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Removal of dti cap set to boost SA The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) recently announced that the cap on the film and television production incentive rebate for foreign, local and co-productions, previously
SuperSport’s new HD OB van Sony South Africa Broadcast & Professional Division has been awarded a contract to supply SuperSport Outside Broadcast Division with another new 28-camera HD OB van, similar to the recently completed OB6 HD. The new OB van, which will feature the latest in HD technology, is due to be ready for use mid 2012. “This will be a replacement van for our ageing OB4, an SD van,” says Johan van Tonder, Technical Operations manager, SuperSport Outside Broadcast Division. “Not only will it replace a van with older technology, but it is also in keeping with our quest to keep abreast, if not ahead, of technology – to page 42
set at R20m, has been removed. Designed to encourage television and film productions to shoot in South Africa, the dti pays back 15% of Qualifying South African Production Expenditure (QSAPE) of R12m and above on foreign productions that shoot here. For local and co-productions with a total production budget of R2.5m and above they rebate 35% of the first R6m of QSAPE and 25% of the QSAPE on amounts above R6m. According to Rudi Siefert, deputy director in charge of film incentives at the dti, the rebate was previously paid only on QSAPE up to R20m. “Now if
the budget comes to, for example R29m, we can rebate the whole amount. Now there is no cap at all on foreign, local or co-productions.” He explained that the dti changes the guidelines from time to time according to the needs of the industry, and benchmarks what it does against international best practice. “We’ve noticed that a couple of specifically foreign productions previously had bigger budgets and we’ve been able to pay only up to R20m, now as a result of lifting the cap we will attract more productions to South Africa. This will create – to page 41
Global series gains momentum Cape Town-based Don Edkins of STEPS International is executive producing Why Poverty? – a documentary series consisting of eight long films and 30 short pieces produced by filmmakers from around the world. At the time of going to press 40 broadcasters had committed to the project The long films are in various stages of production to be completed for global broadcast in November 2012, and will reach audiences of about 500 million. Why Poverty? asks why over a billion people still live in poverty in the 21st century and it
looks at the structural causes of poverty. The concept for Why Poverty? was borne out of discussions by the STEPS working group, the non-profit organisation that initiated another global project, Why Democracy? as well as the southern African series on HIV/ Aids, Steps for the Future. Says Edkins: “Over two years ago Mette Hoffmann Meyer of Danish broadcaster DRTV spoke about problems of inequality in society and the BBC’s Nick Fraser said we should do something about – to page 42
OLD SCHOOL ACTION: A scene from the new South African film Blitz Patrollie. See page 8
Disney acquires Schuster film Principal photography on Mad Buddies, the new film from South African funny man Leon Schuster, was completed in early November. Directed by Gray Hofmeyr the film releases in June 2012. Distribution rights for the film have been acquired by Disney South Africa although it will not be distributed under the Disney banner. Schuster believes Disney was attracted to the project because his movies out gross Hollywood blockbusters in South Africa. “Disney looked at some of my previous movies, read this new script and decided they wanted to get involved. And I certainly don’t want to disappoint them. “The late Jamie Uys taught me the lesson of foreign comedies – minimalise the dialogue because overseas audiences find our diction foreign, and hit them with
never-before-seen visual gags. Also, Africa is an intriguing continent. Foreign audiences have not seen many comedies from this ‘dark’ side of the world involving wild animals, scenic African vistas and two buddies – one black one white – who can’t really be buddies.” Producer Helena Spring adds: “The power of the Schuster brand is undeniable. Eight films in the top 20 South African box office hits of all time are Leon’s and three of them are in the top five. “There was a lot of interest generated when this new Schuster film was in the pipeline. We considered a host of different options, however when the opportunity to engage with Disney arose, we were delighted. It’s a dream come true to work with a celebrated and beloved international brand such – to page 42
From the editor
Credit where it’s due It’s blindingly obvious (and hugely encouraging) that the South African feature film industry is going through a boom. Apart from the healthy numbers of films that have been produced this year and those now in production and pre-production, there has been at least one South African film, or co-production, or film with some South African involvement on release at the local cinemas nearly every month this year. In this issue of Screen Africa alone there are stories on nine new South African films. The majority of films in this current wave are low budget, but whoever said you couldn’t make a good film with a low budget? Ask any South African filmmaker why the industry is booming and they’ll say it’s largely due to the rebate offered by the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) in its incentives for local films and co-productions. Our front page story reveals that the dti has removed the rebate cap (previously set at R20m) so as to boost the industry even further. The dti deserves a whole lot of credit.
Ministerial musical chairs At the time of going to press the surprising news broke that the industry suddenly had a new Minister of Communications, Dina Pule. Her predecessor, Roy Padayachie, had been in office just under a year – not nearly enough time to solve a myriad of problems such as a collapsing public service broadcaster (the SABC), a massively delayed digital migration project and an ineffective regulator (ICASA). However, Padayachie certainly made strides during his short term – he withdrew the controversial Public Service Broadcasting Bill pending further review, confirmed DVB-T2 as the transmission standard for digital terrestrial television and started the ball rolling on the much needed and long awaited public broadcasting policy review. Some might have wished that he’d acted more quickly on the broadcasting policy review and more decisively on the contentious issues surrounding the SABC board and senior executive management but he was a proactive Minister with a good understanding of the sector. And now he’s gone – deployed to fix up another troubled sector, that of Public Service & Administration. Minister Pule is not new to the industry, having been Deputy Minister when Padayachie’s successor Siphiwe Nyanda was in office. One can only hope that that the new Minister will act quickly and pick up where Padayachie left off. The industry can’t afford any more delays.
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Time to get festive This combined November / December issue is the last Screen Africa for the year. The entire Screen Africa staff wishes all readers a joyous and peaceful festive season. May Father Christmas deliver all your wish-list stockings! Joanna Sterkowicz
SCREENAFRICA Editor: Joanna Sterkowicz: editor@screenafrica.com In-house Journalist: Linda Krige: news@screenafrica.com Contributors: Andy Stead, Karen van Schalkwyk, Martin Chemhere, Ian Dormer, Mariam Sha, Anton Crone Sub-Editor: Tina Heron Ratings: Enid Venter enid@ihjohannesburg.co.za Head of Design: Trevor Ou Tim: design@screenafrica.com Website & Production Updates: Anusha Dayal: info@screenafrica.com Subscriptions: Anusha Dayal: info@screenafrica.com
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SPECIAL FEATURES IBC REPORT BACK A whole lotta tech; AJA controls the room; Weaving that old Blackmagic; Panasonic’s twin lens camcorder; Evertz launches innovative system........................ 16 SeaChange rides multi-screen wave; Brewing up a STORM at Grass Valley; Evoxe-Quantel integrating newsrooms; New Carbonite control panel unveiled......................................... 17 Sony’s big progress; STAR Award for Niagara; Maxell’s tape power; Avid gets some motion; The Electronic Couch Potato.. 18
ACQUIRING THE PERFECT SHOT Production 1: Mad Buddies........ 22 Production 2: Vehicle 19............. 23 Production 3: The Ambassador – in Search of White Gold............... 24
NEWS Removal of dti cap set to boost SA; Disney acquires Schuster film; Global series gains momentum; SuperSport’s new HD OB van.... 1
Laugh – it’s good for you!; Toronto deals for SA co; SABA’s resolutions........................ 3 Stealing time to create a film; Montana 2 underway.................... 4
FILM Chasing Vehicle 19.......................... 6 Skop, skiet and laughter................ 8 A New York state of mind........ 10 Afrikaans musical strikes the right chord............................ 28 Artistic response to xenophobia................................... 29 Dancing with wolves.................. 34
DOCUMENTARY Making progress on – and off – the field; Putting foot on film... 14
COMMERCIALS TAG along and produce a PSA.15
BROADCAST Cloud computing comes of age............................................. 20 Goodbye couch potato, hello tablet!............................................. 24 Camera of choice....................... 32 The continuing democratisation of content..................................... 33
NEW MEDIA In the mobilhood; Pioneers in the new media space............. 26
TELEVISION What does the world find funny?..................................... 27 NZ gurus tackle rugby promos.....
30 Full circle....................................... 35 The value of airtime................... 36
BUSINESS CFC making waves..................... 31 Defining Success.......................... 37
AFRICA Sky’s the limit for Ghanaian cinema............................................ 38 Nollywood film shot in Gambia; New Cameroon feature............ 39
ANIMATION A finely honed 3D production pipeline.......................................... 40
REGULARS Adcetera............................. 12 / 13 Log on to news........................... 41 Audience Ratings......................... 43 Vital Sta’tis’tiks............................. 43 Production Updates......................... .......................... 44 / 45/ 46 / 47 Close Up....................................... 48
| NEWS
Laugh – it’s good for you!
Lindi “LINDZY”Msimang
King Flat
Triple O is a new South African film that was shot at a comedy festival in Bassline, Johannesburg. It features comedians Thomas Gumede and Tall Ass MO. The film tracks the comedians before, during and after their stand-up live comedy shows and was produced by Monarch. It will be independently distributed. Gumede is known as the host of SABC1’s So You Think You’re Funny and Vuzu’s The Verge. He is also the youngest ever winner of a SAFTA Best Actor award. Tall Ass MO presents SABC1’s Walala
Mpho “Popps” Modikoane
Tall Ass MO
Wasala as well as Mzansi Magic’s L.O.L. Director Ernest Nkosi says Triple O came about when he was going through an emotionally tough time. “Things were very difficult in my personal life at that stage and I really needed to laugh. So I decided to marry my storytelling skills with my love of comedy. Aesthetically I wanted to represent Johannesburg as ‘Joburg is the New York of Africa’.” According to producer Mosibudi Pheeha the film was made with a budget of R300 000 and will have a limited cinematic release. “The challenge of filmmaking is to
Thomas Gumede
find finance,” continues Pheeha. “One has to have the passion to see the process through. I think that newcomers also face a lot of negativity coming into the industry. Trying to convince people of our potential was tricky at times.” In an attempt to recoup their investment, Pheeha and Nkosi will embark on a huge DVD drive and have explored alternative distribution. “We also entered the film into most major festivals such as the Pan African Film Festival, the Rotterdam Film Festival and the Cape Winelands Film Festival, to name a few,”
comments Nkosi. It was recently recorded in the National Film and Video Foundation’s (NFVF) 2nd Trimester Box Office Report that comedies generate increasing box office returns. Says Pheeha: “It has been proven several times over that South African audiences are very receptive to comedy; this goes beyond finding it cathartic. We are open to laughing at ourselves as it is a reminder that everything should not to be taken too seriously. “Comedians put a mirror up to society in a way most people accept. It is also a way of reaching the many cultures and characters found in our country.” In terms of the film’s style Nkosi says that he was influenced by US rapper Jay-Z’s Fade to Black concert. “It was sold out at Madison Square Garden. We wanted to sell out Bassline after being told that a stand-up comedy show in Joburg could not sell out like that with relatively unknown young guys. As it happens, we did sell out the venue. We have a lot of comedy on DVDs in the country but not like Triple O, which gives insight into the comedians and is a real look at what goes on behind the scenes. “There are many young and up-andcoming comedians who are setting new standards for comedy in South Africa,” Pheeha adds. – Karen van Schalkwyk
Toronto deals for SA co SABA’s resolutions Producer / director Jane Thandi Lipman of Johannesburg-based Current Affairs Films secured deals for three projects in development and pre-production at the recent Toronto International Film Festival, including one with Canadian company White Pine Pictures for the drama series / feature film, The Great Karoo. “Current Affairs optioned the novel of the same name by Fred Stenson about the Canadian Mounted Rifle brigade’s involvement in the South African war of 1899,” explains Lipman. “It’s a rich and diverse story about men, war and horses. Peter Raymont, producer of the awardwinning documentary Prosecutor, is my Canadian partner on the project.” Lipman also signed a co-production deal with Toronto-based Mo-D Productions for the 3D project, Animal Lingo. This 6x30-minute series focuses on how animals communicate with each other on key issues such as sex, death and birth. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed with an undisclosed international broadcaster which is putting up 25% of the budget. “I’m also in negotiations about a series on high end jewelry called Masters of Dreams with my Canadian partner Barbara Barde,” continues Lipman. “It’s an inside look at jewelry and jewelry design. Our French partner on the project is Eric Ellena. The French industry organisation CNC in Paris has
SIGNED AND SEALED – Jane Lipman
committed to the project and there is great interest among European broadcasters. “So far we have a number of big jewelers on board such as Chopard and Stephen Webster, who designs jewelry for Madonna and is with the company that works on England’s Crown Jewels. Negotiations with other high profile jewelers in Italy, Brazil, South Africa and the US are underway. A distributor in London is very keen on the project. At the moment Master of Dreams is envisaged as a four-part one-hour series.” While at Toronto Lipman also had meetings about a feature film project in the early stages of development.
At its 19th annual general meeting (AGM) held in Mahe, Seychelles on 12 October, the Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA) emphasised the need for content providers and public service broadcasters in the region to enter into co-productions to develop a content repository for radio, television and print media. Group CEO of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Phil Molefe announced the broadcaster’s intention to launch a 24-hour news programme that will carry and reflect African news and actuality for Africa. Molefe invited SABA member broadcasters to make use of the new platform and welcomed contributions from other countries as it will be available in their territories, either as a bundle or in parts. The AGM vowed to support the SABC initiative. It transpired at the AGM that the SABA family is not united on the issue of the region’s migration to digital terrestrial television (DTT). Says newly appointed SABA secretary general Cecil Jarurakouje Nguvauva: “The AGM has therefore resolved to fully consult with all members to find common ground. A consultative conference on the DTT standards and roll out plan will take place in South Africa in less than a month.” At the AGM SABA members were encouraged to continuously conduct audience research to identify and address viewer expectations. The secretariat was mandated to coordinate and drive the initiative through working and plenary sessions. Nguvauva notes that the AGM resolved to assess the reintroduction of the SABA Newswire service as well as the regional radio programme. “These services once spread news around the region to every household in southern Africa. Plans will be put in place to get the programme off the ground. “In addition, the creation of a SABA Editors Forum has been identified as a necessity and the secretariat will do all in its powers to set up a forum in the near future.” SABA members resolved to run training programmes together with experts from the region in media management, social media usage, production, camera operation, editing and radio and TV presenting, among others. The 2012 SABA AGM will be hosted by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation. November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 3
NEWS |
Stealing time to create a film Stolen Time is a new South African film currently on our radar. It tells the story of Jody Williams (Faheen Khan) who, having inherited a house from his late political activist uncle, decides to create his own ‘rainbow nation’ and turns the house into a commune. His rather damaged housemates include Tashenka (Theresa LuboyaMuanza), a prostitute on drugs, Samir (Katleho Sinivasan), a borderline con-artist who preys on other people and Vusi (Richard Armando Mayes), a serial killer. An event occurs that forces them all to confront who they are. Director Eric Miyeni says that with this film he aimed to minimise costs without sacrificing the story. “Stolen Time is set in one location over the course of one night. When a member of a commune dies, the remaining residents go into self-quarantine overnight. The audience gets to know who they are and how they deal with the calamity.” The idea for this story came to Miyeni a while back. “I always knew that the
story suited a young cast. When I first had the idea I had Karen Tahor (Scandal) in mind for the role of Tintswalo. However the film did not happen. I then met Teri Luboya-Muanza, who invited me to a play she was acting in and then things seemed possible.” Miyeni called Lizelle de Klerk who agreed to come on board. “I was also introduced to Faheem Khan and Richard Mayes and it just snowballed from there,” he says. The script was heavily workshopped. Says Miyeni: “On the first day I told the actors about the idea I had, we rehearsed that idea and came up with what would happen next. After each day of workshopping I would then go home and write the next part of the script. The script was literally finalised on 23 September and we started shooting on 26 September.” Miyeni was so committed to the project that he invested his own money. “Stolen Time took up every last penny of my savings. You cannot put a rand value
COMMUNE LIFE – Eric Miyeni directing a scene from Stolen Time
to that. “Our plan is to take the film to international festivals and we hope to find an international distributor. We will also talk to UIP and other local distributors to see if we can get a theatrical release in South Africa.” He is confident that the film will do well. “We have a brilliant cast and the story is really amazing. My cinematographer, Carlos Cavalho, was exceptional and we had a tight, hard
Montana 2 underway Chumani Pan
PEACEFUL MERGE – Scenes from Montana 2
Penguin Films is currently in production with the second season of the SABC1 drama series, Montana, which starts airing in January 2012. Kaye Williams, junior creative producer of the series, explains the show’s success: “Montana examines the diversity of South African people and culture. The series takes place in a township on the Cape Flats called Montana and shows how people from different backgrounds within a community interact with each other. “Gugulethu and Bishops Lavis surround Montana and people from 4 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
Dalene in the Salon
different races have merged peacefully in Montana. There are pockets of these melting pots all over South Africa.” Directed by Catherine Cooke and Shirley Ellis, Montana depicts many varied and colourful characters. “The concept behind the show is of an area that used to be divided and is now in the process of uniting,” continues Williams. “Certain characters in the story are hindered by the process of change; others help it along, while some characters just stagnate in their beliefs. The characters are based on recognisable
archetypes to allow for audience identification and relevance in terms of the storylines.” The writing team’s main objective was to make the characters believable. Williams says they wanted to create well rounded characters and not one dimensional people. All the characters (including the hero) have flaws, values and core beliefs which drive their decision-making processes in the storyline. Williams elaborates that all the characters have some form of ambition,
working team. I am amazed and in awe of everyone involved because making Stolen Time was an exceptional feat of organisation, dedication and hard work. “As for the tone and style of the piece, I wanted the film to feel like it was happening in real time. I want the audience to leave the cinema feeling like they have lived in that commune with these characters for a night.” – Karen van Schalkwyk
some more than others and some are ruthless. “Others are aiming for goals that seem unattainable. Once again this speaks to the relevance and audience identification. Some of our characters will go to any lengths to achieve their goal while others are less prepared to go the morally dubious route. In the story we challenge certain characters when they have to make decisions and at what cost.” She maintains that it is thanks to the great team of writers that the story came to life. “We had various talented scriptwriters on this season. Last season Thomas Hall was our head writer, this season it’s Stephen Simm. Due to the large volume of episodes and a short time frame – only a few months – in which to do it, writing was a big challenge. We had to write 52 episodes and make sure everything made sense. Stephen and I were the story-liners and ensured that all the stories meshed well together to build into the climatic finale.” It was important for the second season to have more of a Cape Town feel to it. The locations, settings and style reflect Cape Town and its many beautiful locations and diverse cultures. Williams says that it is tricky to work with the SABC at times. “However, getting the go ahead for a second season is always great. We feel that Montana is a refreshing drama and something different for South African audiences.” – Karen van Schalkwyk
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FILM |
Chasing Vehicle 19 By Karen van Schalkwyk
Mukunda Michael Dewil
CARBOUND – Paul Walker
Shot in Johannesburg, Vehicle 19 is a high octane thriller that stars Hollywood name Paul Walker (Fast and Furious, Eight Below) who also serves as executive producer.
W
ritten and directed by South African Mukunda Michael Dewil (Retribution), Vehicle 19 is produced by Peter Safran (Buried) and Ryan Haidarian through their shingle companies Safran and Forefront Media Group. Gary King of Picture Tree is the co-producing partner. South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) financed the production. K5 International handles all the international rights and Rena Ronson at UTA the North American rights. K5 has already sold Vehicle 19 to Optimum Releasing in the UK, Kinowelt in Germany, MadMen in Australia and Falcon Films in the Middle East. The cast includes Owen Sejake (Tsotsi, Shake Hands with the Devil), Naima McLean (BBC’s Wild at Heart), and Tshepo Maseko (More Than Just a Game). Miles Goodall (Amelia, Retribution) is the director of photography (DOP). Vehicle 19 was shot on location in and around Johannesburg in August and places the lead character, Michael (Walker), in the wrong car at the wrong time with a hostage on the run from a corrupt cop. Dewil explains that he was inspired to tell this story because he wanted to place a foreigner in a strange land. “I wanted to show the journey he must go on to overcome the harsh environment. Johannesburg is a very gritty and dangerous city and it has a unique edge to it. A lot of Hollywood thriller genre films are very cosmetic these days, whereas 6 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
Vehicle 19 definitely has an edge. Paul Walker is such a handsome man and to drop him in a city like Johannesburg, I think people will feel real empathy for him as a character.”
Car-bound The other unique aspect about the film is that all the camera work and action takes place either inside or on the car. “I wanted to strip down the essential elements of the thriller genre and create an intense psychological aspect. The use of cameras only from the car sets up a very claustrophobic effect. Paul is fantastic and brings out a lot of depth in the role.” In terms of his directing style, Dewil says he is very flexible. “I tend to be this way because I know what I want. Writing the screenplay also gives you a strong sense of the vision of the film. However, there are times when what you have envisaged on the page, simply does not work on film.” Dewil says that he was thrilled to have Walker sign onto the project. “The whole process was quick, from writing the screenplay to finance to production. I am also very happy to be working with Peter Safran, Ryan Haidarian and Miles Goodall. Miles shot Retribution and we have a long and solid relationship. He offers great feedback and insight about shots and what we should go for.”
Different fare Safran explains that he came on board because he believed in the project. “It is a
very different kind of film. Shooting in South Africa is just fantastic. There is a real feeling of a renaissance as compared to America, where things feel jaded. I will most definitely come to shoot more films here. Johannesburg, although edgy, has a remarkable warmth and energy. We shot everywhere in the city and it feels like a place where people embrace the movie making process. I think it is great that the government supports the industry through the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) scheme.” Haidarian met Safran at the Toronto International Film Festival. “He gave me Mukunda’s script and I was immediately impressed by the screenplay and the character’s journey and came on board. Ryan and I listed all the actors who we thought would suit the role. Paul signed on after we had our finance in place and just loves the script and being part of the project.” The film uses local language and culture to tell the story. “This is very appealing as it is set here but made for the international market. It is authentic to the environment and has a great cast and crew making it happen,” notes Safran. Haidarian adds that they are shooting the entire film in sequence. “This contributes to the feel and look of the film. We would love to see it premiere at Sundance and hopefully spark a bidding war for North America. It is great to have
talent like Mukunda and Paul involved. This really helped with the financing and I believe this will contribute significantly to the film’s success.”
