BROADCAST, FILM, TV, COMMERCIALS, NEW MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY NEWS
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| IN THIS ISSUE
6 Urucu calls for submissions to Realness Scriptwriters Residency 2018
20
22
What to look forward to in 2018
The making of local rom-com Zulu Wedding
26
27
Behind the scenes: Getting film equipment from A to B
All things audio
NEWS
ADCETERA
INDUSTRY REVIEW
FILM & TV MUSIC
‘Memory Makers’ come together for the 2017 PromaxBDA
Nedbank reimagines banking
What to look forward
From commercial music
with the #ilive4 campaign....................... 11 Blacksmith Collective: the ‘Production Collective’
to in 2018................................................... 20
artist to music publisher......................... 31
FILM
Immersive audio
that’s switching up the game.................. 12 Cannes Lions announces
The making of local
Immersive audio engineering................. 32
revamped 2018 Festival........................... 13 Debra Mallowah talks gender stereotypes in advertising
Director Speak: Jaco Bouwer................. 24 Markets, festivals, and the
REGULARS
business of film and TV............................ 25 Behind the scenes: Getting film
PromaxBDA Africa 2017......................... 34
conference and awards............................... 3 Introducing Afri Reviews............................ 4 Urucu calls for submissions to Realness Scriptwriters Residency 2018............................................ 6 Broadcast Lines enters partnership with Neutrik to bring absolute incredible interconnectedness to Southern Africa....................................... 7
at PromaxBDA Africa............................... 14 CPA survey results deconstructed: Reflections on the local
BUSINESS NewS
commercial production industry........... 16
Afrinolly appointed first DaVinci Resolve Certified Training
BUSINESS
Partner in Africa........................................... 8 Imagine Communications
rom-com Zulu Wedding............................ 22
equipment from A to B........................... 26 All things audio.......................................... 27
SOCIAL
Marketplace................................................ 36 Upcoming Events...................................... 36
MUSIC LIBRARIES Sheer Publishing turns 21....................... 29
The evolution of the television market.......................... 17
announces CEO transition........................ 8 Dejero completes major finance deal to advance product development, global growth
FILM & TV MUSIC PHAT’s Mike Strano talks African music and entertainment.......... 30
and entry into new markets...................... 9
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From the editor
The Team Editor 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. 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.
By the time you read this, I hope you will have returned from a joyous, relaxing festive break, ready to tackle a new year with all its possibilities and challenges to boot. I find myself in disbelief that it has already been an entire year since I took over as editor of Screen Africa – and what a year it’s been. A year of many challenges and lessons learned but a year of many victories too. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our loyal readers, for your continued support. Here’s hoping we will meet your needs and expectations in the year ahead. In this issue we tackle all things audio in the form of profiles and trends pieces, to editorial on production music libraries and immersive audio. Be sure to check out our much-anticipated audio feature on pages 27 to 33. Other noteworthy pieces to look forward to this month include a write-up on the 2017 PromaxBDA Africa conference and awards (page 3), an in depth piece on the making of the new Nedbank TVC (page 10-11) in the Adcetra section and we get the scoop on the latest local rom-com Zulu Wedding (page 22-23) which is this month’s film feature. As always, our ears are open to your suggestions on where and how we can improve, do not hesitate to contact us. Till next month! – Chanelle Ellaya
JOURNALISTS Gezzy S Sibisi is a journalist and photographer with experience in print, broadcast and digital media. Her portfolio of work includes working as a lifestyle reporter as well as contributing business and education articles to The Times, Sowetan and Daily Despatch publications. As a freelancer she has worked on content development for corporate newsletters, community newspapers, blogs and educational websites.
Louise Marsland is an editor, journalist and columnist in the media and marketing communications industry in South Africa, who has been writing about the industry for over two decades as a former editor of publications: AdVantage, Marketing Mix and Bizcommunity.com. She currently writes extensively about industry trends and consumer insight.
Lara Preston is a passionately committed marketer and strategist with a focus in promoting African content and events. Two decades of working across Africa have provided her with insights and experience that she puts to work for the projects she manages. In 2006, Lara founded, and still personally manages, Red Flag Content Relations, a full service below-the-line agency that also focuses on African entertainment and lifestyle brand marketing, strategy, and publicity.
David Cornwell lives in Cape Town, where he writes fiction, films and features for a variety of publications. His debut novel, Like It Matters (Umuzi, 2016), has been long-listed for the 2017 Sunday Times Fiction Award.
Ian Dormer was born in Zimbabwe and has been in the TV business since the 1980s, having served in various positions at the SABC, M-Net and SuperSport. Ian currently works and resides in New Zealand.
SCREENAFRICA Publisher & Managing Editor: Simon Robinson: publisher@screenafrica.com Editor: Chanelle Ellaya: editor@screenafrica.com Journalists: Gezzy S Sibisi: news@screenafrica.com
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Postal address: PO Box 559, Fourways North, 2086 Editorial Disclaimer The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of Screen Africa or any employee thereof. Sun Circle Publishers makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Sun Circle Publishers reserves the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner it sees fit comments that it, in its sole discretion, deems to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, or is otherwise unacceptable. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publisher.
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‘Memory Makers’ come together for the 2017 PromaxBDA conference and awards Bringing together top creatives from around the world in the media marketing industry; the 12th annual PromaxBDA Africa Conference and Awards took place at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton on 9 November 2017.
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ver 400 media professionals attended the 2017 event and participated in various conference sessions led by international and local speakers discussing a variety of current hot-topics and trends within the media marketing industry. “We are thrilled with the continued growth of PromaxBDA Africa as the premier creative event for professionals involved in Promos, Marketing and Broadcast Design and their platforms,” said Vanessa Sheldrick, event director for PromaxBDA Africa. The conference commenced with a word from PromaxBDA Africa chairman, Timothy Horwood, who shared what it means to be “memory makers” – which was the theme for 2017. Howard’s introduction was followed by the first session of the day, titled Unstereotype by Debra Mallowah from GSK in East Africa, her talk focused on the global movement to break gender stereotypes in the advertising and film industry. In keeping with the theme of the day Mallowah stressed that media professionals should use their influence to create stories that represent positive gender portrayals and tackle the dominance of negative female stereotypes that have populated the film and advertising industries.
Other noteworthy sessions included: The Mutating Creative by Carl Addy, who presented a documentary hybrid that investigates the ”mutating” roles of the modern creative to adapt to the evolving world of commercial art. The Future is Here and It’s Bonkers by Glenn Urquhart, which looked at emerging media trends and a future creative forecast. The Bloody Poms by NBCUniversal’s vice president of Creative and Original Content, Kjetil Njoten. Njoten inspired attending creatives on how to be relevant from afar, taking lessons from his London-based company and how it runs successful portfolios for the African market. The Cult Of The Handmade In The Digital Age by Gemma O’Brien, an Australian designer and artist with a passion for typography. My personal highlights for the day included The World Gold 2017 showcase which offered a break from the sessions with light humour from the ever-entertaining Horwood as he presented the best spots from the year 2017. Another interesting showcase was the 1 Movie, Five Promos challenge, whereby five local PromaxBDA winners’ were tasked to create a promo for the same film but given different briefs to cater for specific TV channels. The last session of the day was helmed by international speaker and author of the book Tell Me About Yourself,
A few of the 2017 PromaxBDA Africa award winners
Holley Murchison. Murchison presented an extremely moving and spirited session titled Become Who You Are which encouraged creative professionals and entrepreneurs to reflect on their dreams, skills and beliefs to create stories with purpose and work towards leaving a great legacy. In the evening, the PromaxBDA Africa Awards were held as a celebration of African creative excellence. Silver and gold winners were announced in 48 categories, with NBCUniversal International Networks scooping the most wins including Best Image Campaign, Best Special Event Promo, Best Sound Design and Best Copy/Scriptwriting. The Screen Africa Best Movie Promo silver and gold awards went to NBCUniversal International Networks for Van Dammurary and the A to Z of Action Stars promo on the Studio Universal channel. Other sponsored awards included the DStv/M-Net Best Editing category, in which Disney XD got a silver award for its Star Wars Rebels recap, while NBCUniversal International Networks won gold for A to Z of
Action Stars. DStv also sponsored the Promo Rocket Award which did not have a silver award, but a gold award that went to Zee Entertainment Enterprises for its Puja Ray promo. The Fox Networks Group Mama Silver award went to CSquared for their Afcon 2017 promo, while Studio Zoo took the gold award for DStv’s The Story promo. The SABC Best Integrated Marketing Campaign silver and gold awards went to Clearwater for their kykNET brand launch campaign and M-Net’s Animania promo. A prestigious T + W Future Award was also presented to Vega School Johannesburg students, Saraah Saint and Jessica Hay for their campaign to raise araweness on the ‘Fur for Animals’ crusade. The evening ended off with a PromaxBDA-style afterparty held at the Taboo Night Club in Sandton. All in all, the 2017 PromaxBDA Africa Conference and Awards was a successful, creative fest like no other. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“We are thrilled with the continued growth of PromaxBDA Africa as the premier creative event for professionals involved in Promos, Marketing and Broadcast Design.” – Vanessa Sheldrick JANUARY 2018
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Introducing Afri Reviews
The daunting task of selecting the right film to watch or the best series to download has become a whole lot simpler, with the help of various rating sites that make it easier to separate the good from the mediocre.
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otten Tomatoes, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are just some of the countless film-focused websites that cater to Hollywood productions and the industry as a whole. The African film industry on the other hand, lacks a dedicated, trustworthy platform to give voice to its many stories and storytellers. “Afri Reviews is the brainchild of James Ogunjimi and myself,” says Afri Reviews co-founder Anita Abada. “The idea for this project was born out of an overwhelming desire to project the African movie industry to the world by standing as a focal point for reviews of African movies and to promote diversity in plot, cinematography and casting by serving as a medium of check and balance to the quality of movies produced in Africa.” Abada is a Nigerian-based writer, content developer, film critic and co-founder of dedicated African film review website – Afri Reviews – which recently launched and promises to be a one-stop shop for all African movies, short films, animations, documentaries and series. “We want someone from Uganda to
know the movies released in Morocco. We want someone from South Africa to know what’s going on in Sierra Leone. But most importantly, we want to be a one-stop shop for African movies not just for Africans, but for foreigners as well who want to partake in the beauty of African films,” says Abada. Abada’s passion for African films and in seeing this industry prosper is quite profound and eye-opening. In the research stage of her journey she found that while there are many sites that claim to provide honest reviews of African movies, these sites were actually dishonest in their ratings. “Basically, we found that reviews of movies by most ‘reviewers’ were written as favours to the filmmakers due to the unbelievable way that below par movies were praised to high heavens. It was either that or we have very incapable reviewers with unbelievably low expectations. We knew we had to do something.” Abada and her co-founder have since made a call to African film writers and critics to join their cause in providing unbiased reviews and giving credit where it’s due. “We want reviews that not only
“We want to be a one-stop shop for African movies not just for Africans, but for foreigners as well who want to partake in the beauty of African films.” – Anita Abada 4 | SCREENAFRICA | JANUARY 2018
reflect the true state of a movie, but reviews that force industry players and stakeholders to sit up, invest in good writing, and begin to churn out movies that don’t denigrate women as well as movies that reflect the growing status of the African movie industry.” So far, the website has received overwhelming feedback from the industry however the call for reviewers has not been as encouraging, shares Abada. “We are getting very little feedback but we are working with those who have joined and will bring others on board as soon as they get in touch.” Afri Reviews has also been spreading the news of its launch through collaboration with the African Press Organisation. The platform has several other partnerships in the pipeline which Abada says they hope will bring more momentum to the project. “Getting writers and capable reviewers in each country is not easy. Getting people to start coming to the platform is not easy either. And we expect even bigger challenges. Filmmakers who are used to making mediocre movies and getting hailed will not like this at first, but if they are committed to the growth of the industry, the bad press this will give them will only spur them to improve the quality of movies they make,” she says. Abada also hopes to see the site improve the plight of African actors and affirm their talents and film contributions to the continent. “We want to, by these critiques, improve the quality of acting and achieve a process where our actors don’t rely on external validations to feel like they have arrived…We are not content with one or two Africans breaking out and becoming stars outside of the continent, we want to make it cool to be stars inside the continent and respected outside the continent based on the internal reputation,” says Abada. A good example is South African actress Pearl Thusi’s journey from her local fame on the small screen to now being an international movie star, says
Abada as she details how Thusi kickstarted her acting career in the local soapie, Isidingo and then landed her first international gig on Quantico. Thusi is currently working on her latest international role in the Scorpion King movie. Lupita Nyong’o is also another African star from Kenya, noted Abada, who has grown in the film industry and played award-winning roles (12 Years a Slave, Queen of Katwe and Eclipsed) in the international scene.
