8 STEPS TO DESIGNING MY DREAM IGBO FILM SET.

Last week as I was going through the collection of Arty pictures on my phone, I
chanced upon two photographs that set my mind afire with designing a set for an
Igbo film.

Which pictures am I talking about?

Which pictures can set my mind afire like that?

It's a picture of two elderly men, dressed in white wrappers blowing elephant
tusks and a picture of the Igbo Ukwu bronze pottery with knitted rope-like
covering reputed to be as old as the 9th/10th century!

So, now you understand how giddy I am with excitement as I was thinking about
the prospects and possibility of making it happen.

So, there and then I set about thinking how I can make it happen if I am tasked to.

With these things, one moment you are dreaming them, the next you're tasked
with implementing them.

After I did, I was able to come up with about eight steps of what I will do to make
it happen..

What are these eight steps?

They are:

1. Write the script.

2. Read the script.

3. Break down the script.

4. Note down all the design elements needed for the film.

5. Sketch and/or model out what the design will look like.
6. Critically go through my sketches and/or models again and again to know what
is there and what isn't there.

7. Get all the design elements in my sketches and/or models.

8. Design away.

1. WRITE THE SCRIPT.

To get the best of design for this film, the story has to come correct.

The best part of it is that I have lots of ideas swelling through my head and the
worst is that they are all good.

So, all I will have to do is whittle down the list to the idea I am most in love with
that will be a game changer.

I have always wanted to do a story on the group of Igbo slaves that committed
suicide near Harper's Ferry in New York during the slave trade. It was referred to
as Igbo Landing incident.

So, all I will need to do is research it further. Write the premise, synopsis,
Characterisation, treatment, outline and master screenplay.

Good a thing, I won the award for best Scriptwriter 2019 in both my graduating
class and the entire student body of National Film Institute, Jos.

So, pulling it off, is kind of, a no-brainer for me.

2. READING THE SCRIPT.

Once, I have the best draft of the script, I will proceed to read the script.

Now, this isn't the normal reading a person does when they have a script.

This is where I will read the script as a designer. It will entail reading it with an eye
for design - careful, meticulous and creative.

3. BREAKING DOWN THE SCRIPT.

As soon as I am done with the reading, I'll proceed to breaking down the script.

This is where I will bring out all the design elements in story.

I will do this with a breakdown sheet (a document that has all the cinematic
elements in a script).

4. NOTE DOWN ALL THE DESIGN ALL THE ELEMENTS NEEDED FOR THE FILM.

This is where I note down all the design elements needed for the film.

This is very important as it will form the fulcrum of all the design I am going to
doing for the film.

5. SKETCH AND/OR MODEL WHAT THE DESIGN WILL LOOK LIKE.

This is where I will carefully sketch and/or model what the design will look like.

This is very crucial as it will give me the opportunity to know what will work and
what wouldn't work.

In learning it, I'll also know how to go about implementing it as well.

6. CRITICALLY GO THROUGH MY SKETCHES AND/OR MODELS AGAIN AND AGAIN

TO KNOW WHAT IS THERE AND WHAT ISN'T THERE.

This is where I will critically go through my sketches and/or models again and
again to know what is there and what isn't there.

Most times in design, you rarely see what is not there until you put down what is
there.

And how will you put down what will be there except by sketching or modeling?

7. GET ALL THE DESIGN ELEMENTS IN MY SKETCHES AND/OR MODELS.

This is where I will get all the design elements in my sketches and/or models.

This is very, very essential because without them, no design will happen.

8. DESIGN AWAY.
This is where I get down to the actual design on the film set.

O, lawwwd! I can see the pictures already! The look and the feel! The colour
palette!

It will be more than an "awe-mazing" experience to make this happen.

There you have it - the eight steps to my dream Igbo film set.

So, if you see the pictures that I see, the look, the feel, the colour pallette and you
will like to bankroll this project either through:

1. A grant,

2. Studio (studio financing),

3. Individual (executive producer),

4. Cooperative (a group of people),

Just send me a reply telling me so. I'll love to see this vision come true sooner
than later.

Even if you don't want to invest, send me reply telling me how you feel about this
newsletter and what topics you will like me to discuss.

And if you have content creator friends, theatre practioner friends, filmmaker
friends, television friends, arts and design-inclined friends, please, kindly share
this newsletter with them.

Thank you and till we meet next time, remain awesome!