Screen Africa March 2020 by Sun Circle Publishers

BROADCAST, FILM, TV, COMMERCIALS, NEW MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY NEWS

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VOL 32 – MARCH 2020 R38.00

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22 IT’S ABOUT THE NUMBERS

24 SA AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR AT A CROSSROADS

LIGHTING THE WAY: DIRK “BADGER” BLOEMRAAD

THE MAKING OF AN AFRICAN SUNDANCE CLASSIC

NEWS |

ADCETERA |

Letters of Hope to open 5th RapidLion – The South African International Film Festival.................... 4

Ending harmful

BUSINESS, POLICY & LEGISLATION |

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES |

stereotypes in advertising................. 12

SA audiovisual sector

Lighting the way:

at a crossroads............................... 24

Dirk “Badger” Bloemraad.................. 36

Durban FilmMart to become an

Your Skin, Your Brave campaign............. 14

TELEVISION PRODUCTION |

TRADE SHOWS & MARKETS |

Inside the making of

NAB is on its way........................... 38

independent institute......................... 6 Gauteng Department of Economic Development launches IP conference

Behind the scenes of Ingram’s

FILM | Domestic abuse and mental illness

for creative industries........................ 7

take centre stage in Rare Blood........... 16

The KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission

The making of an

turns five......................................... 8

African Sundance classic................... 18

Netflix announces first Nigerian Original...................... 10

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INDUSTRY REVIEW | It’s about the numbers..................... 22

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Trap! Dis My Huis............................. 28

REGULARS | ON-AIR GRAPHICS | Graphic content.............................. 32

Marketplace................................... 40 Upcoming Events............................ 40

BROADCASTING | How cloud technology is evolving the broadcast industry....... 34

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FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to the March issue of Screen Africa. With the controversial Copyright Amendment Bill remaining top of mind for South African creatives, the need to understand Intellectual Property (IP) legislature is crucial for those creating content in all forms. With this in mind, the Gauteng Department of Economic Development and its steering committee partnered with the Association of Independent Recording Companies in South Africa to host the Gauteng Creative Industries IP Conference. The inaugural event took place in the first week of February, with the aim to increase awareness on the concept, scope and nature of intellectual property. Speakers included Animation SA chairman, Nick Cloete; copyright expert and partner at Adams & Adams, Stephen Hollis; and writer, publisher and entertainment lawyer, Unathi Malunga. In this month’s News section we spoke to Chairman of the Gauteng Creative Industry Public Sector Steering Committee, Francina Nstimane, to learn more about this important new initiative (page 7). Also in our News section this month, we take a look at what the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission (KZNFC) has achieved over the past five years since its inception (pages 8-9). KZNFC CEO, Carol Coetzee takes us through the highlights of the last five years and sheds some light on what the commission hopes to accomplish with regard to the business of film in the KwaZulu-Natal province. When Berlin-based filmmaker and visual artist from Lesotho, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s, feature film – This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection – was awarded the Special Jury Award for Visionary Filmmaking in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, creatives across the African continent celebrated. Produced by Cait Pansegrouw of South African production company Urucu Media, the film – set in Lesotho – is an inspired tale about the resilience of the human spirit. In this month’s Film section, we spoke Mosese about what inspired and went into the making of this Sundance- award-winning film (pages 18-19). Other keys stories in this issue include an extensive look at how the current version of the Copyright Amendment and Performers’ Protection Amendment Bills will negatively affect South African content creators and performers, as well as the country’s burgeoning film tourism industry (pages 24-25); we go behind the scenes of the hugely popular TV show, Trap! Dis My Huis – produced by Cape Town-based Afrokaans and currently screening on VIA; and we close out the issue with a sneak peek at what visitors to this year’s upcoming NAB Show can expect. Until next month! – Chanelle Ellaya

SCREENAFRICA SCREEN AFRICA PUBLISHER & MANAGING EDITOR: Simon Robinson: publisher@screenafrica.com EDITOR: Chanelle Ellaya: editor@screenafrica.com DESIGN: Trevor Ou Tim: design@suncirclegroup.com

THE TEAM

EDITOR Chanelle Ellaya is a writer and a journalist. She completed her BA Journalism degree at the University of Johannesburg in 2011. While writing is her passion, she has a keen interest in the media in various capacities. Chanelle is an avid social networker and a firm believer in the power of social and online networking. Between writing and tweeting, she finds time to feed her love for live music.

SUB-EDITOR & FEATURES WRITER David Cornwell writes fiction, films and features for a variety of publications. His debut novel, Like It Matters (Umuzi, 2016), was long-listed for the 2017 Sunday Times Fiction Award and the 9mobile Prize for Best African Debut.

JOURNALISTS

Lara Utian-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.

WEBSITE ADMINISTRATOR: Michael Lotriet: web@suncirclegroup.com SUBSCRIPTIONS: Tina Tserere: tina@sun-circle.co.za Delight Ngwenya: admin@sun-circle.co.za ACCOUNTS: Helen Loots: accounts@sun-circle.co.za ADVERTISEMENT SALES: Marianne Schafer: marianne@screenafrica.com Graham Grier: graham@sun-circle.co.za

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

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.

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.

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Postal address: PO Box 559, Fourways North, 2086 Editorial Disclaimer The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of Screen Africa or any employee thereof. Sun Circle Publishers makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Sun Circle Publishers reserves the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner it sees fit comments that it, in its sole discretion, deems to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, or is otherwise unacceptable. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publisher. MARCH 2020

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LETTERS OF HOPE TO OPEN 5TH RAPIDLION – THE SOUTH AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL All roads lead to RapidLion – The South African International Film Festival this March, where filmmakers and festival-goers will get to enjoy leading South African films as well as movies from the African Diaspora and BRICS countries.

et to run from 6 – 15 March at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, the 5th edition of the festival will open with a premiere screening of the award-winning film, Letters of Hope by director Vusi Africa. The glamorous opening night will see the who’s who of the South African film industry come together to commemorate five years of RapidLion and celebrate film and TV talent from Africa, its Diaspora and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries. “RapidLion is one of Africa’s most coveted film festivals, and the opportunity for Letters of Hope to open such a festival is what every director dreams of. As an emerging independent artist, such a platform encourages you to continue telling your story,” comments director Vusi Africa. Set in 1976 South Africa, Letters of Hope tells the story of 16-year-old Jeremiah, who desperately wants to be a policeman and cannot understand why his father, the local postman, won’t allow him to pursue his dream and instead expects him to follow in his footsteps. “We are very happy to have this subtle, but profound indie film open RapidLion 2020. It is one of those films by emerging talent that only uses apartheid as a backdrop, not as a main focus, in order to explore deeper psychological battles that humans face,” says festival director, Eric Miyeni. Other premiere screenings set to take place at RapidLion 2020 include André Odendaal’s Gat In Die Muur (9 March), the deeply moving story of a terminally ill man negotiating life as he faces death; and Fried Barry by Ryan Kruger (13 March), which tells the tale of a heroin addict who spends his days in an abandoned building tripping from his latest hit and reliving his old memories. Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s masterpiece

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Still from Letters of Hope

Director Vusi Africa

Knuckle City will have a special screening at the festival on 7 March, followed by a Q&A session with the director and producer Layla Swart. Alongside these proudly South African films, festival-goers will have the rare opportunity to see films from BRICS countries that include The Story of My Grandfather (China), Karup (India) and Dream Team (Russia). The festival will also screen a number of award-winning short films.

Films by women will also feature strongly at the 2020 edition of the festival. One such film to look forward to is acclaimed actress and filmmaker Mmabatho Montsho’s The Award Ceremony, which recently won in the Best Short Film category at the Worldwide Women’s Film Festival in Arizona. In addition to the extensive screening programme, RapidLion – The South African International Film Festival 2020 will host a number of industry workshops and masterclasses. Hariolo Araujo (Brazil) and Aryan Kaganof (South Africa) will each present a masterclass, on Film Appreciation and How to Shoot Cinema on a Mobile Device, respectively. The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) will host a workshop on how to access its funding allocation, and All Africa Access Entertainment’s Pascal Schmidt will host two informative masterclasses on film distribution and its future. The much-anticipated RapidLion Awards Ceremony will take place on 14 March. Spanning 14 categories and including student filmmakers, the RapidLion Awards recognise the cinematic achievements of filmmakers from Africa, the BRICS countries and the African diaspora. Films vying for the coveted Best Film award in South Africa are Fried Barry, produced by James C. Williamson; Letters of Hope, produced by Ndiyathemba Modibedi; Gat In Die Muur, produced by

Johan Vorster and Brendon Hargroves; and Knuckle City, produced by Layla Swart. The RapidLion Award – a 265mm tall, 5.2kg fusion of the Andinkra symbol of excellence and a lioness in full flight – is platinum-plated. It is manufactured by Chicago-based R.S. Owens & Company, who are famous for making the Oscar and Emmy statuettes since 1983, and have been producing some of the world’s most prestigious awards for over 73 years. On completing the final models, the company said of the RapidLion: “This award is one of the nicest pieces we’ve made. Just as beautiful as the Oscar.” The RapidLion is designed and manufactured to represent a pinnacle achievement of any filmmaker from Africa, the BRICS countries and the African diaspora. It aims to remind RapidLion film entrants that excellence comes through hard work and ferocious focus, and that these qualities can lead to greatness. As always, RapidLion will celebrate the South African Movie Industry by paying homage to one of the country’s great industry players with the Lionel Ngakane Lifetime Achievement Award. Head over to the Market Theatre in Johannesburg from 6 – 15 March to be part of the 5th RapidLion – The South African International Film Festival. Students and pensioners will not be charged to attend.

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DURBAN FILMMART TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE The Durban FilmMart (DFM), Africa’s leading film market, has announced that it will be established as an independent institute functioning as a non-profit organisation ahead of its 11th edition in 2020.

“T

his had always been part of the business plan of Durban FilmMart since its establishment in 2009,” explains Toni Monty, Head of the Durban Film Office and the DFM. “With the continued growth and expansion of the initiative, as well as the continuous increase in the numbers of delegates and submissions of projects in development – which have this year, surpassed any other in our 11-year history – the current structure has been outgrown, and sustainable long term strategies now need to be implemented.” The DFM has been a programme of the eThekwini Municipality’s film industry unit, the Durban Film Office, in partnership with the Durban International Film Festival since 2009. “Going forward, the DFO will continue to support the DFM, and the Institute structure will allow possibilities for new partnerships and fundraising that will ensure the growth and continued stability of the annual initiative,” says Monty. “Most importantly, the new Institute will open greater opportunities for the Durban FilmMart to continue playing an important role in promoting African film and television content.” The Institute will uphold its mandate to contribute to the film industry on the continent, through networking, project development and upskilling, but will also explore the potential for developing year-round development programmes in partnership with key industry role-players. The next few months will be business as usual for the DFM, while the Institute is set up. South African arts administrator and project manager Magdalene Reddy of Creative WorkZone, who has extensive experience in the film festival and market sector, has been appointed as the project manager who will oversee the setting up of the Institute ahead of the 2020 edition of the DFM. “Miss Reddy joins our team with a wealth of experience in governance and

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management in the Arts,” says Monty. “As a former senior administrator at the Durban International Film Festival, not to mention a string of other major international and national arts projects to her name, we believe that she is best placed to take this process forward with passion and integrity. “In addition, there is a solid team who have institutional knowledge that will curate and manage the event for this year’s edition to ensure another year of engaging programming,” Monty adds. “Of course, partners and sponsors continue to play a vital role in the on-going success of the DFM, and we are confident that the establishment of the Durban FilmMart Institute will provide many opportunities for meaningful collaborations.” The DFM takes place from 17 to 20 July 2020.

