Award winning light man, Francis Okolie debunks rumour saying people no longer involve him in film productions
By Oluwafemi Dosu
The award winning light man, Francis Okolie popularly known as F.A has debunked rumour making the rounds saying people no longer involve him in film productions.
Okolie made this known in a recent exclusive interview with Gospel Film News.
The professional light man noted that not that people don’t involve him in productions but so many people feel intimidated.
“You know somebody that doesn’t know anything cannot just come and start telling you anything, so when you come they feels that this one is Mr. know-all ooo, don’t let us call him but the truth of the matter is that you need to know it, you cannot do what you don’t know. Besides, i have trained one or two people so i don’t really want to be everywhere.
I have boys,i people that I’ve trained, i have to give them opportunity, so i cannot be everywhere. Thank God you are meeting me on a production. I do productions but i select. I select because you know I’m a family man now, abi (laughs). I can’t be jumping from one city to another for a production at my age, one should at least arrange his priorities and plan for the future. That is what is actually happening. Its not that they don’t call F.A, F.A does production; I’ve been doing, I’m still doing and i will continue to do,” Okolie disclosed.
When asked how much he charge to get involved in film production he exclaimed That’s the problem, saying he has been hearing this kind of information for long, Many people will tell him they cannot bring him to production because they say he charges this and that.
“I challenge anybody that can come and say it to my face that i have charged him or her once in any production. They should come forth and tell me how much did F.A charge,” he said.
He revealed that the only thing he does is whenever he wants to handle productions he takes a total package because he believes that you cannot take a film half way, saying a film is as good as useless if not followed up till editing stage because the editor that want to edit the job doesn’t have your consent or picture in your mind.
Okolie reiterated that that’s why he takes a total package, adding that he gives the producer the cost of equipment, crew and sometimes tell them to leave his, saying anyone should just come out to say this is how much F.A has charged him or her apart from the package he takes to handle the production from script to screen.
“So, F.A don’t charge, F.A is not charging and F.A is not intending to charge anybody. We are doing gospel films and we know that what they give us is honorarium and any honorarium they give me is okay for me. Thank God I’m fulfilled, I’m okay, I’ve done so many things through this my profession, production has done many things for me and I’ve gotten to where i don’t even expect to get to,” he concluded.
