Screen Africa October 2015

015 DISCOP AFRICA 2 IBC Report back BROADCAST, FILM, TV, COMMERCIALS, NEW MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY NEWS

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| IN THIS ISSUE

4 Screen adaptations win big at Silwerskermfees

30

22

Homage to heritage which surpasses all bounds

Horrorfest 2015

38

34

High Rollers at Q

NEWS Kagiso Media acquires shares in GMABC........................................3 Thina Sobabili named South Africa’s Foreign Language Oscar nominee............3 NFVF calls for Cycle 3 funding applications.....................................4 Screen adaptations win big at Silwerskermfees................................4 South African ‘indies’ make their mark at TIFF........................................6 Locally-made animated series to debut on eToonz+..................................6 Highlights from IBC.....................................8 Grass Valley Node IP processing platform.....................................8 SAM ICE IP and ICE SDC..........................8 Sony FS5.........................................................8 iZotope RX5 Audio post production suite.................................8

www.screenafrica.com

IBC 2015: The future of broadcast

Lawo Kick................................................... 10 Imagine Communications Landmark xG Open programmatic

Film

Television

HorrorFest 2015....................................... 22 Find what you love

advertising solution.................................. 10

and let it kill you....................................... 24

The Road: Telenovela Jozi style ............. 32 10% glamour, 100% hard work.............. 33 IBC 2015: The future of broadcast........ 34 High Rollers at Q...................................... 38

Hitachi OB-BOX concept....................... 10

ADCETERA

The ‘CEO’ of Nollywood........................ 25 Elements of Cinema:

Caxton adds creative Spark................... 12

Culture clash comedy.............................. 26 Director Speak:

Cruise the fast lane.................................. 13

Brett Michael Innes................................... 28

‘Never uninspired’.................................... 14 Demanding times...................................... 15

TIFF Festival Shining Africa at Toronto......................... 39 There’s no business like show business.................................... 40

Documentary

Calling on the team.................................. 15

Canned murder......................................... 29 Homage to heritage which

DISCOP AFRICA 2015

surpasses all bounds................................. 30

NEW MEDIA APP-titude................................................... 42

Regulars

The Golden Triangle................................. 16 Kenya-South Africa

Box Office................................................... 44

– making co-production a reality.......... 19

Production Updates..................... 45 – 47 Events........................................................... 47

DISCOPRO 2015...................................... 21

facebook.com/screenafrica

Social............................................................ 48

@screenafrica

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From the editor In my last editor’s note I asked if the industry was sufficiently aware of audience preferences and had effectively tackled the challenges of distribution and monetisation so as to ensure the market mechanism could generate producer surplus if soft funding were no longer available. Not long after the September issue was completed, I got what I thought I could take as a fairly encouraging answer. But on looking deeper, I still can’t be sure.

A study by PwC indicated that the film and television industry in South Africa was set to grow by 6.4% this year. Compare that to the rather worrying 1.3% growth that the South African economy as a whole is to experience over the same period, and it looks all the more impressive. According to the study, the film and television industry will generate a total of R2.7 billion ($221 million).

Within three years, the industry is expected to be worth R3.42 billion ($273.7 million) in annual revenue. This is just for film; the TV industry is set to grow by over 4% even as emerging OTT and VOD platforms take off.

These sweeping figures seem impressive. They indicate that demand will increase even as ticket prices, subscription fees, TV licence fees and advertising costs do. Both higher prices and increasing demand: good news for cinema owners, pay-TV operators and airtime vendors. But what about local content creators and owners? Well the study makes it very clear that the stats apply to consumption across the board, not local content, as I initially, rather naively thought when I first read a summary of the report issued by the Oxford News Group. Remember that the NFVF reported earlier this year that, in 2014, while total box office revenues increased by about 6% in 2014, the takings of local films dropped by 44%. But these figures only tell us that South Africans are not watching much local content at the cinema – it doesn’t mean that they are not watching local content at all. It could be that they prefer to watch it on DVD, TV or VOD. The figures don’t tell us.

So the industry at large is set to draw larger revenues over the next four years. What we don’t know is whether this makes it profitable – we have no indication of aggregate costs to help us measure that. We also don’t know whether the demand for local content is growing and what share local content owners have in the increasing revenues. One thing that is encouraging is that the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) acknowledges that spending in the film industry has a multiplier effect on the economy at large. For every R1 spent in the film industry, the department says, another R3 is spent elsewhere in the economy.

So government does see value in investing in film production, which means that it still has an incentive to invest.

However, the problems of monetisation and distribution still remain. This shouldn’t be discouraging. On the contrary, the figures show that the demand is there. It’s just that producers and distributors need to focus on audience and distribution strategies – only by tackling these can they grab a bigger slice of this expanding pie.

– Warren Holden

SCREENAFRICA

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

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

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

Sub-Editor: Tina Heron

Publisher & Managing Editor: Simon Robinson: publisher@screenafrica.com

Design: Trevor Ou Tim: design@sun-circle.co.za

Editor: Warren Holden: editor@screenafrica.com

Website & Production Updates: Carina Vermooten: web@sun-circle.co.za

DEputy Editor: Carly Barnes: carly@screenafrica.com

Subscriptions: Tina Tserere: tina@sun-circle.co.za Delight Ngwenya: admin@sun-circle.co.za

Journalist: Chanelle Ellaya: news@screenafrica.com Contributors: Oma Areh, Sam Charo, Claire Diao, Ian Dormer, Louise Marsland Andy Stead, Nompi Vilakazi, Christopher J Wheeler

Accounts: Natasha Glavovic: accounts@sun-circle.co.za Advertisement Sales: Marianne Schafer: marianne@screenafrica.com Graham Grier: graham@sun-circle.co.za

CONTRIBUTORS Ifeoma ‘Oma Areh runs WildFlower PR and Company, a Nigerian based entertainment and digital PR company.

She has worked on some of the biggest campaigns in Africa. She is also the convener of Africa’s first ever ‘Digital Entertainment Conference’ #DECAFRICA. She lives in Lagos with her husband and children.

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

Anton Crone is a journalist with a passion for Africa and the positive role that storytelling can have on the continent. With an advertising background, Anton has worked with some of South Africa’s best commercial directors. As the editor of Africa Geographic magazine, he has extended that appreciation to the documentary filmmakers who tell Africa’s stories.

Claire Diao is a French and Burkinabe cinema journalist. She covers the African film industry for various international media and moderates the Afrikamera Festival in Berlin each year. In 2015, she co-founded Awotele, a digital magazine that focuses on African cinema.

Louise Marsland is a veteran editor and journalist with over 20 years experience in the advertising, media, marketing and communications industries. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, she worked as the editor of AdVantage magazine, as well as Bizcommunity.com. She is currently publishing editor of TRENDAFRiCA.co.za.

Andy Stead is a broadcast industry professional with over 40 years’ experience in both South Africa and the UK, having worked at a number of leading industry organisations including the BBC and Chroma Television. Now retired, he is based in Cape Town.

Christopher J. Wheeler is a writer and educator, who is currently working towards a Ph.D. in film and philosophy.

In 2014, he graduated with an MA in Media Theory & Practice from the University of Cape Town and has since been lecturing media students while continuing his research.

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South Africa | GHANA

| News

Kagiso Media acquires shares in GMABC

EXPANDING FOOTPRINT: Kagiso Media’s Chief Executive of Radio, Nick Grubb was instrumental in the investment process.

South African company Kagiso Media recently acquired a 37 percent share in Global Media Alliance Broadcasting Company (GMABC), one of Ghana’s leading broadcast companies.

Kagiso Media, on behalf of its parent company Kagiso Tiso Holdings, completed the acquisition, for an undisclosed amount in September, as part of its ongoing mission to expand its footprint across the continent.

Consisting of public relations, event management and media and entertainment divisions, Global Media Alliance was founded in South Africa but moved to Ghana in 2001. Among its broadcast concerns are four major radio stations – YFM Kumasi, YFM Accra, YFM Takoradi and Happy FM – and free-to-air TV channel etv Ghana. The etv and YFM brands form part of GMABC’s existing partnership with Sabido Investments.

The deal brings together three major players in African broadcasting – GMABC, Kagiso Media and Sabido

Investments. Edward Boateng, executive chairman of Global Media Alliance says of the move: “This partnership provides the opportunity to leverage on the diversity of skills of GMA, Kagiso Media and Sabido Investments, to present better content to viewers and listeners.”

Mark Harris, CEO of Kagiso Media, concurs, adding that the acquisition also forms part of a larger strategy to expand the company’s operations in the region.

“This investment is part of our continued drive to build partnerships with strong brands that have large and loyal audiences across the continent. As a content, broadcasting and services company we are looking forward to operating in Ghana and using this as a base to expand our reach into other West African territories. It also offers us an opportunity to use our content production capability across more distribution platforms and to integrate with all our existing Kagiso Media brands.”

On an operational level, Kagiso Media seems primarily concerned with GMABC’s radio assets, although the potential for TV expansion is considerable as well. Nick Grubb, Kagiso Media’s chief executive for radio says: “GMABC’s portfolio and successful legacy means we can exchange experience and skills for the benefit of the radio stations and TV station in Ghana, as well as our media businesses in South Africa. A critical factor for us is the ability to develop practical and enjoyable working partnerships with the GMABC teams. We also look forward to posting some of our own key staff in Accra, as these relationships deepen.”

Representatives from Kagiso will travel to Accra to begin establishing a direct presence for the company there. At the same time, Harris has hinted that another acquisition is underway in Kenya.

Thina Sobabili named South Africa’s Foreign Language Oscar nominee In September, Thina Sobabili, the debut feature of Johannesburg-based writer-director Ernest Nkosi, was officially named South Africa’s candidate for the Best Foreign Language Film nominations for the 88th Academy Awards, to be held in February 2016.

Each country is entitled to submit one film for the consideration of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to be in the running for the world’s most prestigious film awards. From the scores of submissions, the Academy chooses a short list of five nominees before the award is given.

Thina Sobabili, a personal project which Nkosi and a dedicated crew created on a virtually non-existent budget, is set in Alexandra township, Johannesburg and tells the tragic story of a brother and sister who overcome domestic abuse and other challenges, only to find their coming of age and futures jeopardised by the very bond that has been their saving grace. Nkosi has traveled with the film to numerous international festivals where it has been very favourably received.

On hearing the news of the nomination, Nkosi said: “It is a great

NOMINEE: Busisiwe Mtshali in Thina Sobabili honour to be selected as South Africa’s consideration for Oscars 2016. Although we produced the film on a very limited budget, we believed in its quality and were confident that it would dazzle the world. Earlier in the year we were honoured with the Audience Choice Award at the Pan-African Film Festival and at the Jozi Film Festival, and believe that more is yet to come for the film.”

The Academy recognises the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) as the representative of the South African film

industry and accepts only the statefunded body’s nominations for the awards. Vuyo Sokupa, the NFVF’s head of production and development, says: “The committee deliberated on the films submitted this year, and concluded that Thina Sobabili will best represent the country. The film is engaging, is of high quality and addresses issues that we are faced with on a daily basis.”

The final nominees for next year’s Oscars will be announced on 14 January.

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SOUTH AFRICA

NFVF calls for Cycle 3 funding applications The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) reported that it had finally completed its Cycle 2 funding process in mid-September. This followed closely on the delayed announcement of Cycle 1 funding results, which caused great concern among applicants.

By the time Cycle 2 applications were being processed, the NFVF had already

exceeded its annual budget in the area of fiction production funding (14 projects were approved, while the annual target is 10). As a result production funding applicants will not be considered for the remainder of the year but the NFVF has called upon interested parties to apply

for development funding, as well as TV format funding for the next cycle.

As far as non-fiction projects are concerned, the NFVF exceeded its targets for development funding, approving 18 projects where the target is 15. Applications can still be made for production and documentary archive, however.

Having thus exceeded its targets for fiction production and non-fiction development, which the foundation regards as a sign of industry growth, the NFVF will only consider applications for fiction development, TV formats, non-fiction development and documentary archive funding until the start of the 2016/2017 financial year.

In addition it is still considering applications for market and festival attendance funding, for those who wish

to go to the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (18-29 November), Rotterdam International Film Festival (27 January–7 February 2016), Pan African Film Festival (4-15 February 2016), Rio Content Market (9-11 March) and the Berlin International Film Festival (11-21 February 2016). Applications in all of these categories, as well as festivals, marketing and distribution funding, will still be accepted for Cycle 3.

The closing date is 17 October 2015 – all applicants must include a tax clearance certificate among their documents. Applications forms are available at http://nfvf.co.za/home/index. php?ipkContentID=240&ipkMenuID=57 .

The complete list of approved projects for Cycle 2 can be downloaded at http:// nfvf.co.za//home/index. php?ipkContentID=263.

Screen adaptations win big at Silwerskermfees

BIG WINNER: A still from Sink

At the 2015 kykNET Silwerskermfees, which ran from 26 to 29 August in Camps Bay, Cape Town, the two big winners were Sink, a film adaptation of Brett Michael Innes’ novel Rachel Weeping, and Dis Ek, Anna, based on the book by Anchien Troskie.

Sink, which Innes himself directed in his feature film debut, received awards in the feature film category for Best Actress, Best Original Music, Best Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay.

The film tells the story of a Mozambican domestic worker who must choose one of two future paths after her daughter dies under the care of her employers. Sink explores themes of loss, the ‘other’ and forgiveness. Innes commented: “I feel that the film resonates because it shows a South Africa that we 4 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

currently experience, not a South Africa set in 1994 or in the colonial days. It shows how we relate to each other as wealthy employers and foreign national domestic workers, how social media affects our relationships. It also shows how things which currently cause division are not as clear-cut as they were during apartheid.”

Directed by Sara Blecher, Dis Ek, Anna took the feature film awards for Best Film, Best Actor and Best Director and shared with audiences the devastating effects of abuse. Blecher said that this was an important story to tell in South Africa –and beyond winning the awards – felt honoured that Troskie, who was present at the screening, was pleased with the final result. “Her comments about the film afterwards were in some ways the most

incredible thing for me because she watched the film and said it felt like it had finally given voice to her and all victims of abuse. To me that’s the biggest accolade.

Awards are fantastic, but an accolade like that is just extraordinary.”

Verskietende Ster, the latest offering from Darrell Roodt, received the Audience Choice award. In the short film categories, Vryslag, directed by Marcel van Heerden, took awards for Best Short Film and Best Actor.

Silwerskermfees saw a dramatic increase in attendance as well as participation this year, with ticket sales up by 17% from 2014. “In the first year of the festival we had one feature film to show.

This year we had to go through a selection process and plan according to the number of days of the festival. It is

also very exciting to see how well the panel discussions were attended,” said Karen Meiring, head of Afrikaans channels at M-Net. She added that the entries showed improved quality and variety and that this continues to be a goal for the festival.

Innes said of his participation at Silwerskermfees: “I was able to showcase my debut film to 400 members of the film industry, something that doesn’t happen at the individual premiers that films have. To feel a crowd of my peers and future collaborators responding emotionally to something I helped create was surreal.” – Carly Barnes

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SOUTH AFRICA

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South African ‘indies’ make their mark at TIFF At the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which took place from 10 to 20 September 2015, Isaac Mogajane, head of the Johannesburg-based production company Diprente Films, was the only South African selected to the International Film Forum (IFF), the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s feature film co-financing event.

Mogajane attended the festival as one of 20 South African independent filmmakers invited by the Association for Transformation in Film and Television (ATFT).

Launched in 2013, the ATFT has invited over 122 independent, South African black-owned companies to attend 20 international film and television markets.

Pascal Schmitz, co-founder and publicity officer of the ATFT, recalls the beginning: “I had started helping the Documentary Filmmakers’ Association (DFA), which also sent delegations to film festivals. But after the second trip, I realised that the majority of filmmakers were white. So with Mayenzeke Baza, I decided to create the ATFT to aid them at international markets.”

Any black filmmaker or black-owned production company can apply to attend international markets with the help of the ATFT, which receives funding from the Department of Trade and Industry (dti), the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng Film Commissions and the National Film and

FLYING THE FLAG: The SA Indies stand at the Toronto International Film Festival Video Foundation (NFVF). The selections are made according to specific criteria.

“One company can only participate in three markets a year,” says Schmitz, who along with Baza, also runs AAA Entertainment, a content distribution company. “Priority is given to the ones that have never attended a market.”

This year, the ATFT invited ‘indie’ South African producers to present their projects at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Industry Hub. Under the South African banner, 20 filmmakers and

producers from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria and beyond had the opportunity to deal with some of the 5 000 film professionals in attendance from 80 countries. “We organised a stand, a trailer loop, a catalogue of delegates and projects, some speed dating and programmes through the film market as well as access, branding and marketing,” explains Schmitz.

Thanks to this initiative, films in development or pre-production at TIFF received distribution, investment

and co-production interests from foreign companies.

