Nigerians don’t want new faces in movies –Vivian Ejike

Vivian Ejike is a prolific producer who has seen it all. She was once a banker too, but she left the lucrative  hustle and bustle of banking for acting just because of sheer interest and of course after she consulted her mother who is her very influential confidant. She has acted scripts she chose herself and she didn’t have to sleep her way through, hence she has a lot of  harsh words for a certain breed of budding actresses. In this interview she reveals her ups and downs and her determination  to succeed.
Excerpts:
What are your criteria for selecting scripts?
I get a lot of scripts and  most of them have good concepts. I just  select those that are witty, colourful  and with rich language. I am still looking for more though I have found one or two people late last year who caught my attention with the diction in their scripts.
Producing isn’t an easy job. Some who want to produce more might not have the time to write and get  suitable diction, and some might even pay someone to write for them  or  they buy from other people. I get maximum satisfaction when I write my own scripts and in  my own diction, though it takes time but what’s   worth doing is worth doing well.
Your movies have rich storylines and this is evident in  Private Storm.  What’s your  inspiration for such stories?
Actually, the film is very close to my heart  and it was inspired by a true life story which was partly mine and others from close friends back in school. It was a commentary on domestic violence and abuse which is  so rampant and we just had to talk about it. As I was writing it, I knew that many people would  relate to it. Women and children are mostly the victims though some men also are victims.
How did the film do in the market?
I thank God, I’m  still reaping bountifully from it.
What  challenges do you face   during production?
I have learnt that I should be able to consider commercial viability  and professionalism, casting and being  able to balance all other  factors.
Most actors are now going into producing. What’s their motivation?
It’s good for the industry. Creative people are very optimistic and  many  don’t feel okay being told how to act another person’s scripts.  It makes people eager  in the sense that they want to do their own thing and they think about it whether in writing or acting. Also if you have the financial strength to face it, you can venture into it. It’s a better way of telling your own stories the way you want it.
Many claim that these actresses-turned-producers do not make their money after producing films initially. Was that  your experience ?
It is really quite possible.  I made my first film in 1996 and  to be honest, I’ve been there, but  good things come to those who wait. New comers make a lot of mistakes but with persistence, courage and patience, they’ll make it.
I didn’t make my money on the first movie I made, though I made it for somebody.  I was cheated despite  putting all my effort. Then later, I left for banking and later returned to producing. I made a film with a friend but  we lost our money.
How did that  make you feel?
It was bad and discouraging and  my friend left but business is about  profit making and  things may get  really discouraging but we don’t have to be pessimistic. I wasn’t prepared to go back to banking  though it was okay, but I felt that I had something which I wanted to explore. When I went back to acting that  vacuum was filled . My family and  especially my parents even criticized me for leaving banking for movie production. I just thank God for my mother who  supports anything I  do as long as it  makes me  happy and it’s godly. I’ll always cherish my  mother.  She is a devout catholic and I love her for that.
Which has been more rewarding for you, banking or  film production?
I enjoyed  banking as  I bought  a car and a house as a young girl.  I was living big until I started thinking about production and  then things changed.  I even borrowed money to start  production and I lost money on my first film. I  still thank God for my mother who was there for me even when  I was no more a big girl but  a borrower. When I had  little money, I still used it to make a film.  I didn’t make any profit because I received what I gave out to make the film. So, I paid back my debts though it wasn’t easy. When I made my first real movie, I then made my first real profit and I concluded  that there was light at the end of the tunnel and since then I’ve been upward bound.
What’s your greatest achievement?
I haven’t really done anything, I am still striving for more. This year is the beginning of many things, and I haven’t achieved anything.
What is your most surprising or embarrassing moment as a producer?
I haven’t really had one.  I feel  I am a very different  person. The only bad thing is that when we rent big houses, we think  it’s the owners that we met until we see the real owners of the house who chase us out with  guns or dogs and  we run leaving  our cameras. It’s very bad, because the location manager probably hadn’t  talked to the owners but  the security guard or caretaker  who they just paid N5,000 and they say it is settled. This is fun though because it comes like challenges.
Which  movie was more  challenging to produce?
I can’t really say except the ones that will come in future.
Why haven’t you tried other locations like Asaba and Enugu instead of sticking to Lagos?
It’s just who I am.  I am not a band wagon person, I am me.  I don’t move with the crowd, I want to see how I can control my movie and I don’t think that going to Asaba or Jalingo can make me achieve that. I don’t think  I can have posh cars and accessories in remote areas, but  it’s not as if I don’t like good and classy traditional movies. In Lagos, I have  access to upper class lifestyle and it can’t be achieved in remote areas. I like good things.
Lagos is full of noise, how do you manage the noise in Lagos?
We have sophisticated equipment that can edit background noise.
Which of your achievements  has excited you the most?
I love all my movies. When I reflect over them  I laugh and smile as  I wasn’t expecting the movies to be as successful as they  turned out.
