The Nigerian movie industry, better known as Nollywood, has grown in leaps and bounds, churning out talents and stars in various entertainment fields.
While the actors and actresses steal the show and are more popular, there are, however, many other stars and talents who work hard behind the cameras to make good and interesting movies.
One of such stars and talents behind the camera is Okoli Vivian Ogochukwu. The Anambra State-born thespian did not come into the entertainment industry by accident. Vivian began to dream about a life in Nollywood from an early age. “I always had this dream in which I saw myself as a movie star. I was still a child and in elementary school,” she disclosed.
But her father would have none of it. He wanted a life in the financial system for his daughter. “Though I knew deep down in me that I wanted to be an actress, my dad wanted me to read financial studies so as to join his friend’s oil company.”
The father’s plan for young Vivian was a big stumbling block in her dream. But the fire burning inside was too much to douse.
“I was a member of the school drama society during my secondary school days at Mount St Carmel Markurdi, Benue State. I had a passion for acting and wanted to become an actress but could not pursue a course in Theatre Arts.”
She would later proceed to the Osun State College of Technology, Esa Oke, for her Ordinary Level Diploma. But her passion for acting was ignited again after her marriage when she joined the church’s St Peter Diocesan Drama Group.
Her talent, which had been hidden for a long time, blossomed in the group, with many people, including her husband, advising that she take the job more seriously.
“After marriage, I relocated to Ota. My husband’s church had a drama group. When I expressed my interest in joining them, my husband consented and I became one of them. My performances afterward made a famous music artist and several others encourage me to join a professional group.”
She quickly bought into the advice and joined a local drama group, the Onisere Drama Group. It did not take much time for her to blossom, as she soon began to display her innate dexterity. However, soon after she found out that she was even better at handling the camera.
But it would take another piece of advice from her superiors to give the idea of going behind the camera a shot.
“After I joined the Onisere Drama group, I found out I’m also in love with photography. Subsequently, my superiors began to advise that I switch to photography. Then, one of my bosses in the group chose to train me as a director of photography. That was how I joined the photography team,” she said with a tinge of pride.
Eager for better and more professional training, Vivian made up her mind to go back to school. She teamed with the Goodwill Films Academy, owned by Comrade Dada Olasunkanmi, the Governor of the Ekiti State Chapter of Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN).
On her experience at the academy, Vivian said, “It was a different new world for me. I thank God that I went back to school to hone my skill and become a truly professional movie director of photography.”
Vivian would, however, confess that the job of a director of photography is tough and tasking. According to her, the pictures complement the to of the actors and actresses. “It is a tough job. A bad director of photography cannot make a good movie, no matter the number of A-list actors and actresses.”
