On the 7 January 2002, I arrived in cape town to formally study film.
Two weeks later, I was in front of the television and an AD came up for a show on SABC1. The trailer for the show looked gritty, felt authentic and something felt familiar about it and I waited in front of the TV for six hours for the show to air. The show, called YIZOYIZO, opened my mind to the possibilities of being able to express the African story in the city, using all the cinematic tools available to a film maker and my life was never the same. What blew my mind the most was the fact that it was shot on a digital format.
I was told that you could only create that kind of texture to evoke that kind of emotion if you shot with a film camera. I desperately wanted to be able to express how I feel about the environment I was coming from. My search to understanding all the filmmaking tools was what brought me to Cape Town and the show showed me that I was in the right track.
Inside Life isn’t a show merely about fictional characters, nor is it about generic plot lines or the quest to just create a world. Every single character, every single location, every single lighting choice, camera angle, score original music, cut choice and grade choice comes from how I feel about the experiences that I have gone through, the people I have met and even though it presents a world most Nigerian film makers don’t want to talk about, the reality of a lot of these events isn’t shared by just me. I know these people; I am directly and indirectly some of them and I feel strongly that it is imperative for their story to be told. That the nuances in these stories should be told.
World creation is the biggest challenge every specific Nigerian film maker would tell you is practically almost impossible. I had always thought that when I would embark on a project like this, I would have access to endless resources because I have always wanted to be vivid with the worlds I create. Unfortunately, my limitations from Budget to having to raise a new team specifically for this kind of project was a major part of the many obstacles that I had to face.
Most importantly, coming to a new understanding of who I am and having to face my past in developing these characters was the biggest challenge of all. Recreating scenes with characters that are very similar to people that I love, being violated, abused and having to force myself to develop some sense of empathy for some of the people I have loathed almost all my life.
Kicking the table off the holier than thou endoscope that I have placed myself over some of these characters over time, brought me to realisation that both I and people around me have been dealing with so much trauma for so long but we have called it normal.
Cast
Magdalene Otanwa
Gabriel Afolayan
Zack orji
Jide Kosoko
Scarlet Gomez
Chioma Ijeoma Omeruah
Aino Gold
Rotimi Adelegan
Abimbola Kazeem
Uzoamaka Onuoha
Tonia Chukwurah
Princess Obuseh
Racheal Emem Isaac Udoh
Justin Miracle
Taye Arimoro
Egu Chisom Sylvia
Ndah Gift Eno
Florence Okechukwu
Ayoade Elizabeth B
Akinola Akano
David Peter and a host of other amazing Actors.
Crew
Clarance A Peters - Director/ D.O.P/Story
Abidemi Akinmola – Executive Producers
Clarence Peters
Olu Tinubu
Bayo Lambo
Tonia Chukwurah - Asst. Director 1/Production manager Rotimi Oshodi - Asst. Director 2
Writers – Olumide Kuti, Tonia Chukwurah, Clarence A Peters Kazeem Oluwaseun Yusuf – Sound Recorder
Ganiyat – costume design
And a host of others.
Clarence A Peters is a renowned Filmmaker, Cinematographer, Director and CEO of Capital Dream Pictures, a production company that specialises in performing art and film making. A master at his craft with his ever-evolving skill and techniques, Clarence has been a ground-breaking filmmaker for over a decade. Asides his gifts and natural talents, artistically using motion pictures to tell stories, he possesses a wealth of experience gathered from directing over 3,000 music videos and counting.
Clarence peters has won several awards and critical acclaim, nationally and internationally, for his role in the entertainment industry. His Awards include; Best Video, MTV Africa music awards, 2014, Five times Best Music video director, Headies and Nigeria entertainment awards, 2013, Best cinematographer, Nigeria music video awards 2012, among others. He is deeply passionate about his craft and brand.
Clarence directed 180 episodes of Everyday People, a popular TV Series. He has directed music videos across an array of genres and generations for popular recording artists including: Dbanj, Phyno, Wizkid, BurnaBoy, Davido, Olamide, Ayra Star, Falz, Tiwa Savage and a host of others. He also shot a good number of documentaries and TV commercials, and directed and produced several short thriller/horror series, which include, "HEX", "KNEE DOWN" and two latest limited series coming out later this year on Netflix and Amazon respectively, "INSIDE LIFE" and "SCRATCH".
Clarence attended Camp David Academy for his secondary education before going on to study Cinematography at City Varsity, Cape Town, South Africa.
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