Being A Creative Is Serious Business
You need heaping helpings of self-confidence, loads of spunk, guts, and Moxy along with a dash of crazy
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kemi_Adetiba
The process of coming up with this title and the inspiration for it is a funny story. If you watch Netflix, you would have heard about the foremost Nigerian political thriller, King Of Boys from erstwhile Nigerian writer, producer, and director, Kemi Adetiba.
I came across a video clip on Instagram about the making of KOB on Netflix. Now, essentially, ‘The making of’ is a set of interviews much like an entire film of its own where producers, directors, actors, actresses, production companies, cinema houses, film executives, costume designers, and other cast and crew members discuss the filmmaking process. This covers Development, Preproduction, production, Photography, Filming, Editing, Post Production, Marketing, and Distribution. Pretty much everything about the film where viewers are allowed behind the scene looks about how their favorite films come to life.
In this particular clip, director Kemi Adetiba and lead actress Sola Sobowale are interviewed about the audition process. Kemi is blown away by Madame Sobowale’s talent from the very beginning and both strike up a unique friendship. They describe the first shoot post audition. Madame Sobowale recounts how everything is set and when it comes to the time to say her lines, she goes blank. Confused and nervous she asks Kemi to give her 5 minutes and Kemi says to her to take her time. After 5 minutes she still comes up blank and requests for another 5 minutes and visits the ladies’ room. Kemi recounts that she is there for a while.
Madame Sobowale recounts that while in the ladies’, she puts her head into the toilet bowl so as not to be heard and screams for her lines to come back …… and they do. Kemi then recounts how Madame Sobowale literally flies out ‘Like a bat out of hell’ and announces ‘Let’s do it’ and goes on to play her part without hitch.
Watching that clip made me laugh. Being creative demands a lot from you. Being successful creative demands even more. What I have just recounted above inspired the title of this piece and also moved me to watch ‘The Making of A King’. As a film aficionado, I am wowed by the entire process and sheer magnitude of what it takes to successfully make a film in my own backyard as it were. As a Nigerian, I am rightly proud of the success of KOB.
The interviews with Kemi and accolades from colleagues and other industry titans prove her to be a modern-day genius in her field. She created the concept and characters, wrote the story and script, directed as well as co-produced KOB. KOB became a phenomenon after the success of the first film and the release of the first installment of the second part KOB: Return of the King as a limited series on Netflix. Little wonder she is rightly hailed ‘The General of the KOB Army’
As emphasized in the title of this piece, being a (successful) creative is no joke especially in Nigeria. All the problems and challenges encountered in bringing this piece of art to life could have stopped any normal person in their tracks. I say it now and I say it again — Creatives are made of more. Being a creative is serious business!
Creatives Are Made Of More
When Kemi and others recounted their experiences on the day of the premiere and how overjoyed they were by the response from the audience and invited guests, you could literally feel their joy. This was even more palpable because after all the challenges experienced and everyone doing all that they could, there was a level of exhaustion, fright, and submission. Kemi herself said, ‘She was done. But, it was all worth it as KOB which was expected to do about N50million doubled and surpassed that in 2 weeks.
Sometimes, you get to a point where there is nothing more to do but declare ‘I am done. I have done my best and everyone has done their best. The rest is up to God’. Then allow yourself to glide and be carried by Fate’s wind and Destiny’s wings. Rarely if ever will they carry you to the wrong place
After such a resounding success, fans were fully expecting a sequel soon. Kemi recounts she was unwilling to begin that process all over again but after encouragement from her brother and others, she began writing a script for what we now know as KOB: Return of the King.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck when Kemi took ill and had to be hospitalized for the better part of 6 months leaving her family, friends, and colleagues afraid for her life and praying for her recovery. She credits God with her life and giving her lucid days amidst the pain where she could experience the joy of health and express her creative energy. She also says that it was during this period that she got the idea and inspiration to totally rewrite the script for the sequel.
During this part of the interview, you could tell that it was an emotional rollercoaster for everyone. Kemi herself recounts a phone call with her father when he did not know she was the one online and broke down crying. She also says her mother was with her at home afraid that she could break down again. But she pulled through and spent two weeks after her discharge from hospital waking up in the wee hours of the day to rewrite the script. Once the script was ready, she called up the cast and crew who were flaggabastered that she wanted to go full in when she ought to be recuperating. They recount that she was fully invested in the success of the film even sometimes showing up with a cast on her hand or a walking stick for support. But the General said move and the army were ready to do her bidding.
Lead character Sola Sobowale recounts that after the challenges in filming KOB1, she expected KOB2 to be a walk in the park …… until she read the rewritten script. Kemi had upped the ante and everyone was going to have to bring their A-game. Kemi had written another blockbuster script and it was their job to bring it to life.
The filming of KOB2 was not without its own unique set of challenges. They had to contend with COVID, End Sars, Bridge closures, traffic, scheduling conflicts, locations, sets, and so on. But they pushed through and after everything, Kemi made the difficult decision not to release the movie in cinemas as a result of COVID. This is where the miracle called Netflix stepped in. The KOB army took over social media and the rest they say is history.
Watching ‘The Making Of’ any film makes you appreciate the humongous amount of work involved in bringing a film to life. It helps you understand the tenacity, zeal, and diligence required to stay the course and bring a creative baby to life.
I felt greatly inspired after watching The Making of A King and would like to share several lessons I gleaned:
- You have to believe in yourself before anyone else will
- Trust your intuition and go with the flow. Intuition is a gift given to you as a guiding light
- Even when everything is going against you, keep hoping, keep trusting and keep putting yourself out there
- Success favors the bold and always finds the prepared. Failure is not an option for the bold and prepared
- In the words of Maya Angelou, ‘There Is No Greater Agony Than Bearing An Untold Story Inside You’. You have to put your creativity out there and trust that it will take you where you need to go
- Challenges come to test and try and can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. Never give up
- Creativity does not thrive in noise but in rest and quiet. Even when you think you have attained the peak and believe there is nothing left inside, a little rest and time away will reveal you still have much to give. Creativity is like a gift seed that takes root, germinates, and grows then bursts forth into the world at full term
- A creative is a bearer of a wonderful gift. He/She must use that gift and not let it wither away. Creativity is a trust and must be discharged with great responsibility
Have you watched King of Boys and its sequel Return of the King? What did you learn?