“But we want more,” stresses Abada. “We want to so improve the quality of movies that come out of the continent and the quality of reviews they get that outsiders can see for themselves how good they are.” Abada stresses that local audiences need to invest in and support their own local films and actors. While researching for the site, she found that most Africans choose to support Western movies and actors instead of their own local content, and argued that the quality of international movies – acting, writing and dialogue – is at a far better standard then here in Africa. “Africa has really matured in these aspects too. We no longer focus on black magic and religion. Yes, there are still some who focus on that, but we have movies that take entirely different turns now and actors that put everything into their movies,” she concludes. – Gezzy S Sibisi
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Nirox Foundation
Urucu calls for submissions to Realness Scriptwriters Residency 2018 The Realness Scriptwriters’ Residency, which seeks to nurture the best in African screenwriting talent across the continent, has opened its 2018 submissions.
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ealness has developed into an ideal platform from which emerging talent can be identified. Founded in 2015 by Urucu Media, this successful scriptwriters’ programme is presented under the mentorship of Berlinale Talents and in partnership with Nirox Foundation, Durban FilmMart, The French Institute of South Africa and Institute Français’s La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde, TorinoFilmLab, Locarno Filmmaker’s Academy, Cocoon, The CNC ,TIFF and EAVE. Urucu Media, is a well-established South African production house, which currently has two films in the race for the Best Foreign Language Category at the 2018 Academy Awards: The Train of Salt and Sugar for Mozambique and The Wound for South Africa. Producer Elias Ribeiro, founder of both Urucu and Realness says: “It is rewarding to look back seven years when I moved to Johannesburg and started producing here, we have managed to play a significant role in shifting the industry landscape and showcasing the massive talent we have in this continent. I could not be more proud of the opportunity to compete for the most prestigious award in cinema with two films in the same year. What is most gratifying is how this acknowledgement has already increased access to opportunities and improved our capacity to support emerging talent on the continent – which is a real passion for us. We have ambitious plans for our programme in 2019 as we evolved
6 | SCREENAFRICA | JANUARY 2018
Realness into an African Film Institute – RAFI.” Applicants for the screenwriters’ programme are required to submit a screenplay in progress. The call for entries is open to fiction feature film scripts only. However, there is no restriction on age, script length or genre. Submission is free, regardless of geographical origin. “We seek a selection that represents a rich and exciting diversity of contemporary African perspectives. We encourage risk taking, originality and authenticity,” explains Ribeiro. Since its launch, the residency has nurtured five African writers in each of its first two years, growing into a prestigious incubator of emerging talent that is recognised throughout the film community. “This residency is at the forefront of African cinema and I truly believe in years to come it will be regarded as one of the most important homes of a new wave of African cinema…I cannot commend them enough for their passion and tenacity which drives this initiative,” says Fradique Mário Bastos (2017 resident from Angola). The five selected writers will participate in a programme that begins with five weeks at Nirox Foundation in the Cradle of Humankind, where they will have the time and space to develop their screenplays under the guidance of some of the industry’s top professionals. This will be followed by an immersive industry experience at Africa’s leading finance and co-production market Durban FilmMart,
Realness Pan African Screenwriters’ Residency 2016 participants Wim Steytler, Amira Tajdin, Sheetal Magan, Hiwot Admasu and Luck Razanajaona where residents will have the opportunity to present their projects to potential producers and financiers. Finally, the most promising projects will, be awarded and funded to participate in the prestigious La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde in Cannes, receive an EAVE Producers’ Workshop scholarship, and be invited to the TorinoFilmLab Meetings Event and Locarno Filmmakers Academy. Mentor and script consultant Selina Ukwuoma has been part of the team that develops Realness talents since the creation of the programme. She says, “with a pan-African focus, the diversity of Africans is celebrated yet, the particular concerns that we have in common come to the fore.” A strong addition to the team this year was producer and script consultant Mmabatho Kau, who comments: “What I loved and enjoyed most about the Realness writing residency as a script consultant, was that
for the first time, the voice of the writer is put first above all else. Realness is the perfect platform to celebrate often forgotten and marginalised stories of Africa. I appreciate how the programme also challenged my own strategies in helping writers bring their concepts to fruition.” Curator Liz Chege, project manager for Realness 2018 says: “Attracting interest to Realness has been an absolute delight. Prospective partners have consistently praised the quality of residents, the strength of the programme and the clear longstanding effect Realness will have in the film industry, both locally and internationally.” Deadline for submissions is Thursday 31 January 2018. Visit www.urucumedia.com/realness for further details.
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Broadcast Lines enters partnership with Neutrik to bring absolute incredible interconnectedness to Southern Africa Broadcast Lines and Neutrik have just announced the beginning of a new and exciting partnership in a drive to collectively offer top of the range broadcast spec quality audio/video cable, connectors and selected hardware. For Neutrik, Broadcast Lines was a logical choice as their distributor in South Africa and other parts of Africa due to its role as a distribution company of broadcast spec quality cable and connectors in many of the major market segments where Neutrik connectors are being used. Speaking on the partnership, Neutrik’s chief sales officer, Chris Neethling says: “Even when an end user purchases top of the range equipment and everything is working perfectly, the transmission can still be compromised when below standard cabling products are being used. The partnership between Broadcast Lines and Neutrik seeks to ensure that this doesn’t happen.” Speaking on behalf of Broadcast Lines, managing director Leonard Miller comments: “We are tremendously excited about what this partnership can bring to our company and ultimately to our clients. By combining Neutrik with our
top-end cable brand, Sommer Cable, we will be providing high-end quality solutions in the electronic interconnection products and systems arena.” Miller added that the partnership will provide specialist services and products in the field of XLR connectors, plugs, jacks, speaker connectors, patch bays, fibre optic connection systems and digital wireless solutions. “I am pleased to say that this is why our business exists, we understand our clients’ needs, we relate to them and we would like to demonstrate unequalled prowess in product delivery. This partnership will offer the quality which our clients have come to know and trust,” he says. Neutrik is an international corporation
with over four decades of know-how and experience in the manufacture of innovative electrical and electronic interconnection products and systems. Today Neutrik is a world leader in designing, manufacturing and marketing of audio, coaxial, power and circular connectors. Neutrik’s main objective is to be “one step ahead” i.e. to understand the future market needs before they become obvious and to accommodate demands before they occur.
In the past 14 years, Broadcast Lines has positioned itself as an industry leading specialist for broadcast spec interconnect solutions to meet all cabling requirements for purposes of studio installations, outside broadcasts, ENG, staging, concerts, home theatre applications, A/V interconnect solutions, and the music and film industry. For more information visit the Broadcast Lines website at www. broadcastlines.com.
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Afrinolly appointed first DaVinci Resolve Certified Training Partner in Africa A few months ago at NAB 2017 in Las Vegas, Blackmagic Design announced a new worldwide training and certification programme, along with certified curriculum for DaVinci Resolve. Users can take training courses online or in person at certified training centres. Afrinolly Limited has announced that they have been appointed the first Certified Training Partner in Nigeria as well as in Africa. Chike Maduegbuna, CEO Afrinolly Limited said: “We are excited to partner with Blackmagic Design to provide a fully certified training programme for users of DaVinci Resolve in Nigeria and Africa. This training programme will increase adoption and expertise of the most powerful colourist tool and in turn increase the quality of post- production jobs done here.” He went on to say, “in setting up the Afrinolly Space creative hub, we wanted a platform to institutionalise global best practices in the area of film/video content production and we are excited that Blackmagic
Design recognised this.” In the recently released book The Definitive Guide to DaVinci Resolve 14, Grant Petty, CEO Blackmagic Design said: “I think one of the most exciting things about DaVinci Resolve 14 is that it combines a true professional video editor with the same incredible colour correction tools used in Hollywood on high-end films and television shows, and Fairlight audio, all in one software solution. Since adding professional editing to DaVinci Resolve in version 10 we’ve been turning it into the world’s best professional editor. I hope you’ll enjoy using DaVinci Resolve 14 and we can’t wait to see the amazing work you produce!” Afrinolly Space is a creative hub in the heart of Nigeria’s commercial city Lagos, for filmmakers, screenwriters, mobile technology developers, animators and other creatives. Essentially Afrinolly Space functions as “Where Technology Meets
Art”. The hub was designed for film/video content creators to make videos, collaborate with other professionals in the production value chain, attend trainings/ workshops, network, host private screenings, and get post-production services using industry- leading postproduction equipment and resources. “With the release of DaVinci Resolve 14, a tool originally designed for Hollywood’s elite colourists has been revolutionised into an advance application for professional editing, colour grading and audio post-
production. This training programme will initially focus on DaVinci Resolve 14 and include Editing, Colour and Audio curriculum and certification. I am excited to have the first class in December,” says Bobola Oniwura; creative director and Afrinolly’s Certified DaVinci Resolve trainer who returned recently from the UK where he got certified. The DaVinci Resolve 14 training will be available from Afrinolly’s training centre in Lagos, Nigeria.