An ATFT member since 2013, Mogajane attends several film markets each year. “There are very few black film professionals in those markets,” he says.

Some are Caribbean; others are African-Americans or Nigerians. This is why South Africa is now big on screen: we have a high quality level and there is a demand for African content.”

The ATFT regularly invites international film professionals to lead workshops in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban to teach pitching skills and help local filmmakers prepare for international markets. “When you have a group of producers who feel comfortable and look happy, the dynamic changes,” says Schmitz. “That’s how people meet people.”

“I’ve learnt a lot from my mistakes,” says Mogajane, who launched Diprente Films in 2009. “It’s good to have a product in a market and to know how to package it. The more you attend film markets, the more people you meet. This is how they get to know you and come to trust you.”

“I know how it is for a company to succeed,” adds Mogajane. “In South Africa, most of the people are black but black companies still do not own black content. This is why the ATFT is important.” – Claire Diao

Locally-made animated series to debut on eToonz+ Silly Seasons, an animated series produced by The Flying Circus, an animation and post-production facility based in Johannesburg, will debut on the OpenView HD platform in December.

The purchase of the series by the free-to-air broadcaster is all the more remarkable since the majority of South African animation houses are increasingly looking abroad to market their product due to a general lack of interest from local broadcasters.

The Flying Circus, a member of the Primedia group, has been developing the Silly Seasons concept for about two years, with CEO Ronald Henry and producer Andre van der Merwe presenting it at several international markets, such as MIPTV and Kidscreen and using the feedback they got to shape it into a product that was more attractive to content buyers.

“There was a lot of interest in the concept early on, even when it looked a bit shambolic,” Henry says. “As we developed it and constantly bounced it off different people, it got a little edgier and smarter as we went along. People 6 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

would express interest but there were always elements we needed to improve.

We came back from those early markets knowing that people liked the idea but our execution needed work. We took everything we learned from our experiences at these markets and applied it to the final product and that has made all the difference.”

Using this feedback, the team made substantial changes to their characters and the overall look and feel of the show, as well as constantly polishing their scripts. As they developed the show, Flying Circus perfected a workflow based on motion capture. This process captures the movements and performances of real actors, upon which the character animations are then modelled to bring them to life.

Silly Seasons was generated to cater for the widespread demand for comedy aimed at girls between six and 12. The series revolves around four girls – each representing a different season in her appearance and disposition – who live in a fantasy world populated by anthropomorphic animals. The comedy

EDGY AND SMART ANIMATION: A scene from Silly Seasons of the show is based in the social situations in which the girls and the supporting characters find themselves and is expressed through witty verbal jokes rather than slapstick physical humour.

“We first started talking to etv in 2013 at DISCOP,” van der Merwe explains.

“They were immediately interested in the show. We kept in touch with them as we took the show through more and more iterations. When we came more or less to the final product, and we had made some promos for the first few episodes, they

immediately said that they would want to pick the show up. Aside from being very pleased that the show will be seen on local screens, it was very important for us to have the support of a local broadcaster in terms of our strategy to sell the show at international markets.”

In addition to being deep into production on the first season of Silly Seasons, Flying Circus is also developing a number of other projects, including their first animated feature.

Silly Seasons starts on 17 December on eToonz (Ch. 200) on OpenView HD.

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Technology | IBC

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Highlights from IBC A look at some of the products that caught our eye at IBC this year…

Grass Valley Node IP processing platform Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, debuted the world’s first true, real-time IP processing platform, GV Node.

• Offers multipurpose video and audio processing.

• Allows broadcasters to combine many of the advantages of a data centre model with the specific requirements of a live broadcast production environment.

• Designed to serve as a primary source of switching in live production.

• Can be used alongside commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) IP switches.

• Uplinks to aggregation COTS IP switches, using a ‘spine-leaf’ architecture in line with standard IT architectures. This allows for more scalability than traditional routing systems.

• Delivers multiple signal processing and monitoring functions and provides IP and SDI I/O as well as MADI I/O, audio de-embedding/embedding and monitoring.

• Includes built-in, highly scalable multiviewer with Kaleido technology for the highest picture quality and layout flexibility.

• Designed to be ‘Future-Ready’ with respect to currently changing industry signal formats and standards, currently supporting both SMPTE 2022-6 (HD) videoover-IP and 4K 1-wire using TICO compression.

SAM ICE IP and ICE SDC

SAM (Snell Advanced Media – the company that emerged from the fusion of Quantel and Snell) launched a new variant of its ICE Channel-in-a-Box (CiaB) system: ICE IP. Features • Provides future-ready IP playout facilities.

• Supports multiple H.264 IP input and output streams alongside its SDI I/O, enabling ICE owners to transition to IP operation at a rate that suits their business needs.

• ICE IP integrates the full ICE toolset, including high quality up-scaling, complex audio handling, advanced graphics capabilities for premium channel branding, Media Biometrics and support for single channel, multi-channel, multi-region and multi-platform environments.

• For playout facilities looking to implement full cloud/data centre playout, the initial release of the new ICE SDC was also on show at IBC. ICE SDC will bring ICE CiaB capabilities to virtualised playout environments – delivering the SoftwareDefined Channel. The initial release is targeted at proof of concept implementations; ICE SDC is a rapidly developing product with a rich roadmap through 2016, adding functionality as the capabilities of commercial data centers continue to develop. ICE SDC integrates fully with the cloud-ready Morpheus automation, enabling a seamless transition to virtualised playout.

8 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

Sony FS5 Following the release of the wildly popular FS7, Sony launched this new lightweight addition to the PXW-FS range, essentially incorporating all the elements that made its shoulder-mount bigger sibling such a success, into a smaller, handheld package.

Features: • 4K Super 35 Exmor sensor, with excellent low-light sensitivity, 14 stops of exposure latitude • Built-in electronic variable ND filters • High frame rate shooting • Lightweight (0.8kg) and hardy magnesium body • Advanced ‘heat sink’ cooling system • Modular design • Networked to allow live streaming, remote control from smartphone or tablet • LAN jack for full resolution content transfer

iZotope RX5 Audio post production suite

Audio software specialists iZotope launched its RX post production suite, containing a comprehensive suite of tools designed specifically to enable professionals to edit, mix, and deliver their audio, as well as RX 5 Audio Editor, a significant new update to its RX platform.

The new RX Post Production Suite contains products aimed at every stage of the audio post production workflow, with solution-oriented tools for everything from audio repair and editing, to mix enhancement and final delivery.

The RX Post Production Suite includes: • RX 5 Advanced Audio Editor – repairs and enhances common problematic production audio while speeding up workflows. Includes the new De-plosive module to minimise plosives from the speaking of letters such as p, t, k and b.

• RX Instant process – allows editors to ‘paint out’ unwanted audio elements directly on the spectral display with a simple movement of the mouse.

• RX Final Mix. • RX Loudness Control.

• One-year, All-Access Pass to Groove3 online video courses & training • 50 free sound effects (customer’s choice) from Pro Sound Effects.

News

|

Technology | IBC

Lawo Kick

www.screenafrica.com

Hitachi OB-BOX concept

Lawo, a manufacturer of digital audio solutions and IP-based video routing equipment, introduced KICK, an automated control system for close-ball mixing.

Features: • Interfaces with modern image analysis and tracking systems to enable a consistent, fully-automated, high-quality, close-ball audio mix for sports such as soccer and rugby.

• Has an intuitive graphical user interface for easy adjustment of all of its parameters, including the placement of microphones, their polar patterns and microphone prioritisation.

• The system ensures transparent sound pickup with its ‘noise-to-kick’ ratio, significantly reducing crowd noise.

• Ensures a consistent audio level without noticeable fades for seamless inclusion in a broadcast mix, and delivers a mix that is 100% repeatable from match to match.

• Available as a software-only solution for productions using Lawo mc² mixing consoles, as well as a hardware bundled solution for productions using consoles from other manufacturers.

• It requires a standard host PC (running Windows 7 or Windows 8) for the host application, and an HTML5 capable browser for the user interface.

Imagine Communications Landmark xG Open programmatic advertising solution

At IBC, Hitachi Kokusai Electric brought its new OB-BOX concept to the European market for the first time. The offering is intended for flexibility, cost-efficiency and optimum technical performance in outside broadcast.

OB-BOX is a modular OB facility, designed and built to the specifications of each individual customer, that can be delivered to a client and then mounted on any vehicle of the appropriate size using a proprietary fixing kit. This addresses the lag in manufacture and delivery that occurs in the OB market as a result of the need to find and ship an appropriate vehicle for each customer. It comes in three different configurations: four, eight and 12-camera set-ups.

Each OB-BOX is specified, designed and manufactured to meet the customer’s exact OB needs. Among the elements each OB-BOX can include are full video, audio, transmission and infrastructure capabilities, for SD, HD and 4K broadcast, as well as full connectivity for satellite, fibre and Ethernet. They also feature Cloud capabilities.

OB-BOXes are constructed at Hitachi’s Istanbul headquarters for delivery across the EMEA region.

Imagine Communications announced the expansion of its advertising management solution portfolio with Landmark xG Open™, a new, open API-based solution. Landmark xG Open allows media companies to participate in sales via programmatic exchanges, optimising and automating the sales process necessary for advertising marketplaces.

Features: • Enables broadcasters, networks, media companies and advertising agencies to streamline advertising with near real-time performance feedback to the buyer.

• Provides direct connections between advertising buyers and sellers, facilitating the sale of advertising inventory with analytics-based metrics.

• Compatible with multiple advertising exchanges for network, local, cable, radio, digital and on-demand.

• Automates proposals and sales transactions, leveraging data-driven decision-making provided by business and external data.

• Built on the industry-standard SMPTE-2021 BXF (Broadcast eXchange Format) framework, the API enables media companies to easily work with advertising marketplaces, with the schema available to all third-party vendors for integration.

• Increases the efficiency of the overall buy-sell process with a simple software license that enables the generation of new revenue without having to incur incremental fees.

10 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

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ADCETERA

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Report on the South African commercials industry

Caxton adds creative Spark The Spark agency, headed up by Kirsten Dugmore, was launched last month by Spark Media after the amalgamation of Habari Media and NAB (the Newspaper Advertising Bureau), both part of the Caxton media group.

The role of the Spark Agency will be to draw on the established marketing intelligence for which NAB and Habari Media are known in the industry and support the efforts of Spark Media with all the skills of a creative agency in house, utilising insights from the marketing services department, GIS, research and insights, brand and PR. At the heart of this marketing intelligence is the Roots research, South Africa’s largest urban, community-level quantitative survey, conducted by Caxton over 35 years, reaching over 50 million, and providing marketers, advertisers, media and creative agencies with the demographic information, intelligence and insights into buyers’ behaviour across various categories.

Caxton acquired Habari Media in 2014 and Spark Media was launched earlier this year after the fusion of NAB and Habari Media, using the legacy platforms and Caxton-owned print and digital products and the digital sales agency experience Habari Media brought to the table, creating a new media sales powerhouse in the industry. Spawning a creative division in the Spark Agency, was the next logical step.

The Spark Agency has been billed as an ‘old fashioned advertising agency with a modern twist’. CEO Gill Randall describes it as offering cross-platform ideas and campaigns centred on the science of consumer behaviour as well as current media principles. The in-depth hyper-local consumer insights that NAB specialised in will drive client campaigns.

Spark stands for ‘Strategic, Partners, Audience, Research, Knowledge’ and the brand sense was summed up as ‘Spark – Insights that Ignite’.

The young team consists of Kirsten Dugmore, whose job title is ‘the campaigner’. She is supported by an art director, graphic designer, copywriter and a production and traffic manager.

12 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

Dugmore holds a post-graduate marketing degree and has more than a decade of experience in the industry.

“We intend to raise the bar of service and value that we can provide to our clients (the majority of them being agencies),” explains Dugmore. “As Spark we have a multitude of channels, from local print media to online and mobile.

Spark agency has also been established as the hub that can strategically put together effective cross-channel campaigns. We are able to advise optimum channel selection and best creative use of the different channels… ensuring that brand and messaging remain in line on all channels.”

The Spark agency is also responsible for all internal creative, design and CI work.

“We are equipped to run a campaign from insights to creative execution or roll-out. We are capable of assisting a client at any stage of their marketing communication process – from insights to design – we can add value should a client require.”

The core thrust of the business is to raise the value that they offer to clients and to encourage clients to be more tactical with the platforms on offer across the Caxton media business. Says Dugmore: “We have so much marketing intel and resources in our space, we need to translate these into workable insights and creative opportunities for clients.”

She sees her ‘purpose’ in the new role as finding the ‘so what’, the ultimate creative concept for clients.

“My strength is in the conceptual and strategic space. I am the ‘big picture’ person in our team. I go through all the insights and research that the different departments supply on the client’s specific market, etc. I then find the ‘so what’ for the client. When we have consolidated all the input – these insights and ideas are briefed into the agency’s

Kirsten Dugmore

creative studio.

“In a nutshell, I try marry the science and the art!” Dugmore adds.

Her strategy to win new business is one of ‘educated creative’. Her premise is that clients and agencies are under more pressure than ever with tight budgets, and clients want to see a return on investment (ROI).

“You need to show value, an understanding of the client’s market and needs, their media consumption habits and, if you have a great creative idea to tie it all together, you have a winner.”

Apart from the current economic imperative, the significant media trends she has noted influencing culture and creative, are: a renewed focus on content, and of course, the rise of mobile.

“Content is still a big buzz word.

Clients want to engage with their consumer. However, many clients do not have the resources or expertise to put relevant content together. We are able to do this well for our clients at Spark across

all the platforms. We have a content hub and access to editors across a variety of subjects. We can also advise best practice content across different platforms. For example, a community news content piece would differ from a LinkedIn newsletter.

“Content needs to feel authentic – consumers can see a press release from a mile off. You need to be relevant and believable within the market and channel that you are producing content for.

“Mobile continues to grow – from a creative aspect, this channel is limited – however, the constant innovations and new solutions coming to market make it an incredibly exciting platform,” Dugmore reiterates.

She believes her team has great creative energy.

“You can spot the creative studio team from a mile – your typical ‘odd balls’ and creatives… fabulous for the company as it adds a different dynamic to Spark!”

– Louise Marsland

| ADCETERA

Cruise the fast lane Job-hopping in the media and advertising industries is rife and is under heavy scrutiny from a number of agency veterans who are presented with a new breed of fiercely ambitious young creatives.

Often these Generation Y’ers are labelled disloyal, and are criticised for trying to fast-track their creative chops. But according to William Struwig, a multiple award-winning creative director at Publicis Machine in Johannesburg, this zeal isn’t necessarily the nuisance it is perceived to be. At the recent Hello Ambassador creativity event, which ran over two days in Johannesburg, the 28-year-old shared some tips on ‘Turning Great Before Turning Grey.’

Draw the line Struwig says boundaries are important in an industry notorious for pushing its players to their limits. While creatives can expect to extend themselves beyond regular working hours from time to time, it’s up to them to draw a professional line and not feel guilty about leaving at 5pm.

“Midnight oil burns you out quicker,” said Struwig. “If someone is constantly at the office late at night, they either have too much work or they are not working properly.”

William Struwig

Speak up, stand out

Make your move

“Always have an opinion, good or bad.

When you do, people appreciate your presence in a room. Blending in keeps you in the middle,” said Struwig. He added that asking for help is a valuable trait which he has had to learn to do more in his field.

“You don’t get a gold watch because you worked somewhere for 20 years anymore,” Struwig pointed out. The average amount of time a person spends working at an agency is now around a year and a half and creatives shouldn’t feel guilty about moving jobs to better their prospects. “Moving for money is ok,” he added.

Be a boff If you want to be a success in the ever competitive world of media and marketing, you’ve got to keep on top of trends; read a whole lot and well… know everything. Struwig has at least three industry related platforms which he turns to every morning to catch up on what is happening in his world, and his consumers.

Awards ain’t all that

Disembark from the sea of sameness

While awards offer recognition, fledgling creatives tend to gun for awards; when the real drive should just be on doing great work. Struwig maintained that they should avoid this tunnel vision approach and added: “Award-winning creatives don’t always get to the top.”

According to Struwig anyone can design an OppiKoppi, Up the Creek or craft beer poster, but only the truly talented can come up with cool and excellent solutions for the mundane. “How are you going to design a business card for a plumber?” he remarked.

Take the high road While it’s important to look out for number one, no one can afford to burn bridges – least of all in an industry which consists of many cross connections. “A creative industry is the size of your pinkie nail,” said Struwig. “The moment you leave an agency, remember that in the not too distant future they could call you and give you another opportunity.”

Own it Struwig encourages creatives to stand by their talent, decisions, triumphs and failures. This means facing up to clients and hard conversations. It also means being proud of the work you do, taking initiative and asking to be more involved

in meetings. Struwig added: “Don’t claim what’s not yours and don’t let others claim what is yours. People are quick to latch on to a good idea.”

