Why are some Nollywood scripts so subpar?
If there was a list of things working in and for Nigeria currently, the media and entertainment industry would definitely be on there.
Grammy award recognitions and record-breaking revenue for some box office blockbusters are a few of the sector's achievements. Generally, things seem to be picking up in the creative industries.
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Nigeria's film industry has been a beacon of hope for the nation's economy, being the second largest film sector globally and contributing 2.3% to the country's GDP. Yet with this optimistic progress, the quality of scripts produced remains questionable.
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The subjective nature of filmmaking often blurs the lines of how a good script should look. Still, factors such as film genre, target audience, the historical success of similar stories, the cast and crew determine to a large degree the success of a script.
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On average, a TV film script costs between ₦100,000—₦250,000 in Nigeria, far from its global counterparts. While increasing the pay scale for writers plays a massive role in closing this gap, prioritising screenwriting is essential to improving our homegrown content.
Doubling down on the film sector, a lot has been said about the future of Nollywood lately, especially after the year (or years) we've all had trying to stay alive. Nollywood has stood the test of time, even with a few minor hiccups along the way.
From its early beginnings of home video productions to having over 50 locally produced motion pictures now on global streaming platforms, the spotlight on the film industry won't dim anytime soon. But, there are still areas where Nollywood still needs some tweaking. And, before this article is dubbed a pessimistic one, let me quickly add—not everything about Nollywood is terrible.
Take, for instance, our video quality. Before the evolution of Nollywood around the mid-2000s, the
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