ROLE INTERPRETATION IN NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRY

: A STUDY OF BILLIONAIRES, LIVING IN BONDAGE: BREAKING FREE,

SPIDER GIRL

BY

NWANKWO ALVIN KAETOCHUKWU

NAU/2017/104/118

DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND FILM STUDIES

FACULTY OF ART

NAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY

AWKA

DECEMBER 2021
CERTIFICATION
APPROVAL PAGE
 DEDICATION

This research work is dedicated to God almighty, who in his infinite mercy has
granted me the grace to complete my undergraduate study with an informed mind about
our nature as humans and the nature of the things which we interact with. This work is also
dedicated to my project supervisor who has served as a guardian angel as I progressed
towards the completion of this research work.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Title page

2. Certification

3. Approval page

4. Dedication

5. Acknowledgments

6. Table of Contents

7. Abstract

Chapter One; Introduction

1.1 Background to the study

1.2 Statement of the problem

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the study

1.4 Scope of the study

1.5 Significance of the study

1.6 Research methodology

Chapter Two; Review of Related Literature

2.1 Definition of Terms

2.1.1 Role

2.1.2 Interpretation

2.1.3 Film

2.1.4 Actors

2.2 Theoretical Framework

2.3 History of Nigerian Film Industry

Chapter Three; Data Presentation Analysis and Interpretation

3.1 Synopsis of BILLIONAIRES

3.2 Synopsis of LIVING IN BONDAGE: BREAKING FREE

3.3 Synopsis of SPIDER GIRL

3.4 Analysis of selected films

3.5 Role interpretation of the selected actors in the Films

Chapter Four; Summary of Findings, Recommendations and Conclusion

4.1 Findings

4.2 Recommendation

4.3 Conclusion

Works cited
ABSTRACT
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Film is one of the most appreciated and complex of all the arts to produce in the 21 st century.

Most individuals generally concur with this claim due to its popularity in the world today. Film

practice in Nigeria, is an art that has reached a notable landmark in relation with quantity of

productions recorded annually starting from the late 1980s and early 1990s up to the present day.

It is an industry that has witnessed a lot of growth and development from its commencement up

to the modern time in areas of cinematography, editing, equipments, directing, costuming, and

makeup and role interpretation of characters by actors. Film as an art has its roots in theatre and

live performance which requires the precise and accurate application of different fields of theatre

practice such as acting, directing, sound, costume, makeup and set or scenery with the aid of

technological equipments such as the camera, sound recorder, and digital film editing soft-wares

to create moving pictures that would tell a story with a B.M.E. It is an art that provides a

different type of entertainment to audience through the medium of organizing this large group of

people making contributions to enhance the Mis-en-scene of the production, after which the

collected shots will be edited and arranged in a particular sequence that suggests a coherent

meaning to viewers of the finished product. This meaning is jointly created by the fusion of the

entire artist at work. After each member of the crew has made his/her contribution, the motion

picture captured and manipulated can then be screened before a paying audience for the purpose

of making profit. Without this ensemble nature of theatre, which brings different kinds of artist

working towards a single goal, the practice of film would be generally impossible. Film is a very
broad concept that seems to be in a constant state of evolution and development, but for the

understanding of the concept of film, the researcher would like to discuss briefly the evolution of

films from theatre and dramatic performances.

The history of theatre is voluminous and has volumes of work written by different

writers around the world about theatre and its history in different geopolitical locations.

The researcher therefore has decided to skip a detailed history of theatre which is not far-

fetched to delve into theatre practice and its significant development and growth into films.