Busk until you get it Nobody starts out being an expert in their field, but confidence and a solid ‘yes’ attitude are a sure way to advance your experience and skill set. “Be a beginner; act like a pro,” advised Struwig. When you enter a room poised and in control, you are able to instil in people a sense that you know what you are doing.

Keep calm The world of advertising is a harsh one and sometimes, you’re going to feel demotivated. You’ll most likely be blasted by a client at some point or be threatened with retrenchment, so it’s important to remember the incredible highs that accompany the lows. “Be happy – be sure you experience enough that you don’t get too caught up in the world we call advertising. Work for those little moments; work for those gems; work for the magic,” Struwig concluded.

– Carly Barnes October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 13

ADCETERA | Opinion

‘Never uninspired’ Eighteen Cannes Lions (nine gold), one Cannes Grand Prix, three D&AD Yellow Pencils and two toddlers later, Jenny Glover says she ’accidently‘ stumbled into advertising…

What drew you to advertising?

Jenny Glover: I studied law at university for four years and it was more a case of being repelled by the idea of working in a law firm than being drawn to anything. In retrospect advertising should’ve been my most obvious choice but as with most clueless 20-somethings I stumbled into it quite accidentally. I’m very glad I did.

What exactly does the job of an Executive Creative Director entail?

JG: The answer to this can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. It is a big job with many roles and responsibilities and it’s easy to get caught up in that. I like to keep my focus single-minded. My job is to use the skill and experience that I’ve gathered over the years to create better work for our clients. Even when I’m performing a management role, doing admin or people management I try filter it through the same lens. I believe too many ECDs and CDs lose sight of what they should be doing because they’re so bamboozled by the enormity of the job. Despite the overlap in responsibilities, ECDs are not MDs, FDs or BUDs. We’re there to keep an eye on the work. That’s our product, the thing that drops off the end of the production line in our factory. If it’s rubbish, we don’t have a business.

Which ad (radio or TV) that you have worked on is your personal favourite and why?

JG: I have lots of favourites, but one of the most recent favourites was a radio campaign we did for Student Flights. It’s basically about the difference between travelling as a student and travelling as a parent with kids. The spots are devastatingly accurate 60-second projections of my life at the moment.

What are your three favourite brands to work with and why?

JG: The diplomatic answer is that I don’t

14 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

actually favour any brand. I think what makes a brand exciting is a client who has genuine enthusiasm for doing great work.

Which medium do you prefer to work with, radio or TV? Why? JG: I love TV because of the layers of craft that you get to play with, but locally I think our radio is conceptually far superior. Our TV concepts suffer from strategic sameness and sadly we’ve lost our knack for small, smart ideas. Radio may be less cool than TV but it’s still the purest medium there is. There is no fancy director, famous music or CG to help cover up the flaws in your mediocre script. There’s nowhere to hide, your writing, concept and execution have to be flawless. I’ve built my career on radio, which is weird considering I’m actually partially deaf in one ear. It’ll always be close to my heart.

If your life had a soundtrack, what songs would be on it?

JG: Assorted Eastern European library music. Take a listen to my work, I have a thing for it.

How do you get the creative juices flowing when you are feeling uninspired?

JG: I’m never really unispired. Even though I’m no longer conceptualising every day, I’m still constantly coming up with ideas. I think if you enjoy doing something, it never feels like an effort. I do get tired and like everyone I’ve had challenging times but I’m a very determined and ambitious person and I’ve always been able to bounce back.

What has been your career highlight/s so far?

JG: The obvious answer would probably be winning a Grand Prix in Cannes but to be honest that wasn’t my happiest moment. I love winning but with awards come (self-inflicted) pressure and anxiety. Personally, my career highlights are moments when I’ve written something that I know is great.

Something that I love. I’ll literally lie in

Jenny Glover, executive creative director at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris\ in Johannesburg

bed that night, smiling in the dark. That’s when I’m happiest.

What has been the most difficult job in your career to date and why?

JG: There’s no one single piece that stands out. What I will say is that making bad work is infinitely easier than making great work. Bad work tends to slide through without incident. Great work generally involves fist-shaking and sobbing and often the spilling of blood.

Do you feel radio and TV advertising are still effective considering the current explosion of online media we are experiencing, and how it is changing the way people consume media?

JG: I do believe that both mediums are still relevant but we’re competing with increasingly impressive entertainment options in those mediums. If we want people to notice our advertising, we’re going to have to up our game in terms of creating more interesting, engaging and entertaining work.

What do you do in your down time?

JG: That’s hilarious. I have a three-yearold and a one-year-old so I don’t have any down time. I somehow always make time to read and pick up stray dogs though.

If you weren’t in advertising what would you be doing?

JG: I’d be a deeply unhappy lawyer.

What are you working on at the moment?

JG: Terrifying the creative department into making better work.

What in your opinion are some of the defining characteristics of the SA creative industry at the moment?

JG: Sadly, the first thing that comes to mind is that our good talent is going overseas in droves. South Africa is an excellent advertising kindergarden but as soon as people get really good with their crayons they go to big school overseas.

This can’t be good for the future of our country or industry.

On the plus there’s still a glimmer of the Wild West in our local industry. We’re all becoming more professional, corporate and ‘international’, but I still see moments of the feral madness that makes us different to any place on the planet. I think it’s important that we don’t lose who we are. The rest of the world is enchanted by it but somehow we can’t always see what we have. I love this place. I don’t want to work in a sterile, soulless happy-farm. I’d move to Sydney if I wanted that.

Compiled by Chanelle Ellaya

Opinion

| ADCETERA

Demanding times

By Dean Blumberg, director, Bouffant It has been almost 25 years since Bruce Springsteen growled: “There was 57 channels and nothin’ on…”

And for 25 years we have had an ever-increasing bundle of choice in entertainment. We had multiple TV channels but only one box. Cellphones were for making phone calls. The internet was finding its way into homes, but few realised the impact it would have.

M-Net came to life in 1986, DStv was created in 1995, and YouTube began in 2005. The television splintered into multiple devices, and most of us have a screen available wherever we are.

Choice continues to evolve. But this year, it grew up.

With the introduction of On-Demand Entertainment services in South Africa, we joined the world in entering the ‘On-Demand Era.’ This is more than choice – this introduces ‘expectation.’

Audiences are now getting used to having their entertainment when, how and on what they want.

So what is demanded of us? The people previously protected by ad breaks

Still from Dean Blumberg’s Lucozade Performance Art TV Commercial and pre-roll. Given that many international On-Demand services are offering more commercial-free subscriptions, we may not be secure forever.

Now, audiences accessing content will no longer tolerate an interruption: they’ll demand value. Advertisers are not alone.

We all want people’s attention: Look at my series. Look at my movie. Look at my lunch.

So, as part of a community that helps agencies be heard above the noise, are our skills as visual storytellers enough to move into the highly competitive On-Demand media phase? Are we collectively able to entice viewers to watch an entire commercial completely

unrelated in substance to the video they expected on YouTube?

More than ever. Our skills are directly related to getting noticed. But gone are the days of the pretty package and no substance. The demand on our ability to translate concepts into visually engaging pieces of true quality is more vital than ever. But the value offered by directors cannot continue to live on the periphery of the process.

Agencies are now engaging the consumer on an integrated story level.

The future is an extended conversation between the brands and their audiences.

The model that has created various businesses to service the various pieces of brand communication is being tested.

But where does that leave the relationship between the classic commercial production studio and ad agencies?

I don’t think anyone has a definitive answer but I do know we are better together. As the divisions fall away inside agencies between digital and traditional, so too will the gap between the directors and the projects. So for us to stand a chance at being noticed the whole will only be as strong as the sum of its parts, and the commercial’s director will become integrated too.

I can see a future where the production component is part of the process – attached to the project like a feature film director, ushering the creation of a film from development through to delivery.

South Africa. Tristan, Saskia and Julie got to Kenya a week earlier than the shoot and mixed the cast with individuals that were actually in each location. At the end of the day, everyone that we filmed was pre-selected by Tristan, the agency and the client and they were all paid with full cast contracts,” says Thal.

There were around 20 locations which featured in the ads – including a set build in a warehouse – which were sourced previously by Blue Sky and then recce’d, tweaked and reconsidered by the production crew on arrival. “Shooting a commercial on location in a country that

you are unfamiliar with presents enough challenges of its own, so sourcing and trusting the service company based in Kenya was of the utmost importance, so that when my team actually got there, the schedule and layout was all done for them,” comments Thal.

The time and schedule challenges which producers regularly expect to encounter on productions are magnified when shooting takes place in another country. This is why the Star Films crew spent a good amount of time planning everything – from cast and locations to hotel accommodation and the type of vehicle which each crew member would need to travel in – with Blue Sky, prior to their arrival in Nairobi.

“Once all this was in place, the day to day planning (handled by Lisa Holland our assistant director) was scheduled and the team was able to jump from space to space,” explains Thal. Additional key crew members included director of photography Jamie Ramsey, who shot the ad using a Red Epic Dragon; focus puller Nick Turvey; and digital imaging technician Frances Kroon.

All post-production was handled by Left Post Production, including Evy Katz the offline editor, Keno the online editor and post producer Vicki Kotze.

– Carly Barnes

Calling on the team

Still from Tusker Lager commercial A Kenyan rugby player is pummelled into the field and a chorus of fans is quietened, suspended in anticipation.

“We are calling on the team” – a deep voice-over booms, cueing fans across the country to rise in support of their players.

The beauty of commonality and team spirit is colourfully captured in the one-minute Tusker Lager commercial, both in its message and its creation.

One of two commercials produced by Star Films and conceptualised by Network BBDO for the brand, the ad was shot in Kenya and was executed through cross-country planning and collaboration.

Both commercials were shot in July 2015 over a week in and around Nairobi, Kenya and featured multiple characters and locations. A cast of over 50 and more than 300 extras were sourced before and while on location. Adam Thal, executive producer at Star Films, says the rigorous casting process was accomplished with the assistance of Kenyan service company Blue Sky, along with director Tristan Holmes, producer Saskia Rosenberg and art director Julie Bonnett.

“We had a mix of cast including actors, locals, and specific looking people that Blue Sky handled for us while we were in

October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 15

FESTIVALS & MARKETS

The

2015

|

Golden Triangle

As Africa’s television industry gears up for DISCOP Africa, to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from 4 to 6 November, the event organiser, Basic Lead, has announced an initiative intended to further strengthen industry networks across the continent.

Abidjan

Nairobi

I

n June 2015, the first DISCOP Abidjan was held in Cote d’Ivoire’s largest city.

Between Johannesburg and Abidjan, the annual television content market now has southern and west Africa, as well as both Anglophone and francophone countries covered.

Basic Lead, the international events company that organises DISCOP, has seen potential for even further expansion.

With the east African region also having a burgeoning television content hub, it was obvious that the two-way connection joining the Ivorian and South African markets should be extended to include another centre in this part of the continent. And so the concept of the Golden Triangle came into being: a three-way network with points in Johannesburg, Abidjan and Nairobi, Kenya.

The strategy is somewhat different in the east African case. Rather than adding a new DISCOP event, as it did in Cote d’Ivoire, Basic Lead decided to partner with an existing event in the Kenyan capital – the Kalasha International Film and Television Festival and Market.

The Kalasha festival will be held, for the first time from 26 to 30 October, with the market held over two days, from 28 to 29 October at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. The DISCOP event in Johannesburg will then reciprocate with a focus on South African-Kenyan coproduction, co-hosted by South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Kenya Film Commission

16 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

Johannesburg

(KFC).

Whereas previously, Africa’s television producers, content owners and broadcasting executives had only one annual event at which to network and buy and sell content, the addition of the Abidjan and Nairobi markets offers them three such events in a 12-month period.

This increased number of markets should allow for faster industry growth and stronger relationships between professionals in the various regions.

Those who are familiar with the format of DISCOP’s Johannesburg event would know what to expect from the Abidjan version of the market. While it is on a smaller scale and is held in French rather than English, it follows more or less the same structure and themes. What about their Kenyan counterpart?

The Kalasha Festival and Market was launched through a partnership between the KFC and the French Embassy in Kenya, and targets independent producers, commissioning and distributing executives and other key

players in east Africa.

Lizzie Chongoti, CEO of the KFC, says: “Kalasha International’s primary objective is to showcase Kenya as a major regional hub for film and TV production and distribution across all platforms and genres while reinforcing the uniqueness of Kenya as a shooting location. It is evident that a vibrant film and TV industry will contribute to shaping Kenya’s image at the international level, foster the quality and quantity of local content produced, sharpen the requisite skills, enhance tourism; thus creating wealth and employment for the country.”

By forging a partnership with Kalasha, DISCOP Africa intends to stimulate co-production and distribution among the three regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

Basic Lead CEO Patrick Zuchowicki says of this initiative: “DISCOP Africa’s mission is to effectively help established and up-and-coming producers market ideas, broaden knowledge and connect with potential partners across the world.

Joining forces with the organisers of the

Nairobi-based Kalasha Festival will provide both organisations with reinforced resources to bring independents from the Golden Triangle – Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa – as well as neighbouring countries in their regions, together several times a year, help them get their projects financed and rub shoulders with production, commissioning, distribution and advertising executives playing a key role in Africa’s booming television ecosystem.”

While all three of these markets are intended to benefit role players in all African countries, there is usually a particular area of emphasis or country of honour at each annual edition. This year, the emphasis is on strengthening relationships between Kenya and South Africa, and making a call to action to all stakeholders in both countries to begin shaping and enjoying the practical benefits of the 2013 memorandum of understanding between the two filmmaking nations.

Photos by Trevor Ou Tim

FESTIVALS & MARKETS

18 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

|

2015

2015

| FESTIVALS & MARKETS

Kenya-South Africa

– making co-production a reality In 2013, the Kenya Film Commission (KFC) and South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at fostering co-production initiatives between the two countries. At DISCOP Johannesburg 2015, this MOU will fall under the spotlight, with a view towards bringing the agreement to fruition.

BETTER, STRONGER COOPERATION: The foyer area at DISCOP Africa 2014 at the Sandton Convention Centre

T

his area of the annual television and film content market, to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from 4 to 6 November, is designed to help ensure that the understanding between South Africa and Kenya actually generates tangible results.

This will be facilitated by handpicking several projects that are ideal candidates for co-development and co-production between the two countries.

Patrick Zuchowicki, CEO of Basic Lead, the organiser of DISCOP, says: “We strongly believe in better, stronger cooperation between South Africa and Kenya and this is why we have launched

the Kenya-South Africa Co-Pro initiative.

This will seek out ten film and television projects with the right ingredients to be co-developed and co-funded by producers from these two countries.

“Selected projects will be pitched in front of a meticulously chosen panel of South African and Kenyan television executives, sales agents, advertisers and established producers seeking fresh talent, innovative concepts and captivating stories that could help foster stronger co-production relationships between Kenya and South Africa.”

The pitches for the projects will be held at the Kalasha Festival in Nairobi on 29

October and at DISCOP Johannesburg on 5 November. The co-production theme also extends to the DISCOPRO pitching forum, which takes place alongside the DISCOP market and conference. Wangeci Murage of Media Pros Africa, who has been contracted by Basic Lead to coordinate the pitching programme, says: “Kenya and South Africa have been at the forefront of filmmaking in Africa and the 2013 memorandum of understanding was intended to create opportunities that encourage filmmaking between both nations. The Co-Pro initiative at DISCOPRO is therefore aimed at

strengthening that commitment and building synergies that will foster the growth and development of film in Africa.”

The initiative is open to projects from both countries at any stage of development or production, which will be pitched to panels of experts who are mandated to look out for fresh talent, innovative concepts and captivating stories that could also help foster stronger bilateral relations between the industries in Kenya and South Africa.

October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 19

Photo by Trevor Ou Tim

FESTIVALS & MARKETS

20 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

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2015

2015

| FESTIVALS & MARKETS

DISCOPRO 2015

PITCHING PROJECTS: Scenes from DISCOP 2014

At the latest edition of DISCOP Africa, taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from 4 to 6 November, delegates can expect an expanded and revamped programme at the DISCOPRO pitching platform.

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taged alongside the DISCOP Africa exhibition, market and conference, DISCOPRO offers independent producers a chance to pitch their projects and meet with potential buyers, sales agents and collaborators.

The schedule features a training programme consisting of 36 hands-on, small group workshops designed to help content creators with the various challenges of development, funding, monetisation and distribution. There are also six fast-paced pitching competitions, which will enable producers to pitch their stories to a panel of experienced industry players. These take place in a number of categories, including TV series, Documentary, Formats, Animation, Comedy and Web series.

“Launched four years ago, the DISCOPRO programme has grown to become a pan-African business accelerator effectively helping established and up-and-coming producers market ideas, broaden knowledge and connect with potential investors,” says Patrick Zuchowicki, CEO of Basic Lead, the organiser of the event.