Multiple cameras Miles Goodall explains that this is one of the most interesting films he has shot due to the camera always being on the car or in the car. “The challenge however is to keep it interesting and generate a sense of outside life. We shoot with three sync cameras, two high speed cameras and one handheld. The cameras are not locked to the vehicle so as to create a shuddery effect. Our aim is to create a sense of claustrophobia and a unique feel to the thriller genre. The film takes place in the course of 90 minutes so the challenge is to balance the light and maintain continuity.” In order to shoot the film in this way there are four cars with different camera rigs. Says Goodall: “We had for instance, one that records sound, one for point of view shots, another for profile shots. The film was shot on Kodak film stock and on anamorphic lenses.” Dewil concludes: “Vehicle 19 is just a fantastic experience and I am ecstatic to work with such a great cast and crew. I hope that the film has critical and commercial success.”
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FILM |
By Linda Krige
Skop, skiet and laughter IN THE COP SHOP – A scene from Blitz Patrollie
A new local action comedy and first feature film by Diprente Films promises spectacular stunts and features some of South Africa’s top comedians.
B
litz Patrollie finished production in October and aims to make a ‘hilarious and memorable contribution to the growing South African film landscape’ when it hits cinemas in the first quarter of 2012. “I thought it would be cool to make a mass appeal type of action comedy with working class heroes,” explains writer and producer Kagiso Lediga. The popular comedian developed the film with his partners at production company Diprente Films, Isaac Mogajane and John Volmink. “We thought this type of film could be done low budget,” says Lediga, “but then it kept on growing and growing up to this point.” According to Mogajane, everyone who read the script wanted to get involved. “I think because of the concept and the talent we had attached, as well as the script, we ended up with access to quite a bit of funding.” The film was financed through the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) rebate, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC).
Homage to Joburg Blitz Patrollie follows two ‘buddy’ police officers, Rummy Augustine (Joey Rasdien) and Ace Dikolobe (David Kau). “Rummy is quite happy, he just wants to start a family and provide for them, but he is quite an emasculated character and he gets a hard time from his mother-in8 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
law. Ace is the opposite, he can think of nothing better to do in the morning than head out to kick some bad guy ass. They stumble across a big narcotics haul, but then lose it, and have to shoot their way out of the situation,” explains Lediga. Also starring David Kibuuka, Chris Forrest, Mel Miller, Craig Urbani, June van Merch and Kid Sithole, the film was shot on location in Houghton, Hillbrow, Ruimsig, Yeoville, the Johannesburg CBD and Maraisburg. According to the filmmakers, the film pays homage to Johannesburg and its many contradictions. “The Johannesburg city centre is the heart of the movie,” explains Mogajane. “Because it’s set in a specific police precinct, it served as a cool sort of way to create the boundaries of the film,” notes Lediga. “Johannesburg has never been captured in a cinematic way and the idea was to do that.” “Although it doesn’t try to depict Johannesburg in any specific way,” adds Mogajane.
Dirty The film is skewed towards a male audience. “The approach is very old school. There is a lot of concern about it being too dirty, and talk about making it more accessible. But the broader you make it, the more diluted you make it,” notes Lediga. They expect that the film will receive a 16 age restriction for violence and strong language. “Most films in this genre have 16 restrictions. I believe it will be a better
film for it,” says Mogajane. “It is unashamedly an action film. It deals with serious issues like crime and corruption, but the script is hilarious, it’s a page turner. We didn’t want to make a film accessible to everyone and water down the ideas.” Stunts were done by Global Stunts & SFX. “We’re competing with Hollywood, so we’re trying to create spectacle,” says Lediga. Although they don’t want to give away the surprises in store for viewers, they promise ‘lots of gags, car chases, gun play and fights’. “Ministry of Illusion provided some very nice special effects. We tried to do as much in camera as possible. It gives better results, and is cheaper,” notes Mogajane.
Local audience He adds that, although they hope to compete with international films, Blitz Patrollie is targeted only at a South African audience. He believes local comedy will give them an edge over usual Hollywood fare. “The only way for us to compete is to make it comedy action, as opposed to action comedy. We have lots of local stars in the film and the comedians especially come with a massive following,” says Mogajane. He adds that their marketing plan is almost as ambitious as the film itself. “We’ve covered all bases. There will be trailers on TV and we will tie it in to live shows of the comedians involved.” “We might also have the greatest trailer
ever,” adds Lediga. “It’s going to kick ass. We’ve also done a lot of prep and technically and artistically we’ve used the best people possible.” The film is directed by Andrew Wessels with director of photography Manuel Lappier shooting in high definition on the Arri Alexa, also making use of a Phantom for slow motion and the RED Epic and Canon 5D for additional footage. Rentals came from Media Film Service. “There is a strong comic book element to the cinematography,” says Lediga, with Mogajane adding: “We wanted it to look very good.” Sound post-production will be done at Cut & Paste and off-line post-production at Digital Post. The score was composed by 37mph, a young hip-hop producer. “Most of the cast and crew were involved in the Pure Monate Show,” explains Lediga. “But there’s a maturity that’s come about from putting together a project of this size.” Mogajane agrees that the cast and crew stepped up to the challenge. “We are making a film that is a lot bigger than the budget allows, and everyone involved really shone. We shot 177 scenes in 30 days.” They hope to attract local audiences by delivering on top notch comedy and spectacular action sequences, and doing something that hasn’t been done before. “There is no silver bullet. But I still think this is a golden age of South African filmmaking. I’m optimistic; I really think this can be a sustainable business,” says Mogajane.
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FILM |
A New York state of mind By Karen van Schalkwyk
New York must be one of the greatest cities in the world so it was with great anticipation and excitement that I waited to board the flight to the Big Apple. This was my first time and I was going to attend one of the biggest independent film markets in the world, Independent Film Project (IFP) – No Borders — and to live it up in a city that never sleeps!
I
had heard the good news that our film, The Adventures of Supermama, had been selected for IFP about two months before the flight. When Clarence Hamilton, head of Development at the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), informed me of this I immediately told my partners Damon Berry and Ben Tjibe. It was a great feeling to realise that our determination had paid off. Supermama began as a short film in 2007 and following its success Damon and I were chosen for the NFVF Spark writer’s workshop in 2009. A year later we were selected for the NFVF’s Sediba Masters writer’s programme, where Ben came on board as our third writer and partner in Googelplex Productions.
By the end of 2010 we had our seventh draft and were thrilled. Many people read the screenplay and commented that it was highly entertaining, comedic, original and commercially viable. I believe IFP chose our script because of all of the above. IFP is a very selective market where about 130 projects are chosen from all around the world. The other two South African projects to make the cut were Junaid Ahmed’s Stockholm, Zululand and Judy Naidoo’s, Whiplash.
Like clockwork Americans mean business and IFP is run like a well oiled machine. All the meetings with distributors, sales agents, producers and film festivals are
Useful partnership The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) sponsored and supported South African filmmakers at the recent IFP No Borders co-production market in New York. Says NFVF Production and Development executive Thandeka Zwana: “Our partnership with IFP has been beneficial in terms of having filmmakers represented at this platform every year and to ensure a South African presence. IPF is an intimate market that gives our filmmakers a very good platform to interact with the global industry and pitch their projects.” Zwana notes that there is great interest in South African films. “Many international industry players have commented on how our standards have been upped, not only in terms of content, but production value and picture quality. There will always be resistance to unknown directors and cast, but the quality of story has always won over skeptics and we will continue to produce top class South African stories which have the potential of being breakout successes.”
10 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
scheduled a week before you arrive so that you can research and know who you are talking to. However, the process really begins when you are selected, then you are required to go onto the IFP website and register all your material online – script, budget, look-book and shooting schedule. The distributors and sales agents have an opportunity to view the film proposals online to see which ones they are interested in and so request meetings with the relevant parties. For Supermama we had 10 meetings lined up with sales agents, distributors and producers, excluding Meet the Film Festivals, where you meet festival organisers from Sundance, Tribeca, Rotterdam, Rooftop, Brooklyn and so on. As a filmmaker you can also request a conference call with two of the IFP organisers, Susan Wrubel and John Sylva, to get feedback on your script and project. Their Supermama feedback was great, but they warned that many would not believe that we could make such a big adventure comedy film on such a low budget.
Meeting up At IFP all the filmmakers met for the introductory session at the Lincoln Centre the day before the start of the market. It was good to see the familiar faces of the NFVF’s Clarence Hamilton, Thandeka Zwana and Karen Son, as well as Junaid and Judy. We were given a good idea of what to expect and were asked to pitch our projects to the rest of the filmmakers. Supermama was one of the
few, if not the only, family film pitched. The next day Thandeka joined me for my first three meetings with a variety of companies. Meetings took place perched at the Science and Design Building off Columbus Circle, overlooking Central Park. It’s critically important to be properly prepared for IFP. Damon, Ben and I had made sure of that and we had DVDs of our Supermama proposal, a film slate, fliers and a Supermama badge to hand out. My meetings all went extremely well but as a first time writer / director it is extremely hard to get investment in your film, even if most people love the idea of a big, black African woman superhero who becomes the Queen of Kung Fu. The other critical aspect is how open international companies are to projects from all over the world. They are keen to hear what is being created and are enthusiastic. However, they talk business and will only get involved in a project if it makes commercial sense. This is especially true now that we are living in such tough economic times. What insight did I walk away with? I think the most important thing for me about IFP and markets like it is to start networking with international companies and realise that we work in a global industry. It was a fantastic experience and I am more convinced now than ever that Supermama will take flight.
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B e c a u s e
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m a t t e r s .
AD cetera
Report on the South African commercials industry by Anton Crone
Way better
Clover
Concept in June 2010. Full treatment in September. A year in production. 37 people involved; 20 of them full time. You might picture a production line at full capacity, but that’s
what it took to create Clover’s Way Better production line. Shy the Sun have aimed to set a benchmark for South African animation and, along with ad agency Joe Public and digital
wizards Black Ginger, it’s hard not to agree they’ve done it. Some say the concept is too similar to Coca-Cola’s Happiness Machine, but they cannot ignore the skill and detail that has gone
Jammin’ with Vermaak and Merrill
Santam
Arnold Vermaak and Graham Merrill do indeed love to Jam. Vermaak is one half of the evocative electronica / jazzy music act, Prankster. Merrill is the bluesy voice and trombone slider for the bands Late Final and The Thunderbirds. Vermaak and Merrill are wired differently; the organs on the side of their noggins are fine tuned instruments. When a dog whistle blows, these guys come running. You’re more familiar with their work than you think. As the sound designers of We Love Jam, Cape Town, they are the audio behind such well known ads as Drive Dry Love to Meet You; Alexander Forbes’ Forgotten Dreams; Santam’s Ben Kingsley and many more. This year they were the sound designers for 15 Loerie winners. It’s often in the realm of the imperceptible that they work and that can be said to be the key to successful sound design in film – a complement to visual 12 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
storytelling that very few perceive or appreciate. “It’s amazing how much work goes into the almost imperceptible,” says Vermaak. He cites Santam’s Ben Kingsley as their most challenging project of late. “We explored every route possible to sustain the illusion, using the noisy ocean saturated live sync; post syncing Sir Ben and different voice impersonations. After recording Sir Ben again in studio and syncing it perfectly, the agency (King James) felt it was too sterile and they didn’t want this to be just another ‘visual gag’. “We tried loads of options to change Sir Ben’s voice when the shot changed to his look-a-like. So we cut between different mics from live sound as they each gave a different sonic character. We changed the pitch, the format and the age of his voice. It was tricky because every time you made a change in the voice, it also made a change
in the background noise. In the end we had to lay bits of ocean noise to mask this. It was a real sound challenge that nobody will ever notice – but I guess that’s the point.” And that’s just the half of it. When Vermaak waxes lyrical about a new French plug-in called IRCAM Tools T.R.A.X. and, “eq’ing out the extraneous frequencies,” I realise I’m way out of my depth. We Love Jam believes in partnerships with clients. They like to get involved early in production and are not shy on giving direction, helping to choose and coach voice artists and recording pure sound instead of trawling through pre-recorded effects. On top of that, Merrill has an incredible amount of experience as a voice artist. “Being on the other side of the glass helps tremendously when coaching voices,” he says. Experimentation and initiative is key and Merrill is often in the booth, adding those fine background touches. It’s not hard to see why We Love Jam has won so many accolades. They don’t just sit back and take direction; they bring their passion and expertise to the fore, turning audio into art.
into Way Better. “We were given a dream opportunity and were inspired by the enthusiasm and free reign Clover gave us,” says Shy the Sun
director, Jannes Hendrikz. Each aspect of the magical Clover production line and the thousands of characters working on it were planned in detail before going digital, from the enormous milky landscape down to the frilly lace on the ballerina whisk’s bloomers. Even characters with the smallest roles like the tiny flutterby’s baring the net aloft to filter the milk as it cascades down a high precipice are meticulously crafted. You hardly see them but they add to the visual sensation. “Each frame is a work of art,” declares Hilton Treves of Black Ginger. He is understandably proud of this latest piece of work and praises Shy the Sun for their
No Old Man and the Sea
Cape Town Fish Market (CTFM)
It was irresponsible meeting Bioscope Film’s director, Hylton Tannenbaum, and Lowe Bull Cape Town creative director, Alistair Morgan, at Fireman’s Arms. These are two entertaining guys and when I checked my notes later it was a tequila induced scrawl. But fun is what their latest campaign is about and — where some advertising leaves you with a headache — this leaves you with a smile. Freshening up the brand was Lowe Bull’s task when they won the pitch for Cape Town Fish Market (CTFM). Their brief was to be more accessible and it was with a spirit of fun that Morgan and Tannenbaum took to the ocean. No Old Man and the Sea for CTFM; no sir, that geezer was an amateur. It’s bootcamp for fishermen: ‘The Academy of Fresh’, and they’re serious about landing that catch. One of the AOF instructors is an Amazonian woman who’ll fish slap you silly. Frogmen swim in tighter formation than Jub Jub’s bodyguards and, if the singing through your snorkel isn’t up to scratch, the seagulls will let you know with a well aimed projectile. It’s hard out there and recruits need toughening up, even if it means tying them to anchors for a closer inspection of the ocean floor. Sounds like a fun shoot, but it wasn’t without challenges as anybody who has shot on water knows. Two days on the big bouncy wet filming from a rubber duck will take its toll. Add two weather days and long misty spells and you start imagining the Black Pearl bearing down on you — or is that the insurance man? Of course bouts of seasickness complete the picture. But they got it in the bag and made it look easy – just in time to flight during the Rugby World Cup. CTFM has seen a significant rise in turnover; so although you cried into your early morning beer as you watched the Springboks sink, you may have got a lift from these other South African icons: the fishermen from the Academy of Fresh.
AD cetera Watching paint dry has never been this worthwhile
attention to detail and planning before digital animation began. He explains that constant collaboration was essential throughout the long process. The detail required amounted to about seven hours per frame for rendering, even after server capacity was doubled from 20 to 40 terabytes. Hendriks adds: “It needed to be a hygienic world, so we had to avoid the animation trick of using gritty textures. Clean metal and ceramics were used, presenting a challenge as to what they would reflect in such a vast, animated landscape. It meant creating much more detail and design on these surfaces to break it up.” All the effort seems to have paid off. As Treves says: “Kids go absolutely wild when they see it.” This should make parents very happy. After all, it’s way better if they choose dairy over Coke.
Call it a wrap on any location and most crews will clean up without a trace. But Fresh Eye Films and Dulux left their locations in downtown Joburg with a bold new perspective. While filming the Dulux campaign, a continuation of their global initiative, Let’s Colour, Fresh Eye and ad agency, Volcano, demonstrated how a touch of colour can transform an urban landscape and uplift a community. “For me, the finest moment had to be the painting of the eight-storey block of flats, Enfield Court, overlooking Khaya Park. The transformation was pretty spectacular,” says Fresh Eye producer, Gary James. To paint this building took from 3am to 9am, and what makes it remarkable is the process involved in filming during those six hours. The challenge was to condense it into just 10 seconds. Incorporated into that a camera move had to be absolutely fluid, something
Dulux
incredibly challenging in time lapse photography. “We wanted to give the time lapse more visual interest than you’ve seen before, and the movement lets us do that,” explains Greg Francois. To do this he used a motion control camera system that literally started rolling at 3am. “We had to regulate the painters and the form the paint was taking with the steady movement of the camera on the motion
track. The painters were the real heroes. Once they were rolling, there was simply no turning back or second takes.” The highlight for Francois was literally watching paint dry because he spent much of that time with the communities: “The excitement was palpable as we watched the paint transform these environments. We were blessed to be a part of something that touches the hearts of people.”
In with the Loeries
SILVER LOERIE – The Walking Dead – Loved Ones Lost
Two spots edited by Johannesburg-based Aces Up Post Production were honoured at the recent Loerie Awards in Cape Town.
A Campaign Silver Loerie was awarded to The Walking Dead – Loved Ones Lost, edited by Zama Jolobe, in the Television, Film and Video
Communication: TV, Trailers, Channel & Station Promos category. Says Aces Up MD Liesl Lategan: “It was a great experience to work with a director like Jason Fialkov and a
production company like Egg. Ireland Davenport was the agency behind the idea. It just shows that when you combine the perfect degree of talent, the chemistry takes over and results in a winner.”
The same can be said for Lucian Barnard who edited Save The Rhino, which won a Bronze Loerie in the Television, Film and Video Communication: Internet & Mobile Commercials category. “Lucian was so excited that the spot was recognised by the Loeries because in his words it was ‘anti-editing’,” continues Lategan. “He had the privilege of working with 7 Films and former great editor Gordon Midgley, who directed the spot. Lowe Bull was the agency responsible for the concept.” Lategan notes that this is not the first award Barnard has won with 7 Films – he won the SA’s next Top Editor competition for a spot that was directed by Wednesday. – Staff reporter
DOCUMENTARY |
Reports by Anton Crone
Making progress on – and off – the field There were two things that happened in 2005: the Japanese tsunami and Progress beat Maties. So claims one of the players of Progress rugby club in a new documentary called Progress.
“I
t’s a community film,” states Simon Taylor of Periphery Films in Cape Town, made richer by the considerable amount of time he spent with the small town of factory workers who make up the bulk of Progress Rugby Club near Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape. “It started when a journalist, Duane Heath, told me about the club,” explains Taylor. “I began filming in 2006 and went back and forth, spending as much time with the community as I could. Hanging out with the community made me fall in love with rugby all over again.” Just seeing the preview of the documentary on the net I realised it looked bigger than a rugby film. It explores issues such as community and violence in a unique way, and an alternative masculinity in South Africa. Commitment on the field is paramount
for these factory workers who put in everything, even after endless shifts of work. But the parallels are clear in that they are not only building a team; they are building a community through commitment to one another and a support structure. It highlights the greater values of sport. One focus of the community is to keep vulnerable kids off the street by giving them an outlet for their energy and instilling pride in themselves and their community. The film traces not just Progress’ incredible win over Maties of Stellenbosch – a feat in itself for such a backwater team – but their losses; their family lives and relationships as well as the junior team they are building to carry the Progress flag. You are behind closed doors, in the family homes and the locker room, seeing things you wouldn’t see
unless you played rugby or lived in a community like this. This is arguably one of the greatest aspects of the film: a bridge for many South African viewers to understand and appreciate the lives of people they seldom connect with; to realise the parallels with their own
Putting foot on film
CAPTURING TRUE AFRICA – Andrew King
T
hey travelled in a variety of vehicles, from fully kitted 4x4s to standard Citi Golfs. Even that stalwart of road going sewing machines, the Datsun 120Y, took part. That car was older than any of its three occupants and it was in this spirit that the rally took flight. Seven countries, seven checkpoints and 14 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
seven wild parties later, the event was a rousing success for its charity, the Bob’s for Good foundation, which raises funds to put school shoes on the feet of needy children. Overall the rally goers raised about R150 000. This was doubled by Old Mutual, meaning 30 000 kids can now get to school well shod. With that success there was no
lives and the potential of all people in South Africa. Dedication of the players, men like the enormous Zama Tokai, a prop with a momentum that defies the immensity of his thighs, is clearly evident, but so is their dedication off the field. After four years of development, Progress was completed earlier this year and was screened at The Labia in Cape Town and small communities around South Africa. Taylor has been overwhelmed by the response, it’s a people’s film and doesn’t just appeal to the audience one would find on the festival circuit. Progress will be on DVD shelves just before Christmas, in time to make up for the defeat the Springboks suffered in the Rugby World Cup, by opening up a wider view of a sport that is so much a part of this country. It might just make you fall in love with rugby all over again.
