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IN THIS ISSUE
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31 IBC 2018 – The wrap up
34 DaVinci Resolve v15 – reviewed
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38 [sic] Entertainment and Gavin Wratten lead live broadcast for Miss SA Diamond Jubilee
Sew the Winter to My Skin documents the last years of John Kepe
NEWS | Africa’s entertainment and media industry enters dynamic new wave of convergence – 3.0........................... 4 Generation Africa steps into the future...................................... 5 The AI Summit launches at AfricaCom 2018......................................... 6 Sisters of the Wilderness launches outreach and audience engagement programme .............................. 8 South Africa selects Sew the Winter to My Skin for the 91st Academy Awards...................... 9
OPINION | Come on in....................................................22 South Africa gets its first LGBQTI+ TV network.................................24 From the Producer’s Mouth: Muhammed Nagdee.....................................26
TECHNOLOGY News | Canon launches new flagship, XF-HEVC capable, XF705 camcorder ........................10 NEP expands 4K capabilities with Sony........................................................10 Blackmagic Design announces advanced new Blackmagic RAW codec...11
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ADCETERA | Tulips & Chimneys animate hilarious back-to-school campaign for Fruits of the Loom.................................12 Ford South Africa introduces new range of cars with cross-media marketing campaign..............15 Jenn Nkiru to deliver closing keynote at PromaxBDA Africa 2018........................15 FILM | Director Speak: Lwazi Mvusi......................16 Sew the Winter to My Skin documents the last years of John Kepe.........................18
ADVERTORIAL Blacksmith Collective: The Co-Founders.........................................19
TELEVISON | Inside the making of local TV drama The Docket...................................28 INDUSTRY REVIEW | What challenges do Cape Town’s tech entrepreneurs face?.............................30 IBC Report | IBC 2018 – The wrap up.............................31
POST-PRODUCTION | DaVinci Resolve v15 – reviewed...............34 A Second Chance to Get it Right: A look inside Automated Dialogue Replacement.................................36 LIVE BROADCASTING [sic] Entertainment and Gavin Wratten lead live broadcast for Miss SA Diamond Jubilee............................38 FESTIVALS & EVENTS | The Cape Town International Film Market and Festival 2018...................41 REGULARS |
SOCIAL
Disney 2018 Content Showcase...............42
FILM | The making of Sara Blecher’s Mayfair......20
Marketplace....................................................44 Upcoming Events..........................................44
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From the editor
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It seems October has crept up on us and before you know it we’ll be wrapping up yet another successful year but there’s much to be done before then so let’s get straight into the issue… Our News section this month carries some exciting announcements but most noteworthy is the launch of Generation Africa by STEPS (Social Transformation and Empowerment Projects). Generation Africa is a documentary film project aimed at fostering a new narrative on migration through stories made by African filmmakers. Lara Preston reports that a call for submissions for stories has gone out across Africa with a focus on West and East Africa, but open to all – read all about it on page 5. In our Adcetra section, on pages 14 – 15, we get into the making of the new multi-channel Ford Ka campaign. Utilising various mediums including TV, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, the innovative new campaign is undoubtedly a look into the future of advertising. Sew the Winter to My Skin has been selected as South Africa’s official entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2019 Academy Awards. In our Film section, on pages 18 – 19, we chat to director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka about what inspired him to make this film. With IBC 2018 behind us, in this issue we cover what went down at this year’s show. If you weren’t able to attend, we’ve got you covered. Ian Dormer presents a report back over three pages (31 – 33) touching on numbers, themes and trends and exciting new products. Our Post-Production section features an interesting user review – by editor and post workflow consultant Daniëlle Nel – on DaVinci Resolve v15. Nel touches on her experience with the software, highlighting her favourite new features as well as some personal tips and tricks. Get the scoop on pages 34 – 35. Other noteworthy contributions to the issue include an in-depth look at Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR). ADR is the process of re-recording dialogue after filming has been wrapped. David Cornwell chats to local industry players and takes a look at the process on pages 36 – 37. We close out the issue with an exciting peek into what awaits visitors and delegates at the upcoming Cape Town International Film Festival & Market (pages 40 – 41). Till next time! – Chanelle Ellaya
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The Team
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Editor Chanelle Ellaya is a writer and a journalist. She completed her BA Journalism degree at the University of Johannesburg in 2011. While writing is her passion, she has a keen interest in the media in various capacities. Chanelle is an avid social networker and a firm believer in the power of social and online networking. Between writing and tweeting, she finds time to feed her love for live music.
JOURNALISTS
Gezzy S Sibisi is a journalist and photographer with experience in print, broadcast and digital media. Her portfolio of work includes working as a lifestyle reporter as well as contributing business and education articles to The Times, Sowetan and Daily Despatch publications. As a freelancer she has worked on content development for corporate newsletters, community newspapers, blogs and educational websites.
Lara Preston is a passionately committed marketer and strategist with a focus in promoting African content and events. Two decades of working across Africa have provided her with insights and experience that she puts to work for the projects she manages. In 2006, Lara founded, and still personally manages, Red Flag Content Relations, a full service below-the-line agency that also focuses on African entertainment and lifestyle brand marketing, strategy, and publicity.
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.
David Cornwell writes fiction, films and features for a variety of publications. His debut novel, Like It Matters (Umuzi, 2016), has been long-listed for the 2017 Sunday Times Fiction Award.
Nicole Barnes is a technical and academic writer, with experience writing for trade publications, Nicole holds a degree in English from the University of Johannesburg and has more than ten years’ experience in the academic environment. As a classically trained ballet dancer, she has a deep love for the theatre together with an unquenchable interest in development and technology.
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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. October 2018
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Africa’s entertainment and media industry enters dynamic new wave of convergence – 3.0
Vicki Myburgh, Entertainment and Media leader, PwC Southern Africa
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y 2022, total E&M revenue in South Africa is expected to reach R177.2 billion, up from R129.2 billion in 2017. Internet (access and advertising) is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.3 per cent over the forecast period to reach R91.2 billion, up from R53.4 billion in 2017. Overall E&M growth will be less reliant on internet access revenue as organic growth opportunities in internet connections start fading towards the end of the forecast period. Internet advertising will greatly exceed TV advertising in terms of growth, leading the way with a 13 per cent CAGR over the forecast period to reach R9.4 billion and overtake TV advertising spend in 2022. The Outlook is a comprehensive source of analyses and five-year forecasts of consumer and advertising spending across five countries (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania) and 14 segments: internet, data consumption, television, cinema, video games, e-sports, virtual reality (VR), newspaper publishing, magazine publishing, book publishing, business-to-business (b2b), music, out-of-home (OOH) and radio. In this article however, we will only cover findings relevant to South Africa and selected segments. Vicki Myburgh, Entertainment and Media leader, PwC Southern Africa, says: “It’s clear we’re in a rapidly evolving media ecosystem that’s experiencing Convergence 3.0. In Convergence 3.0, the dynamics of competition are evolving while a cohort of ever-expanding super competitors and more focussed players strive to build relevance at the right scale. And business models are being
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Africa’s entertainment and media industry has entered a dynamic new phase – a third wave of convergence. As the mobile device cements itself as the preeminent source of the entertainment and media (E&M) experience, the most disruptive, forwardthinking companies are striving to create an integrated ecosystem suited to this consumer-driven dynamic. This is according to PwC’s latest report titled ‘Entertainment and media outlook: 2018 – 2022: An African perspective’.
reinvented so all players can tap into new revenue streams, by, for example, targeting fans and connecting more effectively with customers to develop a membership mind-set.” South Africa’s E&M industry faced a challenging year in 2017 amidst economic and socio-political uncertainty. Total revenue rose at a comparatively low rate of 6.8 per cent year-on-year to R129.2 billion. A bounce-back in 2018 sees an anticipated 7.6 per cent year-on-year growth, while the CAGR to 2022 is forecast at 6.5 per cent. South Africa will see a strong CAGR of 7.6 per cent for consumer revenue to 2022, moving from R93.9 billion in 2017 to R135.7 billion in 2022. Beyond revenue from the internet segment (buoyed by apps revenue) there are many success stories, most notably that of video games, which will surpass books, magazines and B2B to become the third-highest contributing consumer segment. There is a striking difference in growth between digital and non-digital revenue, which have CAGRs of 11.4 per cent and 1.8 per cent respectively. Put another way, digital revenue will add R41.3 billion and non-digital revenue R6.7 billion by 2022. The non-digital elements of five different segments – books, magazines, newspapers, OOH and video games – will all decline by 2022. Within this overall increase, the fastest revenue growth will be in the digitally driven segments. Virtual reality will lead the way, albeit from a low base, at a five-year CAGR of 55 per cent to reach R671 billion in 2022, from R75 billion in 2017. “The exceptional growth in VR reflects the excitement in this space. VR
devices and experiences are in the early stages of being accepted by the mainstream, as VR now emerges as a viable long-term platform for unique, immersive experiences, attracting major investment from media and technology companies eager to seize a share of this fast-growing market,” Myburgh adds. After a breakthrough year, South Africa’s total e-sports revenue is forecast to rise from R29 million in 2017 to R104 million in 2022, a CAGR of 29 per cent. A host of high profile events in 2017 helped to propel e-sport further towards the mainstream, and a number of similar events have been and are being held this year. A booming social/casual sector is driving strong growth in the video games segment. Total revenue is forecast to rise from R3.1 billion in 2017 to R6.2 billion in 2022. TV and video will continue to be a major driver of consumer spend. Following growth at 4.8 per cent CAGR over the forecast period, the total TV market will be worth R40.8 billion by 2022. Recovering admissions and rising ticket prices together with improved offerings will see box office revenue deliver modest growth at a 3.5 per cent CAGR through 2022. Radio continues to have a solid listener base in South Africa, and a weekly reach of 91 per cent. Radio revenue is projected to rise 3.9 per cent CAGR over the forecast period to surpass the R5 billion mark in 2022. Chat apps and social platforms have become an increasingly important part of day-to-day life for consumers, both in South Africa and worldwide. As usage and entertainment rise, key players from
across the E&M industry have teamed up with these platforms, growing them into ‘one-stop shops’ for consumer needs. The report shows that advertising in the E&M industry was mostly affected by South Africa’s economic environment, with cautious growth of just 1.9 per cent year on year. An improvement is expected by 2022, with a 3.3 per cent CAGR bringing total advertising revenue to R41.5 billion, from R35.3 billion in 2017. New technologies and devices like artificial intelligence (AI), virtual and augmented reality, voice-based smart home devices and virtual assistants look set to drive innovation in online advertising on a global scale in the coming years. The five countries considered in the Outlook will, driven by Nigeria, add US$12.4 billion in revenue from 2017 to 2022, at a combined CAGR of 11.9 per cent. Although much of this will fall into the hands of telcos, there are significant opportunities for content providers too. The engine of growth here will be organic, with increased populations and gradually increasing disposable income swelling the ranks of potential E&M consumers – and ever-increasing internet access greatly expanding the range of E&M opportunities available. “To succeed in the future that’s taking shape, companies must re-envision every aspect of what they do and how they do it. It’s about having, or having access to, the right technology and excellent content, which is delivered in a costeffective manner to an engaged audience that trusts the brand. For those able to execute successfully, the opportunities are legion,” Myburgh concludes.
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GENERATION AFRICA STEPS INTO THE FUTURE As the African narrative starts to take its place on the global stage, African produced documentaries will be more and more important in cultivating and articulating African voices.
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n the past, and even in the current environment however, many of the documentaries that look at Africa are effectively doing just that – looking AT Africa and in many ways objectifying its people. Regardless of the topic, too often foreign funded and produced documentaries are litanies of grief and victimisation that tend to talk about Africa and Africans, rather than creating spaces and platforms for Africans to share our own stories and speak with our own voices. Thankfully, this is starting to change, and as I have written about before, African filmmakers are pushing the boundaries of documentary film in ways that bring to life rich characters, and diverse cultures, and through a depth of approach, are able to transcend the negativity and stereotypes even when dealing with painful subjects. For many years organisations such as STEPS (Social Transformation and Empowerment Projects), a non-profit organisation, passionate about the power of documentaries to disrupt, shift and move the world around us, have been working with, and developing the skills of African filmmakers to enable them to
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produce exactly these kinds of documentary films. Through their various workshop and development projects, STEPS works on the production side of the process, and with their AfriDocs free streaming platform, they also push distribution and develop audiences for these films. One of the topics that STEPS will be focusing on for the next few months is that of migration. Once again, much of the content that currently exists on this issue has been created from a Western perspective that sees the situation quite literally in black and white terms, and cultivates the view that a crisis of epic proportions is taking place as a mass exodus of Africans try to reach Europe. This content often portrays Africans as homogenous, one dimensional victims of forces out of their own control, masses with little or no agency. In an attempt to disrupt this dominant narrative, STEPS is currently launching two major initiatives both on the production and distribution fronts. AfriDocs will be presenting six powerful documentaries focused on migration that share a diversity of stories, voices and experiences. These films will be available to stream
from mid-October via the AfriDocs free streaming platform and also will be broadcast in Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia and Ethiopia on free-to-air TV, as well as the LifeTV satellite channel across West Africa. By making these documentaries available across these multiple platforms, AfriDocs aims to open up the dialogue and re-frame the narrative. The films that will be streamed and broadcast include the following: My Escape, directed by Elke Sasse, is a film made up from mobile phone footage of migrants or refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea during their escape journeys to Europe, plus interviews after their arrival in Europe. Revenir is a collaboration between the filmmaker David Fedele and Kumut Imesh, a political refugee from the Ivory Coast, currently living in France. Part road-trip, part memoir, part journalistic investigation, this film follows Kumut as he returns to the African continent and attempts to retrace the same journey that he took more than ten years ago. Days of Hope, from filmmaker Dittte Haarløv Johnsen, tells three immigrant stories that interlace to offer a portrait of the brave souls who leave Africa for Europe but who always stay connected with home. When Paul Came Over the Sea follows filmmaker Jakob Preuss as he becomes enmeshed in the life of Paul, who has made his way from his home in Cameroon across the Sahara to the Moroccan coast. When Paul decides to continue on to Germany, Jakob has to make a choice: will he become an active part of Paul’s journey or remain a detached documentary filmmaker? Those Who Jump from director Moritz Sebert visits northern Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla: Europe on
African land. On the mountain above, live more than a thousand hopeful African migrants, watching the fence separating Morocco and Spain. Aji Bi, Under the Clock Tower, directed by Raja Saddiki, follows the small community of Senegalese women who are living and working in Casablanca, in limbo between “regularisation” in Morocco, or attempting to “cross” to Europe. As many films on migration (including most of these) are not being produced by Africans, it is clearly imperative to promote and develop opportunities for African filmmakers, and particularly for young Africans who make up the majority of the continent’s population. To foster this process, STEPS has launched Generation Africa, that, in its own description, “is a documentary film project to produce a new narrative on migration through stories made by African filmmakers”. Whether on the move or at home the spotlight is on this generation of young Africans and how they see their future. The call for submissions for stories has gone out across Africa with a focus on West (Anglophone and Francophone) and East Africa, but open to all. The brief to filmmakers is simple, submit story concepts that are original, fresh, authentic, moving and even revolutionary or challenging. It’s through a multitude of young voices that Africa’s stories will be told and that the dominant narrative will be subverted. Applicants whose stories are selected will have the opportunity to take place in intensive workshops and development. Filmmakers are encouraged to submit up to three stories. All of the relevant information can be found on the STEPS website: http://steps.co.za/ – Lara Preston
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The AI Summit launches at AfricaCom 2018
Following successful events in San Francisco, New York and London, the AI Summit Cape Town will be launched at AfricaCom this November with two days of thought-provoking presentations, debate and insights.
