The Callsheet Issue 10 by Film & Event Media

ISSUE 10 | 2014

+ CAMERA TECH BONANZA

What's Hot in 2014 and Why

+ MIPCOM 2014

30 Years and Still Going Strong

+ MOVING THE FILM INDUSTRY

A Look Behind the Scenes

CONTENTS | 01

www.filmmakerafrica.co.za

02. The Callsheet Gives Back 04. SA Masterclass Series Announces 2014 Speakers

05. IBC 2014 Hosts Largest Broadcast Event in Europe

06. Film Summit Africa 08. MIPCOM 2014 – 30 Years and Still Going Strong

10. Camera Tech Bonanza – What’s Hot in 2014 and Why

16. Moving the Film Industry – A Look Behind the Scenes

20. In Production: Who is Filming What, When and Where

24. A Chat with Ivan Bridgens 26. The 2014 Loerie Award Winners 28. PJ Pereira on Brand and

Film Summit: Africa

Camera Tech Bonanza

Attracting big-budget productions through a new, pioneering Film Summit in Africa.

Kim Muller brings you the latest and greatest in camera technology.

Social Films

30. Loeries Expo – Another Resounding Success

31. American Film Market Hosts African Roundtable

32. Black Sails Season 1 Review 34. G-DRIVE Mobile Product Review 35. Spotlight on shnit Shortfilmfestival 36. Boyhood: Snapshots of an Ordinary Life

Moving the Film Industry

It’s the shnit!

Moving film equipment is a vital yet tricky aspect of filmmaking. Find out why.

The shnit International Shortfilmfestival showcases the best indie short films.

38. Botswana: Breathtakingly Wild 40. Events 42. Associations 44. Directory

02 | NEWS

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The Callsheet gives back

t the end of August, The Callsheet staff dug into their pockets to help Pro Events Security Specialists create Victim Packs for survivors of rape and domestic violence. The packs were recently delivered to police stations in and around Cape Town. Each box cost about R50 to make up and contained sanitary items such as facecloths, soap, travel-sized toothbrushes and toothpaste, roll-on deodorant, hand cream, underwear and sanitary towels. A message of hope was also included in each of the boxes to encourage survivors.

In the Western Cape alone, almost 8,000 sexually violent crimes have already been reported in 2014. An IOL article that ran in 2013 said that an average of six rape cases are reported to South African police every hour, although according to crime statistics release on 19 September this year, sexual offences across the country have decreased by 5.6% - but increased in the Western Cape by 0.2%. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, about 54% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police, while many more reported rapists go unpunished

thanks to problematic justice systems across the globe. Women who live through such a traumatic experience often suffer terrible after effects such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse in order to relieve emotional suffering, sleep and eating disorders, selfharm or self-injury, and body memories, when the stress of the memories of the abuse experience takes the form of physical problems that cannot be explained. The Callsheet urges readers to get involved with this and similar initiatives, and thanks staff for their generosity.

The Art of Pitching by Polani Fourie

he pinpoint pitch: ‘Short, sharp, succinct. Compelling and concise.’ Whether in an elevator, a professional boardroom or an international financial forum, the killer pitch (short speech or proposal) remains one of the most daunting yet most important tools in a writer or filmmaker’s armory. The Writer’s Guild of South Africa recently held a Cape Town workshop teaching attendees on how to do this perfect pitch. The workshop firstly included a recap of screenwriting fundamentals by renowned filmmaker, the vibrant screenwriting lecturer Matthew Kalil. Matthew thereafter delved into the art of the pitch, stipulating do’s and don’ts. A coaching and practice session followed, wherein each of the attendees had the daunting task of narrowing down their speeches (pitch) from however long they were to one minute max. To add some spice, a stop-watch-timer was added and a hand indicated when you had 20 seconds left! So if you were talking too long, you really had to think on your own two feet

very speedily, rephrase and summarize at the speed of light, all within your last 20 seconds, otherwise you would be cut off! Apart from equipping the attendees with new skills, the pitching in front of the panel and crowd really made it into a real-life scenario. As for the judges, industry experts Jaco Smit, Oliver Hermanus and Shani van Straaten really gave all a run for their money. Their critique was never obscure, but always well thought through, uplifting and motivational. Some pitchers even received queries with the option of buying. One thing is for sure, the Writer’s Guild is here to stay. Since the Writer’s Guild inception in 2009, it has taken over the reins from SASWA (the South African Scriptwriters’ Association). To date, it remains the only association in South Africa with the sole purpose of assisting, protecting and promoting performance writers in the local film, television, radio, stage, animation and new media (internet - mobile and digital distribution, and gaming) industry. It also aims to empower and develop, as well as to give legal advice.

Matthew Kalil

Join the Writer’s Guild & become part of this vibrant, dynamic team. Contact: admin@ writersguildsa.org, call +27 (0)11 888 4349 or find them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wgsainfo.

04 | NEWS

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SA Masterclass Series Announces 2014 Workshop Speakers

he next Masterclass Series, presented by Binary Film Works, Pollen Creative Media and Zeropoint Studios, is set to focus on the preparation and distribution of original IP content, as well as South African television and animated content. The series stems from a three-day workshop in Writing the TV Drama Series hosted by Natasje van Niekerk and presented by Pamela Douglas, an international published author on serial television. Writers, producers and broadcasters in attendance responded positively and outlined the need for added initiatives. “I experienced a sense of great excitement amongst those who attended – a sense of ‘we can do this!’” said Pieter Lombard, one of the 2013 course attendees. “I overheard many conversations where people would be discussing new possibilities… A sense of renewed pride in their craft.” “We are bringing out some serious international experts as part of the Masterclass Series”, their official statement said. “So if you are a writer wanting to learn new skills or a creative with an idea, maybe you’re a studio, a producer or an individual with a project you really want to get to an

international level, then...this is for YOU. From ideation, to writing and pitching to distribution and ultimately meeting the money people so we can get product made and send it out there, we are bringing out the big guns to guide us across the spectrum, in a series of workshops with the Masters.” The Masterclass Series is aimed at content creators and producers, including writers, creative and studio owners. Pamela Douglas will return to build on her educational workshop based on her new book. The events will take place in Cape Town on 21 and 22 March 2015, and in Johannesburg from 17-19 March 2015. The first two days will be livestreamed from Joburg. Award-winning Canadian writer and story editor Clive Endersby will also present a workshop called Making Magic. The event will centre on writing serial TV, with specific attention to writing for children’s animated series and audience engagement. His sessions take place in Cape Town on 27 and 28 September 2014 and in Johannesburg from 30 September to 1 October. Emmy-nominated writer and Director Mike de Seve (Over the Hedge) will also present a writing and directing workshop specifically for long and short form animation on 12-13 November in

Justine Bannister, International TV Consultant

Johannesburg and 15-16 November in Cape Town. Justine Bannister, an international TV consultant, will present a session called The Real Buzz. It will cover brand creation, building and integrated marketing, pitching, and buzz awareness – from gaming, online and additional content to licensing and publishing. Her vast skill set comes from working with international conglomerates, independent filmmakers, broadcasters and start-ups, including 20th Century Fox, Disney and PGS Entertainment. The Real Buzz will take place in Johannesburg from 12-13 November and in Cape Town from 15-16 November. Port Elizabeth events have been confirmed and will be live-streams from Johannesburg, while events in Durban are yet to be confirmed. For more information, workshop prices or to book your place in the Masterclass Series, contact Wendy Spinks (wendy@zeropoint.co) for Cape Town, Natasje van Niekerk (natasjevanniekerk@gmail.com) for Johannesburg or Nina Allchurch (converge@live.co.za) for Port Elizabeth.

NEWS | 05

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International

Broadcasting Convention Conference

he International Broadcasting Conference hosted the largest annual broadcast event in Europe with over 50,000 visitors, and this year’s conference saw bigger and even better attendance. The conference, alongside the exhibition, took place from the 11th and wrapped up on the 16th of September 2014. Visitors from over 170 countries came to learn about the developments that are shaping the broadcasting industry, interact with the latest technologies, experience world-first demonstrations and do business in a professional and supportive environment. Anchored by high level keynote sessions and intimately tied to other key events and features around the show, the IBC2014 Conference was built around a series of streams and themes with different speakers also exhibiting the latest technologies to enter the market. The different theme in each session allowed delegates the

option of attending the sessions that were relevant to them. This year, the programme included keynote speakers such as Matt Brittin, President Google Europe, Tim Davie, CEO and Director, Global BBC Worldwide and Neelie Kroes, Vice President European Commission, to name just a few. One of IBC’s best attractions was the IBC Big Screen Experience, a full programme of editorially led sessions and ground-breaking product demonstrations using state-of-theart digital cinema technology. This year the technology was been more impressive than ever, delivering great content. On Saturday night IBC screened Ang Lee’s Life of Pi – the first time any audience anywhere had seen a full-length feature film using the Christie laser technology. The visual feast continued on Sunday for the second screening which was Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. One other exciting event within the

conference was the international awards programme which honoured innovation and collaboration in content creation, content management and content delivery. The IBC2014 International Honour for Excellence, the highest honour IBC bestows, went to FIFA TV, the media rights and broadcast operation within football’s global governing body. The FIFA World Cup is the most popular single-sport event in the global calendar, and television audiences for its finals rival the Olympics in terms of international audiences. Since FIFA changed its structure of the management of media rights and production from 2007, television coverage of the World Cup, along with other FIFA competitions, has been the responsibility of FIFA TV. This is to ensure that everyone in the world benefits from the highest quality coverage and innovations in services. FIFA TV was additionally presented with IBC’s International Honour for Excellence for its 84 years of World Cup coverage. On the last day of the conference, discussions were held to examine all that had been discussed over the previous days, building up a meta-narrative of change and the course it is likely to take over the next handful of years.

06 | SPOTLIGHT

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INTRODUCING FILM SUMMIT: AFRICA A Vision for the Future by Lloyd Kirsten

Having surveyed a range of local and international producers, studio heads, directors and production companies, there is an overwhelming desire for international role players to visit the country in order to explore opportunities first hand.

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Spearheading Film Summit: Africa are Lloyd Kirsten and Lance Gibbons

ilm Summit: Africa will focus on developing big budget business opportunities in Africa. The summit will attract several heavyweight international decision makers from the film and commercials industries, who will attend in order to explore the wide range of capabilities that the South African (and by extension the African) film industries have to offer. For years South Africans have travelled abroad in order to attract international projects to our shores. But the time is now right to develop an event which attracts international producers, ad agencies, studio heads, etc., to our country, allowing the SA film industry to showcase our incredible talent, locations and skills, right here in our own backyard. Having surveyed a range of local and international producers, studio heads, directors and production companies, there is an overwhelming desire for international role players to visit the country in order to explore opportunities first hand. On the other side of the coin, local South African service industry players are extremely excited about the opportunity to showcase their full range of offerings here, instead of travelling overseas to do so.

SPOTLIGHT | 07

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We are passionate about growing the South African film industry by attracting more international projects here. Film Summit will benefit all the regions in South Africa, as the international delegates will discover how advanced, professional and effective the entire South African film industry is. South Africa offers world class opportunities for international producers to carry out projects here, and as our skills evolve (post production for example), we are able to complete greater parts of their projects locally, saving these producers time and money, yet still delivering world class results. Film Summit is the platform with which to promote this aspect of our industry to the world.

