Covid-19 taught humans a new way of building intimacy. The compulsory incognito lifestyle that the death-inducing virus compelled humans to navigate, led to the building of virtual friendship and community. Reluctantly, the world moved, like characters from silent cinema pieces, in a slow gait. Unencumbered with work and variant commitment, creatives enjoyed the generosity of time: To create and connect. Tolani Ajayi, like many creatives, is one of such creatives who enjoyed this generosity of time. How?
Here is how. During the hiatus from physical activities, Ajayi started a challenge: Reading a script a day. The intention behind the challenge is simple: to take her screenwriting seriously. In hindsight, the thought of this 40-day challenge morphing into a teeming community wasn’t visible, at first, to Ajayi. However, the gradual upsurge of creatives who participated in the challenge led to the creation of Scriptathon. “I just didn’t think I’d be teaching people to write because that was not the intention but I had to grow into it and learn faster too.”
Ajayi’s bond with cinema began at the university. And she owes her initiation into the world of motion pictures to David Fincher. “Watching the breakdown of David Fincher’s films was a call point for me. I watched a lot of movies before watching the breakdown but David Fincher’s movie breakdown stood out for me. It was a core filmmaking moment for me.”
Tolani Ajayi shuffles between being an Sfx artist, screenwriter, and teacher. In this interview with Cheesemonger, she profiled these distinct creative outlets of hers. And she spoke about Bloody Valentine, her education-oriented community, Scriptathon, and her preference for the horror genre.
You studied a medical-related course. And you worked in the hospital. Why filmmaking? And does medicine influence your filmmaking or writing in any way?
I don’t think it has anything to do with what you studied really. We just love what we love, and for me, that’s film. Watching the breakdown of David Fincher’s films while I was in 300 level in school made me go ‘I can do this’. Medicine does not influence my writing. At least not yet anyway.
You are a writer, SFX artist, and producer. What do you find interesting about these distinct creative mediums most notably writing?
What I find interesting is how they all come together for one purpose and that’s, telling good stories, and letting people into my mind, and my world. I want them to see what I see and how I see it.
A good writer is a keen and dedicated reader. You were engaged in a 30-day read-a-script challenge recently. What inspired you to engage in this challenge and how was the experience?
Well, it was 40 days. We were in the middle of [Covid-19] lockdown, with nothing to do. I figured this will be the best time to get serious with my writing. What’s a better way to learn about writing than to read the scripts of other successful writers? I already had a ton of movie scripts archived so I decided to put a call out on WhatsApp to those interested in reading scripts with me and that’s how it started.
It was quite interesting because I realized it was going to go beyond just reading the scripts. I had to break it down and analyze it. I had to do some research, I found out about the ‘save the cat beat sheet’, read it, and then had to explain it to those reading along with me so we could have a more structured way of analyzing and discussing the stories.
So every evening for 40 days, one person would anchor the meeting, show us how they broke it down and the rest of us would then point out whether or not we agreed with it. It was really fun. I just didn’t think I’d be teaching people to write because that was not the intention but I had to grow into it and learn faster too.
One of the headache-inducing issues with Nollywood films is the writing of the story. What is your opinion about the level of writing in Nollywood?
In recent times, I’ve observed Nollywood going in the right direction( I say this using just a handful of references in mind) but I think that we can get there faster. I will also say this, once there’s a mind shift and a general respect for the audience, we’ll see a massive change in the writing.
You created a community for writers. Why did you create this writers’ community and how important is it in an industry like Nollywood?
I started the community in 2020 but at the beginning, I didn’t see it as me starting a community. I just wanted to read scripts with a couple of people and it sort of evolved as time went on. Olumide Kuti & Adesola Oni, who are part of the community and filmmakers I admire, helped me to see that the objective of the group was evolving and I needed to pay attention to that. So we had to switch things up and one day everyone went from reading scripts to… well, writers.
It should help with creating more options for consumers when you have filmmakers with their unique narrative style
What is the importance of getting educated —formally or informally, as a filmmaker?
A lot of filmmakers have been debating this for years and it has borne down to the conclusion that if you are going to do it, going to a film academy, to study filmmaking or writing, the main thing to get out of it is networking. Filmmaking is a people-centered industry. So, you want to make sure you are connecting with people. What is agreed on is that, whether you go to school or not, make sure you are connecting and networking. Ensure you know people in the industry that you can collaborate with. So, it’s left to the individual in the end. If you have the money to spend, why not? Some of these schools have access to the equipment you won’t get on a normal day. In the end, make sure that your collaboration and networking skills are built and worked on.
As an indie filmmaker, the rules are sort of different. Not entirely different. They are different in the sense that you actively look out for people who are making good films that you appreciate and support. And, you make sure you have that genuine connection with them. One of the things I do is go to film festivals. I encourage my community members to do that. I engage with filmmakers online. Once you have that connection with people and consistently bring out work, you become more visible.