“The revamped 2015 pitching, training and matchmaking programme is one of the clearest expressions of the growing role of independent producers in boosting the homegrown television

content industry. This year’s programme is a homage to the continent’s creativity, with six pitching competitions instead of four last year, an expanded number of training workshops, more than 30 in total – and all of them available in both English and French, and covering the whole ‘food chain’ from content development to content monetisation.”

According to Wangeci Murage, of the Nairobi-based media resource company that has been contracted to coordinate DISCOPRO this year, the expansion of the programme for the latest edition was prompted by the consistent growth of the event over the years and the changing needs of Africa’s content consumers.

“There are more and more delegates seeking avenues to display their creative work, pitch ideas and interact with potential investors,” she says. DISCOPRO has therefore created additional sessions and increased capacity to allow for more delegates to participate in workshops, conferences and the pitching competition. This year DISCOPRO will have two additional categories: Comedy and Web Series, due to the increasing demand for these genres in our day-to-day viewing consumption in Africa.

Murage offers a foretaste of the programme’s emphasis and themes:

“We have major themes around co-productions in Africa, the digital age in Africa, comedy and a host of other discussions around content production, funding and monetization that will be carried through our conferences and workshops. We have a wide spectrum of experienced professionals that will be involved throughout the entire programme, from African and international markets.”

One particular focal point is the Kenya-South Africa Co-Pro initiative, which will see DISCOPRO judges keeping an eye out for projects from both countries that could make for strong co-production material. This, however, does not exclude filmmakers from any other African country from making use of the DISCOPRO pitching platform.

“With the transition to digital broadcasting, it is an exciting time for content development in Africa and we are thrilled to be working on the DISCOPRO programme to provide industry stakeholders with the platform to engage.

Content developers and distribution platforms in Africa are seeking new ways to deliver programming to their growing audiences and the DISCOPRO training and pitching forums will explore myriad opportunities that the industry can tap into,” Murage concludes.

October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 21

SCREENINGS TO SCREAM ABOUT: HorrorFest co-founders Paul Blom and Sonja Ruppersberg

22 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

HorrorFest 2015 Founded by Paul Blom and Sonja Ruppersberg in 2004, the South African HorrorFest has been celebrating the dark side of cinema for over a decade. Screen Africa spoke to Blom in the run-up to this year’s festival.

Horrorfest is eleven years old this year. What prompted you to start the festival? What funding models have you used to keep the festival going and who have your main supporters been?

Paul Blom: In 2004 festival co-creator Sonja Ruppersberg and I made a horror short film (titled imPERFECTION), but once it was completed, we realised there were even less avenues to get it screened in South Africa than we initially expected.

It was screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival, but we wanted it to be seen on home soil. Having been into Fangoria Magazine since the 1980s, I always saw these ads on horror festivals and conventions, hoping one day someone would do something similar here. With no-one pursuing anything like this, we simply decided we weren’t going to sit around and wait for someone else to do it. We took it upon ourselves to create our own horror film festival to cater for those likeminded viewers who enjoy the genre, plus create a platform for local moviemakers (from amateur to professional) to produce something crazy they may not normally attempt. We approached the Labia Theatre as the only logical choice (being the last indie cinema in Cape Town) and took it from there, learning as we went along.

Horror has always had an underground stigma. Even though shows like The Walking Dead have made it very mainstream, it remains difficult to get an event like this funded. To a great extent the festival is funded by a love for the genre (main staff and essential contributors like photographers and poster designers not taking any payment for their work). Multi-tasking also comes into play with us taking on many aspects from press and social media, to directing

our own event trailer, designing our own poster and festival programme flyers and so forth – even physically getting out there to hand out flyers.

As far as possible we’ve kept partners, advertisers, affiliates and sponsors close to the movie industry. On the website, companies like UIP, Ster Kinekor and Times Media Films are keen to participate with banner ads. We also include a limited amount of ad space in the event programme, which usually goes very quickly.

SAE Institute has been along for the ride for a few years now, and this year we’re teaming up for a free Horror masterclass at their Cape Town campus (featuring a lecture by international horror documentary filmmaker Calum Waddell who is flying in from his current film studies post at a university in China – his new documentary 42nd Street Memories will also screen at the festival with him attending).

Publishers like Penguin Random House have been involved for a while, mainly with book giveaways at our ‘Bloody Parchment’ literary chapter. They are expanding their support this year.

Companies like Visual Impact, Magus, HD Hub and Sound & Motion Studios have sponsored production prizes for outstanding short films, pretty much since the beginning of the festival. A lot of these (like audience give-aways of DVDs and books) are value adds, and not cash to keep the gears running, but it is an essential part of the festivities.

While university and film school have their impact, I’ve always been a selftaught proponent (from writing and music to movie-making), and we very much follow our own instincts on how to create and run a film festival. Some things are logical and obvious, while others need some wrestling and figuring out by trial and error.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the horror genre generally?

Looking at past eras, from the silent classics, to the Universal monster pictures of the 1930s, the envelope pushing of the 60s and 70s, to the slasher craze of the 80s, it’s difficult to put the contemporary state of horror into a specific era or context. What would you say?

PB: Like any genre, it fluctuates, and a lot gets rehashed. If judged on the more mainstream movies, one could say it’s lost its edge. But then when you look beyond the mall cinemas, there are some gems that never see the light of day in theatres, and those are ones we try to track down.

But sadly, as with music, if a certain style or theme strikes it big, the imitations follow and flood the scene with often mediocre copies. The Eastern trend was quite big and in the early 2000s the Saw films sparked what many referred to as ‘torture porn’ (some relate it to the post 9/11 fear of terror beyond terrorism, condensed into a more focused scenario). The writer who created Saw has since been responsible for a cool resurgence of the ghost theme with the Insidious movies.

The found footage genre didn’t erupt immediately after The Blair Witch Project but with the effective (and cost-effective) Paranormal Activity series, it seems like almost every second horror film goes the route of a shaky home video camera or cell phone footage (not always with the desired effect).

A component of our festival that more people should be aware of is the short films screenings, screened across several feature-length screening blocks – these contain some absolutely amazing and mind-blowing movies from all around the world, many extremely innovative and unforgettable, giving you a whole bunch of cool cinematic experiences in the time span of one full length movie.

Music is also an important part of the festival. What can we expect this year in this regard?

PB: Yes, since the debut HorrorFest in 2005 we wanted it to be more than just a plain old film festival, expanding it to include literature, a market, Halloween dress-up festivities and more. So from the very first event we spawned live soundtrack accompaniments to classic silent horror films. Sonja and I are both musicians (our band Terminatryx is in its 13th year), and we do these live soundtracks as The Makabra Ensemble, alongside our talented collaborators Simon “Fuzzy” Ratcliffe (also of the band Lark), another Lark alumnus Sean Ou Tim (aka Mr Sakitumi and member of numerous bands from Max Normal and Closet Snare, to Battery 9 and also touring with Jeremy Loops), and Matthijs Van Dijk, a brilliant violin player friend of ours (also in a Dark Folk band with Sonja, called A Murder).

We’ve created new soundtracks for timeless classics like Nosferatu, The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari, The Phantom Of The Opera, Metropolis, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde – nine feature films in total, plus the 1910 Edison Frankenstein short. This year we’ll debut our new soundtrack performance for F.W. Murnau’s amazing adaptation of Faust.

We incorporate a wide range of instruments (acoustic and electric), percussion, sound effects and

SOUTH AFRICA

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vocals. Most of these silent films got released in the past with a basic general classical soundtrack slapped on, but we take each scene and create music to fit the mood, from calm ambient moments to exciting, action-packed or dramatic explosions.

What can you say about the local productions you have included in your programme since the festival’s inception? What South African productions will be included in your line-up this year?

PB: We’d love more local content.

Throughout the years we’ve received a wide range of local short films of fluctuating quality. Some are quite unique and well made while others sadly don’t make the cut. One of the problems is that far too often they try to imitate American movies and well-worn themes, like a slasher film or zombie apocalypse rehash that doesn’t lend a new twist or simply falls flat on too many levels.

Sometimes ambition outweighs execution, or directors cast friends as actors that are simply not convincing enough. We’re not expecting huge budget special effects or star performances, but there is a specific threshold that needs to be reached. The main aim is interesting stories that are well executed. It also doesn’t have to be a gorefest. We sometimes feel bad turning down a submission, as we can see that a lot of effort and passion went into it – but we only have so many slots and have to maintain a certain quality to avoid it becoming a total B-movie event (although we often include some of those as it can be great fun entertainment when it displays deliberate tackiness).

We usually only receive one or two local feature films each year amid the dozens of international submissions, but this year we›re excited to feature three diverse ones. They include the psychological horror The Actor, the zombie movie Last Ones Out and the Afrikaans serial killer film Die Ontwaking (based on Chris Karsten’s book Abel Se Ontwaking).

While we’ve threatened many times to make a memorable local horror film of our own, time and budget is always our enemy! But, we haven’t given up on that plan…

South African HorrorFest will take place at the Labia Theatre in Cape Town from 27 October to 6 November, with selected titles screening at The Bioscope Independent Cinema in Johannesburg.

Visit www.horrorfest.info for more details.

– Compiled by Warren Holden

October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 23

FILM

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SOUTH AFRICA

Find what you

love and let it kill you

BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN ART AND REALITY: Still from The Actor

Made on a budget of just R49 000, director Aidan Whytock’s psychological thriller/horror The Actor, chronicles what happens to a brilliant but jaded actor who goes to great lengths to perform the perfect role, unleashing a dark part of himself that threatens everything he loves.

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hytock, who wrote, directed, produced and acted in the film, says that the inspiration for The Actor started out as a form of therapy for the personal demons he was dealing with at the time. “The Actor is essentially about the extent to which an actor will go to prepare a performance,” Whytock explains. “At the time I was becoming obsessed with creating the perfect performance as an actor.

Ultimately, it led to a very dark and unhappy time: I was suffering from panic attacks twice a day and, while I was getting to the final round in auditions, I wasn’t booking roles because I was, frankly, too intense about it.”

One night, on the way home from rehearsals, the idea ‘popped’ into Whytock’s head. “I thought to myself, what must it have been like for Heath Ledger to be alone in an apartment while playing The Joker in The Dark Knight?”

24 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

he says. “Many people speculate that The Joker is what killed Heath. That got me thinking about how far an actor will go to create a character.”

As The Actor is a self-financed feature, there was no need for an official treatment; a rough treatment worked as a blueprint to ensure all involved were on the same page, and thereafter the writing began. “The idea was something of a lightning bolt – we went straight into writing and had our script in five months,” Whytock explains. “We always knew we wanted to take a Paranormal Activity approach to the production of this film. I went to key HODs I had worked with on short films, and with whom I shared a vision and passion about filmmaking.

Luckily everyone was keen! They went about doing what they’re all so brilliant at.

By the time the script was done most of the pre-production was in place.”

The Actor follows Simon, played by

Whytock, whose entire life centres around two things: his life-long dream of becoming an acclaimed actor, and his 12-year-old daughter Sarah (Heidi Bottcher). Simon’s ex-wife Emily (Shannyn Fourie) never ceases to point out the fact that Simon’s career is stagnating, so when he is offered a chance to audition for the role of a man possessed by a demon, he chooses to give it his all, in hopes that the success will win him favour in his daughter’s eyes. But, what begins as research into demonology for the impending audition turns into a nightmarish reality when the character he is developing takes over his life, essentially blurring the lines between art and reality.

The Actor explores themes of personal ambition and its costs, conflicting with just how far a father’s love for his daughter will take him. When discussing the film’s themes, Whytock references Charles Bukowski’s famous quote on living a fulfilled life as the best way to sum up the premise of The Actor: “Find what you love and let it kill you.”

The Actor uses the found footage visual and narrative style. “The trick with today’s handicams is that they’re actually pretty good quality,” Whytock comments. Noise had to be added to the film’s found footage to differentiate it from the cinematic footage. Grading was a key component in achieving the desired look and feel, serving as an artistic cue for the audience, “we used a colour palette

that reflects the state our character is in, audiences will see that change over the course of the film,” explains Whytock.

Other than a cutaway to Blouberg beach, The Actor was shot in its entirety, in just nine days, in an apartment in Gardens, Cape Town. The film’s editor, grader and DOP Leon Visser shot the film using two Sony CX-220s, and the Sony FS700 for the cinematic footage. Art director Esté Kira; writer and 1st AD Colin Pegon; sound engineer and composer Morné Marais; as well as Robyn Leigh, who handled on-set sound, made up the remainder of the production crew.

Making a quality feature film, in just nine days, on a budget of just R49 000, is no easy feat. Whytock explains that instead of waiting to raise finances for The Actor, the team’s budget was drawn from funds to which they had immediate access, “…in other words, we financed it from our own pockets.” Whytock says that for his debut feature, the horror genre worked well to support his limited budget. “The Actor sits between a psychological thriller and a horror…horror allows us to tell a very compact story, which works brilliantly for a tight budget.”

The Actor was screened at the Durban International Film Festival in July 2015 and will be screening at the 11th annual South African HorrorFest, taking place from 29 October to 6 November at the Labia Theatre in Cape Town. The film is due for its theatrical release in early 2016.

– Chanelle Ellaya

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The ‘CEO’ of Nollywood Kunle Afolayan quit his job as a trained banker to pursue a degree at the New York Film Academy. He burst into Nigeria’s mainstream movie consciousness with the then unusual yet entertaining thriller, Irapada, touching on the recurrent Nollywood themes of superstition and folklore and merging it with a contemporary yet relatable storyline. After its release, it became one of the country’s biggest movies of the year. It was the first Nollywood film to make it to mainstream film festivals including the London Film Festival and Pan-African Film festival in Los Angeles. The movie also made CNN’s ‘Must See African Movies Of The 21st Century’ list in 2013.

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ast forward a few years, Kunle Afolayan has emerged as one of the new Nollywood’s trailblazers and mainstays, churning out movies that have enjoyed both commercial and critical acclaim.

He is often commended for his ability to amass a strong financial base to produce some of Nollywood’s most accomplished cinematic releases. Since Irapada, Afolayan has released Phone Swap, The Figurine and what is considered Nigeria’s best movie of 2014, the historic movie October 1.

He has also had his fair share of awards. October 1 carted home nine awards at the 2015 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) including the coveted Best Movie and Best Director laurels among others. In August, the filmmaker announced the production of what he describes as his highest budget movie to date, The CEO. Once more, Afolayan delves into uncharted waters with this ambitious project. He explains: “My inspiration was the need to bring Africa together with one movie. From Cote D’Ivoire, to Morocco, to Togo, to Kenya, to Nigeria, we are attempting to showcase Africa’s contemporary culture through the use of costumes, music

and language.”

The story is set at a telecoms company looking to replace their CEO. The board decides to bring in executives from all over Africa to a luxury resort to compete for the position. Afolayan added Grammy Award winning musician Angelique Kidjo to a stellar cast. How did he convince Ms Kidjo to be part of The CEO? “We met in February 2015 on a flight. I was so excited, I posted about the encounter on Instagram. We started talking about the movie three days after, and here we

BANKING ON FILM: Kunle Afolayan

are today.”

Filming is taking place in several countries including Nigeria, France, Kenya, Cote D’Ivoire and South Africa. To help him achieve the task of whisking his crew across Africa and Europe, Kunle Afolayan gets a lot of help from aviation giant Air France. “Air France is supporting the movie by handling most of the logistics. All the cast members you can see here were flown in by Air France free of charge. This is a partnership that is here to stay, as we have other plans,” he says.

On promotions and publicity, Afolayan is adept at strategically releasing tantalising snippets of information from the production during shooting and just prior to release. Afolayan and cast members, including Kidjo, share regular social media updates from reading sessions with the cast and images of cast and crew at work. It also helps that the movie is being filmed at one of Nigeria’s most prestigious resorts.

There is a lot of excitement around the sheer star wattage of Angelique Kidjo, Jimmy Jean Louis (Phat Girls), Wale Ojo, veteran Hilda Dokubo, Lala Akindoju, Aurelie Aliam and others. The Nigerian blogosphere and social media is already buzzing about the movie. Already, The CEO is also enjoying extraordinary support from the Multichoice group with the decision of M-Net, Africa Magic and DStv to purchase rights to the movie and also help in its promotion.

Afolayan’s crew for this movie is a little more flexible. “Normally I work with an all-Nigerian team, but this time, we will be working with a mix of experts; for instance, the director of photography for this movie is Polish. Every other process remains the same. I usually go outside the country for my colour correction and grading. I will do the same thing with

this movie.”

With all the support the movie already has, Afolayan emphasises that funding is still the biggest challenge the movie faces. “Up till a few weeks ago, we were still sending out sponsorship and funding proposals. We haven’t raised the entire amount needed to shoot the movie.

However, we are already on set, he adds: “we look forward to everything working out as planned.”

