TalentX Africa

The effect that rain has in films is unmatched to other weather effects. A properly executed rainstorm is very dramatic and easily enhances the intensity of scenes.  However, as interesting as it is, playing rainmaker requires some technicality. The last thing you want to do is wait for actual rain, as you have absolutely no control over its duration, intensity, and time. And this might drastically slow down production, especially if you are shooting in the middle of the drier seasons. Creating rain can be incredibly labor-intensive. You need to not only get the droplets right, but you also need to know the right camera angles, positions, and other elements involved in rainmaking including dirt, mist, and lightning. If done right, your fake rain would convince any viewer that the thunderstorm was a paid actor. If you are curious to know how to act as rainmaker, here is all we know about rain in film and the steps to creating a convincing storm. Get your equipment Depending on your ...

Nollywood is still a new and developing business. Even so, there are a number of great feats that the industry has achieved over the years. Talents such as Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, the queen of Nollywood who has more than 300 films and millions of video copies sold, prove Nigeria’s film industry dynamism. After decades of slow growth, Nollywood, one of the largest film industries in the world in terms of number of films produced, is a story of runaway success. As of 2016, the industry made up N 853.9 billion ($7.2 billion), or 1.42 percent of Nigeria’s GDP. It employs more than a million people directly or indirectly and can be considered the country’s second-biggest source of jobs after agriculture. Based on the sheer quantity and quality of films being made, economic observers consider Nollywood one of the major planks on which to diversify the Nigerian economy. However, the industry is faced with problems ranging from a lack of funding to piracy and copyright infringement to poor man...

Sound, like setting and costuming, is very important to film. With the World Music Day that was celebrated on Monday, the 21st of June, we were reminded of the crucial role music and sounds play in our everyday lives and in film.  For better emphasis on the importance of sound to film, there was a time when movies were made with just music and no spoken word. These were called silent films and they existed before spoken word or speech was heard from the actors by the audience. The activity on screen was accompanied by music and occasional subtitles that conveyed the action to the viewers. One could sit through a movie without hearing a single word from the actors, but still, understand every single thing because music and sounds were used appropriately in such a way that the audience was communicated with. But over the last century of union between motion pictures and music, this relationship has matured and strengthened such that the supporting role of music in film is not seen as...