Who will attend? We are catering for 3 types of delegates who will gain significant value from attending: a) International • Production, studio and broadcasting heads (including Animation) • Commercials industry decision makers • Feature film industry decision makers • Internationally acclaimed creative individuals • Copyright lawyers, film finance experts, and policy makers. The above delegates hail from the following territories: Canada, Germany, Italy, UK, France, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, China, USA, The Nordic Countries (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway), Eastern Block and South America. b) • • • • •

c) •

• • •

South Africa Location and production personnel Heads of service and technologysupport companies South African film industry stakeholders Production entrepreneurs Government stakeholders (Departments of Information, Tourism, Economic Growth) Africa Departments of Tourism in order to present their individual countries locations offerings Film Commissions Selected heads of the African film and broadcast community Production service providers

The local delegates will deliver the message that Africa is a credible film production destination with world-class infrastructure. Africa can deliver an industry production base that is supported by quality suppliers, technical equipment, film friendly governments and skilled labour.

in November, when more will be revealed.

What does it cost to attend?

How different is it than other film events?

Film Summit: Africa will host world-class industry thought leadership presentations, interactive workshops and pre-arranged meeting booths. We have also set ourselves the goal of developing the industry’s most creative and innovative networking events. As an overall package, this ensures that each delegate has the maximum amount of opportunities to meet high profile colleagues within the film industry. Tickets will go on sale in early December, and South African delegate tickets will start at R3 500 for a limited period until the end of April 2015 for those who wish to secure early bird tickets. From 1 May and leading up to the event, ticket prices will increase to R4 999. International delegates will have various post-event location tours included in their packages, so those prices have not been made public yet.

Africa has never hosted an event of this magnitude before, which makes the Film Summit a pioneer event in terms of attracting such a large group of buyers from around the world. The overseas buyers are role players and decision makers from long form, short form, documercials, co-producers (including TV) and animators. The South African and African film industry has a fantastic opportunity to build working relationships on their own continent, where they perform their craft. Our transformation and skills development goals also focus on uplifting South Africans already in the industry to directorate, HOD and management levels, as opposed to grass roots level. The interaction with big name foreign delegates will be an invaluable part of growing and transforming this part of our industry. The Film Summit’s mandate includes promoting the entire region of South Africa, ensuring that all the individual regions are able to showcase the potential and capabilities of their growing film industries to an international audience. This will assist in bringing much needed project funding into all these regions of South Africa. For more information regarding the Film Summit: Africa launch in November, sponsorship opportunities or to host a workshop, please contact Lloyd Kirsten at Lloyd@filmeventmedia.co.za.

Which international buyers will be there? The Film Summit will attract between 200 and 250 international buyers. We have already secured 55 international delegates and are still a year out from the event. By consulting with various South African role players, we have developed an aggressive marketing campaign which will target the international buyers on their ‘wish lists’. The official launch of Film Summit: Africa will take place

When is it? Film Summit: Africa will take place in Cape Town during September 2015. Exact dates, venues and all other relevant info will be released as part of the launch in November.

08 | SPOTLIGHT

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MIPCOM 2014 – 30 Years and Still Going Strong

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a fresh, Ghanaian movie series that follows the unforgettable journey of the 21st century Adams women. Arnaud says that Africa’s presence at MIPCOM 2014 will be stronger than ever. It is already the biggest gathering of content buyers and sellers worldwide, and the global industry – comprising over 100 countries – is hungry to meet content providers and buyers from © Côte Ouest

IPCOM just seems to get better and better,” says Arnaud de Nanteuil, MIPCOM’s Representative for Africa. The heavy-weight content exhibition and conference, set for 13-16 October in Cannes, has been committed to global on-screen entertainment for 30 years, with the 2014 edition already rumoured to bring a wave of excitement along with it. This year’s high profile speakers hail from Hollywood, Europe and Africa, with Mexico as the country of honour. Entertainment industry icon Simon Cowell will also be honoured as the MIPCOM 2014 Personality of the Year and will give a much-anticipated keynote interview on Monday 13 October. “Our Media Mastermind keynoters include Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer at streaming service Netflix, one of the fastest growing investors in original hit shows for today’s multiplatform audiences,” says Arnaud. “Also on board is James Murdoch, from one of entertainment industry’s high-profile dynasties and co-COO at Hollywood giant 21st Century Fox. From legacy TV groups, there is Sony Pictures Television President Steve Mosko, while Ynon Kreiz, CEO of nextgeneration entertainment group Maker Studios, will also make a keynote presentation.” The Book Of Negroes, a blockbuster miniseries by Entertainment One will have its World Premiere at MIPCOM. The series stars Cuba Gooding Jr, Lou Gossett Jr and Aunjanue Ellis, the lead actress who plays an African who overcomes impossible odds to find her freedom. But that’s not all. This year will see more African content than ever before. “We are proud to have participating Mo Abudu, CEO of EbonyLife TV in Nigeria, as well as Emeka Mba, Director General at Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission,” de Nanteuil explains. A number of African broadcasters and content creators will be in attendance including Cote Ouest, who will be showcasing Pokou Princess Ashanti, an animated film produced by Afrikatoon. It is the first 3D animation produced in Ivory Coast and will be available in French and English. Another one of Cote Ouest’s uniquely African offerings is Adam’s Apples. The show is

of the successful content sellers at the content pavilions dedicated to Nigeria and South Africa. Africa is ripe for the picking and now is the time for local broadcasters and content providers to rise up. According to the USAfrica Leader’s Summit which took place in Washington DC in August, the world can no longer ignore the continent as a potential economic force. “That dynamism is reflected in Africa’s growing TV market,” says de Nanteuil. “Investors, ranging from French entertainment giant Vivendi, Chinese media group StarTimes to US-based international TV network operator A+E, are injecting billions into Africa’s media infrastructure, distribution platforms and original content.” And as Africa’s one-billion-plus population switches from analogue to digital television in the next year or so, there will be even more room for growth in the industry.

Taking Africa to MIPCOM

one of the today’s fastest-growing TV regions. “In addition to the ample opportunities to meet, greet, screen, and network with potential business partners, African participants can attend dedicated conference sessions to learn how the region fits into the global picture,” Arnaud explains. “Mo Abudu (CEO of EbonyLife TV) is participating in the invitation-only Women in Global Entertainment Power Lunch. Then she will be contributing to a debate called Driving the Quest for the Audience: Channel Distribution Strategies for Success, an informative discussion on how to improve audience reach. In addition to this, Abudu can be found at Expanding Horizons in Nigeria: The ‘Nollywood’ Case Study, a gathering of authoritative executives from sub-Saharan Africa’s second-biggest TV market after South Africa. You will also find some

The global industry wants to learn more about Africa’s dynamic market, and what better way to showcase the continent than through a National Pavilion? This may well be true, but Africa faces some huge challenges in getting to Cannes. “There are 46 National Pavilions at MIPCOM. Only two are from Africa: The South African Indies Pavilion organised by the ATFT (Association for the Transformation of Film and Television) and financed by the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Nigerian Pavilion organised by the National Broadcasting Commission,” says Arnaud. “We need much more.” The problem, however, is not really in generating interest in the show. Most African buyers are attending MIPCOM and many more producers would like to attend but cannot afford because of the strong Euro currency. “It is why they need support,” says de Nanteuil. “On our side we organise a strong focus on producers at our markets like the ‘Producer’s Hub’. We also propose attractive prices for first time producers and special discounts for National Pavilions. One of the challenges is to convince national or local government to support the attendance to large, international content markets like MIPtv and MIPCOM.”

SPOTLIGHT | 09

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Images Courtesy of MIPCOM

What to look forward to on the Programme:

Simon Cowell, MIPCOM 2014 Personality of the Year

MIPJunior • Where Will Your Next Partnership Take You? • PEANUTS Reimagined • Creative Masterclass: Star Wars Rebels • View From the Top: What Do Buyers Want? • Kids & Screens • The Digital Strategists Show & Tell • Publishers & producers: Creative Collaboration from Book to Screen • What Do Parents Want? • Online Originals for the New Kids on the Block • Discover the Next Gen TV Projects for Connected Kids • World Premiere of Thunderbirds Are Go • Discover the New Best Kids Content from Mexico

Main Speakers • Steve Mosko, President, Sony Pictures Television • Ynon Kriez, CEO Maker Studios • James Murdoch, Co-Chief Operating Officer, 21st Century Fox • Jill Wilfret, Vice President, Global Licensing & Entertainment, LEGO Group • Dr Charles Zhang, Chairman of the Board & CEO, SOHU.com • David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios • Armando Nunez, President & CEO CBS Global Distribution Group

James Murdoch, 21st Century Fox Co-COO

David Stapf, President of CBS Television Studios

Conference Session Highlights • The Media Mastermind Keynote Series • MIP Megasession: Future of Factual • Film & TV Crossroads • Film Commission Day • Digital Distribution • Global Hotspots – Expanding Horizons in Nigeria: The Nollywood Case Study • 4K / Ultra-HD Sessions • Fresh TV – Most Talked-About Formats, Fresh TV from Mexico and Fresh TV Fiction • Women In Global Entertainment Power Lunch – by invitation • MIPCOM Opening Party & Red Carpet • MIPCOM Personality of the Year Gala Dinner – by invitation

Screenings • World premiere TV Screening of The Book of Negroes • The Librarians – by invitation • The Missing • Rescuing Santa • The Witnesses

Aunjanue Ellis, The Book Of Negroes star

The MIPCOM Venue is in Palm Beach, Cannes

Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer at Netflix

10 | FEATURE

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CAMERA TECH BONANZA

What's Hot in 2014 and Why

by Kim Muller

s we near the end of yet another stellar year in the film industry, we are ever mindful of the constant flux in which it operates. This forward motion is never more present than in the regular camera updates, new releases and accompanying accessories. 2014 has seen an even bigger move towards digital cinematography, with cheaper cameras, new technology and some stunning innovations in this field. And, as more and more filmmakers discard their trusty old 35mm film in favour of the latest and greatest in 3D technology and 4K, it would seem that this is indeed where the big bucks are – at least for the moment. One of the biggest innovators in South Africa has been the recent release of the Phantom Flex 4K camera. This unique offering from Vision Research – the leading producer of high-speed, digital cameras

worldwide – has an astonishing 4K image quality with up to 1,000fps at 4K resolution in a RAW file format. It differs from the previous model in sensor size, resolution, image quality and, most importantly, in handling. The Phantom can be powered with an on-board Anton Bauer camera battery for maximum flexibility compared with older, more cumbersome models. Matthew MacLennan, HD Manager at Panavision South Africa, says that although the use of the Phantom has traditionally been limited to very specific shots – especially for frame rates of 500fps or more, “the new Flex 4K with its higher dynamic range and lower noise opens it up to be used on a lot more productions.” According to a recent article entitled Life at 100fps written by Karl Schmidt, a camera technician who also did a presentation on the Phantom at Media Film Service

recently, Vision Research’s new baby is “fully controllable directly from the camera with an on camera menu and display similar to Arri’s Alexa, which makes camera setting and playback easy.” He continues: “For the first time a cinema high-speed camera can work in a normal production mode, which means that it can operate at 23.98, 24,25 or 29.97 standard frame rates with timecode as well as sync sound. This function will be available with the cameras new firmware upgrade.” According to Schmidt, the new firmware will also include a feature which enables the camera to record straight in high quality Apple Pro Res codec, with the same unique dynamic range at Arri’s Alexa. This ensures that the workflow is faster and more affordable, as file size will drastically decrease thanks to smart file compression versus RAW mode. But the Phantom Flex 4K is just the tip of the iceberg. Most film