Drama and theatre is believed to have started in Egypt. Mary Vera Roberts affirms that

“the oldest evidences of Drama in Egypt are the fifty-five so-called Pyramid text which

dates back to about 3000bc” [ CITATION Ver87 \l 1033 ]. The formalization and organization

of the performance that is proximate to what is understood as drama in the recent times

however took place in Greece with the re-organization of the city Dionysian festival into a

play-wrighting competition referred to as the “tragic contest”. Drama developed further

and took many different forms notable in different literary periods of movement and style

of writing up to the modern period with the introduction of realism. This introduction of

Realism occurred during the industrial revolution that took place within the 18 th and 19th

century. This is a significant period in the history of man that witnessed the discovery of

scientific inventions and development in technology. One of the notable inventions that

took performing arts to the next level is the introduction of the camera, a device that has

the ability to capture still images through its control of light. Subsequently after a few

years, discoveries were made in addition to the introduction of some notable theories like

“Persistent of Vision” and “Phe-phenomenom” to make the camera record movement and

screen it with the necessary equipments to create the impression of moving people in
pictures hence, the production of the first moving picture was witnessed. According to

Charles Nwadigwe:

The history of film …dates back to the late 19 th century when the first film, after
series of experiments, was successfully exhibited in France in the year 1895… by
the Lumiere Brothers, Louise and Auguste… However between that time and 1927,
all the films projected had no sound. Sound was introduced in film in 1927 by the
Warner brother in a film titled The Jazz Singers. (62)
Film has further faced quite a large degree of development from the black and white

screens to the colored, to the addition of digital technologies in the creation of films such

as digital cameras, digital editing software to the eminent point of the incorporation of film

making techniques and animated film making techniques to create motion pictures with

Human actors and graphically generated images often in the same scene but unable to

blight the illusion of reality, an archetype of such an artistic union could be seen in the

Hollywood motion film titled ALITA BATTLE ANGEL.

In Nollywood, (especially with regard to Old Nollywood) films are regarded by a majority

of the literate of the country as retrogressive if placed in direct comparison with

Hollywood films. One of the potency of Hollywood that serve up their film production

process is the availability of sophisticated equipments and ideas that simplifies their

Endeavour to present characters and scenarios that require “Special Effect” without a

distortion of the concept of “Verisimilitude”. Such equipments include; Chroma Key, CGI

(Computer Generated Images), improved animating software etc. However, with the

emergence of the genre of films classified as New Nollywood, there is a notable

improvement in the general production of films in Nigeria in terms of standard of

production.
Film analysis in this research work is the breaking down of a film in a deconstructive

manner, to separate each part from the other to find out the nature, “proportion, function

and interrelationships of the parts”[ CITATION Cha06 \l 1033 ], with emphasis on the acting

and role interpretation of the characters by the actors. Film as an art also has its social

function of mirroring the society while making comments on the activities and events in

existence within that society. It also has that attribute of being able to change beliefs, mind

set and ideology of people which makes it a very strong tool in the propagation of ideology

to individuals. This attribute is felt and evident in spectators who perceive film narratives

as reality (appropriate to the skill of the actors in interpreting their roles). This perception

catalyzes the emanation of sincere sympathy or empathy for the character by the spectator,

who have been “Elevated”[ CITATION Duk74 \l 1033 ], unaware of his suspension of

disbelief. Sometimes, it becomes difficult for people who are not knowledgeable in the art

and process of film making to tell the difference between reality and films, and this owes

its significance to the ability of actors to represent their roles believably to the audience

with the impression that the actor is the character.

Acting on screen is different from acting on stage; this is due to the fact that the stage and

the screen are two very separate mediums of enacting narratives. The stage requires a live

performance and every individual, cast or crew with a role would be on ground working to

ensure that the productions runs smoothly, the director also tries to create the composition

and picturerization of the production putting into consideration, the sightline of every

member of the audience and how every other element of the production contributes to the

general aesthetics of the production. In terms of acting, actors have to project their voice to

cover a farther distance while using elaborate gestures and actions to communicate their
message to the audience. Acting on screen on the other hand has a unified sightline which

every person from whatever sitting position in a cinematic hall would see. This sightline is

captured and made possible by the use of the camera, which captures images and stores

them in a storage device. Due to the numerous advantages of the stage over the screen, the

screen is now generally a more popular and accepted medium of showing narratives about

the lives and activities of other people. The stage is generally accepted as a medium that

facilitates the re-presentation of reality; however, film is more concerned with the

presentation of reality. The acting in film is done to reveal humans at their most natural

state, with a natural level of voice, natural movement and gestures since the camera can be

placed in different strategic positions at different times yet, made to appear to be capturing

events in real time. Joseph Boggs and Denis Petrie affirms with this difference when he

said that the;