Earlier this year, 25 teams of 125 people took to the road in the inaugural Put Foot Rally. A short film documented all the action.
question about another rally. The rally is already booked out for 2012 and there has been so much interest that it has doubled in size. A huge part of the motivation for people to enter was the short film documenting the event that was shown online. Durban’s D4 Productions director Andrew King and producer / photographer Joanna Jansen, were along for the first wild ride. “My aim was to bring back clean, compelling imagery that we could weave into a short, emotive clip; not only showing people what they’d see and experience if they went on the trip, but also the emotion attached to it,” says King. “Africa is such a complex subject and I was excited at the opportunity to show the contrasts between the typical African way of life and the Rally vibe. Above all I wanted the film to be meaningful rather than simply documenting a bunch of people partying it up.” D4 is known for its coverage of adventure and extreme sports. This was inspired by King’s participation in such events such as the Freedom Challenge, which meant running the Comrades
Marathon then mountain biking (starting the next morning) 2 300kms off road and unsupported to Paarl, to make it in time for the 220km, four-day Berg River Canoe Marathon. One would think filming the Put Foot Rally would be a walk in the park for King, but as he says: “Being ‘on it’ for 17 days can be tiring, especially when you’re elected as the ‘fines master’ and are expected to perform with a beer in hand at checkpoint parties. So for me it was the classic fear of missing out – driving past classic African landscapes, interesting portrait opportunities and funny situations, even though you have a hundred just like them in the bag.” King left the Sony NX5 behind and shot entirely on the Canon D7. Shooting on the DSLR brought some challenges, explains King, such as kids who freeze gangsta style thinking they are posing for a still. “It takes some skill looking away and conning them into thinking you’re done so they start acting natural again.” D4 hopes to Put Foot again in 2012, albeit with a little more preparation to counter the hangovers.
TAG along and produce a PSA The renaming of South African pay-TV broadcaster M-Net’s Vuka! Awards to M-Net TAG signals a new era of developing and nurturing young talent.
M
-Net TAG (Television Awards for Good), formerly the Vuka! Awards, invites newcomer and professional creatives in the film and advertising industry to produce Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for charitable organisations. Koo Govender, director of corporate marketing and communications at M-Net, said that the decision to rename the awards was to underline their ‘fresh new approach’ and a much stronger focus on developing and mentoring new talent as part of the M-Net Cares initiative. According to Shelli Miller from The Bomb Shelter it will take time for people to get used to the new name, and to judge what difference the name change has made. “It’s still in the transition period; however, there does seem to be more interest this year. I think it’s mainly due to
FRESH NEW APPROACH – Koo Govender
adding a new category and the name change.” The new category, called TAG 10, was created in addition to the Newcomer and Professional categories, to create ‘new and meaningful training opportunities’. Miller explains: “The Contender category was introduced a few years ago because we felt there was a need for young professionals to have their own category as they were previously competing against long standing professionals. However, this category did not prove very successful in the work that was submitted, so we upgraded the category and changed the format altogether.” “TAG 10 aims to promote mentorship
and up-skilling and open new doors for the winners. At least half the entering team should be drawn from previously disadvantaged communities,” notes Miller. During the first phase of TAG 10 agencies were encouraged to put forward young creatives – art directors and copywriters under 27 years old – who were invited to send a pitch to TAG organisers for a charity ad of their choice. “Scoring was based on originality, concept, presentation as well as a motivation about why they chose their charity. We wanted them to select a charity with thought given to current social issues challenging South Africa.” According to Miller, the judges then selected five shortlisted entries. Simultaneously production companies were encouraged to put forward young director / producer teams who were invited to put together a show reel and a motivation as to why they should be considered for TAG 10. The judges selected another shortlist. During the second phase teams from the two groups were introduced to each other and given 14 days to put together a pitch for their project, which they presented to the judges in September. The top teams went on to make the ads
| COMMERCIALS
By Linda Krige
under the supervision of their agency, production companies and / or the panel of judges. “The idea of TAG 10 is to encourage mentorship from professionals as well as giving the teams a real world experience of the industry,” says Miller. At the time of going to print, the teams were in the process of shooting and post-production. The winners of the first group will go to the Cannes Young Lions and the second group’s winners to the Cannes main festival. Judging is done by a group of top professionals in the local industry, including Glen Bosman, executive producer at Catapult Commercials; Fanney Tsimong, director at Underdog; Mosese Semenya, director at Catapult Commercials; Palesa Xorile from M-Net; Peter Carr, executive producer at Velocity Films; Gary King, executive director at Picture Tree; and Monareng Makwetla, producer at Velocity Films. M-Net TAG will be presented on 30 November at The Theatre on the Track, Kyalami, Johannesburg. The PSAs will screen on selected M-Net channels from January 2012. The schedule will be confirmed once the PSAs have been selected.
Aces Up is a collective group of sharp shooting, highflying editors, animators and producers. Like the flying aces of bygone war eras, we operate as a unit that targets and executes each project with unsurpassed precision. For more information visit www.acesup.co.za or contact us on (011) 463 7125
Animation • Editing • Post-production November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 15
TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY | IBC REPORT BACK
A whole lotta tech
Over 50 000 people converged on this year’s International Broadcast Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam in September to wade through 13 giant halls jam-packed with the latest technology for the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content. Here are some of the products that were on display.
AJA controls the room
Weaving that old Blackmagic…
At IBC AJA Video Systems announced the release of AJA Control Room, a unified cross-platform application for controlling selected AJA KONA and Io products to enable capture, conversion, playback, VTR control and output. In addition, a separate new AJA Control Panel can be launched independently or from AJA Control Room, providing powerful configuration and at-a-glance viewing of settings. Available for Mac OS X and Windows as no-cost, downloadable applications, AJA Control Room and AJA Control Panel provide a common, comprehensive control interface for AJA’s KONA 3G, KONA LHi, KONA LHe Plus, Io HD, Io Express and new Io XT solutions. As the AJA Control Room interface is identical across all AJA solutions and platforms, users encounter the same initial splash page where they can choose from two main workspaces — Playback and Capture — and launch the separate AJA Control Panel application. The software suite provides a range of options including: input video selection, conversion selection, frame buffer format, or output video selection via the AJA Control Panel; load, view and play files
out of the hardware; bin, viewer (including batch capture) and view media information; record, remote, edit operation type; and more. Within the AJA Control Room workspaces (playback and capture), users can choose to work through a ‘basic’ or ‘advanced’ interface to facilitate fast single-button actions (basic) or to access a wider array of features and functions from a graphically rich at-a-glance view (advanced). “With the new unified AJA Control Room and AJA Control Panel software suite we’ve replaced multiple applications and streamlined AJA and external device control through a cross-platform software solution, as well as delivering new functionality,” said Nick Rashby, president, AJA Video Systems. “Now, regardless of what platform you’re working on or which AJA product you using, the experience is the same. Plus you’re working in a familiar ecosystem with have quicker access to external equipment.”
“We’re making 11 new product announcements at this IBC, double the number of last year’s event,” said Blackmagic Design’s Stuart Ashton. “Our customers are collectors of Blackmagic products rather than users and they’re very excited about Intensity Extreme, the first Thunderbolt technology based device to combine the high quality of HDMI capture and playback with the wide compatibility of analogue component, NTSC, PAL and S-Video and analog audio capture. It is playback in a compact size that’s completely powered from the Thunderbolt connection on the computer. It’s the perfect solution for adding video to laptop computers as it powers from the laptop battery. Blackmagic was the first company outside Apple to produce a Thunderbolt product.” Very popular at IBC were their range of super heavy duty mini converters. “These feature a unique design that’s machined from a solid block of aluminum for amazing strength, as well as for protecting connectors. They include innovative features and technologies such as 3Gb/s SDI. There are four models in the range,” explained Ashton. The ATEM Studio Converter is a new rack mount quads independent bidirectional optical fibre SDI converter with built in talkback. It is perfect for live production as it includes four independent optical fibre converters in one rack unit sized chassis. Broadcast and post-production users can install ATEM Studio Converter as a regular optical fibre SDI converter, and each of the four optical fibre converters are totally independent of each other and bi-directional. Other new product announcements included SmartView HD; a new full resolution HD rack monitor with a large 17 inch LCD screen; and a 3Gb/s SDI video input and centralised network based control that allows easy colour matching when used in multi monitor installations.
Panasonic’s twin lens camcorder Evertz launches innovative system At IBC Panasonic demoed the newly released HDC-Z10000, the world’s first integrated twin-lens 2D / 3D camcorder that is officially compatible with the AVCHD 3D / Progressive standard. The new camcorder provides broadcasting image quality for 2D and 3D filming, manual operations for professional use and uncompromising audio quality. It bridges the gap between the amateur and professional user in quality and cost, making it ideal for filmmaking, creative arts students and videographers or anyone looking to capture broadcast quality footage. The camcorder features Panasonic unique Double 3MOS System for recording high-quality full-HD 2D and 3D images. This advanced system mounts two 3MOS sensors (with an effective pixel count for 6.57 megapixels) for superb colour and detail reproduction. The two large-diameter F1.5 lenses independently mounted on the left and right are treated with nano surface coating, for the first time on a camcorder, to significantly reduce ghosting. During IBC Panasonic Europe announced the release of the AV-HS410, a new live switcher. As with its predecessor the AV-HS400A, the new AV-HS410 is a compact, all-in-one 19 type rack-size 1 ME live switcher that is only 48.26 cm (19 inches) wide but provides in its standard configuration nine signal inputs, expandable with option boards to a maximum of 13 signal inputs (HD/SD switchable). The 177.8 mm (7 inches) colour LCD panel displays settings in an easy-to-read format, and its ease-of-use is further enhanced by the new memory preview function, an improved multi-view function and a simple key layout optimised for live broadcasts. Excellent expandability is provided by optional board slots to enable support for a variety of input signals. In the future it will include support for 3D and, by the provision of SDK, making it possible to add software-based functions. 16 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
At IBC Evertz introduced Mediator SC to the European market. The file-based workflow solution helps facilities that want to start new HD / SD services, expand existing facilities or build new disaster recovery sites in a cost-effective, reliable and efficient manner. Evertz Mediator system includes ingest media clients and storage from the Evertz Media Service (EMS) family; OvertureRT Live for channel playout with branding; and Mediator SC as the content management and automation system. EMS is a highly scalable, reliable and flexible solution for media server and storage. It offers multi-channel I/O and content processing, file ingest capabilities and a fully distributed storage model when coupled with the core server. The award-winning OvertureRT Live is designed for cost-effective, multichannel playout with integrated master control and advanced channel branding
Mediator SC
features. This channel-in-a-box solution offers a combination of still graphics, multi-layer advanced graphics and character generation which allow users to create dynamic lower-thirds, weather and dynamic text graphics. Evertz award-winning Mediator SC combines ‘the best of breed’ software and hardware technologies into a single cost-effective package. Its integrated media asset management and traditional channel playout automation provides an innovative approach to file-based and live workflows.
IBC REPORT BACK | TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY
SeaChange rides multiscreen wave The IBC line-up of SeaChange International underscored the television industry’s continued shift to multi-screen video with an array of software, applications and services that enable the delivery of content to subscribers on set-tops, mobile, tablets and PC. Multi-screen video technologies on display included SeaChange Nitro Multi-Screen Subscriber Experience, which leverages HTML5 to give subscribers intuitive features and functionality to navigate and manage video content on any screen they choose, including TV listings, bookmarking, search and recommendation and handheld-as-a-remote capability. SeaChange Adrenalin Multi-Screen Video Back Office is built using an open service oriented architecture, which operators use to deliver a consistent video experience that avails millions of video assets to millions of devices across multiple networks. Adrenalin can establish new services or incrementally transform existing services to provide rich and seamless user experiences across mobile, tablet, PC and TV screens with extensive cross-promotional capabilities and fully integrated linear and non-linear advertising. For social media capabilities, the SeaChange Affinity application integrates with on-demand services running on Apple iPad to support content recommendation (browsing, sharing, liking and commenting within the app as well as on Facebook and Twitter). Affinity also enables sharing a common VOD experience as part of a ‘virtual party’ where users can organise a watching party among friends and communicate, share comments and invite others.
New Carbonite control panel unveiled
Following the successful launch of the Carbonite mid-size production switcher earlier this year, Ross Video unveiled the new Carbonite 1M – 1 MLE control panel at IBC. The Carbonite 1M shares all the same features of the award winning Carbonite 2M which was introduced at NAB and controls two full MLE’s via its unique MLE swap function. The Carbonite 1M is a feature rich control surface providing single button access for up to 24 sources as well as instant access to Carbonite’s powerful custom control macros, advanced transitions and multi-function menu buttons. “This new panel gives operators direct access to all inputs,” states Nigel Spratling, marketing product manager, Communications, Switchers at Ross
Video. “Instant access to all sources ensures that those fast-paced, high pressure productions will be smooth and flawless with all of the necessary controls right at the operator’s fingertips.” At IBC 2011, Ross Video expanded on the NK Series Routing System with the release of Resource Management on the NK-VRC virtual routing core and the addition of Jupiter ES Switch protocol on the NK-3RD third party interface. The latest version of the software on the NK-VRC virtual routing core allows users to manage and control routing to and from external resources, such as format converters and tie lines, connected to one or more NK Series routers.
Brewing up a STORM at Grass Valley A new addition to Grass Valley’s growing STORM line of EDIUS I/O units was announced at IBC. Available in different configurations for notebooks and desktop PCs, the STORM Mobile offers a variety of video and audio inputs and outputs for use with EDIUS 6 nonlinear editing software – catering to a broad spectrum of editors ranging from prosumers working on personal projects at home to broadcast / professional users editing on location. STORM Mobile allows notebook PC users editing with EDIUS to input a wide variety of video as well as audio sources. If needed, full HD live video playout – during editing as well as playback—is available. This replaces the functionality of the popular HDSTORM product line. STORM Mobile is available in a number of different hardware configurations, supporting mobile PC
solutions, though its ExpressCard/34 interface to allow for a smooth editing workflow in the field, as well as desktop PCs via a PCI Express card interface. It is available as an external or internal unit mounted in a five-inch drive bay space. Also introduced at IBC was the Karrera video production centre, a fully digital 10-bit 4:2:2 video switcher; with up to 96 inputs and 48 outputs. It features HD/SD SDI signal support with (optional) up / down / cross converters on selected inputs and outputs, and six keyers in every full M/E – four full-function keyers plus two linear / luminance keyers. Each full-function keyer has two pages (frames) of video and key storage to free up Image Store outputs and reduce the number of external graphics sources. Said Scott Murray, senior VP of Live Production Solutions at Grass Valley. “With Karrera, we’re enabling customers to take advantage of all of the powerful ‘high-end’ features that Grass Valley has become famous for, at a price that makes them available to a much wider audience. We expect Karrera to be the latest in Grass Valley’s long line of successful production switchers.”
Evoxe-Quantel integrating newsrooms At IBC Quantel announced the integration of its Enterprise sQ systems with Evoxe’s NIS4 newsroom computer system (NRCS). Using the MOS protocol the Evoxe NIS4 NRCS integrates seamlessly with Quantel Enterprise sQ production systems. This includes NIS4 requesting placeholders and receiving MOS-IDs; informed by Quantel when clips have arrived for those placeholders; passing news rundowns to Quantel to playout; and rundown updates from NIS4 quickly updated on the Quantel system. All these actions are performed as background tasks as the news team prepares its stories using NIS4. For clip preparation NIS4 operators can access Quantel’s new QTube technology. QTube is an exciting new development that enables global broadcast workflows to be created. It delivers instant access to live assets with frame accurate editing from anywhere over the Internet. A NIS4 operator can open a QTube window to preview a source clip or edited timeline as part of the news production process. Combined with the existing NIS4 channel scheduling, media asset management, multi-channel creation and re-purposing and archiving capability, this advanced Quantel integration offers a new level of functionality for modern newsrooms. “We are excited and pleased by how quickly Evoxe have been able to integrate their NIS4 newsroom computer system with the Quantel Enterprise sQ production environment, and use the QTube capability,” said Steve Owen, Quantel director of marketing. “Within hours of arriving at our labs the systems were successfully integrated and operational, proving the quality of the NIS4 solution and the ease with which NRCS systems utilise the power of Quantel technology.” “The integration with Quantel worked first time, which illustrates the experience that Quantel and Evoxe have with newsroom operations and how systems should best integrate for powerful workflows and highly reliable operations,” stated Jan-Willem van Dalfsen, director at Evoxe. ”This further proves that our NIS4 newsroom computer system is leading the market in flexibility, scalability and reliability – at a price that is attractive to all sizes and types of newsroom.” November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 17
TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY | IBC REPORT BACK
Sony’s big progress
At IBC Sony Professional unveiled the progress it has made to provide creative professionals with new tools for content creation and workflow that go far beyond HD. It is using technologies such as 4K, 35mm, 3D and OLED to enable the creative industry to elicit new emotional responses from audiences. With an 8K image sensor and 20 megapixels, Sony’s next-generation CineAlta motion picture camera, the F65, offers higher image fidelity than any other camera on the market. As part of its commitment to develop a complete 4K workflow from acquisition to editing and production, Sony revealed a series of new solutions including theSR-PC4 data transfer unit. Sony is adopting an open strategy of providing Software Development Kits to third party
manufacturers to integrate F65 RAW workflows into their line-up of production and post-production tools. A Sony highlight at ICB was the HDC-2500, the first professional live production camera in the world equipped with a carbon fibre chassis for added strength. In addition, the HDC-2500 is equipped with a 3G 1080/50p fibre transmission system as standard. A ground breaking software application that enables media professionals to dramatically reduce the amount of time and money that is spent in production, the XMPilot manages and tracks metadata before, during and after a shoot.. Sony is strengthening its industry leading Trimaster EL OLED monitor line-up with the new BVM-F range. This series consists of the 17” BVM-F170 and the 25” BVM-F250 offers incredible performance in full HD, thanks to Sony’s powerful 12-bit Professional Display Engine. Data Augmented Video is Sony Professional’s latest innovation in sports production technology. Video content is enhanced by graphical information sourced from sports data tools, enabling production and coaches to use this information to highlight specific events or characteristics of a game. Sony’s new platform enables this to be achieved live with the inclusion of data enhanced video clips within an event replay sequence.
Maxell’s tape power With a combination of cutting edge technologies and long term commitment to quality in both communications and archiving, Maxell Professional manufactures media that is famous for its reliability, consistency and exceptionally durable nature. Maxell tapes cover a number of formats. The range includes HDCAM, Digital Betacam, Betacam SX, DVCPRO and Mini-Pro digital videocassettes, as well as Betacam SP videocassettes.
STAR Award for Niagara ViewCast Corporation’s Niagara 7550 streaming media appliance received the prestigious STAR Award from TV Technology Europe magazine, which was presented at IBC. The Niagara 7550 brings a new standard of quality and performance to professional video streaming. With its impressive processing power, customers can deliver video in multiple adaptive formats simultaneously with a single streaming system, maximising their investment and allowing them to reach a larger audience of web and mobile viewers. The STAR Award (Superior Technology Award Recipient) is designed to celebrate and showcase the preeminent technological innovations available to the broadcast industry. TV Technology Europe and NewBay Media staff reviewed a variety of products, examined the technical applications and their overall contribution to the industry, and then chose 25 winning products. “STAR awards are given to interesting new products that help a user save money or accomplish a task in an easier way,” said Mark Hallinger, editor of TV Technology Europe. “The products selected help advance the industry – some were chosen because of technical novelty or innovation, some because they filled an important gap in the production or transmission chain, and some because they were just
cool products.” “Receiving a technology award for the Niagara 7550 is the ultimate compliment, and further validates the quality and innovation of our streaming solutions and our ability to create new products that reflect the evolving needs of the media marketplace,” said John Hammock, president and COOficer of ViewCast. The Niagara 7550 takes advantage of the latest multi-core processing technology, greatly expanding its adaptive streaming capabilities and making it the most powerful, featurerich streaming appliance for web-based delivery of HD content on video currently available from ViewCast. By enabling users to simultaneously leverage multiple adaptive streaming formats, including Apple HTTP adaptive streaming for Apple iPads and iPhones, and Adobe Flash dynamic streaming, the Niagara 7550 is able to meet the needs of the most demanding professional broadcasting applications and other professional-level highdefinition video distribution requirements.
Avid gets some motion
The electronic couch potato Zimele Broadcasting Services of South Africa recently inked a strategic partnership with IBC exhibitor Pixelmetrix, the expert in test, measurement and monitoring solutions for television broadcasters, network operators and service providers worldwide. Among the latest products gaining heightened interest is the Pixelmetrix Electronic Couch Potato (ECP). A programmable test robot, the ECP monitors true viewer experience by providing measurements from the endpoint of the content delivery chain. It connects after the set top box (STB) provides feedback on various service quality parameters to a central site and confirms the availability of subscribed-to channels, giving service providers valuable insights. The ECP also features Video Quality Index (VQI), a video quality measurement tool that scans all channels, identifies video impairments and then combines them to a single, integrated metric. Results are consolidated across all channels and remote sites, simplifying determining when and where video quality issues strike. New for the ECP is the full multi-resolution support for HD over HDMI. 18 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
The next generation graphics platform from Avid was unveiled at IBC. Avid Motion Graphics features a revolutionary new real-time 2D / 3D graphics rendering engine that allows for the creation of thrilling graphics and arresting imagery while journalists and others integrate those graphics into their stories. Incorporating a bridge to the Deko product family, Avid Motion Graphics makes it easy for existing users to migrate their assets to the new platform and
transition at their own pace. It enhances and streamlines performance with Avid end-to-end workflow solutions, other high-demand Avid and third party tools, industry standards, and plug-ins. The platform was designed to help graphics artists and journalists work more collaboratively and easily in a wide array of market segments including news, sports, live events, postproduction and channel branding.
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Cloud computing comes of age The cloud brings promises of quickly adapting infrastructures so businesses can swiftly adjust to the demands of an everchanging consumer landscape. Cloud solutions are up and running worldwide but do they have the capacity to traffic volumes of high resolution video? Is the content hosted on remote servers secure? Will the marriage of broadcasting and IT equipment integrate well or be fraught with problems? IAN DORMER provides some answers.