“This had always been part of the business plan of Durban FilmMart since its establishment in 2009. With the continued growth and expansion of the initiative, as well as the continuous increase in the numbers of delegates and submissions of projects in development – which have this year, surpassed any other in our 11-year history – the current structure has been outgrown, and sustainable long term strategies now need to be implemented. – Toni Monty

”

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GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LAUNCHES IP CONFERENCE FOR CREATIVE INDUSTRIES In an effort to increase awareness and understanding on the concept, scope and nature of intellectual property (IP), the Gauteng Department of Economic Development and its steering committee partnered with the Association of Independent Recording Companies of South Africa to host the first Gauteng Creative Industries IP Conference.

hairman of the Gauteng Creative Industry Public Sector Steering Committee, Francina Nstimane, expands: “Our joint vision is to use the conference as a platform to identify intellectual property knowledge gaps among concept developers, content developers and content/concept owners in the creative sector and identify tools to bridge those gaps.” The two-day event, which ran from 6 to 7 February 2020, was held at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg, Johannesburg. At the inaugural event, the focus was on the four key creative industries that generate the largest revenue streams in the country – film, animation, craft and music – and the IP issues faced by these industries. The first day of the conference commenced with an introduction to IP, using Solomon Linda’s song, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, as a case study. The song, which was composed and recorded by Linda, a Zulu singer and hunter, in 1939, became a worldwide sensation with at least 150 cover versions thanks to the popular Disney movie, The Lion King. “IP is a crucial element in any SMME,” stressed Nstimane. “The ownership of content assets is what makes it possible to license concepts or the use of creative products in exchange for royalties. Therefore, if we do not start to find tools to assist artists to gain knowledge on how to own what they create, the current trend of IP theft will continue leaving artists to die without enjoying the fruits of their labour,” she added. An overview of the different forms of intellectual property – namely patent, trademark, design and copyright – were presented by the deputy chairperson of Association of Independent Recording Companies (AIRCO), Stanley Khoza. The presentation was followed by break-away sessions hosted by AIRCO, Composers, Authors and Publishers Association

“If we do not start to find tools to assist artists to gain knowledge on how to own what they create, the current trend of IP theft will continue leaving artists to die without enjoying the fruits of their labour.

”

– Francina Ntsimane

(CAPASSO), Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO), the Gauteng Film Commission and Animation SA. The purpose of these breakaway sessions was to provide participants with a clear understanding of the specific IP challenges faced by their industry. Industry sessions were facilitated by consultants from the aforementioned organisations and guest speakers. Nstimane expands: “In each session, there was a focus on the current legislative processes and how the outcomes of these processes will either build or destroy the growth in each sub-sector. There were discussions on contracting and various legal options available in case of a copyright dispute. Another significant focus was that of evaluating what happens to IP concepts throughout the four value chains as a concept moves from one step to the other.”

Nick Cloete, chairman of Animation South Africa (ASA), led the animation session and invited guest speaker Stephen Hollis from Adams & Adams to speak on the value of IP and how copyright protection and enforcement will be affected if the current draft of the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performance Rights Bill were to succeed. Hollis expanded on the implications of any changes to the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performance Rights Bill, including concerns that the bills have not been adapted to provide protection in the digital space. Cloete gave practical insight into how these laws would affect the various business models, including the lack of legislation alignment between domestic IP legislation and global legislations. “We need to demystify and simplify legislation without losing any complexity, so it’s more readily accessible for professionals,” asserted Cloete. “It may be useful for the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) to commission explainer videos of copyright law so it’s easier to understand for those who don’t understand it,” he added. Unathi Malunga, a writer, publisher and entertainment lawyer, led and facilitated the session targeted at the film industry. In her presentation, Malunga went through the purpose of IP, with a focus on what happens to IP as it moves throughout the entire production value chain. A wide variety of discussions and concerns arose from Malunga’s presentation, such as the duration and expiry of copyright, access to information on IP and access to professional services.

Speaking about her session, Malunga said: “The response was amazing and people expressed how much the session really, really, opened their eyes. “People are hungry to learn about this area. I have started writing a series of books to educate this industry – the problem has been taking the time off to write. I need to complete them as soon as possible and get them out for people!” she added. Malunga also said that more needs to be done by the government to ensure that people are educated about IP legislature in the creative industries. “We cannot be having high-level discussions without the foundation being in place. All government and other sources of funding have focused on the creative and production process – nobody is investing in the professional services underpinning this industry and ensuring that people are educated about it. I have spoken and spoken to the government institutions at length about this but there has been no progress,” Malunga concludes. – Gezzy S Sibisi

MARCH 2020

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THE KWAZULU-NATAL FILM COMMISSION TURNS FIVE This year marks five years since the inception of the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission (KZNFC). We spoke to Carol Coetzee, KZNFC CEO, about what the commission has accomplished over the last five years, and what lies ahead…

he KZNFC was established in 2014/15, with a very clear mandate to attract investment to KwaZuluNatal (KZN) province through the promotion of film locations and to position the province as a choice film destination. “KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), with its warm weather and beautiful beaches, has long been a leading tourist destination in the country. Furthermore, there has always been a clear, mutually beneficial relationship between film and tourism,” says Coetzee. “The provincial

government identified the creative sector as a priority sector in KZN and, given the potential impact of the film sector, the commission was established to facilitate the growth thereof through specific interventions.” According to Coetzee, although still in its infancy, the KZN film industry is seeing positive growth year on year: “In 2017 and 2019, KZNFC-funded films have been the highest-grossing local films at the South African box office, earning over R17m and R18m respectively. This results in the capital recoupment flowing back into the KZNFC, allowing us to fund more projects,” says Coetzee.

The biggest challenge currently inhibiting the KZN film industry’s growth is a combination of the skills gap and a lack of film studios. Over and above the bursary programme, the commission has invested, on average, R5m per annum towards the development of local filmmakers through free industry workshops and training programmes. “There is still an issue of retaining talent in the province, as there aren’t enough productions to employ young filmmakers, but as the industry grows and local film producers shift towards producing made-for-TV content, we will begin to see a change in this area. The KZNFC funding conditions ensure that local businesses and crew participate in the productions through a minimum of 50% production budgets being spent in the province,” says Coetzee.

“In 2017 and 2019, KZNFC-funded films have been the highestgrossing local films at the South African box office, earning over R17m and R18m respectively. This results in the capital recoupment flowing back into the KZNFC, allowing us to fund more projects. – Carol Coetzee

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”

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Since its inception, the KZNFC has established and implemented a number of initiatives: • The KZNFC Bursary Scheme has awarded a total of 138 bursaries with 36 students graduating over the past five years. The two-year internship has seen 30 young people undertake the programme successfully. • The KwaZulu-Natal Film Cluster, which provides a range of solutions for aspiring and existing filmmakers from shared workspaces to high speed internet connectivity, has made it easier and more affordable for filmmakers to access equipment, post-production facilities, sound studios as well as training and development programmes. • The KZNFC also hosts community screenings, throughout the province, aimed at developing local audiences and ensuring that local films are consumed by those who do not have access or simply cannot afford to go to the cinema. • The KZNFC Film Fund assists in

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funding projects for development, production and post-production, as well as marketing of the finished product. • The Marketing Fund supports audience development initiatives; provides funding for filmmakers to attend Film & TV markets and festivals; and aids in the marketing and distribution of the film. Looking back on the last five years, Coetzee is extremely proud of what the commission has achieved within the province, having funded a total of 236 projects to the value of more than R250m – of which 177 are in development and 59 are in production. Additionally, 113 projects are underway with new applications being received every month. Coetzee adds that the KZNFC has also encouraged co-production between local filmmakers and filmmakers across the continent and the African diaspora. “Through this drive, a co-production with Nigeria was realised in 2015. Currently, there are 10 more films being developed and produced through our collaboration

with Nigeria, Kenya and the minority communities in the UK, to the value of R63.5m.” Additionally, since its establishment the commission has supported more than 60 filmmakers with financing to travel to and showcase their productions at national and international festivals and markets. The recently-formed Quality Boost Programme for made-for-TV movies is intended to improve audio and video quality of these productions; shorten the time-period between development and production; arrange pre-sale deals with broadcasters; and improve efficiencies in these productions. The KZNFC will take on six made-for-TV productions under this programme in 2020/21. Looking forward, over the next five years the commission aims to establish a thriving and sustainable local film industry, one in which local films are consumed by the masses. “We hope to have attracted big international film producers to the province, to have film as a major economic contributor in our province, to have developed the necessary infrastructure to support the

industry and to see more of our films on international platforms,” says Coetzee. “We are looking at the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how we can equip our filmmakers to remain relevant and competitive in this changing, technology-driven industry. We also would like to see active participation in senior roles by local black crew with a strong bias towards women and youth. Our programmes on sustainable filmmaking must see a shift in production methods benefiting not only the environment but the budgets of productions. The drive in fighting gender bias and gender based violence must lead to tangible outcomes and a proud filming community with strong values and impeccable code of conduct. Another passion of the commission is ensuring that all South Africans have access to local content and a special drive to include audio-descriptive captioning with our projects,” Coetzee concludes. – Chanelle Ellaya

MARCH 2020

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NETFLIX ANNOUNCES FIRST NIGERIAN ORIGINAL

Back row (L-R): Banky W, Ted Sarandos, Kate Henshaw, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Felipe Tewes, Omoni Oboli, Ben Amadasun and Akin Omotoso Front Row (L-R): Mo Abudu, Adesua Etomi, Dorothy Ghettuba, Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Adetiba and Ramsey Noah

Subscription-video-ondemand giant and production company Netflix recently announced that it is set to increase its investment in Nigeria’s creative community with the production of its first African original scripted series from the country, by award-winning director Akin Omotoso.

hot in Lagos, the untitled “Akin Omotoso Project” is directed by Omotoso (Vaya, Tell Me Sweet Something, Man on Ground) alongside Daniel Oriahi and C.J. Obasi. The series will star Kate Henshaw and Ade Laoye in leading roles alongside other Nollywood familiar and fresh faces including Richard Mofe Damijo, Joke Silva, Fabian Adeoye Lojede, Kehinde Bankole, Ayoola Ayolola, Toyin Oshinaike,

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Goodness Emmanuel, Ireti Doyle, Fabian Adeoye Lojede, Bimbo Akintola, Tope Tedela and Ijeoma Grace Agu. Set in modern-day Nigeria, the six-part drama series tells the story of Kemi, a goddess reincarnated as a human to avenge her sister’s death. But first, she must learn how to use and harness her super powers to defeat her enemies and save her family from destruction. The series is being produced by production company Rififi Pictures – co-founded by Omotoso and Robbie Thorpe. Netflix has been investing in the Nigerian creative community over the past year by bringing much-loved Nigerian films, both old and new, to its massive subscriber base around the world. These include popular movies such as Merry Men, The Real Yoruba Demons, The Wedding Party 2, and King of Boys; Nollywood classics like The CEO, October 1 and The Figurine; and films by renowned Nigerian director, Kunle Afolayan, such as Mokalik. These Nigerian movies join Nollywood favourites like Chief Daddy, Lion Heart and the box office hit, The Bling Lagosians. “Movies like King of Boys, Merry Men and The Bling Lagosian have shown how much our members love Nigerian

movies,” comments Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer. “So we’re incredibly excited to be investing in Made in Nigeria stories – bringing them to audiences all around the world”. Dorothy Ghettuba, who leads African Originals at Netflix, adds: “I’m excited that in the same week that we launched Queen Sono, we had the opportunity to be in Lagos with Nigerian storytellers to share plans of our first Nigerian original production. Our continent has a wealth of diversity, multiplicity and beauty in stories that have yet to be told and we want to be top of mind for creators in Nigeria, especially when it comes to stories they haven’t had a chance to tell yet.” Last month, Netflix enabled Nigerian members to pay for its service in Naira – making it much easier for existing and future subscribers to use Netflix. Members can access a wide range of diverse, quality entertainment including African Originals like Queen Sono – created by Kagiso Lediga, directed by Tebogo Malope and starring Pearl Thusi – which launched on 28 February. Other African Originals launching this year include Blood & Water and Mama K’s Team 4.

“Our continent has a wealth of diversity, multiplicity and beauty in stories that have yet to be told and we want to be top of mind for creators in Nigeria, especially when it comes to stories they haven’t had a chance to tell yet.

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– Dorothy Ghettuba

FILM CO-PRODUCTION

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Founding members of the Unstereotype Alliance at the Launch. Photo credit: UN Women/Flow Communications

ENDING HARMFUL STEREOTYPES IN ADVERTISING The one saying that I remember most clearly from over 20 years ago, when I entered the marketing world as the editor of an FMCG retailing publication, is the phrase that brand managers used to bandy about most often: sex sells. It’s why scantilyclad women were used to sell everything from cars to chocolates.

