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Monday, 12 October 2009

Nigeria Movie A Welcome Alternative To The 419 Scams

Mention 419' and anyone who has been an internet user long enough will unfortunately think Nigeria'. Well, it would be unfair to typecast an entire nation in bad light because of the indiscretions of a few individuals. Every country has its criminal elements. Thankfully, it is not all gloom and doom from Nigeria due to Nigerian movies.

The Nigerian movie industry has helped to bring out the ambitious though often less talked positive business drive of Nigeria. There's more to the country than '419' tricks and the struggle for oil cash at the Niger delta region of the country.

The origins of the Nigerian movie making industry can be traced back to the 1960's round about the time many African countries were obtaining independence. However, the cost of production and access to quality equipment proved to be major impediments at the time. Towards the 1980s, the government of Nigeria formulated and implemented policy that ensured a lot more local content was on air on Nigerian television stations as opposed to American and other foreign television productions. This was a significant step as it encouraged local production to grow.

Many analysts of the Nigerian movie industry (or Nollywood as it is sometimes known) point the turning point of the country's film making industry to the early 90s when the film Living in Bondage' was released. From here on out, it was uphill as a powerful distribution network developed. The ease of availability of cheap film making equipment gave additional momentum and before long, the industry was booming.

Nigerian Movies and the Nigerian film making industry as a whole are estimated to generate anywhere between USD 250 million and USD 500 million each year. The number of movies produced each year range from 1,000 and 2000. Statistically, other than United States and India, no other county has such a large film making industry. Nollywood has the added benefit of tapping into an actors' and actresses' market that is not as expensive when compared to the average cost of a top-level actor or actress in Hollywood.

The Nigerian movies have deftly centered issues that are a genuine part of everyday living in Africa. Foreign films, and particularly Yankee ones, that are popular in other bits of the world sometimes can't relate to the lifestyle of the average African. Nigerian movies like African movies identified this niche and that way, they have managed to charm audiences across a broad demographic on the continent.

Poor infrastructure, dear costs of communication and widespread movie robbery can simply cripple even the best-planned film distribution network. Producers of Nigerian movies have mastered the simple way to best use the continent's system to their advantage and harvest a neat profit as a consequence.

Thursday, 08 October 2009

Black Movies and Culture

Initial black movies were race films, produced in the early part of the twentieth century. These films had mainly black cast members and were produced specifically for the black audience; with the hopes to create a more accurate portrayal of blacks than that seen in early films by Caucasians. The most prominent producer of the black film was Oscar Micheaux.

Oscar formed his own film production company and between 1919 and 1948 independently released over forty black movies. Oscar's first black film was the 1919 silent film "The Homesteader," this was the first feature-length production made for and created with a black cast and crew. Oscar's next film "Within Our Gates," directly addressed racism and depicted lynching. Both starred well known black actress Evelyn Peer.

In 1929, MGM became the first major studio to release an all black film, with the release of "Hallelujah!" The MGM produced musical was notable for its attempt to create a more positive portrayal of black life, than contemporary while films of the time. There were two notable black musicals films released in 1943 each featuring actress Lena Horne, "Stormy Weather" and "Cabin in the Sky"."

Black movies allowed black actors and musicians a chance to play starring roles instead of being relegated to supporting roles as domestic characters in mainstream films. In Hollywood's' early days, it was not uncommon for white actors to appear in black face and carry off stereotyped portrayals of blacks. Actress Hattie McDaniel became the first black person to win a best supporting Oscar, for playing a housemaid in the 1939 production of "Gone with the Wind."

The Civil Rights struggle of the 50s and 60s paved the way for a change in black movies, by addressing racial tensions and depicting accurate black experiences. White actors and Black actors now star together in movies thus reaching a larger audience. Leading black actor Sidney Poitier won a best acting Oscar for the 1963 film, "Lilies of the Field." Dorothy Dandridge was the first black woman to receive a best actress Oscar nomination for her role in the all black musical, "Carmen Jones."

The 1970s brought Blaxploitation black films such as "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree and "Foxy Brown" starring Pam Grier to the big screen. Black comedians have benefited significantly from the increased exposure of black movies. In 1976, one of the top black actors - Richard Pryor stared in various successful movie projects including "Car Wash".

