Screen Africa July 2016

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

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| IN THIS ISSUE

14 One night, one song, one channel, one life

38

20

Africa’s first surf festival shines on

Madiba in the movies

24

26

Behind the scenes on SA’s first zombie movie

News The Walt Disney Company licenses Triggerfish Story Lab short........................ 3 NFVF and Namibia Film Commission sign agreement during DIFF 2016............ 3 DFM 2013 finance forum winner

Discovery’s Age of Curiosity Report shows 91 per cent of South Africans enjoy learning.................... 8

TECHNOLOGY News IDX DUO-C190 high capacity high load battery now shipping............. 10

gears up for the big screen........................ 3 DISCOP Africa and TRACE

Filmgear Daylight Faceted PARs............ 10

launch Digital Lab Africa............................. 3 Nigeria’s Eko International

Telestream Vantage for Social Media.... 12 AJA UTAP HDMI

Film Festival to launch film institute........ 4

and SDI connectors.................................. 12

SABC CEO Jimi Matthews resigns.......... 4 TRACE TV acquires African

SAM Kula production switcher............. 12

VOD service Buni.tv................................... 4 Filmmaking hub launched in Johannesburg............................................ 4 Introducing Squeers – a locally produced LGBT animated series............. 6 Atlas Studios hosts kykNet’s

Getroud Met Rugby.................................... 8

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Elements of Cinema: Shooting under fire

FILM

ADVERTORIAL

Madiba in the movies............................... 20 A Story of Hope –

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Mitchells Plain – The Movie.................... 22 Behind the scenes on SA’s first zombie movie........................... 24 Seko Shamte – redefining Tanzanian film.......................... 25 Elements of Cinema: Shooting under fire................................... 27 Director Speak: Lebogang Rasethaba... 28

the cost effective alternative.................. 35

FESTIVALS & MARKETS Durban International Film Festival 2016..................................... 36 Africa’s first surf festival shines on....... 38

Broadcast Technology Stream on................................................... 40

Documentary

ADCETERA

Alison: A contemporary

One night, one song,

real-life fairytale......................................... 30

one channel, one life................................. 14 Is this really Africa? The real

Television

problems with unreal stock.................... 15

A noble calling........................................... 32

Working to make your money work... 16 Admit One sport promos receive

Sardine run becomes a reality series... 34

New Media The future is here..................................... 44

Regulars Production Updates......................45 – 47 Events........................................................... 47 Social............................................................ 48

international recognition......................... 18

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for advertising agencies........................... 35 Production music for advertising –

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From the editor

The Team

Unbelievably, I find myself wishing you all a pleasant July, as the year slips quietly into its second half and Spring draws nearer. Already, another Durban International Film Festival lies behind us and many of us will soon be making the pilgrimage to Amsterdam for IBC. Two of the major themes discussed at the most recent trade shows are virtual reality and media over IP. In this issue, we tackle both. We offer a broad overview of the IP revolution as the technology takes progressively stronger hold and the search for widely acceptable industry standards continues apace. Then we look at a groundbreaking virtual reality project pulled off in Durban recently when the 22nd South African Music Awards became the first awards show in the world to be streamed live for 360-degree VR viewing.

Having just completed the trip to Durban for the film festival, we also sum up some of the major themes of the FilmMart and industry programme, all of which, I have no doubt, will be further developed over the coming months. More tightly organised than in previous years, DIFF 2016 was also not without its controversies, which certainly cast a shadow over the proceedings but still did not stop an enjoyable and edifying programme from playing out.

Here’s my random thought for the month: While making sense of the many discussions at DIFF/ DFM is a little like trying to follow multiple conversations in a crowded room, there was one topic that stood out quite strongly for me – the pros and cons of micro-budget filmmaking. On the one hand a small group of some of the most dedicated and resourceful filmmakers in the country stood up for the importance of their style of low-resource filmmaking as an alternative business and creative model. Other people decry micro-budget filmmaking as a bad influence on the quality of production as a whole, comparing it unfavourably with the Nollywood model.

Surely there should be a place for both in the industry.

The only way the micro- model can be deleterious is if resources are not made available for higher-budget production, making micro-budget the only available option. For many emerging filmmakers this is in fact the case, even if (for now, at least) it may not be representative of the situation at large. As I see it, anybody who can pull off a film from pre-production to distribution on virtually no money, deserves a medal of some kind and should be looked to as a role model.

Hopefully those who hold the funding purse strings will come to feel the same way.

– Warren Holden

Editor

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Sub-Editor: Tina Heron

Publisher & Managing Editor: Simon Robinson: publisher@screenafrica.com

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Editor: Warren Holden: editor@screenafrica.com

Website & Production Updates: Carina Vermooten: web@sun-circle.co.za

Journalists: Chanelle Ellaya: news@screenafrica.com Cera-Jane Catton: cera@screenafrica.com

Subscriptions: Tina Tserere: tina@sun-circle.co.za Delight Ngwenya: admin@sun-circle.co.za

Contributors: Sam Charo Ian Dormer Andy Stead

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CONTRIBUTORS

Warren Holden is a writer and journalist whose lifelong love of film and television prompted him to study for his BA in Motion Picture Medium at AFDA Johannesburg, specialising in writing and directing. After graduating, he worked for three years in the television industry before following his aptitude for writing into the world of publishing. He then worked for five years as assistant editor on the arts and culture publication Classicfeel, before taking the helm of Screen Africa, where his experiences in the separate streams of motion picture and publishing have finally come together. In addition to his work on Screen Africa, he is also hard at work developing stories for film and television and studying for a second degree in economics and African politics.

Sam Charo is an independent writer, producer and filmmaker based in Nairobi, Kenya.

His passion is sharing great stories about the continent with rest of the world.

JOURNALISTS Cera-Jane Catton is a writer and journalist with years of experience in community newspapers, blogging and freelance journalism. She has migrated to Jozi from Durban to join the team at Screen Africa in the hope of sampling lots of free popcorn.

Cera has worked in a cache of capacities, often finding herself behind or in front of the cameras, intentionally and less so. She has been a stunt double in two Bollywood movies, has worked in various capacities on a number of natural history documentaries, and other international productions shot in South Africa.

She studied journalism and photography and is always eager to learn something new. She speaks up for the voiceless, is a dedicated movie lover and a wannabe doccie maker.

Chanelle Ellaya is a writer and a journalist. She completed her BA Journalism degree at the University of Johannesburg in 2011. While writing is her passion, she has a keen interest in the media in various capacities: In 2012 she co-presented the entertainment and lifestyle show Top Entertainment on TopTV and later that year she was handpicked as part of a panel of five dynamic young Africans to interview Winnie MadikizelaMandela on a youth focused television show called MTV Meets. Chanelle is an avid social networker and a firm believer in the power of social and online networking. Between writing and tweeting, she finds time to feed her love for live music.

Ian Dormer – Born in Zimbabwe, Ian has been in the TV business since the 1980s, having served in various positions at the SABC, M-Net and SuperSport. Ian currently works and resides in New Zealand.

Andy Stead is a broadcast industry professional with over 40 years’ experience in both South Africa and the UK, having worked at a number of leading industry organisations including the BBC and Chroma Television. Now retired, he is based in Cape Town.

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South Africa

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| News

The Walt Disney Company licenses DFM 2013 finance forum winner gears up for the big screen Triggerfish Story Lab short Triggerfish Animation Studios is releasing A Dogshow with Cat, a South African animation short that has been licensed by The Walt Disney Company.

A Dogshow with Cat is the first animation to come from last year’s Triggerfish Story Lab, established by Triggerfish with the support of South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry and The Walt Disney Company.

The Story Lab’s continent-wide search for animated African stories received nearly 1400 entries from 30 countries across the continent. Triggerfish selected four features and four TV series for development, after input from Disney and the likes of Aardman’s Oscar-nominated co-founder Peter Lord and The Lion King writer Jonathan Roberts.

A Dogshow with Cat is a teaser for

Mike Scott’s series of the same name, which is set in the South African outback and is about the madcap antics of a sophisticated dog and his best friend, a feral, obsessive-compulsive cat.

The three-minute short is part of Disney XD FC (#DisneyXDFC), a series of football-themed shorts commissioned from leading animation talent across Europe, Africa, Latin America and the United States. A Dogshow with Cat is the only short included from Africa.

NFVF and Namibia Film Commission sign agreement during DIFF 2016

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Namibia Film Commission (NFC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) 2016.

The signing ceremony was held on 21 June and the MOU was signed by NFVF CEO Zama Mkosi and Obed Emvula, chairperson of the board of the NFC, with SA strip ad-06-2016* 6/28/16 4:11 PM Page 1

the participation of officials and producers from both countries.

The aim of this MOU is to create a framework for developing cooperative relations between the NFVF, an agency of the department of Arts and Culture of South Africa, and the NFC, which supports, encourages and promotes film production as well as the development of the film industry in Namibia.