Earlier in 2015, Afolayan was at the centre of a social media outburst when he complained bitterly about the piracy of his movie October 1. The movie, while still in the cinemas, had made its way to the streets of Lagos and was selling briskly. “It is very disheartening to see that your sweat is being peddled by organised criminals. Piracy is still a major crisis in Nollywood today,” he says. “I won’t stop producing movies because of piracy, and we’ll do our best to protect this movie from being pirated. Overall, there’s little we can do, but if the law is duly enforced to its full extent, piracy will be defeated.”

While still in production, the director is already plotting his next move: “After this we are going to branch out into television series,” he explains. We will be working on different themes that have been unexplored before, going deep into how our culture works and other indigenous projects. We can’t wait, we also have some international collaborations in the pipeline.”

Kunle Afolayan’s advice for upcoming filmmakers reflects his usual infectious passion for his art: “Learn to dream first, then follow your dreams. Dreaming means passion, one has to be passionate about what they do, and that is what will give you the push. The more you push, the closer you get to actualising your dreams. Just take it one step at a time.”

– Oma Areh October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 25

FILM

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DRC

Elements of Cinema: Culture clash comedy When characters from different worlds collide, the results are often hilarious. The likes of Borat, Rush Hour and My Big Fat Greek Wedding have had audiences in stitches, as they watch different cultural quirks play up against each other. In Selé M’Poko’s film John of God, an American crew is exposed to the Congolese music scene, its ostentatious industry idols and an environment quite unlike the one they have left behind in Brooklyn.

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Selé M’Poko on writing: Generally, misunderstandings can be humorous and when characters come from two different cultures, it is easier for them to misunderstand each other.

When one person comes from an organised structure and the other’s culture is slower and less rigid, it’s a perfect recipe for a funny situation. For a script like this, I think you have to live it. If not, you have to talk to people who have lived it. I am half Congolese, but I only lived there from 2002 and was raised outside the Congo. When I got there, there was a definite culture clash.

Drawing from your own experience makes for a more genuine film.

I knew that Congolese audiences would get the jokes but I wanted it to be a universal story, one that people anywhere would understand. So I guess I had to be culturally true to Congo without alienating the rest of the world.

Selé M’Poko on directing: The first time Brandon, the American filmmaker, talks to musician and narcissist Jean De Dieu, is in this scene. Brandon is already very frustrated by this point in the story, so I focused on the contrast between his frustration and the other character’s self-love.

Shooting a film like this can present its own cultural challenges. Though we had an interpreter on set, it was often hard for the actors to understand each other and take direction from the crew. One of the main characters didn’t speak a lick of English, but did such a good job at delivering his English lines that we often forgot that he couldn’t understand us. So we would talk about a shot and how it was going to work; I’d call ‘action’ and he wouldn’t move because no one had translated for him. It was pretty funny.

Eventually people found ways to understand each other. They used hand signs, key words and facial expressions.

DRC

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Daniel Albertse on cinematography:

Selé M’Poko and Alessia Michielan on producing: Getting crews from outside the Congo, housing them, feeding them and getting them to work with people they couldn’t communicate with due to the language barrier, was the biggest challenge with this film. It’s really important when working on a film of this nature that you use an interpreter and producer from the place you are filming and give yourself a lot of time to prepare. Walk through all of the locations, meet everyone involved and make sure they are who they say they are. No matter how much you prepare, things will go wrong; especially in a place like the Congo. The industry is so new. It doesn’t have the infrastructure as most places do so you really have to do your research and bring as much of your own equipment as possible.

Neil Benezra on sound design: Dynamics are very important to my approach – I like to bring attention to the small details that are missed in many films today. For this film we took the approach of rotating between keeping it light hearted and creating tension while making everything sound big.

This was an interesting project for me because it was so culturally different from most of the American films that I work on.

We tried to be very true to the world around each scene and also bring a bit of character through each transitional shot by making some key sounds to go along with the imagery that moves from scene to scene. We also had a great composer, Henri Scars Struck, working with us right up until hours before the first screening.

I think one of the most important elements with a culture clash film is exposing people’s expectations and attitudes and playing on knowledge and belief. This scene really lights up as a result of Brandon being a proud African American and Jean De Dieu being an African person that thinks that everything will change once he has a lighter skin tone. There is an immediate misunderstanding and this sets the tone for the two characters to keep talking past each other.

I think the major challenges in shooting this film lay in access to equipment and skill levels. There is hardly any equipment available in the DRC. We had to buy gear for this production and it’s all we had. In terms of skills, there isn’t really an industry in the DRC so everyone was learning on the job, which can at times be frustrating, but that being said there is an enormous amount of talent and an eagerness to learn.

Compiled by Carly Barnes October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 27

FILM

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Director Speak

As a first-time film director, Brett Michael Innes sure knows how to make an entrance. His feature film debut Sink scooped five awards at the 2015 kykNet Silwerskermfees and the former doccie maker is now prolonging his innate wanderlust to work on a new sci-fi project…

How did you get into the movie business?

Brett Michael Innes: I studied producing at The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance (AFDA) on a bursary from the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and then went into working as a cinematographer/editor for the NGO sector, a job that took me into malnutrition clinics in Angola, kayaking the Okavango, orphanages in Mongolia and multiple drives from Johannesburg to South Sudan. After a few years of this the writing bug bit and I wrote my first screenplay. Sink is the second feature screenplay I’ve written but it is the first to come to fruition.

Which filmmakers have influenced your work?

BMI: I love the subtlety of Steve McQueen and the vision of Christopher Nolan. My natural leaning is towards drama but my hope is that the influence of the latter will open other genres to me.

If you had an unlimited budget, what movie would you make?

BMI: I’d love to make a disaster film in the vein of Everest or The Impossible.

Which five film characters would you invite to a dinner party?

BMI: Lisbeth Salander, Miranda Priestly, Dan Burns (Dan in Real Life), Wikus van der Merwe and Mrs Doubtfire.

What inspires you?

Other art and personal experiences.

If you could play any famous movie character, who would it be?

BMI: Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada. ‘Am I reaching for the stars...’

If your life had a soundtrack what songs would be on it?

BMI: The Cloud Atlas score – I often write to it.

ENTRANCE INTO FILM: Brett-Michael Innes

What was the best and worst part about making Sink?

BMI: The best was getting to do what I have spent years trying to do: direct a feature. The worst was feeling the most insecure I ever have in my life, a feeling I am not well acquainted with.

What is on your filmmaking bucket list?

BMI: To work with actors like Lupita Nyong’o and

What has been your hardest lesson to learn?

BMI: That I’m not as brilliant/creative as I think I am and that every brilliant idea for the film doesn’t have to originate from me. If it did, I would end up being a bottleneck and I wouldn’t be drawing on the talents of my crew, who would in essence be reduced to service providers.

Andrew Garfield who have blown me away with their raw honesty in their break-out roles.

What do you do when you are not making movies?

BMI: Travel, explore and watch other movies. One of my

How would you describe your directorial style? Are you a tyrant or a teddy bear?

struggles with Sink was putting a lot of this on hold so that I could focus my time, energy and finance on getting the project off the ground.

Total teddy bear. My personal challenge is to stand up for my choices with more certainty. I love working with actors so while I have a firm grasp of the technical, my attention always goes to understanding them and trying to be a good mirror to them.

How do you get potential investors or distributers to notice your scripts/stories?

BMI: You force your way in with humility and tenacity.

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I’m where I am today more because of my drive than my talent. Don’t get me wrong, I believe I have some skills but I know much more talented filmmakers who are either too proud or insecure to push their way into meetings or approach producers. I am not one of them.

What projects are you working on now?

BMI: I’m working on a science fiction screenplay with Dark Matter Studios.

What do you think would most surprise Screen Africa readers about you?

BMI: I’ve never actually watched the original Star Wars trilogy.

Compiled by Carly Barnes

murder

| Documentary

Canned Many tourists are lured to South Africa with the prospect of petting a lion cub or walking with young lions, some come as ‘volunteers’, unwittingly paying to stay at lion breeding facilities where they hand-rear cubs. All are sold the lie that they contribute towards conserving the species.

The truth is that the vast majority of these lions are bred for the bullet, with over 800 captive-bred lions killed annually by trophy hunters. First released at the Durban International Film Festival on 22 July, Blood Lions exposes this bloody industry and is capturing a growing global audience.

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here are about 200 farms and breeding facilities holding as many as 7 000 lions in captivity today – about three times the number of wild lions in legitimate conservation areas. Breeding farms supply hunting operators with adult lions to be shot in confined areas where it is easier for hunters to locate and kill them. Canned or captive hunting has opened up an entirely new market for people who cannot afford a wild hunt, and business is booming.

First-time film producer, Pippa Hankinson, decided to make Blood Lions after visiting a private lion breeding farm. “It was with a sense of both shock

FOR A BLOODY TROPHY: A still from Blood Lions and outrage that I witnessed rows upon rows of enclosures full of lions which were literally reduced to battery farmed animals being fast-bred, in-bred and cross-bred,” she says. “After returning home, it took me 18 months of research – and coming to grips with what I had experienced – before I took the leap of faith to make the film.”

Blood Lions follows veteran South African wildlife campaigner Ian Michler on his quest to uncover the truth behind the industry. In the process, Michler interviews people from all ends of the spectrum: trophy hunters, hunting operators, government officials and conservationists. He also visits many dubious breeding facilities, revealing the poor state of many lions and the extent to which volunteers are duped.

Much of the footage is filmed using hidden cameras and the lengths to which he and filmmaker Nick Chevalier go are remarkable.

“Because these are murky activities carried out by people that are not always proud of what they are doing, gaining access to places and verifiable information can be some of the more problematic aspects,” says Michler.

“Investigative filming techniques became critical to telling this story and to the journalistic process,” explains Chevallier, who has been involved with wildlife documentaries for most of his long career. “This documentary was different in that the story unravelled over a couple of years. We knew it was going to be a difficult project in view of the secrecy and sensitivity of the topic.”

But one of the ego drives of canned hunting played into their hands. “Most hunting outfitters have videographers who go along and film/edit the entire hunting safari experience so that when the client flies out of SA they have their own tailor-made hunting experience video to show friends and family back

home.” This became a core part of the film and led to the most revealing footage of the hunting operators.

American Rick Swayze, an ethical hunter, was persuaded to take on the role of a client accompanied by a videographer. They successfully arranged a lion hunt and documented the course of events. “The hunters we were with seemed comfortable with being filmed as this was nothing new. I just carried on as normal, filming the various sequences that were required in following a story,” says Chevallier. “With Rick it was a case of chatting things through and making him feel at ease while also establishing core stylistic techniques. In other words forget about the camera – be yourself as much as possible and don’t be too self-conscious. Even in stressful situations, keep the humour going.” As it happens, the situation does become extremely stressful and is a cornerstone of the film in the way it reveals the nature of the hunting operators. The manner in which Swayze and Chevallier handle it is remarkable.

Asked about the ability of such documentaries to generate public awareness, Chevallier says: “Today there are a lot more well researched, investigative type stories out there focusing on cruelty issues and the viewer respects this opportunity of ‘lifting the lid’. There’s more awareness and social media is playing a very big role.”

Producer Hankinson says certain films have made deep and lasting impressions on her, and that this is what she wanted to achieve with Blood Lions. “I didn’t simply want to focus on social media and/or editorial – although that route would have been much easier for me! Having said that, I knew that both would be a vital element in the campaign which was an essential element of the project once the film had been completed.”

Never having made a film before, and

without the necessary training and experience, Hankinson knew that if she was to succeed she had to garner the help of a strong and professional team who shared her passion. “The small team which came together over the years is one of the most exceptional groups of individuals I know,” she says. “Each person who joined the team instantly became part of our joint effort, and every decision we made for the film, we made collectively.”

Blood Lions has been accepted in a number of international film festivals and is being screened in parliaments, universities and schools around the globe, as well as to select audiences of decision-makers. An MSNBC television premier of Blood Lions took place on 7 October in the USA, the core market for trophy hunting in Africa.

The film has received widespread and almost unanimous support across Australia including a parliamentary screening in Canberra attended by Minister Greg Hunt. “Various MPs, environmental advisors, NGOs and representatives from bodies such as CITES were in attendance,” says Michler.

“It also gave me the chance to offer Minister Hunt and the Australian government personal thanks on behalf of the Blood Lions team and the millions of Africans that support their lion trophy banning order. Every single recognised conservation NGO and scientist working with lions and other predators, both here and abroad has aligned with us. And this includes some professional hunters and the statement from PHASA.” Aside from influencing public and political opinion, the film is having a marked affect on the hunting industry in South Africa with a call by the president of PHASA (Professional Hunters Association of South Africa) to review lion hunting after viewing the film.

– Anton Crone October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 29

Documentary

|

Homage to

heritagesurpasses which all

It’s hard to believe that halfway across the world, in Patagonia, Argentina, there exists a community of Afrikaners who live much like their ancestors 100 years ago in colonial Africa: under harsh conditions, on farms with little to no resources and limited access to the rest of the world. But ‘unbelievable’ is the stuff documentary filmmakers like Richard Finn Gregory live for, and his film The Boers at the End of the World shares the remarkable and moving true story of a small community’s determination to honour and preserve their heritage and culture.

30 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

T

he Afrikaans community in South Africa has for a long time feared the survival of its cultural identity, which is intrinsically linked to its language.

This goes back to cultural marginalisation and social segregation which occurred after Boer territories were replaced by British colonies at the end of the Anglo-Boer War, and extends to contemporary South Africa where English is the common form of communication amid a gamut of official languages, dominating the country’s corporate and civil sectors.

Despite these potential threats to its survival, Afrikaans has prevailed, and according to a 2011 census study, is the first language for 6.85 million South Africans – making it the third most spoken mother tongue among the country’s eleven official languages, after isiZulu and isiXhosa. To discover a community just a sliver of this size, which faces even greater

odds in keeping their cultural legacy alive makes the story of The Boers at the End of the World that much more aspirational for local audiences.

Suzanne Talhouk said in a TED talk on ‘Preserving Your Mother Tongue’ that: “Language isn’t one, two or three words or letters put together. It’s an idea inside that relates to how we think and how we see each other, and how others see us.”

For Thenis ‘Ty’ Dickason and the other remaining descendants of the 650 Boers who sailed to Patagonia between 1902 and 1908, escaping the second AngloBoer War to start a new life, preserving language is about unity, community and support – great comforts to a group of people who were unable to remain where they came from, or to fully belong where they landed up.

As third-generation Argentinian Boers, their written form is irregular and at times resembles Dutch, however their spoken

| Documentary

bounds

form is completely preserved and recognisable as Afrikaans. “It took me about six months of research online and sending out emails and trying to get hold of people until I actually made contact,” says Gregory. “And I realised that the reason is because the guys there don’t use Afrikaans as a written language anymore. Their Afrikaans is from the 1900s and pre-dates when Afrikaans was actually officially established as a language.”

On his first trip to Patagonia in January 2014, Gregory initially struggled to converse with younger family members in broken Spanish, as many of the Boer community now identify as Argentinian.

But central characters Dickason and Enriqueta van der Merwe and their immediate family feel their identity is always Afrikaans first. “Ty Dickason arrived and said Goeie more, hoe gaan dit? (Good morning, how is it going?) And

it was incredible because suddenly I went from feeling very awkward trying to get by in Spanish, to feeling there’s an oom from the Karoo who’s just walked through the door.”

Gregory returned to produce a fascinating proof-of-concept short film based on his visit, which gained swift and far-reaching popularity, four South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) nominations and a pre-sale deal with M-Net. Four trips and about 40 flights later, in the company of his producer Kelly Scott of their documentary studio Good Work and two Spanish filmmakers he had met previously in his career, Gregory completed filming for a feature length version of the documentary.

Producing the film came with a set of logistical and communication challenges – as one might expect when interacting with non-English speaking subjects who live on isolated farms in Argentina.

Gregory was also careful to make his intentions clear to the community, who are not accustomed to being on camera and felt they had previously been misrepresented in the media. But he explains, “When she [Ty’s sister Catalina ‘Kik’ Dickason] found out I was South African and could speak Afrikaans and was there to meet them and just hang out with them and tell their story – she burst into tears. And this happened on a number of different occasions with different people.”

Similarly, their story has touched viewers in a way that both the Argentinian Boer community and the production team had not expected. The Boers at the End of the World (the Afrikaans version is titled Boere op die Aardsdrempel) premiered at the kykNet Silwerskermfees in August, where it received audience praise and four award nominations. “I tried to explain that this story to a South

African is incredible. We’re proud of the fact that they have been able to hang on to their language and culture for this long and we wanted to know more – we wanted to reach out and make contact. They were slightly amazed, I don’t think they realised how special their story is,” remarks Gregory.

Gregory feels that the story is strong enough to fascinate foreign audiences too, and has hopes that it will see similar success abroad. He concludes: “It doesn’t really matter what the cultural specifics are but the concept of somebody longing for a homeland that they can’t visit, of longing to reconnect with their people, those are principles that anyone can relate to.”