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Opposite page: Arri Amira © ARRI, Left: The Red Dragon © RED

camera giants like Arri, Panasonic, Sony and Red have released new and improved models in the last few months, some announcing the release at globally-renowned tech shows like IBC 2014. MacLennan explains this push towards a completely digital filmmaking environment. “There is a move towards higher resolution 4K cameras and recorders,” he says, with Red leading the push towards 4K. And while the Arri Alexa still remains the industry standard for both feature films and commercials, there has been a lot of interest in the Red Dragon, the Arri Amira and the Phantom Flex 4K high-speed camera. All three are excellent cameras that fill different roles in the industry. The Dragon is aimed at high-end commercials and features while the Amira is designed for single operator use, ready to pick up and shoot; perfect for documentaries

and corporate videos. It has the same sensor and image quality as its big brother the Alexa so I’m sure we’ll be seeing it used on a much wider variety of production.” Sean Sims, Technical Manager in Camera and Grips at Media Film Service says that the biggest challenge with new camera releases is, surprisingly, the frequency at which it occurs. “In the past we had 10 to 15 years to perfect an art-form by use of a very finite number of available tools. Nowadays the technology changes so rapidly that being out of the ‘picture’ for as little as a month can be disastrous. Every day you find new and improved ‘tools’ to come to ‘grips’ with.” The Amira’s imaging system has been carefully designed for unrivalled sensitivity, latitude and sharpness. This allows filmmakers to create rich, spell-binding images on screen. Sims says that Arri’s Amira

is incredibly easy to handle compared with most cameras on the market today. “Arri has truly set the benchmark on simplicity and great workflow,” he says, “As mentioned before, this camera is so easy to manage – it could all be done by one man alone in the Tibetan Highlands shooting a documentary.” As for Red’s latest release, the Epic Dragon, there are several extraordinary features to speak of. “Red’s latest offering has a staggering 6K resolution with an amazing increase in dynamic range,” Sims explains, “it’s great for productions with an emphasis on Visual FX, and it operates really well in tight spaces due to its small build.” He goes on to say, however, that a few issues do arise when using the Dragon. “With great innovation also comes great technicality – the Red brand has truly spurred on the resolution race, which has

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Visual Research’s Phantom Flex 4K © Media Film Service

While the Arri Alexa still remains the industry standard, there has been a lot of interest recently in the Red Dragon, the Arri Amira and the Phantom Flex 4K.

“

12 | FEATURE

come with its very own set of difficulties to overcome, the first being the camera and lens collimation that have become increasingly critical. In the old days with film cameras, there was a 30 micron tolerance (to put it into perspective one human hair strand measures 40 micron) in back focus which has all but diminished with the arrival of CCD and CMOS sensors. Now as much as a 5 micron discrepancy in back focus could cause a whole shoot’s footage to be soft.” Sims says another technicality is the scalability of the Data Rate – which Red calls its REDcode – could yield as much as 2TB worth of footage from a single camera per day of shooting. “The challenge to overcome in this instance lies in the ability of the Digital Image Technicians (DIT) or Data Wranglers to back up and quality check the footage before a major change in scene to avoid having to reshoot a scene that has already been wrapped.” According to MacLennan, Reds are ideal for aerial cinematography. “With the design of the Red cameras being modular and relatively small and light,” he explains, “they are definitely well suited for Aerial Drones as well as the Movi Freefly System.” But these three gems are not the only releases. Codex, the industry leader in RAW recording and workflow, revealed their Action Cam at IBC 2014 in September. Having taken the market by storm with its NAB 2014 debut, the point-and-shoot system is currently being used on feature and commercial productions. Codex Action Cam can be used as a companion camera when regular packages are too large for the location or scene. It can also be used as a Witness Cam to capture depth of information for VFX composites or 3D conversions. Panasonic has also recently released

two new VariCams, building on a legacy of “breath-taking image rendition and versatile off-speed effects”, according to the line’s web description. The VariCam 35, a 4K camera, incorporates a newly developed super 35mm MOS image sensor, while the VariCam HS, a 2/3” camera, features high-speed, 1080p image capture of up to 240fps. This in turn produces great, highdefinition footage for the most demanding of productions, from SFX slow-motion applications to sports and documentaries. Blackmagic is also on the ball with their URSA cameras. These revolutionary creations are the very first user upgradable 4K digital film cameras, designed to handle the ergonomics of large film crews as well as single person use. Built into the URSA is a massive, 10-inch fold out, on-set monitor, as well as an upgradeable Super 35 global shutter 4K image sensor, 12G-SDI and internal dual RAW and ProRes recorders. It can also easily adapt between EF or PL lens mounts because the sensor and lens mount assembly can be changed. The company already has the URSA EF and PL on the market, but the URSA Broadcast and HDMI are yet to be released.

Before you operate this baby, read the instructions Finding and choosing the perfect camera may be a hassle, but the real problems arise when it’s time to film. According to MacLennan, most camera functions and workflows are the same, so a healthy understanding of filmmaking is really all

that’s needed when you take your new acquisition for its first run. “Having said that,” he continues, “there are some challenges to having all this resolution. The picture is sometimes almost too sharp which can be distracting, so solid filmmaking knowledge, knowing how to light a scene to get the most out of the camera in terms of dynamic range and colour is more important that just having a higher resolution. Another thing to bear in mind when shooting in 4K is that your file sizes are going to be considerably larger and you will need to budget for more drive space and allow for more time to process your dailies.” Sims says that with the advent of 4K moving into home theatres, there will be a number of technicalities for filmmakers and camera producers alike to overcome such as lens problems versus resolution – “be sure that the lenses you draw on can cover the sensor area needed. The last thing you’d want is to pop on a lens and find that it vignettes at 4K and you end up with a keyhole effect” – the amount of data being generated – “be sure that your Data Wrangler, DIT and post facility has the means to securely backup, edit and cut the footage at 4K” – and monitoring on set and even at the post facility for a true quality check – “Are you able to monitor 4K on set? At best we currently have 2K monitors on set. Hopefully 4K monitoring will become more financially possible for the Focus Puller, Operator and VT Operator on set that would not normally invest R220 000 in a single monitor that could not yield a return in value.”

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outh Africa’s top camera tracking company, CAMERA CARRIERS prides itself in having both the biggest fleet of camera tracking vehicles in South Africa as well as some of the best camera tracking vehicles to be found in the world. Our vehicles are designed for the Super Techno 15, 30, and 50, Fisher 22, 23, Giraffe, Predator, as well as the Jimmy Jib and all the other jib arms that are in use in South Africa. “Our latest addition, a V8 power Range Rover, is the answer to car-to-car tracking, both on the road and off road when using one of various jib arm options that gets mounted on top and in the centre of the vehicle. This Range Rover boasts 4x4, air suspension and low range gearing and is able to both swing the camera all the way around the tracking vehicle with wide operating platforms and perform high jib as well as ground-level work with considerable effect.” In addition to this, we also have various process trailers, ‘A’ frames and a quick loading piggy back low loader for any possible in-car dialog shots and our in-house heavy duty trucks and trailers will transport any of our equipment to film sets that are in distant locations should this be a requirement. Our ongoing commitment to providing a better driving service for the industry

CAR TO CAR MAGIC

is a combination of over four decades of professional driving experience in Motor Sport and precision driving, having completed multiple advanced driving courses at Killarney (Cape Town), Kyalami (Johannesburg), Georotec (Pretoria), as well as Zwastkops raceway and BMW’s head office. Our team regularly drives cars on two wheels to maintain our driving performance at the optimum level of car control, thus making us the only team in Africa that can offer this level of specialized driving performance in the industry. It is a great honor and a privilege to have been called upon to do camera tracking and

precision driving in the film industry over the past eighteen years and we wish to thank everyone who has made use of our services in the past and we hope to deliver the same good work in the future.

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Camera

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Name

Specifications

What it’s best for

ARRI Amira

Sensor: 35 mm format ARRI ALEV III CMOS Exposure index: EI 800 base sensitivity Dynamic Range: 14+ stops Recording formats: Maximum 2K resolution Frame rates: 0.75-200 fps

Amira produces exceptional images that have the organic look and feel of film with incredibly affordable production value. It is ideal for natural colour rendition, pleasing skin tones and optimal sharpness, sensitivity & latitude.

ARRI Alexa 65

Sensor: 65mm format ARRI A3X CMOS sensor Exposure index: EI 200 to EI 3200. Base: EI 800 Dynamic Range: 14 stops Recording formats: Uncompressed ARRIRAW Frame rates: 20-27 fps (Open Gate)

The Alexa 65 system is a compact, ergonomical design that can operate handheld in versatile locations. It comes with a range of highperformance 65mm lenses for shoot flexibility and is available only through ARRI Rental.

Blackmagic Cinema Cameras

Effective sensor resolution: 2400 x 1350 Dynamic Range: 13 stops Recording formats: 2.5K RAW at 2400 x 1350, ProRes and DNxHD at 1920 x 1080 Frame rates: 23.98p, 24p, 25p, 29.97p, 30p

The Blackmagic Cinema Camera group feature a wide, dynamic range for shooting true digital film combined with the flexibility of PL, EF and MFT mount optics and high-quality RAW and ProRes recording.

Blackmagic URSA

Sensor: 21.12mm x 11.88mm (Super 35) Dynamic Range: 12 stops Recording formats: 3840 x 2160, 1920 x 1080 dual RAW and ProRes Frame rates: Up to 60 fps

Blackmagic URSA is the world’s first highend, digital film camera that will revolutionise workflow on set. URSA has everything built in including a 10’’ fold-out on-set monitor. It can also be upgraded to the latest sensor tech.

Codex Action Cam

Sensor: 2/3” Single Chip Kodak CCD (RGB) Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels Exposure Control: 200 400 800 ASA Recording formats: 12-bit RAW with 2 x CoaXpress Weight: 1.4Kg (2 Camera Heads & Recorder)

The Action Cam is a complete shooting, capture, transcoding and data management solution for situations that need a compact camera and minimal weight. It’s ideal for shoots in hard-to-reach locations.

Panasonic VariCam 35

Sensor: S35mm 4096x2160 Advanced MOS Imager Dynamic Range: 14+ Stops Recording formats: Simultaneous 4K/2K/Proxy, or UHD/HD/Proxy + Raw to Codex Frame rates: Variable frame rate of 1-120 fps in 4K

Panasonic has built on its VariCam legacy with its latest offerings: VariCam 35 (which shoots in 4K) and VariCam HS (for high-speed image capture). The 35 incorporates a newly-developed image sensor with stunning image rendition.

