Table of Contents:
Foreword by Prof. Akin Adeṣọkan
Music, Movies and Memories by Michaela Moye
The Evolution of Original Music in Nollywood by Franklin Ugobude
Morality in Yoruba Movie Soundtracks by Akintayo Abodunrin
Music That Matters: Socio-Political Soundscapes on Screen by Yinka Olatunbosun
Audio-Visual Experiments in New-Form Ethnographic Documentaries by Santasil Mallik
Festival Conference (Watch Video Recording)
Counterpoints: Intersections in Film and Music by Molara Wood
Audiovisual Crossroads #1 is edited by Adefoyeke Ajao, with graphic design by Ateliers Coco.
Introduction
“What would remain of great deeds and exploits, if we did not have our musicians?
With their rich memories and vivid songs, they keep them alive forever […]
Man’s memory is brief. Not even the most glorious exploits would survive time
without the undying devotion of singers and musicians.
They immortalize them and keep them alive through the ages.”
— SARRAOUNIA, the movie
(dir. Med Hondo; screenplay: Mamani Abdoulaye, 1986).
“Hidden Tracks” is the motivating phrase for this first edition of EXTENDED PLAY: The Music Film Edition. Once we had decided that we would organise a music film weekend, the next step was to identify the films. Were we hoping to uncover or rediscover “hidden tracks” in the form of songs, stories, movements or musicians? As time went by, the longlist of films grew longer to embrace tempting new releases and existing remarkable music films.
With this final selection, we are pleased to be featuring excellent work that spans not just a range of cinema sub-genres but also of music genres from around the world: from morna (CESÁRIA ÉVORA) to ska (RUDEBOY: THE STORY OF TROJAN RECORDS) to hip hop (SUPRÊMES) to bolero (CHICO & RITA), the films include two documentaries, a biopic and an animation film.
To accompany the film programme, it was only natural to commission essays on the interactions of music and film, or music on film: enter Audiovisual Crossroads. What you will discover here is an eclectic blend of subject matters exploring both artistic genres from different angles, representative of – but not limited to – how we interact with music and/or film.
We find music films striking for how they document and tell the story of an artist, industry executive, a genre, an era or more within artistic, socio-cultural, political or other contexts – in a sense spotlighting how music matters, and complimenting the champion of a story with their own story. And there is a huge audience for it, as we can attest to from our monthly screenings.
Even before talkies, sound and music have been integral to enhancing and accentuating the plot of the moving image. However niche a film’s focus might be, you can (sometimes) count on the score or soundtrack to make it more mainstream. Somewhere on that spectrum is #BadMovieGreatSoundtrack, which we won’t address just yet.
We do hope that you will join us at EXTENDED PLAY (July 9, 10 and 24), which, along with the film programme, will include a live concert (Extended Sessions on July 10), as well as a keynote address (July 9). Titled, “Counterpoints: Intersections in Film and Music”, the presentation by Molara Wood, award-winning writer, journalist and film aficionado, will open the three-day programme.
EXTENDED PLAY is a result of community effort and support for Screen Out Loud right from when it was no more than an idea. The event is also a way of thanking our audience and friends who have attended almost every screening since that first event in October 2019, and who selflessly step up to help us out. We are immensely grateful to Alliance Française Lagos, and the Embassy of France in Nigeria whose substantial support has sustained the monthly programme, and made possible this first edition of the multi-day event. We hope that you will enjoy the programme of events, and wish you a happy reading of ‘Audiovisual Crossroads’ Issue #1.
– Aderinsola Ajao
Founder and Programmer, Screen Out Loud