Chris Ihidero Unedited: How M-Net got its groove back & The silly backlash to follow

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    By Chris Ihidero

    I was speaking with one of the most prolific Nollywood producers recently and she made mention of how it is becoming increasingly difficult to sell films to DStv now. ‘In those days, M-Net used to run after us for films but now we are the ones running after them and they are even rejecting films now,’ she said.
    About 3 years ago, M-Net embarked on the Africa Magic Original Film (AMOF) project. That year, they produced about 80 one-hour made for television films. Since then, they have tried to produce about 60 films per year. That’s around 200 films in 3 years. If they keep up the pace, they will have close to 500 original films in the next 5 years or so. That will be way more films than any other content producer around here.
    Yes, we can have a debate about the quality of many of the AMOF films. You will not survive a second viewing of many of them if you made it through the first viewing alive. Yes, they could have been better done, even with their rumoured $20, 000 per film budget. After all, that budget is more than what an average Asaba Nollywood film costs.
    But content production for TV is a game of numbers. Yes, it is also a game of quality but quality is relative and debatable. But you can’t dismiss 200 hours of almost anything. The films will surely get better and recent ones are already showing signs. I saw one directed by Uzo Okpechi the other day and, while I still don’t get how a woman who is about to tell her husband she has tested positive to HIV is wearing glossy lipstick and all, I loved the twist at the end of the story and the pictures were really pretty, …Read More

    Source:: The NET