Screen Africa June 2015

Preview h c e t ia d Me art Durban Filmm Cameras & Accessories BROADCAST, FILM, TV, COMMERCIALS, NEW MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY NEWS

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VOL 27 – June 2015 R38.00

| IN THIS ISSUE

11 Let’s do the time-warp

25

16

Inside the world of South African youth

Elements of Cinema: Fright factor

36

18

Mediatech 2015 Preview

Why Congolese films matter

Special Features Durban Filmmart 2015

Durban FilmMart turns six.................... 19 Durban FilmMart programme............... 20 Durban FilmMart 2015 selected projects...................................... 21 Durban Filmmart experts...................... 22

Cameras & Accessories

Thanks for the memories...................... 27 Camera Conundrum............................... 28 Visual Impact introduces Canon pan-tilt cameras to SA rental market................................ 30 Cam-A-Lot celebrates nine years of business............................. 32 Sony introduces world’s first camera with three authentic 4K sensors................................................. 34

Mediatech PREVIEW Broadcast Lighting extends its product offering.................................. 36 The Camera Platform showcases Fujinon Cine and Broadcast lenses............................... 36 Grass Valley at Mediatech...................... 38 Handheld and remote-head 4K cameras from JVC Professional............ 40 Inala Broadcast launches firsts in Africa............................................ 40 Fujifilm meets growing 4K demand with UA lens series................. 42

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Small HD mixer is big news at Mediatech 2015................................... 44 LaserNet introduces MediaConnect.......................................... 46 Sony Professional focuses on 4K......... 48 Imagine Communications at Mediatech 2015................................... 50 Ross Video brings Carbonite Black to Mediatech 2015................................... 50 Jaycor to demonstrate Belden cables and solutions at Mediatech....... 52

News IMSFF 2015 showcases new wave of short filmmakers................ 3 StarTimes adds AMC Series to its channel bouquet.............................. 3 Afternoon Express replaces 3Talk with Noeleen...................................... 4 Jameson First Shot winner returns with renewed zeal for local production......................................... 4 Cannes selected film captures a contemporary SA.................. 6 e.tv loses UEFA Champions League rights to SuperSport................................. 6 South Africa launches the Cannes SA Film Factory........................... 6 Cape Town TV show wins international award.................................... 6 M-Net’s Carte Blanche shines in Journalist of the Year Awards.............. 6

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SABC extends 24-hour news channel into Africa..................................... 6 SA documentary screens at United Nations World Africa Week....... 7 The Shore Break to co-premiere at Encounters and DIFF............................ 7 Axon SynLive video mixer....................... 8 Crystal Vision MADDA105 and MADDA111 MADI distribution amplifiers .............................. 8 Christie D Series 3LCD digital projectors........................................ 8 Orad ASQ File-Based Server.................. 8 Telemetrics Tele Glide TG4M track system................................... 9 Panasonic AG-DVX 200 4K handheld camera................................. 9

INDUSTRY REPORT

ADCETERA

Broadcast Technology

Forget the ‘lines’ – it’s all omnichannel................................... 10 Let’s do the time-warp........................... 11 Digital won’t kill the radio star............. 12 Cutting through TV ADHD................... 12

Why Congolese films matter................ 18

FESTIVALS

Cannes 2015: Where is Africa?............. 23 From AfryKamera to FESTICAB.......... 24

Television Inside the world of South African youth................................. 25

Business

Nouveau niche.......................................... 26

AUDIOL Sonovision Studios still going strong!...................................... 54

wTVision sports solutions..................... 56

NEW MEDIA

APP-titude.................................................. 57

SCREEN AFRICA Golf Day 2015

COMMERCIALS

Screen Africa Golf Day action............... 62

FILM

Box Office.................................................. 58 Production Updates.................... 59 – 61 Events.......................................................... 61 Social........................................................... 64

Director Speak: Matthys Boshoff.......... 13

Age is not an issue.................................. 14 An Ethiopian odyssey.............................. 15 Elements of Cinema: Fright factor....... 16

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From the editor

The Team

A busy time

Editor

The coming mid-year period is shaping up to be an especially hectic one. It’s always a rather busy time with the Durban International Film Festival and Durban FilmMart taking place just a short while before IBC. This year is even busier than usual as we have the homegrown, biennial technology show, Mediatech, thrown into the mix as well.

There are a few more international events before then as well (not to give too much away – look out for our reports on these in the next issue). No doubt the Screen Africa team will be fairly exhausted by the time September rolls around – but happily so.

In this issue, we have features focusing on two of these events. We begin our preview of the brands, products and solutions on display at Mediatech and we reveal the programme and selected projects at the Durban FilmMart (DFM). It does appear that exhibitors at Mediatech will be continuing the discussions around some of the themes with which the industry has been preoccupied for the past year or more: 4K workflows, big data, Cloud-based playout, and large-sensor cameras among them.

Speaking of cameras, we also feature a focus on cameras and cinematography. In addition to rounding up the cameras currently most in demand internationally among DOPs, we also asked some veteran South African lens-masters how they have handled the long transition from film to digital.

What struck me as I was looking through the list of projects chosen for inclusion in DFM in July, was the pleasing diversity of subject matter in these 19 ‘films-to-be’. Yet, there are a number of interesting conceptual and contextual similarities, pointing to several similar preoccupations among Africa’s storytellers. Most prevalent among these, it seems to me, is the increasing importance of the ‘female gaze’ in African cinema, reflected both in the number of women writer-directors in the selection and in much of the subject matter, a lot of which deals with women reacting in various ways to their situations in male-dominated societies. An exciting feature of this year’s Durban International Film Festival (again – more on that in the July edition) is that a number of completed films that began their lives by being pitched and developed at previous editions of the DFM are being screened – an impressive testament to the effectiveness of this platform.

I hope you enjoy.

– Warren Holden

Warren Holden is a writer and journalist whose lifelong love of film and television prompted him to study for his BA in Motion Picture Medium at AFDA Johannesburg, specialising in writing and directing. After graduating, he worked for three years in the television industry before following his aptitude for writing into the world of publishing. He then worked for five years as assistant editor on the arts and culture publication Classicfeel, before taking the helm of Screen Africa, where his experiences in the separate streams of motion picture and publishing have finally come together. In addition to his work on Screen Africa, he is also hard at work developing stories for film and television and studying for a second degree in economics and African politics.

Deputy Editor Carly Barnes is a writer, journalist and self-professed documentary geek.

Before joining Screen Africa, Carly completed a BA honours degree in Live Performance at AFDA Johannesburg, was named one of Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans (2011) and wrote and performed a one woman show at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival. She ran a small entertainment and production company for more than six years before she began a professional writing career – as a contributor to Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t blogging, exploring the local festival scene or dreaming about travelling abroad, Carly is connecting with creative leaders and filmmakers who are shaping the future of content creation on the continent.

IN-HOUSE JOURNALIST Chanelle Ellaya is a writer and a journalist. She completed her BA Journalism degree at the University of Johannesburg in 2011. While writing is her passion, she has a keen interest in the media in various capacities: In 2012 she co-presented the entertainment and lifestyle show Top Entertainment on TopTV and later that year she was handpicked as part of a panel of five dynamic young Africans to interview Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on a youth focused television show called MTV Meets. Chanelle is an avid social networker and a firm believer in the power of social and online networking. Between writing and tweeting, she finds time to feed her love for live music.

SCREENAFRICA Publisher & Managing Editor: Simon Robinson: publisher@screenafrica.com Editor: Warren Holden: editor@screenafrica.com DEputy Editor: Carly Barnes: carly@screenafrica.com Journalist: Chanelle Ellaya: news@screenafrica.com Contributors: Claire Diao, Andy Stead, Ian Dormer, Louise Marsland, Sam Charo, Sherif Awad

Sub-Editor: Tina Heron Design: Trevor Ou Tim: design@sun-circle.co.za Website & Production Updates: Carina Vermooten: web@sun-circle.co.za Subscriptions: Tina Tserere: tina@sun-circle.co.za Delight Ngwenya: admin@sun-circle.co.za Accounts: Natasha Glavovic: accounts@sun-circle.co.za

Advertisement Sales: Marianne Schafer: marianne@screenafrica.com Graham Grier: graham@sun-circle.co.za Ruan Brand: ruan@sun-circle.co.za Sales Broker Emmanuel Archambeaud: earchambeaud@defcommunication.com Tel. +331 4730 7180 Mobile. +336 1103 9652 Sun Circle Publishers (Pty) Ltd Tel: 011 025 3180 Physical address: First Floor, Process House Epsom Downs Office Park 13 Sloane Street, Bryanston, Johannesburg South Africa

CONTRIBUTORS Sherif Awad was born in Cairo. He is a film/video curator who has worked as a programmer and communications manager since 1993 at the Cairo International Film Festival, Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries and Luxor African Film Festival.

Between 1993 and 2000, Awad worked as Marketing Manager in the Egyptian regional offices of Fox, Warner and UIP. In addition to his contribution to several specialised publications, he was Chief Editor of both The Ticket entertainment magazine and the art journal Contemporary Practices. He currently holds the position of film editor of Egypt Today magazine, the leading English monthly magazine in Egypt. Awad also writes for Westchester Guardian in New York and Al Jazeera Documentary in Doha.

In broadcast media, he was also writer of cinema-themed TV shows on satellite channels in the Middle East region including the weekly programme Cinemascope that aired on Dream TV. He is member of FEDEORA and FIPRESCI associations of film critics and has served on the juries at festivals such as Pula, Orenburg, Cinedays Skopje, DIFF, KVIFF, VAFI and AFRIFF to name a few.

Sam Charo is an independent writer, producer and filmmaker based in Nairobi, Kenya. His passion is sharing great stories about the continent with rest of the world.

Claire Diao is a French and Burkinabe cinema journalist. A member of the Burkinabe Film Critic Organisation, she covers the African film industry for various international media and moderates the Afrikamera Festival in Berlin each year. Since 2013, she has curated a short film touring programme, Quartiers Lointains, which is held in both Europe and Africa. In 2015, she, together with various African film critics, launched Awotele, a digital magazine that focuses on African cinema.

Ian Dormer – ‘Technophile (n) – a person who loves or is enthusiastic about advanced technology.’ Born in Zimbabwe, Ian has been in the TV business since the 1980s, having served in various positions at the SABC, M-Net and SuperSport. He has carved his career path by embracing technology, breaking it and fixing it again… just better than it was! Ian currently works and resides in New Zealand.

Louise Marsland is a veteran editor and journalist with over 20 years experience in the advertising, media, marketing and communications industries. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, she worked as the editor of AdVantage and Marketing Mix magazines, as well as industry portal Bizcommunity. com. She is currently publishing editor of TRENDAFRiCA.co.za, and is an industry columnist, speaker and content specialist.

Andy Stead is a broadcast industry professional with over 40 years’ experience in both South Africa and the United Kingdom, having applied his trade at a number of leading industry organisations including the BBC and Chroma Television. Now retired, he remains an active contributor to technical publications in the fields of film, television, broadcast, motoring and travel. He is based in Cape Town.

Postal address: PO Box 559, Fourways North, 2086

Editorial Disclaimer The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of Screen Africa or any employee thereof. Sun Circle Publishers makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Sun Circle Publishers reserves the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner it sees fit comments that it, in its sole discretion, deems to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, or is otherwise unacceptable.

All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publisher.

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South Africa

IMSFF 2015 showcases new wave of short filmmakers In 2014 the inaugural edition of the Independent Mzansi Short Film Festival (IMSFF) hosted over 2500 attendees and featured screenings of 108 short films.

This year the festival, which is again supported by the Gauteng Film Commission, promises an even more diverse spread, having garnered almost triple the amount of submissions and significant interest from the local and international filmmaking community.

Running from 2 to 5 July at the Asbos Theatre in Pretoria, IMSFF 2015 aims to further support, recognise and honour short filmmakers.

Organiser Jarrod de Jong believes that the art of short filmmaking is undergoing a renaissance. He explains, “Globally short films have entered a ‘golden era’ as festivals expand to meet demand and new YouTube channels pop up and compete for millions of viewers. The short

film competition at Sundance grew so big this year that the festival signed an exclusive deal with YouTube to make the finalists available online.”

This year, IMSFF has formed strategic content partnerships with the Durban International Film Festival, the Jozi Film Festival and kykNET’s Silwerskermfees to ensure a varied and high quality film line-up. In addition, IMSFF has entered a partnership with The Qabila INAUGURAL EDITION IMSFF: organisers Jarrod de Jong Short Film Festival in Cairo and Jacques Brand which will see the five best films from each event from around the world,” comments de automatically included as part of the Jong. “Serving as South Africa’s only official selection at the corresponding dedicated short film festival, IMSFF was festival. founded to showcase the country as a “Our goal is to present quality films leader in contemporary filmmaking, and

StarTimes adds AMC Series to its channel bouquet

AFRICAN STARS SHINE: The 5 Brides is among the shows in AMC Series’ content offering

Following a new deal signed in April 2015 with international pay-TV operator StarTimes, UK-based broadcaster African Movie Channel (AMC) has launched its latest offering, African Movie Channel Series (AMC Series), on the StarTimes DTT and StarSat DTH television platforms. AMC Series was previously launched on Wananchi’s pay-TV platform, Zuku, in December last year.

AMC Series is a 24-hour African entertainment channel showcasing award-winning comedy, drama and television soap operas primarily from

Nollywood with additional quality content from the rest of Africa.

While AMC has been broadcasting its popular movie channel through StarTimes and StarSat since 2012, this agreement means that for the first time StarTimes’ 5 million subscribers across 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa can enjoy the 24-hour AMC series channel.

“AMC has long established itself as a key player in the broadcast of Nollywood and African movies,” said AMC’s brand manager Chinwe Chukwudire. “The launch of AMC Series on StarTimes

comes with a promise to our new audience that they will never be starved of visually beautiful and real African drama”.

Yvonne Dublin-Green, AMC’s channel manager in London commented, “AMC Series is a pioneering new channel that will satisfy the growing appetite for African TV serial content. Nollywood movies are already a proven hit worldwide and a new channel providing exclusively African TV series content was a natural progression for us”.

On AMC Series, StarTimes subscribers

aims to exhibit the most captivating and innovative short content. In the process, IMSFF hopes to build a larger audience for short films as well as indulge its current dedicated followers.”

The festival will include workshops, product demos and a gala evening where filmmakers will receive prizes in 20 award categories. Participating filmmakers will also have the opportunity to showcase their work on local VOD platform VIDI. “VIDI’s VOD platform provides online distribution at a fair price for filmmakers and audiences. In association with VIDI, one can experience the Independent Mzansi Short Film Festival selection year round,” says de Jong.

Festival tickets will be sold at the venue at R15 per screening or R45 for a day pass. Entrance will be free for students.

Visit the IMSFF website (www.imsff.co. za) for more information.

will get to see the likes of esteemed Nollywood actors Victor Olaotan and Jocelyn Dumas in Allison’s Stand, as well as much-loved series such as The 5 Brides, Spider, Heaven’s Gate, Eye Opener, Riddle and Twisted Fate.

Additionally, AMC Series channel viewers will have exclusive access to various in-house productions while future programming promises to feature an array of new dramas, sitcoms and comedies alongside celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle television shows.

Michael Dearham, vice president of StarTimes Group says, “The decision to consolidate our partnership with AMC was an easy and almost inevitable one for us; AMC continues to impress us with its natural knack and seemingly unrivalled ability to consistently bring the best Nollywood and other African programming to our very discerning subscribers”.

AMC Series is now available in the StarTimes Classic bouquet on StarTimes DTT channel 072, and StarSat DTH channel 134.

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SOUTh AFRICA

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Afternoon Express replaces 3Talk with Noeleen This April, SABC3’s local weekday talk show 3Talk with Noeleen – with host Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu – came to an end after 12 years on air. SABC viewers were eager for something fresh and a little more edgy.

On 4 May at 16h00, 3Talk’s successor Afternoon Express premiered, hosted by some of TV’s reigning royalty, the vivacious trio that is Bonang Matheba, Jeannie D and Bonnie Mbuli. While Matheba and Jeannie D are no strangers to SABC3 audiences, with both ladies currently co-hosting Top Billing, it is actress and author Bonnie Mbuli’s first time trying her hand at presenting.

SABC3 channel head Aisha Mohammed said that the idea was to have a panel of well-known personalities, with whom the audience already had a relationship, host the show.

The 45-minute show is aimed at women aged 25 to 35, bringing together elements of talk, magazine and current affairs to provide an all-encompassing entertainment and lifestyle show. The vibey, cosmopolitan programme features celebrity guests, in-studio musical performances and book reviews.

Additionally the hosts will take viewers through an array of topics from fashion to

cooking, health and some DIY for women.

“Viewers should expect an entertaining lifestyle daytime show where they can relax, receive information and ‘tips’ on how to make their daily lives easier with regard to cooking, fashion, health and the happenings in the world,” says Mohammed. “It’s a breather and a preparation period before the busy early evening period that most households experience. A key strategy of SABC3 is for the channel to celebrate all things local. So this show will play host to a myriad of local personalities, achievers, talent and other interesting individuals.”

Something exciting for Afternoon Express viewers to look forward to is the addition of a fourth presenter in the near future. SABC3’s Presenter Search on 3 television show will be coming to an end with the top three contestants winning hosting gigs in the channel’s lifestyle and breakfast shows, including Afternoon Express. “The approach is to grow more local presenting talent and have them host SABC3 content,” explains Mohammed.

Produced by Cardova/Tswelopele Productions, Afternoon Express is set in a contemporary apartment block in trendy inner-city Cape Town, with a modern-

VIBEY, COSMOPOLITAN SHOW: Bonang Matheba, Bonnie Mbuli and Jeannie D from Afternoon Express living and urban look and feel.

“Afternoon Express is a first for South Africa and for SABC3. To combine fun interaction, practical advice as well as engaging conversation into one show is definitely taking the quality of

programming to the next level and we are proud to have this kind of uplifting and empowering content for women as part of our offering,” concludes Mohammed.

– Chanelle Ellaya

Jameson First Shot winner returns with renewed zeal for local production

NEW PERSPECTIVE ON LOCAL FILM: Mark Middlewick 4 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

Over two days at the end of April, 28-year-old freelance writer and director Mark Middlewick shot his short film, The Mascot, in Los Angeles with the support of a professional Hollywood cast and crew.

Guided by none other than the award-winning production company, Trigger Street Productions, Middlewick was given the ultimate opportunity to make his filmmaking dream a reality – which is exactly what the Jameson First Shot competition is about.

Producer Dana Brunetti of Trigger Street, along with actor and filmmaker Kevin Spacey, developed the competition as a way for emerging filmmakers to get a real shot at a successful career in the industry; and with Adrien Brody as this year’s lead actor, the advantage is very, very real.

Middlewick works in the South African commercials industry and is currently developing a feature screenplay with the support of the National Film and Video Foundation. But his winning story, which earned him this filmmaking golden ticket, is about a mascot for a basketball team who, after being retrenched, decides to confront his replacement.

Upon hearing he had won Middlewick says, “I was overcome by an equal amount of excitement and crippling anxiety.” But then who wouldn’t be, knowing they’d be directing an actor like Brody who won an Academy Award for his role in The

Piano. During production Middlewick found Brody to be friendly and approachable but always professional, which made him less intimidating.

“On set he’s intense and very focused. He gave of himself completely on every take, no matter how inconsequential the shot seemed. I actually wish I could show young actors the outtakes… He was completely present in every shot,” says Middlewick.

Aside from the obvious excitement and a change of scenery, Middlewick describes his experience on a Hollywood set as being very similar to shooting in South Africa. Further to this he feels it has given him a new perspective on local talent and opportunity, “I think we fail to recognise just how accomplished our local crews are.

We’re very lucky to have such talented people behind the camera and they’re definitely on par with American crews.”

He adds, “I don’t want to sound like the oblivious naïve optimist, but we’re sitting on a gold mine here and we’re not taking advantage. We’re making excuses for not making unique, personal films that take risks and break the mould.”

Middlewick says he is inspired now more than ever to create idiosyncratic personal films set in South Africa which challenge the viewer and give insight into characters they might not ordinarily be exposed to. – Carly Barnes

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Cannes selected film captures a contemporary SA South African film Ayanda, by award-winning director Sara Blecher (Otelo Burning), and starring Nigerian actor OC Ukeje, screened at the Cannes Film Market on 17 May 2015.

The film tells the story of 21-year-old Afro-hipster Ayanda, who has a knack for taking neglected pieces of A scene from Ayanda furniture and ‘bringing them back to love’. Eight years after her father’s death, she is determined to people we love? revive his prized garage, which is in deep Ayanda was produced by A Leading debt and in danger of being sold.

Lady Productions with the support of the Blecher’s work captures a National Film and Video Foundation contemporary South Africa where (NFVF), Africa Magic and the South cooperation trumps xenophobia. The film African Department of Trade and makes use of still-frame montages Industry (DTI). inspired by the possibilities of modern Worldwide sales (excluding South African aesthetic and documentary-like Africa) will be handled by Ten10 Films techniques to explore its core theme: Limited, the sales and distribution division how do we let go of the things and of African studio Restless Global.

e.tv loses UEFA Champions League rights to SuperSport

e.tv has lost the rights to broadcast the UEFA Champions League (UCL) to pay-TV channel SuperSport, as of October 2015.

Managing director of e.tv’s channel division, Monde Twala, told The Media Online on Tuesday, 26 May: “e.tv is in its last season of the UEFA Champions League; SuperSport have acquired all the rights including pay-TV and free-to-air

(FTA) as of October 2015. As a result we will no longer broadcast the championship next season.”

SuperSport communications manager, Clinton van den Berg, said that the channel had indeed acquired the rights to the UCL on all platforms as of next season.

Twala told The Media Online that sports rights were difficult to nail down for free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters due to budget constraints. “Sports rights are expensive and require investment. The FTA model is advertiser driven and therefore difficult to find models that create sustainable recoupment from an advertising or sponsorship perspective.”

SuperSport now holds exclusive broadcast rights to the Champions League, the PSL and CAF rights.

6 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

Cape Town TV show, Street Talk, has won a prestigious award in the US from the non-profit organisation Shared Interest.

Last year’s winners included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and award-winning film producer Anant Singh. This year’s honourees include Africa Prize laureate Graça Machel and Street Talk.

Street Talk is a documentary television series presenting uninhibited conversations between participants in discussion groups on controversial topics ranging from sex to politics, gangsterism and the myriad issues which confront Capetonians, particularly the youth.

Appearing on Cape Town TV since the channel’s first year on air in 2008, Street

The cast of Street Talk Talk has been honoured for its achievements in increasing social awareness and building a conscious and inclusive society through media.

Street Talk airs on two community television stations in South Africa – Cape Town TV in the Western Cape and Bay TV in Port Elizabeth. Both channels air on terrestrial signals in their home regions and nationally on DStv. Shared Interest is a New York-based non-profit social investment fund working in Southern Africa.

M-Net’s Carte Blanche shines in Journalist of the Year Awards M-Net’s Carte Blanche scooped up three awards for their outstanding work in journalism at The National Press Club – North-West University Journalist of the Year 2014 Awards.

The individual Carte Blanche wins included: • Television Features: Graham Coetzer, Sasha Schwendenwein and Susan Comrie • Journalists of the Year: Graham Coetzer, Sasha Schwendenwein and Susan Comrie • Editor of the Year: George Mazarakis The Oscar Pistorius trial was honoured as the Newsmaker of the Year 2014, a broadcast celebrated for its impact and news value. Noting global interest in the trial, Carte Blanche launched a dedicated 24-hour channel in March 2014, which was credited as the most watched

channel on DStv during the trial period.

Anne Davis, M-Net’s original productions HOD says: “Carte Blanche not only maintains but exceeds expectations each year, constantly a leader in reporting for 27 years on air. We congratulate the skilled, passionate and tireless executive producer, George Mazarakis, for his 20 years of vision and leadership, evidenced by the recent slew of awards. Carte Blanche embodies the values of M-Net programming: credible, powerful, and relevant local content.”