Panasonic AJ-PX270 (Handheld)

Lens: Optical image stabilizer, optical 22x motorized zoom Shortest shooting distance: 1.1m from front lens Recording formats: HD 12-200Mbps, 100Mbps AVC-Intra 100, 200Mbps AVC-ULTRA Class200

The AJ-PX270 is the very first P2 HD handheld camcorder with high quality and incredibly efficient low-bit-rate-recording. It packs wireless connectivity and the creative controls of a high-end shoulder camera into 5lbs.

RED DRAGON 6K Carbon Fibre

Sensor: 19 Megapixel Dragon sensor Dynamic Range: 16.5+ stops Recording formats: 2K-6K in RAW, 720-1080p RGB Frame rates: Between 23.98 and 59.94 fps Weight: 4lbs, made with carbon fibre & magnesium

This ultra-lightweight construction is built-toorder and offers up to 6K resolution in RAW. Its picture detail compares to 65mm in image density, allowing for more precise VFX plates, reframing flexibility and clear, crisp footage.

RED Scarlet-X

Sensor: 14 Megapixel Mysterium-X sensor Dynamic Range: 13.5 stops, up to 18 stops with HDRx Recording formats: 1K REDCODE RAW to 5K FF REDCODE RAW Frame rates: 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 47.96, 48, 50, 59.97

RED’s Scarlet-X combines ther versatility of the Scarlet with the RED Dragon Sensor. It is completely flexibile, using HDRx and interchangeable lens mounts, and can shoot 1-12 fps in 6K or up to 48fps in 5K.

Sony F65 4K

Sensor: Super 35 mm CMOS image sensor, 20Mp Rotary shutter: Range of 11.5-180 degrees Dynamic Range: 7 stops over key and 7 stops under Recording formats: 16 Bit RAW Recording Frame rates: 1-120fps

Sony’s F65 utilises the new Super 35mm CMOS imager and has a phenomenal Dynamic Range. It also offers a wider colour space over other cameras, making it future proof and ideal for colour grading.

Sony XDCAM 4K PXW-FS7

Sensor: Super 35 Exmor CMOS Sensor Lenses: Native E-mount, compatible with A-mount lenses (adaptor required), 18mm flange back distance Recording formats: On-board 4K & Full HD, ProRes, RAW, XAVC (Intra/Long GOP), Mpeg HD & others

The PXW-FS7 is the ideal camcorder for documentaries, unscripted TV, news magazines and more. The new generation of E-mounts offer superb optical quality together with auto focus, balance and affordability.

Vision Research Phantom Flex 4K

Throughput/Speed: 8Gpx per second Dynamic Range: Around 12 stops after tests Sensor: Super 35mm CMOS sensor Exposure time: 5μs to 1/frame rate Recording formats: 12-bit 4K up to 1,000fps & 1500 in 2K

The Phantom records up to a whopping 1,000 fps at 4K resolution - a first for any camera to date. It provides excellent image quality and production-friendly features, with audio recording & compressed formats to be enabled next year.

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The Freedom Arm © Bickers Action SA

Extras & Accessories As cameras are released, it is inevitable that new add-ons and accessories are created to assist them. Not least of these is Bickers Action’s Freedom Arm. This 20 foot project was initiated to fill a void in affordability to local film crew. “What makes the Freedom Arm really unique is that the project sought to modernize and add functionality over the international equipment and at the same time showcase the innovativeness and capabilities of the South African film industry,” says Gustav Marais, Director of Bickers Action SA. The Arm is the first fully digital control system and with auto arc compensation and auto balance, a first for a camera crane in this category, and carbon fibre booms that are super lightweight. “Thanks to the compression strength of the carbon fibre booms, the Freedom Arm is also capable of taking on just about any remote head and camera or lens package out there as it is not subject to the same nose weight limitations as other systems,” Marais explains. The Arm will be packaged with the Edge, a 3-axis stabilized remote camera head that can handle 500mm lenses, and is released on 1 October 2014. Video Devices also recently released

a full range of equipment including the PIX 270i, PIX 250i and Sound Devices 970 audio recorder, seamlessly replacing tape and discbased video decks and addressing multiplesource video productions. The PIX 270i and PIX 250i recorders offer significant advantages in time saving for production workflows, with file-based recording and playback, and access to high-quality files over Ethernet. Timecode Systems will soon release the ultimate production and camera accessory – the :pulse. It is a single-box solution to streamlining

production workflows and is rumoured to usher in a new generation of timecode technology. “With the :pulse we wanted to create the ultimate production and camera accessory to offer unparalleled flexibility in any shooting situation – in the smallest possible package,” Paul Scurrell, Managing Director of Timecode Systems told Creative Cow. “We’ve crammed a lot into the :pulse with the aim to make it the hub for generating, syncing and sharing all production metadata. It truly is the pulse of a production.”

16 | FEATURE

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MOVING THE FILM INDUSTRY A Look Behind the Scenes by Kim Muller

hen it comes to films, much can be said about the cameras, crews, locations and even the actors and directors. But there’s one sector with almost no recognition that is pivotal to the industry’s success: transportation. Transportation comes in all shapes and sizes. It incorporates couriers and crew transportation, the shipping of equipment and so much more. Pioneer Freight has been moving the film industry for the past 22 years, says Ryan Burgess, and the company has developed

a fine set of structures and trained staff to specifically handle fast-paced, filmrelated needs. “Transport and logistics is an important link to a successful shoot,” he says, “This could range from the importation of gear or props from overseas through to the international courier of daily rushes. Pioneer Freight is geared to handle all forms of freight or courier for the film industry.” One of the main forms of transport is air travel. “In season there are many air imports of cars, props and clothing, etc. International and domestic courier is

constant throughout the year,” Burgess explains. Gustav Marais is the Director of Bickers Action SA, a company that has specialised in camera tracking equipment and vehicles since 1976. He agrees with Burgess, saying that camera equipment and vehicles are the main items that go through transit on a regular basis. But simply packaging and sending the parcel is not an option for the film industry. One of the biggest issues that couriers and freighting firms encounter is dealing with third parties. “Our biggest challenge is the fact that we are reliant on third parties in

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Image(left) © Aureliy Movila, Opposite page: Image © John Nyberg

“

Transport and logistics is an important link to a successful shoot. This could range from the importation of gear or props from overseas through to the international courier of daily rushes.

order to complete a job. This could be in the form of airlines or customs and other bodies,” says Burgess. “We are very much service orientated, which is what sets us apart from our competitors, so it’s very disheartening and discouraging when we are let down by third parties that are out of our control.”

Successfully clearing customs is a tricky procedure and involves preparation and submission of a number of documents in order to facilitate exports and imports. Some of this extensive paperwork includes purchase orders, sales invoices, packing lists, shipping bills, air way bills, a certificate of origin or any other specific

documentation as per country regulations. All freighted cargo has a customs clearance process and each process differs from country to country so it’s usually best to plan ahead. It is also recommended that some type of package performance test is done before sending the cargo to ensure it can withstand the rigors of

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Left © Boris Kyurchiev, Right © Aureliy Movila

and adding functionality over international versions,” he says. “Bickers Action has also invested further to offer specialist enclosed transport and a new state-of-theart process trailer.” Although challenges do indeed create setbacks for transportation companies, there are a few bright spots to look forward to in the future. Middle Eastern carriers will most likely dominate air freight in the coming years, says Burgess. “Fortunately they offer an exceptional service with very quick connections on both passenger and cargo platforms to most destinations worldwide, so the freight forwarders like ourselves are more than comfortable supporting them,” he explains. “Ocean freight is a great alternative for bigger shipments which are not as time sensitive. Newer vessels are bigger, faster and more fuel efficient than before. We often fly cars into SA for shoots and ship them back by sea to their points of origin so as to save on the overall transport cost.” As these new transport modes become the norm, Burgess has a final piece of advice for freighting companies trying to stay afloat: “Ongoing involvement, support and participating in the film industry is important for us to keep abreast of

“

Inevitably old equipment is simply kept alive no matter what state it is in and contracting companies often just look at the cheapest costing and not at the level of equipment obtained.

“

transportation. Hazards – especially with air travel – include punctures and abrasion, compression, environmental exposures such as high and low atmospheric pressure, shipment handling, shock and vibration. Another huge problem that the transport industry faces is the lack of sufficient workloads for contractors to reinvest in the latest equipment. “Inevitably old equipment is simply kept alive no matter what state it is in,” says Marais, “And contracting companies often just look at the cheapest costing and not at the level of equipment obtained. This often leads to ripple-effect problems like road-side breakdowns on route to set, ultimately costing shoots money and aggravation.” He goes on to say that there is a real need for a higher level of equipment as more and more blockbusters and international film productions come to the country. “Upgrading of equipment is desperately needed in the South African film industry and Bickers is doing its part to provide. Bickers Action SA continues to grow along with the local film industry and has teamed up with FFT (Freedom Film Technologies PTY Ltd) to bring the industry The Freedom Arm 20-foot telescopic, SA’s first and only local gyro-stabilized remote camera crane built at a cost of R3-million

the goings on and understanding of the industry. Joining clients at Cannes Lions annually, as well as our presence in various media publications are further examples of this. Our global network of partners who have similar interests in the film industry is an extremely crucial factor which contributes to the success of our business.”

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The Academy for

AFRICAN FILMMAKERS U “ AAF will be an intensive three-day course, created and delivered by experts from the filmmaking industry, which will run in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa in December 2014. The curriculum will cover several aspects of filmmaker theory and practice, with a focus on developing story telling skills. Spaces are limited so make sure you get your application in ahead of the deadline 31st October 2014. If you want to hear more before you create your application, then there is an opportunity to meet the MOFILM team in late September and early October as they visit Lagos, Nairobi, Cape Town and Johannesburg. If you would like to meet up with the team and learn more about the Academy or if you have any questions, then please email us at aaf@mofilm.com.

AAF’s mission is to empower, nurture and celebrate African filmmaking talent and develop expertise through working on actual briefs.

“

nilever and MOFILM are working together to present young African filmmakers with a great opportunity to develop their expertise. Together, Unilever and MOFILM are creating the Academy for African Filmmakers (AAF), which will help young African talent to sharpen their filmmaking skills while working on real, live, Unilever briefs. Any African citizen, between the age of 18 and 30, with a passion for film and story telling is invited to apply by visiting www.MOFILM.com/AAF and completing the online application form. AAF’s mission is to empower, nurture and celebrate African filmmaking talent and develop expertise through working on actual briefs. There will also potential further funding to help create work as well as the possibility of seeing their finished films broadcast.

20 | IN PRODUCTION

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IN PRODUCTION October 2014 Thanks to ever-present confidentiality clauses, no one is ever allowed to officially talk about what’s in production in Africa, so this monthly section is an unofficial overview of the industry’s worst-kept secrets. A number of projects wrapped in September - including Mark Donford-May’s La Boheme adaptation, Breathe – Umphefumlo; Moonlighting’s The Curse of Hendon / Grimsby and Out in Africa’s While You Weren’t Looking - but there’s still lots of work to go around and even more on the horizon.

