Filmmaker Rowen Smith International Bursary & South African Film Industry Letter To whom it may concern. My name is Rowen Smith. I am a South African writer.director.producer (filmmaker) & Honors Film Graduate and I have written this letter for several South African & International Stake Holders and active parties in the Film & Media Sector on behalf of my career as a filmmaker. Please be so kind to read my letter and give me insight and assistance if you can. Before I get started, I’d like to thank you already. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to read this letter.
ABOUT ME I started my filmmaking career in 2010, when I enrolled at AFDA Film School in Cape Town to complete my bachelor’s degree in writing & directing. Within my second year of studies, I was handed a full bursary from the NFVF from 2011 onwards. This was a great privilege and I tried by best to hold the honour, by completing my bachelor’s degree with flying colours not to mention being one of the only students in my year to have both my graduating film productions screening at an international level namely: My Beminde (My Beloved) and 8 minute experimental film I wrote, directed and produced, was selected for the 24th Aguilar De Campoo International Film Festival Palencia Spain, screening as African Premiere. The graduation film I wrote and directed (Jean Pant Short Film) got selected for the 34th Durban International Film Festival as an official short film selection. This was only the beginning of a long successful filmmaking career and I was incredibly blessed by the NFVF for funding my way forwards into 2013 where I chose to take on an Honours Degree in writing and directing at AFDA Film School in Cape Town. During this year I focussed my Honours thesis on screenwriting and the free stream of consciousness, a thesis that has never been done, where my mentor Garth Holmes (Pioneer & Founder of AFDA Film School) and I explored how screenwriting dialogue can be created in the Free Stream of Consciousness and its theories. This was a successful attempt and I went on to write and direct and produce a 5 minute documentary and a 24 minute narrative short film, which again, got international exposure screening at the 2014 Shnit International Film Festival, The Viewster Online Film Festival in New York. These films went on to screen at the 2015 Shnit International Film Festival and one of my proudest moments was when the lead actor of my honours film (Edwin van der Walt) was picked up by South African Writer.Director Duo Corne & Rene Van Rooyen. (Hollywood in my Huis & Mooi Rivier – Both South African Commercial Afrikaans Romantic Comedies to hit the big screens during 2014-2015) Rowen Smith
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Edwin has since been a lead and supporting actor in more than 4 South African Afrikaans Feature Films (Hollywood in my Huis, Belade vir ‘n Enkeling, Die Pro, Modder en Bloed, My Father’s War,). I graduated with 100% pass rate at AFDA Film School in Cape Town in 2013 and soon after, in January 2014, I was picked up by Executive Producer Quinton van der Burgh, to co-direct the second season of The Shores, which I gladly accepted and throughout 2014, I wrote, directed and produced for The Shores Season II which premiered globally on 16 September 2015 as the first South African scripted reality TV Drama to air on Youtube. (www.theshores.tv) During 2014, I worked closely with the Western Cape Government and the Urban skateboarding Community with a creative campaign I launched called The Mill Park Series, where I produced 3 skateboarding films to promote the skateboarding culture in Cape Town. These films got selected for the Wavescapes International Surf Film Festival 2014, the 2015 Durban International Film Festival, and the PPC Imaginarium Awards, which won the runners up prize, screening at the Shnit 2015 International Film Festival, the 2014 Design Indaba, 100% Design Exhibition & the 2015 Turbine Art Fair. After launching this project I was inspired to produce and go into production and I saw the value of generating content and employment for other filmmakers in South Africa and this lead me to startup Cignalhill, later on that year. Cignalhill is a creative film & photographic design company to be officially registered and launched in 2016. In 2015, I aimed to wrap my hands around the South African Film Industry to gain insight as a producer and filmmaker and I actively played a role on the WGSA Council (Writers Guild of South Africa) for a term, where I learnt about the WGSA’s Mandate and in September 2015, where I fully understand and support their goals and expectations and can truly say that screenwriting is one of the most crucial parts of filmmaking that our South African Film Sector has taken for granted. This statement could be considered truthful when I attended the NFVF Audience Research Launch in Johannesburg during 2015, which fundamentally proves that two vital & successful ingredients