By Olawunmi Aranmolate
Talking to Prince Akpa, you quickly sense that filmmaking goes beyond a job for him. It’s a mix of instinct, curiosity, and a drive to keep experimenting. Editing, directing, and colour grading have all folded into his process, creating a style that’s sharp yet full of emotion.
Here, he opens up about how it all began, the projects that shaped him, and the ways he’s finding his voice in Nigeria’s fast-growing film and music video space.
What first drew you into film, and how did you evolve into wearing the hats of director, editor, and colourist?
What really pulled me in was watching Cole Bennett’s music videos on YouTube. Seeing how he could do so much with little to nothing made me feel like, “Yeah, I can try this too.” That pushed me to start experimenting. Editing was my entry point, just cutting clips together and figuring out rhythm. After that, I picked up a camera and started shooting myself, which opened me up to directing. Colour came years later, when I wanted even more control over the mood and atmosphere.
Each role carries a different kind of power over storytelling. Which one feels most defining to you, and why?
Editing defines me the most. It’s where everything comes together—the performance, visuals, pacing, and emotion. You can completely change a story in the edit. It’s like sculpting; you chip away until the piece reveals itself. Colour comes close too, because it sets the tone and mood, but editing is where I feel most like myself.
Your work has a strong visual mood. How do you approach creating that “feel” through editing and colour?
I think of the emotion first. Is it raw, calm, chaotic, colourful? Once I know that, I let it guide the pacing and rhythm in the edit, then push the grade to match that energy. Sometimes I use references, but most times I just trust my gut and let the footage tell me where to go.
Was there a project where your input completely reshaped the outcome — where your vision behind the scenes shifted everything?
Yeah, Follow Her by Blaqbonez ft. Kizz Daniel. Lensgod directed, and I was his second pair of eyes on set, helping refine shots as we went. After that, I handled the edit, colour, and VFX compositing. It was a real team effort, but piecing everything together on my side helped bring the vision to life the way we imagined it.
Filmmaking is deeply collaborative. How do you align your vision with artists, DOPs, and other creatives while still keeping your own touch?
For me, it starts with listening. I try to understand what the director or artist wants to feel from the project, then I translate that into the edit or grade. I don’t force my style. I look for the overlap between their vision and mine. That way, the project stays true to them, but I can still add my fingerprint.
What excites you about the direction of the Nigerian film and music video space, especially for editors and colourists who aren’t always in the spotlight?
The growth is exciting. Nigerian visuals are getting more global attention, and editors and colourists are starting to be recognised as part of what makes the work stand out. There’s so much room to experiment and push boundaries. It feels like the space is opening up for people like us to really shine.
If you could create one project with no limits or rules, what would you pour yourself into?
I’d love to create a long-form music film, something that blends narrative and performance, almost like a visual album but cinematic. It would give me room to bring together editing, directing, and colour in one full expression.
For Prince Akpa, editing, directing, and colour are not separate paths but connected expressions of the same vision. What began as curiosity has become a body of work defined by instinct, collaboration, and a constant push to expand what is possible. His story is still unfolding, but one thing is clear: the pieces will always come together in his hands.
