Digital Cameras Everywhere… Where is the content?

By Chris Ihidero

Here is my friend’s story:

My friend returned from film school in the UK about a year ago. She spent eight weeks doing a course that cost a little over a million naira. On her return, she returned to her day job. Her film school project, her first film, had some technical issues, so she has refused to make it available for public viewing. A few months ago, she purchased a Canon 7D, but is yet to shoot anything on it. The last time I spoke with her, she told me she was about to purchase a Mac Book Pro so editing wouldn’t be an issue and she would be fully equipped to create content. I’m still waiting…

My friend’s story is not unique; anywhere you turn to these days, a Canon 7D/5D/60D or some other DSLR is probably pointing at you. There are all kinds of audio-visual recording equipment out there these days, at very affordable prices, yet very little content is being created in this environment. We have better access to the internet, yet what we do is consume content created from everywhere else but here. Millions of short films, series, soaps, serials, talk shows etc flood the internet, but how much of it originates from Nigeria?

In times past, our excuse was that we couldn’t afford the equipment needed to create content; what’s the excuse now? Digital technology has liberated the process of content creation, and the equipment needed is cheaper than ever before in history. Also, as internet penetration keeps getting better, the excuse that ‘it costs so much to pay for airtime to broadcast content’ is no longer tenable; sometime soon, internet penetration will be better, and bandwidth greater. So, again I ask; why are we not creating more content?

Let me hazard a few guesses:

1. We still do not understand that content is king. Somehow, some content producers still do not understand that technologies come and go but content is forever in demand. Over the past month alone, I’ve had not less than three meetings where content buyers were offering to buy 15 year old content for thousands of dollars. The producers of said content have recouped their investment ten-fold already, and more money is still rolling in.

2. The thrill is in the purchase. For many people who work in the content production sector, especially the ‘techie’ types, the equipment is the thrill, not what can be done with it. To acquire and brandish the latest camera and editing software etc is what they derive joy from. They are often content to play with their toys and execute the commissioned jobs that trickle in intermittently, and life is good.

a. Content creation is a long thing. This is true. The journey from concept to content creation is often long and hazardous. And before all of that, you have to acquire prerequisite knowledge required for creating audio-visual content…very long thing. However, there’s never been a better and probably easier time to acquire knowledge. There are millions of training videos on YouTube for free; there are thousands of free e-books litter the internet. Sadly, the average aspiring writer/director/producer/actor/cinematographer I have met hasn’t deemed it fit to exploit these opportunities.

3. Show me the money! The gestation period between creating content and making money from what has been created is often elongated. Patience is key, but most content producers don’t have it. So, in a bid to eke out a living (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), some of our best trained hands – directors, cinematographers, editors – put the prospects of creating content with their knowledge and concentrate on shooting commercials or music videos. I am not saying shooting commercials and making videos requires less talent or discipline or creativity, but in my discussions with many of them, who spent thousands of dollars going to film school abroad, they didn’t spend all that money and time just to come back and make music videos.

By 2015, Nigeria will move over to digital broadcast. There will be loads of channels needing loads of programmes to fill up their airtime….again I ask, where is the content?