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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Shattered!

                        A good week to everybody. Thank you for the reception to last week’s post. It was so heartbreaking that I just couldn’t get to the net from where I was and so couldn’t post comments like I have resolved to do nowadays. No fear though; I am still going to post my replies to some of the comments on last week’s post. I’m trying to rush through this one as the miscreant who calls himself the production manager will be beating my door down in about thirty minutes.to drag me to work. But, as always, I risk life and limb to get this vital insider information out to you my wonderful readers. Aluta continua!
                         I’m still groggy from last night’s shoot which ended at 3am. It’s 10am now and I’m headed out for yet another fight scene with Uche Jombo who plays my wife in a drama that focuses on domestic violence. The difference here is that instead of the usual violence where the husband routinely uses the hapless wife as a punching bag, the diminutive wife in this case gives as much as she can take – and I have a sore jaw to show for it. Man, that lady is strong. We did this kitchen scene where Taiwo, my character, suspecting that his wife Sarah is helping feed his younger sister’s, played by Tonto Dikeh, drug habit lands a vicious back handed slap across the face knocking her to the ground. Quickly recovering, she yanks his feet off the ground and he crashes to the ground beside her with a loud thud. I literally had the wind knocked out of me and then she pounced on me and gave me a very painful bite on the stomach. Well it wasn’t that painful given that we were only acting but it was painful enough to get the expected agonised scream from me.

                          Only yesterday at night I had vases and wine glasses hurled at me which I to dodge just a fraction of a second before they smashed into the wall behind me. Funny thing is, the missiles were to be hurled at me, and I was to move just a little to the left so that the scared expression on my face would be registered with the glass shattering against the wall in one shot otherwise it would be wasted and we would have to do it all over again! My character was expected to, after the initial shock of his lucky escape, turn and throttle his wife in a fit of unbridled rage. When I heard rather than saw the loud boom of the vase and the resulting shards of glass strewn all over the floor, I realised it could have been my head if Uche hadn’t aimed properly enough at the wall or I hadn’t moved quickly enough. I just stood there in shock, frozen. I could feel the empty cold eyes of the cameras on me waiting for me to move but I couldn’t; I just stood there. Uche watched and waited for a reaction from me still quivering with rage and then stalked off. To my horror I suddenly realised she wore nothing on her feet as she walked across the broken glass on the floor and screamed out to her to mind the glass. She turned around, glared at me and asked how stupid I thought she was; of course she was looking where she was going and minding her step! Suffice it to say that the scene was ended with that priceless look on my face.

                           I am still reeling from that experience at how easily things could have taken a turn for the absolute worst. This emphasizes the need for pushing for added investment in an entertainment industry that is here to stay; for things to be done properly and for risk to be properly controlled and contained by way of insurance. So far we have managed to keep our lives, limbs and property while getting what work we can get done through God, our wits and passion. Speak hands for me! :-D Have a great week everyone!

17 comments:

  1. YeAH RIGHT!!Insurance my foot! Who should pay for the insurance? Movie viewers, their producers, the government, or the actors themselves? Sorry to break it to you, that job is an "@ your own risk-type job."

    On a lighter note, perhaps the producers should be mandated to pay it. Maybe, just maybe that will deter them from churning out movies as soon as they get an idea in their heads.

    As for now, we need you to watch out for your limbs and property, by yourself! Biko!

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  2. Uhm!!!! You are looking for trouble o!!!lol I cannot seem to find ANY of the comments I left on your older posts.
    Pray tell, do you have an idea what happened to them?

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  3. hello buddy, longest time, well i just read the post on ur blog,well this drama sounds kind of interesting, pls we will like to know what the name of this drama is?, and when will it be coming out,anyways hope u r good, take care and keep us posted. ttyl.

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  4. Kalu this sound interesting indeed! Will be looking out for it when the time comes. Take am softly?

