the Callsheet July 2011 by Film & Event Media

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MODELS AND EXTRAS: AN INDUSTRY IN CRISIS? GENERAL INDUSTRY THE Callsheet looks at the state of the local modelling and extras industries

FTER being approached by a number of extras, The Callsheet investigated the issue of payment, nonpayment and late payments of talent in the model and extras industry. When we looked into the human talent industries, namely casting companies and model agencies, we found an industry struggling to survive in a changing world. There are several associations and bodies that were created to regulate the industry, including The Official South African Casting Association (OSCA SA) which was established to protect the interests of background artists, including extras. The National Association of Model Agencies (NAMA) was established for much the same reasons as OSCA SA and to ensure that affiliated model agencies conduct their business dealings with integrity. There is also the South African Stills Production Association (SAASP), created to promote the region, grow the sector and ensure fair practice by those in the industry. Janez Vermeiren co-owns Full Circle Model management with Paul Coetzee and is also a

Janez Vermeiren

presenter for lifestyle programme Top Billing. Janez started his agency in part due to his own less than positive experiences with agencies while he was modelling. When I met with him, he was just off the plane from an overnight trip to Joburg, although he was clearly exhausted, his passion for his agency and zeal to reform the modelling industry was apparent. Janez said: “What’s basically happening in Cape Town

is empty promises and broken dreams.” Janez had clear ideas about why this was the case: “In Cape Town everyone wants to get the talent, and to get the talent they’re promising girls things they can’t possibly live up to.” Janez had a suggested solution for this problem - the way he deals with finances at Full Circle. He believes every agency should have an accountant outside of the company who deals with all payments, the owner

and other agency staff should have nothing to do with payments. He said: “Agencies are paying their models when they come begging for money, that’s the reason I started this company, I don’t want models begging for money.” Janez concluded: “There needs to be transparency so the models know when money’s coming in and also when usages are coming in.” Dylan Stevens, a booker at

Public Image Models, who supply characters for TV commercials, said: “Talent are often the most crucial element in a TV commercial, yet are always the last to be paid! Everyone seems to be on the recession bandwagon. Model fees get consistently lower and lower. We are being offered fees that are lower than what we got ten years ago. Added to this problem there are numerous smaller ‘fly by night’ agencies that accept these fees which aid in lowering the fee structure even further. Many reputable, long standing agencies are struggling and some even having being forced to close their doors. This whole situation has an adverse effect on the industry as good talent no longer wish to partake when they are so poorly remunerated.” The financial practices in the talent industry appears to be inconsistently handled. Agencies, both modelling and casting are being paid by production companies or directly by the clients and then they are disbursing that money to the talent. Models and extras are unaware of what’s happening with the regards to late payments for jobs and their usage fees, while the agencies complain they have to deal with talent demanding the money owed to them. CONTINUED on page four

PAGE TWO PIN-UP: NONDUMISO TEMBE

ACTING RISING star Nondumiso Tembe was briefly in South Africa to take part in the Olympic announcement in Durban and shoot a music video.

ONDUMISO, a singer, dancer and actres, landed a role on Alan Ball’s multi-award winning True Blood. She plays a FrenchCreole maid from the 30s who

is haunted by her past. She was unable to disclose much more, but she did tell us that her character is not a vampire, but rather a new kind of supernatural. Nondumiso, who released her debut album Izwi Lami: My Voice earlier this year, revealed she was not too taken aback by the amount of press she had received after news of her role in True Blood broke. “With my singing ca-

reer blossoming I’ve got used to the increased press, and it hasn’t been overnight so I had a chance to get used to it. I receive many messages from my fans, including lots of affirmation.” She is enjoying working with Alan Ball and his creative team, saying they’re amazing people. Although her background has mainly been in theatre, Nondumiso claims she has been lucky with the roles she has been cast in since appearing in large film productions like NCIS and True Blood. “It’s not intimidating, although the theatre is my comfort zone. The transition from theatre to film has been made easier because my ‘type’ is pretty emotional. That helps you focus on the story and ignore the pro-

duction going on around you. When you’re blessed with a meaty role you can sink your teeth into it.” Nondumiso was honoured to be included in the South African Olympic announcement. “It was unbelievable, I felt so proud to be a South African, it felt like we were putting our best foot forward and showing the world what we have to offer. It was an honour to be a part of it.” She mentioned that having to speak in English, French and Zulu during the presentation was intimidating, but she was buoyed by the excited and expectant crowd which included president Jacob Zuma and several ministers. Nondumiso moved to Los Angeles from New York two

years ago, but says it took time for her to adjust to life in the city. “I’m an East Coast girl, I grew up between Durban and New York and LA is a very different world. New York is great for artists, there’s an incredible community of artists; while LA is a bit more superficial. In a production at the level of True Blood it’s fantastic, but lower down a lot of the time talent comes last and being a professional doesn’t matter.” The vivacious actress and singer added that she tries to stay true to her values, particularly the South African values of community and Ubuntu. Nondumiso will be back in South Africa in December to play the title role in the Playhouse Company’s lavish stage production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, Cinderella. Nondumiso enthused about the role, “It’s a dream role for any girl, and especially for a black girl. It will be nice to put my own stamp on this classic role”. She also mentioned that a return to the theatre and a holiday in Durban would be a nice change of pace, following a busy year. The charming 26-year-old can be seen in her True Blood role on M-Net when season four reaches South African screens in August this year. Kate Hodges

MODELS AND EXTRAS CONTINUED

Martin Cuff

GENERAL INDUSTRY CONTINUED from page one

AASP chairman and economic development specialist Martin Cuff said: “I do think the talent is at the bottom of the pecking order, but again the question needs to be asked what their expectations are.” An obvious solution would be to insist on more financial transparency. Martin added: “There are a whole bunch of things that I think could be overhauled in the industry, but doing it is going to be a very messy business.” Martin also believes the industry is currently in a state of flux, He mentioned the move towards online casting and

Peter Carr

the way that Europe was affected by the global financial crisis as aggravating factors. South Africa is no longer as cheap a destination as it once was, and talent is one of the many things that has become more expensive. Martin said: “It’s no-one’s fault in particular, it just is the new reality. The industry is in such flux, that we need to try and find ways that can collectively resolve that.” While once it was costeffective for clients to shoot here, things have changed and the model and casting agencies have yet to catch up. The issue that international productions are flying in their own talent is also a growing concern for the local industry, Martin said: “In the stills sector,

we’ve noticed an increase in people flying in talent because we’re expensive.” He added: “In the past we always used to be able to say to our clients “you can get Joe Smith the model in Cape Town for 20% less than you can get the same model in Europe, of course as the industry’s become more transnational, Joe Smith is less likely to be willing to have a lower rate in South Africa.” Peter Carr, an executive producer at Velocity Films and Commercial Producers Association (CPA) chair, revealed that on Friday 15 July 2011 CPA, NAMA and the Personal Managers’ Association (PMA) will be meeting to address these very issues. Peter said: “There is a concern over these issues from everyone’s point of view, although some agents are very good. What we want to do is get everybody into a common area. What we hope is to gain a clearer picture because, with all the new media, the design of the old system is still in place, but we need to design a system that works for all the new media that’s out there.” He continued: “At the meeting we will discuss exactly these issues and we hope to reach common ground agreements. We’ll be there representing talent and agencies in the interests of achieving industry trans-