Primary difference (between stage acting and screen acting) results from the
relative distance between the performer and the spectator. When acting in the
theatre, actors must always be sure that every member of the audience can see and
hear them distinctly. Thus, stage actors must constantly project the voice, make the
gestures that are obvious and clear and generally move and speak so they can be
clearly heard and seen by the most remote observer… The problem of reaching a
remote spectator does not exist in films, for the viewer is in the best possible
location for hearing and seeing the actor. (272-273)
This does not however suggest that film acting is less difficult that stage acting, the film

actor must be very meticulous in line delivery, gesture and movement in order not to have

the appearance of acting. An outstanding difference between stage acting and screen acting

upon which all other differences are born is the fact that the stage medium presents an

“Immediate” performance occurring in real time whereas the film present events that does

not happen in real-time, but captured at different locations and at different time but

manipulated by the Editor to portray continuity, development and progression of actions.

Realistic acting on screen to the researcher is the style of acting that convinces the

audience or spectator who is observing the performance, that they are witnessing a realistic

event that took place in time and not acted. This kind of acting forces a member of the

audience to develop interest for the film, genuine sympathy and empathy for the actor or

protagonist of the narrative and a sustained suspense throughout the duration of the play.

Acting involves a broad range of skills including a well developed imagination, emotional

facility, physical exressivity, vocal projection, clarity of speech and the ability to interpret

dramatic situations and actions. The actor therefore is a tool in the hands of the

scriptwritter for message delivery and effective communication between the playwright

who is the originator of the message and members of the audience through efficent and

believable role interpretation by the actor.

These selected films would point out to Nollywood films that has attempted to drift away

from that inefficent method of interpreting roles in films and the subsequent impact this

diversion has catalyzed. After which the researcher will attempt to place this “well made

films” in direct comparioson with other Nollywood films with the poor role interpretation

to raise the awareness of film practitioners in general and film actors in particular to a more

acceptable, efficient and productive method of role interpretation in Nollywood.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

The issue which this research work attempts to visage and hope of correction is the issue of

poor role interpretation by actors in Nollywood due to lack of quality training and practice
of film making by individuals without profound practical and theoretical knowledge of

film making. This problem is a one that has proven to be consistent in Nollywood and

militates against quality assurance and professional film making in the country. Actors in

the industry attempt to act out a role with the wrong psychological and motivational factors

that would take away the impression of realism in the performance of the actor. This is

often perspicuous while seeing Nollywood films. Sometimes this illusion of reality is

broken when an actor shows visible efforts made in his words, gestures, movement or

physiognomy in order to remain consistent in depicting the required personality of

character he intends to depict. The industry has showed a lot of short comings and dearth

of professionalism in the role interpretation of characters (with exceptions in recent times).

This could be attributed to the nature of the inspirational ideology behind most producers

in the industry who has placed the financial benefits made from films as the priority and

single reason for the production of films. The result of this is the production of films in

hurry in order to meet with the financial demands of the actors, crew members, and some

equipment rented and paid for daily. Most Nollywood films then are shot in little time

without accurately and precisely achieving the scenes as imagined by the director, what’s

more, with different technical and per-formative mistakes which will be unable to be

corrected during editing, the films will be produced and sold to the local audience, without

and recommendation, recognition or accolades given in applause for a high-quality

production.

Actors most especially are known to see the script to be performed for the first time on the

day of shooting the scene where the lines are to be spoken. Without profound analysis to

discover the polar attitudes of other characters in the narrative, their desires, wants, goals,
and how it should shape the character which the actor intends to interpret. Actors also

avoid reading through the whole script to understand the whole story, in lieu; they focus on

the areas where they have speaking lines or which they are present. Another problem of

this approach of film making is the denigration of the psychological benefits and

confidence which a rehearsal establishes in actors. This would result to poor performance

in films and contribute to the retrospective perception of Nollywood films.