Ayanda and The Mechanic Ayanda and The Mechanic is a comingof-age comedy about Ayanda, an afropolitan in Johannesburg navigating the first steps of adulthood. Sara Blecher (Otelo Burning) directs Trish Malone’s screenplay, with Robbie Thorpe and Terry Pheto producing. The 24-day shoot is scheduled to wrap in early October.

Dias Santana ZenHQ Films started production at the end of September on the action cop drama Dias Santana, shooting in Cape Town and Luanda. According to the ZenHQ Facebook page, “The only thing top cop Dias Santana and his brother Matias have in common is avenging the murder of their parents that ripped the Santana family apart thirty years ago. With their own lives on the edge, Dias and Matias learn that blood is thicker than water, and revenge is easier said than done.” IMDB lists Maradona Dias Dos Santos as the director and Rapulana Seiphemo and Hakeem Kae-Kazim as co-stars, while ZenHQ’s Facebook page says Paulo Americano will play the title role. IMDB also says Lynne-Anne Vosloo is line producing; Paul Speirs is editing; Gillian Castle will be the costume designer; and Barry Coetzer will be the production designer.

Eye In The Sky Moonlighting is the South African production company on Eye In The Sky, a drone warfare thriller written by BAFTA winner Guy Hibbert and directed by South African Gavin Hood (Ender’s Game, Tsotsi). The updated cast includes Oscar winner Helen Mirren, as well as Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Captain Phillips’ Barkhad Abdi, Game of Thrones’ Iain Glenn, and Harry Potter’s Alan Rickman. The shoot’s expected to end at the start of November. Haris Zambarloukos (Thor, Locke) is the DOP, while South African Johnny Breedt (Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom) is the production designer.

Homeland Moonlighting is the South African production company on the Golden Globe and Emmy-winning series Homeland, which has relocated to Cape Town for its fourth season and is filming until November 2014. For season four, there’s no Damien Lewis, with the plot instead revolving around Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) returning to the Middle East as chief of station, according to Deadline. From the first trailer, it seems there’s a kill list involved. House of Cards’ Corey Stoll, Life of Pi’s Suraj Sharma and Mad Men’s Mark

Moses are new additions to the cast, while Mandy Patinkin and Rupert Friend reprise their roles as Saul and Quinn. Season 4 premieres on 5 October 2014 in the US.

The Last Face Moonlighting is the South African production company on The Last Face, to be directed by Sean Penn for Lionsgate. South African Oscar-winner Charlize Theron, who’s been linked to Penn romantically, is the lead, opposite fellow Oscar-winner Javier Bardem. The Hollywood Reporter says Theron will play “the director of an international aid organisation working in Liberia, who embarks on a love affair with a stubborn and impulsive relief-aid doctor, played by Bardem. However, their mutual passion for the value of life is matched by the intensity of their opposing opinions on how best to solve the conflict that surrounds them, creating a seemingly insurmountable rift.” Blue Is The Warmest Colour’s Adele Exarchapoulos and Moroccan actor Jean Reno (The Professional) also star. Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker, Captain Phillips) is the DOP, while Andrew Laws (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) is the production designer. South African Diana Cilliers (The Giver, District 9) is the costume designer.

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IN PRODUCTION | 21

Variety says Ashutosh Gowariker (the Oscar-nominated crossover hit Lagaan) will direct Mohenjo Daro, a period adventure and love story set during the Indus Valley Civilization. Disney Studios India is producing, while Hrithik Roshan and Miss India Universe 2010 runner-up Pooja Hegde will co-star. Variety expects shooting to begin in South Africa in October.

Prisoner of War According to Deadline, American Joe Miale’s feature film directorial debut is “the story of humankind’s last stand against a cataclysmic alien invasion, set in a war-ravaged African countryside.” Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hobbit) will star alongside Skyfall Bond girl Berenice Marlohe. Karl Walter Lindenlaub (Independence Day, Prince Caspian) is the DOP, while South African Victor Botha (Wild at Heart, Die Wonderwerker) is the production designer. Production began in September in South Africa, with Johan Kruger line producing.

Tremors 5 I was still in primary school when the first Tremors came out, starring Kevin Bacon and giant worms. Moonlighting is rumoured to the South African production company on the fifth installment of the franchise, with Alan Shearer line producing. According to ScienceFiction.com, Don Michael Paul is directing for Universal, while at least one of the original stars - Michael Gross - will return to the franchise.

Alan Rickman © Marie-Lan Nguyen

Mohenjo Daro

22 | IN PRODUCTION

Sand Castle Sand Castle will star Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Toby Kebbell (Wrath of the Titans) in a coming-of-age Iraq war drama based on the ‘inspired by real events’ Black List script from war veteran Chris Roessner. Mark Gordon (Source Code, Saving Private Ryan) is producing for Cannes Gold-winning commercials director Seb Edwards, making this his feature debut. The film was originally slated to shoot in October 2014 in South Africa and Italy, but there’s no official confirmation of this yet.

The Wrong Mans Season two of the BATFA-nominated comedy The Wrong Mans has been shooting in South Africa with Out of Africa Entertainment. The BBC 2 show is directed by Jim Field Smith and written by lead actors James Corden and Mathew Baynton, while the cast includes Dawn French and the Big Bang Theory’s John Ross Bowie.

Africa Angelina Jolie is attached to direct Africa, a biopic about paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey and his battle to save the elephants of Kenya from poachers. Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) wrote the screenplay.

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Steven Shainberg, director of Secretary and Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, was in pre-production in Cape Town in August on The Big Shoe. However, the scheduled September start has apparently been pushed back, probably into the New Year, after South African producer Anton Ernst told Twitter that the film wasn’t likely to happen, or at least not with him, due to problems scheduling leads Jim Sturgess and Kristen Stewart, who’s now apparently off the project. However, on 4 September 2014, Anton tweeted: “I think we have found an amazing replacement for KS…A new actress that none of you guys know. Very exciting stuff.” IMDB now lists Juliette Binoche among the cast, while Elizabeth Banks seems to have dropped out. Bankside Films describes The Big Shoe as “a daring and comedic romance about an unusual, creatively stifled shoe designer, Nate, and his newfound muse, Delphi, who helps inspire him to resume his brilliant designs.“ According to IMDB, Zimbabwean-born Jeremy Reed (London Fields) is the production designer.

Black Sails There’s no official announcement online yet, but word on the street is that season

three of Black Sails is confirmed to shoot in South Africa. Starz’ pirate-drama recently won Emmy Awards for sound editing and special and visual effects.

The Siege of Jadotville 50 Shades of Grey and The Fall star Jamie Dornan will be coming to South Africa next year to film The Siege of Jadotville, the feature film debut of commercials and music video director Richie Smyth. Set in the Congo just after the murder of Patrice Lumumba, Dornan will play Commandant Pat Quinlan, an Irishman who led a UN battalion of 150 Irish troops that held out against a force of 3000 local troops led by French and Belgian mercenaries working for the mining companies.

Tau Tona The Hollywood Reporter says Warner Bros is in negotiations on Tau Tona, which “chronicles a dangerous rescue operation at the world’s deepest gold mine in South Africa, that turns into something bigger when an ancient lost city is discovered.” Tau Tona writers William Eubank, Carlyle Eubank and David Frigerio were behind the recent science fiction thriller, The Signal, starring Laurence Fishburne and Brenton Thwaites. William is attached to direct.

The Big Shoe

24 | PRO-SPECTIVE

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A Chat With

IVAN BRIDGENS The CEO of LaserNet and Waterfront Film Studios takes a trip down memory lane, and lets us in on the studio’s big expansion projects.

How did you get started in the film industry? Please give a brief career overview. I have been in the industry since I was 19. I started in the SA Air Force when I was posted to a special unit called COLET in Pretoria as a light current technician. This special unit consisted of Airforce, Army and Navy and had a few of the biggest studios and Outside Broadcast Vehicles outside of the SABC at the time. We had all the latest toys, 1 inch machines, studio and portable cameras and an OB van to make programming for training, as well as intelligence and news gathering. Whilst I was there, Richard Nosworthy and I started PLUM Productions and started making music videos and dramas. I bought myself out of the permanent force by paying for my studies then went to TL Electronics to study further. I then started a post-production facility called ‘The Final Mix’ in Randburg with Steve Harris. We bought the first SP Betacam machines in South Africa with serial numbers 11, 12 and 16. This soon became a premier boutique facilities company. Steve Harris and

I left and bought AVVID, an equipment-supply company, and later bought Videotech; and the company become AVVID Videotech, which we sold a few years later to Spescom and the name was changed to Spescom Broadcast. I stayed at Spescom Broadcast for six years and left to go overseas where I bought into a company called Automated Reasoning, which was an artificial intelligence software company and had nothing to do with film and TV. I was based in San Francisco for five years until the company hit hard times after the 9/11 tragedy. I returned to South Africa and helped Steve Harris build Blade Works Post Facility in Bryanston, and while I was there I conceived LaserNet, and left to build LaserNet, a specialised media ISP. LaserNet’s core business was high-speed networks for moving digital content around South Africa and internationally. Along the way we built MediaMove, CLEARvault and introduced the CLEAR technology platform to South Africa; which has become the standard for managing content, archiving and delivery of digital content. We digitally archive and manage

content for the major companies in the media industry. Our latest acquisition, Collective Dream Studios, which we rebranded to Waterfront Film Studios has grown quickly in a very short space of time and has been instrumental in the making of movies like The Giver and the American TV series Dominion.

Waterfront Film Studios is one of only a few large studios in South Africa, and you are expanding rapidly. Please tell us about what led to that decision. With the acquisition of Waterfront Film Studios by LaserNet, Blade Works, Cut & Past and FuseFX partners, it fitted into our strategy of developing technology services to benefit the film and TV industry in South Africa and create a first-world technological facility that can attract international productions to South Africa. We intend on expanding the current studio offering substantially and making the Waterfront a premier shooting destination worldwide. We are about to build Stage 4,

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and Stage 5 is in planning as we speak. We have also taken over a number of properties in the surrounding Waterfront area which will expand the offering at Waterfront Film Studios in the near future and hopefully attract more productions to South Africa and Waterfront.

What are some of the exciting features of the expansion? Our expansion will take Stage 3 from 400sqm to 1 000sqm. Stage 4 will be a new stage of 1 000sqm with an increased roof height to around 16m to accommodate double volume for film sets. Our post-production offering will expand significantly to grow the VFX offerings and high end longform postproduction environment. To date, we have already added VFX and pre visualisation tools like LiDAR and cyber scanners, as well as DIT and content management facilities and huge secure storage arrays for managing 2K to 6K shoots and manipulating the data within

the facility. We have added an additional 4 language dubbing suites which are currently dubbing 100 episodes per month of Hindi content into English. The future expansion includes adding various post production and VFX tools as well as an extensive revamp of audio facilities and adding an ATMOS audio and viewing environment.