parency. We have drafted a new international performer agreement (IPA) which is ready to be signed off, so we’ll have that in place soon, and again that makes things more clear and transparent, that’ll be signed off hopefully by Friday.” Jeanne Wegner, casting director at Casting Cape Town, felt that there is a longstanding debate between talent costs and production budgets. Jeanne said: “Given the unique combination of conflicting needs and common goals between the different players, I think we should just accept that it’s always going to be a juggling act and a matter of everyone trying to find a balance between what they feel they’re putting in versus what they’re getting out.” She said that as a casting director, she is often in the middle of these situations. There are some practices that agencies could agree to which would go a long way towards protecting the interests of all the players in the industry, including the talent, the clients and the agencies themselves. Chief among these would be a commitment to transparency. Agencies need to consider applying standard business practices in several areas, including product quality and costs, a standard length of time for settlement of accounts,

standard contracts and an industry-wide rate guideline. Agencies should also commit to not under-quote model rates in order to win a bid for a client or job or to undercut their competitors. The onus is also on the talent to make sure the agency they are signing up with is legitimate. There are many ways to do this, talent should always: read any documentation carefully, research the agency before signing any paperwork - in the age of social media it has become very easy to separate the trouble agencies from the legitimate businesses and finally speak to other talent when you’re on jobs to see if they are earning more than you. The problems with the industry are far wider than any one agency or even sector. However the players in every sector of the industry seem to be aware of the challenges facing them. They appear to be prepared to discuss these issues and come up with scalable solutions which is a promising development. There are no easy solutions to these problems, and going forward, for the South African industry to survive - agencies, production companies, clients and talent will need to embrace transparency and agree to work together. Kate Hodges

A LOOK AT SOUTH AFRICA’S CANNES LIONS CANNES LIONS

Jumbled by Bouffant Films and JWT

THE Callsheet looks back at this year’s Cannes Festival of Creativity and rounds-up all the South African winners

OUTH Africa took home four Film Lions at the 2011 Cannes Festival of Creativity. The winning work was produced by Giant Films Cape Town (Silver Film Lion), Frieze Films Johannesburg (Silver Film Lion), Bouffant Johannesburg (Bronze Film Lion) and Jump Films (Bronze Film Lion). Giant Films won Silver for the Love to Meet You advert conceptualised by FoxP2. Love to Meet You, for Brandhouse was directed by Robin Goode. The other Silver, for Frieze Films and Ogilvy Johannesburg, was for Waking Up the Neighbourhood a PSA they did for POWA. The advert shows how unwilling ordinary people are to intercede in cases of suspected domestic abuse. The advert was directed by Jonty Fine. Ogilvy also won a Bronze Film Lion for their Chain Mail advert for Exclusive Books. The advert was directed by Michael Middleton with production company Jump Cape Town. The fourth South African winner was a Bronze Film Lion Bouffant Johannesburg and

JWT Johannesburg. The advert, called Jumbled, was a public service announcement for The Avril Elizabeth Home. The advert was directed by Chloe Coetsee. South African agencies Bester Burke Slingers, Ireland/ Davenport Johannesburg and TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg were awarded Press Silver Lions for their print adverts. Bester Burke Slingers for their Yardley: Can advert. Ireland/ Davenport Johannesburg won Silver for their Avis: Reunion ad-

vert and TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg were recognised for their Wild Dog and Dugong adverts for Endangered Wildlife Trust. In addition to our Film and Press Lions, Johannesburg-based ad agency Net#work BBDO flew the flag high as they won a Radio Grand Prix for their Mercedes Benz campaign. Y&R Johannesburg’s executive creative director Liam Wielopolski, who was in Cannes for the festival said:

“Looking at the quality of the South African submissions to Cannes this year, I’m impressed and think we should be proud of ourselves. It can be more difficult for us to compete, because generally we can’t afford to enter as much work as our overseas counterparts. That said, I believe that our advantage over the more developed countries is that we tend to focus on the ideas, rather than the technological resources that can complicate the storytelling of brands.

Overall, it was really great to see other local agencies awarded alongside those who normally bring home the metal. Y&R congratulates all these winning agencies, but especially acknowledges Net#work BBDO on their Cannes Lion Radio Grand Prix.”With a grand prix, four Film Lions and four South African judges in the film categories it’s safe to say South Arfrica was successful at the 2011 Cannes Festival of creativity. Kate Hodges

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE SABC? Robin Nicholson

TELEVISION THE SABC is once again in the spotlight after a board meeting two weeks ago.

HE SABC is once again making waves in the South African television industry with the sudden resignation of board member Peter Harris and the replacement of acting group CEO Robin Nicholson with Phil Molefe. Robin Nicholson started at the SABC in 2001 and became the acting group CEO in September 2010. Robin was appointed fol-

lowing the suspension and payout of former GCEO Solly Mokoetle. These developments come mere weeks after president Jacob Zuma appointed four new members to the SABC board. The trouble started on 29 June when communications minister Ray Padayachie called a board meeting the result of this meeting was Phil Molefe’s appointment via an amendment of the corporation’s Articles of Association. Neither Robin nor board chair Ben Ngubane were present at the meeting. The minutes of the meeting

on 29 June, published by The Mail and Guardian, show that Peter Harris raised his concerns about the legitimacy of the resolutions reached at the meeting they also show that he was overruled several times. Below is an extract from the minutes: “Mr Harris requested that the meeting note his concern in respect of the proposed amendment in so far as the proposed amendment had not been discussed with the board and the board had no opportunity to consult with the shareholder on the proposed to the amend-

ments. Professor Green expressed concern that the amendments were being proposed to address the current impasse in respect of an acting GCEO from 1 July 2011 and were not in the long term interests of the company.” The shareholder (represented by the minister of communication) informed directors that the proposed amendments were within the authority of the shareholder and there was no requirement for consultation or approval from the board for the proposed amendments to take effect. The shareholder informed the board that he was satisfied that the proposed amendments were sound in law.” The appointment of a new GCEO remains unresolved too. The board favours National Ports Authority CEO Tau Morwe while government is said to be pulling for former Telkom media chairman Connie Molusi or former SABC senior manager Joe Mjwara. Rob Nicholson’s contract, which expired at the end of June, was set to be renewed for a further six months as recently as the 24 June 2011, but according to The Sunday Times the ANC’s subcommittee objected to the move. Peter Harris is widely believed to have resigned as he was unhappy with the way Rob Nicholson was treated by the board and the SABC, however SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago would only say: “He has given us the letter. We are not the ap-

pointing officer ... so we will refer it to the president and the minister of communications.” The Independent Producers’ Organisation (IPO) released a statement about the upheavals at the SABC. The statement questioned the state of things at the public broadcaster. It said: “We would like to point out that most of the organisation is run by people in an acting position. There is no GCEO, no chief financial officer and no chief operating officer either. The inability of the Board to act decisively in the appointment of a GCEO means the continuation of a situation of administrative limbo. “The independent television production sector, already decimated by the crisis of 2010, struggles for survival as the promised and vital requests for proposals (RFPs) for television content have been delayed for eight months now. The impact of this will be felt soon, as there is less and less new content available to broadcast. “Our society desperately needs the SABC to fulfil its key mandate in providing excellent programming for South Africans, which informs, educates and entertains. This mandate is entrenched in our laws and is essential to the health of both our society and our democracy. It is a mandate which transcends narrow political interests. We urge all stakeholders to respect this.” Kate Hodges

PUBLIC BROADCASTER TO LAY OFF HUNDREDS

TELEVISION THE SABC sent a letter to three unions, with the subject “Notice of intention to reduce head count at SABC by 800”.

