Series Director chides critics of BBN location

…Says it is cheaper and technically safe to record in S/A

Series Director of the ongoing Big Brother Naija and Head of Post Production in the first Project Fame reality show in Nigeria,  Gbenga Kayode, has reacted to criticisms bothering on why the show is being recorded in South Africa.

 

Kayode joins debate on the social media for which many are of the opinion that it makes the show less Nigerian because it is being recorded outside the country.

“Why are people angry?” he asked, positing that “filmmaking and television production is strictly a business. And as a content maker, you have the freedom to make your content where ever you choose based on whatever factor affects you.”

Kayode who further stated that it is cheaper to do the show in South Africa than in Nigeria gives reasons why this is so.

“The broadcast is 24 hours and seven days a week. Broadcast from the house to satellite up link. All the facilities connected must have uninterrupted electricity for 78 days,” he said, recalling how those who worked on the first edition of the show in Nigeria had several power generating sets outside the house and, even though it was sponsored by a power generating set company, they still had problems.

He said this is coupled with the price of diesel and possibility of fuel scarcity at any given time due to union strike. “The cost of renting a space, rigging the space… I can’t even go into details in this forum but yes, filming in Nigeria would have been far more expensive,”he said.

For Kayode,  “even Hollywood shoots in Canada, Australia, Ireland or wherever the production company prefers.”

The Director who spoke to The Nation in Johannesburg, on Saturday, stated that the show is hundred percent Nigerian show irrespective of where it is being recorded.

“The housemates are told to be Nigerian. So, they can speak pidgin and other Nigerian languages and there are people in the house who understand.”

He said the organisers try to hide the identity of Nigerians on the project to prevent a situation whereby someone would think they could influence activities on the show.

“Even the head of content on the project is a Nigerian and there are no less than 10 Nigerians on the content team. And that’s just for content. The people who supply the food etc are all Nigerians.”

In a statement,  Caroline Oghuma,PR Manager, DStv, said by recording in South Africa, they are able to achieve high production values whilst meeting tight timelines.

“‎We have a fully equipped house in South Africa which is used for the Big Brother shows. The house has played host to other Big Brother countries including; the general Big Brother Africa, Mozambique, Angola and now Nigeria.This means that we are able to achieve high production values whilst meeting tight timelines and ensuring the show comes to our viewers on time, as planned, and with the same globally renowned quality.”