COMMUNICATION CHANGE AND SOCIETAL VALUES IN SELECTED NIGERIAN HOME MOVIES

1.1 Introduction

The Nigerian Home video has spawned an industry that turns out 1000 films every year, generates 300,000 jobs every year, has a turnover of well over N5 billion yearly; with a growth rate of some 60%, the industry is bursting at the seams. These groundbreaking achievements of the video film as against the Lethargy of celluloid film as forms of media production in Africa indicate a call for an urgent revision of the concept of filmmaking in the continent. Film has been one of the greatest influences in our modern life, and it is also a form of art, the seventh art along with photography, architecture, painting and music. It is the combination of technology, business, entertainment and aesthetics, each and everything of these four has important role in present day world and it is also visible in the variation of its forms (Mahmood Istiak 2013).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

Nowadays, many concerns have been raised about the kinds of values and attitudes that may be inculcated by exposure to certain kinds of media contents, especially enculturation and violence in movies (Kubey and Larson, 2005). The word change has so many meanings depending on the context in which it is used. However, one major point that keeps reoccurring is the move from one state to another. Change in a society refers to an alteration in the social order of the society; it may include changes in nature, social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Thus change can refer to any significant alteration over a period of time in behaviour patterns, cultural values and norms. The world today is changing so fast economically, socially, politically and even physically. The argument however is whether the change is for the better or for the worse. This change is made rapid by the increasing new ways of communication especially the media which has increased accessibility to knowledge. This has changed the ways individuals, groups, and societies think, feel, behave and interact.

In contemporary Africa, one of the greatest pastimes is the video film. It has become a newfound love for the African mind. This is largely due to its accessibility to huge audience including children and adolescents as compared to an older form of media production like the cinema. Retrospectively, motion pictures history will be inconsequential without Hollywood. There are different kinds of films ranging from romance, adventure/epic, detective, horror, crime, war, pornography. These movies are viewed on television, cinema screens, through video machines such as VHS, VCD, DVD, and computer CD ROM, and digitalized mobile phones. Majority of Hollywood movies, flourishing in Nigeria’s markets contain scenes which are uncensored and should be prohibited to youths. Many researchers have agreed with the facts that youths imitate what they see on screen without knowing the negative implications. In recent times it has been observed that youths no longer create time for their studies or helping out with domestics, or moreover some parents are vegetated in catering for their wards. These acts affect their formative ages and other behavioral patterns in abject recalcitrance (Brown, N. J and Bassey-Duke V. 2014).

The video film and films shot on electromagnetic tape is readily produced with a shoe string budget. Apart from the inexpensive nature of this form of media production, the masses in much of Africa especially Nigerians are readily reached. The home video film has thus become very popular amongst Africans. Interesting too, it has become a veritable expression of African modernity in terms of Mass culture. Looking at both forms of mass media production from the standpoints of economics of scale and production output could be revealing as well as instructive. In Africa, video films are-easily and readily produced as against that of traditional cinema. Larkin (2003:194) points out that; in 1999 over 500 video films were produced in Nigeria. This means that, in this one year alone, more video films were produced than in the entire history of feature film production in this country. From almost 10 years ago, video films have blossomed to become perhaps the most vibrant new form of media production in Africa.

Therefore, in National Open University of Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to investigation know the Communication Change and Societal Values in Selected Nigerian Home Movies.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that viewing violence oriented films on television seems to affect the behavior of youths in Nigeria. Films have a dramatic effect on the perception of viewers whether the person is conscious or unconscious of this fact for the process of any society. It is good to be peaceful, eschewing violence and settling issues with dialogue and non-violence means.

Repeated exposure to violence tends to create stereo type in people minds and soon they unconsciously start to re-enact the same scenes they see in films. This type of situation creates problems for the society and if not properly handled may become a big problem for the society to grapple with.

Some of the problems of teenagers’ exposure to violent films are inadequate policy to guard the youths towards violence TV programmes, there is an erosion of the cultural values, the imitation of Western cultures especially the American cultures, and the Nigerian youths are faced with brain wash. These problems necessitate the needs to carry out a study on effects of violent films on Nigerian cultural values.

Although the Home Video Industry in Nigeria is barely more than a decade, it commands a household name. It commands a very large and active audience and it covers every aspect of the Nigerian society. Its impact on the areas of the culture, religion and morality has generated a lot of uneasiness. It is against this backdrop that this study therefore, attempts to examine the Communication Change and Societal Values in Selected Nigerian Home Movies.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Communication Change and Societal Values in Selected Nigerian Home Movies. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To ascertain the relationship between youths’ violent behaviors and home videos;
2. To explore the positive values projected in Nollywood movies as it relates to different facets of the society and how it by extension promotes societal change;
3. To establish the positive values and norms which when adopted will project positively in different facets of the society also exists in some movies; and
4. To investigate whether Nigerian youths accept and practice African culture portrays in home movies.

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1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Does a Nigeria youth accept and practice African culture portrays in home movies?
• Is there any significant relationship between youths’ violent behaviors and home videos?
• Are there positive values and norms which when adopted will project positively in different facets of the society also exists in some movies?
• What are the positive values projected in Nollywood movies as it relates to different facets of the society and how it by extension promotes societal change?

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1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There is no significant relationship between youths’ violent behaviors and home videos
• H1: There is a significant relationship between youths’ violent behaviors and home videos

Hypothesis Two

• H0: Nigeria youth does not accept and practice African culture portrays in home movies
• H1: Nigeria youth accept and practice African culture portrays in home movies

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1.7 Significance of Study

This study will be of immense benefit in the following ways;

1. The study will help to educate the general public of the inter-relationship between media programme contents (i.e home video) and youths’ violent/immoral behaviors.
2. This study is expected to help the government, religious leaders, educationist and also policy maker to know the extent to which the mass media (films) can bring about drastic change in the lifestyle of teenagers and how it can serve as a tool for cultural importation as well as guide them to put adequate measures in place to check the movement of home videos and television programmes into Nigeria society.
3. Finally, this study does not only aim at contributing to knowledge but also providing a foundational basis for further studies into the socialization role of entertainment television.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Communication Change and Societal Values in Selected Nigerian Home Movies using Nollywood movies as a case study.

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1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

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1.10 Definition of Terms

Home movies: This is any pre-recorded media films played and viewed by people with their movie players in their homes or movie clubs. These films are viewed with the aid of a TV set which is connected to the movie machine. They are recorded on movie tape, disc or DVD.

Television: This is an electronic medium through which pictorial messages are passed or transmitted to the audience.

Programme: The arrangement and packaging of message content to an identified mass audience group.

Film: a sequence of images of moving objects photographed by a camera and providing the optical illusion of continuous movement when projected onto a screen.