CCORDING to the letter, sent to Broadcasting, Electronic Media

and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu), the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the Media Workers Association of SA (Mwasa) and signed by SABC head of strategy and acting group executive for human capital services Justice Ndaba, the process will begin this month and be concluded

by 2013. In April this year, the SABC told parliament 699 jobs would be cut as part of the financial restructuring of the public broadcaster. Passages from the letter, originally printed in Business Day, detailed how the public broadcaster intends to implement the changes. It read: “The company prefers that no forced retrenchments should be embarked upon, and rather investigates other options such as early retirement and voluntary separations. “Should the company have no alternative but to proceed with terminating employees’ services, the company will use selection criteria that have been agreed upon, or failing agreement, criteria that will be both fair and objective.” Media Workers Association of SA (Mwasa) general secretary Tuwani Gumani responded: “We (unions, the SABC and others) are agreed on deficiencies around finances, governance and management capacity at certain levels. We are not agreed on the nature, magnitude and quantum of the challenges facing the SABC. We are necessarily not on the same page with regards the applicability, fit and efficacy of solutions proposed thus far. Retrenchment is a last resort to most of us but is priority and solution one to the SABC. Now that SABC has put their cards on the table, we get to deal with the real nuts and bolts.” At the same time as the

national broadcaster has announced their plans to cut back 800 personnel, it was revealed that the SABC paid out R 7 million in salaries to 26 suspended employees over a two year period. Acting chief executive Gab Mampone earned more than R 1.1 million a year while suspended. Rapitsi Montsho earned a million rand during his 20 months of suspension and Solly Mokoetle earned R 815 000 during a four month suspension. According to The City Press, among the other suspended SABC employees who were paid while suspended was Dr Saul Pelle who earned R370 000 while suspended for more than eight months. Among other suspended staff members who received pay while at home Patrick Malgas received over R 40 000 in four months after being charged with murder. English TV newsreader Mahendra Raghunath served a four month suspension, during which he was paid about R100 000. Head of the SABC’s 2010 World Cup project unit, Peter Kwele was suspended in October 2010 and left the company in December, during the three months of his suspension he was paid R216 000. Peter was suspended for hiring the Sandton Convention Centre as the SABC’s World Cup broadcast base for a massive R26 million. The SABC scheduled a meeting with the unions at its head office, on 13 July 2011 to discuss the intended job cuts. Kate Hodges

TIMELINE MAY 2008

• After months of a political tug-of-war involving the SABC board, Chief executive officer Dali Mpofu is suspended

JULY 2009

• Parliament gave the goahead for the dissolution of the SABC board

NOVEMBER 2009

• Government agrees to grant the SABC a bailout worth R1,473 billion

AUGUST 2010

• Barbara Masekela and Magatho Mello resign from SABC board • Chief executive officer Solly Mokoetle suspended

SEPTEMBER 2010

• Felleng Sekha reigns her position on SABC board

OCTOBER 2010

• David Niddrie resigns from SABC board • ABC announces announce losses of R414 million in 20092010 financial year ending on 31 March 2010

JUNE 2011

• Robin Nicholson’s contract is allowed to expire

JULY 2011

• Peter Harris resigns • SABC sends letter to unions, revealing they intend to lay off 800 workers in two years.

A CLOSE-UP ON ATLAS STUDIOS

Loyiso Gola’s Late Nite News

PROFILE ATLAS Studios co-stars in the industry’s resurgence

TLAS Studios first opened their doors in 2002 offering world-class television studios and production facilities and steadily became a preferred partner to commercials, drama and sitcom producers. Atlas Studios became known for its unique architecture, various studio spaces, competitive rates and myriad support offerings. The convenience of its location, a few hundred metres from the SABC, the creative atmosphere and flexible solutions on

offer, has made it a firm favourite amongst Joburg’s leading production companies. The 2008 global financial crisis and SABC’s maladministration and collapse, led to a devastating slump within the television industry. The fallout is still being experienced, with producers and crew seeking alternative sources of income. Atlas Studios’ bread and butter drama and sitcom work dried up and the company had to diversify to facilitate not only TV/Film and special eventing, but education and training applications experimenting further into new sectors. The four hundred and sixty square metre Studio 2 soundstage, specially designed for

long-term shows, is now repainted and ready for action again as Pay TV channel Mzansi Magic, SABC and E-TVs eKasi Stories have begun commissioning more local content with long awaited contracts becoming more prevalent. And so it seems that South Africa’s TV industry is recovering and standing on more solid ground again. Atlas has also recently hosted vibrant events such as Mzansi Magic’s ‘Market Day’ launch which builds on the successes of previous Market Days, the biggest and best-loved talent and entrepreneurial initiative in the country. Mzansi Magic Market Day continues to focus on kids, but expands to include school and parent communities, as part of the M-Net Cares Initiative. Movievision’s Roadshow took place throughout the country while Joburg suppliers visited the Atlas premises to experience the latest filming and special eventing gear, spotlights, DTS, and chamsys etc. John Harrison and Kim Reed “oohed and ahhed” the guests as demonstrations were held in studio. Studio 5, the smallest of the studio bouquet, offering a 70m² ChromaKey newsroom soundstage has just completed the latest season of Loyisa Gola’s satirical news show, Late Night News for E-TV, which has South African viewers laughing their heads off. The show is set in a

news studio, with roving reporters and a foreign correspondent providing on-the-spot street-side updates. Diprente Productions shot using the studio in a box technology which was the first to be experimented with for local television in South Africa. Spectro Productions, a valuable member to the Atlas Studios family has recently been re-commissioned for their 8th Season! Kyknet’s daily soapie Villa Rosa takes residence in Studio 1 and 7 as well as other facilities that were specifically designed for their specific production package. These are just a few reasons for things to toast about in 2011! Another continuous celebration of local filmmaking is the First Wednesday Film Club (FWFC), giving filmmakers a valuable sounding platform for networking and sharing production stories and experiences to eager film buffs and fellow professionals. Since it’s inception in 2004, what started as an initiative for young filmmakers to network and be creatively inspired, has grown into an institution. Initially the target group was professionals in the film and TV industries, but over time the film club has grown to reach a broader group of film lovers who are interested in watching specific films that are not available on the local film circuit and who value the easy going and inspiring atmosphere of this monthly event. The films are fol-

lowed by vibrant and interesting discussions and Q&A sessions with attending filmmakers. Jonathan Gimpel (managing director – Atlas Studios) says “..the devastation caused by the SABC on the local tv industry has been alarming. The only positive thing that has become apparent is that because there has been so little supply of new local content, the demand value of new original content is gaining serious momentum. Soon we will see content become king again...and perhaps we are witnessing the start of a new era in content creation and ownership in South Africa.” Atlas Studios’ premises include dry-hire soundstages, daylight studios, pack shot studio and supporting infrastructure together with industry- related eventing and conferencing, Atlas Studios is ready for a busy production schedule of dramas, sitcoms and game shows, newsroom, corporate or music videos and commercials. Creating the ideal package ensures that the studio accommodation guarantees smoother, more costeffective productions. Having weathered the storm, a more matured and defined Atlas Studios continues with their ethos of partnership, involvement, personal service and tailormade solutions that will help to create an industry that’s resurged stronger and more vital than ever.

