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Why Are There Few Nigerian Kids Shows on Nigerian TV?
Before I start it I want to say that this post is not written in order to complain or point fingers. It is to answer one question I and everyone involved in the Bino and Fino project gets asked a lot by Nigerian fans of the show. ‘Why isn’t the Bino and Fino cartoon on Nigerian television?’
The best way to answer is to first explain how programmes get on to Television in Nigeria. In essence it is very simple. The major TV networks in Nigeria charge for airtime. Money dictates most of what you see on Nigerian television screens. If you have the money you can get a one hour film of you scratching your nose on to TV here. OK, I haven’t seen that yet but trust me I’ve seen close.
The people and organisations that have the type of funds to get things broadcast are mainly government, politicians/high net worth individuals, corporations and religious bodies.
Quality TV production is expensive especially animation. TV programme producers need to find sponsors like MTN to get their TV show on air. Sponsorship also gives production companies profits. So we have to find sponsors to for Bino and Fino to go on air. That is something we’re working hard on but as we produce an educational show targeted at young children we have to be very careful. We can’t just accept the money of any sponsor as some products might not be right for children even if they are marketed to them. Of course this is subjective and a more risky position to take.
Another interesting ‘problem’ I have found is the issue of glamour and hype. Football, the music scene, Nollywood, fashion, beauty pageants and the rest are glamorous. You can’t deny it, glamour, sex, bling, hype and celebrity sells in Nigeria. Yes I’m generalising but take a look at the Nigerian shows on TV and their tone. Sponsors are attracted to what sells or what they feel sells. Children’s educational entertainment is not glamorous. It is considered ‘boring’ and not really serious by many decision makers especially if you are producing a cartoon. I’ve actually had someone ask me why a grown man like me is doing cartoons! They don’t think it will sell.
It is up to us producers, parents and children to convince companies that they can benefit from sponsoring well-made children’s shows. Corporations are understandably interested in making money. They are not charities. I learnt this very quickly after a few presentations to possible sponsors. Most don’t care about the beneficial cultural, educational and entertainment value of shows like Bino and Fino. The main question is can Bino and Fino help them sell more products? That is fine with me as long they realise children's educational entertainment has a place.
Programme producers are in a catch 22 situation. It’s tough to get sponsorship if you haven’t been on air and have a fan base that sponsors see. But you can’t get on air without sponsorship to reach an audience! That is why many of the formats you see on TV in Nigeria are tried and tested formats with global recognition. These are shows like ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ and ‘Nigerian Idol’. There are few companies willing to sponsor a ‘local’ show aimed solely at younger children. But eventually we will reach like minded people in these companies. However they are few and far between.
The government also has a part to play. Not only with funding but with broadcast quotas which are enforced. Countries like France, Australia, the US and the UK have such. It is compulsory for a percentage of airtime on their local TV stations to consist of locally made children’s programming. These countries have set aside a budget for children’s programming funded by their government through public broadcasting institutions like the BBC and PBS in the US. Yes I know these budgets are dropping but at least they exist.
That is how shows like Sesame Street, Charlie and Lola, Teletubbies and the rest came about. The NTA , the Nigerian Television Authority which is our publicly funded network here actually charges for airtime on network broadcasts as opposed to commissioning shows. The interesting thing is that there are many passionate creative people in the NTA but for some reason much of their talent is being stifled within the organisation.
There’s also the issue of long term funding for such projects. Animation production is a time and financially consuming process. It needs ‘patient investment’. That is something we have little of here. Things are changing on that front though and some financial institutions such as the Bank of Industry and Nexim in Nigeria are starting to make moves albeit slowly. But at least they are moving in the right direction. We’ve gone to meet them so I know this first hand. In a few years the landscape should be different.
Working on the Bino and Fino project has shown me that when it comes to the children’s educational and entertainment media sector, we in Nigeria have a lot of work to do. A lot of lip service is paid to children’s education in Nigeria let alone the media they consume. It’s a worrying situation. A system where all stakeholders, especially the children, benefit has to be devised.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers and I can’t speak for other African countries but I know some are making determined efforts to address the situation. They understand the important role that dedicated children’s educational media content has to play.
So those are some of the reasons why the Bino and Fino cartoon and similar shows aren’t on Nigerian television…………yet.
OK Hollywood, Stop it! No I’m serious STOP IT!
