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| IN THIS ISSUE
20 Stroomop celebrates the strength of women
12 Ellen Pakkies’ tragedy comes to life on the big screen
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24
The rise of Mobile TV in South Africa
NEWS | DFM 2018: Durban FilmMart keeps getting bigger and better................... 3 East Africa wins: Discop Zanzibar and ZIFF 2018.................. 4 SWIFT highlights issues facing women in the film and TV industry............ 6 The Apollo Annual Film Festival returns to the Apollo Theatre..................... 7 TECHNOLOGY News | Marquis Broadcast launches Fotonflite.......................................... 8 Blackmagic and Apple collaborate on new eGPU............................ 8 New Datavideo RMC-300 will control up to 24 Datavideo cameras......... 8 Panasonic SA launches new South African headquarters in Cape Town........... 9 ADCETERA | A cross-media view of the customer is the key to marketing success................ 10
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39th Durban International Film Festival awards
Director Karien Cherry and Ogilvy Cape Town mastermind an Algorithmic football mash up.................... 12 Inside the making of Mutzig’s new ad, Batik Success................................... 14
COMMERCIALS | Director Speak: Robin Adams................... 16 FILM | Ellen Pakkies’ tragedy comes to life on the big screen............................. 18 Stroomop celebrates the strength of women...................................... 20 FESTIVALS & MARKETS | Durban FilmMart awards 2018................. 22 Durban Tourism partners with DFM and DIFF to support emerging filmmakers................................... 23 39th Durban International Film Festival awards..................................... 24
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Winners of DIFF’s Best International Documentary and Best SA Documentary awards now automatically qualify for Oscar consideration................ 25 CTIFMF 2018: Collaboration drives tangible outcomes through Works in Progress....................................... 26
IBC 2018 | IBC 2018 – shaping the future................ 28 Michael Crimp talks IBC 2018 highlights...................................... 30 POST-PRODUCTION | The Refinery delivers international dailies for Tomb Raider................................ 32 DIGITAL BROADCASTING | The rise of Mobile TV in South Africa.... 34
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | AI – ready for primetime?......................... 36 Television | Investigative drama Ambitions seeks to root out corruption in displaced communities........................... 38 ANIMATION | Diprente Films expands with new animation division, Diprente Junior......... 40 Nickelodeon’s Alexi Wheeler talks animation in Africa............................. 41 REGULARS |
SOCIAL
Stroomop premiere..................................... 42 Durban International Film Festival 2018........................................ 43 Marketplace................................................... 44 Upcoming Events......................................... 44
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From the editor
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It’s been a busy few months for the local Film & Television industry and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. We recently attended the annual Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) and its concurrent FilmMart – and what a time we’ve had! Check out what went down at this year’s events on pages 22 to 25. Next year DIFF will be turning 40 and the Durban FilmMart (DFM) will be turning 10 – in my humble opinion if you’re in the business of film in South Africa and Africa as a whole, attending DIFF and DFM is an absolute must. Between the festival and the mart there is so much to take in and so many avenues for growth; from the conference sessions and invaluable panel discussions on hot topics currently facing our industry, to the film premieres and awards – delegates and festival goers leave with a refreshed outlook and priceless industry connections. This month we celebrate Women’s Month! There’s no better time to be a woman in our industry. We’ve chosen to celebrate this – in this issue – by featuring female voices, filmmakers, and women-led productions as much as we could. A noteworthy women-led movement making a change in our industry is SWIFT (Sisters Working in Film and Television) – by women, for women. Read about the good work that the women of this organisation are doing on page 6 of this issue. Within 30 minutes of release on 9gag trending site, a million viewers had watched a local African targeted football commercial. From its first appearance on YouTube the spot has become the subject of articles on Newsweek, USA Today, NYT, Fox News, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Australian Post, Jakarta Daily, Liberation etc. Giant Films’ Ian Gabriel presents an interesting insight into why and how director Karien Cherry’s new KFC spot went viral! In our film section, we get into the much-anticipated true-life film Ellen, Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies. From director Daryne Joshua – best-known for his award-winning debut film Noem My Skollie – Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies tells the story of Cape Flats mother Ellen Pakkies, who first made news headlines in 2007 when, after years of enduring abuse at the hands of her 20-year-old drug-addicted son, she resorted to strangling him to death. Get behind the scenes of this tragic true-life story on pages 18 and 19. On the tech front, Ian Dormer takes us through what awaits those lucky enough to attend the upcoming muchanticipated IBC Show 2018, taking place from 13 to 19 September in Amsterdam – check it out on pages 28 to 29. We will cover IBC in much detail in the next two issues – stay tuned for that. Tim Claman, CTO and VP of Product Management at Avid, presents another noteworthy contribution to the issue on pages 36 and 37 where he discusses Artificial Intelligence across the media production and distribution chain. Not to be missed! Until next time! – Chanelle Ellaya
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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.
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.
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 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.
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DFM 2018: Durban FilmMart keeps getting bigger and better The 2018 Durban FilmMart (DFM) – which ran from 20 to 23 July alongside the 39th Durban International Film Festival at the Elangeni Hotel in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal – has seen a substantial increase in numbers in its ninth edition. Toni Monty, head of the Durban Film Office (DFO), beamed when sharing that numbers are up once again this year for Africa’s premier film market.
Tony Monty
The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), in partnership with the eThekwini Municipality’s Durban Film Office, has for nine years presented this imperative hub for filmmakers from across the African continent and abroad with the specific aim of growing the African film industry. In recent years projects coming out of the DFM have been gaining more international recognition at premium festivals and awards shows than ever before: “That is, I believe, due to how we have structured the mart,” says Monty. “We have created a global network of partners that are very interested in African content, that work with us throughout the year to identify new talents and that is where the magic lies.” With this in mind, the DFO have implemented innovative programmes and incubators, with the help of its international partners, in order to further that growth going forward. One such initiative is the CaribbeanTales’ CineFAM programme: “We started the CineFAM Africa incubator last year on serialised content. It’s in its second year and we’ve got six projects incubated this year as well as two Canadian broadcasters that have come out to work with them. We’re going to be looking at the applicability and accessibility of the treaty in terms of serialised content and how we can increase co-production between
Africa and Canada in the realm of serialised content.” Monty shared that when developing the conference strand at this year’s DFM, the focus was, as always, on key areas of development for the African film industry. However, this year saw the introduction of new discussions targeted at tackling important issues currently affecting the global film industry. “First and foremost we have a focus on co-production as it is a co-production market. We have a focus on financing film in Africa… we also wanted to look at South Africa and Africa being an emerging market. We wanted to look at sustainability for filmmakers…” Monty comments, “But aside from that there were some very important issues that we wanted to bring into the discussions; the focus on women in film and transformation, as well as the #MeToo discussion – supported by SWIFT – are conversations we will continue with in years to come. We want to create stronger support for women both in front of and behind the camera.” This year the DFM industry programme also touched on topics that have arisen from recent public debate currently shaping the industry: “We had a session titled ‘Are There Any Sacred Cows in Filmmaking’ where we looked at the issues and concerns around cultural appropriation in filmmaking… It is an
incredibly important discussion, not just for filmmaking but for South Africans and Africans as a whole, and it’s something that we never really address because it’s a difficult conversation to have. We do hope to continue that thread over the next few editions.” Additionally, Monty made note of the Isiphethu hub – launched this year in partnership with Durban Tourism – which is DIFF’s open industry programme, running for four days, aimed at introducing entry level, emerging and micro-budget filmmakers, as well as interested members of the public, to the inner-workings of the world of cinema. “DFM is a professional level market and whilst we have many emerging filmmakers in the Durban FilmMart, with Isiphethu, we wanted to create a place where entry-level filmmakers can feel at home and call it their own,” she comments. Next year is a milestone year for the Durban FilmMart as it will be turning 10. “Next year will be 10 years of Durban FilmMart and it will be 40 years of DIFF. We have already started planning for 2019 and we certainly do plan on having a major celebration – so definitely watch this space! Ten years of DFM means it’s time to take it to the next level so we will certainly be bringing in some new aspects to the Durban FilmMart.” – Chanelle Ellaya
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EAST AFRICA WINS: DISCOP ZANZIBAR and ZIFF 2018 The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) 2018, and inaugural DISCOP Zanzibar marked a key turning point for the East African region. Both events were remarkably well-attended and their combined impact has been tangible for the industry, with some notable outcomes. The prominence of Kenya and Kenyan filmmakers was on everybody’s agenda at both events, and as the nine days wrapped up with the ZIFF Awards night on 14 July, the success of women at this year’s festival was also the top talking point. The rise of the Kenyan film industry is not news to anyone who follows the region, however, their strong showing in Zanzibar this past month signals even more growth to come. The Kenya Film Commission (KFC) was one of the key sponsors of both DISCOP Zanzibar and ZIFF, and not only did they support the screening of the Golden Dhow winning feature film Supa Modo at the event, but the organisation also sponsored at least another 15 to 20 filmmakers from Kenya to attend ZIFF. Along with the Kenya Film Classification Board, the official Kenyan delegation to Zanzibar numbered well over 30, with at least another 100 or so guests also taking part across the two events. This delegation also included six members of the Kenyan parliament who were sent specifically to investigate and research the needs of Kenyan filmmakers, as well as the importance of festivals and markets such as ZIFF and DISCOP. These MPs will be drafting a report that will be used as the basis for new policy development aimed at further promoting and supporting Kenya’s film industry. The results of this kind of support are obvious. At this year’s event, as in previous years, Kenyan filmmakers did exceptionally well on awards night. Apart from scooping the night’s top award for Supa Modo, Kenyan filmmakers won awards in 10 categories. 4 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
This prominence of the KFC was in stark contrast to the complete lack of appearance of the Tanzania Film Board (TFB). The TFB was invited many months ago to be part of these events, for whatever reasons, they have failed for two years running to leverage on this key opportunity taking place within their own country. Tanzanian filmmakers feel very much on their own, especially when compared to their Kenyan counterparts. The other group that came out shining this year at both ZIFF and DISCOP Zanzibar were women filmmakers and professionals. In fact, the development and recognition of women within the film industry was a reoccurring theme throughout both ZIFF and the inaugural DISCOP Zanzibar. Women filmmakers took home a total of 10 awards, with the documentary SILAS, directed by Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman taking home two awards; Best Documentary and Best International Film. Best Short Film, Best TV Series, the Sembene Ousmane Award, the Emerson Award, and the Chairman’s Award amongst others, were all taken home by women. The overall number of films submitted
by women increased this year, and the history and status of women in the industry was also the focus of some key programmes at both events this year. The Ladima Foundation hosted two events and also awarded the Adiaha Award for Best Documentary from an African Woman to New Moon, from Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann. A full-day event at ZIFF saw the Africa in Motion Film Festival’s Lizelle Bischoff, along with fellow Stephanie van der Peer, present two restored African Lost Classics from women filmmakers, Fatma75 and Mossane. The screenings were followed by a discussion on the lost history of African women filmmakers. The Ladima Women of Influence Panel was especially well-received with its focus on tangible steps to be taken to assist the development and recognition of women within the film and media industries. The panel included Bikiya Graham-Douglas, a Nigerian actress, singer, entrepreneur and the founder of Beeta Universal Arts Foundation; Biola Alabi, an African media expert with over 25 years of local and global media experience; Theresa Hill from South Africa, general manager for STEPS and acquisition manager for
AfriDocs; Dr Mzuri Issa Ali from Zanzibar, director of the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA); Giselle Portenier, a Canadian award-winning journalist and filmmaker; and Farida Nyamachumbe, a filmmaker from Zanzibar. Some key outcomes of this discussion will see the development of a Pan-African list of women in the industry that can then be used by production houses to source qualified women across a range of film industry services. The Ladima Foundation will also be focussing on lobbying for policy change in Tanzania and Nigeria to promote film education in schools from an early age. The overwhelmingly positive energy and impetus for change and development that was expressed throughout this year’s ZIFF and DISCOP Zanzibar bode well for the entire East Africa region, not just for Kenyans and not just for women. It will be essential however to keep focussing on the necessary support mechanisms that are proving to be successful when implemented properly. – Lara Preston
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SWIFT highlights issues facing women in the film and TV industry The Sisters Working in Film & Television (SWIFT) organisation was formed two years ago during the 2016 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). The womenfocussed initiative has since drawn attention to the severity of numerous issues affecting women in the film and television industry. Furthermore, SWIFT has fostered change for women in the industry by hosting informative sessions, developing targeted policies and inspiring women to stand up for themselves in this historically maledominated industry. Founder and chairperson of SWIFT, Sara Blecher expands: “I founded SWIFT because I felt a huge fury at the way women were being treated within the film and TV industry.” Blecher formed the SWIFT advocacy group as an NPO, with other like-minded women within the industry, who offer their skills, resources and time to bring about change, solidarity and empowerment to its members and other women in the industry through various engagements and events. Earlier this year SWIFT and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sent their first all-female delegation of filmmakers from across South Africa to attend the Berlin International Film Festival SWIFT ambassador, Zoe Ramushu in Germany. In March the organisation launched an directed by Lwazi Mvusi, produced by outreach campaign in partnership with Tsholo Mashile with executive producers the National Film and Video Foundation Carolyn Carew and Kamscilla Naidoo; (NFVF) and the Joburg Film Office called director Tendaiishe Chitima’s Cook Off; Girls Go to Cinema. The campaign, which Sisters of the Wilderness, directed by aims to expose young women to a Karin Slater and produced by Ronit progressive female representation on and Shapiro; Rumba in the Jungle – The off the screen, includes a full cinema Return, produced by Dominique experience as well as a mentorship Jossie and directed by Yolanda programme. Keabetswe Mogatusi. In its two years of existence, SWIFT has At DIFF 2017, a survey was conducted also managed to grow in strength and on women in the film and television numbers, bringing about social and industries by Aliki Saragas and Nel economic change, while continuing to be Ncobogo, who head up the advocacy a key highlight each year during DIFF and committee at SWIFT. The report that the Durban FilmMart (DFM). resulted from this survey revealed an At DIFF 2018, SWIFT members industry in crisis when it was discovered dominated the film programme starting that almost 78 per cent of women with the opening night film The working in film and TV said that they had Tokoloshe, which was produced by experienced discrimination at work member Cati Weinek, and Mayfair, because of their gender. directed by Blecher herself. The survey further exposed a huge Other films by SWIFT members number of accounts of sexual harassment, included Farewell Ella Bella, written and discrimination and even rape on film sets. 6 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
SWIFT’s #ThatsNotOkay campaign
“The #ThatsNotOkay campaign came directly out of this research. We realised there was an urgent need to educate people about what sexual harassment was and to create awareness,” says Blecher. “It is similar to the #MeToo campaign in this way. Both help show how pervasive the problem is and also give women a platform to tell their own stories. To date, we have only made #ThatsNotOkay videos about the film industry, but we are hoping to expand the campaign into other industries as well,” Blecher adds. The #ThatsNotOkay campaign features public service announcements which demonstrate what sexual harassment in the film industry looks like and how it affects women – all giving a visual reference to both victim and perpetrator. “The six public service announcements are all based on real-life experiences of women in the industry and aims to help the industry to recognise what harassment is, and to reveal that those who speak up are not alone or imagining harassment. What is most important is for people to recognise that abusive behaviour is ‘NOT OK’ in any shape or form, and to make victims aware of the
psycho-social and legal resources available to them via our membership,” says Zoe Ramushu, SWIFT’s ambassador. Ramushu is also a legal consultant and helped draw up a SWIFT code of conduct. “Drafting the code of conduct has been a long but necessary process, and we’ve workshopped it with both government parastatals as well as broadcasters so that it sits right contractually for all the stakeholders who implement it. This is one of the many steps forward to making our industry free of sexual harassment, and I’m proud to have lent my skills to this,” says Ramushu. Earlier this year the code was adopted by the IPO (Independent Producers Organisation), which means all of their members are bound by it. A memorandum of understanding has also been signed by the NFVF, the South African Guild of Actors (SAGA) and the KZN Film Commission (KZNFC). As more and more women came forward with their experiences of sexual harassment, SWIFT realised that there needed to be more knowledge-sharing and discussions regarding the subject. “The events vary, from sessions where women can share their experiences in a safe space and not only be affirmed but receive psycho-social support, all the way to one of our last sessions which involved short trainings and a Q&A with a power panel of lawyers from reputable law firms. The focus was the dos and don’ts and next legal steps to take when you’ve experienced sexual harassment. This spectrum is symbolic of what SWIFT aims to do for women; not only give emotional support but also facilitate practical solutions for women working in the industry,” concludes Ramushu. – Gezzy S Sibisi
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The Apollo Annual Film Festival returns to the Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre in Victoria West is the only surviving Art Deco Theatre in South Africa, a major heritage site in the Northern Cape and home to the Apollo Annual Film Festival (AAFF).