CLOCKWORK ZOO: THE END OF THE AFFAIR

The Clockwork Zoo offices in Cape Town

ANIMATION PRODUCER Matthew Brown, formerly of Clockwork Zoo, writes about the closure of the animation studio

N the morning of 18 May 2011, election day in South Africa, new locks were put on the offices of Clockwork Zoo, bringing to an end the company’s six year trail blaze into the international 2D animation industry. Our holding company, Waterfront Studios had decided that Clockwork Zoo was no longer viable, and that the best option for them was a total shutdown of the company. The staff of artists and animators were told via SMS not to come to work the next day. Our studio started with six people in 1995 under the leadership of Sean Rogers and very soon we had 30 staff and we were creating 24 minutes of

URBO: The Adventures of Pax Afrika every week. We went on to make 104 half hour episodes for the SABC. By 2008 with the SABC in meltdown, we turned our focus to international broadcasters and landed season five of the Canadian hit show Caillou. We made 26 x 24min episodes - almost 13 hours of output in a year. Caillou season five is now broadcasting on every continent. In keeping with our strategy of growing the industry we took on 120 artists, most of them as full time employees. But it was Florries Dragons that captured our hearts. Disney and our partners Wish Films from the UK bought into our creative team’s ability and let us run with the show, from script and design to final tape delivery of 52 episodes. When the SABC broadcasts it under license later this year I believe others will agree how truly spectacular it is.

But then the gap between shows left by the economic crisis, bad luck, and lack of working capital, put the company in a precarious situation and at the end of May the Clockwork Zoo studio was closed forever. I do not believe that the demise of Clockwork Zoo is any one person’s fault, but rather it highlights what is wrong with our industry. In order to compete with foreign studios we championed the use of the DTI rebate programme for animated TV series, squeezed salaries and had to devise clever pipeline and production techniques. The team at the DTI were amazingly helpful and encouraging but even then the lack of access to capital, and cash flow seemed insurmountable until, eventually the wolf was at the door. By far the majority of the DTI film rebate flows to Western Cape service companies. These companies have built the industry and brought cash

to the Cape, but if the price of a stills shoot in Miami is the same as Cape Town, then surely we have a problem? We should be making and selling our own content instead of booking porta-loos and chaperones. And we better do it fast, while there is still some service cash to fall back on. Mavericks like Tendeka Matatu have found ways to create local films that turn a profit. Triggerfish (with applaudable investment from the NFVF and IDC) are making two local 3D features and Neil Bloomkamp has opened our eyes to the possibilities. Perhaps we were overly ambitious, attempting to permanently employ almost 100 creative staff and creating an international TV series, from scratch, for The Disney Channel. But we actually pulled it off and delivered 13 hours of animation, on time and on budget of some of the most beautiful animation you could

hope to see. And Disney were blown away. All our animators are now out on the street, with marginal hope of work – Clockwork Zoo really built the 2D longform industry in South Africa, and as yet there are no other studios like us. But you can be sure we’ll be back. Starting small again we can continue to live the dream of our own content. Matthew Brown Producer

MATTHEW BROWN Matthew is the Producer of the Disney show Florries Dragons, and the documentary Glitterboys & Ganglands. His directorial work includes the film, Clowns and the TV series URBO: The Adventures of Pax Afrika. He is a partner in a new production company called Sea Monster.

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ENCOUNTERS RETROSPECTIVE WITH MANDISA ZITHA DOCUMENTARIES THE 2011 Encounters Documentary Festival was a resounding success according to festival director Mandisa Zitha.

UST two days after the close of the festival Mandisa was still very pleased with the festival, insisting there were many highlights and hardly any lowlights Mandisa, who is expecting her first child in August, elaborated: “There were a lot of ups. One of them was the success of the local films, they were mainly the sell-outs. There were quite a few actually and it was almost all local films that sold out. One of the other highlights was we managed to organise and secure funding for a lot of industry and training programmes. Last year we were really struggling and underfunded – I think we had one master class and this we were able to bring in a lot of programmes so there was a lot of industry activity so that was a big highlight and people really enjoyed those.” One of the biggest positives of this year’s festival was the success of local films, which attracted higher audience numbers than their international counterparts. The top performing local film was Khalid Shamis’ Imam & I, the movie is a

The Imam and I

tribute to Shamis’ grandfather, Imam Abdullah Haron. The Iman was an important figure in the Muslim community in the 60’s. The movie uses his story as a way to ask difficult questions about the community’s involvement in the anti-Apartheid struggle. It sold out four screenings, including the additional screening organised due to audience demand. A massive 81% of audience respondents rated the documentary as “excellent.” The next most popular local film was Mama Goema: The Cape Town Beat in Five Movements. The documentary was co-directed by Columbia’s Angela Ramirez, Portugal’s Sara Gouveia and South Africa’s Calum MacNaughton. The movie has been described as a love letter to Cape

Town. Mama Goema, which screened with Once Upon a Day: Brenda Fassie, sold out three of its five screenings at Encounters. Mandisa was thrilled with the funding the festival received, particularly from the Nation Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Cape Town Film Commission (CFC), saying: “The NFVF is still on board and they’ve just given us more funding. The CFC, under the new leadership of Dennis Lillie, have supported the industry functions – the training programmes. And we were very fortunate this year to secure the lotto money this year as well, which was a big achievement so we were in a more secure place. Another high point was the increased publicity, there was a lot of in-

creased publicity this year.” This year’s Encounters had a record 22 sellouts over the 18 days; these included Robert Mugabe: What Happened?; From B-Boys to Being Men and Zip Zap: A Social Circus; Porselynnkas Dokiementer; The Creators; Forerunners – South Africa’s New Black Middleclass; and Mining for Change: A Story of South African Mining. This year’s selection featured 37 films from 14 countries and five continents, including 11 world premieres, 19 South African films and 17 international films. Mandisa told us the only drawback to the festival’s current location at the Cinema Nouveau complex in the V&A Waterfront is the lack of a space for festival-goers to network and chat about the movies after screenings. When asked about whether Encounters in Joburg, Mandisa explained the decision behind downgrading Joburg to a festival satellite, saying: “We used to do a used to do a full festival in Joburg and a full festival in Cape Town. Then about two years back with the financial crisis happening in the industry due to SABC financial issues we decided that Joburg would be a satellite festival, so Joburg was very minimal. It was literally screenings. We try to show every film there and then the filmmakers in Jozi participate in their Q&As but there’s hardly any

industry functions, no training programmes. This is the main festival.” Mandisa also explained that Encounters has a great relationship with the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which takes place for 21-31 July 2011. She explained that the two festivals, along with the Tri Continental Film Festival co-operate. She was concerned about the low turnout for the international movies, but thrilled at the unexpected interest in certain films due to current events happening at the same time: “What we learned this year is it also depends what’s topical, what’s happening in the media, politically, socially. For example Lauren Beukes won the Arthur C Clarke award and as a result she gained a lot of publicity around her film and it made the film a huge success. Same with Mugabe, it sold out screenings because of two things: the SADC meeting in Joburg the day before the film premiere in Joburg, and with Money for Change obviously the ANCYL conference going on where the issue of nationalisation was at the forefront as well. There were all these things happening around these films, all these connections made the movies highly popular. We learned that the context of the film is very important. The success of local films is a success for all of us.” Kate Hodges

SAGE AND ENCOUNTERS HOST EDITORS WORKSHOP Ronelle Loots

POST-PRODUCTION THE final weekend of the Encounters International Documentary Festival was bumper packed with extra screenings, seminars, master classes and panel discussions.

