Interview with Ikenna Mokwe
Newly-signed #MovidiamTalent director Ikenna talks to us about his career, his art, and his goals for the future.
Who is Ikenna Mokwe?
I’m a plant-loving, food-cooking, drill sergeant dad with a soft heart.
Tell us about your career trajectory — how did you become a director?
I’ve always been curious about how art evokes emotions. I would hear a song, read a line, feel a performance or see an image and wonder why it made me feel this certain way. My curiosity led me to explore music production, graphic design, motion graphics, photography and eventually film making.
This is when I realised that directing film is a master art form which incorporates literary, visual, performing and musical art. Each art form has its own logic and language. Film brings them all together. This is when I decided I would be dedicating myself to becoming a film director.
At the moment I’m still finding my voice.
How does this journey influence the way you make content now?
My hands-on experience as a camera operator, editor and producer have given me a deep understanding of the entire film process from beginning to end. Having a grasp of the process from both technical and creative standpoints has been invaluable when communicating abstract ideas to the various film departments.
Also, my awareness of the possibilities allows me to remain creative with limited resources.
You’ve worn many different hats in your career — how important do you think it is to be able to move between roles?
Having the ability to move between roles is very important nowadays because clients are expecting more with less. Sometimes I work with junior editors and producers and they will often have the right attitude but not always the experience. So, it helps that I can call on experience to fill in their gaps in knowledge.
What would you say is the biggest challenge you face when creating branded content?
My biggest challenge is a personal one that I think many creatives will relate with. It’s that hyper critical voice in my head constantly saying “Hmm this could be better, hmm that could be better, hmm, hmm, hmmmmmm”. I rarely feel satisfied with anything I produce early on, but I love the process of constant improvement. Being such a harsh critic tends to work in the favour of the whole team because we’re always striving for better.
Who/what is your biggest filmmaking inspiration?
Broadly speaking, I’m inspired by intelligence and beauty in communication whether it be marketing or fine art. My filmmaking is motivated by a range of feelings, people and things. It changes on each project and can be shaped by what I’m reading, watching and researching at the time. My favourite feature film directors include Christopher Nolan and James Cameron for their ability to tell new stories that satisfy both the masses and critics. I also love the works of Wes Anderson and Jean-Pierre Jeunet for their uniquely stylised approached storytelling.
Where do you think the future of branded content lies?
Branded content is moving away from mere advertising and toward being a part of the conversation/story. Nowadays, the stories we tell each other begin and end visually, so brands are creating intricately connected visual experiences meant to evoke an ongoing dialog with their audiences. The future of branded content is in authentic visual storytelling.
You’ve founded a number of creative enterprises outside of your film work — DopeBlackArt etc — how do you balance these passion projects with branded content? How do these two aspects of your work influence each other?
My personal business ventures and my filmmaking have a symbiotic relationship because insight from one can often inform and effect the other. When I’m making branded content for PR and AD agencies, I’m generally brought in at the last stage, when most of the creative and strategy are already in place. So, I don’t get to interact much with the geniuses who turned their consumer insight into strategy. I’m given enough info to do my job of creating a video that evokes an emotion but the bigger picture isn’t always presented to me. Nonetheless I learn a lot about advertising from making branded content that informs my personal business ventures.
It’s very different when I’m working on my business ventures because I get to see the full picture and what I learn from that I try to apply to making branded content for other companies.
What are you most looking forward to in 2020?
I feel like I rediscovered an important part of my directorial voice at the end of 2019. The playful side of my personality has taken a back seat for far too long and play has significant potential for catalysing creativity. I’m looking forward to unleashing more of my creativity in 2020.
