People Should See Christian Films As A Source Of Deliverance - Praise Oladapo

Written by Duncan Saturday, 14 November 2009

What is Vineyard all about?
Vineyard is like a marketing outlet where we market Christian films and it also has an arm called Vineyard Films Production where we produce and market films for the public. Initially, we started with marketing of Christian films like Mount Zion Films and others. It was later I discovered that I too can  produce my own films that will really bless the people, after I had produced a series of films for Christian artistes and apart from this, as a marketer, I also do directing; I now used my both directing and producing skills to start producing films that will carry the Vineyard’s label, which is Vineyard Films Production.

How many films have you produced?
So far so good, in the area of marketing, we have been able to market a lot of films, but when we talk of production, what we have is Asiri Ogun.  Asiri Ogun is the first project that is coming out from the Vineyard Films Production.
How much did this film, Asiri Ogun, cost you in terms of production?

Well, Asiri Ogun is a big project, but I   won’t like to mention  when it comes to money. I always tell people  that whenever you are producing a film, always try to go for the best and when you go for the best, it helps you to keep the standard. You go for the best in terms of camera, go for the best in terms of actors, look for best cameraman, look for best location and when you do that, though it costs a lot of money, at the end of the day, people who watch the film will appreciate the quality.

What message do you want to pass to the public in Asiri Ogun?
Asiri  Ogun  explains the secret of problems that people are facing. Asiri Ogun is a film that tells a true life story. And by the grace of God, we received some of these true life stories from Pastor Segun Olatunji when he was still the Managing Director of the Nigerian Tribune. When he gave me this story, through the wisdom of God and as a producer, I now put them into pictures. In a nutshell, Asiri Ogun is about people’s life experience. There is a particular man in that film who is a graduate. He has a problem for so many years and could not solve it until the secret behind his problem gets exposed. That was when he gets delivered. I can say that Asiri Ogun is a film that can set people who have problems free from their bondage when they watch it, because they will definitely pray. People who are suffering without knowing the source of their problems, if they watch the film, they will understand that the next thing for them to do is to pray to God so as to be rescued  from such problems.

Is it the fact that there was not much profit in marketing films that made you delve into production?
As a marketer, I discovered that a lot of producers come around us. We are visible to all producers. They do come to our office and we do things hand-in-hand. But going into production  was because I discovered that  the area of prayer has not really been harnessed. So, as a pastor, I deemed it fit along with other pastors like Pastor  Olatunji, and we gathered together to put pictures in place, and added prayers to it. So, when people watch the visual, they will now add prayer to it and make it a real avenue for them to watch and pray. I want to have a total deliverance through Christian films because most Christian film producers do not focuse on the area of prayer and deliverance. It is because of this that I decided to take the bull by the horns and make sure that Christian films are  not  a matter of joke or laughter, rather  people should see it as a source of deliverance.

Why do you stick to marketing and producing Christian films alone?
I discovered that in this life, one has to be known for something. If you are not ready to die for something, you will definitely die for nothing. As for me, I have built my ground on marketing. Even when Christian films production was not popular, when a lot of people were not involved in it, that was when I came in. Because then, I discovered that people wanted to watch Christian films and in order to get the whole world watching it, a group of people must have that desire burning in them, and that was how Vineyard came into existence. As I have said, Christian films must  deliver people from their problems and the message must also teach moral. Moreso, as a pastor, I need to market or produce films that have to do with the word of God.

How has the experience been in the production of Asiri Ogun?
It has been a very tough production. In the course of production of Asiri Ogun film, there were lots of attacks both at the location and in the office. But we thank God, it was all successful.

Tell us about your background?
Well, my name is Pastor Oluwasuyi Praise Oladapo. I’m from Ondo town in Ondo State. I’m a person who comes from a two-tribe parents. My father is a Yoruba man while my mother is an Igbo lady. I have the military background because I went to a military school. My father happened to be one of the personal assistants to vice president under General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime. I gained admission into the Ondo State Polytechnic, Owo, where I studied Business Management.  Before now, I have gone to learn about movie production, marketing films that are basically Christian films. From there, I was able to end up in mapping out this marketing network which I called Vineyard. Most of my family members are military officers. I’m the only pastor in the family and I have worked in different ministries. Right now, I’m pastoring at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, but my full time ministry is reaching out to the public through the production of Christian films.