CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
 

1. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The Video film medium in Nigeria has been illuminating Africa’s identity and as well wielding social change to its society. Film was one of the most devices utilized by the Colonial masters in compelling Africans to the European ideology. Emelobe [1 p.426] asserts that: Early Colonialist filmmakers intertwined fun and spectacle, with serious Eurocentric ethics meant to condition the lives of the populace. Several film production outfits established by the imperialists acted in this capacity in both Anglo-and francophone African countries. As a result of this, the African became compelled to see himself and his development in terms of European values and ideology. The foregoing does not only accentuate the social impact of the film medium, but also reinforces the fact that the Nigerian video film has proven very influential on its people towards propagating social change. Thus, film is a powerful man-made instrument used for shaping and re-shaping individuals and the society at large leading to what has become the “Nigerian popular culture” of today. It has grown very influential. Being a visual medium, the audience’s interest is primarily sustained by what they see in the film and not necessarily the story. Film makes us desire things that we may not ordinarily like, but with the appropriate application of visual elements and components by the disparate artists for a film production, the audience are entices and willfully involved in the film as they watch it unfold. In this light the audience identify themselves with the visual images as codes assembled by the filmmaker, he/she perceives it based on his/her understanding with the cultural codes. The understanding of the different codes assembled by the film-maker as a unified entity depends on the viewer’s level of interpretation of the image seen and his/her familiarity with the cultural codes. For film is a creative medium that exposes extracts of the human endeavour and his environs which uses visual elements to initiate social change.

Video films have transformed how contemporary African film-makers tell their stories. These film-makers use video films as a ‘secondary orality’ to represent evolving African environments. Secondary orality, coined by Walter J. Ong (1982), is ‘essentially… voice-centered productions of communication enabled by technologies based in literacy’ (Lambke 2012: 209). Basically, Nollywood video film ‘stories are deeply rooted in Nigerian cultural traditions and social texts that focus on Nigerian community life… [the stories] are told using African idioms, proverbs, costumes, artifacts, cultural display, and the imagery of Africa’ (Onuzulike 2007: 233). Although Nollywood showcases Nigerian and African environments (McCall 2004; Okome 2007; Omoera 2009; Alamu 2010), recently it has been incorporating and emulating western culture in its productions (Abah 2008). As a part of communication theory, media ecology can help one to understand the environment portrayed in Nollywood movies in which Africans, African ideas and African cultures are (re)presented. Nollywood video films have transformed Nigerian and other African traditions into an element of art through the lens of media environments. This transformation points to the value of juxtaposing media ecology and Nollywood video films.

According to Onuzulike [2 p.231]: The Nigerian movie industry “Nollywood” has had a profound influence on African culture. The Nigerian accents, style of dress, and behavioral idiosyncrasies, all of which are distinctly Nigeria, are now being transmitted as images around the globe. The medium of film has come to be directly associated with the culture industry. In Nigeria such a role for the film industry is still evolving. However, certain factors are altering the profile of what could be regarded as the country's culture, while the film industry itself is undergoing a crucial transition.

In the same vein, the Nigerian video film industry, christened Nollywood, has undergone changes, expansion and advancement in issues, costume, character type, setting, speeches and actions, and all the processes of production. This notwithstanding, the Nollywood has been showcasing the richness of the Nigerian nay African culture as a whole with the view of an undertone exposition of the problems, corrupt practices and atrocities committed in this country, making the audience reason along with filmmakers’ views which stir up revolutionary thoughts or stimulates remorseful thoughts. These actions depend on the point of view of filmmaker and how the audience perceived the filmmaker’s views. Undoubtedly, the industry is now more technologically and creatively enhanced to catalyze social change. This recent development in the Nigerian video film industry to align with the moving trends makes its stories much more effective for social transformation. Considering the kind of tropical issues treated in these films which permeate the thoughts of its audience, propelling them to reason alongside the filmmakers’ views of their environment and behavior, social change is unarguably catalyzed. Considering the technologies and techniques which globalization now affords today’s societies, African arts cannot but become dynamical and eclectic with materials to appropriate for enhanced productions. In the above regard, Ajibade and Williams [3 p.203, citing Barber] posit that in terms of technologies and techniques that globalization does afford to today’s societies, “African arts are not static because they are very eclectic and ambiguous in terms of the materials they can appropriate unto themselves”.

1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Video technology has revolutionized how Nigeria and other African countries make movies. The popularity of Nollywood video film as a cultural phenomenon has increased interest in Nigerian culture not only within Nigeria and other parts of Africa but also throughout the rest of the world (Abah 2008; Okome 2007; Onuzulike 2007a, 2007b). Nollywood critics have raised concerns about the quality of Nigerian movies (McLaughlin 2005) and the depiction of the supernatural (Eghagha 2007; McCall 2002). Contrarily, Nollywood has also been cast as an “extremely popular medium for a complete revisioning of the story of the people” (Okuyade 2011:1). Likewise, in Onuzulike’s work on conceptualization of video film theory, he articulates that “video film as a tool of development communication has positioned Nollywood to help articulate Nigerian cultural heritage and Africa as a whole” (2015: 97). Nollywood can equally impact the narrative of the people positively or negatively.

In the light of the above, this study therefore is to find out the relationship between social change and Nigerian video films, examines the impact of Nigeria video films on the environment, culture and viewers; highlights the analytical approach and film selection.

1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study is to find the relationship between social change and Nigerian video films.

Objectives of the study are as follows:

1. to find out the relationship between social change and Nigeria video films.
2. to examine the impact of video films on the environment, culture and viewers.

1. to assess the highlights of analytical approach and film selection.

1. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research questions to be address in this study is as follows:

1. to find out the relationship between social change and Nigeria video films.
2. to examine the impact of video films on the environment, culture and viewers.
3. to assess the highlights of analytical approach and film selection.

1. STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESES

H0 there is no significant relationship between social change and Nigerian video films.

1. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is of great important not only to Nigeria but to Africa in general, as it unfolds the hidden cultural menace in the Nigerian Video films. This study will find the relationship that exists between social change and Nigerian video films.

1. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will focus on the interrogating social change through Nigerian Video films. It takes a study of chief daddy by Niyi akonmolayan.

1. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

TIME CONSTRAINTS: One the challenges experienced by the researcher is the issue of time; the research will simultaneously engage in departmental activities like seminars and attendance to lectures. But the researcher was able to meet up with the deadline for the submission of the project.

FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS: Every research work needs funding; however lack of adequate funds might affect the speed of the researcher in getting materials for completion of the project.

1. DEFINITION OF TERMS

Social change refers to any significant alteration over time in behavior patterns and cultural values and norms. By “significant” alteration, sociologists mean changes yielding profound social consequences. Social change in the broadest sense is any change in social relations. Viewed this way, social change is an ever-present phenomenon in any society. A distinction is sometimes made then between processes of change within the social structure, which serve in part to maintain the structure, and processes that modify the structure (societal change).

Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media.[1] Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode ray tube (CRT) systems which were later replaced by flat panel displays of several types.

Video systems vary in display resolution, aspect ratio, refresh rate, color capabilities and other qualities. Analog and digital variants exist and can be carried on a variety of media, including radio broadcast, magnetic tape, optical discs, computer files, and network streaming.

Film also called a movie, motion picture or moving picture, is a work of visual art used to simulate experiences that communicate ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound, and more rarely, other sensory stimulations.[1] The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art form that is the result of it.