the AAFF and continue into the future, but we will most definitely have Q&A’s during the festival, and are planning to have mini workshops aimed at young people interested in filmmaking,” informs Khanzi. “The opening and awards ceremony will include a 5km fun run, a 4X4 trail, a walking trail, town and township tours, Khoi-San music items and a street party, to mention a few,” he adds. In previous editions the festival received positive feedback on short film entries from institutions such as AFDA and Big Fish, and this year they have targeted these and other institutions to give a platform to young, deserving
storytellers trying to establish themselves in the film industry. However for the revamped festival, funding remains a huge challenge. “The ADA needs immense investment into the project, human and capital resources… We have applied for funding to the National Arts Council and the National and Video Foundation at this point, and we are looking at applying to the National Lotteries Commission soon. We are also looking at engaging the different spheres of government to ensure survival and sustainability of the project,” concludes Khanzi. Gezzy S Sibisi
Reggie Khanzi and Contessa Kruger From 2001 to 2008, the annual festival became a calendar highlight, bringing local and international filmmakers as well as enthusiastic film fanatics to the small Karoo town. The festival was founded by the Apollo Development Association (ADA), which helped sustain the festival over the years and ensured that the annual event was implemented efficiently. “The overall support we received from the kids that attended and enjoyed the festival was overwhelming. They really seemed to enjoy the activities and were in attendance every day of the festival. The festival also saw an increase in community participation, people of all ages, race, and gender from in and around the town and tourists. This contributed enormously to the stimulation of the local economy which is the main objective of the AAFF,” shares Contessa Kruger, chairperson of the ADA Board. However, after the 2018 edition of the festival, many employees left, and the ADA board became fragmented. “Personal agendas and maladministration led to the demise of the ADA,” informs Kruger. After ten years with no event, the ADA is under new management with a new board. After many discussions, the ADA saw the need to bring back the AAFF as the key event to re-establish the Apollo Theatre as a centre for fine arts in the Northern Cape. “The Apollo Development Association is a critical socio-economic agent of
change that possesses a huge potential to improve the lives of residents within the Ubuntu Municipality and surrounding areas. The continuation of the Apollo Annual Film Festival will not only assist with the stimulation of local economic development but will act as an important cultural vessel that will educate audiences on different genres of film and the appreciation of work from South African filmmakers. The ADA hopes that with enough funding it will create a hub of activity in the Karoo that will enable youth to be employed through the project and audience development will be encouraged through the operation of regular screenings at the Apollo Theatre, moreover that an appreciation for the arts in the different forms will be ensured,” comments festival director Reginald ‘Reggie’ Khanzi, who managed the 2004, 2005 and 2008 editions of the festival. “The hope of the ADA Board is that the Apollo Theatre will be in a position to use the medium of film to instil hope and inspire the broader community of the Ubuntu Municipality,” adds Kruger. The 9th Apollo Annual Film Festival will run from 3 to 6 October 2018, under the theme Apollo Rise Up. The four-day affair will be an educational and entertainment feast, and include an informative film-focussed itinerary as well as outdoor activities to promote the heritage and cultural highlights of the town. “We are in liaison with filmmakers regarding several ideas for panel discussions that could be tailor-made for
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New Datavideo RMC-300 will control up to 24 Datavideo cameras Datavideo is due to release its RMC-300 multi-functional remote camera controller at IBC2018. RMC-300 works together with an iPad or Android tablet to control up to 24 Datavideo cameras. A combination of hardware buttons, user friendly app control, and easy set-up ensures simple, intuitive control over a large number of cameras. Remote Control is via cost effective Ethernet cabling and RMC-300 is able to control up to 24 Datavideo PTZ or Datavideo block cameras with 14 presets for each camera. Parameters are easy to set up via the friendly User Interface. Firmware upgrades and tablet charging are by USB. The RMC-300 is compatible with the following Datavideo cameras: PTC-200 (all versions) , PTC-150 (all versions), PTC-140 (all versions), BC-200 and BC-80. Macro Video Pty Ltd are the importers and distributors of Datavideo products in Southern Africa.
Marquis Broadcast launches Fotonflite Marquis Broadcast has launched Fotonflite – a high-performance, secure ‘on-the-fly’, point-to-point transfer system for Avid Media Composer projects and media workspaces. It allows files to be moved between source Avid ISIS/NEXIS systems and a range of target storage types, including Avid, generic and proprietary storage. Fotonflite is unique in its ability to directly connect and securely synchronise live Avid ISIS/NEXIS systems, especially with Avid work-in-progress, and is ideal for connecting production centres over the internet. Fotonflite is an option for Marquis Workspace Sync, Workspace Backup and Project Parking professional production workflow tools, which are all Avid-certified. The operation of Fotonflite is totally transparent to these applications. It was developed in response to two different customer requirements: a studio that needed to securely sync Avid NEXIS between US and UK; and a post house who wanted to securely protect and manage remote freelance Media Composer projects on Tier 2 storage. In each case, existing transfer technologies were deemed insecure, since they required data ‘at rest’ outside of the connected servers. Traditionally, access to an Avid ISIS or NEXIS system has only been possible if a workstation was attached to NEXIS via a high-performance, low latency, low jitter LAN and was locally running the Avid NEXIS Client software, and network distances may be restricted. Fotonflite removes this fundamental limitation for attached Marquis applications, enabling many new, remote workflows if required, even operating at intercontinental distances. Jasco Broadcast Solutions are the importers and distributors of Marquis Broadcast products in Southern Africa.
8 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
Blackmagic and Apple collaborate on new eGPU Blackmagic Design recently announced the Blackmagic eGPU, a high performance graphics processor for pro creative software such as DaVinci Resolve, 3D games and Virtual Reality (VR). Designed in collaboration with Apple, the Blackmagic eGPU features a built-in Radeon Pro 580, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, HDMI 2.0, 85W of charging power and four USB 3.1 connections. It comes in an integrated design that brings high-end desktop class graphics processing to MacBook Pro for professional video workflows, 3D games and immersive VR. And, the Blackmagic eGPU is the first to support Thunderbolt 3 displays. Designed to address the needs of professional video editors, Hollywood colourists and visual effects artists who need to remain mobile, but want the power of a desktop class GPU added to their MacBook Pro, the Blackmagic eGPU is incredibly flexible and simply plugs in via Thunderbolt 3, so users can benefit from improved graphics performance and acceleration of computational tasks. It’s perfect for speeding up professional creative application workflows including editing, colour correction and visual effects with DaVinci Resolve. The Blackmagic eGPU adds the performance customers need to make the latest 3D games and VR look more realistic than ever. That means customers will get higher resolution images, higher frame rate gameplay, better lighting and more detailed textures for truly immersive experiences, even on a laptop computer. The Blackmagic eGPU features a Radeon Pro 580 graphics processor that delivers stunning graphics and incredible computational performance. You get 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, 256-bit memory bandwidth and 36 discreet compute units for up to 5.5 teraflops of processing power. The Radeon Pro 580 can fill a massive 38.4 billion textured pixels per second! In addition, the Blackmagic eGPU supports Metal graphics technology from Apple, which provides near-direct access to the GPU for maximising graphics and compute performance with games and applications.
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| TECHNOLOGY News
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Panasonic SA launches new South African headquarters in Cape Town On 12 July, Panasonic South Africa – a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation – launched its new South African headquarters in Century City, Cape Town. The event was attended by the managing executive officer of Panasonic Corporation in Japan, Daizo Ito; premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille; Western Cape Minister of Finance, Dr Ivan Meyer; head of the Africa Region, Hiroyuki Shibutani; and the managing director of Panasonic South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Hidetoshi Kaneko. “We are excited about our new headquarters in Cape Town. We decided to move to the Western Cape because of the growth in our customer base in this region, and access to other large companies located in the Cape. We are also encouraged by its strong skillspipeline,” Kaneko told Wesgro. Kaneko also said that Panasonic South Africa was now investigating whether it
would be viable to move their entire African headquarters – currently in Dubai – to the Cape. “Watch this space,” he continued. At the launch, Zille said: “We welcome
this latest move by Panasonic. It is a great vote of confidence in our region to have such a major global player set up base in Cape Town. Since 2009 we have worked tirelessly to create a conducive
environment for businesses to operate freely, create jobs and grow the economy.” The new Century City based facility has established a “Life Experience Centre”, open to the public and designed to enable Panasonic to hear customer voices with the aim of developing new products which are uniquely suited to the South African market. On display are several Panasonic products which are available in other parts of the world but have not been introduced into the South African market as yet. In March, Panasonic launched the ‘You Can be the Light’ project in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Foundation. At this ceremony Panasonic donated the first batch of Panasonic-branded solar lanterns (414 units) to the Foundation, who in turn will distribute the units to those in need of lighting in off-grid areas. As 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth and the founding of Panasonic by Konosuke Matsushita, Panasonic multiplied 100 by two and aims to donate 10 000 lights over the next few years.
Copyright © 2018 Grass Valley Canada. All rights reserved. Specifications subject to change without notice.
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ADCETERA
| THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
A cross-media view of the customer is the key to marketing success
Written by Sally Rothman,
director Retail Shopper & Consumer Panel at GfK South Africa
Think about your customer, walking into work with a smartphone in one hand and a briefcase in the other. He or she may be wearing a pair of jeans from a brick-and-mortar store, purchased on account using a store club card, and a jacket acquired on special after seeing a TV ad for a winter sale.
I
n the briefcase, you may find a laptop bought online, and lunch from a supermarket, where the customer has a loyalty card. As this simple example shows, today’s consumer interacts with brands and their products and services across multiple channels, media and touchpoints every day. At each of these points, the consumer leaves traces in the digital world for marketers to analyse. To get an accurate understanding of the customer journey, brands must therefore seek to get a single view of their behaviour across different channels and media as they move from discovery to purchase. Of course, not all customers are the same. As is the case in many emerging markets, South Africa has a high proportion of single device use compared to Europe or North America. Many more people rely just on a smartphone and mobile data because fast fibre is less prevalent and because they have leapfrogged PCs to adopt mobile devices. Marketers thus need insights that support their campaigns and programmes for different audiences, enabling them to determine the most relevant touchpoints to use to reach each segment, understand their media
consumption and usage of digital devices, and optimise the marketing strategy and media mix.
A coherent customer view GfK’s research across multiple markets confirms that customers interact with brands’ paid, owned and earned content across a combination of smartphones, tablets, PCs, television, brick-and-mortar stores, and other channels during a purchase journey. It is only by integrating data and insights across all these channels that we can understand consumer behaviour in a manner that enables us to get the most from marketing investments. However, many brands still run isolated marketing campaigns and structures where audiences are defined by the departments where they belong. They observe consumers from different angles and perspectives in isolation – customers can be instore shoppers, website visitors, part of a media planning target group, prospects that need to be converted into shoppers, or members of a loyalty programme. Consumers, however, don’t care about channels or touchpoints or digital KPIs. They only care about their experience – which they expect to be great and
consistent across all points where they interact with brands. To deliver that sort of customer experience and to make marketing investments stretch further, brands need to overcome their data and organisational silos.
Breaking down silos with “scaled one-to-one impact” Even if we are not able to predict the consumer’s behaviour, we can try to understand it. To do so, we need data and we need science. In the past media measurement was about reach and incremental reach across media channels. It was important to prove that the advertising had the desired reach within the desired target group with a certain frequency. Further, it was important to understand how different media channels complemented each other with regard to the campaign delivery and what the most efficient combination is. Then the industry moved to measuring the impact of advertising – i.e. how it changed attitudes toward brands and how it drove product sales and thereby proving the return on investment of advertising. Today we are
moving into the next stage, which we call “scaled one-to-one impact”.