Actions undertaken within this framework are intended to benefit each organisation and their respective members, generating opportunities for connecting audiovisual content producers in SA with film commissions in Namibia and locations for audiovisual content production, as well as generating new economic activity in their respective countries.

Seven years after writer Sean Drummond and director Michael Matthews first set out on an 8000km research and development journey around the country, The Be Phat Motel Film Company and Game 7 Films’ Five Fingers for Marseilles (which was a project selected for the 2013 Durban FilmMart (DFM)) is taking the next step to the big screen.

The film, a contemporary South African thriller modelled on the western and played in Sesotho and isiXhosa, with a fully local cast, begins production in the

DISCOP Africa and TRACE launch Digital Lab Africa DISCOP Africa Abidjan recently announced the launch of Digital Lab Africa (DLA), a call for projects and a platform for African talent in multimedia, organised by the French Institute of South Africa in partnership with DISCOP Africa and TRACE. The objective of Digital Lab Africa is to provide a springboard for African talent in multimedia creation and to make their projects a reality with the support of French leading companies including ARTE, Okio-Studio, CCCP and 1D Touch/ Believe Digital.

The DLA call for projects targets artists, producers, start-ups, developers, and students in the media and creative industries. It is open to any professional or individual having an innovative project in four categories of C

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Eastern Cape in July 2016, in association with Stage 5 Films and Above the Clouds.

The film was awarded DFM Finance Forum’s ‘Best South African Film in Development’ in 2013.

Indigenous Film Distribution will release it in South Africa in 2017 and XYZ Films will represent the film for North American sales.

Five Fingers for Marseilles is made possible with the support of the NFVF and the DTI, with additional services from Dupa Films.

multimedia production: web creation/ transmedia, virtual reality, video game and digital music. The deadline to submit a project is 31 August 2016.

From 2 to 4 November, selected applicants will take part in a pitch competition at DISCOP Africa in Johannesburg. The four winning projects (one per category) will get the chance to win a €3000 cash prize and a DLA incubation ticket to support the project development over three to six months in 2017.

The DLA project incubation will include mentorship and project development support by French reference partners for each category. Additionally, the incubation ticket will comprise residence time in France within a digital cluster, and participation in benchmark multimedia events. The expected outcome of DLA is market ready content/productions showcasing African creativity at its best.

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July 2016 | SCREENAFRICA | 3

NEWS

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Nigeria’s Eko International Film Festival to launch film institute The annual Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF) is to launch a film institute during its 7th edition which will be held between 24 and 29 October 2016.

The institute is billed to fill the gap between the new entrants into the Nollywood film industry and established practitioners.

The launch of the film institute will take place during the festival’s Youth Development in Art workshop: the two-day workshop aims to inspire the youth.

“Arts can turn around a troubled teenager; get young men and women off the streets into creative and constructive pursuit. Art can change attitude, build self-esteem and redirect the path of wayward, art can also prevent despair,” says the EKOIFF website. The workshops will engage young men and women in a more meaningful way to look inside themselves to rediscover their potential.

SABC CEO Jimi Matthews resigns

Tech Central reported that, veteran journalist and SABC acting CEO Jimi Matthews has quit, saying in his resignation letter that what is happening at the state-owned broadcaster is “wrong” and that he can “no longer be a part of it.”

Matthews tweeted a copy of his resignation letter on the morning of Monday 27 June 2016. “It is with great sadness that I tender my immediate resignation,” he wrote in the letter, which is addressed to SABC board chairman Obert Maguvhe. “For many months I

4 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

have compromised the values that I hold dear under the mistaken belief that I could be more effective inside the SABC than outside, passing comment from the sidelines,” he wrote.

“In the process, the prevailing, corrosive atmosphere has impacted negatively on my moral judgment and has made me complicit in many decisions which I am not proud of,” he continued. “I wish also to apologise to the many people who I’ve let down by remaining silent when my voice needed to be heard,” he wrote.

Tech Central also reported that three SABC journalists have taken their boss, CEO Hlaudi Motsoeneng, to task over his censorship of the news and for his decision to suspend three of their colleagues.

“Our newsroom has become a source of derision, despair and criticism from the people that we are fundamentally accountable to, the public at large,” Busisiwe Ntuli, Krivani Pillay and Jacques Steenkamp wrote in a strongly worded letter addressed to Motsoeneng, which is dated Sunday 26 June.

TRACE TV acquires African VOD service Buni.tv TRACE TV has announced the acquisition of pan-African VOD service Buni.tv, in preparation for the launch of its own VOD platform TRACE Play, which is scheduled for later this year.

Previously a company of pan-African studio Restless Global, Buni.tv was launched in 2012 as one of the first ever VOD platforms to focus on the African market and is today recognised as one of the three largest VOD services on the continent alongside Iroko TV and Nasper’s Showmax.

As part of the deal, TRACE secures the pay-TV and VOD rights to highly sought-after comedy shows Ogas at the Top (Nigeria) and The XYZ Show (Kenya), produced by Buni.tv’s sister company Buni Media.

As a first step, Buni.tv will be hosted under the TRACE Play banner, although the plan is eventually for both services to fully merge. Buni.tv’s existing subscribers will have access to the full TRACE Play catalogue, which will include at launch thousands of hours of African and international content.

“Critical mass is crucial for the success of any VOD service,” said Buni.tv’s CEO Marie Lora-Mungai. “As the African VOD market becomes increasingly competitive and sophisticated, we are thrilled to join forces with a solid and forward-thinking partner such as TRACE.”

Filmmaking hub launched in Johannesburg The Johannesburg Expo Centre has teamed up with a consortium of film practitioners to launch Studio Joburg, a new filmmaking hub in the south-west of the city.

Studio Joburg is based at the Joburg Expo Centre in Nasrec, which boasts extensive indoor and outdoor exhibition facilities backed by solid infrastructure and is host to a number of major events annually.

The venture will be riding on the country’s, and the province’s, growing popularity as a co-production partner and a filmmaking destination, enhanced by the attractive incentives for filmmakers offered by the Department of Trade and

Industry (DTI) along with the support available from the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC).

Discussions are currently taking place with a film school and a broadcaster to become anchor tenants at Studio Joburg.

Overall, the facility would be developed for filmmaking in phases, with two halls already converted and ready for shooting.

The Studio Joburg team is headed up by Newman (chairman), Eddie Mbalo (managing director), Jeremy Nathan (director: production), Clarence Hamilton (director: development) and Simon Woodland (director: finance).

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Introducing Squeers – a locally produced LGBT animated series Directed by Cape Town local Matt Torode, Squeers is a satirical, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) animated series targeting both local and international audiences.

Wendy Spinks, series UNIVERSAL VEHICLE FOR UNIVERSAL ISSUES: Squeers series creator and producer, is creators hope the series will help to normalise sexual diversity currently looking for investment and broadcast partners for the 2D animated intentions held by Millan,” she says. series written by Lebogang Mogashoa and “It began as a comic strip about two gay based on a South African LGBTI (lesbian, squirrels looking for love… It is still about gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex) two gay squirrels but we hope the comic strip by Roberto Millan. transformation will hit the mark with the Millan’s comic strip was previously vision we hold for Squeers reaching published in the local LGBTI newspaper, audiences around the world,” The Pink Tongue. The comic strip ran for comments Spinks. one year from January 2014 to January Squeers follows the lives of two gay 2015. In early 2015, Cape Town-based squirrels, creative duo Neil and Artel, who Zeropoint Studios signed a shopping are in search of success, love and rights agreement with Millan in order to happiness. The eccentric duo live in the gain international interest in the series. treetops of the city gardens and their lives Later in 2015 Spinks, co-founder of are inspired by the current pink lifestyle in Zeropoint Studios and media company Cape Town, South Africa, but more than Pop the Culture, made an offer to option that Squeers reflects the modern-day the rights in an agreement for full control macrocosm of human life across the globe. of the creative rights to adapt and The bold and quirky animation for the reimagine Squeers as a transmedia series is championed by Gertan Agenbach property, “to deliver a TV series aimed at and Keegan Thornhill of Tincup.tv in Cape the international market, while still Town. Spinks says animation was the honouring the homegrown comic and obvious choice as it is an ever-growing and

increasingly popular universal medium, and Squeers addresses LGBT topics that are universal issues.

“Animation is also typically a universal vehicle for comedy which crosses cultures and ethnicity. Comedy is the demand of the global audiences remaining the number one trend over the last few years which often happens in times of chaos, war or tragedy. But comedy and satire allow a platform for topics otherwise often shied away from even at dinner parties… Like religion or politics!”

While there isn’t a proven model for the series as yet, the plan is to explore the potential of the rising VOD and SVOD space, and tap into smart phone and tablet audiences as well as traditional, linear, broadcast platforms. “Financing animated series’ is always a challenge in SA,” says Spinks, “But our main challenge may lie in breaking into the greater African market. This series can be considered controversial to many, but it will break ground and we believe there to be a substantial and growing niche audience globally.”