SABC extends 24-hour news channel into Africa

South Africa launches the Cannes SA Film Factory On 20 May 2015, the Cannes South African Film Factory was launched.

Zidaka – a South African Production company, in partnership with the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the KwaZulu Natal Film Commission, Dominique Welinski and the Cannes Quinzaine – is opening doors in France for four South African directors.

The Cannes South African Film Factory will provide an opportunity for four South

Cape Town TV show wins international award

African directors and four international directors to collectively produce four short films, giving these films a greater likelihood of screening at the official Cannes programme next year. “This is the fourth programme we’re running since our launch. We’ve produced successful projects that have received rave reviews internationally, as well as being screened at the Cannes official programme,” says Dominique Welinski.

On 22 May 2015, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), as it celebrates Africa Month, extended the services of its 24-hour news channel – which is broadcast on DStv channel 404 – into the rest of the continent.

The channel was previously broadcast only in the SADC region, with this expansion 50 African countries will have access to the SABC’s 24-hour news channel. The channel will feature a combination of local and continental news stories to appeal to the wide range

of audience members which the channel will be serving.

The 24-hour news channel was launched in August 2013, and over the past 18 months has made great strides in becoming a premier source of news and information for the SADC region.

Broadcasting highlights so far include the coverage of the successful elections in Zambia, Lesotho and Nigeria, as well as the SADC Special Summit in Zimbabwe and the Pan African Parliament held in Johannesburg earlier this month.

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SA documentary screens at United Nations World Africa Week

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The Shore Break to co-premiere at Encounters and DIFF

A scene from The Shore Break A scene from Plot for Peace The Ichikowitz Family Foundation announced that one of its award winning documentaries, Plot for Peace screened in May 2015 to audiences of UN ambassadors, stakeholders and invited members of the public, in celebration of all efforts made by African leaders to secure peace in southern Africa during the late 1980s.

The critically acclaimed Plot for Peace tells the untold story of the negotiations, visionary leadership and parallel diplomacy that led to the signing of the Brazzaville Accord in 1988, a key milestone in speeding up the release of

Nelson Mandela and the ultimate demise of apartheid.

The United Nations screening is a historic event given that the ambassadors from the countries involved in the signing of the 1988 Brazzaville Protocol were present: Angola, Cuba, South Africa, Mozambique and the Republic of Congo.

The documentary was produced by Emmy award-winning Mandy Jacobson of the African Oral History, an ambitious heritage initiative funded by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation. The film will soon be released on Netflix.

The Shore Break – an award-winning film that unpacks the dilemma faced by a rural community on South Africa’s Wild Coast as to whether to support or resist a proposed titanium mining project that could fundamentally change their lives forever – will have its South African co-premiere at the Encounters International Documentary Film Festival in June 2015 and at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in July 2015.

Directed by Ryley Grunenwald, The Shore Break was a selected project at the 2012 Durban FilmMart, the IDFA WorldView Summer School 2013, the Hot Docs Forum 2012 and the Hot Docs

Dealmakers 2013. It is co-produced by two South African companies. The film was in competition at the recent International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IFDA) and was named the Best Feature Length Documentary at the 2015 International Environmental Film Festival (FIFE) in Paris.

The film has been made possible by the South African government’s DTI Film Rebate Scheme. Other funders include Ford Foundation, the National Film and Video Foundation, Knowledge Network, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Gauteng Film Commission, Worldview, the Alter Cine Foundation and the Hot Docs Blue Ice Film Fund.

June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 7

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TECHNOLOGY

Axon SynLive video mixer

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Christie D Series 3LCD digital projectors

SynLive is a modular live production video mixer. Offered as one package SynLive consists of a basic setup of modules that can be customised.

Key features • Designed for extremely compact but robust SNG setups • High density: multiple channels in one frame • Hot swappable hardware • Video transitions: fade-cut, cut, cross-fade, cut-fade, v-fade and wipe • Audio lead/lag settings • 2D DVE for pic-in-pic and squeeze back • 2 key and fill inputs (when cascaded) • Flexible routing options ranging from 8 to 40 inputs or outputs • Wide variety of control options; hardware panel, software panel • Tally and UMD management and control • Physical GPI I/O • Mixer panel: LPP1000 dual 13 button source selection, T-bar and 4 programmable LCD buttons • Setup and control panel based on Cerebrum (AXON’s control and monitoring software), optimised for touch screen use • Expandable with 350 different Synapse (AXON’s signal processing product line) modules and functions Ethernet based control Axon products are distributed in South Africa by Inala Broadcast.

Crystal Vision MADDA105 and MADDA111 MADI distribution amplifiers MADI (AES10) distribution amplifier • Get multiple copies of your MADI signal to send to all your audio areas, with five MADI outputs in the case of the 105 and 11 in the case of the 111 • Different sample rates supported: from industry standard payload of 64 channels at a sampling rate of 48 kHz to sampling rates up to 96 kHz • Easy to tell if you have a signal: LED and GPI output indication of signal presence • Inputs and outputs accessed by using an appropriate rear module (either RM41 or RM67) • Protect your output: optional relay bypass protection of the input on power failure or board removal (with RM67 rear module) means you won’t lose all your audio • Housed in Indigo rack frames • Space-saving: 100mm x 266mm module allows 12 MADDA105 in 2U (six in 1U and two in desk top box) • Five year warranty (with product registration) Crystal Vision products are distributed in South Africa by Telemedia (Pty) Ltd.

8 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

Christie unveiled five new 3LCD digital projectors at NABShow in Las Vegas this year. Featuring brightness ranges of 6000-8000 lumens with a single lamp and an optional* 0.38:1 Ultra Short Throw lens, the new Christie D Series with 10:000:1 contrast ratio boasts one of the brightest single lamps in the market offering XGA, WXGA and WUXGA high resolution.

• 6000-8000 lumens.

• Optional* Ultra Short Throw (UST) lens with a 0.38:1 throw ratio.

• Portrait or landscape mode provides installation flexibility.

• XGA, WXGA and WUXGA resolutions.

• Single-Connect cable option: Christie OneConnect – via HDBaseT. • 3G-SDI (WUXGA only).

• Multiple lens options.

Third party control system integration: AMX, Crestron.

Orad ASQ File-Based Server ASQ is a file-based clip and still playback server coupled with superior real-time graphics controlled from a single user interface. ASQ is typically used for playback of transitions as well as playback of sequences and images onto studio displays.

Functions and features: • It provides all the expected functions of a clips-and-still store, including ingest from file, video and image capture from live feed, alpha preview, back-to-back playout with transitions, rundown creation; plus many additional features that make its integration in modern workflows quite easy • Content tagging and cataloguing for easy search and access • Possibility to be triggered by switchers or studio automation • Real-time graphics controlled from the same user interface • Streamed preview of the real output as well as preview of individual assets available as part of the user interface • equipped with up to six video channels, typically two input streams of video in and four streams of video out.

• supports all commonly used file formats and wrappers • can host clips from different formats in the same playlist and can play clips back to back • fully compatible with all major newsroom systems, allowing journalists to select and preview the media before publishing it to the rundown • Playback of ASQ items can be triggered manually, from an external device such as switchers or studio automation, or from Orad’s SmartShot.

Orad solutions are distributed and serviced in South Africa by Harambe Technologies.

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| TECHNOLOGY

| News

Telemetrics Tele Glide TG4M track system

Panasonic AG-DVX 200 4K handheld camera

• Freely accommodates straight, C, S or L-shaped tracks on ceilings or floors • Compact, 10-inch track width • Advanced composite wheels for ultra-smooth, near-silent motion • Supports loads up to 200 lb. (90 kg) • Works where conventional camera dollies won’t, including uneven floors • 32-bit velocity and position encoding for incredibly smooth acceleration and deceleration, plus precise repeatability • Virtual set ready • Accommodates all Telemetrics pan/tilt heads as well as pan/tilt/zoom cameras • Enables coordinated trolley/pan/tilt/zoom moves in an all-Telemetrics system • Smooth, integral cable management • Field expandable/upgradable

At NABShow 2015, Panasonic launched its new 4K camera, which is intended as a companion for the Varicam 35.

• Comes with a fixed lense: a Leica Dicomar 4K zoom lens with f2.8 aperture • 4K/60p recording • 13x optical zoom • V-Log L gamma curve • 12 stops of latitude • Small and light, ideal for documentary and low budget production

June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 9

ADCETERA

|

Report on the South African commercials industry

Forget the ‘lines’ – it’s all omnichannel One of the biggest trends in advertising is the omnichannel.

Understanding the whole seamless channel that is true integration is one of the biggest shifts in marketing, says Fogg’s chief strategy officer and one of South Africa’s leading digital experts, Prakash Patel.

Patel reiterates that digital has obliterated traditional above-the-line and below-theline divides and that it is not the consumer who sees channels, but marketers. Understanding how consumers think today versus marketers who see channels is a strategic shift everyone in the industry needs to make.

“We talk about consumer-centricity – a beautiful word – we see it as a solution, but we need to see it truly from the consumer’s perspective.”

Patel is chief strategy officer for Fogg agency, having launched the Cape Town office in recent months. The highly experienced digital strategist and creative thinker was CEO of Prezence Digital and originally settled in South Africa from the UK after joining DraftFCB. He has over two decades of global and local experience in the advertising industry, in creatively-led, data-driven digital and through-the-line marketing solutions for a range of leading brands across industry sectors. He worked for multinational agencies in Europe, including JWT, rmg:connect, FCBi and TBWA, for clients including British Telecom, Mercedes Benz Europe, Shell, DTC and HSBC. Fogg Experiential Design was founded in 2005 by Shervin Pruthab. It describes itself as an agency “firmly rooted in creativity, design, and technical magic… providing creative solutions fused with 10 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

Chief Strategy Officer Prakash Patel

Fogg founder Shervin Pruthab

technical magic (and) strategic direction”.

Their mission is simple: to add value and purpose to clients’ customer-brand interactions.

There is also Fogg Labs, which handles sound and animation in the production process for Fogg’s clients.

Patel says the agency is now ready to make a noise about what they do. “Fogg is a pure digital experiential agency, born in an understanding of how we use tech today. But it is also very design focused.

We are about the connections between consumers and brands, the glue, amplifying any medium of communication.”

This goes way beyond building websites, Patel says. They are building businesses online.

He says the local advertising industry is still behind international models in how we want to ‘box’ the industry as ‘above-the-line’ or ‘below-the-line’ or digital. “(As an industry) we don’t need to do that. At Fogg, we can do a TV commercial, a radio commercial, a digital campaign. Yes we are an agency, but it is more about creating content, communications.

“Brands now understand the power of

communications and digital. It is not about digital-only agencies now. It is about people who are passionate about what they do, it is about in-depth relationships, having the same belief as your clients, about partnering with your clients and solving their problems.

“Digital is about creating connections between the consumer and the brand.

People understand digital now. Social media was our saving grace as it helped accelerate the understanding that digital goes beyond a platform or website. The smartphone has also transformed all of us.”

What concerns Patel is that people are calling themselves digital strategists after two years’ experience, when they don’t have the requisite understanding of marketing in its traditional form. He also believes that most agencies still don’t quite get mobile.

“Agencies sold a dud to clients by not going down the mobile route and by bypassing mobile and going straight to apps. We are not like the rest of the world. We need to be a bit more strategic and we need to look more at data and stats. Don’t just do a target and sell a basic campaign – make it relevant. We need to start doing the basics again, by creating relevant, meaningful

campaigns.”

Now that most agencies have digital shops on board or integrated, they try to do everything. But traditional agencies still work in silos and while the CEO may shout about being ‘one integrated agency’, there are egos and silos at play and breaking down those walls can be challenging.

“Smaller boutique agencies don’t have those walls built, the approach is different. It is also about maturity. About understanding how digital enhances one’s life from a functional to an emotional perspective.”

For Audi Cape Town, Patel describes how they mapped out the moment someone thinks about buying a car, prospecting online all the way to the sales process, offer to purchase, CRM… the whole journey map. “It’s all about what it means – we are not only selling a car. We are understanding how the customer comes to the dealership. It is very strategic… and we had so much fun doing it.”

Pruthab describes ‘Fogg culture’ as the passion they put into their work, the clients they serve and the fun they have in doing what they love. Major clients include SA Tourism and Eskom.

It is this passion and integrated digital culture which is transforming the digital experience for the brands they work on.

– Louise Marsland

| ADCETERA

Let’s do the time-warp

Still from Standard Bank ‘Moment’ in Time commercial

Even though it’s been around since the ‘80s and, some would argue, the early 19th century, the Bullet Time technique continues to stir up ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ in audiences.

Who hasn’t at one point done an impression of Neo in The Matrix, arched back and frozen in time as bullets stream by and cut through space? Liars, you all have. Why? Because it just looks so damn cool. And the same can be said of the new Standard Bank ‘Moment in Time’ advert, which uses modern filming techniques to create the same surreal effect.

Produced by Velocity Films for TBWA Hunt Lascaris with director Adrian De Sa Garces and producer Karen Kloppers at the helm, the ad features characters who move within a fixed scene. What really

draws you in as a viewer is the detail – splotches of liquid galloping through the air pre-splatter, puffs of smoke on the brink of dispersing, a mid-cheek sweat bead clinging to a statuesque actor’s face. On productions such as The Matrix this effect was executed by using a whole lot of cameras which took a single photograph of the action at the same time. These individual shots were then sequenced and stabilised digitally to produce a smooth depiction of a moment frozen in time. The same effect however, can be recreated using a single camera mounted to a crane which moves through the action. In this case the ad was shot between 50 and 100 frames per second with a Red camera which was fitted to a Supertechno crane.

Upstairs Post Production assembled the offline edit and BlackGinger, did the online and VFX. The ad features various scenarios in which the majority of the characters remain still while a select few move in and around them. The way this was achieved was having cast members stand posed and completely still while the director queued specific characters to carry out their respective actions – a gruelling test of patience and performance. BlackGinger visual effects supervisor Marco Raposo de Barbosa

says, “Some of the cast had props connected to support rods to help them hold their position. These were later painted out. The ‘frozen’ nature of the shot was then enhanced by adding suspended objects and frozen elements created in 3D.” Collaborating with director De Sa Garces throughout the process, the large post-production team worked together closely on different aspects of each shot.

“Once the raw (ungraded) plates were received, they were 3D tracked to generate matching CG cameras for each shot,” says Raposo de Barbosa. “We also generated several props for the shots that they were not able to add on the shoot day.”

Concurrently, the steam, fire and liquid effects were simulated. Says Raposo de Barbosa, “To get these to look realistic, they were generated as moving simulations using real world dynamics.

We then picked a single frame of the simulation and placed it in the correct place in 3D space for each shot. At the same time we rotoscoped all the shots, which required elements to be behind foreground parts of the plate.”

Using HDR images and set reference pictures each element was shaded and lit to match the plate. They were then

rendered along with shadow and reflection passes and layered together to create the final images.

All work was done as 16-bit float images, maintaining the full range of image data and allowing maximum latitude throughout the process.

Raposo de Barbosa explains that industry leading tools and their strengths in each respective field were used to achieve the slick final product.

“We used PF Track for 3D camera tracking with object modelling done in Modo. The visual effects simulations were done in Houdini as well as all our lighting and rendering. All the elements were composited in Nuke with the colour grade and final packaging done in Flame, making use of mattes generated from the compositing team and allowing for last minute finessing of the entire ad.”

Effects such as this are massively underestimated, and that’s the magic.

As the viewer you have no clue that behind the smooth succession of pictures which appear on screen is an army of creative thinkers, tech specialists and production pros making a mountain of work and meticulous planning seem effortless.

– Carly Barnes June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 11

ADCETERA | OPINION

Digital won’t kill the radio star Cutting

By Jonathan Deeb, through TV ADHD FCB Joburg Executive Creative Director

By Rui Alves, Executive Creative Director at Y&R

Jonathan Deeb

Thirty million people in South Africa spend an average of three hours a day tuned into radio, and its relatively quick production process means that it’s the ideal tactical arrow in a marketer’s quiver.

FCB has a proud history of helping build South Africa’s favourite brands, and radio has always been an important part of the media mix.

Unfortunately, if treated badly, radio can do serious damage to a brand. Think about it – commuters (a large percentage of the radio audience) are spending longer and longer in vehicles, trapped by traffic.

How much tolerance do you think they’ll have for a dull, boring radio spot?

How much better if the ad evokes some emotion – maybe a smile, a giggle, a belly laugh?

The key is in the brief, a brave client, and the need to treat the pre-production process with the same approach to craft that we afford to television commercials.

Consider the RAB ‘On The Spot’ brief, which challenged ten agencies to shift the thinking and break the rules on how radio advertising is approached.

Consider Lexus, the client that went with FCB’s innovative idea that combined smart media buying with a strong product benefit. The Lexus Adaptive Lights spot was strategically placed between other unrelated adverts during the same ad break. Like the Adaptive Lights it was advertising, the ad literally 12 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

‘showed’ listeners what was coming their way before they got there.

One of the prime reasons for this spot’s success is grounded in radio’s ability to allow folk like me – an art director by trade – to create pictures with words, to put on a show in the theatre of the mind, without a cast of thousands, without a budget of millions.

Another compelling reason for radio advertising: we are a developing nation, a nation in transition, and radio provides an incredibly powerful storytelling medium to communicate to all South Africans – from politicians, to storytellers and marketers.

Those predicting digital will be the death of radio would do well to remember that The Buggles’ 1980 assertion that ‘video killed the radio star’ never held water.

Wimpy’s #NoTalkTuesday promotion, which allowed listeners to replace the DJ and control the playlist for the day through their tweets and online suggestions, is just one example of how the opposite is true. It didn’t kill the radio star, digital allowed the listener themselves to be the star for a day.

It is a digital world that we live in, and it is less about how new technologies will replace radio and more about the immeasurable opportunities that exist for them to work together.

Bring on the brave briefs!

How I watch TV nowadays, or perhaps, don’t watch TV nowadays, is a reflection of a greater human phenomenon that is obsessed with multi-screen-tasking.

According to a 2014 survey by Statista, 70% of South African respondents use their mobile devices while watching television or ‘meshing’ – a term coined to describe the simultaneous viewing of related content across multiple devices. I am Rui, and I am a mesher.

Despite my advanced state of meshing, I believe that the power and relevance of a great TV commercial remains strong and resonant and able to evoke enduring images, memories and emotions. To me, great TV commercials remain unchallenged in our time-starved and heavily curated modern lives.

I tend to work late into the night, catching up on emails that I can’t get to during the day. This takes up about 80% of the evenings in the average work week.

My poor TV viewing habits also compete with all the social media platforms that I look to for a small respite or distraction from the email gauntlet. This includes short bursts of Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, as well as my lesser home email account and a few other random links and blogs.

I’m usually facing away from the TV with my head buried in a laptop, mobile phone or iPad. To make things even more challenging for the TV, I lived in Hillbrow for 14 years with the never-ending streaming sounds of people, cars, trucks, bikes, buses, fire-engines, hooters, sirens, air conditioners, miscellaneous and infinitely moving elevator machinery, loud music, live music, high winds and sometimes screams, echoing up and reverberating around the canyon-like building grid. As a result I can tune out ’noise’ better than a set of very expensive noise-cancelling headphones.

Did I mention my latent attention deficit issues?

And yet a great TV commercial, that most uninvited form of all TV content, will still find a way to cut across all of the above-mentioned obstacles and barriers.

A well-crafted TV spot with a strong concept is able to cut through anything… even on only an audio level with a subtle frequency of sound.

There’s something immediately appealing about it. It might be a well-chosen music track, imaginative sound design, well-written words or even a well-timed silent pause. This skillful use of audio elements is enough to pull my poorly appointed attention in from the sea of sameness on either side of it.

Rui Alves

Even at a very low volume.

So now it’s got my attention. I’m looking directly at it.

It follows through with powerful visual imagery. Emotive. Evocative. Insightful.

Honest. Authentic. Possibly humorous.

It’s intense and intoxicating and kind of addictive. It’s just a 60” TV commercial.

I’ve not felt this kind of connection from any other channel as of yet…

Two seconds later, however, and I’m pinning, liking, commenting, browsing, surfing again. Click…click-click… clickety…click…

| COMMERCIALS

Director Speak

LOVE FOR NATURE...DESIRE FOR ADVENTURE: Director Matthys Boshoff

A farm boy at heart, a lover of mathematics and adventure, director Matthys Boshoff gives us an inside look into what inspires him as a storyteller...

How has your upbringing shaped you as a director?

I was raised in the bushveld at the foot of the Waterberg mountains and finished High School in Pretoria. The bushveld, coupled with childhood excursions to the Caprivi strip and real life dangerous encounters with crocs and hippos, gave me a great love and sensitivity for nature and a desire for adventure, as well as the curiosity to constantly explore – be it in my own backyard or on foreign shores. Growing up in a small community exposed me to quirky and different characters that are to be found in a small town – rich and poor were neighbours; family friends included lawyers, farmers, handymen, teachers, the traffic officer and the pawnshop owner. In a small community everyone gets to know each other so it’s not a case of ‘birds of a feather flock together’. You really get exposed to very different people in a deep and meaningful way.

These experiences have deeply affected the way in which I approach each concept, script or board. It’s an adventure with a sense of danger, intimacy with the environment, curiosity about the subject matter and a keen eye for character. Discovering their humanity beyond what is visible on the surface fascinates me. I also grew up with a fair share of family tragedy and after a car accident in 1983 my Mom was left quadriplegic. This all contributes to emotional insight and a sense of empathy in my work. My Dad always looked to foreign shores for inspiration, be it Asian influences in his cooking, importing amateur wrestling videos from the States or hosting a group of Russian wrestlers in the 80s in an Afrikaans farming community. I developed an appreciation for ‘the other’, for different languages and people, all of which have influenced my understanding of humanity and approach to filming people and characters.

What made you want to become a director? Has it always been your dream?

I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I finished high school. I had straight As for maths and science but something in me never made peace with the idea of having an office job. I didn’t even know that one could study film or that filmmaking was a career choice until a friend introduced me to a friend of hers who studied at a film school. When this guy told me what he was studying it hit me like a bolt of electricity. I knew that I wanted to become a film director.

You’ve visited places like Afghanistan, Patagonia and Uganda, what was your favourite shoot location to date and why?

Funnily enough my favourite location has been Johannesburg’s CBD around the area where I live.

Workshops in the States. Besides Ziad I have had various life mentors through the years.

What kind of stories/narratives do you particularly enjoy telling?

I really enjoy stories that tap into human nature, that ask questions about us as a species and what makes us tick.

Downtown Jozi’s CBD is a melting pot of different cultures and people and is filled with polar opposites and aesthetic tensions. It is dangerous and kind, ruthless and beautiful, vibrant and monotone. It has a mercurial quality – one cannot pin it down. As soon as you think you’ve got a grip on it there is a surprise around the next corner.

You are a commercials director primarily, why commercials?

Was it a conscious choice?

Pursuing a career in commercials became a conscious and logical choice after a few years of trying to find my feet in the film industry. My first love is to make feature films and I tackled that dream head-on at an early age.

After numerous unsuccessful attempts I found myself in the gutters, without money and hardly a career to speak of. I subsequently worked as an assistant director on commercials until the opportunity came to direct.

Besides a bit of cash flow, commercials give me the opportunity to hone and craft my skills. I have learned about attention to detail and the importance of clear and concise communication. Thirty seconds is not long. If you want to get a message across and make something beautiful, you have to be on top of your game. I am passionate about creating great commercials and I work on my long term projects in my down time or between 05h00 and 07h00 in the mornings.

What does the future hold for Matthys Boshoff? Hopes and dreams?

I am currently adapting Carina Stander’s debut novel Wildvreemd into a feature film screenplay. I really hope to make my feature film debut in the near future.

What are your top three favourite films and why?

I’ll give you five: There will be Blood, The Piano, Soy Cuba, American Movie, Dead Poets Society and The Shawshank Redemption.

Why do I like these films? I like films that move me.