Please share some of your favourite Waterfront Film Studios success stories. I think what we have achieved the most in the very short space of a year is to land a great film production like The Giver with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep as our first production, and then shortly afterwards a Universal TV series Dominion which was in the studios for the past year. We have also finished and are busy with a few local production such as Vrou Soek Boer, Knysna, Spud 3, Bloedsuirs, and Twee Grade van Moord to name a few. We have also been doing a major

film restoration project for Gravel Road Entertainment Group. So far we have digitally remastered and delivered 20 old movies that were in various stages of disrepair. The results have been phenomenal and have helped Gravel Road secure more content into their library for distribution. This is an ongoing project and we will be gearing up for digitally remastering higher volumes in the future.

What is the ratio between international and local productions shooting at Waterfront Film Studios? Do you expect this ratio to remain constant over the next few years? I would say itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a 50:50 ratio at the moment. I expect it will stay this way with maybe more local productions in the pipeline as well as the incentives increasing for local productions. We are also aiming at promoting more international movies to South Africa. All Images ÂŠ Waterfront Film Studios

Working on a restoration project

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THE 2014 LOERIE WINNERS T

he 36th Annual Loerie Awards took place on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September 2014 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. MC’s John Vlismas and Anele Mdoda did a fantastic job of cracking up the audience. A particular highlight was Mr Vlismas’s magnificent entrance on the actual Iron Throne from the hit series Game of Thrones (while dressed as crystal-meth chemist and pop-culture hero Walter White). The afterparties took place on Long Street and Shimmy Beach Club, where celebs, VIPs and other guests danced, drank and danced some more. The Loeries is an annual recognition of the best work produced in the brand communication industry in our region – including the whole of Africa and the Middle East. The awards were judged by over 140 local and international experts in their fields, including four international jury chairman from Hamburg, Melbourne, New York City and San Francisco, as well as regional judges from Accra, Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam. A total of 256 awards were handed out in the main categories, with the winners being broken down as follows:

All Entries

2534

Student Professional 342

2192

Prof noncraft entries

1453

Prof craft entries

739

Grand Prix

Gold

Silver

Bronze

101

Craft Gold

Craft Certificate

This year, a total of four Grands Prix were awarded. They were: • Grid Worldwide Branding (Pty) Ltd for Anti Est Anti Est #Unlearn, in Design MixedMedia Campaign. • One Kingdom Creative Studio for Mi-Fone Oju Africa App, in Digital & Interactive – Mobile Applications & Sites • FCB South Africa (PTY) LTD for Coco-Cola South Africa A Rainbow for the Rainbow Nation, in Outdoor Media. • Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg for Lucozade Give Me Strength.

Effective Creativity Award Introduced in 2013, the Effective Creativity category, sponsored by Woolworths, allows previous Loerie winning entries to be measured for effective business results. Two Gold Loeries were awarded to Ster Kinekor and FoxP2 for Great Moments at their Greatest; and Johnnie Walker and the King James Group for Johnnie Walker One Bottle. Africa & Middle East In the categories for entries from outside of South Africa, three Gold, seven silver and six bronze Loeries were awarded. Three Golds went to: • Communication Design: Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives Unsung Heroes, by Brand Union (United Arab Emirates). • Ubuntu Award: Unilever’s Sunlight Ray of Hope by Jericho Advertising (Zimbabwe). • Radio Communication: Sawa Mninjah and Geometry Global Dubai (United Arab Emirates) for Rescue Radio.

Special Awards Loeries Hall of Fame – Keith Rose Keith Rose, Velocity director and founding partner,

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was inducted into the Loeries Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to the industry. Marketing Leadership and Innovation Award – Claudia Walters Claudia Walters, Marketing Communications Manager of Mercedes-Benz, was honoured with the Marketing Leadership and Innovation Award. Adams & Adams Young Creatives Award The award for exceptional achievement at the age of 27 or younger went to Matthew Pullen and Freda Raubenheimer. They each received a Gold Loerie and a trip to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, courtesy of Adams & Adams. Antalis Creative Use of Paper Award The winner of the 2014 Antalis Creative Use of Paper Award is the Johannesburg Zoo and Y&R South Africa for See What Comes out in the Dark. The award includes two Apple iPads for the creative team. The Times Newspaper Award The Times Newspaper Award went to One

School at a Time and Joe Public for Project English. As part of the prize, Joe Public secures next year’s campaign for the Times Creative Press Ad challenge, valued at R160 000. Unilever Ubuntu Award for Sustainable Marketing The Unilever Ubuntu Award for Sustainable Marketing honours brand campaigns that do good while doing good business. A Gold Loerie was awarded to Exclusive Books and 140 BBDO for the Exclusive S.E.E.D Library. Loeries Creative Future Scholarship This year the scholarship was awarded to Banzi Kasana of SACS High School in Cape Town. For the first time this year, additional bursaries were offered by Vega School of Brand Leadership and the Red & Yellow School, allowing two more students to benefit from the programme. Recipients of these bursaries are Ida Janine van Staden from Parklands College and Chiquita Williams from PJ Olivier Art Centre in Stellenbosch.

Student Awards This year four Gold Loeries were awarded: • Emijl de Kock, Leigh Pietersen, Emma Philip, Sanri Pienaar from AAA School of Advertising Cape Town for National Geographic - Almanac of Extremely Average Animals. • Jodia Steenkamp from Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography for Expose - Calendar. • Shana Sivewright AD, Melissa Fontini CW from AAA School of Advertising Cape Town for Recollection. • Frané Els from the North-West University for Ubuzu. Three Craft Gold Loeries were awarded: • For Print & Design Crafts - Illustration, Karabo Moletsane from the Open Window School of Visual Communication for Sho’t Left, titled Sho’t Left a zine. • For Print & Design Crafts - Typography, Almari Carosini from North - West University for Pylon Typeface, titled Pylon Typeface. • For TV; Film & Video Crafts, Frané Els from the North-West University for Ubuzu titled Ubuzu.

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Triple Cannes Grand Prix Winner

PJ PEREIRA ON BRAND & SOCIAL FILMS by Kevin Kriedemann

he 2014 DSTV Creative Seminar, which ran alongside The Loerie Awards, had two of the biggest names in world advertising as speakers: Patrick Baron, Advertising Age’s top creative director and art director for 2013, and Emmy-winner and multiple Cannes Grand Prix winner PJ Pereira. Design genius Stephen Doyle; Facebook Creative Shop’s Rob Newlan; Unilever Nigeria MD Yaw Nsokrah; and South African comedian John Vlismas rounded off the impressive lineup. South African advertising is only just beginning to explore the potential for brand films, let alone social films, so I found PJ’s talk the most interesting. Nothing I’ve seen from South African brands even begins to compare to his Inside Films campaign for Intel and Toshiba, which has over 200 million views on YouTube and more awards than I could list here, including three Cannes Grand Prixs and

a Emmy for The Beauty Inside alone. Hopefully we’ll see more work like this coming out of South Africa after this talk though.

What if advertising were created today? PJ started his presentation with this question, reflecting on how it has shaped his company, Pereira & O’Dell. He argued that agencies have become too fragmented, with the different disciplines no longer able to communicate effectively with each other. He used the examples of marketers thinking in 10-year brand cycles, while agencies think in year-long campaigns, and digital and PR agencies think in terms of months and days respectively. He believes fragmention has led to a focus on efficiency, rather than magic. “The most practical advice I can give anyone is to take the medium out of the brief,” PJ said. Pereira &

O’Dell have established a new set of rules to keep everyone on the same page. “In the age of content, think like a marketer, behave like an entertainer, and move like a tech startup,” he summarised.

Think like a marketer While awards shows tends to recognize the most novel work, PJ says it’s important that advertising doesn’t lose sight of ‘marketing discipline.’ “The most amazing marketing campaigns take one single idea and repeat it over and over, while still keeping it fresh,” he said. “That’s the core of our business; what differentiates us from the amateurs.” He used their campaign for 1800 Contacts as an example of how they decided to “own the moment and repeat the message over and over to win the game.” He also showed how once you establish the concept, you can then

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All Images © Loeries 2014

get more and more bizarre. “How wonderful that we can get paid to be stupid,” he laughed.

Think like an entertainer “10 years ago, you could buy the consumers’ time,” PJ said. “Now you have to think like an entertainer and make them want to watch. There is no other way.” He recommends making your brand a character in the story. “People don’t love plot lines; they love characters,” he said. “You don’t love the plot of Forrest Gump; you love Forrest Gump.” To most South Africans surprise, PJ doesn’t believe your brand needs to be the lead character, even when they’re paying. He used the Inside Films as examples. The best known of these is Drake Doremus’ The Beauty Inside, a love story about a man who wakes up in a different body each day. It’s wonderful. “Inside Films is a good example of marketing discipline, while still keeping it fresh and entertaining and different over years,” PJ says. “We started with a thriller [The Inside Experience], went to a fantastical love story [The Beauty Inside], and then made a very stupid comedy about moustache aliens [The Power Inside]. None of these stories are about Intel or Toshiba. There’s an idea that what’s inside is what counts, and in each one the computer is also a character.”

Ad agencies competing with Hollywood? At Cannes Lions 2014, Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said, “The intersection between linear storytelling and social engagement is the next big thing.” “We actually do that better than Hollywood. They’re trying to figure out what we’ve been doing for a while,” says PJ, who did this masterfully on The Beauty Inside,

PJ Pereira during the DStv Seminar of Creativity at the City Hall on 19 September 2014

where the audience could submit footage of themselves to appear as the ever-changing lead role in the films. “We can either learn Hollywood’s side before they learn ours, or we can ask for a job as a secondary player. I don’t want to let that happen to me.”

The importance of diversity PJ stressed the importance of diversity within any agency. When he hires new staff, he says,

“They need a great book and great experience, but I’m also interested in what they do outside of work, what experiences they have that no one else has.” Refreshingly, he says Pereira & O’Dell actively “incentivize people to have a life outside the agency.” Diversity is something Loeries chairperson Xolisa Dyeshana also picked up on his closing remarks. “We should be ashamed if our agencies don’t reflect our markets.” For more information on Pereira O’Dell, visit www.pereiraodell.com.

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LOERIES EXPO Another Resounding Success

All Images © Sibling Photography

he Loeries Expo is a branding and marketing exhibition that took place at the historic City Hall during the Cape Town Creative Week, leading up to the Loeries Awards ceremonies on the weekend. Creative Week Cape Town started as a legacy event for Cape Town’s World Design Capital 2014 bid. Some of the brands that will were showcased at the Expo included Adams + Adams, Backsberg, Bizcommunity, Continental Outdoor, DStv, Facebook, Film & Publication Board, Gearhouse, Google, Hertz, Times Media, SAA, Unilever, Woolworths and YouTube. As part of the exciting activities at the expo there was gaming, wine-tasting, photo booths and a juice and coffee bar. Loeries Expo organiser, Taryn Fowler of Film and Event Media, said, “This year our Loeries Expo had more fun, interactive brand activations with lots of giveaways. The Expo is a meeting place for ad agencies, top corporate brands, media and PR companies and we hope to see the birth of many great ideas, collaborations and opportunities as a result!”

