“Exhausted” Bad English in Nollywood Movie.
Over the years, we have seen tremendous development and growth in our movie Industry – Nollywood. We have watched Nollywood grow from what it used to be; wicked mother-in-law, or stepmother, a poisoned brother, and terrible acting of ghosts dressed in white seeking vengeance from their brother or husband who used them for money rituals. Today, we have great storylines and visuals like, King of Boys, Lionheart, Living in Bondage-breaking free, and lots more. But bad English in Nollywood movie is exhausting.
Just like every family or organization, there is always a black sheep. There is always someone or some people who are there but not for the growth of the organization. In Nollywood, they are the let’s-do-it-like-that directors and Producers.
For Sweet Jesus’ sake, if there is anything we should have outgrown in Nollywood, it should be Bad English. Don’t we preview movies? Don’t you listen when you direct? Everyone must not be a producer or director, and I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing well.
Great films take a while before they are released. Why will you shoot a whole movie in four days, edit in three days, and put it out there? What’s the rush? Why not take your time and make it better?
Tune in to Africa Magic Epic; the bad English that comes out of some actors’ mouths leaves your heart heavy with sadness. Then you switch to Indigenous channels like Africa Magic Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa and half-baked subtitles make you want to puke. Why not employ the services of a writer to write your subtitle? Why not contact a writing agency to edit or rewrite your language and subtitles?
I saw a movie titled “Exhausted” recently. Great script, great acting from the male and female lead casts, but there was this therapist that made me cry. She kept speaking bad English like it was her right, and I asked “Was there no director on set? Was the scriptwriter not there? Wasn’t there any form of post-editing?”
Nollywood is doing well; we are leaving our comfort zone, but bad English is inevitable until we fish out those let’s-do-it-like-that producers and directors. Enough with the blunders on TV. Enough of the bad English, please. Enough.
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One response
I’ve heard one that I remember; it’s not very bad & perhaps many who have not been well grounded in English Grammar wouldn’t know this: Actors have said, for example,”…for you & I”; it should be “… for you & me”. The Rule is, after a Preposition, for, the Objective Case is use.
You’re in error. I have never posted anything here, before!