– Carly Barnes October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 31

Television

|

SOUTH AFRICA

The Road: Telenovela Jozi style The telenovela originated in LatinAmerica and has been a prevalent and favoured format across the region for many years. A telenovela is similar to a soap opera in its form with regards to dramatic components and character continuity, however it is limited in its number of episodes, traditionally running for only one year.

In recent times, the telenovela has become increasingly popular with African television audiences, with many production companies in the continent’s entertainment industry hubs producing shows in this format.

Produced for Mzansi Magic by Johannesburg-based production company The Bomb Shelter, The Road is a fresh new telenovela, set in both urban, present day Johannesburg, and the iconic yet tumultuous 1950s Sophiatown era.

32 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

by Catherine Stewart who’s got a clear picture of the entire story in her mind and they are supported by us – the producers.

They lay out a story-plan and we edit it as we go along, making notes and giving feedback.”

Look and feel

MIRRORING TWO WORLDS: The cast of The Road

A love affair with Sophiatown Producer Kutlwano Ditsele explains that the concept for The Road originated within the production company, created by renowned director Angus Gibson and his team at The Bomb Shelter. Gibson has held the Sophiatown era close to his heart for many years, having previously shot the documentary Sophiatown: Back O’ the Moon almost 20 years ago. “Angus is the ‘story-creator’ for pretty much all of Bomb’s shows. We initially just wanted to do a 1950s show set in Sophiatown.

Angus pitched a television series in the early 90s to the BBC called Drum, so he has been in love with Sophiatown for many years, he’s always wanted to do a series set there.”

Ditsele explained that fellow producers Gibson and Desiree Markgraaf further developed the concept for the show to include modern-day Johannesburg as Mzansi Magic were interested in combining the two worlds. From this, Gibson and his team at The Bomb Shelter formulated the concept for The Road, which sees a Johannesburg-based production company in 2015 filming a series, adapted from a book, set in Sophiatown.

Two worlds The storyline centres around an old man who has written a book based on his life

and times in Sophiatown. A production company then decides to adapt the book into a television series, with the story unfolding from there, weaving an enticing but dangerous tale of past and present – an epic love story and a series of mysterious deaths. Ditsele explains that the story is designed to get the audience to invest in both narrative worlds equally. “There are some episodes that will happen completely in 1950s Sophiatown and there are some episodes that will happen completely in 2015…It is an epic murder mystery occurring in 2015, and a tragic love story occurring in Sophiatown.”

According to Ditsele, the main themes of the show are universal ones encompassing love, betrayal, ambition and greed. He expands: “It also plays a lot on the notion of how nothing has really changed from the 1950s to now…

Sophiatown was a very troubled place in that time, and ‘making it’ in present-day Johannesburg also has it’s difficulties. So it is in a way mirroring the two worlds.”

The 208-episode telenovela – directed

by John Barker and Denny Miller – screens every Monday to Thursday, making writing for the show a continuous and relentless task. Ditsele explains that the scriptwriters are constantly writing, following an outline developed by head writer Catherine Stewart. “We’re constantly writing, the writing is so close to TX and we’re never too far ahead,” says Ditsele. “We have a writing team led

Ditsele explains that the prescribed look and feel for The Road differs drastically between the two worlds with art director Dylan Lloyd and his team ensuring the scenes taking place in the 1950s feature “warm tones with dashes of coal”, and the scenes occurring in 2015 presenting an almost cold look and feel, with “lots of blue and white.” The harsh and deliberate difference in look and feel between the two worlds serves as an artistic cue for the audience, easily allowing them to decipher which ‘world’ they are in.

Producer Angus Gibson explains that the style of The Road is of heightened reality. “The contemporary world is slicker and more affluent than the average film production company and the Sophiatown that Bambatha is creating is a glamorous rather than gritty take on the urban ghetto…” he comments. “Our art department has researched old photographs and documentaries and recreated Sophiatown with as much architectural authenticity in both the interior sets and the exterior locations as possible. The wardrobe is a combination of authentic, old 40s and 50s clothing, together with tailored replicas. In truth, Bambatha’s Sophiatown borrows in style more from the 40s than the 50s – South Africa lagged a decade behind Europe and America back then. In order to separate the two worlds, we have distinctly separate colour palettes – the old is primarily golden and the contemporary is blue, although they dip into each other’s hues for highlights,” Gibson says.

The Road is shot in Johannesburg, in a warehouse which has been turned into a full service television set, as well as at Crown Mines. “In the Sophiatown world, everything you see on screen are built sets…We are renting a warehouse, at the bottom we’ve got all the Sophiatown houses and interiors, and upstairs we’ve got the offices for the production company in 2015, the exterior is shot at Crown Mines.”

Cinematographer Zeno Petersen makes use of two Sony FS7 cameras when shooting for The Road. “We chose those cameras because they have a 35mm sensor which allows us to shoot with shallow depth of field. It also gives us the opportunity to use film style lenses with a PL mount as well as shooting pro res 422,” explains Petersen.

The Road airs at 7:30pm every Monday to Thursday on Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161). – Chanelle Ellaya

SOUTH AFRICA

| Television

10% glamour, 100% hard work After working as a news anchor for the Fox Network in the US, Stevie French has continued her success on home turf. The South African actress and TV presenter has enjoyed great success since returning to Mzansi in 2014, with her role in SABC1’s Ihawu; reaching the national Top 30 in the SABC3 Presenter Search; and her latest role on Isidingo, playing the seductive Lindi.

Could you tell us about your experience as a news anchor on the Fox Network. Were there any lessons learned from working in a foreign industry?

Stevie French: It was incredible – working as a news anchor showed me how much I am capable of as a television professional. I was anchoring, supervising a news team and producing my own content that included both features and day-turns (news that occurs, is covered and airs on the nightly news that same day). It was an intense schedule and a stress-fuelled environment, but knowing I was a part of a well-executed broadcast was an incredible feeling.

What was the biggest career challenge you faced when you came back to South Africa?

SF: It wasn’t so much a career challenge,

trained in creating content – serial, commercial and otherwise. Most importantly, I think audiences are growing and the continual commissioning of original content by broadcasters supports this.

How big a role did your education play in your success and what advice would you give to aspiring local talent?

SF: This is a tough one – because education is everything and education is nothing. I know some of the most successful production managers and assistant directors that did all their studying on the job (making coffee, moving equipment and picking up

cigarette butts) and then I know actors who had the best training and attended all the right schools and simply don’t work. Education teaches you about the industry, how to work hard and how to do a job. But it’s your determination, attitude and talent that will get you the job. All of our journeys are different. My education helped me greatly but it was the work I did outside of class (working as a DJ at UCT Radio for three years) that gave me credibility. If you work hard, if you believe and if you actively seek opportunities they will come to you.

How important is it to have an online presence, a personal brand that you maintain and professionally present to the world?

SF: I think it’s dependent on you how much of a brand you wish to maintain. I have quite a substantial online presence with my website (www.StevieFrench.co.za) and social media feeds (@StevieFrenchSA on almost everything). I don’t know how much those have or have not contributed to my on-screen career but it affords me fantastic opportunities to collaborate with brands and corporates. It’s a source of revenue for me but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. That being said, having a personal website however simple or complex is a must. And business cards – don’t leave the house without them. (You can design them online and get around 100 cards for less than R300).

What’s the least glamorous aspect of your job, and what makes all the hard work worth it?

SF: Least glamorous? The fact that I am conducting this interview in my pajamas before going to work out, take my dog for a booster shot, rehearse for an audition, meet my manager and try and decide what to wear for tomorrow’s TV interview (the glamorous part is normally about 10% of the overall ‘to do’ list). It’s like any other job, some of it is boring, some of it is hard and some of it is fun. The days I get to act and present on set are the fun ones.

Who has inspired you professionally?

SF: Leigh-Anne Williams and Roxy Burger inspire me. Leigh-Anne (host of Expresso and runner up on Strictly Come Dancing) is such a hard worker and such a wonderful human being and Roxy (Top Billing presenter) is the realest chick I know, plus that girl invented the term ‘hustle’ – she’s an empire in the making.

And is there anyone in South Africa you think we should keep an eye on?

SF: Yes…me ;) Compiled by Christopher Wheeler

SELF RELIANT: Stevie French

rather a personal/mental challenge. I think my own expectations were the biggest hurdle I had to overcome. When I got home I thought that I would land at OR Tambo International and doors would fly open for me. I wouldn’t say I had to start again, but I basically did. I had to rely on myself, my attitude and skills set rather than my CV – which I guess is always the case but it was made clearer to me coming home.

How would you describe South Africa’s television industry and where do you think serialised homegrown content is headed?

SF: I think there is so much growth in our industry and there are so many rising stars (both in front and behind the camera), which is supported by the fact that there are more and more international projects that are filmed here.

The way I see it, as international production companies employ the best within our local industry more South African professionals are ‘called up’ to be

October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 33

Broadcast Technology

|

IBC 2015: The future of broadcast

Another IBC has come and gone. While it is always a challenge to distil the essence of this massive show, the many topics under discussion this year seem to boil down to one overarching theme: the survival of broadcast in the digital age.

34 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

B

roadcast as we know it is in flux.

Although broadcast technology has advanced steadily over the years, its basic principles have always remained the same.

Several years ago, the shift from – for example – analogue to digital technology would have been considered a major paradigm shift. Yet, with hindsight and in light of the latest developments in the field, we can see that, while the technological basis of broadcast changed, the paradigm did not shift at all.

It was still traditional, linear television.

On the front end, the broadcaster still controlled what the consumer could watch and when. On the back end, engineers operated workflows that were similar to what they had always had, but just became incrementally easier or more efficient with each technological advance.

Today we find ourselves in a different situation: the arrival of over-the-top (OTT), video on demand (VOD) and media over IP is changing the face of broadcast.

These disruptions have left traditional broadcasters questioning their future

survival or, at the very least, wondering what forms their future operations should take and how these should be monetised.

While these questions have all been asked at IBC before, the discussion was in a well advanced state at this year’s show and it appeared that operators were equipped with relatively confident answers. Last year, the issue of IP in broadcast was touched on here and there, with several major companies showing IP-based solutions that were barely at proof-of-concept stage. This year, IP hit the market with a vengeance as everyone in the industry proclaimed the advent of the IP revolution and declared that they could offer the product that would place them in the vanguard.

While the issue of content delivery undoubtedly dominated the show, another common topic was the visual quality of content. 4K is still very much on the table, as is its monstrous younger sibling 8K. But this year, the conversation seemed to shift away slightly from resolution to dynamic range, with many

experts arguing for the supremacy of HDR over UHD as the next step in enhancing the viewer experience.

The OTT question A conference session on the first day asked the question: “Is OTT just broadcasting rebooted?” This panel discussion attempted to decide whether OTT is a threat to the very existence of broadcasting or simply a natural progression in the industry. With Netflix and Amazon Prime taking sizeable bites out of the global content delivery market, how are television broadcasters responding? Could it be that OTT is in fact making TV more efficient as consumer preferences move away from the programmed, linear models of old?

The panelists were all involved to some extent with the operation of OTT services alongside traditional broadcast and made compelling arguments for the ability of the two media to co-exist and for one service provider to run both without cannibalising its core businesses. A prime

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Broadcast Technology

example is Now TV, the OTT offering from British DTH satellite broadcaster Sky. OTT was also a dominant topic at the wrap-up session that closed the conference. Session producer John Ive cited the highly provocative statement,

by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, that TV as we know it has less than 20 years of life remaining. Fernando Bittencourt, vice president of SET Brazil, was perhaps the most vehement opponent of this notion, saying that both live sport and the immense popularity of the telenovela – which, while available on non-linear platforms, still retains its appeal as ‘event’ broadcasting – would ensure the continued existence of linear broadcasting.

Views such as this, which strongly defended traditional broadcast, were few and far between at IBC, however. There seems to be growing acceptance that OTT can and will exist alongside linear TV and that ultimately, the content delivery of the future would be some sort of hybrid of the two formats.

The IP revolution It was apparent at IBC that broadcast over IP is now a clear and present reality. Top broadcast technology vendors, including Grass Valley, SAM, Imagine Communications and EVS, were all offering new solutions that would not only offer full IP broadcast but also allow a smooth transition from existing SDI 36 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

|

systems and the set-up of the many hybrid facilities that will, no doubt, be in operation for years before IP takes over completely.

Dr Andrew Cross, president and chief technology officer at NewTek, the company behind the popular TriCaster broadcasting platform, wrote an opinion piece in the IBC Daily in which he called the IP transition ‘the last paradigm shift’ in production workflow.

He offered three reasons why IP will inevitably, completely replace SDI technology throughout the industry: Firstly, IP integrates production workflows into a larger network infrastructure that connects to every computer, smartphone and tablet in the world. SDI can simply play no part in this massively expanded connectivity, it can only run alongside it. Broadcasting thus becomes integrated into the world of IT and telecommunications.

Secondly, broadcasters and producers face higher content demands than ever.

They have to churn out this increased amount of content while still maintaining high quality standards even as budgets shrink. IP infrastructures cut down on both capital and operational expenditure, decrease labour demands and make production workflows more efficient and centralised.

Thirdly, “IP workflows will continue to democratise our trade, whether we like it or not”, breaking down barriers to entry, as well as various operational and

infrastructural obstacles that, until now, the industry has simply learned to live with. Cross offers the example of a producer who has had to make do with only four camera inputs due to budgetary constraints but will now be able to have “as many as he or she could possibly use – from anywhere in the world.”

The benefits of IP are becoming more widely recognised. It is now simply a question of how to make the transition, at what speed and at what cost. The possible answers offered by various exhibitors at IBC are too numerous to name here. Suffice it to say that broadcasters are faced with many options in a market that has a high degree of brand differentiation alongside a high degree of functional similarity between products. Which solution is chosen is more likely to be determined by a client’s history with a particular brand and by price, than by any function or characteristic that sets one product apart from others.

The future of UHD: ‘not more but better pixels’ Hans Hoffmann of the European Broadcasting Union summed up the prevailing attitudes of experts towards ultra-HD TV formats. In an IBC Daily opinion piece he said that expanding the resolution of the picture is not enough.

We need ‘not more but better pixels’. “ A resolution increase can only be

appreciated at short viewing distance,” he says. Most screen manufacturers have upgraded their displays to four times the resolution but have left dynamic range, frame rate and colorimetry as it is. New displays on offer at the show were designed to make up for these shortfalls. High dynamic range (HDR) was a particularly hot topic, with several booths offering comparative demonstrations of existing 4K displays and those with HDR. The difference, even to the inexpert consumer eye, is remarkable.

When one considers the rise of OTT and IP, it seems quite apparent that the future of broadcast is partial or complete integration into the world of IT. This may not happen next year or even in the next ten years but it seems inevitable. The conference themes and product offerings at IBC went a long way toward making sense of that transition, surviving it and profiting from it.

While broadcasters may have been in some doubt as to where their place in the future order would be, it became relatively clear during this year’s Amsterdam gathering that, so long as they move with the transition rather than fighting it, and seek out the best tools, there is no reason why they should not have a place in the developing new order.

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Studios

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High Rollers at

Q

SABC3’s local drama series High Rollers has returned for season two. For a production like this, the right studio set-up is essential.

LIFE’S A GAMBLE: The High Rollers casino set at Q Studios

A

TV show like High Rollers demands fast turnaround and multiple studios as a certain number of episodes are required on a weekly basis without compromise and broadcast often takes place shortly after the episode is completed.

An ideal studio solution Producer Luke Rous found the ideal solution. ”High Rollers is a unique studio-based set-up which brings location-based shooting style into the studio,” he says. “We require a large sound stage because of the high page count we need to achieve every day, but since we are shooting single camera style, where camera movement, tracking and lighting are all very important, we do not require a technical box with vision or sound control. We shoot from the floor which allows our directors to be right next to the action and actually speeds up our shooting process.”

Q Studios in Johannesburg was the perfect fit; they do not offer technical boxes, but have abundant space. The challenge was sound attenuating this space. Studio 2 at Q is a sound proof 700sqm studio but in order to fit in the large High Rollers casino floor, the unit required at least another 500sqm. Q Studios’ Ilse Hahn and John Difford came up with a creative suggestion of using Studio 3 which had previously only been 38 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

used as a pack shot studio mainly for car shoots.

Wired for sound But bringing Studio 3 sound attenuated to the 45 DB standard required, meant bringing in the ‘big boys’ in the form of Jean Knottersen from Pro Acoustics, who designed the attenuation plan, and Doug Watt from Insul-Coustics. Chalk board and fibre glass attenuation were hung onto the existing steel support structure as well as a 100% sound attenuating blanket cover for the whole studio.

Planning for the casino set to be built in this space also helped as this environment can generally handle a bit more noise and doesn’t require 100% sound proofing.

