Nana Akua Afrakoma, Scriptwriter
Many have alleged that Kumawood moviemakers do not use script when shooting movies, and they term that as unprofessional.
According to these people, directors narrate scenes to the actors and allow them to improvise their own dialogue but scriptwriter, Nana Akua Afrakoma Osei thinks Ghanaians are giving wrong picture of what happens on set of Kumawood movies.
Nana Akua on Kesben FM in Kumasi said without mincing words that Kumawood actors are given scripts with dialogues to enable them understand their roles but some put theirs under their pillow because of illiteracy.
She told DJ Roar on Saturday’s entertainment show that the inability of some Kumasi actors to read and write makes it difficult to read the script.
According to her, movie directors explain the dialogues to those actors contrary to the impression that they are given enough time to think on their feet.
“There are a lot of directors who use scripts but not screenplay as people think. Of course, it’s not everybody who can read so the director has the script, which has dialogues for the casts.
Contrary to what people think they the actors say what they what, everything we hear from them is scripted in English. Anytime you get on set, you will see that the director will be seated with the actors who can’t translate their dialogues trying to explain what he has to say.
And again, allowing the person to do a direct translation from English to Twi will not make sense because the local language comes with a lot of adages the scriptwriter will not write in the script so if you omit it from it, it won’t make the movie nice.
It is not just screenplays, we have scripts, which contain dialogues, and a lot of them go by it.” She told DJ Roar on Kesben FM.
Nana Akua Afrakoma Osei wrote scripts for movies like Adofoasa, Barima Ny3 Sumye, Me Hia Nti and many others.
She has also worked as artistic director for Kumawood movies like Psalm 23, Atanfo Nye Nyame, Abusua Bone, Nipa Nye, Nipa Nni Nkae, Oh Maame, and others.
