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6th Annual South African Film & Television Awards ‘Celebrating South African Talent’
10 & 11 March 2012
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Cape locations deadlock The long standoff between the Cape Film Commission (CFC) and two industry bodies, the Commercial Producers Association (CPA) and the South African Association of Stills Producers (SAASP), regarding locations issues continues following a CFCinitiated Locations Forum held on 10 January.
Minister talks SABC, DTT South Africa’s longawaited commercial launch of digital terrestrial television (DTT) will not take place in April this year as previously announced by government, but will only likely happen in the third quarter of 2012, according to recently appointed Minister of Communications Dina Pule. The Minister presented a progress report of the country’s DTT project as well as her plans for the beleaguered South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) at a press conference in Pretoria in late January, after her third month in office. – to page 40
Originally scheduled for December, the meeting was called in response to a petition circulated by the CPA and SAASP asking City of Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille to urgently address the film industry locations crisis. The petition was signed by almost 1 500 people in the Cape Town industry and specifically requested that the CFC be excluded from discussions with government. According to CFC commissioner Denis Lillie, the Locations Forum was intended “to find out directly from the industry what was going on and whether there was indeed a crisis. It gave us some insight into the frustrations of booking film permits.” The Forum was attended by
about 30 industry stakeholders, with no representation from the CPA or SAASP. SAASP’s Gavin Levy explains why SAASP and CPA did not attend the Forum: “At a meeting with Western Cape MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism Alan Winde, it was agreed by the CFC that they would play no part in locations, and therefore the fact that there is a CFC Locations Forum simply reiterates the contradictory and confusing stance the CFC takes. “There is a long standing Locations Committee spearheaded by the Cape Town Film Permit Office (CTFPO), which we belong to, to which the CFC is regularly invited, and indeed which the commissioner has claimed in writing to know nothing about. – to page 41
Waterfront Studios acquired, still trading Following the shock announcement of the provisional liquidation of well known Cape Town facility Waterfront Studios (WFS) late last year, the company’s assets have been purchased to enable it to continue trading. Autumn Star Trading 905 (Pty) Ltd, trading as Collective Dream, purchased the assets of WFS effective 1 January 2012. The facility will continue trading in much the same way as before. Collective Dream is part of a
large family business that comprises a group of 24 companies. MD Sean Else explains: “The name and brand represent our shared dream and passion for creating content in different media. This ‘collective dream’ underlies the value and importance we place on teamwork and the power of imagination. Our Collective Dream brand and logo, first used on our recent successful feature film Platteland, is now the new name for WFS.” – to page 40
PHOTO by: Kelly Walsh courtesy of Tandem Productions GMBH &
BROADCAST, FILM, COMMERCIAL, NEW MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY NEWS
VOL 24 – February 2012 R35.00
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FRANCE IN CAPE TOWN – John Hurt as Audric Baillard in the four-part series Labyrinth. See page 6.
SABC tech brain drain The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) faces a serious shortage of skills in its technology departments as a number of long time staffers are due to retire in the next few years, with others considering early retirement. Sources within the SABC say that the broadcaster’s on-going financial and executive management crisis has engendered a feeling of uncertainty in the technology departments and stunted the development of new skills. In addition important technology projects have been stalled due to executive level indecision All this occurs at the critical time when the broadcaster is facing its biggest technology challenge – the migration from analogue broadcasting to digital
terrestrial television (DTT). “We now have a situation where there is a huge gap between technicians of 30 years and under who are very promising but need mentoring and further training, and experienced people of 45 and over, many of whom have built up the SABC’s technology infrastructure since the late 1970s when TV was introduced to South Africa. “What is missing is the ‘engine room’ – people between the ages of 30 and 45. The SABC can’t match external salaries so a lot of skilled, experienced people are leaving,” said one staffer who did not wish to be named. He pointed out that once all the skilled staff leave, the broadcaster will have no option but to import consultancy skills from abroad. “This will obviously be an expensive process and you will still need to acquire appropriately – to page 40
From the editor
Anonymous! It’s not the most satisfying thing to write a news story without naming the people quoted but it was necessary in our front page story on public broadcaster SABC’s technology brain drain. All those quoted were understandably concerned about the potential backlash of being named in the article. But lack of names aside, what they report is a dire situation, and one that’s not really been touched on by the media before. Of course there are dozens of stories every month about the SABC’s ongoing financial and managerial crises but the technology side of the broadcaster has always seemed stable and functional. And now, with most of the experienced and highly skilled staff due to leave or take retirement, who will handle the machinery of the SABC’s broadcasting operations? Another front page story – about the Cape locations deadlock – is also depressing and even more so than it seems. This is because a very similar story on the same situation featured in Screen Africa last April – which means that nothing has really changed. In the meantime, productions in Cape Town continue to be hampered by difficulties around access to locations. On the bright side, it’s reassuring to read, in another front page article, that Waterfront Studios, which filed for provisional liquidation late last year, has been acquired and continues to function. We trust its future will be much happier than its recent past. This issue includes a fascinating report on the Dubai International Film Festival, to which Screen Africa received an invitation. Linda Loubser provides a personal perspective on this exciting event and reports on the stars and famous filmmakers who attended. Technology is a big focus of this issue, as in all Screen Africa issues. Andy Stead gives the low down on the latest in the outside broadcast sector and reports on how film and TV studios have found the past year. All those South Africans involved in film and TV production are gearing up for the industry’s biggest awards event, the SAFTAS, which takes place on 10 and 11 March. This issue includes a retrospective of the history of this important event and looks into the ideology behind the design of the SAFTAS trophy, the coveted Golden Horn. Joanna Sterkowicz
SCREENAFRICA Editor: Joanna Sterkowicz: editor@screenafrica.com
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Contents
4
34
12
24
SPECIAL FEATURES STUDIOS
Joburg’s own film festival;
Studios – the land of
The Côte d’Azur in
make-believe................................. 24
Cape Town?..................................... 6
Jasco’s big deal................................4
39 Data X-plosion!........................... 22 A camera for all seasons........... 23
SPECIAL FOCUS
Studio listings........... 26 / 27/ 28
Culinary escapades get real.........8
OUTSIDE BROADCAST
COMMERCIALS
An OB way of life;
Staying ahead of the
The ‘go-to guys’................ 30 / 31
commercials curve...................... 12
A company with backbone;
Inspiring change –
AMAA’s aggressive
Simply the best for OB
one PSA at a time....................... 14
marketing strategy;
and ENG....................................... 32
Movie stars, filmmakers descend on Middle East.. 34 / 35 Growing interest in African films................................. 35
AFRICA
Zim director’s second
FILM
doccie feature.............................. 38
SAFTAS
The ‘tokoloshe’ creeps
No grey area for Rwandan film;
The Golden Horn Story........... 36
around Orange Farm;
US run for Kinyarwanda............ 39
The highest Film and TV accolade.................................. 37
A transgressive tale.................... 16
TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
REGULARS Adcetera............................ 10 / 11 Audience Ratings......................... 46
NEWS
Like a Thunderbolt from the blue;
Vital Stats...................................... 46
Cape locations deadlock;
3D doc reaches peak;
Production
SABC tech brain drain; Minister
The grass is greener; Pablo gets ‘tattooed’................... 18
Updates......... 42 / 43 / 44 / 45
talks SABC, DTT; Waterfront Studios acquired.............................1
Panasonic flexes 3D muscles
Film school produces
for Olympics; World first – 4K
14 TV docs; Design gets filmic;
handheld camcorder; The really
African Film Festival moves
wide angle; Efficiency in radio
to Cordoba...................................... 3
transmission................................. 20
Events............................................. 46 Social.............................................. 48
| NEWS
Film school produces 14 TV docs The Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking is currently producing 14 documentaries that have been commissioned by South African broadcasters e.tv, Mzansi Magic and Mindset. In other big news Big Fish has enrolled two Khoisan students from the Northern Cape. These students, along with a current second year student, are believed to be the first ever Khoisan film students in South Africa. “For the first time Khoisan people will tell their own stories on film,” says Big Fish CEO Melanie Chait. “Traditionally we’ve struggled to get film students from the Northern Cape. Last year e.tv commissioned us to do a documentary on Pops Mohamed who works with the Khoisan. Catherine Miller, mentor on e.tv films and head of production for Big Fish’s production company Little Pond, was tasked to find potential candidates from the Northern Cape. Six people applied and after a stringent application process we accepted two of them. “Helena Busakwe and Cheron Steenkamp have no previous film experience but are passionate about
FIRST KHOISAN STUDENT – Prudence Cloete
the medium and have wonderful stories to tell. “Last year we discovered that one of our students in Cape Town, Prudence Cloete, is in fact Khoisan when she presented her film project on the Khoisan and Nama people. Her father is one of the guys who buried Saartjie Baartman’s bones when they were returned to South Africa.”
All three students are fully sponsored. An encouraging recent trend is that many paying students are also applying to Big Fish. “This is very exciting for us because the mix of bursary and paying students is breaking down the legacy of apartheid. And, as our students come from such different backgrounds from all over South Africa, it means that Big Fish produces diverse content, like the 14 documentaries we are currently producing,” says Chait. Free-to-air broadcaster e.tv put out a brief for five 23-minute documentaries last year and Big Fish was commissioned to do three of them. In addition five 15-minute documentaries have been commissioned for DStv’s Mindset learning channel and six half-hour documentaries are to be produced for DStv’s local content channel, Mzansi Magic. The 15-minute documentary commissions are given to second year students from Big Fish’s DStv MultiSkills Programme, while the half-hour films are given to more advanced students from the DStv Grooming Exceptional Students Programme.
Design gets filmic The African première of Urbanized, the final film in the Gary Hustwit design trilogy, will take place at the third annual Design Indaba Filmfest, which unfolds at the Labia on Orange in Cape Town from 19 February to 4 March. Among the other titles to screen are How Much Does Your Building Weigh Mr Foster? (about architect Norman Foster); Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff; and El Bulli, in which famous chef Ferran Adria and his team develop a new menu for the one of the world’s best restaurants. According to Design Indaba’s Nicole Chowles, the Filmfest serves as a warm-up for the Design Indaba Expo & Conference, where the best in global creative design will be exhibited and discussed at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). “The Filmfest was created in response to a call for a more accessible platform to spread the message of design creativity to a wider audience beyond our world renowned Design Indaba Conference,” says Chowles. Film topics cover creative disciplines ranging from design, advertising and architecture to art, music and theatre. Chowles continues: “There are a minimum of 10 feature length films and they come from many different countries including the US, UK, Holland,
CHILDREN POWER – A DStv kids’ workshop in progress
Germany and South Africa. Tickets will be available through computicket and the programme will be posted on www. designindaba.com.” She notes that two sessions in the Design Indaba Conference may interest Screen Africa readers. American music video director Chris Milk will talk about his work and upcoming debut feature film, while London-based United Visual Artists will discuss their work for alternative band Massive Attack. Pay-TV broadcaster DStv will be at the Design Indaba Expo with the everpopular DStv kids’ workshops. Says co-ordinator Lisa da Costa: “This regular DStv-sponsored feature has been newly rebranded as the D.I.Y. (Design Indaba Youth) Zone to appeal to teenagers and older kids too. There will
be workshops with courses on robotics, poster design and street art taught by talented practitioners. Kids are taught a few principles and then left to make their own creations to take home with them. “Among our visitors are little people with big and bright eyes, ready to soak up stimulating information communicated to them in their language. These are the future designers!” notes Da Costa. DStv has also returned as a sponsor of the expo’s Events Arena for 2012, which will host 10 daily fashion shows, music comedy and theatrical performances in the evenings and short Pecha Kucha-style presentations by dynamic speakers. For the first time Screen Africa is an official media supporter of Design Indaba and this issue will be distributed at the event.
African Film Festival moves to Cordoba The African Film Festival (Festival de cine Africana, or FCAT) in Spain will move from the town of Tarifa, where it’s been hosted since 2004, to the historic city of Cordoba this year. Festival director Mane Cisneros made the announcement at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) in December, shortly after the new contract had been signed by Al Tarab, the NGO behind FCAT. The 2012 festival, from 13 to 21 October, will screen more than 120 films. “It’s important to us that the number of films remains stable and that the festival reflects the production of film that takes place in Africa, as well as the evolution of film in French, English and Portuguese speaking Africa,” noted Cisneros. She explained the reason for the move: “Tarifa is a very small town and was chosen because of its symbolic value as the city in Spain that’s closest to Africa. We wanted to stay in Tarifa, but the economy in Spain has changed. Tarifa has no cinemas and lacks infrastructure which has economic implications for the festival. We looked for a new place with the same symbolic value, but also infrastructure, so that the festival can consolidate and grow.” “Cordoba has always been a meeting point of cultures and a city of tolerance with three religions living together in peace. The city, like Africa which is often seen as an invisible continent, also represents places in Spain that are not well known.” The change to Cordoba will also mean a change in the content of the festival. “As homage to the Arab heritage of the city we will be adding content from the Middle East in the form of a retrospective curated by DIFF. However, changes in content will come slowly and the city will allow us to give more visibility to African cinema specifically.” – Linda Loubser
February 2012 | SCREENAFRICA | 3
NEWS |
Joburg’s own film festival F
ollowing a development period of seven months, the inaugural Jozi Film Festival comes to life at two Johannesburg venues from 10 to 12 February. Says the festival’s Brendon Burmester: “We felt there was a need to showcase local filmmakers to everyday South Africans because most film festivals in the country only attract art house audiences. The Jozi Film Festival aims to change that. “Because it’s a new event it proved challenging to find sponsors. But we managed to secure some great sponsors and we are extremely grateful to them.” The festival organisers received over 60 entries from established and newcomer filmmakers. Among the 55 titles to screen are Man on Ground, Long Street, Retribution, Forerunners, How to Steal 2 Million, Semi-Soet, RKF in the Land of Apartheid, Imam and I, I Mike What I Like, My
Hunter’s Heart, The Battle for Johannesburg, Tengers, Punk in Africa, State of Violence and Ticket eSandleni. Screening venues include The Bioscope on Fox Street and The Kensington Club in Ivanhoe Street. There will be free screenings at the latter. Filmmakers will have the opportunity to network at the festival. There will also be provocative Q&A sessions with the filmmakers in attendance as well as a number of workshops. Competition categories include: Best Feature Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Fiction Short, Best Student Film and an Audience Choice Award. The winner of Best Feature Film will receive a one-year unlimited music license from Final Mix Online (cleared across all media, in perpetuity) while Best Documentary Film and Best Fiction Short winners will each receive an unlimited music license for a single
SA FILMS RULE! – The Battle for Johannesburg
Jasco’s big deal
J
ohannesburg-based Jasco Broadcast Solutions recently signed an agreement with global brand Object Matrix to bring the MatrixStore digital archiving and storage solution to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. “A major trend within the broadcast community locally and internationally is a move towards digital file format broadcasting as well as high definition (HD) and stereoscropic 3D. These formats all create huge data files that need to be stored securely. “The MatrixStore solution is the ideal product for the African market, as it is priced to appeal to smaller production and post-production houses, while still providing all of the required features and functionality,” says Steve Lauter, sales manager, Jasco Broadcast Solutions. The company’s reseller agreement with Cardiff-based Object Matrix complements its experienced team and enhances the company’s suite of solutions. MatrixStore’s highly secure scalable clustered storage system provides high availability with automatic fail-over and protection of content along with the ability to tag items with metadata for searching, and is easy to scale by adding storage nodes in a ‘just-in-time’ fashion. With the Interplay plug in MatrixStore enables users to easily install and use Interplay, take advantage of Avid’s web services and gain low cost entry level access, without the need for Avid’s Archive Manager. “The MatrixStore solution integrates seamlessly with Avid workflows, which is a big selling point for Jasco. As the official representatives for Avid in the SADC region, this Avid-specific interfacing was very important to further enhance a tailored solution. By adding the Object Matrix product to our line up, including the Avid Interplay archiving plug in, we are now able to deliver a more comprehensive offering to our clients, which includes affordable storage and archiving,” Lauter adds. Says Nick Pearce, co-founder of Object Matrix: “When looking to expand internationally, we approached Avid to find out which partners they would recommend working with. Jasco Broadcast Solutions came highly recommended by Avid for the region, with a sound reputation for excellence and a thorough knowledge of the market. After approaching them and seeing the synergies and cultural similarities between our organisations, we selected them as the ideal representative for our products. “Until now digital broadcast storage has been prohibitively expensive and post-production houses are looking for more cost effective options. The MatrixStore product is ideal for the African market as it is not just a cost effective solution, it is also highly robust and resilient and fits neatly into the broadcasting environment by integrating with the tools that editors and post-production artists use,” he adds. 4 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Ticket eSandleni
Retribution
production. The recipient of the Audience Choice Award wins an all-expenses paid dinner for six at Joburg’s trendy Darkie Café. A category for mobile films had been included but is postponed until the 2013 event as the sponsor pulled out. Wits School of Arts Film and TV Division is providing technical support for the festival and promoting it to its students and other universities. It will host a series of seminars between screenings. “We expect to have about 500 visitors to the festival over the three days,” notes Burmester. “The number may be higher judging by the enthusiastic response we’ve received from those who have heard about
the festival.” Three main themes – Fringe Festival, Developing Local Film and Making Local Film Accessible to All – characterise the 2012 event. Plans are to run next year’s festival over three weekends and to hold satellite festivals in areas such as Orange Farm or Alexandra, depending on sponsorship and interest by those communities. “This festival forms an integral part of the budding art scene in Johannesburg and we are very proud to be a part of the revival of Jozi. I would encourage as many people as possible to make the most of this event and come and see what amazing talent we have,” adds Burmester.
26895 sony MCS-8M ol.indd 1
2012/01/20 9:05 AM
NEWS |
The Côte d’Azur… in Cape Town? South Africa’s first ever back-lot set was built in Cape Town recently to accommodate the $20m international television drama, Labyrinth.
A
four-part series based on Kate Mosse’s best-selling novel of the same name, Labyrinth is produced Scott Free Productions (the company formed by famed British filmmakers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott) and Munich-based Tandem Communications. The South African co-production partner is Cape Town-based Film Afrika. Labyrinth takes audiences on a compelling journey through the present day south of France (Côte d’Azur) and the dark, tortured landscape of the Crusades and Cathar massacre of medieval times. The series, which is scheduled for worldwide release this year, was directed by Christopher Smith (Black Death, Triangle) and adapted by award-winning writer, Adrian Hodges (Primeval, Rome, The Last King). It stars Tom Felton (Harry Potter franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes); Tony Curran (X-Men: First Class, The Adventures of Tintin); John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows); Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The First Avenger, Gossip Girl); Jessica Brown-Findlay (Downtown Abbey, Misfits); Vanessa Kirby (The Hour, Great Expectations); and Johannesburg-born Janet Suzman (Nicholas and Alexandra, Midsomer Murders).
PHOTOs by: Kelly Walsh courtesy of Tandem Productions GMBH & Film Afrika Worldwide (Pty) Limited South Africa
By Karen van Schalkwyk
FRENCH FOREIGN REGION – Vanessa Kirby as Alice Tanner
African crew, a cost analysis shows that local rates are becoming expensive,” he says.
Budget-savvy
Epic tale Scott Free creative producer Chris Hall explains how the project came about. “We optioned the rights to the novel and felt it should be a television series rather than a feature film. It is an episodic tale that takes place over the course of 800 years and intertwines the lives of two female protagonists. We decided that a four hour mini-series would do the most justice to the story.” According to Hall the scale of the production was very ambitious. “The script has parallel storylines and required a big cast – it was almost like making two movies. A big advantage of shooting in South Africa is that we required a lot of extras and it is cheaper to employ them here than in France or the UK.” Hall adds that the series is in ‘fantastic hands’ with the director, Christopher Smith as well as South African-born BAFTA-nominated composer Trevor Jones (Notting Hill, How to Steal 2 Million) and director of photography, Robert Humphreys (The Hunter, Triangle) and 6 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Emun Elliott as Guilhem Du Mas, Tom Felton as Viscount Trencavel, Danny Keogh as Bertrand Pelletier
Emmy-nominated casting director, Charlotte Holdich (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles). This is the first time that Scott Free has worked with Tandem Communications. “They have a very impressive record and produced award winning shows like The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End,” notes Hall. “Working with producer Moritz Polter was a fantastic experience as he has an exceptional way of doing things.”
