Nigerian music video director ThankGod Omori, popularly known as TG Omori, has disclosed that some of the music videos he has directed have required production budgets exceeding $100,000.
Omori made the disclosure during an interview on the Afropolitan podcast published on YouTube on Wednesday, where he discussed the financial demands of producing music videos, particularly projects filmed outside Nigeria.
The director explained that filmmakers are often cautious about making their production budgets public because costs can vary significantly depending on the creative concept, location and logistical requirements of each project.
According to Omori, international productions tend to be considerably more expensive, especially when filming in major US cities such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
He said expenses associated with shooting in the United States include insurance, labour and other location-related costs, with the overall budget rising further because payments are made in dollars.
“Most times if we’re shooting abroad, it’s actually more expensive,” Omori said, explaining that some of his projects in Las Vegas and Los Angeles had required substantially larger budgets.
“At the end of the day, you’re paying in dollars, and sometimes it goes way above a hundred thousand dollars,” he added.
When asked whether he was referring to individual music videos costing more than $100,000, Omori responded that this was the case “most times.”
The filmmaker also revealed that he had directed several music videos in Nigeria with budgets of around $100,000. However, he said the same level of spending can generate greater value when a production is carried out locally because production expenses are comparatively lower.
“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,” he said.
Omori contrasted this with productions undertaken abroad, where a significant portion of the budget can be absorbed by operational and service costs, leaving directors and production teams with less room for profit.
He further highlighted the role of Nigerian artisans in helping filmmakers execute ambitious production designs without incurring the same costs associated with international crews.
The director said local craftsmen can produce high-quality work when they are given clear creative direction and closely supervised throughout the process.
However, he noted that the lower labour costs come with another challenge: directors may have to devote considerable time and energy to overseeing the work.
Omori said filmmakers working with local artisans sometimes have to monitor even minor aspects of construction and set production to ensure the final result matches the intended design.
While such an approach can reduce expenses, he acknowledged that it can also come at the expense of the director’s time, rest and wellbeing.
For Omori, the choice of production location therefore involves more than simply comparing budgets, as factors such as labour, insurance, logistics, creative control and the amount of supervision required can all significantly affect the final cost of a music video.