T
he term cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that is often used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams. It is the convergence of three major trends – virtualisation (where applications are separated from infrastructure); utility computing (where server capacity is accessed across a grid as a variably priced service); and software as a service (where applications are available on demand as a subscription service). Implementation of cloud-based solutions was jumpstarted by the troubled economy, as broadcasters soon realised the value that hosted-service models offered in reducing capital costs. This also allowed non specialists to take on a larger share of content creation and allow broadcasters to run on smaller budgets. At the recent IBC2011 in Amsterdam, I attended a conference session on cloud computing for the broadcaster chaired by Paul Drinkwater of IBM Global Business Services, with panelists Mark Lemmons, CTO of Thought Equity Motion and Julian Wheeler of Tata Communications’ Global Media and Entertainment business. Also present were Michael Frey, president of Global Digital Services for Sony DADC and David Peto from Aframe, a UK company specialising in off-site production services. Drinkwater’s introduction highlighted 20 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
the fact that while the cloud is not new, it is new for broadcasters and its adoption should cut costs, increase productivity, reduce risk and improve the agility of the broadcaster. He noted that security and redundancy were key factors that concerned everyone in the broadcast industry.
Essence “Redundancy is the essence,” said Peto, who started Aframe when he saw the motion picture industry struggle under the sheer volume of what it creates. “As ever-increasing volumes of footage are generated, every company has been forced to become what it doesn’t necessarily want to be – an IT company. Perhaps more to the point they simply couldn’t afford not to be,” commented Peto. Aframe offers a service that simplifies the process by storing the customer’s footage on servers in two remote locations, providing media asset management and transcoding services and a digital video production tool – all on a cloud for a subscription fee that varies according to the project. Frey maintained that security is the key to success of any company that adopts the cloud within its business to ensure that only authorised individuals access their
content. Sony DADC provides services to create, manage, build, monetise and release music, video and gaming content to the world market with virtual warehousing and locker services. Ironically while writing this article I received notification from Sony indicating that they had found a ‘large amount’ of’unauthorised sign-in attempts on its PlayStation Network and other online entertainment services, forcing the temporary suspension of about 93 000 user accounts…again!
Hi-res capacity What about the capacity to traffic volumes of high resolution video? Lemmons explained that their thorough research into the choices of enterprise class platforms heralds Thought Equity Motion as a leader in its field. The company delivers archive management as a cloud service. Its technology drives a highly scalable platform for managing, monetising and delivering high quality video content. Through this custom-built and proprietary set of applications, they deliver the complexity of the digital video supply chain as a service, making rights holders accessible and manageable through a web portal and dramatically reducing cost and complexity. With more than 10 petabytes
of enterprise class, secure, physically and geographically redundant storage, they expect to scale up to 100 petabytes by the end of 2012. Ingesting over 10 terabytes a day, the content is stored in a digital master format and transcoded on demand to support automated digital delivery to clients and partners in virtually any format. Is the broadcast industry ready to accept the cloud? The fusion between the traditional broadcast engineer and the IT specialist is a reality, according to Wheeler of Tata Communications. Therefore rather than spend large amounts of capital on a particular application in-house, it can become an operational cost through the cloud. By utilising the service provider’s infrastructure the cloud based model eliminates the cost of installing, integrating and maintaining hardware and software, and negates the costs involved in upgrades and support. This also allows the broadcaster to move more easily with the times with access to the latest technical advancements as and when they happen. Pie in the sky or a cloud with a silver lining for an economically challenged industry? We shall see…
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EQUIPMENT | With the vast array of new technology available to filmmakers, particularly on the acquisition front, the choice of format and camera as well as related sound equipment is critical. ANDY STEAD looks at three new South African feature films to get the low down.
Acquiring the perfect shot Cleary there are several factors that combine in the final decision of what equipment to use, not least of which is whether the final product is destined for theatrical release, television broadcast or direct to DVD.
New technology in the guise of small and economical high definition (HD) cameras makes the choice even more complex and, considering budgetary constraints, are more economical solutions being explored?
Indeed, has film origination reached the end of the road and who makes the decision to shoot on a digital format or on film? Are there other factors involved that influence this decision?
Production 1: Mad Buddies
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he latest movie from South Africa’s ‘King of Comedy’, Leon Schuster, Mad Buddies and is produced by Keynote Films, a partnership with Schuster, director Gray Hofmeyr and producer Helena Spring. A ‘road trip’ movie at heart, most of the locations are in and around Gauteng with a few days in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Spring maintains that the choice of format and equipment is dictated by a combination of budgetary and creative considerations. “The financial bottom line of a film is usually locked before discussions with the director and director of photography (DOP) come into play,” she says, “so the producer takes a view on the format of a shoot at quite an early stage. Final creative choices were made by Gray and DOP Trevor Brown, in consultation with me as the producer, line producer Gillian Pearson and post-production supervisor, Marc Baleiza. “One always tries to accommodate the DOP’s preferences regarding camera to the extent that it is financially manageable to do so. If compromise is necessary, the DOP is usually best equipped to find a solution that will still ensure a good end product. Another factor that strongly influences the final choice of camera is the post-production path and how that choice impacts cost, schedule and creating distribution deliverables.”
collaborative discussions between the DOP, line producer, director and key grip, during a comprehensive technical recce. The DOP determined lighting in consultation with chief gaffer Manny Chonco and with the support of the rental house, which is Media Film Service. All decisions were subject to budgetary constraints of course.”
Post-production considerations
RED FOR GO – Trevor Brown with the RED camera
Film vs digital In terms of whether to shoot on film or digital Spring had little doubt. “We are shooting on the RED Mysterium. It provides a wonderful look and the high resolution needed for optimising computer graphic imagery. Our DOP achieves great results with it. The combination of comedy and action demands a high shooting ratio, so we never considered not going the digital route. It was our only option from the outset.” 22 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
Gray Hofmeyr with the RED camera New technology offers a wide variety of support equipment on a production of this nature. Mad Buddies was no exception, and camera support gear played a big part. “The crew uses a Steadicam in areas where we don’t have a smooth enough surface for tracking and for unique point of view (POV) shots,” explains Spring.
“We’re also using a Jimmy Jib as it is very portable and a kaleidoscope crane can get into small areas. There is also the skateboard dolly, mo-kits for car scenes, quad bikes for appropriate action scenes and a PeeWee Dolly as it is a good stable, not overly heavy, dolly. “These choices were the result of
The choice of format and camera is a deciding factor in terms of the postproduction route. Spring uses a combination of facilities chosen in keeping with the needs of the film. “As we are not shooting on film, there will be no neg processing. All our data is being processed from set out of a specially equipped vehicle provided by Ladies & Gentlemen and controlled by data management expert Chris Harvey.” Post supervisor Baleiza comments: “The RED camera we used is the one with the latest chip, the same camera used on features such as The Social Network. This camera is a great choice for us given the maturity of the current RED workflow and our ambitious CGI visual effects (VFX) elements in the film. The 4K resolution is a great help with this.” Ladies & Gentlemen is also fully geared to deal with RED material with an on set, mobile data facility built into their camera truck. This allows the production to create several copies of rushes for insurance purposes and allows them to very quickly perform quality control checks on material – all in real time. Refinery will record out to film and generate all local and international delivery elements. Loco VFX is doing CGI, Ladies & Gentlemen is managing the offline process and the Film Lab will do prints. Baleiza, is responsible for ensuring that it all comes together cohesively.
| EQUIPMENT
Production 2: Vehicle 19 Photo by ILZE KITSHOFF
challenges in terms of rigs, access and camera movement. “We did not want to hard mount the cameras because we needed handheld freedom in terms of independent movement to the body of the car,” notes Goodall. “Key grip Juri Geldenhuys and I spent days testing all manner of rigs and designs that would allow for rapid movement from one vehicle to another and the changing of positions inside the vehicle many times each day. “These rigs needed to withstand huge G forces during stunts and also not become flying missiles under heavy braking. We created a simple yet amazingly functional African Airbag rig on which the cameras rested, allowing freedom of movement independent to the car’s vibration. “The lighting was tricky as we had to balance between the interior and exterior in a very natural way in multi directions. We were somewhat stretched by the story taking place over a couple of hours during the middle of one day and keeping this look in continuity. I worked with gaffer Nick Rankin who has a great eye and solves endless problems with simple creative solutions. The lights were supplied by Media Film Service and we used some very good new Australian panel lights called Cream Source.” The dailies were processed at the Film Lab Johannesburg and then transferred in Telecine at Refinery, with senior colourist Michele Wilson who matched the look to Goodall’s specifications. “I was very happy with the one light look which was designed to make the offline edit appealing. The final colour grade will be done on the Baselight system at Refinery and the files projected onto negative and printed at the film lab,” says Goodall.
BIG FILM, SMALL CAMERA – Miles Goodall cramped into a car for a shoot
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hooting recently wrapped in the Gauteng area on Vehicle 19, starring Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious) and written and directed by Mukunda Michael Dewil. A Forefront Media Group / Picture Tree / The Safran Company production, in association with Efish Entertainment, Vehicle 19 reveals the story of a foreign traveller (Walker) who unknowingly picks up a rental car that ties him to a web of corrupt local police. DOP Miles Goodall relates how choices in terms of acquisition equipment were made. “The director and I decided to shoot the entire film inside the car. We explored the smallest cameras with the best quality formats and shot a number of tests. The US producers then informed us that that contractually the film needed to be shot on 35mm. “We ended up using 35mm 4-perf anamorphic and Arricam and Arri 435 and 235 cameras with the Hawk anamorphic prime lenses all supplied by Media Film Service. Sean Sims of Media Film Service provided a lot of consultation and also visited the production and gave loads of technical support. The size and weight of the cameras and lenses provided challenges inside the vehicle but the quality and look of the images is beautiful.” As a lens engineer Sims understands the dynamic of shooting with anamorphic lenses. “I was involved in the Vehicle 19 test shoots before the production started. These anamorphic lenses cover a 1:2.40 aspect ratio using a standard 2:1 anamorphic squeeze factor and a 1:1.78 aspect ratio using x 1.3 anamorphic squeeze.
Sound
WIRED FOR SOUND – Soundman Ian Arrow with his rig “Miles ended up shooting on 2:1 Hawk anamorphic lenses and 4-perf Arricam LTs, of which we supply four; 1 x Arri 435ES for high speed and 1 x Arri 235 for hand held. We also supply all the support accessories for shooting anamorphic and a large variety of compact accessories which were modified on this production as the cameras were mostly rigged in confined spaces on tracking vehicles. “I spent the entire week of gear check with the DOP and his team in Johannesburg, as well as the first two shooting days on set to give technical advice,” comments Sims.
Polished realism
The look of the film is a gritty polished realism that captures the unique textures and light found in Johannesburg during winter. Says Goodall: “We used Kodak Vision stock and I mixed 250 Daylight and 500 Tungsten. The reason being that I love the 250 D latitude and the way it deals with the very blue sky in all the shadow areas.” Since the entire film is shot from inside the vehicle, this presented numerous
Location sound expert Ian Arrow worked on Vehicle 19. “I previously worked with the director and DOP on a feature film last year called Retribution and also on a couple of commercials,” says Arrow. “The decision in terms of which audio equipment to use is made after reading through the script and I also liaise with the director, DOP and production team. It also depends on the amount of cameras used and the style of shooting.” Vehicle 19’s sound set-up consisted of an 8-track compact flash recorder, the TASCAM HS-P82, which Arrow believes is the first one in the country. “This is not my full rig by the way,” he says, “particularly on this feature the setup changed daily. One minute it was bag over the shoulder and at other times two sound rigs at the same time. “The industry has accumulated a lot of experience and I believe we are fully equipped in every way to easily match sound quality found abroad.” November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 23
EQUIPMENT |
Production 3: The Ambassador – in Search of White Gold
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ell known Cape Town based Two Oceans Production (TOP) has been busy shooting a made-for-television film for German Broadcaster ZDF. This is a co-production between South Africa and Germany called The Ambassador – In Search of White Gold, shot in Cape Town and Pietermaritzburg. As it was winter / spring in Cape Town the crew utilised the dry season in Pietermaritzburg to establish a more ‘African’ look and feel. They wanted to show a lot of ‘Big Five’ wild animal action, which can’t be found in Cape Town. “We used 16mm Kodak film stock – 50 ASA, 250 ASA and 500 Tungsten,” says line producer Marco le Roux. “The camera was an Arri 416. The producer decided on the format as he believes it is currently the most cost effective for the required end result. We investigated the possibility of using HD on the Arri Alexa
COST EFFECTIVE FORMAT – Director Sigi Rothemund and actress Gontse Ntshegang but decided against it due to availability and costs. The DOP opted to use the Arri 416 for its relatively small size as we
had many scenes inside cars with limited workspace. “The DOP also wanted a light camera
to do some handheld work. Having a limited budget however does restrict choice; therefore we had to find the best option that would meet the technical requirements. The DOP, Dragan Ragulj, is based in Germany.” Camera support equipment was vital. Le Roux explains: “We used the Magnum Dolly as this gives the DOP more control over his movement as it is mostly controlled by him. A giraffe crane was also utilised for wide shots. Besides that we used a number of speciality set ups like Slide & Glide, Dancefloor, Easyrig and a bell 206 Jetranger helicopter for the money shots. “Cinegate Afrika supplied the camera and lighting gear. The DOP and the gaffer prepared the required gear list. This was negotiated with the rental house and we did the standard developing, telecine and uploading at Waterfront Post. We have worked with them for many years and have built a strong business relationship.”
Goodbye couch potato, hello tablet! For many the world over television viewing has evolved from a single, focused activity into a part-time pastime which sees viewers watching TV shows with one eye, while using their tablet computers with the other.
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ast year Apple sold 15 million units of its iPad tablet and experts predict that the number will grow to 125 million worldwide by 2015. To accommodate the unstoppable invasion of ‘the second screen’, broadcasters, production companies and mobile phone networks are designing content with tablet applications (apps) to enhance the viewer experience. “Multi-screen is all the rage. Eighty percent of Europe’s TV viewers are doing something else on other devices while watching TV. In the US it’s 86% of viewers,” said Alan Lefkor of Motorola Mobility at the IBC2011 conference held 24 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
in Amsterdam recently. “According to North American statistics, 27% of all households have a tablet and 80% have at least one smartphone. There are 40 start-up companies in Silicon Valley all working on connected apps but content is critical. At Motorola people talk about ‘premium content’. This could be a quiz, a contest, a poll or fantasy football. “Tablets and smartphones allow you to engage with content interactively, which can be done while watching the event on TV. I think broadcasters and content producers should create loyalty programmes to reward viewers for
watching their programmes. It’s all about deeper engagement with the consumer and encouraging self-expression,” noted Lefkor. The use of DNLA (Digital Living Network Alliance) wireless protocol allows for the establishment of a meaningful connection between phone and TV. “As TV becomes more interactive the tablet has turned into a remote control. The tablet can also be used to channel surf while you watch a specific channel on your TV in the lounge. We talk about the ecosystem of devices but it’s important to understand how content fits in with the ecosystem,” said Dan Saunders, head of content services at Samsung Electronics, Europe and UK.
Tailor-made The Participation Media division of
Fremantlemedia, UK, actively creates concepts based on the second screen. Peter Cassidy heads up the division, which has a small unit called Screen Pop. “We’re doing a new type of show called Intuition in the Netherlands. It’s a daytime two-screen show. This is a mass participation game and it’s all about gut instinct. Basically it’s trivia for mass audiences but very accessible – you merely type in answers to questions on an HTML site. It’s free to play and people compete for pride only,” explained Cassidy. He noted that Fremantle’s The X Factor France had an entirely separate show for iPhone and iPad apps. For the UK version of The X Factor, Screen Pop developed a ‘social clapometer’ as an iPhone app. As Saunders said, the tablet has become the logical bridge between the smartphone and the TV.
NEWMEDIA | Reports by Andy Stead
In the mobihood SMS remains the largest mobile phone communication platform in Africa. Mobile Internet continues to grow, but there is still not enough local and contextually relevant content available, despite increased market demand.
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perators are slowly coming around to the fact that content drives data usage, however data charges are still exceptionally high and continue to cripple users. The way users consume content has irreversibly changed; as a result they are seeking premium local content that is free and readily available. Head of Brand Strategy at bozza.mobi Catherine Lückhoff is highly active in the mobile market. Bozza is a start-up founded by Emma Kaye who set out to create a mobile distribution platform for local artists and filmmakers. Through the mobile application users can access
THE NEW TURF – Catherine Lückhoff
premium content that is relevant, experiential, interactive and free. “Accessed through a mobile application Bozza is a mobihood – a mobile neighbourhood – where communities can tell their stories from the inside out.
Focused on contextually relevant made-for-mobile content, Bozza is about self-expression and enables friends and communities to see and share through local music, videos, photos, myhood (the m-commerce platform) and more,” she explains. The word ‘bozza’ is slang for boss and is often used to describe someone who owns his / her dream, overcomes obstacles no matter what and is in control of their life. Bozza is a pan-African company with offices in Cape Town. “There is much debate about the app market,” continues Lückhoff. “Despite it being relatively small outside of South Africa, the market is growing. In apps data charges are cheaper and phone book and Facebook Connect integration means users can fulfil the need to be where their friends are. Social integration is key.” Most individuals in Africa engage with digital communication, information and entertainment through their mobile phones. Content drives the uptake of technology; yet despite the global increase and focus on the value of content, there continues to be a lack of locally generated, contextually relevant content for the African market. “The Bozza market likes to explore,”
continues Lückhoff, “as well as participate and be entertained by hyper-localised content whether it is video (such as Bollywood, Nollywood) music, stories or information. As a mobihood Bozza aims to create a platform for African content (visual, audio and text) by an African market. While fulfilling the needs of the consumer, Bozza will simultaneously create a sustainable business environment for emerging filmmakers, artists and local trade who have formerly been restricted by geographic and socio-economic boundaries.” Bozza will include hyper-localised mobile news channels, local video, music and text, relevant third party content (news, gossip, weather, horoscopes and so on) and a market place called myhood, where users and traders (formal and informal) can advertise their goods. “The future of mobile lies in the sustainability and relevance of content and the integration of services and social interaction into multi-service platforms,” claims Lückhoff. “One device will give you access to a myriad of services such as communication, banking, health, education, entertainment, commerce and more, of which m-commerce will underpin the ecosystem.”
Pioneers in the new media space Africa’s first ever satellite pay-TV service, MultiChoice’s DStv, has made significant inroads into the new media space with the launch of a mobile TV service as well as a mobile decoder, Drifta, and the latest addition to the DStv line-up, the video on demand (VOD) service, DStv BoxOffice.
ENTERTAINMENT ON DEMAND: HD PVR Decoder
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he DStv high definition (HD) PVR was the first decoder in Africa capable of outputting HD content to HD television sets. Another innovation of this decoder was the ability to record two programmes simultaneously. Says Jackie Rakitla, MultiChoice GM Corporate Affairs: “The software components which give the PVR its functionality are supplied by Open TV of California for the middleware and TeleIdea of Holland for the user interface. 26 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
Drifta mobile decoder
Our decoders are manufactured by UK-based PACE and Durban-based UEC.” Providing a transactional movie rental service for subscribers via the PVR was the logical next step for MultiChoice, leading to the development of DStv BoxOffice. Launched on 22 July this year, DStv BoxOffice gives subscribers the choice of about 120 of the latest blockbuster movies per annum to rent directly from their PVR decoders. The movies are refreshed
regularly with anywhere from two to four new movies added to the selection on a weekly basis. “Movies are pre-loaded onto subscribers’ PVR decoders and do not affect the storage space that they would normally use for personal scheduled recordings,” says Rakitla. “When a rental code is sent through, the movie is simply ‘unlocked’ and made viewable, which also makes the rental process quick and easy.” The payment for the movies can be made with either a BoxOffice account or via credit card. Subscribers can also pre-pay funds into their BoxOffice accounts via either EFT, credit card, or by making a deposit at any MultiChoice branch. Movies are available in both standard definition on SD PVRs and in HD on HD PVRs. Rakitla notes that the next phase of the BoxOffice roll-out will be an online offering, available to all South African broadband users by the end of this year.
Getting mobile MultiChoice launched the Drifta mobile decoder to complement its DStv Mobile service. “The Drifta is a mobile TV decoder that receives the DVB-H signal and converts it into Wi-Fi signal for Wi-Fi enabled viewing devices,” explains Rakitla. “It was developed and introduced in South Africa. The Drifta enables broadcast of mobile TV on compatible handheld devices such as the iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, select Android devices and Windows PCs, including laptops and notebooks. Users have access to the mobile DStv guide with up to three hours of viewing. The device is manufactured in Korea. This decoder has also been made available in Nigeria, Namibia and Kenya. “On a cellphone, smartphone and tablet, DStv Mobile can be viewed full screen. The screen size on a laptop or PC is 320 x 240 or 640 x 480. It’s important to note that the screen size projected by the Drifta application can never be more than 35% of the screen the device is being viewed on.”
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What does the world find funny?
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By Linda Krige
Locally produced comedy drama attracts the highest ratings and the largest audiences worldwide. This was one of the key market trends revealed in a session called ‘Comedy’s Place in the International TV Market’ at the recent Entertainment Master Class module on comedy and sitcom in Cape Town.
