The film colorist and DaVinci Resolve Certified trainer recounts his unexpected journey from solving a production challenge to building a thriving career in color grading.
Bobola Oniwura on Crafting Cohesive Visual Stories in Nollywood
Film is a sensory experience, and color is its most immediate language—speaking first to the eyes, then to the emotions. Yet in Nollywood, the role of the colorist remains one of the least discussed, despite its profound impact on storytelling. These post-production artists shape the mood, tone, and emotional arc of a film by adjusting saturation, luminance, and hue to create distinct visual styles that reflect time, place, and feeling.
Bobola Oniwura is one of the few who has mastered this craft. A film colorist, educator, and creative director with over a decade of experience, he currently leads the color team at Ingenuity Pictures. His credits include some of Nollywood’s most successful titles: A Tribe Called Judah, King of Boys: The Return of the King, Battle on Buka Street, and Finding Me.
In an exclusive interview with The Nollywood Reporter, Bobola shared his unconventional journey into color grading. “We don’t simply add color,” he explains. “We shape light, emotion, and continuity so the audience can enjoy the story.” For him, the goal isn’t to mimic Hollywood aesthetics but to celebrate African skin tones, culture, landscapes, and weather through a uniquely Nigerian visual lens.
His path began in 2013 while serving as Creative Director at Afrinolly. Faced with industry-wide concerns about poor visual quality in Nollywood films, Bobola led an initiative to invest in professional-grade color grading tools, spending over $45,000 on software, consoles, and monitors. When early efforts fell short, he moved his office into the grading suite and taught himself the craft from scratch. What started as a technical experiment soon became a calling.
Bobola draws inspiration from global colorists like Stefan Sonnenfeld, Tom Poole, and Craig Simonetti, admiring their ability to balance drama, detail, and naturalism. Locally, he’s moved by Nigerian filmmakers who deliver powerful stories under tight constraints. “Color grading isn’t just about polish,” he says. “It’s about honoring story, mood, and culture.”
Despite his success, Bobola acknowledges the challenges of working in Nollywood: unreliable infrastructure, compressed timelines, and limited access to calibrated equipment. “I’ve learned to build efficient workflows and invest in redundancy,” he shares. “But the real magic happens when directors and cinematographers involve the colorist early. That’s when visual consistency and storytelling truly align.”
His most demanding project to date was A Tribe Called Judah. With scenes spanning markets, interiors, and nightscapes, the challenge was maintaining a coherent visual tone while preserving the film’s raw energy. Bobola tackled it by grading key sequences first to establish emotional baselines, then refining the look across the film—a process he calls “look blocks.” “It was grueling,” he admits, “but the end result was a box-office record-shattering film that resonated both locally and internationally.”
Before starting any project, Bobola begins by understanding the director’s vision. He builds a show LUT (Look-Up Table) to guide the tone, then moves through shot matching, creative grading, and final deliverables for cinema, TV, and streaming. “Collaboration is where the magic happens,” he emphasizes.
To aspiring filmmakers, Bobola offers this advice: “Don’t let the word ‘technical’ intimidate you. Color grading is both science and art. Yes, mastering the tools is crucial, but trusting your eye and instincts matters just as much. Build confidence by experimenting—short films, music videos, anything that lets you try new looks and push boundaries. Seek mentors, join communities, take workshops, and keep learning. Don’t wait for opportunity; create your own space to grow.”
Looking ahead, he’s excited about projects that push the boundaries of scale and storytelling, including one set in the scenic landscapes of Northern Nigeria.
When he isn’t working on industry-defining titles, Bobola makes time to enjoy films and series. “Over the summer I watched To Kill a Monkey, Sinners, F1, and Nobody 2. On my watch list, I’ve kept up with series like Chief of War and House of the Dragon to study how large productions handle visual continuity. And of course, I always make time for Nollywood films on streaming platforms—I recently saw A Lagos Love Story and After 30. It’s important to see where the industry is heading and how my peers are shaping its future.”
For Bobola, the message is clear: post-production matters. More than just the polish, it is the unseen hand that allows color to speak the language of Nollywood’s stories.