Auteurism and Film Directing in Nollywood: an Analysis of Kunle Afolayan Films

Chapter One of Auteurism and Film Directing in Nollywood: an Analysis of Kunle Afolayan Films

 

Abstract of Auteurism and Film Directing in Nollywood: an Analysis of Kunle Afolayan Films

The study examines auteurism and film directing in nollywood: An analysis of Kunle Afolayan films. It determines the extent to which the auteur theory is practiced in Nollywood using Kunle Afolayan’s films as a case study as well as the how effective the theory is in Nigerian film production putting into consideration the structure of the industry and the rate at which growth occurs. In addition, the researcher made research on how he comes up with the content in his movies, the elements that influences his movies and also the notable signature styles in his films.

The content analysis and interview method were adopted which proved to be the best methods since the interview respondent made mention of a few things the researcher missed which makes the information gotten more accurate.

The results revealed that; most of his theme are centered on culture, gender inequality and traditions; the researcher was able to find that experience or an element that would be a source of inspiration which admittedly Kunle Afolayan agreed to, as he noted that his father who was a film maker has greatly to an extent made him to venture into film making and in a glorious way picked his subject matters or thematic preoccupations from growing up; there are evident from the interview that Kunle Afolayan’s films are full with various African elements which are animist in nature; Furthermore, in the respondent response to whether he is going to consider himself as an auteur in his film making craft, Kunle Afolayan reacts he is aware of such label by academics and critics in Films and Cultural Studies but he does not know whether to consider himself as one or not.

The study concludes that, the socio-cultural identities of Kunle Afolayan, most notably the style, manner of acting, the environmental elements and personal experiences involved in making the films, makes him an outstanding author and makes us place him in the class of an artist. As the author he is, it is critically analyzed that his acting style, narrative structure, sound effects, music, the use of African sculptures and folktales reinforce issues of mythology and tradition in the way he weaves them appropriately and this proves that these elements are especially special to him because it enables him tell the story in the best possible manner.

The stud further recommended that; film-makers / director in Nollywood to embrace the beauty of auteur work because that is the future in film making in Nollywood industry; educational stakeholders in Theatre Art, Mass Communication and other related field should know more about the qualities and characteristics of being an auteur in Nollywood.

 

 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Film directing is the process of creating a film while a film director is the person that supervises this process. Film directors across different movie industries have very core roles, some of which are choosing cast members, the production design, handling the creative aspect of production and so on. When a director has creative control over the movie he is directing, it gives him the ability to remove scenes deemed irrelevant at will and also add the ones he sees fit in the movie.

Auteurism, though unknown to many is a very important part of the film industry since the auteur theory states that the film is a reflection of the director’s artistic vision and not the writers. Many directors in the global film industry produce and direct movies in such a way that the message is lost on the audience (viewers) due to the lack of creative control on their part. They feel their job is just to direct what has already been written down to the best of their ability but when directors put a personal touch to their movies, they are able to relate to it well and also produce it in the exact way they want to.

In Nollywood, popular contemporary directors like Dolapo Lola Adeleke, Jadesola Osiberu, Biyi Bandele, Ishayo Bako, Kunle Afolayan, Tunde Kelani Tchidi Chikere, Nonso Diobi and many others have made a mark in the Nigerian movie industry and have also contributed immensely to the ratings Nollywood has as a movie industry. Some of these directors have also distinguished themselves as auteurs due to the way they produce their movies. Using Tunde Kelani as an example, he ensures that he adequately represents the Yoruba language and culture in his films.  This portrayal of the Yoruba culture and language is a very noticeable feature in O Le Ku (1997), Thunderbolt (2001) and Abeni (2007).

The study aims to find out the extent to which the Auteur theory is made use of by Nollywood directors using movies that have been directed by Kunle Afolayan as a case study. The reason behind this is Nigeria’s film industry is a growing one and a few directors, Kunle Afolayan included, have made their mark as auteurs in this industry.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

As earlier stated, film production requires the input of a lot of people including the writer of the script as well as the Director. Previously, Nollywood was seen as a movie industry that produced strictly traditional films containing the use of juju, charms etc.

It is a very notable factor that other movie industries, using Hollywood as an instance, have quite a number of recognizable auteurs. This is because these movies contain signature styles of the people who are in charge of the directing process and less input from the actual writer. Alfred Hitchcock for example is seen as an auteur in the Hollywood industry while in the Nollywood industry, Tunde Kelani is.