Lighting “In terms of the lightning grid, I was surprised to have my gaffer Dave Howe from Orbital Lighting tell me that the grid was too high for a drama shoot and that at the current height, the angle of the lights on the subject matter below would cast a shadow too oblique,” says Rous, “The grid needed to be lowered by two metres in order for the lighting to be correct.”

Studio 1 at Q is 1000sqm and is being used for set storage, green rooms, catering, make-up, wardrobe and production office space. Studio 2 is a

700sqm sound proof studio which performs very well. Studio 3 is a 700sqm studio of which 500sqm have been attenuated. There are plans to attenuate the other 200sqm within the next fiscal year.

Post Head of Post for Rous House Post, Bertus Kirsten, comments on the technicalities: “We are shooting on the Sony F3’s native XDCAM EX, full raster 1920x1080 codec.

We pull these files un-transcoded into Adobe Premiere Pro CC and output to ProRes 422. Then we down-convert to SD IMX/MXF files with Betacam back-up for SABC. We also deliver 720HD Pro-res HQ to Canal + Afrique. We shoot and deliver 18+pages of story a day, five days a week and we work from a central fibre channel SAN. “The Premiere workflow saves time by not requiring transcoding. It also saves on storage space and accommodates our post team’s collaboration on episodes.

We are still having some challenges with Adobe’s bugs, but Premiere is able to utilise all aspects of a workstation to speed up processing so it’s well worth our while. “Utilising a ‘cheese grater’ Mac Pro 5,1, 2.6Ghz 12core, with 64GB RAM and a GTX 780 6GB GPU, Premiere is able to transcode (from XDCAM to Prores 422) and output a fully graded, subtitled and un-rendered 26min 1920 sequence in

about six minutes.”

“We shoot on a live working casino floor with our partners Emperor’s Palace,” says Rous. “Being able to lend that kind of realism to our show elevates the quality of the story to a new level and really helps with the illusion that Kings Casino is a real live place. Our partners at Emperor’s Palace have been very supportive and incredibly accommodating and our actors have had the run of the place on days we shoot there. Generally we are on location at Emperor’s two days a month and we try to sprinkle these scenes throughout the episodes with an average of two Emperor’s locations scenes per episode.”

The company needs to produce 156 episodes a year and 468 episodes in total. They shoot a block of 14 episodes over 20 days, which is their projected output for the next three years at least – the duration of the current contract. High Rollers Season One was sold to the French broadcaster Canal + for their new channel Canal + Afrique, where it was so well received that Canal + have bought the first 100 episodes of season two.

This show, set in the glamorous and treacherous world of gambling is aired three times a week, Mondays to Wednesdays at 7.30pm on SABC3.

– Andy Stead

TIFF

| FESTIVALS & MARKETS

Shining Africa at Toronto

The number of African films selected for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) grows every year.

In 2015, no fewer than 13 African features and shorts – several of them world premieres – were screened and most were directed by women filmmakers.

Let Them Come

Cuckold

by Salem Brahimi Algeria/France – 95min International sales: KG Productions (France) kg@kgproductions.fr Based on Arrezki Mellal’s eponymous novel, Salem Brahimi’s Let Them Come is a thoughtful story of Algeria’s dark decade from 1989 to 1998, told through its main character’s journey. Making its world premiere at TIFF, the film was shot during seven weeks between France and Algeria and received support from the Algerian Ministry of Culture, the French CNC and the Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur region in France. “We did considerable pedagogical work among Algerians,” says Brahimi. “Our team brilliantly interacted with people, explaining why we wanted to shoot that particular story and how we planned to do it. Algerians are traumatized by this period but talking about it is not taboo anymore.”

by Charlie Vundla South Africa – 95min International Sales: House Rising Pictures (South Africa) charlie@joziewood.com Charlie Vundla’s second feature Cuckold is an unexpected vision of a ménage à trois. Abandoned by his wife, who is unfaithful to him, Smanga (Charlie Vundla himself) sinks into depression, which he tries to assuage with alcohol, drugs and sex addiction. As soon as the viewer becomes uncomfortable with Smanga’s old-fashioned underwear, new characters enter the house and give a new dynamic to the movie: a homeless old friend (the excellent Louis Roux) and the wife (Terry Pheto) that Smanga still loves. “I wanted to make a personal film with my unique stand as a filmmaker and artist,” says Vundla, who had a previous success with How to Steal 2 Million. Shot over three weeks in Melville, Johannesburg, Cuckold had support from the Department of Trade and Industry (dti), the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Gauteng Film Commission. Vundla expects a South African release in early 2016.

As I Open My Eyes

The Endless River

by Leyla Bouzid Tunisia/France/Belgium/UAE – 102min International Sales: Doc&Film International (France) g.gallier@docandfilm.com Leyla Bouzid’s first feature As I Open My Eyes recounts the coming-of-age story of Farah (Baya Medhaffer), a passionate, 18-year-old Tunisian who sings in an underground rock band during Ben Ali’s era. Criticized for her songs, Farah also struggles with her mother (lovely singer Ghalia Ben Ali). “This is a journey of initiation,” explains Bouzid. It is the time first love and first choices in a specific political context. Farah has to face obstacles set by her family as well as society and the political system.” Funded

by Tunisia, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Lebanon and UAE, As I Open My Eyes was shot over a six-week period in Tunis and won two awards at Venice Days 2015.

It will be released in Tunisia in 2016.

forgiveness,” says Hermanus. “This happens to both characters: he is from France and feels the world should correct the wrong against him, she comes from a very small town in South Africa and is used to a world doing wrong by her all the time”. Shot in the stunning landscapes of Western Cape, The Endless River will soon be showcased in UK, Korea, Israel and Belgium.

Price of Love

Starve Your Dog

by Hicham Lasri

by Hermon Hailay Ethiopia – 99min International Sales: HM Film Productions info@priceoflovefilm.com Ethiopian filmmaker Hermon Hailay is still surprised by the number of festivals that have selected her third feature. Shot in six weeks with a seven-person crew, Price of Love stars amateur actors, including Hailay’s half-sister Fereweni Gebregergs.

With this low-budget love story, which tells of a romance between a prostitute and a taxi driver, Hailay wanted to defend sex workers in a society that marginalises them. “I grew up in a bar with prostitutes and I didn’t have this judgment at that time,” states Hailay. “I loved them as normal persons and they loved me back.

After several years, I saw the society’s perspective on them. Being judged is really difficult, especially in a very religious and traditional country like Ethiopia.”

Nasser

by Oliver Hermanus South Africa/France – 110min International Sales: Urban Distribution (France) eric@urbandistrib.com The Endless River opened at Venice and Toronto. Co-produced with French producer Swift Productions and supported by the dti, the NFVF and M-Net, The Endless River recounts the rough attraction between a widower (French actor Nicolas Duvauchelle) whose family had been violently assassinated, and a melancholic waitress (CrystalDonna Roberts) who welcomes back her husband after his four-year sentence in jail. “The film is about the question of

‘father of the Nation’, army officer Gamal Abdel Nasser, became a pan-African hero and president for life. “When the Revolution started in Egypt in January 2011, I was really surprised, recalls El-Tahri. I did some research and found a picture from 1951 with the same newspaper placards as 2011: ’Bread, Liberty and Social Justice‘. That was the starting point of this project: how, after 50 years, people were still making the same demands and how our liberators became our persecutors.” After Durban and Toronto, the film will be broadcast on ARTE in 2016.

Morocco – 94min International Sales: Paul Thiltges Distribution (Luxembourg) info@ptd.lu Two years after They Are the Dogs, his internationally acclaimed feature, Hicham Lasri comes back with a disturbing film about Morocco’s recent past. A journalist (Latefa Ahrrare) interviews a minister of the interior (brilliant Jirari Ben Aissa) who has dark secrets to reveal. Lasri plays ingeniously with the mise en scène and the sound editing and continues to confront his country’s political and social history in a visionary way.

+ Short Films: Rate Me

by Fyzal Boulifa UK-Morocco – 16min International Sales: Too True Films (UK) taina@tootruefilms.com

The Call

by Jihan El-Tahri South Africa/France – 97 min International Sales: Big Sister Productions (France) jihan_tahri@hotmail.com Egyptian filmmaker Jihan El-Tahri continues her analysis of African nations.

After Rwanda, DRC and South Africa, she is now recounting Egyptian’s history from 1960s to 2011 in a three-part documentary funded by ARTE. In Nasser, the first film in this series, El-Tahri analyses uses archival footage to tell how the

by Zamo Makhwanzai South Africa – 11min International Sales: Rififi Pictures (South Africa) akin@rififipictures.co.za

New Eyes

by Hiwot Admasu Getaneh Ethiopia/France – 12min International Sales: Les Films de l’Après-Midi (France) f.artemare@films-am.com – Claire Diao October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 39

INDUSTRY REPORT

|

business show business

There’s no like

We hear it all the time: ‘Africa is full of great stories waiting to be told’ – and this may be true. But what good are great stories if we can’t share them in such a way that they reach their full market potential and create enough credence for sustainable creativity? Filmmaking is an art form, but it’s an expensive one, and if we are to pioneer an industry which is able to do justice to our stories and support our artistic expression, we may need to filter our ambitions through a less subjective lens.

A

filmmaker or content producer might be the first point of a story’s inception but is, at the same time, the furthest in the content value chain from an audience.

Unlike exhibitors, distributers and sales agents whose business it is to know audiences, assess numbers and interpret results, a filmmaker exists in a bubble, attached to and focused on their creation until it’s completed. The disconnect in our developing industry is between the product that emerges from this intensive, often isolated creative process, and its journey to market, which begins long before a first draft is penned.

Getting to first base How do you choose a particular film or TV show to watch? Most people are enticed by genre, cast or director on any platform, in any setting. It makes sense to create films that satisfy audience demands. “There are hundreds of films available all the time and despite that, certain types of films deliver higher numbers and other types of films deliver lower numbers. It’s always action-comedy 40 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

at the top,” says Helen Kuun of South African boutique film distribution company Indigenous.

But it’s not as simple as creating a film with mass appeal; there are economic considerations too. On the one end of the spectrum, there is only a segment of the local market with enough disposable income to be able to afford the cinema experience. On the other end, South Africa has a broken commissioning structure and the pockets of content buyers are getting shallower. This means that production quality suffers, making a particular product (whether for TV or film) less appealing against its international competitors, who are also vying for audience favour.

“Whether people are able to get their content onto screens or not and whether they can get there content to travel or not honestly depends on quality,” Kuun adds.

Unpredictable and unforgiving, the domestic market is more and more being viewed as a secondary source of income, as filmmakers turn to international territories for revenue opportunities.

A different ballgame In global markets the process of making a film a marketable asset and getting it to a sizable audience is a lot clearer and better established. A first port of call for a filmmaker with a bit of experience and a few titles under their belt is often a sales agent, who not only helps in shaping a film with potential to better suit market

demand, but instigates and oversees its market penetration with a far more objective perspective. This covers everything from understanding the legalities, deliverables and technicalities of a distribution contract to ensuring that content reaches the right people and platforms.

Pascal Schmitz, director and public officer of the Association for Transformation in Film and Television and head of sales at AAA Entertainment, one of Africa’ s very few film sales companies, believes this is a big missing link in the local industry. “What we want to create is a stronger sector of sales agents and distributors in South Africa so that we can complete that value chain,” he comments.

At international markets, thousands of TV and filmmaking hopefuls looking to sell their products converge upon an equally large pool of sales agents, distributors and buyers. It is here that many learn the hard lessons and realities of the content business.

Focus on the long game Ronald Henry and Andre van der Merwe, CEO and producer respectively at The Flying Circus animation and postproduction facility in Johannesburg, have spent the last few years learning the ropes at markets like MIPCOM and Kidscreen and have used their experience at these platforms to incrementally improve their content offerings and

international interactions. Van der Merwe advises that firstly, one must have a clear idea of what one wants to achieve at a market and secondly, have a way of showing experience, capability and credibility.

“You have to produce. You have to actually finish a show,” he says. “The fact that you have delivered is very important and then on top of that, that you continue delivering again and again as quickly as you can.”

Establishing relationships with potential buyers or distributors also hinges on a producer’s ability to sell themself and have a long-term approach to project development. Kevin Iwashina, a US film sales agent and founder of Preferred Content told burgeoning filmmakers at the Jameson First Shot Weekender event: “It is about the material and if it’s a good fit for me, but your pitch begins the minute you present yourself. I look at how capable you are to command a set, to answer Q & As or to hold up in meetings with top executives.”

There is no golden formula when it comes to selling content. Trends, like people, are fickle. Good concepts get turned down by one major network, only to be picked up by another and explode onto screens as the ‘next big thing’. What is in our control is our ability to view filmmaking and content production, not only as a medium of imagination or self-expression, but as a profitable business which can support our creative endeavours. – Carly Barnes

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NEW MEDIA

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APP-titude

Remakes dominate at the South African box office this August

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

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

How it works: The Clinometer app is a convenient filmmaking tool for Clinometer cinematographers as it offers them a number Publisher: Plaincode of useful measurements including a camera’s Compatible devices: iOS, Android, Windows tilt angle for a visual effects shot or the angle Price: $1.99 on iStore, $0.69 on Google Play and of a slope. A simple calibration can be $0.99 on Microsoft executed by placing a device flat on a table, or holding it perpendicular to a surface. Users are then able to press a button which appears if the device is positioned properly. By clicking ‘finish’ the calibration should be accurate as long as the surface is correctly levelled.

Twentieth Century Fox’s Fantastic Four sees four youngsters gain superhuman powers Why this is awesome: Visual effects projects when they are teleported to an alternate sometimes require a digital artist to add universe, the foursome use their newly found elements to a shot. The more information the powers to prevent Doctor Doom from cinematographer is able to offer them about destroying planet Earth. Directed by Josh how the camera was set up for that particular Trank, the film has received largely negative shot, the easier it is for the VFX artist to reviews worldwide. It earned R972 448 in its recreate the perspective of the shot and second week running, bringing its total gross proportion these elements accurately. national earnings to R3 535 569.

The Fantastic Four

Tom Cruise shines in all his action hero glory as IMF agent Ethan Hunt once again, in director Christopher McQuarrie’s fifth installment in the Mission Impossible franchise. The film has won critical and commercial success both locally and internationally, cinching the top spot at the local box office this August with R13 663 931 in the three weeks it has been running.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E

Paper Towns Based on the 2008 novel of the same name

by John Green, director Jake Schreier’s romantic drama Paper Towns – which stars Nat Wolff and well-known model Cara Delevingne – debuted on the local circuit at number five this August. The Twentieth Century Fox picture opened in South Africa with a disappointing R869 785.

Based on Sam Rolfe’s 1960s MGM television series of the same name, Shoot2Share director Guy Ritchie’s stylish action film Publisher: Shoot 2 Share (Licenced in SA The Man from U.N.C.L.E. stars Henry

by Platypus Digital) Cavill, Armie Hamme and Hugh Grant.

Compatible devices: iOS, Android The Warner Bros. produced film opened Price: Free to rave reviews globally, bringing in R1 351 619 in its opening weekend at South African cinemas.

How it works: This app provides users with guided video creation, automated editing and publishing of their content; simplifying the filmmaking and distribution process for user generated content. Users start by selecting a pre-formatted storyboard and then proceed to a shot list which can be referenced during production. The app then edits the footage and can automatically add animated or branded elements as well as music.

The video is then published directly to a user’s YouTube channel and can be shared to contacts or social platforms from their mobile phone.

Claiming a top spot at the local box office again this month is Universal Studios’ 3D Why this is awesome: Video rules the internet – and it continues to computer-animated fun flick Minions. dominate social media platforms. For on-the-go shooters or those who are Directed by Pierre Coffin and written by not trained professionally as filmmakers, an app which offers close guidance Brian Lynch, the third highest-grossing and easy to follow instructions throughout the process of creating and animated film garnered R1 076 377 in its sharing content, with pre-set elements and automated features, is a seventh week running at local theatres, a convenient and time saving solution to the immediacy demands of online 21% drop on the previous week’s digital media. earnings, bringing its cumulative SA box office income to a whopping R43 080 403.

Minions

Trainwreck Directed by Judd Apatow and written by Amy Schumer, Universal’s romantic comedy Trainwreck took R582 705 in its second week running on the South African cinema circuit, a 26% drop in its opening weekend earnings, bringing its total gross national income to R1 699 186. The film is co-produced by Apatow and Barry Mendel and stars Schumer and Bill Hader in the lead roles.

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

42 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

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Box Office

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Figures supplied by SAFACT *Figures reflect those calculated ending 28 July 2015

Romance and comedy dominate local films in 2015 This month, we’ve compiled a box office report of the top six South African films released in cinemas between January and June 2015, as reported by the NFVF. Afrikaans cinema continues to be the only notable presence among local films at the box office, with lighthearted entertainment drawing the majority of viewers.

Ballade vir ‘n Enkeling

.