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he phrase dates back to the 1800s, according to various internet forums, when in 1870, a tobacco company used sexual innuendo on its packaging, but its use only became widespread with the advent of the formal advertising industry. In a patriarchal world, where men worked and controlled the household finances and women weren’t even allowed to vote, appealing to men was the only goal of brands and the ‘mad men’-run advertising agencies of the time. Using sex as a promotional tool increased advertising sales. However, as society has evolved, thankfully, and gender equality increased, using overt sexual innuendo in advertising has become a turnoff for many consumers, both men and women. The New York Post reported in 2017 that researchers at the University of Illinois analysed over 80 research studies into advertising published over a period of 30 years and found that while people remembered so-called “titillating ads”, with nude or almost nude models, they didn’t remember the brand name. In fact, if they did remember the brand, it was in a negative sense.

In 2017, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity said it was no longer going to judge entries with gender bias or that objectified women. Coming from the most prestigious advertising extravaganza in the world, this was a massive win for women creatives who had led the charge under the hashtag #WomenNotObjects and with a petition to Cannes in 2016. “This will make every ad agency rethink the type of advertising they’re doing and whether or not it’s award-winning, and because Cannes is the absolute Oscars of advertising, they will set the tone for all the other awards all over the world,” Madonna Badger, chief creative officer at Badger & Winters and the petition’s provocateur, told AdAge.com at the time. Victoria’s Secret last year abandoned its annual runway show featuring the world’s top models in its sexy lingerie, after declining television audiences and various controversies, and also due to societal pressure on what constitutes beauty standards today.

UNSTEREOTYPE ALLIANCE LAUNCHES This year, in February, United Nations Women launched an Unstereotype Alliance Chapter in South Africa. The Unstereotype Alliance was convened by UN Women along with various industry stakeholders globally, to end harmful stereotypes perpetuated through all media and advertising across the world. The Alliance challenges the brands that spend billions on advertising, as well as advertising agency creatives, “to ensure that every advert that goes out to consumers does not stereotype or reinforce the negative ideas of women as weak or as sexual objects or in stereotypical roles, instead they promote gender equality and empower women”. Over the past couple of years, the Unstereotype Alliance has worked with the industry in coming up with unstereotyped judging criteria at Cannes Lions for the juries, as well as opening Chapters in countries such as Brazil, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

| ADCETERA In South Africa, members of the Unstereotype Alliance Chapter include The Loerie Awards, the Marketing Association of South Africa, Ster-Kinekor, Facebook Africa, Google, Nando’s and Unilever. As convener, UN Women will be looking to persuade influential brands to join the Alliance and lead the creative industry in addressing the sometimes unconscious bias against women and girls. The launch earlier in February in Johannesburg, was used as an opportunity to showcase the impact of ‘unstereotyped advertising’; to discuss how corporates and the creative industry can use their massive advertising power and influence for good and towards creating a more gender equal society; and to call for more companies, advertising agencies and creative enterprises to formally join the Unstereotype Alliance. Speaking at the South African launch, UN Women South Africa multi-country office representative, Anne GithukuShongwe, said: “Toxic gender stereotypes can be unstereotyped if every advert and every marketing campaign portrays the power of women and redefines masculinity.”

In turn, Marketing Association of South Africa CEO, Sechaba Motsieloa, called for action on unstereotyping to be elevated in corporate structures: “We need to begin to have conversations at C-Suite level with marketing companies to eradicate harmful gender-based stereotypes.” Incoming Loeries CEO Preetesh Sewraj agreed, stating that creative work must always have an unstereotyped approach. “The challenge is to ensure that we are doing things differently that provoke change.” The fact is that we live in a world where discrimination and hate-speech are not tolerated in normal society, and the more gender-fluid, non-binary, younger generations – from Millennials to the emergent Generation Z – will not tolerate any brand or organisation that perpetuates stereotypes of any kind. Any brand, service, or media that wants to be successful and build loyalty among the younger generation has to look carefully at their values and how they market and promote their wares, as this is a generation that will call brands out on any stereotyping and discrimination. In this way, they have the power to break your brand. – Louise Burgers

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BEHIND THE SCENES OF INGRAM’S YOUR SKIN, YOUR BRAVE CAMPAIGN

Your Skin, Your Brave is a fearless new campaign by Ingram’s that features men and women with skin conditions and markings that aren’t typically represented in mainstream advertising.

omb Commercials director, Justice Mukheli, expands: “Your Skin, Your Brave is a campaign that empowers the everyday person; it serves as a statement to say ‘you are valid and beautiful’. We see you and we have a product that is more than good enough for you because you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be you.” Mukheli is a self-taught photographer and filmmaker whose work is celebrated as an authentic reflection of South Africa and its people. Mukheli started working in the advertising industry as an intern at FCB in 2008, so when Ahmed Tilly – chief creative officer at FCB Joburg – briefed Bomb Commercials on the Ingram’s campaign, he was interested to see how Mukheli would interpret the story. “I wanted to create a world that was familiar, and my experiences as well as my intention were well-received. This collaborative process was easy and beautiful,” comments Mukheli. Produced by Marc Harrison and narrated by Yvette “Apple” Khumalo, the 31-second commercial is a broad representation of South Africans, young and old, from all walks of life, with different skin conditions or markings. These include Odwa Ntsetho, a woman living with albinism; Sphesihle Khumalo, a young man with traditional scarification on his face; and Dimo Kutama, a family guy covered in tattoos on both arms.

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“The characters chosen are everyday people that you see on the street. Not everyone has perfect skin and perfectly curved figures. Some of us have round figures, some of us are short, and this commercial is a true representation of a well-rounded South Africa. There are people that I can see myself in. I can see my brother; I can see my mother; I can see my friend in this commercial. All these people are real and familiar to the eye, and that’s why we chose them,” comments Mukheli. While the Ingram’s brand is widely known as the ‘skin doctor’, the new campaign aims to show that the brand is not trying to ‘fix’ people, but instead be a true reflection of the conventional beauty in all of us. Mukheli expands: “A lot of commercials show perfect people, and I have witnessed this first-hand because I work in this industry… Skincare brands rarely represent people with tattoos or people with traditional scarification in their campaigns, unless they are trying to ‘fix’ them. So in this case it was important for us to show those nuances, that could otherwise represent ‘imperfections’, as perfect.” With his approach to shooting the campaign, Mukheli drew inspiration from his photography experience, working

with soft tones in a natural environment. “The look and feel I wanted to achieve in this commercial is the same look and feel I achieve in my photography. Images that are soft, sensitive and not lit too brightly, but are beautiful and dark with a soft light,” he comments. Your Skin, Your Brave was shot in two days by cinematographer Motheo Moeng on the ARRI Alexa Mini. Campaign stills were taken by Mukheli. “We used an ARRI Alexa Mini and anamorphic lenses. We got fast anamorphic lenses to give us beautiful bokeh and depth. Those were the two key things,” says Mukheli. Your Skin, Your Brave was edited by Nick Gishen, with President Kapa on sound. Wardrobe and styling was taken care of by Sheli Nyathi, and art direction was handled by Dylan Lloyd. Mukheli says that both agency and client are extremely proud of the final product, which has been received well by the South African public too: “I think this commercial resonates with South Africans because it shows them as they are. It gives them dignity, it’s empowering, we see them as they are and we used real people,” he concludes.

“Your Skin, Your Brave is a campaign that empowers the everyday person; it serves as a statement to say ‘you are valid and beautiful’. We see you and we have a product that is more than good enough for you because you don’t have to

”

EQUIPMENT • Camera: Arri Alexa Mini

“We used an ARRI Alexa Mini and anamorphic lenses... We got fast anamorphic lenses to give us beautiful bokeh and depth.” – Justice Mukheli

– Gezzy S Sibisi

be perfect, you just have to be you.

TECH CHECK

– Justice Mukheli

KEY CREW Producer: Marc Harrison Director: Justice Mukheli Director of Photography: Motheo Moeng Editor: Nick Gishen Sound: President Kapa

It’s been said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. The CTICC offers the ideal platform to do just that. Every aspect of the centre’s offering has been considered – from the more than 140 000m² of flexible space across two state-of-the-art buildings to world-class technology, delicious cuisine, and servicedriven staff. Turn your knowledge and vision into potential with events that shape your future at the CTICC.

Call +27 21 410 5000, email sales@cticc.co.za or visit www.cticc.co.za and connect to possibilities.

FILM

Domestic abuse and mental illness take centre stage in Rare Blood

Domestic violence remains a huge, often concealed global issue. The stigma and familial complications that arise from the abuse mean that victims are, more often than not, suffering in silence. A new local feature film, Rare Blood, explores the complexities of this daily horror, faced by countless women in South Africa and around the world.

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TECH CHECK

“R

are Blood addresses the quandary many women find themselves in when trapped in a violent marriage, especially when there is a child that needs protection,” says co-writer and producer, Gillian O’Donoghue. “Often the mother feels unable to change the status quo as the destruction is slow and eroding.” With South Africa and the world currently facing a troubling increase in gender-based violence, O’Donoghue hopes that Rare Blood – about women in distress, the psychological effects of domestic abuse and the grim reality of narcissist family structures – will open conversations about the underlying issues associated with domestic abuse. The film is a fictional account of a dystopian-like marriage where psychological problems within a fractured family lead to domestic violence and deception. “Rare Blood was based on research by Gillian regarding domestic violence, rather than on actual true events,” comments co-writer and director, Brett Halliday. “With South Africa’s focus directly on women and violence, women now have the chance to make a change. The podium is there and we thought a film that was also a strong fictional story would be an effective conduit to highlight the insidious nature of violence in a seemingly perfect marriage,” adds O’Donoghue. The first feature film from Dreamlands Film & Media – a production company based in Durban, South Africa, with headquarters in Tarporley in the United Kingdom – Rare Blood is set on an isolated farm in the remote midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. “We saw it as a onelocation thriller and introduced a pace to the story that sets it apart from other thrillers in this genre,” explains Halliday. The psychological thriller follows Keira, a middle-aged, broken and abused wife who has found comfort in online chatting to an old friend. Her husband is Panos, a drug addict masking his psychosis. When Panos finds out about his wife’s online activities through the help of an IT friend, he has a nervous breakdown.

FILM

EQUIPMENT Camera: • Sony FS-700 • Panasonic GH4 cameras

Panos is a narcissist with no regard for his wife and daughter. While he has many affairs, he can’t bear the thought of his wife doing the same. His cunning and manipulative sister, Olga, pays him a visit, and together they hatch a plan to cut Keira off from her rightful share of the farm. Speaking about the themes explored in the film, O’Donoghue says: “We wanted to explore how careful one should be when marrying a man who masks his own mental illness. Also, the old adage applies here, ‘When you marry, you marry the whole family’ - the repercussions of this are clearly illustrated in this film.” The main characters in the film, Kiera and Panos, are played by real-life partners Annie and Brendan Grealy, whose daughter (Ella Grealy) also acts in the film as Emma, the daughter of the fictional couple. Mark Mulder, Fiona Ramsay, Janna Ramos-Violante, Emily Stockil-Smith, Ashley Dowds, Graham Clarke and Gary MacKenzie make up the remainder of the film’s cast. Rare Blood was shot over 16 days with a total crew of 14 people and in a tight geographical radius of Dargle, in the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. “I wanted it to be edgy, dramatic and a bit Psycho. I found the location having this in mind. The strange factory-looking house on an isolated farm, very masculine with hardly any feminine energy, which depicts the imposing nature of Panos,” says O’Donoghue. DoP Devin Carter and assistant cameraman Louis Bolton shot the film on the Sony FS-700 and the Panasonic GH4 respectively. “We used two cameras; the main camera was the Sony FS-700 and the second camera, for close-ups, was the Panasonic GH4,” explains

O’Donoghue. “Devin did an amazing job with the Sony, producing great camera angles and rich tones which added to the psychological tension of the film.” O’Donoghue says that lights, pictures, statues, set design and colour palette were also carefully considered to further enhance both the atmospheric and psychological tension of the film. “I chose colours that would portray the psychological states of all the characters. A green undertone with red splashes dominates throughout. Even the eerie, red anthurium flowers are carefully chosen to show the dramatic intensity of the film,” she comments. Rare Blood was edited by Halliday and Devin Carter. Colour grading was also done by Halliday, with O’Donoghue supervising. Anthony Downing completed the score and Neil Campbell of Siyabonga Media did the mixing and sound. Rare Blood, funded independently by Dreamlands Film & Media co-founders O’Donoghue and Halliday, had its first public screening in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands late last year. Since then, the film has been entered into festivals across Europe and America. Excitingly, Rare Blood has been released on Amazon Prime Video and Vimeo On Demand, but Halliday says that they are struggling to find distributors in South Africa. “At this point, we have had no response in South Africa regarding distribution which has surprised and disappointed us. Though industry professionals both in South Africa and abroad have found the story gripping and the production value superb, especially given the budget,” says Halliday. O’Donoghue and Halliday are looking to make the film available on various online platforms so that it can reach as many people as possible. “It is an exposé. It is a film about real problems that affect every home in the world. It is about a middle class white South African family who escape to the country to live their ‘idyllic’ life. On the outside, all looks well – but on the inside, the problems are intense,” concludes O’Donoghue.

