10 Lessons From ‘Breath of Life’ Seminar Hosted By Film One and Nemsia Films [Video]

Image: Prime

One of the most acclaimed Nigerian films of 2023 is "Breath of Life," directed by BB Sasore and produced by Eku Edewor.

The faith-based film features a star-studded cast including Genoveva Umeh, Wale Ojo, Chimezie Imo, Ademola Adedoyin, Sam Dede, Bimbo Manuel, Tina Mba, Ashionye Michelle Raccah, Melanie Atari, and Eku Edewor.

The film, commissioned by Prime Video, debuted on the streaming platform on December 15th, 2023.

Recently, a script-to-screen workshop hosted by @filmoneng in collaboration with the producers of "Breath of Life" @nemsia_films took place on March 7th at the landmark Filmhouse Cinema.

Director BB Sasore and Eku Edewor discussed their creative process, from pre-production to delivery, with a diverse audience of filmmakers, actors, and film enthusiasts.

Watch them talk below:

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Film Distributor Exec @ladunladun spoke on why the workshop was held and what their next move is below:

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Let us now see 10 key lessons from the workshop:

1. "Breath of Life" was one of five pitches to Amazon executives in 2021. The studio heads were introduced to Prime Video executives based on the positive reception of the "Before 30" series made in 2015. The film was pitched as a combination of the mystery and fantasy of movies like "Forest Gump" and "Benjamin Button" with the heartwarming relationship story seen in films like "Scent of a Woman," all within the genre of "God Calling."

2. Notes from Amazon included revisions for clearer personality scenes for Elijah, more fleshed-out female sub-characters, less use of voice-over, and the introduction of the demolishing of a church to increase stakes in the second to third act.

3. The movie was commissioned with a $500k production and $500k marketing budget, and producers shared that based on the production value seen in the film, a $1 million check could have been cut if an acquisition bid was ever made.

4. Hiring a creative director was instrumental in aligning the production team with the director's vision, ensuring consistency in production design.

5. Head of production held meetings every two days after the shoot to ensure consistency and no delays in the production schedule.

6. Casting originally included Mavin Rapper Ladipoe and Warruche Opia as Elijah and Anna on paper, with Tomiwa Edun, Daniel Etim Effong, RMD, and Funke Akindele also having roles. Wale Ojo was the only locked cast member, built around him as the lead character Timi.

7. The most expensive costume was a depiction of Princess Alexandra of Kent's dress when she represented the Queen at Nigeria's Independence celebrations in 1960.

8. The Baby Fire Gang were real local okada riders, not actors, styled in costumes of red.

9. An acting coach was hired for Chimezie Imo to play his role as Elijah.

10. All VFX work was done by a local Nigerian team led by Jerry Ossai.

We believe that everyone at the seminar learnt all these and hoping to see improvements in movies released in the next couple of months.

Watch the VFX breakdown by Ossai Jerry below:

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Source: shockng.com

#Breath of Life
#Film One
#Nemsia Film