Visualising cross-media consumer behaviour Rather than planning advertising campaigns, we are orchestrating consumer journeys across channels and the advertising delivery becomes more consumer-centric. We can again target each and every consumer to reach one-to-one impact, but this time at scale – “scaled one-to-one impact”. Integrating data from all sources in one platform allows us to connect the dots between marketing siloes and gain a true picture of our consumers. By opening these silos and integrating data from different sources we can achieve that all important single customer view. Successful media planning relies on strategic insights derived from this integrated data to better understand market differences, ensuring your message gets through using the right channels and devices. This information can help you maximise reach across different devices and also provide insight into adapting creative treatments.
Flexible, Intuitive, Effective ChannelMaker is wTVision’s playout software and one of the most flexible playout automation solutions in the market. Delivered either as a channel-in-a-box, a multi-system solution or an advertising insertion tool, you can easily Create, Optimise and Expand a TV channel.
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| OPINION
Director Karien Cherry and Ogilvy Cape Town mastermind an Algorithmic football mash up Written by Ian Gabriel,
director and co-founder at Giant Films Neymar’s famous dive
It’s not often that customer comfort, intimacy and synergy is vastly enhanced with zero additional energy cost expended by a brand or the advertising agency that represents it. In the world of finance this golden opportunity, where appreciation of a brand’s value system exponentially overtakes any pre-determined strategies, is referred to as the ‘point of inflection’, a phrase first coined by Intel tech guru Andy Grove. If taken at the flood, cresting the inflection point can be greatly beneficial.
12 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
O
ver the past month, the world’s news media – from tabloids like The Sun, USA Today and New York Times, to Newsweek and Sports Illustrated, and TV’s CNN and Fox News, as well as media outlets in Australia, France, Russia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and beyond – have all leapt into the act, citing superstar Brazilian footballer Neymar’s fondness for ‘diving’ as inspiration for a local tongue-in-cheek ‘football diving’ spot, conceptualised for KFC Africa by ad agency Ogilvy Cape Town, and stylishly executed by Giant Films director Karien Cherry. In the process, the resultant explosion of viral interest and millions of views on dozens of platforms worldwide has established ‘KFC Dive’ as probably the most noticed piece of ad spend anywhere over the entire 2018 World Cup period.
Perfect Storm The world’s ubiquitous search engines power millions of ideas daily, leaning on billions of subscriber responses to enable analysis, interpretation and prediction of whatever the world is interested in at any given moment: So in one universe of internet-driven ideas, Brazilian World Cup superstar Neymar ‘dives’ in Moscow in a game against Serbia, meanwhile in New York a Times journalist analyses his performance strengths as on-field histrionics, satirically headlining his piece ‘Ham on a Roll’ (NYT, 6 July 2018). Some good, if jestful, gastronomic links are already in play. As the search engines make an algorithmic meal of the ham in question, it threads together real footballer Neymar’s performance with director Karien Cherry’s direction of imaginary footballer Herbz, the hyperbolic similarity between each of their alleged fondness for ‘taking a dive’
| ADCETERA
Director Karien Cherry directing a scene for the KFC Dive commercial
starts to mesh. Further links bind together World Cup, entertainment, football, family fun, kids imitating dives worldwide, gastronomy and football fundis having a go at Neymar etc. Pretty soon the full algorithmic mash up is in place with the virus of interconnectivity bringing Neymar, KFC, consumers, advertisers and filmmakers all a lot closer than they were at the start of the week. An internet age phenomenon that makes our muchvaunted, last century six degrees of separation look like playing solitaire in the dark. Synchronicity, timing, luck and some unpredictable interlacing of algorithmic threads all conspired to create the perfect storm that propelled the KFC spot rather spectacularly into the cultural zeitgeist of the time. In the face of the mash up, media outlets meanwhile quickly performed their own analysis of very personable, mischief-maker Neymar’s World Cup game statistics as the $222million Paris Saint Germain transfer kicked off Brazil’s fateful exit match. Two magic numbers caught their attention: 2 and 840. Two being the number of goals Neymar had scored in Brazil’s quest to return to the top of the World Cup log, and 840 being the number of seconds (14 minutes) that he had spent rolling on the ground in Brazil’s four qualifying 2018 World Cup
matches. An average of 3.5 minutes per game, this offering a feast of entertainment or frustration, depending on whether the punter was on KFC’s side or football’s as Neymar ‘made a meal’ of his time rolling on the pitch in the final game. Despite a cracking shot from Neymar in the closing minutes of the game that just crested the bar, the Brazilians were sadly fated to head back to Rio in the wake of their final World Cup game. Meanwhile football legends Diego Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo both sprang to Neymar’s defence, but it was down to some sobering analysis by French investigative daily, Liberation, on the eve of the crucial Brazil – Belgium match, that finally brought some reliable non-algorithmic perspective to KFC’s perfect storm. Newsweek reports the KFC video was posted on 15 June (a week after NYT’s ‘Ham on a Roll’ article, says Liberation’s investigative journalist), while alleging that British tabloid The Sun falsely wrote it took place during the match against Switzerland opining further that 15 June was two days before Brazil’s first game in this World Cup, and 12 days before Neymar’s dive against Serbia. Hence, says the daily, “the KFC advertisement could not have been inspired by Neymar’s
true-life antics during the World Cup”. Their further sleuthing revealed (accurately) that the advertising campaign was shot by Giant Films and Ogilvy a full month before the start of the 2018 World Cup! The Liberation conclusion: despite the media uproar, the KFC Dive spot was not designed as a Neymar troll (by the way director Karien Cherry is a big Neymar fan – wouldn’t dream of trolling him). Turns out the commercial was just an opportunity to gently rib those armchair critics with a propensity for search engine
assisted sports debate. A refreshing distraction away from the world’s more sober recent preoccupations from climate change and Trade Wars, to State Capture. And an opportunity to gift world viewers with a viewing opportunity that really goes back to the only things filmmakers and advertising creatives can really rely on in order to ‘weaponise’ advertising: A great concept married to great execution, told with a sense of humour. When the stars – and algorithms – are in alignment, the sky’s the limit.
August 2018
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ADCETERA
|
Inside the making of Mutzig’s
Mutzig beer commercial
Mutzig beer’s new ad, titled Batik Success, tells the story of the rise of a fashion designer, Pascal, from the perspective of his best friend.
A
shley Bacon and Paddy Pearson, creative director and senior art director at M&C Saatchi Africa, conceptualised the spot which aims to re-enforce the Mutzig brand as a symbol of success throughout the region. “This advert was created for Congo, Rwanda, DRC and Côte d’Ivoire so we had to look at West and Central Africa as a whole which, as you can imagine, is quite a diverse place. Luckily for us, we have an amazing researcher who has spent weeks in each of these countries looking at culture and behaviours to help give us solid insights and nuances that we use to make our adverts better and more relevant in their respective region,” shares Pearson. Apart from the Batik Success television commercial, Mutzig tasked the agency with creating a supporting billboard ad as well as digital content. 14 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
Egg Film’s Zwelethu Radebe directed the spot. Radebe has previously worked with popular beer brands including Heineken and Strongbow. “The brief was great; it was an inspiring narrative about the rise of a fashion designer – a real story of success and what it takes to become successful. What I loved about it was that it was a universal story about perseverance and determination,” comments Radebe. The casting process was extensive, taking place in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Congolese-born model and actor Armando Ngandu was eventually selected to play Pascal, while South African actor Richard Lukunku earned the role of Pascal’s best friend, Lucas, who is also the narrator of the spot. “I wanted to tell the story from the perspective of Lucas, the best friend Pascal has grown up with like a brother,
who’s seen Pascal rise to stardom from humble beginnings. I felt that the personal narrative from Pascal might feel exaggerated and unauthentic. So we decided that the voice-over would come from the friend, which I believe gave the film its humanity,” Radebe explains. The Batik-inspired garments donned by the models in the spot were made from scratch by South African fashion designer and stylist Richard De Jager. The ad was shot in just two days – in and around Johannesburg and Pretoria – on the ARRI Alexa Mini with a combination of Panavision C Series Anamorphic Prime lenses and Primo Prime sphericals: “We combined the two lenses for the two different looks of the film. I wanted the anamorphics for the narrative section, which I wanted to give a vintage or more textured look, and the Primos for the gala event, which had a cleaner look,” informs Radebe. “We shot most of the exteriors with natural light with Panavision C-series anamorphics, but I think that it was what was in front of the frame and how we lit in the interiors that made it feel authentic. We used light in a natural way by
motivating exterior light from sodium street lights or fluorescent bulbs commonly used in the continent, as well as candle lights. This mixture of light qualities gave the film its aesthetic.” From the market place to Pascal’s bus ride seated next to a passenger carrying a live chicken, the spot oozes elements and intricacies associated with central Africa. “The film is meant to be set in a central African city. I didn’t want it to feel like a specific country but rather make it feel undoubtedly African. I thought that would make it resonate with Africans across the continent,” says Radebe. Radebe also credits art director Will Boyes for creating an authentic world using practical elements that the main character could interact with during the shoot. “Will did an amazing job creating a world on top of another in Marabastad. The highlight for me, and I’m sure Will, was the creation of the runway, with a water surface surrounded by fluorescent light, with a large gold African logo at the end. We loved it so much we even moved the pack shot to the ramp,” he shares. Ludus Post Production handled online, offline and grading, while We Love Jam
| ADCETERA
new ad, Batik Success
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: ARRI Alexa Mini • Lenses: Panavision C-series anamorphic lenses, and Primo Prime Spherical lenses
“We believe what really resonates with the people is the hustle, don’t stop, keep going till you make it, attitude. So we brought that to life with Pascal, the fashion designer who works from before sun up till well after sunset, to make his dream a reality.
”
– Paddy Pearson
took care of audio and final mix. The Batik Success spot is now out in all four countries alongside the billboard ads which have made Pascal (Armando Ngandu) a household name. “We believe what really resonates with the people is the hustle, don’t stop, keep going till you make it, attitude. So we brought that to life with Pascal, the fashion designer who works from before sun up till well after sunset,
to make his dream a reality,” Pearson comments. “I think the spot has done well in all the regions, simply because we told an authentic story. It’s not often that clients go this route for a premium beer, but I think viewers watching it can relate to any of the scenarios Pascal is seen in, whether they have reached success or are en route there,” Radebe concludes. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“I wanted the anamorphics for the narrative section, which I wanted to give a vintage or more textured look, and the Primos for the gala event, which had a cleaner look.” – Zwelethu Radebe
KEY CREW Director: Zwelethu Radebe DOP: Fabian Vettiger Agency creative director: Ashley Bacon Agency art director: Paddy Pearson Editor: Stephen du Plessis.
August 2018
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COMMERCIALS
| Director Speak
n Robim s Ada
We caught up with Egg Films’ newest young director Robin Adams… WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW HAS THIS SHAPED YOU AS A FILMMAKER? Cape Town, born and raised. I’ve always had a strong passion for drawing, art and photography. I went on to study writing and directing at AFDA. I was then given the opportunity to work at Velocity Films, where I spent a good few years working alongside Keith Rose, one of the greatest directors our country’s ever seen. This gave me an immense understanding of how big budget productions operate, through all phases of production. Each and every job has its own unique set of obstacles and challenges. Having gone through many of these in my time at Velocity, I feel I now have the confidence not only in my understanding as a creative but also in being able to trust my gut. WAS A CAREER IN FILM & TV PRODUCTION ALWAYS THE PLAN? Not at all! Where I come from, this was always maybe a stretch too far outside of what’s possible. I mean I always knew that I was NOT going to end up in some corporate 9 to 5. I imagined myself possibly doing graphic design or art direction; I even did a few short courses at AAA but quickly realised as much as I love advertising, that side of the business wasn’t for me. I found out about AFDA in Cape Town, and after visiting their campus I was sold and directing was what I had to do.
16 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
WHAT KIND OF CONTENT DO YOU ENJOY CREATING? As a filmmaker today, this is starting to feel like quite a loaded question. Are you into making features or commercials? TV or webisodes? Do you vlog? Are you a music video guy? Mainstream or arthouse? Action, comedy, or drama? With the amount of content accessible to us – whether you’re on your couch, in the cinema, taking a cab or even on the loo – I feel that it’s all starting to feel a little same-y. To me content is content is content and I enjoy creating it. WHAT INSPIRES YOU CREATIVELY? The real world! People. Drama. Family and cooking. Lighting, lensing, camerawork. Music. Movies, music videos and art. Content… Photography, architecture and colour. Clothing and shoes. Instagram – THE INTERNET. Inspiration for me is all around. YOU RECENTLY JOINED EGG, WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON? I just wrapped up my first job with Egg for Protex and now I’m back to pitching on the next one. UNTIL NOW YOU’VE FOCUSED ON COMMERCIALS, ANY PLANS FOR A FEATURE LENGTH PROJECT IN THE FUTURE? Right now I’m very happy to have signed with Egg and I’m fully focused on developing my commercials reel. It’s quite difficult to juggle film and commercials simultaneously, especially when you’re just starting out, as they’re both full-time commitments. I like features, and
with films like The Wound, Five Fingers for Marseiles and Nommer 37 doing so well on the international festival grid, it’s definitely an exciting time for local filmmakers and something to think about for the future. WHO ARE YOUR MENTORS? I’ve had two great mentors so far in my career. The most recent and obvious being Keith Rose. The other more longstanding mentor has been Argus photographer Willie De Klerk, my grandfather. He taught me how to use a camera when I was a kid and was a guiding voice throughout my studies and even into my time with Keith. TOP THREE FAVOURITE DIRECTORS OF ALL TIME? • Alejandro Inarritu. • Quentin Tarantino. • Martin Scorcese, in no particular order. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CAREER CHALLENGE TO DATE AND WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR? These two questions are very much the same to me; I could swap my answers around and they would be true for either. As most industry folk will tell you, working for Keith is no easy feat. Keith is possibly the most hardworking person I’ve ever met. His attention to every minute detail and drive to constantly push the boundaries – his own and those of everyone involved on his projects- is relentless. It’s safe to say that this has to be right up there as both a challenge and a highlight.