“We used two cameras: the main camera was the Sony FS-700 and the second camera, for close-ups, was the Panasonic GH4… Devin Carter did an amazing job with the Sony, producing great camera angles and rich tones, which added to the psychological tension of the film.” – Gillian O’Donoghue

KEY CREW Writer and producer: Gillian O’Donoghue Writer and director: Brett Halliday DoP: Devin Carter, Barry Downard and Louis Bolton Editor: Devin Carter and Brett Halliday

– Gezzy S Sibisi

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FILM

The Making of an African Sundance Classic Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese is a self-taught filmmaker and visual artist from Lesotho, now based in Berlin. His film Mother, I am Suffocating. This is My Last Film About You, was selected for Final Cut in Venice in 2018, where it won six awards. The film premiered in the Berlinale Forum in 2019. Scenes from This Is Not A Burial, Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A Resurrection

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osese was one of three filmmakers selected for Biennale College Cinema with his feature film This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection. The film recently had its international premiere at Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Visionary Filmmaking in the World Cinema Dramatic competition. Global sales rights have now been picked up by Memento Film’s cinema arthouse label, Artscope. Set amongst the mountains of land-locked Lesotho, This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection follows an 80-year-old widow as she winds up her earthly affairs, makes arrangements for her burial and prepares to die. But when her village is threatened with forced resettlement due to the construction of a reservoir, she finds a new will to live and ignites a collective spirit of defiance within her community. In the final dramatic moments of her life, Mantoa’s legend is forged and made eternal. Screen Africa spoke to Mosese about the making of his Sundance-awardwinning film… CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT’S A RESURRECTION PREMIERING AND WINNING AT SUNDANCE THIS YEAR! DID YOU EXPECT TO BE GETTING SUCH RECOGNITION FOR THE FILM? I was definitely not expecting to get such recognition in general! You do this work, and you just hope that it resonates with people. My work is very personal, it’s all reactionary, it’s not for everyone. It’s kind of a film I would personally seek out in the festival. We had only six months to create this film from scratch. There are many things I wish I would have done differently, but I have come to learn to let go. It’s not mine anymore, it has its own life.

FILM

“I come from a visual world. As much as I love language, visuals take precedence in my work. I knew the texture, I knew the composition, pace, tone and the feel I wanted.

”

– Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

CAN YOU TELL US MORE WHY THIS FILM IS SO PERSONAL TO YOU? I drew on real-life events for the film, which is set in my native home, Lesotho. Lesotho is a tiny country completely enveloped by South Africa. Its behemoth mountain ranges make up nearly three-quarters of its terrain and these are responsible for the abundance of water in the country, believed to be among the highest quality in the world. Lesotho annually exports an estimated 780 million cubic metres of water to South Africa; this marks Africa’s largest water transfer scheme in history. As more and more reservoirs are built, thousands of highland villagers are forcibly removed from their land and are relocated to urban living environments, where they not only lose their livestock, crops and way of life, but also their individual and collective identity. Most liken the process of displacement to a death. More and more forests, villages and family relics are being erased in the name of progress. Destroyed and forgotten in a soulless march towards futurity. I am personally not for or against progress. I am more interested in interrogating the psychological, spiritual and social elements that attend it. When I was a child, my family was evicted from our home. My grandmother’s village is undergoing forced resettlement right now. I still know every texture of her house’s walls, its thatched roof, the smell of oak trees after rain, the stone kraal. Soon this will be razed and flooded and water will be channelled into the heart of South Africa. Let’s just say in every scene and every character there is me; my conflicts, my struggles with faith, my fears, my hopes and dreams. CAN YOU GIVE US MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FILMMAKING PROCESS? The filmmaking process was definitely challenging. As I said, we had to complete the film in just six months so we had a very packed shooting schedule. The film was shot on location in the remote mountains of Lesotho, where running water and electricity are a scarcity. Equipment, vehicles, crew and other resources were brought into the country from South Africa. The tiny crew

of just fifteen people endured extreme weather conditions while shooting in areas with no road access. Equipment and cast were often transported on horseback and on mules. Apart from the leads, the cast is made up almost entirely of actual residents from the village where photography took place. It’s really interesting because they knew nothing about cinema: they had never seen something like this in their village before, so they had no preconceived ideas about acting. Everything was really natural and we made sure the set design was always as minimalistic as possible. I didn’t want anyone to feel like they were being watched or under scrutiny. I come from a visual world. As much as I love language, visuals take precedence in my work. I knew the texture, I knew the composition, pace, tone and the feel I wanted. And I tried to find a playful space on set, to stumble upon things. Pierre de Villiers, my DoP, and I have a synchronised love and passion for beauty. His way of seeing light is just amazing. He comes from the commercial world and it was his first film – it’s incredible. I also trusted him with the choice of camera we used, which was the Sony Venice. It served us best in low light conditions. WHAT WAS THE DECISION-MAKING BEHIND EDITING THE FILM YOURSELF? As a director, I’m obsessed with how to tell the story through the edit of a film. Editing is the same as writing, it’s so important to really bring all your ideas to the screen. But, of course, sometimes it’s nice to bring someone external in to edit your film – they’ll bring a new perspective to it. We had some very poignant scenes and my aim was to make sure the edit was paced to reflect those scenes. It was built around them and the framing, so everything was as visual and slow as possible, then got faster around the tension. WHAT SOFTWARE WAS USED TO EDIT THE FILM AND WHAT WAS THE EDITING PROCESS LIKE? I now use DaVinci Resolve to edit and grade all of my films. I first saw DaVinci Resolve as an NLE solution when Apple

brought out Final Cut X. I’d been a Final Cut user but I just didn’t love their redesign, it made everything harder for me. I’m not even a purist! But the UI just didn’t feel very playful to me anymore. I stopped editing completely when they introduced it. Then I bought a Blackmagic camera – one of the old ones – and it came with Resolve. I fell in love with it! The UI is a whole other world; it’s aesthetically pleasing and makes so much sense to me creatively. It was a tricky process as we were high up in the mountains and it was really remote. My assistant and I acquired a generator for power and set up a temporary edit suite on location using quad core Mac Pros. It was here that we transcoded all of the rushes and assembled a rough cut. The edit was then finalised at Uhuru Productions in Cape Town. The grade was delivered by colourist Nic Apostoli, at nearby Comfort and Fame Studios. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE GRADING PROCESS? Basically, I wanted a 16mm look. I love that look, and I wanted this film to look like this vintage piece that survived, not a new feature. What I love about DaVinci is you can combine both scanned film and digital, and you won’t be able to see the difference. With my last film, Mother, I used 8mm and integrated that perfectly into Resolve. With this film, I wanted to turn it on its head and do a film emulation look. I basically use LUTs, and play with 16 and 35mm emulation LUTs, and work with colourists to build on them. I always play around, there’s no strict template. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO UP-AND-COMING FILMMAKERS? Keep making films, fail, and succeed. We are so privileged right now to be in a time when you can literally make films with anything. There are cameras all over the place and software programs like Resolve that let you do all of the post-production in one place. All the information is out there, you just need to go and grab it.

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Leading From

Behind the Lens

Celebrating female african creatives in film and tv Women have always been an integral part of Africa’s film industry, but 2019 marked a shift, particularly with films such as Atlantics Atlantics,, Wanuri Kahiu’s Rafiki and even Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart Lionheart.. Their respective wins were the stamp of confirmation that female African creatives have been steadily taking space within the creative film and TV industry, and not just in front of the lens.

These are some of the components that have been carefully crafted in Awani’s storyline.

SHAPING THE NARRATIVE The emergence of more women producers, directors and executives has been rooted in the desire of women working in the industry to create stories that showcase how they navigate race, power, personal desires, curiosities and expectations. It’s this desire that fuelled Nigerian director Aderonke Adeola to create her 2019 UNESCO prize-winning documentary Awani. “I’ve always been obsessed about identity; what [it means] to be black, African, to be a woman, to be Nigerian, to be Yoruba. I’m obsessed with the construction and deconstruction of identity,” Aderonke explains.

For her, there’s still a desperate need to make multifaceted portrayals of women a norm, especially within the Nigerian ﬁlm industry. “There’s a huge lack of nuance when it’s applied to telling stories about women. So, when you have these onedimensional characters, you’re doing [us] a disservice. I think having women writers, women being encouraged to be part of the writing process or the storytelling process, is important. [This] will help forge gender equality,” she explains. A study by the Sundance Institute showed that from 11 years’ worth of data on programmed U.S feature-length ﬁlms at the Sundance Film Festival, only 29.8% of content creators - cinematographers, producers, writers, directors - were women. This translated to roughly 2.36 men to every one woman behind the camera.

Aderonke Adeola

TAKING UP SPACE THROUGH DOCUMENTARY Regardless of the clear gender parity challenge shown in studies like the one by Sundance, Kenyan creative feature producer Toni Kamau has built a career within her country’s documentary film industry. “We have a history in Kenya of very strong female leaders in the production space, and I’d say this cuts across to narrative [and] fiction production. The top producers in Kenya are women - Appie Matere, Njeri Karago, Dorothy Ghettuba. There were a lot of women role models to look up to, so it wasn’t strange for me to envision myself as a producer,” Toni explains. Njoki Muhoho, who has had a dual career in Kenya’s management consultancy and film industries spanning over two

Toni Kamau

Njoki Muhoho decades, echoes Toni’s sentiments over the prominence of highly skilled women in the East African country’s film and TV industry. “In the recent 10 years, I have seen more women take up the role of DOPs and Sound. Those two have struck me as very interesting. Unfortunately, the people who easily get fame in our industry are the directors and DOPs mainly. We [nevertheless] need more women in all roles,” says Njoki. Njoki is also the East African academy director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory’s 12-month film and TV training programme. As the world starts to take more notice of the stellar content that the continent is producing, her role in mentoring and knowledge sharing with the next generation of filmmakers is crucial, and collaborating with women such as Toni and Appie Matere will also go far. One of Toni’s latest projects is as one of the producers on 2020 documentary release Softie, which won the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing in February this year. Directed and produced by Kenyan Sam Soko, Softie also made history as the first Kenyan-produced documentary to premiere at the festival. For her, forging a career in documentary wasn’t in isolation. Support from bodies such as Docubox, a filmmaking fund and film training organisation founded by Kenyan veteran filmmaker Judy Kibinge, played a role in shaping Toni’s career. The availability of this level of support is the foundation that fuels her drive to continue her work.

Nikita Mokgware

building a foundation for the next generation of filmmakers Just as Docubox provides foundational support for East Africa’s filmmakers, the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) aims to do the same. The shared-value initiative, established in 2018, is rooted in providing specialised training for developing emerging African creatives in film and TV through the MTF Academy hubs in Lagos, Nairobi and Lusaka. 26-year-old Botswana native Nikita Neo Mokgware was one of the 60 budding filmmakers that were chosen for the academy programme in 2018. It’s nevertheless been evident for Nikita that the industry she plans to build a career in is yet to properly tackle gender parity. Nikita is a Botswana-based scriptwriter who recently returned from a month-long writing internship in Nollywood! She was a part of the inaugural class of 2019 and co-wrote MTF student film The Painting, which has since aired on Zambezi Magic and is currently available on Showmax. The Painting along with 5 other MTF films are nominated for the AMVCAs. During her time in Lagos, Nikita was afforded the once in a lifetime opportunity to work on sets of four different TV shows, including TV show Tinsel, Brethren and Broken, as well as SuperSport. While in Lagos, Nikita also had the chance to co-write a film script and receive mentorship from MTF West Africa Academy Director, Femi Odugbemi.

