MEET NODASH- NOLLYWOOD’S MASTER OF MOODS!

You will no doubt agree that the picture quality of Nigerian films have greatly improved over the last few years; but there is still one crucial area that Nollywood is lagging behind and that is in the area of cinematic or mood-lighting. 

While the scenes in our films are mostly brightly and flatly lit Hollywood films scenes are carefully sculpted to create specific moods per scene. Whether the characters are happy, sad or being romantic each shot is made to reflect the mood of the scene. So even though producers are using better cameras which give cleaner pictures by default we still need brilliant cinematographers to create expressive pictures for our films.

The ability to achieve these moods is what separates world class films from the home videos...and this is what separates the Nigerian Filmmaker, Adekunle Adejuyigbe aka Nodash from the rest of the pack.

Nodash possesses an uncanny ability to create artistic, emotional pictures. Pictures that make you feel as if you are inside the movie with the actors.

A good example is the critically acclaimed short film "Silence" which screened at AFRIFF and THE REAL TIME FILM FESTIVAL. During an interview session at The Real Time Film Festival, Nodash explained how, upon reading the script, he brilliantly chose to use silhouettes to depict how dark things happen in open spaces and how he ensured this theme was consistent throughout the film. 

In a pivotal scene where the lead character, played by actress Jemima Osunde, was sent to her rapist’s house, he chose to frame and light her entrance into the house such that it looked like she was descending into a bottomless pit.




Another one of his works is the new feature film Isoken, even though the film is yet to be released; it’s already getting a lot of praise for its stunning cinematography. Nodash says he chose to frame, light, and shoot each of the lead character’s (Dakore Akande) relationships in distinctly different ways to express the different influences these relationships have on her, as this is the central theme of the film.

The opening scene of the feature film "Delivery Boy" which he also directed starts with a shot that speaks volumes without a single word being said; one look at the picture and one can immediately tell the emotional turmoil in the mind of the lead character, Amir, played by newcomer Jamal Ibrahim, and this he achieved primarily with the way the shot was lit and framed.

His ability to deeply analyse stories and find a way to creatively and technically express them probably comes from his extensive production experience which ranges from being a creative director and head of production for a major TV network, a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, and years of experience writing, directing and editing TV shows, documentaries, TV commercials and films.

His work has earned him both local and international recognition, he was recently selected by the Berlin film festival as one of the 21 rising cinematographers in the whole world, and the Hollywood based film mentoring program "lights camera diaspora" calls him "the hottest DP working in Nigeria at the moment”.

Over the past few years, the unassuming, soft-spoken, gentleman has grown to become, perhaps, the busiest cinematographer working in Nigeria, silently creating magic in the background. Unsurprisingly though, he has directed and shot a lot of TV commercials and documentaries for the big brands like Guinness, Glo, MTN, Etisalat, Airtel, Lekoil, Sahara Energy, The American Consulate amongst others and he has shot a number of festival films which generally require a high level of artistry.


With the growth in the Nigerian Film industry in terms of structure and budget, over the past few years skilled filmmakers like Nodash have become more open to working in Nollywood especially with producers and directors like Kunle Afolayan, Biyi Bandele, Mo’ Abudu etc. doing big budget projects. All of whom Nodash has worked with on projects like Fifty, Shuga season 3 and the upcoming movies "The tribunal" and "Stella and Oba" by Kunle Afolayan. So we will no doubt be seeing some artistic looking pictures in cinemas soon.



Within the film industry circles Nodash is known for his calmness, humility and professionalism; and for being one of the best among the growing breed of young filmmakers on whose capable shoulders the future of the Nigerian film industry rests.