LAUGHING TO THE BANK – Caroline Torrance talking about successful comedy shows
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ccording to Caroline Torrance, director of investment at BBC Worldwide, besides the popularity of local comedy drama, other key trends show that US style production, pace and season length is the most desirable to buyers, and comedies featuring mainstream, dysfunctional families and unusual lives appeal to international audiences. “While sketch and stand-up comedy tends to be confined to local markets, animated comedy has the potential to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries really well,” said Torrance. However, she emphasised that these trends are not set in stone. “For every one of these trends there’s an exception. For example Come Fly With Me is a British comedy sketch format that has sold to the Netherlands.” She believes one of the most appealing factors in the international market is repeatability. In a different session titled ‘What’s new, what’s hot in comedy’, managing director of independent UK consultancy K7 Media, Keri Lewis Brown, agreed that comedy repeats incredibly well. “If you can find a brilliant sitcom you can give up and go home, the money will be rolling in forever,” said Brown, noting that there were two repeats in the top 10 comedy shows in the UK in the week before the module was presented. Torrance added that universal themes and a relatable key central character also add to international appeal. “The holy grail of comedy is physical or silent comedy, for example Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean. There are no language barriers and this resulted in sales to 200 territories. The Mr Bean Facebook page has 2.5 million friends, of which 82% is under the age of 24. This shows how universal it is, and to how broad an audience it appeals.” Although US comedy dominates the market, Torrance noted that other countries are also producing comedy that sells. Germany’s Lady Cracker has sold to five countries; Berlin Berlin sold to 17 countries; and Schiller Street was sold to Fox for adaptation in the US, and also sold to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and 10 other territories. Torrance said when evaluating the appeal of a comedy or sitcom, they ask a number of questions, including if the idea appeals to a broad audience and if it has returning series potential and volume potential (to go to at least 10 episodes). “We also look at brand building potential, for example DVDs, gaming and publishing spin-offs and look at whether the series has a show runner or writers with longevity attached,” explained Torrance. The top selling BBC sitcom titles are My Family, Coupling, The Vicar of Dibley, Gavin & Stacey and Fawlty Towers. However, while some of the sitcoms still making money for the BBC can be considered classics, the BBC is also moving with the times and selling their shows in new ways. “The download-to-own market is becoming incredibly important to us and we are starting to make significant amounts of money from it,” said Torrance. BBC Worldwide is a commercial, wholly owned subsidiary of the BBC and sells programmes, including Top Gear and Doctor Who, around the world on behalf of its rights owners.
www.pro-sales.co.za OFFICE. (0027) 11 462 0000 FACSIMILE (0027) 11 462 0005 EMAIL. INFO@PRO-SALES.CO.ZA ADDRESS. 34 ELGIN ROAD, BRYANSTON, SOUTH AFRICA, 2023
FILM |
Afrikaans musical strikes the right chord
BY Linda Krige
New Afrikaans musical Platteland aims to attract audiences with some of the biggest stars in Afrikaans music.
A MUSICAL DIRECTION – Philo Pieterse and Sean Else on set
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ccording to producer and director Sean Else, he and Johan Vorster had been working on the idea for Platteland for more than a year when he was approached by Philo Pieterse, producer of iconic films such as e’Lollipop (executive producer), Lipstiek Dipstiek and Circles in a Forest / Kringe in ‘n Bos. Pieterse also had the idea of doing an Afrikaans musical. “Johan and I run our own music labels and our artists have had great success in the Afrikaans market. While Johan is responsible for some of the biggest Afrikaans hits from the past couple of years and I have been responsible for their videos, the idea to do a film has been on the cards for a long time. Johan decided to focus more on the music and Philo and I decided to take the risk and produce the film together,” explains Else. Platteland stars Afrikaans singers Steve Hofmeyr, Lianie May, Bok van Blerk, Jay, Vaughan Gardiner and Karlien van Jaarsveld, as well as actors Hannah Grobler, André Odendaal, David Clatworthy, Wynand van Vollenstee, Ivan Zimmermann, Paul Luckhoff and Izak Davel.
Sean Else 28 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
Difficult conditions The film was shot during seven weeks in January and February 2011 in Vrede and Verkykerskop in the Freestate. Says Pieterse: “We had continuous bad weather and rain during the shoot. Being in a rural area there were also few tar roads, which made it a bit strenuous, as well as restrictions on accommodation available in the area.” However, he emphasises that there were many more positives than negatives. “We had a fantastic crew and the artists were beyond excellent. They gave us no headaches under very strenuous and tough conditions, and put their hearts and souls into the acting. It was a privilege and pleasure to work with them.”
Western The film was shot by director of photography (DOP) Brendon Frans Keyser on the Arri D21 in high definition. Equipment was rented from Media Film Service and post-production was done at Refinery. According to Else the narrative theme of the film is based on classic
western themes. “A bad guy owns a small town and intimidates everyone into selling their farms to him. A young woman and her brother are desperate and need help, so they advertise in the Landbou Weekblad and a drifter with a shady past arrives to help them out, taking on the bad guy and his whole gang.” Else explains that he referenced a lot of classic western films before he started writing the screenplay along with Deon Opperman (writer of kykNET series Kruispad, Hartland and Getroud
met Rugby). “This also defined the look and feel of the production design, costumes, storyboard, musical score, musical arrangements and grading. There are many similarities between the Afrikaans culture in the ‘platteland’ (rural areas) and the small town culture of America. Of course, I took a lot of artistic licence in stylising our film to enhance our narrative, style and genre,” says Else. He notes that the songs used in the film were mostly written by Vorster for artists produced under his and Vorster’s music labels, or in collaboration with labels like Coleske and EMI with whom they work very closely. “The songs used in the film were all hits for the artists who sing them and were then woven into the narrative of the film. The music and songs become emotional asides for the characters and are used to underline their emotion and character. It is not a Bollywood approach where characters jump into song and choreography,” notes Else. Devereaux van der Hoven and Juan (Floors) Oosthuizen wrote and arranged the original score.
Philo Pieterse, Lianie May and Steve Hofmeyr
High end risk Pieterse explains that the film was privately financed in conjunction with the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) rebate. Asked whether the film should attract the same audience that bought R13.3m worth of tickets to see Afrikaans musical Liefling in 2010,
Pieterse says: “I would imagine so.” “It is a family film, a love story and a drama set against the backdrop of a farm, and screenings so far have been extremely positively received, so we all have very high hopes for it.” However, Pieterse is well aware that there is never a guarantee for success. “It’s a very difficult market. In my opinion a movie either works, or it doesn’t. Leon Schuster’s films have been the benchmark, and Liefling also broke through, but unless you’re successful you lose a lot. It’s a high end risk.” However, he says not only the Afrikaans industry but the South African industry has achieved a lot in recent years, in part thanks to the dti rebate. “We should continue to produce Afrikaans films, with the right combination of factors they do work. Liefling and Schuster proved it, and I believe Platteland can work too.”
Marketing According to Helen Kuun, CEO of Indigenous Film Distribution, the film is predominantly aimed at an Afrikaans speaking market – men and women aged 13 and upwards. “We are confident that this film will perform very well and it will be released across all exhibitors in South Africa,” says Kuun. Their marketing campaign includes paid sneak previews at all release sites on 12 November to create positive word of mouth for the film. “Furthermore the campaign includes strong publicity on TV, radio, print, outdoor, online (social media) and musical performance activations. The soundtrack will also be available at the time the film releases,” notes Kuun. The film is also involved in a campaign called ‘Vat ‘n Tannie Fliek Toe’ (Take an Auntie to the Movies) which encourages people to donate R20 towards a movie ticket for a senior citizen to see Platteland. AfriForum, an initiative from trade union Solidarity, will donate an additional R30 for every R20 from the public. Kuun explains: “The director has a good relationship with AfriForum and so it was a logical tie-in to do a campaign with them. Because the film speaks to the same ‘audience’ AfriForum also saw the opportunity to get involved in a way to raise awareness of the film. This way, positive word of mouth is created for the film, boosting box office sales, and it creates the opportunity for Afrikaans senior citizens who can seldom afford movie tickets to see the film for free.” According to Pieterse the film will release on 25 November 2011 on 87 prints.
Artistic response to xenophobia By Linda Krige
A new South African film set during the xenophobic violence of 2008 premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival recently.
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an on Ground was one of four South African films selected for the 36th edition of the Canadian festival, along with Oliver Hermanus’ Skoonheid, Darrell James Roodt’s Winnie Mandela biopic Winnie and Avie Luthra’s Lucky. According to T.O.M Pictures’ Akin Omotoso, who wrote and directed the film, it was an honour and a blessing to premiere at Toronto. “This is one of the top five film festivals in the world, so considering where we came from it was truly magical to achieve what was a dream of ours.” He says the film had three sold-out screenings. “There were great question and answer sessions, lots of Twitter and Facebook love and great glowing reviews. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.” The story was inspired by the famous picture showing Mozambican migrant Ernesto Nhamuavhe being burnt to death in Ramaphosa informal settlement, Ekurhuleni, during the May 2008 xenophobic attacks in South Africa, while
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SOLD OUT SCREENINGS – A scene from Man on Ground bystanders stood laughing. “After the xenophobic riots Fabian Adeoye Lojede, Hakeem Kae-Kazim and I decided that we wanted to create an artistic response to the violence. We hadn’t settled on a story so we commissioned research into the source of the violence,” explains Omotoso. They started development of the film in 2008 and spent two years going through research and brainstorming different ideas on how the story should be told. “In 2010 we settled on a story of two estranged brothers, one living in London and the other as a refugee in
Johannesburg.” The film was financed through crowdfunding. “Emails were sent out to friends, friends of friends and corporates asking for donations ranging from R1 000 upwards. The crowdfunders financed the production costs and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) funded the post-production,” explains Omotoso. In June 2011 Man on Ground was shot by cinematographer Paul Michelson in and around Johannesburg on the RED Mysterium. It stars Kae-Kazim, Lojede and Fana Mokoena. Post-production was done at Refinery in Johannesburg and
equipment was rented from Media Film Service. According to Omotoso, there were some challenges. “The producers, Fabian, Hakeem, Rosie Motene and I were always on edge because we were expecting a large donation from a certain company. The donation came but it wasn’t what we expected and it reached a point where we were going to shut down production. “Fortunately another production company called ChrisDon Productions came to our rescue and we were able to continue shooting. That was probably the most intense five days of our lives!” The film is a mystery drama and Omotoso hopes that fans of the genre will respond positively. “At the same time, it is a film about healing in our society. Xenophobia is a scourge so we want the film to not only show in multiplexes, but to screen in communities that have been affected by xenophobia. “We have partnered with City Press and The International Organisation for Migration to assist in this end. We are also approaching other corporate sponsors to join in the initiative. So the distribution is multi layered.” Man on Ground is expected to release in local cinemas during the first quarter of 2012.
November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 29
TELEVISION |
By Linda Krige
At the recent PromaxBDA Africa conference in Johannesburg Steve Thomson and Kurt Bradley from leading boutique creative agency Brandspank in New Zealand, shared the insights they’ve gained from working on major projects such as the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
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urt Bradley, producer at Brandspank started their PromaxBDA Africa session with a warning: “Our core message is – there is no silver bullet to success. And the bad news is – we’re going to be talking a lot about sport, especially rugby.” Creative director Steve Thomson continued: “We feel like a lot of what we do is a fight. We have to fight against small budgets, short deadlines and difficult clients. You’ve got to fight your way through to a good idea, fight for the chance to make your idea, and fight to keep the integrity of your idea.” Bradley and Thomson discussed what they’ve learnt working on major projects for Sky Sports New Zealand, Super Rugby and the IRB Rugby World Cup.
Big job, small budget According to Bradley, in a recent job to create a titles package for Investec Super Rugby they had a great idea, but not a big enough budget to pull it off. “We decided to do it anyway, and that passion and that fight can sometimes make a job. We just decided to work really hard and do a lot of the work ourselves.” Their idea was to have a gloomy landscape with rugby players running out of the mist from the point of view of the opposing team. Each team had their 30 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
Photos by Trevor Ou Tim
NZ gurus tackle rugby promos
BRAND SPANKING NEW ideas – Kurt Bradley and Steve Thomson
muse looming large behind them – an image of a highlander, a hurricane, a crusader or a chief. “Spend your dollars where it counts, and do things yourself,” advised Bradley. “No one will negotiate your budget better than you will. Take a risk and shoot outside, and source the location yourself. You can also do your own casting. A good director of photography (DOP) brings a lot to the table, but on this job we just couldn’t afford it. You can shoot it by yourself and ditch the DOP.”
Rugby World Cup Brandspank was also responsible for the host broadcaster graphics package during the recent IRB Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, including the opening titles, break stings and match graphics. “That fight was trying to come up with something good and befitting,” explained Thomson. “We came up with the idea of something that looks like the aurora australis (southern lights) attracting the 19 teams to New Zealand, with the shapes of rugby players in the lights. However, you then realise it’s not the southern lights, but all the light and excitement and energy coming out of Eden Park (New Zealand’s largest stadium).” After they designed the package it had to be handed over to other companies that
worked with it. “The fight is often to keep the integrity of our designs once we hand them over,” said Thomson. Bradley added: “We fought all the way through to the end, even while it was already airing, to make sure it looked as good as we planned.”
Not that good The last example of a Brandspank project discussed was two All Blacks Skills viral videos created for Sky Sports and The Rugby Channel, one of which was the seventh most watched clip on YouTube at one point. “The client called us on a Saturday, saying that they had access to some All Black players and didn’t know what to do with them. They asked us to give them ideas by Monday,” Bradley told the audience. They came up with a humorous video using tricks and special effects to make the All Blacks appear to have extraordinary rugby skills. “They’re good, but not that good,” joked Bradley, “but keep it to yourself.” Their tactic was to ‘embrace the bad’. “They’re athletes, not actors, and we were brutally aware of this, so we used the ‘made by the All Blacks’, home video approach. Be nice to athletes, don’t make them act,”
he emphasised. They tested the shoot thoroughly before their time with the rugby team. “We performed every trick ourselves, practising them and even surgically inserting magnets into a sausage for a barbecue trick, which I don’t think has ever been done before. These guys (the All Blacks) are demi-gods back home and we only had about four hours with them, so we knew that on the day we had to get it right.” According to Bradley there was also some ‘painstaking’ post-production involved. He added that when the project is finished, there is often also a fight to get it seen. “The trick here is to find online advocates who will spread the word. Bloggers feel kind of special when they’re approached with material like this, and they will chuck it in front of a big audience for you. Within hours of being released the first skills video had been on numerous websites, was covered by all major New Zealand news networks, trended on Twitter and was a topic of discussion on Facebook.” To conclude he urged those attending the conference to create creative work. “We want you to be inspired and go out there and do it yourself,” emphasised Bradley. “A lot of it is just drive and perseverance.”
| BUSINESS
By Karen van Schalkwyk The Cape Film Commission (CFC) recently announced its intention to embark on a major push to grow the province’s film industry.
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FC CEO Denis Lillie says that the industry contributed nearly R5.5bn to the Western Cape’s economy and employs over 12 000 people. “We are confident that we can grow these figures. There are many big international productions that have been shot in the Cape and others either scheduled for production or interested in shooting here. Cape Town Film Studios (CTFS) has really boosted the industry.” Commenting on the recent announcement that a Cape Town version of the Law & Order franchise will be shot in Cape Town Lillie says: “Each episode will contribute R3m to the industry. This is not the only production in the pipeline. There is a Ridley Scott television series, Labyrinth, scheduled for production at CTFS, which is currently shooting The Story of Great Britain.”
He notes that while there is growth in the film, television and documentary sector, budgets for commercials have dropped off. “This market is flattening out.” The CFC is also interested in growing local audiences says Lillie. “We need to make sure that local content is seen by South Africans. The CFC is looking at building a provincial theatre to grow the market. I think local documentaries need to be better marketed.” Cape Town has been accused of being too expensive a location. Lillie responds: “This is sometimes the case and recently two big productions cancelled because of the cost of shooting on Robben Island. This is a pity but generally I think we are still competitive.” Latest developments at the CFC have seen the building up of relationships with other film commissions around the world.
THE CAPE OF GOOD BUSINESS – Denis Lillie
“We have had trade delegations to India and China and these have been extremely positive. Both the Indian and Chinese markets are huge. It is said that in China the number of screens doubles every four years and they have a huge cinema going population. This is an opportunity to sell local films into those markets.” “The other aspects that we looked at
Bo Olofsson Director Product Research BSkyB
Nuno Sanches
TV Products Director ZON Multimédia
Marcello Maggioni Senior Vice President Customer Group Sky Deutschland
with the commissions is how do we strike deals with them and what are the opportunities and restrictions in these territories. There was great interest shown in terms of working with the CFC and developing future solid working relationships.” Some of the achievements of the CFC in 2011 are the following: CFC film membership to the International Academy of Television and Sciences; CFC membership to the Association of Film Commissions International (AFCI); a partnership with the Cape Town Film Studios and local production companies; agreement with the City for CFC to coordinate international marketing for local film festivals; and trade agreements are being concluded with international cities and commissions (ie. New York, Los Angeles, London, Mumbai, Beijing etc). “We are thrilled with the developments and aim to continue to serve the film industry,” concludes Lillie.
David Mercer
VP & Principal Analyst Strategy Analytics
The industry leaders have spoken… Hear what they had to say at IBC At IBC this year NDS hosted a series of panels and live presentations featuring 50 industry leaders. They shared their perspectives on where the industry is going. See the discussions, recorded live, and form your own perspectives at: nds.com/perspectives
Theresa Wise Consultant
TWise Consulting Ltd
Sam Blackman
CEO, Chairman and Co-founder
technologies making content valuable
Elemental
November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 31
BROADCAST |
Camera of choice C
GOING STEADI – The Segway transporter being used with a Steadicam
ape Town-based company Camera Station is proud to announce that it has supplied camera equipment for two famous SABC productions – the sitcom Stokvel and the drama series Montana, produced by Roberta Durrant of Penguin Productions. Says Camera Station’s James Macpherson: “The camera of choice was the Panasonic P2 HPX 500. This camera offers a 2/3 inch CCD and digital processing capability that allows for cine-like picture quality, which gives the client an enormous amount of choice NO SHAKES – when choosing the feel that is James Macpherson required for television productions of this nature. The camera also offers SD and HD. “The P2 workflow has also made recording and editing a pleasure to work with. P2 data files are transferred at higher speeds than optical discs and hard drives so production is quicker. They can be transferred directly so there is no digitising required. All features and functions of the camera are available on the CCU/PCP panels, which enable the camera to
be put into record via the vision controller when iso feeds are required.” Durrant says she chose the Panasonic cameras because they operate tape-free while still able to record on standard definition as per SABC’s broadcast requirements. “Also, with Montana being shot both on location and in studio, these cameras were able to operate with remote vision control for studio and in a single camera set-up for location. Camera Station was able to successfully mount the mulitcam setup in studio.” A variety of cameras are available for rental at Camera Station, including Sony and Panasonic models, as well as a Segway with leg control. A Steadicam used in conjunction with a Segway can eliminate the need for rails, cars and dollys. The off-road Segway variant opens up further possibilities with picture quality remaining sharp and smooth even on bumpy roads and trails. Camera Station’s ancillary rental stock includes various EZFX Jibs and a Secced 6m crane and an underwater housing.
Bookings are now open Date: Thursday 16 February, 2012 Venue: CMR Golf Course, Maraisburg Green Fees: R240.00 per player ex vat (Includes networking cocktail function and prize giving).
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Claire Badenhorst
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ellen.oosthuizen@pixie.co.za claire@mediatech.co.za
32 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
| BROADCAST Connected TV is the big news of 2011 in Europe, with manufacturers and broadcasters vying to offer connected TV and over the top (OTT) services.
A
surfeit of content begs the following questions – do consumers want to browse every piece of content available on the Internet, or would they prefer content to be suggested to them? Does connected TV help distribute the content or is it too complicated to navigate? Will connected TV democratise content? These were some of the issues discussed by a panel of top executives at a conference session at the recent IBC2011 in Amsterdam. “Some people believe that connected TV will result in an over proliferation of content,” said Jason Wong of TiVo. “On the positive side, the explosion of content will be guided by a revolution in technology that will help users search, discover and enjoy the content that is most relevant to them.” Wong pointed out that TiVo has been
The continuing democratisation of content involved in connected TV and OTT since 1999. “Viewers need to have a merger between linear content and OTT content in a seamless user interface. TiVo aims to provide simple, fast search tools for the consumer. This requires the integration of unobtrusive and clever discovery tools, such as recommendations to watch programmes. TiVo has a discovery bar on its website which shows the types of shows you like based on the shows you’ve recorded to date.” The democratisation of video has been around for many years, according to Bismarck Lepe of Ooyala. “Online has democratised content further – it distributes targeted content out to millions of consumers and literally anyone can create a website. The problem with video is that it is difficult to produce high quality content cheaply. User generated content (UGC) is great for the individual
but it doesn’t generate revenue – you won’t find families sitting in the lounge wanting to watch UGC. “I think production costs will come down and we’ll see more and more online video that targets small groups of people with a viable revenue model. Eight out of 10 of the most popular YouTube videos are professionally produced music videos or clips from films or TV shows,” commented Lepe.
Multiple connections The Convergent Formats division of the UK’s Channel 4 has noticed that its viewers are getting connected on several platforms. Said commissioning editor Anna Cronin: “New media convergence is now at the core of Channel 4’s business and no longer a separate division. We’ve created a
new convergence fund for 2012 – worth £2m – to experiment with ideas, apps and dual screen experiences. “Convergence allows us to deepen our relationship with the viewer. As the content space becomes more crowded people look to broadcasters to curate content for them. It’s a new breed of TV with new types of stories. However, don’t forget the psychology of the sofa – people who sit back and expect to be entertained.” Cronin emphasised that content, story and creative is king. “It’s about engaging with people’s emotions. People watching TV want to experience content in a different way to the way they experience it on mobile and the Internet. It’s important to remember that TV is about entertainment and not technology.” – Joanna Sterkowicz
November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 33
FILM |
Dancing with wolves By Karen van Schalkwyk
Leon van Nierop’s Wolwedans in die Skemer is an epic journey of adaptation from a hugely successful radio play in 1979 to a book in 1983, a TV series in 1985 and now a film that will be adapted into a book again after the film is complete.