OUTH African Guild of Editors (SAGE) teamed up with Encounters to host a panel discussion called Cutting Documentary Film that weekend with editors of films playing at Encounters. It may be a reflection of the editing personality – if there is such a thing – that the session was highly organised. Each editor had submitted a few clips to illustrate what they would be

discussing. SAGE member and event co-ordinator, Johan Walters, explained that they had done run-throughs on both the Thursday and Friday before the discussion to ensure they were familiar with the technicalities on the day. The panelists were Ronelle Loots, editor on King Naki, Khalid Shamis, director-editor on The Imam and I and editor on Forerunners, Jacques de Villiers, co-director and co-editor on The Creators, Ángela Ramirez and Sara Gouveia, co-directors and co-editors on Mama Goema: The Cape Town Beat in Five Movements, and Marshall Curry co-director and editor with Sam Cullman, co-director on If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front.

SAGE’s Kerrin Kokot chaired the discussion. All the films were edited on Final Cut Pro, but they were shot across a variety of formats. Like many personal documentaries, the making of The Imam and I was a long process that began in 2005 and finally made it to the online in 2011. The film is a combination of animation, photographs, video archive and contemporary video footage that was shot on Khalid’s Panasonic DVX 100 in standard definition (SD). Although the format was dated by the end of the process, Khalid was happy with the quality of the footage he had captured with the camera, which he said, “... has an indigenous grain that makes for a very personal look and feel.”

The recent move from standard to high definition (HD) presented a challenge for editors in the edit suite. While Khalid was piecing The Imam together, Forerunners was being filmed on the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. While the quality of the footage was lush with the advantage of the shallow depth of field on a relatively inexpensive camera, the team struggled with audio that was not synced. They tried to use Pluralise to sync their sound, but in the end it was easier to sync the audio themselves. The team spent five days syncing sound for about fifteen hours of footage. The offline edit was done in a ProRes LT timeline and then converted to HQ for the online. They had to find, transcode and label each clip on the LT timeline for the HQ online timeline. While the pictures from the 5D were prettier, Khalid was relieved to return to his SD project where he did not have to contend with sync and transcoding issues. Khalid’s tales of transcoding and up-resing were echoed by the other filmmakers to some degree. The main, but not the only, difference between editing documentary and editing fiction for the panel seemed to be the difference between finding the structure and being given the structure. For Ángela this difference presents itself both in the amount of footage you have to work with and the time you need to digest it and re-order the story. Of course order and struc-

ture are very important to the work of an editor. Ronelle was happy with director of King Naki, Tim Wege’s approach, who assembled the timeline before he handed it over to her. This gave her a clear idea of the story he wanted to tell and the direction he wanted to take. Overall, the panel seemed to have worked on their projects more as collaborators than as editors only serving the directors vision Although none of them complained about the directors and teams they worked with on these films, they bemoaned aspects of the South African documentary filmmaking process in general. Dumping a box of tapes or a hard drive of footage for them to wade through was simply a waste of the editor’s time and the director’s money. They agreed that directors need to have a very good idea of the structure they want and the story they aim to tell. Sara observed that directors decide what they want in the cut, but if they do not do this, then the editor has to make those decisions. Time constraints prevented us from exploring the release of Final Cut Pro X. Talking to Ronelle after the session, however, she said she would advise waiting through a few revisions before purchasing it. The discussion was sponsored by HD Hub, Labspace and AFDA. Tina-Louise Smith

LARRY JOE HOPES TO INSPIRE THROUGH FILM

MUSIC THE Callsheet speaks to Larry Joe about his upcoming documentary

N a small studio in a leafy design hub in the Southern Suburbs, a former convict and his friend, a well-known South African musician and producer, are working on his new album as well as a documentary and feature film about his experiences. The convicted burglar, who was sentenced to five-and-a half years in prison, is the softly spoken singer Larry Joe. The producer is Aron Turest-Swartz a founding member of much-loved South African band Freshlyground and now the director of Quietly Capetown Production and Artist

Development. Aron met Larry when the two men performed at the same government function in Douglas, Aron with Freshlyground and Larry on a release from the Douglas Correctional Facility for the day. Larry, who wrote 40 songs during his sentence at Douglas, released his debut album Crazy Life on 10 December 2010, just four days before he was released from prison. Larry is a shy man with an immense singing talent and a sincere desire to help others by sharing his story. He has spoken at several schools and prisons, and hopes to go on a national tour later in the year, “High school students can relate to my message. We also hope to do ten prisons across the country too.” Larry is convinced that by sharing his own experiences, via

his music and by doing talks, he can prevent others from making the mistakes he did. One of the ways he hopes to share his story is with a documentary about his final year in prison and his first year of freedom. Larry said: “Aron came down with his father to record the first visit on 11 February 2010, we decided that we’re going to make a documentary film about my transformation coming out of prison, and on my becoming a professional musician.” He added that although at first he was uncomfortable being on camera, he quickly grew used to it, “it helps that it was usually someone I know holding the camera.” Aron said: “The documentary is a reference point, and also the message of this project can travel a lot further as a film than

we can do in our own personal capacity. We’ve been travelling around doing workshops at schools and prisons in communities around the country, if there’s a film that captures the story and the transformation that Larry’s gone through, that can really inspire a lot of people and reach a wider audience.” He revealed that while they’ve been doing the production on the film themselves, they are looking for investment in order to complete it. Larry feels that his past is an integral part of his music, “I think my past has a lot of influence, but also the past and the future go hand in hand. The past makes my story, through my music I’m trying to spread a message – to give hope. I believe if I didn’t have the experiences I did,

then I wouldn’t be in a position to share and to encourage and inspire people.” Both men are thrilled about the album coming out at the end of this year, and they are excitement for the documentary and feature film projects they want to get made. Aron concluded: “Larry’s story is one that many South Africans, and people around the world, can relate to. The fact that he has the courage to take responsibility for his actions and that he has turned his life around and is now becoming a successful artist by following his dreams – if we can get that story out to as many people as possible, that can have a really powerful impact. We really need support from whoever is inspired by the story, we need them to get behind the project.” When I left the two men in their new studio, with a nursery on the one side and an army of wooden statues on the other, their heads were once again bent over a row of faders as they got back to work on building Larry’s bright future. If you are interested in finding out more about any of the projects Larry and Aron are working on you can email larryjoe@qctmusic.com you can also watch a trailer for the Larry Joe documentary on our website at www. thecallsheet.co.za Kate Hodges

