Mr. Yusuf "Achoring" Budding Directors in Alimosho to Greatness

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By Clinton Samuel

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Mr. Achor Yusuf is a director, producer, storyteller, content creator, and entrepreneur, known for Art @Tack Studios, Jos, Plateau, Nigeria.

He won Best Film (Non-feature) and Best First Film of a Director (Non-feature) in the National Film Festival (October 2003) and 2nd National Film Festival (Guinness Gold Prize and Elf Gold Prize respectively).

We spoke with Achor about Film in a Box training and how impactful it has been, his experience, feedback from students and the opportunity for everyone involved, and an overview of directing in Film/Theatre.

He said, “I am one of the facilitators at Film in a Box in Lagos state. This is a brilliant initiative because the impact on individuals and the society at large is massive; economically and socially, and I feel fulfilled being here because I identify with what is happening here.

My classes have been very interesting. I love the feel and the feedback I have been getting from my students, it is a mutual learning process as we are equally learning. I lecture at the National Film Institute in Jos, and I run my private school in Jos, and I welcome every opportunity to impact students. When I was invited to Film in a Box, it was something I did not have to think twice about. It is a learning process where you are giving out and taking in. It is fulfilling. I have gotten positive feedback from a lot of the students. Directing, within the context of storytelling, is the art and focus of your audience by telling or showing them what you want them to see and how you want them to see it. You set out with an effect in mind, and there is a particular desired outcome you want to have.

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As a director, your goal is to direct the attention and emotions by manipulating movements within the world of Film. It is called cinematography because it is the art and science of writing with movement, so whoever is reading, that which is written, the effect that is derived from what is written is a result of the work of the one who is writing and the director is the one who is leading a team of craftsmen to do this work. It is all about the end product of what you have in mind.

The writing is usually done in the mind, however, there is an interface between the physical worlds where you project that which is written. In the long run, it impacts society because whatever affects the mind will affect our conduct as a people. Directing is that powerful; we are mind surgeons, as we plant the seed of the kind of plant you want to grow and cultivate.

You need to understand what you want before others come on set to participate. A director is a leader who is leading people to a destination. It is a collaborative medium; not as a dictator, but as a surrogate audience to your actors, and you lead your crew to where you want everybody to get to, so you must be good at communication, and be respectful of the craftsmen working with you. As a businessman, you need your work to have a universal appeal, so your audience is not limited. To succeed artistically and commercially value-wise, as a director, you need good leadership skills.

In addition to some qualities of a good director (communication, respect, and leadership as aforementioned), you should not be afraid to probe on subjects whether they are sensitive, insensitive, or controversial. You must have the courage to experiment mostly privately. If you are going to take risks, take them with the team, so in that way, everyone involved (including the stakeholders) can share the assets and the liabilities.

I have been tutoring in training since 2015, my academy in Jos started in 2016, and before this, I have been handling production workshops for the National Film Institute in Jos, so I had an idea of what was expected, however, in this case, I had to understand what the focus and curriculum were about. I also had to team up with some senior colleagues in the industry like Sonny McDon, so we had to compare notes, share ideas, and essentially work as a team. We created a template. It was wonderful.

Passing performance knowledge to these amazing students has been exciting. I believe the main beneficiary of this training is the facilitator. You have to be ahead but you are also learning. Knowledge is everywhere on the internet, and technology is an upgrade to what we do, and during classes, some of the students educate me as well. The benefit is mutual. The turnout has been massive. The quality of trainees is top-notch, so you get good feedback. Amazing vibe.

Achor concluded by saying a few words to the organizers of Film in a Box, “I thank the organizers of this initiative and the Lagos state government. I am impressed with what the state government is doing, and how they support the creative industry. It is something for other states to emulate. We have crime, insurgency, terrorism, and all of its sorts happening in Nigeria because people are not occupied with something positive. The Lagos state government is doing so much in that regard, and I encourage other governments to do so, in partnership with Africa Film Academy, it will change our society at large.”

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