Prime location Labyrinth was initially scheduled to be shot in France but it proved too expensive. Hall explains: “We decided to shoot in
Cape Town because it could work as the south of France. South Africa has a wonderful capacity to be a world in one country. We also shot at the Cape Town Film Studios (CTFS), which was fantastic. Our production design team built a back-lot set of the village of Carcassonne with the aim that it would last for up to 10 years so that other productions may utilise it.” Polter explains that initially the producers also considered shooting in the Czech Republic and Romania but opted for South Africa instead. “We have also worked with Film Afrika before and have a strong relationship with them. While we still remain very impressed with South
Although it is a big budget production, Polter stresses that it was necessary to keep things tight and well structured. “We move from medieval times to the modern world and this means double the amount of costumes, sets and locations.” Film Afrika producer Vlokkie Gordon confirms that they have a strong working relationship with Scott Free and Tandem Communications. “We have worked with both companies in the past. When they asked us if they could create 12th century France, we immediately said yes. The challenge was to create the time periods and plan the project so as to deliver the high quality expected while staying within budget. “A big advantage for foreign producers who want to shoot in South Africa is that there is no longer a cap on the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) rebate. This makes us much more competitive as a film destination and if you combine that with the weaker rand, the quality of our crews, the CTFS and versatile locations, we are in a very strong position and are the new kid on the block, so to speak.” Some of the locations Film Afrika had to recreate for Labyrinth include the Vatican City, an archaeological dig on the West Bank and an American civil war site.
Culinary escapades get real
NEWS |
Massive logistics are required to capture all the action in MasterChef South Africa, produced for pay-TV broadcaster M-Net by Curious Pictures and Lucky Bean Media.
I
n a first for the hit international MasterChef format, the South African version is currently shooting in a pavilion in a picturesque wineland setting. All other MasterChef series are shot in studios. The pavilion is situated in Paarl, Western Cape, and belongs to Nederbug, one of the show’s sponsors. “I particularly wanted to set the series in the Western Cape as my research indicated that this is the best location for a South African cooking show. Our beautiful Paarl setting allows us to move between exterior and interior scenes more easily,” says M-Net’s senior commissioning editor Anne Davis. The MasterChef set is hugely complex, with multiple kitchens and interview areas. According to series director Donald Clarke of Lucky Bean Media, who is producing the show with Curious Pictures’ Mariki van der Walt, the Nederburg pavilion had to be re-modelled completely to make it shoot-ready. Says Clarke: “We custom built a facade to suit the MasterChef look and feel and remodelled the entrance. Besides creating a control room, the space had to accommodate a huge preparation kitchen. The floor had to be levelled and re-laid with a custom floor from Rhoms Timberworld. Underneath is a grid of electrical points that allow us to change the configuration of the cooking stations at will. “Temperatures in Paarl reach the 40 degree mark in summer so we had to fit massive air-conditioning units that will manage the heat from the cooking as well as the lighting. The MasterChef South Africa kitchen is a first of its kind in the world in that it is a real space in which we can shoot 360 degrees.” Eight camera teams operate the multicam set-up in the MasterChef kitchen and shoot single cam when required. The crew uses the Sony PMW-500 HDCam EX series from Visual Impact. “We have a Jimmy Jib and Steadicam, as well as a dolly and tracks. Aerials are filmed using the Cine-flex gyro stabilised
8 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
helicopter mount from Heli-Media. The offsite challenges in the show require a different gear list which we tweak depending on the location,” explains Clarke. Footage on hard drivses (with a redundancy kept in the Cape) is couriered to the post-production team at Curious Pictures in Johannesburg. Four Final Cut Pro edit suites are assigned to the production. The high shoot ratio – up to 80 hours of footage a day – necessitates an X-San archiving system.
HUNGRY FOR FAME – Eager cooks auditioning for MasterChef at Montecasino
Food, food and more food Clarke points out that the food logistics in the production are enormous. “Every contestant needs a fully fitted kitchen and one that we can shift around and take with us. The MasterChef pantry has to stock every possible ingredient for each contestant. Multiply that by 50 contestants and suddenly it’s a massive undertaking. “MasterChef is probably the hottest international format right now internationally so trying to live up to the expectations and the incredible production value is quite a task. Luckily we have the best team in the business.”
Switching on the stove The seeds of MasterChef South Africa germinated early last year when M-Net channel head Pierre Cloete decided to strip MasterChef Australia for the 2012 schedule. “This was an unusual and brave decision as local broadcasters tend only to strip soaps and cooking shows are niche,” notes Davis. “M-Net head of Group Content Services Jan du Pless then entered into negotiations with Shine to purchase the format rights for a South African version.” The MasterChef format was originally created in the UK in the early 1990s but was redeveloped a few years ago by Australian company Shine in conjunction with Network Ten. Since then MasterChef
has been produced in about 33 countries around the world. In April last year Davis was assigned to develop the series. “My first move was to visit Shine. I then asked M-Net Magic Factory to help with research into South African food shows and chefs. In addition I observed production on MasterChef France II for a week to learn how they handle workflows, call sheets, shooting days, etc.” Davis then devised a brief for MasterChef South Africa and put out a request for proposals to 15 companies, including some in the Western Cape. Companies had to be able to produce a big reality show and fit in with M-Net BEE requirements. Fourteen out of 15 companies agreed to pitch. Each submission was evaluated by Davis and a team from Magic Factory led by Henriette de Villiers and Christal Sampson. A shortlist of five companies was presented to channel director Theo Erasmus.
Davis continues: “I decided that Theo, Henriette and I would go to the companies to hear the pitches rather than the other way round. This allowed the companies to set up visual references.” A joint venture between the awardwinning Curious Pictures (The Lab, Heartland) and reality specialist Lucky Bean Media won the pitch.
Big, big, big! According to Davis the show’s budget exceeds that of South African drama. “It’s akin to shows like Survivor and is a fully HD production with a huge new media element. The MasterChef format is quite flexible so there will be surprise elements in the show, even for regular viewers of the Australia and UK series. “We have a wonderful relationship with Shine and one of their consultants, Tara McWilliams, visits the set.” MasterChef South Africa will air on M-Net in March. – Joanna Sterkowicz
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Driving with glasses on
A screenshot shown with NVA Mercedes Benz: A screenshot shown without NVA
Watching a movie in the cinema can be a bit like driving a car: you’re ensconced in a seat watching a dramatic vista on the screen slurping a soda and rustling around in a packet of goodies. The only essential difference is a steering wheel and throttle. Even the purple rinsed biddy narrating the movie for her blind companion behind you could be the equivalent of a back seat driver. But she’s probably the worst thing you’ll encounter in the cineplex whereas the road is full of danger. Put on a pair of 3D glasses and finally those perils can be brought into the movie theatre.
Take Network BBDO’s ad for Mercedes Benz, the first 3D live action ad in South Africa. It expounds on the perils of driving at night and the virtues of Mercedes Night View Assist by comparing a chance encounter on the road with and without NVA. Without this feature you see a running horse much too late and it leaps through the screen shocking the purple rinsed biddy into apoplexy. With NVA activated, the horse can be seen far in advance giving the backseat driver time to direct you around the impending danger and berate you for scaring the poor creature. “First you need to cast a very good
horse,” Says Rob Malpage of Frieze Films in Johannesburg. “In this case, a well trained show jumper.” A jump was set up with a cross bar system – basically an X shape – so the viewer doesn’t see it in the shot. “Horses use their peripheral vision so the bars are perceived to be higher. We constructed them this way so that he leapt higher.” To enhance the sense of reality, the two cameras needed for stereo vision were placed directly in front of the jump and wide angle lenses were used. Shooting specifically for 3D opened up many more challenges: The Z axis involving depth became much more
important and any adjustment, no matter how miniscule, affected it considerably. “It’s not just about focus and x and y axis, it’s lining up your convergence points with two cameras.” On top of this it was impossible to expect the horse to jump on tarmac, therefore Malpage filmed him on good turf and filmed a second plate for the road scene. Malpage embraced the challenges and is up for more. He’s looking forward to stretching the potential of the technology as 3D cinema and television opens up ways for creatives to think differently about engaging their audience.
in a nightmare. The nightmare of the Iraqi families that were affected is indescribable. Telford spent time with some of them too. The result is a film that is horrific yet human to the core, somehow towing a line of objectivity while exposing the key figures in all their raw, naked candor. The theme of Haditha is far different to Butterfly Film’s work, but the human element remains. Telford and Seuffert have been connecting viewers with aid
meet momentarily at the traffic lights. As the Cape Town woman buys the magazine a connection is made, a bridge is built showing the true purpose of the Big Issue. This is one of many films with a common element being the authentic human story, another is that most are produced for the web. Their most recent project was an online film for Siemens expounding on their energy efficient lighting for the Moses Madiba Stadium and promenade in Durban. Telford and Seuffert told the story of a 50 year old man who caught sight of his youth by getting involved in skateboarding in what was once a no-go area, now transformed into a safe, vibrant public space after dark. Telford and Seuffert love the liberty and authenticity social media affords them and bring the same philosophy to their broadcast productions. I am fortunate enough to view a work in progress that Seuffert filmed recently in Port Nolloth. This short documentary focuses on the peculiar influence of the diamond trade on the diverse people of this community – a microcosm of South Africa. It is an objective view, a reflection of our unique society, a mirror sometimes best held up to us by foreign filmmakers such as Telford and Seuffert.
Reflections
Butterfly Films “I like people,” Says Anna Telford of her ability to capture the human aspect in film, “and I get to ask them the questions you would normally never ask.” Her’s is the art of putting people at ease so they become themselves; essential when it comes to her promotional films, which are less endorsements, more vistas into peoples lives. Sitting down with Telford and her German collaborator at Butterfly Films, Felix Seuffert, I’ve had three double shots of coffee and she still manages to put me at ease. But we’re turning the tables, I’m the one 10 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
interviewing her. Hah hah! Yet I still end up talking more about me. This girl’s good. But I do learn a few things about Telford. She was the co-writer and producer of the Iraq war docu-drama, Battle for Haditha, directed by Nick Broomfield. It’s a gritty dramatisation of the death of 24 Iraqi civilians – men, women and children – at the hands of US marines after a roadside bomb killed one of their soldiers. Telford spent time getting to know some of the marines responsible. These were down at heel kids who had been recruited in school; never been out of the States; followed orders and got swept up
organisations and social and environmental initiatives through film. “Simplicity is the best way to maintain authenticity,” says Seuffert. The story they most often refer to is a short for Big Issue magazine: Reflections. It follows a young woman living in the heart of Cape Town and a mother from a squatter settlement – a Big Issue seller. Their morning routines run parallel; two worlds apart yet reflections of each other. The strangers
AD cetera He is always on Facebook Most of us are hooked on Facebook. Even if we don’t appear ‘active’ we are still stalking someone or untagging photos of ourselves in compromising situations, and I’m not just speaking of myself. There are only two people on earth who should really hate it, but even the Winklevoss twins have their proprietary mugs on Facebook and more friends than they could ever hope for in real life – x 2. So let’s be proud of our Facebooking, embrace it for the fun, ironic, narcissistic and socially transformative thing that it is, just as Ogilvy Mumbai has done for Vodafone’s Blue Phone made specifically for the Facebook addict. India only lags behind the US and Indonesia when it comes to active Facebook users (over 31 million). There is an enormous market for such a phone but not enough space to shoot the
commercial, which is why director, Prakash Varma, of Nirvana Films in Bangalore chose Platypus Productions in Cape Town to co-ordinate it in one of the monstrous sound stages belonging to Cape Town Film Studios. The idea required a large space because of the theatrical theme that meant filming an enormous stage and seven complete live scene changes with a revolving cast of 35 dancers, actors and singers. It is essentially a musical, the lead playing a Facebook addict who narrates his online life with song and dance. It starts in Farmville and the show opens on him rising in the morning to put on his wellies and take a walk on his farm, then changing – as the background rolls up and the cast of farmers and animals dance off – to another scene, and another: He
Roy Zetisky joins Spoke Films Vodafone
takes us through his hoards of hangers-on in the guise of puppets on string; his success at the game, Gangster, after being helped into a trench coat and fedora by two bonnie lasses and blasting away his competitors in front of a transformed backdrop of 1920s Chicago. His friends who broadcast their exotic travel photos through the windows of their city apartments – all wheeled on with another
London commercials company, Spoke Films, recently opened offices in Dubai and Cape Town and among their fine roster of British filmmakers, they now include the legendary DOP/Director Roy Zetisky. Zetisky is a well-known and respected director and mentor in the local industry and one of his most recent accolades was Best Cinematographer at the 2009 M-Net Vuka! awards for the commercial, Conflict Diamond.
Roy Zetisky
scene change – and so on and so on, aided on the odd occasion by French maids who “refresh” your “screen” with feather dusters and a cheeky swagger. Scene change by scene change, it’s a tight, entertaining production made all the better for the theatrical purity of it and wonderfully ironic for the digital world it brings to life.
After focusing on features in recent years, Zetisky is getting back to directing more commercials. Among other talents. he brings a DOP’s eye for incredible imagery and a feature makers skill for directing performance. With experience across the full range of film disciplines including producing, Zetisky likes to mix it up. He says commercials keep him on his toes and he enjoys the challenge of creating something beautiful in a short space of time.
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d always ha s a h a ic fr South A l ser vice ia c r e m m o a strong c s ich remain h w y r t s u ind r with othe e iv it s t e p com l consensu a r e n e G . ns 2 destinatio 011 / 201 2 e p a C na is that the n has bee o s a e s r e summ as come in h k r o W . busy one r ld but o w e h t d n from arou r e ahead fo li s e g n e ll cha r y. the indust
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he global economic downturn has affected everyone in some way or another says Joel Wynne of Gatehouse. “This has been both good and bad for South Africa. We continue to be a good value-for-money destination, but we are a slave to the volatility of the rand-dollar and rand-euro exchange rate. So as the drama unfolds in Europe, we watch as South Africa fluctuates from being the best value in the world and an also-ran in the global service industry like Australia. However, this season has been hectic with bids flying in and jobs coming in,” notes Wynne. Philip Key of Moonlighting explains that because they have so many clients around the world it gives them relative protection from the downturn. “Generally South Africa seems to have stayed busy throughout. Commercials always need to be shot and we remain one of the most competitive and cost effective production destinations in the world.” Commenting on the local commercial market Peter Carr of Velocity says things began well last season, tapered off in November and then picked up again this year. “Indications are that local clients have eased off on ad spend in favour of radio and other mediums. It could be that many top end clients spent a greater portion of their budgets early in 2011. There are smaller budget commercials on the cards and a decline in work from the bigger brands,” explains Carr. 12 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
UCTIONS
International scene
How competitive is SA?
He adds that the international market has picked up after a really disappointing 2011. “Our service division is probably seeing double interest relative to last year with most of the action coming from the UK and Europe. Our directors are quoting on a lot more foreign work and are asked to shoot in other countries.” Brin Kushner of AFS Productions maintains that South Africa has remained relatively sheltered from the downturn. “We are only now starting to feel the effects of the global crisis. Budgets have become tighter and clients are expecting the same level of service as in previous years but with less money. It has been a challenge to keep everyone happy but we’ve had a fantastic start to the season.” Sean Beukes of Egg Films has a different view. “The international market has definitely been affected by the upheaval in world economies. There is less work and lower budgets across the board. The exchange rate has a huge effect as well, especially when it is quite volatile.” Debbie Cornell of Rocket Films shares this view. “The global economy has had a massive impact on the industry. We have not seen our Irish client for two years and our UK clients have been hit by the ‘double dip’ in the economy. Budgets have also shrunk dramatically and we have seen an increase in costs to be covered from our mark-up in order to secure work.”
Wynne maintains that South Africa is still competitive in terms of value and service. “However, due to the increase in infrastructure and crews being more experienced there is an increase in cost. Four years ago our greatest competitors in were Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and Argentina. Australia and Brazil are now too expensive and Argentina continues to become less competitive through legislation, especially around cast. New competitors are Uruguay, Thailand and Chile.” Key maintains that South Africa is still the most competitive film destination if compared to other countries of a similar production standard. “Argentina and Prague have experienced huge cost increases while South Africa (in most areas) is constant. I still believe that we have the best production efficiency in the world.” Carr adds: “While research shows that we are much less competitive than many countries in certain areas, we do offer a much higher standard than countries with developing industries.” Kushner believes our location costs are still high and talent rates are a major deal breaker. “We are losing jobs to other countries based entirely on talent.” Beukes thinks South Africa is competitive due to the weaker rand coupled with the high standard of service, gear and crews and so on.
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Budgets How have budgets been affected by the economic downturn? Wynne responds: “Although budgets have been cut local crews have been wonderful in helping producers respond to these pressures. However, the pressure will continue.” Key points out that budgets have been reduced for some years. “The challenge is to find solutions and think out of the box.” The rand’s weakness has, according to Carr, bought more value to foreign clients. “Budget and production value are definitely what international producers are seeking first and foremost but of course our summers are a major factor.” Kushner has recently worked on some large scale commercials. “The more shoot days, the cheaper it becomes. Our clients are scheduling multiple commercials over a number of days.” Cornell confirms that budgets have been reduced. “They are extremely tight and international producers are looking for value for money. Luckily South Africa has a reputation for offering great service.” Beukes maintains that budgets are ‘workable’ with good, clever production. “Weather, price and professionalism will always apply.”
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Inspiring change – one PSA at a time
Professional winner – Leila
Newcomer winner – Draw With Me
By Linda Loubser
TAG 10 winner – The Trade
The winners of the first M-Net TAG Awards, announced at a gala ceremony in Kyalami late last year, told Screen Africa about the inspiration behind their award-winning Public Service Announcements (PSAs).
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circumstance, the viewer would want to be an organ donor to save the life of another person. “Lowe Bull Cape Town came up with a very effective approach to a difficult topic and approached the Foundation, who must be thanked for all their support on the project,” notes Kloppers. The PSA was shot by cinematographer Peter Tischauser on an Arri Alexa, which they say was ‘brilliant in the low lighting conditions’. Among the challenges they faced were “no money and an exterior winter’s night in Cape Town – all beaten by brilliant young actress, Leila Arends.”
he first M-Net TAG Awards, developed out of the long-running Vuka! Awards, saw thoughtprovoking Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in aid of a variety of worthy charities compete in three categories: Newcomer, Professional and TAG 10. As part of the M-Net Cares initiative, the TAG Awards have a strong focus on nurturing and mentoring young talent, and offer a stepping stone into the industry through the new TAG 10 category.
Professionals The overall winners in the highly competitive Professional category were Lowe Bull Cape Town and Velocity Films for the haunting advert Leila in aid of the Organ Donor Foundation. Producer Karen Kloppers says the win was great because it involved a team that was really passionate about the project. “More than that, the winning of the award meant that the commercial receives more playtime on the DStv bouquet and therefore more exposure for the cause,” says Kloppers. Director Tristyn von Berg had an aunt who was able to live longer because of an organ donor. “This is probably what attracted me to the idea in the first place,” he explains. Kloppers says that the concept tries to place the viewer in a position where they theoretically might meet someone in need of an organ, asking if, in that hypothetical
Best Overall Professional – Leila: Koo Govendor, Natalie Rose, Brendan Hoffmann and Tristyn von Berg 14 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Newcomers Draw With Me, an animated PSA from a University of Pretoria team, was crowned the winner in the Newcomer category. Produced and directed by Elena Pantioukhina, the PSA had a message of suicide prevention in support of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG). According to Pantioukhina, the concept of the PSA addresses the ways in which teenagers may cry out for help that can easily be ignored or overlooked. “The story in the PSA is of two anonymous students writing messages to each other through doodles on a desk. The doodles come to life to show the audience that there are alternatives to giving up on life, and help is always available even in the most unexpected places.”
Best Newcomer Overall – Draw with Me: Amby Kgabo, Koo Govendor, John Pe, Alastair Crewe, Lena Pantioukhina
They researched the topic and interviewed counsellors as well as previous sufferers from depression before coming up with their ideas. “Once we had the angle we wanted to take, we brainstormed ways in which we used to communicate and what we noticed while at school. Out of our initial ideas, the medium of the school desk stood out most, and we took it from there.” She believes that, when working with sensitive topics, simplified animation or cartoons can be easier to relate to. The animation was initially done using Adobe Flash and a Wacom tablet to draw the frame-by-frame sequences individually. “The sequence on the desk was hand-drawn then composited using After Effects. The music was done using Reason, and everything was put together with backgrounds made in Photoshop in a final After Effects animation,” says Pantioukhina. One of their biggest challenges was to express the topic without seeming insensitive or condescending: “The challenge was to find a balance between informing and giving hope without alienating someone who could potentially benefit from watching the PSA,” she explains.