Imagine Communications announces CEO transition Imagine Communications, a portfolio company of The Gores Group and a leader in empowering the media and entertainment industry through transformative technology innovation, announced on 5 December 2017 that Tom Cotney has been named CEO of the company, effective immediately. Current CEO Charlie Vogt is joining The Gores Group as a Senior Advisor to continue to drive M&A and business development activities at Imagine. The two executives will work closely to continue the momentum and growth at Imagine Communications while also ensuring a seamless leadership transition. “Over the past four years, Imagine has transformed the media industry by becoming the first company to deliver on its vision of an all IP/cloud network for playout and master control,” said Alec Gores, founder, Chairman and CEO of The Gores Group. “I want to acknowledge and personally thank Charlie for his leadership in driving this massive transformation and placing Imagine’s technology at the forefront of the industry. Sharing our vision of where the industry is heading, Tom is uniquely qualified to build on this momentum and I welcome him in his new role.” “I am excited about the opportunity to lead Imagine to the next level,” said Cotney. “Business models in 8 | SCREENAFRICA | JANUARY 2018
Tom Cotney transformation have become the norm in almost every company today. I can’t thank Charlie and the team enough for building Imagine into one of the market leading, long-term players in this industry.” Cotney has spent 20 of his 30-year career partnering, selling to and
competing in the telecommunications and mobile technology industries. He served as General Manager of the Communications Sector at IBM Global Services and has been a CEO and board member for a number of privately held companies. Cotney will also join the
board of directors of Imagine. “Imagine Communications could not be better positioned than we are today to take market-share across the ad management, playout, networking and distribution markets, particularly as we continue to guide the industry transition to IP and the cloud,” said Vogt. “We are pacing to have our best quarter of the year, and Friday we signed a strategic Advertising Management System contract to accelerate the emerging ATSC 3.0 multi-services market. I look forward to supporting Tom Cotney is his new role in an advisory capacity at The Gores Group and believe he will be able to fuel Imagine’s continued expansion and innovation.” Vogt has been a CEO and strategic leader across the telecommunications, broadcast and media sectors for 30 years – 16 years as a CEO. During that time, he has overseen the acquisition and integration of 15 companies. “This transition underpins our long-term commitment to Imagine, and to the media and entertainment sector in general, as well as the confidence we have in Imagine to continue leading the industry in the transition to IP and cloud services from monetisation to content distribution,” said Gores.
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Dejero completes major finance deal to advance product development, global growth and entry into new markets
Bruce Anderson Dejero, an innovator in blending IP networks for video transport and Internet connectivity while mobile or in remote locations, has announced significant new financing to accelerate its product development roadmap and its global expansion into the broadcast and media market. The investment will be used largely to fund development and commercialisation of Dejero’s blended connectivity solutions into new markets. The investment of CAD$32 million comes from Kayne Partners, the growth private equity arm of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP, an investment firm managing approximately $25 billion in assets and satellite leader Intelsat. Intelsat, a strategic investor, provides integrated satellite communications on a global basis and is already a collaborating partner in the Dejero CellSat solution, which intelligently combines cellular connectivity from multiple mobile
network providers with Ku-band IP satellite connectivity. Dejero’s solutions provide reliable connectivity by blending cellular, satellite and other IP connections from multiple network providers to deliver the bandwidth required to exchange high throughput, low latency video and data. Its cloud-managed solutions are used by news organizations to report live from around the world, and to provide Internet connectivity in remote locations or while mobile. “We are impressed with Dejero’s rapid growth and worldwide success, which are clearly driven by its unique network blending technology that solves connectivity challenges in portable, in-vehicle and fixed location scenarios,” said Leon Chen, managing director at Kayne Partners. “This investment will allow Dejero to bring its innovative thinking more quickly to market and further extend its position as market leader.” As part of this financing round, Leon and Rob Shilton, also of Kayne Partners, will be joining the Dejero board of directors. Also joining the board is Michael DeMarco, Intelsat’s executive vice president of Operations, who commented: “following the success of our recent partnership that brought the Dejero CellSat solution to market, we’ve made a strategic investment that will accelerate our collaboration on additional multi-network connectivity solutions for our customers.” Bruce Anderson, CEO of Dejero, explained “Simple, fast, cost-effective and highly reliable connectivity is vital in today’s interconnected world, and is becoming ever more so through natural progressions such as connected vehicles and the internet of things. With this funding we see huge opportunities to deliver a broader range of blended connectivity solutions and services, not only to our traditional market of broadcast and media, but to other markets where reliable, flexible connectivity is just as vital.” “Our existing collaboration with Intelsat is greatly enhanced by this investment, which we value as an endorsement of our skills in innovation and delivery,” Anderson added. “Kayne brings to the table a new set of insights and connections which will also drive strong growth.”
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Nedbank reimagines banking Nedbank’s #ilive4 television campaign, for its new Money app, attempts to drive home the message that money does not give one purpose.
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oe Public’s creative duo, Buyani Duma and Tshepo Mogorosi conceptualised the ad, inspired by their real-life experiences and people’s relationship with money to better their lives. Both, Duma and Mogotosi expand: “This campaign is for the people. Everybody interacts with money in different ways, but the common truth is that money is not their sole purpose. Purposes differ, and the concept highlights that by putting emphasis on what each individual lives for.” Joe Public has been working with Nedbank for the past few years, handling their above-the-line output for their entire portfolio from Wealth, to CIB and Retail, shares Tshepo. However, this is the largest project that they have ever undertaken for Nedbank. “The client wanted to give the bank a more human face. Our vision for the bank was to make it the inclusive financial institution that it has the potential to be,” says Duma. As part of the brief for the campaign, the ad had to show how the new Nedbank Money app will enable clients to manage their finances effectively. “We brainstormed and reviewed with creative directors who helped us refine our thinking in ways that answer the brief. We came up with the big idea first and then went on to apply it to different mediums,” the pair says. The creative team came up with six themes – love, movement, freedom,
Nedbank #ilive4 commercial
empowerment, growth and tomorrow – which are explored using six different characters in the commercial. PHI’s Jonathan Parkinson and Nicole Ackerman were given the same brief along with a script highlighting the campaign message: ‘I don’t live for money, but it gets me what I live for.’ “Our approach was (as always) to examine the concept and come up with the most original and impactful way of translating the written word into a film. It was an amazing script, and completely fired our imagination, expanding on various scenes, altering others, and coming back to the agency with a pitch that won them over,” shares Ackerman. “The concept moves around the idea
“The concept moves around the idea that first comes passion and inspiration – the things we live for – and then comes the money to enable us to achieve those goals and dreams.” – Jonathan Parkinson 10 | SCREENAFRICA | JANUARY 2018
that first comes passion and inspiration – the things we live for – and then comes the money to enable us to achieve those goals and dreams. It suggests that Nedbank will listen, will support and be there when they are needed, collaborating in the success of a human,” adds Parkinson. Casting for the roles was done by casting director, Marina Van Tonder: “We wanted to find people who were fresh and new, unseen, unused as much as possible. We wanted people who live with passion for their future. We wanted to represent an honest perspective of the South African society – not just cookie cutter/stock image stereotypes. We created characters that had rich backstories. We were also able to cast gender ‘non-specific’ characters including a beautiful transgender woman,” shares Ackerman. In the spot, the ‘love’ theme is showcased through the cultural connection to sneakers shared by a young couple. ‘Movement’ gives viewers a glimpse of the annual AfrikaBurn festival, which takes place at a vast open field in the Tankwa Karoo. ‘Freedom’ is presented by a former ballet dancer, who now wears a prosthetic leg and has found a new passion in designing prosthetic legs for others like
her. The theme of ‘empowerment’ gives voice to people living with albinism, the LGBTQ community and plus-sized women. ‘Growth’ is captured on the back of a man with a visual of a tree tattoo which grows before our eyes, and ‘tomorrow’ is told through the story of a pregnant hotel manager who is planning her life with her future child. In the conceptualisation process, the colour green was the obvious starting point for the ad, Parkinson shares. However, broader colour palettes were included when the team came across a Cuban fashion editorial. “We also had an undertone of ‘Afrofuturism’ in the look, a science fiction movement – which is deeply rooted in South African (or African) heritage but looks to technology and the future. This approach felt right because we wanted to retain the heritage of Nedbank, but also show that the brand was invested in the future. So we included futuristic metal elements as well as traditional South African elements – such as the festival sculpture, the prosthetic leg, the metal sneakers and the décor in the hotel set up,” Parkinson comments. The shoot took five days to complete and was shot in and around
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with the #ilive4 campaign TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Arriflex mini camera using Canon K35 lenses
Johannesburg. Outside scenes included Maboneng at night; the AfrikaBurn festival and a sculpture set which was shot at a building site in Germiston. Interior locations involved a setup of a tattoo parlour which was shot at the gentleman’s toilet in a restaurant in Newtown. The commercial was shot on an Arriflex mini using Canon K35 lenses. Parkinson attributes the use of the 70’s lens to their ability to add extra texture to a digital age. “We are always looking for ways of toning down the ‘squeaky clean’ aspect of digital formats and making them more like the beautiful quality of traditional film. This combination was hand-held throughout the filming, purposefully giving the picture an authentic edge to it,” he says. DOP Adam Bental convinced the team to shoot the ad 4:3 instead of with
anamorphic lenses, which Ackerman says gave them surprisingly amazing results. “So many of our locations had incredible height to them, (therefore) it created a connection between our locations and our characters that we felt really added to their stories,” she explains. “In terms of lighting and camera language, we wanted to use in-camera light movement to give the piece an energy and an urgency that mirrored the passion of our characters. We also planned lighting changes around editing points between scenes, so that the cut flowed seamlessly,” Ackerman adds. The team also found a soundtrack that they loved and incorporated into the storyline by using a pianist, who features throughout the ad and is seen going through the creative process of completing his tune. The track brings
different music styles as it paces from a mellow and classical intro, and escalates to a raw and upbeat tune to blend with the narration and feel of the different scenes. “We felt that conceptually this worked as again it spoke to the heritage of the brand, but gave the piece a modern twist. It also captured the passion that we were trying to portray throughout the piece,” Ackerman says. Graham Smith carried out the editing, while final grade was done by Jax Harney at Cheat in London. Within days of the #ilive4 campaign launch, the spot was rated as one of the top two international communication campaigns of the week by Adforum in France. The ad has also been applauded here at home, by The Citizen editor Brendan Seery who gave it a prestigious Orchid mention. Speaking about the recognition, Duma says: “It means more than anything that people believe in the idea, which is based on human truth and that is what advertising is about.” Ackerman also commented: “We really believe that audiences’ eyes glaze over very quickly and that any new TVC has to work hard in that space to catch the attention of the audience. They want ‘different’, and they want to be entertained. However, above all, they want authenticity, integrity, and honesty, especially when it comes to a bank.” – Gezzy S Sibisi
“We are always looking for ways of toning down the ‘squeaky clean’ aspect of digital formats and making them more like the beautiful quality of traditional film. This combination was hand-held throughout the filming, purposefully giving the picture an authentic edge to it.” – Jonathan Parkinson
KEY CREW Director: Jonathan Parkinson, Nicole Ackermann (PHI) Director of Photography: Adam Bentel Music artist: Trevor Simpsons Executive producer: Adam Thal, Ashley Kadish Editor: Graham Smith
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Blacksmith Collective: the ‘Production Collective’ that’s switching up the game South Africa’s commercial film production industry is brimming with hungry young creatives bent on flexing their own artistic muscles and bringing big ideas to life. With so many talented individuals on the market, from cinematographers and copywriters to lighting specialists and make-up artists, Blacksmith Collective demonstrates how the collaborative model delivers highly creative, relevant, and localised content for clients.