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COMMERCIALS
I also think that the industry is inundated with a certain type of director, in Cape Town at least. You’re going to have to look quite long and hard to find an exception to that. There aren’t many black or more specifically, coloured directors here. Across the mass of directors in Cape Town, I’d say there’s one or two. Now that I’ve signed with Egg, I feel that’s been broken somewhat and I’m very proud to say it. WHAT IS YOUR DREAM SHOOT LOCATION? There are so many to choose from… Having travelled there recently on my honeymoon, I have to say New York City. There’s so much magic around, wherever you go. And from what I hear about filming there, it’s no simple task. I would say having free reign to shoot there would be quite the dream. ANY ADVICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WANTING TO PURSUE A CAREER IN FILM & TELEVISION? It’s not for everyone. It’s not simple or easy. I feel that you should know with every part of your being that this is what you truly want to do with your life. I’m not sure of the statistics but of the people in my year at AFDA, if 10 are successfully working in the film industry right now, that’s a lot, and that’s not a criticism of AFDA. However, if you truly are passionate about it, it’s very possible to make a success of it. Have no backup plans and go all the way. Also, “Everybody’s free to wear sunscreen” (Baz Luhrmann). IF YOU WEREN’T A FILMMAKER, YOU WOULD BE...? Probably a chef or Elon Musk.
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August 2018
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SCREENAFRICA
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FILM
|
Ellen Pakkies’ tragedy comes to life on the big screen The impact that substance abuse and addiction has on the parents of a child ravaged by drugs is incomprehensible. Until it happens to you, one cannot fathom the pain of seeing the child you raised and love become a monster. Often these parents suffer abuse – verbal and physical – at the hands of their drug-addicted children.
E
llen Pakkies first made news headlines in 2007 when, after years of enduring abuse from her 20-year-old drug-addicted son, the loving mother strangled him to death. “I remember while driving, I read a newspaper headline pasted on a roadside lamppost about a Cape Flats mother who killed her drug-addicted son. To be honest, I wasn’t shocked that something like this took place on the Flats since I grew up with addicts in my home, and so did many of my friends and family. It’s a very normal thing on the Flats to have a friend, or family member addicted or using drugs. At some point later I remember being very saddened by how desensitised I was, that the headline didn’t really shock me – that I just read it, shook my head and drove on,” comments director, Daryne Joshua. In the years since the tragedy occurred, several books have been written and documentaries made – all giving their own analysis on what led a mother to take her own son’s life. However for Joshua, it was his first meeting with Pakkies that inspired him to get to know the woman behind the headlines and document a true account of what really happened to this mother and her family. “Ellen told me she had grown tired of repeatedly telling her story for the last decade – and that making a film would mean her story was out there for once and for all. And that it would be a relief to her and hopefully a cautionary tale for other parents who find themselves in a similar situation. From there on out she was completely collaborative and co-operative in the film’s development and refused any kind of financial compensation.” Joshua is best-known for his awardwinning debut film Noem My Skollie. To capture Pakkies’ story he worked alongside producers Schalk Burger and Paulo Areal. The screenplay was written by Amy Jephta, with invaluable input from Ellen
18 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
Pakkies herself, who not only opened her heart but her home too to the production crew. Pakkies’ family and close associates were also interviewed to enhance the authenticity of the film. Joshua expands: “We met quite a few people who were involved and affected by what happened between Ellen and Abie, most notably – Adrian Samuels (Ellen’s lawyer), Odneal Pakkies (Ellen’s husband), Dr Martin Yodaiken (clinical psychologist), as well as the detective assigned to the case at the time, and a few of Abie’s friends. Most, if not all of them, thought it was an important story to tell – and that hopefully it would bring attention and change to the dire drug addiction situation on the Cape Flats.” Told across two timelines, Ellen, Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies (Ellen, The Ellen Pakkies Story) captures the story of Ellen and her stormy relationship with her 20-year-old drug-addict son, Abie Pakkies. The film is the harrowing account of a woman put through the penal system, tried for murder and driven by an unflinching love for her son. It delves into the inner psyche of a family ravaged by drugs in one of the most dangerous communities in South Africa – an on-going problem that extends beyond the Cape Flats and highlights a systematic failure to protect the poorest of the poor. Celebrated actress Jill Levenberg plays Ellen Pakkies, while actor Jarrid Geduld plays Abie Pakkies. When Pakkies confesses to the murder of her son and gets arrested, advocate Adrian Samuels, played by Clint Brink, takes on the case and is determined to prove that the mother had no choice, after years of seeking help for her son. “The film seems to spark a number of conversations and arguments. But the one I always encourage and want to be part of is how to improve social services for the victims of the drug scourge that’s decimating the Flats. One of the main themes of the film is that ‘The System
Jarrid Geduld as Ellen’s drug addicted son, Abie Pakkies Jill Levenberg as Ellen Pakkies
“Ellen told me she had grown tired of repeatedly telling her story for the last decade – and that making a film would mean her story was out there for once and for all. And that it would be a relief to her and hopefully a cautionary tale for other parents who find themselves in a similar situation. From there on out she was completely collaborative and co-operative in the film’s development and refused any kind of financial compensation.
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TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT
• Camera: Sony F55 • Lenses: Cooke Speed Panchro
– Daryne Joshua
failed Ellen Pakkies’. The presiding judge actually said that in the sentencing of Ellen Pakkies. So our goal was always to initiate a conversation around this topic,” says Joshua. Ellen, Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies was shot over five weeks beginning February 2017, on the Sony F55 camera, with Cooke Speed Panchro lenses. About 90 per cent of the actual locations, where the tragedy took place, were used to shoot the film. These included the Pakkies’ home in Lavender Hill, the police station in Steenberg where she was held, Pollsmoor prison where she was also held for a few weeks, and the Wynberg Magistrate Court where her court case took place. “Truth, naturalness and authenticity were things I was after. I wanted there to be a realness to the film. My mission as a filmmaker from the Cape Flats will always
be to give those in the audience who’ve never set foot there a truthful experience. Secondly, for those currently living there and coming from there I’d like to hold a mirror up to their reality and make them feel that the film provides a sincere treatment of their environment and circumstances,” shares Joshua. Sound was also utilised to ground the film in realism by using the environmental sound at Lavender Hill while keeping the score classical and subtle for most of the film. The Moving Picture Billboard Company (TMPBC) handled production, while post-production duties were carried out by a variety of service providers including FIX Post Production (edit and colour grading), 5:25 Productions (score), TMPBC (sound design and mix), Two Tales Animation (VFX), and Digital Workshop in Johannesburg for digital
delivery and completion. Ellen, Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies had its international premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival on 27 January 2018. The film has also screened at the 44th annual Seattle International Film Festival and has captivated audiences and movie critics across the globe. The film has also secured foreign sales and distribution deals and will begin its journey on various platforms in foreign territories in the coming months. Ellen, Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies is a kykNET Films production produced in association with M-Net, the DTI and The Moving Billboard Picture Company. The film, distributed by Ster-Kinekor Entertainment, will be released in cinemas nationwide on 7 September 2018. – Gezzy S Sibisi
Ellen, Die Storie Van Ellen Pakkies was shot on the Sony F55 camera, using Cooke Speed Panchro lenses.
KEY CREW
Director: Daryne Joshua Producers: Paulo Areal and Schalk Burger Writer: Amy Jephta DOP: Zenn van Zyl Editor: C.A. Van Aswegen Sound: Jean Niemandt
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FILM
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Stroomop celebrates the strength of women
When five women are tossed about by life’s rough waters and seemingly drowning in their own problems, a group therapy river rafting adventure meant to help them find inner healing goes horribly wrong and challenges them to either sink further into their predicaments or allow themselves to swim back up to reclaim their lives.
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troomop is an inspiring, Afrikaans adventure film by actor and first-time director, Ivan Botha of 17Films. After branching out from his performance career to co-write and co-produce the films Pad Na Jou Hart and Vir Altyd with Danie Bester, Botha decided to take another leap in his career and direct his first film. “We wanted to make a film where women don’t need a man to save them, where women are their own heroes. The timing cannot be more perfect as there is a conscious movement and energy celebrating women as we do with our story,” shares Botha. Scheduled for nationwide cinema release on Women’s Day, 9 August 2018, Botha says the film is inspired by issues women deal with on a daily basis which he wants viewers to experience through the journey of these remarkable women. “It’s a film about healing, life and death. Our characters embark on a life-changing adventure and truly discover their inner strength,” says Botha. The strong female characters in this film are played by Donnalee Roberts,
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Simoné Nortmann, Chanelle de Jager, Carla Classen and Ilse Klink. Roberts plays Lana, a surgeon with a tragic past. She lives for her work and is passionate about saving lives because she was unable to save her father’s life. However, when she loses this gift, her identity is challenged and she is forced to rediscover herself. Vivian, played by Nortmann, is a data analyst living a lie. She has lost her passion for life and is searching for a new adventure. Chanelle de Jager takes on the role of Adrie who has tons of potential but seems to have lost herself somewhere between marriage and motherhood. She is looking for a way to recharge her batteries and to take care of her own needs for a while. Carla Classen plays Nixie, an introverted millennial hiding her pain behind false illusions in the form of filters and hashtags. She is very specific about who she spends time with and what she says. Nixie does not have a good relationship with her mother, and sometimes feels lost as she struggles to
decide what she wants to do with her life. Ilse Klink plays Diona and mother to Nixie. She is a strong-willed family lawyer who has spent years helping other families but has neglected her own in the process. She does not need other people to feel worthy and shows her love by presenting events and solutions, but that’s not what her daughter needs. Overwhelmed by their realities, the women decide to go for group therapy. As part of their healing process, they are asked to take part in a river-rafting excursion on the Orange River. However, things don’t go as planned when their river guide, Guy, played by Armand Aucamp, is swept off the raft and the women are left to fend for themselves in the middle of nowhere. The group is only expected back after two-days, so together the women have to fight for survival in the wild, while in retrospect conquer their own fears and pain to get back to their families. “Stroomop was not the easiest of films to choose as a debut – including wild animals and working on water allowed for enough challenges. It was an honour to be in the driving seat of this incredible story with an even more incredible crew and cast behind me,” says Botha. Principal photogarapy commenced in February this year, and took place in Johannesburg and Onseepkans – a small settlement near Pofadder on the Orange River in Northern Cape. “We went for a very personal, natural and realistic look and feel, driven and motivated by character. We wanted our audience to become a character on the adventure; our audience is always experiencing the journey with the characters,” Botha comments.
This, they did by shooting handheld and letting the characters determine the camera movement. “Our characters move from a broken artificial world to the natural world; this motivated our lighting and sound designs. The elements were always motivated by our setting,” shares Botha. Seasoned cinematographer Tom Marais is a long-time pal of Botha and the Director of Photography (DOP) on Stroomop. Botha recalls that it was ten years ago while on the set of Bakgat 1 when he was still acting, that Marais said that he would assist him when he finally pursued a career in directing. Marais used the ARRI Amira to shoot the film: “We filmed on the ARRI – Amira, and we shot for scope. We made use of 5D on some of the wilder white-water scenes,” informs Botha. Special effects were also used to enhance some scenes in the film which include the wild hyena and snake scenes as well as the great stunts on the white-water rafting scenes. Botha comments: “Although the actors did 99 per cent of their own stunts, we did have a few shots which required VFX. Luckily, we have teamed up with Two Tales Animation who have done some incredible work.” With post-production, editing was handled by C.A. van Aswegan from Fix Post Productions, while Botha handled the online, post sound, grade and final mix at Refinery. As part of the release of the film, some of the crew and cast of Stroomop will be hosting a Women’s Day event at Atterbury Theatre on 9 August. The event aspires to make woman celebrate and embrace the challenges
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Film
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT
• Camera: Arri Amira
and adventures of womanhood and will include a session on self-discovery, forgiveness, acceptance and healing, as cast members Donnalee Roberts and Simone Nortmann share their life stories with the guests. Stroomop is distributed locally by Ster-Kinekor Entertainment and will be screened exclusively at Ster-Kinekor cinemas. “I hope moviegoers become characters and walk out feeling inspired, healed, having journeyed with these characters,” says Botha. Stroomop was produced by 17 Films and The Film Factory SA, in cooperation with kykNET, the National Film and Video Foundation and the Department of Trade and Industry. – Gezzy S Sibisi
Stroomop was shot on the Arri Amira.
KEY CREW
“It’s a film about healing, life and death. Our characters embark on a lifechanging adventure and truly discover their inner strength.” – Ivan Botha
Director: Ivan Botha Producers: Donnalee Roberts, Ivan Botha, Danie Bester Writers: Ivan Botha, Donnalee Roberts and Sean Robert Daniels DOP: Tom Marais Editor: C.A. van Aswegan Sound: Basiami Segola and Charlotte Buys
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FESTIVALS & MARKETS
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Durban FilmMart awards 2018
Award winners at the Durban FilmMart 2018
It’s been a bumper year for this year’s Durban FilmMart (DFM), the industry development programme of the eThekwini Municipality’s Durban Film Office (DFO) and Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which ended with an awards ceremony at the Southern Sun Maharani Hotel in Durban, South Africa, on Monday, 23 July.