TAG 10 The overall winner of the new TAG 10 category was The Trade, made under the mentorship of Lowe Bull and Catapult Commercials.
Best Overall TAG 10 – The Trade: Harvey Malope, Koo Govendor and Mphela Mamabolo
Director Marthinus Lamprecht notes that, in an industry that tends to stick to people they know to minimise risk, the TAG 10 award symbolises a stamp of approval from the judges and industry professionals, which is what young industry professionals need to instil trust with future clients and bosses. He also found mentoring during the process valuable: “I really got the sense that they all openly listened to what we wanted to achieve and gave advice simply on how to achieve that better, instead of enforcing their ideas,” notes Lamprecht. Their PSA supports Alberton Child Welfare and highlights ‘a horrendous yet often overlooked form of human trafficking’ – the exploitation of children for profit where they are made to beg for cash on the streets. Lamprecht explains that the story is about two unfortunate kids who have been kidnapped and find themselves victims of this crime. “The commercial shows the exchange of money between the people involved behind the scenes: the owner, the kidnapper and the kingpin. In the end we encourage the audience to help these children who are exploited by refusing to fund and encourage ‘the trade’.” While researching the script and fact checking they contacted Child Welfare Alberton, an organisation that has been working to make the public aware of this form of trafficking, and decided to support them. “They are truly the unsung heroes of our society,” says Lamprecht. Cinematographer Matthew Jankes shot the PSA in high definition on a Sony F3. Besides time and money restrictions, Lamprecht says they also struggled to coordinate all the people working on their PSA for free and those who did huge favours in terms of gear, equipment and post facilities. “Because things are free and people work free, things will change more rapidly and you find yourself running around locking down locations and people hours before the shoot. But somehow you get through it and you can only be thankful that the universe played along this time.”
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FILM |
The ‘tokoloshe’ creeps around Orange Farm
A low budget horror film franchise to be shot in the Orange Farm township in Gauteng will use local talent in an attempt to create a sustainable business model.
By Karen van Schalkwyk
A
mariam Pictures’ Blood Tokoloshe is scheduled to go into production in early 2012. The company’s long term aim is to shoot four films a year by 2014 under the Tokoloshe title. Producer Pascal Schmitz from Amariam Pictures explains: “As per a memorandum of understanding, the volunteer crew and cast have agreed that all the profits of the first film will go into the production of the second film. Ultimately the films will pay the participants during filming and support a sustainable film industry in Orange Farm.” The project aims to give participants skills sets in film production to increase their chance of working in the industry and outside of the franchise. “We also aim to empower participants to become more valuable assets to the franchise and thereby increase their earnings. Amariam Pictures has a definite long term objective to develop local audiences through South African content with indigenous stories, locations, actors and crew,” says Schmitz.
MYTHICAL CREATURE – Filming of Blood Tokoloshe
The idea for creating a horror franchise came about from a conversation Schmitz had with a DVD distributor who mentioned that B grade horror films were the best selling genre in the low cost DVD market. “A lot of these films are sold in townships and predominantly originate from the USA,” continues Schmitz. “It seemed logical that a local film of the same genre should do equally as well, if not better, especially with a familiar South African mythical creature such as the tokoloshe.” He maintains that the two most important aspects in creating a sustainable film model are distribution and financing. “Blood Tokoloshe is really an experiment to see if the South African market takes to the horror genre in a local format. If the audience is there and the distribution channels work well, then it is a simple
case of feeding into those distribution channels with script development, financing and production.”
Finance plan The aim is to finance the film through crowd-funding and deferments. “We aim to raise between R150 000 and R200 000 and have approached crowd funders, the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) and have support of companies like Digitalfilm. We will distribute the film on DVD and have come to agreements with Jet Stores, Dekota and Look & Listen. We also have keen interest from a local satellite broadcaster.” Blood Tokoloshe was developed by director Jordan Harland in consultation with sangoma Dr Richard Sekwele. Once the basic storyline was created several writers in the industry were tasked
A transgressive tale
By Linda Loubser
Photos by Blid Alsbirk
South African director Barry Berk’s psycho-sexual suspense drama Sleeper’s Wake is currently in post-production and will soon head for the festival circuit. prominently in the film.” Some scenes were also shot in Johannesburg. “We couldn’t find a suitable chalet on the south coast so we built a chalet just Director Barry Berk and Lionel Newton off Beyers Naude drive in Johannesburg and CHALLENGING BOUNDARIES – On the set of Sleeper’s Wake had to make the dry Gauteng winter look like KZN. But explains Berk. rincipal photography on Sleeper’s the crew pulled it Produced by Ken Wake took place in August and off seamlessly,” says Kaplan of Bioskope September 2011 and according to Berk. Pictures and director Barry Berk (Yizo Yizo, The Lionel Newton and Jay Anstey Among the Durban-based Lab) the shoot went really well. challenges of the Videovision The screenplay was adapted by Berk shoot were working Entertainment, the film from a novel of the same title by South with a live baboon. Although Benji the was shot on a tight schedule of less than a African author Alistair Morgan. baboon, handled by animal trainer Luke month at locations on the KwaZulu-Natal “It’s a very compelling suspense drama Cornell, has done a lot of film work (KZN) south coast around Port Edward, with a dark edge about a transgressive before and was ‘more experienced than including the breath-taking Oribi Gorge relationship between a 46-year-old man some of the actors on set’, Berk says and Trafalgar. and a 17-year old girl. It’s a kind of Lolita getting the right reactions from him was “We shot in some phenomenal meets Winter’s Bone, and I think people still a challenge. locations,” says Berk, “and they feature will be intrigued by the relationships,”
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16 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
to deliver a final draft. “Jordan really understands the tools of film storytelling,” comments Schmitz. “However, the plan for the next films is to finance young writers from the township and partner them with established script editors to derive more locally relevant and indigenous screenplays. “Although I have seen many writers with great ideas in the townships, they lack the skills to write screenplays. This is why it is critical to uplift these skills and empower local writers.” Meanwhile a trailer of Blood Tokoloshe shot in 2011 was shown to the cast and crew during a recent workshop at Orange Farm. Schmitz reports that they were ‘thrilled’ to see the film’s trailer for the first time. Actors, Lionel Newton (Triomf, Jozi), Jay Anstey (Catch a Fire) and Deon Lotz (Skoonheid) also had to work with difficult material, but Berk is very pleased with their performances. “They had to be very brave in a lot of respects, dealing with nudity, sex and challenging conditions, but their performances were very textured, very nuanced. Stiaan Smith in the role of Dirk also has some lovely comic moments in his performance. They were wonderfully receptive and we developed a great relationship. There was a lovely camaraderie between cast and crew.” Director of Photography Willie Nel shot the film on a Red Mysterium and Berk says the footage looks ‘fantastic’ and the camera worked particularly well in low light. “We’ve watched the graded first reel and the amount of detail in the blacks is astonishing,” says Berk. “To an extent we’re going for a cooler, more European film look, and I think we’ve achieved it very nicely.” The footage will be complemented by a score from Daniel Caleb and Jamie Matthes. “It’s a great score that adds a lot to the film,” notes Berk. At the time of going to print the film was in grade at Pudding in Johannesburg and final mix at Cut & Paste, with a few weeks left before it could be delivered. Berk says they are exploring options on the festival circuit at the moment as well as working on a marketing strategy.
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Like a Thunderbolt from the blue Blackmagic Design has announced Intensity Shuttle, a revolutionary new video capture and playback solution that uses Intel’s groundbreaking Thunderbolt™ technology. Intensity Shuttle makes the highest quality 10-bit SD and HD video affordable for everyone, in a truly portable solution. It features all the video connections that connect video cameras, set top boxes, game consoles, large screen TVs and projectors to a Thunderbolt-enabled computer. The attractive inline design includes HDMI, analogue component, composite and S-Video inputs and outputs. These high quality HDMI and RCA connectors are the worldwide standard for connecting digital and analogue consumer video equipment. Thunderbolt™ enabled computers connect to Intensity Shuttle using a single cable that is capable of 10Gbps data transfer speeds, that’s 20x faster than USB 2.0 and 12x faster than FireWire 800. Intensity Shuttle is powered over the Thunderbolt™ cable and, with no need for an external power supply, is a completely portable device that can be moved easily between laptop and desktop computers. Intensity Shuttle offers the flexibility of working with compressed and uncompressed video in standard definition PAL/NTSC up to full 1080p HD video. Blackmagic Design’s Media Express software is included for a complete capture and playback solution without the need for any additional software. Video files are fully compatible with popular editing and design software including Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Avid Media Composer, Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. “Using Intensity Shuttle with Thunderbolt™ technology combines the quality and speed that videographers demand,” says Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “It’s incredibly exciting when technologies come together and create new opportunities for the way people work with video. The barriers of working with broadcast quality video have gone forever and everyone can create amazing looking work.”
3D doc reaches peak Die Huberbuam made broadcast history as the first stereoscopic 3D documentary to air in Germany. The film follows brothers Alexander and Thomas Huber, the world’s foremost extreme speed mountain climbers, as they ascend Loferer Alm in Germany. To capture the spectacular imagery, 3D film production company Virtual 3D EYE IN THE SKY – Anadicon’s Andre Experience created a unique stereo rig Salvagnac and remote helicopter developer comprising a sinaCAM 3D camera Christian Oberberger from Anadicon and Solectrix and AJA Ki Pro digital recorders, along with additional stereo gear from P+S Technik. Virtual Experience also equipped a remote-controlled helicopter with the sinaCAM and two Ki Pro Mini digital recorders to capture close up stereo footage of the climbers at extreme heights. “For this movie we shot outside in the sun so we had bright light on one side and shadows on the other. With such a large amplitude of exposure it was necessary to record in 10-bit,” said Alaric Hamacher, Virtual Experience’s stereographic guru. “We had to record two streams at the same time and synch playback for 3D. We used a high-quality codec and Apple Pro Res 422 HQ which met our needs perfectly. AJA Ki Pro gave us the capability, quality and cost that we needed.” For 75% of the production footage was captured with the sinaCAM onto two AJA Ki Pro recorders. Hamacher built a recording system that he operated remotely via laptop and programmed a simple software application to start both Ki Pros in synch and synch playback. The recording solution comprised a low-cost PC running Hamacher’s software, two Ki Pros (for right-eye and left-eye cameras), a large battery to power three to four hours of on-set shooting and a cooling fan. Virtual Experience also worked with Anadicon, one of the developers of the sinaCAM, to mount the camera and two AJA Ki Pro Mini recorders on a small remote-controlled helicopter.
The grass is greener… Grass Valley has announced a new support agreement portfolio designed to keep systems running and to help customers plan for their long-term maintenance needs. The new portfolio will be managed by the Grass Valley Global Services division. The new support agreements are designed to enhance the standard Grass Valley warranty with cohesive global support processes to ensure a consistent experience when interacting with Grass Valley call centres or when issues are escalated. Grass Valley provides a global presence with global access to call centres, global technical phone support, advance parts exchange and software updates. “Our new support agreement portfolio is now more balanced and in-tune with what our customers have been asking for — two distinct and easy to understand levels of service, with the ability to customise any support agreement for any situation,” said Aengus Linehan, senior VP of Global Services for Grass Valley. “While Grass Valley support has always been second to none, our new agreement portfolio allows us to better serve our existing customers and new customers looking to simplify their maintenance needs.” The three support agreements types are: Basic: This provides the same level of services as the standard warranty plus basic response time commitments. It focuses on non-critical environments, where customers want access to parts replacement and software updates. Elite: This provides 24x7 technical phone support with a guaranteed four-hour response time for critical cases. Elite support also provides advance parts exchange and free software updates and upgrades. Custom: When operational needs require a unique mix of responsiveness, resources and preparedness, Grass Valley Global Services works one-on-one with customers to craft a customised support agreement with features such as hardware migration, on-site critical parts stock, critical response times, dedicated permanent staff at the customer’s premises, third-party product support and more. 18 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Pablo gets ‘tattooed’ Hollywood post-production house Light Iron put its two Quantel Pablo colour correction systems to the ultimate test in carrying out the 4K digital intermediate (DI) for David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This is among the largest 4K movies ever delivered: at two hours and 38 minutes, the final DI consists of almost 250 000 frames of 45 megabytes each. In preparation for the supervised sessions, Ian Vertovec, senior colourist and founder at Light Iron, graded and pre-rendered all the footage and then video-recorded Fincher’s audio and laser-pointer guided notes. Once the director had completed his review and left the facility, Vertovec loaded the video into the Pablo. “As a result I had my screen reference with his laser pointer and I’d split that with the DI. I’d drop his audio in and have that in with the temporary audio and then I would play through the scenes with every note he gave me,” says Vertovec. From a technical standpoint, the management and delivery of large amounts of data was a huge challenge for Light Iron. “The key was using two Pablos with shared storage via the GenePool, because it gave us the ability to load materials that were instantly available for Ian’s session,” says Katie Fellion, Light Iron founder and VP, Technical Post Production.
FU L LY I NT EG R AT ED BR OADCA ST SO L U TI ON S
THE SMART SOLUTION • Over 30 years experience • A one-stop shop - delivering turnkey broadcast solutions from image capture to transmission • Offering specialist skills and integration expertise – support available 24 x 7 • Partner with best-of-breed global brands such as Sony and Avid • Supplied technology, skills and expertise to major national and private broadcasters in Southern Africa.
FU L LY I NT EG R ATE D BR OADCA ST SO L U T I ON S Tel: +27 11 266 1500 Tel: +27 11 266 1500 Technical Support: 080 000 1446 Technical Support: 080 000 1446 E-mail: broadcastsales@spescom.co.za E-mail: broadcastsales@spescom.co.za www.jasco.co.za www.jasco.co.za
TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY |
Panasonic flexes 3D muscle for Olympics For the first time the Olympic Games will be broadcast in 3D. Panasonic Corporation has reached an agreement with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the host broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympics which commences on 27 July, on the use of its AG-3DP1and AG-3DA1 professional integrated twin-lens 3D camera recorders for 3D broadcasts of the event. As the Official Worldwide Olympic Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Games, Panasonic will provide comprehensive support for first 3D broadcast of the Games, which enables viewers to experience the full excitement in their living rooms with a new level of immediacy. Continuing a tradition that began with the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992, the London Olympic Games will be the 10th Olympic Games for which Panasonic’s professional audio and video equipment technology has supported the Olympic Games broadcast. All international images will be produced and distributed in HD format (1080/50i) at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Olympic Park in London in July 2012. The participating rights-holding broadcasters that are planning to broadcast in 3D will be supported by Panasonic 3D technologies and equipment to distribute high-quality full-HD 3D image. “The use of Panasonic integrated twin-lens 3D camera recorders at the London 2012 Olympic Games enables us to bring a new level of immediacy to viewers throughout the world through high-quality full-HD 3D image. The new AG-3DP1 is the first P2HD based Full-HD 3D camera recorder and the P2HD’s ruggedness has been proved during past Olympic Games. P2HD file based workflow has been highly accepted by many broadcasters and it will quickly support and steadily broadcast at the London Games too,” said Kunihiko Miyagi, director of the Professional AV Business Unit of the Business Solutions Business Group at AVC Networks Company, which handles the development of broadcast equipment for Panasonic.
The really wide angle The Canon DIGISUPER 95 (XJ95x8.6B) is the new generation super-telefoto lens that provides a range of imaging possibilities that conventional field lenses cannot match. Capitalising on Canon’s mastery of advanced lens technology, the XJ95x combines the widest focal length (8.6mm) of any field lens in the industry with a 95x zoom range that’s longer at the tele end. Through this extensive framing latitude, every dramatic on-site sensation can be captured – from the emotions of a capacity crowd to the triumphant smile of an individual goal scorer. The imaging possibilities are not only greater – so are optical performance and image stabilisation. This new lens provides superb picture sharpness across the 16:9 HD image plane and improves on Canon’s already renowned image stabilisation performance. The XJ95x’s incomparable optical performance is based on Canon’s 50 years of advanced R&D and extensive broadcast lens development experience. By utilising the company’s proprietary large-diameter aspherical lens technology and exotic glass materials, the particular optical challenges of large focal-length ranges have been effectively countered. These include lateral chromatic aberration, monochromatic aberrations and geometric distortion. Canon’s now even more advanced Image Stabilisation System comes standard in the XJ95x. Its improved optical shift-type stabiliser incorporates a sensor inside the lens that detects vibration. Compensating optics are engaged at high speed to cancel out any effect on the image. 20 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
World first – 4K handheld camcorder JVC Professional Europe Ltd has announced the GY-HMQ10, the world’s first handheld 4K camcorder, which captures, records and plays video images at four times the resolution of high definition television. Powered by JVC’s Falconbrid large-scale integration (LSI) chip for high-speed signal processing and a 1/2-inch CMOS imager with 8.3 million active pixels, it delivers real time 3840x2160 footage at 24p and 50p. High resolution 4K still picture imaging has been around for several years in DSLR cameras. Motion video capture with these cameras has always been done at a lower video resolution because of lack of processing power. Likewise, high-end digital motion picture cameras may capture 4K images, but often provide a raw data output to an external storage array for later processing – again due to lack of processing power in the camera. JVC’s exclusive Falconbrid LSI processing takes raw image data from the camera’s CMOS device and dematrixes (deBayers) it in real time. Unlike many high end 4K cameras, the GY-HMQ10 is able to output 4K images to a monitor or projection system in real time with virtually no latency. This capability opens up applications in cinematography, medical microscopy, telepresence, specialised observation / surveillance and live wide-view event coverage. Using MPEG-4 technology and a variable bit rate H.264 codec operating at up to 144Mbps, the GY-HMQ10 records up to two hours of 4K video to economical SDHC or SDXC memory cards.
Efficiency in radio transmission
The Harris PR&E Oasis is a standalone on-air and production console that enables radio broadcasters to easily and affordably convert to digital at their convenience. “Radio broadcasters today are required to make technology investments that build better efficiency into their operations, from the studio facility through to the transmitter,” said Harris Morris, president, Harris Broadcast Communications. “Harris continues to invest in its PR&E range of studio systems and consoles, Intraplex studio-to-transmitter link solutions, and analogue and digital transmitters to help broadcasters produce, distribute and transmit content more efficiently.” Flexiva solid-state transmitters provide radio broadcasters with a single platform to support analogue and global digital standards. Quad-mode operation supports FM, FM+HD Radio, HD Radio-only or DRM+ digital broadcasting, while the transmitter incorporates Harris Real-Time Adaptive Correction (RTAC) technology to optimise power and minimise adjacent-channel interference. Flexiva transmitters are built on the legacy of Harris radio broadcast transmitters, including the ZX Series and its efficient power supply, cooling and control designs. Available in power levels up to 20kW, Flexiva transmitters also leverage Harris PowerSmart technology to create a compact, cost-efficient transmission solution with high power density and low operating costs. The Oasis analogue on-air console is built for radio broadcast studios of any size and budget, and is available in eight- or 12-channel versions that offer a clear digital migration path. Although built for the demands of digital studio operations, the design avoids reliance on PC engines and assemblies to ensure reliable and consistent on-air and production operations. Oasis incorporates both analogue and digital outputs, and provides multiple connections for microphones, CD players, monitors and a direct PC automation channel (no sound card requirements) to support a diverse array of on-air sources. Key differentiators include two assignable Telco channels to any fader, a modular design featuring swappable input cards, and USB playback and recording functionality.
TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY |
Data X-plosion! By Ian Dormer
About 5 126 years ago, the Mayans created a sophisticated set of calendars to help them plant crops, organise religious ceremonies and track their history. It was their ‘outlook’ with complex calculations to help them plan their lives ahead. It could be said that the Mayan Long Count Calendar was the beginning of the data era.