And all these films do. I try not to analyse or over intellectualise it. Either I feel the emotion or I don’t.

Who is your favourite director of all time and why?

That’s a very difficult question to answer because every era has seen the rise of amazing directors who faced different challenges and contributed to the development of film as a language. How do you compare Orson Welles with Ingmar Bergmann, Goddard, Fellini or Scorsese?

Of the current crop of directors I really like Paul Thomas Anderson’s work. He is a highly intelligent director, one can sense that a lot of thought goes into every decision he makes. He is one of the few directors out there that really gets to make what he wants to make on his terms. One gets the feeling that the studios will never own him. He has tremendous insight into human nature and his films are in-depth studies of dark and fringe characters.

What has been the highlight of your career as a director to date?

I once pitched to a group of 12 clients and they all stood up and started clapping their hands.

It was amazing to get such a response and recognition.

Two people independently mentioned to me that I reminded them of two of my favourite directors (I won’t mention names).

What has been your greatest challenge as a director to date?

The greatest challenge is ongoing: to always improve, always push to be better, to constantly grow. It is so easy to get into a comfort zone or be boxed as a director. There’s always the challenge to reinvent myself, to surprise myself and hopefully other people too.

Who are you mentors, if any?

Ziad Hamzeh, a Syrian born director who studied and plies his trade in America has been a mentor ever since he lectured me at the International Film & Television

If you weren’t directing films, what would you be doing?

I would be a mathematician or full time adventurer.

Compiled by Chanelle Ellaya June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 13

FILM | SOUTH AFRICA

Age

Currently shooting in Ocean View, at Cape Town Film Studios, the Ottery Youth Centre and other locations around Cape Town, is a remarkable feature film titled Noem My Skollie, which is based on the life of the equally remarkable John W Fredricks.

is not an issue

I

n his late 60s, and with very little schooling John W Fredricks wrote a script which, after many years of struggle and tribulation, is now in production and supported by M-Net, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) with Ster Kinekor signed up for distribution locally and with potential international sales.

It was a long road indeed for Fredricks, a native of the Cape Flats, who, at the age of 17, found himself in prison for various petty crimes. Undaunted, he found a way to survive. “I could tell stories,” says Fredricks. “I always seemed to have a knack for this, and I became something akin to the prison cinema, able to entertain even the most hardened gangsters, even receiving tobacco as payment for a good story. I think it was this ability that stopped me from becoming a hardened criminal and molded my life from storytelling to telling the story of my life.”

“This is certainly not a gang film,” he adds. “It’s a film about childhood friendship and about loss in adversity. It tells a story of how everyone has a natural gift but how some gifts are harder to find than others. It’s the story of my life.”

Fredricks can boast that he survived Sediba and the NFVF development process. A six-year exercise in its entirety; a huge achievement for a man of his age and educational background. The eventual funding by the NFVF and the purchase by M-Net is testimony to his ability to ‘tell a good story.’

“I met Fredricks at [film and television market] Sithengi in 2002,” says producer David Max Brown, “and I realised his talent and potential. It was a bit of a shock when the NFVF rejected our first submission in 2004 but when they agreed to sponsor Fredricks to attend their writing programme we agreed. It was tough for Fredricks at his age and as he’d hardly been to school but he managed through their various SEDIBA levels over

14 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

the years. In 2011 the NFVF finally awarded us a development grant and appointed script editor Roshan Cader.

“Suffice to say that it has been a long road. We have also been working with Moshidi Motshegwa who has been a wonderful story editor and responsible for securing a large chunk of the finance for the film.”

“Daryne Joshua is our hugely talented director whose own story echoes that of the writer, as does that of our acclaimed production designer Warren George Grey. The DOP is rising star Zenn van Zyl. The task of finding 58 speaking parts fell to casting director Christa Schamberger, assisted by the amazing Ephraim Gordon.

Our service company is Stage 5 Films with experienced line producer Dylan Voogt and production manager par excellence Marcelle du Toit. A unique team for a unique film.”

Getting M-Net to buy the film was also a lengthy process. Here Motshegwa was able to bring the script to the attention of the head of M-Net Movies, Jan du Plessis who after reading the script responded almost immediately to say he would come on board.

“The pre-buy means that some of the rights (such as the African television rights) will belong to M-Net,” explains Brown, “but that the producers can exploit the film in cinemas locally and internationally and will also retain some other exploitation rights. It’s quite a complex deal but is clearly a win-win situation and we have also managed to attach Ster Kinekor to distribute theatrically and on DVD locally and are negotiating currently with an international sales company.”

“The rest of the budget for the film comes from the NFVF and the DTI rebate.

Making a low budget period film with so many cast members and locations goes against all the odds. However it’s a testament to the script that the cast and crew have come to the party in such a supportive way.”

LONG ROAD TO ARTISTIC FREEDOM: Writer John W Fredericks

The film is well cast and includes DJ Mouton in the lead (recently the lead in Abraham, directed by Jans Rautenbach), Christian Bennett, Oscar Petersen, Charlton George, Denise Newman, Sandi Schultz, Andre Roodtman, Paul du Toit and Irshaad Ally.

“Nico Dekker and Ross Rayners of Cape Town Film Studios are allowing us

to use the sets on their studio lot that were originally used in the filming of Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom,” concludes Brown. “They have been incredibly supportive as have a number of companies, in particular Media Film Service, which are supplying the Alexa camera package, grip and lighting.”

– Andy Stead

odyssey

An Ethiopian The Ethiopian-Spanish co-production Crumbs bucks the trend of realist cinema that seems to dominate Africa’s film industry, while also forming part of an interesting counter-trend, arising mostly from the eastern part of the continent, which seems to indicate an increase in fantastical subject matter.

W

hile the cinema of Africa is incredibly varied in subject matter and social context, there is at least one, easily identifiable, common characteristic in the continent’s output: we have a tendency to favour high realism in both subject matter and treatment.

Social realities and concrete, identifiable human problems appear to be far more preferable to both audiences and filmmakers than surrealism, abstraction and pure fantasy. The markets for science-fiction and related genres are severely limited as a result. Even in South Africa, with its strong Hollywood influences and Western cultural connections, genre films draw only a tiny section of the country’s content market and, according to recent audience research by the National Film and Video Foundation, are far towards the bottom of the list when it comes to consumer preferences.

Re-emergence of genre film However, several films have emerged that seem to indicate a growing movement towards more fantastical subject matter and more fanciful narrative and aesthetic treatments. Ethiopia, in particular, has shown a growing predilection for science-fiction in the past couple of years. Last year, the feature film Beti and Amare, directed by Kenyan-born German filmmaker Andy Siege, hit the festival circuit. More recently, the postapocalyptic fantasy Crumbs, written and directed by Addis Ababa-based Spanish filmmaker Miguel Llansó, was released.

It is interesting to note that both of these films are made by Europeans; it would appear that the history, people and landscape of the Horn of Africa stir up similar visions among Western storytellers.

Llansó’s extended Ethiopian adventure began when two disparate influences suddenly came together: a book on Ethiopian athletes, and the adventure and romanticism in the films of Werner Herzog. Inspired by these, Llansó decided to go on a journey to the East African nation. Taking a job at the Spanish embassy in Addis Ababa, he began exploring what the country had to offer. Having been involved in writing and filmmaking since his years as a teenager in Madrid, he gravitated towards the Ethiopian capital’s thriving cultural scene, including its flourishing ‘do-it-yourself’ film industry.

A cosmopolitan film Crumbs, Llansó’s first feature film, is a beautifully designed and shot surreal fantasy that uses Ethiopia’s diverse landscapes – from natural geysers in the Danakil Depression to a defunct bowling alley in Addis Ababa – to create a

narrative world that is neither exactly Ethiopian, nor meant to be any other specific location in the world. It’s a sparsely populated, sometimes threatening, yet utterly beautiful, imagined world that exists after some unspecified ‘Big War’. All the dialogue is in Amharic, which, to anyone outside of Ethiopia, sounds quite otherworldly.

“The film is international, cosmopolitan,” Llansó says. “It doesn’t talk about the reality of Ethiopia specifically, but about the world’s situation… Language is not the theme of the film but Amharic sounds strange and distant for the rest of the world and that’s good for the movie.”

In this setting, an unusual love story unfolds between Gagano (Daniel Tadesse) and Candy (Selam Tesfaye).

Gagano spends his time collecting the remnants – or ‘crumbs’ – of bygone civilisations, from pop culture memorabilia to artificial Christmas trees – prized rarities scattered throughout the depopulated landscape. He lives a life of perpetual fear, terrorised by a gang of bizarre neo-Nazis. In the skies above, a rusting spaceship hovers. For years it has been silent and unmoving but it is now showing signs of life. Gagano becomes convinced that the ship is the key to his and Candy’s salvation and sets off on a mission to enter the vessel.

A team of friends Llansó wrote the lead role for Tadesse. “A person of irregular body and fascinating expression. I met him at a performance of Federico Garcia Llorca’s Blood Wedding at the National Theatre of Ethiopia. Since then, he appears in almost all my films,” he says. In the diminutive Tadesse, a viewer can easily observe the influence of Herzog in Llansó’s work. He calls to mind Berlin street musician turned actor Bruno S, whom Herzog

FANTASTICAL FILM: Daniel Tadesse in Crumbs

Ethiopia

| Film

cast in The Enigma of Caspar Hauser and Stroszek. He evokes the same pathos, the same sense of sympathy for the outsider.

Crumbs, as well as his earlier short-form work with Llansó, is turning Tadesse into an international cult hero. In the role of Birdy, Llansó cast rising star Selam Tesfaye, who has become a local sensation in her own right – an A-lister in Ethiopia’s burgeoning star system.

Llansó’s crew was half Spanish, half Ethiopian. “We are a team of friends,” he says. “That’s important, because it gives us freedom, mutual understanding, teamwork, versatility and the ability to move together spontaneously. The film was produced by three Ethiopians – Yohannes Feleke, Daniel Taye Workou and Meseret Argaw, while director of photography Israel Seoane, editor Velasco Broca and sound designer Quino Piñero were all brought in from Spain.

“We’re a team like Fassbinder’s,” says Llansó, “everybody is essential.”

The mix made things interesting on set, with the Spanish crew members speaking only a smattering of Amharic and the Ethiopian members not knowing any Spanish. English was the ‘lingua franca’ on set, with the three producers translating when necessary.

For Llansó, Ethiopia offers a country far apart from the one in which he grew up and thus the opportunities for new stories and fresh perspectives on the world, with the Western prism removed. It also offers a flourishing, youthful film industry that is soaking up local and international talent and ideas.

“The production and mass exhibition of films began in Ethiopia in 2005 with the marketing of digital cameras and video editing software,” Llansó explains.

“People wanted to watch movies in their own language and the old theatres – which had been about to close down – started to fill again. Soon a small star system flourished, helped by national television and the production of TV series. Production is, however, still low budget but this ‘do-it-yourself’ spirit is very inspiring.”

While Crumbs is an international film that happens to have been made in Ethiopia, Llansó’s next project is set to be a more authentic – though unusual – Ethiopian affair, “I’m planning a film about 1960s Ethiopia: hippies, revolutionary movements in universities, Emperor Haile Selassie’s secret space programme, plots of espionage and tons of rock ‘n roll.”

– Warren Holden

June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 15

FILM

|

Elements of Cinema: Fright factor Peeping through the gaps between our fingers as they cover our eyes, we wait. Our terror mounting with Each. Shrieking. Violin. Chord.

Somewhere in our logical minds we know just what’s about to happen, but when it does we inevitably gasp, yelp or worse – leap into the air like an eight-year-old, spilling our popcorn all over the floor. The scare squad, which worked on the film Indigenous, explain how they make scenes like this one to get our hearts racing and keep us coming back for more.

Giona Ostinelli on music Alastair Orr on editing Max Roberts on writing This was a guerilla style shoot, so we location scouted in Panama first, saw what was available to us, and built the script around that. We spent as much time as possible making realistic, relatable characters. Then figuring out how to kill them was the easy part.

Hopefully the audience is with you and feels something for them by the time they die. I think you can write a scene with as many adjectives as you want, but it’s how you shoot it that determines if it’s scary.

Alastair Orr on directing When you work on a horror there is a lot more at play. Your scheduling revolves around makeup and SFX plates on top of lighting setups etc. In addition, an audience participates in a horror film. You are taking them on a ride and you constantly need to consider visceral elements that are going to thrust them into the movie.

This is a film about a mythical, South American monster, but that’s not what’s going to make the film engaging. This scene is at the end of the film and the main character is about to be eaten. This is the easy part – putting the character in jeopardy – but it’s the scenes before which are going to make this one work.

16 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

I had to find the right balance of showing the monster and leaving some things to the imagination. The audience gets desensitised and I wanted to keep the impact of seeing it going strong. I mainly focused on character reactions of screaming and being terrified, that works better than always cutting to the monster.

When editing in the horror genre, tension is important. If you really dwell on the slower scenes you allow the audience to feel the urgency towards the end at the faster scenes. The pace is only fast because you’ve felt the slow.

Brendan Barnes on cinematography

The music plays an important role in this scene as it enhances the level of intensity.

I wanted to evoke the sense of extreme disgust and fear that the main character is experiencing and the way I did that was by using frantic strings, roaring brass and bombastic percussions. I created several custom synth elements: a pulsating sound depicting his terror and his heart racing, a bending synth which blended together with the strings to give the audience a strong feeling of nausea, and a chorus effect which was heavily treated with flanger, producing a hallucinatory feeling.

Aleatoric orchestral effects and synth elements are often used in contemporary horror flick scores. I like to create my own distinctive sounds for each new project.

Compiled by Carly Barnes

When shooting horror, I try to remind myself that the real terror lies in what the audience doesn’t see. Indigenous was shot on an Arri Alexa 16:9. The dynamic range and colour reproduction is fantastic and the camera continued to roll flawlessly through high temperatures and humidity in the tropical jungles of Panama. A lot of the film was shot exterior night and the Alexa is known for performing well under low light. This scene was shot handheld with a 45-degree shutter angle. The effect is dramatic and adds an aggressive quality to the image which really heightens the panic.

| FILM FILMMAKING A SCARY BUSINESS: A scene from Indigenous

June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 17

INDUSTRY REPORT | DRC

Why Congolese films matter Known for their ululating Lingala tunes and gyrating vixens that pepper their music videos, Congolese artists are nudging beyond these sultry affairs and giving us a piece of their true cinematic talent, as Sam Charo reports.

I

n 2011, Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s film Viva Riva! paved the way for emerging Congolese filmmakers. The film stood out as it won six trophies at the African Movie Awards and was noted as a relevant work of art at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), among others, around the world. At AMA, Djo Tunda bagged the Best Director award.

“Viva Riva was an iconic modern story, touching on everyday life,” says Armand Nkunda, a film producer and writer based in Kinshasa. “We had this exposition that left people with gaping mouths.”

Beyond its volatility, the central African country has seen an upsurge of keen and ambitious filmmakers who want to produce stories that matter.

“The government was resourceful in the recent past by giving out grants for filmmakers,“ Patrique Bouazizi, an indie filmmaker and scriptwriting trainer based in Lubumbashi, opines. ”I was at the ministry of culture and information with my script recently and it looks like my pitch will be fruitful.”

Wa Munga’s film Viva Riva was made 25 years after what has been considered the Congo revolution.

BOLD MOVES: Carole Maloba and crew

18 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

The rise of short films like Carole Maloba’s 2013 release Kisita – a film about uncontrollable jealousy with an unexpected consequence, as an older woman confronts her beautiful, flirtatious daughter – is a symbolic piece that has paved the way for independent filmmakers to gain confidence with universal subjects such as feminism, love, and human freedom.

“Kisita was a bold move that most people in the field are afraid to talk about,” says Patrick Katanga, a Congolese actor. “Carole was fierce with her subject and boldly managed to express the femininity with her short film.”

The government of DRC recently embarked on spearheading creative arts in the country that will empower its youth. This includes the initiation of a filmmaking fund.

Clarisse Muvuba, a 33-year-old Congolese filmmaker who in 2014 was able to shoot her film with the help of partnership funds from Cinedoc Films in France, was elated when she recently released her film, Marathon, a documentary about an athletic champion.

“We need these resources to enable us

to move forward because it’s very difficult to have an idea and be able to crack it alone.’ Clarisse advises, “For film art to move forward in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there have to be people willing to put up the money. I am grateful my idea could come to fruition. It was at the right time and it was worth it.”

About 47% of the DRC’s population consists of youth under the age of 15, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2014 stats.

“If you have a chance to do something in Congo, you have to initiate something that has a future,” Bouazizi says. “We’re ranked 186 out of 187 countries and approximately 87 percent of the Congolese are living on less than a dollar a day. Therefore creative arts not only offer an outlet for one’s frustrations, fears and joys, but also help one release these creative tensions that are harboured in our conscience.”

“Hundreds of young filmmakers are interested in doing film, but accessing the funds is a tricky issue if you are not trained nor have any idea about film production,” Carol Maloba says. “I was glad to have worked with Djo Tunda as my producer and that creative process helped nurture my skills and experience.”

Congo’s civil war and political instability has had a negative impact on its social fabric. The global view of the country is seen through the lens of rape, pillaging of its natural resources and the poor wildlife conservation skills and resources that inspired the Academy Award-nominated Documentary, Virunga.

“Issue-based documentaries like

Virunga will be able to done by local filmmakers,” Patrice Malyamungu, a seasoned cinematographer and a recipient of the fund, says. “It’s so unfortunate that people have to travel from a different continent to tell our own stories.”

The DRC’s film development fund is expected to be whittled down to any creative artist who has skills in filmmaking.

It will be targeting untrained film enthusiasts who have interest in the vagaries of film production. The film fund will target young Congolese from unfortunate backgrounds.

“We can train interested parties, especially females who are interested in film,” Bouazizi adds. “With the help of our French and Belgian partners, we truly hope that the future of film in Congo is going to be relevant and effective in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Congo’s Lingala music is widely appreciated across the continent and beyond. For years it has been a benchmark by which the country is creatively regarded, but with the help of this fund, it’s expected that the country’s rich artistic reservoir will be tapped and therefore help youth channel their creative energies to a sound cause away from negative influences.

“Lots of idle youth here are used by politicians and end up indulging in bad behaviour,” says Malyamungu. “We do hope that everyone interested in using these tools and funding to shape themselves will seize this opportunity and become useful storytellers in the Congolese society and Africa in the long run.” – Sam Charo

17 – 20 JULY 2015 www.durbanfilmmart.com 18 – 21 JULY 2014

Durban FilmMart turns six The Durban FilmMart (DFM) is a co-production initiative co-founded by the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), and will take place from 17 – 20 July 2015 during the 36th Durban International Film Festival.

Over the years DFM has maintained key partnerships internationally which include Arte France, Hot Docs-Blue Ice Film Fund, IDFA Bertha Fund, IDFA, Rotterdam Cinemart, New Cinema Network Rome, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and Produire au Sud. The annual event aims to bring visibility to African film projects and facilitate collaboration between African and international filmmakers; introduce new film projects to potential investors and partners; and provide delegates with the opportunity to network with experienced and established local, continental and international industry associates. This is done through a series of workshops,

Launched in 2010, the Durban FilmMart is about to be held for the sixth time, from 17 to 20 July.

Screen Africa asked Toni Monty, Durban Film Office Head, to reflect on the trajectory of this important film financing and networking forum.

Screen Africa: As you prepare for the sixth DFM, what goes through your mind as you recall the first event five years ago and the way in which it has developed over the course of the intervening years? Has it grown as you anticipated? Has it taken the direction you thought it would? What surprises you most about where the event is now?

Toni Monty: We modelled the Durban FilmMart on the Cinemart at Rotterdam International Film Festival and spent a long time developing a model that we believed would work in the African context. The aim was to create a platform to build networks amongst and between African filmmakers and the global market and to provide a springboard for projects in development.

While we were quite confident about what we had built, of course there was always that level of nervousness as to whether it would really work, but six years on, it’s heart-warming and hugely exciting to see that it has been a success. As they say, the proof is in the pudding – we consistently see projects that have progressed significantly due to participation in the DFM programme.

Many have already completed production and have been screened on the international festival circuit.

Most importantly, strong relationships which are forged through the networks that have been built through the DFM have enabled delegates to grow their business and their projects.

At this year’s Durban International Film Festival, for example, there are five films that have been part of the DFM finance forum including Ayanda, Black President, The Boda Boda Thieves, The Shore Break and Dream of Shahrazad.

The thing that has surprised me most from the outset, and continues to do so, is just how excited the rest of the world is about African content and how we have managed to secure important partners who work quite hard behind the scenes to assist us in promoting African filmmakers. This assures that the DFM grows from strength to strength, because they believe in the value it adds to the industry.

SA: What do you wish for delegates to come away with when they leave the Mart?

TM: We aim for projects in development to come away with a broader support network and an understanding of the many opportunities available to them out there: access to information, partnerships, a deeper understanding of opportunities in the African context and opportunities for investment. Of course for all the delegates the networking and relationship building is vital for growth – especially when new projects are coming into being – these need ‘face to face’ meetings to create momentum and the DFM provides these opportunities.

SA:What are the major themes of the conference programme and why have you chosen to focus on these particular topics?

TM: A theme that seems to be running this year is ‘story development’. Why? Because through the applications for the finance forum over the past five years we have

masterclasses and interactive forums which cover topical and relevant film production themes.

An official selection of 19 African projects in development, both fiction and documentary, will be afforded the opportunity present to a panel of potential co-producers, sales agents, broadcasters and film funds at a Public Pitching Forum followed by a series of finance forum meetings. Although project submissions to the Durban FilmMart are officially closed, delegate registration is open to all film professionals and the greater public who wish to attend.

Visit http://www.durbanfilmmart.com/DelegateRegistration/Welcome.aspx to register.

identified this as an area that requires attention, so that we can uncover true African stories. A large part of the programme will focus on this – also finance, marketing and distribution, as we do try and provide a well rounded set of seminars and master-classes for attending delegates.

SA: What can you say about the Mart’s effectiveness as a platform for filmmakers to launch their projects into production?

Perhaps you might want to highlight some of the completed projects being shown this year?

TM: On a simple level, the structure of the FilmMart is such that some of our selected projects are also selected by our partner markets – IDFA, Cinemart, Rome Cinema Network, Produire au Sud and Hot Docs to attend their markets, and this gives them further international exposure, building bigger networks and the momentum the projects need.

Participation in the DFM as an official selected project profiles the project to the continent and potential partners beyond, not to mention media coverage that helps filmmakers to build audiences during the project development.

SA: An ongoing theme at DFM and elsewhere is the need for collaboration between filmmakers in various African countries. How will DFM be facilitating that this year and what do you think filmmakers, government representatives and other industry players should be bringing to the party?

TM: The industry programme focuses on creating sessions for presentation of regional and global opportunities for African filmmakers. This year’s programme also includes co-production panel sessions with Canada and Brazil as well as sessions where local and international guests

and experts will give delegates an understanding of different finance models across the world. Festivals and markets will present details on how filmmakers can apply and participate in these.

The ‘Restless Pitch Session with Restless Talent Management’ will provide delegates with an opportunity to pitch their projects and receive constructive feedback on their pitch.

There is also a short films programme looking at the opportunities for short filmmakers, especially for young emerging filmmakers.

And of course there are the many networking events and opportunities to meet professional as well as watch the films at the DIFF. SA: Any comments on the kinds of projects that are coming to DFM this year – the nature of the content and what that might say about where African filmmakers and their preoccupations are at the moment?

TM: We had about 120 submissions.

Out of that our selection panel chose 19 projects (10 fiction and nine documentaries) representing South Africa, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Togo, Egypt and South Africa. Tiny Mungwe, Chair of the Selection Panel, sums the quality of the projects up best: “The DFM is both a platform for discovering new talent and showcasing the best storytelling to come out of the continent each year.

Making the final choice has always been a challenge as we note a steady improvement in the standard of submissions each year.