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AMERICAN FILM MARKET Hosts African co-production roundtable © AFM 2013

he American Film Market (AFM), running November 5-12 in Santa Monica, has announced the speakers for its roundtable African Co-Productions: The Possibilities and the Challenges. Taking place between 4:00pm and 5:30pm on Sunday, November 9th, the roundtable will focus on the development and promotion of the African film industry through co-production. The roundtable will bring together stakeholders who have an interest in films produced in Africa with crosscultural appeal, thereby initiating business opportunities that can impact the untapped potential of the African film industry. The following speakers have been confirmed to participate:

• •

Bernard Azria, CEO, Côte Ouest Dike Dimiri, Group Head, Enterprise Risk Management, Heritage Banking Company Limited • Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, Regional Director, M-Net / Africa Magic • Jason Njoku, Founder, iROKO Partners • Chris Roland, Owner, ZenHQ Films • Irfaan Fredericks, Head of Production, Kalahari Pictures. “Africa’s film industry is growing at a rapid pace. Coupled with its high rate of urbanization, the dual growth of more quality films and an expanding audience, it is creating opportunities for producers in Africa and around the world. AFM is the perfect platform to connect Africa with the global production community,” said

About the American Film Market The business of independent motion picture production and distribution reaches its peak every year at the American Film Market. The global film industry converges in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making on films in every stage of development and production, as well as screenings, conferences, networking and parties. With 8,000 industry leaders from more than 70 countries, 700 screenings and the industry’s largest Conference Series, AFM is the pivotal destination for filmmakers, producers, writers, directors, distributors, financiers, industry executives, talent, the international media and all those who provide services to the worldwide motion picture industry. The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, the global trade association of the independent motion picture and television industry.

AFM Managing Director Jonathan Wolf. AFM Roundtables take place in the AFM Studio on the lobby level of the Loews Hotel. Visit www.americanfilmmarket.com/attendee/ roundtables-conversations to view the complete roundtable programme.

We inform. You choose.

FPBZA

@FPB_ZA

32 | SPOTLIGHT

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Luke Arnold as ‘John Silver’

BLACK SAILS Season 1 Review

“

riends...brothers...the prize that you and I have been pursuing is L’Urca de Lima. The Hulk. A prize of almost unimaginable value.” – Flint to his crew It was Shakespeare who penned Much Ado About Nothing around 1598 and, as the title suggests, a whole hullabaloo was made about almost nothing. Black Sails had a similar storyline and media strategy, it would seem. Not only was so much hype made of the series before its release, but the show fared rather worse than it had hoped on a general scale of popularity. One main reason for this is that story was simply not as gripping as it was initially made out to be. But these facts aside, it is about pirates and it is about freedom and the high seas and crazy awesome visual effects. These parts they pulled off extremely well and I will not fault them on. Even the 2014 Emmys agreed – Black Sails Episode I received the Creative Arts Emmy for Special and Visual Effects in a Supporting Role. It’s just incredible seeing what the show has done in transporting viewers to an entirely new and unfamiliar world. Cape Town Film Studios is largely to thank for not only creating the water tanks and infrastructure to house the show’s entire set in the middle of what was once a swamp, but for believing that this kind of CGI mastery was possible once the groundwork had been laid. In this idyllic

By Kim Muller

setting, palm fronds intermingle with the deep, turquoise surf of Nassau. The actual Bahaman city is located thousands of miles away across the Pacific Ocean, but one would never guess that it wasn’t filmed on location. Herein lies Black Sails’ strength – its ability to fool viewers into an exciting tale of plunder on the open seas of the Caribbean. The story itself is loosely based on historical facts. Nassau was once a pirate haven between 1703 and 1718, while there was no governor in the colony. According to the Governor of Bermuda, there were over 1,000 pirates in the town at the time and they proclaimed Nassau a pirate republic. It is against this tumultuous backdrop that Black Sails takes place. Some of the main characters in the series were actual pirates, like Charles Vane (played by Zach McGowan) in the beginnings of his reign of terror, Anne Bonny (Played by Clara Paget) who shacked up with John Rackham – commonly known as Calico Jack – and Benjamin Hornigold, who managed to control Nassau for a short while in the early 1700s. Throughout the season, we watch Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) as he struggles to get hold of the last page of a ship’s schedule. The page eludes him for a few episodes – slimy John Silver (rugged hottie Luke Arnold) has it in his possession – but eventually Flint manages to get hold of the schedule of the Urca De Lima as well as dispel any possibility of mutiny on board the Walrus

by deceiving the crew, killing the main mutineer and giving his Boatswain Billy Bones (Tom Hopper) and Quartermaster Hal Gates (Mark Ryan) a figurative king to believe in. Meanwhile, back in Nassau, Mistress Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New), who handles all her father’s merchant affairs and calls the shots on the island, is in for a rude surprise. Not only has her father decided to liquidate the business because of a pending war with the Spanish and British colonies, but the pirates themselves have run amuck at the news. Their portrayal of women and their plight in the 1700s is perfect, I’m sad to say. Not only do we watch in horror as pirates gang rape shrewd local prostitute Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy), but Miss Guthrie herself can do little without the willingness of the men around her – something she begrudgingly allows in order to keep commerce flowing on Nassau. This is arguably her downfall, with Charles Vane taking over the island after conquering the mysterious black-bearded pirate farmer who may well be Blackbeard himself. No news on that front yet. By the end of the first season, true to the historical account, the Walrus and Ranger pursue the Urca De Lima only to find it shipwrecked along the east coast of what is now Florida. I was particularly disenchanted with the ending of what could have been a great, riveting show. Not only are we miles from seeing the pirates steal the Urca’s treasure trove, but we’ve seen no real action on the

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All Images Courtesy of Starz

“

Nassau front either. It would seem that Black Sails is more content playing House of Cards with true political fervour than giving a bold, action-packed performance. That said, the action scenes that do exist – like the immense attack on a Spanish naval ship in Episode VIII and Charles Vane’s badass escape from the mysterious, black-bearded pirate – are worth watching. Max’s story, which weaves in and out of Nassau, is captivating, too, as is Flint’s deception and treachery in certain episodes, especially towards the end. If I had one true criticism for this series, it would be that the story drags on far too slowly. There is no urgency to watch the next episode and the next, and although the build-up to the climax is there, the climax itself is less than satisfactory. Perhaps Season 2 will be a more compelling watch for couch potatoes.

Toby Schmitz as ‘Calico Jack’

The Black Sails Ship

‘Mistress Eleanor Guthrie’, played by Hannah New

Some of the main characters in the series were actual pirates, like Charles Vane in the beginnings of his reign of terror, and Benjamin Hornigold, who managed to control Nassau for a short while in the early 1700s.

“

Jessica Parker Kennedy as ‘Max’

Left to Right: ‘Captain Charles Vane’ and ‘Captain Flint’

34 | PRODUCT REVIEW

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G-TECHNOLOGY G-DRIVE MOBILE with Thunderbolt: Another Category Leader

by Kim Muller

HGST G-DRIVE Mobile with Thunderbolt Specifications • • • • • • • •

Transfer rates up to 136MB/s Storage capacities up to 1TB Stylish aluminium enclosure, 5.00” x 3.27” x .75” Bus powered via Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 compatible) Formatted for Mac, easily reformatted for Windows Apple Time Machine Compatible 3-Year limited warranty Thunderbolt cable included

G-Drive Mobile in Everyday Environment © G-Technology

G-Drive Mobile with Thunderbolt © G-Technology

he HGST G-Technology G-DRIVE Mobile with Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 is an all-round winner for anyone in the market for a portable, reliable storage device. The durable, 1TB hard drive is small enough to pop in your bag wherever you go – plus you never have to pack an AC adapter because it is bus powered (it charges through the same port that connects to your computer for storage functionality). On arrival in our offices, the drive was formatted for Macintosh and was Time Machine compatible, but after a couple of online support threads, I easily found how to reformat it for PC. This brings us to one of its fatal downsides. The G-DRIVE can be used with any PC once it’s reformatted, but not to a Mac, unless its settings are changed and the drive wiped again. This doesn’t fare too well if you’re a majority PC user and your colleagues are majority Mac users, but despite this sad state of affairs, the drive still has good qualities to speak of. First on the list is its speed. This is ideal for anyone in the film industry with large, bulky files, folders and reels to

transfer. It boasts file transfer speeds of up to 136MB per second, which means that you don’t have to wait hours for 20G to copy. Plus any Mac users will enjoy the quick backup of digital photos, music, videos and documents through it Time Machine capabilities. Storage Review recently compared the G-DRIVE Mobile with

Thunderbolt to other 1TB portable devices with Thunderbolt options. According to in-house testing, the 720RPM drive really helps to add about 10MB per second to the average read and write speeds. In a Windows 7 environment, they recorded speeds between 120.3MB/s and 124.7MB/s. Something has to be said of the G-DRIVE’s design. It is slightly larger than an iPhone 5, twice as thick and roughly three times as heavy. Plus its solid, aluminium case would fit right in with any naughtiesgeneration Apple computers – although it looks just as good next to a laptop! The sides are the same sleek, silvery shade, which is an aesthetic improvement on older models. In all, the G-DRIVE Mobile with Thunderbolt is a handy little device that’s sure to withstand the pressures of everyday use. Don’t expect too much in the way of speed – sometimes its USB transfers are average at best. The bottom line is, if you need the extra storage space and you’re happy with 1TB, G-Tech’s mobile drive is another in a long line of quality devices with top-tier performance.

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Courtesy of Shnit.org

SHNIT

International Shortfilmfestival

he shnit International Shortfilmfestival was founded in Bern, Switzerland in 2003 with an aim to exhibit and promote the art of small, independent filmmaking. The festival has now grown to simultaneously takes place in 10 different cities over five continents. The cities that host shnit are Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Bern, Cape Town, Cairo, Costa Rica, Moscow, San Jose, Tokyo and New York, attracting a wide audience with screenings of over 300 short films of different genres including animation, fiction, documentaries and experimental films. This is a 12 day offering of the best-made short films from around the globe. The grand prize mounts up to US$100 000 with five categories for the award ceremony in New York City. Out of the five categories, three are judged by the jury and two by the audience, with the nominated films made available for online screening. This year, the shnit Shortfilmfestival received more than 7,000 entries which further confirmed the burgeoning importance of the art form, while digital technology has made filmmaking easier and faster with affordable budgets. The featured films for the awards are world class nominations that display a fine cinematic form of storytelling in a shorter time than a full length feature. 64 films will be competing for the jury and audience favour for this year’s award ceremony; South Africa has nine entries in the running. This is the festival’s 5th year in Cape Town, hosted at the Labia Theatre in town, the Pulp Cinema in Stellenbosch and additional activities in venues around the city.

Programme for 2014 shnit International Shortfilmfestival The shnit programme is divided into various sections, and each of these is subdivided into film categories, featuring six to eight movies. In Competition – award category films • shnit Open: Sixty-four colourful, hearty and shnitty films from all over the globe. • Made in South Africa: The nine local flicks compete for the jury-awarded trophy; plus, filmmakers will be in attendance. • Best of 2014: The audiences have a chance to select the best shorts from the international competition. A Real Treat – audience favourites • Feel Good: The most heartwarming, silver-lined films from the international competition. • Heavy shnit: Specifically for hardboiled short film fans, this selection includes intense and disturbing pieces. • Peeping shnit: These naughty shorts

•

focus on the most basic human instinct, indulging in both flesh and spirit. More than Fiction: Films based on true stories.

