Shooting Abroad Costs More, But Lagos Saves Money – TG Omori

Popular Nigerian music video director ThankGod Omori, better known as TG Omori, has opened up about the cost difference between shooting music videos in Lagos and abroad.

He made the disclosure on the Afropolitan Podcast, explaining that videos shot overseas often come with much higher budgets due to insurance costs, hourly expenses, and the fact that payments are made in dollars.

Omori revealed that some of the videos he has shot in Las Vegas or Los Angeles have gone well above $100,000, adding that shooting abroad often only earns him a service charge. He added that in contrast, he has done a couple of videos in Nigeria for around $100,000 and finds it easier to make a profit here, which is why he enjoys shooting in Lagos.

According to him, labour is affordable and good local artisans are available, though the downside is that he has to sacrifice his sleep and health, monitoring every detail to get exactly what he wants.

The award-winning music video director further explained that directors often avoid revealing budgets because filmmaking is subjective, and putting figures out there can be scary to some people.

He said:
"As directors, we don't really like to reveal budgets because filmmaking is subjective. The ideas vary, and sometimes we don't like to put budgets out."

"It doesn't scare people. It doesn't also speak cheap of our art. To some people, it might be scary. So it always boils down to the concept that we're trying to work on."

"Most times, if we're shooting abroad, it's actually more expensive. So most of the videos I've had to shoot in Las Vegas or LA have had to be a bigger budget, not necessarily coming to me, but because shooting in America, I have to pay for insurance. Every hour spent, all of those things."

"At the end of the day, you're paying in dollars, and sometimes it goes way above a hundred thousand dollars."

"But in Nigeria here, I've done a couple for around a hundred thousand dollars. But it's easier here. You make a lot of profit from that in Nigeria."

"But if I do that abroad, you probably might not make… You just probably get a service charge."

"That's why I enjoy shooting in Lagos because I won't say cheap, but manpower or labour is quite affordable here. You can get good artisans, local artisans."

"If you have the vision that can help you get the best. It's just that working with people in Lagos, you are going to sacrifice your sleep and your time to make it happen."

"It might save you some money, but to save your health, to go after your sleep and your health, because you have to literally work with them on every nail that is going into the wood."

"You have to watch the process of everything. But they're going to get it right. But you're actually going to have to monitor everything to actually get what you really want. So those are the downsides."