T
he Wolwedans in die Skemer (Wolves Dance in the Twighlight) journey began when Springbok Radio called up Leon van Nierop decades ago and asked him to write a radio show. Says Van Nierop: “They gave me free rein and I decided that a horror / noir had not been done on South African radio before. Essentially Wolwedans in die Skemer is a ‘whodunnit’ and is about the sins of the father that are visited on the children. The story takes place in a hotel and the protagonist, Jan, marries the owner of the hotel. “However, Jan marries her for the wrong reasons. They have two daughters and it is an extremely unhappy household. The background story is about a receptionist who comes to the hotel to apply for the position but sees a wolf in the road and has an accident on the way. She loses her memory but slowly starts to remember that she came to the hotel for a reason and the mystery unravels.” According to Van Nierop, everyone who read the screenplay did so in one sitting. “When I gave it to Danie Bester and Henk Pretorius of The Film Factory, they immediately came on board. I remember Danie saying it was the darkest thing he had ever read.” The film is directed by Jozua Malherbe who was assistant director on the acclaimed Roepman. Van Nierop believes
34 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
Terror junkies
FROM SPRINGBOK TO WOLF – Leon van Nierop
he will do a fantastic job. “We all sat for many hours going over the script and making changes. I also recall being asked if Wolwedans had been influenced by the cult horror classic, The Shining, but I wrote it before that film came out. One of my influences was Daphne Du Maurier’s novel Rebecca – a horror story that takes place in a house.”
Van Nierop’s aim was to create a place of terror. “People love to be terrified in films and radio plays. We had a staggering listenership with the radio play, starting with 150 000 listeners and going up to one million very quickly. Kids would run home from school to listen to the next episode. “There would be three plot points in each episode to maintain the pace and the mystery. All in all I wrote 700 episodes and that was all done on my old typewriter which will be featured in the film, a kind of homage to the story and journey. The film is the adaptation of the first episodes from 1979 to 1981.” He believes that the success of Wolwedans can be ascribed to the strong story and well defined characters. “When I wrote the radio show I went to the lowveld to record all the sounds, thunderstorms, crickets, people walking in the forest and so on and this gave the show a really authentic atmosphere. The radio series also combined horror, comedy and murder and people just loved that.”
Adaptation The film script was written over a period of one month in December 2010. “It came about in the strangest way,” notes Van Nierop. “I was staying at a luxury hotel
and decided to take a night stroll. I saw a sign saying: ‘Private do not enter’. As soon as I see something like that I just have to do the opposite. I entered the garden and in front of me was a wolf, with those shining eyes. It was tame and as the owners called it, it walked away. But that was a sign for me to write the screenplay.” One of Van Nierop’s biggest challenges was to make sure that all the secrets in the story were kept intact until the big reveal at the end. “The radio play was written in 1979 when technology like mobile phones, Google and Facebook did not exist. These days if someone needs to find out something they use technology,” he comments. Casa do Sol in Mpumalanga is the main location for the six-week shoot. The film will be completed by the end of the year, for release in 2012. Wolwedans the book will be released next year and Van Nierop says he will start to write the book soon. “It has been a long but rewarding journey from adaptation to adaptation. The thing about adapting a work for a different medium is that it is a reinvention and that is what makes it so worthwhile. I have found it difficult to release my identification with the radio show characters and see the new actors in the film. However, the cast is fantastic,” concludes Van Nierop.
| TELEVISION
It’s a small world as working on the continent is now a fairly common occurrence as more and more companies expand into Africa.
M
TV Base, a pan African channel that reaches more than 95 million homes daily, is a good example of
expansion. “Part of the channel’s content is drawn from MTV International,” says MTV Networks Africa marketing manager Bianca Miles. “However, we also produce content specifically for MTVNA and refer to it as Africa Re-imagined. This content must translate to many ethnic groups, languages and cultures and is packaged in a manner that unites the
continent as well as the rest of the world through African experiences, music and lifestyles. “I believe that this is something that any content creator needs to embrace – to think beyond one’s borders and social assumptions. In the broadcast environment content needs longevity so the challenge is to make fresh and appealing programming that meets international standards of excellence and does not date.” Miles’ main job functions include marketing, events, consumer and trade marketing. “On a daily basis I need to stay abreast of what’s going out to and coming in from our millions of viewers in the digital space. Working across Africa is exciting and challenging. The evolving landscape is changing South African presumptions about Africa and how we deal with clients on the continent and
how we service their local industries. In my experience the principles of business in Africa are based, to an extent, on a system of honour and of course cash is king.” Asked about the challenges of operating in Africa, Miles responds: “I think the main challenge is to understand the landscape in relation to content and how it translates to that market. Research shows that the appreciation of content in certain African markets is not as we understand it in South Africa where there is a definite palate for international stories that we can connect with as consumers. Nigerians, for example, strongly support narratives from their countrymen. You also have to take note of religious sects which means content creators need to know their audiences before they create and deliver.” Miles believes that Africa has great
potential. “The opportunities to penetrate the various markets and leave a significant impression are certainly there and it’s really up to the creatives in the film and television industry to make this cognitive switch and create accordingly. “Films like Viva Riva!, which recently took the first ever MTV Movie Award for Best African Film, is a case in point. As much as the film remains true to its Congolese aesthetic, it is very accessible and can translate beyond borders.” Miles is South African and was formerly with Ster-Kinekor Distribution. She applied for the MTVNA post when she heard about the job from a friend. “After four interviews and numerous presentations, I got the job. The highlights are endless, from working on new sponsored projects to meeting an abundance of creative minds,” she says. – Karen van Schalkwyk
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November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 35
BROADCAST |
Report by Joanna Sterkowicz
The value of airtime For a television channel, running promotional resources should be like running a business.
EFFECTIVE TIMING – Alan James and Jo Wilkinson
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he most talented creatives can make the most wonderful promo advertising a TV programme, series or channel but if it’s not scheduled properly then all that time, money and effort has been wasted. This was the message from UK experts Alan James and Jo Wilkinson of James&Wilkinson Media (JWM) during a session at the recent PromaxBDA Africa Conference held in Johannesburg. “Airtime is incredibly valuable because it’s the broadcaster’s biggest marketing tool and helps to brand the channel. This will become even more relevant once digital terrestrial television is launched in South Africa. “You want to get your promotional messages out as broadly as possible but promotion has become more complex in today’s multi-channel, multimedia environment,” said James. He stressed that broadcasters must have an objective with regards to their promotional activities. “An objective is a desired result that is envisioned, planned and has a commitment to achieve. Next is strategy – a plan of action designed to achieve a specific goal, followed by tactics (how to implement the strategy). “We’ve found that while broadcasters have objectives, they’re usually buried at senior management level. The majority objective for any broadcaster is the need to maximise audiences and add value to the brand. UK pay-TV operator Sky has a clear objective that differentiates it from competitor Virgin. Sky’s single-minded focus is to be ‘Best of Pay’ and its 36 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
consumer proposition is ‘Believe in Better’. It is the only UK broadcaster to have launched a 3D channel.”
Pillars Wilkinson talked about pillars on which to shape your promotional activity. “Each broadcaster should dictate what pillars are relevant to themselves but here are three examples: firstly, heartland (your loyal audience) versus next generation audiences. Secondly, reputation versus viewing – ask yourself whether you are trying to change people’s perceptions. “Thirdly, content versus other services – what percentage of promotion should be on channels and what should be on other services? What kind of content improves the brand perception? What content delivers higher viewing? Once you answer these questions you can draw up a formal plan. Allocate the percentage of promotion against each category and plot which audiences are commercially valuable and those that are less commercially valuable.” It is vitally important to know your resource and your channel. This involves the number of ARs; the number of promotional minutes; the number of breaks; the channel’s reach and how many campaign trails your network portfolio can support efficiently and effectively by week, month and year.
Money in the wallet Knowing all of the above is like knowing how much money you have in your wallet,
according to James. He continued: “It’s important to make every cent count. There is a big kit of parts at play on channels, such as campaign shape, which impacts how your message is communicated. You don’t want promos to reach their peak too soon otherwise viewers will have forgotten about the programme by the time it’s broadcast.” Wilkinson noted that the theory of frequency (how many times a promo is repeated) has been around for a long time. “A newer trend is recency, which focuses the campaign close to transmission. If you need to reach as many viewers as possible then frequency is the way to go. Recency can be used to promote different episodes in a series, whereas if you have a complex message you need frequency. For new content and series launches frequency is essential. Huge campaigns need both frequency and recency. “Ninety-five percent of all campaigns on TV use the burst strategy – a burst of airtime that builds up over time. Then there is the drip strategy for when you want a build up a few ARs over a couple of weeks. This is good for branding messages as they’re timeless. You can also use drip strategy to promote the news. “The pulse strategy utilises different snippets of a narrative series to build up interest over a long period of time, like for the finale of the episodic series Lost. In a back-weighted campaign – the newest strategy – social media is used to promote the content. This strategy is for more niche content.” There is also the issue of how many episodes within a series should be supported by promos.
The art of cross-promotion James described cross-promotion as the lifeblood of any channel portfolio. “People consume content differently these days, based on age and several other factors. Audiences no longer consume a single media outlet so use the power of your portfolio to reach as many consumers as possible. “However, this doesn’t mean you should always cross-promote. Do it only when it’s relevant to the audience and editorially relevant (when you have similar programmes on other channels or platforms). And, cross-promotion must always be timely.”
Junctions Wilkinson spoke about ‘break flow’ over junctions (the space between the end of one programme and the beginning of the next, or commercial breaks within a programme). “The three main roles of a junction are: navigate, deliver choice and information to the viewer and provide channel recognition. Junction structures include squeeze-backs and announcements or announcements only. “Research has shown that there are three types of viewers: the appointment viewer who tends to be older and programme-oriented; the considered surfer who has a core of favourite channels; and the super surfer who is a TV tart and not loyal to any channel.” James and Wilkinson described on-air continuity as an important tool for junctions. “An announcement is personal and acts like a recommendation. It can really aid viewer navigation, recognition and branding of a channel.”
| BUSINESS
Defining Success “You have it all in you to be all that you want to be.”
Mariam Sha has worked with international best practice standards and has assessed and advised over 100 organisations. Her clients range from large organisations to developing small organisations across all sectors.
“Emotional Intelligence” “Emotional Intelligence refers to the capacity for recognising our own feelings, and those of others, for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions in ourselves and our relationships”. “EQ , or Emotional Quotient, is how one measures Emotional Intelligence.” – Daniel Goleman (1998) Managing emotion has captured the attention of management theorists, psychologists and even neuroscientists. For decades the focus was on intelligence quotient (IQ ) when recruiting in the workplace. Studies show that a high IQ is no longer considered as important in
determining an individual’s contribution to the workplace, EQ is considered far more significant. The relationships we build and manage effectively impact on personal and business success. Being emotionally intelligent means better management of relationships, communication, conflict resolution, confident leadership and bringing out the best in people. Think of the people around you that you consider effective leaders. The characteristics used to describe them often are: • They listen to others; • They have empathy; • They are confident in
their abilities; They remain calm under pressure; and • They don’t let their emotions get the better of them. These people are said to have high emotional intelligence. •
EQ focus areas: Self awareness – knowing yourself well, acknowledging your strengths and areas for improvement. Knowing how you feel at all times and how your emotions impact on those around you. Self management – managing your emotions and being accountable for your actions. Self regulation means that you don’t make impulsive decisions based on your emotions. Understanding other people’s emotions – the ability to have empathy, to be able to relate to others. Social intelligence – managing relations, managing others’ emotions and being flexible enough to meet individual requirements. Here are some ways to improve your emotional intelligence: Become aware of your reactions to situations and people. Journaling is effective in documenting your behaviour and noticing your patterns
of behaviour. Be honest with yourself and don’t blame others. Take responsibility for your actions – if you have hurt someone apologise and take corrective action. Know your triggers and what causes you to get angry so that you can better manage them. What makes you happy and feel good? Make use of this when you are feeling down or negative. Before you act, examine how your actions will impact others. Have empathy, put yourself in their place. How will they feel if you do this? Would you want that experience? How are your actions and behaviour serving you, what reaction and consequences do they have? Ask people for feedback – gathering feedback from people is a sign of confidence. We are not fully aware of how others perceive our behaviour, we may think we handle situation well, while others may not. It was Albert Einstein who said insanity is when you do what you did yesterday and expect different results today… Email me at: Mariam@awakeningexcellence.co.za for coaching and business support. “Live your best life now.”
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November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 37
AFRICA |
Reports by Martin Chemhere
Sky’s the limit for Ghanaian cinema Silverbird Entertainment Ghana Limited (SBEGL), a one-stop entertainment centre, won the CIMG (Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana) Emerging Brand of 2010 Award, presented on 3 September this year.
cities of Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale to possibly establish similar one-stop entertainment centres. Boateng credits the late Joseph Owusu-Akyaw for sticking to his dreams and building the Accra Mall. “Through Joseph’s vision we were able to realise our dreams. Because of him we have developers from several countries looking at establishing malls in Ghana.”
Big changes
tough, patient and resolute – Edward Boateng
T
he SBEGL group was awarded for championing the local entertainment scene and revamping the cinema culture and industry from its decade long slumber. Silverbird is also steadily establishing itself as a household name, thanks to the vision of Group founder Ben MurrayBruce and Edward Boateng of Global Media Alliance (Silverbird’s parent company). “The award is a remarkable achievement considering that Silverbird only opened its doors for business in Ghana in December 2008,” says Boateng. He and Murray-Bruce first met when Boateng was working for CNN and the latter was running Silverbird as an event company. They met up again in Lagos 10 years ago and wanted to make a difference in the media and entertainment industry in Africa and their respective countries (Ghana and Nigeria). 38 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
Boateng, who achieved unparalleled corporate success at Turner Broadcasting System where he headed the Africa division, started Global Media Alliance in South Africa. He and Murray-Bruce teamed up with South Africa’s Johnnic Communications to establish cinemas and lifestyle stores across Africa, but Johnnic pulled out after three years. “Doing business in Africa is not for the faint-hearted. You must be tough, patient and resolute and have long term focus,” says Boateng.
Mega cinema chain Today Silverbird is the largest cinema chain in sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) with operations in seven states in Nigeria, Accra and Nairobi. There are plans to expand to Senegal, Ivory Coast and South Africa. SEGL is in talks with potential commercial developers in the Ghanaian
Leading Ghanaian film director Shirley Frimpong-Manso commends Global Media Alliance and Silverbird for transforming Ghana’s movie scene. “Prior to Silverbird, there was no great outlet for movies. Perfect Picture was the first Ghanaian movie to screen at the plush Silverbird Cinema. This opened the way for other local movie producers and directors. We hope that Silverbird opens more cinemas around the country to further boost the industry.” Ben Tei, a cinema manager for Silverbird, adds: “Silverbird is poised to revive the cinema industry in the country and we are walking the talk. The secret to our success is commitment.”
Industry challenges Boateng laments the lack of attention and financial support for the creative industry in the country and in Africa as a whole. “Our governments do not regard investment in the arts as meaningful because they do not see it as a revenue generating source. Yet the film and music industry is estimated to have generated over $1bn in Nigeria in 2010 and is set to generate close to $2bn in 2011. Ghana’s film, music and creative industries have the potential to generate more than $500m in revenue by 2016 if harnessed correctly,” he states. While acknowledging that the production quality of most of Ghanaian movies is poor, Boateng notes that producers lack the necessary resources and have only limited access to finance. “Financial institutions in the country are
hopeless when it comes to financing the arts. They have very limited in-house capacity to evaluate film proposals and therefore shy away from them. “However, Ghana could learn from the Nigerian film industry (Nollywood) and prosper. We have the talent but it needs to be nurtured and government has to set the right creative strategies. This would result in more revenue for the country – the film industry could even surpass Ghana’s earnings from natural resources such as cocoa over time. The problem is that no-one in our previous governments, except for Dr Kwame Nkrumah, has ever cared about the arts.”
African voices SEGL offers an all-round entertainment centre comprising cinemas, lifestyle stores (which stock books, CDs and DVDs) and a game arcades located at Accra Mall. With modern facilities like Dolby digital surround sound and excellent seating capacities in five cinema halls, patrons enjoy the latest movies plus concessions and personalised services. Since the introduction of the lifestyle store there has been a rise in the number of Ghanaian publications. Boateng is delighted with this trend: “We need to chronicle and write our own stories. He who writes today shapes the history of tomorrow. For far too long, Africans have allowed others to tell their stories for them. “I read history up to second year university level and it was only when I arrived in the US to do my masters degree that I realised the falsity of information in our history books. Unfortunately, many people do not get the chance to rid themselves of false knowledge; therefore they lack confidence and trust in their abilities. “For this reason I want to see more Ghanaian publications in the Silverbird Lifestyle Store. Again it is the duty of government to provide incentives for people to record their stories and experiences,” concludes Boateng.
| AFRICA
Nollywood film shot in Gambia
T
he Mirror Boy is the coming of age story of a London-born African boy who visits Africa for the first time only to get lost on his second day there. He makes contact with a spirit who guides him through rites of passage to self-discovery. “If we condense that in a simple message, it’s that sometimes you need to get lost in order to discover yourself,” elaborates Nigerian writer / director Obi Emelonye. The film is co-produced by Patrick Campbell with Akin Salami (OH TV, London) as executive producer. Lead actors include Nigerian Genevieve Nnaji, who has been described as ‘the Julia Roberts of Africa’. She won Breakthrough Artist at the Monaco Film Festival 2011 for her role in this film. In addition she has Best Actress nominations in Screen Nation’s Film and TV Awards and the Zulu African Film Academy Awards (ZAFAA). The film also stars fellow Nigerian Osita Iheme and Ugandan Edward Kagutuzi, who won the Best Young Actor Award at AMAA 2011. Gambia’s leading actress Fatima Jabbe also stars. Emelonye explains the shoot duration: “Sometimes people think that the length of a film’s shoot is directly proportional to its quality. That was not the case with
A new Nollywood film shot in Gambia uses the family adventure genre to explore the universal concept of identity crisis, juxtaposed with the growing Afro-phobia among African children born in the diaspora.
The Mirror Boy. We shot for two weeks in Gambia and for another week in London. Some people would say this is a very short time to achieve quality but therein lies the magic of Nollywood.” The film ran for five weeks in UK theatres in June and for several weeks in both Ghana and Nigeria. It will be released on DVD in time for the Christmas season.
Winning streak The Mirror Boy received Best Picture and Best Pan African Actor gongs at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards 2011, as well as 12 nominations at ZAFAA 2011. In addition Edward Kagutuzi scooped Best Young Actor Award at AMAA 2011, where the film picked up Best Film and Best Supporting Actor nominations. Emelonye says the film’s success is due to a number of factors. “It’s a perfect example of every aspect of production coming together in perfect harmony. A great story with soul is given a fantastic treatment in a compelling script, which is interpreted by an award winning creative and technical team with a stellar cast of actors, known and unknown. The production team has a combined experience of over 80 years.” With regards to the challenges faced
COMING OF AGE – Osita: The Mirror Boy title character during the shoot the director says that the project was blessed from the very beginning. “How many Nollywood films enjoy the personal support of a country’s President during shooting? The film has been profiled twice by CNN and has become the perfect example of the new found confidence of African filmmakers to project a bold cinematic identity. “Nothing went wrong on this film and not many projects can boast that. Now that’s what I call blessed,” he recalls.
Emelonye may be based in the UK but he says that as an African he understands the power failures, mosquitoes and the snail’s pace of government machinery on the continent. “So we worked around it and adjusted our schedule accordingly.” The Mirror Boy is Emelonye’s tenth feature. His directing credits include Lucky Joe, The Asylum and Quiet Storm.
Cameroon film is beacon of light
10th FILM – Zigoto Tchaya Tchameni
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ising Cameroon director Zigoto Tchaya Tchameni has just completed his latest production, which is destined for the international film festival circuit. The Quick and the Dead is Zigoto Tchaya Tchameni’s (aka ‘Zigi’) 10th film
in nine years. He is rated among the brightest and hardest working filmmakers in Cameroon. “We hope to release the film in 2012. Although our main target is the global festival circuit, the film will also screen in local cinema halls,” says Tchameni, whose other films include Gymnastics, The Match and Taboo. The Quick and the Dead stars David Noundji in his debut film appearance. He plays Mr Jicker, a high school principal. Ninety minutes long and filmed in French, English and indigenous Cameroonian languages, the film underscores a new form of juvenile delinquency in a fiction / horror / musical comedy format. It also alerts parents and school administrators to watch out for the risks that surround freedom of experimentation in an era of rapid information exchange and communication technology. Set in a haunted imaginary high school in Cameroon, the film focuses on what children get up to when their parents and teachers are not around. The film centres
on two gangs at the school – Bande des Nuls and BCBG – that explore ways to find out why they have been denied a visit to the school’s underground, which was burnt down 40 years ago. The big reveal happens via a misconstrued love affair between a student and the principal. A co-production between Tchameni’s own company, Zoomers Pictures, and Rue 1113 (founded by Maria Raffaella Anselmi), The Quick and the Dead was shot in 14 weeks in Yaounde, Cameroon. Eighty percent of the shoot occurs in a French high school, Lycee Fustel Des Coulanges. The film script was adapted by Tchameni, Buminang Elvis Ngwansi and Mbarga Joseph Pascal from a stage play titled Rendez Vous Avec Les Morts written by Elena Matilda Serna.
Singular style It was shot on a Canon XL 1, utilising a Steadicam and an eight-metre high crane. The film was edited on Final Cut Pro with Adobe After Effects.
Tchameni is blown away by the film’s cinematography. “It’s outstanding – the tone and texture of the images were carefully composed to suggest heat and fear. Great attention was paid to frame composition as we wanted to deviate from the classic film norms.” He adds that this is demonstrated through the use of extreme close-up shots and very wide shots. “The style of the film establishes an anti-conformist approach that reflects not only the students’ misbehaviour but also the director’s life. I believe this extreme technique makes the film very pacey.” Budgeted at $84 000, The Quick and the Dead was produced by Tchameni and Maria Raffaella Anselmi, who also financed the film. They are looking for sponsors to pick up the post-production expenses. There is no local distributor in place yet and the director attributes this to the slow development of the Cameroonian film industry. The producers hope to get support from overseas distribution companies. November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 39
FILM |
A finely honed 3D production pipeline As Hollywood moves more and more towards increasingly sophisticated, visually immersive stereo 3D productions, studios are partnering with smaller, specialised stereo 3D production artists around the world, who have invested in the tools and techniques to create custom stereo production pipelines built on the industry’s most leading edge technologies.