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he world’s leading conference on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), it is aimed at CxOs, CDOs and leading innovators keen to both future-proof their businesses and understand the opportunities this game-changing technology has for revenue generation and importantly, socio-economic inclusion. AI is already apparent in most industries – retail, oil & gas, finance, health, IT, energy, telecommunications, transport, travel & tourism and media– and has the potential to reach more and do more. Consequently, Tom Cuthell, portfolio director of KNect365, and the organiser of AfricaCom, is confident that the AI Summit in Cape Town will be as informative and well attended as its international counterparts. He comments: “AI is changing how we work
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and how we think. It is both an opportunity and a challenge. While AfricaCom 2017 touched on the subject, it has grown at such a pace that we wanted to devote an entire track to it to encourage its exploration as a tool for advancement, hence the launch of the AI Summit Cape Town. With an international line-up of expert speakers, and the importance of the conversations around artificial intelligence and machine learning, we expect a significant gathering of minds.” One of the more contentious issues around AI and ML is the concern over jobs. Is it really going to take away employment opportunities from humans, or will AI open the door to new possibilities? The mining sector in South Africa for example, is a major employer of labour so, how will using AI to build an autonomous workforce affect the sector?
These questions and more will be put to the test with experts including Dhanaraj Thakur (The Web Foundation), Chetan Trivedi (Hindustan Zinc Ltd), and Matthew French (Future Advocacy). Retail also gets a chance to discover how AI can benefit it – whether trading as an eCommerce or bricks and mortar business. Berdine Viljoen, CIO of the JD Group, one of South Africa’s largest massconsumer value lifestyle and finance corporations, will open the doors to how retailers can harness the power of AI, while Tomisin Fashina, CIO of Ecobank Group, shares how Africa has used the technology to change the banking landscape. The AI Summit Cape Town is a rich source of practical technical insights and sessions geared to enhancing how we work and play, and while it is focused on business applications, it also has the power to digitise Africa’s communities. From up-skilling labour, to saving lives and even growing our human sustenance – think data assimilating drones that show the farmer where to plant the seeds using his/her machines and then harvest when ready, or using machines and Big Data in real-time to monitor global fishing patterns to highlight overfishing – AI is
re-formatting how we function. Experts such as Benji Meltzer, CTO at Aerobotics and Manu Kumar, CDO of BUPA will share their expertise and insights into how AI can benefit the planet, people and even profit. Cuthell sums it up: “As exciting as the possibilities are for AI, it would be remiss of us as conference organisers not to be mindful of the risks unfettered deployment of this technology can bring. The AI Summit Cape Town will be thought provoking, but it will also be an important centre for responsible learning and determining Africa’s way forward – one that has a reasoned future.” Other notable speakers at AI Summit Cape Town include: Richard Benjamins (group director BI & BD, Telefónica); Willem Fick (CIO, EPPF); Jacques Ludick (founder, MIIA); Kamal Battacharya (chief information officer, Safaricom); Francis Mumbi (innovation lead, Stanbic); and Moloti Nakampe (executive director, ABI). The AI Summit Cape Town will take place during AfricaCom 2018, set to take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 13 to 15 November. Visitors and delegates can register on the AfricaCom website.
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Sisters of the Wilderness launches outreach and audience engagement programme
The outreach and audience engagement programme was officially launched on 22 September, in celebration of World Rhino Day and South Africa’s Heritage Month.
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isters of the Wilderness – the social impact feature-length documentary which recently won Best South African Documentary at the 2018 Durban International Film Festival and as a result qualified for Oscar consideration – is the foundation for an outreach and audience engagement programme that utilises multiple communication platforms to raise awareness, inspire, communicate and engage audiences worldwide. The outreach programme was launched on 22 September 2018 at Nondumiso and Shiyikosi Schools near the Northern part of Hluhluwe where the film is set. Since the launch, screenings of the documentary have been held in Somkhele at the Isolesizwe Film Festival, organised by well-known conservationist
Sheila Berry, as well as in the KwaZuluNatal Midlands community which is home to the main characters in the film. Sisters of the Wilderness, which follows the healing and transformative journey of five young Zulu women in the wilderness, is set in one of South Africa’s iconic natural and cultural heritage gems – the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, in KwaZulu-Natal. In addition to the main characters’ spiritual journey, the documentary highlights the imminent threat to the iMfolozi wilderness and its cherished wildlife which includes the rhino, the elephant and numerous other species. “We chose to launch our impact programme on South Africa’s Heritage Month and World Rhino Day because these two occasions are closely related to the themes in the film, and to the
project’s social impact goals,” says project creator and producer, Ronit Shapiro of One Nature Films. “It is very important for us to start the programme in the communities bordering the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park since one of our key impact goals is to help in the efforts to save the iMfolozi Wilderness from the threat of illegal hunting and unsustainable mining,” adds Ronit. “We believe that local communities can play a major role in the efforts to protect South Africa’s national and cultural heritage, and we hope that through the film and facilitated discussion held after the screening, young people and community members will be empowered to get involved and find solutions to issues affecting them and their surroundings.” As part of the outreach and audience engagement programme, each screening is facilitated by local community members who have ample experience in community engagement and are actively working in areas related to the themes of the film: women empowerment and
“We believe that local communities can play a major role in the efforts to protect South Africa’s national and cultural heritage, and we hope that through the film and facilitated discussion held after the screening, young people and community members will be empowered to get involved and find solutions to issues affecting them and their surroundings. – Ronit Shapiro
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wilderness conservation. These special screenings are followed by an interactive discussion on the main themes of the film. The audience is also asked to fill out feedback questionnaires in order to assist with the impact evaluation. “We worked closely with these facilitators during production on the film and provided them with specific materials for the outreach sessions. They bring to the audience a wealth of knowledge and wisdom from their day-to-day work as educationalists, wilderness/nature guides, and cultural advocates,” explains Shapiro. In addition to the screenings in KwaZulu-Natal, the film is also joining the Ignite Your Rights outreach tour, organised by the non-profit Sunshine Cinema, which uses free solar-powered interactive impact screenings to encourage youth engagement. The Ignite Your Rights tour starts in South Africa in October and will thereafter continue on to communities in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. “We are in conversations with several other organisations in South Africa that work with young people and we are looking forward to enhancing our outreach through collaborations with like-minded organisations. We are also actively looking for funding and sponsors to support our expanding programme. Anyone interested can contact us if they wish to get involved,” says Shapiro. The film is set to continue its festival run in South Africa at the upcoming Cape Town International Film Market and Festival and the Mzansi Women’s Film Festival.
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South Africa selects Sew the Winter to My Skin for the 91st Academy Awards
Scenes from Sew The Winter To My Skin
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) recently announced that Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s Sew the Winter to My Skin is South Africa’s official submission for the 91st Academy Awards (Oscars) in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
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n NFVF-assembled South African Academy Awards selection committee, comprised of professionals from various fields within the filmmaking value chain, made the decision after viewing the four films submitted and ultimately selected Sew the Winter to My Skin. The film made its world premiere earlier this month during the Toronto International Film Festival and will make its local premiere at the upcoming Cape Town International Film Market and Festival. Written and directed by Jahmil X.T Qubeka, Sew the Winter to My Skin, explores the true myth of legendary black rebel folk hero, John Kepe. In the rural Great Karoo region, the bandit John Kepe terrorises white farmers, stealing their livestock and supplies to give back to his impoverished community. General Botha, an embittered World War II veteran, becomes obsessed with the capture of the notorious Kepe and leads an epic manhunt for him through the
mountains, where he is rumoured to occupy a mysterious cave. Evading capture for over a decade, outwitting Botha and the settlers, John Kepe’s raids become ever more brazen and his escapes from the authorities ever more daring. The outlaw’s legend grows in the hearts and minds of the poor and marginalised indigenous population, and the self-proclaimed “Samson of the Boschberg Mountains” emerges as both an enigma to his pursuers and a romantic object of adoration for his fellow victims of oppression. The committee applauded the film as “an unmistakeable bold, South African voice that tackles historical and contemporary issues in both South Africa and the world.” “Global audiences will be able to resonate with the story while being taken on a skilfully crafted cinematic and musical journey,” the committee concluded.
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Canon launches new flagship, XF-HEVC capable, XF705 camcorder Canon Europe recently launched the newest addition to its XF range of camcorders – the XF705. Equipped with the next-generation XF-HEVC format, XF705 offers 4K UHD 50P 4:2:2 10-bit recording to SD cards, with impressive image quality and superior levels of detail. Combined with a 1.0 type CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV6 processing, the XF705 delivers vastly improved noise performance, sensitivity and cinematic depth of field. With a host of enhanced HDR capabilities, including an advanced 12G-SDI interface and IP streaming, the XF705 is poised to revolutionise UHD HDR production workflows for the better.
Versatile file formats to transform workflows Underpinned by High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) video compression, and leveraging the industry standard Material eXchange Format (MXF) as the container, Canon has developed the XF-HEVC file format. HEVC offers a newer encoding technology that is about twice as efficient as mainstream H.264/AVC. By using XF-HEVC the XF705 streamlines the handling of 4K UHD data, offering the ability to record high-quality 4K UHD 50P 4:2:2 10-bit files directly to widely available SD cards. The XF705 is capable of recording HDR files internally using both the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) and Perceptual Quantisation (PQ) HDR formats. The camcorder also features extensive HDR assist functions to support the user when controlling exposure. The XF705 can also output a SDR signal at the same time as recording a HDR file internally to a SD card, enabling simultaneous HDR/SDR production. Equipped with an advanced 12G-SDI interface, which sends a high-quality
and uncompressed UHD 50P signal over a single SDI cable, the XF705 also has the ability to stream 4K UHD HDR using the HEVC format via the network. Ideal for broadcast and video production applications, the XF705 meets the requirements of any user who needs to capture 4K UHD HDR video with a streamlined production workflow.
Shoot with confidence To make critical focus easier with the larger 1.0-type CMOS sensor, the XF705 also has Canon’s unique Dual Pixel CMOS AF. This provides accurate and fast autofocus with touch focus control, Face Detection AF and object tracking. The Dual Pixel Focus Guide also provides a graphical guide to support accurate focusing when manually adjusting the focus. Image capture starts with excellent optical systems and the XF705 offers incredible versatility combined with ease of use. It offers a 4K L-series quality lens which has a 15x optical zoom range, a maximum aperture of f/2.8, a wide angle of 25.5mm and effective IS to ensure maximum control for stable 4K UHD footage. This is combined with three independent control rings with end stops to ensure that the camcorder has the level of manual control that professionals expect.
NEP expands 4K capabilities with Sony
Sony Australia has welcomed NEP Australia’s significant expansion of its 4K inventory, equipment and services in partnership with Sony Professional Solutions Australia. The Sony products will be used for all NEP’s sports productions in Australia across its mobile fleet and at its world-leading all-IP Andrews Hubs, starting with NEP’s live ultra-high definition (UHD-4K) cricket coverage for FOX SPORTS on November 4. “From November, Australian cricket fans will be able to view live matches in greater clarity than ever before on Foxtel’s new dedicated 4K channel, which will broadcast selected cricket matches in ultra-high definition for the first time,” said Marc Segar, director of Technology for NEP Australia. “We are working closely with Sony to deploy this new 4K infrastructure in time for the FOX SPORTS’ first live UHD-4K cricket match.” As part of this new 4K project, NEP has purchased multiple Sony XVS-9000 high-end switchers (the first delivered in any market
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internationally), XVS-8000 switchers with significant upgrades to 100Gb and IP, HDC-4300 camera chains, HDC-P43 box camera chains, BRC-X1000 remote PTZ cameras, HDC-4800 super slo-mo cameras, BVM-X300 OLED monitors, BVM-E171 OLED critical reference monitors, additional HDCU4300 CCU in 4K IP configuration for NEP’s IP trucks, and 4K software upgrades for existing cameras. “We have a high degree of confidence in Sony, having worked closely together on technology for NEP’s all-IP Andrews Hubs – both in deployment and product development. The results are testament to what’s possible when partnering with a true technology leader such as Sony,” Segar added. “This purchase of 4K equipment yet again demonstrates NEP’s forwardthinking innovation, and their commitment to producing the very best quality productions and images,” said Anthony Kable, content creation group manager of Sony Australia. “Sony Australia has had a long and successful partnership with NEP, most recently collaborating to bring the incredible Andrews Hubs to fruition. We look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come.”