for filmmakers to in South Africa is; A good Story, Well Told & An extremely well thought out Distribution Model when it comes to Target Audience & marketability of its cast and language. As an ATFT Champion, I attended the Cannes ATFT Workshop In March 2015, where I learnt more about Producing in terms of sales and presales into International terrain. I also spent an entire week at the 2015 Durban Film Mart & Durban International Film Festival, attending the DFA, Creative Film Media Lab Canada Business Canvas Model Workshop, where I learnt insight about production business models from research all the way through distribution and all its various segments and channels that producers do not even consider when getting into production. During the Durban Film Mart I was incredibly saddened by the fact that so many projects apply for Funding from South African Funding institutions such as the DTI and the
Rowen Smith
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0796470077
National Lottery Board, the NFVF and the Goethe Institute, to produce their projects, but with no understanding of the value and audience appeal of what they are trying to achieve. At this festival & film mart I decided to investigate in how I could be a producer that not only received funding for projects of my own, but to think about projects that are relevant to the market I am aiming for and generating multiple revenue streams, to produce a return on investment, where government funding such as the DTI, the NFVF and the National Lottery Board would no longer be seen as a primary funder and hopefully in my career as a filmmaker, not to be a funder at all, but that I can actively play a role in assisting the DTI, assisting the NFVF and other funding platforms to not only receive funding for projects, but to use what has been given to be and trying to produce an outcome of it that is beneficial to other filmmakers and investors in terms of employment creation and the sustainability of Professional South African Filmmakers. Later on in the year, I got the privilege to travel with the WGSA on behalf of the DTI’s funding platform, to the L.A Story Expo in California, where I gained valuable insight on the USA/ Hollywood approach to screenwriting and producing films. More Specifically, I attended the UCLA Extension Writers Programme with lectures from US Film Executives at Universal Studios, Paramount, Pixar and Columbia Pictures who have been making and commissioning films before I was born. After the short week long course I flew back to South Africa and decided that I wanted to do something more with my life than just produce and generate content in our new media content generation. I decided that I wanted to be an active player in the South African & International Film Sector, where I can serve and give insight to the WGSA, the DTI, the NFVF the NLB and other South African Film & Media Professionals & Students who strive to be exceptional filmmakers like me. I made the decision to enrol for the 2016 UCLA Extension Writers Programme in California & working on my newly launched company Cignalhill. During my stay in Los Angeles California I would attempt to understand how a South African writer.director.producer can infiltrate into Hollywood and bring back vital insight for other South African Filmmakers and students, in ways unknown to South African film producers, with huge budget schemes, enormous client, contextual & media strategy decision making and most importantly, discovering what has been lacking in our South African Film Audience as a whole which I believe is; Finding new ways to engage with a global target audience, while staying true to a conceptually and culturally relevant film audience, understanding the dynamics of multiple revenue streams and accurate project management in terms of value chain management, which is a non-existent field in South African Filmmaking and applying these techniques and skills to what would be the first South African Produced International Hollywood Film produced and distributed in Los Angeles and the greater USA in 2017-2020.
Rowen Smith
rowen.work@gmail.com
0796470077
What I am asking for? I would like to know if I can communicate with representatives from the DTI, the NFVF, The National Lottery Board and other funding institutions to sponsor or fund me to further my tertiary education at the UCLA Extension Writers Programme in 2016 & 2017, where I would attend a 1-2 year advanced programme in the field of Novel and Screenwriting, while representing as a producer, gaining insight and possibly getting into a Hollywood Cinema Network, to not only write.direct and produce Features (Independent or Studio Based) in the US, but also to bring projects back to South African filmmakers who like me, strive to make movies, that generate real impact on a story level & audience level while producing multiple revenue streams and possibly exposing other South African filmmakers to International opportunities.