In more recent times, starting from about the 1980s and 1990s, black actors were now able to become major movie stars and earn a lot more money. Eddie Murphy was the main star in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise while Danny Glover co-starred in the Lethal Weapon series of movies. Denzel Washington was the leading black actor of the day and won a best supporting actor Oscar for starring in the black film Glory, in 1989. Influential directors: Spike Lee, Mario Van Peebles and John Singleton all left their mark. Black films covering science fiction, fantasy, romance, hip hop culture and other genres gave black actors more freedom than ever before.

Oscar wins by Halle Berry and Jamie Foxx further show appreciation for black movies and black actors/actresses in the 21st century. Black film makers such as Tyler Perry continue the tradition of the black film with primarily black cast. However, major films feature an ethnically diverse casts offers the most opportunity for black actors and a chance to play other roles that are not the typical stereotype roles.

After facing numerous rejections from the major movie studios, Black directors, writers, producers and actors are creating their own production companies to promote and green light their own black movies, they are building Web sites, and turning to social networking and black film festivals as a way to network and gain exposure for black films.

Wednesday, 07 October 2009

The History of African Film

During the Golden Age of Hollywood when some of the best masterpieces in motion picture history were being made, African filmmakers were not allowed to participate in making films. The era which lasted from the end of the silent period in the late 1920's to the late 1950's did not see a single film produced by an African director.

In fact, all of the early films that were composed by African filmmakers were not filmed in Africa. It was not until the 1960's and 70's that African directors broke free from their chains' and started to make works of their own.

The reason that African filmmakers were denied the right to produce their own films in the early days was because many African countries were suffering under colonialism. European countries like France and Europe strictly prohibited Africans from producing their own films for fear that they would communicate to the world the horrible oppression they were suffering under colonialism.

As we mentioned, it was not until these countries achieved independence that their writers and artists could finally speak out. Before their independence, during the colonial era, most films about Africa were produced by Western filmmakers. These directors, most if not all of whom had never ever visited Africa, often showcased Africa as a wild land inhabited by wild beasts and savages. That is one of the reasons why Africa came to be known as the Dark Continent. And even though they knew almost nothing about Africa, it did not stop them from perpetuating baseless and unfounded myths and stereotypes about the land. Some of the most watched early films about Africa where: The African Queen, Tarzan, and King Solomon's Mines.

Most African writers and directors were appalled by these early images and stereotypes that were being produced by non-Africans about Africa. This would serve as motivation for the first generation of artists who would achieve success after independence. Though few anti-colonial films were produced before independence and absolutely none were produced by African filmmakers in Africa.

But when colonialism came to an end, all of that changed. The first African motion picture to gain international acclaim was La Noire de (Black Girl). It was written and directed by Sembene, who hailed from Senegal and is still considered the father of African Cinema. Because mainly of his success, the African country of Senegal would be designated the unofficial capital country of African filmmaking for decades.

Then in 1969, the African film festival (FESPACO) was established and gave a new forum to many talented African writers and directors. That same year the Federation of African Filmmakers came into being and created production and distribution networks that allowed African film to reach the masses.

Many of these early films dealt with subjects like colonialism and were therefore highly controversial. In fact, a number of them were banned for decades in former colonial powers like France. Nowadays many African films focus on the power and influence of tradition in African life. It is not uncommon or unheard off for an African film to address the role of women in traditional African communities and cities. But regardless of the subject been discussed, it is a huge relief to know that films about Africa are now being produced by Africans.

Sunday, 20 September 2009

African Movies Going Global

The global movie industry is a multi-billion dollar business. The leading player in this industry, Hollywood, has been a source of some of the greatest works of all time. They also have some of the oldest production companies there, with some spanning more than 75 years in the business. Other markets have been producing good movies as well; such as the Bollywood of India and Nollywood of Nigeria. The African movies however seem to exhibit the fastest growth in the industry right now.

The African movie industry is the fastest growing movie industry with statistics indicating that on any given day, an African movie is being released somewhere on the African continent. This means that Africa is producing a minimum of 366 movies a year on a conservative estimate, with countries like Nigeria alone surpassing that benchmark. Even though most movie productions in Nigeria are not of very high quality and are created specifically for the local audience which is growing in leaps and bounds, It might therefore not attract an international audience.