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Blackmagic Design announces advanced new Blackmagic RAW codec Customers can download the public beta for use with URSA Mini Pro cameras via the Blackmagic Camera 6.0 Beta Update. Blackmagic RAW has been in development for years and is a next generation hybrid codec that features multiple new technologies such as an advanced de-mosaic algorithm, extensive metadata support, highly optimised GPU and CPU accelerated processing and more. It can be used from acquisition throughout post-production for editing and colour grading, all from a single file. Traditional RAW codecs have large file sizes and are processor intensive, making them hard to work with. Video file formats are faster, but suffer quality problems due to the use of 4:2:2 video filters that reduce colour resolution. Blackmagic RAW solves these problems with an intelligent design that moves part of the de-mosaic process into the camera where it can be hardware accelerated by the camera itself. This results in incredibly efficient encoding that gives customers the same quality, bit depth, dynamic range and controls as
Blackmagic Design recently announced the public beta of Blackmagic RAW, a new and very modern codec that combines the quality and benefits of RAW with the ease of use, speed and file sizes of traditional video formats. Blackmagic RAW is a more intelligent format that gives customers stunning images, incredible performance, cross platform support and a free developer SDK. RAW, but with much better performance and smaller file sizes than most popular video codecs. Because the processor intensive partial de-mosaic is done by the camera hardware, software such as DaVinci Resolve doesn’t have to do as much work decoding the files. In addition, GPU and CPU acceleration make decoding of frames incredibly fast, so you get extremely smooth performance for editing and grading. Blackmagic RAW is much more than a simple RAW container format. Its intelligent design actually understands the camera and the sensor. This means the image data, along with the unique
characteristics of the image sensor, are encoded and saved into the Blackmagic RAW file, giving customers much better image quality, even at higher compression settings, as well as total control over features such as ISO, white balance, exposure, contrast, saturation and more. In addition, Blackmagic RAW uses Blackmagic Design Generation 4 Color Science for superior imaging that results in reproducing extremely accurate skin tones and gorgeous, lifelike colours. Images are encoded using a custom non-linear 12-bit space designed to provide the maximum amount of colour
data and dynamic range. “Blackmagic RAW is the world’s only truly modern, high performance, professional RAW codec that is open, cross platform and free,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “It’s exciting because customers can get the visually lossless image quality of RAW with the speed of traditional video workflows. Best of all, there are no hidden licenses or on-going fees. Blackmagic RAW has been designed to provide the industry with an open, elegant and standardised high quality image format that can be used across products and in customer workflows absolutely free!”
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Tulips & Chimneys animate hilarious back-to-school campaign for
Fruits of the Loom
Screenshots from the Fruits of the Loom campaign
Kids say and do the darndest things, which often leave parents red with embarrassment. Often these mischievous comments and doings are documented by concerned teachers and relayed to parents through a note sent home with the child.
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ulips and Chimneys’ new campaign for Fruits of the Loom takes an amusing look at some of the real-life notes received by parents from teachers. The comical back-toschool campaign – titled Tales From Teacher – is made up of three animated ads. A brief from American agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky was sent to Strange Beast – Tulips & Chimneys’ US representative. Executive producer, Nina Pfeiffer took to the brief immediately which also saw her make her directorial debut at Tulips and Chimneys. “I was very inspired by the surrealism of the piece and really connected with the stories. Most of our pieces are usually
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quite detailed visually. They’re more about an explosion of visuals, whereas these pieces were very strongly driven by the characters’ performances. They are all supported by the visuals, but it was firstly about the performance or role the ‘actors’ had. We also loved that it had so much humour and we spent a lot of time thinking about how to bring the humour alive.” The three spots titled Nacho, Worm and So Hungry are narrated and animated by Pfeiffer and her team, using vibrant designs and adorable characters, with each ad ending off with the campaign tagline – “Parents can’t be prepared for everything, but they can be prepared for the school year with Fruits of
the Loom’s back-to-school packs.” “As soon as we read the brief, we knew we were in for a fun ride,” shared Pfeiffer. “The scripts were so wonderfully eccentric that within the first brainstorm we knew we’d have to design a world as quirky as the characters on the page. Nacho, Worm and So Hungry were a great opportunity to explore a brand new aesthetic with exceptionally vibrant colours, wonky designs and characters that could melt the heart.” Kids are likely to play with their food, no matter how much you tell them not to, as seen in Nacho when a little boy with a packet of nachos manages to turn the school upside down and ends up with a nacho in one of his eyes. In So Hungry, little Nikki’s friend accidently eats her lip balm and the final spot, titled Worm, proves that little girls aren’t any better than boys when a teacher notices Maya’s new pet worm which she hides in her pocket. Pfeiffer and her team were given nine weeks to deliver all three spots, which had its fair share of challenges and pressures, she says, but the team
managed to deliver the main ad in the seventh week. “We had to really make sure that every day was productive and that no process was delayed by a missing link in the chain or by miscommunicating anything so translating our designs into 3D had to be almost perfect with the first go and in order to do so the lead production designer made very detailed designs and notes upfront on what we need to achieve. And for animation, we did live-action performance videos as refs for the animators. Just making sure we leave little room for errors,” shares Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer says that she loved working with US agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky. “They were amazing,” she says. “They understood that animation takes time to craft and that set-backs could happen any time in the process, so they gave us the opportunity to craft the spots up to delivery, only commenting on elements they really felt strongly about throughout the production process. They didn’t throw any curve balls that set us back or ate into our crafting time, the feedback was always constructive, and they trusted
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us to take it to the best it can be.“ The Tulips and Chimneys’ team branched out from their usual intricate animations for the campaign, playing more with colour: “We pushed the vibrancy of the colours in these spots quite a bit, and it took some R&D to make sure colours stayed consistently vibrant in different lighting setups (inside and outside). For instance, when areas are in shadow, we wanted the colour that falls in shadow to rather be a darker tint of the colour than go grey and dull,” Pfeiffer comments. The end result was a well thought-out and well-received campaign which has since been featured on Adweek and selected as Editor’s Pick on AdAge. “We couldn’t have asked for a more pleasant experience. From agency to the
animation studio to the production designers and producers, it felt like we were all aligned and had the same delivery expectation. Everyone brought to the table what they could to make it all happen smoothly and naturally and just deliver the best spot we could within the time limitation,” says Pfeiffer. Producer at Tulips & Chimneys, Dianne Makings shared a few words about Pfeiffer’s journey to the director’s chair saying: “Nina fell into the role of producer when she joined the industry but her background and education was more creatively rooted. We’ve been waiting for a project where she could swop roles a bit, so the moment the brief came in Nina knew this was the one that she wanted to lead creatively.” “This is not a once off, and Nina will not
be moving away from producing as it’s something she still loves to do, but directing will definitely be something she would like to be more involved in. And by diversifying the offering of the studio the goal is to take on a wider variety of top projects,” Makings added. Apart from the three ads, the campaign utilises social media, asking parents to share the most ridiculous and funniest comments made by their little ones. These comments are then used for the ‘Pillows for Posterity’ project which hand-stitches these comments to pillows. Parents interested in this project can leave a quote from their child on the Fruits of the Loom’s Facebook page. The best comments will be turned into personalised pillows. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“The scripts were so wonderfully eccentric that within the first brainstorm we knew we’d have to design a world as quirky as the characters on the page.
”
– Nina Pfeiffer
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October 2018
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Ford South Africa introduces ne
GTB Africa, a Johannesburg-based creative agency, under the WPP Group, has been handling the Ford South Africa account for more than five years. The agency was recently tasked with developing an innovative campaign for the launch of the new Ford Figo, Ford Fiesta and Ford EcoSport.
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ith each car launch came a separate multi-channel campaign that included TV, radio and tapping into social media platforms in a fun and creative way that fully engaged viewers. GTB Africa’s art director, Candice McLeroth comments: “The vision for the Ford brand is to keep it relevant. It is something we keep in mind when coming up with our campaigns, which is why we try and utilise different mediums in innovative ways.”
FORD FIGO The campaign for the launch of the new Ford Figo includes a music video titled Ka Mzolo. The video was initially released via Instagram stories and is part of a collaborative campaign to give a platform to various up and coming innovators. The video showcases these young creative entrepreneurs, who use Instagram to build their personal and business brands. “It was important for us to showcase and give a voice to very talented up and comers. And what better way to show off their talents than creating a piece of content that was made by up and comers for up and comers. After all, just because you don’t have a name today, doesn’t mean you won’t tomorrow,” shares McLeroth.
The music video allowed viewers to interact with the featured personalities through their Instagram handles which were embedded in the section of the video that they featured in. The talented group of individuals featured in the Ka Mzolo video included singer and songwriter Rhea Blek; founder and creative director of women’s wear brand BAM, Jacques Bam; crew leader of BMX Maniacs, Hloni Ramaila; make-up artist Orli Meiri; founder of dairy-free ice cream brand YOCOCO, Sinenhlanhla Ndlela; founder and creative director of ownURcrown, Nikiwe Dlova; creative director of PHINDA Furniture and Interior Design, Siyanda Mbele; photographer Obakeng Molepe; and the Bambanani Brass Band. Following a successful launch on Instagram, the video was adapted for various mediums including YouTube, radio and digital billboards. Arcade Content’s Zandi Tisani, director of the Ford Figo music video, expands: “The brief was to identify a group of young and dynamic people in various fields and create a music video that would allow them and their craft to shine.” “I wanted to create a fantastical world that was both authentic and otherworldly. The music video is a loose take on the Alice in Wonderland narrative and each
step further down the ‘rabbit hole’, so to speak, involved interacting with our makers. I wanted it to feel like a dream, that is both familiar and strange, something we took even further with unusual grade and colouring,” she adds. “I think this campaign will resonate because it features people who are not part of the line-up of usual suspects. I feel like that communicates that Ford is not just looking to leverage major influencer followings but is invested in helping creatives develop a following of their own. I think in general people love seeing the underdog win.”
FORD FIESTA The Independent State of Nandi Twitter series – directed by Egg Films’ director Zwelethu Radebe – was produced to promote the all-new Ford Fiesta. The 4-week episodic campaign was released on Twitter every Monday and Thursday in June and July 2018. The campaign was a social media marketing success, with its first episode gaining over 14 000 votes, 350 retweets and nearly 2000 likes. GTB creative director, Neil Lindsay expands: “Launching the all-new Fiesta required something a little different that resonated with our very independent and vocal Fiesta audience. This resulted in us
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ew range of cars with cross-media marketing campaign creating an engaging ‘choose your adventure’ style Twitter series – The Independent State of Nandi. The series consisted of eight Twittersodes that were released twice a week. Each episode ended on a cliff hanger, giving the audience 24 hours to vote on how the episode should end.” In the series, Nandi (Lebo Borole) embarks on her first long-distance trip in her new Ford Fiesta. On her journey she encounters some difficulty and Twitter users get to help her out by voting for the outcome of the next Twittersode. “This feels like the future of advertising,” said Egg Films’ executive producer, Colin Howard. “Where storytelling isn’t limited to 30-second TV commercials and the audience can be more involved more than ever before.”
FORD ECOSPORT For the bold Ford EcoSport range, the creative team decided to cater to the urban adventurers with a television commercial titled Go Wander, Go Further – also directed by Radebe.
“The vision of the ad was to show that with the new EcoSport we can help our urban adventurers explore their cities, discovering new things along the way. Enter the Go Wander, Go Further TVC that follows three friends who got caught up wandering their city,” shares McLeroth. To intrigue viewers, Ford decided to kick-start the launch of the Ford EcoSport with 6” and 10” videos that lived on YouTube bumper ads and pre-rolls. These were then promoted through Ford’s social media accounts. The end result was a 30’’ television commercial targeted at its EcoSport audiences. However, following the TVC, Ford realised that there must be a more
engaging way to utilise traditional platform viewers for greater engagement. Lindsay explains: “As we are an integrated agency, we believe in more than just creating a TVC. As most of us are on our phones while watching TV, we decided to capitalise on second screen users too. While the TVC played, you were fed a social post that unpacked more of the story in the TVC.” This was done by producing a series of TV ads that tell viewers only half the story and entice them to explore the rest on their second screens. Speaking about the Ford project, Lindsay concluded: “The launch campaigns for each of these cars have been very successful. Each campaign is
completely integrated, with some mediums being up-weighted depending on the audience. Each of the channels in each campaign supported one another by delivering one campaign message from brand love, all the way down to dealerships. The one thing that remained consistent over all the campaigns is that with Ford you can Go Further.” The Ford campaigns were conceptualised by GTB’s executive creative director Nick Liatos, creative directors Nico Botha and Neil Lindsay, copywriters Sophia Basckin and Leyash Pillay, and art directors Candice McLeroth and Martjie Louw. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“This feels like the future of advertising. Where storytelling isn’t limited to 30-second TV commercials and the audience can be more involved more than ever before.” – Colin Howard
Jenn Nkiru to deliver closing keynote at PromaxBDA Africa 2018 The creative industry is buzzing in the lead up to the 2018 PromaxBDA Africa conference and awards, set to take place at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg. As always, the event will bring together and celebrate top South African and African creatives working in on-air marketing, branding and design of television and video content on all platforms.
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very year, the PromaxBDA Africa conference programme is carefully curated with the sole purpose to inspire and motivate. Local and international creatives who have and continue to deliver excellence in the field and push boundaries are handpicked to speak at the conference. This year is no different, with the incredibly impressive Jenn Nkiru – an artist and director from London, UK – set to deliver the closing keynote address, titled A New Black Renaissance.
