Abayomi Alvin, an actor and film producer, has expressed his thoughts on why actors should consider getting into filmmaking.
Alvin, who is presently working on personal projects as a producer, explained that filmmaking experience helps performers comprehend different facets of the production process.
He stated that since venturing into film production, he has developed a greater understanding of the issues that producers encounter.
“I feel like every actor should go into producing at some point. Up until I started production, I never really knew what producers go through,” Alvin stated.
He went on to say, “Sometimes, especially in Nollywood where we don’t have as much budget compared to Hollywood, it’s challenging. In Hollywood, they can lock you down for a year because they have the money to pay, but here we often work more based on relationships due to limited funds.”
Alvin explained how his production experience helped him gain a better grasp of the industry. “Before now, I never really understood the difficulties when I’m supposed to spend four days on set and it extends to six days. I would complain or ask for a pay increase, but when I started my production, I realized how hard it is.”
He emphasized that every performer should try producing, even if only for the experience. “Our industry is very collaborative. Without the producers, there can never be actors. It helps to understand how it feels to be on the other side of the table.”
Alvin also emphasized the financial advantages of diversifying into production. “It’s also about making more money because you need to have your hands in a lot of things to make ends meet. We need to be realistic about how much we are getting paid from acting.”