The team are looking to access global audiences of all orientations with Squeers and in particular the US market, for a number of reasons, one being the existing audience for adult themed animation.

“While Squeers is progressive and groundbreaking in content themes, even

for the US, we are hoping to find a home for it among other shows such as Family Guy, Rick and Morty, American Dad, etc. on a channel like Adultswim and/or Comedy Central as well as a SVOD platforms like Netflix.”

René Veilleux and Donald Lopez, directors and casting agents at Los Angeles-based Verite Entertainment, came on board to find the right voice talent for the Squeers cast: Lavid Dodge is the voice of Artel and Chris Smith will give voice to Neil.

“I would say our main aim was to create a comedy that was based on the trials and tribulations of two strong funny characters that just happen to be gay. I think animals are great way to poke fun at the oddities within our society. We expect them to be cute and fluffy and then boom S&M pigeons. It is after all, all about the nuts,” says director Matt Torode.

Squeers aims to engage young adults of all sexual preferences and orientations “with the hope to break stereotypes and barriers within a comedic framework of living in the 21st century while addressing LGBT topics and issues both locally and globally,” says Spinks, “To deliver a message of equality, with the hope of normalising all sexual orientations and taboos in order to curb ignorance, discrimination and bullying.”

– Chanelle Ellaya

Datavideo provides remote camera solution for Gogglebox

REFLECTING THE CURRENT STATE: Behind the scenes during the creation of an episode of Gogglebox

Datavideo PTC-150 remote camera and Datavideo RMC-180 camera controller 6 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

Gogglebox is in its seventh series in the UK, with the sixth series having averaged approximately 4.3 million UK viewers by the end of 2015.

The 10-part local version has been commissioned by the SONY Channel and is produced by partners Eject Media’s Stephan Le Roux and Picture Tree’s Gary King.

Says Sonja Underwood, Sony Pictures Television territory director – Africa Channels: “Gogglebox is a fantastic show and we believe that its humour and diversity makes it perfect for South African audiences. It is not your typical television show and we believe our first local production will become a firm viewer favourite.” Executive producer Stephan Le Roux concurs: “We believe that we have created a show that will create debate among people.”

“Gogglebox South Africa reflects the current state of society and will stimulate viewers to share their opinions and thoughts. We hope that it will also inspire more channels to make programmes for the local marketplace.”

On its debut in the UK, Gogglebox soon became a word-of-mouth hit that had the Twittersphere buzzing and has resulted in numerous spin-offs in countries around the world with popular editions made in the US, Canada, Australia, Italy, Israel, Poland, Finland, France, Norway, China and the Ukraine and now South Africa gets its own home-grown version.

Devin Zivkovic, general manager at

Digitalfilm Service, was tasked with looking for appropriate equipment to do the series at the end of 2015 and contacted Ivor Westpfahl from Central Integration, for technical camera expertise. Remote or PTZ cameras were proposed, as the setup was relatively simple: two cameras on the viewers are intercut with images watched on a TV. At the end of 2015 the South African Rand dropped to a record low against the US Dollar. It was against this backdrop that equipment still had to be acquired.

The Sony and Panasonic remote cameras and controllers were deemed to be too expensive. However, Central Integration, a Datavideo reseller, knew that a new Datavideo remote (PTZ) camera – the PTC-150 – was imported

by Eric Wiese at Macro Video Pty Ltd, the importer and distributor of Datavideo products in South Africa.

Digital Film Service tested the Datavideo PTC-150 camera extensively with the RMC-180 controller.

The PTC-150 proved capable of delivering the image standard required for the production, at a far lower price than any alternatives considered.

Subsequently, an order of eight cameras, four controllers and several Datavideo switchers were placed with Macro Video. These are currently being put to good use in the ongoing production of Gogglebox South Africa.

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Atlas Studios hosts kykNet’s Getroud Met Rugby Atlas Studios provides studio space for a range of South Africa’s finest soapies, commercials, game shows and sitcoms, in addition to offering the ideal location for specialist events.

Since 2002, the studios, which were originally designed for Anant Singh’s soap opera The Res for SABC, have been pivotal in the production of some of South Africa’s greatest TV shows, such as Villa Rosa, The Coconuts and City Ses’la.

Earlier in 2016 kykNet’s soapie, Getroud Met Rugby, a South African version of the UK’s Footballer’s Wives, took up residence in Studio 1 and 2. The show, originally developed by Deon Opperman as a drama series and a film, is now being adapted into a soap opera that airs every week night. Initially, the show was shot on location but the team have now moved into studio.

The studio’s central location and essential facilities such as accessibility, all support accommodation, catering area, 24h security, backup power 350kva generator and onsite parking enables productions to happen seamlessly.

The versatility of the four studios allows for efficient and independent use of space in front of and behind the camera to cater to the specific requirements of the production. There are two adjacent, interlinked sound stages (440m2 and 460m2) ideally suited for drama and sitcoms and is now the new home to Getroud Met Rugby. Studio 3 (320m2) used for commercials and game shows, is

Discovery’s Age of Curiosity Report shows 91 per cent of South Africans enjoy learning A new research report, titled ‘The Age of Curiosity’, from Discovery Networks CEEMEA reveals that our personal lives, as well as our careers, are highly influenced by how curious we are and how we express that curiosity. According to the study, 60 per cent of South Africans won’t be satisfied unless they learn something new every day.

“For our latest report, we took a leap in the dark.

Why, we wondered, do people consume non-fiction media at all?

What attracts them, and what brings them back again and again? It’s the kind of big, so-obvious-that-nobody-hasasked-it question that we’ve always loved… The answer surprised and delighted us. Overwhelmingly, people weren’t inspired to seek knowledge for hard-headed self-improvement. Instead, it was all about sparking and satisfying their curiosity,” says Tanya Adam, VP of Research, Insights and Innovation, Discovery Networks CEEMEA. “We are currently living in the ‘Age of Curiosity’ and out of the media mix, television plays a big role in sparking that curiosity. After 30 years of staying true to our mission to satisfy people’s curiosity, 8 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

we wanted to understand how this phenomenon works today and how we can cater to this essential human need,” said Lee Hobbs, VP of Channels, Emerging Business, Discovery Networks CEEMEA. Commissioned by Discovery Networks CEEMEA, research and insights company Sense Worldwide investigated the topic of curiosity in seven markets across Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. As part of the research, 2100 people between the ages of 16 and 55, who watch non-fiction content in seven selected countries – South Africa, Germany, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey – were surveyed. The quantitative results were supplemented

currently booked for the year.

Studio 4 is a 270m2 daylight studio with a mezzanine, which can accommodate commercials, screenings and shoots and is currently hosting the fourth season of popular dance show Stumbo Stomp. It is available on a daily rental as a specialised event space that can host industry related public meetings, launches, training sessions

with ten qualitative media diaries enabling respondents to better describe their feelings and opinions, as well as with in-depth interviews with a panel of scientists and reputed authors.

The research results captured identify trends in consumer behaviour and their impact on the media industry. Findings show that satisfying a hunger for knowledge is now easier than it has ever been due to the wide access to information and advancements in technology. Therefore, in today’s world, knowledge and information are no longer exclusive or overwhelming.

“We’ve discovered a new attitude that’s spreading around the world, one where knowledge is pleasure,” the report states. “The citizens of the Age of Curiosity aren’t drowning in a sea of information; they’re splashing around in it.

They’re admired by their peers, unafraid of the future, making the most of the opportunities presented to them by every medium. They are the ‘New Renaissance People’.”

“Modern individuals who enjoy juggling with information and who use curiosity to improve their career and social life can be considered New Renaissance People,” says Hobbs. The research identifies five different ‘modes of curiosity’ which help New Renaissance People navigate through the sea of information around them: • Fact Farming: Collecting bits of new trivia and facts.

• Phone a Friend, or a Stranger: Reaching out to a friend or someone online who can provide more context and information on a particular subject.

• Undemanding Downtime: Unwind

and presentations.

The entire space is ideal for nurturing and supporting the creative industry and encouraging a greater awareness on film.

Atlas Studios extends its social involvement by hosting monthly film screenings, for the benefit of those interested or involved in the television and film industry.

The First Wednesday’s Film Club which is now in its 11th year of screenings, is a collaboration between Atlas Studios, Akin Omotoso and Katarina Hedren, aimed at showcasing local and international independent films. The directors are often in attendance and Q&A sessions follow the screening. This platform provides opportunities for education and interaction, highlights the importance of film, and creates a networking space for those within the industry. Audience development is also encouraged to enable local audiences to appreciate local talent and films.

Atlas Studios welcomes Overberg Productions and the entire team of Getroud Met Rugby to their new home.

by absorbing information that is already known or unchallenging.

• Worldly Investigations: Exploring the world and seeking tangible experiences, in order to marry perceptions with reality.

• Rabbit Holes: Following a trail of information and countless links online to attain specialist information on a subject.

“There is a strong connection between curiosity and media consumption, the findings reveal that curious people use non-fiction video to satisfy and spark their curiosity, and broadcast TV is their first option from the mix of media,” explains Hobbs.