M
ultiples of data bytes are measured in kilobyte (103), megabyte (106), gigabyte (109), terabyte (1012), petabyte (1015), exabyte (1018), zetabyte (1021)…and beyond. In 2006 the calculated outcome from a project conducted at the UC Berkeley School of Information claimed that ‘all words ever spoken by human beings’ could be stored as about five exabytes of data, or 5 073 741 824 gigabytes using the analogous power of 1 024 bytes. In 2007 the world’s data storage capacity was estimated at 295 exabytes of information. 2011 saw 1.8 zetabytes of new digital information created around the globe. One zetabyte is a trillion gigabytes. Last year we saw the annual growth of information increasing by 59%, a watershed year and a sign of things to come. Daily trends followed from the beginning of the year estimated that 1 petabyte of new information is being produced every 15 seconds. People share 65 exabytes of information through two-way communications technology such as cellphones. In non-digital terms, every person in the world would need to read six newspapers every day to match that amount. Television broadcasts saw around two zetabytes of transient (not stored) data drifting through the airwaves. The conversion from analogue-to-digital television broadcasting is well underway, creating new business opportunities for broadcast equipment manufacturers, as well as television broadcasters and broadband service providers. The availability of digital high definition (HD) content is rapidly increasing and the number of HD channels available to the consumer is proliferating. HD and 3D-capable TV sets continually set new sales records. In addition, new ways to distribute content, such as Internet protocol television (IPTV) and mobile TV, are rapidly evolving and deploying, creating further growth in the generation of data. 22 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Consequences It’s no surprise that the television industry fears losing its traditional monopoly on the dissemination of information to the increasing number of gadgets available. The almost insatiable appetite for video from sources such as YouTube and Netflix has created a surge in global data traffic, and the media industry has certainly added to the opening of the floodgates on data. In the next five years we could see these figures increase eight-fold or more! Smart phones and tablets have also contributed to the data flurry not only through their capacity to download and view live content, but also thanks to accelerometers, sensors and GPS to upload information such as geographic location, motion and direction. With a global population of seven billion people and growing, there are more than six billion mobile subscribers and growing and more than nine billion
connected devices … and growing. Social media has made some significant contributions to the data flow; Facebook users are uploading more than 1 000 photographs a second, that’s three billion pictures per month. The amount of data that we as individuals are creating daily through social media is expected to double in the next 24 months. To put that in perspective, it would require 5.8 billion iPads to store the data that, socially, we will create…in just two years! It is incredible to think that Google processes about 24 petabytes of data per day and global Internet traffic is estimated at 27 exabytes per month. These are daunting numbers considering that the producers of Avatar required only one petabyte of storage to make their 3D movie.
Storage rules All these numbers surely mean a clear,
steady growing market for storage as in hard and solid state drives and a really healthy market for cloud storage services because everyone finds it easier to dump all that stuff somewhere else. It is estimated that by 2015 80% of all data will be stored in the cloud. Beyond the cloud, when the the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope is built the capacity for processing data is set at 10 petabytes per hour generating over an exabyte of data every day. So if we are already measuring data in exabytes and zetabytes, it won’t be long before we’ll be planning our next upload in yottabytes and brontobytes and then we will have to invent a new word. But then again if the Mayans were right with their calendar, we will be back at the beginning on the 21 December 2012 anyway as 0.0.0.0. Enough said – I had better stop there having added my 35 kilobytes worth!
| TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY South African freelance cameraman Chris Lotz recounts his experience of the coveted Sony PMW-F3.
A camera for all seasons
A
s a freelance cameraman I resolved many years ago not to purchase my own camera. I did not want to be locked down to one format and there was no single camera that could meet all my needs. My clients are diverse and I work on a large variety of ever
changing formats. Because many producers are purchasing their own cameras, the choice of format or model is increasingly taken away from the cameraman. You arrive on set and you take what is given to you. However, I have kept a keen eye on
what is out there. I found myself secretly hoping to discover my dream camera: flexible, powerful, HD and SD, affordable and with film-like potential – an impossible wish. Impossible until I saw the first promotional material on the Sony PMW-F3. Could this be my ideal camera? Yes, it would not be best for electronic news gathering (ENG) type filming, which constituted a large portion of my work, but I didn’t care about that after studying this machine’s attributes. It wasn’t long before I found myself on the phone with Neil White from SBSS ordering my Sony F3, feeling impulsive and excited. Despite my former resolutions I was eager to own my own camera, one with beautiful depth of field (which has always been important to me) that records in a very familiar broadcast format and with the potential to be upgraded to so much more. Neil made the order and purchase process so smooth that, before I knew it, the F3 was mine.
Expectations met The camera was all I expected with exceptional ‘clean’ images as promised by technicians in various articles, film-like
Global Award Winner
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depth of field and textures, easy to use and upgradeable to 4:4:4, unbelievable low-light capabilities with noiseless pictures all the way up to +12dB, PL Mount, and so on. The F3 really comes into its own with PL mounted film lenses which I recommend hiring if the budget allows it. I opted to buy a set of good Nikon and Zeiss stills lenses – primes and zooms. These are affordable, make beautiful images in a controlled environment, but fiddly to use on rigorous shoots. I have also acquired a number of Zacuto accessories such as a shoulder pad and 15mm rods that complement the camera. It’s not an easy camera for ENG ‘run and gun’ work but this will change soon with the launch of two new ENG style zoom lenses from Sony, which will respond electronically to the zoom rocker on the side of the camera. With one of these lenses and some good primes you have the best of all worlds at your disposal — documentary, reality and film style shooting in one package. Until I can afford a new Sony zoom lens I will train myself to adapt to all types of shoots with my existing stills lenses and hire in where needed.
STUDIOS |
STUDIOS –
the land of make-believe A studio is a studio is a studio. Four walls, a roof and a floor – right? In very rare cases right, but generally wrong – very wrong, says Andy Stead
A Sasani Studios
studio is a complex and technically exacting structure demanding high levels of engineering perfection to comply with demanding international standards. It is also a hungry beast that requires occupancy almost on a daily basis to provide a reasonable return on investment for the owner, failing which converting it into an office block can often generate more returns! Both Gauteng and Western Cape are the studio capitals of South Africa and the Cape Town Film Studios (CTFS) is top of the pile with its magnificent facilities in Film City Boulevard, Faure. Here four Hollywood standard sound stages compete in the international market for occupancy and productions such as Dredd and Labyrinth grace its portfolio. This success has prompted the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) to consider a similar venture in Gauteng. The GFC has identified an opportunity to develop a major film studio precinct in the province (called Film City) that will aim to improve the province’s production infrastructure in line with international standards, while creating an easily recognisable film hub and cluster for the local industry. A bold move indeed and if current feasibility studies prove positive, a potential huge boost for the province. But are there sufficient studios to meet demand?
Busy year Atlas Studios
Global Access
24 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Probably the busiest studios in Gauteng at present are Sasani Studios in Highlands North. Currently the home to e.tv soapies Scandal and Rhythm City as well as M-Net’s Big Brother Africa, Sasani have got it right as daily dramas are manna from heaven for studio occupancy. Sasani’s Eileen Sandrock enthuses: “The highlights for 2011 were of course our soaps. There is also always huge excitement around M-Net’s Big Brother Africa which was bigger than ever last year and creates a fantastic atmosphere on site. “Projects for this year include expansion developments at Sasani for 2012 and 2013. I will be brainstorming the new developments with more producers and industry players, and structure the developments on the ideas that emerge.”
Atlas Studios’ Jonathan Gimpel says 2011 was a busy year. “We have been much more focused on drama / sitcom and soapies and have hosted among others My Perfect Family for SABC1, Moferefe Lenyalong for SABC2 and Villa Rosa Season Seven. “We also hosted the very successful People 2 People conference, 11 jam-packed FirstwednesdayFilmclub evenings and various public film community activities.” Atlas Studios has built 10 new conference and training venues and has moved away from music videos and newsroom studio activities. “2012 looks promising with the SABC starting to commission again and we have just signed a promotional agreement with the GFC to promote up-and-coming filmmakers,” notes Gimpel.
Positive trend Global Access is also upbeat. Says Ronnie van Wijk: “Late in 2011 we saw a slight uptick in studio demand and we are a lot more positive that this trend will continue in 2012. We already have some productions scheduled and a number of enquiries. “Our studio five and six are ex-SABC technical design specs and now fully HD and completely tapeless. This has had a dramatic impact on the picture and lighting quality of all productions recorded using the new equipment.” “2011 started with a bang,” says Camera Facilities’ Roddy Barker. “This was pretty unusual for January and February and raised our hopes for the rest of the year but from March business was rather slow. After discussion with other facilities it seems we were all down on turnover for the year. Music videos have always been popular in our studio and we realised that there was a decline throughout 2011. “This year will depend on what happens to the world economy. I’m positive that 2012 will improve on last year and hope that our public
| STUDIOS broadcaster can come to the party and commission new programming.”
New kid on the block A Studio Called Wonder, which opened in May 2011, had a fantastic opening month with 60% capacity. “We’ve kept pretty much in that area of work since then,” says Alex Radnitz. “One of the highlights was hosting Die Antwoord’s new music video Vok julle Naaiers, as well as Jessie Clegg’s Down the Rabbit Hole. We also did a fantastic short film for Pollen for an advertising awards ceremony. “I am very positive about 2012. Being a new studio I have to put a lot of work into finding new business. We are super motivated and really looking forward to this year.”
Easily adaptable The Visual Impact studio in the Mediahive building Cape Town had a very busy year with shoots for Community Media Trust and Xcon Films shooting their Siyakholwa production. “Our studio was in constant use for short term productions,” says Werner Uys. “We had some commercials, some web video productions for 2oceansvibe and many more productions for different media platforms.
“That’s what makes the Mediahive studio so viable – it’s easily adaptable to different productions and specific needs. We hope to have a similar year to last, with clients coming back and making use of our services again. Our aim is to constantly improve our offering and production experience.”
On track Telemedia tends to look for long term clients such as Teletrack (horse racing channel on the DStv bouquet) says national sales manager Quentin Barkhuizen. He continues: “We supply studio equipment as well as the studio itself. Telemedia also provides the control rooms; vision mixer, servers and custom set up for the client. “Teletrack is set up for a one-man operation in terms of the video and audio switching and so on. They use two studios, one for their domestic channel and another for occasional magazine shows. One of the studios also has an audience gallery.” Telemedia has other studios across the road from its head office comprising an HD studio and two SD studios geared at talking head / presentation productions. There are a total of eight final control centres (playout facilities) for various clients such as Charismatic churches, for example.
Telemedia
Visual Impact
February 2012 | SCREENAFRICA | 25
STUDIOSA-Z | A Studio Called Wonder
Atlas Studios
Camera Facilities
Located: Fairlands, Johannesburg (Located just off Beyers Naude off-ramp behind the FNB building) Studio Details: A Studio called Wonder focuses on providing complete support for film and photography production. 13m x 9m 117m² We offer: Onsite secure parking for 15 vehicles; Vehicle access to studio; Lighting gantry with dimmer control; Client viewing area; Make-up room; Green Room; Boardroom; Wifi; Catering We do: Corporate video; Music Videos; Film set shoots; Magazine/ Talk shows; Photography; Commercials.
Located: Milpark, Johannesburg Studio Details: There are five studios in total ranging from 170m² – 460m²; Two large soundstages (440m² – 460m²), heights 4.2m; best suited for drama, sitcoms and soapies; One daylight studio for commercials and stills. We Offer: Vehicle access directly into studios; Load in /drop off area at studio doors; Swing sets and lighting grid is easily accessible; Studios linked to support facilities; Air conditioning and 900 kVA back-up power generator; Casting rooms, set storage, meeting and screening rooms. We Do: Daily Soapie for kykNET – Villa Rosa; Sitcom – Nomzamo; M-Net’s The Coconuts; SABC’s Askies; Gameshow – Drawing the Line; Home Affairs; Sokhulu & Partners I & II; Wina Manje; The Big Debate; Rasdien Show and My Perfect Family.
Located: Randburg, Johannesburg. Studio Details: Studio 1: 100m² (10m x 10m) with make-up and dressing rooms, client viewing room and catering service area; Ninety degree chromakey cyclorama; Lighting grid height of 3.5m; Separate production room area for multi-camera productions; Four triax camera flyaway kits and compact digital video mixing facility to connect to various camera formats. We Offer: Secure parking including for OB Van; 175kVA silent generator; container facility for storage; full lighting complement; lighting grid and dimmer control; various camera formats available on offer with the studio package. We Do: SABC & M-Net magazine style talk shows; TV Commercials; Product shoots – Video & stills; Music Videos; Corporate Videos
Website: www.astudiocalledwonder.com Contact: Alex Radnitz Tel: 011 6782597 074 1414 505 (preferred) Email: alex@astudiocalledwonder.com Physical 239 Market St Fairlands, Address: Johannesburg
26 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Website: Contact: Tel: Email: Physical Address:
www.atlasstudios.co.za Doris Mthombeni +27 (0)11 482-7111 info@atlasstudios.co.za 33 Frost Ave Milpark Johannesburg
Website: Contact: Tel: Email: Physical Address:
www.camerafacilities.co.za Roddy Barker +27 (0)11 886-9016 facility@global.co.za 9 Nerina Str, Kensington B Randburg, Johannesburg
| STUDIOSA-Z Global Access
Sasani Studios
Telemedia
Located: Johannesburg Studio Details: 234m2 – 564m2 with flexibility of combining studio space up to 800m2. Mainly used for: The facilities are best suited for sitcoms and dramas; Can also be used for live interactive broadcasts to public broadcasters and private networks or pre-recordings. We Offer: Fully equipped sound proof studios; HD/SD digital multi-camera equipment; Street level access for large sets and vehicles; 12m x 3m green screen cyc; Full lighting grid with dimmers and lights; Green room, make up room, crew rooms; Drawback areas and production offices available. We Do: Talk shows; Magazine shows; Dramas; Sitcoms; Variety shows; Game shows.
Located: Highlands North, Johannesburg Studio Details: 10 studios ranging in size between 62m² and 1057m² Mainly used for: Soaps, game shows, live variety shows, chat shows. The studios are fully soundproofed and air-conditioned multipurpose studios with the capacity for live broadcast, both locally and internationally. We Offer: We design the infrastructure to meet the client’s requirements; All studios have dressing rooms, make-up rooms and kitchens; Standard and High Definition; including hybrid video and audio servers, Tapeless systems. We Do: Big Brother Live; Scandal!; Rhythm City; 7de Laan; the Wild; Gospel Gold; Ga Redumele; Jika ma Jika; LOL; and various game shows, just to name a few!
Located: Rivonia, Johannesburg Studio Details: 6 x Final Control Centres/Playout Centres – SD; 3 x Studios, Control Room & Playout Facilities – SD; 10 x 9 m² and 7 x 14 m². 2 x Mini Studios 7 x 5 m²; HD. We Offer: Local connectivity to SABC, M-Net, e.tv, Urban Brew, ZSE, Red Pepper, Sentech via Telemedia Fiber Network; International connectivity via Telemedia Teleport to anywhere; Studios are soundproofed & air-conditioned; Kitchen, dressing rooms & offices. We Do: Tellytrack; Racing International; Emmanual TV
Website: www.globalaccess.co.za Contact: Adrie Boshoff Amelia Thiart Tel: +27 (0)11 846 9157 +27 (0)11 350 2258 Email: adrie@globalaccess.co.za amelia@globalaccess.co.za Physical: Broadcast House Address: Cnr Fox & Delver Streets Johannesburg
Website: www.sasanistudios.co.za Contact: Eileen Sandrock Tel: +27 (0)11 719 4200 Email: Eileen@sasanistudios.co.za Physical 2 Johannesburg Road Address: Highlands North, Johannesburg
Website: Contact: Tel: Email: Physical Address:
www.telemedia.co.za Deewesh Maharaj +27 (0)11 803 3353 d@telemedia.co.za 17 9th Avenue, Cnr Wessels Rd and 9th Ave Rivonia, Johannesburg
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DIGITAL HIGH SPEED SOLUTIONS 32G Phantom HD Gold Cine Magazines Docking Station Studio Trans-coding
Contact Visual Impact for a complete High Speed Solutions Package
JHB | 60 Cradock Avenue, Dunkeld | 011 788 9879 CPT | 1 Glynnville Terrace, Gardens | 021 468 6000
www.visuals.tv
February 2012 | SCREENAFRICA | 27
STUDIOSA-Z | STUDIOS A – Z
Visual Impact STUDIO
WEBSITE
Media Film Service
WEBSITE www.mediafilmservice.com
A Studio Called Wonder
www.astudiocalledwonder.com
Atlas Studios
www.atlastudios.co.za
M-Net Studios / SuperSport www.mnet.co.za
AV Network
www.avnetwork.co.za
Nomad Productions
www.nomadprod.com
Black Dog Studios
www.blackdogstudios.co.za
Phoenix Studios
www.phoenixstudios.co.za
Photo Hire
www.photohire.co.za
Camera Facilities
www.camerafacilities.co.za
Cape Island Studios
www.islandstudios.net
Located: Cape Town Studio Details: 120m2 Length, width & height of studio is 4 m x 10 x 5m We offer and do: The Visual Impact Studio offers a Studio with infinity curve; NC30 noise coefficient audio rating (BBC standard); sound attenuated air conditioning; drive in door for car shoots; double storey control room and gantry for high angle top shots and moveable lighting grid; Also offers wireless internet; green room with dressing area and kitchenette and a Studio toilet with shower; Studio rental comes with 1 undercover parking bay and 5 additional bays reserved just down the road. Visual Impact Rentals for equipment hire offering special rates to Visual Impact Studio clients as well as HD Hub for all your postproductions needs right in the building. In-house catering offered to all Studio clients.
Cape Town Film Studios www.capetownfilmstudios.co.za
Website: www.visuals.tv Contact: Nurahn Sabudien Tel: 021 468 6000 Email: nurahn@visuals.tv Physical: 1 GlynvilleTerrace, Address: Gardens, Cape Town
28 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
STUDIO
Clive Morris
www.cmproductions.co.za
Digital Brothers
www.digitalbrothers.co.za
Dimension TV (CT)
www.dimensiontv.co.za
DT Film studios
www.dtstudios.co.za
Foghound www.foghound.co.za
Q-Studios www.qstudios.co.za Realtime Pictures
www.realtimepictures.com
Red Light Studios
www.redlightstudios.co.za
Red Pepper Pictures
www.redpepper.tv
Roodebloem Studios
www.roodebloemstudios.co.za
Sasani Studios
www.sasanistudios.co.za
Senepe Studios
www.senepestudios.com
Sidmedia www.sidmedia.org
Frame 24
www.frame24.co.za
Global Access
www.globalaccess.co.za
Gold Island Studios
www.islandstudios.net
Henley TV Studios
www.henley@sabc.co.za
Jelly Bean Studio
www.jellybeanstudio.co.za
Keystone Productions
www.keystoneproductions.co.za
LCA Studios
www.lcastudios.co.za
Libra Vision
www.libravision.co.za
Visual Impact (Media Hive studios) www.visuals.tv
Lonehill studios
www.lonehillstudios.co.za
Waterfront Studios
Mai Studios
www.southernlighting.co.za
Stark Studios
www.starkfilms.co.za
Studio City
www.studiocitysa.co.za
Studio Republic
www.studiorepublic.co.za
Telemedia
www.telemedia.co.za
The Shooting Company (under construction) Urban Brew studios
www.urbanbrew.tv
www.waterfrontstudios.co.za
Studio and playout facilities • Equipped and custom designed SD/HD studios available • Teleport and SNG services available • Fibre connectivity to major broadcast houses • 24-Hour engineering support • Back-up power available • Offices and security RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTING SYSTEMS PO Box 1853, Rivonia, 2128, South Africa Tel: +27 (0)11 803-3353/4 Fax: +27 (0)11 803-2534 E-mail: telemedia@telemedia.co.za www.telemedia.co.za
OUTSIDEBROADCAST |
By Andy Stead You’ve seen them no doubt – those huge vehicles parked outside your favourite sporting stadium or at that live performance at one of South Africa’s many event venues.
S
ome of these mega outside broadcast (OB) vans boggle the mind with their size and complexity and yet there are smaller vans and electronic news gathering (ENG) / satellite news gathering (SNG) vehicles that ply the roads of this country, sending pictures either live or recorded back to broadcasters, corporates and the like. The big OB van boys are SABC TV Outside Broadcasts and SuperSport Outside Broadcast. Here size does count and they just keep getting bigger. SuperSport recently ordered another Sony built and equipped OB van from the UK with a 28 HD camera capability. This double extender van,
according to Sony South Africa’s Gerhard Strydom, will undertake customer commissioning at Sony in the UK around mid-May 2012. It will thereafter ship to South Africa, arriving in the first week of June 2012. To be known as OB4, this mega vehicle will complement its sister vehicle OB6. “The new OB van will feature the latest in HD technology,” says Johan van Tonder, technical operations manager SuperSport Outside Broadcast. “Not only will it replace an SD van with older technology, but it is also in keeping with our quest to keep abreast, if not ahead, of technology internationally while ensuring that our offering is comparable to the best the world has to offer.”