Nkiru is a visionary artist and director from London. Represented globally by Iconoclast, this year alone she has been named one of 200 women redefining the creative industry by creative network The Dots, and one of 100 global Creative Superheroes shaping culture by Utopia. An MFA film graduate of Howard University, Nkiru’s first film En Vogue, shot by Bradford Young and Arthur Jafa, screened internationally gaining critical acclaim. Last year Iconoclast, with Nkiru, produced Rebirth is Necessary; a dreamlike art film centred on the magic and dynamism of Blackness – past, present and future. The film went on to win the Canal + award at the Clermont Ferrand Film Festival, Best Documentary at the London Independent Film Festival, and nominee of the 2018 Best Short Film award at Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival. Rebirth is Necessary recently won the 2018 Voice of a Woman award at Cannes. It has been screened internationally – from The Museum of Modern Art (MOCA, LA) to the ICA in London, to the Rotterdam Film Festival in Amsterdam – and introduced the London premiere of Black Panther at the BFI. Recent collaborators include shooting 2nd unit for Beyonce & Jay-Z’s latest
internet-breaking video sensation ‘Apeshit’, shot in Paris, directed by Ricky Saiz. As a founding curator of Boiler Room’s new video platform 4:3, alongside Elijah Wood, Ryuichi Jen Nkiru Sakamoto and Peaches, Nkiru recently curated a season titled Afrofrequency which features works from John Akomfrah and Flying Lotus amongst others. Nkiru launched the season this September in London with a special evening and in-conversation with Grammy nominated artist Janelle Monae. Vanessa Sheldrick, event director, PromaxBDA Africa comments: “Jenn is a fierce, fresh voice in African filmmaking in the diaspora. We are so excited to have her speak at this year’s conference, as she stands on the launchpad of what is, undoubtably, going to be a stellar career.” Nkiru’s keynote session at PromaxBDA Africa 2018 will explore, through a showcase of her work anchored in the philosophies of the godfather of African
cinema, Djibril Diop Mambety, how a new diasporic black renaissance is taking place globally and how artists who fall into this movement are taking up space and reshaping contemporary images of blackness within art, film and culture like never seen before. Nkiru will round off her closing keynote – sponsored by the South African Broadcasting Corporation – with a Q&A session. “We are super excited to have Jenn joining us this year. She is part of a movement of young creatives that are shifting and challenging the industry on a global scale, we look forward to her unique insights and can’t wait to be inspired by this acclaimed and influential director,” comments Tim Horwood, PromaxBDA Africa chairman. October 2018
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Director Speak
i Lwazsi Mvu
Lwazi Mvusi
This month we caught up with Lwazi Mvusi, writer and director of Farewell Ella Bella and co-founder of Free Women Films… What is your background and how has it shaped you as a director? I was born and raised in Durban. My mom says that I was writing stories from the moment I learnt how to write in school. I loved creating characters who could do and say things that I couldn’t and the imaginary worlds that they existed in. I remember watching a movie for the first time in the cinema – The Lion King – and thinking it was the most magical thing I had ever seen. So, I moved to Johannesburg to study film at AFDA. I then went on to do my Honours in Creative Writing at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) and then a Master of Arts degree in Film also at WITS. I worked mostly as a writer for television. I made a short film with the National Film & Video Foundation’s Women in Film slate in 2013 which was a sci-fi called The State. It travelled to the African Diaspora International Film Festival in New York. On this film, I met my producers Carolyn Carew, Tsholo Mashile and Kamscilla Naidoo. Together, we started Free Women Films which produced my debut feature film Farewell Ella Bella. When did you know that you wanted to become a director? In the eleventh grade, I wrote and directed a play as part of a cultural evening at my high school. I remember standing at one of the hall’s doors and watching the audience watch something that I had created. I saw their faces and heard their laughter and when the curtains closed at the end of the play, I knew that directing was for me. It was such a moment of clarity and felt like the natural next step in my determination was to be a storyteller. With the scripts that I would write, I could already envision the construction of the scenes and the performances they require. So, it was like, why get someone else to direct when I can do it?
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What do you do and where do you go for inspiration? My automatic answer to that is always, DEADLINES! But for me, inspiration comes in all forms. For my film Farewell Ella Bella, I was inspired by the landscape of the Karoo. I’ve been inspired by other films, people that I’ve met and exotic places that I’ve travelled to around the world. As a writer and director, you have to be open to the world around you and the people in it. We are perpetual spies! Who are your mentors in the film industry? Carolyn Carew, Tsholo Mashile and Kamscilla Naidoo are my forever mentors in film. They have nurtured me from a nervous girl coming out of film school into becoming a feature filmmaker. I will always be grateful to them for their guidance and belief in me. Top Three favourite directors, and why them? Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman – As far as I’m concerned, these two count as one – buy one, get one free! Their creativity and courage as filmmakers inspire me and honestly make me green with envy. I would love to live in their heads (although that could also be a little frightening). Baz Luhrmann – Luhrmann is all about the spectacle. He makes unabashedly sweeping romantic movies and uses every element of filmmaking to tell a story – costume, design, music, visual effects etc. With every frame, I can feel his love for cinema. Jason Reitman – He simply makes the kind of films that I would love to make. He has such power in his perceived simplicity of style which enables his story and characters to feel real and impactful. I thank God for the day he met Diablo Cody. Which are you currently working on? My film Farewell Ella Bella is in cinemas, produced by my production company Free Women Films. I am also in development for two more features with Free Women Films and Burnt Onion Productions. What kind of content do you enjoy creating? I enjoy telling stories which ruminate on the human condition and the connections that are made thereof. Film is a great avenue for these meditations.
What has been your biggest career challenge to date? The process of making and distributing a feature film has been arduous. It was a true baptism of fire! But if you love something, you find a way to overcome whatever challenges you encounter. What has been some of the highlights of your career thus far? Without a doubt, seeing my first film as a writer/director (Farewell Ella Bella) in cinemas has been the ultimate highlight. I dreamed of it but never knew if it would happen. Other than that, going to my first film festival in New York with my short film was such an educational experience and so much fun. If you could produce an African version of a Hollywood classic, what would it be? Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy – Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight. It’s the only trilogy I believe in! Top three favourite films of all time? • Sex, Lies and Videotape • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind • In the Mood for Love What is your dream shoot location? Paris! But I may forget that I’m there to work and not roam the streets. Who would play you in a biopic? Lindiwe Matshikiza – She’s smart, cool and gorgeous! That’s all I need. If you weren’t a filmmaker, what career would you have chosen? I probably would have been an academic. Something in the humanities.
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FILM
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Sew the Winter to My Skin documents the last years of John Kepe
Scenes from Sew the Winter to My Skin
John Kepe was an infamous thief in the Eastern Cape in the 1950s. The criminal mastermind lived, undetected, in the Boschberg caves for over a decade, collecting stolen items including over a hundred sheep, cooking utensils and clothes, redistributing the goods to the poor black and coloured community of Somerset East. Kepe’s legacy still haunts the slopes of the Boschberg Mountains.
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s a teenager, writer and director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka lived in the small town of Somerset East which is where he first came to know the story of John Kepe – a Robin Hood of sorts who’s legacy would later inspire him to make the film Sew the Winter to My Skin. “I have carried the desire to make this
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film for many years now. I started writing the screenplay in 2016, and it took us just over a year to raise the finance. My research was growing up in Somerset East, absorbing the history, living with the people who inhabit the space and the legend,” Qubeka shares. Producer Layla Swart comments, “John Kepe is a little-known folk hero in the
small town of Somerset East. I think the power of the film medium is that one is able to canonise figures like Kepe, whose story would never have been documented and known had it not been for Jahmil growing up in this town and being determined to tell his tale. I think it is important for us as filmmakers to explore our heritage and identify the stories of the past that contribute to who and where we are today.” Sew the Winter to My Skin documents Kepe’s final mission before his capture, piecing together the story of the legend from multiple perspectives including that of the locals, farm labourers, white farmers, the town militia and a journalist covering Kepe’s trial. Primary production commenced in 2017, with 90 per cent of the film shot in Somerset East and Cookhouse, where Kepe resided. The film’s stellar cast includes, Ezra Mabengeza, Peter Kurth, Kandyse McClure Brenda Ngxoli, Bok van Blerk, Antoinette Louw, Zolisa Xaluva and
Mandisa Nduna. Ezra Mabengeza plays the lead role of John Kepe with Peter Kurth as General Botha. Other critical roles in the film include Kandyse McClure as Golden Eyes, Brenda Ngxoli as Mole, and Dave Walpole as The Scar-faced Kid. Sew the Winter to My Skin was shot over five weeks by DOP Jonathan Kovel on the Arri Alexa Mini camera, with Vintage 74 Hawk anamorphic lenses. “I was looking for an image quality that exuded the spirit of the period the film is set in, which is 1948 to 1952. I didn’t want a pristine, contemporary look at all. So began a long quest that started with the camera team at Media Film Services, and ended up with us calling on Vantage in Germany to give us the wildly marvellous, anamorphic Vintage 74 series of prime lenses. As expensive as these lenses were to rent, they were also the best investment, the producer and I made for the film. That and the amount of time and effort we spent crafting the dialogue-less script,” comments Qubeka. Post-production duties were handled
| Film TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Arri Alexa Mini • Lenses: Vantage Hawk V-Lite Vintage ‘74 Anamorphic Lenses
by Refinery Post Production and Visual Effects Cape Town, while the sound was done by Barry Donnelly from Audio One. Sew the Winter to My Skin had its international premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival in Canada and will have its local premiere at the Cape Town International Film Festival and Market where it has been selected as the opening film. “This is the film’s local premiere, and we are very excited by this. We feel the themes of the film are apt for this city and are honoured to be opening the festival. We are currently in discussion about the film’s local cinema release, but it will likely be this summer,” she said. So far, the film has been well-received by festival-goers and film critics including
Screen Anarchy, Hollywood Reporter and Cinema Scope. Furthermore, it has also been chosen to represent South Africa at the 2019 Academy Awards, with the selection committee describing Sew the Winter to My Skin as “an unmistakable, bold South African voice that tackles historical and contemporary issues, in both South Africa and the world.” Qubeka remarks: “The selection of South Africa’s official entry for the Academy Awards is done by a jury of our peers and that makes it even more special. It’s a vote of confidence from our colleagues and fellow filmmakers. I cannot express how proud and humbling that feels. That in itself is a big win for us; anything else going forward is just gravy!”
The film is also expected to showcase at the Busan International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival later this month. “This is a universal story exploring timely and relevant subject matter. We all need heroes. We believe it will resonate with individuals from all walks of life,” concludes Swart. Sew the Winter to My Skin is produced by Yellowbone Entertainment with support from the Department of Trade and Industry, National Film and Video Foundation, the Department of Arts and Culture, and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“The power of the film medium is that one is able to canonise figures like Kepe, whose story would never have been documented and known had it not been for Jahmil growing up in this town and being determined to tell his tale. – Layla Swart
”
“I was looking for an image quality that exuded the spirit of the period the film is set in, which is 1948 to 1952. I didn’t want a pristine, contemporary look at all. So began a long quest that started with the camera team at Media Film Services, and ended up with us calling on Vantage in Germany to give us the wildly marvellous, anamorphic Vintage 74 series of prime lenses.”
KEY CREW Producer/Editor: Layla Swart Writer/Director: Jahmil X.T. Qubeka DOP: Jonathan Kovel Sound: Barry Donnelly
Blacksmith Collective: The Co-Founders Meet Co-Founders Diogo Mendonça, Managing Director and Marcus von Geyso, Executive Creative Director of Blacksmith Collective, a nontraditional creative production agency specialising in content production and creative problem-solving, from conceptualisation and strategy to media production and web development.
“I
n 2014, I faced up against 100 creatives from all over the country and ended up winning my first job as an art director at Ogilvy & Mather,” says von Geyso. “When I joined, the entire above-the-line (ATL) department was retrenched and I had to step up to the plate. This was a blessing in disguise, as I could show what I was capable of.” Von Geyso met his business partner, Diogo Mendonça, while working at Ogilvy, and the two instantly hit it off, deciding shortly after to branch out and pursue their dream of starting a creative collective. Having gained a wealth of advertising and agency experience during his time as Account Manager at Ogilvy & Mather South Africa, Mendonça and nowbusiness partner Marcus von Geyso noticed a gap in the creative market for an agency that can solve problems for
clients using pure creativity and the power of collaboration. In April of 2016, we started preempting a major shift in the advertising industry. This sparked the creation of our own production collective, Blacksmith Collective.” Since then, the pair have worked on building Blacksmith Collective’s reputation as a go-to creative problemsolving team for clients in need of professional and out-of-the-box executions. They’ve worked on an impressive list of clients, including Coca-Cola, DHL, Shell, Castle Lite, MINI, Corona, and more recently the launch of ABSA’s new branding campaign and epic drone show after-movie. “With traditional agency business models, getting new skills on board means hiring more permanent employees or outsourcing talent,” says Mendonça. “We wanted to be able to work with a
Co-Founders Diogo Mendonça, Managing Director and Marcus von Geyso, Executive Creative Director of Blacksmith Collective diverse range of creatives and experts, who are great at what they do, and it was even more important to us that each person be recognised for their contributions.” Blacksmith Collective has a partner network of over 200 creative minds across South Africa, which includes film and photography specialists, brand strategists, web developers, and even engineers. “As soon as we get a new project, we look into our creative network and gather a creative team that we believe will best execute the task at hand. We’ve found
that being clear in briefings, being transparent, and simply assigning tasks to people, who are good at what they do, is all key to an ideation environment. Add in great coffee, experiential outings and braais on a Friday, and we have a pretty awesome idea generator,” says Mendonça. “Collaboration is key to turning an idea that’s just ‘OK’ into something brilliant.” For more information on Marcus von Geyso, Diogo Mendonça and Blacksmith Collective, visit weareblacksmith.co.za
October 2018
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SCREENAFRICA
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FILM
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The making of
Sara Blecher’s Mayfair Mayfair is a South African suburb that lies west of the Johannesburg CBD and is adjacent to Fordsburg. During the apartheid era the area was populated by the Indian community. Today, Mayfair has evolved and hosts a melting pot of new migrants from across the continent. Award-winning filmmaker, Sara Blecher’s latest film – appropriately titled Mayfair – is inspired by the suburb’s interesting history and the people who work and dwell there.