The Film Factory’s retelling of the popular 1980s TV drama Ballade vir ‘n Enkeling was released in cinemas across South Africa on 20 March. Directed by Quentin Krog and produced by Danie Bester, the film comes in as the highest earner, taking R 7 879 880 at the box office.

Hollywood in my Huis Theatrically released on 26 June, Hollywood in my Huis clinched the fourth spot, garnering R4 061 415 at the South African box office in just over a month. Produced by Stage 5 Films and Red Letter Day Pictures in association with Advantage Entertainment and kykNET, the film is directed and written

by Corne Van Rooyen and stars newcomers Vilje Maritz, Christia Visser and Edwin van der Walt, as well as well-known actresses Elana AfrikaBredenkamp and Leandie Du Randt.

Mooirivier

Treurgrond

Kaapland Films’ romantic comedy Mooirivier, released on 6 February, took second place, earning R5 710 688. Produced by Cobus van den Berg, Tim Theron and Jorrie van der Walt, and written and directed by Rene van Rooyen, the film opened in cinemas across South Africa on 6 February. The film’s cast includes Tim Theron, Anel Alexander, Hykie Berg, Milan Murray, Nadia Beukes and Heinz Winkler.

At number five, starring Steve Hofmeyr, is director Darrell Roodt’s Treurgrond with R2 420 366. Produced by Samuel Frauenstein, the film tells the story of a farming community in South Africa trying to deal with violent farm attacks. Treurgrond was released in cinemas nationwide on 29 May.

Strikdas

French Toast

Coming in at number three is director Stefan Nieuwoudt’s Afrikaans family comedy Strikdas. Set in Stellenbosch and produced by Faith in Motion Productions and Philo Films, the film earned R4 181 882. Released in South Africa on 2 April, Strikdas stars Leandie du Randt and Kaz Mcfadden and was shot on location in Stellenbosch.

With R 1 914 078, French Toast rounds up the top six highest grossing local films released between January and June 2015. Released at South African cinemas on 24 April, the film is directed by Paul Kruger, produced by Hartiwood Films and stars Lika Berning, Theirry Ballarin, Deon Lotz and Helene Lombard. French Toast was shot in South Africa and France.

– Compiled by Chanelle Ellaya 44 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

PROD U CTION

UPDATES

FOR FURTHER DETAILS VISIT www.screenafrica.com

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

IN PRODUCTION 3 TALK Urban Brew Talk Show 20 and Free X CON Films Dir: Munier Parker Documentary 50/50 Clive Morris Productions Current Affairs 53 EXTRA M-Net Inhouse Productions Dir: Navan Chetty Magazine A BROTHER’S LOVE 1300 Pictures (Pty) Ltd Dir: Elvis Nkosi Feature A CALENDAR OF EVENTS – MEDUPI & KUSILE Betta Beta Communications Prod: Tommy Doig Documentary A MAN OF HIS OWN PRINCIPALS Sekgopha Productions Prod: Buhle Mofulatsi / Thapelo Hlagala TV movie AQUELLE’ MIDMAR MILE 2015 Media Ventures Prod/Dir: Chris Moolman Documentary AFRICA 360 eNews News Head: Patrick Conroy Current affairs AFRO CAFÉ SEASON 7 Bonngoe Productions Prod: Pepsi Pokane Music ArtsCulturex Talent 1000 Championships Michics Global Communications Exec Prod: Mishack Motshweni Series Auditor General Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Brad Montgomery/Natalie Varoy Corporate BACKBONE PROJECT Global Access Creative Agency Prod: GA Creative Agency Documentary BIG BROTHER MZANSI Endemol South Africa Prod: Terja Beney, Liza Kleitman Reality BINNELAND Stark Films Prod/Dir: Friedrich / Elsje Stark Series BRAVO! Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Magazine BONISANANI Grounded Media Talk Show Bugatti Together Lucky Fish Productions Dir: Raphaël Crombez Commercial CAINE’S LEGACY Media Navigation Prod/Dir: Dan Akinlolu Short Film CARTE BLANCHE (INSERTS) Modern Times Prod: Sophia Phirippides News Carte Blanche shorts TIA productions Prod / Dir: Tarryn Lee Crossman News CLAASENS DESIGNS MARKETING VIDEOS Panache Video Productions Prod/Dir: Liesel Eiselen Marketing videos CLASH OF THE CHOIRS Endemol South Africa Prod: Josh Feldman Talent / Reality COOL CATS Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Cecil Berry Children’s Show

CORTEX MINING FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video COME DINE WITH ME SOUTH AFRICA Rapid Blue Prod: Kee-Leen Irvine Reality CUTTING EDGE SABC News Current Affairs Debra Deel Khaki Productions Prod/Dir: Christelle Parrott, Wynand Dreyer Series DIAMOND BROKER OF CONGO Bendimir Productions PTY LTD Prod: Dede Tshibangu Documentary DIMENSION DATA Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Natalie Varoy Corporate DINNER DIVAS 2 Blonds and a Redhead Filming Prod: Anne Myers Series DISHONEST Inhlakanipho Films Dir: Vusi Nhlapo Feature Film Ditokelo tsa Medupi LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature DIY MET RIAAN Prod: Riaan Venter-Garforth Magazine EARTH BEAT Tekweni TV Productions Prod: Sandra Herrington Series EASTERN MOSAIC Red Carpet Productions Prod: Saira Essa / Mark Corlett Magazine END GAME Fireworx Media/ Tunc Productions Prod: Bridget Pickering Dir: Akin Omotoso/ Thandie Brewer/ Thabang Moleya Feature EXPRESSO (Season 2) Cardova Prod: Paul van Deventer Series FACE OF GEMINI Footprint Media TV Prod: Cheryl Delport Series Facility Management Lectures (A4FM) Panache Video Productions Dir/ Prod: Liesel Eiselen Educational Faith Today Impact Christian Media Prod: Carl Schultz TV Series FOX NEWS CHANNEL Betta Beta Communications Prod/Dir: Tommy Doig News

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

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

SAKEGESPREK MET THEO VORSTER SEASON 5 Dirk Mostert Camera Production Prod/ Dir: Dirk Mostert Series SAUBA IMAGOFILM Prod: Tam de Vries Reality TV Series Shreds and Dreams Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant TV Series SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM Rapid Blue Prod: Kee-Leen Irvine Global TV Commercial SA’S GOT TALENT Rapid Blue Prod/Dir: Kee-Leen Irvine Talent show SCANDAL Ochre Moving Pictures Prod: Romano Gorlei Soapie SCHOEMAN BOERDERY – MOOSRIVIER Khaki Productions Prod/Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary SELIMATHUNZI Sikhoyana Productions Prod: Baby Joe Correira Variety SHIZ NIZ Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Allen Makhubele Variety SHIFT Urban Brew Talk show SISTERHOOD Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Andy Leze Variety SIYAKHOLWA – WE BELIEVE X CON Films Dir: Munier Parker Edutainment Slender Wonder Doctors Conference Grey Cloud Productions Dir: Jacques Brand Prod: Slender Wonder Corporate Video Slender Wonder Patient Testimonial Videos Grey Cloud Productions Dir: Jacques Brand Corporate Videos SOCCER ZONE SABC Sports Head: Sizwe Nzimande Magazine SODA AND Mayoral Awards Global Access Creative Agency Guy Sclanders Corporate SPRINGBOK STORIES Angel Music Studio Productions Dir: Chrissie Rossouw TV Series STUDY MATE Educational Improvement and Study Help (EISH) Exec Prod: Lisa Blakeway Educational SUPERSWIMMER Media Ventures Prod/Dir: Chris Moolman TV Series THE CHAT ROOM Eclipse Prod: Thokozani Nkosi Talk Show THE COMMUNIST REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Jam TV, Creative South Africa, Nkhanyeti Production Prod: Barthelemy Ngwessam Documentary THE JUSTICE FACTOR eNews Prod: Debbie Meyer Current Affairs THE REAL GOBOZA 7 Urban Brew Entertainment The Revolution Betrayed Shadow Films Prod/Dir: David Forbes Documentary THE RUDIMENTALS Periphery Films Prod: Simon Taylor Feature THE TECH REPORT Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Technology Magazine TOP BILLING Tswelopele Productions Prod: Patience Stevens Magazine TOP TRAVEL (Season 3) Cardova Prod: Bradley van den Berg Series Transnet Financial Results Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Brad Montgomery Corporate

PROD U CTION Troopship Tragedy (Working Title) Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Marion Edmunds Documentary TSHIPE BORWA MANGANESE MINE Betta Beta Communications Prod / Dir: Tommy Doig Documentary Vaseline Experience Xcut Studios Dir: Lee Anne Theron 4D AV production VELDKINDERS Kilroy Was Here! Productions Prod: Gideon Breytenbach Documentary Series VILLA ROSA Spectro Productions Dir: Luhann Jansen / Andries van der Merwe/ Leroux Botha/ Isabel Smit Series Volkspele South Africa Grey Cloud Productions Dir:Jacques Brand Prod: Bertie Brink Documentary WARD 22 TIA Productions Prod/Dir: Tarryn Crossman Documentary WEEKEND AM LIVE SABC News Current Affairs WIZARD OF ZIM Away From Keyboard Dir: Samora Sekhukhune Documentary YILENGELO LAKHO Prod: Nndanganeni Mudau Current Affairs ZOOM IN Footprint Media TV Prod: Cheryl Delport Talk show

IN POST-PRODUCTION A BUSHMAN ODYSSEY Onetime Films Prod: Richard Wicksteed Documentary A DIFFERENT COUNTRY Sabido Productions Dir: Lisa Henry Documentary series A FATAL ENCOUNTER – THE MARLEEN KONINGS STORY Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Johann Abrahams Documentary A Love Letter to Luxor Shadow Films Prod/Dir: David Forbes Short Film A MOTHER’S MADNESS Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Ayesha Ismail Documentary A STOLEN LIFE – THE SASHA LEIGH CROOK STORY Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Catherine Rice Documentary AFROX CO2 PLANT FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX FINANCIAL RESULTS FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX RAU INSIGHT FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video

ALL FOR NOTHING – THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRUNO BRONN Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Barbara Friedman Documentary BEAUTY CONTEST Phoenix TV Productions Prod/Dir: Koketso Sefanyetso Short Film CAESAREAN COMPLICATIONS SummerTime Productions Exec Prod: Professor Eckhart Buchmann Documentary Challenge SOS 2 Blonds and a Redhead Filming Prod: Anne Myers Reality Collide Media Village Productions Prod: Ardeen Munnik TV Series CROSSBOW KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Barbara Friedman Documentary DEBRA DEEL Khaki Productions Prod: Christelle Parrott TV Series DIE WASGOEDLYN Kilroy Was Here! Productions Prod: Gideon Breytenbach TV Series FASHION GURU SA Pro Media & Spider – Co Productions Prod/Dir: Dee Vanzyl Reality FORMIDABELE VROUE: CISSY GOOL Khaki Productions Prod/Dir: Christelle Parrott/ Wynand Dreyer Documentary HAD BETTER DAYS Uniquely Novel Productions Prod/Dir: Deon VD Merwe Feature Film HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARIES: KIMBERLEY: SOUTH AFRICA Spike Productions Prod/Dir: Steve Muller Documentary THE HOCKEY STICK KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Melanie Rice Documentary HOPE NHU Africa Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Documentary HOUSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT Panache Video Productions Dir/Prod: Liesel Eiselen Corporate I AM…CRAIG Away From Keyboard Dir: Samora Sekhukhune Documentary IQILI Impucuzeko Prod: Sharon Kakora Feature Joyous 18 RM Recording Prod: Lindelani Mkhize Other JULIUS HAS A DREAM Creative South Africa, Nkanyethi Productions,Jam TV Prod: Bathelemy Ngwessam Documentary KADARA Media Navigation Prod: Dan Akinlolu/ Biola Karonwi TV Drama Kerels wat Kook Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant Reality TV Series

KNYSNA West Five Films Prod/ Dir: Maynard Kraak; Andre Velts Feature Film LINCOLN CLAN Total Recall Media Ltd Dir: Adebanjo Oluseyi TV Series THE MIME ARTIST Phoenix TV Productions Prod: Koketso Sefanyetso Short Film MURDER ON MILLIONAIRE’S MILE Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Barbara Friedman Documentary MY SIGHT FOR SORE EYES Enigma Ace Films Prod/Dir: Ryan Kruger Feature Film NIGHT OF THE MASSACRE Tshepo Lesedi Projects, Mathope & Izibuko Films Dir: Charles Khuele Documentary NEW LAND Plexus Films/ Four Corners Media Dir: Kyle O’ Donoghue TV Series NIGHTCLUB KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Nobathembu Stefane Documentary Nyaope Gangsters LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature PERFECT SHISHEBO Quizzical Pictures Prod: Nthabiseng Mokoena Series PLAY MORE GOLF FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Commercials Pushi- Passion LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Series THE QUIET BOY Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Charlene Stanley Corporate ROSA 3 Two Oceans Productions Prod: Giselher Venzke & Bertha Spieker TV Feature SAFE BET Sukuma Media Producer: Nokuthula Sakhile Mguni / Bonginhlanhla Ncube Feature Film SAMURAI KILLER Sabido Productions Dir: Catherine Rice Corporate SECRET PAIN #1 Makoya Entertainment Prod/Dir: Prayer Ndlovu TV Drama SHALLOW GRAVE Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Meggan Raubenheimer Documentary SLENDER WONDER FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video SLENDER WONDER MJ LABS FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video SWARTWATER Quizzical Pictures Prod: Bianca Isaac Dir: John Trengove/ Jozua Malherbe/ Denny Y Miller Series

UPDATES

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UPCOMING EVENTS OCTOBER 5 – 8 Mipcom

Cannes www.mipcom.com

London www.bfi.org.uk

New York www.tvxperienceevent.com

Indonesia www.filmares.com

London www.broadbandworldforum.com

Scotland www.africa-in-motion.org.uk

Johannesburg www.photofilmexpo.com

7 – 18

BFI London Film Festival

13 – 15

TV Xperience 2015

15 – 17 Filmares: Indonesia International

Filmmaking Resources Expo 20 – 22

The Broadband World Forum

23 – 1 NOV Africa in Motion film festival 28 – 1 Nov Photo and Film Expo

NOVEMBER 4 – 6 DISCOP Africa

Johannesburg www.discopafrica.com

Egypt www.ciff.org.eg

Johannesburg www.promaxafrica.tv

Tunisia www.jcctunisie.org

11 – 20

Cairo International Film Festival

20 PromaxBDA South Africa 21 – 28

Carthage Film Festival

SUPERDAD Two Oceans Productions Prod: Giselher Venzke & Bertha Spieker TV Feature SURVIVOR Endemol South Africa Prod: Anton Burggraaf, Josh Feldman Reality TELKOM: BUSINESS INSIGHTS WEBSERIES UZI Films Prod/Dir: Steven Hall Corporate The calling LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature THE CODE BREAKER NHU Africa Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Documentary THE FAMILY PUZZLE Site et Sons media productions Prod/Dir : Zamo Missie Feature THE LAST GREAT TUSKERS NHU Africa Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Documentary The Message Reel Edge Studios Dir: David Golden TV Drama Series THE STORY OF LITTLE FOOT Paul Myburgh Film Prod: Paul Myburgh Documentary THE TRANSPORTERS Sukuma Media/ Reality Motion Pictures Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Documentary TROOPSHIP TRAGEDY Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Marion Edmunds Documentary

Traffic Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant TV Series UNDER THE MOUNTAIN Plexus Films Prod: Miki Redelinghuys,/ Lauren Groenewald Short film UNSOLVED – THE STORY OF THE CAPE RIPPER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Johann Abrahams Documentary VKB LANDBOU BEPERK FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video When I Was Water Shadow Films Dir: David Forbes Documentary XJ-1 Eternal Film Productions Prod: Marius Swanepoel/ Dana Pretorius Feature You Deserve It Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant TV Game Show

Screen Africa relies on the accuracy of information received and cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur.

E-mail production updates to: online@screenafrica.com

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October 2015 | SCREENAFRICA | 47

Social and Behind the Scenes

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Upstairs Ludus Nic Apostoli Welcome Party

Greg Shaw, Debby Dannheisser, Joe Erasmus and Anco Henning

Jono De Sousa and Cindy Ncube

Joe Erasmus, Greg Shaw, Sean Williams, Nicholas Young and Carmel Nayanah

Liz Dahl and Malo 8

Neo Mojela, Heema Daya, Tarryn Reddy and Matthew Stead

Jordan Koen, Dale Pretorius and Laura Pretorius

Tanya Wagner and Robert Selmer-Olsen

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ODM and StarTimes Beijing TV drama SA launch

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Kaunda Selisho (The Times) and Miyashni Pillay (East Wave Radio)

Sophia Zhang, CEO of On Digital Media

Sylvester Mathafeng, Reagon Welcome, Sheldon Kirk Mansion and Irfaan Mohammed

48 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2015

Dallen Coetzee, Thandeka Xalisa and Abdul Aziz Alberts

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