This year’s selection is rich in diversity, with a wide representation of voices, narratives and perspectives on the continent. As African cinema continues in its search for the definition of ‘the African’ story, DFM grows deeper in its understanding of itself and its place in the continental landscape.”

www.durbanfilmmart.com

6TH

Durban FilmMart

PROGRAMME

at the Durban Interna

tional Film Festival 20

15

17-20 JULY 2015

FRIDAY, 17 JULY

SATURDAY, 18 JULY

SUNDAY, 19 JULY

MONDAY, 20 JULY

Durban FilmMart 09h00 - 17h00

Durban FilmMart 10h00 - 17h00

Durban FilmMart 10h00 - 17h00

Durban FilmMart 10h00 - 13h00

14h00 - 15h00 Africa in Focus Panel: Understanding the Tunisian Model 15h00 - 16h00 Africa in Focus Panel: Feedback from the Transmedia Lab

16h00 - 17h00 Africa in Focus Panel: Connecting with African Festivals and Markets

14h00 - 16h00 The Restless Pitch with Tendeka Matatu, Restless Talent Management 14h00 - 17h00

16h00 - 17h00 Africa in Focus Panel: Co-production Round Table

Lunch

14h00 - 17h00

16h00 - 17h00 Africa in Focus: NFVF Spotlight on Co-productions

12h00 - 13h00 Africa in Focus Panel: Co-producing with Brazil

Fiction Projects Pitch Forum 14h00 - 17h30

15h00 - 16h00 Africa in Focus Panel: Window to the World with International Festivals and Markets

Project Packaging & Pitch Rehearsals:

15h00 - 16h00 Africa in Focus: Meet the Financiers and Funders

12h00 - 13h00 Africa in Focus Panel: Co-producing with Canada Lunch

09h00 - 13h00

14h00 - 15h00 Africa in Focus: DFM Dialogue with SA Guild of Editors and African Producers Project Packaging:

14h00 - 15h00 Africa in Focus Panel: Perspectives in African Cinema

10h00 - 12h00 Masterclass: Dominique Welinski: Co-production Strategies and Networks

09h00 - 13h00

Lunch

10h00 - 12h00 Masterclass: Sari Turgeman Story Development ‘My Characters and I’

09h00 - 13h00

Lunch

09h00 - 10h00 Tapping into the Economy of Short Filmmaking

The African Pitch –

12h00 - 13h00 Africa in Focus: Meet the Namibian Film Commission

09h00 - 10h00 Shifting Perspectives on Short Filmmaking

08h30 - 13h00

12h00 - 13h00 Africa in Focus Panel: SA Regional Opportunities

10h00 - 12h00 Masterclass: Stefano Tealdi: ‘Pitching Your Way into the International Film Business’

09h00 - 13h00

(closed to DFM projects) 09h00 - 13h00

10h00 - 12h00 Masterclass: Angus Finney: New Filmmaking Strategies, from South Africa to Pan Africa, Towards a Global Market

Project Packaging & Pitch Rehearsals:

09h00 - 10h00 Short Film Production in Africa

09h00 - 10h00 DFM 101 Meet the 2015 DFM Project Evaluation Panel

16h00 - 17h00 Africa in Focus Panel: Connecting with African Festivals and Markets (continued)

17 – 20 JULY 2015 18 – 21 JULY 2014

www.durbanfilmmart.com

Durban FilmMart 2015 selected projects Documentary projects After Marikana

Life and Times of John C

Producer: Anita Khanna Director: Rehad Desai South Africa The Marikana massacre triggered the formation of a new party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, led by Julius Malema. The party is committed to direct confrontation over parliamentary accountability, land and services for the people. But the ANC has recently demonstrated that it will flout constitutional democracy in order to maintain its right to rule. This film follows Malema’s stomp towards economic freedom, and the political storm this is creating.

Producer: Neil Brandt Director: Francois Verster South Africa Disgrace: A Fictional Life of JM Coetzee is a partly fictionalised exploration of the life and work of JM Coetzee. With unprecedented access – and partly in collaboration with the author himself – this film presents a dramatic story of a ‘white life in Africa’.

Fictional and real interviews blend with filmic impressions, innovative use of novelistic dialogue, real and fake archive material and an emotional personal quest.

Amal

Producer/ Director: Kurt Orderson South Africa As cities around the world catapult themselves into ‘World Class’ Global City status, we have to ask ourselves, ‘at what cost?’ The documentary Not in my Neigbourhood gives an account of three people from three, seemingly world class cities – Cape Town, South Africa; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and BedfordStuyvesant Brooklyn in New York. It follows their daily struggles, trials and triumphant moments, as they try to shape the cities they live in, from the bottom up.

Producer: Sara Bökemeyer Director: Siam Egypt Amal is an angry young girl from Cairo who likes boxing, football and wandering around all night in Cairo.

After witnessing her friends getting killed among 73 others while watching a football match on February 2012 she tries to recover. Meanwhile, she is discovering her own place, identity and sexuality growing up in a macho violent society within a constantly changing country.

Not in My Neighbourhood

Fiction projects Cactus Flower

Inkabi the Hitman

Producer: Hossam Elouan Director: Hala Elkoussy Egypt Aida (35) is a struggling actress living in Cairo. She struggles to make ends meet while nurturing her dream of the theatre. One night, she and her neighbour Samiha (55), are kicked out on the street. With no money and nowhere to go, the two women, aided

by Yassin (21), a street savvy youth from their area, embark on a journey across physical and mental mineloaded terrains.

Producer: Anco Henning Director: Norman Maake South Africa In a ruthless city gripped by moral decay, where there is no glory for heroism, a retired hitman has chosen to disappear and start his life all over again as a private taxi driver. Frank wants only to live out the rest of his life as quietly as possible, and different from his past. He has one rule, ‘Never get involved’, but deep down he needs redemption. He is haunted by his past and the cruelty of his true nature.

Project Delight Producer/ Director: Karin Slater South Africa A near-death experience sends filmmaker Karin Slater on a journey questioning everything about her life.

A burnt-out mother of two, an overworked filmmaker and a wife feeling like a mule carrying a heavy load, she picked up her camera and started to film only the things that brought her delight. Together with the everyday delightful pieces she shoots, she interviews experts who talk of living in delight in the present moment.

Terre Jaune Producers: Sitou Ayite and Madje Ayite with Elizabeth Guthmann Directors: Bouna Cherif Fofana and Sitou Ayite Togo Our film unfolds in the mining areas of Mali. Beyond the fence which separates the high-tech, Canadianowned mine and its millions of dollars of gold from Sikasso and Kayes regions, local people are taking matters into their own hands. Here we find Kalilou, who embodies the hope of a whole community and Fatoumata, a 35-year-old widow who embodies the spirit of resilience needed to survive this complex and chaotic environment.

The Other Half of the African Sky Producer/ Director: Tapiwa Chipfupa Zimbabwe Zimbabwean filmmaker Tapiwa

Chipfupa’s father invokes his cultural powers to veto her marriage plans – reducing her to the equivalent of a minor. She stands her ground and is estranged her from her family. She discovers that many Zimbabwean women are in similar predicaments.

She questions her society, hoping to come to terms with the stalemate that now exists between herself and her family. This film follows her attempt to find closure.

The Rainbow: Jazz for the Struggle, and the Struggle for Jazz Producer: Antoinette Engel Director: Niren Tolsi South Africa The Rainbow – a desegregated jazz space in 1980s Durban; alive with the music of the greats, testament to the fight of a people under siege. This documentary chronicles the history of one of the few desegregated spaces in apartheid South Africa in the 1980s. It was here that Busi Mhlongo cried out her Zulu Blues, and Winston Mankunku could play without having to hide behind a curtain.

Truck Mama Producer: Zipporah Nyaruri Director: Zipporah Nyaruri and Peggy Mbiyu Kenya A feisty, sassy, funny and hardworking mother of two is doing things out of the norm. She is not only logging thousands of miles driving a big wheel, 30-foot truck, across East Africa’s notorious highway – The ‘Devils Highway’, she is conquering a world dominated by men. Long haul truck driving is considered to be a man’s job.

Laughter is the Best Colour

One More Night in Lagos

Producer: Mohammed Musulumi Director: Chike Ibekwe Nigeria The story is about Aishat (11), who against the desire of her dreams and aspirations, is married off by her father Hassan to his creditor Kabiru (52).

Finding herself in a new, strange and seemingly unwelcoming place without the love and warmth of her mother, and faced with an uncouth husband, she nevertheless finds comfort in a new friend.

On the Way to Paradise

Producer: Tosin Coker Director: Marina Niava Cote d’Ivoire One More Night in Lagos is a romance inspired by Niava’s first trip to Lagos, Nigeria in 2012. The story is set in three countries: the US, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. The story draws together two characters – Deji, a Nigerian and Alice, an IvorianAmerican. As Alice’s love affair with Deji develops, so does her rekindled romance with the African continent, to which she returns after a long absence.

Producer: Imraan Jeeva Director: Sara Blecher South Africa On the Way to Paradise is The Godfather… in Mayfair. It is the story of a young man, the son of a white collar criminal, who tries to save his family when his father’s money laundering scheme goes awry – at the cost of his soul.

Producer: Jean Meeran Director: Zinaid Meeran Team Tarbaby South Africa Brother and sister Seb and Deli are a pair of downtown Mowglis who brought each other up when their mother ran away to join the revolution.

Deli is a singer in an electropunk band,

Riot Waif

Seb her DJ. Their near-incestuous relationship is severely challenged when both fall in love with other people. At the same time, a chance encounter leads them to believe they have found their long-lost mother and sister.

Selma and Charlize

Producer: Helena Spring and Junaid Ahmed Director: Robyn Aronstam South Africa Selma Jacobs is desperate to be a ‘somebody’ in this new South Africa.

Born on the wrong side of the tracks, supporting her mother Gloria, and 12-year-old son Tyrone, she’s

inspired by her hero, Charlize Theron, to never give up. Her efforts to make something of herself throw her into the dangerous world of rhino poaching.

Sunflowers Behind a Dirty Fence Producer: Nathan Magoola Director: Simon ‘Se’ydou’ Mukali Uganda Sunflowers behind a Dirty Fence is a dramatic adventure story about Yakobo (12), a sheltered boy, who takes an ill-advised trip to Kampala city unaware that obstacles and certain danger await a young boy alone. Help comes in the form of a shrewd street urchin called Toni (12), whom Yakobo befriends on the way.

Durban FilmMart experts Angus Finney

Angus Finney is a leading international film and creative industry specialist. His work includes MBA-level teaching at The Judge Business School, Cambridge University and Cass Business School, City University, London, and he is the manager of Europe’s only Production Finance Market, hosted by Film London annually.

He recently spent three years working as a risk manager and media advisor for Octopus Media, part of Octopus Investments – a £1.5bn City of London fund manager; and he has been appointed Course Director for the Exeter University/London Film School MA in International Film Business.

The Tall Assassin

Unbalanced

Producer: Nicola Martin Director: Roy Zetisky and Carolyn Crew South Africa This is a story about political awakening, as a conservative young Afrikaans woman, Hanna Steyn digs to find the truth about her father’s death in an apparent air crash. What she finds is a conspiracy that reaches right into the heart of the Afrikaans establishment and a secret cabal of fanatical ideologies whose hold on power is based on the systematic murder of opponents.

Producer: Akosua Adoma Owusu Director: P. Sam Kessie Ghana In Sunyani, Ghana 40-something Obiyaa Yamoah strives to be an ideal wife and mother in her community.

Living up to everyone’s expectations, she is sexually frustrated. Her husband’s unexpected illness moves them to a secluded facility, where she is forced to perform ‘wifely’ duties.

Obiyaa begins hallucinating and is forced to confront a suppressed childhood memory, which breaks down a wall separating her traditional values and vivid imagination.

Sari Azoulay Turgeman

Stefano Tealdi

Sari is a script consultant and was born in Cannes. After finishing her BA in Arts at the Tel Aviv University, she began her career in consulting with the film director Amos Gitai and other wellknown Israelis authors.

She has experience of more than 15 years as a script consultant.

She is a prime lector and developer at Israeli Film Fund and for Israeli TV channels. She also founded her own consulting company intending to guide novice and professional filmmakers and facilitate creative dialogue at every stage of writing.

In the past two years, Sari has developed her own method of writing and editing which she teaches in professional courses in different colleges in Israel.

Recently she finished her screenwriting book ‘The Script Journey in 84 days’ which will be published in November 2015.

In the past year, she has been a script consultant in the professional workshop ‘Produire au Sud’ which held in Nantes (France) and in Sderot (Israel).

Born in Johannesburg in 1955, Stefano studied Architecture in Torino, Italy. After graduating, he worked on film and TV at the Politecnico di Torino, becoming Head of Production. In 1985 he co-founded Stefilm, where he runs the company and works as a director and producer.

Stefilm produces one-off documentaries and documentary series.

Since 2008, he has directed A World of Pasta, Doctor Ice (Science Film Festival – Milano 2009), Coffee Please and Tea for All and the series Food Markets – In the Belly of the City (10x52). Recent works produced: Mostar United (IDFA 2009), Vinylmania (IFF Rotterdam 2012), Char, no man’s island (Berlinale Forum 2013), The Queen of Silence (IDFA 2014) He tutors film development and production at universities and master courses, and film pitching for organisations, such as Biennale Cinema College, Cannes Film Market, Films de 3 Continents – Produire au Sud, Media Business School, Med Film Factory, Scuola Holden, TFL-Torino Film Lab, Cinema do Brasil, ZELIG Film School.

Dominique Welinski

Dominique is a film producer and distribution expert . In February 2012, after more than 20 years in the distribution field, she set up DW, a producing and consulting company. Since 2012, she has been the driving force of the ‘Factory’ concept in partnership with the Directors Fortnight in Cannes. The Factory allows eight young directors to launch their first or second feature films in Cannes with one-to-one meetings on the Fortnight beach during the Festival.

Dominique has worked as a consultant for international strategy and development for several films. She also works for Parisian programming and strategy for Urban Distribution, is an expert and coach for Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde (French Institute, Cannes 2012, 2013), an expert and coach for Marché du Film (Cannes Market since 2001), and a coach for MEDIA Talent Award Cannes (since 2004).

Cannes

Cannes 2015: Where is Africa?

| FESTIVALS

As usual, Africa was under-represented at the Cannes Film Festival, and the selections indicated an essentially Francophone prism. Screen Africa reports on this year’s selection.

CANNES CLASSICS

UN CERTAIN REGARD

SEANCE SPECIALE

Sembène!

Lamb

Oka

by Samba Gadjigo & Jason Silverman

by Yared Zeleke

by Souleymane Cissé

USA – 82 min – International Sales: The Film Sales Company (USA) andrew.herwitz@filmsalescorp.com

Éthiopie – 94 min – International Sales: Film Distribution (FR) camille@filmsdistribution.com

Mali – 96 min – International sales: Patou Films International (France) patoufilms@hotmail.fr

Samba Gadjigo is Sembène Ousmane’s biographer. His admiration for the ‘elder of the eldest’ African filmmakers came at the age of 17 when he discovered the filmmaker’s book God’s Bits of Wood. From their first meeting in 1989 until Sembène’s death in 2007, Gadjigo never stopped filming his mentor. Gadjigo first wanted to set up a website where he could display all the videos he shot, but this was ultimately edited into a seven-year documentary project with the support of Jason Silverman. “I am not a filmmaker, this is why it took so long,” says Gadjigo. The structure of the film is essentially that of an autobiography inside a biography,as Gadjigo tells his own story in the context of that of his hero’s. Sembène! recounts Ousmane’s career without avoiding his familial troubles or filmmakers’ conflicts. An interesting piece for those who wish to understand the man who created Xala, Ceddo, Emitaï, Thiaroye’s Camp and Black Girl.

Yared Zeleke’s first feature was shot in 36 days in Gondar and Bali (Ethiopia) with a €1.5 million budget and a cast selected out of 6500 people. Depicting the friendship between a young boy (the brilliant Rediat Amare) and a lamb (the same one for the entire shoot!) in a rural Ethiopian village, Zeleke tells the story of the forgotten, suffering from famine, who struggle to live in the countryside instead of the metropole.

“Back in the 80s, people had bad images of Ethiopia in mind, with the famine. I wanted them to see green mountains,” says Zeleke. “We must tell our stories, not have our stories told by others.”

In 2008, Souleymane Cissé’s sisters were ejected from the family ancestral concession in Bamako. Revolted by the event, Cissé gave the floor to his family and the authorities to understand why the house was taken without any agreement.

Talking about the Cissé past, the filmmaker also recounts his career and the Jihadist war taking place in the north of hte country. “I didn’t plan to be in my movie but it is a testimony for my children and grandchildren,” says Cissé. Unfortunately, his attempt to remove the frontiers between fiction, documentary and news, doesn’t really work and his personal look on Mali, family and heritage benefits more from his glorious past than from its content.

DIRECTOR’S FORTNIGHT Much Loved

by Nabil Ayouch Morocco – 108 min – International Sales: Celluloid Dreams (France) info@celluloid-dreams.com For his seventh feature, Nabil Ayouch didn’t receive any payment from the Moroccan Cinema Centre. By setting up his story among four prostitutes in Marrakech, he analyzes the Moroccan society and its social pecularities, using the daily ‘business’ of prostitution as metaphor. Much Loved is a strong piece commenting on men’s behavior towards women they desire, love, pay and disrespect at the same time. During its release in Cannes, the movie generated a massive buzz on the internet because of Morocco’s disapproval of the subject matter; it remains uncertain if it will be released in Morocco. This movie confirms Ayouch’s talent to address the unseen and the invisible in his films. – Claire Diao

June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 23

FESTIVALS | AFRYKAMERA | FESTICAB

From

AfryKamera to

FESTICAB

At a certain point, there were only two main film festivals across the African continent: FESPACO in Burkina Faso and DIFF in South Africa. But during the last decade, international interest has risen in African arts and culture, including cinema, realised by older and newer generations of African filmmakers. This is why we have seen the inauguration of newly-born African-themed festivals across the African continent and also in Europe, Asia and the two Americas, reports Sherif Awad.

A

fryKamera in the Polish capital Warsaw is one of these international annual film events that celebrate African cinema. It started as the brainchild of Przemek Stepien who was born in 1979 in the Zambian city of Kalulushi.

As a teenager Stepien and his family moved to Poland but he maintained an active interest in African politics and cultural heritage. After finishing a Master’s Degree in International Relations at Warsaw School of Economics, Stepien became more involved in cultural activities and so he initiated AfryKamera in 2006 with the help of former ambassador of South Africa to Poland Febe Potgieter-Gqubule who is currently an advisor to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the South African politician who currently chairs the African Union Commission.

Because of my curatorial work at the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF), celebrating its fifth edition next March, and due to my previous work as jury member at international African festivals like Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) 2013 and the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) 2014, I was invited

24 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

along with two other cineastes to be on the jury for the long form competition at the tenth edition of AfryKamera last April, which consisted of nine films.

I had some critical notes about the selection. In two cases, a single African country was represented by two entries in the selection: South Africa by Ian Gabriel‘s Four Corners and Jahmil XT Qubeka’s Of Good Report; and Ethiopia

by Andy Siege’s Beti and Amare and Zeresenay Berhane Mehari’s Difret. Also, there was Aya de Yopougon, a French animated feature by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie, competing side by side with the eight live-action films, which I thought was aesthetically wrong.

The collective decision made by the jury was to grant the Best Film Award to the Moroccan Fevers by Hicham Ayouch and two special mentions to both Difret and Beti & Amare. To me, Fevers had the same construction of another competing film: The Tunisian Bastardo by Nejib Belkadhi. Both films were basically about marginal misfits in their corresponding societies who end up being victim to violence either by them or towards them.

In other words, films with such characters

AFRICA RISING: Lazy Susan (Stephen Abbott, South Africa)

were always a favourite in awards-related events: The Oscars, Césars and of course film festivals.

My next stop was in Bujumbura, where the seventh edition of the International Festival of iCinema and Audiovisual in Burundi (FESTICAB) took place between 24 and 30 April. FESTICAB works in the context of the East African Film Network (EAFN), which was born at FESTICAB 2011 as a direct result of the implementation of The East African Community (EAC), the regional intergovernmental organisation of the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

The opening night went smoothly enough, with a musical presentation by the tambours of Burundi starting the ceremony. Léonce Ngabo, the founder and the current president of both FESTICAB and EAFN, is a musician and a filmmaker with a classic directorial debut called Gito (1993), which was the first ever feature film in the history of Burundian cinema. When the civil war started in 1993, Ngabo went into exile in Canada where he worked in Quebec from 1996 to 2000, and for Vues d’Afrique Festival in Montreal. In 2006 he returned to Bujumbura and founded FESTICAB. The festival chose one of the films in the short-form competition to be shown at the opening night. Written and directed by Monique Mbeka Phoba, Soeur Oya or Sister Oya is set in the Belgian Congo of the 1950s, where Congolese schoolchild Godelive is facing a hard time communicating with her schoolmates at the Catholic boarding school Mbanza-Mboma.

The rest of the festival, however, was interrupted by the protests that erupted in Burundi after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his decision to run for a third term, although the constitution allows only two. As jury president of the Short Film Competition, I had to watch Sister Oyo with another 13 African shorts

in the confines of my hotel room adjacent to Lake Tanganyika because, the day I arrived in Bujumbura, FESTICAB had to cancel many screenings and parallel conferences as most Burundians stayed home in fear of violence during the protests. The juries for both the short and long-form competitions comprised an international cineaste in addition to two Burundian filmmakers.

The jury of short narratives gave the Best Award to Djibada, by writer-director Mhô Diaby from Côte d’Ivoire. Djibada stars Kane Mahoula as a painter seeking inspiration from the mysterious goddess Djibada. What is very captivating in this directorial debut is the simplicity of constructing a story about the creativity of an African contemporary artist and its correlation with the mystique of old African heritage and legends. Djibaba was obviously realised with a minimal budget and few crew members, yet the director has succeeded in extracting good performances from the three leads.

The soundtrack, consisting of ritualistic African choral music, was an additional element highlighting to the surreal settings of the story.

One should note that many other competing short films like La Boucle and Vocation from La Réunion and La Leçon d’anglais from Mauritius, were realised by French filmmakers with French funds and hence lack the truthful reflection of African realities in the past and present.

Some other films like A Coeur Ouvert from Benin and Moane Mory from Gabon needed more work on the script, performance and mise-en-scène. The jury second favorite and hence the winner of the Special Mention was the South African 10-minute short Lazy Susan by Stephen Abbott, who showed skillful control of his camerawork and direction in shaping the daily life of a Cape Town waitress through her encounters with her clients. – Sherif Awad

South Africa

| Television

youth

Inside the world of South African The second season of youth drama series Snake Park is set to air on SABC2 this July.

Named after a popular Durban skate park, the series, through its carefully crafted narrative, confronts the social struggles faced

by South African youths on a daily basis.

“W

e are deliberately tackling issues that affect the youth from all walks of life – broken homes, child-led households, drugs and teenage pregnancy,” says series producer Carmel Nayanah of Johannesburg-based production house Welela Studios. “The idea has always been to get inside of the world of the South African child or teenager. Do you know what your children are dealing with, how they feel, the challenges that they face? If so, are we as a society equipped to help them?”

The main themes of the series incorporate teen social awareness, family

values, forgiveness and compassion.

Nayanah, having spent ample time with the kids of the real Snake Park, comments, “Their parents don’t know where they are because they don’t care (white, black, rich and poor) and often times they are hanging out at the park or beach because they have nowhere else to go, or because their home environment is so unpleasant.”

Snake Park emanates from a 2007 SABC Research and Development brief into exploring the issues around fatherhood in SA. The concept for the series was originally created by the late Morgan Naidoo for Welela Studios. The SABC commissioned the pilot later that year and the first series was commissioned in 2014. This was made possible by the Department of Social Development funding the project. The collaboration between the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the Department of Social Development is key as the drama is used as a vehicle to fulfil the public broadcasting mandate for children and it incorporates key social development issues.