Since the auteur theory argues that film is a reflection of the director’s artistic vision, so a movie directed by a given director will have recognizable, recurring themes and visual elements that inform the audience who the director is which helps to show a consistent artistic identity throughout the director’s filmography, this study therefore aims to make use of content analysis to thoroughly examine the films directed by Kunle Afolayan so a general conclusion can be drawn up about the process of  film production in Nollywood and also determine if this theory works as well in Nigeria as it does in other film industries.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which the auteur theory is practiced in Nollywood using Kunle Afolayan’s films as a case study as well as how communication content is influenced by the content creator who in this case is the director.

In simpler terms, the objectives of this study are:

1. To determine the challenges Kunle Afolayan faces when he intends to input his artistic creativity in a movie especially when the writer of the script doesn’t agree with him and how he handles those challenges.
2. To determine if there are recurrent themes and visual elements that viewers can identify him with.
3. To determine the extent to which Kunle Afolayan artistic identity appear in his films.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following Research Questions are vital to this study and serves as a guide to the research:

RQ 1: What challenges does Kunle Afolayan face in stamping his signature on his work especially when it is not in conjunction with what the writer has in mind?

RQ 2: What are the recognizable themes and visual elements in Kunle Afolayan films?

RQ 3: How consistent does the artistic identity of Kunle Afolayan appear in his films?

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will cover the extent to which Kunle Afolayan inputs his artistic creativity into his films so as to draw up a conclusion of if he can be regarded as an auteur in the Nollywood film industry. This study will also cover the challenges directors face when trying to input their artistic creativity into films using Kunle Afolayan as a case study.

In order to effectively conduct this study, an in-depth analysis will be conducted on all the movies Kunle Afolayan has directed so as to discover if there are recurrent elements in the films which can mark him as an auteur in the Nollywood industry.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study is relevant because auteurism plays a huge role in the film making process. This can be seen in the movie production of other global film industries. Hollywood filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock for example is well known for his unique recurring style in the film he has produced. It has been stated by critics that his style has established him among an elite class of directors known as auteurs.

This study on the Nollywood film industry is very key so we can determine the extent to which Nigerian directors make use of auteurism, the level of creativity the filmmakers showcase and to determine if it the desired effect is achieved on the audience. Kunle Afolayan’s films are used as a case study since he is one of the oldest in the art of directing.

LIMITATIONS TO THE STUDY

This will be discussed at the end of the study, the reason being that limitations will be encountered as the study progresses.

DEFINITION OF KEY CONCEPTS

In order to fully understand this study, the key concepts have to be defined to give a clear understanding of what the study entails. They include:

• Auteur:

This is the French word for author and an author can be generally seen to be the writer of a book, publication or article but in the film context, Wikipedia defines an auteur as an artist, usually a film director, who applies a highly centralized and subjective control to many aspects of a collaborative creative work: in other words, a person equivalent to an author of a novel or a play.

OXFORD DICTIONARY defines an auteur as a film director who influences their films so much that they rank as their author.

MERRIAM WEBSTER DICTIONARY defines it as a film director whose practice accords with the auteur theory.

• Auteurism/ Auteur Theory:

It is important to note that Auteurism cannot be defined about without the mention of Andrew Bazin who coined it “Auteur theory” in 1943.  He introduced the theory and also went ahead to state that the directors are the creators of the film which makes the film unique and creative. Other definitions are:

MERRIAM WEBSTER defines it as a view of filmmaking in which the director is considered the primary creative force in a motion picture.

BRITANNICA defines it as the theory of filmmaking in which the director is viewed as the major creative force in a motion picture

According to COLLINS DICTIONARY, it is a critical film theory according to which the primary creator of a film is a director, all of whose works are said to reflect to a certain degree the characteristics of a personal style. They also defined it as a theory that the director is the chief creator of a film and gives it an individual style that is evident in all aspects of the finished product.

• Film:

WIKIPEDIA states that film, also called motion picture is a visual art used to simulate experiences that communicate ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty or atmosphere by the means of recorded or programmed moving images along with other sensory simulations. The word cinema, short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art form that is the result of it.

• Film Directing:

Film directing can be summarized as the production process of a film. BRITTANICA defines directing as the craft of controlling the evolution of a performance out of material composed or assembled by an author. The performance may be live, as in a theatre and in some broadcasts, or it may be recorded, as in motion pictures and the majority of broadcast material. The definition further states that the term is used in film, television, video and radio to describe the shaping of material that may not involve actors and may be no more than a collection of visual or aural images.