South Africans enjoy learning As with the other nations surveyed, the majority (91 per cent) of South Africans enjoy learning new things. The survey revealed that South Africans like to learn socially, by activating the ‘Phone a Friend’ mode (by reaching out to a friend or even a stranger who can provide more colour or better contextualise to find an answer) more so than most other nations participating in the survey (apart from Saudi Arabians at 54 per cent).

Only 17 per cent of South Africans look for knowledge without a specific interest in mind, while 16 per cent go over familiar information and like to learn by experiencing the world.

Despite the natural curiosity of locals, 88 per cent of South Africans think they have a good general knowledge. This is the highest percentage amongst the surveyed countries, closely followed by Poles (86 per cent), Romanians and Saudis (84 per cent).

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NEWS

|

Technology

www.screenafrica.com

IDX DUO-C190 high capacity high load battery now shipping Eagerly awaited by users of cameras needing longer run times or those with high current needs, the DUO-C190 addresses both requirements and arrived at IDX dealerships in May. The DUO-C190, weighing around 1000g, is extremely lightweight and compact for a battery with a capacity of 185Wh. It supports a continuous load of 11A/120W, ideal for modern high resolution cameras with their demanding power requirements or for users of larger LED lights.

It features a new D-Tap advanced socket with conventional DC out but, in addition, it will permit controlled charging from a small lightweight travel charger that IDX will introduce in the autumn. In addition there is a second D-Tap DC output and a USB power output with a current rating of 2.3 amps rather than the 1.0 amp of earlier DUO batteries.

Quality is assured through the partnership with Panasonic Sanyo who work closely with IDX in the design of the battery protection circuitry and supply the Lithium Ion cells best suited to demanding broadcast applications. Continuing the trend seen in the CUE battery range the Duo Compact is designed to meet stringent PSE safety regulations. Currently Japanese specific but likely to be adopted worldwide, the regulations demand that individual Lithium Ion cells are isolated from each other within the battery in a honeycomb like structure.

The DUO-C190, as well as IDX’s other products, are distributed in South Africa by Zimele Broadcasting Services.

Casper Klopper, CEO of Zimele Broadcasting Services, says: “Mr Hlaudi Motsoeneng, SABC chief operating officer, has shown leadership in his attempt to stimulate the local industry by the much larger local content requirements introduced by him. We believe that with the products available from Zimele, the producers of local programming would be able to cut their costs and in the process produce better results going forward, benefitting the industry as a whole.”

Filmgear F9k

Filmgear Daylight Faceted PARs The new buzzword in the industry is the Daylight Faceted PAR. Filmgear has thrown their hat into the ring with their range of six fixtures.

Each fixture in the range has a colour temperature of 5600K, an operating range of +45º ~ 0º ~ -45º and an IP rating of 23. They boast a uniquely crafted faceted reflector and UV safe protective lens.

Accessories per set include a 7m or 15m lamphead to ballast cable, four-leaf rotatable barndoor, a set of four scrims (full single, full double, half single, half double), scrim bag, safety cable, safety wire and spill ring.

Filmgear’s Electronic Ballasts are available in 300Hz or the new, super high-speed 1000Hz for the F4k and F1. 8k fixtures.

• The Daylight Par Faceted F18k is an 18 000W HMI fixture. Ballast options include 18kW/12kW/6kW or 18kW/12kW. • The Daylight Par Faceted F12k is a 12 000W HMI fixture. This is the newest member of the Filmgear F series and was launched a few months ago.

Ballast options include 18kW/12kW/6kW or 18kW/12kW or 12kW/9kW/6kW or 12kW/6kW • The Daylight Par Faceted F9k is a 9000W HMI fixture. Ballast options include 12kW/9kW/6kW or 9kW/6kW • The Daylight Par Faceted F4k is a 4000W HMI. Ballast options include 6kW/4kW or 4kW/2.5kW • The Daylight Par Faceted F1,8k is a 1800W HMI fixture. 1.8kW/1.2kW/800W or 1.8kW/1.2kW/575W • The Daylight Par Faceted F800k is an 800W HMI fixture. Ballast options include 800W/575W or 800W/575W AC/ DC. They are available exclusively from Movievision and are ready to be shipped.

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News

| Technology

www.screenafrica.com

Telestream Vantage for Social Media Video transcoding and workflow automation solution provider Telestream announced a new offering for its Vantage media processing platform. Called Vantage for Social Media, the new module adds social media distribution to broadcast, cable and over-the-top video workflows.

Vantage for Social Media posts video, text and images to social media accounts directly from Vantage workflows, extending the marketing and branding efforts of media companies to social media destinations.

The module provides all of the tools necessary to prepare and deliver video to multiple social media outlets simultaneously including YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and soon Vimeo, Facebook and Brightcove. With Vantage for Social Media, marketing teams can easily edit videos, assemble multiple clips, produce proxies and social media metadata, add graphics, branding, messaging, tweets and other content.

Vantage for Social Media can be configured within existing Vantage content production automation systems or set up as user-operated workstations where marketing professionals focus on maximising the impact of their social marketing efforts.

“Studies show that user engagement directly correlates to the volume and timeliness of video marketing produced. With Vantage for Social Media, you don’t have to be a video-editing expert, and you won’t need to worry about formats, metadata or even the specific characteristics of each social channel to publish video to social media. Thanks to our new social media tools, content owners, broadcasters and news organisations can now simplify the process and significantly accelerate the pace of their video social marketing programmes,” says Jim Duval, Director of New Products at Telestream.

A key element of the Vantage for Social Media tool set is the Social Media Connector, which provides direct connections between Vantage workflows and social media accounts. Once configured, it establishes connections to specific user accounts at social media end points, delivers video and metadata for each distribution, and reports on any errors or problems in delivery. Users can choose between unattended workflows where all content publishing is automated, or attended workflows where operators can easily edit video clips, amend metadata and add messaging before publishing.

Telestream products are distributed in South Africa by Concilium Technologies.

AJA UTAP HDMI and SDI connectors AJA’s new U-Tap plugs directly into a computer using a USB 3.0 connection, with wide-ranging software compatibility and no drivers to install.

The connector comes in two variants: HDMI and SDI – both are cost-effective, portable solutions for plug-andplay capture, compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Features: • No third party driver software required.

• Smaller than a smartphone.

• Quick and easy means to obtain SDI or HDMI sources for capture.

• Bus powered.

• U-Tap SDI: provides looping SDI output, allowing a loop through the source SDI signal to monitors, switchers and more.

• Support frame rates up to 1080p.

12 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

SAM Kula production switcher The Kula range of multi-format production switchers is built on the heritage of SAM’s award-winning Kahuna switcher. Capable of handling 4K/1080p/ HD and SD in 1M/E and 2M/E versions, Kula can handle multiple formats making it both future-proof and adaptable for today’s production environment. The 2M/E HD/SD version can be switched to 1M/E 4K mode, allowing users to benefit from higher production values.

The new Kula switcher combines a powerful feature set with a market leading price point, while easy installation and set-up means operators can work quickly and efficiently, focusing on high value creative tasks. Ideal for multiple applications, from live events (flyaway packs, OB vehicles), broadcast production, sports and house of worship to entertainment and conference/ events, Kula has been designed to meet a wide range of production needs.

Kula provides a choice of three easy-to-operate control panels for maximum flexibility and these are in turn expandable with additional control modules from the Kahuna Range. Kula also delivers up to five key layers per M/E, 20 channels of DVE and floating/auxiliary keying resources and up to 36 inputs and 18 assignable outputs, plus an extensive internal clip and still store to guarantee high impact productions.

SAM products are distributed in South Africa by Zimele Broadcast Services.

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ADCETERA

|

One night, one song, one channel, one life

Behind the scenes on The Artist TVC

The Artist is a new TV promo For SABC1 depicting a continual dialogue between the two worlds of television and culture. The story is told through the life of one artist who, from the age of five, is inspired to draw by the images he sees on TV. As we see him getting older, so TV starts to reflect his art back to him, and becomes a part of his rise to success.

14 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

T

he brief from advertising agency Open Co was to make a commercial in the style of a music video, that showed how TV and life are one and the same – different sides of the same coin – each influencing the other on many different levels, explains producer Ashley Kadish from Fresh Eye Film Productions.

In keeping with the concept that life and TV influence each other, the creators used an up-and-coming street artist, Skubalisto to create the artworks, with the intention that the exposure would enhance his career, and therefore be a true account of how TV and life interact with each other. The song similarly features three emerging local musicians, Fifi Cooper, Kwesta and Nasty C. “This story should take the viewer on a journey that shows the rise to fame, and subsequent fall from grace, and eventually coming back to their senses, inspired once again by SABC1, and realising that family is everything,” describes Kadish.