However, the African movie industry has not always been like how it is today. The industry was literally on its knees in the 1980s and 1990s. This was because the local media houses preferred international programs to locally produced programs. This made it almost impossible to get an audience, even if the film was good. However, this has changed significantly through out the African continent. More and more TV stations are taking a pro-active approach to supporting local programs. This has in turn encouraged the African movie makers to produce more movies.

With the current situation, the industry has still not seen its full potential. Most industry players claim that we have not even began to scratch the surface. We have more productions being done everyday and we are now getting the appropriate exposure through local media. Having seen the potential, even international production houses now want a piece of the action as well.

The beauty of an infant industry is that it presents some unique opportunities. There is much to learn about the techniques required to make a good movie. Sometimes it is not about the size of the budget of the movie, but rather what one does with the available budget and resources. Any production house that can produce high quality products will definitely set itself to be a leader in the industry.

As a young growing industry, the market presents some unique challenges as well. Funding is one of the most challenging issues in making a good African movie. A lot of the movie productions are done on a meager budget and consequently, the quality is often compromised. There is also a lot of challenges in the area of actual high level post production technical expertise. Most of the producers of African movies are still new to the business and learning on the job and therefore can't produce very high quality work initially.

Another challenging portion of the industry is the distribution part of the business. Distribution is were more established industries like Hollywood have a greater advantage over all the other movie production industries. The lack of an efficient and large distribution network means that even if a good African movie is produced, it cannot reach a large number of people outside the African continent and thus it is only viewed by a few non African people.

The market for African movies is really growing by the day. When the current challenges in funding and distribution are addressed, the movies may then be able to reach a lot more people and have a much greater impact globally.

The African Side website showcases top quality African movies that shows the other side of Africa rarely seen. Visit to learn more traditional Africa and review the African Side Movie trailer today.

Thursday, 17 September 2009

A Short Story About African Music

African music is arguably the most influential music in all of mankind. But it did not come out of a vacuum.

The truth is that different regions of Africa were influenced by a number of foreign musical traditions. For example, many nations in North Africa can trace their more recent musical lineage back to the Greeks and Romans who once governed over the area. Later there was also a substantial Middle Eastern influence on their music.

Other parts of the African continent were similarly affected by foreign music. Parts of East Africa and the offshore islands were influenced by Arabic music and Indian music in more recent times. While Southern, Central and West Africa had been influenced by the music of North America and Western Europe.

Other African music can be attributed to specific dance forms such as the rumba and salsa, which were founded by African slaves who settled in Latin America and the Caribbean. In this article we will be exploring the different kinds of African music and where it originated.

North Africa

The music of North Africa was strongly influenced by the music of ancient Egypt and the early Arabs. Although it is one of the least popular forms of contemporary African music, it is historically important and merits a good look at by all those interested in traditional music.

Sub-Saharan Music

No music is more purely African than music that originated in Sub-Saharan Africa. Though many regions were influenced by other nations, Sub-Saharan music remains quintessentially African. Because writing and reading came late to parts of Africa, this music was created as a form of communication. In time, it became an interesting and exciting, communal way to celebrate and mark several major milestones in a person's life. For example, there are literally hundreds of African songs and music that celebrate marriage, childbirth or even hunting parties.

Music is also played to scare off evil spirits and to pay homage to deceased ancestors. African music of this type is almost always accompanied by a specific dance or ceremony. It is often performed by professional musicians who have knowledge and experience with ceremonial music.

Because music from Sub-Saharan Africa focused on communal singing, it was one of the earliest to emphasize the use of harmony and structured singing. These singing methods ranged from simple rhythmic structures to incredibly complex and elaborate structures based on improvisation and several variations.

Instruments

Though stringed instruments, bells, flutes and even xylophones were all used in traditional African music, there is nothing more important than the basic African hand drum. In fact, there are literally dozens of drums that are played on different occasions. A few of the most popular drums that are used in a traditional African musical include: bougarabou, tama talking drums, djembe, water drums and a many different kinds of ngoma drum that are played in parts of Central and Southern Africa.

These drums are almost always accompanied by singers or choruses who often keep time with rattles, shakers, woodsticks, bells or by simply clapping their hands' or stumping their feet.

To learn more about African music visit the African Side website and enjoy free African style music. Then obtain the African musical CD by Georgy B - The king of Afro Talk music.

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