Season 2’s storyline picks up three months after the first season – which was directed by Darrell Roodt – and stars local talents Edwin Gagiano, Junior Miya, Thomie Holtzhausen, Mishqah Parthiephal and new cast members Tiisetso Thoka and Crystal Buys.

Head writer and series director Deon Potgieter worked closely with some young, up-and-coming television writers – Musawenkosi Ntuli, Sifiso Ndlovu,

Lehlohonolo Nayama, Themba Mncube and Akona Matyila – to develop an action-packed series filled with drama and good humour, while at the same time grooming these young writers and thus adding to the fundamental youth development principle of the show.

Set in the exhilarating world of skateboarding and surfing in KwaZuluNatal’s Durban, the 13-episode series was filmed on location in Durban and Johannesburg over four weeks. Nayanah explains that the ‘surfer-grunge’ prescribed look and feel meant that a lot of handheld, stylised shots were incorporated to create the youthful energy that the show demands, “… vibrant colours, progressive shot choices, warm/sun-based colours because we’re on the beach, and action shots set the tone for season two…In the edit we use a lot of artbeat overlay.”

DOP William Collinson captured the cinematic visuals with two Canon EOS 5D MK III cameras. “We had a great crew and everybody was prepared to go the extra mile to ‘make art’ and that I found very gratifying,” says Potgieter.

The city of Durban’s extraordinarily picturesque and vibrant backdrop,

against which the drama unfolds serves to juxtapose the gloomy and often dark themes of the series, “We made good use of colour and light and created beautiful pictures. There’s definitely an international feel and more of a cinematic vibe than what one often sees on television…My fellow directors Byron Davis and Nobuntu-Sizolibusa Dubazana also brought their enthusiasm and talents to the production to make the show something truly spectacular.”

Snake Park is not the first youthfocused, educational, South African programme endeavoring to tackle the social issues demoralising our country’s youth. Issues such as alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, rape, drugs and divorced parents, are addressed regularly on television shows both locally and internationally. Nayanah says that while this may be true, it is the way in which Snake Park delivers its message to the target audience that sets the series apart from other youth programmes, “…many of them are ‘preachy’ and ‘in your face’,” she says. “The concept of Snake Park is to attempt to reach the youth through story and through an entertaining medium.”

– Chanelle Ellaya

SOCIAL STRUGGLES: The cast of Snake Park: Crystal Buys, Edwin Gagiano, Mishqah Parthiephal, Tiisetso Thoka, Thuso Mbedu, Junior Miya

June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 25

Business

|

Distribution

Nouveau niche It’s an exciting time to be in the business of content. The move to digital has enabled audiences and producers alike to captain their own ships through a sea of endless possibility.

Viewership may be fragmenting and content platforms multiplying but never before have we been so connected and empowered by choice.

T

he content we consume and the way in which we do so is no longer dictated by mass media conglomerates or broadcasters.

Instead, we are free to connect with what resonates with our own unique interests, giving content which is more specific and individualised the potential to snatch a lot more market share.

Success in niche distribution lies in being able to feed content to an already hungry audience; and digitisation makes serving it up all the easier. Sign Painters, a speciality film which looks at the lives of artists that hand paint commercial signs, might never have blipped on the radar a decade ago, but last year experienced successful online distribution and market performance.

Michael Dearham, VP of Pay TV company StarTimes and a strong believer in the power of digital media, comments, “Believe me, in this world there is a community for any kind of content – because there exists a group of people involved in a particular subject, who therefore want to be part of that viewing experience in one way or another.”

Navigation and discovery Dearham maintains that the evolution of content in the digital age and the growing popularisation of niches, are reliant on navigation and discovery. With the 26 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

A FRUITFUL TIME ONLINE: Screen grab from the Annoying Orange YouTube channel, which has has over 4 million subscribers

refinement and integration of search engine optimisation and metadata, audiences are able to connect more efficiently with the content they want, and content providers are able to aggregate and serve this content more specifically according to user interests. Further to this is the expanding field of apps and content communities on social media, which are able to streamline and direct consumer choices. “The companies who will win in the digital race are those who master content navigation and discovery,” says Dearham. “Content needs to be accessible across all platforms, and finding and paying for it needs to be a quick and easy process.”

The creation of niches The process by which niche genres develop is a complex and multifaceted one. When content initially enters the market, it follows a similar path to that of any new product. It essentially begins as a niche, which over a period of time achieves a level of mass appeal. It then gets re-invented by its owners and marketers, who introduce variants of the original in order to squeeze out the maximum amount of audience interest.

The result is a ‘niching of niches’, which according to Dearham, can be broken down into a number of segments.

Dearham explains that a novel idea or genre is first introduced by visionaries – take for example Africa-specific content.

Once the genre is introduced, leaders will

emerge offering exclusive content within its parameters – like African movies, TV series and soaps. Other players will then challenge these leaders, whom they cannot compete against, by targeting a more specific segment of the market. This would translate to Nollywood (Nigerian) or Riverwood (Kenya) content for example. This is narrowed down further by other players who could do a number of things to focus the content. They could dub a Nollywood film in a variety of languages or produce further culturally specific content in the form of educational programmes or social documentaries.

Listing all of the specifying options available would be impossible.

Dearham says a good example of this is the success he is seeing with StarSat’s channel offerings which include a Bollywood Swahili channel, a Hausa channel and a Ugandan channel which purely features Ugandan music. “There is nothing new about Telenovela – it features on most African Television networks. But we noticed that no one was featuring Turkish novellas – high quality, Islamic themed and conservative. We recently launched a channel which features this kind of content in primetime slots, and it is proving to be highly successful,” he says.

Cost effectiveness vs. risk In global markets, Hollywood studios are beginning to focus more and more on big budget films which offer franchising

opportunities and a guaranteed return on investment, like the Marvel series for example. Small to medium budget films now have a greater hill to climb if they want to get made, receive a theatrical release and traditional distribution. There is no discrimination in this arena either.

Even Lincoln, which was directed by filmmaking legend Steven Spielberg, barely made it into distribution for this very reason. But online, where marketing budgets can be sliced and producers can self-distribute and broadcast, these films have found a new home and a way of reaching the viewers who want to see them.

It comes down to an age-old business formula – cost effectiveness versus risk.

The more differentiated and specialised content is, the more expensive it is to produce because it requires specialist resources and skills which may consume more time. The worth of any content is ultimately measured in terms of its audience – does one exist, if not, can one be created? The digital revolution and the resulting explosion of connectivity are significantly lowering this risk. In Africa we don’t have superfast broadband yet. It is undoubtedly the chink in our armour at present. But when we do – and we will – content as specific as a 24-hour crocheting YouTube channel, a documentary on pet cemeteries or an African reality series on a tribe in northern Ghana could all comfortably find their place on a significant number of screens.

– Carly Barnes

| Cameras & Accessories

Thanks for the memories Vicci Turpin on set

Peter Lamberti in action

Tai Krige in the vintage years (left)

The slow but inevitable shift from celluloid to digital has almost taken its course. It has been a painful process for some and a welcome relief for others. The sheer magnificence of images shot on 35mm film with its infinite contrast ratio, crystal clear images and delightful colour spectrum will, for some, never be reproduced digitally – but time marches on and change is inevitable. Screen Africa asked some veteran DOPs for their thoughts on the transition.

I

n 2014, according to Filmmaker Magazine, only 39 Hollywood movies shot on 35mm were released. Film is, it seems, still the stock of choice for really huge productions that want to look good and have enough complications (and a big enough budget) that the cost of digital colour correction versus the expense of shooting film no longer becomes a factor. This trend may well continue into 2015 but not much further.

With the closure of Africa’s only full-service laboratory in Johannesburg, the switch from film to digital in this country is complete, and all DOPs – both the seasoned ones and new kids on the block – are utilising the features, capabilities and potential advantages of what the new generation of lighting, high definition and 4K digital cameras have to offer.

Goodbye to romance Acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Peter Lamberti jokes, “The filmatic look is for the romantic older guys. We try to get the picture to look true to life. Digital does this. When it comes to wildlife the most significant change as far as lighting is concerned is that the cameras have more sensitivity so you need a lot less light to get what you need. I have however found that keeping up with technology comes with a huge price tag. It’s not only the cameras that you need to upgrade but

also the lenses. Data management can also be an issue in the field. Managing 4K needs huge hard drives and they have to be backed up too.”

DOP Trevor Brown touches on one of the side effects of the digital transition, “Sadly as film is slowly but surely disappearing, so too is discipline on every set. ‘Keep rolling – tape is cheap’. I hoped that with high-end digital cinematography, discipline would return, but so far not a chance. It has become habit to just keep rolling and save time, because storage cards can be re-used, creating much more unnecessary work for DITs. What I really enjoy about the new technology, though, is the outstanding dynamic range and colour resolution and the ability to use PL mount spherical or anamorphic lenses. That’s already close to achieving the film look.”

Vicci Turpin SASC expresses her views, “I have to admit that I was devastated when digital started creeping into our world and our industry. I was a die-hard film supporter and always have been even in the 80s. Back then I was faced with the choice of being a camera operator at the SABC on Betacam or stuck working as film loader at a tenth of the salary. I chose film.

“When the industry started to change I always chose film above HD, even though my lighting and way of shooting offered a very smooth transition to digital. I have always loved reality and textures of life

Miles Goodall

and worked hard to achieve these consistently in my work. I found I could push film to extreme levels and keep a very cinematic look. And then along came digital!”

Greener pastures Tai Krige is less sentimental about film.

“Despite being an old dyed-in-the-wool film guy, I would venture to say that I believe it’s all to the good and I don’t miss shooting on film stock at all.

Pre-digital there was always a chance that your (hopefully) properly exposed footage is ruined by the very complicated and fickle passage through the many stages of negative processing, colour grading, etc, and this over a number of days (while one waits with bated breath).

Any small variation in the chemical baths used could easily ruin your footage. And that’s what I love about digital – you can see your results almost immediately, and thereafter virtually grade on set while shooting to achieve the look you have decided upon.”

“The latest super 35 digital cameras have brought us to an era where we have more colour gamut, more resolution and more exposure latitude than film,” says Willem Viljoen. “With previous HD cameras like the Panasonic Varicam or the Sony HD CAM you had to have knowledge of matrix, gamma, knee and other menus to shape the response of the camera to your preference. They were incredibly capable machines but did require a lot of background knowledge.

“Today’s cameras with 16bit RAW capabilities like the Sony F55 and 65 are much more like shooting on negative film stock. Caring cinematographers now have to learn ‘Look up tables’ (LUT’s), colour grading software and post workflow if they want to remain in control of how their images look. Colour grading software like Da Vinci Resolve is where the LUTs are created. The LUTs are then loaded into the camera so that the creatives can see what the image will look like after grading, while you capture RAW log in the camera. You can also leave it in the hands of the post people knowing that with those raw files, almost anything is possible.”

Willem Viljoen

“Cameras, lenses and lights are simply tools,” says director/DOP Miles Goodall.

“They continue to become cleverer, smaller, faster and more mobile. The craft of creating pictures for stories is what we do. My thing has been to use what you have and see it as a challenge. The digital cameras are almost as loveable as the film cameras were to me. They become familiar and feel good.”

“I believe that cameramen who only previously worked with film will now have the confidence to embrace this amazing new world of filmmaking,” says Brown.

That elusive film look is easily achievable now. The DIT is now what your lab technician used to be. Working with a good DIT who understands where you are going with the look of the film, as well as a good grader/colourist, is vital.”

Seeing the light “I love LED lighting as I love things to be simpler,” adds Turpin. The way lighting is advancing it’s certainly making our lives a lot simpler. There are techniques and disciplines that I have learnt over the years in order to keep the cinematic look.”

“Besides interview shoots and small environments LED lighting has not had much of an effect yet,” claims Viljoen.

“Smaller set-ups can be lit with a few LED panels powered by a battery, leaving the set almost cable free, but larger set-ups are still lit with tungsten or HMI lights.”

“I very much like the advent of LEDs,” notes Krige. “They offer lightweight, smaller lighting units which can produce excellent light sources. They are heat free and easy to work with and simplify your lighting needs tremendously, therefore helping your craft.”

While the demise of a traditional film camera is imminent, the new guard is here to take over. The Arri Alexa and the 4K Phantom are exciting additions to the mix as is the AJA Cion 4K and the Blackmagic URSA and 4K Production camera, Sony F55 and the RED – the list is endless and one must include the Canon 5D and other DSLR film cameras. Sad as it may seem, as far as celluloid is concerned, it’s time to say, ‘Thanks for the memories’. – Andy Stead June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 27

Cameras & Accessories

|

Camera Conundrum Choosing a camera for production nowadays is a difficult task. Visually, offthe-shelf cameras can almost perform on an equal footing with their highend ‘broadcast only’ competitors. Technically, the gap between camera types has diminished and pricing has become a lot more manageable. The choice of a camera must surely be determined by what the end product is and ultimately how much one can afford to spend in getting it done.

F

or me, a good starting point is taking advice from objective, independent professionals. The European Broadcast Union (EBU) tirelessly researches, tests and issues recommendations on all aspects of the broadcast chain.

When looking at cameras the EBU states that “High Definition Television (HDTV) must have a minimum quality standard in order to satisfy three elements: the audience, the international exchange of programmes and the archive process and therefore recommends that a practical approach be taken to maximise the number of affordable HDTV programmes by acknowledging the

current technology limitations and to grade, or tier, HD cameras according to their technical specifications and measured quality based on the results of tests. Knowing which quality tier a camera corresponds to will enable its targeting to programme genres and applications, a process that will help maintain the highest quality that is practical under a wide range of conditions and, in the case of news, to balance speed of delivery against quality.”

Very simply, the EBU’s camera testing is a combination of analytical and subjective assessment, covering five areas that are specific to the actual camera; noise, sensitivity, exposure

range, resolution and alias artefacts. It is valuable to know that the tier levels are updated annually as technology advances and as of March 2015 the tiers can be summarised as: • UHD1 Tier 1: Full Resolution Ultra High Definition Cameras capable of delivering the full UHD1 resolution of 3840 x 2160 or greater • UHD1 Tier 2: Ultra High Definition Cameras with UHD1 outputs but deliver a resolution between 1920 x 1080 and 3840 x 2160 • HD Tier SP: Specialist or special effects cameras • HD Tier 1: Shoulder-mounted

professional single or three-sensor camera • HD Tier 2L: (Long-form) professional cameras • HD Tier 2J: (Journalism) professional cameras.

• HD Tier 3: Small, high quality semi-professional for production use • HD Tier 4: Approved small consumer HD cameras

Choosing the right tool The market for new cameras has been slightly less frenetic over the past 12

Top selling camera quick guide Production / cinema cameras

28 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

Run & Gun Handhelds

| Cameras & Accessories

months compared to recent years. The digital era has definitely calmed down as the rush for 4K compliance may have finally reached saturation point…for now that is. Cameras are essentially tools to help you tell stories; good tools make your job easier and choosing the right tool depends on the complexities of the job at hand.

As Henry Smith (SASC), DOP and film lecturer at Open Window aptly says,

“Choosing cameras is a bit like painting.

You must decide on what ‘look’ you are going for and then decide on your camera of choice. Are you going to paint in acrylic or water-paint? All digital cameras ‘look’ different for various reasons, so the cinematographer must make an aesthetic choice to suit his or her project.” Smith adds, “You also need to determine what camera your project mandates: I won’t shoot a Survivor series

Entry Level 4K

on a DSLR – although I will definitely carry one or two for beauty shots – you need a shoulder- balanced, servo-zoom-lensed, solid machine like a Sony PMW 400 or 500.”

DOP Willem Viljoen owner of TenEighty is a big Sony fan and says, “I own a Sony F55, and chose it above the Alexa or the Red after careful consideration. I wanted a camera that ticked all the boxes: 4K ability, Super 35 sensor, 14 stops latitude and dual recording ability (XAVC and 16 bit RAW).

Viljoen adds, “The F55 is great in low light, has the capability to record 240 frames per second slo-mo, whenever I want it (the Alexa requires a rental fee to activate slo-mo). The fact that the camera does not crop the sensor when you change between 4K and 2K, like the Red does, was also a major factor.

“The most exciting thing for me is how beautiful the 16 bit RAW is and how much latitude it has. The knowledge that I captured the biggest dynamic range and colour gamut is a great comfort. The end result is always magnificent.”

Peter Lamberti of Lion Mountain Media and CEO – Aquavision TV Productions agrees. “I think the Sony F55 is one of the best cameras around. It has the Sony record of durability, although ergonomically it is not up to the standard of the old cameras. Recording in RAW is really cool because you get the 14 stops of exposure latitude. The F55 can shoot up to 240 fps and it can also shoot in 4K, but if cost is an issue, then I would look at the FS7.”

Sony’s FS7 turned a lot of heads a NAB this year as a run-and-gun camera that can easily impersonate higher end cameras at a lower cost. Marius Van Straaten of Visual Impact speaks highly of the FS7 and a newbie from Blackmagic Designs. “In my opinion the cameras making waves at the moment are the FS7 and the Blackmagic URSA Mini. Both are production cameras for everyday filming and have the form factor of the run-andgun, cinéma vérité era. In other words cameras that sit easy on the shoulder, are lightweight and record sound easily. The URSA mini has the first sensor Blackmagic designed and did not buy off the shelf.

We have not done any field tests yet, but if this 4.6K sensor camera is any good and matched with a price tag of about $5 000 we have a very competitive package at a very good price,” says Van Straaten.

Finding the right price Price has a lot to do with decision making when purchasing a new camera and bang for buck has meant that a lot of DSLR cameras are making the cut. Many players in the rentals sector are currently finding the camera market to be too scattered, fragmented and fickle to single out any top models. Having said that, they are also finding that there is considerable demand for cameras that would be placed in the lower to middle tiers of the EBU’s rankings. For operators who can’t afford the Reds, Alexas and F55s, DSLRs are the weapon of choice. Sony’s A7S

‘DSLR-like’ mirrorless camera is a big mover at the moment. Johannesburg sales and rental facility The Magic Lightbox Company, for example, has experienced extremely high demand for the A7S since the beginning of 2015.

For CAM-A-LOT’s Glen Theron, the CANON 5D Mk3 is at the top of the podium as a rental for shoots that require that shallow depth of field look while Sony’s PMW300 & Panasonic’s HPX250 have been very popular for shooting insert material for magazine-type shows.

“At the middle lower end of the scale, Sony’s NX3 is a real winner. Panasonic’s AC90 & Sony’s NX70 (recently replaced

by PXW-X70) – are the real work horses, these cameras are incredibly popular,” Theron adds.”So we have many shooting genres, with many cameras to choose from and normally one small budget, but with the selection of gear out there and all the available cameras being of pretty good quality, there is something for everyone in the video market.”

Henk Germishuysen, of broadcast equipment rental specialists Puma Video, says that just like a toolbox where you have different spanners and screwdrivers that apply to different solutions, rental companies need to keep a wide variety of cameras for the range of clients’ needs.

“Cameras have become smaller and shoot better quality, allowing entire drama series to be filmed on full frame DSLRs, 4K doccies on 1/3” sensors, commercials in RAW on S-35mm and ‘reality’ type shows on good old HD 2/3” imagers. In my book without doubt, the most cost-effective, versatile and ‘practical’ camera available in our store is the Sony FS7 4K camcorder. This camera is doing great work on natural history/ wildlife productions but is also a good all-rounder. Then of course there’s the Sony F55. We’re a bit biased in this because we know all that this camera is capable of. With the various lens options available it has been doing commercials, music videos, documentaries, high-end corporate productions and low-budget features.”

No camera is perfect for every job.

There is definitely an international trend that leans towards rentals for specific needs and the purchase of a general ‘one size fits all’ that is best for the majority of the work that can also be used as a B-roll camera. The big conundrum is that technologically the camera you buy today is obsolete tomorrow so do your homework before you buy anything and don’t be afraid to ask.

As Germhishuysen concludes, “Many companies and owner/operators manage with a one-size-fits-all. As rental houses we offer them and others options and solutions so that they can apply the right tool to the job.

“We very often offer advice and suggestions to new clients on what will be most suitable but always recommend that a DOP make the final decision.”

– Compiled by Ian Dormer 2015 from data supplied by manufacturers June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 29

Cameras & Accessories | ADVERTORIAL

Visual Impact introduces Canon pan-tilt cameras to SA rental market Visual Impact Rentals is the first company in South Africa to offer the Canon XU 81 hothead cameras for hire. These cameras offer clients a cost-effective, turnkey, remotely-controllable Pan-Tilt-Zoom HD camera system.

The XU-81 is a versatile indoor or outdoor single-CMOS camera system, featuring a high waterproof and dustproof design which, when combined with its compact size, makes it ideal for the following applications: reality TV, outdoor event broadcasting, weather POV, traffic POV, outdoor monitoring, indoor event broadcasting, houses of worship, education and video conferencing.

The system does not require many

TILTING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: Canon XU-81 people to set up and a single operator and assistant can do a multi-camera set-ups really fast.

The HD-SDI outputs allow up to 100m cable runs, but Visual Impact offers a fibre workflow, where distance is not an issue.

Visual Impact has used the Canon XU 81 over long periods of time in some of the harshest jungle conditions available and often at distances exceeding 1.1 kilometers.

Up to seven cameras can be controlled from a single controller by one individual resulting in considerable cost savings.

The key features of the camera include: • High Quality HDTV/SDTV Video Images from a single 1/3-inch CMOS imaging sensor with 2.1 Megapixels.

Utilising a Canon 20x HD Zoom Lens.

• By pressing a single pre-set button on the operation panel (provided optionally), the camera head pans and

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tilts very smoothly while simultaneously zooming, allowing for on-air movements similar to manuallyoperated cameras.

• Waterproof and dustproof for indoor or outdoor applications for challenging locations and is not affected by environmental conditions.

• Fast, quiet, and precise pan and tilt movements • The XU-81 can be mounted upright or inverted (ceiling mount). In either position, the picture image will automatically flip when the tilt angle reaches 90°.

• The XU-81 includes a handle for convenient portability, and weighs only 14.5 lbs/6.6 kg, making setup almost effortless.

• Users have the ability to select either the 1080i or 720p HD output to match their existing systems. Additionally, control can be toggled between RS-232 and RS-422, making the XU-81 extremely adaptable to new and existing multi-camera environments.

• When shooting under low-light conditions, the XU-81 can increase exposure by using the slow-shutter function (frame accumulation). The black and white mode without the IR cut filter will also support shooting in near darkness.

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Cameras & Accessories | advertorial

Cam-A-Lot celebrates nine years of business “Cam-A-Lot has had a good run over the past nine years,” says Glen Theron of the Randburg and Pretoria-based rental facility. “We have built up an amazing loyal client base, forming some wonderful relationships and creating good friends.

The ongoing evolution of electronics has kept us on our toes, forcing us to stay as current as possible. The other factor that accelerates change is that crew are at the forefront of change via internet exposure, which ultimately speeds up local change by requesting the latest and greatest in gear.”

In their drive to add value to productions, Cam-A-Lot has built up a good selection of toys and gadgets over the past few years. Their roller-bearing sliders and table dollies have become firm favourites for camera crews needing a bit of movement, “specifically when shooting on the magical old faithful

32 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

AT THE FOREFRONT OF CHANGE: Atomos Shogun 4K recorder

Canon 5D MKIII or the king of low light the Sony A7S,” Theron says.

Cam-A-Lot’s compact, easy-to-use mini jibs are also an economical winner and a simple way to put that dynamic edge on a potentially boring shot. Their LED battery operated light panels are a hit when needing to shoot interviews etc. where mainstream power is a problem or load shedding is on the cards for the day.

“When it comes to video cameras,”

Theron says, “we are sure that you will find a camera to suit your needs among our large arsenal of Panasonic and Sony cameras.”

Theron continues, “We are getting more and more involved in offering multicam camera rigs of up to 10 matching cameras, comms, HD mixer and recording that goes directly onto the recently launched Shogun, a simple to operate HD/4K recorder with built in 7”

high-resolution screen.”

