New Faces vrs Old Faces. African Cinema

Jackie Appiah

In this blog post, I will teach aspiring actors how to get noticed by producers and casting directors the right way. Things you must do to shape your career and polish your skills.

I hear aspiring actors complain of the the recycling of the old faces. First, let me explain the producers dilemma.

Yvonne Nelson

Blaming the producer for your lack of job is wrong. You lay that axe on the audience. It is audience demand that determines who stars in a film. Marketing a film with new faces is very capital intensive. Especially when at the end of the day, everybody borrows the DVD from a friend or when you patronize pen drive movies. What is the point of spending so much money on P&A when at the end of the day you cannot sell up to 10,000 copies of your VCD? really, what's the point? The next time you borrow or loan that pen drive with African Movies on it to or from a friend, remember the number of people who will be out of job by that singular act. If I know I could sell 100,000 copies if I put enough money into P&A, why won't I take the risk of hiring new faces?


When I made Sinking Sands, none of the people I used were bankable, thus, I did not go to the bank smiling. Jimmy Jean-Louis is not well known in Ghana, Ama K Abebrese had not made any film, Yemi Blaq, no one really cared for him.

Ama K Abebrese

 I spent, excluding marketing and finishing, almost 500,000 dollars in Ghana alone. I laid out a good amount of money for the marketing of the film. Some was spent on the marketing, Senanu Gbedawo enjoyed the rest. The theater was empty. I lost money. if I hadn't found a buyer here in the States, I don't know what I'd have done. Not until Ama K Abebrese became so hot, did Sinking Sands start to sell. If I send 500 copies of Sinking Sands to Ghana now, it won't last 2 weeks. Because Ama K Abebrese is now the hottest thing in Ghana.
Opera square did all possible to sabotage Sinking Sands but even at the 10ghc street price, people still patronized it. They had someone they could relate to.

Ties that Bind had an overflow of buyers because we had Omotola Ekeinde, Ama K Abebrese, John Dumelo and of course Kimberly Elise. People know these people. They are confident, that their money will not be wasted because they trust them.

John Dumelo

It's a thing of trust. It's easier to allow Genevieve Nnaji or Jackie Appiah into your home because you know them. if I don't know you, why should I ask you in?

When you understand how these things work, you'd know then how to package yourself.

Now to the packaging.
1. Attend auditions. it doesn't matter how many you've been to already, Keep going. If the audition calls for the role of a nurse, go dressed as a nurse. Don't go trying to be Jackie Appiah. Go and be honest. Don't go with preconceived notions of 'I'm gonna be a star" go knowing I'm going to be a nurse.

2. Take decent head shots. Outline your resume behind the photo. Type it and paste it behind the photo neatly. Enough of the facebooking. Use your internet to research different types of actors headshots and resumes and create your own.

3. Go to NAFTI, if you live in Ghana or any other film school in your city, state, country where ever, paste your picture and your phone number on the notice board. Speak with the dean of students etc. Make the effort. Students will call you for their school projects. Don't worry about the money yet. Find something doing to support you. I sold ice cream, think of something.

4. Do you go to church? Is there a drama group? if there's none, form one. Put like minds together and form a drama group. Record some of your sessions and whatsapp it to your friends. You never know who'll see it.

5. Make a business card for yourself. Go to premieres, go to the cinema. Go to Opera Square or where ever movies are sold in your locality. Drop off your business card there.

6. Join casting sites like actors access, Nowcasting, Breakdown express. etc.

7. Don't look down on roles. When I was running Miles Talent Factory in Ghana, we got roles for some people in Chorkor Trotro and the members sneered at it. Don't look down on roles but don't sell yourself short by taking on stupid roles either.

Nadia Buari

8. Remember, it is wrong for production companies to have acting clubs or acting schools. It is very very wrong. But, that's what's happening. I fail to understand the double standard of people like Socrates Safo and co. I heard sometime ago they went to stop a producer from charging for auditions. Why then does Socrates have an acting club? What's the difference? Unfortunately, living in Africa means living within the status quo because if you speak up, you are labeled controversial. Therefore, in as much as it hurts me to say this, you might want to look into such acting clubs.

9. Above all, READ. Polish your English. I cast an actor who came on set for Northern Affair and his English was so bad, I had to recast. if you want to make English films, please learn to speak it properly. READ, Stop the "fink, tinz, sometimz, sowi, diz, dat, all the zzzzzzzzz and wi's" It won't help you. READ, read good books.

10. If you live in Africa, know that it's power play over there. Know how to kiss arse. Learn how to call people Aunty and Uncle and bow down to them. People have great affinity towards you if they think you worship them. Study them and learn them and know how to approach the people who matter.

Majid Michel

When I was in boarding school, we had a senior who simply terrorized all of us. I studied her and noticed she was very narcissistic. She'd spend hours in front of the mirror. I began to praise her beauty. "Oh, Sister .... you are so beautiful. God made you so well". She became my friend and days of endless kneeling down became a thing of the past.

KNOW WHOSE ARSE TO KISS.

LISTEN, both boys and girls, NEVER, EVER trade sex for roles.

Remember;
It is a combination of your skill and the audience that maketh a star, not the producer.

Hugs
Leila