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lacksmith Collective, spear-headed by Marcus von Geyso and Diogo Mendonca, is an innovative production collective specialising in content creation and creative problem solving. In an industry often constrained by tight budgets and limited resources, the pair identified a unique way to offer clients more value while doing what they love – working with other creatives to produce relevant, authentic content. Each project brings a new team of creatives together to supply the most apt skillsets on a specific short-term project and bring a concept to life. Blacksmith Collective has built a vast network of top creatives from around the country, each capable of bringing something fresh, unique and innovative to the table for any given project. The duo has worked with top international brands, including Castle Lite, Castle Lager, Opel, Budweiser, Shell, Corona and Visa, and have collaborated with some of the biggest agencies in the industry, including Ogilvy & Mather South Africa, King James II, Joe Public, Isobar and TBWA. Their top three projects in recent months include:
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Castle Lite Unlocks web series Blacksmith Collective was granted creative freedom from ABinBev (then SAB) to create three interesting content ideas for the Castle Lite Unlocks livestream web series. The team envisioned a 360-degree drinking shot as a way to offer multiple perspectives of the event for online audiences. At the time, they realised that the only way to pull this off was by using a 360 ‘Glam Cam’, which would have cost around R400 000 to rent for a single day – much more than their allocated budget for the whole project. “This was our first major project as a start-up, and one of our biggest goals in starting Blacksmith Collective has always been to find innovative ways around constraints to execute our vision and meet the client’s expectations,” says Von Geyso. “We figured, since we have the network to help us achieve this, why not assemble a team of experts and build our own rig?” With the help of some engineering
friends, Blacksmith Collective built the CineFlex 360, a 360-degree camera rig which ended up costing just R40 000 to make. The creation was also the first 360 drinking shot to be conceptualised and executed in South Africa, earning them a reputation in the industry for delivering creative, innovative concepts on time and on budget. Blacksmith Collective delivered The Beatboxer, The UV Party, and The Light Suits concepts for this project.
Castle Lager Intrinsics What was originally meant to be a simple edit of existing footage turned out to be Blacksmith Collective’s big break into the industry, with the Castle Lager Intrinsics project attracting audiences locally and from across Africa. “After a quick look at the initial brief, we realised we could do so much more for the client and presented them with a stronger concept that included a more engaging narrative,” added von Geyso. “They believed in it and gave us the additional budget to go ahead with our idea.” The team created an Intrinsics AV for ABinBev, which was also split up into 1 x 45” and 4 x 15” screens according to the various themes of the Castle Lager brand, such as heritage, taste, brewmaster and ingredients. The Castle Lager SA team liked it so much that they are now considering having it televised locally as well. This was Marcus’s directorial debut, and it gave him a chance to showcase what he was capable of on a large-scale production and fast-tracked his directing career. Marcus has since directed many projects, including Timo ODV’s new music video MOVE.
Ode to the 011 – The Streets Having worked on several major projects for local and international clients, Marcus and Diogo wanted to create their own authentic content that illustrated the impact of creative collaboration. Ode to 011 was a project particularly close to home, taking the opportunity to ‘live’ what the Blacksmith Collective business model represents and bringing an expert team of creatives together to tell a story. “We had wanted to collaborate on a piece showcasing the city streets of Johannesburg for a while but, with virtually no budget, one of our main challenges was getting buy-in from our fellow creatives,” says Diogo. By tapping into Blacksmith Collective’s network of creatives, calling in a few favours and granting creative freedom to everyone involved, the team put together an impressive production made from raw talent and passion. “We got to film in some of the coolest inner-city locations that not many people even know about, from rooftop penthouses and demolition-scheduled buildings to the actual streets, and most importantly, we all had a lot of fun in the process,” adds Diogo. “The creative atmosphere on set was electric and unforgettable, and we believe the final piece showcases that.” For more information on Blacksmith Collective and its range of premium offerings, visit www.weareblacksmith.co/
Blacksmith Collective co-founders Marcus von Geyso and Diogo Mendonca
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Cannes Lions announces revamped Cannes Lions has launched the 2018 Festival of Creativity, with important changes to the delegate experience and awards structure…
2018 Festival
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he 65th edition of the festival will run for five days, from 18 to 22 June 2018. A streamlined festival and a simplified awards structure will bring much greater focus to each Lion, truly recognise the best work and deliver it to the biggest audience, and ensure that delegates can benefit from the highest quality content programme and make the most of their time in Cannes.
As a result of the reorganisation: • The Lions will be organised across nine core tracks to better reflect and support the fast-moving creative industries. • The new tracks will simultaneously provide the foundation for the festival’s content programme – speakers, panel sessions and workshops – to help attendees navigate the festival more easily. • The points allocations for the Special Awards (Holding Company of the Year, Agency of the Year, Network of the Year) have been changed to appropriately reward the very best work. • 120 Lions sub-categories have been removed. • Charity and NGO work will now be presented to the jury separately from brand-led work; the first step to separate charity and brand work. • A new entry cap means that each piece of work can only be entered into a maximum of six Lions. • Lions Innovation and Lions Entertainment return in their established home in Palais 2, with Lions Innovation extended across the entire week with a full programme of content to reflect the importance of technology as an enabler of creativity.
Changes to the Lions: • The Cyber Lions, Integrated Lions and the Promo Lions will be retired. • The Brand Experience & Activation, Creative e-commerce and Social & Influencer Lions will be launched as part of the new architecture. • The craft categories within Print, Outdoor and Design will be removed from their respective Lions to be judged by a specialist Industry Craft Jury. Commenting on the 2018 festival, Philip Thomas, CEO, Ascential Events said: “This is an especially important launch for us. We have spent a lot of time talking to the relevant people to make sure the festival is not only as aspirational as possible, but to also ensure the sentiment behind the festival is fundamentally founded on the work and those behind it. We have held lengthy discussions in order to curate an updated festival that
puts the creative content back at the heart of Cannes Lions.” Following on from conversations with the City of Cannes, the first in a series of exclusive benefit packages for festival attendees has also been unveiled. Alongside capped taxi fares and expanded free Wi-Fi facilities along the Croisette, hotel prices will be frozen for 2018, and fixed-price menus will be on offer exclusively for festival badge holders at more than 50 restaurants. Speaking about the new benefits package, Jose Papa, managing director, Cannes Lions commented: “Our customers made it clear that they had a significant issue with the affordability of the city of Cannes, and we shared this feedback with our city partners. The response from the city and from the Mayor David Lisnard’s office has been fantastic. These new delegate benefits make it possible for attendees to budget for the Festival more accurately and effectively, with genuine money-saving measures.”
Next year’s festival also marks the introduction of a new initiative aimed at nurturing global young talent across the industry. One Young Lions delegate pass will be given free to every office which entered more than 15 entries at the 2017 festival, totalling over 650 free places for the festival in 2018. Throughout the five days of the festival the City of Cannes will play host to the best creative work and awards shows as they spread beyond the Palais. Submissions and award winners will be displayed on screens on the beach and around Cannes, creating a much bigger role for the work in the overall Festival experience. Next year’s Festival will also mark the first time that every awards show will be available to view for free on all major platforms. As usual, all winning work will be published on the Cannes Lions site.
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In an effort to elevate the current conversation around gender stereotypes in advertising, a session titled Unstereotype, helmed by Debra Mallowah, kick-started the 2017 PromaxBDA conference, held at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.
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allowah, general manager of Consumer Healthcare at GSK and a member of the Women’s World Banking Africa Advisory Council, stressed that the narrow and often negative historical stereotypes of women presented in domestic scenes, need to change. She also challenged media influencers in the audience to reinforce change in their next projects. Mallowah said: “The issue of stereotyping and the negative perception that it can create is actually real – it does happen. So as we’re gathered here, sitting in this room, we have a powerful influence in shaping perceptions.” In the 1-hour session, Mallowah presented amended advertising guidelines, trends, success stories as well as tips to advertisers on how to combat gender stereotypes, more especially in projecting women in a more positive light. “We rarely see female heroes coming through and they do exist,” asserted Mallowah. The #FeesMustFall campaign, spearheaded by a female student was
Photo credit: FCB Global
Debra Mallowah talks gender stereotypes in advertising at PromaxBDA Africa or vice-versa; • Feature a man trying and failing to undertake simple parental and/or household tasks.
Debra Mallowah noted, as well as how several Hollywood blockbusters, such as Wonder Woman, have seen great success with women in lead roles. Mallowah also referenced various TV shows and films that have diminished traditional stereotypes while tackling modern day gender roles in a provocative and intriguing manner. “Orange is the New Black shattered gender stereotypes. The show consists of an all-female cast, and represents a wide spectrum of gender and race. It really tackles gender issues front on and in a confrontational way,” she said. Mallowah also referenced the series How to Get Away with Murder: “In this series the idea that men are supposed to be aggressive and violent and women are the ones who are nurturing and caring; these roles are completely reversed with a female lead character that is confident, strong and intelligent,” she shared. She then brought it closer to home and highlighted films from the African continent that celebrate women in their unique strength and diversity. The 93
Days documentary-drama from Nollywood, shares the true story of the Ebola outbreak in Africa and how one female doctor was on the forefront of fighting the disease and saving Nigeria from a deadly fate. Another film, Ayanda, is a coming-of-age fictional tale from South Africa which opposes the traditional racial and gender roles as a young, Afro-hippie, female, black lead fights to preserve her father’s automobile repair business. In July 2017, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announced that it is to adopt stricter standards on gender portrayal and stereotypes as well as implement tougher sentences and banning to advertisers that do not adhere to these guidelines. These laws will take effect later in 2018 and will include the banning of ads that: • Depict family members creating a mess while a woman has the sole responsibility of cleaning it up; • Suggest a specific activity is inappropriate for boys because it is stereotypically associated with girls,
Mallowah expressed her support of these guidelines while presenting some ‘good versus bad’ ad examples to the audience. She also shared tips on how more advertisers can adhere to these new standards. The story and lesson behind the 2016 Nike ad, which pays tribute to tennis champion Serena Williams and undertook the issue of gender stereotypes, was used as a case study by Mallowah. When an interview celebrating Williams’ reign in tennis became a talking point because a reporter referred to her as “one of the greatest female athletes of all time,” to which Williams blatantly remarked “I prefer the words ‘one of the greatest athletes of all time’”, Nike saw this as an opportunity to defy gender politics in sport by featuring Williams and her profound response in one of the most successful Nike commercials of all time. Mallowah expands: “A change is required and we need to set an ambition for our brands and the industry at large to advance from this stereotypical portrayal to a more progressive approach. Progressive advertising leads to much stronger engagement, stronger talk-ability and delivers fantastic brand impact.” In conclusion Mallowah said that the progressive portrayal of women starts with a better approach and reflection to the roles, personalities and appearances of all women in modern society. “Challenge yourself in terms of the roles that women are featured in. Beauty should not conform to a male perception of attractiveness and alluring,” she advised the audience. Mallowah also added that the roles in which women are being presented in the future of advertising, should represent the aspirations of women and their wider achievements. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“A change is required and we need to set an ambition for our brands and the industry at large to advance from this stereotypical portrayal to a more progressive approach.” – Debra Mallowah 14 | SCREENAFRICA | JANUARY 2018
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OPINION
CPA survey results deconstructed: Reflections on
Written by Bobby Amm,
executive officer, the Commercial Producers Association
the local commercial production industry With South Africa’s unstable commercial production industry, and our currently strained economy, the topic of sustainability has been receiving a lot more attention. This has come sharply into focus via the CPA’s annual survey, which has revealed some noteworthy results this year.
The annual CPA survey The CPA runs a survey every year to better understand the magnitude of the industry and to detect prospects, challenges and local trends. The findings are assembled into two groups of results: 1. The whole group: 40 – 50 contributors per year 2. The control group: 30 South African production companies that participate in the survey every year Even though the number of participants isn’t high relative to the greater industry, most of the heavyweight companies are included, so the results are an adequate reflection of the general industry, we believe. For instance, the control group on its own, turned over R1.25 billion this last year.