OBs ON A ROLL – SuperSports’ OB4 being built
Unusual van Proving that size is not always the criteria, EFX uses a somewhat unusual but highly efficient trailer as its OB van, custom built, with the emphasis on comfort and space. The eight-camera system is capable of full HD, 1920x1080 uncompressed recording. Together with a competent crew and its complement of Sony
The ‘go-to guys’
EFX’s OB trailer
E
FX Productions has been in the television industry for over 10 years, working closely with staging companies, transmission service providers and creative directors to successfully produce sporting events,
30 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
concerts, series and documentaries. Owned by Brendan Marsay, EFX uses a somewhat unusual but highly efficient trailer as their OB van, custom built, with the emphasis on comfort and space. The system is capable of full HD, 1920x1080 uncompressed, up to eight cameras, a four-channel instant replay server, 32 input 5.1ch audio desk – all operated by a competent crew. Cameras of choice are the tried and tested Sony PMW-EX3 XDCAM HD cameras and multi-definition
outputs are available for any possible application, digital or analogue displays, 16:9 or 4:3, satellite uplink or Internet streaming. EFX recently purchased Sony remote control units (RM-B150) to interface with the EX3 cameras to improve the company’s business prospects in 2012. They are currently uniquely placed as the only privately operated OB company to run its HD system on fibre, and therefore can successfully work in the largest venues and stadiums without any of the traditional hassles of ‘ copper cable’.
While there are companies that can do multi-camera shoots, EFX has built up systems, hardware and crew to make it easy, professional and cost effective. “There are lots of guys out there with a couple of cameras and cables, but not too many have the infrastructure of an OB van and slo-mo servers. Even less have the advantage of fibre,” says Marsay. Last year saw EFX busy with a lot of live music DVDs – some of which were nominated and subsequently awarded SAMAs – and EFX has become the ‘go-to guys’ for this genre.
| OUTSIDEBROADCAST Harambe Technologies is the South African distributor for Ikegami’s renowned camera systems.
Prospects With a generous supply of vehicles, technology and equipment how does 2012 look for the OB industry? Are there sufficient events to justify the supply, or is it a case of oversupply? GM of SABC TV Outside Broadcasts Nic Bonthuys is cautious: “I am looking forward to 2012 with mixed
feelings. I honestly do not know what to predict. There are no major sporting events to look forward to, with the possible exception of the new World Golf Championship. The ANC Centenary Conference in January was of course very big for us.” Van Tonder already has plans for SuperSport’s new OB 4. “Upon arrival we will ‘try it out’ on smaller productions,” he says, “before it goes into full blown service – in all probability on the next rugby test series during June and July 2012.”
SuperSports’ OB6 as it was completed last year
PMW-EX3 XDCAM HD cameras and recently acquired Sony RM-B150 RCUs, EFX offers its clients an extremely dedicated and efficient service.
SNG SNG is the speciality domain of Telemedia which is the largest supplier of these vehicles. “Our flagship vehicle is built on the Hummer,” says Quentin Barkhuizen, Telemedia’s national sales manager. “However, we have found that the Mercedes Vito, which is quick and
2011 was a tough year but what does this year hold? “Well, it’s hard to tell at this stage,” comments Marsay. “January has been
capable of high load ratings as well as operational areas, is probably the ideal vehicle.”
Gearing up Equipment supply is a vital part of OB construction and here several local companies are geared up to provide the service, such as Inala Broadcast and Harambe Technologies. Inala Broadcast supplies a wide range of well known products such as Riedel Intercom Systems, Miranda Technologies, DSNG, Ericsson and of course Dolby.
Telemedia’s Mercedes Vito van
very slow but I have secured some new clients so time will tell.” While they may be the ‘smallest of the big guys’ at the moment expansion plans, which include a 24-channel HD vision mixing desk, are on the cards and hopefully 2012 will be a bumper year for the company. February 2012 | SCREENAFRICA | 31
OUTSIDEBROADCAST |
A company with backbone
T
elemedia (Pty) Ltd is described as ‘Africa’s broadcast backbone’. Founded in 1981 with a focus on the supply and installation of radio and television broadcasting equipment, Telemedia has evolved into a broad-based media broadcast outfit. “Our connectivity business, which comprises around 80% of our total business, is separated into two units,” says Quentin Barkhuizen, national sales manager. “One is our uplink and downlink teleport services, which are based at our Rivonia, Johannesburg premises. From there we have connectivity to major players namely, Urban Brew, Sentech, MultiChoice, e.tv and the SABC via our dark fibre network. Our fibre network follows a ring topology around Johannesburg which aids in redundancy if there is ever a problem. “The other leg is our satellite news gathering (SNG) and Terrestrial Microwave Division,” continues Barkhuizen. “In the 1990s and early 2000 we relied on the analogue Telkom bearers for contribution. These bearers have now fallen away; all major stadiums have had ATM fibre access points installed so our
expanded. “We now have 10 SNG vehicles and these are used at events when there is no ATM fibre access or if an uplink on site is required, for example at the Tri-Nations Rugby Tournament. SNGs are also more practical for live news events where reporting from site is crucial. “We pride ourselves on how we build our SNG vehicles. Originally we always built onto 4x4 chassis because they were the only code 08 vehicles that could accommodate the load. This obviously has benefits for working in Africa and remote areas yet it has become our signature; hence our flagship vehicle is built on the Hummer. “However there have been a lot of new vehicles coming onto the market. We have found that the Vito, which is quick and has space in the back for a lot of equipment as well as an operational area, is ideal for our needs.”
FLAGSHIP – The Hummer SNG vehicle
terrestrial microwave offerings are predominantly for mobile applications, such as from helicopters or wireless cameras and so on.” Telemedia’s satellite news gathering has
Simply the best for OB and ENG
I
nala Broadcast is a major supplier of equipment for use in outside broadcast (OB) vehicles and electronic news gathering (ENG) systems in South Africa and the brands it represents are some of the best worldwide. “Riedel Intercom Systems are extremely active in the OB and live event sectors and provide intercom and fibre systems,” says Colin Wainer, GM of Inala Broadcast. He notes that Inala Broadcast has supplied intercom systems for the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) HD OB vehicles. “Worldwide Riedel offers systems for motor sport, Formula 1 teams such as BMW, Ferrari, McLaren and Force India, as well as the 24-hour Le Mans epic, to name a few. “Systems have also been provided to a variety of
SUPPLIER FOR OB JOBS – Colin Wainer 32 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
international games and sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics.” Another brand represented by Inala Broadcast is Miranda Technologies, with multiviewers and routers supplied to OB users in South Africa. Tektronix waveform monitors and vector scopes have also been supplied to the SABC and SuperSport. Digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) modulators and head-end equipment manufactured by Ericsson have also been delivered and Camera Corps has supplied the Q-Ball to the SABC and SuperSport. “Inala Broadcast is the holder of the Dolby agency and has supplied Dolby E and Dolby 5.1 products to the SABC and SuperSport. In addition we have supplied TV Logic LED monitors to the SABC.”
www.jvcpro.eu
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For further information, please visit www.jvcpro.eu or contact: South Africa U.A.E. Rest of world
Inala Broadcast • Tel: +27 (0)11 206 8344 • info@inala.co.za Oasis Enterprises • Tel: +971 2 621 7043 • info@oasisppd.com JVC Professional • Tel: +971 4 803 6210 • exportsales@jvcpro.co.uk
©2012 JVC Professional Europe Ltd. All pictures and trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
SPECIALFOCUS |
Movie stars, filmmakers descend on Middle East Screen Africa journalist Linda Loubser was invited to attend the 8th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) in the United Arab Emirates in December. She writes about her experiences there.
L
ooking down on Dubai from the 124th floor observation deck of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, you see a mass of glass and concrete. Tall buildings, many still being built, rise out of the hazy desert like a mirage, clustered around the main roads and highways, seemingly without history or context. While one fellow attendee of the Dubai International Film Festival said he found the city to be ‘one massive highway and shopping mall’, others, like legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog, were fascinated by the fast-developing city, calling it ‘a poem, a dream that has materialised in 10 years’. As a symbol of modernity and progress with a dash of poetry, and a city that prides itself on its diversity and large expat community, Dubai made a fitting backdrop for a film festival that screened 171 art house and commercial films, 34 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
documentaries and short films from a mix of well-known, established and up and coming filmmakers from 56 countries.
Red carpet Besides Herzog (Fitzcarraldo, Cave of Forgotten Dreams), who was in Dubai to receive a lifetime achievement award, other well-known names in attendance included Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Brad Bird (stars and director of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), whose film premiered at the festival on opening night and created a media and fan frenzy on the red carpet. Director Alexander Payne (Sideways) also walked the red carpet to attend a gala screening of his new film The Descendants with actress Shailene Woodley, as did My Week with Marilyn director Simon Curtis. Actor and screenwriter Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers, The Darjeeling Limited)
was in town to receive a Variety award for International Star of the Year, and Australian director Peter Weir (Dead Poets Society, The Way Back) was president of the jury for the festival’s Muhr Arab Feature award. Attesting to the worldwide popularity of Bollywood, stars Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and actor-director Farhan Akhtar as well as Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’s Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and director Maneesh Sharma were in attendance. The South African industry was represented by actors Jafta Mamabolo and Thomas Gumede, stars of Sara Blecher’s Otelo Burning, Akin Omotoso and cast members including Hakeem Kae-Kazim and Fana Mokoena of Man on Ground, plus director Khalid Shamis of documentary Imam and I.
Getting around Festival headquarters were housed at the Madinat Jumeirah, a five-star resort with two boutique hotels, more than 40
restaurants and a conference centre. As the driver of my water taxi, or Abra, explained, the resort is built to resemble an Arabian town from earlier times, complete with wind towers, a souk (market) and the waterways I used to travel from one festival venue to another. While the sheer scale of the festival made it at times confusing and a bit overwhelming to navigate between interviews, media roundtables, press conferences, photo calls, screenings and gala events, I got the chance to meet exciting up and coming directors such as Rwanda’s Kivu Ruhorahoza and South Korea’s Seung-Jun Yi, as well as some of the big names in attendance, such as Werner Herzog and British director Simon Curtis. In a short interview Curtis, whose first feature film My Week with Marilyn (starring Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench) has garnered quite a bit of award season attention, he told me that he decided to make the film because he had read the books by Colin Clark (played by Eddie Redmayne in the film) and really enjoyed them. “What I like about the story was that it was not a biopic, it was only focused on the time she (Marilyn Monroe) was in the UK, and it was the only time she was in the UK. I loved that this was a moment in time and captured a clash between acting styles.” Of Michelle Williams, who won the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for her take on Monroe, Curtis said the casting of the role was make or break. “She brings such a texture and complexity to the role. I was glad she was brave enough to take it on. I met Don Murray, Marilyn’s last remaining co-star, and he thought
| SPECIALFOCUS Spotlight on Africa
Michelle absolutely nailed the performance. That means the world to me.”
Star attraction Although some attendees weren’t available for interviews, the festival offered a chance to listen to them talk about their craft and their careers. Hollywood star Owen Wilson, during a Variety Conversation after receiving his award, talked about his work as a
screenwriter, his longstanding friendship with collaborator and former college roommate Wes Anderson, and his experience of working with Woody Allen on his recent crowd-pleaser Midnight in Paris. “I got a very well-written, nice letter from Woody Allen describing the character as maybe a bit more intellectual than the roles I normally play,” Wilson told the audience. “I didn’t meet him until I got to Paris three days before filming. John Cusack told me that he (Allen) was a real gentleman – and he was right. He wasn’t very precious about the script and didn’t give me a lot of direction – we were free to make suggestions. But I was maybe a bit intimidated by him.” Wilson added that he did find a way to ‘bond’ with the director: “I would see him on his iPhone between takes, he was always checking the weather around the world and it kind of became the thing I asked him about all the time. What’s the warmest place in the world today? On that day it was actually Dubai!” he quipped.
Growing interest in African films The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has placed a spotlight on African films for seven years with the support of AsiaAfrica programme festival director, South Africa’s Nashen Moodley. Linda Loubser spoke to him at the festival.
N
ashen Moodley has been involved with the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) since its second edition in 2005, when he started work on a small African programme of five to seven films until he was appointed director of the AsiaAfrica competition in 2008.
THIS IS NOT DU-BYE – Nashen Moodley
He is known in South Africa as the head of programming for the Durban International Film Festival, a position he held until he took up the position as director of the Sydney Film Festival in Australia in January this year. According to Moodley, the Dubai festival has proved valuable to African filmmakers. “It’s very important for films to be shown widely and that’s what the festival provides – it’s a great catapult for films. Many Africans have also won big cash prizes here, which has helped them make their next films.” One example of the networking value of the festival, as Moodley pointed out, is that South African filmmaker Oliver Hermanus met his French producing partner Didier Costet there, and the result is the award-winning Skoonheid.
After his second screening, director of South African xenophobia drama Man on Ground, Akin Omotoso, told me that he was having a great time in Dubai, and compared his experience to his attendance of the Toronto International Film Festival
in Canada earlier in the year. “I’m having fun. While Toronto is a well-established festival, it’s great to be here and be part of a growing festival.” Omotoso said he was glad to have a witness to the full cinemas and great response from the Dubai audience at the Man on Ground screenings. At the screening I attended at the Mall of Emirates, the movie triggered a lively discussion on xenophobia and the background and meaning of the story. Nigerian actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Hotel Rwanda, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End) noted that hospitality at the festival had been ‘second to none’. “I’ve also found a wonderful array of different film languages here, especially Arabic. And the audiences have been quite amazing,” said Kae-Kazim. South African actor Fana Mokoena (Hopeville, Machine Gun Preacher) said that the festival gave him the sense that Africa and the Arab world are reaching out to each other. “I feel we have to strengthen those links. We’ve looked mostly to Europe for support and funding, but Africa is beginning to tell amazing stories, and if the Arab world has money to invest in film they should be looking to Africa to collaborate.” Leaving the festival after five days with my head full of tall buildings, red carpets, falcons and wind towers, it was the movies I’d seen and the filmmakers I’d met that had left the strongest impressions. This is surely a testament to a film festival with the right priorities, and one that will hopefully see a growing collaboration between the film industries in Africa and the Arab world at future editions.
He noted that interest in African films has increased over the years he’s been involved at DIFF. “In the first years it was difficult to get a big enough audience for the films, but there’s been a growing interest and more and more people come to watch.” The AsiaAfrica programme at the 2011 festival included South African films Man on Ground in the Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature competition, Imam and I in the Muhr AsiaAfrica Documentary competition, and Otelo Burning screened out of competition. Tinye So from Mali won a Special Jury Prize in the Muhr AsiaAfrica Short competition and Grey Matter from Rwanda also screened out of competition. They were screened alongside films from Asian countries that included Japan, Iran, Kazakhstan, South Korea, India, Turkey and Singapore. “I think it’s a diverse selection of very good films. We have films by very experienced, masters of cinema, but also many films by young filmmakers. We’ve never had a film from Rwanda before and there is a significant South African selection this year. In the end I’m very happy with the selection, and I think audiences have enjoyed it,” said Moodley. He believes that 2011 was a particularly good year for South African cinema, although he couldn’t dominate the Dubai programme with films from his
home country. “When you think back a few years ago, it was very difficult to get a selection of South African films in festivals. This year at the Durban festival we had 10 or 11 feature films, many documentaries and many short films. It was really encouraging to see that so many films are being made by a range of different people, and different types of films – we had comedies, thrillers and gangster films. I think it’s great that South Africans are getting their films made and that the films are turning out pretty well.” During his involvement at the Dubai festival, Moodley has also seen progress in the local Emirati film industry. “When I started coming here there were very few, if any Emirati films screening, and now there is an entire section dedicated to local films. Filmmakers here are making quite serious films and it has a lot to do with the festival. The festival, in my mind, really created in impetus for filmmaking in the region.” Moodley said he was excited about moving to Sydney, but planned to stay involved in the South African film industry. “I’ve made many friends in the industry over the years. I think it’s a great place for filmmaking and I want to continue to support those filmmakers. Certainly this is not goodbye, I want to remain very much involved and follow new works.”
While popular and acclaimed actors stole the festival limelight on many occasions, the African and South African filmmakers attending the festival also got their share of attention, as did many independent filmmakers creating original and challenging works. Kivu Ruhorahoza, director and writer of Rwanda’s first feature film Grey Matter (Matiêre Grise), said while his screenings weren’t full, the attendance was better than he’d expected. “I was really scared that there would be less than five people at each of my screenings,” said Ruhorahoza, noting that the audiences liked his film. “Or at least, that’s what they told me,” he added. While he was full of praise for the festival’s hospitality and the interest they showed in directors from the continent, he believes they face a challenge in terms of audience development. “They’ve done a good job in bringing (African) films and filmmakers to the festival, now they have to bring the audiences to watch those films and meet the filmmakers. Our films are not always easy to watch and convincing audiences to go watch some obscure film from Rwanda, instead of Spiderman 8 or Harry Potter 12, is a bit tricky,” he noted.
Man on Ground
February 2012 | SCREENAFRICA | 35
SPECIALFEATURE |
The
Golden Horn story I
36 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
n its own right, the GOLDEN HORN is awarded by the South African Film & Television Awards (SAFTAS) in recognition of creative excellence, but impacts on our sense of nationalism and the context of renewal in Africa. This concept is inspired by: • the significance of “community” • the diversity of our different communities • the need for partnerships in our society and • the strength found in numbers The Golden Horn symbolizes Circularity as an organizing principle in African thought and like a continuous reel of past-present-future speaks to endless creativity. The Golden Horn also symbolizes past and present struggles and triumphs sending feelers into the future, captured by the forward bend of the horns to symbolize pregnant creative forces. Collectively, the figures are arranged in a manner that gives them a 360 degrees vision so collectively, they see the now looking into the future as a team Together. We are using this notion of collective creativity and the idea of the creative energy as part of a team that resonates with African culture as a source of inspiration. Thus the award is presented as much as a sign of recognition of the individual, but also of the team that worked with and supported that individual to allow his talent to blossom. Based on the prerogative of using a national symbol, we researched several objects and artifacts to develop the GOLDEN HORN – in order to reflect THE ENERGY OF CREATIVE UNION. The creative concept behind the SAFTA Trophy, the “Golden Horn” is built on the strength of a collective effort and community and the recognition of the individual as a part of the team. This experience is inherent in the South African Film and Television industry of today as a full production is the expression
of and impossible without teams. Like artifacts of African heritage such as the Lydenberg Heads that date back to 800 AD discovered in the Southern African region, the three figure heads are found on objects that recognize the stature of venerated members of African communities, those who are regarded as leaders in their fields and specifically represent excellence in visual creative arts, performance and drama. References to such artifacts are made in the Order of Ikhamanga – the National Order for Achievement in Creativity, Sciences and Sport. The horn figurines; carved from cattle horns; are snuff boxes which are imbued with many subtle meanings that speak to the cultural, intellectual and spiritual heritage of our people. The figures are found on Pedi Snuff containers, made from the horns of cattle; those most adorned, having been offered to the most revered in society – commonly it would be political and spiritual leaders or such. These are objects of recognition and of value. (The reference to cattle horn, also exists due to the wealth that cattle represents in African culture.) Together the figures create a reference to flames, its energy and force, and ultimately the sun. The rising sun is often used in African heraldry across the continent. It is an “emblem of brightness, splendour and the supreme principle of the nature of energy. It symbolizes insight and the impact of knowledge and the vision of creative energy.” In the completed structure of the National Coat of Arms the rising sun combines the lower and higher oval. These shards also refer, in a more abstract way to the shape of the beauty of African plants and flowers, such as the Protea and the Strelitzia – which represent aesthetic beauty. The shapes again refer also to the wings of flight like that of the Secretary Bird or the eagle – to represent creativity and its strengths as a divine guide.