I did not have good assistant directors in shooting some films but I also looked at the bad sides in the films and I re-edited and cleaned up. It’s  also part of the excitement. Nothing good comes easy and this especially  made me acquire sophisticated equipment to deal with logistics.
When I released one of these  movies, I sent 30,000 copies to Ghana by 8:00am and  then by 12:00pm, I was told they were exhausted. That was during last Christmas,  so it wasn’t easy to get people to  work for me. I then had to manage and release another 30,000 and within five days, they were sold out. I was amazed at the movies’ acceptance, because there were technical errors.
Though I didn’t expect much from  the movie, I recovered the money I used to make it in less than two weeks and when I released it in Nigeria, I made a huge profit. I don’t brag about my movies because I am humble but I am still in shock that I am still selling it till date.
What’s it like being a female producer in a male dominated industry?
I can never envy  a male producer.  I enjoy myself as a female producer and I don’t think  gender has anything to do with success.  What a man can do, a woman can do better. I can never change that.  I am proud to be me and I think that female producers are making it more than the male producers.
What are you currently working on?
I am working on a movie at full throttle and  I don’t have much time for myself. Lately, we were fortunate to get a federal government brand to help us market our distribution network. This has made me very confident and  effective in sales and production.
A lot of good actors are gradually fading out of  Nollywood. Is there a problem in trying to replace the likes of Genevieve Nnaji  and Ramsey Nuoah?
It breaks my heart whenever I think about it. I can’t blame anybody but  the producers because if we set out to do what Ghanaians do, we will be better off. Producers are star makers; we train these celebs and in a way, make a name for them. Some producers don’t want to use new faces and this discourages budding actors. In Ghana for instance, they started with the likes of Van Vicker and  Jackie Appiah but now, they have new faces that are up to the task. This should be encouraged in Nigeria. The Nigerian market isn’t even helping because we do not want to watch films made  by new casts, we just want regular faces and this will not help new actors to come up. Therefore, the Nigerian market receives 80% of the blame. We really need to change our mindset about new and already established actors.
Did you undergo any formal production training?
No, I didn’t ,  but I will say due to my inquisitive nature, competitive and restless nature, I have grabbed many opportunities to be trained and I have been a successful producer.
What’s your fashion sense?
I am just me, I am old school and old fashioned.  My style is unique and  I’m not trendy.  I like what makes me nice and comfortable. Like now, I’m disregarding the Brazilian hair stuffs, I am now wearing an all black hair. I am not a crowd pleaser, I am unique.
How do you spend your leisure ?
I love reading and watching movies even though  these days, I have become very busy.  I work with my eyes and ears open and I watch TV with my ears open.
How do you manage being a mother and a  producer?
It hasn’t really been easy, but  I thank God for giving me support and strength. It’s meant to be challenging but now, it is not. I am like an open book; I’ve  no secrets. This has made it possible for everyone around me to help me and  my child sometimes after school comes to my location and we have fun. So, my family comes to location to be with me.
If your daughter is impregnated  by an unknown person, what will be your reaction?
Being a minor, I’ll first ask if she was raped and if she truly was, I might be unreasonable enough to kill the rapist  and it’s either I die or the rapist dies. However, for an adult daughter, it’s better for the man or boy to relocate, else if I catch him, it will be  tough for him. She’s  still a young girl and  too young to live with such shame and stigma. I teach her morals. At certain levels, I introduce some critical topics. I can’t start teaching her  sex education at the age of 7. I watch and monitor her  growth so as to  know when to.
What’s your advice for young women who want to  produce films?
My  advice is that they should not allow anybody to discourage them and they have to enjoy it. It should come from within them. Consistence, hard work and enthusiasm should also be their watchwords. They should not believe that they have to do unpalatable things like sleeping with men to make a name. People claim that it happens but it is very rare. Only girls that do not have what it takes  use their bodies when their talents cannot  carry them.
Are you trying to vindicate Nigerian producers who have  harassed budding celebs?
I don’t know, I hear about it but I mind my own business. I rather feel that some budding celebs are to blame because some think that it is only when they expose their breasts and  private parts that they are given work or roles to play. I am quick to scold people like that. I hate that kind of thing. Many male producers easily fall prey to girls who come for auditioning because of  their indecent dressing. In foreign countries, you must dress professionally for  auditioning. As a woman, my watch word is ‘decency’ and all budding women should also try to imbibe that.
Some producers are now  going into pornographic movies…
I am not just in support of it.  As an African, our cultures do not encourage that, unlike in  America where  a porn industry exists.
What’s the Censors Board doing to check pornography?
If I were an official, I will strongly oppose it  because they are not leaving any good legacy for the kids and the  younger generation and this is bad.
Are you saying  any producer can just  produce films without some form of censorship?
Yes, to an extent, but now the body should have some regulations to control what people produce.