The results from 2017 • Commercials produced: In total, 703 commercials were produced by the survey participants for a little more than R1.6 billion. • Number of filming days: These ads were shot over 1 680 days, with an average daily budget of over R900 000. • Variety of commercials: More local ads were produced (368) than service ads (305), and South African directors made 30 ads for overseas clients. • Filming landscape: In total, 58 per cent of the ads were shot in the Western Cape, 39 per cent were shot in Gauteng, and only 3 per cent were shot in other regions. • Biggest customers: After South Africa, Germany was our biggest 16 | SCREENAFRICA | JANUARY 2018
client, with 74 ads made. Next was the United Kingdom with 72, the United States with 51, France with 40, and Scandinavia with 26. • Expense analysis: Almost 50 per cent of production costs go to remunerating the crew and hiring equipment. The other big costs take up: 13 per cent for art and set construction, 5 per cent for location fees, 9 per cent for talent, and 6 per cent for post-production. • Rising location costs: Production is still relatively affordable in Johannesburg, but the increasing costs in Cape Town are making it hard to shoot commercials there. With accessibility to the area limited to those with deep pockets, the city and its surrounds are quickly becoming service-only regions.
How this affects you From these results, it looks like the industry is dipping, mainly thanks to rising production costs and an insignificant change to turnover. This trend is more gradual in the control group, but it persists – suggesting that production budgets aren’t growing in line with expenses. As this gap gets wider, so does the danger to the production industry. It’s one we should take note of too, as other countries have taken years to recover after experiencing similar trends.
Impact on global projects Something else we’ve seen is that many CPA members are getting less work from overseas. We think this could be because
Bobby Amm
of variables like: • Universal unease: Trump, Brexit, human trafficking, terrorism… the world is a scary and uncertain place these days, so clients are less likely to travel. • Rate of exchange: The UK is no longer our biggest client, mainly because of Brexit and the weakening Pound. The Rand is also getting stronger against the US Dollar and the Euro, which has the potential to make South African production less affordable this season. • Location fatigue: Clients are on the lookout for novel, exciting locations. South Africa appears to have priced itself out of the market, to a point, so other players like Portugal, Thailand, and a few South American regions are preferred. • Politics and economy: SA isn’t currently stable, both politically and economically, so clients (particularly newer ones) are choosing ‘safer’ countries to film in. Plus, with our local recession, prices are up too. • Bureaucracy: While it may be a lot easier to get a visa and process other admin needed for overseas
clients to come to SA, it still isn’t ideal; this deters clients from coming to SA. In fact, many jobs are lost annually because an overseas director can’t apply for a visa in person.
The future of our industry The views on the upcoming season are varied, with notable concern coming from experts who market to overseas clients. But it isn’t all bad. For instance, South Africa has strengths, including: 1. A solid reputation in the production world 2. Hard working crews and quick-thinking solutions 3. Great South African hospitality Some of the issues affecting our industry are beyond our control. Of the ones we can affect, however, many can be undertaken with some imaginative flexibility and a specific focus on keeping costs down. By working together, we may be able to secure these jobs and turn this downward trend around – for everyone’s sake.
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BUSINESS
The evolution of the television
market
Written by Louise Marsland
Rapid technology innovation and development is spawning new business models in the television content arena, particularly in Africa as mobile becomes a preferred device and new content packages are created. However, the high cost of data remains a challenge for television and video content providers. This emerged at the AfricaCom conference and expo which took place at the end of last year.
John Momoh, Channels Media Group chairman and CEO
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he 2017 November event marked the 20th anniversary of AfricaCom on the African continent. With 18 different conference streams running simultaneously and two exhibition floors spanning the Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC), including a Technology Arena in the newly opened CTICC extension, AfricaCom is one of the largest events in Africa. The event organisers bring the entire media and technology ecosystem on the continent together under one roof to discuss innovation, new products, new systems, regulations and trends for the coming year. In the TV Connect Africa stream, the business of broadcasting in Africa was discussed by keynote speakers and several panels. Channels Media Group chairman and CEO, John Momoh, warned that the industry was faced by radical change and disruption and the “disarranging of the way we do our business”. “Suddenly new markets are created with new sets of values that threaten existing markets. Streaming is changing every single relationship in the entire value chain,” Momoh pointed out. Momoh spoke of a new business model for screen content as OTT (Over-The-Top content delivered direct via a set top box and/or direct through the internet) is expected to grow by 20 per cent globally in the coming year, with “digital predators” like Amazon and Netflix now competing for rights to major sporting and entertainment events along with global broadcasters. A strong theme was the growth of the content industry across Africa as more mobile subscribers come online and consumers demand local content and commentary in their own languages. A
massive hurdle to growth, however, remains the cost of data and the network providers were taken to task by many speakers for their delay in looking at free data models, particularly as content producers are looking at free content models. The pay-TV market in Africa has gone up by 22 per cent and will get to 31 per cent by 2031. And with mobile broadband connections of over a billion in 2022, and the increasing affordability of smartphones, it opens up huge opportunities in the mobile content space, said Charles Dawes, Tivo senior director, International Marketing. Among the most significant trends discussed in the television and film industry in Africa, were: 1. The rise of Netflix and Video on Demand (VOD) is a threat to revenue in the television broadcasting sector. 2. The majority of content viewed is now through a connected device, half of it on mobile. 3. New business models are being developed in the industry as customers want instant gratification and technology fills the gap. “Technology needs to enable, and operations need to adapt,” urged Julian Ankiah, GM of Media Technology at DStv. 4. Consumers expect total coverage in their homes: with all devices connected everywhere. 5. Consumers want ease of use: easy to install, easy to connect, everything just works and connects to multiple devices, including home networks. 6. Bandwidth is the new global currency for consumers and new
technologies continue to drive demand performance and massive investment in Wi-Fi networks. 7. New subscription-based models that allow cost breakdown with any number of channels for choice, are emerging in Africa. “We try to create as many templates as possible, so everyone has a choice; and we try to create the same experience on any device, from smart TV to tablet,” said Cees van Versendaal, executive sales manager, Mware Solutions. 8. Bring African content to the world – Africa needs to create its own content for its local audiences, as well as for export, as opposed to only importing international content for broadcast. The time is right as more players pop up on the continent to serve an audience hungry for local content in indigenous languages. 9. Fake news content is now reported to generate more user interaction than real journalism, which threatens the credibility of global media and broadcasters. 10. The scourge of copyright remains an issue and needs to be combatted vigorously as it impacts on the quality of content shared. 11. Service is king, not content. “There is a new scramble for Africa… this time for content,” said Momoh.
“Drop that ‘For Sale’ mentality, we must now own and produce our own content.” 12. Operators are looking at Android as a platform for building compelling television services due to the access to apps and content on the big screen; as well as enriching user engagement. “Most importantly, we need to bring devices to the consumer that enables consumer access to all service that they want, when they want it, so the subscriber does not have to switch to another device,” said Tor Helge Kristiansen, EVP principal architect, Conax. 13. Changes in technology will allow more niche channels at a lower cost across Africa – again feeding the demand for local content and programming. 14. Data is the future of the monetisation of content, according to Tivo’s Dawes. 15. And, what will the consumer want next? More devices! This is according to Phil Cardy, regional VP sales, Arris. As Momoh said: “Local has become global. The responsibility of the broadcaster has increased immensely. We must be very proactive to re-examine our methods and explore new ways of doing business. “We hope Africa will take centre stage. Arica needs a clear development agenda with practical solutions for the development of its broadcast architecture and systems. The media in Africa holds great potency to change the current narrative of the continent.”
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INDUSTRY REVIEW
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Photo by Stephen Webster
TheWorkRoom
What to look forward Industry professionals weigh in with their hopes and expectations for the New Year…
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urbulent 2017 is almost passed, and the South African film production industry can reflect on a year of exciting growth and development. Not only were some extraordinary films produced – including powerful documentaries (Strike a Rock), bold and controversial dramas (The Wound) and stylish genre experiments (Five Fingers for Marseille) – but partnerships throughout the industry have deepened, and South African film professionals are becoming increasingly sought-after for their skills and expertise. This strong performance, not to mention the swell of young filmmaking talent that this country possesses, points to the possibility of even bigger and brighter things on the horizon for 2018. We caught up with seven leading film industry professionals and asked them what they were most looking forward to
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heading into the New Year. From exciting feature productions to new industry initiatives and increases in technological capacity, their responses predict another buzzing year for South African film and television in 2018.
Karen Meiring, director of Channels at kykNET: “We have a very exciting slate for 2018. We will be premiering two films from the talented director Christiaan Olwagen (Johnny Is Nie Dood Nie), namely Kanarie and Die Seemeeu. The year will enjoy some standout female performances, such as Diaan Lawrenson and June van Merch in Raaiselkind (February 2018), and Jill Levenberg in Ellen, which will premiere at the 2018 kykNET Silwerskermfees. kykNET will also showcase some exciting new voices next year with films such as
Nommer 37 (May 2018) and Wonderlus (April 2018).
Verona Duwarkah, CEO of Urban Brew Studios (Johannesburg): “Urban Brew Studios will launch its new and improved studios by mid-2018. Situated at Brightwater Commons in Randburg, Johannesburg, the main studio will now measure 1 000 square metres. This is in addition to a variety of other studios of different sizes as well. Urban Brew Studios will be equipped to produce shows of all genres in various formats. With legendary productions like Live AMP, YOTV and RGB, Urban Brew Studios will continue to create innovative shows that capture the attention of audiences across all platforms.”
Stephen Webster, director and head engineer at TheWorkRoom (Cape Town): “2018 is a big year for TheWorkRoom with the launch of our new studio facility based in Woodstock. This facility will feature a host of new benefits including larger suites, projection screens, as well as comfortable indoor and outdoor working environments. We expect to see an increase in Virtual Reality (VR) content delivered next year, as personal VR devices become mainstream and industry VR workflows begin to stabilise. We also expect the continued growth of immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos™, Auro-3D and DTS-X, as clients start to see the creative benefits of these formats.”
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INDUSTRY REVIEW
Urban Brew Studios
to in 2018 Bradley Joshua, business manager of Gambit Films (Cape Town): “Gambit Films has completed the feature film Nommer 37 and we are looking forward to its local release during May 2018. Up until that time it is being submitted to international festivals, and our hope is that this film will make it into at least one big international festival before its local release. When the film is released locally, we are sure that audiences will flock to take in this ‘edge-of-your-seat’ thriller.”
Louise Barnes, managing director of EarCandy (Johannesburg): “EarCandy has seen an increase in the demand for dubbing into South African
vernacular. We have dubbed premier children’s animation shows into isiXhosa and isiZulu this year, and we’re excited about this trend continuing into 2018. This allows content creators to extend their value chain throughout the African continent and beyond, and from the industry standpoint, the advantage of dubbing is that it increases and extends the value for production houses.”
Luke Rous, producer/cofounder of Rous House Productions (Johannesburg): “Rous House Productions has had a very interesting 2017, starting off with nine SAFTA nominations and three wins for High Rollers, and the successful collaboration as both mentors for and partners with the kykNET Silwerskermfees for the second year running. But most of
Urban Brew Studios produces YOTV, one of its longstanding productions, for SABC1
all, we have highly enjoyed returning to our comedy roots with the production of two kykNET sitcoms, Elke Skewe Pot and Die Kasteel… Next year will start off with Die Kasteel, which starts screening on kykNET from 10 January at 20h30. The show follows the De Wet family who own and run a boutique hotel in Waterkloof, Pretoria; it’s a farcical comedy shot in front of a live audience, and it’s been a rip-roaring ride for us. Our director Josh Rous hasn’t shot a feature film since 2012’s box-office hit Semi Soet, so in May we’ll be shooting our next feature with him, Bruid Van Die Jaar, a rom-com about a girl who is a bit too obsessed with a
bride of the year competition, which will be released in the last quarter of 2018. In July 2018, we’ll be following up the success of the first season of Elke Skewe Pot with a second season of the show for kykNET. Other than that, there are plenty of projects on our slate and the rise of Video on Demand platforms in South Africa is going to be where a lot of our attention goes next year. We’ve begun work on a few of these players already – so watch this space.” – David Cornwell
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FILM
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The making of local rom-com
Zulu Wedding When Lou discovers that she has been promised to a Zulu King in order to repay an ancestral debt that her late parents left her, the 28 year old choreographer is forced to leave her New York home to confront her troubled past and forgotten traditions in her birthplace of South Africa.
