How a Nollywood Film Gets Made: Here’s what a director does

Since then, he has charted a path as one of the new generation of filmmakers in a new Nollywood looking to push the envelope.

His body of work includes Bank Alert, Day of Destiny, and Love in a Pandemic. In 2022, he was nominated for The Future Award for Directing.

But Akay didn’t just wake up one morning on a set directing a film that won two AMVCAs for its lead actors. He spent years learning, and travelling to South Africa to attend the film school, Reel Edge Film Academy. Then he worked as a scriptwriter for some time before he was ready for the director’s chair.

In an interview with Pulse Nigeria, he spoke about his guiding principle, how he works on set and who will never be in any of his films.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

There’s no clear answer to that. It just came from the love of storytelling, and I knew that I didn’t have the mental stamina to write a novel. So I took to screenwriting and the more scripts I wrote, the more I wanted to direct them, especially in film school where others direct what you write and you just feel like you would have done a better job. So I started directing in my second year in film school. It came from a need to tell the stories I wanted to tell how I wanted to tell them. That has now evolved into pure love for the craft.

It was interesting. In my first year, I found myself with a lot of second-generation filmmakers. Their parents were filmmakers and they also wanted to make films so they went to film school. They had more background than I did. They had done film history in secondary school. In Nigeria, obviously, we don’t do that. So I had to start catching up from day one. But it became fun later.

Just generally, you do need some form of formal training. I wouldn’t say that it’s a one-size-fits-all method. There are many ways to the director’s chair. Even after film school, I still had to do some mentorship. I’ll recommend mentorship over going to film school. One of the good things about mentorship is that you get to see the person doing the work.

There are good days and bad days. You have good sets and bad sets. You know a good set from the pre-production phase; you can see the plans, details and effort the producer puts in. Once you get on set, everything runs like clockwork. But for a bad set, from pre-production, you can smell the trouble. That’s your chance to back out, or you stay for the paycheck or try to make it work.

It’s difficult to answer this question because, if you’re on a bad set, it’s on you to try to make it good for you. Just make sure you get the story and achieve your scenes. One of the greatest traits of a director is perseverance and patience. You just need to be able to push through. When people are losing their heads, try to remain calm. All you can do is make the best.

I’m a sucker for story. So if the story is really good, you already have me. Now, if I start noticing the logistical mishaps during pre-production or I see that you’re not prepared, I’ll escalate it and raise the alarm about my dismay. If I feel like these are challenges I can fix, I’ll stick to the project. If not, I step away. It’s nothing harsh. I return the upfront. If you don’t believe in the film, I don’t think you should direct it.

It depends on the individual. People have different negotiating powers. I’m sure if a production will give you funds at the backend then you have to make some sort of sacrifice. You have to be invested in it and have skin in the game. Most directors I know don’t get backend. Once the film is done they’re done with it. You’re a director for hire, except you are an executive producer.

The only difference you will notice in films that I direct is that they are two different films. The quality of effort and performance is not something I compromise on because, in this industry, you’re only as good as your last job. People always use your last job to judge you without considering all that might have happened on set. The moment you sign the dotted line to direct the film, it’s your job to make it as good as possible.

As a director for hire, most of the time, the script is ready before they call me. I come in, give my notes, suggest rewrites if needed. For the cast, some productions involve you from the jump, other times, they’ve done the casting before you join. It’s left for you to decide who you want to work with. But some producers won’t agree to this, especially if they’ve promised the actor the role. It’s best to ask yourself the worth of the battle. If I feel like the actor is a bad actor I can’t work with him, I put my foot down and say, “Sorry, I can’t work with a bad actor.” A director needs to be able to make decisions with post-production in mind. You have to make sure the performances don’t decline when you get to post-production because the acting had been bad.

I try my best to have a drink with my lead actors. I’ve done it will Folu Storms, Nancy Isime and we talk about life and get to know each other, especially if I need them to surrender themselves to me. I need them to be comfortable.

When it comes to intimate scenes, the idea is to make it as safe as possible, so the actor can watch it and feel comfortable watching it. To make the actors comfortable I clear the set. So it’s just me, the director of photography, the sound guy, and the actors and we get busy. People can feel shy when they have people watching them. For sex scenes, I encourage them to spend some time together and bant and get comfortable with each other before we get vulnerable. You have to do it in a classy way. You don’t have to be hardcore or raunchy. You’re not shooting for Pornhub. This is a film that will be shown in the cinema so you must be careful with your approach.

There is a clear difference. One has more experience. You don’t have to talk too much to get them there. And one just doesn’t have the experience. You need to be a really talented actor to be on my set as a new actor because there is no time on my set. We are working with millions, of which one kobo is not mine. I can’t be stressing about trying to get someone to perform. I don’t have the time to work with someone who’s new and doesn’t know how to act. If you’re new you must know how to act or you won’t make it to my set. I always prefer working with celebrities, especially when I’ve built a relationship with them.

He needs to have a total understanding of the story. Even if the script does not make sense, he must still be able to make sense of it. He must be able to figure things out. He must always be willing to follow his guts because in Nollywood, a lot of things change at the last minute; location, actor, logistics. You need to be like water and adapt.