Rant alert! (meaning I’m about to vent and some of this might not make sense because my typing will be fuelled by an intense irritation at Hollywood!) I just posted up on another blog and I got inspired to do a post of my own. I was one of those guys who used to look forward to summer blockbusters. Especially the action flicks. Now, I’m a very simple guy to please when it comes to Action Flicks. All I need are some cool VFX, decent acting, a couple of explosions,
some decent dialogue and I’m good to go. I don’t need Oscar winning stuff. Hollywood used to be good at it. But for some reason they can’t even manage that any more.
It’s as if Hollywood doesn’t want to innovate anymore unless at gunpoint or a director has some kind of clout. Sucker Punch, Battle for LA, or whatever else is playing don’t appeal to me any more. And I’m the guy they are trying to get money from. Also it’s not an age thing. My younger brother who is 10 years younger is also getting bored of Hollywood’s output. It’s like visual effects is all they are focusing on. ‘Throw in some explosions, some sexy women and say it’s 3D and that’s all they need!’ Well …NO! Actually I need a bit more. Not that much more actually. Like I said I don’t need Oscar winning stuff but if you manage to give me good Sci Fi with Oscar winning acting then you are a genius and I thank you. I just don’t like feeling like I’m being robbed of my money and a fool when I’m watching a movie.
And please stop saying a movie is in 3D! Ok, yes, some of the new 3D technology is great but is that all your movie has to offer?!? Really? That’s like saying check out my movie, I shot it with a VHS camera. So? I remember the hype over Avatar when it came out. I bought into it I have to admit. But after a while I looked at that movie again. It wasn’t that good. The FX were stunning but the movie just didn’t cut it for me. I like James Cameron’s work. I love Aliens no matter how cheesy it was.
The funny thing is that if Hollywood doesn’t stop churning out these stupid clichéd movies, the industry will be in trouble. I know what I say doesn't matter to them but what I do will. Once I stop paying for their movies and my brother does and our friends etc stop doing so then Hollywood might get the point.
And another thing why is it when Hollywood sees an original idea THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL, they then decide to alter it and extract what made it a hit in the first place. The new production Akira seems to be the latest example of this.
Ah whatever….Oh yeah , I really hate it when they assemble a great cast for one movie and then proceed give them the worst dialogue ever.
OK I’m done ….for now. But I know I will rant again.
some decent dialogue and I’m good to go. I don’t need Oscar winning stuff. Hollywood used to be good at it. But for some reason they can’t even manage that any more.
It’s as if Hollywood doesn’t want to innovate anymore unless at gunpoint or a director has some kind of clout. Sucker Punch, Battle for LA, or whatever else is playing don’t appeal to me any more. And I’m the guy they are trying to get money from. Also it’s not an age thing. My younger brother who is 10 years younger is also getting bored of Hollywood’s output. It’s like visual effects is all they are focusing on. ‘Throw in some explosions, some sexy women and say it’s 3D and that’s all they need!’ Well …NO! Actually I need a bit more. Not that much more actually. Like I said I don’t need Oscar winning stuff but if you manage to give me good Sci Fi with Oscar winning acting then you are a genius and I thank you. I just don’t like feeling like I’m being robbed of my money and a fool when I’m watching a movie.
And please stop saying a movie is in 3D! Ok, yes, some of the new 3D technology is great but is that all your movie has to offer?!? Really? That’s like saying check out my movie, I shot it with a VHS camera. So? I remember the hype over Avatar when it came out. I bought into it I have to admit. But after a while I looked at that movie again. It wasn’t that good. The FX were stunning but the movie just didn’t cut it for me. I like James Cameron’s work. I love Aliens no matter how cheesy it was.
The funny thing is that if Hollywood doesn’t stop churning out these stupid clichéd movies, the industry will be in trouble. I know what I say doesn't matter to them but what I do will. Once I stop paying for their movies and my brother does and our friends etc stop doing so then Hollywood might get the point.
And another thing why is it when Hollywood sees an original idea THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL, they then decide to alter it and extract what made it a hit in the first place. The new production Akira seems to be the latest example of this.
Ah whatever….Oh yeah , I really hate it when they assemble a great cast for one movie and then proceed give them the worst dialogue ever.
OK I’m done ….for now. But I know I will rant again.