1.2 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim and objectives of carrying out this research work is to draw the attention of film

practitioners in Nigeria towards one of the militating issue hampering the growth and

development of the practice of film in this country. The actor is the artist which draws the

attention of the audience to the diegesis of the film production. The actor, as a character

becomes important to the audience as they witness his journey through the duration of the

production comprehending the way in which he relates with other characters and his

environment. The objective is to develop the interest of the audience in the character and

his quest to achieving his set goals. This is referred to as empathy and as it develops within

the audience, hope is introduced as well, and it starts the progression of a series of

ideologies and desires coherent with that of the character. There seem to be an inter-

exchange of emotions and desires between the characters or the protagonist and the

audience. Therefore, the triumph of the protagonist would suggest the triumph of the

audience. Effective role interpretation will assist the audience in attaining “elevation” as

propounded by Longinus On the Sublime which can be understood in other terms as the
“suspension of disbelief”. The study aims at highlighting the impact and benefits that

would be achieved through the increased effort of actors in performance that would be

considered commendable, professional and believable, while pointing out lucidly the

importance of training in developing acting skills.

1.4 Scope of the Study

This study will be focused on three film productions under the Nollywood industry. Each

film will be analyzed and rated based on the performance of the actors, and areas of

notable dexterity worthy of emulation. The analysis will be restricted to the performance of

selected actors within the films and the identifiable techniques applied by actors who are

worthy of commending. The study will not incorporate other areas of the film such as the

costuming, makeup, cinematography etc, but will make references to areas of the narrative

that prompted significant reactions and actions by the actors. The study of role

interpretation of the actors will be carried out in three Nollywood films; THE

BILLIONIARES; LIVING IN BONDAGE; BREAKING FREE; SPIDER GIRL. To achieve

this, this research work is divided into 4 (four) chapters. The first chapter is an introductory

one, subsequently; the statement of the problem, aim and objectives of the study,

significance of the study, and scope of the study and research methodology of the study

will be given. The second chapter will conduct a review of related literature on the area of

acting and also define the conceptual terms that form the project title. The third chapter

will present data, analysis, evaluation and interpretation of the case study. And will fourth

chapter will conclude the research work.

1.5 Significance of the Study

The significance of this study is evident in the proposition of an acting style in the

Nollywood industry that will augment the quality of films produced, increase

professionalism, and enforce verisimilitude, projecting very skilled actors in addition,

while providing an opportunity for them to receive local and international recognition

based on the efficiency of the actor’s performance. Furthermore, this research seeks to

point out the importance of training in the acquisition and development of acting skill in

Nigeria and Nollywood. This study will be important in the production of globally

accepted films by the Nollywood Industry

1.6 Research Methodology

The methodological approach that will be utilized to conduct this research and attempt a

veritable conclusion in the end is the “Qualitative” research methodology. This implies that

the researcher will carry out analysis based on passive observation of the selected films and

active research to come to a valid conclusion on the nature and form of role interpretation

in the films of interest.

 CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Definition of Terms

This refers to the hypothetical definition of terms based on published works on the same

area of research. It is the generally accepted literary meaning of terms that forms the

structural framework of the project title.

2.1.1 Role

Role refers to a character within a script that is expected to be enacted by an actor. To

Michael Etherton, it “means any character or part which an actor plays”.

2.1.2 Interpretation

Interpretation refers to the artistic skill of an actor to creatively and accurately present a

character that is as close to reality as possible thereby re-enforcing verisimilitude in the

existing narrative of a production. According to Harry H. Schanker Katharine anne

ommanney role interpretation is the ability of an “actor to create a role so convincing that

the audience totally accepts your character as real, forgetting that” what they are seeing is

“only an actor playing a part”.

2.1.3 Film

This is a term that suggests a vague concept or object, however, popular use of the term to

refer to cinematic works has made the term popular in relation movie productions.

Nwadigwe Charlse defines film as “a projected [moving] image with sound.” He believes
“it is a meduim of mass communication and an audio visual art”. To Joseph M. Boggs,

Dennis W. Petrie, it refers to an art that “requires the collaboration of hundreds of

proffesionals” to produce. The general idea of the term may perharps be captured better by

Olusola Oyero, Lanre Amodu, suleimanu Usaini in their work Film History and

Production Techniques, in their definition of Film as “a term that encompasses motion

pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general.