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peaking at the DFM awards ceremony, Toni Monty, head of the DFO and the Durban FilmMart, said, “As one of the most important, film industry events and film finance platforms on the continent, we are really pleased that we have grown the DFM substantially this year with 877 delegates attending. We had over 40 countries participating this year, of which 19 were from Africa. A total number of 52 projects were pitched to potential partners, financiers, filmmakers, producers, distributors and agents during
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countless meetings.” “The important work we do to enable filmmakers, would not be possible without our partners and sponsors,” said Monty, “And we would like to thank our partner markets, development organisations and funding bodies with deep gratitude.” “The work we do at this mart supports the DIFF and DFO’s vision to dynamically grow the industry and bring African cinema to its own people and to global platforms.” Eighteen official DFM film projects in
development were presented at the Finance Forum through the sponsorship of the Industrial Development Corporation and the National Film and Video Foundation. Supported by Berlinale Talents, the Goethe-Institut and the German Embassy and in cooperation with Fipresci, Durban Talents was able to host 16 young filmmakers, and three Talents Press. “We hosted a number of scriptwriters’ labs including Jumpstart which is supported by Produire au Sud, France and the Realness Script Writing Residency. Hot Docs Canada, mentored 11 documentary projects in development and six CineFam Africa television series projects were mentored by Caribbean Tales, Canada.” “We recognise the important role that the eThekwini Municipality, the principal funder of the DFM plays in its success,” continued Monty. “The city’s involvement actively enables the economic growth of the industry, and we thank them for this.” The DFM hosted a number of delegations this year including the in-bound delegation through the
Department of Trade and Industry and the BRICS Film Festival delegation through the Department of Arts and Culture. Special thanks must go to the Canadian High Commission and US Embassy and the French Institute (IFAS), NFVF and KZN Film Commission for their support in bringing in delegates.
The Awards/Grants: •
The International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) awarded the most promising documentary project at the DFM, Cheese Girl (South Africa), produced by Batana Vundla, Marion Isaacs and directedby Milisuthando Bongela, with an opportunity to attend the IDFA Forum, one of the top gatherings for documentary filmmakers, producers, commissioning editors, funds, private financiers and other documentary filmmakers in Europe, in November. • The broadcast stream, Afridocs, that flights African and other international documentaries across 49 countries
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of sub-Saharan Africa on a weekly basis, gave a R2 500 award, funded by the Bertha Foundation, to Zinder, The Seeds of Violence (Niger), produced by Clara Vuillermoz, Ousmane Samassekou and directed by Aicha Macky. The CineMart Award, sponsored by the co-production market of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, went to the fiction project, Nyanga/The Horn (Zimbabwe), produced by Sue-Ellen Chitunya, Brett Michael Innes and directed by Brett Michael Innes. The project is given an opportunity to attend the Rotterdam Lab, a five-day training and networking event for producers from all over the world. Produire au Sud of Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes) awarded the fiction film Porta-Retrato (Mozambique), produced by Aldino Languana, Osvaldo Lupini Bambamba and directed by Orlando Mabasso Jr., an opportunity to attend its developmental workshop programme, PAS, where they will be given tools, expertise, and opportunities to develop European networks. Videovision Entertainment awarded the “Best South African Film Project” to Snake (South Africa), produced by Paul Egan, Stanford Gibson and Mustapha Hendricks and directed by Meg Rickards. They receive a prize valued at R75 000, which guarantees its release once it is completed. The prize also includes marketing and distribution support from Videovision Entertainment. Versfeld & Associates, publicity consultants awarded Nyanga/The Horn (Zimbabwe), produced by Sue-Ellen Chitunya, Brett Michael Innes and directed by Brett Michael Innes, the development of a press kit. Sørfond awarded the project How to Steal a Country, produced by Rehad Desai and Zivia Desai and directed by Mark Kaplan, with an opportunity to pitch at the Sørfond Pitching Forum in Oslo later this year. CineFAM-Africa Incubator Accelerator Programme award to pitch at the Caribbean Tales Film Festival in Toronto, went to The Summit Club by Layla Swart
FESTIVALS & MARKETS
Durban Tourism partners with DFM and DIFF to support emerging filmmakers “Durban is a cocktail of cultures,” says Sbusiso Zondi, Durban Tourism’s passionate senior manager of marketing and communication, and with the aim to capture and project just that, the organisation partnered with the 9th Durban FilmMart (DFM) and the 39th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) to introduce a new open industry platform called Isiphethu.
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un alongside DIFF and DFM, over four days, Isiphethu – supported by experts and visiting speakers to DFM 2018 – is DIFF’s open industry programme aimed at introducing entry level, emerging and micro-budget filmmakers, as well as interested members of the public, to the inner-workings of the world of cinema. Zondi says it was a ‘nobrainer’ for Durban Tourism when it came to partnering with DFM and DIFF, as film – and films coming out of Durban in particular – has proven to be an exceptional tool in increasing tourism in Durban. “As Durban
Tourism, we’ve said: ‘Let’s invest in the imaging market, let’s partner with those capturing Durban – its people, its essence and its culture. Let’s talk to young filmmakers and the guy who’s just bought a camera and is passionate about film... and teach them how to capture the essence of Durban and package it for the international market’.” In addition to the industry programme, Durban Tourism has partnered with National Geographic and the Discovery Channel to launch a film competition aimed at emerging filmmakers. The competition, which was announced on 23 July, will run for two months and
the winner will be announced on 24 September. The winner will be awarded a one to two week incubation opportunity at Discovery in the UK where they will be mentored while developing and producing a 60-second commercial aimed at increasing tourism in Durban. “One of the ultimate goals in supporting this initiative is because we want Durban to be a creative hub for filmmaking,” Zondi adds. “Let’s support emerging filmmakers because as Durban Tourism and the Durban Film Office, it is part of our mandate to aid economic development.” – Chanelle Ellaya
New awards this year include: • Hot Docs Blue Ice Award – a cash prize of 2000 Candian Dollars went to the documentary project The Master’s Plan, produced by Hanne Phlypo and directed by Yuri Ceuninck. • 11th Talents Durban “Talents Press” Recognition Award went to Cornelia Glele. • Durban FilmMart Award for the Durban Talents project selected as a project for DFM 2019 went to When Shadows Move by Aliki Saragas. – Sharlene Versfeld
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39th Durban International Film Festival awards The 39th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) held its awards ceremony on Saturday, 28 July, at Suncoast CineCentre as filmmakers and film-lovers gathered to watch the official closing film Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu. A total of 17 awards were given out at the ceremony: • Audience Choice Award: The State Against Mandela and the Others, directed by Nicolas Champeaux and Gilles Porte, which received a cash prize of R25 000.
• Best Feature Film: The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, directed by Muayad Alayan and produced by Muayad Alayan, Rami Alayan, Hans de Wolf, Hanneke Niens, Rebekka Garrido, Rodrigo Iturralde, Georgina Gonzalez and Alejandro Duran. The award is accompanied by a cash prize of R50 000. • Best South African Feature Film: High Fantasy, directed by Jenna Bass and produced by David Horler and Steven Markovitz. The film received a cash prize of R25 000. • Best Documentary: New Moon, produced and directed by Philippa Ndisi-Hermann. The film received a cash prize of R25 000. • Best South African Documentary: Sisters of the Wilderness, directed by Karin Slater and produced by Ronit Shapiro. The award is accompanied by a cash prize of R25 000.
• Best Direction: Constantin Popescu for Pororoca. • Best Cinematography: Liviu Marghidan for Pororoca. • Best Screenplay: Jennifer Fox for The Tale. • Best Actor: Bogdan Dumitrache for his role as Tudor in Pororoca, directed by Constantin Popescu. • Best Actress: Maisa Abd Elhadi for her role as Bisan in The Reports on Sarah and Saleem. 24 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
• Best Editing: Anne Fabini, Alex Hall and Gary Level for The Tale. • Artistic Bravery: The award was won jointly by High Fantasy, directed by Jenna Bass, and Supa Modo, directed by Likarion Wainaina. • Best South African Short Film: Stillborn, directed by Jahmil X. T. Qubeka and produced by Huanxi Media Group, Xstream Pictures and Yellowbone Entertainment. The film received a cash prize of R20 000 sponsored by the Gauteng Film Commission.
• Best African Short Film: Aya, directed by Moufida Fedhila and produced by Appel d’Air Films. The film also received a cash prize of R20 000 sponsored by the Gauteng Film Commission. • Best Short Film: The Patience of Water (La Paciencia Del Agua), directed by Guillem Almirall. The film received a cash prize of R20 000 from the Gauteng Film Commission.
• Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award: Silas, directed by Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman, and produced by Appian Way, Big World Cinema and Ink & Pepper Productions.
• Best Wavescape Film: Heavy Water, directed by Michael Oblowitz. The Shorts jury included creative media education and development specialist Alicia Price and Leon Van Der Merwe of the Cape Town International Film Market and Festival. The fiction feature jurors were South African producer Bongiwe Selane, Nigerian actor Hakeem Kae Kazim and Nigerian actress Nse Ikpe-Etim. The documentary film jury included South African producer Uzanenkosi, Zimbabwean producer Nakai Matema, Nigerian filmmaker Mahmood Ali-Balogun and Berlinbased freelance filmmaker, writer and curator, Dorothee Wenner. The 2018 edition of the Durban International Film Festival came to an end on 29 July and was part of a month-long feast of film in Durban, which included the BRICS Film festival and industry programmes, the Durban FilmMart, Isiphethu, Talents Durban, and the Nature Environment and Wildlife Film Congress. – Sharlene Versfeld
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FESTIVALS & MARKETS
Winners of DIFF’s Best International Documentary and Best SA Documentary awards now automatically qualify for Oscar consideration This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences established a Documentary Feature Qualifying Festival List and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is one of 28 selected international festivals that will see their winners up for consideration.
New Moon won the 2018 Best Documentary award at DIFF
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IFF has been notified by the Academy of this inclusion, which effectively means that both this year’s winners of the Best Documentary award, New Moon, and Best South African Documentary award, Sisters of the Wilderness, will now automatically be up for consideration for the 91st Academy Awards in 2019. DIFF joins other prestigious festivals from around the globe including the Cannes International Film Festival, Berlinale International Film Festival, Sydney International Film Festival, Hot
Sisters of the Wilderness won the 2018 Best South African Documentary award at DIFF
Docs Canadian International Film Festival, and IDFA – the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. The only other qualifying African festival is the Carthage Festival in Tunisia. “We are delighted with this international recognition, and we are especially pleased for the filmmakers that will benefit from the recognition that they will receive as a result,” says Lliane Loots of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. “The festival began 39 years ago as a means to expose South Africans to global stories, during the really dark
days of Apartheid, where censorship and government policy, as well as hard-felt, yet very effective, cultural boycotts denied us access to international creative expression. It was also started as a means to offer cinema experiences in townships where people had very little access to ‘the media’ at large. So from these humble beginnings, we are really grateful to the Academy for providing this opportunity for the filmmakers who have films in the festival.”
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CTIFMF 2018: Collaboration drives tangible outcomes through Works in Progress
As the planning intensifies for this year’s Cape Town International Film Market and Festival (CTIFMF), the focus is firmly on collaborations that lead to tangible outcomes.
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ver the past few weeks the CTIFMF team has announced a number of these collaborations, from the partnership with the China-Africa International Film Festival (CAIFF) that aims to strengthen the exchange of learning culture between China and Africa through film, to the most recent announcement of the partnership with Snake Nation and the YOMYOMF Foundation for the Interpretations Short Film Competition. Within this commitment to outcome based programming, Elias Ribeiro, the recently appointed Cape Town Film Market director, has developed a series of programmes aimed at filmmakers and related film professionals – the Works in Progress (WIP) sessions will form a fundamental part of this. Ribeiro explains further: “The proposed market and industry activations are getting an incredibly warm reception from our filmmaking community. There is great enthusiasm across the board, especially around our book adaptation initiative and the focus in sub-Saharan Africa for Works in Progress. We will be hosting two top talent agents in Cape Town this October, Cynthia Okoye from Curtis Brown, and David Kayser from Casarotto & Ramsay Associates, both UK-based but with a strong interest in African talent. We hope to introduce them to potential new clients and creatives from the continent.” Okoye joined Curtis Brown in 2008 having freshly graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Law (LLB). In 2013 she began to build her own list of writers, directors and filmmakers from the ground up. She has this to say of her involvement in the CTIFMF, “My mission was, and still is, to
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find and represent unique filmmaking talent and enable them to build careers in the UK film and television industry, and beyond.” Curtis Brown is one of the world’s leading literary and talent agencies that represent authors, playwrights, film and television writers and directors, theatre directors and designers, television and radio presenters and actors. From novelists like Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Ian Fleming (James Bond), to screenwriters and filmmakers like Hossein Amini and Gareth Edwards, to actors including Dev Patel, Stanley Tucci and Robert Pattinson. The Theatre, Film and Television department of Curtis Brown has built a roster of award-winning writers, directors and creatives working in the film and television industry in the UK and around the world. Their film portfolio includes Broken, London Road and The Ones Below, all for BBC Films. David Kayser, from Casarotto & Ramsay Associates, is South African himself and represents Sibs Shongwe LaMer, director of Necktie Youth, the South African film that took the festival circuit by storm in 2015 winning multiple awards and landing the young director CAA representation in North America and Casarotto representation in London. Kayser is a talent agent representing writers, directors, dramatic rights to books and estates across film, TV and theatre. Casarotto’s clients range from, Hope Dickson-Leach, Jack Thorne, Lenny Abrahamson, Lucy Kirkwood, Sibs Shongwe-La Mer, Caryl Churchill, Joachim Trier, Sarah Gavron, Phyllis Nagy, David Yates, Kelly Marcel, Terry Gilliam, and the estates of JG Ballard, Roald Dahl,
Joe Orton and Tennessee Williams, to name a few. Kayser is also very excited about his involvement in this year’s CTIFMF programme, “I’m extremely passionate about African storytelling – the voices that are coming out of South Africa and beyond at the moment are hugely exciting for the industry-at-large. I am incredibly honoured to be a part of the forums at this year’s festival and look forward to taking part and immersing myself in what promises to be a fantastic platform for South African talent.” Also in attendance as part of the Works in Progress sessions will be Eric Lagesse, head of Acquisitions at Pyramide International, a Paris-based film sales company that represents The Wound as well as The Harvesters. Lagesse will serve as a mentor to the market’s Works in Progress selected projects. He will be joined in those feedback sessions by Mmabatho Kau, one of the most prolific story consultants in South Africa. Mmabatho has worked as a producer, broadcaster, development executive and script consultant for over 15 years. She was recently selected to participate as a script editor in the Torino Script Lab 2018 and is running the Realness Pan-African Screenwriters Residency along with Selina Ukwuoma. Drawing on almost a decade of experience in international sales, Themba Bhebhe is a British-born international sales executive for L.A-based sales agency, Flourishing Films. Flourishing Films is a boutique international sales agent, production company and North American distributor specialising in global filmed content with a particular focus on Black content from across the African diaspora for both diaspora and
international audiences at large. Bhebhe will also be in attendance at the CTIFMF: “As a sales agent that foregrounds African and African-diaspora content, I am delighted to attend the upcoming CTIFMF. In an extremely pragmatic way, the programme not only focuses on fostering the emergence of rising talent through its Works in Progress scheme, but also explores how best we can engage African audiences and harness the continent’s intellectual property through the adaptation of its literary works.” This initial viewing will be followed by a screening of a segment of the same works to a wider audience of invited industry stakeholders comprising of festival programmers, sales companies, distributors and post-production financiers. The WIP programme will disburse finishing awards to the most promising projects: grading, final sound mix, VFX, online editing, subtitling and DCPs, with the generous support of South African post-production facilities such as Priest Post, Rhapsody, The Refinery, The Work Room Audio Post, and Post Production South Africa. Additionally, the CTIFMF 2018 has confirmed attendance from Berlinale’s European Film Market and Berlinale Africa Hub, Tribeca, Cannes Director’s Fortnight, Toronto International Film Festival and London BFI as well as international sales companies such as Pyramide International, Flourishing Films, talent agents Casarotto and Curtis Brown, M-Net, Indigenous Films, and Ster-Kinekor. – Lara Preston
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IBC 2018
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IBC 2018 – shaping In a year that nearly 60 per cent of all new digital video produced was played on mobile devices and as we near the end of a decade where OTT viewing is expected to surpass typical broadcast TV viewing, the IBC 2018 conference programme in September, will no doubt be full of hot topics and debates as industry leaders, global game changers and disruptors in media, entertainment and technology come together yet again to discuss the future of broadcast.
