THIS SHIT ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO ME- IMOH UMOREN
Shoots.ng’s Joseph Omoniyi caught up with Imoh Umoren, one of Nigeria’s multiple-award-winning Indie filmmakers who made the country’s first silent black and white movie and he answered our organic 10 Slate Questions.
It is a concise and tasty appetizer to stimulate your appetite.
Enjoy:
Slate 10: Which among your WORKS is your favourite and why?
Imoh Umoren: I love all my films for different reasons, but “Children of the Mud” would be my favourite film, because of the fact that the story was inspired by true-life events and it’s an issue that people from my region have been dealing with. I think that “Children of Mud” is probably my favourite. And, Macaulay Affair also, I really really love it, because I documented the part of the script I was about to use. So, those two are probably my favourites.
Slate 10: What inspires your creativity?
Imoh Umoren: I think my inspiration comes from my upbringing. I was raised by a mother who was a University lecturer and also a father who is also intellectual. My inspiration comes from my parents. And also from around me, living in Nigeria. Living and working in Nigeria. So, that’s where my inspiration comes from.
Slate 10: If you are not doing what you are doing now as a profession, what would you have done?
Imoh Umoren: If I wasn’t a filmmaker, I would be writing books. That’s what I would be doing. Because I love writing.
Slate 10: If you could go back in time and tell a younger version of yourself one thing, what would you tell?
Imoh Umoren: I would say start early. I studied mechanical engineering and now I am recognised, as a film director. I would have said just go straight and do film. Not that I regret my first degree, because I learnt about different things in life, but, I would have just started very early, even earlier than I did. I started quite early, but I would have started even earlier than I did.
Slate 10: If your biography is to be commissioned, what will you want as the title and why?
Imoh Umoren: My biography would be called, “This Shit Actually Happened to Me”, because the kind of things that have happened in my life are hard for people to believe when I say them. People see me now, being successful and everything, thinking that’s how my life has been. My life was very difficult growing up. Losing my parents and trying to fend for myself with my sisters – it was very tough. Even just making it in the business as well was quite tough. So, my biography would be called, “This Shit Actually Happened to Me”
Slate 10: On your career, what is it that you want to put straight to the press/ public and for the records?
Imoh Umoren: I think that a lot of time in the business, people think that I’m a snub, because a lot of time I don’t go and hang out with everybody and all that. My schedule is sometimes so busy I barely even have time to be in my own house, because, I’m not just a film director, I’m a TV producer. So, a lot of time I’m producing TV shows, shooting commercials and so, you know, I’m not just doing the one thing, I’m running like two-three companies and it’s not as easy. Sometimes, people think I’m a snub. Also, there is another thing that people always assume. People assume that because I’m an indie film director, I don’t like mainstream films, I don’t like people that make mainstream films. It’s a lie, I love them. A lot of them are my friends and they are proud of their styles of film making. I respect them a lot. I just don’t make their kind of films. We can’t be in the business doing the same kind of things now. It’s not possible that intelligent people will come together and make the same kind of products. People are raised differently. People come from different backgrounds. So sometimes theirs is this lingering animosity whereby people think oh I don’t like mainstream films, I don’t like mainstream film makers, no, that’s not true. I love them, I watch a lot of their films. The fact that I don’t make your type of film doesn’t mean I dislike you, no! I just don’t make that kind of film, not because my film making way is superior to yours, it’s just that I don’t know how to make the type of films you’re making.
Slate 10: How do you cope with the opposite sex and what do you have to tell them?
Imoh Umoren: You can ask all the actors that have been on my set and my crew members. I mind my business. I do my work and get the hell out of that place. For me, my philosophy is, the workplace has to be very comfortable for everybody to come to work, male or female or whatever thing you believe in, you should not be at work and feel sexual tension. In my crew, I eliminate all sorts of teasing, all sorts of jokes, stupid compliments…it’s in the contract. We are nice and friendly with everybody, but you can never see one of my crew members go and start flirting with, you know, whether it’s an actor, whether it’s a journalist that comes on set. The last person that tried it, I fired him completely. Now, I’m not saying people cannot meet themselves on set and fall in love and eventually have a beautiful relationship, but for me, I just don’t want that situation to…you know, it’s a thin line between flirting in the workplace. I don’t like it at all. I tried to discourage people from doing it. When you come to work, do your work and get the hell out of that place, collect your money and go. Like I always advise everyone that has been on my set, if you see someone that you like, when we’re done filming, take to launch or dinner nicely and you people can have a relationship and that works out. But when you’re filming, focus on what you’re doing, take your money and get out.