2.1.4 Actors

Actors are those individuals who takes a script and “speak the lines of the authour as

written, distinctly and fluently, with an understanding of their meaning” in front of an

audience to foster a message to the audience through the enactment of a narrative.

According to Harry H. Schanker Katharine anne ommanney, actors basically adopt two

notable styles in the interpretation of their roles. These techniques are “emotional or

subjective acting” and the other is “technical or objective acting”. The former is a style that

attempts to create the perception from the audience that he is not acting out a role; but has

become the character by acting in accordance with the reality of existence. The latter is a

style that suggests the development of acting techniques that are not neccesarily realistic

but are suggestive and representational in accordance with the methods of staging and

performance.

2.2 Theoritical Framework

The theoretical framework which supports the proposition of the researcher is “The

Method”style of acting. This is a theory proposed by Constantin Stanislavski in his work

An Actor Prepares published in 1936. This method has caused waves of reaction by
scholars and theatre art practitioners alike with some in full support, others in part, and a

few with reactionary criticism against the style. [ CITATION Pat94 \l 1033 ] suggests that;

The theatre that Stanislavsky worked in was based upon broad strokes, on a lot of
“outward acting” and melo-dramatic presentatinal techniques. To this qualities, the
famous and revered director added his techniques, which are now known under the
title of “the Method”. (100)
To Robert D. Taylor, Robert D. Strickland, he tried to lay emphasis on inner “artistic truth”

other than the external effect of acting which gestures and movement may facilitate. He

rejected “the use of overemphasized, declamatory vocal techniques and standardized

gestures and poses.” The idea is to make acting to seem less like acting and more like

reality, by “getting rid of what has become artificial, and therefore an impediment, and to

prepare the actor to present the externals of life and their inner repercussions with

convincing psychological truthfulness”. Interestingly, he wrote the book in a semi fiction

model, to bestow freedom of speech in his writing and bring the “truth” which he has

discovered in his style of acting in a usable form within the reach of those in the discipline.

Stanislavski was insistent in his idea of having an actor “living the part” by feeling the

emotion which he is portraying. He states that;

Living the part helps the artist to carry out one of his main objectives. His job is not
to present merely the external life of his character. He must fit his own human
qualities to the life of this other person, and pour into it all of his own soul. The
fundamental aim of our art is the creation of this inner life of a human spirit, and its
expression in an artistic form. (15)

To achieve this, the actor has to experience similar feelings to that which the character has

experienced, and only at this point can the character be represented truthfully. He tried to

warn actors of what he referred to as “mechanical acting”; a style where there is no call for

a living process, rather the actor’s movement gestures appears accidentally. Furthermore,
he tries to depict of the importance of the word “if” in plunging actors into the world of

imagination from the world of actuality. He believed that “the secret of the effect of If lies

in the fact that it does not use fear or force, or make the artist do anything…it encourages

him to have confidence in a supposed situation”[ CITATION Con36 \l 1033 ]. His argument he

furthered in his idea of “emotional memory”, an important tool used by actors to recall

feelings that were once experienced before. He proposes that:

Just as your visual memory can reconstruct an inner image of some forgotten thing,
place or person, your emotion memory can bring back feelings you have already
experienced. They may seem to be beyond recall, when suddenly a suggestion, a
thought; a familiar object will bring them back in full force. (182)

The art of acting to the most believable state is therefore the point of reference for modern

actors and directors whose aim is to portray a character that lives his part for the audience.

Corroborating to Stanislavski is Joseph M. Boggs, Dennis W. Petrie through the

proposition “the most successful film actors either posses or can project, with seeming ease

and naturalness, a truly genuine personality, and they somehow appear to be completely

themselves without self-consciousness or a sense of strain.”

Stanislavsky’s theory has been a monumental thesis in the study and practice of acting due

to its iconic way of presenting characters in a more natural state. Method acting

consequently is the major theory that back’s up the researcher’s thesis geared towards a

realistic presentation of characters in Nollywood films.

 CHAPTER THREE

DATA PRESENTATION ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

3.1 Synopsis of Billionaires