The Cam-A-Lot team pride themselves on their ability to assist and help their clients achieve their shooting goals. “If advice is required we are only too happy to assist in selecting the best suited gear for your particular job. If we don’t have the gear you need we will do our best to source it. It’s a really exciting industry we are in and it’s what we do, know and love,” Theron concludes.

at Se M e ed JV iat C ec pr h ofe Af s ric sio a, na 15 l c -1 am 7 Ju era ly s 20 15

See JVC professional cameras at Mediatech

NEW JVC 4KCAM

PROFESSIONAL CAMCORDERS

Introducing four new cameras from JVC, including two Super 35mm models, each offering 4K/HD/SD recording and professional features in a compact design.

Compact, convenient and ultra high definition, the GY-LS300CHE camcorder and GW-SP100E remote head camera are each equipped with a 4K Super 35mm CMOS sensor, accommodating a wide range of cinema and photographic lenses and adapters for dazzling cinematic effects. They record 4K Ultra HD and full HD files (H.264 4:2:2 50Mbps) to readily-available memory cards, with the fast shoot-to-edit workflow JVC customers have come to expect. No other removable lens video camera offers as much flexibility as the GY-LS300, in such a compact, easy-to-handle form factor.

The new JVC GY-HM170E and GY-HM200E handheld camcorders deliver professional features in a lightweight package. Based around a 1 / 2.3" 12.4 Megapixel CMOS sensor with a 12x optical / 24x dynamic zoom lens, they deliver razor sharp 4K Ultra HD and 4:2:2 full HD 50Mbps recordings directly to SDHC/SDXC memory cards. The GY-HM200E camcorder adds all the IP features from the top-of-the-range JVC camcorders too, including excellent network connectivity, FTP file transfer and live streaming capabilities.

To find our more about our new 4K camcorders, please visit our resellers’ stands at Mediatech Africa, or contact them directly: • Concilium Technologies (info@concilium.co.za, T: +27 12 678 9200, www.concilium.co.za) • KPG Media Technologies (sales@kpg.co.za, T: +27 11 326 3478, www.kpg.co.za) Alternatively, visit ae.jvcpro.net/4kcam or email exportsales@jvcpro.co.uk.

GY-HM170E

GY-HM200E

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Cameras & Accessories

|

signals from the HDC Series cameras and from the new camera system can be adjusted to match colourimetry.

The addition of other 4K products, such as the PWS-4400 multi-port 4K/HD Live server, a multi-format switcher capable of real-time 4K signal processing based on the MVS-8000X, and Sony’s new BVM-X300 4K OLED or PMW-X300 4K LCD monitors creates an end-toend 4K live production solution.

Sony introduces world’s first camera with three authentic 4K sensors 4K TRIO: Sony HDC-4300 4K system camera

In April, Sony introduced the new HDC-4300 4K system camera.

The HDC-4300 delivers 4K/HD capabilities for Sports and Event Broadcast, up to 8x Super-Slow Motion in HD Resolution and Proven HDC Series Performance.

Sony’s next generation of HDC series camera technology provides the ability to use the high-magnification, wide-zoom range lenses currently employed by HD 2/3-inch systems while maintaining an adequate depth of field to properly show all the action in live event broadcasting.

The new HDC-4300 is the world’s first camera to use three 2/3-inch 4K image sensors. It supports the same B4-mount lenses as well as the same control surfaces as Sony’s industry leading HDC-2000 series cameras. The existing HDLA-1500 series, control and shading systems, viewfinders and master set-up units are all interchangeable between the HD and 4K systems. Directors and operators can keep their approach to live events – including camera angles, zoom ranges and iris settings – while using A-24-05 ad fin* 5/26/15 11:45 AM Page 1 familiar camera technology.

“This camera provides 4K capabilities and a workflow that content producers are instantly familiar and comfortable with,” says Vivian Saldanha, business head, Content Creation Sales and Market Development, Sony Professional Solutions MEA. “We’ve developed an approach that allows the large existing HDC series user base to employ 4K advantages such as 8x high frame rate and 4K cut-out and zoom while using a familiar infrastructure and signal path.”

Direct attachment of B4 HD lenses Standard large-format B4-mount lenses mount directly onto the HDC-4300. This gives broadcasters the flexibility needed for live sports broadcasts: 4K capabilities while maintaining their customary HD-lens operating styles.

SZC-4001 software Sony’s SZC-4001 software package (sold separately) allows broadcasters to take advantage of 4K capabilities.

Super slow motion (up to 8x) at HD resolution The SZC-4002 software package (sold separately) enables the system to shoot full HD (1920 x 1080) at frame rates up to 479.52/400 fps, as well as 59.94/50, 119.88/100, and 179.82/150 fps. Users can save these high-frame-rate shots to Sony’s PWS-4400multiport 4K/HD Live Server.

HD/4K live production for sports The HDC-4300 accepts the same configurations as existing 4K live systems.

A BPU-4000 baseband processor unit receives the camera signals via SMPTE fibre and connects to an HDCU-2000 or 2500 camera control unit. This provides power and full intercom, tally and return capabilities.

Users can seamlessly blend an HDC-4300-based system with existing HDC Series camera system. The HD C

34 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

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HDC-4300 – additional features: • HD cut-outs – two full HD images to be cut out from the 4K picture in real-time including a selectable zoom and perspective mode • Many of the picture adjustment functions of HDC Series cameras are supported by the HDC-4300 system • Dynamic focus (4K focus-assist function) – a focus point can be displayed on the viewfinder with a marker in 4K mode for easy focusing • Auto lens aberration compensation 2 (ALAC2) function • Colour reproduction adjustment functions • Gamma table selection • User gamma function • Natural skin-tone detail function • Knee saturation function • Low-key saturation function The HDC-4300 4K/HD live camera system is planned to be available in summer of 2015.

For more information from Sony at NAB, visit www.sony-psmea.com/nab

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| PREVIEW | ADVERTORIAL

Broadcast Lighting extends its product offering Broadcast Lighting, a supplier of cameras and equipment to the video and photographic industries, has announced it will be introducing a number of new products to its range in July 2015. These include a new Porta Carbon Mini Jib, Studio Flash Battery Monohead (600 watt), LED Fresnel Lights and a Multipurpose LED Ring Light among others.

Over 1800 different products can be viewed currently on the Broadcast Lighting website, with stock available at the Durban branch and newly opened Johannesburg outlet.

In addition to products for sale and hire, the company has a repair centre specialising in lighting equipment and batteries, as well as a soundproof studio available for hire at its Durban branch.

Later this year, there are plans to open a similar facility in Johannesburg.

As well as servicing individuals in the photo and video industry, the company’s clients range from production houses, photographic studios and broadcast stations – the majority of which are based

THE BRIGHT SIDE: Broadcast Lighting products at new Johannesburg branch

in South Africa. However, it also serves a number of clients in neighbouring African countries and in some international territories.

Director Darren Swain says that Broadcast Lighting initially focused on broadcast lighting equipment, as its name suggests, but that as the industry has evolved it has expanded its services and products to cater to all facets of the production sector. “We noticed a large need for affordable production tools,

power on-the-go gear and user friendly equipment which is what we now specialise in,” explains Swain.

Broadcast Lighting is the sole local distributor of Menik, Commlite, and Sevenoak products and maintains a good relationship with the three companies.

Swain comments, “On our suggestion they improve products and as a result we are able to keep up with the demands of photo and video professionals. One of our key products is probably our battery

operated lights which are essential in today’s power conscious country.”

Swain adds that Broadcast Lighting is committed to offering its customers a unique service experience and concludes, “From a hiring aspect what makes us very unique is our current weekend policy of applying a one day hire rate for weekends as well as large multi-day discounts. We pride ourselves on service delivery and take a very one on one approach to helping customers.”

The Camera Platform showcases Fujinon Cine and Broadcast lenses Once again The Camera Platform, the South African agents for Fujinon Broadcast and Cine lenses, are proud to announce another innovative lens design to keep in line with the world’s demand for higher resolution.

Fujinon have incorporated the tried and tested 2/3” chip size with recent camera developments and produced two outstanding 4K lenses: the UA 80 X 9 – 9:720 with 2x Extender for outside broadcast use and the UA 22 X 8 – 8:176 with 2x Extender for more ENG and handheld use.

Both lenses are designed and built to the highest standard expected from Fujinon.

Visit The Camera Platform at Mediatech Africa 15 – 17 July at Stand no. E6.

KEEPING SHARP: Fujinon UA 22 X 8 – 8:176

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5/18/15 11:53 AM

| PREVIEW

Grass Valley at Mediatech Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, understands how important it is for broadcasters to have the right tools at the right time and to invest with confidence, knowing that ‘future ready’ solutions are the key to helping customers ensure long-term business success.

At Mediatech, Grass Valley will be showcasing the latest in cameras and 4K production, advanced infrastructure, IP-based solutions, and more.

LDX 86 Universe The brand new LDX 86 Universe brings 4K and extreme-speed storytelling into the mainstream, enabling any camera or replay position to be set up for regular HD, 4K or extreme-speed acquisition/ replay and requiring no additional positions or equipment.

The LDX 86 Universe offers format flexibility with the same high sensitivity and dynamic range performance in all formats. Utilising Grass Valley’s proprietary Xensium-FT CMOS, this new camera delivers superb picture quality in 4K and extreme-speed; even in difficult lighting conditions. Furthermore, the LDX 86 Universe can be used in any camera position where a 1X, 3X or 6X camera is required.

K2 Dyno Universe Replay System In combination with the new K2 Dyno Universe Replay System, the power of 4K or 6X acquisition becomes affordable for all camera angles and replay positions.

With the new solution, 6X HD and 4K workflows for all camera and replay positions are possible, using the same number of replay operators and same amount of rack space.

Focus 70 Live camera For broadcasters seeking a cost-effective alternative to the LDX series, the Focus 70 Live camera represents a new entry level into the Grass Valley camera line, with high-quality image performance for less demanding applications. Consisting of two different single HD format camera heads, the camera offers a feature set optimised for many of the typical live studio and field applications, in combination with an easy-to-operate control solution.

The Focus 70 Live is based on the LDX Series technology, using the same level of quality for the optical blocks, mechanics and three fully digital

Grass ValleyLDX 86 Universe highspeed 4K camera Xensium-FT CMOS imagers with global shutter. Standard B4 2/3-inch lens mounts can be used, and due to the camera’s high sensitivity, less lighting is required.

Other highlights Other highlights at Mediatech will include iTX 2.6, Grass Valley’s leading integrated playout platform with an all new broadcast engine; NVISION 8500 routers, which provide enterprise-class routing for production and playout applications from trucks to the largest engine rooms; the Karrera Video Production Center, featuring a new modular approach to production switchers that delivers more creativity to create compelling and engaging content with multiformat support including 1080p and 4K; the Vertigo Suite of graphics automation and asset management tools for workflow efficiency; captioning and subtitles with Softel Swift Create, one of the most widely deployed solutions

FUTURE READY SOLUTIONS: iTX 2.6 integrated playout solution

around the world, offering expert, efficient support for pre-prepared subtitles or live programming; and EDIUS 8, the latest version of Grass Valley’s editing platform designed for production and broadcast news with a refreshed GUI and additional functionality.

Finally, Grass Valley will also demonstrate its Glass-to-Glass IP solution, which spans the workflow chain of cameras, routers, servers, signal processing, production switchers and multiviewers. At the center of the solution is GV Convergent SDN (software-defined networks), the non-proprietary solution for managing an IP network by using SDN (software-defined network) and COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) switches in a familiar, broadcast-centric control environment.

Visit Grass Valley at Stand D13.

Te l e p r o m p t e r S y s t e m s

Come see us at Mediatech Africa

Q-Gear

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B3 www.pro-sales.co.za

Broadcast Video, Audio & Lighting

38 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

75 fleet street, Ferndale, Randburg Tel: +27 (0)11 462 0000 E-Mail: info@pro-sales.co.za Arne Sack 082 576 1366 / Jason Sproat 082 576 1367 / Jonathan Sack 083 695 9656 For a complete list of products, contact us.

| PREVIEW

Handheld and remote-head 4K cameras from JVC Professional JVC Professional is showing its new range of professional 4KCAM camcorders on its resellers’ stands at Mediatech Africa, comprising three new handheld camcorders and a remote head camera system.

The new JVC GY-HM170 and GYHM200 handheld camcorders feature a 1 / 2.3” CMOS sensor with a 12x optical / 24x dynamic zoom lens, recording 4K Ultra HD and full HD files (H.264 4:2:2) at up to 50Mbps to readily-available memory cards. Other features include built-in ND filters, stereo microphone and 3.5mm audio input, with live 4K UHD output through a built-in HDMI

NEW 4K SHARP SHOOTERS: JVC GY-HM200 connector. The GY-HM200 adds dual XLR audio inputs via an integrated handle with hot shoe and microphone mount, and is also JVC’s most affordable live streaming camcorder, streaming instantly to Ustream.

Meanwhile, the GY-LS300CHE handheld camcorder and GW-SP100E remote head camera system (comprising camera head, a recording/playback device with foldable/detachable 7-inch HD LCD monitor and a wired camera remote control panel) each use JVC’s new 4K Super 35mm CMOS sensor combined with an industry-standard MFT lens

JVC GY-LS300

mount. They record to non-proprietary SDHC and SDXC media cards in a variety of image formats, including 4K Ultra HD, full HD with 4:2:2 sampling, SD and web-friendly proxy formats. JVC’s unique Variable Scan Mapping technology maintains the native angle of view for a variety of lenses, including Super 35, MFT and Super 16 and, as a result, lens options for the cameras are almost limitless.

JVC will also be showing its range of live streaming ProHD camcorders, with free firmware upgrades for the handheld GY-HM650, the shoulder mount GY-HM850 and the shoulder/studio

GY-HM890. The new software includes adaptive bit rate technology for more reliable streaming, support for Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) to allow a direct connection to a number of content distribution networks (CDNs) for live streaming, and a high quality 12 Mbps mode.

The new features are included in Version 4.0 for the GY-HM650 and Version 2.0 for GY-HM850 and GY-HM890 ProHD streaming camcorders, which should be available in June as free downloads from the support section of the www.jvcpro.co.uk website.

Inala Broadcast launches firsts in Africa Inala Broadcast’s stand at Mediatech Africa 2015 will showcase the latest technology from its principals, introducing these new products, solutions and innovations to the African market for the first time since they were launched at NABShow in April.

It has always been Inala’s aim to bring the latest and most relevant technology within reach of their customers, and in addition to put them in contact with the manufacturers, who will be supporting Inala Broadcast at the show, to discuss requirements and expectations.

Inala Broadcast will be showcasing the following products: Aviwest – Mobile news gathering: DMNG Pro 180 – Combined with the new Linux-based DMNG Studio server boasting a redesigned, web-based GUI. Axon – Broadcast modular, multiviewer, router and control: Axon Synapse – Modular infrastructure products with Axon’s Cerebrum intuitive control.

Bluebell – Fibre optic transmission equipment: ShaxX Lite – A smaller, lighter version of the ShaxX providing bidirectional signalling and power for broadcast cameras. Caddie-LB 4K – 40 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

end workflows: ChannelPort and Polaris – Channel in a box with Polaris Live and Polaris Play Master Control System and automation.

Lawo – High end audio mixers: mc²36 – The all-in-one audio console, designed for maximum ease-of-use and ‘unbelievable’ value-formoney, to make the benefit of this expertise available for an even broader group of users.

LATEST AND MOST RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY: Aviwest DMNG Pro 180 studio server Throw down boxes to connect 4K cameras to CCUs. ENPS – News room computer system: ENPS version 7 – Showing the latest features and updates.

EVS – Sports/entertainment production servers and workflows: XT3 – Production workflows with the latest EPSIO live graphic effects. DYVI Live – the world’s first IP-based production switcher.

Harmonic – Playout servers and end to

Minnetonka – File based audio workflows: AudioTools FOCUS – Standalone software processors that give users in broadcast, film, television, radio, over-the-top (OTT), and mobile TV (M/H) producers turnkey control over the audio-specific aspects of their workflows.

Pebble Beach – Playout automation: Marina – A powerful centralised ingest, content management and multi-channel automation solution for systems from one to hundreds of channels.

Riedel – Intercom, fibre, audio and radio technology: Tango – Riedel’s first fully-networked intercom platform based on the AES67 and AVB standards. MediorNet – MediorNet Compact and the new MicroN and MetroNet core router will be on display.

Bluebell ShaxX Lite

Tektronix – Production and file based quality control: WFM8300 – Composite Analog to 4K/UHDTV1 Advanced Digital Video – all-in-one platform. Aurora – Next generation of automated file-based QC product that represents a significant leap forward for file-based quality control.

TSL – Audio monitoring workflow products: PAM series – Precision audio monitoring showcasing the new PAM PiCo Touch, a 7 multi-touch audio, loudness and logging meter.

TV-Logic – Broadcast monitors: VFM-058W – The lightweight viewfinder monitor, offers an outstanding picture quality with 5.5” LCD, and Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080. LUM-300W – Ultra High Definition monitor utilizing a 31” native 4K (4096x2160) resolution and 10-bit driving LCD panel.

Visit Inala Broadcast at Stand no. C21.

| PREVIEW | ADVERTORIAL

Fujifilm meets growing 4K demand with UA lens series Ever since the first colour television content aired in 1962, Fujifilm has pursued the development of broadcastquality lenses for the television industry; and with the shift to 4K broadcasting on the horizon it remains committed to delivering high-precision optical technology.

Fujifilm’s HK-Series of cine zoom lenses with 8K-class optical performance was introduced in 2009. In 2012 the 4K-class ZK-Series was launched, which were lighter in weight and incorporated detachable full servo 16-bit drive units.

Both the HK and ZK lens series played a major role in the 4K test broadcasts of numerous global sporting events including the Confederation Cup and World Cup. The demand for 4K video content has increased year-on-year with shipments of 4K-compatible television sets rising to approximately 11.6 million units last year and the launch of a dedicated 4K channel in Japan in March 2015. The broadcasting

industry, which generally uses cameras (including 4K cameras) equipped with 2/3-inch sensors, requires compatible broadcast lenses which can deliver advanced ultra-high definition optical performance. Based on that requirement Fujifilm recently 4K ON THE RISE: Roadmap for the Advance of Broadcasting Services (4K/8K), Japan Ministry of Internal developed and launched its Affairs and Communications UA-Series of 2/3� 4K UHD TV lens models: UA80x9 BESM and UA22x8 BERD. Honed by decades of the HT-EBC (Electron Beam) coating with data. This capability and interface development and enhanced with the highest transmittance and lowest promise enhanced compatibility with cutting-edge optical technology, the high reflectivity ratios achievable with current virtual systems for composing CG with resolution, high contrast and high production technologies. live broadcast images. dynamic range of Fujinon lenses delivers Optical loss is significantly reduced to Fujifilm continues its commitment to the 4K optical performance demanded achieve 4K-class imaging expression rich develop optical, high precision forming by imaging professionals. in colour gamut reproduction. The 4K and assembling technologies and supply Minimal aberrations over the entire image quality not only displays innovative products which address the zoom range are achieved by a newly suppression of a variety of aberrations, diversifying needs of broadcasting developed zoom group approach and but also remarkable sharpness and clarity. production. Fujifilm has been engaged in floating focus system. True 4K imaging The UA-Series has integrated 16-bit the development and production of expression rich in colour reproduction is encoders which can provide highFujinon TV and Cine lenses for over 50 achieved by an increased red and blue resolution lens data output including years, enabling exceptional image transmittance ratio which is a benefit of extremely accurate zoom, iris and focus creation around the globe.

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42 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

| PREVIEW

Small HD mixer is big news at Mediatech 2015 Macro Video Pty Ltd, the distributors of Datavideo in southern Africa, will be launching their new SE-700 four-input standalone HD mixer/ switcher at Mediatech 2015.

The SE-700 was received with rave reviews at NAB in Las Vegas during its debut there in April with Church Production Magazine (USA), picking it as one of the top five products of NAB 2015.

Datavideo SE-700 will be an ideal HD upgrade path for many clients using the SE-500 SD mixer and is aimed at houses of worship, schools, smaller production companies, podcasters, etc. It is completely standalone and does not require a PC/ MAC or tablet to drive it.

This extremely affordable four input HD video switcher offers a fantastic array of features, which include: Two HD-SDI and two HDMI inputs and two HD-SDI ( assignable) and one HDMI (assignable) output; Chromakey (with possible dual chromakey to come as a future software upgrade); Lumakey, Downstream keying, PIP (picture-inpicture); Frame store, Stereo XLR inputs and Ethernet control; as well as Tally to connect to Datavideo ITC Comms and Tally units.

IDEAL HD UPGRADE: The Datavideo SE-700 HD mixer / switcher

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CION is AJA’s new 4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD production camera, carefully crafted to leverage the best technology available, designed to be logical, powerful, and classically familiar. CION offers incredible image control for all types of production, including “flat” shooting modes. But CION can shoot the world it sees, the way we see it, directly in-camera which results in a minimum of post-production correction. It draws upon timeless ways of shooting, the artfulness of image capture, where light, color and nature merge to create a deep filmic richness, but with the incredible speed and convenience of a digital workflow.

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44 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

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Employing deep analytics to identify consumer preferences, SeaChange empowers service providers and content owners to orchestrate individualized viewing experiences on all screens all the time. Leveraging an enticing array of options spanning on-demand, time-shifted, nPVR, pay-per-view and electronic sell-through, our multiscreen customers expand their business opportunity with cross-platform advertising, targeted promotional palettes and sophisticated storefront management. And our linear broadcast customers realize DVB-SI advantages for discovery and selection, populating EPGs and more. Connect with SeaChange at Mediatech Africa to see how you can entertain your audiences, engage your consumers and expand your business.

http://info.schange.com/mediatech

| PREVIEW

LaserNet introduces

MediaConnect MediaConnect is a bundled package solution tailor-made for the media industry. Services include virtual private network (VPN), highspeed internet, VoIP services, digital commercial deliveries to broadcasters, file transfers between media companies, and digital file transfers both locally and internationally that save time and money.

O

ver a decade ago, while the rest of us were connecting to the internet via dial-up modems, LaserNet were pioneering the advent of high speed connectivity by delivering finished commercials at 10Mbps over their network, primarily between post-production facilities and the broadcasters. 10Mbps may seem slow by today’s standards, but back then companies were relying on 64k lines for connectivity.

Says Ivan Bridgens, CEO of the LaserNet Group of Companies, “When LaserNet first began, the post facilities were completing commercials to tape; these tapes were digitised and streamed over LaserNet’s network to the broadcasters who would then convert it back to tape for playout. A lot has changed in the industry since then; not only has the digital revolution brought about changes to the production process, but also to the process of delivering files.

Needs now include digital QC as well as physical QC prior to delivery to broadcasters for tapeless playout.

“The global village in which we now find ourselves has necessitated demand for delivery to international broadcasters as well, further enhancing the need for digital deliveries. In addition, large amounts of storage space are required to not only safely secure production footage, but also to catalogue footage for

46 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

easy retrieval and re-use in future, LaserNet has answered the call to cater to these requirements through the advent of MediaConnect.”

On identifying the need for IT solutions designed for media, LaserNet set about developing a business model that would build a world-class data centre from which players in the media industry could all share and benefit. Equipment designed for video files does not come cheap, storage is never enough and disaster recovery has become a necessity in ensuring the safety of files.

MediaConnect not only provides the physical resources to secure footage, but also additional offsite disaster recovery facilities as well as the technical knowledge and expertise to ensure that all equipment keeps up with the ever changing digital media environment. The data centre was built in Johannesburg and has been so well received that a second data centre in Cape Town is currently under construction.

LaserNet introduced the Clear Platform to South Africa a little over two years ago.

Clear, developed by Prime Focus Technologies, is specifically designed to cater to the needs of all players in the production process and broadcasters alike. Clients have been storing their rushes to the Clear Platform with the ability to view proxies online ever since, removing their previous concerns over

lost hard drives and proper file referencing.

