The Film Rats Yellow is a community of Nigerian university students united in their love of films, whether as filmmakers or consumers. With this platform, Nigerian student filmmakers get to network, collaborate, share their wins and disappointments, learn from each other, and grow their artistic taste. Managed by both past and present students, The Film Rat Yellow is a place where Nigerian students can learn and grow, and foster a community.
In the Yellow Dialogue series, the publication spotlights and taps into insightful dialogue sessions with film students who have a deep passion for cinema and storytelling and are doing something remarkable about it. This year’s first Yellow dialogue was conducted on the 21st of January 2024. Moderated by Keona, she, and other members of the Film Rats Yellow community dialogue with Olayinka Suara as they attempt to explore the mind and creative journeys of the talented cinematographer. In this interview, Suara, the 26-year-old Cinematographer, shares his thoughts, experiences, and aspirations in the world of filmmaking.
A graduate of the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan, and an indigene of Ibadan, Saura started learning about film right after graduating from Oritamefa Baptist Model School. In his 8 years of experience, Olayinka has worked across various departments in film, such as art direction, welfare, props, and camera assisting. His filmography includes, ‘The Wedding Party 2,’ ‘The Wait,’ ‘A Young Time Ago,’ ‘Bad Commando,’ ‘Hallelujah,’ and ‘Jinjah.’ (Olamide’s music video)
Keona: What inspired you to pursue a career in cinematography?
Suara: Heartbreak. Lol. I needed to get my mind off her. So I asked a friend of mine, a music producer, to link me up with anyone in the industry. What inspired me though was the ability to change the world. My boss once said and I always like to quote: Americans knew they wanted to control the world, so they controlled the media.
Keona: Hmmmm…. Change the world… How?
Suara: Cos you can then control the narrative. You can promote any agenda, and you can do anything.
Keona: True. The media has that huge power.
Suara: Yes. That’s why you see some things more rampant. For instance, an obvious one is the LGBTQ narrative happening in almost every media. Cancel culture indirectly then supports that and others. But yeah, when you tell and show people through the immersive compulsion of audio-visual, you make them believe that black is red, and they’ll believe it.
Keona: Hmmmm…. I love what inspired you to start this journey. Can you share the story of how you began your journey in cinematography?
Suara: After the heartbreak, I reached out to a friend, Jakim. He is a music producer. I told him I wanted to chase my passion and act. He fixed me up with 5 potential industry people to buzz. Over a year, I tenaciously followed up on 2 of those numbers and one of them, Mike Afolarin, landed me a job in Ilesha for the movie ‘Ajuwaya.’ That’s where the camera started looking sexy. Guess who I played in ‘Ajuwaya’?
Keona: Who, please?
Suara: Muyiwa, the guy killed by a snake in the movie. Everyone called me Muyiwa till the shoot was over.
Keona: Ahaaaa. I hope you don’t mind if I start calling you Muyiwa after this session. I’d watch the film again, this time, putting it in my mind that Olayinka Suara is in the film.
Suara: No.
Keona: Alright. So, were there specific challenges you faced when starting, and how did you overcome them?
Suara: Not really to be honest. Starting up, I was favored enough to be under LordTanner Studios (the LordTanner & Company). So I didn’t have many challenges. I had people happy to see me grow. They readily answer my questions. I had easy access to the equipment, so practice was easy. It was fun.
Keona: With the conversation we’ve had so far, it shows that you were surrounded by amazing people. It’s really beautiful. Can you highlight any key mentors or experiences that shaped your early career?
Suara: Mentors – My only notable mentor was Femi Awojide. A spectacular man. He taught me a lot about light and professionalism. But I had, and still have, other people who inspired and saved my life- Lord Tanner himself, Lord Bryan, Fred, and Uncle Jamiu. Awojide was the DP for ‘Sugar Rush’, ‘Bad Commando’ by Rema the recent Tecno ad with Tiwa Savage.
Keona: Wow. And when you said “saved your life”, how did they save your life?
Suara: They helped me grow and push me. They made sure I was on course. And not just professionally.
Keona: Oh… That’s great. In your journey, what were some pivotal moments that contributed to your growth?
Suara: Pivotal Moments. I’d say the first was the first sequence I made. It was a fight sequence. I made it with so much intent. Everyone loved it. I mean, a fight sequence made in Nigeria, and looked half decent enough. ‘That’s not bad to start, you know… maybe I can do this’ But for me, most of the growth occurred with experience and my intellect. I allowed my mind to stray, reinvent itself, expand, learn, unlearn, relearn, unlearn even more, and catch that light. My mind grew wild with the influx of experiences.
Keona: Your story is amazing and inspiring. Learning and growing, that’s cool. I can’t wait to see more of what you’d create next. Now, talking about growth and experience, how important is hands-on compared to formal education in cinematography?