Production Done on New Black Cartoon Show Bino and Fino
Cartoon production is finally over and done with on Bino and Fino. It’s taken over a year and a half to get here. I have to thank the talented, hard working young (and not so young!) Nigerians that took part in getting the project this far. But enough about us. The next stage is to get Bino and Fino to you and your children. Stay tuned.
To find out when the DVD will be out on sale go to the Bino and Fino website and subscribe to be kept up to date with the latest news.
Are Africans Clever Enough to Do Sci-Fi?
Should Africans do sci-fi? I always get surprised and angry when I hear or see that question. This is especially so when it comes from Africans ourselves. I’m Nigerian and my studio is based in Abuja, Nigeria so you could say my experience of this debate has mostly within the Nigerian sphere.
The Nigerian movie industry, or Nollywood, is now world famous. Last year saw the release of the sci-fi Nollywood flick Kajola. I personally was looking forward to seeing this film. I had seen the trailer and thought the visual FX seemed below the ‘amazing’ VFX the producers promised, I still wanted to go and see it to show support. But unfortunately due to the fact that the majority of audiences really hated the movie, it was pulled out of the cinemas within 1-2 weeks of release, I didn’t get a chance to see it.
Yes the acting could have been better and VFX by all accounts and based on the clips I saw was not the best,
even for Nigerian standards. But look at the majority of Nollywood films. You can’t tell me they are of high quality when it comes to technical and creative production. They are still massively popular. This brings me to one of the main reasons Kajola failed at the movies. Many people felt the science fiction theme was not rooted in black or Nigerian culture. That’s why people couldn’t relate to it. I always try hard to be objective and to see the other side of an argument but I really disagree on this one. Now there might be enough people who think that way to prove me wrong. But I still maintain that to think that science fiction is something Blacks or in my case Nigerians and Africans should not do is scary and doesn’t make sense.
For me culture is transient. It changes is many ways and is constantly fluid. For example a lot of the people who are saying would say they are devout Christians. Christianity was not part of African culture at a point in time. It was introduced by our colonial masters and missionaries. Or looking at it from another angle those same people loved watching Avatar and Iron Man when those movies came out. Avatar is a classic run of the mill sci-fi and Iron Man combines Sci-fi and comic superhero themes. So why is it so hard for them to accept a true African Sci-fi?
For me to accept that a genre that encourages futuristic and technological thought and creativity can't be explored by Africans is a dangerous road to go down. One of the the fastest growing telecoms sectors globally is in Africa. Those who have access to mobile devices are using them with gusto. In fact it’d be hard to imagine Nigeria now without mobile phones and Blackberries. Africa has a history of technology, mathematics scientists and inventors. I don’t believe that Nollywood’s output should be restricted to the usual themes of love and telenovella like soap intrigues. I know those themes are popular but I think when the right African Sci-Fi movie comes; it will take Nollywood and Africa by storm. It just has to connect with the audience. That's the key.
Congratulations to the makers of Kajola, Pumzi and others for taking bold steps. And thanks for forums like Nairaland and the Black Sciene Fiction Society for helping the cause in various ways. For our part once we finish work on our African kids cartoon Bino and Fino we'll be hoping to work on more Sci fi short films here in Nigeria.
So do I think Africans have any business making science fiction movies? Hell yeah…….. Go Voltron Force….Make it so….Engage warp….!!
New Black Cartoon For Kids Made in Africa
Hi Everyone. Here it is. The pilot episode of the Bino& Fino cartoon series we’ve been developing for the past half a year. The cartoon as mentioned before is targeted at young children of preschool and kindergarten age. It’s has been well received so far. You can see comments and feedback on the project’s fanpage here Bino and Fino on Facebook .
It has been an interesting journey and we are proud of the fact that we managed to deliver the pilot episode on time. Based on what we’ve learnt and on the feedback from some fans we’re now going to proceed to produce a DVD miniseries. All of this is new territory for us so these are interesting and exciting times for the EVCL studio. You can also go to the Bino and Fino Website to find out when the DVD will be out on sale.
It has been an interesting journey and we are proud of the fact that we managed to deliver the pilot episode on time. Based on what we’ve learnt and on the feedback from some fans we’re now going to proceed to produce a DVD miniseries. All of this is new territory for us so these are interesting and exciting times for the EVCL studio. You can also go to the Bino and Fino Website to find out when the DVD will be out on sale.