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ore than ever before, when it comes to content, consumers want it “their way” and thanks to advances in wireless, mobile and video technologies, consumers are now enjoying an abundance of options; options that they want more of to feed their insatiable appetites for high quality, exclusive content. At this year’s IBC Conference, discussions on content creation and new multi-platform technologies will no doubt be high on the
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the future agenda with a number of top content creators adding their expertise and experiences to the sessions. Following on from NAB, cyber security solutions will be a major discussion point and the IBC platform is the perfect place to muse over the issues. Theft of content before it is released to the world market is a major concern for the entertainment industry and needs to be addressed in depth. Interestingly, debates on whether Brexit (the UK’s exit from the EU) will break the broadcast industry through restrictions on free movement of creative talent and import and export uncertainties facing technology vendors, are high on the agenda and of much concern to most of the European delegates. Other discussions are likely to include the ever expanding 4K market, HDR production, content delivery and my favourite new topic – eSports, a US$1.4 billion emerging multi-player video game industry that is taking the entertainment and broadcast markets by storm. BBC Radio 1 gaming
reporter (yes this job exists), Julia Hardy, chairs a one-on-one with eSports investor Arnd Benninghoff, to delve into the industry that is giving traditional sport a run for its money and discuss what the future holds for eSport partnerships, players and broadcasters. This year we will see the first ever IBC Next Gen Track with Sky VR Studios’ technical director, Richard Mills, presenting this exclusive insights into recent and new developments in immersive production, innovative kit and creative trans-media breakthroughs in VR, AR, AI and more. There will no doubt be much discussion around 5G technology with post winter Olympic case studies being presented and sessions devoted to the convergence and partnerships between telecoms and the broadcast industry. Not to be missed will be a high-level panel discussion on the pending impact of 5G on fast, reliable remote production, editing, cloud storage and archiving (yay, we can all work from home soon). This year’s Big Screen Programme, focuses on how innovation in tech is allowing us to bring stories to life like never before. A must see will be ‘The Story of the Edit’ where we will get a
| chance to listen to Oscar-nominated Maryann Brandon chatting with Avid’s Matt Feury, on her work on the next instalment of the legendary Star Wars franchise. Another goodie is going to be HBO’s Image Study on Drone Photography where you will be able to see the premiere of the second season of HBO’s ground-breaking technology documentary series Image Study which focuses on aerial camera platforms and how HBO has tested them to the limits of their ability to replace traditional camera equipment and techniques. This session will no doubt be really absorbing and interesting. Every year the IBC Future Zone brings together the very latest ideas, innovations and concept technologies from international industry and academia, and showcases them in a single specially curated exhibition area within the IBC Exhibition. This year, the focus is on showing how new technologies grow from their first inception, progress through research and development projects, to mature into the groundbreaking applications and product standards of the future. I hope that we will have the opportunity to see the Fraunhofer Institute demonstrating their next generation audio format MPEG-H, which they hope might just become the new de facto standard for broadcasters and the creators of virtual reality experiences. MPEG-H allows content creators to create true surround-sound audio experiences as it effectively has no limit to the number of audio sources it can replicate and can even emulate sound in a 3D space by imitating both vertical and horizontal sources. In addition, it can apply audio to individual objects in virtual environments, a significant boon to creators of VR content. Virtual objects can each be assigned a location and the sound emitting from them changes depending on whether they are behind, in front, or to the side of the user. The experience even works while using a normal pair of stereo headphones. The IBC Future Zone wouldn’t be the same without contribution from NHK, the sole public broadcaster in
IBC 2018
Japan that has been leading the development of broadcasting technologies for years now. Their stand will showcase the latest 8K technologies, efficient programme production using AI, and the evolution of their bespoke platform integrating broadcasting with the internet. Not to be missed for anything, NHK always deliver technology ideas that make the whole broadcast world think. Not far away from the Future Zone is the IBC Launch Pad which is located in Hall 9. It’s is the place to go to see the latest innovations from IBC’s newest exhibitors. Now a firmly established IBC feature area, the IBC Launch Pad offers the chance to network with emerging companies and witness their ground-breaking technology first-hand. As always, there is much anticipation as to what’s going to be new at IBC. It’s too soon to speculate on what equipment and gear might be launched or highlighted but If you do the numbers, according to the organisers, over 57 000 people from 170 countries are going to gather in 1 city to listen to 400 speakers and visit 1 700 exhibitors across five busy days to debate and shape the future of the broadcast and entertainment industries, and witness the latest and most innovative technology advances. Amsterdam, 13 to 17 September must therefore be the number one place to visit in 2018. – Ian Dormer
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IBC 2018
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Michael Crimp talks IBC 2018 highlights Michael Crimp, CEO of IBC, on the importance of trade shows; current industry trends and hot topics; and what visitors to IBC Show 2018 can look forward to‌ Why are trade shows important, and in particular why are trade shows important in our industry? Are we seeing a drop in interest? I still believe people have a real need to meet, to talk face to face. In our industry we are dealing in extremely complex systems that use technology to drive creativity and commerce. It is not the sort of industry where a quick Google search will find an off-the-shelf product, so getting together with multiple potential partners, in the right environment to do business, is really valuable. If you look at the structure of the media and entertainment business, we have a tiny handful of really big suppliers, a few middle-sized vendors, and a long, long tail of small, specialised and extremely 30 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
valuable companies. This structure has been around for as long as I have been in the industry, and it works. One of the reasons that it works is that it depends upon collaboration which naturally feeds innovation. IBC is a great place for those collaborations to be incubated. What’s new at IBC 2018? Before I answer that, it is important to say what is the same: We still have 15 exhibition halls full of all the players in this rapidly changing industry. That includes some new and exciting businesses, like the Alibaba Group, based in China, and the sixth largest internet company in the world. Also the same since the first IBC, 51
years ago, is the recognition that our visitors are seeking knowledge. They rely on IBC to provide the forum for information exchange, on the show floor, in the conference, and in the value added experiences and networking opportunities we create. In turn, we are seeing exhibitors evolve in the way they present themselves. When IBC started, exhibitors were selling big devices: it was obvious what they did, and the captions alongside the big boxes talked in terms of technical specifications. Today, large numbers of the products at IBC are software packages of some sort, whether running on dedicated hardware, standard computers or in the cloud. Exhibitors have to innovate to showcase their products and their unique selling points. Smart exhibitors are finding new ways of telling their stories. We see many more putting theatres on their stands so they can present the philosophies behind their solutions, perhaps introducing users who have successfully adopted the technologies. It is all part of telling the story. In the conference, too, we are finding new ways to tell the story. Our Global Gamechangers day, for instance, brings together people and roles as diverse as Mohamed Abuagla, CTO of Al Jazeera,
and Peter Salmon, chief creative officer of Endemol Shine, the production company behind programmes as varied as Black Mirror and MasterChef. The IBC Conference was founded on technical papers, and they remain absolutely central to the programme. This year, though, they are being woven more closely into broader sessions, so that the underlying technology is handled alongside the operational and business implications, putting all sides of the story in the same place. What are you most excited about for IBC 2018? Honestly, it is the opening (finally!) of the new North-South metro line. Now visitors will be able to get from central Amsterdam to the heart of the RAI in just a few minutes. It will be a great relief for those who dread the crowds on the number 4 tram, and it will slash journey times. When you get off the new train, then you will see that we have transformed the conference programme. To create new impetus, we have a new conference steering group, chaired by Keith Underwood, COO of Channel 4 in the UK. They have guided our team to create six new conference tracks focusing on the
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IBC 2018
“…the industry is no longer bound by its technology, but by the desire to find new and engaging ways to tell stories, and to monetise those efforts fairly and equitably.
most pressing challenges. They have also added new formats into the conference, like breakfast briefings and lounge talks. I have already mentioned the Global Gamechangers stage which kicks off the conference. There are also keynote presentations from the likes of Kelly Day of Viacom, Neal Mohan of YouTube, JB Perrette of Discovery, and former model and entrepreneur Lily Cole of Impossible.com. What are the technological trends you are most excited about? It may be an odd thing to say, in a technological industry, but it is not the technologies themselves that are exciting. Certainly there are big things happening. I think we will see big advances in areas like artificial intelligence, 5G and blockchain. But the real excitement comes when these raw technologies are put into action. IBC puts these ideas in front of people who can imagine the possibilities and create the applications that transform our creativity and our business models. One of the IBC events I enjoy most is the awards ceremony on Sunday evening, and within that the IBC Innovation Awards. These mark the most successful completed projects of the year. Time after time the winners say that their projects started with conversations at IBC, when they saw the potential of new technologies and could see how to solve their own very specific challenges. That is worth getting excited about. What are some of the hot topics that will be addressed during the conference? We have six tracks through the conference this year:
”
– Michael Crimp
• New platforms: innovators and disruptors • Audiences: engage; influence; grow • Smart connectivity and multi-play devices • Advertising: the new attention economy • Cutting edge tech innovators • Nextgen: interactive and immersive experiences. Within each of these streams we have some big names who have pioneered new approaches and guided their businesses to successful achievements. Alongside these are some special events, including our popular Leaders’ Forum and CTO-level days on cybersecurity and the convergence of media and telecoms, plus the Gamechangers Stage and popular regulars like What Caught My Eye and the IBC Big Screen events. The whole conference programme has been very carefully designed to tell a story, to guide the visitor through the whole IBC experience. In turn, I see that the industry is no longer bound by its technology, but by the desire to find new and engaging ways to tell stories, and to monetise those efforts fairly and equitably. Those, I think, will be the key messages debated at IBC this year. What are the hottest trends in the industry at the moment? I think the top trends are well established and you do not need me to talk about the shift to IP connectivity and softwaredefined topologies; about the convergence of broadcast, IT and telecoms; and about the search for new formats, whether that is Ultra HD or virtual reality. What is exciting is the way that the business that uses these technologies is changing. How will broadcasters, telcos and streaming companies co-exist? Will
OTT providers be the new broadcasters, or will producers sell direct to consumers? These are the sorts of questions that are debated at IBC. Advertising still seems a reliable and lucrative way to fund content production and delivery. Will programmatic advertising planning and dynamic ad insertion transform the cost/revenue model? Or will new monetisation methods – maybe blockchain-managed micropayments from consumer to producer – transform the creative industry? These issues may not be solved at IBC 2018, but they will be much talked about. How are the attendees and companies participating in IBC changing? The last stage of development in IBC was a move away from an engineering-based event to one which attracts debate from the creative, operational and commercial sides of media businesses. Today that sweeping approach to all the issues makes IBC the natural forum for those in adjacent industries which are adopting our skills and technologies. So we have specialist days in the conference which attract those from the telecoms industry, for example, or those charged with managing cyber-security. Where appropriate, IBC creates a hosted programme to bring leaders from adjacent industries into the event and into the community. How do you ensure the content at IBC stays fresh year on year? By listening. We do not say it as often as we used to, but IBC is organised by the industry for the industry. Through bodies like our content steering group and the IBC Council we get input from those, around the world, who are leading the industry today. These create a halo effect. Keith
Underwood, this year’s guest chair for the content steering group, brought in some of his own contacts, and talked to others. Having access to high level address books in this way brings us a huge amount of insight. At the same time, we drive the agenda from within, looking to influence the industry on a wider basis. This year, for example, we are concentrating hard on diversity, in age, gender and race. It is important to the whole team that we lead in showing the world we are an inclusive industry. What are the highlights of the IBC Innovation Awards? The IBC Innovation Awards are a perfect encapsulation of everything we think is good about IBC. They reward not pure technology, but the way that end users and technology partners work together to achieve a practical and satisfying solution to a real world challenge. This year’s shortlist sees 10 projects up for the three awards – and those 10 finalists come from at least 10 countries (there are a couple of multi-national projects in there). They come from five continents: Africa, America, Asia, Australasia and Europe. I know that they include sport and news, multi-lingual production and multi-national delivery, new ways of engaging audiences and new business models to maximise revenues. As a sports fan, I am personally delighted that half of them are from the world of sport – rallying to skiing. How important are nonEuropean visitors to IBC? They are vital to the success: why wouldn’t they be? IBC happens to be held in Europe but it is a global event. Each year we welcome visitors from around more than 170 countries.