The highest Film and T V accolade
| SPECIALFEATURE
I
t was back in 2005 when representatives of the South African Film and Television industry resolved to come together under the auspices of the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa (NFVF) to establish the annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAS). On 4 November of the same year, the SAFTAS were officially launched at a red carpet dinner at the Theatre on the Track in Kyalami, Johannesburg. This high profile event was attended by a who’s who of the local industry – actors, filmmakers, producers, broadcasting executives and government dignitaries. The first ever SAFTAS committee comprised Eddie Mbalo as Chairperson, Jackie Motsepe, Desiree Markgraaff, Ferdi Gazendam, Kamscilla Naidoo, Raymond Theart, Debbie Mc Crum, Joel Phiri and Bongi Selane. The committee being the governing body of the SAFTAS have led the development and ideals of excellence that have filtered through the industry with better productions and tougher competition year on year. At the helm of the SAFTAS since inception has been former CEO of the NFVF Mr. Eddie Mbalo whose leadership and integrity has been pivotal to the progress of the SAFTAS. Jackie Motsepe another former member of the SAFTAS committee and former Project Manager of the SAFTAS has been appointed as joint overall Chairperson together with Feizel Mamdoo, Chairperson of the South African Screen Federation (SASFED). There is no doubt that the inaugural awards ceremony, held in 2006 at Midrand’s Gallagher Estates, marked a significant turning point in the industry by inspiring practitioners to work towards attaining a SAFTA Golden Horn Trophy. Both the 2006 and 2007 SAFTAS Red Carpet Gala events were broadcast live from the Gallagher Estates on SABC 2. Guests included industry talent, leading personalities, and key government and private sector VIPs. It is after these ceremonies that a significant growth of the industry was noticed. Eddie Mbalo, then NFVF CEO, and Chairperson of the SAFTAS committee had this to say, “The award ceremony once more attests to the high standard of excellence that we have grown accustomed to in the industry. We are encouraged by the level of enthusiasm and commitment shown by industry participants who continuously develop and enhance their own talents, and in so doing add to the prestige of winning the coveted Golden Horn trophy. As we continue to raise the bar in terms of increasing the quality of both what we put into the industry and what comes out of it, we look forward to realising our goal of developing the SAFTAs into a fully-fledged Academy that will be responsible for the governance of the awards. 2009 saw the SAFTAS event move from the month of October to February, in line with the international awards season. This was the first session to be broadcast live on SABC 2 from the prestigious South African State Theatre in Pretoria, with the 2010 event following suit. The February 2011 event exceeded all expectations – it took a unique direction from traditionally grand design to a uniquely intimate space of the Madame Zingara Theatre of Dreams in Melrose Arch Johannesburg. This tantalising affair was characterised by delectable treats in performance, music and grand awarding for recipients. The focus of the 2012 SAFTAS is to celebrate heritage of the local industry, while celebrating the arts as a whole. The 2012 SAFTAS will take place over two days, on the 10 & 11 March 2012. The successes of the SAFTAS can also be attributed to previous SAFTAS Executive Producer/project manager Lebone Maema ((2005/6) now GM of Mzansi Magic and current member of SAFTAS committee who with the committee, facilitated the blueprint of the SAFTAS; and NFVF head of Marketing & Public Affairs, Azania Muendane, who has been project manager since 2007. The production companies that
For the past five years the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAS) have recognised the best of the local industry. With the 6th Annual SAFTAS set to take place on 10 and 11 March in Johannesburg, Screen Africa takes a retrospective look at the country’s highest Film and TV honour.
have played a pivotal role in putting together the awards ceremonies are Cap Events (2006 – 2007) and Clive Morris Productions (2009 – 2011). For the 2012 event Lehlohonolo Lehana from Grooves will be working with Clive Morris Productions to stage the event.
Industry-centric Eddie Mbalo, the Chairperson of the SAFTAS committee notes that the SAFTAS are designed to promote quality and excellence in South African film and television products. “In addition the SAFTAS highlight and profile celebrated South African talent and product to national and international markets. They encourage the growth of new talent within the industry and entrepreneurship within the film and television market,” said Mbalo. The pillars upon which the SAFTAS rest are excellence, vibrancy and finesse. Excellence equates to world-class film and television productions; vibrancy refers to South African practitioners pushing the limits; and finesse describes the attention to detail in the awards ceremony itself.
SAFTAS Lifetime Achievers • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
1996: Lifetime Achievement Outstanding Contributor to film: Anant Signh 2007: Lifetime Achievement For production: Kevin Haris 2007: Lifetime Achievement Fro Performance: Mary Twala 2007: Lifetime Achievement Entrepreurship: Moosa Moosa 2008/9: Lifetime Achievement For Perfomance: Cynthia Shange 2008/9: Lifetime Achievement For Leadership & Entrepreneurship: Carl Fisher 2010: Lifetime Achievement for Direction and Acting: Katinka Heyns 2010: Lifetime Achievement for Performance on Stage and in Film: Dr John Kani 2010: Lifetime Achievement for Performance on Television: Joe Mafela 2010: Posthumus Lifetime Achievement for Production: Thys Heyns 2010: Posthumus Lifetime Achievement for Direction: Percival Rubens 2010: Posthumus Lifetime Achievement for Production, Writing and Direction: Dirk De Villiers 2010: Posthumus Lifetime Achivement for Performance: Zakes Mokae 2011: Lifetime Achievement for Casting: Moonyeen Lee 2011: Lifetime Achievement for Acting: Winston Ntshona for Acting; 2011: Lifetime Achievement for Acting and Social Activism: Lillian Dube
Tributes Former SAFTA Overall judging chairperson 2006 – 2007 and Joint overall Chairperson 2009 Mandla Langa pays tribute to all SAFTA winners. “I thank all those who work tirelessly to realise the enormous potential of our film and television industry. It is not an easy task to fulfill but we hope that with the honour and recognition of the SAFTAS, you accept our acknowledgement of the worth and value you bring to the industry.”
2009 SAFTA Joint chairperson Hannelie Bekker adds: “SAFTA nominations are the outcome of a concerted and rigorous effort by the many people involved in the judging process to apply their professional judgment and insight to yet another crop of great South African television and film production. Our congratulations go out to all nominees – each of which has significant merit.”
The future
Mbalo reiterates that the “SAFTAS belong to the industry and we expect everyone who values the industry and who wants to see growth in the industry, to make every effort to support the SAFTAS.” In conclusion Mbalo says that, “The future of the SAFTA’s is in the establishment of the South African Film & TV Academy that will ensure management and good governance of the awards and be the premier body that acknowledges talent in the film and television industry.”
February 2012 | SCREENAFRICA | 37
AFRICA |
Reports by Martin Chemhere
AMAAs go global R egarded as Africa’s most glamorous film awards event on the continent, the AMAA will this year hold events on regional, continental and international fronts to expand the brand’s foothold in Africa and the diaspora. The AMAA events package includes media, training, business, sponsorship, fundraising, networking, roadshows, launches, meetings, and an Annual General Meeting (AGM). “This intensive 2012 programme should see the AMAA brand consolidate its position as we inspire the future of African film production and distribution,” says AMAA CEO Peace AnyiamOsigwe. Central to the programmes is the 2012 edition of the AMAA competition, supported by the AMAA African Cinema Business Roundtable in South Africa. There is also the AMAA world press conference as well as press conferences in Ghana, Kenya, UK and South Africa. The AMAA sub-brand, which is marketed under the African Film Academy banner, will be co-packaged with the generic AMAA brand. Film In A Box events will take place in Gambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Further AMAA events include: AGM in Gambia; AMAA Cocktail Party at the Berlin Film Festival; AMAA Launch at the Pan African Film Festival in Los
Zim director’s second doccie feature
S
aki Mafundikwa of Gandanga Media Productions wrote, directed and produced a new 60-minute documentary Basilwizi: People of the Great River. Mafundikwa received funding for this
38 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Africa’s answer to the Oscar’s, the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), has added a global flavour to its programme.
INTERNATIONAL MILEAGE – Peace Anyiam-Osigwe
Angeles; AMAA Nomination Night, UK; AMAA Town Hall meetings (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa); and AMAA Roadshows (Durban, Kenya, Zanzibar, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Zuma and Pan African Film Festivals). Anyiam-Osigwe reveals that the
televised 2012 AMAA Nomination Night in April, where nominees for 24 categories are announced, may be held in Zimbabwe. “Film industry stakeholders in Zimbabwe are hard at work to secure the necessary funding,” she says. “The decision to host the event in Zimbabwe
follows the suggestion and year-long negotiations between Martin Chemhere, a Zimbabwean arts and media consultant living in South Africa, and myself. “We are giving Zimbabwe first priority to host because they need this intervention more than other countries. Zimbabwe has been struggling for good international mileage and the AMAAs have a 50 million target audience worldwide.” Past nomination nights have been successfully held in South Africa, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Kenya. Host countries can leverage AMAA and its reach to showcase their culture to Africa and a global audience, while individuals and organisations have the opportunity for international partnerships and collaboration. At the AMAA inaugural edition in 2005, more than 500 notable filmmakers from Africa, US, UK and the rest of the world converged in Yenogoa, Bayelsa State with a record audience of 10 000. Guest stars who have graced past AMAAs include US stars Danny Glover, Vivica Fox, Louis Gosset Jnr, Angela Bassett, Mo’Nique, Cuba Gooding Jnr, Wesley Snipes and the late Miriam Makeba. The awards are endorsed by FEPACI (Federation of Pan-African Cinema), the continental film watchdog.
A new Zimbabwean documentary goes into production in the first quarter of 2012 with completion by mid-year and post-production towards the last quarter. new documentary after his awardwinning film Shungu: The Resilience of a People. Shungu won two awards, including Best Documentary at the Kenya International Film Festival and the Ousmane Sembene Award in Zanzibar in 2010. Basilwizi is about the Tonga people of Binga who were forced out of their homes along the Zambezi River Valley to make way for the Kariba Dam Hydro Electricity project 52 years ago. “These people have been left to fend for themselves even after independence. I want to bring global attention to their plight,” declares Mafundikwa. He believes Africans must tell their own stories and feels that the continent’s challenges and successes have been largely documented by non-Africans.
Through films like Basilwizi he hopes to correct this imbalance. As a filmmaker Mafundikwa has dedicated his life to telling stories of the voiceless, whatever their social group. However, Mafundikwa does not believe that by bringing their plight to the attention of the world that the Tongas will one day be financially compensated for their forced removal from their ancestral land. “I don’t think this will happen, at least not in monetary terms,” he continues. “The best compensation though would be sustainable development projects. Tongas do not need aid, they need skills training, education, access to good health care, irrigation schemes and cooperatives in various sustainable projects,” he says.
Due to the film’s strong grassroots elements, it falls into the human rights film genre. Funding for the film took quite a while to secure as the director was turned down by some of the funders who had supported his first work. “I understand why they turned me down this time,” he says. “It’s because I hadn’t sufficiently developed the storyline of the documentary.” Eventually the film received $40 000 from Trust Africa and The Culture Fund of Zimbabwe. The Basilwizi Trust – an organisation working for Tonga rights and development – is also partnering the production. A distributor for the film has not yet been secured.
| AFRICA
No grey area for Rwandan film Photo by Elja Molanba Tonda
A new Rwandan film has been released into the US market and is scooping up awards.
COURAGE AND VISION – Kivu Ruhorahoza
G
rey Matter, a feature by Rwandan Kivu Ruhorahoza, was released in north America in mid-January. Completed in 2011 it has since bagged several awards including two Tribeca Film Festival awards – a Special Jury Mention and Best Actor in a Narrative Film. The jury commended the film for its ‘audacity’, ‘experimentalism’, and ‘great originality’, while the filmmaker earned praise for his ‘courage and vision’. Grey Matter has also been to festivals in Melbourne, Rio, Warsaw, Dubai,
Rotterdam and Göteborg. Writer and director Kivu Ruhorahoza already proved his worth in short films and wanted to make a feature film. Grey Matter tells of an emerging filmmaker disgusted at the non-availability of funds for his debut full-length film about two children orphaned through genocide and struggling with life. On completing his script the filmmaker in Grey Matter decides that there is something amiss with the story. So he comes up with the idea of madness – symbolised by a male character who kills the children’s parents. Says Ruhorahoza: “Grey Matter is a movie about imagination and madness. It is a story about the capacity of the brain to create, destroy and self-destroy.” The topic of this film is very important to Ruhorahoza. Though the story has autobiographical elements, he feels the entire work isn’t an autobiographical work.
“In the first part of the film, I show a young filmmaker facing the worst difficulties to make his first feature film. I am obviously showing glimpses of what one goes through to make a film in a country where cinema has to serve the community.” Produced by Ruhorahoza and Australian Dominic Allen, the film was shot by fellow Australian Ari Wegner.
Collaborative effort Three production companies collaborated on the film – POV Productions from Rwanda (represented by Ruhorahoza), Australia’s Scarab Studio Films (represented by Allen) and Camera Club (represented by Allen and Dave Budge). Languages in the film include Kirwanda and French with English subtitles. Shooting took place in the Rwandan capital of Kigali over 21 days. The shoot went through a number of hurdles. When principal photography began in Kigali, there was not a single tripod in the country to handle the Red camera and no sound equipment. Plus it rained for hours on the first day. Finance came in trickles throughout all
stages of production. There were some small loans from friends and family, and the generosity of editor Antonio Rui Ribeiro helped to get the film to a rough cut good enough to be accepted by Tribeca. This was before Ruhorahoza again got support from Scarab Studio Films and Allen, who agreed to invest completion funds to master and online the film in Melbourne, Australia. Production costs were just under $10 000 and post-production costs about $60 000. The overall budget was over $100 000. Grey Matter stars Ruth Nirere, an actress and singer who is very popular in Rwanda. Her acting debut was in Philippe Van Leeuw’s The Day God Walked Away for which she won awards at film festivals in both Europe and Africa. Hervé Kimenyi, who plays the filmmaker, is a very popular comedian in Rwanda and this is his first movie. He stars alongside Ramadhan Bizimana, a popular radio DJ in Kigali. US-based Global Film Lens is handling the distribution deal and the film had its first run at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York for a week.
BACKDROP OF GENOCIDE: Scenes from Kinyarwanda
US run for genocide film
T
he Rwanda-US co-production Kinyarwanda enjoyed a month long run in several US states from November until the end of December last year. The film’s theatrical release was facilitated by AFFRM (African American Film Festival Releasing Movement) and follows the film’s successful streak of international awards. At the Sundance 2011 festival it won the World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Based on a story by Rwandan Ishmael Ntihabose, the film takes viewers back to the horrific 1994 Rwandan genocide. Kinyarwanda is based on true accounts
from survivors who took refuge at the Grand Mosque of Kigali and the Imams who opened their doors to give refuge to the Tutsis, as well as the Hutus who refused to participate in the killing. It is written and directed by Alrick Brown, produced by Darren Dean, Tommy Oliver and Brown, with Ishmael Ntihabose the executive producer. Lead roles in the film are played by Edouard Bamporiki, Cassandra Freeman and Cleophas Kabasiita. “Interwoven in the story are six different tales that together form one grand narrative, providing the most complex and real depiction yet presented of life and human resilience during the
genocide,” says Oliver. He states that while many previous films focused on the politics and death during the genocide, Kinyarwanda is a movie about life, faith, forgiveness and reconciliation. “We use the genocide as a backdrop and a context to tell our character’s very personal stories,” states Oliver. “As one Rwandan said: “Even during the genocide life still went on.” Oliver’s hope is that audiences will come to know Rwandans as ordinary people, individuals, lovers, friends and not merely heroes, villains, victims or perpetrators. He likens the film’s educational and entertaining elements in its storytelling structure to films like Pulp Fiction and Crash.
Local team The production team worked with as many Rwandans in front of and behind the camera as possible. Most of the Rwandan crew on the film, who had
worked on previous films as assistants to assistants, headed up their own departments on this film. In front of the camera, Rwandan actors from previous films are accompanied by a cast of mostly first time actors. “Many of the nuances of our story also came from our Rwandan cast and crew members. These stories were so bizarre, intense, beautiful, touching, inspiring and painful that I had to write about them. I immediately knew what was going into the script,” says Oliver. Some of the challenges included shooting during grasshopper mating season, rain and with about 1 000 extras. There was limited equipment and a 16-day shooting schedule. Oliver notes that the hardest part was the emotional impact the scenes had on all of the cast and crew. He stresses that Kinyarwanda emphasises people. “While other films have showed violence, corpses and death, my film emphasises life. In it, the genocide is a tragic backdrop for very familiar human experiences.” February 2012 | SCREENAFRICA | 39
Continued from page 1 | SABC tech brain drain experienced and qualified people within the SABC to interact with the consultants.” Another staffer who also did not want to be named said that lack of leadership from top management was hugely frustrating. “Executives who do not have the necessary technology background are heading up departments. The indecision of the SABC board to approve big projects has put the technology departments on a downhill path. “People are leaving the SABC after four to seven years of service because they are marketable, at an age where they are starting to invest in a family and are inadequately rewarded at the SABC. The over 45-year-olds are mostly white, not marketable, in a comfort zone, generally unhappy, and working to a retirement that they have invested in over many years of service.” No-one who Screen Africa spoke to was willing to be named. Yet another staffer said: “The technology departments have already lost some people of an extremely high calibre which is very unfortunate. It’s all to do with the difficulties at the SABC and the feeling of insecurity, which has been around for about eight years, ever since former GCEO Peter Matlare left. What is scary is the total lack of top management and the involvement of people with no technical know-how in operational matters they know nothing about.” It’s evident that no-one in the technology departments has been offered retrenchment packages. Those who have left have done so of their own accord. Studio lighting guru Angus Clarke, who left the SABC many years ago after decades of service, says: “It saddens me to see my Alma Mater suffering from serious mismanagement. As a government funded organisation, the SABC used to be the de facto TV and radio industry training institution and most of the good TV engineers left in the industry have had SABC TV training at some point in their careers.” – Joanna Sterkowicz
Minister talks SABC, DTT At the time of going to print the SABC was once again embroiled in controversy – this time over the appointment of a new chief operating officer (COO), which was criticised as ‘clumsy and rushed’. Pule noted that the SABC remains high on her priority list. “South Africa needs a wellfunctioning SABC which discharges its public broadcasting mandate effectively. In this regard, significant work has been done by the Monitoring Task Team comprising the Department of Communications (DoC), National Treasury and the SABC. The Task Team’s mandate is to ensure that the public broadcaster is able to implement its turnaround strategy and therefore meet the government guarantee conditions,” explained Pule. In an interview following the press conference she acknowledged that restoring credibility to the SABC was a daunting task, but said they hoped to start the next financial year with a full house of executives. She also added that big changes were expected at the corporation. “If we are able to first stabilise the organisation through the appointments of a chief technology officer (CTO), chief operating officer (COO) and 40 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
chief financial officer (CFO), that will be quite a big step forward,” said Pule. “Then we need these execs to understand their responsibility and mandate – that they are a public broadcaster and that they have a responsibility to ensure that they do the work the South African public expects them to do, and start building unity and cohesion among themselves.” “We plan to do a skills audit at the SABC to track where skills are currently utilised and where skills are not utilised, so that every skilled person can be placed properly where they can assist the organisation to stabilise,” Pule added. The third part of her plan for the SABC is to ensure that government guarantees are paid back. “The organisation needs to begin to make money in order to sustain itself so that it doesn’t come back to government and say: ‘please save us’. It must save itself going forward,” said Pule. It is also important for the SABC board to understand the governance issues at the corporation and their responsibilities, said Pule. “Once we clear those things, the organisation can steer ahead properly.” The Minister also noted that they are currently appointing a Broadcasting Review Panel that will conduct a ‘comprehensive
Waterfront Studios acquired, still trading Prior to the purchase of WFS Else owned a production company, a record label and a studio. New premises were needed to expand Collective Dream’s business operations and facilities. “As our own productions on all levels (film, television, music, large scale musical theatre and Internet) were dramatically growing, more sound stages, equipment and skilled personnel were required,” explains Else. “When the opportunity to buy WFS arose, we were immediately interested. Having weighed up the risks and potential rewards, we felt the acquisition suited our business model and vision. “In our view the traditional post-production facility business model is outdated and unlikely to succeed in the longer term. As content creators and production people, we plan to offer a wider range of services to a broader market.” According to Else, the goal is to make WFS a one-stop shop, taking the journey with clients from conceptualisation, through pre-production to production, post-production, broadcast and distribution. Services previously offered by WFS are being improved and expanded to new and existing clients. Current facilities will be upgraded to full digital post-production capability, including the possible review of the broadcasting policy landscape and make recommendations’. “They will assist us to formulate the Broadcasting Act and also align it to digital broadcasting,” she added.
