‘Youtube Was Never Designed For Films,’ Says Filmmaker Bolaji Ogunmola

 

Actress and filmmaker Bolaji Ogunmola has opened up about the significant challenges of film production in Nigeria.

In an interview with Jay-on-air, Ogunmola stated that YouTube was never designed for movies.

She highlighted the often-overlooked high costs associated with filmmaking, revealing that some actors charge as much as N5 million for a five-day on-set appearance, while others demand between N1 million and N2 million.

Bolaji emphasised that film is a very expensive art form and that even low-quality

movies on YouTube require substantial investment.

”YouTube was never designed for films. Film is a very expensive art. Yeah. It’s expensive. Actors are collecting four or five million. For four days, sometimes one to two million. If you see anybody, do a YouTube film. 
And you are thinking, ‘what is she doing?’. Even the worst film on YouTube costs money to make. And nobody’s trying to play a terrible film,” she stated.

She also stressed the importance of thorough pre-production planning, noting that producers must secure the right cast, suitable locations, a competent crew, and a reliable post-production team.

According to her, even when everything is meticulously planned, production can still encounter unexpected setbacks.

”When we want to put together a movie. First of all, the story, I need the right cast. I need the right location, the right team, and the right post production team because you can plan everything to the tea and it will still fall apart,” she added.