There is one issue that has been disturbing me in the movie industry anytime I watch Ghana movies or even better still African movies because I see this in many African movies.
My pain and agony is very simple, based on the fact that movie writers, directors and producers always take the profession of journalism in movies for granted. It is always disturbing because what we have gathered is that, anytime they want to portray any professional position in a movie, they go for advise on their choice of words and even look for better location to make it worthwhile.
Examples of areas where movie makers seek direction include medical care like doctors and nurses, judiciary like lawyers and judges and some other areas but never in journalism.
Watch any movie in Ghana which has a journalistic role and it is always disgusting and insulting. Space will not permit me to mention the umpteenth movies I have watched with these insulting scenarios. The last movie I watched which triggered my anger the more was Roger Quartey`s latest movie Turn Me On which saw Yvonne Nelson sacking reporters from her room like a group of fowls who wanted to feed on her crumbles.
Yes, I blame Yvonne Nelson less because she has a record of not respecting media people even those who promoted her to her current stature in the industry, but the director. How on earth can about four to five reporters bump into somebody`s hotel room interviewing her at the same time? Very unprofessional: and is this how we do it?
It is on record that some time ago, FIPAG`s P.R.O Mr. Socrates Sarfo descended on arts writers to go to film making schools to learn the techniques of movie making before writing or criticizing movies. Because of what he considered to be our scanty knowledge in movie making, he decided not to host any press preview for us to ask ignorant questions on his movies.
If movie directors and producers are also reading this script, we are also entreating them with much displeasure to contact professional journalists whenever they want to portray reporters in their movies with high level of professionalism.
Some of us are ready to give them this advise on location without a fee so they should not hesitate on calling on us for duty when the need arises. We are fed up with the negative messages they send to children and people outside the movie world about us.
The costumiers are also not to be spared because they consider dressing the lead actor or actress in a fashion that always make him better than the journalist who has come to conduct an interview. If you don't know how to do this, then follow and copy foreign movies where journalists are seen to be using sophisticated equipments in their approach to get better stories.
If that industry is not needed in their field, they would not be calling on us to promote the movies when they finish shooting ready to hit the market. Moreover, these same producers count on us to promote the new faces they bring on the screens to be able to use them to sell their movies. If we are able to do all this and later you pay us back with disrespect in your movies, then you expect us to go wild. I write this piece with emotion and an internal anger because when you do this, how do we get people to admire our profession.
After all in your movies, the actors dress as if they have the whole world in their wardrobes but we know very well that some of them cannot even feed their families three square meals in a day. Please give us a break because we will not take this nonsense again from any movie producer or director in the game.
Just as some of you producers and directors go to school to learn your trade, most journalists also do same, so you should give us that due respect anytime you want to project the profession in your movies. As much as we respect you in your chosen career and profession, we expect you to reciprocate the respect. Now we are on the look out for some of these things and woe unto any producer who will commit such a blunder and the unexpected will happen.
How can Majid in the Beast just twist the neck of a photo journalist killing him in the process? They come out and think that is how it is in the world, so when they have any encounter with a journalist, then they start fooling (excuse my language). We hope for the better between movie makers and journalists and not any cold war. Peace to all.
