Actress Bolaji Ogunmola has spoken about the cost of filmmaking and the use of YouTube as a platform for movie distribution.
In an interview with Jay onAir, Bolaji said YouTube was never designed for films.
She said film production remains expensive, noting that some actors charge up to N5 million for a five day on set appearance, while others earn between N1 million and N2 million.
She added that even films released on YouTube require significant funding, regardless of how they eventually turn out.
”YouTube was never designed for films. Film is a very expensive art. Yeah. It’s expensive. Actors are collecting four or five million. For four days, sometimes one to two million. If you see anybody, do a YouTube film. And you are thinking, ‘what is she doing?’. Even the worst film on YouTube costs money to make. And nobody’s trying to play a terrible film,” she stated.
The actress also stressed the importance of planning in film production, saying producers must secure the right cast, locations, crew, and post production team.
”When we want to put together a movie. First of all, the story, I need the right cast. I need the right location, the right team, and the right post production team because you can plan everything to the tea and it will still fall apart,” she added.
Her comments come as more Nigerian filmmakers continue to turn to YouTube as an alternative distribution channel, especially amid rising cinema costs and the growing influence of streaming platforms. In recent years, the platform has become a key space for independent productions, even as industry discussions continue around funding, production budgets, and returns on investment in digital film releases.
