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  • #Nollywood Entertainment #Nigeria News: Something From Opa Williams’ Simmering Pot…


    Every Lagosian seems to dread the traffic along Ikorodu axis. But last week, all fears were laid aside as something newsworthy was inside a small community in Ikorodu that couldn’t be missed. And no one could have guessed. One of the pioneers of home video production in Nigeria, Opa Williams had tucked a multi-media production studio inside a developing area and generously threw his studio doors open to the media to have a feast on his new project, a studio-shot feature film titled, Three Wise Men. Williams has had studios in Surulere, Lagos and Kent, UK but this new studio is a miniature of the Hollywood prototype. Inside the sprawling building, all windows were shut, and from outside, there was no signage or any indicator to hint at who the occupants are.

    Reclining on the couch was the veteran actress, Tina Mba who was joined by another time-tested artist, Hilda Dokubo. Stripped of make-up, they let their faces breathe as they enjoyed the brief moment before the director’s call. In a single file, journalists strolled into the room, which occupies a portion of the other end of the top floor. The star-studded shoot was becoming interesting. Richard Mofe Damijo was sporting a long white pair of socks, sky-blue t-shirt with a dart of sequined inscription, a derby cap and some “blings”. With him was Zack Orji, in a white and navy blue stripped t-shirt, matching denim trousers and a clean pair of sneakers. Victor Olaitan, a man for smart casuals, wore a dark tan jacket on his jeans trousers. They seemed to be having fun and presumably they are the ones to whom the movie title refers.




    The Director, Pat Ore waited patiently for the young Ginnefine Kanu who plays the role of an angel to get her lines. Behind the flats that made the walls for the corridor where they all sat, we found chairs where we could perch to avoid getting in the way of make-up artist, gaffer and cameramen. A pile of kitchen wares was laid across the untidy table, apparently not in use yet. Away from the scene of the shoot, there are rooms and partitions that could serve as sitting rooms for different families. Occasionally, the noise from a nearby carpenter’s workshop would filter in but that was inconsequential to the production because the continuity manager was much worried about what could impact on the narrative than a dismissible sound.

    “Silence on set” was the typical command from the director’s assistant who prepped the actors for every take. The prompter sat close to Kanu as she worked over her lines again while the make-up artist dabbed some powder of her face as fresh sweat broke out every now and then in reaction to the warm temperature that engulfed the room every time the air-conditioners were switched off for clean recording. Opa Williams took a break from the production to talk with his guests from the media about the new comedy that will soon hit the cinemas. He had produced Deadly Affair, Tears for Love, Onome, Mama and Sergeant Okoro which are arguably the hits of Nollywood in the 90s.

    “When I wrote the story, I thought of the people who can best handle the parts,” he explained. “Looking at the studio setting, it is not as economical as you think. But the industry needs to grow to international standards. We need physical structures. We are glad to have the support of the Bank of Industry in this project. The bank loaned us the money for shooting this movie. Before now, we never had such arrangement. When you borrow money, you know that you are responsible. You tend to be more careful.”

    Williams was in the news three years ago for undergoing a surgical procedure in India. Before then, he was a newsmaker for the production of “A Nite of A Thousand Laughs”, a comedy show that developed into a comedy ritual, often recorded and distributed in DVDs. Part of the proceeds of the show is donated to charity. The show had given stand-up comedy a face and elevated the profession into a lucrative one starting off with the likes of late Mohammed Danjuma, Okey Bakassi, the late Sam Loko, Boma Erokosuna and the late Sammy Needle. The trailblazer who is a native of Aradhe in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, holds a B.Sc in Economics and Marketing and an M.Sc in Industrial Relations, both from the University College, London. At the University of Florida, USA, he obtained an MBA in 1988. All these might have prepared him for the business side of the creative industry but he really cut his teeth in media production with the ace broadcaster, Mike Enahoro’s Nationwide Television under the tutelage of Felix Egbamuno.




    With Egbamuno, he learnt camera handling, editing and costing for equipment as well as contracts in audio-visual business. His hiatus from the mainstream cinema was felt by his fans and his media friends told him that.

    “I have been in Nollywood. I never left. My stories take time because they have a message and I must take time to deliver. I am not a prolific movie maker. You see, when a woman is pregnant you don’t ask when she will deliver. She can only tell you the expected delivery date. I am coming out with something different.

    “Three wise men is a story on an escapade of three men who have just retired with N35m pension received. Now, they are faced with the task of what to do with the money. They decided to be youthful again.”

    The spirit of camaraderie inside the studio was quite infectious. The busy director also expressed her satisfaction in the freedom to work without much interference from the producer and script writer.

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