By Cierrah Gibbs
PART ONE
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing NB Film Co-op member Olukorede - “it’s like a song,” he told me as I learned to pronounce his name. However, most people call him “Korex.” Being relatively new to the film community, it was an inspiration to hear the story of someone with such a rich history as a creative in film.
Originally from Nigeria, Korex has been to many countries worldwide, finally arriving in New Brunswick, Canada. He has been a member of the NB Film Co-op since January and has been involved in various activities with the Co-op. As a new member, I was happy to hear the overwhelmingly positive things he had to say about the experience so far.
When asked how he would describe himself, Korex explained, “I am a creative persuader: my work persuades other people to be creative.” Having delved into many aspects of the creative lifestyle throughout his life, Korex told me, “I can say: okay, this is what I am now.”
After a two-hour interview, I can attest that Korex has done it all, which is why I realized that this biography would have to be in two parts to begin encompassing it. “I think it’s best if I just talk about it from how I started being creative and just through all the different paths I took,” he told me - and I agreed. So, let’s start from the beginning.
“As a child, I think the first creative aspect of my life was being able to draw,” Korex said. “That was when I knew; okay, this is me creating something. I used to draw a lot as a kid and created comics in high school. I ultimately made my drawings into movies in my comics because I watched a lot of movies, so I would draw them and give them to my friends who didn’t have the chance to watch movies, so that was kind of my thing. The first movie I drew was Street Fighter because a friend hadn’t watched it, and I wanted to tell him the story.
When I got into school, my mom preferred law for me, as most Nigerian parents prefer either law or medicine for their kids. They gave me linguistics, which I didn’t want: I wanted to take arts. Throughout my entire time in school, all my activities were film related. I got a TV set and DVDs. DVD was new then, it was the big thing - and I spent all my money on movies.
At this point, I had never shot a movie but knew I wanted to do something creative. I started a music company and record label. Before I did that, I went into radio because I needed to learn how music was promoted.
I had a friend who was involved with web design and animation, and he taught me animation. I then shot an animated music video, and while I was rendering the images, I received a call from a friend who introduced me to the BBC World Service Trust. Through them, I was hired as an assistant editor for an HIV awareness campaign for a year and a half, where I learned production and post-production. At the same time, I used the opportunity to finish my animated music video. I released that video, and that was the beginning of my filmmaking journey. The Nigerian Music Awards nominated me for best-animated feature for my project.
Then I worked for Nigeria's most prominent independent TV corporation (Africa Independent Television). I was their motion designer and learned the craft on the job. I kept on adding new skills and combining them all. During that time, I had friends and other people starting a private media company. Their goal was to make everything: sound, music, video, film, and animation. Our first client was Africa Independent Television, and we were hired to rebrand them.
In Africa, there is one major cable service called Multichoice. AIT wanted to create a competitor for Multichoice. They named theirs Darsat. Our job was to make the brand imagery for Darsat and some of the channels. That was our first-ever gig as a private company. We did that for close to 9 years, but as we started getting bigger, I had to start specializing. I couldn’t do all the things I was doing anymore.
After the whole music video thing, I decided I wanted to make films. Then I found out about the cost implications of making films. Initially, I was inspired by Michael Bay, Spielberg, Wes Anderson, and Scorsese, but as a young person, mostly Michael Bay. He knows how to use the camera, and he knows how to move the camera in ways that most filmmakers can’t even imagine - and that’s what I studied. I always wondered, How can I move the camera like this?
I made a short film called Fight Scene about two guys at a warehouse who talked and then started shooting at each other to find out what I had the skill set to do on a film. I was testing myself by shooting something. They were shooting at each other, and suddenly, one character got a call from his mother and the other character a call from his girlfriend, and the fight was postponed until another time. The film's underlying message was that men are capable of violence, but at the core of it, people have mothers and partners. It was very successful, which launched me into making films."
Korex continued to detail his path through the film industry. From visual effects to his first DOP role - from romantic films to comedies, dramas, and animated films, Korex honed his eclectic repertoire of creative skills. Some of the movies we discussed aren’t out yet, so he had to keep some details to himself. Korex has filmed worldwide, including in tropical, rural areas of Nigeria where there were all kinds of mosquitos and in the UK as a media correspondence for the chief of army staff (who was there receiving an award for his efforts during the Boko Haram crisis).
Korex has developed creative values throughout his creative journey, and he told me his ideals for his future work and the impact he wants to have on the film industry, internationally and especially in Nigeria. As I listened to him, I found myself connecting with his values.
Stay tuned for Part Two of my interview with Korex!
