Interview

When art is said to stand the test of time, it simply means that despite the passage of time, such art will remain relevant to people’s way of life. This highlights the importance of encouraging constant conversations by the artists, for the artists, and with the artists. This mindset, as a writer and interviewer, influenced my interactions with some of the cast of Masquerades of Aniedo. The conversation allowed me to gain valuable insight into their world. From the brief interview, I learned about the filmmaking challenges and gained a deeper understanding of their relationships with their characters and co-stars. Overall, I found the interview to be a rich source of insight into the creative process behind the production of Masquerades of Aniedo which was launched by Africa Magic.  Launched in July 2003 as a single channel showing mainly Nollywood movies, Africa Magic has expanded. It now includes more channels for movies, sitcoms, soap operas, telenovelas, music, reality TV, and magazine shows which showcase quality content by Africans for Africans. Shows commissioned by African Magic include Refuge, Chronicles, Love & Light + Small Cheating, Masquerades of Aniedo, and Slum King. The common denominator in these shows is their Afrocentric peculiarity of giving representations of Nigerian culture and people. And the People-loved Masquerades of Aniedo is a show that displayed an important aspect of Nigerian culture. On the 24th of November, Masquerades of Aniedo wrapped production after 4 months of filming. Shot on location in the Abadina community, within the University of Ibadan, Masquerades of Aniedo displays the culture of the Igbo people. The show takes us through a dramatic journey within the close-knit Ofu-Obodo autonomous community where characters like Muna, Chizitaram, Zina, Abaeze, Nkem & Urenna, Eze Dibia, Afam & Mmesoma, and a host of other interesting characters propel the plot and hold the attention of the audience with every episode – so far.  Right from its first episode, we are taken straight into action to unravel the mystery behind the death of the great Masquerade of Aniedo. The show also quickly establishes the peculiarities of the Nwokoye family: A small family constantly ridiculed and disrespected due to their father’s extreme drinking habits.  This family dynamic and more is consequently the catalyst that deepens the conflict between the family members and the community.  The series is executive produced by Femi Ogunsanwo (Enakhe, Finding Hubby). Jemila (Ajoche, Riona) is the series producer while Patrick Nkamiang, Nwosu Abagana Richard & Usman “Blackky” Ogunlade serve as directors. The show’s head writers are the seasoned trio: Donald Tombia, Timendu Aghahowa & Omotunde Akiode.   In this exclusive interview, the actors – ‘Chukwu Martin, Uche Nwoko, Doris Okorie, Allison Precious, Eric Obinna, and Imoh Eboh – talk about “Masquerades of Aniedo”. I’ve also taken some liberty with the structure of the interview to present it as seamlessly as possible.   Oz: What intrigues you about the series? Allison: What I find most intriguing about the series is how down-to-earth it is. The characters are relatable.   Eric: Yes, the series brings to play the culture of our people. At the same time, it unravels the mysteries behind the culture of a people by bringing it closer to them.  Allison: Yes, the characters are authentic, original, and very much steeped in the grassroots. I love shows like that because the majority of people grew up in that kind of environment.  Not everyone grew up in the elitist worlds and spaces most of our films like to play with. So, watching elitist shows would be a form of escapism. But watching shows that play in worlds I’m familiar with evokes very different feelings. I enjoy Abaeze’s character arc: it’s strong, vibrant, and very relatable. I think that’s one of the elements the writers did a good job with – giving Abaeze a very strong and relatable journey.  Imoh: Yes, authenticity. I believe the show is important to television and speaks to some issues in our society because of its authenticity. This story takes me back to an innocent Nigeria without the advent of technology and how badly it has messed up human lives. Love, joy, and wickedness are displayed in its raw form. In Masquerades of Aniedo, we see culture in its original form and we see places where we have lost it as a people. Viewers must have a feel of this community and relate to it. People must see themselves through this show, in their raw form.   Doris: What I find most intriguing about the series is that it’s teaching me more about my culture, and not just about the surface aesthetics but the attitudes and behaviours.  Martin: That’s right. It’s also a show that allows the performers to shine. We have actors playing characters who allow them to play in a language & culture that many of them don’t speak or understand in its fullest form and nuance. And given the very short period that we had to internalize the characters, it demanded super extra effort from the actors to craft something meaningful, empathetic, and nuanced. The performances I witnessed on set are a clear sign that my co-stars are indeed brilliant performers.   Oz: And the Characters? Imoh: Oh, they are all unique, even to the sales girl at Mmesoma’s Bar. They are all relatable characters you can easily identify with. Being Urenna is intriguing. Every girl with a dream and close-knit family and societal challenges would identify with her and want to use her story from the series as a yardstick for success. This helps me step out of Imoh, to be that girl these other girls can identify with and learn from. I watch Urenna and I see a girl I could have loved to identify with. She is the everyday girl with a dream and is working toward achieving that dream.  Doris: Zina is different from anything I have ever done in my entire career. She’s an amalgamation of different elements. A lot is going on with her, both externally and internally. She’s fun. She’s cute.