Slate 10: What is your most annoying daily routine?
Imoh Umoren: Most times my days starts from bed. My cook makes me coffee and then gets on my computer and starts responding to emails or watching an edit. Sometimes my editors send me previews in the middle of the night (I miss it…when we’re producing different TV shows). I have people working from different parts of the continent. Most times they would send me an email, because of time difference, when I wake in the morning I would probably see it, look at it, respond to that, and then by nine o clock, they would make me some food, I’d eat and then get back on my computer. Once it’s nine-ten, my phone starts ringing, because everybody is awake now…it’s a business deal…somebody wants something…somebody wants to hire equipment…but the part of my routine that frustrates me is sometimes, answering my calls. I hate answering calls very early in the morning, especially if the person doesn’t really have anything to say to me. Sometimes, it’s just some lame calls, “oh I just call to check on you”, like, bro It’s 7 am in the morning now, leave me alone or a certain person would call, “oh I sent in my CV”, “bro! Wait till it’s eight o clock”. You know, that’s the one [part of my routine] I don’t like at all. A lot of people don’t know. Sometimes in the middle of the night, some people would see me on Twitter, probably like 1 am-2 am and then asking for work…at that time, I’m not trying to work, I’m just trying to maybe look for something funny to read. I remember one young director trying to reach me one time, it was the wrong time. He was angry and started insulting me…I’m like, “bro men! I’m sorry, but, I don’t…early in the morning, discuss business so early, why don’t you wait till afternoon”. He got angry. I was like “well, it is what it is. I don’t discuss business at 7 am in the morning. It has to be like 9.
Slate 10: Do you enjoy your celebrity status?
Imoh Umoren: I kind of hate the celebrity culture and I do not refer to myself as a celebrity at all. People tend to refer to me as a celebrity, but I don’t refer to myself as a celebrity. I don’t like the culture. I don’t like the whole fuss around it. Most times people place you on a pedestal and so, you can’t make any mistake, you can’t be human, you have to be perfect all the time and, I’m a regular kind of guy. I’m just a regular film director, TV producer guy that goes about his business. The fact that people know me doesn’t make me want to go into all that celebrity fuss. I don’t like it at all! If I had my way I’d never be put into that norm and hope that in the future, I want to be known more for my work than baseless celebrity status. I don’t refer to myself as a celebrity and I try to discourage people from referring to myself as a celebrity.
Slate 10: What haven’t you been asked before? Say it and answer the question
Imoh Umoren: I think that most persons who interview me do not ask about my casting for a film or ask me specific questions. Sometimes, I wish that interviewers would go and make their research and then ask me specifics. For example, “in Children of mud, how did you get to cast a child actor to perform?” I like specific questions about my work than just generic questions. I feel like, as a film industry, we need to also get into the details of the work itself and not just the red carpet and all the ‘ferry-ferry’, which is also fine, to be honest, but I feel like we also need to get into the nitty-gritty, like, “what camera lenses did you use…how did you get technical with this thing?” I remember when I was younger, I used to read a magazine called “The Empire” which was about Hollywood film making and then there was another one as well. I learnt so much about film making every time I read those magazines, because they also ask them questions about technicality, casting choices, set constructions. People spoke in details about their work. So, I learnt a lot from those readings…I learnt a lot about film making from reading the magazine. But I think, these days people may not learn so much about film making from reading the blogs and the magazines because there’s no detailed information in there. There’s just more of generic questions. So, I hope people ask me more of questions that will require me to go down and technical.
Picture credits – Internet
