The internet is paying people millions! Every day new technological innovations are adopted by people keen on taking advantage of the online space. Films are released on Facebook. Short skits on Instagram and recently films are made for SnapChat. How do these Filmmakers make their money, you would ask? Well, these films are made on a small budget, a very small budget and when you click to watch it, it is a big deal!
YouTube is the new home for films. Thousands of full-length films, short films, and music videos are uploaded on YouTube every month. What this means is that even with your phone, you can shoot a short film, upload on YouTube and get paid. It is an easier process than making films and playing them in the cinemas, isn’t it? Only that the money making part, is not that easy, a lot of things go into making that money. But is YouTube slowly becoming the global television? And is YouTube slowly but surely taking over the use of DVD? Why bother with a breakable disc when you can watch the full thing with a good network and a click?
Nigerian filmmakers are taking advantage of the low budget opportunity and are shooting web series that thousands of people are watching. Ndani TV is well ahead in the web series world and they are ahead for their ability to engage the crowd with really interesting Web series. Some people argue that this web series are watched by Nigerians abroad that are in dire need of some home-made entertainment but what matters is that people are watching this web series and who knows in 2 years? 3 years? Web series could just be the most sorted means of enjoying film contents. DVD’s could just be a thing of the past, just like cassettes.
Here is a rundown of some of the well-watched series you will find out there at the moment. And they are really good.
- Rumour has it: This is created by Ndani Tv. Uru Eke is a controversial blogger, dealing with a broken marriage and this web series seem to have garnered her a new group of fans and has projected her acting to more people. The views on YouTube are also impressive. More than 30,000 people followed this web-series. The most viewed episode being episode 1 from the first season with almost 60,000 views.
- Skinny Girl in Transit: The numbers just keep going up from 60,000 to 80,000. Maybe it is just a story that a lot of Nigerians can relate to. An interesting move that has got a lot of viewers hooked.
2. Gidi Up: The cast is quite star-studded and they are serving the numbers. Season 2: Episode 1 had as much as 191,168 views. Even though the other episodes are viewed less, it is quite impressive how it keeps up.
- MTV Shuga: This is for young people and made by young people, created by MTV, but MTV also shared it on YouTube. Smart business move! Young people are on the internet all the time and it has paid off for Shuga. Are the views impressive or what!
MTV SHUGA 4: episode 1 – 277,436
MTV SHUGA 4: episode 2 – 194,458
MTV SHUGA 4: episode 3- 168,116
And from there it remains steady, so if over a hundred thousand people are watching why not remain online and keep getting better?
Another bonus is Web series are there always, you can watch it at any time. No alarm, no rush!