“T
he story of this film comes from real life. I was approached several years ago by two young guys, Imraan Jeeva and Omar Khan who shared the story of a friend of theirs who was struggling with his father’s double life as both a moral beacon in the community but also a well-known criminal,” Blecher shares. Collin Oliphant and his team took the task of penning the story into a film, and Neil McCarthy was brought in later to develop the script. In the film, Blecher takes the classic gangster tale and localises it through this western Johannesburg suburb, where social dominance and moral standing are put to the ultimate test. “The film that emerged draws on the rich history of Mayfair, an Indian
20 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2018
neighbourhood during the apartheid era that later became an enclave for Somali immigrants arriving in Johannesburg. Though many found a welcome home in the community, because of a shared Muslim culture with their Indian neighbours, frictions also emerged – a division that plays out between the warring gangs at the heart of the movie,” tells Blecher. Mayfair features a brilliant cast of award-winning local talent including Rajesh Gopie, Jack Devnerain, Ilse Klink, Kelly Eve Koopman, Wayne Van Rooyen, Arman Haggio and Warren Masemola. While casting took place in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg in 2016; the quest to find the lead actor took the team to London. “Ronak Patani (who plays Zaid) is one of the UK’s brightest up and coming British Indian actors. To be honest this role was the most difficult to cast and we soon realised we may need to go abroad to try and find an actor to play it,” tells Blecher. Mayfair follows Zaid Randera’s (Ronak Patani) journey – a man with complex moral issues, who has turned his back on his family’s business empire to cater to a more worthy cause as a humanitarian. When Zaid is fired from his job at a refugee camp, he returns home to Mayfair where his overbearing father, Aziz Randera (Rajesh Gopie), a businessman and occasional money launderer, is facing death threats. Zaid soon finds that the place he once called home has changed for the worse.
His old neighbourhood is now full of new immigrants who have different ways of doing things, and his father is caught up in a sour deal with ruthless Somalis. Blecher expands: “Mayfair is as much a portrait of a country in moral decline as it is a classic gangster tale. Through Zaid’s quest to prove he’s not his father’s son, I tried looking at the country on a larger canvas and examine the moral ambiguity that this country has become.” Zaid is at first reluctant to get involved in his family’s dodgy dealings but when his sister Faiza (Ameera Patel) is kidnapped after a failed cash drop to resolve the Somali deal, he must decide how far he is willing to go to protect his loved ones. “In many ways this film is the internal journey of Zaid – the protagonist as he slowly becomes the father he is trying so hard not to be… We tried to explore this idea cinematically through, visuals, sound and editing. The idea of getting more and more wrapped up in his head,” comments Blecher. Blecher believes that tapping into her femininity helped her fully explore her character’s journey in a unique and meaningful way. “I believe that being a female director also has a huge impact on how violence is portrayed within this genre. In one pivotal scene, what begins as a classic shootout…becomes about the emotional journey of Zaid. I think that’s the female gaze.” Mayfair was shot by Miles Goodall over four weeks in April/May 2017. “We shot a lot of this film on a Ronin. Because of this
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Film
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Arri Alexa Mini
“We shot on the Alexa Mini – as it is one of very few cameras that work on the Ronin.”
“Mayfair is
KEY CREW
as much a portrait of a country in moral decline as it is a classic gangster tale.
”
– Sara Blecher we shot on the Alexa Mini – as it is one of very few cameras that work on the Ronin,” informs Blecher. “What we tried to do visually is tackle the moral paucity within this particular world by shooting in very stark (often white) rooms with little or no décor on the walls. The idea was also to try and situate this particular family in a world with no outside. All of this is very counterintuitive. It’s very tricky to intentionally shoot a world where the outside is closed off, and where the walls are white, and there is little or no depth or colour. It isn’t pretty or satisfying but it is uncomfortable
and that is what we were going for.” The edit was handled by Megan Gill, while Guy Steer from Rechord did the sound design and mix, and Phillip Miller did the music. Finally, Alex May from Refinery handled grading. Mayfair had its premiere at the Durban International Film Festival this July. Additionally, the film screened locally at the Silwerkerm Film Festival and internationally at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea. For the month of October, Mayfair will be showcasing at the Cape Town
International Film Festival and it will then go on to screen at the 62nd BFI London Film festival. Mayfair will also be screening at this year’s Africa in Motion (AiM) in Scotland, which takes place from 26 October to 4 November. Commenting on the upcoming international screenings, Blecher says: “The BFI London Film Festival is the UK’s most prestigious, representing one of the first opportunities for audiences to see the very best new films from around the globe. Mayfair will be one of nine international premieres at the festival. It highlights the enormous wealth of talent
Director: Sara Blecher Writers: Neil McCarthy, Collin Oliphant, Imraan Jeeva and Omar Khan Producers: Dayo Ogunyemi, Sara Blecher Editor: Megan Gill Original Score: Philip Miller
working in film today and we are extremely proud to be part of the programme. AiM, meanwhile, is one of the leading African film platforms and caters to a varied and diverse audience from all over Scotland, the UK and further afield.” Mayfair is set for theatrical release in South Africa on 26 October 2018. – Gezzy S Sibisi
October 2018
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SCREENAFRICA
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OPINION
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Come on in Written by David Cornwall, founder and CEO of Scorpion TV
THE LACK of diversity in media has been moving up the agenda and is now recognised — superficially, at least — as being critical to our industry’s sustainability and relevance. A much-needed stamp of legitimacy is MIPCOM’s Diversity and Inclusion programme, which has now appointed an advisory board from across the international industry.
M
IPCOM says its programme aims “to highlight the positivity of diversity and inclusion” through “deserving projects of diverse background and worthy programming that have creative and commercial value”. Sound good? Make no mistake: there’s still a lot of work to be done. Five years ago, All3Media’s Nick Smith and I decided to organise a ‘diversity drinks’ do at MIPCOM. To my knowledge, I was the only black owner of an independent distribution company in the UK, possibly even the West, so I was hoping to meet some peers. Nick and I embarked on some old-school research using the MIPCOM guide, literally looking for diverse faces. Let’s just say it took us about 10 minutes to invite them all. Our idea was to create our own old-boy’s network, but one consisting of old and young, black, yellow and brown, and any and all genders. But unlike the traditional old-boy’s clubs, this wasn’t about separating ourselves but about coming together to give help and support. We’ve had a range of top level execs as rousing speakers including Michael D. Armstrong and Sean Cohan. Last year, Roots star, LeVar Burton gave us a relaxed and intimate account of his
22 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2018
journey to prominence. I can’t claim global superstardom myself, but since I’ve got your attention, here’s my story. I’m afraid it’s not a rags-to-riches narrative – I come from a solid middle-class background, went to good schools and have a supportive family. I got my first job in media as a runner at Bullseye TV, notable as the only UK indie I know of that was established by a German guy, an Irish woman and a Jamaican fella. As a microbiologist from south London, I didn’t exactly have ‘future TV exec’ stamped all over me. But I loved it from the moment Bullseye opened the door and let me in. After a flurry of M&As, I ended up working for a well-known distributor. I found myself in a corporate world that was very different from the friendly chaos of Bullseye. It wasn’t me, so I decided to go it alone. Keeping the content pipeline flowing with premium product, selling that content and chasing the money – running a boutique distributor is exciting, exhilarating but above all relentless. What sets us apart is that we specialise in diverse content – top-quality docs and series that give a voice to those who would struggle to be heard by the big distribution companies chasing ROI. We work with over 40 producers worldwide
and, while we can’t offer them huge advances, we can offer our heart and soul when it comes to selling their dreams. The flawed logic that underpins the commercial argument against diversity in content — “Oh, people won’t watch a black family/a disabled love interest/a trans presenter…” — are slowly being eroded by fact. They do watch and, what’s more, they like what they see. Look no further than Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, which pulled in $235m on its opening weekend in February. We shouldn’t need to make a business case for diversity when the moral argument is so overwhelming. But if we need to, there it is.
The inescapable truth is that we in the content industry have a collective responsibility to be as inclusive and diverse as the world we live in. But when an event with the global clout of MIPCOM gets behind the cause, then I believe there’s cause for optimism. We can change the way things are – because we’re the ones who decided how they are. So happy MIPCOM, everybody. Whoever you are. MIPCOM 2018 is set to run from 15 to 18 October at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France.
“The inescapable truth is that we in the content industry have a collective responsibility to be as inclusive and diverse as the world we live in. But when an event with the global clout of MIPCOM gets behind the cause, then I believe there’s cause for optimism.
”
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Television
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South Africa gets its first LGBQTI+ TV network The fight for more television content depicting fair and less stereotypical representations of the LGBQTI community has been a long struggle, more especially in Africa.
W
hile LGBQTI groups have fostered platforms for themselves through queer film festivals and social media platforms, a more permanent platform in the form of a partnership with one of the leading global LGBQTI television networks has been in the pipeline since 2012. “We were the consortium that successfully bid for a pay-TV license back in 2012, which was issued by ICASA in 2015, so we have been working on this project for quite some time,” comments Warren-Lee Whitcher, managing director of OUTtv SA. Launched in September 2001, OUTtv is a Canada-based television network which airs English programmes for the LGBQTI community. Its most recent launches include Australia, New Zealand and now South Africa. Whitcher has been in talks with the Canadian network and formed a partnership with OUTtv which began in 2012. “They were the largest and most well established LGBTQI broadcasting brand then already, so it made perfect sense to partner with them to ensure that we would be able to launch a sustainable and high quality service within the SA market. OUTtv and the partnership have grown from strength to strength since then, launching the brand within multiple territories across the globe.” It was at the MIP Content Market in 24 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2018
Cannes last year where Whitcher met up with the MultiChoice team and the idea to launch the South African edition of the channel was proposed. After many discussions and much deliberation, the launch of the OUTtv SA channel was announced. OUTtv SA will run as a pop-up channel from 4 October to 4 November 2018 on DStv Channel 198 for Premium and Compact Plus viewers. “OUTtv SA is an extension of the successful global OUTtv lifestyle brand which will be bespoke and localised for SA audiences – allowing us to leverage OUTtv’s extensive library of premium quality international content and brand intrinsics, whilst also being able to tell uniquely South African stories,” says Whitcher. OUTtv SA promises to bring viewers a fun and compelling mix of movies, drama series, sitcoms, reality shows, documentaries and lifestyle entertainment aimed at the country’s vibrant LGBTQI community and progressive-minded audiences. “Our primary target audience is, obviously, the LGBTQI community – across the full spectrum, male, female, old and young,” Whitcher informs. Globally, almost 40 per cent of OUTtv’s viewership is made up of heterosexual females – the channel is hopeful that this trend will apply within the South African market as well.
OUTtv SA has partnered with Joburg Pride and other pillars within the local LGBTQI community to generate local short format content for the channel. OUTtv SA has also been investigating the licensing of local programming from the Out In Africa Film Festival. OUTtv SA has already confirmed shows including RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Big Freedia Queen of Bounce, Deep Water, Wentworth, Degrassi: Next Generation and Hey Qween! as well as OUTtv original series Knock Knock Ghost, Sex & Violence, Shadowlands, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula and Don’t Quit Your Gay Job. With OUTtv being a high quality, premium channel for a niche market, it was decided that a pop-up channel was the most appropriate route to take. This would afford the OUTtv SA team the opportunity to test the viewers’ level of interest in the channel and generate more locally appealing content for their African viewers. “Obviously, it is our intention to launch a permanent channel, so we are pouring all our efforts into this pop-up, in the hopes that we can strike up a meaningful interest and rapport with SA audiences.”
While the launch of the pop-up channel is exciting for all involved, Whitcher hopes the channel will grow and transition into a permanent feature. Whitcher and his team have already planned an aggressive strategy for ramping up local production and have begun discussions with local partners. “It is our belief that OUTtv SA is a great first step in building positive awareness and education amongst the broader SA population – it will create dialogue and stimulate conversation while providing great entertainment,” asserts Whitcher. OUTtv SA will only be available to viewers in South Africa for now, as a result of the criminalisation of homosexuality in other African countries. The channel will be available on DStv Channel 198 for Premium and Compact Plus viewers, on DStv Now online and on the DStv app. Yolisa Phahle, CEO for General Entertainment for MultiChoice concluded: “At MultiChoice, we celebrate diversity and are committed to providing a platform that allows multiple voices to be heard. We look forward to offering this pop-up to our customers in South Africa.” – Gezzy S Sibisi
“OUTtv SA promises to bring viewers a fun and compelling mix of movies, drama series, sitcoms, reality shows, documentaries and lifestyle entertainment aimed at the country’s vibrant LGBTQI community and progressiveminded audiences.