Who I am asking? I am kindly asking the WGSA, the NFVF, the DTI, the Goethe Institute, Istitut Francais, The National Lottery Board, The Kingdom of Belguim, Berlinale Talents, The IFFR Rotterdam and it’s linked sponsors and partners, the Prince Claud Fund, the World Cinema Fund & any funder, sponsor, partner or passionate South African Filmmaker who believe in what I believe in; Employment, Sustainability, Growth, Understanding, Knowledge, Cause and Active participation in the South African Film & Media Sector.
Why I am asking it? All my life I’ve wanted to write and direct movies. It was only in my 4 years of film school and m 2 years after graduating with Honours that I realised that the role of a Producer exists. I’ve questioned myself as to what this role means; the tasks, the responsibilities and the knowledge and profession it must take to be not only a producer, but think in the way an executive producer thinks, how a general manager, and business man thinks, irrespective of its field of profession. I believe that the role of a producer is not only to know how research, development, production, distribution and advertising works, but also the understanding of what it means to produce film & media projects to a countries Film & Media Sector to create and sustain employment for film and media professionals, rather than relying on government funding to produce a project with no accurate strategy in terms of value chain management and a business model that does not efficiently generate revenue while captivating an audience. I’m asking for this support so that I can get the privilege to be a real Movie Producer, Writer & Director, not for the sake of self-entitlement, but to play an encouraging role in our South African Film & Media Sector for filmmakers like me, who are unaware of the strength and depth of International Film markets.
Rowen Smith
rowen.work@gmail.com
0796470077
Where I believe it will take me? If granted the privilege to attend the UCLA Extension Writers Programme in 2016 & 2017, I believe that I will not only learn how to write & produce films in the USA, how the US Hollywood Cinema Industry does it, but to bring back what I have learnt, to start writing & producing films that deliver actual South African Rands and Cents & that allow young filmmakers the opportunity to branch out into International Markets, learning valuable filmmaking tools that most South African filmmakers seem to be unaware of (even me)
How will go about making it happen? The plan is big and broad, but it can be done, if the right channels are attracted and the purpose is clear. My goal is to attend the UCLA Extension Writers Programme, with that I would go on to commission myself as a journalist (attending Journalism & article writing classes as well) , giving monthly feedback and insight about the UCLA Extension & Other Film & Media events I attend during 2016-2017. I would go out and start a blog. Which I constantly update while I do my course of Study in the US. I would write articles for all the partners, sponsors and funders like the NFVF, DTI, National Lottery Board, Film Schools across South Africa and the WGSA, to give them insight on what I have learnt. The blog and articles would not only have my opinion on all relevant matters, but allow room for collaboration with Film & Media Professionals And Executives that are active in US Hollywood Cinema, where I would not only have (Photographic, Motion Picture & Written) content on the blog, but to incorporate an audible content (Studio Podcasts) for live interaction and insight shared about the UCLA Extension and other Film & media Events. This is similar to be an active attendee at a conference and listening expert advice, while sitting in your dorm room, studying for the test or University exam, or working in the office and listening to news feeds from US speakers. In once sentence: I would go out to start-up a Ted Talks, 99u, John Augusts Blog, Unmistakable
creative
(www.ted.com)
(www.99u.com)
(www.johnaugust.com
)
(www.unmistakablecreative.com)
What After The Programme Ended? At the end of 2016-2017 I aim to have completed the UCLA Extension Writers Programme, while running the blog and writing a feature film script to be shot in California, which I aim to (in an ideal world) sell to Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight and Paramount Pictures and produce it with South African & International Crew to hopefully what I believe will connect South African Filmmakers who are only exposed to South African Film Production, with Hollywood and the way they Produce and have produced motion picture for more than 100 years.
Rowen Smith
rowen.work@gmail.com
0796470077
Conclusion To all reading this letter, I sincerely thank you for your time. I really hope you connect with me on this idea and guide me with the right steps to take regarding funding applications, partnership opportunities, sponsorships and global grants and professional advice that I can use to take on such a project. The idea and plan is still in development and there is much room to grow, influence and collaborate. Kindest Regards Rowen Smith Rowen.work@gmail.com www.vimeo.com/rowensmith www.cignalhill.com
Rowen Smith
rowen.work@gmail.com
0796470077