The song was written by Lebogang Mothibe. “The feel was to have a somewhat surreal setting, with all the sets built and realised with the lights of the city in the background,” says Kadish. “We wanted to give this a gritty feel that would have its own unique look. The sets were

minimal, and were there to represent certain chapters of the artist’s life, from the home he grew up in, the gallery where he realised his achievement as an artist, his rise to fame and fortune, his fall from grace, and a stint in rehab. From fame to nothing. This brings him to his senses, and, inspired by gospel singers, and three rap artists, he goes back to his art, and uses it to uplift his community, and win back the love of his life and his little boy.”

Creators wanted to represent this story rather than be literal. The commercial was captured on a rooftop seven stories high, in Maboneng, Johannesburg. It was shot on an Arri Alexa, using old anamorphic lenses, which gave the gritty film quality look they were after. The feeling or realism was augmented throughout by the use of handheld camerawork.

It was filmed between sunset and sunrise on one night, Saturday 16 March 2016. “We had to be disciplined without set changes, and it worked more like a theatre scene change than a film set. This was how we managed to get through the amount of scenes involved in the TVC,” says Kadish. Co-directed by Jonathan Parkinson and Nicole Ackermann of PHI with DOP Jamie Ramsay. The TVC aired for the first time on Friday 6 May.

The challenge was to portray the story as everyone envisioned it: “Something that was representative and exploratory, using simple sets to represent each environment against a night-time backdrop of the city,” explains Kadish. “Part of that challenge was that this way of approaching the storyline had to make sense to the audience, providing links between the real world and the world of SABC1,” she explains.

Another challenge was achieving all this in one night of filming, precisely from sunset to sunrise. “We had many sets (both SABC and real life), and each had its own challenges of lighting and performance.” Similar to dealing with live theatre, where set changes had to be quick, lighting changes minimal, and performance electric. Sets included varying effects, dancing, flaming canvasses and the sunrise behind a strategically placed four-metre high mural for the final scene. “This was a fantastic project to work on,” says Kadish. “As it allowed for freedom of expression, and allowed us to approach the script from a unique perspective.”

– Cera-Jane Catton

OPINION

| ADCETERA

Is this really Africa?

The real problems with unreal stock

By Margi Sheard,

Managing director of Greatstock

More and more, our clients are telling the stories of local brands, born and bred in South Africa. And these brands won’t settle for anything less than truly authentic footage and stills. Staid stock simply won’t do.

Greatstock launched the aFRIKA Collection specifically to answer these kinds of briefs, but the collection needs to grow and multiply until the only reality we sell is the reality the rest of Africa sees. We believe the answer is to collaborate with the people already capturing authentic Africa: local photographers.

Up the exposure

Clients rely on us to help tell their stories – whether they’re publishers, agencies or production companies. Before there are words, there’s footage and images. Storytelling is eyes, before ears. So, having worked in the local stock industry for many years, I feel it’s our responsibility to acknowledge that we have a serious problem.

A

frican stock has lost its way. It isn’t real, it isn’t authentic and it certainly isn’t representative. This lack of diversity – both in footage and stills – is reaching a watershed. Agencies and publishers are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of authenticity, and consumers are becoming frustrated

represent the lived African reality, we’re precipitating the two established stereotypes: Africa is either affluent Europeans on safari, or ‘poverty porn’ with people on dusty streets in need of saving.

One city, one landmark

at having to digest the reality brands are selling to them – a reality too often created with unrealistic stock.

If the reality sold to us by bad African stock is to be believed, African people all come from one place, with the same face.

Our cities consist of only a few key landmarks: a flat-topped mountain here, a skyscraper or a harbour there. This reductionist attitude does nothing for what we purvey to the world. Our spaces and people are unique and should be celebrated, not diminished to a single recognisable thing.

Save us from stereotypes

Let’s get real

If the footage and stills we license – both locally and internationally – don’t

We’ve heard it a million times: “I need something that actually looks real.”

As stock agencies, we have to do everything we can to make sure local photographers’ content is recognised, known and syndicated to the right agencies, media and publishers.

More than that, we need to support this talent by commissioning shoots that combine our knowledge of client needs, with their unique perspective.

If these up-and-coming photographers submit and license their content, the benefits are twofold – they’ll be remunerated for their work, and brands and publishers can access content that tells the right kinds of stories. Not only does this provide an alternate source of income for the photographers, it’s also the first step in shifting the lens on how we see Africa.

To play our part in creating change, we’re starting to actively seek out local photographic talent, and put processes in place that make it simpler – and more beneficial – for them to submit their content.

July 2016 | SCREENAFRICA | 15

ADCETERA

|

Working to make your money work Be it nine-to-five or on-call, dream job or temping, studying or saving, whatever it is you are working towards, earning your money and building your future comes at a cost. This is the premise behind the latest TVC for Coronation Fund Managers, driven by the investment house’s understanding of how hard it is for their clients to earn their money.

M

aking use of scenes of real people in their real jobs, and set to a tune almost assured to get stuck in your head, the TVC shows a string of hard-working South Africans in a smorgasbord of scenarios that show the blood, sweat and tears behind the triumphs of making a living.

Along with their campaign, Coronation has a microsite becauseitsyourmoney. com where a series of short films look at the lives of a SA fireman, a pro golfer and a businesswoman.

Coronation’s slogan ‘Trust is earned’ is encapsulated in the ad’s message, with the company recognising that clients have had to pay their dues, make sacrifices, step out of their comfort zones, and overcome all sorts of challenges to make their money. So they know what a big deal it is putting it in the hands of a financial advisor. “If your money came easy,” says the TVC, “you’d invest it with anyone.”

Produced by Star Films for Net#work BBDO, the commercial was shot over seven days in and around Cape Town.

“The concept of the commercial was to

16 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

Still from the Coronation commercial portray a variety of people working hard, in all walks of life and all careers,” says Adam Thal, executive producer at Star Films. “No matter who you are, you work hard for your money, so why not let Coronation invest that for you because they work just as hard to earn your trust.”

Speaking about the look and feel, Thal says they aimed to portray real life: “Everything that we showed in the commercial was real and nothing staged.

We used real people in real professions in real environments in real careers. Even our camera technique was to go as real as possible using handheld movements and natural lighting.”

The TVC was shot using an Arri Alexa with Hawk Anamorphic lenses. “We kept the lighting and gripping as natural as possible and hence used minimal lighting in each space and handheld camera movements throughout,” explains Thal.

The commercial was shot in March 2016 and released to television on 1 May 2016. “Although the shoot process was seven days,” Thal says “The entire process once Star Films was brought onto the project lasted more than four months.”

This posed the biggest challenge the production would face. “We had to shoot 60 scenes within seven days,” says Thal.

He explains how the team were constantly on the move throughout the

week, shooting more than eight scenes per day. “Scheduling was the hardest part as each scene required its own cast, location, wardrobe, lighting, etc,” Thal adds. “So the job was scheduled down to the last extra using every minute of available daylight.”

Post-production was done by Upstairs LUDUS, who were contacted by Star Films to facilitate the international grade performed by Company 3 in New York. Joe Erasmus, executive producer at LUDUS says: “Our colourists Nic Apostoli and Michele Wilson supervised the process to make sure that everything ran smoothly.” He explains that they set up a live feed with the post house in NYC so that Star and Net#work could view and give feedback as the grading took place.

Star then completed the project in Johannesburg with LUDUS online artist Nicholas Young. The grade was completed on Davinci Resolve and the online by Young was completed on Autodesk Smoke.

“We worked well with the other facility in creating a workflow that best suited the situation,” says Erasmus. “The only real challenge we experienced was the time difference between New York and Johannesburg. With an excellent team, however, comes excellent expertise and in the end an excellent product. It is great to be able to show the industry that we

are capable of providing a standard of product and service that is on the same level as some of the best in the world.”

Marc Algranti was responsible for sourcing the music track and managed to find a seemly track that had not yet been released commercially. “With music playing an extremely important part in any commercial,” adds Thal, “we found that we were able to marry the picture perfectly to the edgy soundtrack.”

– Cera-Jane Catton

Key crew: Coronation Fund Managers: Marketing manager – Janis Feuillette.

Network BBDO: Chief creative officer – Mike Schalit. Art director – Juliet Honey. Copywriter – Jeff Tyser.

Producer – Lee-Anne Jacobz. Client service – Lena Smith.

Star Films: Director – Tristan Holmes.

Exec. Producer – Adam Thal. Producer – Ksenija Micic. DOP – Danny Hiele. Art Director – Wendy Frederikson.

Deliverance: Editor – Ricky Boyd.

Grade – Tom Poole.

Ludus: Grade facilitation – Nic Apostoli.

Online – Nic Young. Post producer – Joe Erasmus.

Frequency: Audio – Dave Harris.

