Daniel Ehinem is a filmmaker in every sense of the word as he is a Director, Cinematographer, Sound Editor, and Colourist. He currently facilitates filmmaking workshops organized by Canon Central and Northern Africa. He started his journey from sound through to fashion photography before motion picture, Daniel talks to BOP’s Ufana Ishoyor about himself, his craft, and the future of Cinematography in Nigeria.
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- Kindly introduce yourself
My name is Daniel Ehimen. I’m a Director, DoP (Director of Photography), and Colourist. I work on motion picture projects ranging from film through to commercials and currently experimenting with documentaries.
- What was growing up like; what’s your educational background?
I grew up in Edo State, Nigeria and it was quite an interesting era (I initially worked in sound). I got my first still camera when I was in secondary school and never imagined I’d eventually tow this line of profession. I studied Biochemistry at the University (I originally opted to do Medicine but I guess life had other plans and I found myself studying Biochemistry) and compared to what I do now, there’s a huge contrast that I’d never have thought was possible at the time.
- How did you get into Cinematography?
My journey into cinematography was ‘unconventional’. I started in sound and then made my way into fashion photography but finding something that worked didn’t come easy and when I did find a frame that worked, replicating it over an extensive period proved quite troubling. The journey proper into making films started after I attended and graduated film school (this was whilst I was actively doing photography).
- Was it just a hobby or did you from the onset want to take it as a career?
I’m a very passionate person and whatever I do, I try to ensure that it puts food on the table and clothes on my back or I try to be the best at it so I could develop myself to a point where I survive on my creativity. Back then, the hope was to be great at cinematography but I had to balance it out with photography (so I could feed and care for myself) and since I didn’t have the clientele or ‘big name’, I had to rely on income from photography gigs to survive whilst I grew my knowledge of filmmaking. I got my big break when I shot the movie ‘When Love Happens Again’ (2016) and since then, it’s been great and like they say; “You’re only as good as your last job”, I’ve been building upon previous mistakes and striving to be better.
- What type of Cinematography do you do?
I personally don’t think there are kinds of Cinematography. I’ve done some beauty works, some noir works, and even narrative works. There’s no specific style, it’s all just specific to the creative intent behind the lens or rather on the script. I believe I’m more of a story assistant that tries to bring the pages to life rather than trying to stand out with a particular style or something like that.
- Where or who do you draw your inspiration from?
Firstly, I tried to watch the movies that have won best picture at the Academy Awards (Oscars) to develop ‘the eye’ because being able to see in the creative sense is really important and it’s not something that you can just sit and have magically come to you. I then moved on to paintings but didn’t stay there too long because I didn’t find them too ‘captivating’ but I still have a painting collection that I go through often (They set as my screen saver) and the hope is they register in my subconscious and I’m able to transcribe the feeling when I’m creating a project. These days, I draw inspiration from a host of sources, the foremost being music because like I earlier stated, I have a background in sound. They help me communicate my feelings and make those strong emotions visual. I also listen to podcasts and find time to study art. I do most of these and try to see what sparks the flame in whatever project I have at a particular time.
- So far what has been your highest point as a filmmaker and what is the Business of Cinematography like?
My highest point would be winning an award at the Toronto International Film Festival for Best Cinematography, which was quite a milestone for me. As for the Business of Cinematography, as I said earlier, you’re as good as your last work, so if you treat every job as a collaborative effort and you pour in all your soul into it and have your client love it and come back to you; great, and if they don’t, you could learn from the experience and move on. So for me business-wise, you’re as good as the passion and dedication you show to the job by challenging yourself, improving your skillset, and delivering on every mandate.
- What challenges do you face and what steps do you take in overcoming these challenges?
As for challenges that we face, most are basic like skill gaps, inadequacy in knowledge, understanding that our environment is limiting and that we can transform those limitations into strengths. We also have currency problems which in correlation to work efforts, affects how we purchase gear. A major problem though is identifying what you need, rather than going around purchasing various equipment or paying for courses that wouldn’t benefit you. Learning to navigate the knowledge maze and identifying what aspects you are skilled at would save you a lot of time and resources and it’s here that mentor-ships come in and I’ve been so blessed to know people in the industry who’ve helped me in these areas.
- In the coming years, where do you see the Imaging Industry in Nigeria?
The imaging industry has come a long way from the era of old Nollywood to today which I guess is more modern. I believe the further we move, the better it’ll become because we’ll become more deliberate with our actions and in turn, our movies and everything would just keep getting better.
- What’s your opinion on the effects of the Coronavirus on the Imaging Industry?
I think it has shown creators and the world generally that they aren’t limited to their physical space when it comes to getting opportunities. Personally, I’ve executed projects for people world over this period without having to leave Lagos and I think it’s great. It’s forcing local creatives to think big and identifies as global creatives and whilst that’s a lot of pressure, it’s that pressure that’ll refine you and make you the best version of yourself possible. I know there’s the downside of decline/lack of jobs but I believe there are opportunities in the chaos so there’s a lot that can and will come of this.
- What advice would you give to youngsters looking to building a career in filmmaking?
Don’t be scared of failure and what you don’t know ask, even when you don’t get a response, keep asking. Find mentors that you can seek answers and learn from and if the answers you seek are in courses, then pay for them and learn. Just prepare before opportunities show up so that when they do show up, you’re certain you can deliver.
- Any last words?
Don’t give up, always find a way to improvise, adapt, and improve. Thanks for having me.
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