What’s up, all gospel movie lovers out there? You’re welcome to this long overdue Fantalk edition. I mean, I began work on this article as a 2021 midyear review, but it’s had to evolve into a year-end review of 2021 gospel films. Really, there was a whole lot of material to cover this year, more than ever before.
The word from God for drama ministers last year was Incredible Expansion, and the way it played out was unprecedented, in my view. Please follow me as I discuss my observations on the progress in 2021 as well as some suggestions on the way forward in 2022. Let’s go there!
- STANDARD MOVIE RELEASE DAYS
Sunday is gradually becoming the preferred release day for Nigerian gospel movies. Usually between 12pm and 4pm, we now have something extra to look forward to after most church services. Personally, the few Sundays last year without movies felt different from others that had the likes of Abattoir Season 2, Games Season 1 and Kembe Isonu Season 3 to 5 to look forward to. This seems to be ‘standardizing’ the industry by making even richer, already blessed Sundays with the presence of God. Similarly, Friday has seemed mainly for episodic films like the Husband and Wife Series from PRODRAM, and Fire in the House from Victory Drama Group; these gave my Fridays that extra bit of spice. With this development, our expectations as fans are fuelled and it’s just great to have movies to look forward to on specific days of the week.
Gospel movie series are not an innovation but as far as the YouTube platform is concerned, we had more on it last year than ever before. While there were only a handful like The Prime Suspect, Abattoir Season 1, Reverse Fall, From Ashes and Kembe Isonu in 2020, last year, we were blessed with many more. We’re still some way from standardized durations but the consistency in their release has been key. It’s not an easy task writing TV series, compared to writing a feature movie: you have to get the pacing right, and the structuring of episodes so that each has its climax is no mean feat. I trust we’ll have more and better in 2022.
It’s a thing of joy to see how far gospel films have come in terms of creating awareness among the fan base, compared to a few years ago. Now, short films, feature films and series all do trailers and poster pictures which play a large part in their viewership. Similarly, harnessing the enormous resources of social media, potential audiences now have access to production stills and behind-the-scenes footage, as well as details on pre-production and post-production. All these have worked to make gospel movies more known to the worldwide audience.
There is no doubt that gospel movies have been a source of blessing for decades and many viewers have in the past expressed the desire to sow into drama ministries. Well, as though God has given the go-ahead, ministries’ account details are now displayed at the beginning or end of productions. Spiritual seed is being powerfully sown in us on a consistent basis and it is definitely a pleasing thing for drama ministers to reap a material harvest from us. I believe this would go a long way in enabling them to release more high-quality productions.
One 2021 movie that still tasks my thinking with regards to its approach is No 1 (Number 1), an Oladipo O’Fresh film. He’s redefining the art of filmmaking through his use of mobile phones. Not only that, his method of portraying worldly fashion and media in a way very similar to what obtains in the present world strengthened the believability of the story, though in my opinion, it has side effects and should be used with a lot of caution. Nonetheless, the credible performances and the message of No 1 cannot be denied. I hope that in 2022, drama ministers will venture into unpopulated genres as God inspires them to do so.
So, those are the improvements I noticed last year. Please, feel free to let me know yours in the comments section. Next, I’ll discuss briefly the areas where there can still be improvements.
Let’s be frank: there’s an enormous number of content fighting for our attention online daily. It therefore means that priority should be given to the things that will make our productions attractive. One of the first things potential audiences get to see about a movie is the poster picture. Hence, it should be given a lot of thought, even before production begins. On a personal level, it’s rare for me to click on a movie whose packaging is not attractive or at least, decent. Having blurry images on a movie poster is simply not good enough in my opinion for where God is taking us. Though more drama ministries have done it well this year, I hope that in 2022, others will give more value to their YouTube thumbnails, so that if dedicated photos need to be taken on set, it’ll be done.
Having given gospel movies attractive packages, it is subsequently vital to deliver on the promise of those poster pictures. There are many wonderful stories being told and concepts being engaged, but sometimes, they’re not presented in an interesting way. Similarly, coherence among scenes is important as it helps the viewer to follow the story better. In 2022, I’d like to watch all these beautiful stories God inspires in drama ministers being told in ways that will make a lasting impression on audiences. One thing that might help in this regard is to pitch one’s story ideas to a few potential viewers, just to get some kind of feedback and know areas where adjustments could be made.
Alright, we’ve come to the end of this review. What are your observations about 2021 gospel movies? What do you think they’ve done well and the places they can still improve? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
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Till the next article, stay blessed!