Serialization in Nigerian video-films: a critique of <i>The Crazy King and Audio Money</i>

Abstract

The Nigeria video-film industry is reputed to be one of the largest in the world. This recognition stems from the number of films produced yearly, which are mainly in feature type, that come in the genre of drama, comedy, indigenous, general and sponsored films. The Nigerian Film and Video Censors’ Board (NFVCB) is the regulatory apparatus that classifies and censors films before release to the viewing public. This paper attempts a critique of serialization in Nigerian video-films, an apparent genre of distribution. It uses the appraisal methodology to accentuate and examine the genres of The Crazy King (dir. Kensteve Anuka, 2017) and Audio Money (dir. Ezeugo C. Ezeugo, 2020). Even though a film theorist challenged the existence, this paper focuses on genre theory that not only refers to the film type or its category, but audience expectations about a film, and institutional dialogue that form genre structures that play a very vital role. It assays the serialization of the films created not by the art of filmmaking but that of the distribution gimmick of image collection anchored on the ideology of marketing. That is, accumulation of profit at the expense of the unsuspecting audience. The article argues further that most of the genre classified films are altered as serialized for distribution without censorship by the NFVCB. Hence, it is concludes that film as a commercial business will continue to have the distributors as midwives of the produced works; their duty is not just to present art but to earn profit.