Suara: Thank you. Ahh practical ni o. I mean like anything out there that involves high-performance human activities, practical experiences always trump formal learning in my book. But I won’t lie, the theory is just as important. I’m here on a set and keep realizing that the technical know-how is enhanced with theoretical knowledge. A simple cross-setting of little things that seem insignificant changes the outcome of your entire picture. Most times, we don’t know this, just practical knowledge. There’s a lot of maths going on behind the art, don’t be fooled.
Keona: Alright. So I need to add practicality to the theories in my head. It’s in the saying and doing. How do you stay creatively inspired and continue to evolve in your craft?
Suara: Evolution. Easy, do drugs and watch movies. I’m kidding. I think that there are niches in each department of every sector. So what I do is, like I said earlier, allow my mind to stray and see what it enjoys. Stay there, find people that do the same, and practice till I am satisfied and/or bored, then move on. Right now I’m in my abstract filming and lighting phase, so… now, this doesn’t mean I’ll shoot everything that way. You probably can’t shoot many films made in Nigeria at this moment in an abstract way. But straying allows me to dive into that niche, know my way around it a little, and then move on. So eventually I know a little about many things and can combine them to get my result – my style.
Keona: I read that as “Don’t do drugs”. Of course. Lol. Hmmm…. Finding the area that one enjoys would help in this evolution journey.
Suara: Yeah. That’s my thought
Keona: I don’t know how working with directors can be. But how do you collaborate with the director to achieve the desired visual style?
Suara: All directors are different. A cinematographer is the director’s “right-hand houseboy.” I need to help him achieve what he sees in his head, visually. So many times I have had multiple conversations with the director. I usually put it this way ‘Let’s talk about the project’ and they usually answer with something like ‘I’ve told you this and that’ and I’m like yeah, but let’s just talk about it.’ Then they talk about how they don’t know what I mean but everyone usually likes to talk about themselves or their interests. So in no time, they begin to talk in-depth and even character-wise, their vision and their goals. I get a lot from that and build on it. I know which light would fit which characters, which compositions when to move or just be on sticks… I get it all cos now I see it. You can have that conversation with the director over a bottle of beer or something.
Keona: Cinematography 101: Have solid conversations with your directors. What’s your favorite project you worked on and why?
Suara: The Artifact! Easily this. Imagine traveling to 8 cities in 3 major ethnic regions in Nigeria over 28 days with people you love enough to call family, doing the very exact thing you love. And yeah, we visited 3 waterfalls in the process- Olumirin (Ilesha), Awhum (Enugu), and Assop (Jos). It was mind-blowing. the cast and crew still talk about their experiences and post pictures from there to date. But the project isn’t out yet so I’ll say the Oppo commercial I did back in September 2022. Why? It was the first time I got to direct photography and technically direct a project while having all the equipment and hands I desired and getting paid well too. It was just easy. No stress. And it came out so well!
Keona: I didn’t follow you oo, but I can tell the traveling was mind-blowing especially if you’re someone who likes to explore.
Suara: Yes it was. I like traveling too so it was great really
Keona: What advice do you have for individuals looking to build a strong portfolio in cinematography?
Suara: Advice ke? I still need advice. I’ll say this: be ready to serve. Most people these days keep adding a pint of pride to their portfolio. As much as I strongly believe that self-worth is highly needed in this profession, and life generally, I think it’s important to note that many times you have to be humble to learn and be led by industry veterans. Please don’t go and be mumu for a person to use you oh. But understand that things of substance take time. We know you know, but be quiet and listen to learn more. You’ll hear notable professionals tell you they’ve spent several years in the industry and only started to be known after several years. Many times it’s necessary to pass through the process and not try to cheat it. Work through it as fast as you can, but knowing how to set up the camera is not all there is to making a good picture. Thank you!
Keona: “We know you know, but be quiet and listen more.” Words of wisdom! So, we can’t use our nationwide mantra “no gree for anybody”. If we want to learn like this. We should ‘gree’ to learn and also be humble.
Thank you so much for taking the time to expose us to your world. We’d take other questions now.
Promise: I am not a cinematographer but I would ask anyway. Since you have the opportunity to discuss with directors and you must have directed as well, what do you think directors look out for in actors? ( my area of interest)
Suara: An actor that won’t stress them out on set and offset. Then get their characters well and easily. A director sees each character in his head. If he tells you a character is a bougie, best believe he has someone in the picture of his mind. If you can embody that character so well he sees the person in you, you’re good to him at that moment. What might I mean, these days, eyes on you will get you a lot of things…So if a friend is doing a podcast, try to jump on it. If someone is doing a skit, offer to take a role. I’m not saying take all that comes your way. Be selective, take on things that promote your brand and end goal, value yourself too, and let people see that.
Bello: How do you decide or what’s the information you need to decide what camera to use for a particular project?
Suara: In Nigeria? It’s the budget that determines that. But when budget isn’t a factor, I’ll say first, the scale of the project, then the type of project (doc, TV, cinema, platform?) and its end goal. But to be honest, I’ll say, focus on the lens. The cameras all have different sensors and processing speeds/capacities etc, all these work at optimal functions depending on your choice of lens.
Nice and educative session. Good one 👍