So, for members of my community, who want to apply for film school, I encourage them. For those who wanted to apply for EbonyLife Creative Academy(ELCA), I helped them through the application process. I always make sure they feel supported and confident in what they do.
Films, mostly, begin with the writer. But, in the film industry —not only in Nollywood, scriptwriters are also often not valued as deserved. How has your experience been so far working as an independent filmmaker?
I’m someone who doesn’t like to be stressed. This is not a brag but I’ve found that when it comes to stories, not a lot of people know what I know, and what I know is still the basics. I’m still stuck trying to explain the inaccuracy of an idea that it will take forever to get to the actual story itself. I won’t say I’ve given up but I no longer write for people at the moment. I’ve not done that in years. Once the conversation starts and I see that we’re on different frequencies about the direction of the story or I’ve failed to convince you that it’s not possible for a man who was stabbed in the jugular to still make a 10-minute drive home, I opt out immediately. The experience is actually why I’m still very big on writing communities. Our stories need to be well-researched and not written based on vibes.
Filmmaking is a partnership between different creatives. How do you feel watching a film you have written where the released film is worlds apart from the original script?
There are people who while having the conversation about the story, already know the collaboration will be stressful mentally & creatively. By the time we moved from story to script, I already knew the film would be something I won’t be able to watch so I don’t bother working with them. For those that I go ahead to work with, I’m usually not invested enough to follow through. Once I’m done writing, I forget about it. I’ve also not collaborated in recent years because of the time spent on back-and-forth conversations. I can use that to help young writers be confident in their writing and learn the basics.
What is your opinion about producers and directors having overt control over a script?
It is what it is and this is why I implore my writers [writers in my community] to ensure that they write specifically their intentions in the scripts. That way when the directors are interpreting the story, it still falls within what you’re trying to say. The only way to change the narrative is to be a damn good writer. In the end, make sure you put out a solid script. That’s really what we should focus on… telling amazing stories.
Different writers have their own writing process which is uniquely theirs. What is your writing process like?
My writing process can be methodical, of course giving room for the creative side but I love processes so it’s actually a mix of both. I do a lot of writing through prompts, I see a prompt, it inspires an idea, a story and I dive into it. I’m not a fan of seeing where the story ‘takes me’ because your story can take you from a drama idea to sci-fi with no link between the two. This is as much as I’m letting the creative juice flow, I’m also keeping in mind that I’ve got to reign it in at some point and let the analytic process come into play.
Though Bloody Valentine, your annually-released series, isn’t accessible on your page, it’s still important to acknowledge the intention that went into making the series for years. What led to the creation of the series? And as you were creating the series, what feeling was dominant in your mind?
You know, it’s interesting that as humans we set out to do one thing and then it evolves and becomes something bigger than you initially planned. That’s what Scriptathon and Bloody Valentine were for me. With Bloody Valentine what had happened was I stumbled on a picture of a face painting of the mask from the horror movie Scream and I loved it. I immediately searched where I could buy face paints, left school for the art store, bought the products and the rest is history. So I practiced SFX makeup, face paints, etc on myself and my friends but I decided I wanted to tell a story that will show what I could do with it and that’s what led to the Bloody Valentine series.
Hmmmm… feelings? Nothing actually. I really just dive right in. Maybe excitement and a lot of anxiety but really I just pushed through it. What was on my mind was getting it done. Nothing else mattered at that time and I went through hell trying to get it done but it was worth it. Creating can be chaotic. Beautiful in the end but chaotic.
You hinted at the large-scale expansion the series will undertake in terms of funding and production team in a broadcast. What should we expect in the return of Bloody Valentine?
To be honest, I don’t know but what I do know is I’m noting my experiences, noting anything that inspires me over time, and when the money is just right, I’m going to create. For now, just notes and resources. I want to be as surprised as you are when I get back to the project too.
Adesola Oni spoke about how you “compel” him to watch horror films in a recent interview. Can you speak about your affinity to this genre?
You know I’ve always wondered where my love for horror came from. I think part of it comes from my mother. She watched a lot of films including thrillers and horror. I also find it interesting because through films you can make human beings feel anything you want them to feel and there are a group of people dedicated to seeking out your darkest fears. That is fascinating. I mean look at how Final Destination had an entire generation in chokehold due to one epic scene — the truck with the log of woods. That is what I love about horror, transferring that fear.
What films or movies are you watching currently?
Recently, I created a tracker and categorized films based on directors so I’m currently going through Christopher Nolan’s films — for educational purposes.
What should we be expecting from you?
I’m focusing more on my community for now. So what’s on my mind is structure, structure, and structure. Personally, I have some ideas that have been itching to be expressed… it’s horror so you don’t have to guess too far. It’s always going to be horror so if you’re unsure about anything, be sure about one thing, I WANT TO SCARE YOU.
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