Digital migration Pule noted that her department had been working right through the December holidays to get everything in place for DTT and had made some progress, despite a lack of capacity within the DoC. Amendments to the 2008 Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy have been finalised and will be gazetted this month, which promises to fast-track the finalisation of the DTT Regulations by ICASA. The Set-Top-Box (STB) Manufacturing Strategy and Scheme for Ownership Support Rollout Framework were also finalised and will be presented to Cabinet in February and
EXPANDING THE DREAM – Sean Else and Rudy Halgryn
purchase of a Baselight. Appropriate maintenance is priority. Else continues: “The conflict between the previous shareholders of WFS distracted focus from its core business. Because the sound stages, studios and facilities were a mess we immediately started a major clean-up and upgrade. Space regained at the rear of the building is being converted into an equipment store, workshop (including full set construction facilities), set storage, engineers’ workshop and engineering stores.” Stage 1’s control rooms have already been cleaned and all outdated equipment scrapped. The studio is being repainted, cleaned, upgraded and rigged for full digital service. Digital desks are being purchased and key staff will be trained on them. This process is to be repeated on all the stages. Additional rooms for Stage 2 and 3 (such as changing rooms) are being built. “This is essential not only for retaining, regaining and generating business, but also to restore the pride of WFS staff,” says Else. “Collective Dream is
an incredible facility and the cleaning and upgrading is an emotional process for our talented staff. We have spent time with each person and discovered amazing talent. The staff is re-discovering the potential of the business and this process is key in changing their focus, ethics and morale. As creative people ourselves, we are changing the old WFS to an environment in which creatives can flourish.” All the facilities, including the Film Lab, are up and running. Key teams and expertise in all departments have been retained. In some instances previously retrenched or suspended staff have been reappointed to ensure that clients’ requirements are properly serviced and to relieve certain departments which were under pressure. “It’s our dream to work and collaborate with as many people as we can and make sure our studio and facilities are being utilised to full capacity. South Africans are very creative individuals and together with our studios we believe we can all share a truly collective dream,” adds Else. –Andy Stead
ICASA has published DTT Regulations for public comment, which should be finalised by the end of March 2012. Once final regulations are published and the performance period gazetted, broadcasters will be able to apply for new digital channels. Pule also announced that parastatal signal distributor Sentech was making significant progress in the rollout of DVB-T2 transmitters, and they expect 60% population coverage by March 2012. In her statement the Minister noted that the DTT education and awareness campaign will be done ‘in a phased manner until all provinces are covered’. She added later that this campaign would probably commence in April this year. She explained that the tender for manufacturing STBs should be finalised by mid-February, and they estimate that 23 500 direct and indirect jobs can be created through the STB
manufacturing value chain. “Hopefully in a week or two the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) will finalise the technical specs and standards of the new STBs,” she added. They estimate that five million households will be subsidised by about R400 per STB and will have to pay the difference of about 30%. According to acting deputy director general at the DOC, Themba Phiri, the box should be as affordable as possible, as government is subsidising it. “You don’t want to experience a situation where the price of the STB inhibits free access to public broadcasting services,” he noted. However, he explained that STBs will be sold in a free market system, where more advanced STBs with extra features can be sold at a higher price, but not acquired through the subsidy scheme. – Linda Loubser
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Cape locations deadlock “It is therefore the CFC that continually muddies the water, and in doing so threatens the livelihoods of every single crew member who works on stills or commercials in this city.” Lillie is not convinced that there is a crisis. “It seems like this ‘crisis’ is annual thing. This time of year there is increased frustration about the bureaucracy of the systems due to pressure from clients during the Cape commercial season. However we hope to set up a meeting with the CPA soon as a matter of priority.” He notes that as a result of the Forum they will be meeting with government officials about industry concerns and are looking at unlocking new locations, such as hospitals. The CFC will also manage some provincial locations in the future and has negotiated discounted public liability insurance for CFC members. Lillie does not believe the publicity around the crisis has harmed the local industry as Cape Town continues to draw big international productions to its shores.
Petition CPA executive officer Bobby Amm comments on feedback to the petition: “The Mayor was very concerned and undertook to look into the situation immediately. We presented a plan on how the City and industry can work together to eliminate many of the problems and the mayor has requested that we meet with various line departments to explain how the problems we are experiencing are having a negative impact on our sector.” According to Amm they had been raising concerns about the locations situation through the CFC since 2005. “However, very little progress was made towards resolving the issue and this placed the ability of production companies to operate in the Cape Town environment at risk.” Their experience with the CFC was that the problem was ‘underplayed and blocked from the government agenda’. “Since the CPA, SAASP and our members resigned from the CFC last year and started to deal directly with the authorities it is clear that this is far more effective than the previous route of going through the CFC as gatekeeper,” notes Amm. Levy believes a unified body working for the improvement of the industry would benefit Cape Town immensely. “However, there will be no unified approach while the CFC continues to undermine the industry it was set up to support.” Amm adds that the petition has also received support from foreign clients. “They want to keep coming to Cape Town but are concerned about the situation as they are unable to insure against loss of location and therefore stand to lose millions on a single job if their chosen locations cannot be secured. We have been accused of acting irresponsibly by making this situation public, but clients are very aware of the situation as many have experienced it first-hand. We have also procured letters from other local industry organisations calling on government to urgently address the situation as the continued success of their businesses depend on it.” According to Amm the recent petition was the ‘simplest and most effective way’ to demonstrate to government that, although only a small number of companies actually apply for location permits in Cape Town (CPA and SAASP represent 90% of location users), the entire industry will be adversely affected should the situation deteriorate. “Although other sectors are active in Cape Town, there is no doubt that without consistent business provided by stills and commercials the entire film infrastructure including crew, talent and gear rental companies would be placed at huge risk, compromising the ability of other sectors (such as feature films) to operate,” says Amm.
Proactive According to Levy both CPA and SAASP are actively engaged in discussions with the correct role-players to address the crisis by streamlining the location application process, unlocking key locations and continuing the location recovery programme. A full time unit manager, Rudi Riek, has been hired to help the CPA and SAASP resolve location problems as they arise. With the assistance of the CTFPO, Riek successfully staged over 50 interventions in the past four months to enable filming to take place. “We are currently looking at ways to make location resources more available and affordable to the industry. This will also assist anyone who wishes to film in the Western Cape. We would like to start to focus more on strategic location solutions and long-term goals,” concludes Amm. – Linda Loubser
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Those productions in red are newly listed this month Production Updates Order of Information 1. Title 2. Production Company 3. Director 4. Genre
IN DEVELOPMENT 80 MINUTES Periphery Films Dir: Simon Taylor / Julia Taal Feature Drama A LION IN THE BEDROOM Two Oceans Production Prod: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature AMABHUBESI Inkwasi Television Prod: Bell Curle TV Magazine AMBUSH ALLEY NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary AMKA CORPORATE Panache Video Productions Exec Prod: Haroon Kalla Corporate At The Creek Without A Paddle Zen Crew Exec prod: Laura Tarling Documentary BAD MEDICINE Tin Rage TV Production Dir: Enver Samuel Documentary Bagged Izithulu Productions Exec Prod: Donovan Mulligan / Mike Westcott Short Film BLAST FROM THE PAST Sirius Films Prod: Ian Manly Documentary BODA BODA THIEVES Yes That’s Us Prod: James Tayler Feature BREAD AND WATER Periphery Films Dir: Simon Taylor / Julia Taal Feature Documentary BREAKDOWN Bollysamo Pictures / Apeiro Productions Prod Man: Carolyn Gregorowski Feature CAPE OF GOOD HOPE Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature CHILDREN OF FAMOUS ACTIVISTS Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature Film CHILLI CHICKS International Radio Pictures, Inc Kit Reynolds TV series COILED DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature CONSERVATION & BEYOND SuitePeople TVP Prod: Bell Curle Documentary
do good design south africa Concept Interaction Producer: Karl Fedderke Educational ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION Gaonakgang Film Productions and Publications Writ: George Phuthiyagae Documentary ESCAPE Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman / Beata Lipman Feature Film Ex Pats Current Affrairs Films / French Connection Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Drama series FOR THE NEW CITY – DANCE ON FILM SWiTCH / Resonance Bazar Prods: James Tayler / Julia Raynham Film FORSAKEN DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature GOUE STERRE Suite People TVP Prod: Bell Curle TV Series GRIZMEK Two Oceans Production Prod: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature IIQ Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Feature IK1 – TOURISTS IN DANGER Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Inventing Africa Imageworks Prod: Anthony Irving Documentary KADU’S JOURNEY DO Productions Prods: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature DYINGCRACY Sabstance Productions Producer: Edmund Mhlongo Documentary LEARNER TEACHERS Curious Pictures SABC Comedy Series LION GIRL DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën TV Feature Lonely Plannet Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature NEW BEGINNINGZ Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhanhla Ncube Documentary Nongoloza Current Affairs Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature RACHELTJIE DE BEER Brett Michael Innes Films Producer: Brett Michael Innes Feature Film Road Accident Fund Induction Panache Video Productions Director: Liesel Eiselen Corporate
SEBOKENG MPA (Motswako) Dir: Charls Khuele / Zuko Nodada Feature SHARON AND MUGABE’S ELEPHANTS NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary SHORT BUSINESS FEATURE WITH BBC / ABC Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Short Business Features SUPERMAMA GoogelPlex Productions Dir: Karen van Schalkwyk Feature SWANK! International Radio Pictures Prod: D Gillard Musical The Black Blonde Steve Radebe Post Productions Prod:Steve Radebe Feature Film tHE blood kIng and the red dragon Current Affairs Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman / Mtutuzeli Matshoba Feature THE CONSEQUENCE DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature THE EDGE International Radio Pictures Kit Reynolds TV Series THE FILM MAKER Elle Bolt Productions Prod: Elle Bolt Reality Series The Scores Are In Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Game Show / Entertainment Series VULTURE KILLING FIELDS SuitePeople TVP Bell Curle Documentary WARD 22 AKA SPECIAL OPS DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Documentary Welcome To The Club Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature ZERO DIET Two Oceans Production Prod: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature ZEBRAS DO Productions Dir: Bruce Beresford Feature
PRE-PRODUCTION AFROX AFRICA Financial results FC Hamman Films PM: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video afrox rau insght FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate video Elegy: forsaken in South Africa Market Street Productions Prod: Paul Van Zyl Short film
P R O D U C T I O N U P D A T E S Holidays for Madmen Imageworks Prod: Anthony Irving TV Series Mandela Synergy Films Drama / Documentary MASTERS OF DREAMS Current Affairs Films / Up Front Entertainment / French Connection Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Documentary One Last Look Fireworx Media Pruducer: Dan Jawitz / Philip Roberts Feature Play More Golf FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Commercial PSALTED Engage Entertainment Exec Prod: Vusi Zion (previously Twala) Variety RATE MY PLATE International Radio Pictures Exec Prod: Kit Reynolds Community Project Si-solutions International Radio Pictures Exec Prod: Kit Reynolds Community Project SLENDER WONDER Mj Labs FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video TALK OF THE TOWN SuitePeople TV Productions Bell Curle TV Series The Black Out Dithakeng Projects and Flms Exec Prods: Thabang Nkunyane Short Film TO CARE FOR YOU ALWAYS Noble Pictures Prod: Claudia Noble Short Film TRUE DREAM South African Great Movies Production Dir: John Wani Feature WOLWEDANS IN die Skemer The Film Factory Exec Prod: Danie Bester Feature
IN PRODUCTION 3 Talk Urban Brew Talk Show 3RD DEGREE e.tv Investigative TV series 50 50 Clive Morris Productions Current Affairs 90 PLEIN STREET III Born Free Media Exec Prod: Carolyn Carew TV Series A 400 year old bestseller – The King James Version of the Bible Eugene Botha Productions / It’s a Wrap Productions Prod: Eugene Botha Documentary ABC AMERICA NEWS SPECIAL ON MANDELA Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature News Special Africa Facts Season 3 Lebapi Productions Dir: Daniel Moleabatsi TV Magazine AFRICA 360 eNews News Head: Patrick Conroy Current affairs
AFRO CAFÉ SEASON 7 Bonngoe Productions Exec Prod: Pepsi Pokane Music Show AFRO SHOWBIZ NEWS SABC News International Exec Prod: Jody-Layne Surtie TVMagazine Agape Gabaza Productions Prod: Sarah Ngubeni Magazine ALL ACCESS Homebrew Films Prods: Paul Venter/ Hannes van Wyk / Tammy Anne Fortuin Magazine Show ANIMAL COMMUNICATION NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary BINNELAND Stark Films Dir: Danie Joubert TV Drama Bonisanani Kagiso TV Talk Show BOPSY BUNNY Firefly Animation Studio Exec Prod: Antony Steel Short Films CHEETAH DIARIES 3 NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Child Geniuses Talent Attack TV / Fuel Media Productions Prod: Paul Llewellyn Documentary Series Club Culture Bonngoe Productions Prod: Tumi Rabanye Variety The Communist Republic of South Africa Jam TV, Creative South Africa, Nkhanyeti Production Prod: Barthelemy Ngwessam Documentary Codesign – commercial spot for furniture designers SWiTCH Director – James Tayler Commercial Cooking With Siba Producer: Siba Mtongana Variety Cool Cats Red Pepper Exec Prod: Cecil Berry Children’s Show CORTEX MINING FC Hamman Films PM: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video Come Dine with Me South Africa Rapid Blue Prod: Kee-Leen Irvine Reality Cutting Edge SABC News Current Affairs DADDY’S MESS Dzunde Productions Prod: Thandiwe Mashiyane TV Sitcom DRAGON’S FEAST 3D NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary DIY Met Riaan Prods: Riaan Venter-Garforth Magazine EASTERN MOSAIC Red Carpet Productions Magazine Programme
FIRESTONE Street Smart Creative DOP: Peter Palmer Commercial FRENZY Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Palesa Mopeli Variety GENERATIONS Morula Pictures Exec Prod: Mfundi Vundla Soapie Gospel GOLD Engage Entertainment Exec Prod: Vusi Zion (previously Twala) Music Show GROEN Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Wildlife HEAVEN – Africa Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Hectic 99 Okuhle Media Prod: Wilna van Schalkwyk Magazine Show Hello Doctor Prods: Michael Mol Magazine HOUSE CALL Izwe Multimedia / Urban Brew Series Prod: Annalie Potgieter Live Medical Talk Show IMATU Union Video FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video Imizwilili Ukhamba Communications Music INSIDE STORY Curious Pictures / Discovery Channel Dir: Rolie Nikiwe Feature ISIDINGO Endemol South Africa Dirs: Raymond Sargent / Johnny Barbazano Daily TV Drama JOU SHOW MET EMO en Wickus Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Variety Show Jam Alley Red Pepper Prod: Melody Xaba Game Show Judge For You Self eNews Current Affairs Laugh out Loud Exec Prod: Rapulana Seiphemo Comedy Khumbul’ekhaya Urban Brew Prod: Enel Viljoen Reality Lepelle Water Safety Induction SummerTime Productions Exec prod: Elaine Tribe Corporate Live Urban Brew Music Show Live Lotto Show Urban Brew Game Show Mad Buddies Keynote Films Exec Prod: Helena Spring Feature Maggs on Media eNews Prod: Jeremy Maggs Current Affairs
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Million Dollar Race Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature MK Campus Homebrew Films Prods: Jaco Loubser / Ben Heyns Student Show Montana 2 Penguin Films Exec Prods: Roberta Durrant Drama Series MOTSWAKO Carol Bouwer Productions Prod: Vesko Mrdjen Talk Show MUVHANGO Word of Mouth Prod: Pieter Grobbelaar Feature MZANSI INSIDER Bonngoe Productions Exec Prod: Pepsi Pokane TV Magazine Music Moves Me Engage Entertainment Exec Prod: Vusi Zion (previously Twala) Music Show News Night eNews Prods: Nikiwe Bikitsha Current Affairs Nigcomsat – television commercial series SWiTCH Prod: Sarah Wanjiku Muhoho Commercial Nomzamo Tom Pictures / Authentic Images Comedy ONS MENSE Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Current Affairs OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Plexus Films Prod: Miki Redelinghuys Corporate Film
www.atlasstudios.co.za
PASEKA EASTER ELEPHANT NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary PASELLA Tswelopele Productions Insert Dirs: Liani Maasdorp / Werner Hefer TV Magazine Programme PEACE PARKS NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson/ Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Series Red Bull Beat Battle Fly on the Wall Prods: Filipa Domingues Corporate REDI ON MZANSI Imani Media Prod: Bruce Townsend TV Series Religion and the ANC Eugene Botha Productions / It’s a Wrap Productions Prod: Eugene Botha Documentary RHYTHM CITY Curious Pictures Prod: Yula Quinn Soapie RHYTHM CITY INTERACTIVE Curious Pictures / e.tv Prod: Viva Liles-Wilkin Interactive Platform Media Rivoningo Asi-B Films Exec Prod: Asivhanzi ‘Asi’ Mathaba Kids ROCKING FUTURE Summertime Productions Prods: Sean Gardiner / Tanya Vandenberg Educational Video ROER Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Cooking Show
February 2012 | SCREENAFRICA | 43
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Roots Ukhamba Communications Music Show SAVING RHINO PHILA NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary SCANDAL Ochre Moving Pictures Series Prod: Romano Gorlei Daily TV Soap SELIMATUNZI Sikhoyana Productions Prod: Baby Joe Correira variety series Sakegesprek Met Theo Vorster Dirk Mostert Camera Production Dir: Dirk Mostert Talk Show Ses’khona Tswelopele Productions Prod: Phuthi Ngwenya Magazine SHIZ NIZ Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Allen Makhubele Variety Shift Urban Brew Talk show
44 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
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Shoprite Showcase SummerTime Productions Exec prod: Janine Truter Corporate SISTERHOOD Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Vuyo Sokupa Variety Siyakholwa – We Believe X CON Films Dir: Munier Parker Edutainment slender wonder glam guru FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video Soccer 411 Engage Entertainment Exec Prod: Vusi Zion (previously Twala) Magazine Soccer zone SABCSports Head: Sizwe Nzimande Magazine Sony Presents Mgongo Sony Variety Spirit Sundae New Wave Productions Prod: Mishkah Roman-Cassiem Spiritual