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POST-PRODUCTION
| CASE STUDY
The Refinery delivers international dailies for
Tomb Raider C
ape Town post-production facility, The Refinery, took care of the dailies for the South African leg of the production, working closely with onset DIT, Joshua Callis-Smith to realise DOP, George Richmond’s colour vision for the film. The dailies team would then extend across to London with Company 3, who were also responsible for delivering final grade. “We approached the colour pipeline for Tomb Raider in a similar way to our previous projects,” explains Callis-Smith. “We began by shooting tests, these were then taken to Company 3 in London where colourist Greg Fisher worked with George to establish a look for the film that would transition into the dailies and viewed throughout post.” “George was keen to achieve two juxtaposing colour pallets,” explains Allan Taylor of The Refinery, dailies colourist on Tomb Raider. “He was looking for a warm, rich, jungle-like look for the exteriors, then a cooler, darker feel for the interior cave sets. The team intentionally shot in the South African summer to take advantage of the intense blue skies and the deep contrast the summer light would offer.” Craig Parker, workflow manager at The Refinery adds: “George wanted absolute confidence in his control over the colour pipeline and didn’t want to leave anything to chance. When we took him through options, he became noticeably relaxed when we suggested a DaVinci Resolve
workflow. From then, we really got stuck into the detail.” Once principle photography got underway, Allan Taylor worked closely with Callis-Smith. “He was the critical communication bridge responsible for ensuring that George’s vision translated all the way through the colour pipeline,” Taylor recalls. Callis-Smith would set the initial look
using Pomfort Live Grade Pro, creating a CDL for the scene being shot. This was then passed through the DaVinci Resolve system used on set to be applied to the dailies colour. “I would grade each roll on a shot by shot basis, matching any inconsistencies in lenses or exterior light that occurred to make sure that all the dailies matched and carried across the exact look George intended,” he explains.
Using a Flanders Scientific BoxIO and Pomfort Live Grade for live colour, Callis-Smith produced his dailies colour in DaVinci Resolve. Both were fed into a video matrix using an UltraStudio 4K allowing him to grade on the same OLED monitor he used to set the live 32 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
The 2018 action-adventure Tomb Raider film, with a new Lara Croft played by Alicia Vikander, was shot across two continents. It’s no surprise then that the flick demanded an incredibly large team working tirelessly behind the scenes with the film’s dailies team residing in both Cape Town and London – the two locations providing a contrast for the dynamic shifts in Lara Croft’s story. colour. “It also meant that I could pop into Resolve if I quickly wanted to see how a window or secondary grade could be used to manipulate the image prior to turning over,” he recalls. “This kind of colour work can’t be achieved through a live grade system alone and requires a dailies colourist to make these changes. Over the years myself and George have worked this way on set with me taking the role of both dailies colourist and DIT,” adds Callis-Smith. “The efficiency within this process has become faster and more intuitive. George can work quickly, making colour decisions instantly rather than visiting a facility on wrap or needing to fire stills back and forth to an offsite colourist throughout the evening.” After wrap, Callis-Smith would provide The Refinery with each day’s DaVinci Resolve project along with any rushes; Taylor would then log and sync the pictures and audio to populate his colour timelines. “A rigorous check was then done to confirm that all of the metadata required by Company 3 was present,” Taylor explains. The Refinery used Resolve’s support of custom metadata to help with its processing of the media, while retaining all the metadata necessary for the
editorial exports. “This was an immensely helpful tool within Resolve,” comments Taylor. “By using a custom metadata view, we could focus on the main tags required by Company 3 while providing editorial with all the information they needed.” “When we were happy that everything was logged correctly we ran off the various soft deliverables, including editorial MXF files and viewing dailies. Where anomalies were found, I would rebuild timelines based on new bin structures to accommodate new footage. In these instances we would use the ColorTrace feature in Resolve which allowed us to easily replicate the colour work done on set by Josh, often utilising multiple nodes beyond that of the primary,” he says. Working on Tomb Raider within a continent-spanning dailies team has seen The Refinery pick up some processes that they will take into future projects. “Attention to detail was integral to working on a dailies setup such as this. We now set up custom metadata views as part of our standard operating procedure, even when those jobs aren’t going to utilise media sharing platforms. It definitely helps our operators to focus on many details at a glance, and enables us to move more quickly through the initial stages of any workflow,” Taylor concludes. – Chanelle Ellaya
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© 2018 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Avid, the Avid logo, and MediaCentral are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
DIGITAL BROADCASTING
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The rise of Mobile TV in South Africa
Mobile television is one of the fastest-growing media markets in South Africa, with video on demand (VOD) platforms such as Netflix, Showmax and Cell C’s black beginning to surpass traditional broadcasters as the nation’s preferred content providers.
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his article takes a look at the rise of mobile TV in South Africa, from its inception to its rapid evolution in recent years.
The early days of mobile TV in South Africa South Africa’s first introduction to mobile TV broadcasting came in 2010, with the trial launch of DStv Mobile. This service sought to take advantage of two growing technologies at the time: DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld), and 3G, the ‘Third Generation’ of wireless mobile telecommunications technologies. These options reflected the two main ways in which television services could be transmitted to mobile devices, a technological breakthrough first made by South Korea in 2006. DVB-H is a form of terrestrial broadcasting, where a station will encode content and forward it – as data – to a streaming server. The encoded data, usually H.264 for video and AAC for audio, is then sent to broadcast towers, which ultimately deliver the data to
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mobile devices, where it is processed and played as video or audio content. What is important to note is that, in a sense, DVB-H remains a ‘traditional’ form of broadcasting, with a ‘one-to-many’ style of transmission and a ‘unidirectional’ mode of broadcast. Simply put, this means that – although content can be delivered to users via mobile devices, affording some freedom and flexibility – many viewers are still ‘tuning in’ to watch content produced by one station at a pre-arranged broadcast time.
The shift to video on demand and internet streaming Although in the South African context it remains hugely popular for sports, concerts and other live events, this ‘traditional’ broadcast model has been severely disrupted in recent years by the emergence of video-on-demand (VOD) platforms and internet streaming. Internet streaming is different from terrestrial digital broadcasting in several key respects. Firstly, the mechanism is different: with internet streaming, content
producers encode and upload audio and video data (often via content distribution networks) to global internet servers, which are then accessed independently by viewers from their mobile devices. Of course, this mechanism relies on an integrated system of mobile technologies. Cheaper handsets, greater access to network coverage and continually falling data prices have all contributed to the development of mobile broadcasting in South Africa. At the same time, the ‘cloud revolution’ has made it a viable medium for broadcasters wishing to engage with audiences. Deyasha Sukdeo is head of Television Broadcasting at Global Access, a company which uses “television broadcasting, digital signage, web-streaming and other technologies to distribute relevant and impactful content.” She underscores the importance of technological advancements, saying that “the expansion of broadband internet access and the increase in fibre networks have contributed to better reception of mobile broadcasting.” However, Sukdeo goes on to say that “a shift in mindset, where mobile content consumption is encouraged, has also been beneficial” – and this reveals the key difference of mobile TV as a mode of broadcasting. In contrast to the traditional model, mobile broadcasting
has a ‘one-to-one’ style of transmission and a ‘bi-directional’ mode of broadcast, meaning that although users may be restricted by bandwidth or data limitations, they can view content on demand, either by streaming it from the internet server, or downloading it to watch at a later time.
The state of mobile TV today The importance of this “shift in mindset” cannot be overstated. Around the globe, viewers have responded to this ability to watch not only the content they want to see, but also when and where they want to consume it. A 2015 Nielsen survey estimated that nearly two-thirds of the world’s viewers regularly access some kind of VOD service. One of the leading South African platforms in the mobile TV revolution is Cell C’s black. The CEO of the company, Jose Dos Santos, highlights the incredible potential for growth in this sector throughout the African continent, stating that in comparison to the global Nielsen average, “the same mobile content is only being served to one-fifth of African viewers.” According to Dos Santos, “the pricing and flexibility of black will change that” – and the platform has already seen great uptake in its app-based VOD service, while a set-top box for home TV viewing is also available. Affordable data packages and a premium selection of
| content are central to the platform’s goals, and black has already established some high-profile content partnerships with major networks and sports organisations. Their November 2017 agreement with the Fox Networks Group (FNG) of Europe and Africa to launch the FOX+ VOD service in South Africa is a “momentous deal” in the words of black’s chief executive of Content, Surie Ramasary. Although things are improving, Sukdeo reminds us that “data costs remain a big challenge to people viewing on mobile devices. Mobile video content is data hungry, and connectivity isn’t always available, stable and reliable for the viewing experience.” Thankfully, in addition to platforms like black, there are companies – such as Tuluntulu, an online radio and TV content distribution platform launched by Pierre van der Hoven – that have emerged in recent years with innovative solutions to these challenges. While most VOD platforms stream content at 140 or 280Kbps to ensure high-quality visuals and audio, this can prove too much for what Tuluntulu calls “the developing world’s congested networks and low-bandwidth environments.” As a response, the company has developed “rate-adaptive” technology, where mobile devices can still deliver content with a streaming rate
DIGITAL BROADCASTING
as low as 50Kbps. With a willing market and increasingly sophisticated technologies to aid its development, mobile TV is set to continue its disruption of traditional broadcasting formats, both within South Africa and throughout the continent. – David Cornwell
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
| THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
AI – ready for Written by Tim Claman, CTO and VP of Product Management at Avid
In technology circles worldwide, artificial intelligence (AI) is a dominant topic of reflection, research and increasingly, implementation. AI is delivering real value in several areas of the media production and distribution chain, but applications are limited presently. Other areas are showing tremendous potential and are now being explored. While it’s only a matter of time before the technology and our collective expertise overcomes current limitations, it’s interesting to note where we are now and where we’re heading. Enhancing content discovery The most obvious application of AI today is around automated metadata extraction or content “indexing”. The process of taking content, applying an algorithm to derive time-based metadata that is then registered in an asset management system is greatly enhancing content discoverability. For example, an algorithm that converts speech to text aligns each word in the text to markers within the content, making it possible to locate where a certain word or phrase is spoken. It’s also possible to index content to find voice signatures that identify where a 36 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
certain speaker is speaking. Now you have two layers of time-based metadata that allow fine-grained searching. You can keep adding layers or “strata” that enable even more detailed searching. For example, you may want to search for any time a particular public figure said certain words within a specific time frame. AI algorithms are so advanced they can do more than identify faces – they can infer the mood of each person at any given time. As you apply more AI algorithms to a content library, you add more strata of time-based metadata, enabling increasingly sophisticated searching,
while automating a time-intensive task that’s difficult and prohibitively expensive to achieve with humans. Perhaps even more valuable is the ability to discover valuable content long after it has been archived. Often, we don’t know in advance what content will be significant. AI can help uncover valuable assets that are hiding in plain sight within a content library. With enough metadata strata you can triangulate in to find content you may not even know you have. Often confused with speech-to-text but operating differently, phonetic search has extraordinary promise. A time-based indexing algorithm can convert text into phonemes that take you right to specific locations within a piece of content. The end result is that you can conduct keyword searches on libraries never before transcribed. The ability to find clips/content phonetically works extremely well and is in products now on the market.
Automating quality control Another significant AI use case is automated quality control (QC). AI-driven QC solutions can churn through a library of clips at one keystroke and analyse a broad range of quality parameters. It can show, for example, whether a programme master that is targeted for French
audiences actually has French language audio tracks, eliminating the need for someone to watch an entire show track by track to know that it’s the right version all the way through – a tremendous time and resource savings. AI can also be used to ensure the accuracy of closed captions. Without AI, manual caption checks are required. Sometimes captions are wrong in the programme master or aren’t in sync with the audio. AI quality control can confirm not only that captions are there but also that they’re correct. Some QC solutions can even make needed timing corrections. An application at the nation’s leading over-the-top media services provider shows precisely how this type of QC is implemented. One of their brand differentiators is quality. So, the company runs all content through a gauntlet of automated QC services, such as audio levels and visual clarity, identifying whether a host of criteria are met to ensure the highest quality standards.
A new media supply chain In addition to enabling better search and quality control capabilities, AI is also being used for operational business
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
|
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
primetime?
intelligence. In the pre-digital days, the media supply chain was extremely disconnected, with all steps of the process separated by physical media such as tapes. Today’s workflows are much more integrated and hold tremendous potential for operational efficiency. But an understanding of the process is critical. To optimise your efficiency, you must track what people are doing and how they’re doing it in ways that inform the operational view of the media supply chain. With this kind of business intelligence, you can see where your pipeline is bogging down. Where are the choke points? Is it a lack of ingest capacity? Or if 30 per cent of time in edit suites is taken up by rendering, it may be time to offload editing to a render farm. Through an integrated AI-enhanced media production platform, it’s possible to measure all operations. How many people are using the system? How many are working on a specific project? Where are the technical bottlenecks and so on? For the most part, this kind of data has been impossible to collect and analyse. Until now, media workflows have largely
dashboard view, for example. AI that informs the creative process by analysing downstream consumption patterns presents extremely powerful application possibilities.
Moving forward
been a black box. But as media organisations seek to do more with less, more transparency into day-to-day operations is critical to garner operational metrics. AI can provide deep business intelligence to optimise production workflows.
Audience analytics It’s clearly an advantage to have intelligence and analytics about your audience and their viewing habits to inform business decisions. Beyond the production stages in the supply chain, AI has perhaps even more potential for optimising content distribution. AI can provide insights about consumption
patterns that are impossible to glean otherwise. You can see the potential for news outlets and broadcasts. As news has become a 24/7 web and social phenomenon, news organisations and journalists need to know what’s trending and what news is breaking. Understanding events in the broader world context can influence how stories are assigned and prioritised. Today, specialised cloud-based service providers use algorithms to comb the web and synthesise trends, tracking information that may be relevant to a news topic from different information sources as they unfold. This data can be dynamically updated and available to journalists in a
The major challenge for more widespread AI adoption is not developing the algorithms, it’s how best to use and integrate them. As we add more and more AI capabilities, how do we harness the power they hold in a way that gives tangible business benefits? How do we make the user experience elegant in light of growing dimensions of data? These are questions that will be addressed as the technology progresses and implementations evolve. In short, AI is an area that’s ripe for innovation. Business models are still immature as companies assess how best to productise AI so it makes business sense both for users and providers. In the end, the closer we to get to the craft of storytelling the more of a human endeavour it becomes. AI is a tool that assists with storytelling. It doesn’t replace it.
