Nigerian filmmakers and creative professionals have said that Artificial Intelligence (AI) was reshaping the visual storytelling ecosystem in Nigeria.
They stated this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to them, AI is reimagining visual storytelling by making filmmaking faster and more accessible, reducing production costs and creating new opportunities for independent creators.
They, however, said that although AI has a great impact on contemporary visual storytelling and the future of Nigeria’s creative industry, it would only complement and not replace human creativity.
They maintained that authentic storytelling, originality and human emotion remained the defining qualities of impactful visual content.
Mr Onesiphorus Enwerem, Founder and Creative Director of ONIZ Creative, described visual storytelling as the art of communicating emotions and information through images, lighting, composition, movement and performance rather than dialogue alone.
He said storytelling in Nigeria had traditionally relied heavily on expressive dialogue and long conversational scenes to drive plots.
According to him, audiences are now becoming more visually aware and increasingly appreciative of cinematic language, color grading and emotional cinematography.
Enwerem said AI had made high-quality filmmaking more accessible by enabling creators to generate concepts and storyboard ideas.
He added that AI also helped creators edit faster, enhance audio, remove distractions, generate subtitles and pre-visualize scenes.
“AI is making high-quality filmmaking more accessible.
“It won’t replace creativity, but it significantly expands what small teams can achieve,” he said.
Enwerem said AI had become particularly valuable during pre-production and post-production.
According to him, AI is assisting with script development, scheduling, editing, color matching, audio enhancement, visual effects, subtitle generation and marketing content.
“It has reduced production costs by automating repetitive tasks, and this allow smaller production teams and independent filmmakers to deliver high-quality productions with limited budgets,” he said.
The Creative Director, however, emphasized that ethical considerations such as copyright, transparency and respect for original creative works should guide the responsible use of AI.
He said he regularly used AI tools including ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Runway and AI-powered features in Photoshop and Lightroom.
According to him, the tools improve efficiency while allowing creators to retain creative control.
Enwerem said AI should be viewed as a creative assistant rather than a threat to professionals.
“I don’t believe AI will replace filmmakers. I believe filmmakers who understand AI will replace filmmakers who refuse to learn it.
“The future belongs to creatives who combine technology with authentic human storytelling,” he said.
He advised aspiring filmmakers and content creators to master the fundamentals of storytelling, lighting, sound, directing and editing, and urged them to embrace AI as a complementary tool.
“Don’t wait until you have the perfect equipment; start creating with what you have while continuously learning.
“Invest in your skills, your network and your character.
“Technology will continue to change, but discipline, curiosity, professionalism and the ability to tell meaningful stories will always remain valuable,” he said.
While urging young creatives to maximize available resources and digital platforms to showcase their talent, Enwerem said consistency and continuous learning remained critical to career growth.
He also called on the government at all levels to support the creative industry through grants and subsidized training programmes for emerging filmmakers and content creators.
According to him, such initiatives would make professional learning more accessible, help young creatives acquire industry skills and strengthen Nigeria’s growing creative economy.
A documentary filmmaker and creative entrepreneur, Mr Jerry Laz, popularly known online as ‘RealJerryLaz’, said AI had leveled the playing field for filmmakers by making professional production tools more accessible.
“AI has leveled the playing field for creatives and filmmakers.
“The approach to AI shouldn’t be fear. It should be something that you embrace,” he said.
According to Laz, AI now supports virtually every stage of filmmaking.
He listed scriptwriting, storyboarding, editing, voiceovers, visual effects and content distribution among areas where AI was making an impact.
He added that AI-powered tools had significantly reduced production costs and enabled the Sproduction of films with rich narratives without traditional high budgets.
“Services such as voiceovers, transcription, editing and visual effects have become more affordable for creators, and documentary filmmakers can now transcribe hours of interviews into text and organize content more efficiently.
“AI-powered software also enables faster editing, thereby saving time and production costs,” he said.
Laz, who has produced documentaries for international organizations, including United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations, said AI should enhance creativity rather than replace the emotional depth that defines compelling storytelling.
He urged young filmmakers and content creators to continually upgrade their skills, adding that embracing emerging technologies would help them remain competitive in the evolving creative industry.
“Don’t be over-reliant on AI that you lose the essence of your story.
“It is already here. It doesn’t make sense to fight it.
“Embrace it, use it intelligently and continue learning,” he said.
He said although technology would continue to evolve, the ability to tell meaningful Nigerian stories would remain the industry’s greatest strength.(NAN).