A CHAT WITH ROBERT MCKEE Robert McKee

SCREENWRITING LESLEY Stones chatted to Hollywood scriptwriter Robert McKee about the creative writing course he held in South Africa

HE quality of locally written film scripts, TV scripts and novels should enjoy a boost after 200 writers attended an intensive creative writing course given by Hollywood scriptwriter Robert McKee. The attendees certainly expect powerful results, since they

each invested R10,000 and four days to attend lectures from 9am until 7pm. This was the first time Robert has staged his course in South Africa, in an initiative arranged by M-Net to improve the quality of material it receives. “We produce so many local shows that it’s important for us to have good local writers and this experience will develop their skills,” said M-Net’s communications manager Lani Lombard. M-Net circulated details of the course in all the countries where it broadcasts, and the attendees

included many Nigerians. Robert said the writers should go away energised and believing they have great scripts inside them for the page, stage or screen. More than 50,000 students have taken his course around the world and former students include 26 Academy Award winners and 125 Emmy Award winners. “Last year’s Oscars were a proud moment because seven of the 10 nominees were made by my students,” he said. New Zealand movie director Peter Jackson has attended, while British comic John Cleese has attended four times. That sounds like John Cleese is either failing to learn, or not being taught properly. Not at all, said Robert. Even screenwriters at the top of their trade could benefit because they should never stop learning and honing their skills. Robert lectures about understanding the deep underlying form of a story and examining its narrative structure to assess what makes the story compelling or not. “I get people coming to my seminars who already have awards and others who have never written a word. I get a lot of doctors, brain surgeons and lawyers who believe their rich life experience gives them material to be a writer, and professional writers who have been doing it for 25 years,” he said. “The re-

ally good writers come when they have a work in progress and they compare everything I am saying with what they are writing. It helps them step back and consider it from so many different angles.” Robert has worked as a screenplay writer for United Artists and had eight film scripts purchased or optioned. He also wrote for the TV series Quincy, Columbo and Kojak, but diversified after he began teaching writing skills at a film school. One of his screenplays has been optioned by four studios. “They all read it, they all have an orgasm, but nobody gets pregnant,” he laughed. His screenplays tend to be dark and gloomy and not particularly commercial, he said, adding: “My writing is good but my writing about writing is exceptional.” It’s not easy to describe in one article what takes him four days to explain, but in a nutshell, it’s this: a story is about a human being whose life is thrown out of balance by some event, such as an accident or a decision. That produces in the character a conscious or unconscious need to restore the balance. “They go into a struggle to try to achieve this objective to somehow put their life back on its feet. They may or may not achieve it. That’s a story in its simplest possible form.” Robert has seen many South African productions, and

rates Totsi as “a superb, marvelous film”, District 9 as quality sci-fi but not a local film, and Athol Fugard as brilliant and universally appealing. The trouble with many African countries is that amid so much suffering it’s easier to focus on the trauma rather than the affects, he says. “This part of the world has gone through decades of turmoil and there are tremendous political, economic and physical hardships.” It’s impossible for writers to ignore such trauma, so stories tend to be about those issues, but while their dramatisation is poignant, the telling in consequence is shallow. “They can’t be deep if the story is all about people just struggling through one day to the next. Great writers – and South Africa has them - take that struggle as a context, not the focus of the story, in which human beings must somehow make amends in their personal relationships. It takes great writing to be able to step back from all this conflict and focus on its impact on individuals. I want to inspire African cinema to tell genuinely African stories that will be internationally successful and move audiences. It’s really important that Africa makes the transition from local storytelling about local problems and takes that as the experience to make internationally successful films.” Lesley Stones

ONLINE NEWS HIGHLIGHTS united States, 24 June 2011 in the united Kingdom and will be released in South Africa later this year.

Photograph by Guy Tilliim

LATEST NEWS GENERAL news from the South African film industry. You can load your own stories to our website at www.thecallsheet.co.za Judy Sole asking for editors’ time ahead of COP 17 Judy Sole, the leader of the South African Green Party, is offering Cape Town based editors a great opportunity to get involved with an inspiring and possibly lucrative project. Judy needs around 100 hours of footage edited into short segments for possible screening on TV stations around the world. She shot this footage at side conferences around the united Nations Climate Change Conferences in Bali in 2007 and Cancun in december 2010. Judy says there was hardly anyone recording at these events, often she was the only person with a video camera. The nature of the discussions that took place, and the high profile of the speakers (including Sir Richard Branson, Ted Turner and a spokesman from the uS defence force) indicate that Judy’s footage could be of great interest, as

well as a source of exclusive and valuable information on these issues. Judy feels it would be a great coup for South Africa to be the first country to force some action against global warming by using media coverage correctly directed. She has offered to host editors at her resort - Monkey Valley in Noordhoek. She said: “I have 36 tapes of COP 14 Bali and 64 of COP16 Mexico. COP 17 starts on 27 November 2011, and Judy hopes the footage she shot can air in the two months preceding the conference. Interested parties can contact Judy on: 021 789 8038 / 082 92 46028 / or judy@monkeyvalleyresort.com Self Published author donates 1000 books to government hospital schools GARy Hirson, formerly the owner of Peninsula Film Runners, donated 1000 copies of his self-published children’s books The Magic That’s Ours and The Power That’s Ours to schools located on-site in government hospitals around the country. Gary said: I started to speak at schools about the importance

of reading and the topics of my books. Through these talks I discovered that there are 20 schools that are on-site in government hospitals around the country. Patients still need to be taught according to the curriculum and are either taught bedside or in small classrooms. After meeting with many of the principals of these schools I forwarded a proposal to corporates seeking sponsorship to produce and donate copies of my books- which are self developmental- to the pupils that attend these schools. Through the donation of my books I’d help promote literacy and self-development to the previously disadvantaged.” The first 1000 copies of The Power that’s Ours to be distributed were sponsored by Litha Healthcare. Behind-the-scenes photographs from Harry Potter films on display in South Africa. AHEAD of the final installment of the Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the deathly Hallows – Part 2, fans in Johannesburg, durban and Cape Town can enjoy a photographic exhibition with behind-the-scenes images from the movies, as

well as four of the actual costumes from the Harry Potter film series on display. The exhibition will be at Greenstone Mall in Johannesburg from 8 July – 11 July, at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping in KwaZulu Natal from 13 – 17 July and at Cavendish in Cape Town from 20-24 July. The films based on the record-breaking series of novels by J.K. Rowling will come to an end on 13 July 2011 when the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 will be released into cinemas around the country. The First Grader to be released in South Africa later this year dIReCTed by Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl, Bleak House) The First Grader tells the heart-warming story of Maruge. Maruge is an octogenarian Mau Mau veteran, who wants to learn to read. The Kenyan government has recently promised children a free education and Maruge intends to take advantage of it, even if he has to sit in a classroom with six-year-olds in order to do so. The First Grader stars Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo, Vusi Kunene, Tony Kgoroge and david Chege. The story, while humorous and inspiring, looks at important issues like colonialism and adult education. The screenplay was written by emmy-winner Ann Peacock who also wrote The Chronicles of Narnia and Nights in Rodanthe. The First Grader was released on 13 May 2011 in the

