Preparing Nollywood for Intl’ market in 2014

Preparing Nollywood for Intl’ market in
2014
on december 21, 2013 at 12:59 am in home video
people
*A cross-section of participants at the one-day
ANCOP-FIAPF confab.
Recently stakeholders in the Nigerian motion
picture industry converged in Lagos, to discuss
strategies on how to reposition the industry and
make it more attractive for the international market
come 2014.
The event was the 2nd edition of the International
film forum yearly organised by Association of
Nollywood Core Producers,ANCOP, in collaboration
with the Federation of Film Producers’
Associations,FIAPF, which held recently at Protea
Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Many of the papers delivered during the one-day
conference centred on the need for re-strategising
and taking the industry to the next level in 2014,
following the global recognition accorded to the
industry.
Setting the ball rolling was Mr. Bertrand Moullier,
Senior Advisor, International Affairs,FIAPF who
spoke on the topic, “The Pros and Cons of Co-
production Treaties.” In the course of his paper, he
stressed the need for Nollywood producers to begin
to embrace the idea of going into co-production with
their counterparts in Hollywood, Bollywood and
other parts of the world.
According to him, Nigeria has huge reservoir of
untapped stories that need to be told at the
international level. He said, while the market for
international co-productions keeps growing, many
world leaders believe in the economic and social
value of subsidy for local film production.
Stressing further, he insisted that “We need to co-
produce for economic reasons.” The FIAPF
representative at the event, also posited that “ for
the co-production to become a reality, there is an
imperative need for nationality rules to be set up in
addition to having a functioning certification unit in
the country.
Also, speaking from the legal perspective, Barrister
Sandra Oyewole in her paper, “Chain of Title and
The Practical uses of Rights”, urged Nollywood
producers to develop a good understanding of the
copyright laws in the country, which will enable
them to secure chain of title contacts for their films,
noting that the chain of title contracts would prove
ownership of the film, help to limit and avoid
litigation in addition to encouraging investment in
the industry.
The chain of contracts, according to her, are
essentially agreements reached with the film
makers on the one hand and on the other, the
owners of the works that will make up the film
elements.
While enumerating some of the drawbacks
associated with not having a written contract
transferring your rights of ownership of a particular
work, Barr. Oyewole said, failure to secure chain of
title can affect the ability to raise funds for
production and distribution of a film.
“No distributor will enter into an arrangement for
distribution of a film if the chain of title is not in
order. It is the chain of title that will enable the
distributor obtain the relevant insurance. This
insurance is what helps to defray any expenses that
could be incurred if a claim is brought against the
film maker and distributor,” she emphasized.
According to her, “The Nigerian film industry is quite
informal and films are financed and distributed
everyday with almost no documentation.” This, she
said, has affected overseas distribution and
potential investment. “Lack of contracts of
ownership also affects valuation in the long term.”
But a representative of a collecting society better
known as REPRONIG and AVRS, in his paper titled,
“The Imperatives of a CMO for Nollywood” called for
the establishment of a Collecting Management
Organization (CMO) for the industry.
Highlighting some of the duties expected of a CMO
which includes documentation or building database,
negotiation and licensing, distribution and
monitoring of the usage of the work, REPRONIG rep
recommended the immediate setting up of such
body in Nollywood, decrying how much the
producers of these works are denied of the
deserving economic benefits from their works,
following the lack of establishment of the body.
The paper, “Digital Switchover:The Journey so far”,
delivered by the Director-General, Nigerian
Broadcasting Commission, Mr. Emeka Mba was
diversionary but highly informative.
It  recounted the journey made so far by the
commission in the bid to take the country to the
next level, having concluded plans to transit from
analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting in June,
next year.
Mba said, “Nollywood is becoming strong both in
terms of creativity and professionalism, and it is
beginning to see the wisdom of integrating itself into
the global system, which is the surest way to both
unleash the power of the Nigerian and African story
on the rest of the world, and also receive the full
benefits that accrue from the practitioners’
creativity.
Indeed, in the immutable words of the nineteenth
century artist, James Whistler, “An Artist is not paid
for his labour, but for his vision.” Nollywood is on
the way to being paid for its vision.”
According NBC boss, “The Commission has realised
that in order to give substance to the plans, there is
a need to have a pilot city, which will provide a
suitable testing ground for the switchover, to help
foresee and take care of potential issues for the
rest of the country.
Taking into consideration available data on the
number of TV Households, accessible terrain and
sufficient variety of broadcast outfits, the
Commission has resolved to make Jos, the Capital
of Plateau State, the first Nigerian city to go fully
digital with the switch off of all analogue TV
broadcasts. A detailed Analogue switch off plan is
being worked out by Digiteam and NBC and it shall
be made public soon.”