served as a tool for publicizing the works of the studios and giving way to the easy distribution of movies to anyone in the world just by clicking, downloading them online, or even streaming. Finally, the evolution experienced by this industry is one to marvel at, not just because of the technologies put in place but also because of the amazing storytelling, creativity, graphics, and directing. Hopefully, in the coming years, there will be a lot more to speak of and astronomical leaps that will take the productions from what they are today to the unimaginable.