On a Thumb and a Prayer Hitch Hiking is the journey, people are the story
Advertising and Sponsor Proposal
Introduction There was time when a dirty, dreadlocked wanderer could hit the highway with his thumb in the air and best leg forward, and easily hitch a free ride from a lovely couple in their air-conditioned sedan. These days the mere thought of standing by the roadside at the mercy of strangers, makes the stomach lurch. With the World Cup looming its head, and the increasing number of media stories proclaiming that the event will be riddled by crime and misconduct (www.truecrimexpo.co.za), we aim to investigate safety and social altruism by hitchhiking from Cape Town up the coast to Durban and ending in the City of Gold. Throughout this journey we will encounter a variety of characters from Rastas in the Transkei to the man that drove the Magic Bus back in the 70’s and we’ll even drop by the Arts Festival en-route. During this social climate of heightened patriotism and foreboding we are given an opportunity to try and capture the diverse face that is South Africa.
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Travel and Entertainment From an entertainment perspective, we plan to stop en route at a variety of different locations and participate in activities that are part and parcel of the specific location. We plan to watch the various soccer games with fans at local bars, homes and community centers and so get a sense of the game and its importance. It is amazing how honest people can be with a beer and good game of sport! It is therefore, an additional aim of this project, to explore the possibilities of budget travel during one of the most costly periods in our country’s history. In terms of accommodation we plan to make use of backpackers, camping and often the kindness of strangers. We also intend to sneak our camera into one of the official fan parks to get a glimpse of the FIFA controlled festivities. This allows us to gain a completely different perspective on the World Cup events and is a lovely tension building theme that we can plant from the first day.
Project and Media Summary In short this documentary is a unique opportunity to investigate the South African social climate during an interesting period of our history. It is our hope that through this adventure, we will be able to capture both the excitement and concerns of everyday people in a honest and entertaining fashion. H o p e f u l l y o u r o b s e r vat i o n s a n d t h e interactions with our audience will lead to a clearer understanding of who we are as a whole. This documentary will be exhibited primarily online to a Digital Native audience however, media outlets such as magazines, newspapers, gazettes and radio are all ingrained in our crossplatform distribution strategy.
Our Existing Media Platforms JIP is the biggest Afrikaans youth brand in South Africa with a loyal audience hyper local relevant and unique content male and female reach Currently this site has 2000 unique visits daily. On a Thumb and a Prayer will receive and can incorporate your brand in: - Front page exposure and link to your blog - Weekly updates from our Facebook page - Photo gallery on our Facebook page (if enough photos available) - Will write an article on your journey (will be on the site) - Weekly updated comments on the article - Will link to the visited backpackers from that article - Will write articles on any interesting stories on SA cultures/ heritage/interesting experiences and give credit to your group
Vuzu is a youth channel aimed at 18 – 24 year olds from all over the continent of Africa proudly brought to you by MNet. This innovative channel, launched on 01 July 2009, is geared at increasing interactivity through locally produced content which will also be available online. It is your space where you can Meet, Share and Play. The channel, number 123 on the DSTV network, provides a continental platform for young people to have access to the best and most relevant entertainment on their phones, PCs and television sets. Touch TV is the interactive show which allows users to interact with television by using message2Tv, SMS, MMS and twitter to get their comments, messages and pictures shown on air. Facebook : 4051 Twitter: 3139
JIP is an Afrikaans youth culture newspaper supplement inserted with Beeld, Die Burger and Volksblad every Monday. Total circulation: 194,018 (Jan 2010 – March 2010 ABC) AMPS readership AB: 1,054,000 (Jun 08 - Jul 09) The JIP readers Love music, are sports mad and tech-savvy. They have a strong sense of community and family and are fun loving and not afraid to try new things Site Stats April 2010* UB: 19,135 PI: 62,558 *Nielsens Market intelligence Jip has an average of 30,000 unique visitors on www.jip.co.za per month. Facebook: 1071 fans Twitter: 573 followers MXit: 7173 subscribers Visit our blog to see who is already involved and what we are are up to. Read, watch and listen to clips and articles about the many faces of South Africa.
By going on an exploration of South Africa by Hitch-Hiking our encounters become the stories that are told on any media platform.
This media allows users to contribute to this our journey, both ideologically (views and comments) and practically (lifts, beds, parties). Click on the icon to follow the journey.
Get Involved Our online distribution platform allows for multiple opportunities for brands and agencies to become involved in a seamless manner. We can provide in-video / photograph branding, include your company in our articles or future stories, embed your company profile into our various online spaces or involve our story with one of your current media projects. Our fee structure is based on overall exposure for your brand and depending on how you want to become involved “On a Thumb and Prayer� can incorporate it into our world. This media drive is aimed at creating an audience for the Webseries which will take the form of 10, 7 minute clips to be launched late July 2010.This piece of content is only a fraction of what spinoffs will be created during this journey however it will be the video accumulation of the people and experiences. We believe that participants that were part of the journey will specifically want to watch these clips as this is where they will feature most predominantly. Our strategy is aimed at creating a community of interested, modulated audiences that range from teens (JIP, VUZU) to LSM 7-10 travelers (GETAWAY, WEG) and primarily Digital Natives that use the web as a daily tool and participate in communities that fall within their interest. If you are interested in partaking in this journey or have pricing enquiries, please contact Jozua Malherbe .
Contact: Jozua@readwrite.co.za Beer@dpk.co.za Marc.dey@gmail.com
Our Travel Plan If you have an event or program at any of these location (or somewhere in-between) and would like us to participate / cover it, contact us and lets see how we can create some synergy.