Join the MTF social media conversation USING the hashtags: #MultiChoiceTalentFactory #MultiChoiceAfrica @multichoicetalentfactory

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To honour International Women’s Day on 8 March, the MultiChoice Talent Factory celebrates leading women behind the lens who have dedicated their lives to telling authentic African stories! Are you inspired by these women? You can reach them on the MTF portal via the instant messaging component or just check out their profiles. Not signed-up? Join over 25 000 registered users who have created profiles on the pan-African networking platform for TV & film creatives. Who knows, you could soon be learning on the go through the Produce like a PRO! online masterclasses series. #SignUp2MTF

INDUSTRY REVIEW

It’s about the numbers

Sometimes it feels like there might be something in the water. By that, I refer to the experience when you find yourself obsessing over a topic, only to find that many others are looking at the exact same issue.

t the moment, the burning issue in my mind, and that of many others, concerns film industry data and numbers – especially in relation to women. Over the course of last year, in various contexts – including during workshop trainings I have conducted on funding applications, in various meetings and countless conversations – I have been asked to come up with statistics about the space(s) occupied by women in the film industry in Africa. These numbers just do not exist – mainly because the numbers relating to the film industry in general across Africa do not exist. Apart from some research and data from South Africa, I have not

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come across any comprehensive survey as to either the number of people working, or even the amount of titles (film and TV) released in key African territories, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, or Rwanda – let alone any other sub-Saharan African countries. During a recent trip to Berlin for the European Film Market, the focus on numbers was also top of my mind. There have been a host of research reports and articles released recently that look at the gender split within the film industry in Hollywood and Europe, including: • Rewrite Her Story, supported by the Geena Davis Foundation; • A report from the European Audiovisual Observatory, Female Directors in European Cinema;

• UNESCO’s 2018 Global Report: Re|Shaping Cultural Policies; • Where are the Women Directors in European Films – the 2014 gender equality report on Female Directors from the European Network for Women in the Film Industry (EWA); • And even a briefing document from the European Parliament entitled, The Place of Women in European Film Productions: Fighting the Celluloid Ceiling. The results of these multiple surveys show that the numbers actually matter. For years, even in Europe, there was anecdotal evidence and everyone just “knew” that women were underrepresented within key roles within the film industry – but no one actually understood the whole picture. At a recent Pro Quote event in Berlin, some of these statistics were presented and the reality is much worse than many had thought. Now that the research has actually been done for a period of years up until 2018, the true extent of the problem is finally evident, and organisations such as Pro Quote, Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) and the EWA are now able to lobby both government and private institutions for equity based on specific facts and data. Some of the results shared from Rewrite Her Story show that amongst a sample of the most successful movies globally, not a single one was directed by a woman; moreover, only one in four films had a female producer involved, while only 1 in 10 scripts was written by a female screenwriter. The EWA report shows that in 2014 women comprised 44 percent of film director graduates from film schools, but only 26 percent were working in the film space, and only 16 percent of public film funding went to women. The point of referring to these statistics is not to rehash the issues of gender inequality in the film industry, but to show just some of the depth of research that is coming out of Europe about the film industry as a whole. Some of the most important information of this kind looks at public funding and support of projects and how much of this money goes to support women, as well as the relationship between what happens on-screen with

what is happening behind the camera. However, despite the critical importance of this kind of research and data, there simply is no comparable data for the film industry in Africa – Anglophone or Francophone. We simply do not know how many African films and TV series are produced in any given year, let alone how many of those had women directors, producers, cinematographers or writers. With commercial investment so desperately required for the film industry to really thrive in key African markets, and with local and international funders and donors asking questions about the industry in terms of ROI, diversity, and gender inclusivity, this lack of information is one of the issues holding back the growth of the industry. Whether it’s an investor looking to build cinemas, or a donor hoping to support women in film, everyone is asking the same questions – ones for which there are not sufficient answers. Numbers matter – they matter when it comes to dollars, pounds, naira, shillings, rand and any other currency you can think of. Understanding the actual outputs of Africa’s key film industries, and understanding the diversity in terms of the range of categories describing who is producing that content, matters. Academics, funders, commercial investors and those working in the industry will all benefit from this information and therefore all need to be part of supporting the research that will provide it. An exciting development in the space was the launch at Berlin of Carla 2020 – an event specifically focused on “connecting the film ecosystem with current research, best practice, and ground-breaking initiatives” to ensure gender parity beyond 2020. Carla 2020 will take place from 21 to 23 August in Karlskrona, Sweden, hosted by Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI). This event will be a major milestone in centring data as integral to the diversity conversation. The process of starting to gather this data and to develop some key baseline data sets is daunting, but, I believe, it is an essential requirement not just to promote the role of women in the industry, but also to support the African film and TV industries as a whole. – Lara Utian-Preston

OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR FOR SOUTH AFRICA: DWR Distribution | Block C, Unit 1, Kimbult Industrial Park, 9 Zeiss Road, Laserpark, Honeydew, 2170, Johannesburg Tel: +27 11 794 5023 | Fax: + 27 11 794 5702 | sales@dwrdistribution.co.za | www.dwrdistribution.co.za | Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about the people

BUSINESS, POLICY & LEGISLATION

SA audiovisual sector

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at a crossroads Written by Stephen Hollis, partner at Adams & Adams

South Africa’s film, television, animation, video game, music video, commercial production and other audio visual (AV) industries stand at a crossroads. While international interest in increasing levels of investment into professional quality content production in the country has skyrocketed in recent years, recent legislative and regulatory developments in South Africa threaten to derail efforts to position the country as a preferred global destination for content production.

BUSINESS, POLICY & LEGISLATION

s recently as 31 January, the US government’s Office of the US Trade Representative held hearings as part of an investigation into a complaint received from the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA). Their members – which include more than 3,200 US companies engaged in the film, music, publishing and other creative industries – as well as some of the world’s top investors in the creation of original content, are concerned that, should our President sign the highly controversial Copyright Amendment and Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill (“the Bills”) into law, they stand to lose South Africa as a legitimate market in which to do business. The reason for this, in their view, is that the Bills would lower SA’s regime for the protection of intellectual property assets and rights to an unacceptable low, and introduce high levels of legal and economic uncertainty as to whether their members would be able to recoup their investments into content production projects in SA and protect their works from unauthorised and unremunerated usages here, especially in the digital space. While the debates around the Bills continue and all eyes remainon the President as to whether the Bills meet constitutional muster or should be referred back to Parliament, this article will present a high-level view of some of the challenges it introduces for our film, television, animation and other AV content production industries. At first blush, the Bills introduce exciting benefits for actors and performers who are featured in AV productions. Upon closer inspection, however, alarm bells start ringing. Take, for example, the exclusive and economic rights that are granted to each and every performer featured in an audiovisual production. The definition of a ‘performer’ is so broad in the Performers’ Protection Act, that this may even extend exclusive commercialisation rights to every actor, singer, dancer and perhaps even every single extra that sets foot on the set of a feature film, television series, commercial and music video, as well as to voice-over artists on animation projects, etc. These rights include the exclusive rights to authorise the sale, distribution, rental, streaming, broadcasting, reproduction and making the work available to the public. While the granting of these rights, which performers can rely upon when negotiating contracts, is not problematic in itself and is aligned with best

international practices and the provisions of WIPO’s Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, the Bills seek to introduce a statutory 25-year reversion of these rights to every performer, which does not exist in the Beijing Treaty or elsewhere. What this effectively means is that the producer or production company willeffectively lose the right to commercialise the film or other AV work after 25 years, unless the producer can successfully renegotiate terms and agree new deals with each and every performer featured in the work before the 25-year reversion takes place. If a new deal cannot be struck with every performer, the work would have to be withdrawn from the market until new remuneration deals have been finalised, otherwise the producer would risk infringing upon these exclusive rights. South African producers are therefore disenfranchised and will only practically be able to commercialise a feature film or other AV project for about a third of the time that producers in the US and other parts of the world would be able to do. Add to this the unwaivable and perpetual royalties that are introduced by the Bills to the benefit of every single performer featured on past and future audiovisual works that were produced in South Africa. This benefit would also extend to foreign performers featured on films and other AV works that were produced or shot on location in the county. Performers will look towards broadcasters and local production companies to dig deep and pay up, regardless of whether a net profit has been yielded from the works or not. The unfortunate reality in the film and television production business is that most projects never yield net profits. It is estimated that only 1 in 10 feature films ever manage to turn a net profit, and it is the few successful projects on which production companies rely to fund the creation of new works and to, insofar as possible, cover the losses on the bulk of the unsuccessful projects. The financing of film and AV content production already represents a high risk investment project. An increase of the risk profile of content production in South Africa, by expecting production companies to pay out additional monies even on past productions for which they are already deep in the red, would likely disincentive investment in new, high-value investment projects in the country. It may also force production houses to withdraw large catalogues of unprofitable works from the market, to avoid having to pay out additional monies on top of their

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BUSINESS, POLICY & LEGISLATION |

already-suffered economic losses incurred on such works. This does not benefit actors, performers, producers or the viewing public, who will stand to lose access to substantial catalogues of works. The compulsory royalty scheme will also change the way in which talent is remunerated in South Africa, as actors will now start sharing in the financial risk on projects along with producers. This means that actors will likely receive less secured monies as payment up front and will only receive additional monies at a much later stage, once profits are made from commercialisation activities. If no profits are forthcoming, then the actors and performers will lose out on additional payments and, overall, be paid much less than they are used to. If the provisions are deemed to also extend to extras, these performers would likely lose out on their ‘day rates’ and only receive a portion thereof upfront, while risking the remainder on the successful commercialisation of the film, television show, music, video, etc. Such a compulsory remuneration system, forced upon industry by government without any demonstrated research or impact assessment, will prevent South Africa’s AV sectors from adopting different, more flexible and fluid remuneration models that have already been tested in other countries and which may set new international benchmarks in the years to come. Another severe limitation on freedom of contract is seen in the proposed 25-year reversion of copyright for authors of literary works (including scripts and screenplays for film, television, animation, etc.) and for composers of music (including music for film, TV, commercials, video games, music videos, etc.). The Copyright Amendment Bill contains a particularly nasty ‘contract override provision’ in terms of which it is not possible to waive any right or benefit that is granted to an author or rights holder by the Act, even if he/she wishes dearly to do so. If an international film studio, for instance, approached a local composer and offered US$1 million for the use of a song as the theme song for a new blockbuster feature film, but on the condition that the composer assigns rights to the song for the life of the copyright, which is the norm when doing deals of this nature in the film business globally, then the South African composer would unfortunately not be able to agree due to the mentioned contract override provision. It is anticipated that international production houses will not be eager to employ South African composers or scriptwriters or certain animation content producers on their projects, as a result Wof this. The effect of this statutory limitation on copyright assignment terms compounds the problem described above with respect to the exclusive performers’ rights.

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Producers will not be able to commercialise films beyond 25 years, unless they renegotiate terms with all of the script writers, composers and animation developers who contributed original literary or musical content. Given the new criminal sanctions that are to be introduced for nonreporting on commercial usages of AV works to each performer featured therein, which could see the directors of a production company being imprisoned or the company being fined 10 percent of its annual turnover, it will simply be too risky for producers to continue to commercialise works after 25 years, even if only one of the copyright owners does not agree new terms. What seems to have been overlooked or misunderstood by the drafters of the Bills is that feature films, television shows and animation are all diverse, multiauthored and collaborative works in which hundreds and sometimes thousands of copyright owners and performers will participate. To legislate rights reversions for such large numbers of collaborators in a project after a fairly short period in the perceived lifespan of a work, will practically end the ability of content producers to prepare financial lay-outs for securing and recovering high-level investment to finance the production of high quality works to begin with. Expect many productions to simply never make it past the drawing board. The Minister is also granted sweeping new powers to prescribe compulsory terms and conditions for all contractual dealings affecting copyright and to effectively determine how industry contracts will look like. The Minister will set royalty rates for performers and users and has the power to change rates, and prescribe different industry contracts, at any point in the future. Government overreach into the private dealings of industry stakeholders and participants, together with the message that government can effectively rip up contracts that were concluded in the past and change the terms of those arrangements so that rights holders can lose the ability to recover their investments on existing works, may well position SA as an undesirable place to do business, especially in the current, global economic conditions where investors are more risk averse.