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Television
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Ambitions shines a
light on displaced communities in SA The South African government has a history of displacing the inhabitants of poorer communities. Often these people are promised compensation and/ or better housing for the trouble caused in uprooting their lives and families. However, more often than not, these prove to be false promises.
Zikhona Bali as young journalist, Qhawe Ledwaba in Ambitions
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e-
Extra recently introduced a new locally-produced show, exclusive to its channel, titled Ambitions – a captivating drama that tells the story of a recently displaced community through the eyes of its people and an inquisitive young journalist who seeks to expose the truth. In the thrilling drama series, the stakes are high as threats turn to murder, and we realise our heroine is out of her depth. “Ambitions is a social awareness drama that speaks to the damage corruption does to our society. We wish to explore how corruption serves the individual at the expense of the community and how detrimental that can be to our newly formed democracy,” informs creative producer of the show, Roberta Durrant. The series follows the journey of a young journalist and heroine, Qhawe Ledwaba, played by Zikhona Bali. Ledwaba is eager to kickstart her career as an investigative journalist when she discovers that the displaced community of Supingstad is living in squalor on the back of broken promises by their government. Ledwaba learns that the community has yet to receive the housing and facilities promised to them as compensation for their removal from their informal settlement to make way for the building of a new clinic. The budding journalist sweeps into action, in an effort
| to find out who is involved, and get justice for the displaced community. “On the surface, Qhawe espouses a devotion to the truth and to promoting justice and equality: ideals she was raised with by her struggle-activist mother, Lulama Ledwaba. But as we soon learn, her relationship with the truth, and her motivation as a journalist is a lot more complicated than that,” shares Durrant. The television series stars the legendary Mary Twala, as Gogo Lizzie, and features several local talents that have established their careers on the small screen including Kagiso Modupe, Nokhuthula Ledwaba, Yonda Thomas, Luzuko Nteleko, Peter Se-Puma and Thulani Khubeka. As Ledwaba and the Supingstad community members mobilise to confront the corrupt system and its tenderpreneurs, the wicked businessmen attempt to silence them with threats, manipulation and murder. However, defiant Ledwaba and the united Supingstad community are not such willing pushovers. Through the drama series, Durrant aims to showcase the right of a free press in a democratic country, while paying tribute to the bravery of some members of our press who have put their lives at risk to tell the truth and uncover corruption. The show also highlights the far-reaching effects of corruption and state capture.
Ambitions was shot on the Sony F55 camera with prime lenses. Wanting to portray life as it truly is in these situations, Durrant and her team chose to shoot on location in and around Johannesburg; in the R59 informal settlement, Johannesburg CBD, as well as the northern suburbs. “We wanted to portray life as it truly is, without false distortions, stylisations of idealisations… We achieved this by applying different levels of grittiness to individual spaces, environments and characters. We captured the realism within this world of power, corruption, ambition and loyalty,” shares Durrant. “The camera movement is both subtle and aggressive depending on each scene. The floating camera suggests an uneasiness and allows the camera to take on an investigative approach as we move through the story. There is energy in both the urban and rural worlds that is amplified by allowing the camera to be both objective and subjective as we move with characters through their spaces in this world. We broke the classic composition with a more uncomfortable and aggressive approach,” adds Durrant. The entire series was shot from August 2017 to December 2017. Production and post-production duties were handled by Paw Paw Films. Season one consists of 26 episodes, which run for 46 minutes each. Ambitions premiered on 1 July at 21h00 and airs
Television
every Sunday evening, with repeats on Wednesdays at 21h30. “We hope the viewer is entertained, I think broadcasters are nervous of political thrillers not being appealing to the audience, but in fact, I think the opposite is true some of the best ground-breaking shows worldwide have been political thrillers. So we are pleased e.tv took a chance on this, and the show is doing well,” concludes Durrant. – Gezzy S Sibisi
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Sony F55
Ambitions was shot on the Sony F55 camera
KEY CREW Producer: Roberta Durrant Director: Catherine Stewart DOP: Jonathan de La Querra
“We hope the viewer is entertained, I think broadcasters are nervous of political thrillers not being appealing to the audience, but in fact, I think the opposite is true some of the best ground-breaking shows worldwide have been political thrillers. So we are pleased e.tv took a chance on this, and the show is doing well.
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– Roberta Durrant
August 2018
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ANIMATION
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Diprente Films expands with new animation division, Diprente Junior South Africa’s award-winning animation industry continues to grow with the upcoming launch of Diprente Films’ very own animation division, Diprente Junior.
Mogajane, MD of Diprente Junior
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saac Mogajane is the managing director of Diprente Junior, the newly established animation division of the Johannesburg-based production company, Diprente Films. “Animation has always been a medium that’s close to my heart, so as soon as I got the opportunity, I began researching the space and seeing how Diprente could become a meaningful player in the industry. Happily, the journey seems to be going well, and I’m very proud of the young talented development team we have built in the animation division,” Mogajane says. Diprente Films is no stranger to the South African film and television production industry having first opened its doors in 2009; the award-winning company is well-known for its comedy sketches that include The Bantu Hour, Blits Patrollie, and Late Night News with Loyiso Gola which went on to be nominated for two International Emmy
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awards. In 2017 the company produced its first feature film, the well-received romantic-comedy Catching Feelings, starring co-founder of Diprente Films and popular South African comedian Kagiso Lediga. Diprente Films is now expanding its horizons with the official launch of its animation division in August of this year. Mogajane and his team, however, have already been working on a few animation projects, some which have recently been gaining much international recognition. During the 2018 Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market (MIFA) in France, Diprente pitched their new series at the Annecy animation series competition and won. “The entire Annecy experience was extremely exciting for the whole team that travelled there with me including our technical art director, Judd Simantov and two of our concept artists, Terence Maluleke and Simanga Sibaya. I really wasn’t expecting to win and was just excited about the opportunity to showcase our project to some of the top broadcasters and sales companies in the world, so the win was a really special surprise for us,” Mogajane expressed. Their winning project, Junk Pilots is a comedy action series aimed at kids between the ages of six and nine. Junk Pilots is described as a series about a future world where technology has mysteriously disappeared, and the people living in it are slowly rediscovering technology by digging up gadgets and machineries that are used today. The series kicks off with a female character, Za, who discovers an underground city of tech enthusiasts called Junk City. She then learns about the city’s biggest sporting event, the JunkBot Fight League, whereby participants build their own robots and compete for the title of The Best Junk Pilot. The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) has praised Diprente for its worthy efforts in joining the South African animation industry and given the company support in creating job
The Diprente Films team at Annecy
opportunities for young black, previously disadvantaged people under Diprente’s transformation and skills development programme. Minister Rob Davies, dti, comments: “It’s encouraging to see black animators entering the space which is still white dominated. The Department of Trade and Industry is committed in ensuring that transformation takes place in sectors that are regarded as specialised. This success builds on that achieved by fellow South African company Triggerfish Animation Studios who, over the last two years, have won the top prize for TV production at Annecy, and are in competition for the same prize this year with their work on the BBC1 Christmas special, Highway Rat.” Ever since the company’s win at Annecy, the Diprente team has been in talks with several broadcasters, studios and investors regarding promoting and furthering the reach of the winning series globally. Mogajane and his team are currently working on another animation series
titled Anansi, which is set to launch as part of Diprente Junior during the August event. The Anansi project has also created more job opportunities. At present, the company is recruiting and accepting applications from interested individuals to be part of the project and the new division. “For Anansi, we will be partnering with a Canadian studio for production. On our side, we will be handling scripting, storyboarding, concept art, modelling and rigging, while the Canadian studio will be running all the animation and lighting and rendering on their side,” shares Mogajane. The Diprente Junior team will be utilising animation software including Storyboard Pro, ZBrush and Maya, as well as Unreal Engine which allows for real-time rendering. “The technology has been around in the gaming industry for many years, but has only recently been introduced into the long-form space, so I’m looking forward to getting closely acquainted with the engine and unlocking all the benefits that come with it,” Mogajane says. Anansi was first developed in 2014 and is an action adventure series about a street kid who learns that he is connected to the African trickster and spider god, Anansi. This connection gives the boy the ability to manipulate and move his shadow and it isn’t long before he is plunged head first into the rich and secret world of African folklore, myths and legends. In 2016, Mogajane signed a deal with a sales company from Denmark called Ink Brands, which has since pre-sold the series across multiple territories and helped finance the show. Furthermore, the series has secured broadcast deals in the UK, Turkey, Italy, Canada and France. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“Animation has always been a medium that’s close to my heart, so as soon as I got the opportunity, I began researching the space and seeing how Diprente could become a meaningful player in the industry.
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– Isaac Mogajane
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ANIMATION
Nickelodeon’s Alexi Wheeler talks animation in Africa The South African and African animation industry as a whole has been booming in recent years, winning numerous awards, travelling further than ever before and expanding every day. Screen Africa chatted to Alexi Wheeler, VP of Animation Production and Development at Nickelodeon to get his input on our industry. How has the landscape changed in the African animation industry in the past five years? There is a lot more happening than has been before; the nature of the projects coming out of Africa resonates more globally. South Africa has always had a very creative scene which has allowed us to tap into for content. Local animators are definitely more visible in the international landscape. This is an encouraging trend because there is a need to continuously invest in, grow and develop the skills and talent in this industry. Which trends, in your opinion, are currently dominating the global animation industry? Globally the trends for the next five years are: Shows that are grounded more with fundamental principles such as family, friends and that relate more to the environment of home and school. There is a definite rise in local content around the world which is translating to a more glocal audience.
What elements are crucial in developing a successful animated series for younger viewers? We like our projects to contain three main elements: Broad, Simple, and Emotional. Broad meaning that kids all over the word can relate to it and also find it funny. Simple being that the idea is not over complicated, and is accessible and explainable in a one liner. Emotional meaning it provides a firm connection to the viewer giving them someone to root for and care about. How do the South African and international audiences compare – similarities/differences? Kids today have an altogether different attitude towards entertainment – one that puts a premium on more new content and on-demand viewing. Similar to global markets, family remains the bedrock for kids and is their number one source of happiness. It’s important that our content embodies this value.
What sets South African animators and content apart on the global stage? The story telling format of the local market is by nature very authentic, clear and honest, creating a distinct voice in the region. Because of the diversity of the African continent, there is an opportunity to create and share these stories on more global platforms. Can you share some of the exciting recent projects coming out of SA? Yes, MooseBox is one of two first international short form animated series to come out of Nickelodeon’s annual Global Animated Shorts Programme, designed to identify and develop original comedy-driven content for kids. MooseBox, a 20 x 90-second episode order, was created by Mike Scott from South Africa, with the short form series produced by Johannesburg-based studio Mind’s Eye Creative. The original short was produced by Cape Town-based Triggerfish Animation. Moose and CatBox (AKA ‘MooseBox’) are two best friends who need each other as much as they need to play, explore and survive the unpredictable video game world called The Cube.
MooseBox, along with another international short form animation was chosen out of 850 global pitches. How do you see South Africa further developing as a global player in the animation industry? I think South Africa is already highly recognised and already considered a global player in the animation industry with the likes of Triggerfish being nominated in the 2018 Oscars in the animation category for Revolting Rhymes. Sunrise Productions has also already garnered huge success in the Asian market with their popular Jungle Beat animation series. How do local festivals such as the Cape Town International Animation Festival benefit the industry? The Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) provides the opportunity for creatives, industry, broadcasters and government to collaborate and explore ways to work together. Most importantly it allows us to get the message out to students and up and coming creative, exposing them to the incredible talents and opportunities that the market offers. More importantly, the student awards which we participated in for the third consecutive year at this year’s CTIAF – which took place in March 2018 – sponsors a prize for two students to participate in a two week internship at our Burbank studios in the USA. Our continued commitment to this award is indicative of Nickelodeon’s commitment to creating platforms which contribute to and uplift Africa’s youth and society along with the opportunity to showcase young animators internationally. This market has tremendous opportunity and Nickelodeon is committed to growing and nurturing the industry.
August 2018
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SOCIAL
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Stroomop premiere
Regardt Botha, John-Henry Opperman and Beate Opperman
Stroomop had its premiere at Montecasino in Fourways. Seen there were‌
Madelaine Goncalves and Sindiswa Dinindawo
Leozelle Bekker and Willem Botha
Ilse Klink
Veronica Ramokgoname and Chenique Beneka
Chanelle de Jager
Juanita de Villiers and Andre Velts
Anna-Marie Vos and Elme Churr
SimonĂŠ Nortmann
Sharoney
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Surine Barnes
Elschen and Arnold de Wet
Andra du Toit and Jaine du Toit
Donnalee Roberts
Carla Classen
Peter Powell and Elsabe Gouws
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Durban International Film Festival 2018 The 2018 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) ran from 19 to 29 July at various venues in and around Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The 9th Durban FilmMart (DFM) ran alongside the festival from 20 to 23 July. Seen at DIFF and DFM this year:
Michael Cross
Nicolas Champeaux, Max Sisulu, George Bizos and Gilles Porte
Noxolo Cele
Teboho Pietersen and Jacintha de Nobrega
The cast of the Kandasamys – The Wedding
Toni Monty, Noemie Njangiru, Menzi Mhlongo, Nthabeleng Phora, Christine Trostrum and Dorothee Wenner
Max Sisulu and Sandile Sisulu
Zalika Sykes, Jennifer Fox and Bridget Pickering
Tamaryn Burger and Karla van Aswegen
Nole Kok and Pragna Parsotam-Kok
Tshepo Ncokoane and Sharon Ngcobo
August 2018
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M arketp l ace
UPCOMING EVENTS AUGUST 1 – 11 Locarno International Film Festival Locarno, Switzerland 2 – 19
2018 Melbourne International Film Festival Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
23 – 3 SEPT Montreal World Film Festival Montreal, Quebec, Canada
SEPETEMBER 6 Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit – LA Los Angeles 13 – 17 IBC 2018 Amsterdam
Broadcast Brands To Africa
Master Dealer Africa Tel: +27 (0) 762569255 info@mdafrica.com
www.masterdealerafrica.com 44 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2018
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