Zulu Wedding: Nondumiso Tembe plays lead character, choreographer Lungile Sabata
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u lu Wedding is director Lineo Sekeleoane’s debut feature film which took her 10 years to complete. “I sold my apartment and every asset I owned, I was also ready to sell my internal organs on the black market, but my awesome husband wouldn’t let me. I pitched the film to everyone I knew, friends gave me money and I created sponsorship and product placement opportunities in the film to help us raise additional money,” shares Sekeleoane. Described as a “loving tribute to the richness of African culture,” the film acknowledges how urban South Africans are still shaped by their cultural heritage. The romantic-comedy sees Durbanborn actress, singer and dancer, Nondumiso Tembe play the lead character, Lungile ‘Lou’ Sabata: “Our lead was brought to my attention by my
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husband after reading an article about her in a magazine. I wanted a Zulu girl, who was classically trained in ballet, and she fit that profile perfect and she is an excellent performer to boot.The story resonated with her and it all felt like kismet when we met,” shares Sekeleoane. The narrative commences with Lou living in New York, far removed from all family ties and steering clear of romantic relationships in favour of focusing on her budding ballet career. However, as fate would have it, when Tex – played by Darrin Dewitt Henson – stumbles into her life, she falls in love. Tex and Lou hit it off, with Tex later asking for Lou’s hand in marriage, not knowing that the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with is already promised to another. A love-struck Lou decides to pack her bags and head to South Africa, to finally
confront her past and convince the King that she doesn’t want to marry him. However things don’t go as planned when she heads to the royal compound and meets the charming royal advisor – Zulu (Pallance Dladla), who later reveals himself as the King’s son and declares their encounter as true destiny. When Lou visits her homestead in South Africa, she gets acquainted with her true identity and experiences the Zulu-Sotho traditions with the help of her alcoholic best friend Sam (Bubu Mazibuko). Other cast members include Carl Anthony Payne, Makgano Mambolo, Jerry Phele, Kelly Khumalo, Lorcia Cooper, S’thandiwe Kgoroge, Treasure Tshabalala and Kole Omotoso. Shot over three months, using a Red Dragon camera, Sekeleoane explains that colour played an important role in the
film, bringing to life specific moods and emotions in different scenes. “I wanted to show a very warm South Africa and contrast our main character’s inner world by making her world in New York seem cold and detached,” she explains. Costume designer Sheli Masando further enhanced Sekeleoane’s vision, dressing the film’s characters in eyecatching designs from fashion icons including David Tlale, Palse, Thula Sindi, Paledi, Laduma and Sheldon Kopman. Sekeleoane’s long-time industry friend Julie Hall was responsible for the screenplay, with cinematography by Lance Gewer and editing by Jeremy Briers, Richard Marshall and George Artope. Post-production duties were done in-house at Luju Pictures Film. While still in the production phase, Zulu Wedding was screened at the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival. “It really was
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Film
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Red Dragon camera
Zulu Wedding was shot on the Red Dragon
KEY CREW Producer/Director: Lineo Sekeleoane Cinematographer: Lance Gewer Editor: Jeremy Briers, Richard Marshall, George Artope Original Score: Raphael Fimm
very helpful because it got me a bit of money, a lot of interest and some distribution offers – we couldn’t strike a deal on them but we have better things in the pipeline so it was really worthwhile,” shares Sekeleoane. Some behind-the-scenes footage of the film will run on the SABC channels in early February before the film’s local theatrical release date of 23 February 2018. “I am really trying to focus on the South Africa release which is very important to me. If my people don’t like my film then what was it all for? I want it to be very well received here and I want to put my best foot forward,” shares Sekeleoane Zulu Wedding was produced in association with Brand Contact, the DTI, NFVF and Tsoga Afrika. – Gezzy Sibisi
Described as a “loving tribute to the richness of African culture,” the film acknowledges how urban South Africans are still shaped by their cultural heritage. JANUARY 2018
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FILM
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Director Speak Jacoer Bouw
WHAT KIND OF CONTENT DO YOU ENJOY CREATING? Work that blurs lines between fiction and reality. Metanarrative documentary film essays. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CAREER CHALLENGE TO DATE? The Waterfront TV series, currently on kykNET and Showmax. Capturing an average of 14 pages per day was a relentless project. WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER THUS FAR? In theatre, there are many but feel I’m relatively new to film and only starting to explore possibilities and narratives in this medium.
From theatre to film. Waterfront director Jaco Bouwer chats to Screen Africa… WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW HAS THIS SHAPED YOU AS A DIRECTOR? I studied theatre and have been a theatre designer/ director working in various fields, from drama to opera to more performance-based work. In making theatre, I’m a believer in strong conceptual ideas and I think this aspect spills over into my work in film too. DESCRIBE THE MOMENT, IF THERE IS ONE, WHEN YOU KNEW YOU WANTED TO BECOME A DIRECTOR? I think directing rather found me; I experience it more like an addiction. WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION? Deadlines. Coffee. Walking. Peoplewatching. DO YOU HAVE ANY LOCAL MENTORS? Local writers Stacy Hardy and Willem Anker. TOP THREE FAVOURITE DIRECTORS? WHY THEM? • Andrea Arnold: for her work with non-actors and her handheld documentary-like approach. • Michael Haneke: unflinching films capturing and portraying “reality.” • Claire Denis: taking on controversial subject matter in her open-ended, poetical works. WHICH PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN? I’m in pre-production for a short film and busy developing a new feature film project in collaboration with a writer.
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IF YOU COULD PRODUCE AN AFRICAN VERSION OF A HOLLYWOOD CLASSIC, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Pretty Woman! No, I’m not a fan of remakes. There are enough original local stories that need to be told. TOP THREE FAVOURITE FILMS OF ALL TIME? The Mirror by Andrei Tarkovsky; White Material by Clare Denis; Fish Tank by Andrea Arnold. WHAT IS YOUR DREAM SHOOT LOCATION? An African metropolis. WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A BIOPIC? Gary Oldman IF YOU WEREN’T A FILMMAKER, YOU WOULD BE...? An architect.
Markets, festivals, and the business of film and TV
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Film
This past year has seen an explosion of business related opportunities for producers of content across Africa. New festivals, markets and a host of related opportunities have presented themselves in 2017 in what can be seen as an endorsement of the African content industry. Film festivals abounded across the continent in 2017. Established festivals continued to thrive across the continent with successful editions of The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), the bi-annual FESPACO, the Durban International Film Festival, the return of the Ethiopian Film Festival after a year’s hiatus, Encounters Documentary Film Festival, the Jozi Film Festival, Egypt’s Luxor Film Festival, and the AFRIFF Festival in Nigeria amongst others. There were also new players added to the festival circuit this year with the inaugural editions of The Cape Town International Film Festival and the re-birth of Kalasha International in Kenya. Azam TV has also launched an interesting new broadcast film festival aimed at the Swahili Market, the Sinema Zethu International Film Festival. East Africa’s industry is definitely on the rise, as 2017 also saw ZIFF host its first-ever film and content market, SOKO FILAM. The success of this event has, in-turn, led to the announcement of DISCOPs expansion into East Africa, with DISCOP Zanzibar to take place, in partnership with ZIFF, from 11 to 13 July 2018. DISCOP Markets have also made their confidence in Africa’s content industry clear with the announcement not just of DISCOP Zanzibar for 2018, but also for DISCOP Lagos in 2019 in addition to their regular DISCOP Johannesburg and Abidjan events. The DISCOP team has also announced an Africa Pavilion at DISCOP Dubai, taking place from 25 to 27 February 2018 in response to the global demand for African content. The explosion of new streaming and VOD platforms across Africa this past year has also been encouraging as many of these services have been actively seeking out African content. According to Balancing Act, there are about 180 VOD platforms across Africa including high-profile platforms such as Showmax, who this year as part of their sponsorship of ZIFF screened a host of ZIFF award-winning films and have continued to seek out African content. This year also saw Iflix Africa and Econet Media team up to bring subscription-videoon-demand (SVOD) services to sub-Saharan Africa. Econet Media have been very busy this year, also launching, through their African streaming video service Kwesé, a Roku-powered set-top box – called Kwesé Play – with an “exclusive” Netflix hardware partnership. Discover Digital has launched DEOD, a new South African video streaming service taking on Netflix and DStv, and of course, practically every mobile phone operator has also launched one kind of VOD or streaming service, with Cell C’s “Black” platform being the latest entry. African content platforms targeted to the diaspora have also provided new opportunities with the most recent being the announcement of The Africa Channel’s offering to the US, Canada and Caribbean that will provide Africa-originated television series, specials, documentaries, movies, music, biographies and cultural and historical content. Nigeria’s iROKOtv, that started as a subscription video on demand (SVOD) player and has also expanded its services to include a satellite TV channel, broadcasts ‘Nollywood’ movies and TV series to viewers across the globe. Challenges obviously still exist, with all of these platforms being reliant on access to reliable and affordable internet access, which in most African countries is still a dream. However, what all of these developments do point to, is an awakening in the massive market for content that resides within the continent, and a realisation that quality, locallymade African content has the potential to explode. The outlook then for 2018 is promising for African content producers who can create content that is relevant, regionally and internationally. East Africa’s prospects look especially promising with a new (and welcome) focus on Swahili content for both film and TV, and with a host of new markets and festivals coming to the region. Pan-African events such as DISCOP and others also are creating more and more opportunities for co-productions and cooperation, with a new vision of a pan-African distribution network becoming a possibility for content that can travel. Content producers should take note of these trends and opportunities in order to be able to bring to life a world of African stories that Africa – and the rest of the world – are more than ready for. – Lara Preston
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FILM
| THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Behind the scenes:
Written by Natalia Rosa, director, Big Ambitions
Getting film equipment from
A to B
If you thought the job of moving people around the world was hard work, wait until you need to get film equipment from A to B.