Clear The Clear Platform is also the delivery mechanism utilised to deliver commercials to the broadcasters, under LaserNet’s MediaMove division, enabling clients to not only have their rushes in the cloud, but also their finished commercials.

MediaMove is a completely transparent system in that clients are able to monitor the delivery process of their commercials in real time every step of the way.

Automated e-mails to both senders and broadcasters ensure that all parties are informed of the deliveries.

Clear also provides broadcasters with the facility not only to store their programming content in the cloud, but also to catalogue and tag said content with essential information including global tags like copyright and legal requirements right down to scene specific information including actors, scene descriptions and product placements, streamlining the management of content in the broadcast process.

MediaHub and MediaDrop MediaHub is the next phase of the Clear Platform. It is currently in development and is expected to be launched in the second half of 2015. MediaHub includes all of the current features of the Clear Platform in addition to some powerful new features that include smart search capabilities and bulk uploads.

Earlier this year, LaserNet introduced a product that delivers large files between media companies: MediaDrop. Besides the incredible speeds that this service achieves, it also provides tracking of the receipt of files, as well as delivery over the VPN, saving on internet breakout fees.

Files and whole folders can be sent to recipients who are not on the LaserNet network via the internet as well.

MediaDrop saves not only money, but more importantly, time previously wasted when simply needing to deliver hard drives between media production houses.

MediaDay More recently, LaserNet introduced a South African first in MediaDay, a digital dailies service. MediaDay enables the ability to log, tag and prepare content for edit as well as review and approve content, all on a timecode based system for reviewing content and making notes.

MediaDay is available in the cloud anywhere in the world.

“LaserNet identified the need to provide a dailies system in South Africa a little over six months ago, and noticed that all dailies systems available globally did not cater to the South African market. Negotiations immediately commenced with leading global dailies service, A-Frame, in order to make the service available in South Africa.

A-Frame delivered and the service is now in use,” says Bridgens.

A little known fact is that clients in the media industry who are subscribed to MediaConnect’s VoIP service enjoy free calls to each other. Being connected to MediaVoice automatically functions in much the same way as making a call to your internal extensions, therefore resulting in further cost savings.

MediaSend, the final product in the bundle, facilitates the sending of large amounts of data quickly and efficiently to international destinations, clients need simply deliver their files to any one of LaserNet’s regional offices for upload if they do not have speeds in excess of 100Mbps from their offices.

Being a subscriber to MediaConnect simply makes sense, eases the production process, saves on flights, ensures posterity of content, facilitates approval processes and finally delivers your finished product to broadcasters.

| PREVIEW

Sony Professional focuses on 4K Sony Professional Solutions MEA will return to Mediatech this year with a focus on 4K products, technologies and innovative solutions for the broadcast industry.

Visitors can experience Sony’s range of camcorders from the new 3-chip 2/3-inch type CMOS 4K system camera, Super 35mm 4K CMOS sensor based camcorders for cinematography to 1/3 inch-type ENG style camcorders. Find out how XAVC can transform your workflow or go hands-on with our popular FS7 or the Alpha 7s 4K camera with its lowlight shooting capabilities.

Sony 4K Live Production This solution delivers Sports the way it was meant to be seen. The new system not only provides 4K resolution; it also brings new capabilities to HD production.

SPORTING 4K: Sony PXW-FS7

Not just 4K cameras, Sony will showcase the workflow from shooting to viewing.

Innovative display solutions Sony will be demonstrating live on the

stand the world’s first 4K Ultra Short Throw laser projector delivering images with incredible clarity. The VPL-GTZ1 provides superb colour accuracy and stability plus virtually maintenance-free operation.

Sony will showcase its Optical Disc

Archive solutions that offer reliable and robust large-capacity media for long-term deep archive and near-online archive, with total integration with news and broadcast workflows.

Visit us at Sony Professional at Stand number D37.

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| PREVIEW | ADVERTORIAL

Imagine Communications at Mediatech 2015 Following the themes of the recent NAB show, Imagine Communications will be on the Concilium stand (E9) demonstrating their innovative and ground breaking technologies designed to help media companies transition from legacy and proprietary hardware to IP-enabled, software defined environments, while enabling the coexistence of the technologies through this process.

Advanced solutions on display will include:

• Cloud playout The industry’s first fully IP-enabled, software-based, integrated cloud playout platform running on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) IT platforms, VersioCloud™ simplifies the creation and management of new channels. A demonstration of VersioCloud, as well as local, virtualised playout from a private data centre, will be shown – along with examples of how these playout technologies can be used to easily add additional channels, reduce risk and support disaster recovery.

• Software-Defined Networking (SDN) The Magellan™ SDN Orchestrator software control system for managing hybrid facilities protects customers’ existing baseband investments, while providing a clear path to an open, interoperable and IP-based future.

BEYOND IMAGINATION: Imagine Communications’ VersioCloud Imagine Communications will also display the newly-announced Selenio™ Uncompressed-Over-IP (UCIP) module that provides the on-ramps and off-ramps to IP, converting SDI signals to IP streams and IP streams to SDI signals in a single, space-saving platform. Selenio continues to grow as the most powerful and flexible media convergence platform on the market today for delivery in multiple resolutions, formats and streams simultaneously. The Selenio Next high-density solution for bulk content providers and CDNs, and the Selenio Flex™ low-density solution for content owners and broadcasters, both provide high performance adaptive bitrate transcoding for cross-platform delivery.

• Advanced advertising • Baseband routing From high-density utility video routers to enterprise routers that scale to over 2Kx2K, the award-winning Platinum™ line is designed to meet current requirements and provide a path to an IP routing future.

The newly-designed Platinum™ VX digital video router is the latest addition to the range. Supporting matrix sizes up to 288x288, the Platinum VX small to midsized router provides categoryleading density, reliability and fully redundant HD/SDI routing up to 3 Gb/s, at a competitive price point.

A complete end-to-end ecosystem – from campaign management and digital ad insertion to reconciliation/billing and automated order entry and fulfillment – will be demonstrated, showcasing new developments for the Landmark™ advertising management suite. This next-generation platform leverages advanced process automation, real-time inventory optimisation and intuitive analytics to quickly address business trends and make faster, smarter business decisions to optimise inventory value and drive ad spend across omnichannel, cross-platform, and multimarket operations.

Ross Video brings Carbonite Black to Mediatech 2015 Concilium will be highlighting the latest addition to Ross’ bestselling production switchers for the first time in Africa at Mediatech 2015 on Stand E9. Carbonite Black brings expanded I/O and ME count to the Carbonite series, with a beautiful new control panel, three full MEs, 36 Inputs and 22 outputs – plus all of the superior features found in other Carbonite models such as MiniMEs, MultiScreen, 3G and UHD (4K) format support.

Carbonite has been the favoured choice of many media organisations with production requirements for a mid-sized 1, 2 or 2.5 ME production switcher. For many larger productions, operators have expressed the desire for an expanded version of Carbonite that retains all the familiar, highly desirable features and capabilities. Carbonite Black is the answer to that request and delivers even more.

It also integrates seamlessly with Ross XPression Graphics Systems, BlackStorm Video Servers, Ross Camera Robotics and Inception News and Social Media.

50 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

THE ANSWER TO A REQUEST: Ross Video Carbonite Black

Come and talk to us on Stand H11

| PREVIEW | ADVERTORIAL

Jaycor to demonstrate Belden cables and solutions at Mediatech Belden Cables will be among the products showcased by Jaycor International at Mediatech 2015.

Belden recently performed a series of controlled tests to determine why and how link failures occur in cases where multiple HDBaseT signals are being transferred through bundled cables, and how these breakdowns can be remedied and avoided.

The tests were performed using commercially available audio/visual equipment from multiple manufacturers of equipment using HDBaseT signal transmission.

The cable types that were tested in a bundled configuration include: • Belden 1200 series (Category 5e) UTP and F/UTP cables • Belden 3600 series (Category 6+) UTP cables • Belden 10GX series (Category 6A)

UTP cables To summarise the findings, the length of cables under test was varied from 10 metres up to a THE RIGHT CONNECTION: Test results summary: Multiple HDBaseT channels operating in a bundled cable environment maximum of 105 metres. Shorter cable lengths without link failures when tested under The test concluded that either provide a stronger signal at the input to the same conditions. Category 6A UTP Category 6A UTP cables or shielded the HDBaseT receiver and can tolerate cables can support distances up to 105 cables are needed to minimise the effect more alien crosstalk noise between metres without any link failures. These of alien crosstalk interference. In cables in a bundle. The results of these cables are specifically designed to selecting a cabling system for a multi-disturber system tests show that provide about 15 dB or 32 times less particular application, it is important to Category 5e UTP cables can only support ‘alien crosstalk’ interference compared to look at all the transmission parameters distances up to 10 metres without link Category 6 cables when bundled and not only the alien crosstalk failures due to interference from together. The test results also show that performance. neighbouring channels that are carrying shielded F/UTP cables can support Visit Jaycor International at Mediatech HDBaseT signals. distances up to 105 metres without link 2015 at stand D16 to see demonstrations Category 6+ UTP cables can support failures due to alien crosstalk between of Belden’s cables and cabling solutions, distances between 30 to 40 metres channels. among Jaycor’s other offerings.

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Make a gradual cutover to next-gen technology with minimal retraining and retooling. All while protecting your existing baseband investments.

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Check out Imagine Communications’ Solutions at MediaTech Africa on Concilium Stand E9.

Find out more. imaginecommunications.com/ip-enabled www.concilium.co.za/broadcast

Š 2015 Imagine Communications

AUDIO

|

ADVERTORIAL

Sonovision Studios still going strong!

Sonovision Studios is an audio facility based in Rivonia, north of Johannesburg, and has been in existence for more than 40 years. For most of its life it has been virtually synonymous with its founder, John Culverwell.

R

ecently John Culverwell left to pursue a career as an executive producer, handing the reins over to Paul Geddes and Hamish McArthur.

Under their leadership, Sonovision has continued with business as usual, and has also gone on to add additional value to its established operations.

Since Culverwell started his career in radio, Sonovision has always been most closely associated with that medium, despite the fact that the facility made the move to mix audio for television years ago. Sonovision’s work has diversified even further in recent years to include such peripheral productions as audiobooks. An audio book of former President Mandela’s autobiography, Conversations with Myself was recorded in the studios. “Our facility is geared for audio production for radio and television as well as long form and other media,” says Paul – himself a seasoned sound engineer with many years of experience across various media.

In fact the company, complete with five studios and equipped with industry standard Pro HD Tools software, offers audio recording, mixing and delivery solutions for television, radio and new media – everything from dialogue recording and final mix including ADR and foley.

Sonovision also runs Voicebank.co.za, the go-to database for any producer searching for the right voice artist for their next promo or commercial.

The company has also taken a pro-active approach to the various challenges and frustrations faced by audio post-production houses, producers and broadcasters alike when it comes to the delivery of audio files for broadcast.

This is handled by DigitalDelivery.co.za, a division of Next Generation Digital Technologies.

McArthur, who focuses on managing the technical operations and IT aspects of the business, is also the managing director of DigitalDelivery, which started

Sonovision’s Studio 2:. All the facility’s studios are identically equipped.

54 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

BUSINESS IS SOUND: The Sonovision team life as a Sonovision initiative and now operates as a separate company.

“It began when the changeover from physical to Internet based delivery started to take place,” Hamish says. “The challenge was to find a quick and efficient way to deliver high quality, audio files and still have a ‘paper trail’ – proof of delivery and so on. We also wanted to make it really easy to use for both broadcasters and end users. DigitalDelivery was the first service of its kind to deliver radio ads to broadcasters via the internet.

Electronic delivery has several advantages. Firstly, we don’t use CDs that could get lost or emails with attachments that could get blocked or delayed. Audio sent via our service is transmitted digitally from point to point over our high-speed

network. We track each audio file along its journey until we can confirm it has been successfully delivered to the broadcasters. Clients can log on to our website at any time and track the status of their deliveries.”

DigitalDelivery promises users the ability to upload a 30-second commercial, and send to multiple delivery destinations in less than a minute.

Sonovision Studios is still going strong.

Hamish and Paul assure the industry that the company still offers the same level of high-quality, specialised audio work that has kept it in existence for over four decades, and is moving forward to ensure it can anticipate the increasing and shifting demands of production and broadcast.

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Broadcast Technology | Sports Production | Advertorial

wTVision sports solutions Real-time on-air graphics, much like a competitive sport, demands a very specific set of skills to guarantee its success. wTVision has vast operational experience producing sports events, providing statistics and real-time graphics for more than 40 sports worldwide, from small one-time broadcasts to whole season championships.

MATCH-WINNING PERFORMANCE: A graphic presentation of wTVision’s sports solutions

W WE COVER THE WORLD OF SPORTS

SPORTS STATISTICS AND REAL-TIME GRAPHICS COVERAGE wtvision.com 56 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

hat is the role of wTVision in a sport’s production?

Starting with the broadcast graphics, the creative team works on the hard task of designing the graphic templates to make one’s content eye-catching and easy to understand.

The branded graphics are created according to the customer’s brand identity and briefing. After the creative work, it is time to implement the graphics, using a partner graphic platform (wTVision works with major brands like Vizrt, Orad, Chyron, Ross Video, Wasp 3D...). wTVision has dedicated software solutions for more than 40 sports. The company’s programmers prepare the software for each specific requirement and integrate these solutions with external data sources, official timing systems, scoreboards, GPSs, tracking systems, virtual graphics, among other complementary technologies allowing the clients to improve the quality of the broadcast and offer intuitive and insightful information to sport fans.

For a ‘one-man-show’ on-site production, wTVision has developed single operation editions. These solutions allow a single operator only to cover both the data and the graphics from a unique interface. With these levels of portability and flexibility, the company specialised operators can go anywhere in the globe to cover any sport event!

It’s also known that sports coverage

demands more than data. Sports fans want improved statistics and detailed analysis of all the events on the match. wTVision has being investing in delivering its customers new data management systems, to provide the best comparisons and data storage capabilities in the market. An example of that is SportStats Centre, a database that manages data on a match-by-match basis and for championship events, to feed match centres, game reports, coaching tools, mobile apps and websites, among others.

Sports commentators give commentators live updated statistics, allowing a more detailed and in-depth game analysis. wTVision also has a dedicated solution to manage giant screens in stadiums, during live matches.

The operation on-site doesn’t have to be an issue, as wTVision has technical operators to manage the applications and graphics playout, before and during the event. Normally, it’s a two-person job: one to gather the statistics using a dedicated scouting system, and another one to control the graphics. All this in real-time!

On the African continent, wTVision has considerable operational history: the main football leagues in Gabon and Namibia, channel rebranding services and the introduction of its new software – HorseBetting CG – for Phumelela TV channels, the All Africa Games coverage and several CAF main events in the past few years.

APP-titude

| NEW MEDIA

We take a look at the apps which are simplifying workflows in pre-, post- and production.

Apogee MetaRecorder Publisher: Apogee Electronics Corp Compatible devices: iOS Price: Free

How it works: Apogee’s MetaRecorder is a professional recording app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Some of the app’s key features can also be operated from Apple Watch. With two-channel audio recording, the ability to record multiple takes, add tags and organise media for post-production workflows, the MetaRecorder is a useful tool for any scenario which requires field recording. Paired with a Sennheiser clip-on digital microphone, this app simplifies recording podcasts, presentations, news reports, interviews or meetings, which can be stored directly onto a device.

Why this is awesome: Filmmakers increasingly rely on smartphones and mobile devices as simple and flexible production tools. As MetaRecorder allows users to add metadata tags such as keywords, favourites and markers to audio files, as well as the ability to share the recorded audio and Final Cut Pro XML files to Dropbox directly from the app, the process of consolidating and analysing a user’s media is much easier. It also speeds up post-production workflows considerably.

AJA DataCalc Publisher: AJA Video Systems, Inc. Compatible devices: iOS Price: Free

How it works: This neat app by AJA calculates storage requirements for video and audio media. Users can enter an estimate recording time as well as the resolution and format they want to record in and the AJA DataCalc app works out the amount of memory needed to execute the task. Similarly, if the user inputs the amount of memory available, the time calculator function uses this information, along with other variables, to analyse how much time it equates to.

Why this is awesome: Weighing up the media storage capacity which is available to a filmmaker against what is practically required for a particular creative brief before entering production is another way to improve efficiency and planning on set. Media can take up a lot of memory, especially on a device, and by working out a time to storage ratio, filmmakers avoid the risk of running out mid-take.

Using a filmmaking app you think we should know about? Tell us why you think it’s awesome by emailing: carly@screenafrica.com.

June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 57

Box Office

|

Figures supplied by SAFACT

Movies with a mission rule at the local box office this May Tomorrowland

Pitch Perfect 2 Pitch Perfect 2 scooped the top spot at the local box office this month. It’s been three years since the Barden Bellas became the first all-female group to win a national title and the sequel promises to deliver even more laughs than the first flick, with fan favourite Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) delivering a superb comedic performance. In the two weeks since its release, the Universal Studios smash hit has raked in an impressive R12 149 708 nationally.

With a star studded cast including George Clooney, Brit Robertson and Hugh Laurie, director Brad Bird’s film swoops into fourth place at the South African box office in its opening weekend. The sci-fi/adventure film cost a staggering US$190 million to make and critics are already calling it a box office ‘flop’ after just one week on the circuit.

Tomorrowland earned US$60.5 million internationally in its opening weekend, while nationally Bird’s fantasy flick took R1 172 776.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Hot Pursuit

Starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, director George Miller’s unpredictable Mad Max: Fury Road is receiving rave reviews both nationally and internationally. In a time where civilisation has collapsed, Max (Hardy) and Furiosa (Theron) team up in an attempt to restore order, resulting in exhilarating action sequences for the viewer. The film earned R2 981 282 locally in its opening weekend with 113 prints, taking R6 416 037 nationwide in two weeks since its release.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Dropping two places since last month, Avengers: Age of Ultron comes in third at the local box office this month. It seems South African audiences can’t get enough of Iron Man, Thor and the rest of the gang with Marvel’s latest box office gold earning R1 269 211 in its fifth week running, bringing total gross national revenue to R36 936 570.

Director Anne Fletcher’s comedic tale stars Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara as an unlikely twosome who find themselves trying to escape corrupt cops and vicious gunmen, while attempting to not kill each other in the process. Fletcher’s frivolous flick garnered R616 071 in its opening weekend at local cinemas.

Fast & Furious 7 Maintaining a spot in the top ten James Wan’s Fast & Furious 7 comes in at number six this month at the national box office.

Exceeding expectations, the incredibly popular Furious 7 earned R581 500 nationwide in its eighth week running on homeground, a 32% drop on the previous week’s earnings, bringing total gross national income to R70 924 699.

– Compiled by Chanelle Ellaya

58 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

PRODUCTION

U PDAT ES

FOR FURTHER DETAILS VISIT www.screenafrica.com

Those productions in red are newly listed this month Production Updates Order of Information 1. Title 2. Production company 3. Director 4. Genre

IN PRODUCTION 3 TALK Urban Brew Talk Show 20 and Free X CON Films Dir: Munier Parker Documentary 50/50 Clive Morris Productions Current Affairs 53 EXTRA M-Net Inhouse Productions Dir: Navan Chetty Magazine A BROTHER’S LOVE 1300 Pictures (Pty) Ltd Dir: Elvis Nkosi Feature A CALENDAR OF EVENTS – MEDUPI & KUSILE Betta Beta Communications Prod: Tommy Doig Documentary A MAN OF HIS OWN PRINCIPALS Sekgopha Productions Prod: Buhle Mofulatsi / Thapelo Hlagala TV movie AQUELLE’ MIDMAR MILE 2015 Media Ventures Prod/Dir: Chris Moolman Documentary AFRICA 360 eNews News Head: Patrick Conroy Current affairs AFRO CAFÉ SEASON 7 Bonngoe Productions Prod: Pepsi Pokane Music ArtsCulturex Talent 1000 Championships Michics Global Communications Exec Prod: Mishack Motshweni Series Auditor General Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Brad Montgomery/Natalie Varoy Corporate BACKBONE PROJECT Global Access Creative Agency Prod: GA Creative Agency Documentary BIG BROTHER MZANSI Endemol South Africa Prod: Terja Beney, Liza Kleitman Reality BINNELAND Stark Films Prod/Dir: Friedrich / Elsje Stark Series BRAVO! Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Magazine BONISANANI Grounded Media Talk Show Bugatti Together Lucky Fish Productions Dir: Raphaël Crombez Commercial

CAINE’S LEGACY Media Navigation Prod/Dir: Dan Akinlolu Short Film CARTE BLANCHE (inserts) Modern Times Prod: Sophia Phirippides News Carte Blanche shorts TIA productions Prod / Dir: Tarryn Lee Crossman News CLAASENS DESIGNS MARKETING VIDEOS Panache Video Productions Prod/Dir: Liesel Eiselen Marketing videos CLASH OF THE CHOIRS Endemol South Africa Prod: Josh Feldman Talent / Reality COOL CATS Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Cecil Berry Children’s Show CORTEX MINING FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video COME DINE WITH ME SOUTH AFRICA Rapid Blue Prod: Kee-Leen Irvine Reality CUTTING EDGE SABC News Current Affairs Debra Deel Khaki Productions Prod/Dir: Christelle Parrott, Wynand Dreyer Series DIAMOND BROKER OF CONGO Bendimir Productions PTY LTD Prod: Dede Tshibangu Documentary DIMENSION DATA Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Natalie Varoy Corporate DINNER DIVAS 2 Blonds and a Redhead Filming Prod: Anne Myers Series DISHONEST Inhlakanipho Films Dir: Vusi Nhlapo Feature Film Ditokelo tsa Medupi LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature DIY MET RIAAN Prod: Riaan Venter-Garforth Magazine EARTH BEAT Tekweni TV Productions Prod: Sandra Herrington Series EASTERN MOSAIC Red Carpet Productions Prod: Saira Essa / Mark Corlett Magazine END GAME Fireworx Media/ Tunc Productions Prod: Bridget Pickering Dir: Akin Omotoso/ Thandie Brewer/ Thabang Moleya Feature EXPRESSO (Season 2) Cardova Prod: Paul van Deventer Series FACE OF GEMINI Footprint Media TV Prod: Cheryl Delport Series

Facility Management Lectures (A4FM) Panache Video Productions Dir/ Prod: Liesel Eiselen Educational Faith Today Impact Christian Media Prod: Carl Schultz TV Series FOX NEWS CHANNEL Betta Beta Communications Prod/Dir: Tommy Doig News Free State Toursim Indaba Our Time Productions Dir: Jaun de Meillon Corporate FRENZY Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Morena Sefatsa Variety GENERATIONS Morula Pictures Prod: Mfundi Vundla Series GOOD MORNING AFRICA Planet Image Productions SA Prod/Dir: Wale Akinlabi Magazine GOSPEL GOLD Engage Entertainment Prod: Sthembile Mhlongu Music Got It Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Guy Sclanders Corporate GROEN Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Wildlife HEAT WAVE Ruby Rocket Media Dir: Eddie Edwards TV Series HECTIC 99 Okuhle Media Prod: Wilna van Schalkwyk Magazine HITACHI POWER AFRICA MEDUPI AND KUSILE Betta Beta Communications Prod/Dir: Tommy Doig Documentary HOUSE CALL Izwe Multimedia / Urban Brew Prod: Annalie Potgieter Talk Show IGNITE Footprint Media TV Prod: Cheryl Delport Reality IHAWU LE SISWE Provoke Entertainment Dir: Sechaba Morojele TV Series iParent training clips Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Guy Sclanders Corporate IMIZWILILI Ukhamba Productions Prod: Alfred Mpofu Music INKABA Urban Brew Studios Prod: John Kani Telenovela In search of our own Open Window school of film arts Prod: Adriaan De la Rey Documentary ISIDINGO Endemol South Africa Prod: Pumla Hoppa, Leo Phiri Soap JOBURG TAXI Xcut Studios Prod: Dave Kaminer Documentary

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June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 59