Films find a way of drawing their audience into the world of the characters. This world, however, cannot be successfully created without the architects in the production design department. In Nollywood, Blue Adekunle is one of the architects who has brought many stories to life, visually. La Femme Anjola, Blood sisters, Elesin Oba, Love Language, and Now That We Are Married are some of the films she has worked on in the Art and Production Design department. She has also worked as the 1st Assistant Director in Brotherhood and Shuttlers. What makes Adekunle an even more interesting filmmaker to study is the fact that she is well-rounded. Not only has she been involved in creating the look and feel of films, but also the overall vision of a film, her award-winning debut short film Man and Masquerades is proof. Adekunle’s experience with mainstream projects does not stop her from working on independent ones.  She has directed short films including Safer Outside and Masquerade. Also, she has worked as a Director, Assistant Director, and Art Director for brand commercials for Spotify, Airtel, Mr Chef, Heirs Insurance, and GTB amongst others. Needless to say, Adekunle’s portfolio is extensive, and her versatility makes her stand out.  In this interview with Cheesemonger, Adekunle discusses her filmmaking journey. She talks about her award-winning debut short film Man and Masquerades and highlights her inspirations, as well as the differences and similarities between the mediums she has worked on as a filmmaker. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. How did you find yourself in the film business? I started as a visual artist. I have a First Class Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Arts from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where I majored in Directing and Production Design.  In my third year there, I developed a love for filmmaking. I have been creating art through film since then. When I graduated, I took a lot of masterclasses in filmmaking. I also took a film study program in Art direction at Ebony Life Creative Academy. What’s it like being an art director? It is always a fulfilling experience when you are trusted with the execution of the visual language of a film. Art direction challenges you to constantly research and create different visual worlds within a film space. Every script is a new journey. In your experience working with the Art Department for films, commercials, and music sets, what are the differences between designing for films and designing for these other mediums?  Art direction is all about delivering the visual look and feel of a project through the use of set design and props management. Every story is unique, and every project is different, however, the bigger picture is pretty much the same. Directing commercials for brands is like design: It is not about you, but the brand. You can’t place being artistic over passing the brand’s clear message about the product. Directing short films gives you more artistic freedom. What’s the end goal for you? Directing? Yes. I have always regarded myself as a storyteller, so having more control over how a story is being told is my major creative goal. Great. What is the first thing you do as an art director when you get a script and how do you work with the director’s vision? The script is the foundation on which every creative decision is made. I take my time to understand the characters and their world, as well as what the script has said about certain locations. When I create a space for a character, it is always informed by who the character is and what they like to do. Then I create a color scheme based on the mood of the story and what the director is trying to achieve. I add my little artistic style to it and just keep building till the set is well-achieved. During the script breakdown, I highlight every scene that concerns production design and art direction. Then I go ahead to prepare my mood board. Of course, while I prepare a mood board, I do a great deal of research for inspiration.  The mood board informs how I approach the work artistically, then share my mood board with the director, and we bounce ideas off each other. Then, we conclude with a final design style and work starts.  A mood board is important because it helps us agree on a colour scheme and the visual language (the look and feel) of the film. When we have some last-minute changes to make, the mood board keeps us on track. When you are working with a team, each of them has to refer to the mood board.  I also love asking the director a lot of questions, because It’s very important to involve the director in this process—it is the director’s creative vision. However, sometimes, you might have to educate the director on why you are making some choices. Filmmaking is all about collaboration.  What films did you see as inspiration for Elesin Oba? What were the motivations for its production design? When we were creating the art for Elesin Oba, our major reference was the original theatre production of the script. It was the first time on screen, but it has always been on stage. Though fiction, the story is inspired by real-life events. It’s set in the 40s, and everybody on the team knew that we were going for a very authentic depiction of that era. It was very exciting because we were creating two worlds. We were creating the Elesin Oba world and the British world. Though they are worlds apart, they influence each other. We watched a lot of theatre performances; we saw some epic films and also saw Bridgerton. We did a great deal of consultation. We spoke to people from South Africa to get some period-correct British props; and for the Yoruba bits, we collaborated with Madam Nike Okundaye of Nike Art Gallery, where we found a lot of great material.