Guy Tillim’s Second Nature opens at Michael Stevenson on 27 July Guy Tillim’s latest exhibition, Second Nature, will open at the end of July at the Michael Stevenson Gallery in Cape Town. All photographs were taken in French Polynesia between October 2010 and March 2011. Tillim has received many awards for his work including the 2004 daimlerChrysler Award for South African photography, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award in 2005 and the first Robert Gardner Fellowship in Photography from the Peabody Museum at Harvard university in 2006. The photographer said: “In making photographs of the landscape, I have to confront the difficulty of actually seeing the landscape. It’s a space that changes its face with a glance or a ghost of a thought. Perhaps there is a way of creating a sort of enhanced participation of a viewer moving through the space of this possible image where various elements are neither obvious nor not obvious. The impulse to convey vista and unknowability in relation to my insignificance in the scene is almost overwhelming. When I lift the lens to my eye, I’m flummoxed. Perhaps because of this confusion we have clichés, those motifs often inappropriately used in describing landscape, that tend to isolate some elements to the negation of others. Perhaps the scene is only beautiful when all the elements are palpably part of the whole. A political position – here is a bulldozer or a filthy gutter in paradise – is untenable.” A book will be published by Prestel in early 2012. The exhibition opens on Wednesday 27 July 2011, from 6 to 8pm. Stay up-to-date with the latest industry news, follow The Callsheet on Facebook and Twitter. Kate Hodges

END OF SECTION 24F TAX ALLOWANCE ON FILM INVESTMENTS Michael Rushby

INDUSTRY MICHAEL Rushby, an accountant specialising in tax and partner at Galbraith Rushby, explains what the proposed changes to the Section 24F tax amendment means for filmmakers.

HE draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, 2011 recently released for comment includes some major changes to the tax treatment on film investments. Though these proposals are in draft format and currently under discussion, it is clear that what we

knew about film incentive allowances will radically change from next year. The draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, 2011 proposes to completely remove section 24F from the Income Tax Act and replace it with section 120. It is clear from the National Treasury’s explanatory memorandum of this amendment bill that SARS disliked and distrusted section 24F. They stated therein that it was a “deadweight loss” and a “fertile ground for tax schemes”. SARS therefore intends to change this. The proposed implementation date for the new section 120 is 1 January 2012. Any film commencing principle photography before that date would qualify under the section 24F regime; any film commencing principle photography after that date would fall within the new section 120 regime. The key distinction between the old section 24F and the proposed section 120 is that section 24F was an allowance based on capital invested and section 120 exempts income made from certain approved films. Section 24F allowed a person or company deemed to be a film owner an allowance equal to the capital they invested in the film in the year in which that film was completed, subject to certain conditions.

SARS’ view was that this was being abused and people were investing in a film to get the allowance rather than true investment and there was never a focus on whether the film was successful or not. There are no further allowances granted against capital invested in a film. The thrust of section 120 is to exempt certain income generated from certain films. Section 120 defines a film as: - a feature film - a documentary or documentary series; or - an animation Section 120(2) states that income earned from the exploitation of a film will be exempt from tax if the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) have pre-approved the film as a domestic production or a coproduction. There is no mention yet of how this approval process would work. Another key point is that the person receiving the income must have been a film owner at the time of the film being produced. SARS notes the reason for this changes is that they are of the view that the investor would be more certain that the film would be successful after it has been completed but there is more risk before production starts. It would appear that the film cannot be sold on completion to a person who then would

benefit by section 120, ownership must commence during production and not after. There is no mention of how the investment would be treated in films that are a completed product. I can only surmise that the capital invested would remain capital and the income received would be taxable in cases were section 120 would not apply. All losses from films are ring-fenced (it would seem even within incorporated entities) and may not be offset against any other profitable earnings. It is generally not possible to know with certainty whether a film will be successful or not financially. From the commentary to the amendments it is clear SARS what to shift the focus from the initial deduction (allowance) to a more focused on profitable projects type structure. Perhaps currently the income from films does not exceed the allowances granted but I am sure that the wider income generated by the wider film industry has not been factored into SARS feasibility review. Companies like equipment rental, crew, models, locations and accommodation profits need to be considered. The industry will shrink and these companies would close, retrench and ultimately reduce tax revenues. Michael Rushby

ISTOCK EVENT IN CAPE TOWN PHOTOGRAPHY IN February 2012, 20 of the world’s top stock photographers will travel to Cape Town for the first South African “iKapaLypse”

HIS is one of many such “Minilypse” events worldwide where photographers work in a structured environment to generate high quality photography and video content for Istock and Getty Images. Istock (based in Canada) is the world’s biggest royalty-free photo library, and owned by Getty Images. This “minilypse” involves three days of shooting at various locations around Cape Town and up the West Coast, using around 15 models, and will supported by a number of related service providers, notably hiring lighting equipment, location providers, modelling agencies, catering firms, studios, accommodation and transport providers. The event’s real spinoff will be that it exposes these photographers to a number of film-related service providers in Cape Town – organisations we hope they will call on or recommend to others who may be considering Cape Town as summer shoot location. While filming in Cape Town is nothing new, the stock photography industry has recently increasingly started making use of our world-class facilities. For instance, the world’s bestselling stock photographer, Yuri Arcurs from Denmark, spends a large portion of his year

shooting in Cape Town, and has established a permanent office in town to process his image key-wording. This is a fantastic opportunity for Cape Town to capitalise on this growing sector and introduce international photographers to the local industries, and help extend the annual film season from mostly the movie industry to stills and video stock imagery. Attendees signed up for the first iKapaLypse event very promptly, which attests to professional photographers’ eagerness to visit and work in Cape Town, especially in the northern hemisphere winter. Within two days of announcing the event, the full complement of 20 spots had been booked. The calibre of photographer coming is impressive, including 5 Diamond Tier (highest Istock grading) photographers, 5 Gold Tier, and 6 Silver Tier photographers from the UK, US, Canada and Europe. They are travelling with companions, and most have indicated that they are extending their stays afterwards. Istock has three senior administrators working out of Cape Town, notably Shaun Lombard, head of inspector communications, Henk Badenhorst, head of editorial image inspections, and Canadian Elissa Cook, head of Istockalypse events world-wide. The three are part of the organising team for the iKapaLypse event. The event convener is Jaco Wolmarans, you can contact him on 021 5523982 or email jaco@wordsource.co.za

MONTHLY WRAP PARTY AT MAREMOTO INDUSTRY EVENTS FILM & Event Publishing’s June monthly wrap party was held at Maremoto, a boutique hotel on Long Street, on 30 June 2011. The event was well-attended as the ﬁlm industry braved the cold for a great night out.

