Unlimited LA’s Transition to Nollywood is Driven by Creative and Legal Ownership

After directing music videos for Olamide, Phyno, Timaya, Falz, Tiwa Savage, Rudeboy and other Nigerian musical acts, Unlimited LA stepped into Nollywood. That transition led to the production of Rise Again,  a six-episode limited series on Africa Magic Showcase, which can be accessed on DStv (channel 151) and GOtv (channel 8) that reflects on the resilient spirit and quotidian struggles of Nigerian dancers. The award-winning director, editor, cinematographer and color grader has built a coveted career as one of Afrobeats music videos directors. This time, driven by ownership, he has decided to make long-form narrative films. 

Unlimited LA acknowledges the transformative power of Nigerian and African music, film and storytelling. As a director, he wants to contribute to the longlist of Nigerian creatives whose projects shape popular culture.   “We cannot only have epic scenes flying around in the cinema. I want to add some colour to it and increase the volume of pop culture in the Afrobeat sector in Nigerian cinema,” he told Culture Custodian. 

In this conversation with Unlimited LA, the director and cinematographer spoke about his transition to Nollywood, the need for creative and legal ownership of his work,  the realities of Nigerian Afrobeat dancers and his intention for commentary-driven stories.

This interview has been edited for clarity. 

After building a coveted career as a music video director, what motivated your shift into feature filmmaking, and how does your creative process for a feature film differ from that of a music video?

I’m a cinematographer which makes me a filmmaker, and music videos are short forms of films. I’ve always wanted to do film; in fact, I’ve shot a couple of short films and even featured length films, not as a director but as a cinematographer. Time was my major constraint because I’m always busy with music videos. 

However, what made me produce and direct Rise Again was the story. When the writer told me about the story, my interest was piqued because it’s a dance film, and I don’t think we have dance films in Nigeria, let alone an Afrobeat dance film. 

Also, the time spent on set differentiates a feature film and music video. Music videos typically shoot between a day or two but with feature films, one might be on set for weeks. 

How has this recent transition to long-form narrative, where character and plot are paramount, influenced your directorial style and approach to storytelling?

There hasn’t been any difference; it’s just doing it for more days, and for long-form narrative.  There’s really nothing I haven’t done before, so it’s doing the same thing, but for elongated periods.  

You have worked on short films, documentaries, commercials and music videos. What do you think are the defining languages of these different storytelling formats?

There’s no way to define this storytelling format. Well, I don’t think so because some are short forms, long forms and medium forms. Everything is still the same thing because it all goes into the camera, needs directing and needs producing so I don’t think there will be any defining language for this storytelling. They are all the same in different forms. 

There has been concern about the decision of Nigerian music directors transitioning into filmmaking and concern about them supposedly lacking the nuance of directing performance. What is your opinion on this?

I would say the reason why some of the Nigerian music video directors go into filmmaking and produce their own film is because of ownership. Over the years I didn’t know that I don’t owe the intellectual properties to all the music videos I have done. So in order for me to own my own creative assets, I have to produce something of my own, and the only thing I can produce is film. Some of us are older and wiser now, and we really want to start owning intellectual property. 

That’s why I think most of us are venturing into filmmaking. We all have a style and as music directors who have mastered the art of telling stories within a strict time frame (3 to 4 minutes), it’s only fair to bring it to filmmaking. 

Bringing our music videos directing and producing skillset into filmmaking and producing might be a new style for people who aren’t familiar with it. The film industry will get used to it. The world is becoming a smaller place and attention spans are getting smaller. I believe creative people will adjust. 

Rise Again is a six-episode limited series that reflects on the resilient spirit of its characters. What specific cultural issues or aspects of contemporary Nigerian youth culture did you aim to explore in this work as a director?

I worked with a lot of dancers in the early part of Afrobeat in the 2000s, and I’ve seen their struggles. These dancers don’t get the recognition they deserve despite their relevance  to Afrobeat music videos. Making Rise Again which is about an energetic dancer in the slums of Lagos dancing his way to the top is an opportunity to share the story of these unrecognized Afrobeat dancers. Nigerian dancers can relate to this story and I am just telling a well-known story so that people can see and give the dancers the recognition and accolades they deserve.

The Nigerian film industry and the Nigerian music industry are slowly building a cross-industry relationship. How do you envision the collaboration between the Nigerian film industry and the music industry shaping the future of storytelling and entertainment in Nigeria, and what specific opportunities or challenges do you see arising from this emerging cross-industry relationship?

I’ve been opportuned to work with the best of both worlds. One challenge I faced making Rise Again was that the movie is a combination of the two industries. Another challenge is the ownership of masters and catalogues of songs I want to use in the series. The filmmaking process for Rise Again made me aware that a lot of Nigerian artists don’t have rights to their music, so it was hard syncing Afrobeat songs to the series. We were able to scale through. However, for the two industries to thrive, I think ownership is key because when you have ownership, you can decide how far you want your material to be used. 

The Nigerian music industry and Nollywood operate with different dynamics and budgets. What are the key differences and challenges you’ve witnessed navigating these two distinct creative landscapes?

Rise Again was self-produced; that means the budget came from me. I funded the entire project because of my vast experience in the music industry. This experience came handy in cutting budgets. The music industry still has more budgets than Nollywood right now, but as time goes on, I know the new Nollywood will become bigger, and the difference in budget will be either equal or Nollywood will have more. 

You have witnessed the growth of both the music and film industries in Nigeria. What is your perspective on the current state of Nollywood and its global recognition?

First of all, there’s a lot of politics in Nollywood which I don’t feel inclined to talk about. The world’s attention is on Nollywood and no matter how hard the gatekeepers keep gatekeeping, I’m sure new young creatives will break barriers. We will! 

What kinds of stories are you interested in telling next? Are there specific genres or social issues you hope to tackle in future projects?

I like to tell interesting stories around comedy, trendy subjects and social issues. I’m currently working on a story right now whose title is I No Be Ashawo. The story is going to be more than a social campaign for the protection of the girl child. As an observer, I look into Nigerian society, and see a lot of things. As a private citizen, you can’t announce your displeasure about these issues by complaining and yelling on national TV. But, as a creative you can creatively pass your message and bring awareness to Nigerians. So, I No Be Ashawo, which is coming out real soon, is a campaign for the protection of the girl child.