Nollywood is the name of Nigeria's movie industry. Movies and TV programs are non-existent in Nigeria before the 1960s. Since then, the government has spurred the growth of television broadcasting with strong support. In the 1980s, every state in Nigeria has its own broadcasting station. This sets the stage for TV programs and movie productions. In a few short decades, Nollywood has managed to surpass all expectations.
Movies produced by Nollywood are very different from those produced by Hollywood. In Hollywood, there are easily accessible studios equipped with the latest technology and props for easy shooting of movies. But in Nigeria, movie production can take place everywhere - from homes, hotels to public areas. As such, Nollywood movies depend heavily on two things to be successful - a strong storyline and great actors and actresses.
In fact, in many of the African countries, Nollywood movies outperform movies produced by Hollywood. That is because audiences can relate better to the content in the movies. Nigerian directors are also quick to adopt any upcoming technology and techniques to shoot higher quality movies. In fact, they are well known for their innovative movie production techniques.
Fast forward to today, it is not uncommon to see Nigeria movies gaining popularity very quickly - thanks to the internet. The internet has leveled the playing field for all the major players in the movie industry by allowing web visitors to gain easy access to the movies. With just a browser and a high speed connection, anyone can log on to a movies website and watch a streaming movie. This means that anyone with a great movie can compete for the attention of movie fans. It doesn't matter if the movies come from Hollywood, Bollywood or Nollywood. If it's a great movie, fans will talk about it online, and it will gain popularity very quickly.
In part, this is due to the viral nature of the internet. It's just so simple to share anything on the internet these days. One can share bookmarks, digital files, music files, and even video clips.
With the rise of social websites, web visitors are able to stream movies, voice their own opinions, and share the links with other friends in their own network. If a movie is bad, rest assure that the community learns about it very quickly. If it's good, prepare to experience the full force of the viral effect.
As the internet continues to grow at an unprecedented speed, Nollywood grows with it as well. That means the industry is in need of talented actors and actresses to meet the rising demand for Nollywood movies. These actors and actresses can become famous and acquire fans very quickly. Fans will be able to gossip about their idols online - what they like or dislike about an actor or actress. Actors and actresses may then act on the feedback to improve their acting skills.
For sure, Nollywood is a powerful uprising force to reckon with. With its pool of enterprising directors and talented actors and actresses, Nollywood looks set to become a power house in the movie industry.