Jarrod Allies & Carl Booysen

Robert Mafusive & Tusa Jama

Nicci Le Cole & Katherina Oberlerchner

Mandla Hlabisa, Paula Brown & Grant Flynn

Larry Joe

Glenda Riddles & Michael Wozniak

Nicholas Ross

Donovan Muskett-Yetts & Bruce Storey

AREMOTO is a vibrant venue with tasteful, yet funky decor situated on one of Cape Town’s most famous streets. Guests were welcomed with a delicious cocktail. The ﬁlm industry’s top networking function attracted a record number of guests, who were treated to three songs by singer Larry Joe. Film and Event Publishing’s Kathy English-Brower said a sad farewell to longstanding Filmmaker’s Guide head of sales Taryn Fowler before welcoming Donovan Winterburn to the role. Maremoto owner Nicholas Ross welcomed guests to the hotel, and Mariska Peens from Mazars had a chance to tell everyone present about their new Film Services division. Thanks to all our sponsors: Mazars, Cape Film Commission, Panalux, Superior Vision and to all who attended for contributing to lovely event. Our next wrap party, our 25th, will be at Trinity Nightclub on Wednesday 27 July 2011. Visit Facebook to see the full gallery.

Maremoto welcome drinks

The Mazars team

Wynand Groenewald & Harry Ravelo

DIARISE JULY

UPCOMING FEATURES Troye Sivan with the cast of Spud at the Cape Town premiere

Film Industry Business Forum 20 July, Andros Boutique Hotel, Claremont, Cape Town MediaTech Africa 20-22 July, Coca Cola dome, JHB Durban Int. Film Fest 21-31 July, Durban Bang Bang Club 22 July, cinemas Durban FilmMart 22-25 July, Durban Jock 29 July, cinemas

AUGUST African Cats 5 August, cinemas Skoonheid 5 August, cinemas The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 5-12 August, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria Nikon Behind the Lens Wedding Workshop with Brett Florens 10-12 August, London, England Film Industry Business Forum 17 August, Andros Boutique Hotel, Claremont, Cape Town 5 July, Durban Black Butterﬂy 19 August, cinemas

Lord of the Surf by James Kydd was selected for the Open Shortlist at the 2011 Sony World Photography Awards.

The Cataracts, by Andrew McConnell, earned third place in the Travel category at the Sony World Photography Awards 2011.

JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES HD CAMERA TECHINICIAN LEADING international camera and grips rental company is looking for an ideal candidate who is dedicated, committed and a hard-working team player with technical knowledge and experience in all aspects of the video industry especially in camera and lens servicing, video workflows and a basic understanding of postproduction. The job entails first line maintenance of lenses and cameras and assisting crews to check and use equipment on site and on location. Previous work experience within the film/ video or related industries will enhance your application. The candidate needs own reliable

transport, must be computer literate, and must be willing to work irregular working hours and to travel. Market related salary package offered and is negotiable. For more information, please e-mail CV to james.barth@panavision.za.com PEOPLE TO PEOPLE GOOD PITCH X THE People to People (P2P) International Documentary Conference, will hold the inaugural Good Pitch X funding and networking forum. The inauguaral P2P Good Pitch X will take place during the third People to People International Documentary Conference from 12-14 to September 2011 in Johannesburg.

For more information, email arya@uhuruproductions.co.za or www.rococorocks.co.za. 2011 SA HORRORFEST CALL FOR ENTRIES FILM submissions are open for the annual South African Horrorfest Film Festival. All info at the submission tab. This includes feature ﬁlms and short ﬁlms, and the short story competition which was launched last year will again be a part of the event. For more information, visit, www.horrorfest.info PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION SPACE ROCOCO (ex 38 Special) on 38

Buitenkant Street in Cape Town is dedicating the studio (upstairs) to photography and filmmaking and will be hosting monthly photographic exhibitions and film screenings. For more information, visit www.rococorocks.co.za. F.I.L.M THE Film Industry Learner Mentorship Program (F.I.L.M.) invites motivated, aspiring managers who have been in the film industry for two years or longer to join a programme providing accelerated career opportunities through work-based mentorship in the following fields: art department coordination; assistant directing; line produc-

DIARISE AUGUST (CONTINUED) The Loeries Travelling Exhibition 25 August–2 September, North West University, Potchefstroom

SEPTEMBER Jodi Bieber’s work was shortlisted in the category Photojournalism & Documentary - People

Serra da Leba, Lubango, Angola by Kostadin Luchansky courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2011.

How to Steal 2 Million 2 September, cinemas Wildlife Film Academy 4 September-4 October, Longkloof Studios, Cape Town Saak van Geloof 9 September, cinemas

tion; location management; production coordinating; production management and unit/transport management. Successful applicants will be paid industry-related remuneration, enabling them to focus on acquiring skills from mentors who are experts in their field, working on local and international film productions. Successful applicants will be required to live in Cape Town or relocate to Cape Town at their own cos.. For more information please email chad@filmsa.co.za. 2012 SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS CALL FOR ENTRIES THE World Photography Organisation is calling for entries for the

Sony World Photography Awards 2012. The Sony World Photography Awards is the world’s most comprehensive photography competition. It includes a Professional competition, which invites entries from the world’s leading photographers and ‘serious enthusiasts’, and an Open competition for everyone with an interest in photography. Each competition has been refreshed with new categories for 2012. For a full list of categories, please visit the website. A new Youth competition has been launched for younger photographers under 20 years of age and the Student Focus competition will continue to support and connect the next generation of photography pros.

Entries for the 2012 Sony World Photography Awards close on 4 January 2012. The winner of the L’Iris D’Or Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year Award will be presented with $25,000 (USD) plus Sony digital SLR camera equipment. The overall Open competition winner will receive $5,000 plus Sony digital SLR camera equipment. For more information please visit www.worldphoto.org. FILM TRAVEL AND TOURISM SATFA gets a great number of requests from travel and tourism product owners who needs new videos. Register at SATFA to get a copy of these requests. The goal of the Southern Africa

Travel and Tourism Film & Video Awards is to provide a showcase for your products and artwork to as wide an audience as possible. This is done through the fantastic opportunity offered by public screenings on the Internet and top class shopping malls. Best ﬁlms and videos will be shown at popular Ster Kinekor, NuMetro and Avalon cinemas countrywide. And some of the best ﬁlms and videos will make it to traditional television broadcasters. The very best will be entered at International Film Festivals. For more information please visit www.satfa.co.za Charl Fourie

People to People International Documentary Conference 12-14 September, Johannesburg Film Industry Business Forum 14 September, Andros Boutique Hotel, Claremont, Cape Town Tri-Continetal Film Festival 2011 14-23 September, Johannesburg The Loerie Awards 2011 16-18 September, Cape Town Tri-Continetal Film Festival 2011 21-30 September, Cape Town

For more, visit www.thecallsheet.co.za/diarise Compiled by Charl Fourie

AUGUST ISSUE Booking deadline: 29 July 2011 Material deadline: 05 August 2011 Print deadline: 12 August 2011 • PUBLISHER: Film & Event Publishing • PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 57 2nd Ave, Harfield Village, Claremont, Cape Town • PHONE: +27 21 674 0646 • PRINTER: CTP • PUBLISHER: Lance Gibbons (lance@filmeventpublishing.co.za) • EDITOR: Kate Hodges (kate@thecallsheet.co.za) • COPY EDITOR: Sally Fink (sally@filmeventpublishing.co.za) • HEAD OF DESIGN: Jess Novotná (jess@filmeventpublishing.co.za) • ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE: Makkie Slamong (makkie@thecallsheet.co.za) • ONLINE CO-ORDINATOR: Charl Fourie (charl@filmeventpublishing.co.za) • HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Dani Jibrail (dani@filmeventpublishing.co.za)

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