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UPDATES JOU SHOW Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Talkshow comedy KOKKEDOOR 2 Homebrew films Prod: Jaco Loubser and Paul Venter Cooking reality series KOLLIG Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Magazine KONA The Directors Team (Pty) Ltd Prod/Dir: Laurence Lurie / Cathy Sykes Series KOOLCON CORPORATE VIDEO FiX Post Production/ Marketing AV Marketing Video LATE NITE NEWS ON E.TV Diprente Productions Prod: Tamsin Andersson Series Light Girls South African Unit White Heron Pictures Prod: Themba Sibeko Documentary LIVE Urban Brew Music LIVE LOTTO SHOW Urban Brew Game Show Mandela’s Gun DV8 films Dir: John Irvin Feature Marang Estate: Mixed Used Development Nov/ Dec Our Time Productions Dir: Jaun de Meillon Documentary MASHELENG1 LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature MASHELENG 2 LMOL Production Dir: Jonny Muteba Feature MassTalk Global Access Creative Agency Prod: Brad Montgomery Corporate MATRICS UPLOADED Educational Improvement and Study Help (EISH) Prod: Lisa Blakeway Educational MOTSWAKO Carol Bouwer Productions Prod: Grant Paul Roy Talk Show MCA Training Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Guy Sclanders Corporate M-NET SHORT FILMS Current Affairs Films Prod/ Dir: Jane Thandi Lipman Film MURDER OF A FORMER FIRST LADY Sabido Productions Dir/Prod: Catherine Rice Documentary MUVHANGO Word of Mouth Prod: Pieter Grobbelaar Feature MY GENERATION Current Affairs Films Dir: Jane Lipman TV Series My name is Funeka Sabido Productions Dir/Prod: Catherine Rice Documentary MZANSI INSIDER Bonngoe Productions Prod: Pepsi Pokane Magazine

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NEILL ANTHONY – THE PRIVATE CHEF Okuhle Media Prod: Grant Flynn Cooking Show NET1 – SASSA Betta Beta Communications Prod: Tommy Doig Corporate NEWS NIGHT eNews Prod: Nikiwe Bikitsha Current Affairs in Oscar Pistorius Documentary Inserts TIA Productions Dir/ Prod: Tarryn Crossman Documentary PASELLA Tswelopele Productions Dir: Liani Maasdorp / Werner Hefer Magazine PAWN STARS SOUTH AFRICA Rapid Blue Prod: Kee-Leen Irvine, Ed Worster, Johan Naude and Kat Weatherall Reality PHUNDEKA READING PROGRAMME SummerTime Productions Exec Prod: Phundeka (NGO) Documentary POWER COMBAT ZONE Mixed Motion Entertainment Dir: Dieter Gottert Sport PROJECT MV Zen Crew Prod: Laura Tarling Music Rands with Sense 2 Blonds and a Redhead Filming Prod: Anne Myersin Education RHYTHM CITY Quizzical Pictures Prod: Yula Quinn Soapie RHYTHM CITY INTERACTIVE Quizzical Pictures / e.tv Prod: Viva Liles-Wilkin Interactive Platform Media RIVONINGO Asi-B Films Prod: Asivhanzi ‘Asi’ Mathaba Children’s Show ROLLING WITH KELLY KHUMALO Red Pepper Prod: Cecil Barry Reality ROOTS Ukhamba Communications Prod: Alfred Mpofu Music SAINT AND FREEDOM FIGHTER Blue Marble Entertainment Dir: Eugene Botha Documentary SA Top Model for a Day Michics Global Communications Exec Prod: Mishack Motshweni TV Series SAKEGESPREK MET THEO VORSTER SEASON 5 Dirk Mostert Camera Production Prod/ Dir: Dirk Mostert Series SAUBA IMAGOFILM Prod: Tam de Vries Reality TV Series Shreds and Dreams Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant TV Series SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM Rapid Blue Prod: Kee-Leen Irvine Global TV Commercial

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www.generalpost.co.za 60 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

SA’S GOT TALENT Rapid Blue Prod/Dir: Kee-Leen Irvine Talent show SCANDAL Ochre Moving Pictures Prod: Romano Gorlei Soapie SCHOEMAN BOERDERY – MOOSRIVIER Khaki Productions Prod/Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary SELIMATHUNZI Sikhoyana Productions Prod: Baby Joe Correira Variety SHIZ NIZ Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Allen Makhubele Variety SHIFT Urban Brew Talk show SISTERHOOD Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Andy Leze Variety SIYAKHOLWA – WE BELIEVE X CON Films Dir: Munier Parker Edutainment Slender Wonder Doctors Conference Grey Cloud Productions Dir: Jacques Brand Prod: Slender Wonder Corporate Video Slender Wonder Patient Testimonial Videos Grey Cloud Productions Dir: Jacques Brand Corporate Videos SOCCER ZONE SABC Sports Head: Sizwe Nzimande Magazine SODA AND Mayoral Awards Global Access Creative Agency Guy Sclanders Corporate SPRINGBOK STORIES Angel Music Studio Productions Dir: Chrissie Rossouw TV Series STUDY MATE Educational Improvement and Study Help (EISH) Exec Prod: Lisa Blakeway Educational SUPERSWIMMER Media Ventures Prod/Dir: Chris Moolman TV Series THE CHAT ROOM Eclipse Prod: Thokozani Nkosi Talk Show THE COMMUNIST REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Jam TV, Creative South Africa, Nkhanyeti Production Prod: Barthelemy Ngwessam Documentary THE JUSTICE FACTOR eNews Prod: Debbie Meyer Current Affairs THE REAL GOBOZA 7 Urban Brew Entertainment The Revolution Betrayed Shadow Films Prod/Dir: David Forbes Documentary THE RUDIMENTALS Periphery Films Prod: Simon Taylor Feature THE TECH REPORT Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Technology Magazine TOP BILLING Tswelopele Productions Prod: Patience Stevens Magazine TOP TRAVEL (Season 3) Cardova Prod: Bradley van den Berg Series Transnet Financial Results Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Brad Montgomery Corporate Troopship Tragedy (working title) Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Marion Edmunds Documentary TSHIPE BORWA MANGANESE MINE Betta Beta Communications Prod / Dir: Tommy Doig Documentary Vaseline Experience Xcut Studios Dir: Lee Anne Theron 4D AV production VELDKINDERS Kilroy Was Here! Productions Prod: Gideon Breytenbach Documentary Series VILLA ROSA Spectro Productions Dir: Luhann Jansen / Andries van der Merwe/ Leroux Botha/ Isabel Smit Series Volkspele South Africa Grey Cloud Productions Dir:Jacques Brand Prod: Bertie Brink Documentary

PRODUCTION WARD 22 TIA Productions Prod/Dir: Tarryn Crossman Documentary WEEKEND AM LIVE SABC News Current Affairs WIZARD OF ZIM Away From Keyboard Dir: Samora Sekhukhune Documentary YILENGELO LAKHO Prod: Nndanganeni Mudau Current Affairs ZOOM IN Footprint Media TV Prod: Cheryl Delport Talk show

IN POST-PRODUCTION A BUSHMAN ODYSSEY Onetime Films Prod: Richard Wicksteed Documentary A DIFFERENT COUNTRY Sabido Productions Dir: Lisa Henry Documentary series A Love Letter to Luxor Shadow Films Prod/Dir: David Forbes Short Film A MOTHER’S MADNESS Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Ayesha Ismail Documentary AFROX CO2 PLANT FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX FINANCIAL RESULTS FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX RAU INSIGHT FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX SHEQ INDUCTION FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Commercial BEAUTY CONTEST Phoenix TV Productions Prod/Dir: Koketso Sefanyetso Short Film CAESAREAN COMPLICATIONS SummerTime Productions Exec Prod: Professor Eckhart Buchmann Documentary Challenge SOS 2 Blonds and a Redhead Filming Prod: Anne Myers Reality Collide Media Village Productions Prod: Ardeen Munnik TV Series CROSSBOW KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Barbara Friedman Documentary DEBRA DEEL Khaki Productions Prod: Christelle Parrott TV Series DIE WASGOEDLYN Kilroy Was Here! Productions Prod: Gideon Breytenbach TV Series FASHION GURU SA Pro Media & Spider – Co Productions Prod/Dir: Dee Vanzyl Reality FORMIDABELE VROUE: CISSY GOOL Khaki Productions Prod/Dir: Christelle Parrott/ Wynand Dreyer Documentary HAD BETTER DAYS Uniquely Novel Productions Prod/Dir: Deon VD Merwe Feature Film THE HOCKEY STICK KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Melanie Rice Documentary HOPE NHU Africa Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Documentary HOUSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT Panache Video Productions Dir/Prod: Liesel Eiselen Corporate I AM…CRAIG Away From Keyboard Dir: Samora Sekhukhune Documentary IQILI Impucuzeko Prod: Sharon Kakora Feature Joyous 18 RM Recording Prod: Lindelani Mkhize Other JULIUS HAS A DREAM Creative South Africa, Nkanyethi Productions,Jam TV Prod: Bathelemy Ngwessam Documentary KADARA Media Navigation Prod: Dan Akinlolu/ Biola Karonwi TV Drama Kerels wat Kook Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant Reality TV Series

KNYSNA West Five Films Prod/ Dir: Maynard Kraak; Andre Velts Feature Film LINCOLN CLAN Total Recall Media Ltd Dir: Adebanjo Oluseyi TV Series THE MIME ARTIST Phoenix TV Productions Prod: Koketso Sefanyetso Short Film MURDER ON MILLIONAIRE’S MILE Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Barbara Friedman Documentary NIGHT OF THE MASSACRE Tshepo Lesedi Projects, Mathope & Izibuko Films Dir: Charles Khuele Documentary NEW LAND Plexus Films/ Four Corners Media Dir: Kyle O’ Donoghue TV Series NIGHTCLUB KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Nobathembu Stefane Documentary Nyaope Gangsters LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature PERFECT SHISHEBO Quizzical Pictures Prod: Nthabiseng Mokoena Series PLAY MORE GOLF FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Commercials Pushi- Passion LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Series ROSA 3 Two Oceans Productions Prod: Giselher Venzke & Bertha Spieker TV Feature SAFE BET Sukuma Media Producer: Nokuthula Sakhile Mguni / Bonginhlanhla Ncube Feature Film SAMURAI KILLER Sabido Productions Dir: Catherine Rice Corporate SHALLOW GRAVE Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Meggan Raubenheimer Documentary SLENDER WONDER FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video SLENDER WONDER MJ LABS FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video SWARTWATER Quizzical Pictures Prod: Bianca Isaac Dir: John Trengove/ Jozua Malherbe/ Denny Y Miller Series SUPERDAD Two Oceans Productions Prod: Giselher Venzke & Bertha Spieker TV Feature SURVIVOR Endemol South Africa Prod: Anton Burggraaf, Josh Feldman Reality TELKOM: BUSINESS INSIGHTS WEBSERIES UZI Films Prod/Dir: Steven Hall Corporate

The calling LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature THE CODE BREAKER NHU Africa Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Documentary THE FAMILY PUZZLE Site et Sons media productions Prod/Dir : Zamo Missie Feature THE LAST GREAT TUSKERS NHU Africa Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Documentary The Message Reel Edge Studios Dir: David Golden TV Drama Series THE STORY OF LITTLE FOOT Paul Myburgh Film Prod: Paul Myburgh Documentary THE TRANSPORTERS Sukuma Media/ Reality Motion Pictures Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Documentary TROOPSHIP TRAGEDY Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Marion Edmunds Documentary Traffic Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant TV Series UNDER THE MOUNTAIN Plexus Films Prod: Miki Redelinghuys,/ Lauren Groenewald Short film UNSOLVED – THE STORY OF THE CAPE RIPPER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Johann Abrahams Documentary VKB LANDBOU BEPERK FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video When I Was Water Shadow Films Dir: David Forbes Documentary XJ-1 Eternal Film Productions Prod: Marius Swanepoel/ Dana Pretorius Feature You Deserve It Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant TV Game Show

U PDAT ES

UPCOMING EVENTS

|

JULY 1 – 2 SABC Education African EduWeek

Johannesburg www.educationweek.co.za

2 – 5

INDEPENDENT MZANSI SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

Pretoria www.imsff.co.za

4 – 14 ENCOUNTERS INTERNATIONAL

DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL

Johannesburg, Cape Town www.encounters.co.za

15 – 17 MediaTech Africa

Johannesburg www.mediatech.co.za

16 – 26 Durban International Film Festival

Durban www.durbanfilmfest.co.za

18 – 26

Zanzibar International Film Festival

Tanzania www.ziff.or.tz

30 – 16 Aug Melbourne International

Film Festival

Australia www.miff.com.au

Screen Africa relies on the 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

Telephone: 0114637584 Mon-Fri 08h00—18h00 Equipment Sales & Dry-Hire Sony FS7, X70 and A7S Camera Kits Lenses, Grips, Lighting and Sound Digital tailoring, camera accessories and shoulder rigs Package deals www.magiclightbox.co.uk June 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 61

G o l f e rs

13 th

Golf Day

Alan Visser (SABC), Lester Reetley (SABC), Claude Stephan (Concilium), Alan Mendes (Concilium). Front – Leonard Matjila (TruFi Electronics)

Andries de Jager, Warren Bleksley and Craig Morton – from Bladeworks

Buti Seipei (SABC), Jimmy Matthews (SABC), Gary Johnston (Protea Electronics), King Matshaba (SABC)

Carl Naude (SABC), Rob Sherman (Sony), Lannon Bussi (SuperSport), Paul Divall (Jasco)

Carmen Hargroves (Zinia), Brendan Hargroves (Coleske), Frank Mullen (Zinia), Ted Heron (Mango Airlines)

Datacentrix 4-ball – Andre Grobler, Peter McGuigan, Hugo Bradfield, Greg Douglas (Storetech)

Gavin Hong (Bladworks), Mike Henrey, Dave Harris (Freq’ncy), Nick Apostoli (Pudding)

Gerd Muller (Ministry of Illusion), Marc Harrison (Bomb), James Barth (Panalux), Gavin Joubert (Bomb)

Grant Randall (Lasernet), Neil White (SBSS), Alan Otto (Lasernet), Steve Harris (Bladeworks)

Jarrod Aston, Dominic Mitchell, Rob Cowling – Gallo

JP Meeser (Telemedia), Matthew Briton (Tellytrack), Edward Lawrence (Workonline)

Mtshali-Moss Project Africa 4-ball – Steve Moss, Andy Grealy, Paddy Sutcliffe, Rob McLardy

Neal Watson (Globecast), Abdulla Gaibee (Globecast), Raymond Harris (Globecast)

Pat Mayisela, Michael Douman, Junior Nkosi (SuperSport)

Robbie Thorpe (Rififi Pictures), Marina Jacobs (People’s Weather), Stephan le Roux (People’s Weather), Chris Mostert (Replay)

Robert Oosthuizen (Techmed), Wessie van der Westhuizen (Unisa), Freddy Bredenkamp (Protea Electronics), John Stevens (Global Access)

SABC 4-ball – Archie Sethaelo, Francisco Milho, Dennis Herold, Ronald Salis

Screen Africa’s Warren Holden and Simon Robinson

Shaun Kerr (Protea Electronics), Leroy Michael (Multichoice), Andile Joni (SuperSport), Jannie van Rensburg (Protea Electronics)

Smith Steenkamp, Neil Longstaff, Gareth Akers, Dennis Hendriks – SuperSport

SuperSport 4-ball – Colin Hanaghan, Eddie McAlone, Lesh Kaminski, Imeraan Adams

SuperSport 4-ball – Dirk Smit, Etienne Brits, Mark Wernberg, Allan Wilson

SuperSport 4-ball – Manny Coelho, Gerty Venter, Delport van Schalkwyk, Vince Weller

SuperSport 4-ball – Robert Russell, Ian Terbrugge, Gavin Carter, Kevin Vandoorne

SuperSport 4-ball – Werner Bauermeister, Fahaad Abdool-Carrim, Louis Hattingh, Gary Taman

Visual Impact-Sony 4-ball – David van Zyl, Wayne van Schalkwyk, Jose da Silva, Jonathan Wernich

Willie Botha, Ferdi Kunneke, Johan Gous (all from SuperSport)

Yousuf Mahomed (Concilum Technologies), Andrew Cole (Concilium Technologies), George Durant (Red Pepper Pictures)

13 th

Golf Day

P ri z e W inn e rs

1st Prize: Marina Jakobs (People’s Weather) (left) and Chris Mostert (Replay) (right) with Jaycee Milner of Sony (centre)

7th Prize: Andre Grobler and Peter McGuigan

5 MAY 2015 CMR Golf Club, Maraisburg

2nd Prize: Orion Hotels’ Clifford Morake, Michael Sepeka and Abel Maianga (1st and 2nd left and far right) present the award to Frank Mullen and Ted Heron

8th Prize: Nico Mokwena and Deveraux Sadler

9th Prize: Sipho Ngwenya

3rd Prize: Gavin Carter and Kevin Vandoorne (left and right) with Golf Day organiser Ellen Oosthuizen

10th Prize: Fahaad AbdoolCarrim (SuperSport)

4th Prize: Neil Longstaff (left) and Smith Steenkamp (right) with Ellen Oosthuizen

11th Prize: David van Zyl

6th Prize: Gareth Ackers and Dennis Hendriks

Closest to the Pin: Eddie McAlone (left – SuperSport) with his prize presented by Jonathan Gimpel (right) of Atlas Studios

S ponsors

Hole 1 – Sponsored by Mediatech: Chanelle Ellaya, Simon Robinson, Nicola du Plooy, Carina Vermooten

Hole 2 – Sponsored by SuperSport: Gavin Joubert, Gerd Muller, James Barth, Mark Harrison

Hole 4 – Sponsored by SABC RBF: Benny Jacobs, Peter Jaquire, Thandeka Gumede

Hole 6 – sponsored by GlobeCast: Doug Suttie, Princess Mthunzi

Hole 7 – sponsored by Concilium Technologies: Chris Vermaak, Steve Schafer, Findley Manzini, Sarel Hlungwani

Hole 8 – sponsored by Atlas Studios: Doris Mthombeni, Nthabiseng Teffo – Atlas Studios

Hole 9 – sponsored by Urban Brew Studios: Mmabatho Masemola, Mamma Sotiya

Hole 10 – Sponsored by Sony-Visual Impact: Marius van Straaten (Visual Impact), Gerhard Strydom (Sony PSMEA), MJ Mgani (Visual Impact)

Hole 15 – sponsored by Jasco Broadcast Facilities: Eric Lawrenson, Colin Stoltz, Jan Myburgh, Rupert Dalton, Liza Cornelissen, Hoosein Moolla, Jonathan Smith

Hole 18 – sponsored by Eclipse SA: Bronwyn Keefer (Eclipse), James Garden (Eclipse), Tom Salmon (African Media Exchange), Bevan Milne (Brand Connection)

Ho l e S ponsors

Hole 11 – sponsored by Orion Hotels: Clifford Morake (Orion Hotels), Wayne van Schalkwyk (Visual Impact-Sony), Abel Maianga (Orion Hotels), David van Zyl (Visual Impact/Sony), Michael Sepheka (Orion Hotels), Jonathan Wernich (Visual Impact/Sony), Laura Castle (Pink Cherry), Jose da Silva (Visual Impact/Sony), Savannah Harrison (Pink Cherry)

Hole 14 – sponsored by Protea Electronics: Kagiso Mabe, Robert Ridder, John van Rooyen, Graham Rattey

Local presence Global coverage

Protea Electronics (Pty) Ltd

B ROA D C A S T SOLUTIONS

Social

|

e.tv winter press preview

Ayanda Ngcobo, Miliswa Sitshwele, Amanda Ndlangisa and Boitumelo Mmakou

Grant Farah and Isna Mostert

Cayley van der Plank and Stephanie van der Plank

Sanele Khumalo and Mpho Sebeng

Shupi Maja and Tebogo Rapoone

Zuki Nomnganga and Katlego Danke

Tashi Tagg

Tsakane Ndlovu and Hopewell Mpapu

Photos by Dale Kopping of www.dkexpressions.co.za

Stone Cold Jane Austen Premiere

Yoav Dagan and Jon Savage

Lerato Mokoena, Hanneke Rauch and Frances Slabolepszy

64 | SCREENAFRICA | June 2015

Isaac Klawansky and Louis le Roux

Melissa Parry and Yoav Dagan

Hannah Savage and Diane Coetzer

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The Easyrig Collection The Easyrig Vario 5 has an adjustable weight range from 5-17kg (11-38 lbs). By The Easyrig Vario 5 has an adjustable weight range from 5-17kg (11-38 lbs). By turning the adjustment screw located on the back, easily change The Easyrig Vario 5 has an adjustable weight rangeyou fromcan 5-17kg (11-38 lbs). Bythe turning the adjustment screw located on the back, you can easily change the turning the of adjustment screw located on the back, you can easily change the tension / power the line. tension / power of the line. tension / power of the line.

TheThe Easyrig Vario 5 gives you the same advantages as our otherEasyrig Easyrig Easyrig Vario the same advantagesas asour ourother other The Easyrig Vario5 5gives givesyou youof the sameable advantages Easyrig models with thethe added benefit being to adjust the linetension tensiontoto models with added benefit of being able to adjust the line models with the added benefit of being able to adjust the line tension to adapt to many different cameras and configurations.

The Easyrig Vario still adapt toto many TheEasyrig Easyrig Vario 5 5still adapt manydifferent differentcameras cameras and and configurations. configurations. The Vario 5 still delivers thethe same steady hand held shots relieving strain on your back, delivers same steady hand held shots whilerelieving relievingstrain strain your back, delivers the same steady hand held shotswhile while onon your back, neckneck and shoulders.

The load is isredistributed the hips allowing you toshoot shoot and shoulders.

The load tothe thehips hipsallowing allowing you neck and shoulders.

The load isredistributed redistributed to to you to to shoot hand held in comfort forfor hours. hand held inin comfort hours. hand held comfort for hours.

The Easyrig Vario can beordered ordered several options: Easyrig Vario 5 5can withseveral severaldifferent differentvest vest options: The The Easyrig Vario 5 can bebe ordered with different vest options: “2.5” single shoulder vest single shoulder vest “2.5”“2.5” single shoulder vest “Cinema doubleshoulder shouldervest vest “Cinema 3”3” double “Cinema 3” double shoulder vest The new addedsupport support“Gimbal “Gimbal Rig” Rig” vest. vest.

The new added The new added support “Gimbal Rig” vest.

You can also order your Easyrig Vario 5 with three different arm options:

can order your Easyrig Vario 5 with three different arm options: You You can alsoalso order • Standard armyour Easyrig Vario 5 with three different arm options: • Standard arm • 130 mm • Standard arm(5in) extended adjustable arm • 130 mm (5in) extended adjustable arm Pat. pend.

• 230(5in) mm extended (9in) extended adjustable arm • 130 mm adjustable arm Pat. pend.

• 230 mm (9in) extended adjustable arm Pat. pend.

• 230 mm (9in) extended adjustable arm

Designed and made in Sweden

Designed and made in Sweden

Designed and made in Sweden

See us at

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The Serene is a two-axis spring arm that attaches at the end of the Easyrig (2.5/3) arm. It stabilises vibrations and motion errors on the vertical axis that comes from walking or running with the rig. It also stabilises side to side errors in the same scenarios by counter pivoting around its center axis. At the same time, you have full use of the Easyrig spring extension that will allow you to go from high to low mode while at the same time the Serene will take care of the vertical and side to side stabilisation adding two more stabilized axis to your existing system.

The Serene can take rigs between 6-20 kg, and you can easily fine-tune the spring tension without tool. It works well with the Gravity One, but it also works for other gimbal rigs like the Freefly Mövi, B-steady, or most other gimbal rigs.

www.easyrig.com

www.easyrig.com

www.easyrig.com

on Stand: B9

Building 1B Unit 8, First Floor Northgate Office Park, Aureole Avenue, Northriding 2194

Ask your questions. We provide the answers. Call Zimele Broadcasting Services on Tel: (011) 770-9760 Fax: 086 514 9949 email: sales01@zimele.com