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ike any human passenger, freight needs to adhere to the departure and entry requirements of the countries that your film equipment touches. Whether it’s point to point or transiting through a hub en route to your destination, production teams need to ensure all their documentation is prepared and correct to avoid delays and penalties. “It can be an expensive exercise if you fail to produce the correct documentation when transporting film equipment cross borders,” says Stage and Screen’s Jennifer Smith. “There are set requirements for each country and although you may sometimes not even be asked to produce it, you’ll incur a hefty fine and delays if you’re asked for it and don’t have it.” There’s no one-size-fits all approach when it comes to transporting gear from South Africa to different countries, says
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Film Freight’s Richard McCarthy. “One has to consult with the crew and find out where they’re going and how much excess baggage they’ll be travelling with.” “Even shipping batteries requires special documentation – a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) may need to be produced for every single battery being shipped to verify that they are safe to be transported by air. You have a much better chance of travelling seamlessly if you ensure all your documentation is correct before leaving the country.” McCarthy explains that the first thing to consider is the destination to which the crew is travelling and whether they will be transiting. “We then check whether these destinations are countries that take part in the ATA Carnet System.” Simply put, a Carnet is a shipping document that allows you to travel with Boomerang freight, aka goods like film
equipment that leaves and returns to the country in its original form, without being required to pay import duty or taxes when you cross a border. South Africa is a participating country, among 87 other countries, including the US, the UK, most of Europe and several African countries. Think of the Carnet like a passport for all your film equipment, especially when you are travelling with a lot of high-value equipment where the cost of import duty could be sky-high. A Carnet must be carried with you when you are travelling with the equipment, just like a passport would be. Holding a Carnet does not, however, preclude you from having to comply with the customs regulations of a country. The equipment must be returned with the original exporter, the characteristics of the equipment must remain the same and they must be identifiable by their serial numbers. “The Carnet holder or representative must always ensure the country into which the goods are going to imported accepts Carnets and must be present when entering and leaving a country. You must also present the Carnet when leaving the country because if you fail to
do so the customs authority in that country may demand that you pay duties and VAT or ask for proof of the current location of the goods. You have to get the sheet signed and stamped correctly before check-in,” explains Smith. You also need to check your Carnet carefully when you receive it. Ensure it has the correct number of vouchers for your trip and that the equipment list, serial numbers and values are also correct. A useful tip, says Smith, is that you should make several copies of the front page of the Carnet showing the document number and equipment list. “Ensure that members of your crew have a copy and upload to a Cloud so that you have access to it in case it gets lost.” “Stage and Screen also recommends that you arrive at your departure airport well before your flight as you will need to complete the Carnet and get it stamped before check-in. If the customs official wants to check the equipment against the list on the Carnet, you wouldn’t be able to produce it, which would be a problem,” concludes Smith.
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Film
audio
All things
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ADVERTORIAL
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MUSIC LIBRARIES
Sheer Publishing turns 21
Sheer Publishing management team
Africa’s largest independent music publishing company celebrates its 21st anniversary. Sheer Publishing is the home of songs that have travelled the world and represents a myriad of Africa’s most prolific songwriters and composers such as Philip Miller, Brendan Jury, Peter Ngobese, RJ Benjamin and Cedric Samson.
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n its two decade journey, Sheer Publishing – a middle-sized African entity – has come to represent a global clientele in the music publishing business, fast-tracking its reputation as the leading African independent music publisher. The company boasts a global catalogue that includes some of the world’s most accomplished songwriters and provides expertise in film and television music clearance supervision, jingle and songwriter representation, international copyright and library/ production music management. From the onset Sheer Publishing’s goal was to create a service-oriented business by partnering with talented songwriters and composers, and collaborating with the broader media, advertising and technology industries. Over the past few years Sheer
Publishing has established a network of offices in East Africa, Central Africa and West Africa, culminating in the company’s crowning as ‘Publisher of the Year’ at the 2014 Wawela Music Awards – which was the last time the award was contested. Sheer’s production music entity Skumba Music, houses the largest South African music library catalogue available under the blanket license, comprising more than 33 local selections of vibrant libraries. Skumba Music, powered by Sheer Publishing, boasts a catalogue of more than 365 000 high quality tracks which grows by a minimum of 500 new songs on a monthly basis, making it the third largest music library in South Africa by market share and an exclusive distributor of South Africa’s finest production music. As a publishing company, Sheer has
provided numerous television programmes with music, earning placements on popular shows including Generations, Noot vir Noot, Open Varsity, DTV, Soccer 411, Intersections, Spirit Sundae, Private Practice, Jacob’s Cross, Isibaya, Isithembiso, Getroud met Rugby, Muvhango, Skeem Saam, Rhythm City, and Greed and Desire. The company has always set out to make life easy for music users by not only supplying library music, but also sourcing composers to produce unique scores for series, film and adverts. Furthermore, Sheer has successfully supplied music on commercials for various big brands including Castle Light, Vodacom, MTN, Renault, Brutal Fruit, Cape Union Mart, and the South African Cricket promos on SABC. Always working towards promoting South African music heritage, Sheer continues to broaden its South African catalogue with a variety of musical genres and themes which include film scores, orchestral tension builders, drones, kwaito, house, traditional African drums, afro-jazz, hip hop, urban themes, ambient and ethereal soundscapes, action sequences, trailer tool packs and a unique catalogue of original traditional South African recordings dating back to the 1960s. Sheer Publishing’s albums are neatly packaged according to genre and theme, and filed under renowned composers
and film scorers such as Philip Miller, who composed the score for the Emmy award-winning documentary Miners Shot Down; Brendan Jury, who has scored music for South African films iNumber Number, Nothing for Mahala and Happiness is a Four Letter Word; and Peter Ngobese who composed all the logos and stings for SABC News, and has music placements on a host of top South African television series. Additionally, Sheer prides itself on simplifying the process for library music end users by not only supplying music to them, but also sourcing composers to write specific scores for series, film and adverts. Sheer Publishing also represents a range of original publishers including the following international clients for Africa: Kobalt Music Publishing, Bicycle Music Group, Songs Music Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing, Mute Song, Passport Music, Dance Cave & Hitpick Songs, African Hypertext, Fastforward Songs, Tanoca Music, Basement Music, Mushroom Music and Enja Records for licensing purposes. As the film and music industries continue to evolve through extraordinary transitions, Sheer Publishing is committed to serving the long-term music publishing needs of world-class songs and songwriters.
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FILM & TV MUSIC
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PHAT’s Mike Strano talks African music and entertainment magazine had inspired other Kenyan publications to tap into this specific genre – decided to fully take over the reins and scale the magazine down to a monthly offering in 2002. It been 16 years since then and Phat Magazine is now a foldable, pocketsized print which presents as a guide to the creative industry. The magazine has also partnered with Safari.com to provide an SMS content service to subscribers that want to know about the latest news and weekly events taking place in Kenya.
Growing the PHAT brand
Mike Strano
Born in Australia, to a family that has its roots in the sugarcane farming business, Mike Strano’s fondest memories of home involved ploughing the farmlands at his family’s acreage. From a young age, Strano was groomed to succeed in the agriculture business until he fell in love with the African music and entertainment industry and soon cultivated a different path for himself.
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n January 2018, it will be 20 years since Strano made Africa his home and the creative industry his playing field. “I actually got into the business by mistake, I had no intention of coming to Africa and being an entrepreneur,” he says. He was just 25 years old when he first journeyed to the continent, working in agriculture as a Research and Development expatriate on an East African deal. It was a close family friend who introduced Strano to the idea of starting a music magazine and asked him to invest capital in the business idea. “I had no dependents, more money than sense. I decided to loan them the money, with no idea in terms of pay back or whatever.” The quarterly was named PHAT Magazine and became the first of its kind in Kenya in 2000. Soon after, the agricultural company that Strano worked for underwent a merger; Strano was offered a settlement package which led him to pursue the path of an entrepreneur at the age of 29 and fully invest in the media business. Strano quickly learnt to adapt to his new environment and went from being a shareholder of PHAT Magazine, to serving as its finance director and undertaking other parts of the business. PHAT Magazine became a wellrecognised pan-African publication with its head office in Nairobi, Kenya. However with the rising cost of print and the insufficient sale of ad space, the publication was running at a loss. After two years without making much profit, Strano and his team decided to halt the business and re-strategise. However, the partners could not reach an agreement and decided to go their separate ways. Strano – encouraged at how the
In 2001, Strano decided to branch out and provide other services in an attempt to grow the PHAT brand. This inspired the birth of the events company, PHAT Productions which has become the brand’s biggest source of revenue. PHAT Productions specialises in product launches, festivals and concerts, award ceremonies, fashion shows, gala dinners and ministerial events amongst its entertainment and marketing offerings. In 2004, PHAT Productions introduced its first CSI project – the Kenya Music Week. “We believed that if we were to grow within an industry, we had to help the industry grow,” says Strano. The Kenya Music Week became an annual December event and ran for 10 years. The week-long programme hosted various African music enthusiasts and artists, while also providing workshops with music experts about the entertainment business. However in 2013, Strano decided that the annual event needed a revamp to encompass the rest of Africa, which resulted in the ONGEA! event launch in 2016. ONGEA! – meaning “To Speak!” in Swahili – is an east-African music summit that takes place annually in February. In 2017 ONGEA! partnered with the international film and TV market, DISCOP to launch the first music-focused programme named DISCORE. DISCORE provides a unique opportunity for artists to learn about the African music industry and build relationships with international music supervisors as well as with film, television and digital content producers seeking original songs and scores to accompany entertainment content destined for global audiences. Speaking about the DISCORE events, Strano comments: “The 2017 DISCORE was fantastic, we had a great reception. It was the first panel of its kind in Africa. The DISCORE events that will take place at DISCOP Abidjan in May 2018 will explore what the industry needs to get composers and musicians from Africa into that space where they get more revenue, better deals and equity.”
The upcoming ONGEA! events will take place in Abidjan, Lagos, Zanzibar and South Africa as part of DISCOP markets. Strano is also planning to expand its reach to Northern parts of Africa. The programme will be divided into three pillars, the first will be a panel discussion with music supervisors and industry leaders; the second part will function as a training course for those who are interesting in learning the ins and outs of pitching their material to a specified audience; finally, a pitching contest will be held where attendees can showcase their works and hopefully clinch deals. “My vision is to transform the creative industry of Africa so that we have more equity, more professionalism and more transparency,” says Strano.
Supporting the industry Strano is one of the founding members of the Music Publishers Association of Kenya (MPAKE), which recently got a license of approval to collect royalties on behalf of authors, composers and publishers. “A lot of people are taken advantage of because they don’t know what their rights are and how much they could be making. We need to empower our composers with information, networks and legalities,” Strano affirms. Other PHAT offerings include the Intellectual Property business, which commenced in 2012 and represents Sheer Publishing in the region. PHAT’s list of music publishing clients include: Alikiba, Cannibal, Cindy Sanyu, Eric Wainaina, Girum Mezmur, Jackie Chandiru, Jay A, Xpat, Tsedenia, Johnny Ragga and Timwork to name a few.