Music – Marc Algranti

CY. OF GEN ERA ND A A R R EEN B R E C FFE V S ATI ULTI TO O M Y CRE T D I A IR C AN S THE APA NE I TED HE C ACH IT O NEC T E M R N S D O A C TO HA EW ITY ONE TUN HE N MIT POR IN T , AD LY. P T E O S V A N TI ADC RS A FEC E F E N BRO E T OW MOR TEN CES CON DIEN U A GET TAR FER S E OF TITIE ES W DEN C I P V IES ND I T I A SER DEE T R B EN US A TIVE D ID N C E N E V A I BR EFF AS G ATE T TV, H CRE WAN E IN WE C S E N IE IENC ENT PER D T X U N E A F CO HAT RS O YEA OF W ING OUR ING D N AND KET TA R BR MAR ERS D T N N YOU U E M O T N AI CES ERT S DIEN ENT NCE G AU ERIE N I R B EXP R E WE IGN G US DES AGIN UX & ENG E T A CRE .

WE OAR ND S BRA R U O EE Y ND S US A T C TA CON

ADCETERA

|

Admit One sport promos

receive international recognition

Admit One’s ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ theme piece made use of animal motifs to evoke the hard competition of the rugby field

After winning in a number of categories at PromaxBDA Africa, Johannesburg-based agency Admit One found themselves nominated for three prizes in the PromaxBDA Global Excellence Awards, held in New York on 16 June.

18 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

A

dmit One’s two recent rugby campaigns for SuperSport were nominated in three categories. The Rugby World Cup promo was nominated in the Best Sports Programme Spot or Campaign and Best Clip-based Sports Programme Spot categories, while the ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ rugby theme piece was nominated for Best Art Direction and Design in a Sports Programme Spot.

Executive creative director Henre Pretorius sums up the two campaigns: “The World Cup campaign was based around the Springboks and how they represent us as a nation, and the long heritage of national pride they embody, dating from the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The theme piece is based around the idea that the rugby field is like a jungle and the players embody various animal qualities in their struggles for victory.”

While Pretorius and executive producer Ruette Steyn say they did not have a

chance to see many of the campaigns their work was up against, their trip to New York offered some great, out-of-the-box ideas when it comes to conceptualising sports promo campaigns. Pretorius singles out Fox Networks’ long-running (about a year) promotion drive for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in Canada in 2015.

“Fox literally threw the entire network at all their territories to push the tournament,” Pretorius says. “Instead of only working with sport clips and directly related content, they mobilised all the content from across all their channels. It was a massive, sustained cross-promotion campaign that ranged from appearances by team members on Idols to giant billboards. Clearly it worked, because 35 million viewers ended up watching the tournament.”

The Fox campaign opted for a heavily patriotic tone, promoting both the national team and the event itself. Admit

One took a similar approach with its Rugby World Cup campaign but on a far smaller scale. “This is where we as South African creatives and broadcasters could do well by thinking a little bigger,” Pretorius says. “We seldom make good use of opportunities for cross-promotion and to really mobilise the nation to get behind the team and support it. Sport in the US is huge, of course, and it was great to see what can be done with a sports campaign if you are more ambitious.”

Steyn adds: “From a marketing perspective, it’s very difficult to make a promo that stands out from the clutter.

FX offers an inspiring example in this regard. Their approach is very simple: whatever idea seems the riskiest, that’s the one they go with.”

Admit One’s most recent project was the campaign to promote SuperSport’s Olympic Games coverage.

– Warren Holden

Experience Extraordinary There is a place where the extraordinary happens every day.

A place where vision can be transformed into creative reality, where heroes are made, and where the only limitation is your own imagination. A destination, at the tip of the mighty African continent, where breathtaking backdrops, an unbelievable selection of locations, and every facility imaginable combine perfectly to become whatever you need it to be.

This place is Cape Town International Convention Centre.

And to experience it is to experience extraordinary.

To transform your production into an extraordinary experience contact CTICC: +27 21 410 5000 sales@cticc.co.za www.cticc.co.za

FILM | South Africa

Madiba

Madiba in the movies In honour of Nelson Mandela International Day, which falls annually on 18 July, Screen Africa takes a look at the various faces and films that have portrayed the freedom fighter, Madiba. Over the decades he has been played by distinguished actors that are either American or British. It wasn’t until 2013 that South African actor, Tumisho Masha, became the first local actor to be given the chance to portray the role of the former president in the upcoming biopic, Mandela’s Gun. Considering this film has seen its fair share of setbacks it is only fitting to look back on Mandela in the movies by starting with this famous quote of his: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

2017 Madiba Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Winnie Mandela

Mrs. Mandela

Invictus

Laurence Fishburne The six-hour series is based on two Mandela books, Conversations with Myself and Nelson Mandela by Himself.

Madiba is set to premiere on BET Networks in the US in 2017. Dynamic Television has worldwide distribution rights for the landmark miniseries, Madiba. Directed by Kevin Hook, who is the first black director of a Mandela project, and starring Laurence Fishburne as Mandela.

Madiba is currently being filmed in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Robben Island, co-produced and financed by Toronto-based Blue Ice Pictures and South Africa’s Out of Africa Entertainment in association with UK’s Leftbank Pictures and Cinema Gypsy Productions.

“Madiba will be the longest and most in-depth project detailing the story, which is vast and complex, and has never been told as comprehensively before. It provides an ideal platform to understand Mandela: the man, the myth, the mystery,” says Lance Samuels, president of Blue Ice. Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Kweku Mandela, of Out of Africa is co-producing with Daniel Iron, Neil Tabatznik, Steven Silver, Andy Harries and Loretha Jones.

2013 Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Endgame

Goodbye Bafana

Mandela and de Klerk

Idris Elba

Based on Nelson Mandela’s 1994 autobiography of the same name, the film chronicles Mandela’s life journey from his childhood in the rural village of Qunu through his triumphant inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Idris Elba, who never met the legend, but developed relationships with Mandela’s family, took on the lead role. This British-South African biographical film was directed by Justin Chadwick from a script written by William Nicholson.

Mandela was still in prison in 1989 when film producer Anant Singh sent word that he wanted to do a movie about his life. After Singh was given the rights to make the film, it took him and a team of filmmakers more than 19 years to bring it to screens worldwide.

2011 Winnie Mandela Terrence Howard Mandela 20 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

The film is an adaptation of the biography Winnie Mandela: A Life and delves into

her personal and political life, revealing her fight to overthrow apartheid, and the surrounding controversy that never seemed to fade. Starring American actors Jennifer Hudson as Winnie and Terrence Howard as Mandela. Directed and co-written by the SA filmmaker Darrel Roodt. Written with André Pieterse, the book was by Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob.

2010 Mrs. Mandela

David Harewood David Harewood plays Mandela in another film about his wife, Winnie Mandela, and her tumultuous journey from a shy country girl to a dogged revolutionary, as the world watched her relationship with her husband transform.

Directed and written by Michael Samuels. Produced by British company Diverse Productions and the French company FR2.

2009 Invictus

Morgan Freeman Taking its title from the William Ernest Henley poem, which gave Mandela strength in jail, Invictus falls into the sports-inspirational genre. Morgan Freeman plays Mandela while he uses the nation’s appetite for sports as a pivot point to unite the apartheid-torn land. He enlists the help of the national rugby team, which goes on to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and the result captivates South Africa with what Mandela calls its moment of greatness.

Freeman not only met Mandela but spent time with him to replicate the way he walked and talked; they also watched the film together. Directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by Anthony Peckham, adapted from the book by John Carlin.

Invictus was filmed in SA.

2009 Endgame

Clarke Peters A story based on the covert discussions that brought down the apartheid regime in South Africa. A British film directed by Pete Travis from a script by Paula Milne, based upon the book The Fall of Apartheid by Robert Harvey. The film was produced by Daybreak Pictures and Film Afrika Worldwide. It was filmed at locations in Reading, England and Cape Town.

2007 Goodbye Bafana Dennis Haysbert

Dennis Haysbert played the future president in Goodbye Bafana, known in the US as The Color of Freedom. Based on the memoirs written by James Gregory, who was the censor officer and prison guard to Mandela, the film recounts the intense effect Mandela had on the guard, and the relationship the pair developed during Mandela’s 18-year stay in prison on Robben Island. Haysbert admitted the role was daunting. Directed

by Bille August who also adapted the script with Greg Latter from the book by James Gregory and Bob Graham.

Produced by Film Afrika Worldwide.

1997 Mandela and de Klerk Sidney Poitier

In 1993 Time Magazine named Nelson Mandela and South African president F.W. de Klerk as its Persons of the Year.

Four years later HBO showcased Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine in this two-hander. The film briskly synopsises three decades of Mandela’s life, focusing on the negotiations of de Klerk and Mandela to give blacks the vote, end apartheid and transform the nation into a rainbow democracy. Poitier met Madiba at a news conference in Cape Town.

Directed by Joseph Sargent, written by Richard Wesley and produced by Film Afrika Worldwide.

