The Nigerian film industry wears a clamour outlook today both within and outside its shore. Its level of acceptability, from actors to production, and the value it exerts have placed it on almost the same pedestrian as its foreign counterpart. However, this progressive growth happens through transitional negotiation.
The transitional negotiation started in the colonial era through the golden age, the home video boom to the New Nigerian Cinema. These four phases of its growth established it as the second-biggest industry in the world.
How Did Nollywood Emerge?
Technology advancement complement, if not even the salt of the current movie industry, the exhibition of arts and theatric work across the globe. And Nigeria has benefitted immensely from this immersion.
Long before now, the exhibition of theatrical work was done by itinerant actors, and they are sometimes referred to as troupes. This, at the time, was championed by the Yoruba theatre group known as Alarinjo which featured Lere Paimo, Oyin Adejobi and lots more.
But technology took the procedures a step further. Due to this advancement, Nigerian content, owned by the likes of Hubert Ogunde, was recorded and transited evenly across cinema houses and reached a wider audience. And this significantly increased in the 70s.
Also, the oil boom of the late 70s, which increased the purchasing power, rubbed up off on the number of cinema house patronage and television purchase witnessed. Thereafter, there was a boom in television shows and a decline in cinema culture in the late 80s. The situation informed another phase of transitioning into television productions. And this would later be released on video and transitioned into the video boom of the 90s.
Despite all accolades received during the video boom, it was not an easy ride for Nollywod as they were plagued with errors, a lack of finance, marketing, and production equipment, and the influx of newbies and a lack of experience from practitioners part.
Today’s Nollywood – The Changes
New Nollywood has had its trial and error, but phases of its becoming have always been a painful transitional process. After the decline of cinema culture of the late 80, cinema culture re-emerged in the early 2000s. The emergence seemed utterly unlike VHS. VCD (Video compact discs) replaced VHS (Video Home System). During this period, Silverbird Group came to create a different form of socialisation and entertainment for people. This significantly increased awareness and enthusiasm as more people patronaged the cinema. In a bid to break away from the norm, many players in the industry government and individuals earmarked grants and loans proceeding for the industry players and this allowed movies like Dangerous Twins and Thunderbolt to grace Nigerian screens.
Toward the end of that decade, the film industry had significantly made progress that not only increased its acceptance but its revenue. It was reported that its revenue rose to #1.72 trillion and #853 billion worth. This availed its rating and value behind the United States and India.
With this era, Nigerian films have witnessed a remarkable boost away from its dark period. They have broken away from the norm to a considerably bigger budget industry and are charmed with sterling storytelling. Although there are still arguments in many quarters regarding Nollywood storylines, a good significant number of them still have a good storyline.
Additionally, the expressive contribution of pay-TV network ad video-on-demand platforms is another crucial area this era brought. It is noteworthy to reference the impact of Netflix and the like of Iroko Tv on revenue generation.
What Has Changed?
While looking at the Nigerian film industry, one thing is constant. Change. Every era played a significant role. To learn, unlearn, and relearn. Through the enduring history of the film industry in Nigeria, society has viewed movies from the reflective prism through which humankind mirrors monuments and the heritage of civilisation. Oscarbolo Entertainment is equally a player churning out quality films using the trend of improvement and evolvement in the film industry.
And such a monumental prism coupled with technology has helped the Nigerian film industry contribute more than 2.3% to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) recorded in 2016 and caused its inclusion in the federal government the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
The aesthetic value, production quality, and narrative complexity have distinguished the new Nigerian cinema from the second and the third era. Although this era improved on many of the elements of the video boom era, the wave of cinema and streaming platforms witnessed wider patronage.
Advancements in technologies, multi-channel distribution, and viewers’ behaviour occasioned by modernisation are pivotal to the wide acceptability and expansion of new Nigerian cinema. It is now easier than ever to use different platforms to watch movies.