I came across a Facebook user’s post yesterday where he asked people what the best series and movies they watched this year are. Almost all the series and movies mentioned are from Hollywood. This got me thinking. There’s been a great improvement in Nollywood’s cinematography in recent times, but something key still seems to be missing. This key thing is why Nollywood has yet to capture the Nigerian audience.
The problem with new Nollywood is that it has chosen to advance without the legacy of old Nollywood. Old Nollywood leapt out of the stage, mired with a didactic bent that was needlessly preachy and moralistic. This franchise led to character stereotypes played with punishing melodrama. The new guys sidestep all that and take their premise from music videos. It is almost the silent movie all over again; visual action takes precedence over words, over story. It is its own kind of punishing Nelodrama.
The problem with new Nollywood is that it has chosen to advance without the legacy of old Nollywood. Old Nollywood leapt out of the stage, mired with a didactic bent that was needlessly preachy and moralistic. This franchise led to character stereotypes played with punishing melodrama. The new guys sidestep all that and take their premise from music videos. It is almost the silent movie all over again; visual action takes precedence over words, over story. It is its own kind of punishing Nelodrama.
Beautifully written. I don't know that I'm this attentive to movies, but your description is the kind that has tipped my curiosity.
P.S: It's good to read from you again.