C
ape Town-based Triggerfish Animation Studios has developed an innovative stereo pipeline built on IRIDAS SpeedGrade NX. The Triggerfish team recently partnered with San Francisco-based Wonderful Works on the production of the newest, soon to be released animated 3D film, Zambezia 3D. Says Triggerfish executive producer Stuart Forrest: “The fact that Triggerfish is the only studio in South Africa that focuses exclusively on feature-length animated films means that we’re one of few studios on the continent that has the energy and capacity to pull off a big production like this. “Zambezia’s central theme was penned by South African writers, so it made sense for the film to be produced by a studio which has always been passionate about telling universally appealing African stories. Wonderful Works saw the potential of an independent studio presenting original stories from South Africa alongside big Hollywood studios, which meant that we had to make sure that the movie’s local flavour and humour would also appeal to American audiences. One of the challenging requirements has been to keep an open mind in the creative transatlantic exchange between America and South Africa. “We had always planned our online edit to be handled off premises at our partner company the HD Hub. Once Zambezia received the green light to become a fully stereoscopic film, we immediately began R&D pipelines that 40 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
INTERNATIONAL QUALITY, UNIVERSAL FLAVOUR – Scenes from Zambezia
would allow us all the control the 2D Edit and what we now call the 3D Edit. Early on in production we attempted to incorporate all the stereoscopic effects such as depth blending and floating windows into the Final Cut Edit. The 2D edit would effectively remain untouched other than implementing stereoscopic monitoring and effects. Things became a little more complicated when we discussed these stereoscopic effects with the HD Hub and how we would transfer all this information across to them. We could brute force it and manually recreate all the effects during the online, but that did not last long. XML files could transfer all the information needed, but getting time to test on the Baselight system was impossible. Ultimately we needed an all-in-one online DI solution that allowed our stereo department to apply all the stereoscopic effects too.”
The workflow Forrest notes that the animation workflow is very much shot oriented – right down to the folder structure on the server. Each shot exists as an entirely separate entity from any other shot. Animators produced captures of their work during production that was pulled into the edit each day. These files were
stored with the animation files and originally the final rendered passes and fully composited shot would also live within their own folders. “The workflow developed organically to the system we have now where animation captures are converted to Prores/DNxHD and stored independently of the working animation files on a system dedicated to the edit suites. Final rendered DPX files became the next challenge – the director wanted to see them in the edit as soon as possible, so a few simple tools were scripted for DPX to Prores/DNxHD conversions. “With the addition of the IRIDAS SpeedGrade system for handling the online DI and 3D edit, we simply made a few minor changes to allow for SpeedGrade to access the stereo DPX files quickly and easily after receiving an EDL from the edit. “IRIDAS has become a key component of our edit and finishing solution. When the 2D edit has been locked on each reel of the film, the editor exports an EDL for SpeedGrade, which then directly accesses the final rendered frames of the film. “Once conformed within SpeedGrade, the stereography department steps in. Their role includes confirming that all final frames are 100% accurate between eyes as any slight disparity can cause
visual artifacts and discomfort when viewing 3D films. They then apply any depth blending effects required and the application of floating windows is the final pass. SpeedGrade NX is the last step before going to DCI conversion either for cinema tests or final exports of the film. Effectively SpeedGrade was the solution to all our stereoscopic editing and DI needs. It has also given us the potential to do some primary grade work on the film before sending it out for the final grade.” According to Forrest, SpeedGrade filled all Triggerfish’s current pipeline requirements with regards to a stereoscopic DI solution. “Its near-perfect importing of EDLs which then link directly to the DPX sequences has made it so simple going from the offline edit to SpeedGrade. The flexibility and openness of SpeedGrade’s storage format (XML) has allowed us to write add on tools for some smaller in house requirements. The customisation via the .fcps files has also made SpeedGrade fit perfectly into our pipeline. “Once we got our heads around the methodologies and innovations of IRIDAS and SpeedGrade, it became an indispensable tool in our arsenal and an extremely powerful stereoscopic workflow enhancement that has become second nature to our team.”
| Continued from page 1 Removal of dti cap set to boost SA jobs in the industry and money will be generated by production spend in South Africa. We see it as a tremendous boost for the local industry.” According to Siefert the dti works very closely with organisations such as the Independent Producers Organisation and various film commissions. “We’ve received very positive feedback from all of them. We’ve also heard from the industry that there are one or two foreign productions looking to film in South Africa, so there seems to be interest, but we haven’t received any new applications for funding yet.” According to Rudi van As, general manager and financial director at Film Afrika (In My Country, The No1 Ladies Detective Agency), they are delighted that the dti removed the cap as it will open the way for more television series and larger budget films to come to South Africa. “The uncapped SA cash rebate, combined with the highly skilled South African crew base, established infrastructure and fantastic locations, ensure that South Africa can compete as a filming destination in a highly
competitive international environment.” “The principal benefits are sustainable employment, skills transfer, continued investment in infrastructure and the further growth and development of the local film and television industry.” Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat, producer at Light & Dark Films (Confessions of a Gambler, Skeem) comments: “What we know in the industry is that the dti incentive really does work on many levels. It is easily accessible and more importantly it returns positive cash flow to the fiscus, and so it is proving to be very valuable to the film industry and the people of South Africa in general. “The primary benefit of removing the cap is that it incentivises bigger foreign productions to come to South Africa, and possibly more importantly, it incentivises them to spend more in the country. This is good for tax collection and good for tourism. It may prove to be good for suppliers to the film industry and crew too. “On the local front, I support the move as it allows us to think bigger with our more ambitious projects, and it does
simplify our finance plans on projects where we need international partners.” Ross Garland, producer of Spud and U-Carmen eKhayelitsha notes that given the relatively small local film budgets across the board, the removal of the cap is unlikely to have any impact on those producers focused on making local content. “I imagine the current growth in home grown content will continue on its positive trajectory regardless, fuelled as it was originally by the dti’s reduction in the threshold to R2.5 million. That said, this move might encourage some of the local content players to take on more ambitious projects in conjunction with international partners, as no doubt the cap elimination will be a significant boost for large inbound productions.” Says Marlow De Mardt of DO Productions (Themba – A Boy called Hope, Lost City Raiders, The Ring of the Nibelungs): “I think it’s great news and shows how the dti has its finger on the pulse of trying to improve conditions for local filmmakers and making South Africa more attractive to foreign
filmmakers. The removal of the cap is very welcome for the industry and it’s another very positive move from the dti. We’ve all been very appreciative of what the dti has done over the years for the industry through its incentives.” Cape Film Commission CEO Denis Lillie calls the move a ‘significant step in the right direction’. He believes it has the potential to make South Africa a more attractive destination for larger foreign productions, especially from the US. “While we currently also have an advantage because of the weakening rand, we would still prefer to see the rebate for foreign productions increased from 15% to 20 or 25%,” says Lillie. “I think it’s going to be three or four months before we see the benefits or impact of the change. However, the potential to attract bigger productions highlights the need for us to have our film permit systems and locations sorted out. We are working with provincial government to start releasing more appropriate locations.” – Linda Krige
www.screenafrica.com SA, New Zealand sign co-production agreement The South African and New Zealand governments have signed a coproduction agreement which will benefit the creative industries in both countries. The agreement, which came to effect on 20 October 2011, follows the success of 2009 blockbuster District 9, produced by New Zealand’s Peter Jackson and directed by South Africa’s Neill Blomkamp.
SAFTAS judging commences A record 233 title entries were received for the 2012 South African Film & Television Awards (SAFTAS), which will be awarded in March 2012 at a venue still to be disclosed. Indicating a sure sign of growth in the sector, the Feature Film category attracted a record 23 entries. The category with the most entries is Factual, which received 39 entries.
First Grader triumphs at Kenya film fest The First Grader scooped the main prizes at the Kenyan International Film
Festival, winning the Best Actor (Oliver Litondo), Best Actress (Naomie Harris) and Best Film awards. This was announced at the closing ceremony of the Festival in Nairobi on 30 October.
New fund for African documentary makers
One million Canadian dollars have been set aside for African documentary filmmakers in the Hot Docs Blue Ice Film Documentary Fund, to be distributed over the next five years. The fund caters for development and production funds with development grants of $3,000 – $8,000 and production grants ranging between $5,000 and $40,000. It will be awarded to between four and 10 projects annually. Entries close on 14 December
Content’s role in DTT value chain The role that content will play in South Africa’s broadcasting landscape once the country migrates to digital terrestrial television (DTT) has not been clearly defined, according to Marc Schwinges of the South African Screen Federation (SASFED).
Loeries CEO steps down After seven years at the helm of the Loerie Awards, South Africa’s premier brand communication awards, Andrew Human will end his tenure as Loeries CEO at the end of February 2012. Human is to stay on as an advisor and as a member of the Loeries committee.
Africa First Programme winners
SmartTV sales to outstrip 3DTV sets
The 2011 winners of Focus Features’ Africa First Program for Short Films are Oshosheni Hiveluah (Namibia); Cedric Ido (Burkina Faso); Mark Middlewick (South Africa); Akosua Adoma Owusu (Ghana); and Zelalem Woldemariam (from Ethiopia). They will each receive $10,000 in financing for their short film projects.
World Screen reports that Taiwanbased research company Topology Research Institute expects shipments of smartTV sets to double next year to 52.85 million units. By comparison only 48.2 million sales of 3DTV sets are predicted.
Qualified audits for SABC and ICASA Business Day reports that public broadcaster SABC and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) have received qualified audits by the Auditor- General for the 2010-11 financial year. Both presented their annual reports to parliament on 3 October and were criticised by the Auditor-General for lack of compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
SOS petition on public broadcasting The SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coalition has developed a set of broad principles that it would like the Minister of Communications to ensure is reflected in new laws for public broadcaster SABC and community media.
Get the full story on www.screenafrica.com
November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 41
Continued from page 1 |
Global series gains momentum
Disney acquires Schuster film
ENLIGHTENING FILM – A scene from Solar Grandmothers. The main protagonists are from Kenya, Jordan and Columbia.
poverty. We had an initial brainstorming session in London in November 2009 with broadcasters, experts and filmmakers. Lots of people are making films about poverty at the moment so wanted to make sure our series would be different. These films aim to inspire people to try and tackle poverty. “We wanted stories that present possible solutions to poverty. This series is set against the background of the Millennium Development Goals, which remain in the hands of governments and do not empower citizens. Public service broadcasters reach mass audiences so a series about poverty can go a long way to highlight the issue. Poverty is one of the greatest violations of human rights – there is no reason why anyone should have to live in poverty in the 21st century.” STEPS set up an editorial group and identified filmmakers who were invited to pitch proposals for the eight long films. “We also received proposals from other filmmakers. As these films are to be shown on the world’s major broadcasters we had to commission people with a proven track record. We had discussions with all the filmmakers because each has their own style and the films must fit in with our theme. Some of the long films are feature length while others fit into the broadcast hour,” explains Edkins. The films are: Solar Grandmothers (Egypt / America); Next Harvest (Africa / Britain); Stealing Africa 42 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
(Denmark); How to do Good (Sweden); Welcome to the World (Britain); The Animated History of Poverty (Britain / Netherlands); Chinese Dream (China); and Upstairs Downstairs (USA). An open call as well as a targeted call was put out for 30 x five-minute films that prioritised Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Edkins issued a call to South African producers at the Durban FilmMart in July. “I’m hoping to attract lots of South African participation. Short films are a difficult genre but a wonderful way of giving new filmmakers a voice. Some of the short films will be viral.” Why Poverty? was presented at MIPCOM in Cannes, France in October. Edkins notes that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is a very important partner as it gave STEPS development funding so that the core broadcasters (YLE, DRTV, BBC, VPRO, SVT and NRK) could start to develop ideas and secure commitment from other broadcasters. Recent partners to come on board include Doordashan, MBC, RUV, BNT and Futura.
come in and tell their stories on camera. These will be collated as short pieces and also made into a single long film. The first ‘story tents’ will take place in Bolivia, Asia, Middle East and Africa. “Our long term objective is to make Why Poverty? as accessible as possible to the public and to NGOs, educational institutions and so on. We’re working with a group called Purpose which is the co-founder of social movements like Avaaz, GetUp and Livestrong. Purpose is devising a strategy out of the content that we’re producing that will create a way for more people to get involved and take action against poverty,” concludes Edkins. To be a part of this global project visit: http://whypoverty. net.
as Disney.” Spring stresses that Mad Buddies is a unique and original Schuster screenplay. “Leon draws inspiration from many sources, such as Jamie Uys, as well as comedy classics like the Charlie Chaplin films. He also stays in touch with contemporary work.” Schuster has always wanted to do a buddy movie. “I’ve seen many road movies where guys travel in a car, but never one where they are thrown together to walk 600kms as penance for bad behaviour towards each other. What they don’t know is that they are being filmed for a reality TV show. Mad Buddies is kind of ‘candid camera’, without really being candid. This idea has been in my head for many years.” As for writing scripts in which he plays the main role, Schuster says: “I know my brand and my following so I find it easy to write for myself. Regarding the other characters – as I write I see them before me: I’ve seen Kenneth Nkosi as being my ‘buddy’ all along ever since I watched White Wedding. He’s big, hefty, with a great paunch and he’s bloody funny! “From the outset I also saw Tanit Phoenix (Spud) as the ‘baddy’ in the movie – she’s extremely sexy and has the tools to convince these two buffoons that she is actually the ‘prize’ if they complete their journey successfully. My good friend Alfred Ntombela (Mama Jack) also stars in the film.” Mad Buddies was shot on the RED Mysterium in and around Johannesburg as well as KwaZulu-Natal. Gray Hofmeyr, who directed Schuster’s phenomenally successful Mr Bones franchise as well as Mama Jack, has a longstanding and very successful creative collaboration with the star. Spring comments: “Gray is a superb director with great experience and insight into what it takes to translate a story from the page to the screen. Leon and Gray co-wrote the script and most of the creative discussion and exploration took place during that process.”
ON THE ROAD – Leon Schuster and Kenneth Nkosi in Mad Buddies
SuperSport’s new HD OB van
Broad access To extend the reach of the project there is a strong online element to it. While the long films deal with global structures, Voice of the Poor will utilise a method developed by Bolivian filmmakers and used in Finland where ordinary people can have their voices heard. “The idea behind this is that you pitch a ‘story tent’ in a particular location and people
PRIMED FOR ACTION – Supersports OB6
internationally and to ensure that our offering is comparable to the best the world has to offer.” The equipment list is not
finalised as yet, however long order time items include the Calrec audio and Sony MVS video mixer desks. “While similar in
construction and design to our existing flagship van OB6,” continues Van Tonder, “the new van will feature extended fully expandable sides allowing for more interior space.” The coachwork is currently underway at ASGB in Colchester. Once complete the van will be equipped at Sony Basingstoke, UK, before its three-week sea voyage to South Africa. “Upon arrival we will ‘try it out’ on smaller productions before it goes into full blown service – in all probability on the next rugby test series in June / July 2012,” concludes Van Tonder.
August 2011
The cream of the local productions
This monthly feature selects prominent local productions and ranks them in terms of audience ratings (ARs). Selected foreign programmes are shown only for comparison. ARs are weighted over the period of transmission and the number of transmissions during the calendar month. Data is supplied by the South African Advertising Research Foundation and processed by Interactive Market Systems (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd.
Key: Day/s refers to the day or days of the week the programme is transmitted. Frequency refers to how often it is transmitted – D=Daily, W=Weekly, S (followed by a number) indicates a series of that number of episodes. Television Universe estimated at 5.232 million households. One ratings point of all viewers
Channel
Aug 2011 AR
July 2011 AR
15:30 M-F
S5
3
1.5
1.5
3rd Degree
Actu 21:30 Tue
W
e
5.2
5.0
7de Laan
Soap 19:00 M-F S5
2
8.3
7.3
Carte Blanche
Maga 19:00 Sun
W M
1.2
1.3
10/08/2011 Spor
19.1
Fokus
Actu 18:30 Sun
W
5.5
6.0
SABC2 Rank Programme 1 Muvhango 2 Powerball 3 Home Sweet Home 4 7de Laan 5 Dragonball Z
Generations
Soap 20:00 M-F S5 1 23.8 22.6
Date Genre AR 09/08/2011 Dram 14.3 09/08/2011 Vari 11.0 21/08/2011 Dram 9.9 18/08/2011 Soap 9.8 23/08/2011 Y-Ent 8.9
Gospel Gold
Musi
W
2
6.1
4.7
Isidingo:The Need
Soap 18:30 M-F S5
3
4.9
4.7
Jam Alley Crew vs Crew
Vari
W
1
6.4
5.9
Live Lotto Draw
Quiz 21.30 W/S S2
2
4.8
6.1
Morning Live
Maga 06:00 M-F S5
2
2.7
2.1
SABC3 Rank Programme 1 Isidingo: The Need 2 Isidingo – R 3 News 4 The Oprah Winfrey Show 5 Princess Protection Programme
Date Genre AR 16/08/2011 Soap 6.0 02/08/2011 Soap 5.3 30/08/2011 News 5.2 16/08/2011 Maga 4.8 21/08/2011 Movi 4.5
Muvhango
Dram 21:00 M-T S4 2 10.8 11.7
News at Seven
News 19:00 Daily D
e
6.5
6.6
News at Seven on 3
News 19:00 Daily D
3
3.5
3.3
Pasella
Maga 19:30 W W 2 5.2 5.4
Rhythm City
Soap 18:30 M-F S5
M-Net Rank Programme 1 Shrek Forever After 2 Carte Blanche 3 The A-Team 4 Idols SA 5 Green Zone
Scandal
Dram 19:30 M-T S4 e 7.9
8.9
Date Genre AR 07/08/2011 Movi 1.6 07/08/2011 Maga 1.5 14/08/2011 Dram 1.2 07/08/2011 Real 1.2 28/08/2011 Movi 1.1
Selimathunzi
Vari 18:30 Wed W 1 5.3
6.0
Special Assignment
Actu
Top Billing
Maga 19:30 Tue
Yo-TV
Y-Ent Vari Vari D e 1.9 2.1
e.tv Rank Programme 1 Drunken Master 2 Rhythm City 3 Scandal 4 WWE Wrestling Raw 5 Money Train
Date Genre AR 26/08/2011 Movi 10.9 30/08/2011 Dram 10.2 25/08/2011 Dram 9.4 28/08/2011 Spor 9.0 07/08/2011 Movi 8.6
brought to you by
The Cape Town Lab reports it has just successfully completed the processing of a German made for television feature Ambassador, but that no other feature work is in the pipeline. International commercials show a decline from last year’s monthly total and local commercials show a slight drop compared to 2010. Student productions have been completed on both 16mm and 35mm. The Johannesburg Lab has not processed any feature work during this last period. Commercial work is still extremely low with a few documentaries being processed. Bulk printing has dropped off on the feature front with no features printed during this period, however a bumper month for commercials and trailers with 2 273 and 1 125 respectively printed. The commercials numbers submitted by Media Host are identical to the number submitted last month. We would like to thank the laboratories and Media Host for the information they have supplied to us. We make no attempt to identify the title of the production, or the production house or any other information as this is often confidential
Sun
18:30 Fri
21:30 Wed W W
2
e
8.8
9.3
3
2.4
2.2
2
2.8
3.0
Top foreign shows Days of Our Lives
Soap 17:10 M-F S5
1
3.2
3.4
WWE Wrestling Smackdown
Spor
W
e
4.5
4.6
The Bold and the Beautiful
Soap 18:00 M-F S5
1
9.2
9.6
20:30 W
The above represents a selection of programmes only, and is calculated on the total calendar month’s weighted average of the total audience over all age groups. If you want a particular programme included please contact Enid Venter on +27 (0)11 330-1051 or email enid@ihjoburg.co.za. The purpose of the schedule is to show the types of programmes South African audiences view, and to what extent.
We feature the top five shows viewed for each of the channels.