1987 Mandela

Danny Glover Danny Glover was the first face of the icon in Hollywood’s first Mandela biopic, made while the soon-to-be president was still serving in Pollsmoor prison. In a script written by the South Africa-born Ronald Harwood and directed by BBC veteran Philip Saville. The film was shot in Zimbabwe with armed soldiers guarding the set. This HBO TV movie explores Mandela’s quest from a brilliant young lawyer to an avid anti-apartheid political activist. The tale depicts his time in jail and his wife’s perseverance to promote reconciliation between blacks and whites of South Africa. “Mandela’s great speech on the dock is not unlike King’s speech on the march on Washington in 1963,” said Glover, who met the legend on his first trip to Boston, Massachusetts in 1990.

Compiled by Cera-Jane Catton

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FILM | South Africa

A Story of Hope –

Mitchells Plain – The Movie

THE PLAIN TRUTH: The cast and crew of Mitchells Plain – The Movie

Mitchells Plain local Robin Van Der Byl combined his passion for movies with his love for his community to create a 100 per cent selffunded film addressing the ups and downs of this complex, historic township.

M

itchells Plain, situated some 30km from Cape Town CBD, is one of the largest townships in South Africa. Populated predominantly by the coloured community, it was conceived as a ‘model’ township by the

22 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

then apartheid government and was built in the 1970s to provide housing for the forced removal of coloured victims as a result of the Group Areas Act. While it’s impossible to be accurate – it is estimated that over 300 000 people live there and

the township has gained a reputation for drugs and violent gangsterism leaving local residents living in a constant state of concern and fear.

Local resident Robin Van Der Byl was a member of a group called C.I.A. (Children in Action), which organised holiday clubs for children in the Mitchells Plain community, as well as surrounding areas.

“I also did various youth camps for the city,” says Van Der Byl, “but this had to stop when I started working. I then decided to do a community project at least once or twice a year, and because I have a passion for media, I decided to make a difference by using this passion and I started to write a script. I became part of a media group and we made one

movie – but I felt I had to do one more focused on the community in which I live.”

The movie which Van Der Byl conceptualised covers various social elements that are found in Mitchell’s Plain.

These include gangsterism, drugs, rape, teenage pregnancy and various other issues. The movie tells the story of three matric students who are faced with different challenges that are found in life today. They manage to conquer these challenges after the message about change gets out on the streets. The change starts when the main focus of the movie, which is love, is shown to the kingpins who basically control the gangster elements in the township.

South Africa

“There was no funding for this project,” says Van Der Byl. “Right in the beginning, when I met with the cast and crew at the start of our weekly meetings, I made it clear that this is a community upliftment project and that there were no funds to pay any of the cast and crew. Everyone, without exception, agreed to be part of the production on a purely voluntary basis.”

All the locations were in Mitchells Plain.

The cast and crew all came from Mitchells Plain including the lead players Sergio Miller (Ryan), Miche Gilbert (Tammy), and Anthony Walters (Romano) – none of whom had previous acting experience.

“Transport, location bookings, refreshments, supply and maintenance of

equipment were problematic as a result of the location, but we were fortunate to have all our equipment sponsored by AB Video Productions. We shot with a Sony V1 HDV camera, used normal flood lights and boom microphones. We used Adobe Premier for post-production. We did everything at the same time. We would film over the weekend, and then during the week we would edit what we had filmed the previous weekend. So basically, everything came together as we went along.”

Mitchells Plain – the Movie was launched on Saturday 14 May at the City of Grace Living Waters Auditorium in Belhar. “The premiere was a great success,” enthuses Van Der Byl. “I would

say around 400 people attended the premiere. We had a pre-gala ceremony for the cast, crew, media and invited guests, just to say thank you for all the hard work. Ward Councilor Eddie Andrews was the Master of Ceremony for the evening.”

Van Der Byl is planning a road show at various Schools, churches and community halls right across Cape Town, the Western Cape, and if all goes well, the whole of South Africa and the international market.

He is also optimistic for a flighting on local TV channels.

“I believe that this movie will open and change people’s mindset about Mitchells Plain and any other community in the Cape Flats. Not everyone is a gangster,

| Film

drug addict, or prostitute. There is good in these communities as well and I hope this movie shows this.

“I feel really proud for what the team and I achieved with no financial aid and considering all the limitations imposed on us as a result of this – we did it.

“I really believe that change is possible in Mitchells Plain, and that there is still hope for this community. There is no doubt that there is amazing talent here and it just needs to be identified and cultivated and who know where we could go.”

There will be a further viewing of Mitchells Plain – The Movie at the Shikenah Full Gospel Church in Mitchells Plain on 6 August. – Andy Stead July 2016 | SCREENAFRICA | 23

FILM

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Behind the scenes on SA’s first On a budget of R50 000 and a mere 13 days to shoot, a cast and crew of 15 creatives willing to work pro bono had to defy all odds to create the feature film Last Ones Out.

zombie movie

S

outh Africa’s first zombie movie debuted at the Durban International Film Festival 2016, where the audience got to see what it took behind the scenes to craft this ambitious feature film.

The making-of journey is as worth watching as the film itself, inspiring anyone who has ever faced a setback in chasing a dream. Stumbling blocks became stepping stones in producing this innovative feature, which follows the lives of four survivors of a viral outbreak and their attempt to find a way out alive in the midst of a zombie apocalypse in southern Africa.

“That set the tone perfectly,” says filmmaker Howard James Fyvie after the premiere. “From the get-go people were gasping, laughing, and sighing at all the right moments.” Fyvie found renewed hope for the film, after he quit his day job to take a year for this project in 2014. He hoped to take a leap forward with his career by getting a feature film under his belt, by learning the craft, and by making contacts in the industry.

Fyvie wrote the script partly under duress, because he had one month to write it, but says he was inspired by his love of genre, beautiful settings and road movies.

Fyvie describes the process of sourcing his resourceful team as being like a movie in itself. “You discover that creativity and passion is like a train. If it starts moving forward, people jump on. If it stands still for too long, they jump off,” he says.

Actor and producer Greg Kriek was

24 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

A SCARY CHALLENGE: Still from Last One’s Out responsible for bringing Christia Visser and other known SA actors on board.

“We got some of SA’s best talent, and they all helped us work on the project for free,” explains Fyfie.

In 2015, Last Ones Out was selected by the NFVF to be a part of the Cannes Film Festival Market. “Cannes was interesting,” says Fyvie. “That place is mad. Firstly, we only had a rough draft of the movie to show specific investors, and to be honest, you never want to show a rough draft. We learned that the film needed to be complete before people could understand the whole vision.” Few could believe the budget, especially considering that in dollars the film spend is little more than $3000. Even in rands, a low budget movie amounts to at least 50 times that.

Fyvie and Kriek funded the film by sheer determination, pooled savings, crowdfunding support, a R25 000 loan from a friend and a R10 000 donation from Kalahari Pictures. Clearly quite connected in the film industry, they

borrowed equipment from friends.

“I phoned up John Devries and asked if I could borrow his Blackmagic cinema camera. However, the camera is a nightmare to work with, so I had to first build some kind of hand-held rig with a makeshift battery pack attached to it, it was hilarious,” describes Vyfie.

“I gave this to our DOP Timmy Henny, who had never used a Blackmagic before.

He mastered it within a few minutes,” says Fyvie. “Henny brought in his own Canon Prime lenses, and a Ronin Steadicam, which was awesome. We shot most of the film on that Steadicam rig.”

The entire film was lit with three little LED lights of Henny’s. For one exterior they rented a 2K HMI. “We just didn›t have any other resources for lighting, nor any cash, so we just decided to shoot everything close up.” In one scene they used their mobile phone torches, and in another they used a barrel of fire for light.

The movie was filmed in six locations in Cape Town in November 2014. “I filmed pickups by myself with a few of the scattered cast in March and April 2015,” says Fyvie, who spent the rest of 2015 editing it on his Macbook Pro 15-inch Retina. Colourist Rob Odendaal did the colour grading on his Davinci machine at POST in Woodstock, and at his house.

Sound designer Hans Raubenheimer did the sound on Logic, from his studio in Gardens.

Post-production posed the biggest challenge, Fyvie says, with him editing for eight months, on and off, while shooting occasional pick-ups when he could find a camera and actors. “It’s you and a team of others, all motivated, all excited. You write the script under pressure for two weeks, then you shoot for 13 days, then celebrate with a big wrap party, and then everyone disappears, and you›re left by yourself to handle the entire editing process of a full feature film, while managing post production, and trying to bring in an income as a film maker.”

For instance in April 2015 Fyvie realised

he needed a title sequence. “At this stage, I was so over the whole movie. Everyone else was in other parts of the country, my DOP was overseas, the sound guys were gone, nobody wanted to work for free anymore on a train that was in its station.”

Fyvie borrowed the Blackmagic camera, phoned a friend and went to Dunoon township and filmed the opening of the movie. “I remember having to hold the camera, the reflector, the microphone, and all the lenses at the same time, while directing Zama Mfihlakalo, keeping an eye out for crowd control, applying blood makeup on his face, and listening intently to make sure we were getting audio.”

While filming the climax scene on day 11, Henny ran into some trouble and broke his hand, so Fyvie was forced to grasp the camera and shoot the rest of the scene that night.