THE BILLS POSE A SERIES OF ADDITIONAL, SERIOUS CHALLENGES FOR INVESTMENT INTO OUR AV SECTOR, INCLUDING: • The introduction of arguably the broadest set of copyright exceptions and limitations that the world has ever seen, which would allow users a plethora of new ways to access,

“The bottom line is that, while the government’s intentions were good, and they have clearly attempted to introduce benefits for actors and performers to uplift their earning capacities and collective plight, the very opposite consequences may distribute, adapt, copy and use protected works, without having to remunerate or obtain a license from the rights holder. • While users, which includes government, powerful digital platforms and internet companies, are granted broad rights of ‘free access’, legal certainty around infringement is eroded in South Africa and no meaningful enforcement mechanisms are introduced to assist rights holders to balance the scales vis-à-vis users. • No measures are put in place to deal with online infringement and rampant piracy of protected works, despite site-blocking measures already being introduced in other countries like the UK and Australia. • Legal recognition of unbridled parallel importation, which will affect rights holders’ ability to control licensing and specific market access terms for their works in different jurisdictions, especially online. The bottom line is that, while the government’s intentions were good, and they have clearly attempted to introduce benefits for actors and performers to uplift their earning capacities and collective plight, the very opposite consequences may well result, mainly due to an apparent misunderstanding of how diverse the AV industries are, and how over-regulation and the prescription of limiting business models can only restrict the growth of our AV and other creative industries. The reality is that the Bills will fundamentally change the way in which business can be done in SA’s film, television, animation and commercial production industries. The proposed changes will steer the country into unchartered waters where, instead of serving as a catalyst to reinvigorate our AV industries, it may increase SA’s risk profile as a content production destination, where rights holders’ ability to recover of high-value investments through the effective protection and commercialisation of produced content would be doubtful. Disinvestment would render the perceived benefits that our actors and performers are looking forward to obsolete and, while some actors may rely on the amendments to demand repeat fees from local broadcasters, the international projects that have the power

well result.

”

to transform our film and related industries (and our economy) – through sustained and significant inward investment – will likely move to ‘safer locations’ elsewhere. This would result in the loss of employment opportunities for most of our actors, performers, scriptwriters, composers, costume designers, cinematographers, technical and creative crews, who depend on international feature film projects to make a living. Not to mention the satellite economies that serve such large productions, like the hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation providers to cast and crew, the catering companies that provide food for sets daily, carpenters who build the sets, costume designers, refuse removal companies, car rental companies and the like. South Africa is ideally positioned to benefit from so-called ‘film tourism’ if more full-length feature films and high-profile television series are produced here – much as Northern Ireland did after the first season of Game of Thrones was shot on location there. Since then, the country has welcomed more than 350,000 ‘GOT film tourists’ each year, who tend to collectively spend more than US$, billion in Northern Ireland annually. The impact that large international productions can have on our local film industry and our country’s economy should not be underestimated. The hope is that President Ramaphosa will heed the calls from concerned stakeholders, investors, rights holders and content producers, locally and internationally, and refer the Bills back to Parliament for the necessary revisions to be made to ensure that the intended benefits materialise for our creatives, and the right balance is struck between the rights of owners and the access demands of users. – Stephen Hollis Adams & Adams is a specialised Intellectual Property law firm, where Stephen Hollis practices copyright, trade mark and entertainment law.

TELEVISION PRODUCTION

| ADVERTORIAL

Inside the making of Trap! Dis My Huis Currently screening on the Afrikaans lifestyle channel VIA (DStv 147), the new South African TV show Trap! Dis My Huis – co-presented by Amalia Uys and Zoë Brown – is based on the hit international Fremantle television format titled Get The F*CK Out Of My House.

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Presenters Zoë Brown and Amalia Uys

ADVERTORIAL

roduced by Cape Town-based production house Afrokaans Film & Television, Trap! Dis My Huis sees 50 strangers living together in a two-bedroom house – equipped with supplies for just two people – for a chance to win R1 million. “The original format caters for 100 people in a four-bedroom house over 30 days or longer,” says Afrokaans producer and founding partner Handrie Basson, “but we had to scale down the format for effective production budget control and compelling storytelling. The VIA version is for 50 people in a two-bedroom house for 18 days.” With cameras recording their every move 24/7, the housemates must spend three weeks together in the twobedroom house without leaving. If a housemate wishes to leave the house, they are free to do so, but this means that they are also choosing to leave the competition. Contestants are also regularly voted out of the house by their fellow housemates.

of day. “An amazing part of the production was to monitor 50 individual audio tracks at all times and making sure that the individual microphone packs were always functioning and powered up. Keeping on top of all the story developments in a house with 50 contestants, meant that our content producers – in fact, the entire control room – had to be glued to the camera monitors constantly to ensure that we are abreast of all conversations, emotions and strategies,” comments Basson. “Designing and setting up the episodic challenges had to be of such a nature that we could continue filming non-stop – without having to break for set-ups and striking of challenge builds and props.” These restrictions pushed the Afrokaans team to think outside of the box in order to create feasible yet compelling games and challenges for the contestants. “It was an intensely focused production across the board and our crew managed to pull it off spectacularly,” says Basson.

AN INTENSELY FOCUSED PRODUCTION

GREAT ENTERTAINMENT FOR VIEWERS AND GUARANTEED RATINGS FOR BROADCASTERS

The casting team selected potential housemates based on their short video and questionnaire submissions that were submitted via the online audition platform, Short Audition. “Our casting team then sorted and shortlisted candidates, and did follow-up interviews to select a final cast of 50,” says Basson. The production crew had their work cut out for them, tracking the various subjects 24 hours a day, for the full 18 days. Working with a large number of contestants, cooped up in a confined space, brings about its own set of unique challenges. And the fact that contestants could leave the house voluntarily at any given moment meant that the crew had to be prepared for a walk-out at any time

The reality TV show has previously had successful editions in the Netherlands, Germany and Brazil. Basson says that the format first caught his attention a few years ago at MIPTV: “After attending MIPTV in Cannes, France a few years back, we spotted the Fremantle format, called Get The F*CK Out Of My House, creating great buzz at the market and we were adamant about bringing it to South Africa. Afrokaans negotiated the rights with Fremantle and found a broadcast partner in VIA to bring this exciting format to South African audiences.” Afrokaans specialises in unscripted formats, both internationally acquired and original, for South African broadcasters

TELEVISION PRODUCTION

and content platforms. The company also produces lifestyle series and branded content, as well as productions in the scripted genre. Some of their recent projects include Survivor SA (international format) and The Scene (original format) for M-Net; Hoor My Sien My Soen My (international format) for kykNET; Style Squad (original branded content format) for Mzansi Magic; as well as In Ons Midde, Mooi, Dit Proe Soos Huis and Die Kliek (all original formats) for VIA. Localised international formats are hugely popular in the South African television market – think Survivor, Come Dine With Me, The Bachelor, Masterchef and Dinner Date, to name a few – but while producing home-grown versions of these formats guarantees reward, executing these productions effectively for the local market can be challenging. “South African TV audiences are becoming more and more sophisticated and demanding in their content choices, and broadcasters and South African production companies have to deliver to these demands,” says Basson. “International formats executed locally allows South Africans to see themselves on TV in international success stories and it brings a unique flavour to tried and tested TV formulas, but it is sometimes difficult to execute international formats on the same scale as our overseas counterparts, because local production budgets often do not allow the scale and production values that one sees in international executions. “However, South Africans are creative, resourceful and innovative when working around restrictions and smaller budgets. The pay-off is huge when it is done authentically and professionally as our local versions of international formats provide great entertainment for viewers and guaranteed ratings for broadcasters,” he adds.

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TELEVISION PRODUCTION

| ADVERTORIAL

A HUGE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE Afrokaans engaged with Visual Impact SA to provide their trusted turnkey technical support on this format execution. “A producer is only as good as their suppliers and crew,” says Darren Lindsay, supervising producer at Afrokaans. According to Stefan Nell – digital imaging HOD at Visual Impact – this was no easy feat. “The concept of the show is fantastic and I knew that this was a project that would be a huge technical challenge as well as a lot of hard work to deliver a high-quality workflow and ensure that Afrokaans had a top class show to deliver to VIA.” Once a location had been confirmed, Nell went on a technical recce with Afrokaans supervising producer, Darren Lindsay, and the two immediately realised that the way the technical was executed on the Dutch version of the show would not work for Trap! Dis My Huis. “The Dutch had a lot of space and we did not. The location was a two-bedroom, two-bathroom tiny show house for a complex development in Kuils Rivier,” explains Nell. “There were 50 people that were going to have to inhabit the limited space. It did not take us long to realise that we needed a far different approach in

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accomplishing the technical requirements of the South African version of the show.”

CAMERAS Around the same time, Visual Impact had acquired a large number of PTZOptics hot head cameras for another format show and the decision was made to use 20 of those on Trap! Dis My Huis. The use of the hot heads combined with two ENG-operated cameras would form the basis of the content acquisition workflow – successfully capturing the action without compromising the integrity of the show format. “We also combined the PTZOptics cameras with four Canon XU81 cameras for the exterior of the house, as Canons are water- and weatherproof. For the ENG cameras, we decided to use the super reliable work horse that is the Sony PMW 400s, which have been a staple on most of the reality shows that Visual Impact has serviced,” Nell adds.

LIGHTING Determining how best to tackle lighting for the show was just as challenging for Nell and his team, until they settled on the Parvo LED tubes, which are RGBW and can be controlled via Wi-Fi. “These tubes turned out to be the perfect choice

ADVERTORIAL

as their form factor is not much more than a regular fluorescent tube minus the actual lighting fixture,” Nell explains. “This enabled us to control not only the colour temperature of the lights to match the ambient light spilling in from outside, but also the intensity during the different phases of a day.” The Parvo LED tubes also allowed the team to set the time of day in the psyche of the contestants by changing from daylight to tungsten in the evening, and then dropping the intensity to 1% on the LEDs at bedtime. “This was not enough light to bother the contestants but enough for the PTZ optics hot heads to expose without too much signal noise. The exterior lighting was provided by our trusty Velvet 2 x 1 LED panels as they are water- and weatherproof and emit the most gorgeous soft light,” adds Nell.

RIGGING According to Nell, rigging the show was “a laborious process as the hot heads would always be in shot and, as such, all cabling would have to run super neatly and be glued into place.” Nevertheless, Visual Impact’s top technicians Roedolph Louw, Thomas van Greuning and Mcini Jarvani, assisted by the company’s newest team member Sam Maritz and two interns from the Visuals Academy, Siyabulela Mvulana and Giovanni Campher, got the rigging done in just one week. As space was seriously limited in the ceiling cavity the team had to “fish cables into the roof with a PVC pipe and

a hook to reach into the corners of the house,” says Nell.

MASTER CONTROL ROOM The control room for Trap! Dis My Huis was set up in the double garage of the house, which was impressively converted into a cutting-edge Master Control Room (MCR). The MCR was kitted out with a Blackmagic Design 4K ATEM for Afrokaans director, Mareli Olivier, to do the vision controlling as the workflow required that up to eight streams were captured at any time. “These streams were being recorded onto the tried and trusted PIX 270i recorders from Sound Devices. Using these recorders allowed us to make use of the Dante system by integration with a system provided by Stratosphere Sound, whereby all audio tracks are imbedded into all the video tracks,” says Nell. The Visual Impact team made use of three different controllers for PTZ control – a Vaddio precision camera controller for the Canons; and the pro controllers from PTZOptics for the hot heads. “This enabled us to pre-program camera positions instead of relying on a joystick for control,” Nell explains. “This proved to be the best way to run a show where we had four different operators running various shifts, but having to maintain the same shot set ups for presenter positions, etc. “I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised with the results obtained for Trap! Dis My Huis. It was a fantastic

TELEVISION PRODUCTION

format to work on and the content that was created is absolute gold,” says Nell. “Visual Impact is proud to say that we delivered a great technical setup and workflow to our client Afrokaans Film & Television and they in turn delivered a gem of a show to VIA,” he concludes.