For Special Interest – film lovers’ delight • shnit Animates: Striking and stirring motion picture art from the most pioneering animation creators. • shnit Documents: This category is a wide net of documentaries covering colourful characters, life and the oddities within our society. • shnit Experiments: The sensual and brainy shorts that challenge patterns of perception. Out of Curiosity – broadening horizons • Kaapse Bobotie: It is a showcase of South African entries with the filmmakers in attendance. • Playground South Africa: This is a special international focus on Playground Cape Town curated by shnit Bern. The shnit International Shortfilmfestival will be taking place from 8-22 October 2014.

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BOYHOOD REVIEW Snapshots of an Ordinary Life by Katie Reynolds

he film centres on a boy, 6 year old cutie Mason (played by Ellar Coltrane) and his sister Samantha and mother Olivia (Lorelei Linklater and Patricia Arquette respectively) as they navigate the struggles and sea changes of growing up.

Ellar Coltrane as Mason

The wayward Mason Senior is played by Ethan Hawke

Boyhood steps aside for adolecence

It’s 2002. Mason is 6, tow headed and sweet, gazing out the classroom window. Olivia decides to move her family to Houston to continue her education, despite protestations of wayward dad Mason Senior (Ethan Hawke), who tries so hard to be achingly cool and is endearing because of it.

Mason is 10, navigating the tidal pool of the modern blended family created by the marriage of Olivia and her university professor. Mason with shorn locks, trembling beneath the unsteady gaze of the alcoholic that has bloomed from the pit of his stepfather. Mason is 12, smoking joints with other awkward adolescents, crowing over imagined sexual experiences while Olivia blossoms into respected psychology lecturer. Samantha cringing under the contraception speech given by slightly less cool dad Mason Sr. Jim, an Iraq/ Afghanistan war veteran, marries Olivia, and the degeneration into every other loser boyfriend Olivia has ever had begins immediately. Mason at 15, that gawky, hulking look that teenage boys get made me long for the innocence and beauty of 2002. Mason Sr has a wife and baby. Jim is drunk again. A trip to visit his grandparent’s house results in Mason becoming the bashful owner of a rifle and a personalised bible. Aren’t grandparents the best? Mason is 16, is caught having sex with Sheena, ever beautiful and ever-so-slightly out of his league, by a disdainful roommate. A talent for photography emerges and is cultivated. Drugs are tried and beer is consumed. Mason Sr is pushy with his taste in music and has fully transformed into soccer dad. This was inevitable but one can’t help being pleased for him. The cool dad persona can’t last forever. Mason is going to college. Olivia laments her emptying nest and wails over the imagined futility of her existence. LSD is taken and Mason has slow and meaningful conversations about love and the future. Riveting stuff. In Closing: A sublime concept, executed well, but lacking staying power. Beautiful and evocative before becoming ponderous to the point of nodding off.

ÂŠ Johan Wilke

2015

38 | COUNTRY SPOTLIGHT

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BOTSWANA: I Breathtakingly Wild by Siyanda Bani

solation, wildlife and panoramic views of nature’s outstanding beauty, Botswana is a fine country to both visit and to film in. The economy of Botswana was built on its diamond and beef industries, but in recent years the tourism market has grown into the secondlargest industry in Botswana. Nearly 20% of the country is gazetted wilderness areas. The breathtaking landscapes of the legendary Kalahari Desert and the pristine waterways of the Okavango Delta are only two reasons that the tourism industry has flourished. From predator interaction to baboon behaviour and the migration of flamingos, Botswana has been a rich source of material for filmmakers over the years, with many wildlife documentaries being filmed in the country. Botswana is a sparely populated nation with 20% of the population residing in the capital city © Can Stock Photo © Can Stock Photo

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You Need to Know About For aerial shoots it is fairly easy to charter a flight in Botswana as “fly-in safaris” are quite popular. A 20kg luggage restriction applies to the combined weight for your luggage which includes hand luggage and camera equipment. In flight, bags must be of a soft type, to allow for stowage.

Gabarone, which is the largest and most modern town. Network houses such as BBC and Animal Planet have shot some of their most beloved wildlife documentaries in Botswana.

Filming in Botswana It takes at least two months to get a filming permit in Botswana, so good planning is needed in order to avoid any disappointments. The application is done with the High Commission at a standard fee, or you can fast track your application by paying a premium amount. National Geographic Society filmed a superb documentary called The Last Lions, produced and directed by award-winning filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert. The documentary covers the battle against the

slaughter of lions in Botswana, and tells the story of a lioness as she battles to protect her cubs against the daunting onslaught of enemies to ensure their survival. This film created a substantial amount of awareness around the issue of lion poaching and inspired people to act to ensure the survival of the species. The documentary premiered at the Springs Film Festival. Other wellknown productions shot in Botswana are The Gods Must Be Crazy and the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency starring Jill Scott.

Getting to Botswana by Air The national carrier is Air Botswana and it is state owned. The main base airport is Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone, with regular domestic and

regional flights going to South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya, among other African countries.

Climate Summer days are hot, especially in the weeks that precede the coming of the cooling rains, and shade temperatures rise to the 38° Celsius mark and higher, reaching a blistering 44° Celsius on rare occasions. Winters are clear-skied and bone-dry, the air seductively warm during the daylight hours but, because there is no cloud cover, cold at night and in the early mornings. Sometimes bitterly so - frost is common and small quantities of water can freeze.

Population 2.021 million (World Bank, 2013)

40 | EVENTS

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OCTOBER SHNIT INTERNATIONAL SHORTFILMFESTIVAL 3-6 Cape Town, South Africa FESTIVAL DU FILM BRITANNIQUE DE DINARD 8 - 12 Paris, France LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 8 - 19 London, United Kingdom

TOKYO FILM FESTIVAL 10 - 31 Tokyo, Japan MIPCOM 13 - 16 Cannes, France GHENT FILM FESTIVAL 14 - 25 Ghent, Belgium ROME FILM FESTIVAL 16 - 25 Rome, Italy ABU DHABI FILM FESTIVAL 23 - 1 November Abu Dhabi, UAE

CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 9 - 23 Chicago, USA

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NOVEMBER DISCOP 5-7 Johannesburg, South Africa STOCKHOLM FILM FESTIVAL 5 - 16 Stockholm, Sweden CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 9 - 18 Cairo, Egypt TORINO FILM FESTIVAL 21 - 29 Turin, Italy

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42 | ASSOCIATIONS

New CEO for GFC

SOS Coalition responds to Local Content Regulations Review The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) released a “Discussion Document on the Review of Regulation on South African Local Content: Radio and Television”. This was published in July with an initial deadline for comments by 10 September 2014, however the deadline was extended to 10 October. The 56-page document includes 51 questions on local content issues and

looks at all aspects of local content including the success (or otherwise) of the present local content regulations. This includes monitoring and compliance of these regulations, and potential economic and technological issues impacting on local content in the future digital content environment. The SOS Coalition recently shared the review with the radio broadcasting sector and civil society individuals at a workshop in order to voice concerns and critical points around this issue. The aim of the workshop was to review the document and to compile an industry response to ICASA which Kate Skinner and Elna Schütz will then put together for the SOS Coalition. The document can be found at www.sasfed.org/p/icasa-contenet-review.html.

The Gauteng Film Commission reported on 17 September that it had appointed Mr Andile Mbeki as the new CEO of the GFC. Mbeki is an entrepreneur, youth activist and a community leader who has a strong passion for youth development, entrepreneurship and innovation. He has worked for government for 14 years and ventured into business for 10 years. The 45-year-old has also worked extensively in the field of training and development ranging from teaching; lecturing and management of Human Resource Development Processes. In introducing the new CEO to the GFC staff, the MEC of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Ms Molebatsi Bopape, mentioned that Mr. Andile Mbeki’s high qualifications and relevance of experience outweighed other candidates by a huge margin. The MEC went on to say that Mbeki demonstrated a clear understanding of government policies and the general mandate of the GFC. This will assist Gauteng government in terms of relying on the agency to contribute towards the priorities set for the next five years. Says Mzwandile Matthews, Administrator at Limpopo Department of Education: “There is a lot one can say about Andile Mbeki, a lateral thinker from his humble beginnings in Port Elizabeth – surely his CV has ably demonstrated his illustrious career in the business world, in civil society, and in the Christian world. Andile Mbeki is a wellgrounded and well-rounded individual that I can proud commend.”

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ASSOCIATIONS | 43

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www.ccainsurance.co.za

Cellular Dynamics

+27 21 829 0565

info@cellulardynamics.tv

www.cellulardynamics.tv

Chris Vermaak

+27 86 649 8845

chrisvermaakster@gmail.com

www.chrisvermaak.co.za

Costume Hire

+27 21 448 0000

hire@costume.co.za

www.costume.co.za

DISCOPRO

+1 323 782 13 00

info@basiclead.com

www.discop.com

Film and Publication Board

+27 12 003 1400

clientsupport@fpb.org.za

www.fpb.org.za

Gold Travel

+27 21 975 6907

sales@goldtravel.co.za

www.goldtravel.co.za

KZN Film Commission

+27 31 325 0202

Media Film Services

+27 21 511 3300

brad@mediafilmservice.com

www.mediafilmservice.com

MOFILM

+44 754 048 8254

silja.frey@mofilm.com

www.mofilm.com

Photo & Film Expo

+27 11 794 5800

info@photofilmexpo.com

www.photofilmexpo.com

Pioneer Freight

+27 21 386 5946

info@pioneerfreight.co.za

www.pioneerfreight.co.za

Puma Video

+27 11 886 1122

info@pumavideo.co.za

www.pumavideo.co.za

Skylab

+27 73 331 0575

james@skylab.com

www.skylab-productions.com

The Loerie Awards

+27 11 326 0304

info@theloerieawards.co.za

www.theloerieawards.co.za

The Pound

+27 21 556 4948

mary@thepound.co.za

Value Logistics

+27 86 010 0046

traceylr@value.co.za

www.value.co.za

Wizards

+27 21 461 9334

copy@wizardz.co.za

www.wizardz.co.za

www.kznfilmcommission.co.za

Cover Image: Courtesy of the shnit International Shortfilmfestival, PLAYGROUND Cape Town

Brand Manager: Jennifer Dianez jennifer@filmeventmedia.co.za

Join us

Publisher: Lance Gibbons lance@filmeventmedia.co.za

Theo Jacobs: Account Manager theo@filmeventmedia.co.za

www.filmmakerafrica.co.za www.filmeventmedia.co.za

Editor: Katie Reynolds katie@filmeventmedia.co.za

Production Co-ordinator: Tammi Klein tammi@filmeventmedia.co.za

Head of Design: Sheree Steenkamp sheree@filmeventmedia.co.za

Sales Co-ordinator: Tracey-Anne Arendse tracey-anne@filmeventmedia.co.za

Writer: Kim Muller kim@filmeventmedia.co.za

Manager, Special Projects: Taryn Fowler taryn@filmeventmedia.co.za

Editorial Assistant: Siyanda Bani siyanda@filmeventmedia.co.za

57 2nd Avenue, Harfield Village, Claremont 7708, Cape Town, South Africa Tel: +27 21 674 0646

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