Reaching new heights The Video-On-Demand business is PHAT’s latest venture and involves providing rental and purchasing services at various markets. “This is my secondlast business and has been three years in development. We are working towards launching in the first quarter of 2018,” he says. Strano’s last project is working towards bringing the Cape Town-based SAE Institute to Nairobi as part of their media education objective. “That will be my final project and I will rest after that,” he says. The PHAT brand has been listed number 36 in the top 100 mid-sized businesses in Kenya for 2016 and makes history as the only music and entertainment company on the list. “There’s more equity in the brand then money in the bank but I believe if we keep pushing the brand, the money will come,” Strano concludes. – Gezzy S Sibisi
OPINION
Thabo Philemon Malefane
From commercial music artist to music publisher Soweto-born Thabo Philemon Malefane, otherwise known as Morale, went from award-winning indie rapper/composer to music publisher and owner of Mino Music – a Johannesburg-based licensing company and music library. Here he shares his story…
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n 2014 after working as a commercial artist for nine years and putting out two albums, I stepped into this new realm of music called production music, by chance. I had an idea to write and record a song called ‘Lotto’. My plan was to pitch the song to the National Lottery for sponsorship and to see if I could have a working relationship with them. Kim Heller, marketing manager at Ithuba at the time, embraced the idea and offered me more then I bargained for – she wanted to use the song for a new lotto TV show and that’s how I landed my first sync deal. I got my first ‘ah huh’ moment when I was paid for that deal. I knew right there
and then that this was my destiny and I wanted to do more of this ‘syncing business’. I applied myself and learnt so much about the music business and publishing. I kept thinking “I wish I knew this information when I released my first album”. I didn’t know the difference between mechanical and performance copyrights; let’s just say I didn’t bother to know, in all honesty, I was just trying to become famous. I found out about Capasso (Composers, Authors and Publishers Association) after registering my publishing company. In the nine years of my commercial career I may have been winning awards but I was clueless about
music publishing. All I knew at the time was that I had to register all my music with SAMRO and that was not enough. My commercial music plan was designed to fail me and I needed to apply myself differently. Once I really got into production music, I found myself working with the likes of Alan Lazar and Simon Banda. Working with Alan really chiselled my understanding of this business. I look up to Simon, he works very hard and he inspires me. I laid low in the commercial space and focused my energy more on composing and producing production music. I did opening sequences for Heist, Double UP Mzansi, Imvelo and I was hungry for more. From 2014 to 2016 I worked as a composer for other music libraries until I started my own company Mino Music (Pty) Ltd. The difference between commercial and production music is that with commercial music you are limited to releasing just two singles per year from an 18± track album, under a specific genre, every two to four years. With production music you can compose multiple genres and unlimited tracks per month for various music libraries. The idea of
Production Music for Professionals representing over 60 international labels and African Planit, a South African Music Library. Service is our first Priority.
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FILM & TV MUSIC
making as much music as I wanted blew me away. As vast as the opportunities were, so were the requirements for these opportunities. Library music is very specific and has formats that one needs to follow. The music is made specifically to fit visuals and to make the editor’s job easier. With that said, there are hundreds of shows on TV and thousands of ads – they all need music. They need terabytes and terabytes of it. Apart from making good, broadcast quality music, a library needs to be solid in other areas. Music libraries need composers and these composers need to be guided and managed to produce the best music they can. Additionally, a lot of admin needs to be done for composers and their music to be properly filed by royalty collecting societies. Metadata needs to be on point, publishing splits need to be on paper and all music needs to be integrated into the Mino Music brand. It doesn’t just take good music, it takes a lot of pitching the music library to production houses and hoping they use it. We are competing with giants like Sheer, Universal, Sony ATV and private companies that have been doing this for decades. For Mino Music and our growing catalogue, it’s not about the size it’s about how you work it – it takes persistence, consistency, team work, relationship building and entrepreneurship. At Mino Music we focus on balancing local and international music production in our library. We extensively believe producing local music gives us an advantage over international libraries and building relationships with production companies face to face serves them better. So as a broker between needed music and production companies you need to constantly be out there finding opportunities for your music. Some of these opportunities are outside of South Africa and we must make ways to get to them. – Thabo Philemon Malefane
VISIT US: www.synchromusic.co.za
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Immersive audio
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Immersive audio Ambeo 3D by Sennheiser
Ossic X
In terms of post-production development, 2017 belonged to the VR industry. A major breakthrough occurred during the course of last year when audio was finally (despite being totally obvious) recognised as a critical element in VR experiences.
T
he premise of VR is to create an alternate reality, but without the right audio cues to match the visuals, the brain doesn’t buy into the illusion. Sound isn’t just a cue used to enhance the auditory experience anymore — it’s something that can totally change the VR adventure or even affect the entire storyline. The cinema industry has transitioned to immersive sound, primarily employing the Dolby Atmos, DTS and Barco Auro 3D systems, so is it time to adopt or adapt these systems for television? As we roll into 2018, we might just see a change in the way we mix audio forever… In today’s audio environment, systems and methods for reproducing audio can broadly be categorised as either channel-based or object-based. In channel-based audio, a soundtrack is created by recording a separate audio track (channel) for each speaker. Common speaker arrangements for channel-based surround sound systems are 5.1 and 7.1, which utilise five and seven surround channels respectively, and one lowfrequency channel. A major drawback of channel-based audio is that each soundtrack must be created for a specific speaker configuration. Object-based audio addresses this drawback by representing a sound scene as multiple separate audio objects, each of which comprises one or more audio signals and each audio object is
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associated with metadata that defines a location and trajectory of that object in the scene. Object-based renderers provide greater flexibility than channelbased audio systems, in that they can cope with different numbers of speakers creating a greater spatial experience. Spatial audio is key in delivering lifelike VR experiences. Spatialised sound sources have three-dimensional positional data to make listeners feel like sounds are actually coming from those visual locations. In real acoustic spaces like movie theatres for example, the delivery of spherical audio comes from technologies like Dolby Atmos, DTS Neo, and Barco Auro. However, these immersive real-space technologies require loads of speakers and amplifiers, something that he average consumer will never be able to afford, let alone have the space to install them. Developers are aware of this and realise that the primary thrust of 3D audio innovation will occur over headphones. Headphones have the added advantage in that the listener is free to move around a room or environment. Back in the 70’s the British National Research Development Corporation developed Ambisonics, a full-sphere surround sound technique. In audio, sound is normally recorded in the horizontal plane. Ambisonic recording techniques also cover sound sources above and below the listener creating a 3D effect. Unlike other multi-channel surround
formats, its transmission channels do not carry ‘speaker’ signals. Instead, they contain a speaker-independent representation of a sound field called B-format, which is then decoded to the listener’s headphone setup. Immersive sound is enhanced when it is “tracked” with natural head movements. When you turn your head, the virtual sound must react like they would in real sensory space and this is why Ambisonics offers so much for headphone users. Audio specialists Sennheiser, recently brought out a suite of 3D audio technologies called Ambeo, which included a VR microphone that captures ambisonics and an upmix algorithm that converts stereo tracks into a high-quality 9.1 sound experience. Ambisonics B is the accepted audio format for spatial sound on web browsers and therefore the preferred choice for the production of VR audio. Both VR goggles and web browsers include a Binaural Renderer, enabling binaural playback. If Head Tracking is applied, Ambisonics B-format can be spun and dynamic binaural playback is achieved! This means that listeners can freely position themselves within the sound field, with their audio perception changing accordingly. While plenty of headphones offer surround sound, they don’t really emulate 3D space around you. For example, as soon as you move your head, the sound moves with you, instead of staying
relative as it would in an actual space. Ossic X claim to be the world’s first true 3D headphones, capable of recreating sound the same way you hear it in the real world. If the reaction to their Kickstarter campaign is any indication, plenty of people are very excited about what this could mean for the future of headset audio. The Ossic X automatically calibrate themselves to your head and torso as soon as you put them on, enabling more accurate sound placement. The real difference comes when you move your head. Instead of the sound moving with you, as with most headphones, the sound stays put — turn your head to hear something behind you, and suddenly it’s coming from in front of your face, at least as far as your ears are concerned. The Ossic team has some noteworthy names to its roster, including Dr. Kaushik Sunder, previously of NASA, and industry thought leader Sally Kellaway, who now serves as Creative Director. Dolby Laboratories have brought binaural and object based audio editing into television post-production suites by introducing Dolby Atmos workflows into Avid’s Pro Tools HD. Until now, mixing in Dolby Atmos required additional software plug-ins and complex routing workflows to accommodate the popular format. Pro Tools HD now features an inclusive suite of Dolby Atmos workflows, enabling audio post professionals to work
Immersive audio Photo CREDIT: Auro 3D
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Auro 3D
Photo CREDIT: Dolby
engineering
more fluidly in the multi-channel and object-based audio format especially in the VR environment. BBC Research and Development are experimenting with Binaural Sound – their version of immersive spatial audio for television. They have been working on 3D sound technology that can bring a theatre type experience to listeners’ headphones. This technology can be applied to traditional programme content but also to new interactive content experiences including virtual and augmented reality. They have already produced content for several of the Planet Earth II 360˚ videos for example and plan to have an open technology standard enabling binaural television broadcasting in the not too
ProTools Dolby Atmos
distant future. The next step in VR audio will be exploring exciting new techniques during post-production in order to leverage the full spectrum of possibility in television broadcast and in the VR world. Advances in VR audio are going to be key in perfecting the experience for mainstream
consumers and for giving pioneers the tools they need to drive innovative experiences. These developments will go a long way toward achieving both goals and will help shape the industry in the years to come. – Ian Dormer
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SOCIAL
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PromaxBDA Africa 2017 The best of the best of South African and African creatives involved in on-air marketing, branding and design came together for the 2017 PromaxBDA Africa conference and awards, held on 9 November at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg. Seen there were‌
Caption
Caption
Carla Bekker and Olga Lombard
Bongani Msibi and Steven Mabunda
Paul Pembroke, Y. HWI and Sabana Rodgers
Katulo Hadebe, Nontsi Mapoma, Innocent Zulu, Juanri Topham and Offie Nxumalo
Nomsa Disenyeng and Lerato Montsi
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Ntale Nkatane and Phumzile Mahlangu
Tidimalo Rampou, Thembalethu Gculabaza and Vuyisa August
George Leong and Olga Lombard
Darren Meltz, Jessica Hey, Saarah Saint and Christiaan Graaf
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Phumla Radebe and Nokulanga Ncube
Christopher Mashile and Nandisa Mkize
Dimakatso Khumbane and Buhle Ngcauzele
Trishia Van Der Merwe and Keegan Moolman
Bontle Semouse, Buhle Sibanda and Sphe Ngconjana
Colleen Goodman and Samantha Marshall
Morne Du Toit and Jaco Muller
Val Bongani and Boniswa Mpungose
Nicole Gundelfinger and Bron Schultz
Ntale Nkatane and Hlumelo Mbola
Ratma Siriah and Harish Goyal
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M ar k e t plac e
UPCOMING EVENTS JANUARY 12 – 21 Canada’s Top Ten
Film Festival
Canada www.tiff.net/canadas-top-ten 1464 Vragboot Street Cnr Vooraadskip Streets Laserpark, Honeydew
18 – 28 Sundance Film Festival Utah www.sundance.org 24 – 4 FEB International Film
Festival Rotterdam
Rotterdam
ManufaCturers of: aluMiniuM, Wooden, PolyetHelene fabriCated fligHt Cases, tubes & Cordura nylon Padded bags & Covers
www.iffr.com
FEBRUARY 15 – 23 European Film Market Berlin www.efm-berlinale.de 17 – 22 Berlinale Berlin www.berlinale.de
Workbox 1 HeWetts business Park 19 HeWett avenue ePPing industrial 1 CaPetoWn 7475
info@visioncases.co.za www.visioncases.co.za
andrew Moyo Cell: 083 382 3605
SUPPLIED Television, Movie and Magazine work
We work throughout SA – Jhb – Cape and Natal – With over 25 years experience in the film & television industry, DJ’s is one of South Africa’s premiere talent agencies, we supply character models for television commercials, stills and promotion guys and gals for functions to brand activations, why not try us .. we will make your day on set or function – just a little easier - we pay performers via eft on shoot date – which makes them happier – which makes us all happier – don’t you just love the film industry we do….always have.. always will…
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Broadcast Brands To Africa
Master Dealer Africa Tel: +27 (0) 762569255 info@mdafrica.com
www.masterdealerafrica.com 36 | SCREENAFRICA | JANUARY 2018
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