”
8 November
Sandton
2018
The Maslow
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Television
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Muhammed Nagdee From the Producer’s Mouth:
Muhammed Nagdee has been producing television shows for numerous DStv channels including Vuzu, VuzuAMP, Mzansi Magic, ChannelO, SuperSport and M-Net, for the past 10 years. Screen Africa chatted to him about what it means to be one of the leading live television producers in South Africa… How did you come to find yourself working in television? Was it always the plan? After Matric I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was quite into sport during school so I enrolled for a BA in Sports Psychology at what was then the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU). I lasted three months and realised that it wasn’t for me. The following year I transferred to WITS and signed up for a BA in Dramatic Art. It was during this year that I first realised that I had a knack for directing. I however didn’t complete the year at WITS. I had to take a gap year as I’d run out of finances to study. After working odd jobs for a year, I managed to get my investor (my father) to give me one last try at studying. I then enrolled at AFDA to study Directing and Writing where I won the award for Best First Year Film… and was the top of my class in 2nd year. Straight after AFDA, I got a job at a company called Don’t Look Down (DLD) – initially in the digital division, which worked closely with M-Net’s New Media department. The job was as a junior editor for digital content for the M-Net Website. Twelve years later I’m still at the same company. I shifted to the broadcast division and worked my way up to becoming a senior producer and part of DLD’s management team. I have produced an excess of 2 500 episodes of live television over the past decade. For the last 10 years, you have worked on V-Entertainment on Vuzu. How did the idea for this show come about and what do you attribute its success to? I wish I could take credit for it but I most definitely can’t. The creation of the show is attributed to the wider team that launched Vuzu – DLD executive producer,
26 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2018
Muhammed Nagdee Glenn van Loggerenberg and DLD executive creative director, Anton Cloete. I was a bystander at the time who was lucky enough to be involved by means of shooting some inserts. At the same time, I was producing a different show on Vuzu called The Verge – which was a groundbreaking gaming and tech show on South African TV. The Verge ended in 2012, at which point I moved completely over to V-Entertainment and have been producing the show ever since. What exactly does the job of a live television producer entail? I get this question a lot and it’s always difficult to answer... The simple answer would be that: I get the privilege of working and operating in a space that is reserved for a handful of people in the entire country. Live television is a production space unlike any other and requires the very best of the best in terms of crew and talent. Live television depends on the quality of your planning and anticipation because there is no time to think and no chance for a do over. Considering that there are only so many live shows on local TV, it is highly competitive and performance driven space. As someone who has produced shows across multiple genres and formats, what kind of content do you enjoy creating most and why? My signature over the years has been thoughtful discussion. I think I’ve developed a reputation for bringing groups of celebrities and personalities together to discuss topics – whether it be serious or fun. I think it’s a skill I developed over time, which relies heavily on the trust I’ve built up with many of our biggest stars. Celebs trust me with their talent and brands, and in return I make sure they are never misrepresented and that we are always there for them when needed.
This relationship built on trust has allowed me to get celebs to talk about difficult issues like rape and abuse, but also gave me the opportunity to put together episodes like the V-Entertainment 1000th Episode Dinner, where we had Bonang Matheba, Minnie Dlamini, Somizi, etc… all sitting at the same table. As someone who I’m sure has mentored many in the industry, who were/are your mentors? Why them? First and foremost my executive producer Glenn Van Loggerenberg and DLD’s executive creative director Anton Cloete. Without the patience and guidance of these two gentlemen I wouldn’t be where I am today. Then there are colleagues like DLD’s creative director and fellow producer Tebogo Mogola, and Willie Burger, a master D.O.P and editor, who I’ve sought out advice and guidance from almost daily over the years. My biggest mentor of all has to be my wife Ziona – if I don’t mention her, I’m going to have to find somewhere else to sleep when this article comes out. J What has been your career highlight(s) to date? Meeting and getting to know incredibly diverse and talented people is what drives me. After that, introducing new talent and helping people’s careers grow is what I am most proud of. Putting people like Denise Zimba on the map; developing fantastic working relationships with people like AKA and Somizi; travelling with Lalla Hirayama to the U.S. to interview the cast of The Fast and the Furious; going with Nomzamo Mbatha to Germany to interview the cast of The Hunger Games. Producing the I Am series for Women’s Month in 2013 and 2015 for Vuzu is something I am especially proud of, as it dealt with real issues and was nominated
for a South African Film & Television Award (SAFTA). Being the producer assigned to work on The Verge and PlayR; producing the first and only uncensored talk show in South Africa – The V Table; getting the opportunity to travel with Black Coffee to Ibiza in 2017; and spending almost a week with Terrence Howard and Taraji P Henson during they stay in S.A. in 2016 was something I’ll never forget. What advice do you have for young people wanting to follow in your career footsteps? Be willing and open to learn as much as you can. Learn to edit, learn to operate cameras, learn to write scripts, learnt to do admin like FCC sheets and Music Cue Sheets. Learn to take and give instructions. Learn to swallow your pride and do what you have to do to get the job done. What legacy do you hope to leave? Honestly, to be remembered as a cool guy to have known and worked with, that left the entertainment industry in a better state than he found it. If you weren’t working in film and television you would be…? Working in the music industry – or being a house husband. I quite like spending time at home with my kids. What can we expect from you as a producer in the future? Any plans to cross over into the film industry? For the time being – more and more ground breaking television broadcasts. With regards to producing and directing films – I really want to use my experience in producing television to contribute towards building the film industry before I actually participate in it. South Africa is doing incredible work in the film space – I hope to be a part of it someday.
Television
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Inside the making of local TV drama The Docket is a local drama series that recently aired on SABC3. The action-packed show follows an elite crimefighting unit, The Ravens as they tackle crime under the media spotlight, in order to win the trust of the South African public.
“S
outh Africa is a highly crime-conscious society, and for that reason, we thought a crime drama would be a very topical content area to work in. The recent transitions, turmoil and massive media coverage around the special crime and policing units in the country made us feel as though basing a show on a fictional elite crime-fighting unit would make for fertile ground for a popular drama. Hence, The Docket was born,” shares director Khayelihle Gumede. The series is the brainchild of Helen Smit, a senior series producer at Clive Morris Productions (CMP) who developed the show proposal before it was presented to head writer Sean Daniels. “Crime content in the reality, docudrama and drama space I would say is one of the speciality areas for CMP, and I think it is evidenced in the strength of this production,” says Gumede. The Docket centres on the personal and professional lives of five individuals as they navigate family dynamics, crime and sometimes each other. The series sees the great colonel Marlon van Wyk (Duncan Johnson) work with detectives Terry Jahib (Ashish Gangapersad) and Neil Hall (Brandon Engelbrecht), as well as the new female recruit and media spokesperson Captain Ntsiki Motshe (Hlubi Mboya-Arnold), while reporting to Brigadier Funani Thibedi (Seputla Sebogodi). “We wanted a strong female character at the centre of the drama – to watch a woman navigate this male-dominated area while at the same time looking at the different dimensions of her life as a wife (with a slightly younger comedian husband) and a mother. We wanted to stay away from too much stereotyping in this regard and worked hard to produce a unique perspective on Ntsiki Motshe. We also have a great character reversal in Marlon Van Wyk – her senior in the unit – who thinks his paternalism is well-
A scene from The Docket
meaning, but it’s actually old school misogyny in the workplace. Marlon has to work hard as a character to break that,” Gumede shares. With the escalating levels of organised crime in the elite community, it takes a special investigative force to unpack the evidence and solve the case. However, much controversy surrounds the South African Police Services and its commitment to fight crime. In an effort to combat crime and warm relations between the public and the police, The Ravens must work hard to perform their duties with cameras following them everywhere they go. In front of the camera, they have to win back the trust of the South African public. Behind the camera, they have to win each other’s trust. The 13-part series is inspired by real-life criminal cases that have made headlines in the country and have remained topical. Cases include campus rapes, bank robberies and cybercrimes. Gumede expands: “We have very unique crimes in the series, starting with more mainstream crimes such as a grudge murder of a popular hip-hop musician and a family farm murder, but then we introduce subject matter like cannibalism, alien abductions, corporate espionage and murder through an augmented reality game, and a serial killer thread that underpins the storyline of our major villain.” During the research stage of the series, the production team consulted with an expert from a special unit within the SAPS. A specialist researcher was also utilised to verify police procedural elements as well as the crimes introduced in each episode. The series was shot in and around Johannesburg, with the main location situated at the Brightwater Commons in Randburg. An old driving school space at
the centre was turned into The Ravens’ headquarters by art director and production designer IIze van den Berg. “The shoot was tight. We had a small, highly specialised production team. We shot over the course of 67 days... Our HOD’s were wonderful in this regard. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and did everything necessary to get it done, going above and beyond the call of duty,” comments Gumede. The Docket was shot on the Canon C200 and the Dji Osmo. “Both cameras were cutting edge and had the latest applications at the time. Both cameras are very light sensitive which means we could shoot a lot of natural lighting which we loved. They also allowed us a great deal of dynamic, handheld movement,” explains Gumede. “The Canon C200 has been a dream to shoot on. It’s given us a great deal of latitude in the grade and after effects. It also meant we could shoot the whole series without a focus puller which just goes a further step in exhibiting the genius of Daniel Black, our DOP.” Post-production was handled in-house at Clive Morris Productions. The show made its debut on 22 August on SABC3. A 48-minute episode plays every Wednesday evening at 21h30. “I think every time you produce a piece of drama you have an opportunity to engage an audience about the human condition. We hope that our audiences will see themselves in one of these characters and realise, in some small way, their potential to be agents for change in their own lives. It’s a big ask from a piece of fiction television, but if it inspires one person to reassess their perspective in this complex world and country of ours, it is worth it,” concludes Gumede. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“I think every time you produce a piece of drama you have an opportunity to engage an audience about the human condition. We hope that our audiences will see themselves in one of these characters and realise, in some small way, their potential to be agents for change in their own lives.” – Khayelihle Gumede 28 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2018
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Canon C200 and Dji Osmo cameras
“Both cameras are very light sensitive which means we could shoot a lot of natural lighting, which we loved. They also allowed us a great deal of dynamic, handheld movement.”
KEY CREW Series producer: Helen Smit Head writer: Sean Robert Daniels Directors: Khayelihle Dom Gumede and Clive Morris DOPs: Daniel Black and Kganki Mphahlele Sound: Mandla Nxumalo and Neo Pule Editors: Edgar Sibaya, Gilbert Makhafola, Daniel Correia
INDUSTRY REVIEW
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What challenges do Cape Town’s tech entrepreneurs face? Written by Colin Timmis, general country manager, Xero SA
where you’re headed in future, and what kind of environment they should expect to work in. Plant these seeds early, and they’ll bear fruit in the long-term.
Cape Town has a thriving technology scene. A recent report from the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative found that the greater area (including Stellenbosch) employs over twice as many people in technology roles as in Lagos or Nairobi.
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ere in Cape Town, there are 450-550 tech firms with a collective staff of 40 000 to 50 000 people; while some 3 per cent of these companies have already reached scale. Drilling down further, the report found that cinema and theatre technology is becoming particularly prevalent – with special-purpose LED screens, Virtual Reality (VR), and other innovations leading the way to a bright future. It’s clear that Cape Town is one of Africa’s leading technology hubs. But, all is not plane sailing. Based on interviews with over 150 local entrepreneurs and research into more than 450 local founders and their companies in the area, the businesses operating in this area are still faced with a number of obstacles. If you’re an entrepreneur in Cape Town, here are just a few with advice on how to overcome them:
Securing finance If a would-be entrepreneur doesn’t have abundant reserves of capital at their disposal, it’s not always easy to secure funds. Overall, 85 per cent of those startups surveyed claimed to be self-funded. For many entrepreneurs with savings built up from past careers, or families willing to help, this is a great path. But they’re not the only ones with good ideas, and those who will need outside funding may find themselves discouraged.
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They shouldn’t be. Finding the right level of funding for your business can be difficult, but it is achievable. Start by having the right systems and processes in place before you approach investors. A working business plan and a great team are obviously necessary, but a solid grasp on the financials is allimportant: hiring an accountant or bookkeeper to manage your tax requirements, speaking to business advisers, consulting with the Chamber of Commerce and seeking other local enterprise resources are all good steps to take. It’s also worth sourcing some intuitive, user-friendly accounting software: it’ll go some way towards simplifying the process of crunching the necessary numbers and dotting the necessary i’s. There are several out there, so do some research into the various solutions available. When you have these systems and controls in place, it’s time to show potential VCs and angel investors what you’ve got. They’ll want to know who your leaders are and what their experience is, how you intend to turn a profit, and how many customers you have. If you have any impressive results to demonstrate, don’t keep them under wraps: a great idea will more easily attract investment if it seems like a sure thing.
Building a customer base
Colin Timmis
Finding and keeping the right talent Finding the right talent is a persistent challenge for entrepreneurs – whether you’re hiring one, two, or fifty employees. Finding the right mix of experience, skill sets, attitudes, and personalities can be difficult, and strategies will necessarily vary according to your requirements. And sometimes your requirements are less obvious than you might think. A startup might – by simple virtue of being ‘one of the new kids on the block’ – assume that it must necessarily skew younger when it comes to hiring. But useful as the youthful exuberance of a fresh graduate can be, an experienced hand with a background in your industry can be a key player in the early stages of a business’ existence. After all, you can’t very well disrupt a space without knowing the space itself. Beyond hiring, it’s necessary to think about company culture and team cohesion. Get them involved as quickly as possible, and make sure to acknowledge their successes. When you’ve assembled a full team, they also need to have a full understanding of your current plans,
Marketing is often difficult to successfully deploy. Often a startup simply won’t have the funds to launch, sustain, and optimise big campaigns. It’s most likely that in smaller organisations, the person in charge of these campaigns is also answering phones and coming up with PR campaigns. But that doesn’t mean you can’t launch an effective campaign – on the contrary. You just need a modest budget and an understanding of what you can and can’t do on it. An SEO campaign, for example, can often be as simple as searching for the right long-tail keyword and creating content around it. Writing useful ‘How to’ blogs and promoting them on social media can be similarly effective. But ultimately, your marketing strategy will come down to understanding your target audience – and knowing how they’re most likely to interact with you. That might be search engines; it might be your website; it might involve social media, direct marketing, email marketing, or something else entirely. Most likely, it’ll be some combination of the foregoing. Either way, it needs sustained attention and effort – as well as the correct allocation of resources. In this respect, it’s much like any other business challenge. A cinema or theatre technology business may find it intimidating – or even insurmountable – in and of itself. But if you marshal the forces at your disposal and point them at your problem, you’ll soon find it’s more easily handled than you thought. You just have to find the courage to face it.
