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Habeeb Kolawole
@habeebkolawole_
Winner ColorPro Film Festival
About Habeeb Kolawole, his life in Nigeria, and the Winning Video
The books I read when younger and seeing them being brought to life in movies have been the inspiration for me to start learning about the craft of filmmaking. I had written pieces of text that I would love to transform into a visual experience as well. I began to learn more about movies, got hooked, and fell in love with videography.
During the first years of my new passion, I couldn’t afford the gears I needed. It was frustrating back then, but now I know that it is exactly what helped me develop the most. I had the chance to improve my skills while I was saving up for my first proper camera. And of course, I have to mention the inspiring film director Boon Joon Ho; I remember almost giving up on making films when I saw him winning lots of awards at the 2020 Academy Awards. At that moment, my motivation and perseverance returned and I kept trying to at least see how far I could come.
"I’ve gained inspiration and knowledge from observing the best films and videos. I believe for a story to be great, you must feel the journey from the beginning to the end, especially if it involves a character."
After watching or reading the story, you should feel the development of the character, the insights, emotions, or challenges… Some of my favorite movies are Parasite, 12 Angry Men, any movie made by Christopher Nolan and Wes Anderson, Inglorious basterds, Little Women, Jojo Rabbit, The Shawshank Redemption, 1917, and the Korean series The World of the Married. These are the ones that came to mind right now, but there are surely many more that have inspired me in one way or another.
As for books, Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings will always be my all-time favorites. Apart from those, there is the Charles dickens era of books, classic literature, Oliver Twist, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, David Copperfield, Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, and many more. I love reading!
Also, the poems of Charles Bukowski and the music of Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen, and Jeff Buckley have impacted me greatly. The people that make songs with meaningful lyrics nowadays aren’t many so I stick to the old ones who turn poetry into music. Bob Dylan won the Nobel prize for literature for writing songs. That is on another level of writing. These people have definitely influenced how I write.
I see films as one big organism made up of smaller parts. For a clip to be great it has to contribute to the bigger picture of the story. My 5 key strategies are:
(1) Taking time to let the story develop and form.
(2) Creating the visuals of what I want the story to be like in my head
(3) If possible, have the music you were going to use in mind, for example, the first part of my film for the contest was the Ave maria song. A version of the song was used in the Batman movie and I find it deep enough to bring the audience into the emotional part of the story straight from the beginning.
(4) Taking time to decide on the music and sound design of your film. You can’t just simply put a song to your film, it has to have a meaning and contribute to the entire story.
(5) Know your limitations and be realistic about what you can create. I didn’t put my previous film into perspective; I was inspired and thought I could create anything but reality humbled me. So, for this film of the contest, I already knew my limitations and decided to create my best work using that awareness.
I learned or realized most of this by doing personal projects and bringing ideas to life. I haven’t done too many projects for others/clients yet, nor with others. Where I live, most of my friends aren’t into film and photography and it makes me feel lonely regularly. Now, I’ve made some new friends in other parts of the country and I’m actually going to another state to help direct a friend’s short film, so I’m excited about that. Also, I look forward to helping big brands tell stories in the future and if possible make impactful films with WHO, UN, UNICEF, and other organizations that are making a positive change in the world. I’ve also got a project we are planning next year with my friends and mentors, Jesse, Steve, and Sam Newton.
WINNER
The ColorPro Film Festival
Category :
Shattering Expectations
Habeeb Kolawole
Habeeb Kolawole's Q & A - Winner ColorPro Film Festival
How did this film contest inspire and influence you?
This competition has been a very challenging one. It was at a time when I had tried to round up my biggest personal project at that time, and the laptop just couldn’t export. I was frustrated, feeling down, and uninspired and I had a few days to the deadline of this. I created the film for this contest by just putting my feelings on paper, I couldn’t even type it. Motivating myself to create it, is one of my greatest wins to date. It helped me build the mental resilience to get on even if I feel uninspired. I started feeling alive when I was finally editing it. The last day I had to finish the edit was the night of the champions league final, which is one of the biggest football games of the year. I haven’t missed any champions league final for more than 7 years so this project helped me figure out the things I really care about more than any other thing – telling stories and making films.
Which theme called your attention in the first place and why?
Sam Newton’s theme, shattering expectations just stuck with me because it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. Overcoming my limitations in life and being a young adult in Nigeria, life isn’t easy at all and we all are expected to hustle, hustle and hustle to make ends meet, with no time to go after our passions or anything similar. The best someone can do is graduate and get a good job. If you achieve that, you’re actually one of the few lucky ones. I never wanted that and that’s why the theme stuck with me.
What made that theme more attractive in your opinion?
Because, no matter where you are in life, you are mostly living life to other people’s expectations, and their perceptions of you. Even if you don’t realize it, this keeps you in a box and if you dare to stray from that, people start saying you changed or that you’re unrealistic. For people with big dreams living in this kind of discouraging and static environment, breaking that box is what we’ve always secretly hoped for or dreamed of, shattering expectations.
What is the main idea you wanted to convey with the video and why is that message important to you?
The main idea is simple: Life isn’t fair, it has never been and will never be and it isn’t at all easy for us in this part of the world. Despite this, I want to follow my dreams no matter what it takes.
What are the most valuable lessons you learned from this video project? Would you do anything differently?
I honestly won’t do anything differently, and the lesson I’ve learned is that when life gives you a lemon, try your best to turn it into lemonade. No matter your situation or what you’re going through, if you calm down and look closely, there is usually something positive to discover and take advantage of. That’s what I did and thank God I did it. Feeling bad for myself doesn’t bring me anywhere, and look where it has brought me now.
Ten years from now, where do you see yourself?
Honestly, I have no idea, but I see myself with a family of my own going to the premiere of my 2nd or 3rd big film. I just want to make films, tell stories and make enough money so my kids will be able to pursue whatever dream they have.
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