Filmmaking: Imoh Umoren, Director of ‘Children of Mud’ Goes BTS

Children of Mud is a feature indie film directed by Imoh Umoren. The movie follows the story of Emem and her blind brother Miracle. These two children live with their aunt but she mistreats them. This misguided Aunt soon lets them go, and the two siblings leave in search of a miracle. Children of Mud is inspired by the number of kids who live on the streets in Nigeria, who either hawk or are forced to leave home. Imoh Umoren draws back the curtains and lets us behind the scenes on his award winning movie.

Children of Mud was filmed in Lagos and Abeokuta, the movie features Liz Benson Ameye, and Matilda Obaseki.

“Children of Mud” is written by Imoh Umoren and is a collaborative effort between Rucksack Production and Grand Explorers while Ify Egbera and Dr. Wale Boje double as the producers.

Q: Give a background of your personal experience with the story, writing, production and marketing?
Imoh Umoren: Making Children of Mud was very difficult for me personally. I had been filming a 40-part series called Oghenekome which took a toll on me because of the immense cast and crew. I had to work with producers who were breathing down my neck, I wanted to make my own film in the off-season so I commissioned someone to write it for me but when I saw the first draft I wasn’t happy about it because all the basic ideas we had developed in the synopsis was gone.

So when I wrapped the series I decided to write it myself and within a month and a half I had my screenplay ready. I co-financed it myself and got my producing partner Ify Egbera who also invested in it and we got to work. The story itself was so intense that I occasionally found myself sober in the hotel every night after shooting. Soon as I wrapped I released the trailer which was quite massive and shared by so many people and so we began exhibiting it on limited screens since the mainstream distributors didn’t want to take it but we licenced it and made a tidy profit.

Q: Did you start writing with a cast (You or any) in mind?
Imoh Umoren: I never write with the cast in mind because that is what makes actors typecast. I just write a story and then find the right actors. I’m not big on having movie stars in my film. I usually hire good actors who can interpret the role, who are available as well…because some actors can take on too many projects and sometimes it’s hard for them to cope with the pressure of performing intense characters

Q: How long did you take to complete the script?
Imoh Umoren: It took me a month and a half, 4 drafts, very long nights of self-criticism, but in six weeks straight, we had a finished script.

Q: When did you form your production company – and what was the original motivation for its formation?
Imoh Umoren: My production company has come through a lot of remodeling. It morphed into what it is today from one person team. It was first called Sharp Men Vision when I was 23…And then it became Premonition Pictures and finally I formed a proper one called Rucksack Productionz so it took 13 years to get to today.

Q: What was the first project out of the gate?
Imoh Umoren: The first project was sitcom pilot called One For The Road which was about an after works bar loosely based on a sitcom I grew up on called Cheers but the first proper production was my first feature film Lemon Green; it was a film about a writer who was dying of lung cancer and discovered he had a son

Q: During production, what scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot?
Imoh Umoren: this is tragic to remember but I lost the best scene I shot for Children of Mud. I sincerely trusted my wrangler to copied all the cards and this was the one scene I had the most difficulty shooting and cinematically it was amazing. I remember playing it back to everybody and they were clapping but when I got to post it was nowhere to be found. I cried endlessly and I couldn’t reshoot it because it was filmed out of town and taking everyone down there to recreate the shot would have cost me too much and I didn’t have any more money. Thankfully, the story function perfectly without it

Q: What works better in this latest production that mightn’t have worked so well in the last one you did?
Imoh Umoren: What worked best for me in Children of Mud were my actors. I had first used Mariam Kayode in The Happyness Limited and even though she gave an amazing performance, she was waaay better in Children of Mud and was nominated as best actress at the AMVCA at 11. She is the youngest ever in AMVCA history

Q: You produced and directed the film, what measure of input did it take to don these hats?
Imoh Umoren: I will say it took equal measure. I am a sucker for planning endlessly so I planned and planned on Children of Mud…every second was accounted for. But for Lagos: Sex, Lies & Traffic I took a backseat because I just wanted to be a director on that one

Interview: Imoh Umoren, African Filmmaker Talks Career Plus “Lagos: Sex, Lies & Traffic”

Q: Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business you still struggle with?
Imoh Umoren: Financing is still a problem and Distribution. But we are overcoming it quite well?

Q: Where do you think your strengths line as a filmmaker?
Imoh Umoren: I think my strength is in planning. Coming from a TV background where scheduling is preeminent it has helped my film part immensely. I overplan, over rehearse all possibilities before we even go on set. Usually I won’t even discuss the project with actors till we have our locations, equipment, funding and all sorted and then I speak to the actors. A lot of them are usually surprised and assume I make films quickly but a lot of times we have planned it with the team for several months

Q: Let’s talk finance, How did you finance the film?
Imoh Umoren: I co-finance all my projects and get other people to invest. Because I provide a lot of other services in the business like shooting commercials, writing, consultancy, post-production etc..I use my earning and invest in my films and most times, parts of the profits from my other films. I’m not sure it’s the best way to do it but I treasure my creative control and my freedom hence

Q: How much did you go over budget? How did you manage it?
Imoh Umoren: I didn’t go over budget on Children of Mud. Like I said I plan before I go on set. My budget is based on current market value so I have rarely gone over budget ever…probably once for a series

Q: How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make any dent without it these days?
Imoh Umoren: marketing is key; the era of saying your work will speak for itself is gone. Soon as you start writing start marketing

Q: Can you tell us about your marketing activities on the project – and how it’s gone for you?
Imoh Umoren: I tell you a simple thing I do; I tweet the title of my film repeatedly and it stays in the consciousness of the people and when I’m filming I post pictures on social media so people already anticipate the film and once I drop the trailer it is usually well-cut and stimulates conversations so basically before I release a film you would have heard so much about it

Q: What do you hope audiences get from your film?
Imoh Umoren: I hope it instigates conversation and causes people to help each other

Q: What else have you got in the works?
Imoh Umoren: Lagos: Sex, Lies & Traffic was recently premiered but it will be showing this whole quarter, I’m about to release my Niger-Delta love story Dear Bayo, finished principal photography for my political satire The Coffin Salesman and currently in pre-production for my period piece The Herbert Macaulay Affair

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