REPORT
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IBC 2018
IBC 2018 – The wrap up
It wasn’t the biggest show as far as announcements go, numbers were slightly down on last year, but IBC 2018 still delivered a great event. The doors closed with visitor figures sitting at 55 884 but despite the slightly lower numbers, there was still growth in the event itself. The exhibition floor space increased by 667m2, there were a number of new initiatives introduced: the targeted increase in women speakers from 14 to 37 per cent at the conference was new and the delegate attendance was up 14 per cent, a clear indication that IBC’s attempts to diversify the conference content had worked. This year’s IBC International Honour for Excellence saw its first-ever woman recipient too. Joan Ganz Cooney was the co-creator of the global phenomenon that is Sesame Street, 50 years ago, and her trophy was collected on her behalf by one of the street’s longest residents, Ernie. October 2018
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IBC 2018
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REPORT
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s always, The Big Screen at IBC was the venue for a number of sessions that highlighted the crossover between creativity and technology, and included an in-depth look at the special effects developed in Game of Thrones and a closer look at Pixar’s The Incredibles 2 highlighting how things have changed in the 14 years since the original movie. The Future Zone, with interesting new product development ideas presented by academics and researchers, saw the addition of a theatre stage this year, where presentations were discussed in more detail. Research and development is what drives the industry but there were no really big equipment announcements this time round however there are a few notable releases worth mentioning.
WORLD’S FASTEST RAW CODEC
RØDE – SWEET AUDIO
From an exhibition point of view, the one who really pulled a rabbit out of the hat was Blackmagic Design with the announcement of Blackmagic RAW. Unlike traditional RAW formats, which are slow and processor intensive, Blackmagic RAW is designed to accelerate your post-production workflow. It’s highly optimised for AVX, AVX2 and SSE4.1 enabled processors, it’s multi‑threaded and it works across multiple CPU cores. In addition, Blackmagic RAW is also GPU accelerated and works with Apple Metal, CUDA, and OpenCL. Frame decoding and image The Adobe stand was its usual buzz and the processing are extremely fast, making Blackmagic unveiling of new video features coming to Adobe RAW super smooth for editing, colour correction Creative Cloud drew the crowds. The updates and visual effects. Best of all, clips are stored as include Adobe Sensei-powered animation, single files, not image sequences. That makes media intelligent audio clean-up tools, selective colouur management easier and file transfers faster than grading, advanced data-driven motion graphics other RAW formats. Unlike traditional RAW templates and end-to-end VR 180 support. These workflows that rely on LUTs, which alter the pixel new features will enable filmmakers and video data, Blackmagic RAW is non-destructive. It professionals to spend more time shaping their harnesses the power of metadata to ensure that the next creative project and less time on repetitive creative vision is carried through to post-production. editing tasks. The updates follow Adobe’s recent The new release, DaVinci Resolve 15.1 includes full unveiling of Project Rush, the first all-in-one, support for Blackmagic RAW. cross-device video editing app designed specifically for online content creators which will be available later this year.
RØDE just made recording two audio sources easy with the SC6-L and a couple of smartLav+ microphones. The SC6-L connects to an iPhone through the lightning connector and with the free RØDE Reporter app you can record two people directly in the iPhone. The SC6-L has two TRRS inputs and one stereo headphone output. When used with the smartLav+ microphones you can record two sources into an iPhone plus monitor the audio from the headphone jack. The Reporter app has many recording options such as split channel and merged mixed audio and also enable/disable direct monitoring and alter boost gain.
CREATIVE ADOBE
AVID DNxUncompressed Avid editors got a pre-IBC treat as Media Composer 2018.9 was released a week before the show began. Notably, the new release introduces DNxUncompressed, a “visually lossless” DNx format with 32-bit float support for effects and colour processing. Avid said it has improved the speed of exporting the 16-bit DPX files that will be required for high-quality export of DNxUncompressed media by six to eight times. They also announced the new Maestro Engine, a real-time graphics and video hardware rendering platform for its Maestro Graphics products. Supporting both SDI and video-over-IP, Maestro Engine is designed to scale from HD to UHD resolution, allowing broadcasters to move UHD, HDR and IP workflow into their facilities without impacting ongoing HD and SD-SDI operations.
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ATOMOS DELIVERS CANON’S FIRST Canon announced the new XF705 fixed-lens camcorder in time to show it off at IBC, offering an upmarket version of the XF405 that adds 12G-SDI connectivity, support for HLG and PQ HDR encoding, and (for the first time in a Canon camcorder) H.265 encoding. Geared to ENG, outdoor event coverage, sports and documentary production, the XF705 has a 15x optical zoom lens with five-axis optical image stabilisation. The camera has a 1-inch UHD image sensor, Canon’s Dual-Pixel CMOS autofocus system, and ND filtering built in.
Atomos came to IBC 2018 with the message that it was keeping promises made earlier in the year that the Ninja V 4K HDR monitor-recorder would ship in Q3 and they didn’t disappoint. The Ninja V eliminates the camera’s internal compression and time limits allowing you to record up to 4Kp60 10-bit HDR video direct from your camera’s sensor over HDMI 2.0. Teamed with a 1TB AtomX SSDmini you can now achieve up to 150 minutes of 4K recording on a single drive! The company also presented the first products to take advantage of the AtomX expansion system that debuts on the Ninja V as well as a variety of pro features like timecode, genlock and Bluetooth control. The AtomX Ethernet/NDI module features a Gigabit Ethernet connector that allows live video to be delivered over IP networks using Newtek’s NDI protocol.
REPORT
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October 2018
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IBC 2018
POWER FOR YOUR SONY CAMERA Hawk-Woods showcased a range of their Sony-compatible batteries on the exhibition floor. Their BPU-compatible packs for use with cameras like the FS5 and FS7 have been redesigned and crammed with 98W of cells inside them. To keep the batteries topped up Hawk-Woods have developed a 3A two channel charger which charges attached batteries simultaneously and will take a couple of hours to recharge the new packs.
IBC – IT’S A WRAP Michael Crimp, IBC’s CEO, wholehearted comments about the event were very encouraging: “The show is about engagement, engagement, engagement” he said, “The stats are up in almost all areas and re-bookings are ahead of last year. IBC is much more than a trade show, we have developed a basket of data-driven statistics including sales leads generated on stands, conference attendance and IBC365 views and this sharing of information is pivotal to the longevity of IBC’s success and sits at the core of the organisation.” – Ian Dormer
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DaVinci Re POST-PRODUCTION
| USER REVIEW
Written by Daniëlle Nel,
editor/post workflow consultant
Working as an editor and post workflow consultant for everything from Tomb Raider to National Geographic wildlife documentaries, I’ve certainly dabbled in Resolve in the past: I’ve known about it as a colour correction tool since version 9. In all honesty, though, I never paid too much attention to it until version 12 a few years ago. This was when Blackmagic Design added an editing page to the software. For the first time, I could see the possibility of it going from well-known colour correction tool into a fully-fledged nonlinear editor. The fact that this was also a piece of software that was free to download (even for commercial projects) made it attractive to many.
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esolve v15 - reviewed USER REVIEW
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POST-PRODUCTION
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ith version 15, which was first announced at NAB this year, Blackmagic have improved the nonlinear editing toolset even further. This year, I was in the middle of an edit on a feature length documentary when the producer gave the instruction to move the project from Avid Media Composer to Resolve 15.
My Experience We moved over to 15 and relinked to the original media, most of which was ProRes 422/4444. In total, we had 280hrs of initial rushes that we had to edit down into a 93-minute documentary using a 12 core Mac Pro ‘trashcan’ with 64gb of RAM and an AMD FirePro D700 graphics card and Drobo 5D3. It was a pretty challenging project! At first, I had my reservations about moving to v15 as it was still in beta when we first began the transfer, but I needn’t have worried. We didn’t even have one crash the whole way through the edit. We kept the standard of procedures as we did for Media Composer by keeping the project in reels. This gave us the ability to work on each reel independently and also we found that 20-30min timelines worked better to allow us real-time playback. It was only at the end that we ‘stitched’ all the reels together into one long 93min. With other NLEs, I typically had to wait up to half an hour in the morning just for the project to load, but thanks to Resolve 15’s new video playback engine with GPU optimisation I’d open the project, and would be ready to start cutting and trimming in minutes, even with 4K CinemaDNG raw material. At no point was I yearning for a particular tool inside Resolve, I felt at home editing on this NLE. I also found an amazing shortcut – Command Y – which selects everything in the timeline to the right of the playhead! This was such a timesaver – especially when we started intercutting scenes. I also quite enjoyed the option to have the Data-Burn ins on during editing and it did not slow down the machine. The main issue I had with it was that sometimes I had to select a clip to use the trimming functions but this has since then been fixed as it was a beta niggle. Another problem I experienced was that while getting the project as an AAF out to Pro Tools for final mix was possible in theory, the preset for Pro Tools didn’t do the trick as it also outputs video and doesn’t link up so I instead had to use a manual custom setting.
Overall though, I’m truly pleased with my first experience editing in DaVinci Resolve and am very much looking forward to seeing how this piece of software keeps on improving for the future.
New Features Blackmagic have added quite a few interesting new features in the v15 release, not all of which I was able to test on my editing for the wildlife documentary. It looks like Blackmagic are really pushing to have DaVinci Resolve become four applications in one, allowing users to edit, grade, complete audio using Fairlight, and create visual effects using Fusion without having to round-trip to another piece of software. In version 15, their standalone Fusion
compositing and visual effects software has now been integrated as a new page in DaVinci Resolve, which is ideal for editors who would like to add effects or do some quick green screen keying work. The Fairlight audio tab also has an update with over 300 new features and improvements. The editing page now features new tabbed and stacked timelines, the ability to add on-screen annotations, subtitle tools and more. For colourists, Blackmagic have added a new LUT browser to quickly preview and apply LUTs, as well as over 20 new ResolveFX filters that make it easy to remove dust, fix dead pixels, and more. There is also a face enhancement tool that automatically recognises and tracks facial features to brighten eyes, smooth skin, and even change lip colour.
Final Thoughts Overall, I was very impressed with DaVinci Resolve v15, both while testing it on the documentary and when looking at the new features. Keep in mind, Resolve, even as a free version, is a fully capable NLE. I personally feel with the inclusion of Fairlight and Fusion, and the constant improvements to Editing and Colour, this is the future.
“It looks like Blackmagic are really pushing to have DaVinci Resolve become four applications in one, allowing users to edit, grade, complete audio using Fairlight, and create visual effects using Fusion without having to round-trip to another piece of software.
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October 2018
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Photo Credits: Cape Town Audio Post
POST-PRODUCTION
Actor Peter Butler in studio at Cape Town Audio Post
A Second Chance to Get it Right:
A look inside Automated Dialogue Replacement Film sets are noisy places. With scores of people bustling around in the background, the constant hum of generators and other electrical equipment – not to mention uncontrollable environmental sounds like strong gusts of wind or aeroplanes flying overhead – it is unsurprising that, at the end of the day’s shooting, sometimes technicians will discover that important lines of dialogue have been spoiled by these audible interferences.
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his is where Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) – the process of re-recording dialogue after filming has been wrapped – can play a key role in the post-production process. Karabo Mafojane is a dubbing engineer at Cape Town Audio Post, a company which has recently expanded its operations, moving to new premises located within the business complex of Airport City. He says that although most ADR requests relate to “cleaning up
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audio quality control issues that are flagged by the production studio”, there are a number of other potential ‘fixes’ that sometimes need to be done during the post-production process. These can include correcting imperfect accents, adapting the tonal delivery of certain lines to help them convey a different meaning, even changing lines of dialogue to aid the clarity of the unfolding story. Ben Oelsen, managing director of Presto Post, a comprehensive postproduction studio in Melville,
Johannesburg, explains that, “ADR and foley engineers are found at the beginning of a long road which eventually leads to dubbing mixers, who are in charge of the final mixing process.” The director, the sound team and a dialogue editor will review what has been captured during the filming process, and then compile a cue sheet with written instructions for both the ADR engineer and the actors who are required to re-record their parts. “Once this has all been decided,” Oelsen says, “the ADR engineer needs to manage the dubbing process. They have to loop the correct footage for each line that needs to be re-recorded, and then capture each take. They need to manage this workflow in an organised way to make editing and mixing as efficient as possible. Once each line is recorded, the engineer synchronises the audio and then plays the clips back for the director, who checks if the take is good enough, and if it matches the mouth movements (lip-flaps) of the performer.” As far as Louis Enslin, head engineer and owner of Produce Sound, is concerned, a good ADR engineer possesses “a good eye, good communication skills and patience.
Depending on the artist and the material, this process can be painstaking work.” Rohan Olwage, production manager at Cape Town Audio Post, agrees that one of the key skills of the job “is being able to work with people, since you are most likely going to connect with different studios, whether they’re in Europe, or the States or here in South Africa. You need to be able to communicate effectively with different people and understand exactly what it is they’re looking for – and then it’s about attention to detail, following the proper process flow and building your understanding of different sound environments.” In terms of the technologies and softwares involved in ADR engineering, Enslin says, “there are quite a few on the market, and often it depends on budget and personal preference. There are plugins like VocAlign that work pretty well with Pro Tools, and then you get tools like Sounds In Sync’s EdiCue and EdiPrompt. The latter works great for long-form work. On the short-form commercial side, often doing a manual synching process work faster and better for me, and I prefer to do it myself, rather than leave it to software.”