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  5. @ Honey Dame, Firstly, apologies for not publishing your comment on Family Woes, but that has been rectified and is glaring for all to see. Thank you for the useful tips on health and safety.
    @ Anastiasia, thank you! The name of the movie is Damage and it focuses on domestic violence in the home - husband against wife and vice versa. it will be showing in cinemas and pay-per-view on the internet. there's more information on the website www.damagemovie.com which opens on Monday the 14th of March. the movie itself should be out this summer. :-D

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  6. @ One of my anonymous writers, I don't condone violence against women and children in any form. Even my grandfather who knew nothing about education but the hoe and the machete maintained that it is only a weak man that would raise his hand against his wife. I think there are a lot of ways to resolve conflict in the home than resorting to violence; and i speak about both sexes. Man! you see my problem? I too talk!

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  7. I quite agree with you about the insurance.I'm very certain it's going to happen even if not soon.Meanwhile,i can imagine the shock you went through when that missile was thrown at you,but you sef,you no be hard man? LOL

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  8. I always enjoy my visit to your blog. I love your above comments. Keep it up!

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  9. Hi K, you see why it takes some of us this long to settle down. I don´t want to close from work and settle for a beer parlour. Ha, this is scary! It might be film but it is happening. Uche take am easy on my guy, lol.

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  10. Lovely post as usual. Please be careful when
    shooting dangerous scene.

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  11. Enjoyed reading this...Oh thank God you weren't hit o..ah! About insurance, I think the producers should be the ones to pay it considering that they are your employers and freak accidents could always occur during the shooting of a movie...It's a bit complicated though but I think it's just a matter of time before it does happen...Can't wait for your next post. thumbs Up!

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  12. HI KALU, MY NAME IS CHINYELU,LOVE YOUR BLOG.I SENT U MAIL ON GMAIL CONCERNING BR. EMEKA AKWADIGWE YOUR FRIEND AND A LION WHO WANTS TO CONECT WITH U.FOR PRIVACY REASONS CAN U PLS CHECK YOUR GMAIL AND YAHOO MAIL FOR HIS NUMBER WHICH I SENT THERE

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  13. it's unusual to see a nollywood star blogging as often as you....Keep it up...
    Visiting your blog pushed me to look for your movies on the net and you have now one more ivorian fan, rigth here in Abidjan....
    i've just watched LOVE MY WAY...you did a good job...
    Coming back to the topic...every job has risks...but be careful.

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  14. hahahaha... For some reason, I found this really funny. I can imagien the shock on your face like "This woman almost injuured me sha..." Hmm... working with Uche Jombo doesn't seem like a bed of roses. For some reason, I thought she would be nicer. All the best with your shoot. I haven't watched a Nollywood film in ages but I'll look out for one of yours. :)

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  15. Hi K. nice piece. I laughed, but i don't think this is funny. I remember the last time they made you do that 'car stunt' thingy...i also remembered how horrifid we were and begged you 'maka chi' to insist on insurance from these people 'cos its only "sorry oh,my brother" they wil tell you if you hurt yourself.
    "...I had vases and wine glasses hurled at me which I to dodge just a fraction of a second before they smashed into the wall behind me." Emm... These objects defile the laws of gravity...some of them don't come down, they implant themselvs into soft objects like the human body. whatever happened to platic verses and post production effects??? Abeg, make dem no mummify your head before the shooting is over oh!
    As for Uche, i think you should shut your mind to the risk and get this scene over with, 'cos having one of those galsses on your face might look appealing if you make her work up so much adrenaline and you ruin the scene for her. Lol!

    PS: How do i get your movie Rapt in Eire? I really want to watch it. i dont come across your movies easily and was wondering if you could recommend where i can get them?

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  16. Permit me t say that violence isn't limited to men alone. These days, you find women that maltreat men and i guess that's what the movie was all about. Gone were the day when men would use women as punching bags and get away with it, today, the modern woman will throw you out of the house. May God help us all.
    www.ogochukwunwokeji.blogspot.com

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