Pit stops will be made in concurrence with the world cup matches (www.fifa.com/worldcup) where we will watch specific games with fans. •
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Cape Town (11/06/2010: Kickoff – RSA vs. Mexico) • Watch the Opening Ceremonies • Braai with friends • Discussing the trip ahead Wilderness (13/06/2010: Germany vs. Australia) • Stay at an informal backpackers • Watch game on a project at one of the local’s homes. Knysna (16/06/2010: SA vs. Uruguay) • Stay with the Knysna Rasta Community • Watch game with them Jeffery’s Bay (17/06/2010: France vs. Mexico) • Stay at Island Vibe Backpackers • Watch game with them • Attempt some surfing lessons
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Port Elizabeth (22/06/2010: RSA vs. France) • Watch game at Fan Park
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Grahamstown (24/06/2010) • Stay at School Dormitory • Investigate the Festival
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Cintsa/East London (28/07/2010) • Visit South Africa’s best rated Backpackers • Watch game at backpackers
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Transkei (30/07/2010) • Visit Mdumbi backpackers and investigate site of new luxury chain hotel, and its impact on the local community.
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Durban (03/07/2010: Quarter Finals) • Stay at SPCA
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Bloemfontein (07/ 07/ 2010: Semi Finals) • Stay at a Farm
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Johannesburg (11/07/ 2010Final) • Attempt to get into a world cup game at the official stadium through unofficial means.
Presenters and Crew T his documentar y will focus on two male protagonists,who attempt this journey with R500 and a few makeshift signs. The presenters have had experience in front of cameras as actors and in documentaries. The previous documentary that was made by Beer and Jozua showed on MK Music channel as a 4 part series following the biggest rock show in South Africa around the country.. Ideally we would use a skeleton crew of three additional members in a support car that would serve as a production vehicle. It would be ideal in this scenario to make use of another camera, so that footage can be taken from a different angles and perspectives and so add further suspense to our journey. It also allows for preparations to be made at locations, prior to the presenter’s arrival.
Click on photos to take you to various personal blogs and sites... see who these people really are. Beer Adriaanse is a 25 year old musician, writer, producer, journalist and actor. He also dabbles in editing, composing, photography and has been one of few men to swim naked over the Orange River during winter. By day he’s the creative director at the events and production company, De Plate Kompanjie, and by night he plays drums for the Afrikaans folk rockers, ZinkplaaT. Since 2010 he’s been doing his M.A in Media Theory and Practice at UCT, while also writing columns for Die Kampusburger and JIP.
Marc Dey is a writer based in Cape Town, currently completing his MA in Media Theory & Practice at UCT. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English, Psychology and Greek and Roman Mythology and a Master’s Degree in Psychology. He lived and worked in South Korea, where he was involved in the script development and co-presenting a children’s educational television show. He has travelled extensively through South East Asia, China, Nepal and Sri Lanka. He also worked as a freelance technology writer for the Cape Times and is currently writing a seven-part graphic novel.
Jozua graduated from AFDA film school and became a 1st assistant director shortly afterward. Having worked with Leon Schuster, Gray Hoffmeyer, The Film Factory and Spier films, Jozua is putting that hat down for a while to pick up his first love, producing. Jozua was a founder of The Big Eyed Deer Network and started NGage productions for Waterfront Post. Currently doing Business Development for Cab Films Jozua is focussing on where media is going starting new enterprises in the New Media, feature film and television spheres.
Kelly currently works as a freelance production coordinator with previous experience at Fremantle Media in London. She has a Communications Degree in Audio Visual Production Management from RAU (the University of Johannesburg) and has completed various media courses in an attempt to gain a broad knowledge of the industry. Kelly is currently developing various media projects with a focus on digital media and hopes to launch a daily podcast in the near future.
Elsa Glenn Sound/ Production Elsa Glenn is a drama editor who has been working in Cape Town since 2004. Local work includes ‘Interrogation Room’, ‘Known Gods’, ‘Montana’, ‘Geraldina die Tweede’ and ‘URBO: the Adventures of Pax Afrika’. Her most recent international work is Disney’s “Florrie’s Dragons”. She has also written screenplays and pitches. She is currently doing her Masters in Media Theory and Practice at UCT.
Sorrel Adams Camera Born and educated in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands Sorrel was bitten by the film bug after doing her school work experience at a film company in Cape Town. An experienced amateur photographer, Sorrel spent a year traveling and working in the UK. She now has an undergraduate degree in psychology, anthropology and film and is currently doing her honours in film studies at the University of Cape Town.
Anna Sacco Sound/Editing Anna Sacco (M.A) studied Philosophy, Ancient History and Economic Policy in Germany and Mexico and is currently completing another MA in Media Theory & Practice at UCT. She worked with several newspaper and radio stations, both in Rome and Berlin, and co-hosted a cultural Italian radio show in Germany. Anna has travelled extensively through Middle and South America and calls several European countries home. Due to her own migration background, her writings often deal with cultural identity and boundaries.
In Closing This is a documentary that has not yet been made in South Africa post 1994. Hitch Hiking is the hook to get audiences involved and excited, and who knows, even to join in. Our attempt at finding interesting stories to somehow make sense of our society is something that South African artists have tried and failed with for decades. Taking inspiration from fellows like Obie Oberholzer and David Goldblatt we believe that there is a sincerity and enduring belief in this country and its people. If we are able to bring that message across and have audiences enjoy the entertainment we present then we would have succeeded in our task as film-makers, story tellers and academics. Technology is offering us another unique opportunity and as media agnostics we hope to make use of this media rich culture that allows communication with anybody at almost any time. If we can utilize these tools correctly the exposure for our supporters, investors and suppliers is great. We hope that you come on this trip with us.