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Engineer Karabo Mafojane, Cape Town Audio Post
Olwage and Mafojane explain that, on the hardware side of things, although sometimes studios will supply a list of the microphones that were used on set – or else a list of preferred equipment they recommend to the ADR engineer – “a better approach is to invest time into understanding how different microphones operate in different room environments and recording situations.” That way, according to Mafojane, “you can rely on your own knowledge and experience base to get the quality of sound you need.” Oelsen says that there are a variety of techniques that ADR engineers need to become familiar with to problem-solve some of the key challenges involved with the process, which he frames as follows: “Much like how cameras all have their own distinct looks and features, microphones all have their own characteristics and sounds. It’s highly unlikely that the microphone set-up in
Photo Credit: Presto Post
ADR Session at Presto Post
POST-PRODUCTION
“…there is a growing interest in what local studios have to offer. Over the last few years, the standards of local studios have improved and lots of overseas clients are bringing in work. Currently, there is not that much local content within the ADR industry, but this is also changing – there is a lot of growth and interest in the local production landscape.
your ADR studio will ever be an exact match to the mic set-up that was used on set.” Among these techniques, he mentions the need to EQ for differing bass or treble levels; the addition of what is known as ‘room tone’ (background ambience); and ensuring that the “right amount and the right quality” of reverb is added to compensate for the fact that most ADR recordings are done in soundproofed
studios – which naturally produce a very ‘dry’ sound in recording situations. As far as current demand for ADR is concerned, Olwage says that “most of our ADR work is based overseas, and there is a growing interest in what local studios have to offer. Over the last few years, the standards of local studios have improved and lots of overseas clients are bringing in work. Currently, there is not that much local content within the ADR
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– Rohan Olwage
industry, but this is also changing – there is a lot of growth and interest in the local production landscape.” Enslin supports this idea, saying he doesn’t “believe there’s enough work out there to have a stand-alone ADR ‘shop’, as there are many great audio professionals who have all the tools and expertise to handle this aspect of the post-production process.” However, both Olwage and Enslin are optimistic about the rise of video on demand (VOD) platforms – and especially the impact they might have on the related industry of dubbing, where entire vocal performances are replaced (most often recorded into a different language). Enslin says, “I do believe that more work will be generated because of the VOD industry and the emergence of more production studios.” He also points out that, at the moment, “a lot of communication and entertainment remains primarily distributed in English.” Olwage sees great opportunities for growth in this sector. “For companies and broadcasters, having a local content base is an increasingly important trend. More content always means more work, but in South Africa – where we have 11 potential language markets – there are some very interesting possibilities for the adaptation and distribution of content.” – David Cornwell
October 2018
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Photo by Duncan Riley
LIVE BROADCASTING
[sic] Entertainment and Gavin Wratten lead live broadcast for
Miss SA Diamond Jubilee The Diamond Jubilee of the annual Miss South Africa pageant, held for the first time at Sun International’s Time Square Sun Arena in Centurion, sparkled like never before. Produced by [sic] Entertainment and directed by Gavin Wratten for live broadcast on M-NET (DSTv channel 101) and Mzansi Magic (DSTv channel 161), the Miss SA Pageant offered the live audience, judges and contestants – not to mention the millions of South Africans who watched the live broadcast – a spectacular show. 38 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2018
D
ream Sets, one of the country’s leaders in set design and production for the live events industry, designed and delivered an impressive stage for the 60th Miss SA pageant, featuring the largest number of LED screens ever to be used on a Miss SA production. Dream Sets has a proud history going back to 2008 as the set builders for this prestigious annual event. The relationship has grown over the years and in 2015 Dream Sets was appointed the official set and technical supplier to Miss South Africa. Dream Sets relied on the support of MGG, the venue’s in-house service technical provider for professional technical support. The impressive lighting and set design were created, in close collaboration with Gavin Wratten, by Joshua Cutts and Andre Siebrits from Visual Frontier. “I have been lighting the Miss South
Africa pageant for four consecutive years, and while it is always a beautiful event, we wanted to bring something special to the Diamond Jubilee,” commented Cutts. “[sic] Entertainment have taken Miss SA to the next level. The technical team on this production have become a family over the years, and I am immensely proud of the Dream Sets crew,” said Sean Hoey of Dream Sets. The technical director for Miss South Africa 2018, Eben Peltz of Dream Sets added: “We appreciate the professionalism and absolute dedication of everyone involved. We loved working at the Sun Arena, and once again the team delivered.”
The LED Wall LED screens took centre stage at this year’s iteration of the Miss South Africa pageant, with one of the largest LED walls
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“The MegaPointes are awesome. The beams are so powerful that they sliced straight through the ambient light coming off the LED screens, and I was able to create fantastic in-air effects utilising the gobo wheels and prisms.
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- Joshua Cutts
that the MGG team has ever built providing a visually beautiful and highly interactive set. The LED display consisted of more than one thousand panels, controlled by two Hippotizer Boreal Media Servers. Instead of the more conventional continuous screen, Cutts designed ‘screen strips’, which were positioned at different angles on the stage, while graphic content ran seamlessly across all the LED panels, simultaneously. Johan Botha and Tim Parker worked in unison setting up the Hippotizers and LED screens, of which at least seven hundred were Absen pieces consisting of V4 (4.8mm outdoor) and DV2 (2.9mm Indoor) interlocking panels. “We used two 4K outputs with one Boreal running the 4.8mm LEDs, and the other Boreal controlling both the 2.9mm and centre LED screen,” said Botha.
“Thanks to the Hippotizer it was so much easier to map the content. We did have to cut up all the content and remap it, but it was easy. When we switched the LED screens on for the first time, the accuracy of the Hippotizer was phenomenal.” Having used Hippotizer’s Video Mapper, the system was connected to MA Net, so that lighting designers Cutts and Siebrits could run the AV on the grandMA2 lighting consoles. “It worked like a dream,” said Botha. “What I love about the Hippotizer is that while it takes time to set up, in the end, it does not matter how complex or versatile a show may be – everything is simplified. We could run the system without a worry.” Botha stated that the two machines worked together perfectly, and the frame accuracy was fantastic. “We were happy with the Hippotizers, which kept up with all the content,” commented Siebrits.
“When you chose a look, it was there immediately.”
The Light Show In recognition of the 60th anniversary of the Miss South Africa pageant, show director, Gavin Wratten of [sic] Entertainment based the design of the show on a theme that captured the beauty and lasting elegance of diamonds. “This year was the diamond jubilee, so we tried to use geometrical shapes that captured the angular nature of the diamond,” Cutts explained. The main stage was 28 metres wide by 8 metres deep, with a 14-metre ramp extending to the front and a 9x6 metre presentation stage at the end of that. Special effects included a kabuki drop to reveal the 12 finalists. “Every year, we try to bring something new to the show. This year we used a kabuki drop to reveal the
LIVE BROADCASTING
contestants as the opening scene, which proved to be a great moment in the show,” Cutts commented. The Sun Arena provided a much more expansive venue for the Miss South Africa pageant, and therefore Cutts specified a much larger lighting rig then was used in previous years. The Sun Arena has an extensive in-house lighting rig, which is largely made up of Robe fixtures. Cutts augmented this with Dream Set’s inventory to produce a lightshow that captured the timeless elegance of diamonds with understated colour and tone, but still provided the lighting necessary for a live broadcast. “Being in the Sun Arena for the first time, the larger venue required a bigger lighting rig than I have had in previous years to cover and fill the space from a lighting point of view. I think – all in all – it felt like a bigger production in comparison to years past,” Cutts explained. Cutts used Robe BMFL Blades for all of the key lighting across the main and thrust stages, with the fixtures rigged on FOH trusses for maximum reach. Twelve BMFL Spots were used for producing breakup and other effects down the ramp from the stage, to the presenter stage at the end of the thrust. Four V-shaped trusses were installed above the stage for the overhead lighting positions, and 18 BMFL WashBeams were rigged on these and used for dramatic beam work and texturing the stage and set. The Robe MegaPointe, however, proved the star of the lighting show, with 24 fixtures positioned for maximum impact on a truss running across the back of the stage just above the LED columns. “The MegaPointes are awesome,” said Cutts. “The beams are so powerful that they sliced straight through the ambient light coming off the LED screens, and I was able to create fantastic in-air effects utilising the gobo wheels and prisms,” he explains. One of the highlights of the set design for Miss South Africa 2018, was the six water fountains that shimmered around the contestants during the show. “We wanted to use water on the stage again this year. In previous years, we used water curtains with projection – so this year I suggested using water fountains to Gavin,” explained Cutts. To achieve this, the team installed two 900mm deep pools into the stage floor, which held 36 tonnes of water. The fountains were achieved using water pumps that were controlled by the grandMA lighting console that was used to programme the show. Cutts decided to light the fountains using beams from above, together with subtle tones of aquamarine on the LED panels behind the fountains. “The secret to the lighting design for Miss South Africa was achieving the correct balance between the contestants walking on the runway and the water features.” – Nicole Barnes
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
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The Cape Town International With the start of the 2018 edition of The Cape Town International Film Market & Festival imminently approaching on 9 October, it is clear that this year’s event has expanded and improved across both the festival and market programmes.
W
ith a larger team, improved outreach and collaboration with filmmakers from both home and abroad, the festival and the market will rightfully take its place amongst the best film festival events on the continent. The festival boasts over 40 entries from across the continent, in a programme that has been meticulously curated by festival director Leon van der Merwe. Over 120 films will be screened over the 10 days from over 30 countries. The industry programme, designed
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by market director Elias Ribeiro, is focused on outcome based programmes with a strand on developing projects as well as audiences from a local and international perspective. Whilst the emphasis throughout the industry programme is on African excellence and content, the expertise of global professionals from some of the worlds’ top events such as Cannes, Berlinale, Tribeca Film Festival, TIFF amongst others, will be on hand to share best practice and decades of world class industry experience.
The CTIFMF 2018 will provide an exceptional opportunity for both filmmakers and film lovers alike to immerse themselves in all aspects of film – with a focus on the three pillars of the festival’s theme., CREATE, COLLABORATE and CELEBRATE. These three elements are a tidy way to encapsulate the CTIFMF programmes and events, as well as its increased focus on regional and Pan-African outreach.
Create Creation within the film industry is not limited to content, but extends to relationships too. For filmmakers, the creation of both content and relationships is essential. However, with mounting business, financial, and logistical challenges faced by filmmakers, it is harder than ever for them to focus on their core creative function. The CTIFMF is in-and-of-itself a platform created to converge the African film industry at a single point at
which these stakeholders will have unfettered access to create new business, personal and strategic relationships and opportunities. To foster creativity, the CTIFMF is presenting its inaugural Works in Progress (WIPs) programme. The CTIFMF has selected five fiction and four documentary projects to take part in this intensive process – a creative surgery of sorts, with their handpicked mentors in private one-on-one sessions. At the end of the process, the most promising projects will receive awards for grading, sound design, final sound mix, VFX, online editing, subtitling and DCPs The book adaption programme, ADAPT, will also present two sessions open to badge holders that will focus on the journey from Book to Screen, and these will be presented by Selina Ukwuoma. Additionally, there is a full 4-day industry programme designed to foster creativity with panels focused on virtual
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Film Market and Festival 2018 and augmented reality, performance, web-series and more, taking place from 10 to 13 October. The Meet the Makers series will provide various perspectives and “behind-the-scenes” insights into iconic and successful African films. These sessions will cover themes such as Performance, Visual Style, Lo-Fi, Children Content, Documentaries and Local & Global Success.
Collaborate The African film industry needs collaboration. Supporting colleagues, promoting our own stories, and finding innovative solutions together in the face of adversity must be the hallmark of our industries. However, the South African film industry is largely fractured and the emergence of a pan-African industry is more a dream than reality. While competition is healthy, industry events and businesses that solely compete with one another, rather than complementing each other, makes for a situation that threatens the
Sew the Winter to My Skin is the Opening Night film for this year’s CTIFMF
industry’s sustainability – let alone growth. Collaboration means local collaboration with filmmakers, film schools, government, business, and
other allied industry bodies such as tourism authorities, investors, and community organisations. The Kenya Film Commission and the Nigerian Film Board will be attending the CTIFMF to take part in intensive Work Cafes focused on policy and related discussions that will centre on best practice and the ways to move forward. The Ladima Foundation will present a panel that includes women from across Africa including Zoe Ramushu of SWIFT, Mildred Okwo from Nigeria, and Philipa Ndis-Herrmann from Kenya discussing the importance of panAfrican networking and collaboration.
Celebrate While Hollywood has perfected the art of celebrating and rewarding outstanding achievement, many in our local industries scoff at the importance of these kinds of events and celebrations. Hollywood had also convinced the world that Afrocentric stories won’t sell
or travel well and will never become serious box-office contenders. But $1.4bn later, Black Panther proved them woefully wrong – and it is therefore definitely time to celebrate the African narrative. To that end, the Opening Night film for this year’s CTIFMF is South African story, Jahmil X.T Qubeka’s Sew the Winter to My Skin – South Africa’s submission for Best Foreign Film to the Oscars. Additionally, the festival will host a series of red carpet World Premiere events and cocktail parties all aimed at celebrating excellence and the joy that is at the heart of filmmaking. All of the World Premieres, as well as Opening Night are open to the public so that film fans can also take part in the glamour and excitement that is an integral element in the world of film. – Lara Preston
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SOCIAL
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Disney 2018 Content Showcase The 2018 Disney Content Showcase took place on 20 September at the Il Grande cinema at Montecasino, Fourways, Johannesburg. Seen there were…
Shannalee Doran
Aaron Bila
Sandra Naidoo
Sasha De Jager
Thabile Makhunga
Dimple Gordhan
Zandile Oyiya
Athene Mackay
Viola Dube
Megan Ras and Susann Deysel
Tumelo Lekhanya
Eloise Scoble and Naadiya Adams
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Carla Harris, Candice Fangueiro and Tarryn Richmond
Tarryn Genas and Selina Naidoo
Mariska De Bruin, Jared Stokes and Leon De Bruin
Sphe Zikode, Sasha-lee Findlay and Nobantu Langa
Jason Singh, Lyndane G, Anelisa Khathide, Stephanie Posthumus and Kapil Jagessur
Warren Murray, Projeni Pather, Maritale Le Roux and Tennille Aron
October 2018
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M arketplace
UPCOMING EVENTS OCTOBER 9 – 19 Cape Town International Film Market and Festival Cape Town, South Africa 10 – 21 BFI London Film Festival London 25 – 3 NOV Tokyo International Film Festival Tokyo, Japan 26 – 4 NOV Banff International Mountain Film Festival South Africa
NOVEMBER 8 PromaxBDA Africa Johannesburg, South Africa 14 – 16
DISCOP Johannesburg Johannesburg, South Africa
Broadcast Brands To Africa
Master Dealer Africa Tel: +27 (0) 762569255 info@mdafrica.com
www.masterdealerafrica.com 44 | SCREENAFRICA | October 2018
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