VitalStats
Vari
Day/s
Talk
Name
Date Genre AR 25/08/2011 Soap 26.6 10/08/2011 Spor 23.5 08/08/2011 Dram 19.4 16/08/2011 Dram 19.1
Start Time
3 Talk
Genre
Frequency
represents about 145 590 viewers.Key to genres: Actu: Actuality, Docu: Documentary, Dram: Drama, Educ: Education, Maga: Magazine, Musi: Music, News: News, Quiz: Game Show, Real: Real life, Reli: Religion, Sitc: Sitcom, Soap: Soap, Spor: Sport, Vari: Variety, Y.Ent: Youth Entertainment,
The top five programmes SABC1 Rank Programme 1 Generations 2 Soccer Build-up 3 Zone 14 4 Intsika 5 International Friendly: South Africa vs Burkina Faso
| Audience Ratings
Statistics for September 2011 Through the labs: Johannesburg Features 0 Cape Town Features 1
Shorts Commercials 0 7
Doccies 16mm 35mm 2 5 4
Shorts Commercials 0 11
Doccies 16mm 35mm 0 3 9
Commercials submitted to broadcasters via media host September 2011: 1 783 compared with 1 783 last month information – we supply simply the numbers. We rely on the co-operation of broadcasters, suppliers of commercial material to broadcasters and local film laboratories for information however at the moment local broadcasters are not forthcoming in providing these vital statistics. Efforts will continue to be made to build on this statistical data base in order to improve the accuracy, and should readers have comments or other ideas in terms of statistic gathering, please send an e-mail to web@screenafrica.com. Your comments would be appreciated. November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 43
P R O D U C T I O N U P D A T E S 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 DEVELOPMENT 80 MINUTES Periphery Films Dir: Simon Taylor / Julia Taal Feature Drama A LION IN THE BEDROOM Two Oceans Production Prod: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature AMABHUBESI Inkwasi Television Prod: Bell Curle TV Magazine
AMBUSH ALLEY NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary
ESCAPE Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman / Beata Lipman Feature Film
AMKA CORPORATE Panache Video Productions Exec Prod: Haroon Kalla Corporate
Ex Pats Current Affrairs Films / French Connection Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Drama series
At The Creek Without A Paddle Zen Crew Exec prod: Laura Tarling Documentary BAD MEDICINE Tin Rage TV Production Dir: Enver Samuel Documentary Bagged Izithulu Productions Exec Prod: Donovan Mulligan / Mike Westcott Short Film BLAST FROM THE PAST Sirius Films Prod: Ian Manly Documentary BODA BODA THIEVES
Yes That’s Us Prod: James Tayler Feature
BREAD AND WATER Periphery Films Dir: Simon Taylor / Julia Taal Feature Documentary BREAKDOWN Bollysamo Pictures / Apeiro Productions Prod Man: Carolyn Gregorowski Feature
SUPERMAMA GoogelPlex Productions Dir: Karen van Schalkwyk Feature
GRIZMEK Two Oceans Production Prod: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature
SWANK! International Radio Pictures Prod: D Gillard Theatre Production
IIQ Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Feature
Steve Radebe Post Productions Prod:Steve Radebe Feature Film
IK1 – TOURISTS IN DANGER Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Inventing Africa Imageworks Prod: Anthony Irving Documentary KADU’S JOURNEY DO Productions Prods: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature
LEARNER TEACHERS Curious Pictures SABC Comedy Series
do good design south africa
Concept Interaction Producer: Karl Fedderke Educational
SHARON AND MUGABE’S ELEPHANTS NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary
GOUE STERRE Suite People TVP Prod: Bell Curle TV Series
CHILDREN OF FAMOUS ACTIVISTS Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature Film
CONSERVATION & BEYOND SuitePeople TVP Prod: Bell Curle Documentary
SEBOKENG MPA (Motswako) Dir: Charls Khuele / Zuko Nodada Feature
SHORT BUSINESS FEATURE WITH BBC / ABC Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Short Business Features
DYINGCRACY
COILED DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature
RATE MY PLATE International Radio Pictures Exec Prod: Kit Reynolds Community Project
FORSAKEN DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature
CHILLI CHICKS International Radio Pictures, Inc Kit Reynolds TV series
44 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION Gaonakgang Film Productions and Publications Writ: George Phuthiyagae Documentary
Sabstance Productions Producer: Edmund Mhlongo Documentary
LION GIRL DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën TV Feature Million Dollar Race
Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature NEW BEGINNINGZ Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhanhla Ncube Documentary Nongoloza Current Affairs Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature
The Black Blonde
tHE blood kng and the red dragon Current Affairs Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman / Mtutuzeli Matshoba Feature THE CONSEQUENCE DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature THE EDGE International Radio Pictures Kit Reynolds TV Series THE FILM MAKER Elle Bolt Productions Prod: Elle Bolt Reality Series The Scores Are In Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Game Show / Entertainment Series VULTURE KILLING FIELDS SuitePeople TVP Bell Curle Documentary WARD 22 AKA SPECIAL OPS DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Documentary ZERO DIET Two Oceans Production Prod: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature ZEBRAS DO Productions Dir: Bruce Beresford Feature
P R O D U C T I O N U P D A T E S PRE-PRODUCTION HEAVEN
Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Holidays for Madmen Imageworks Prod: Anthony Irving TV Series IMATU UNION VIDEO FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video Mandela Synergy Films Drama / Documentary MASTERS OF DREAMS Current Affairs Films / Up Front Entertainment / French Connection Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Documentary TALK OF THE TOWN SuitePeople TV Productions Bell Curle TV Series The Black Out Dithakeng Projects and Flms Executive producers- Thabang Nkunyane Short Film TO CARE FOR YOU ALWAYS Noble Pictures Prod: Claudia Noble Short Film TRUE DREAM South African Great Movies Production Dir: John Wani Feature VKB LANDBOU BEPERK FC Hamman Films PM: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video WOLWEDANS IN die Skemer
The Film Factory Exec Prod: Danie Bester Feature
IN PRODUCTION 3RD DEGREE e.tv Investigative TV series 4PLAY: SEX TIPS FOR GIRLS III Curious Pictures Prod: Stephane Coetzee Drama 90 PLEIN STREET III Born Free Media Exec Prod: Carolyn Carew TV Series A 400 year old bestseller – The King James Version of the Bible Eugene Botha Productions / It’s a Wrap Productions Prod: Eugene Botha Documentary
ABC AMERICA NEWS SPECIAL ON MANDELA Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature News Special
DRAGON’S FEAST 3D NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary
AFRO CAFÉ SEASON 7 Bonngoe Productions Exec Prod: Pepsi Pokane Adult Contemporary/ Music
EASTERN MOSAIC Red Carpet Productions Magazine Programme
AFRO SHOWBIZ NEWS SABC News International Exec Prod: Jody-Layne Surtie TVMagazine AFROX AFRICA INSIGHT EPS 4 FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX YEAREND RESULT FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFRICA CALLING Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature ALL ACCESS Homebrew Films Prod: Paul Venter/ Hannes van Wyk / Tammy Anne Fortuin Magazine Show AMBASSADOR II Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature ANIMAL COMMUNICATION NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary ANGUS BUCHAN’S ORDINARY PEOPLE FC Hamman Films Dir: FC Hamman Feature BINNELAND Stark Films Dir: Danie Joubert TV Drama BOPSY BUNNY Firefly Animation Studio Exec Prod: Antony Steel Short Films CHEETAH DIARIES 3 NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Child Geniuses
Talent Attack TV / Fuel Media Productions Prod: Paul Llewellyn Documentary Series CORTEX MINING FC Hamman Films PM: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video DADDY’S MESS Dzunde Productions Prod: Thandiwe Mashiyane TV Sitcom
FIRESTONE Street Smart Creative DOP: Peter Palmer Commercial FRENZY
Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Palesa Mopeli Variety GNLD AFRICA CONVENTION FC Hamman Films Prod: FC Hamman Corporate Video GENERATIONS Morula Pictures Exec Prod: Mfundi Vundla Soapie GROEN Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Wildlife Hectic 99
Okuhle Media Producer: Wilna van Schalkwyk Magazine Show
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HOUSE CALL Izwe Multimedia / Urban Brew Series Prod: Annalie Potgieter Live Medical Talk Show INSIDE STORY Curious Pictures / Discovery Channel Dir: Rolie Nikiwe Feature
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ISIDINGO Endemol South Africa Dirs: Raymond Sargent / Johnny Barbazano Daily TV Drama
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JOU SHOW MET EMO en Wickus Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Variety Show
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Diprente Productions Prod: Kagiso Lediga Satire
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SummerTime Productions Exec prod: Elaine Tribe Corporate
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Penguin Films Exec Producer: Roberta Durrant Drama Series
Mad Buddies
MOTSWAKO Carol Bouwer Productions Prod: Vesko Mrdjen Talk Show
Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Keynote Films Exec Prod: Helena Spring Feature MK Campus Homebrew Films Prods: Jaco Loubser / Ben Heyns Student Show
MUVHANGO
Word of Mouth Prod: Pieter Grobbelaar Feature MZANSI INSIDER Bonngoe Productions Exec Prod: Pepsi Pokane TV Magazine
ONS MENSE Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Current Affairs OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Plexus Films Prod: Miki Redelinghuys Corporate Film POPCRU 7TH CONGRESS FC Hamman Films PM: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Event
November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 45
P R O D U C T I O N U P D A T E S PASEKA EASTER ELEPHANT NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary PASELLA Tswelopele Productions Insert Dirs: Liani Maasdorp / Werner Hefer TV Magazine Programme PEACE PARKS NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson/ Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Series REDI ON MZANSI Imani Media Prod: Bruce Townsend TV Series Religion and the ANC Eugene Botha Productions / It’s a Wrap Productions Producer- Eugene Botha Documentary RHYTHM CITY Curious Pictures Prod: Yula Quinn e..tv Soapie RHYTHM CITY INTERACTIVE Curious Pictures / e.tv Prod: Viva Liles-Wilkin Interactive Platform Media Rivoningo
Asi-B Films exec Prod: Asivhanzi ‘Asi’ Mathaba Kids
Shoprite Showcase
SummerTime Productions Exec prod: Janine Truter Corporate SISTERHOOD
Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Vuyo Sokupa Variety STRANDED NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary STUDIO 53 M-Net Inhouse Productions Insert Dir: Navan Chetty Mag Programme
Why Poverty?
STEPS International Exec Prod: Don Edkins Documentary Series
POST-PRODUCTION AFRICA CALLING Two Oceans Production Prod: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature AFROX CO2 PLANT FC Hamman Films PM: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video
THE RUDIMENTALS Periphery Films Prod: Simon Taylor Feature Documentary
AFROX SHEQ INDUCTION FC Hamman Films PM: Odette van Jaarsveld Commercial
THE STORY OF LITTLE FOOT Paul Myburgh Film Prod: Paul Myburgh Documentary
ALL’S FAIR PianoJ Productions Prod: Pia van Rensburg Short Film
THE TRANSPORTERS Sukuma Media/ Reality Motion Pictures Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Documentary THERE ARE NO HEROES
AFDA Cape Town Director: Kyle Stevenson Science Fiction TOP BILLING Tswelopele Productions Prod: Patience Stevens TV Magazine
Angels Of The Sky CDS-Films Exec Prods: Chris Dos Santos, Andrew MacDonald Feature Film Bally Cullen Guesthouse Ad Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Corporate Bitter Root Imageworks Dir: Kerry Negara Documentary
TOP SHAYELA Curious Pictures / Vuzu Prod: Khobi Ledwaba Reality Magazine Series
BLITZ PATROLLIE
ROER Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Cooking Show
TOUCHING THE DRAGON NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary
BUA NNETE Owami Entertainment Dir: Charles Khuele Short Film
SAVING RHINO PHILA NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary
Turn It Out Fuel Media Productions Dir: Ben Brewster Dance Reality show
SCANDAL Ochre Moving Pictures Series Prod: Romano Gorlei Daily TV Soap
VKB BRANDING LAUNCH FC Hamman Films Prod: FC Hamman Corporate Video
ROCKING FUTURE Summertime Productions Prods: Sean Gardiner / Tanya Vandenberg Educational Video
SELIMATUNZI
Sikhoyana Productions Prod: Baby Joe Correira variety series Ses’khona Club 808
Tswelopele Productions Producer: Phuthi Ngwenya Magazine SLENDER WONDER FC Hamman Films DOP/ Dir: FC Hamman Commercial SHIZ NIZ
Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Allen Makhubele Variety
46 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
VILLA ROSA Spectro Productions Dir/s: Luhann Jansen / Andries van der Merwe/ Leroux Botha/ Isabel Smit TV Drama When The World Was Here Fuel Media Productions Dir: Mzilikazi Kumalo Documentary Series Why are We so Angry? Fuel Media Productions Dir: Scott Smith, Shaft Moropane Documentary Series
Diprente Films Prod: Kagiso Lediga Feature
CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL 2011 Esp Afrika (Pty) Ltd Prod: Yana Lombard Documentary CHAMELEON NHU Africa Exec Prod: Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary CHEETAH DIARIES 2 NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary DANGEROUS TRAILS – ELEPHANTS IN THE MINEFIELDS NHU Africa Exec Prod: Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary DEAR SISTER Media Village Prod: Debbie Matthee Short Film
DOOMSDAY Rogue Pictures Dir: Neil Marshall Feature
SA JUNIOR MASTERS Our Time Productions Dir: Jaun de Meillon Series on SuperSport
Elegy: forsaken in South Africa Market Street Productions Prod: Paul Van Zyl Short film
SCAREDYKAT Dirty Soul Productions Dir: Kyle Lewis Horror Feature Film
ENDANGERED NHU Africa Exec Prod: Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Series HARTLAND Bottomline Entertainment / Fix Post Production Michael Modena TV Drama HOOFMEISIE The Film Factory / Fix Post Production Dir: Morne Du Toit Family Comedy IQILI Impucuzeko Prod: Sharon Kakora Feature Israel Inside (Working Title) Imagination Productions / Wayne Kopping Films Dir: Wayne Kopping Documentary Kemang? lmol Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature Film Launch of the Academy of Young SA Scientists
Panache Video Productions Producer:Liesel Eiselen Documentary MARRY – ANN Shadow Films Dir: David Forbes Documentary
Melodi Jazz Festival 2011 L. Dukashe Productions Director: Lumko Dukashe Live Concert DvD National Heritage Council Educational Outreach Programme
Panache Video Productions Exec Prod: Amos Mlaudzi Corporate PERFECT SHISHEBO Curious Pictures Prod: Nthabiseng Mokoena AFP – Cooking Show PURPLE TOWN Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Documentary
RATI EN MAATS Khaki Productions Dir: Wynand Dreyer Children Series – Edutainment RESTYLE MY STYLE Curious Pictures Prod:Anita van Hemert Children’s Programming
SCHOOL E-WASTE INITIATIVE/ DESCO/ INCREDIBLE CONNECTION Philip Schedler Productions Prod: Philip Schedler Corporate SLENDER WONDER FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video SOUL CITY 11
T.O.M Pictures Kgomotso Matsunyane Drama South afri-can Field Band Foundation Championships
Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Documentary STETSON HATS Fourth Dimension Films / Creative Photo Services Dir: Neil Hermann Corporate Stolen Time
Producer: Eric Myeni Feature Tanzanian Investment Opportunities Benchmark Productions Director: Dermod Judge Corporate TASTE OF RAIN Luna Films / On Land Productions Prod: Bridget Pickering / Richard Pakleppa Feature Technorati
Talent Attack TV / Fuel Media Productions Dir: Maxine Nel Technology Magazine Show THE MEDUPI WAY
Panache Video Productions Exec Prod: Adele De Klerk Corporate TREASURE GUARDS Tandem Communications Exec Prod: Jonas Bauer / Rola Bauer Feature Triple O
Monarchy Producer: Mosibudi Pheeha Feature Vehicle 19
Forefront Media Group / Pictue Tree / The Safran Company Exec Prod: Paul Walker Feature WALKING IN VICTOR’S SHOES Current Affairs Films South African Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature Documentary
P R O D U C T I O N U P D A T E S WELLBODI BIZNES Plexus Films / Four Corners Media Prod: Miki Redelinghuys Documentary
IMATU 3 DAY CONGRESS FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Three-day Corporate Event
ZAMA ZAMA Kokamoya Productions Prod: Bertus van der Walt Feature
JOURNEY TO STATE HOUSE ZG Films Prod: Javed Jafferji Documentary
ZION Letcosmart Prod: Zibusiso Nkomo Feature
COMPLETE 48
Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Short Film AFROX AFRICA INSIGHT EPS 3 FC Hamman Films PM: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AYESAN – FIGHT TO LOSE SMS Multimedia Inc Dir: Seyi Specialborn Akanbi Feature AWOYE – RETRIBUTION Sms Multimedia Line Prod: Temitope Akanbi Feature Child On-Line Protection Week Imageworks Director: Anthony Irving TV ad COLOUR TV Bongoe, Jungle / Brand Bernie Productions Line Prod: Hulette Pretorius Variety Dept of Social Development Congress FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Three-day corporate event DUMISANI FILM TOUR
Creative Pictures / Genius Productions Director: Vusi Dumisani Nhlapo Documentary Free State Balloon Fiesta Imageworks Prod: Anthony Irving Corporate GLAMOUR – THE REALITY BEHIND DREAMS ZG Films Prod: Javed Jafferji Feature GULUVA BIP Films Dir: BI Phakathi Feature Film INTERSEXIONS Curious Pictures / JHUCCP Creative Dir: Rolie Nkiwe Drama Series
JOURNEY INTO WILDERNESS Tekweni TV Productions Prod: Sandra Herrington Documentary KAN EK SO LEEF Liquid Gate Creative Studios Prod: Kobus Swart Music Video Ke mo fumane StreTalk Productions Bobby Mokhema TV drama KING NAKI Plexus Films Prod: Miki Redelinghuys Documentary LACONIA Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature
MAN ON GROUND
PROGRESS Periphery Films Dir: Simon Taylor Feature Documentary RED SUN OF AFRICA DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën TV Feature ROCKING FUTURE Summertime Productions Prod: Sean Gardiner & Tanya Vandenberg Educational Video
Liberty Frank’s Video (Liberty)
Fuel Media Productions Director: Navan Chetty Corporate Video
Liberty GAPGAL Video (Liberty)
Fuel Media Productions Director: Navan Chetty Corporate Video
Liberty Health Video (Liberty)
Fuel Media Productions Director: Navan Chetty Corporate Video
Liberty Income Protection Video (Liberty)
C A M E R A S • M O N I T O R S • P L A S M A D I G I TA L M I X E R S • 3 D • P R O J E C T O R S
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TIMELAPSE Team GR8 (for 48 HFP) Writers: Carl Roddam / Deon van der Merwe Short Film THE TEACHER BIP Films Dir: BI Phakathi Feature
The Bone Grinder Playing Cabin Films Dir: Shumelani Mapholi Feature Film
Fuel Media Productions Director: Navan Chetty Corporate Video
Official Worldwide Olympic Partner
Dzivha Production Execs prod: Walter Gumbu Feature Film
Liberty Channel Heads (Liberty)
Liberty Corporate Video (Liberty)
real flexibility
Mutshenzhe
THE BETRAYAL Shakarny Inovations Prod: James Kingston Feature
Fuel Media Productions Director: Navan Chetty Corporate Video
real HD
Feature
Liberty CEO’s Video (Liberty)
Fuel Media Productions Director: Navan Chetty Corporate Video
real IT
T.O.M Pictures Dir: Akin Omotoso
SowetoDrift Young Minds Productions Prod: Phillip Hlophe & Pule Earm Feature Film Skeem
Light & Dark Films Exec Prod: Zaheer Goodman Bhyat Feature Stanlib Focus Video (Liberty)
Fuel Media Productions DIRECTOR: Navan Chetty Corporate Video Supreme Launch Video (Joe Public)
Fuel Media Productions Director: Paul Llewellyn Corporate
VISCOUNT DOWN Msasa Enterprises Dir: Harmon Cusack Feature
Fuel Media Productions Director: Navan Chetty Corporate Video
Screen Africa relies on accuracy of information received and cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur. E-mail production updates to: info@screenafrica.com
Events | NOVEMBER 9 – 10 AfricaCom Conference & Exhibition
Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC), Cape Town http://africa.comworldseries.com/
10 – 13
Audio Video Appliance Expo
Sandton Convention Centre
www.avaexpo.co.za
18 – 19 AFDA Film Festival Cape Town
AFDA Film School www.afda.co.za
18 – 19 AFDA Film Festival Johannesburg
AFDA Film School www.afda.co.za
DECEMBER
Date TBC Kwa Mashu Film Festival
Kwa Mashu, KwaZulu-Natal. www.kaff.wetpaint.com
JANUARY 2012 26 – 29
San Diego Black Film Festival
San Diego http://www.sdbff.com/
30 – 1 Feb Kuala Lumpur International Short Film Festival
Kuala Lumpur www.klisfestival.com/
22 – 24
7th Annual Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum 2012
Protea Hotel, Balalaika Sandton, Johannesburg
FEBRUARY 2012 www.cto.int
November 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 47
Close up | PromaxBDA Africa
Yvonne Johnston (SABC), Michaela Angela Davis (BET) and Vanessa Sheldrick (PromaxBDA Africa director)
Shane Hunter (SABC), Christina Knight (SABC3) and Adam Behr (Voice over artist)
Theart Korsten (Clearwater) and Bron Dean (Orijin)
Fezile Marubelela (Underline Advertising), Akhona Luhabe (e.tv and Sandile Ntlemo (Underline Advertising)
Red Pepper’s Brian Bekker, Rodney Fraser, Chad Bell and Greg Konopka
Hlumelo Mbola (SABC), Vuyisa August (Thackwell & Whittaker), Shingirayi Nkunga (SuperSport) and Piet Sekele (TopTV)
Greg Viljoen (C Squared Productions)
Monarchy’s Joanne Calteaux, Leo Smit, Carla Pels and Jean-Yves Martin
SABC 1 Launch
Stevie French and Boitumelo Thulo
Ishmael Morabe and Da Les from hip-hop group Jozi
Phila Mazibuko (actor and musician)
Penny Lebyane (Motswako presenter)
Africa In The Picture Film Festival, Amsterdam Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking opened Africa In The Picture (AITP) Film Festival in Amsterdam. Among the Big Fish films screened were Akhu Beka’s (left) film Ride your Freedom; Sanele Makhubu’s (centre) film Pushers and Zamo Mkhwanazi’s film Philia. Somizi Mhlongo (Reality TV host)
YMM Schools Screen Film Festival
Thabiso Makhubela and Slyvester Chauke
Minnie Dlamini (LIVE presenter)
Advertisers List |
Veronique Klassen, Teacher Abrahams, Christo Davids, Suraan Emanuel and Waseema Honjare at Telsig High
Oval North audience 48 | SCREENAFRICA | November 2011
Glendale High audience
Strandfontein audience
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General Post .................................45 Gerhard Beukes Photography ..44 IDC..................................................21 Jasco..................................IFC Jasco / Maxell...................................7 MYTTP Group...............................19 NDS.................................................31 Obeco..............................................37 Panasonic..........................................5 Pink Room Productions..............33 Pro-Sales.........................................27 Sony............................... OBC The Shooting Company..............37 Upstairs Post Production............29 Vision Cases...................................44 Visual Impact..................................35
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