15/01/2026
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FILMMAKER:
Twenty-twenty A.D. left its mark as the one year that
would live with notorious disrepute following the
cascading effects of every imaginable horribleness.
The seen and unseen magnets of disaster woke up one
dreary day and huddled together, mano e mano
(head-to-head) for a one-two punch against humanity.
While humans are still reeling, trying to catch their
collective breaths, the flame-throwers were in a
two-way partner act…in a mambo: Ms. Covid Nineteen and
Mr. Derek Chauvin were a husband and wife team. Hell’s
newest creations were great at two-stepping.
This is the same song and dance that Satan himself had
written and choreographed to revamp his dying Jazz and
Salsa combo from the Hi**er era. I had enough. To sit
with measured complacency while one’s heart was
seething and readying for an eruption. I couldn’t
write it off, nor could I stop thinking about it. I
couldn’t drink it away, either. I must find something
to relieve me from this deep-set, maddening funk with
the potential to cause me lasting damage. Thank God
for little favors: I found something that has no
mind-altering properties like you would find with a
rolled h**p, the size of a Cuban cigar, whose THC
(Tetrahydrocannabinol) content would drop a horse.
The life of the new kid on the block, the one who
recently discovered the joy and gladness of making
movies, is immeasurable. It is a sky-high kind of
feeling! Most who delve into the crannies of
filmmaking could and would never find an exit ramp. If
they were bitten by the bug and were seeking a way
out, they’d never find it. The initial, heart-stomping
exhilaration would never wane, unless you have lost
your ass creating magic, most people have a problem
following and appreciating.
Welcome to the first day of shoot…the day you are
expecting to make the world move. The world in your
pocket moment…the brand, the spanking new girlfriend
under your wings…literally, would soon ask to move on,
on this, your first day at directing and producing
with your nimble thrusts. That world would ask you to
move, instead. Got it? I know you do. The world would
not abandon you for that lackluster performance, and
you must not quit her engaging embrace to seek out
newer endeavors. It is the same with the girlfriend;
she knows you are fresh, and a rookie at best at the
game grown-ups play. The world knows you are a rookie,
too, even at the complex game of chess. You’d be
readily granted all the room you would ever need to
grow…and yes, to perform better next time you engaged
her.
Filmmaking is the love of your life. You must travel
through torturous pathways to find her, though. She
would always be seated with an indolent stare,
watching as you made your approach. Should your method
and swagger look stilted, unappealing, she would walk
away…without making it obvious. But if she stayed and
offered her hands be tied, you are in luck, dude.
Thereafter, you dress her up in gorgeous clothing,
especially if you are going to take her out and show
her prettiness to people. This is where you must
remember that there are filmmakers, and then, there
are filmmakers. And the new girl does not care so much
the size of your canons, or how long you have been in
the game. She is drawn to your intransigence in the
arts game. Never mind about those with obscene budgets
in escrow, enough in the cash box to buy the Taj Mahal
and Buckingham Palace in one deal. She knows all you
have is a pizza and a six-pack kind of cash to make a
daring, full-fledged motion picture. You see, you are
hooked. The ones I have in mind writing this piece are
you, Johnny, and yes, you, Julie.
For the sake of clarity, Indy filmmakers vary. I am
talking about your run-of-the-mill enthusiast…the guy
or gal next door with the searing compunction of
having not discovered this medium years ago. This is
one craft that you don’t have to earn a degree in to
practice. Having said that, you should know the
importance and value of aesthetics and its
applications in the contours of absolute confusion:
The delicate assemblage in finessing the fabrics of a
story into that flattering entertainment wardrobe is
my point. The Art of Filmmaking owes its virtues to a
seasoned master. Only in a school setting would you
learn about this wicked strutting of virtuosity. But
you would remain a genius in the minds of many if you
could figure this phenomenon out on your own.
The sordid tales of bad art are numerous. Believe
this; they are all from one camp. You start to wonder
why one would require hundreds of millions of dollars
to make a motion picture…and your lead cast is an
earthling…and you do not have a cure for cancer, or
the dreaded combo of Hate and Covid? Determination and
that flaming, elastic tenacity are great facets to
own; they will burn down those barriers set against
you. A second set of attributes would be the
willingness to listen to suggestions from your team,
and the monumental understanding that you are not the
be-all and end-all in the scheme. For someone with no
cash and an ego, the height of Kilimanjaro, the film
is destined to end up in a scrap heap. Instances of
great, unwritten dramatic changes occur in almost
every movie ever made. Your film should not be an
exception. The Collaboration Theory is an asset, and
the best tool to have if you want your creative juices
to be propagated while on location. As my friend,
Errol Anthony Wilks, would say: ‘SEE YOU AT THE
CINEMA.’
Genevieve Nnaji Official.
Lindaikejiblog
Desmond Elliot
Ini Edo
Funke Akindele
Mo Abudu
DéKúnlé OmoJésù
Richard Mofe-Damijo