TOP PRIME-TIME RATINGS Trap! Dis My Huis premiered on 15 January 2020 on VIA (DStv 147), in a prime-time slot, exceeding channel ratings expectations and creating massive buzz on social media nationally. “We’re ecstatic about the great reception Trap! Dis My Huis has been met with. The first four episodes performed consistently strong, rating well above the benchmark for its prime-time timeslot. In fact, ratings for the show have been climbing week on week,” comments Charles Povey, VIA commissioning editor. “This is due, in no small part, to the talented team at Afrokaans who were brave enough to take on this challenging format. What’s more, Trap! Dis My Huis has proven to be a major source of talkability – a dream for any broadcaster – with VIA’s social media burning up with comments from viewers. As a channel, we’re proud to share this excitingly different content with DStv viewers.” – Chanelle Ellaya

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ON-AIR GRAPHICS

Graphic Content In a changing broadcast environment, where streaming of content directly to the viewer is becoming the new norm, the need for quality but cost-effective on-air graphics for live streams has given rise to a new, out-of-the-box solution that matches TV-level production at a fraction of the price. It gets even better because the new workﬂow is unlike anything that has ever been seen before: it’s a platform that not only offers TVquality results, but it is cost effective and has no expensive hardware, software or staff. It is, furthermore, a cinch to use on a self-service platform that anyone, yes anyone, can manipulate to manage all on-air graphic aspects of their broadcasts and live streams.

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here are two parts to a sports game on TV. There’s the actual play and then there’s the stats and graphics that enrich the action. A big part of creating professional and engaging sports broadcasts is live on-air graphics – they tell a story and show relevant information, from game scores to player and team stats. Graphics also display in-game advertisements from sponsors who support the club’s brands, broadcasters and leagues, which seek to target highlydefined sports audiences. For smaller teams, clubs, and schools, producing sophisticated graphics — live and in-game — is prohibitive. Hardware is expensive; software, difficult to master. Skilled staff is required to operate the consoles, and designers are needed to create the graphics. Matching the TVquality level of production traditionally costs tens of thousands of dollars, and that’s per game. As live streaming has become more popular and affordable, the need to produce quality on-air graphics on a professional level has become a necessity, and all too often smaller sporting organisations and production companies are hard-pressed to compete with the major broadcasters, as traditional graphic and titling solutions are unrealistically expensive. However, a few years back a group of Australia-based innovators formed a company called Live Graphic Systems. They put their heads together and came up with a new breed of automated graphics and

broadcast management software that offered TV-quality sports graphics but with no need for hardware, designers, skilled graphics operators or developers. The system is called LIGR. Since its inception, LIGR has produced graphics for over 10,000 sports games across the globe with over 1,000 sponsor ad-sets uploaded onto their platform. To date, it’s estimated that LIGR has saved over 100,000 hours of graphics operation, design and development – which equates to more than $20 million saved. LIGR provides out-of-the-box, ESPN-quality graphics templates that let you produce a professional live stream in a few simple steps. Just login, select your sport, and choose your graphics theme. Then upload your team, player and sponsor assets one by one (or upload your fixtures and squads in one hit), and watch as professional automated graphics animate over your live streams. The system incorporates a sponsorship management tool that incorporates brand and sponsor assets into the live stream graphics and has a sponsor reporting dashboard to provide metrics and insights about when and how the sponsors information was displayed during the broadcast. LIGR provides a complete asset management system (AMS), where the user can upload their assets, which are mapped to their teams and are then assigned to the schedule of games. Each league has its own assets, such as logos, watermarks, naming conventions and colours, and the user sets all of this up pre-season or pre-game. When games are scheduled in the LIGR scheduler, all assets will map to each competition and each home and away team automatically. Being an HTML 5 solution, LIGR works with all production workﬂows to deliver the graphic solutions. It integrates with all software vision mixers that support web browser inputs, such as OBS and vMix, as well as all cloud-based vision mixing and distribution platforms that support web browser graphics overlays and automated

camera systems that support web browser graphics overlays, such as Pixellot. In April this year, LIGR are set to release the LIGR Deck system – which automatically creates an entire game’s live graphics by simply live scoring the game. The users can utilise the LIGR Live Scoring App in a smart phone, or by connecting to the official scoring system or an external live score data source such as Stats Perform, Genius Sports, Sport Radar – either way, this completely removes any manual graphics operation. Users can upload and manage the assets they need in an easy-to-use dashboard and the graphics will animate on- and offscreen—automatically, and based on the live match data. Last year, LIGRA were set a challenge by Cricket Australia to produce professional and data integrated graphics for over 120 live stream games across the season. The system had to integrate with Cricket Australia’s OptaPro system (which provides analytical data) in real time while connecting brands to specific triggered events in-game. The system had to be able to run graphics in a combination of auto and manual mode, with graphics to be overlaid off-site in a cloud-based master control room (MCR) with direction fed by an on-site producer to the off-site graphics operator. LIGR worked on a unique workflow that combined traditional workflows with automated and remote workflows for the local JLT Cup, The Woman’s Big Bash League, as well as international non-televised live streams. Interest in live graphic systems technology is gaining momentum, and not only in the streaming environment – it is also attracting attention from mainstream broadcasters. LIGR really is the easiest way to deliver a consistent and professional level of live streaming quality graphic content, for all games, across all age groups, to all fans – only without the hard work. – Ian Dormer

BROADCASTING

| THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

How cloud technology is evolving the broadcast industry Written by Andreas Jacobi,

CEO and co-founder of Make.TV – a division of LTN Global

The South African TV market continues to exhibit strong growth. A recent PwC report showed that the total TV market revenue is expanding at a 4.8% compound annual growth rate and is forecasted to reach R40.8 billion by 2022. Despite the market being primed for growth, the traditional broadcast landscape is currently facing a number of challenges.

his is caused by a proliferation of new and social media that is driving audience fragmentation. To a certain degree, these challenges have also arisen from outdated industry workflows. The media landscape is dominated by hardware-based solutions that are expensive, inflexible, closed systems. It can take weeks or months to procure and configure the hardware for a major live production, often involving expansive workflows via satellites and large teams on location. Smart cloud technology is changing this by enhancing footage acquisition, establishing agile operational teams and streamlining the content distribution process. It is creating a number of operational and business efficiencies while helping traditional broadcasters overcome several legacy workflow challenges.

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ENHANCED FOOTAGE ACQUISITION AND AGILE LIVE PRODUCTION Fresh footage that is timely and relevant is needed to expand and enhance professionally-produced programming and the opportunity to take advantage of it is sitting, quite literally, in our pockets. Over the last thirteen years, smartphone cameras have evolved with features like electronic stabilisation, 4K recording and wide-angle lenses, allowing anyone to create and contribute quality content. Additionally, sub-Saharan Africa will see a major increase in smartphone usage, with total mobile smartphone connections increasing from 39% of the population in 2018 to 66% in 2025, according to The GSMA Mobile Economy report.

In fact, research by Cisco forecasts that, by 2022, live video is expected to make up 17% of all video traffic on the internet and that the Middle East and Africa will experience the highest mobile data traffic growth of any region, increasing by 56% by 2022. These trends mean that broadcasters need to start thinking about how to harness user-generated content (UGC) if they are to create timely, relevant and localised programmes. Cloud technology allows producers to ingest footage from unlimited concurrent live feeds and multiple sources. This can include professional cameras, encoders, drones and also UGC from mobile phones and online sources like WebRTC. WebRTC is a particularly important source because it removes app dependency, enabling anyone to submit video to a production without signing up. This is crucial for both time-critical situations, and when dealing with a variety of demographics with varying access to technology. WebRTC can be used to set up instant remote interviews with mobile reporters, remote talent, fans in a football stadium or even a citizen who is in the vicinity of an incident.

MACHINE-ASSISTED VIDEO WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT 2020 is set to be a major year for live sports broadcasting, with both the Tokyo Olympics and the ICC Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups in Australia set to reach global audiences in the billions. Broadcasters around the globe will set new records for the number of feeds they ingest and the amount of programming they distribute. If broadcasters could acquire video sources covering every minute of every event, local coverage of the fan experience within the venues, the excitement across Tokyo and Melbourne, plus live video updates from the athletes themselves, it would be a treasure trove of content and would make for some enjoyable and captivating programmes. However, this would also be an overwhelming amount of video to manage with some of the current systems. Cloud-based infrastructure can simplify mass content management by automating the manual tasks in the video workflow to acquire and filter multiple assets and sources. Once the content is ingested, editorial teams can use a browser-based multiview to leverage metadata, enabling them to

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

BROADCASTING

Figures from a Reuters Institute report for Q1 2019 have shown that the smartphone is the most popular device for accessing news among South Africans. 58% of the population use a smartphone as their main device for accessing news and 70% of people that watch an online news video will watch it through a social media platform, rather than directly on the news site. In order to reach the widest possible audience pool, broadcasters need to adapt their distribution workflows.

filter contributors and explore sources by configured inputs such as professional cameras, mobile contributions and geolocations. This technology enables producers to develop new show formats around sport-specific, team-specific and athlete-specific live channels, interweaving authentic, localised live coverage and creating a whole new level of hyper-personalised viewing experience.

STREAMLINE DELIVERY, MULTIPLATFORM DISTRIBUTION AND CONTENT EXCHANGE As companies move content exchange, distribution and syndication from satellite to the cloud they will be creating major business efficiencies while dealing with audience fragmentation. In South Africa, proliferation of new technology coupled with the rise of digital and social media platforms has resulted in audience fragmentation at a truly unprecedented scale. This trend is having a strong impact on news organisations in particular. Figures from a Reuters Institute report for Q1 2019 have shown that the smartphone is the most popular device for accessing news among

South Africans. 58% of the population use a smartphone as their main device for accessing news and 70% of people that watch an online news video will watch it through a social media platform, rather than directly on the news site. In order to reach the widest possible audience pool, broadcasters need to adapt their distribution workflows. The move to cloud-based workflows will help broadcasters adapt to a fragmented landscape as cloud applications can enable simultaneous distribution of a single programme to unlimited outlets. This can include linear, OTT and social media distribution. There are numerous companies that have increased their reach by adopting platform agnostic strategies, especially in eSports. Last February, ESL, the world’s largest eSports company, ran a series of flagship events in the Spodek Arena, Katowice. ESL ingested the broadcast source signals into a cloud infrastructure and was able to route these signals to a variety of channels, platforms, CDNs and partners, as well as to production houses for regional localisation in 21 languages.

Utilising the unlimited distribution capabilities of the cloud has enabled ESL to distribute live signals from its eSports events to reach millions of concurrent viewers across 70 different destinations. This broke ESL’s viewership records, helping it reach a global audience of over 230 million viewers who watched 157 million hours of eSports tournament content. eSports is a high growth market in South Africa, with a PwC report showing that South Africa’s total eSports revenue will rise from R29 million in 2017 to R104 million in 2022, a CAGR of 29%. Therefore, it is imperative that broadcasters pay close attention to how this market develops. It is not just contemporary publishers who are taking advantage of the cloud. Cloud workflows are also starting to be used by some of the largest American mass media news conglomerates. By transitioning to the cloud, these giants are able to generate, share and syndicate content seamlessly while making the process for on-boarding new affiliates quicker and easier. Cloud applications provide these networks with a broad set of digital workflows in a unified system, and the ability to publish content to social

media platforms as well as broadcast stations at scale. They are able to route, monitor and curate content in the cloud for syndication and distribution, creating cost and time saving efficiencies across the board. It is important that broadcasters pay close attention to the transport solutions available as it is unacceptable to have a stream go down during a live broadcast. Therefore, it is absolutely critical that broadcasters leverage robust IP networks for more costeffective and reliable delivery of low-latency, broadcast-quality live video. Moving to the cloud has numerous benefits and we believe that every single part of the workflow will transition there eventually. By using the cloud technology, broadcasters can enhance video acquisition, simplify video management and streamline distribution and exchange of content. Traditional broadcasters are facing a number of challenges. Yet there are tools available that can help them evolve their workflows and processes to successfully adjust to and thrive in the digital era. The time to evolve is now.

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LIGHTING EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES

| PROFILE

Lighting the way: Dirk “Badger” Bloemraad Dirk “Badger” Bloemraad is an independent lighting technician, with more than 25 years experience lighting sets and locations for filming commercials. Badger is wellestablished as one of the leading lighting technicians in the field, both in South Africa and abroad. Unlike many freelance lighting professionals, Badger has differentiated himself in the market by owning his own lighting inventory, which he manoeuvres around Cape Town in a highly-specialised lighting truck. As a result, Badger offers clients a one-stop-shop; an instant solution for lighting sets for commercials being shot in and around Cape Town. Badger shared some of his insights and unique experiences as an independent lighting professional for the film industry in a recent interview.

HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INVOLVED IN THE FILM INDUSTRY? As a young man, I never really had an ambition to become involved in the film industry, and my introduction to the field came merely by chance. I started my career in the Netherlands as a professional cabinet-maker and ran a small workshop in Amsterdam, where I specialised in restoring antiques and making custom-designed furniture for clients. During this time, I met my wife, Jacky, who was working as a makeup artist for the film industry in Amsterdam. One fateful day, she twisted her ankle and I carried her and her bags to the set that she was working on. When I arrived, I met up with a good friend of ours who was serving as a lighting technician for the shoot, and I spent the day helping him out. The assistant director seemed to take a liking to me and asked if I could return the following day. The rest – as they say – is history, and I never really left the film industry after that!

HOW DID YOU ESTABLISH YOURSELF AS A PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING TECHNICIAN? Professional lighting for filming commercials is very specialised and technical work, and once I discovered that it was something that I wanted to pursue, I did a lot of training in lighting design, electrical work, rigging and a range of other disciplines to build the skill set needed to become proficient in the field. This is actually an ongoing process, as the industry is constantly evolving, and one always needs to make sure that you are adequately versed in the latest technology. While working in Europe in the late-1990 and early-2000s, I developed some great working relationships with a tight-knit group of producers and film crews and gained a fair amount of experience in the field. When my wife and I started a family, however, we decided that we would like to spend more time in South Africa, where she was born, and I started to take on work in Cape Town during the African summer and in Europe during summer in the North. I have balanced my time between the two markets ever since.

“In my experience, one can only be successful in this field if you have solid

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technical knowledge to base your creative process upon.

”

PROFILE

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES

“Having my own inventory means that I am able to test all of my fixtures and maintain my equipment to the high standards that I set for myself, which ensures that I am efficient and effective on a project.”

HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THE SOUTH AFRICAN AND EUROPEAN MARKETS? I would say that the South African market is sometimes more challenging than what I encounter in Europe, because it operates as a service industry. In South Africa, you are often working for a production company that has been contracted to produce content by a secondary production company abroad. As a result, the decision-making processes are a little more cumbersome, and the competition to retain clients is a lot more aggressive. When working on set in South Africa, there is very little space for error. From a practical point of view, there is very little time in Cape Town for preparation work. Teams come in first thing in the morning and go straight into a director’s reconnaissance to see locations and get a team together for the job. The following day, there is a technical reconnaissance of the chosen site, and then the day after is normally the first day of shooting, which leaves very little time to get to know one another before you have to collaborate as a team. In Europe, I often have the benefit of having had a lot of prior working experience with the production company, producer, director and the crew. As a result, I often know exactly what they are looking for, what their expectations are and what my scope of practice will be before I even arrive on set. We also, generally, work directly for the commissioning production company, and therefore the production crew has a little more latitude when it comes to making on-the-spot decisions and changes.

While I enjoy working as a part of a team that is well established in Europe, I thrive on the challenges presented by needing to collaborate with different directors and producers in South Africa and figuring out what they need from me on the fly. Another advantage of working on both continents is that Europe is always a few steps ahead of the South African market when it comes to new products and technologies. Working in both markets gives me a bit of an advantage in South Africa, as I am always prepared when new fixtures or techniques, which have been used in Europe the season before, are introduced by production companies and producers in Cape Town. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK? As a professional lighting technician, my work requires a fantastic combination of creative and technical skills. Basically, as the ‘lighting guy’, I get to start with a blank canvas and, once I understand what the producer and director are trying to achieve, I get to build the image that they have in mind and create the desired mood or atmosphere in different settings and under varying circumstances. As a result, no two projects are exactly alike, which keeps things interesting. In my experience, one can only be successful in this field if you have solid technical knowledge to base your creative process upon. You need to have an intimate understanding of how your chosen gear works and the characteristic of each fixture that you plan to use and match that to the overall picture that you want to create. I am, therefore, always learning and growing, which is something that is important to me as well.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOUR DECISION TO INVEST IN YOUR OWN GEAR? As the head of the lighting department on a project, the entire crew are relying on you to light the set to enable filming to go ahead on time and with good results. Delays due to technical problems cost all parties a lot of time and money, and you never want to be the person who is responsible when things go wrong. As a result, I have to work with equipment that I can rely on to work according to specification when I arrive on set. Having my own inventory means that I am able to test all of my fixtures and maintain my equipment to the high standards that I set for myself, which ensures that I am efficient and effective on a project. While I may not see a return on investment in the short term, being reliable and producing high-quality work because I have well-maintained equipment that I am familiar with has been central to my success in the industry. YOU RECENTLY INVESTED IN SOME ASTERA TITAN TUBES, WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF THE PRODUCT? I first encountered Astera’s battery-operated LED fixtures in Europe a few years ago, and – I must admit – that I was a little sceptical at first. Over the years, I have seen a number of fixtures come and go, and I expected to see Astera’s products being specified for projects for a season or two before disappearing as a passing fad. Time has, however, proved me wrong, and I have seen Astera’s LED Titan Tubes being specified for an increasing number of projects over the past few years, both

in Europe and in Cape Town. I believe that the product has gained traction because they are completely wireless, making them exceptionally quick to set up and put to work. Also, the battery life is generally long enough to last for a whole day of shooting, and control is very user-friendly. Finally, Astera offers a very versatile lighting solution that can be adapted to work in a range of settings and conditions while also being competitively priced. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ENTERING THE FIELD? Continual learning is critical as a lighting professional, and I encourage young professionals to always seek out opportunities to learn new skills and familiarise themselves with new technologies. While technical skills are incredibly important, it is just as important to develop good people skills. As a lighting specialist, I work closely with the producer, director, camera crew, audio team, rigging department and all of the other disciplines on set to deliver a successful product for the client. Even if you are the most talented lighting professional in the world, you will never be successful if you can’t be a team player. I am extremely grateful to the team of people that I work with, both in South Africa and in Europe, and would not be able to produce the high-quality work that I do without their collaboration and support.

“While technical skills are incredibly important, it is just as important to develop good people skills. Even if you are the most talented lighting professional in the world, you will never be successful if you can’t be a team player.

”

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TRADE SHOWS & MARKETS

NAB is on its T

Some were surprised by the NAB committee’s decision to change the schedule of the 2020 NAB Show from Sunday to Wednesday, instead of running the usual Saturday to Thursday. As the show has evolved, observers say, the preceding weekend has become a much more popular time to hold both official and non-official affiliated events. A number of technical and educational sessions take place over the weekend, for instance, and a few non-NAB events start as early as the prior week. The build-up has begun for a few days of serious business and a little bit of fun!

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he shortened show will no doubt be as exciting and action-packed as ever, and I for one cannot wait to see what the broadcast, media and entertainment industry has up its sleeve. The show kicks off with a live performance of renowned actor and comedian Jim Gaffigan as part of his 2020 The Pale Tourist comedy tour. NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith, who will introduce Gaffigan at the Kick Off event, says: “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the new show pattern and welcome the 2020 attendees.” Along with a new show pattern, there are a number of new additions to the exhibition, like The Streaming Experience, a new content showcase curated by noted streaming and online video expert Dan Rayburn that will feature more than 50 OTT platforms and streaming devices – giving NAB Show attendees a first-hand look at the latest streaming video services. The living-room setting will allow attendees the opportunity to test OTT

services side-by-side to compare content, video quality, ad formats, playback features and delivery methods. The Streaming Experience will feature hardware from Amazon, Apple, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, LG, TCL and Samsung. Streaming services on display will include Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access, Disney+, Hulu, NBC Sports, Netflix and YouTube TV, among others. “Streaming is a major focus of the 2020 NAB Show, and the new Streaming Experience is the largest showcase of its kind in the industry,” said NAB executive vice president of conventions and business operations, Chris Brown. “We are excited for attendees to join their industry peers in this living room environment and experience nearly every live and on-demand streaming service on the market today.” As always, there are hundreds of useful talk sessions on offer, which cover subjects from How to Effectively Direct a Drone Shoot in the Post Production World rooms, through to Development of

TRADE SHOWS & MARKETS

“Streaming is a major focus of the 2020 NAB Show, and the new Streaming Experience is the largest showcase of its kind in the industry.

”

– Chris Brown, executive vice president of conventions and business operations, NAB

way 8K UHDTV Wireless Camera Using Millimetre-Wave Band, in the Broadcast Engineering and IT conference sessions. The Executive Leadership Summit (ELS) conference session will feature a keynote conversation with WarnerMedia Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt, who will discuss opportunities for WarnerMedia and plans for the newly-aligned sister companies HBO, TNT, TBS, truTV, Otter Media and soon-to-be-launched HBO Max. A unique on-floor destination this year and the new basecamp for content creators has to be CineCentral. Described as a place to discover, learn and socialise, CineCentral has tonnes of sessions from pre-prod through to final colour correction, and you can learn how to use and integrate the latest tools into a functional ecosystem; get hands-on with state-of-the-art products; and connect with friends and colleagues. Another popular destination this year will be the NAB Esports Experience where you can experience game play at a professional player’s level. You will experience playing

live in front of an audience while casters are talking about your gameplay, which will be live-streamed to the audience in attendance. On the exhibition floor there will no doubt be a whole lot of new releases. New cameras and lenses, awesome audio gear, lighting and editing platforms. Rumours are always rife this time of the year, but you won’t know if you don’t go and traverse the various hall spaces. No doubt there will be quite a bit of 8K technology floating around with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on the horizon. Something to seriously look at will be LG’s latest range of 8K TV and monitor technology. LG’s latest 8K TVs feature upgraded performance thanks to the new α (Alpha) 9 Gen 3 AI Processor. The new models offer the capability to play native 8K content thanks to support of the widest selection of 8K content sources from HDMI and USB digital inputs, including codecs such as HEVC, VP9 and AV1, the latter being backed by major streaming providers, including YouTube.

Speaking of higher resolutions, take time to squiz at the PIXOP stand. Most production companies and TV networks have a lot of great content in their archives that hasn’t been broadcast for years – mainly due to low resolution and poor video quality. The innovators who have developed the PIXOP Platform allow you to have all your digital masters up-scaled, with incredible results, using powerful algorithms and machine learning at what they quote as being “a really affordable price.” If they’re not on your list, it’s worth a detour to visit Actus Digital, who will demonstrate how its mandatory compliance solution can provide cross-organisational benefits to the operations, marketing and research, and new media departments of broadcasters and media companies alike. The platform includes solutions for compliance, quality-of-service assurance, technical monitoring, content repurposing, rating and competitive analysis tools, advanced AI options and more. On the audio front take a wander over to the Calrec stand

and take a peek at the exciting new VP2 virtualised mixing system. Finally, will Sony announce the all-new a7S III with 15MP IMX521CQR Sensor? Rumours all point to a resounding yes! The National Association of Broadcasters is closely monitoring the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in China, with an eye toward its potential impact on attendance and exhibitors at the show. According to NAB’s demographic breakdown of its 2019 show, 30% of non-US attendees came from Asia. At the time of writing, no exhibitors have pulled out due to the virus; however, NAB is currently reaching out to companies from China to assess their status. While it is still too early to determine what, if any, effect the virus will have on the show, the trade association is confident the NAB Show will convene as the world’s largest and most comprehensive media and technology convention. – Ian Dormer

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M A R KET PL AC E

UPCOMING EVENTS MARCH

6 – 12

LUXOR AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL

Luxor, Egypt

6 – 15

MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL

Miami, Florida

13 – 22

SXSW FILM FESTIVAL

Austin, Texas

27 – 29

VANCOUVER SOUTH AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL

Vancouver, BC, Canada

APRIL

DISPLAYS & MONITORING

INDUSTRY DIRECTORY

SATELLITE & TRANSMISSION

SERVICES

SOCIAL

POST-PRODUCTION

COMMERCIALS

RADIO

ORGANISERS

DIGITAL MEDIA DELIVERY

TV & VIDEO PRODUCTION

EVENTS

EXPOS DIRECTORY CONTACTS PRODUCTION COMPANIES AUDIENCE RATINGS GUIDE TO FILMING IN SOUTH AFRICA ORGANISATIONS PROFILE

NEWS EDITORIAL

EDITOR’S COMMENT

TRAINING

FESTIVALS ADCETERA

AWARDS

CORPORATE & EVENTS

PRESS RELEASES

AUDIO

SPECIAL FOCUS

CAMERAS & ACCESSORIES

LIGHTING

DVD

TECHNOLOGY