STRANDED NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary STUDIO 53 M-Net Inhouse Productions Insert Dir: Navan Chetty Mag Programme The B-Ball Show SABC Commissioning Ed: Dinah Mahlabegoane Variety The Chat Room Eclipse Prod: Thokozani Nkosi Talk Show The Cypher Spoon Fed Generation Lerato Letebele Talk show The Justice Factor eNews Exec Prod: Debbie Meyer Current Affairs THE RUDIMENTALS Periphery Films Prod: Simon Taylor Feature Documentary THE STORY OF LITTLE FOOT Paul Myburgh Film Prod: Paul Myburgh Documentary The Tech Report Greenwall Productions Exec Prod: Nicky Greenwall Magazine Transformation stories Media Village Productions Dir: Diane Vermooten Documentary THE TRANSPORTERS Sukuma Media/ Reality Motion Pictures Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Documentary THERE ARE NO HEROES AFDA Cape Town Dir: Kyle Stevenson Science Fiction TOP BILLING Tswelopele Productions Prod: Patience Stevens TV Magazine TOP SHAYELA Curious Pictures / Vuzu Prod: Khobi Ledwaba Reality Magazine Series Top 10 at 10 Don’t Look Down Radio/TV Simulcast Turn It Out Fuel Media Dance show TOUCHING THE DRAGON NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Turn It Out Fuel Media Productions Dir: Ben Brewster Dance Reality show VKB BRANDING LAUNCH FC Hamman Films Prod: FC Hamman Corporate Video VILLA ROSA Spectro Productions Dirs: Luhann Jansen / Andries van der Merwe/ Leroux Botha/ Isabel Smit TV Drama WEEKEND LIVE SABC News Current Affairs When The World Was Here Fuel Media Productions Dir: Mzilikazi Kumalo Documentary Series Why are We so Angry? Fuel Media Productions Dir: Scott Smith, Shaft Moropane Documentary Series
Why Poverty? STEPS International Exec Prod: Don Edkins Documentary Series Wicket to Wicket SABC3 Lefa Afrika Magazine Workers World Series Cape Town Television Prod: Sharon McKinnon TV Series Xihlovo Grace Bible Church Religion Yilengelo Lakho Prod: Nndanganeni Mudau Current Affairs Zone 14 The Bomb Shelter Prod: Angus Gibson Drama
POST-PRODUCTION AFRICA CALLING Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature AFROX AFRICA INSIGHT EPS 4 FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX YEAREND RESULT FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video ALL’S FAIR PianoJ Productions Prod: Pia van Rensburg Short Film AMBASSADOR II Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Angels Of The Sky CDS-Films Exec Prods: Chris Dos Santos, Andrew MacDonald Feature Film ANGUS BUCHAN’S ORDINARY PEOPLE FC Hamman Films Dir: FC Hamman Feature Animal Doctor (Working Title) Animal Doctor cc. Prods: Greg Simpson, Jonty Acton TV Series Bally Cullen Guesthouse Ad Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Corporate Bitter Root Imageworks Dir: Kerry Negara Documentary BLITZ PATROLLIE Diprente Films Prod: Kagiso Lediga Feature BUA NNETE Owami Entertainment Dir: Charles Khuele Short Film CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL 2011 Esp Afrika (Pty) Ltd Prod: Yana Lombard Documentary CHAMELEON NHU Africa Exec Prod: Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary CHEETAH DIARIES 2 NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary
DANGEROUS TRAILS – ELEPHANTS IN THE MINEFIELDS NHU Africa Exec Prod: Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary DEAR SISTER Media Village Prod: Debbie Matthee Short Film ENDANGERED NHU Africa Exec Prod: Sophie Vartan Documentary Series GNLD AFRICA CONVENTION FC Hamman Films Prod: FC Hamman Corporate Video HARTLAND Bottomline Entertainment / Fix Post Production Michael Modena TV Drama IQILI Impucuzeko Prod: Sharon Kakora Feature Israel Inside (Working Title) Imagination Productions / Wayne Kopping Films Dir: Wayne Kopping Documentary Kemang? lmol Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature Film JULIUS HAS A DREAM Creative South Africa, Nkanyethi Productions,Jam TV Prod: Bathelemy Ngwessam Documentary Launch of the Academy of Young SA Scientists Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Documentary Lepelle Northern Water SummerTime Productions Prod: Sean Gardiner Corporate LION’S TRACK Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature MARRY – ANN Shadow Films Dir: David Forbes Documentary Melodi Jazz Festival 2011 L. Dukashe Productions Dir: Lumko Dukashe Live Concert DvD National Heritage Council Educational Outreach Programme Panache Video Productions Exec Prod: Amos Mlaudzi Corporate PERFECT SHISHEBO Curious Pictures Prod: Nthabiseng Mokoena AFP – Cooking Show POPCRU 7TH CONGRESS FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Event PURPLE TOWN Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Documentary RATI EN MAATS Khaki Productions Dir: Wynand Dreyer Children Series – Edutainment RESTYLE MY STYLE Curious Pictures Prod: Anita van Hemert Children’s Programming River of Stones Prod: Wiseman Mabusela Documentary
P R O D U C T I O N U P D A T E S SA JUNIOR MASTERS Our Time Productions Dir: Jaun de Meillon Series on SuperSport SCAREDYKAT Dirty Soul Productions Dir: Kyle Lewis Horror Feature Film SCHOOL E-WASTE INITIATIVE/ DESCO/ INCREDIBLE CONNECTION Philip Schedler Productions Prod: Philip Schedler Corporate South african Field Band Foundation Championships Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Documentary STETSON HATS Fourth Dimension Films / Creative Photo Services Dir: Neil Hermann Corporate Stolen Time Prod: Eric Myeni Feature Tanzanian Investment Opportunities Benchmark Productions Dir: Dermod Judge Corporate TASTE OF RAIN Luna Films / On Land Productions Prods: Bridget Pickering / Richard Pakleppa Feature Technorati Talent Attack TV / Fuel Media Productions Dir: Maxine Nel Technology Magazine Show THE TEACHER Steve Radebe Post Productions Dir: Steve Radebe Feature TREASURE GUARDS Tandem Communications Exec Prod: Jonas Bauer / Rola Bauer Feature Triple O Monarchy Prod: Mosibudi Pheeha Feature True Dream (Revised Version) South African Great Movies Production Director: John Wani Feature Film Vehicle 19 Forefront Media Group / Pictue Tree / The Safran Company Exec Prod: Paul Walker Feature VKB LANDBOU BEPERK FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video WALKING IN VICTOR’S SHOES Current Affairs Films SA Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature Documentary WELLBODI BIZNES Plexus Films / Four Corners Media Prod: Miki Redelinghuys Documentary ZAMA ZAMA Kokamoya Productions Prod: Bertus van der Walt Feature ZION Letcosmart Prod: Zibusiso Nkomo Feature
COMPLETE 4PLAY: SEX TIPS FOR GIRLS III Curious Pictures Prod: Stephane Coetzee Drama
AFRICA CALLING Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Afri-Infra Overview 2010 Panache Video Productions Director: Adele de Klerk Corporate AFROX CO2 PLANT FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX SHEQ INDUCTION FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Commercial Around Iceland on Inspiration Cooked In Africa Prod: Justin Bonello Documentary AYESAN – FIGHT TO LOSE SMS Multimedia Inc Dir: Seyi Specialborn Akanbi Feature AWOYE – RETRIBUTION Sms Multimedia Line Prod: Temitope Akanbi Feature Child OnLine Protection Week Imageworks Dir: Anthony Irving TV ad Dept of Social Development Congress FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Three-day corporate event DUMISANI FILM TOUR Creative Pictures / Genius Productions Dir: Vusi Dumisani Nhlapo Documentary Evocative AfricaVentures of Discovery Clifton Publications / Gerald Cubitt Photography Gerald Cubitt Photographic book publication Exploring the Vine Cooked In Africa Films Prod: Justin Bonello Documentary Food with Friends Studio Republic Prod: Darren Kerr Talk Show Free State Balloon Fiesta Imageworks Prod: Anthony Irving Corporate GLAMOUR – THE REALITY BEHIND DREAMS ZG Films Prod: Javed Jafferji Feature GULUVA BIP Films Dir: BI Phakathi Feature Film JOURNEY TO STATE HOUSE ZG Films Prod: Javed Jafferji Documentary JOURNEY INTO WILDERNESS Tekweni TV Productions Prod: Sandra Herrington Documentary KAN EK SO LEEF Liquid Gate Creative Studios Prod: Kobus Swart Music Video Ke mo fumane StreTalk Productions Bobby Mokhema TV drama KING NAKI Plexus Films Prod: Miki Redelinghuys Documentary
Matrix, Klas van 2011 Laurie Botha Entertainment Director: Laurie Botha Reality Mentalist Martial Arts Panache Video Productions Director: Ryan Blumenthal Training Mutshenzhe Dzivha Production Exec Prod: Walter Gumbu Feature Film My Perfect family Bunt Onion Productions Prod: Rethabile Ramaphakela Comedy National Heritage Council Educational Outreach Programme Pananche Video Productions Documentary PROGRESS Periphery Films Dir: Simon Taylor Feature Documentary Rati en Maats Khaki Productions Prod: Christelle Parrott Children DVD RED SUN OF AFRICA DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën TV Feature ROCKING FUTURE Summertime Productions Prod: Sean Gardiner / Tanya Vandenberg Educational Video SLENDER WONDER FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video SOUL CITY 11 T.O.M Pictures Kgomotso Matsunyane Drama TIMELAPSE Team GR8 (for 48 HFP) Writers: Carl Roddam / Deon van der Merwe Short Film THE BETRAYAL Shakarny Inovations Prod: James Kingston Feature The Bone Grinder Playing Cabin Films Dir: Shumelani Mapholi
Feature Film THE MEDUPI WAY Panache Video Productions Exec Prod: Adele De Klerk Corporate Soweto Drift Young Minds Productions Prods: Phillip Hlophe / Pule Earm Feature Film Stanlib Focus Video (Liberty) Fuel Media Productions Dir: Navan Chetty Corporate Video Supreme Launch Video (Joe Public) Fuel Media Productions Dir: Paul Llewellyn Corporate Tonight With Trevor Noah Urban Brew Talk Show VISCOUNT DOWN Msasa Enterprises Dir: Harmon Cusack Feature WEC Projects Corporate Video PSP Productions Director: Philip Schedler Corporate
Screen Africa relies on accuracy of information received and cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. E-mail production updates to: online@screenafrica.com
Events | February 9 – 20
Pan African Film Festival
10 – 12
Jozi Film Festival
16
Screen Africa Golf Day
Los Angeles http://2012.paff.org
The Bioscope, Kensington Club www.jozifilmfestival.co.za CMR Golf Course, Roodepoort, Johannesburg www.screenafrica.com 19 – 4 Mar Design Indaba Film Festival
The Labia, Cape Town www.designindaba.com 21 – 28
Luxor African film Festival
22 – 24
The 7th Annual Digital Broadcasting
Switchover Forum 2012
Cairo, Egypt www.luxorafricanfilmfestival.com/
Protea Balalaika Hotel, Johannesburg. www.cto.int 29 – 2 Mar Design Indaba Conference
Cape Town International Convention Centre www.designindaba.com MARCH 14 – 24
Cape Winelands Film Festival
19 – 25
African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival
30 – 31
MIPDOC
30 – 31
MIPFormats
Cape Town http://films-for-africa.co.za/
Milan, Italy www.festivlcinemaafricano.org/teaser/index.phpy Cannes, France www.mipworld.com Cannes, France www.mipworld.com APRIL 1 – 4
MIPTV
Cannes, France www.mipworld.com MAY 16 – 27
Cannes International Film Festival
Cannes, France www.festival-cannes.fr JUNE 17 – 23
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
19 – 29
33rd Durban International Film Festival
20 – 23
3rd Durban FilmMart
20 – 24
5th Talent Campus Durban
Cannes, France www.canneslions.com JULY
Durban www.cca.ukzn.ac.za
Durban www.durbanfilmmart.com Durban www.cca.ukzn.ac.za
February 2012 | SCREENAFRICA | 45
Audience Ratings | December 2011 The cream of the local productions
This monthly feature selects prominent local productions and ranks them in terms of audience ratings (ARs). Selected foreign programmes are shown only for comparison. ARs are weighted over the period of transmission and the number of transmissions during the calendar month. Data is supplied by the South African Advertising Research Foundation and processed by Interactive Market Systems (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd.
Key: Day/s refers to the day or days of the week the programme is transmitted. Frequency refers to how often it is transmitted – D=Daily, W=Weekly, S (followed by a number) indicates a series of that number of episodes. Television Universe estimated at 5.232 million households. One ratings point of all viewers
SABC2 Rank Programme 1 Muvhango 2 Powerball 3 Motswako The Mix 4 Moferefere Lenyalong 5 7de Laan SABC3 Rank Programme 1 Mission Impossible 2 Isidingo – R 3 7de Laan – R 4 Generations – R 5 Mr Bones 2: Back From the Past M-Net Rank Programme 1 The Tourist 2 Carte Blanche 3 Unstoppable 4 Why Did I Get Married Too? 5 The X-Factor USA e.tv Rank Programme 1 Die Hard II 2 Ekasi: Our Stories the Root of All Evil 3 Rhythm City 4 News 5 Mr & Mrs Smith
Channel
Dec 2011 AR
Nov 2011 AR
Talk
15:30 M-F
S5
3
2.3
2.9
3rd Degree
Actu 21:30 Tue
W
e
7.9
5.6
Date Genre AR 13/12/2011 Dram 15.3 13/12/2011 Vari 11.4 19/12/2011 Maga 9.2 14/12/2011 Sitc 8.8 05/12/2011 Soap 8.1
Date Genre 12/12/2011 Dram 14/12/2011 Soap 21/12/2011 Soap 14/12/2011 Soap 25/12/2011 Movi
Date Genre 11/12/2011 Movi 04/12/2011 Maga 18/12/2011 Movi 04/12/2011 Movi 04/12/2011 Real
AR 6.0 5.9 5.8 5.7 5.5
AR 1.5 1.4 1.3 0.8 0.8
50/50 Docu 19:30 Mon W 2 4.0
3.7
7de Laan
Soap 18:30 M-F S5
Carte Blanche
2
6.7
7.7
Maga 19:00 Sun
W M
1.0
1.2
Fokus
Actu 18:30 Sun
W
4.6
4.4
Generations
Soap 20:00 M-F S5 1 21.0 22.9
Gospel Gold
Musi
Vari
Sun
W
2
4.9
4.4
Isidingo: The Need
Soap
18:30 M-F
S5
3
4.2
4.4
Jam Alley
Vari
18:30 Fri
W
1
6.5
7.0
Live Lotto Draw
Quiz 21.30 W/S S2
2
5.3
6.5
Morning Live
Maga 06:00 M-F S5
2
2.4
3.4
2
Muvhango Dram 21:00 M-T S4 2 11.1 10.7 News at Seven
News 19:00 Daily D
e
6.5
7.0
News at Seven on 3
News 19:00 Daily D
3
2.5
3.0
Pasella
Maga 19:30 W W 2 4.6 4.4
Rhythm City
Soap 18:30 M-F S5
e
8.9
10.0
Scandal Dram 19:30 M-T S4 e 7.4
8.5
Selimathunzi
Vari 18:30 Wed W 1 5.7
6.5
Special Assignment
Actu
Top Billing
Maga 19:30 Tue
21:30 Wed W W
3
1.3
1.5
2
2.6
2.9
Yo-TV Y-Ent Vari Vari D e 2.2 2.1
Top foreign shows Date Genre AR 18/12/2011 Movi 10.5 12/12/2011 Dram 10.2 28/12/2011 Dram 9.8 13/12/2011 News 9.3 04/12/2011 Movi 9.3
Days of Our Lives
Soap 17:10 M-F S5
1
3.8
4.1
WWE Wrestling Smackdown
Spor
W
e
4.9
5.7
The Bold and the Beautiful
Soap 18:00 M-F S5
1
4.3
4.8
VitalStats
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The Cape Town Lab is now operating under the Collective Dream banner, under new supervisor Reginald Pillay. The Lab appologises for abbreviated statistics for this period, however full reports will be issued as from next month. Two features are being processed – one Bollywood production and one international film. Commercial levels are low at this time. The Johannesburg Lab continues its quiet period with no feature work and only a couple of commercials. Bulk printing was again the saving grace, however with the exception of commercials the figures are down from the previous period month on month. In total 48 features were printed, 1 286 trailers and 8 991 commercials. Another change relates to Media Host. Media Move is a new digital delivery company, established in Sept 2011, which will be competing against Media Host (now trading as Adstream). Each company will now be reported separately. We would like to thank the laboratories and Media Host for the information they have supplied to us.
20:30 W
The above represents a selection of programmes only, and is calculated on the total calendar month’s weighted average of the total audience over all age groups. If you want a particular programme included please contact Enid Venter on +27 (0)11 339-1051 or email enid@ihjoburg.co.za. The purpose of the schedule is to show the types of programmes South African audiences view, and to what extent.
We feature the top five shows viewed for each of the channels.
46 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Day/s
Date Genre AR 05/12/2011 Soap 23.2 13/12/2011 Dram 20.7 05/12/2011 Dram 19.5 22/12/2011 Dram 18.4 02/12/2011 Dram 16.4
Name
SABC1 Rank Programme 1 Generations 2 Soul City 3 Zone 14 4 Skeem Saam 5 Intersexions
Start Time
3 Talk
The top five programmes
Genre
Frequency
represents about 145 590 viewers.Key to genres: Actu: Actuality, Docu: Documentary, Dram: Drama, Educ: Education, Maga: Magazine, Musi: Music, News: News, Quiz: Game Show, Real: Real life, Reli: Religion, Sitc: Sitcom, Soap: Soap, Spor: Sport, Vari: Variety, Y.Ent: Youth Entertainment,
Statistics for November / December 2011 Through the labs: Johannesburg Features 0 Cape Town Features 2
Shorts Commercials Doccies 16mm 35mm 0 4 1 1 4 Shorts Commercials Doccies 16mm 35mm 0 13 0 0 13
Commercials submitted to broadcasters via: Media Move: 951
Adstream: 433
We make no attempt to identify the title of the production, or the production house or any other information as this is often confidential information – we supply simply the numbers. We rely on the co-operation of broadcasters, suppliers of commercial material to broadcasters and local film laboratories for information however at the moment local broadcasters are not forthcoming in providing these vital statistics. Efforts will continue to be made to build on this statistical data base to improve the accuracy, and should readers have comments or other ideas in terms of statistic gathering, please send an email to web@screenafrica.com. Your comments would be appreciated.
Date: Thursday 16 February, 2012 Venue: CMR Golf Course, Maraisburg Green Fees: R240.00 per player ex vat (Includes networking cocktail function and prize giving).
For bookings and sponsorship opportunities contact: Ellen Oosthuizen
Claire Badenhorst
+27 (0)83 268 6868
+27 (0)11 025 3180
ellen.oosthuizen@pixie.co.za
claire@mediatech.co.za
P R O - S A L E S Broadcast Video, Audio & Lighting
Protea Electronics Electronics (Pty) (Pty) Ltd Ltd
Social | Dubai International Film Festival
Dubai International Film Festival director of International Programmes Sheila Whitaker, German director Werner Herzog and interpreter Reem Owais.
Actor Owen Wilson with Variety magazine’s Alberto Lopez and DIFF chairman Abdulhamid Juma
The Descendants actress Shailene Woodley (centre)
DIFF 2011 Closing Award Ceremony: director of Habibi Susan Youssef receives her award
DIFF 2011 Closing Award Ceremony: All the winners on stage
31 Million Reasons première
Jack Devnarain being interviewed
Crowds at the premiere of 31 Million Reasons at the Killarney Cine Centre
Trevor Gumbi and Meren Reddy
Director of The Descendants Alexander Payne (centre)
Restless City director Andrew Dosunmu at the DIFF Closing Award Ceremony
South Korean director Seung Jun Yi (Planet of Snail)
Man on Grounds’ Bubu Mazibuko, Akin Omotoso, Thishiwe Ziqubu and Makhaola Ndebele at the Closing Award Ceremony
The cast of Lebanes film Tannoura Maxi (Heels of War) on the Dubai red carpet, with director Youcef Joe Bou Eid in the middle
Hoofmeisie première
Actresses Jana Strydom and Elma Postma
Ster-Kinekor Independent Acquisitions and Marketing executive Pieter Geldenhuys, Hoofmeisie marketing manager Mary-Anne Brink and assistant editor Dries Scholtz
Hoofmeisie actresses Christel van den Bergh and Annemicke Kotze with Erfsondes actress Jana Strydom, Hoofmeisie’s Melissa Massyn and 7de Laan’s Amalia Uys
Hoofmeisie actresses Marie Pentz and Misch’a el de Beer
Hoofmeisie actress Misch’a el de Beer, with actors Johan van der Merwe and Ruan Wessels
Hoofmeisie stars Mischael de Beer, Ruan Wessels, Melissa Massyn, Nazli George and Annemicke Kotze
48 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2012
Director Morne du Toit and Hoofmeisie stars Melissa Massyn, Mischael de Beer, Ruan Wessels, Hoofmeisie marketing manager Mary-Anne Brink, Jamie Lawrence and Annemicke Kotze
Advertisers List |
New appointments at e.tv Natalie Stoop (formerly Delport) has been appointed general manager: Training & Development at e.tv. She will be responsible for driving and managing the e. group’s training and development strategy. Stoop ran her own training company, Portal to Learning, for the past five years. She is an SDF, assessor, moderator, coach and mentor and played a major role in getting e.tv accredited as a training provider by the MICT Seta.
Hoofmeisie actress Annemicke Kotze and members of the band Die Kat Se Snor, Kobus Dippenaar, Gerhard Oosthuizen, Andrew Lingwood and Joe Dippenaar.
Jeniffer Maako has been appointed training coordinator. Maako was employed at Portal to Learning for the past four years and will be joining e.tv’s training department as an SDF and in-house assessor. She will be responsible for the administration and coordination of training within the e. group.
AJA Video Systems..........................13 A Studio Called Wonder................25 Atlas Studios..................................... 43 Avmark Systems .............................44 Black Ginger......................................11 Blackmagic Design...........................17 Blade bfx.............................................. 1 Camera Facilities..............................27 Case Connection, The....................44 Design Indaba...................IBC Digital Direct.................................... 31 EFX Productions................FC Gauteng Film Commission............46 General Post .................................... 42 Global Access................................... 26 Harambe Technologies.. OBC
Harris..................................................23 IDC....................................................... 9 Inala.....................................................21 Jasco....................................................19 JVC......................................................33 M-Net Cares....................................... 7 Obeco.................................................32 Panasonic...........................................15 Pro-Sales............................................41 SAFTA Awards................. IFC Sasani Studios................................... 28 Sony...................................................... 5 Telemedia...........................................29 Vision Cases...................................... 42 Visual Impact..................................... 27