YOU CAN MAKE A MOVIE WITH NO MONEY
- May 8, 2017
- 3 min read
A large number of movie makers in Ghana describe funding as being one of the main challenges plaguing the movie industry. Money has been the first excuse for their inability to produce a good number of movies.
M. Sayibu, a US based Ghanaian movie maker, has a different view about money being an excuse for not achieving much in the industry in Ghana. After writing and directing his first feature film, “The Northern King,” set and shot in Ghana, Majeed Sayibu, a former member of the US Airforce has this to say.
Ghana has everything to produce the best of movies with little or no real cash in hand. The problem we face as a movie industry is not about the availability of cash, the real problem is attitudinal. We need a change of mindset on how productions are run. The change we need to boost the movie business in this part of the world should bother on management and the zeal to explore. The structures and platforms to make the industry flourish are there, we are just not using them or making them work. Our selfish interests is killing the whole industry.
We have great talents yet they are not being managed well. With my very little experience in Ghana, I understand the monopoly of a few big names on our screens is one of the major reasons why funding will always be a challenge. We pay our big names so much, yet we get very little from them. It is about time film producers make talents work for what they are paid. Making a movie does not end with the on-screen play. Marketing and promotion form a large part of it and so all actors and actresses, crew members should be involved in the promotion of the movie. It is about time movie makers in Ghana make movies an investment hub where all involved in making the movie become financial stakeholders in the production. Up-front payment for performances is not helping the industry, let everyone be a part of the investment.
In the line of creativity, M. Sayibu had some passionate words to share.
We as Ghanaian producers are not using our environment to create the best picture. We are not exploring our culture, our natural setting and our history. Each day, there are so many good stories that cross our way but we want to be like Hollywood. We overlook the prospects of our culture and history making good stories and movies and chase the western life to create our stories.
We need to do more in terms of research, scouting for natural locations, giving fresh faces a chance to shine. We need to be daring and hungry to sell our own to the rest of the world.
The growth of the movie industry in Ghana has never been stampeded by lack of funds, rather it has been held back because we are not exploring the things that makes us Ghanaian movie producers.
We do not need expensive equipment to shoot movies. What will hiring expensive equipment and not exploring our creativity produce? It is time we sat down and had a good review of the things we are neglecting.
I shot my first movie in Ghana, “The Northern King,” with just one camera, scouted for fresh talent (both cast and crew), explored the scenery around me to create my picture and made every member (cast and crew) a shareholder in the movie. It cost me very little to produce what I believe will be a great movie.
Majeed Sayibu is a Ghanaian born and breed in Tamale. He had his secondary education at AMASS in Kumasi before moving to the United States of America where he enrolled with the US Airforce. M. Sayibu has two short films “In This Line of Work” and “The Shortcut” to his credit and is due to release his first full movie “The Northern King” in March. M. Sayibu who has relocated to Ghana has set up his production house Sembene Entertainment Group, which will be involved in the management of talents as well us the production of movies, Tv shows, music and events.
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