The score was composed by Johannesburg composer Zethu Mashika, whom Fyvie had met at Talents Durban in 2013. “His music lifted the film to the next level,” says Fyvie.

Currently Last Ones Out is looking for distribution in SA, and the film will be available on VOD in the near future. Fyvie has an action comedy that is sitting with KZN Film Commission and says: “We definitely won’t move forward on a film again without a budget. We cut our teeth, now we’re aiming bigger. We’re looking to make massive, big budget commercial films that move us emotionally and challenge us intellectually.”

– Cera-Jane Catton

Key crew list: Cast: Greg Kriek, Christia Visser, Tshamano Sebe, Vukile Zuma, Zama Mfihlakalo, Jack Hein, Cele Du Plessis.

Film Makers:

Writer / Director / Editor: Howard James Fyvie Producer: Greg Kriek, Howard James Fyvie Director of Photography: Timmy Henny Composer: Zethu Mashika Colourist: Rob Odendaal Sound Designer: Hans Raubenheimer

Tanzania

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Seko Shamte – redefining Tanzanian film 34-year-old Dar es Salaam-based filmmaker Seko Shamte is no stranger to creating visual works of art.

From a young age, she admired journalists and filmmakers, and even in that formative phase, she knew what she wanted to be one thing – an artist.

“I

always loved film, especially classic cinema, and really found my footing when I took an introductive module in the history of film in college,” Shamte recalls.

“I had always loved music, I was the chairperson of the music club in middle school, I played multiple instruments as a kid. I also always loved writing, so the visual medium became a challenge and later on a passion and an obsession.”

Growing up in an academic environment, Shamte learned a lot from her engineer father and education specialist mother. She travelled with them extensively to different parts of the world including Asia and the U.S. where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BSc in Finance and a minor in Media studies from Marymount Manhattan College in New York, in 2005.

“I have just always been internally motivated,” she illumines. “I grew up watching my parents who have always had a serious work ethic and, either genetically or from emulation, I naturally work hard.”

That hard work saw her spending all her summers working at radio and television stations in the US during college and later in 2005, when she moved back to Dar es Salaam, she became the Head of Programming at East Africa TV for four years, a role that to this day allowed her to nurture her creativity and put her on the pedestal of shaping the future of Tanzanian mainstream media.

‘In EA TV, I was in charge of coming up with all the creative content, the shows, the programming, I am grateful to have initiated and introduced Ze comedy-the highest rated television show in the history of Tanzania during my tenure.”

Shamte founded Alkemist Media in 2008, after quitting her job in EA TV. The company produced content for CNN’s Inside Africa and later she produced Mkwawa, a feature documentary on Chief Mkwawa of Uhehe in 2011. The film tells the story of Chief Mkwawa, who hailed from central Tanzania. He’s regarded as one of the most brilliant military strategist in Tanzania’s history and one of the most successful chiefs of the pre-colonial time, who resisted the German colonialists.

‘Mkwawa was my dream project, I

VISUAL MEDIUM – A PASSION AND OBSESSION: Seko Shamte always wanted to do it and am glad and proud I did’.

Later in 2014, she produced and directed The Team, a series that ran for a year, and a Swahili-language cooking show for DStv’s channel 160 titled Jikoni Na Marion, translated in English as ‘In the Kitchen with Marion’.

Now she has completed her first

feature film, Homecoming, a film she wrote, directed and produced. The picture is a coming-of-age story about Abel, a man in his late 20s, who returns home from studying in America and ends up working in a bank. While there, he unearths a conspiracy that puts his life in jeopardy and tests his ethical fibre.

“I wanted to take a snapshot of what Dar es Salaam life was like and also to

explore how a person becomes corrupt,” Shamte says.

The film was shot with a RED Epic Dragon in 6k by Dylan Verrechia, an N.Y. based cinematographer. It is to be released later this year.

The question of morality is central in the film, Seko adds – in particular the idea of moral mutability, the question of how exactly one is able to sacrifice one’s moral standards. ‘Where is this turning point in our life stories? Does it happen so gradually that we hardly realise what or who we have become?’ Homecoming premiered in 2015 and Shamte is still seeking a distribution deal for the feature.

To Shamte, telling the African story to the world by Africans themselves is critical. ‘It is very important to me that we Africans tell our own stories from our own perspective and utilising our voice, we need to document them to save ourselves from internalising self-hatred and idolisation of foreigners’.

With a passion for the creative arts, Shamte works in other media apart from film.

“I love film so much that I don’t really think about an alternate life,” she says.

“But if I had to, then I’d either work in music, be a writer or design furniture.”

She still is able to pursue these avenues as a hobby.

Shamte, who regards legendary filmmakers Ousmane Sembene and Abderrahame Sissako as her role models, is focused on redefining Tanzanian film, which has been overshadowed by Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

‘I want to keep putting out interesting films and content on the Tanzanian experience to the rest of the world and Africa, and be the first Tanzanian woman to win an Oscar for best international film’.

She also wants to give back. ‘I want to mentor young up-and-coming filmmakers in Tanzania’.

The filmmaker is married to Amour Shamte, a former telecommunication executive. ‘I always say that my husband is my biggest fan and inspiration, but there are also my parents and all the young Africans making their mark in the world.”

She believes every African has a chance to become anything they want to be. ‘No dream is ever too big. The only thing that can stop you, is you.”

– Sam Charo July 2016 | SCREENAFRICA | 25

FILM

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Elements of Cinema: Finding Freedom follows two parolees from Cape Town, as they redefine life after prison. Filmmakers captured the experience of protagonist Franklin Esau shooting his first music video. This was a fulfilment of a dream of his and was shot in his hometown of Elsies River, which has become notorious gang territory.

In addition to Franklin, they were also filming the community, an approach that allowed them to film this shot of the boy with a toy gun. This scene had an unforeseen wrap when an actual gun played a real role in the film.

Roxanne Dalton on directing The film is an exploration of rehabilitation and a meditation on freedom. It oscillates between interviews and hand held observational scenes where we allowed events to happen as naturally as they could with us being there. We followed Franklin Esau and Malcolm Booysen for more than a year. This scene takes place just over half way through the film. Esau is deeply loved and respected in the community, especially as he is now focused on giving back and uplifting younger musicians. This meant we felt quite safe when filming with him in Elsies.

We had a larger crew than normal on this particular day, since I arranged that we would help film the music video itself, while the DOP would be capturing the process as it unfolded. We only filmed in the day and avoided filming when it got dark. Elsies River and Ocean View are two communities that we focus on in the film, and they both become an extension of the two protagonists. When filming our focus was not only the two protagonists in their environment, but also the environments themselves, and we were always on the lookout for moments that spoke to the experience of living there.

One of the biggest challenges with this scene was crowd control. We tackled that by incorporating some of the community to help.

26 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

Roxanne Dalton on production design The decision to incorporate slow-motion filming speaks to the feeling of a suspension of time that is often described in moments of extreme danger or complete freedom and ecstasy. The slow motion footage is a technique to physically slow time. This creates an interesting effect within the reality being presented through the documentary form. It is as if the world is holding its breath; there is a pause created where one can observe more closely. The shot of the boy with the toy gun is one such moment captured in slow motion. We see him in the montage following the gunshots that were fired while we were filming the music video.

We were always on guard in Elsies, and stuck together. What was great about filming there was the vibrancy both in colour and in the people. It was clear that Franklin was loved and admired, which meant we were able to capture many poignant moments in the community.

This was Franklin’s moment. None of us foresaw it ending in an actual shootout.

TOO REAL FOR COMFORT: A scene from Finding Freedom

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Shooting under fire

Michael Everard on cinematography

Roxanne Dalton on editing At the end of the shooting process of the entire film, we had about four TB of footage to go through, which made the edit process incredibly difficult. The film was very much made in the edit, and it became clear early on that this scene would become the climax of the film.

Since the shoot ended so abruptly, we ended up filming the music video again at a much later date. In the edit I decided to combine both music video shoots as one, and intercut them with Malcolm experiencing his ultimate passion of spinning cars in a spin pitch in Strandfontein.

The nature of a music video is multiple outfit changes and location changes, so continuity when editing this scene, wasn’t a problem. Our DOP had been rolling when the gunshots occurred and captured Franklin telling us we had to leave. These shots served as a natural end to the sequence. Grading was done by Regard Voges using Davinci Resolve. And he tried as much as possible to match the grade as I had roughly done during the edit in FCP 7.

We used the Canon 5D Mark III, with the Sony FS700 for slow motion. The 5D is a great, light, and fairly inconspicuous as cameras go. It also captures a great image and can handle various lighting situations. This scene was shot entirely using natural light. We wanted to go for realism as well as practicality when shooting in Elsies.

The environment and atmosphere of Elsies both make this scene what it is and presented the biggest challenge in terms of shooting. I think the big trick was just to allow the environment to mould the filming rather than trying to force it to present what we were hoping to capture.

There is very little control when shooting in these conditions, but in many ways this is when the best content presents itself.

Going back was definitely a different feeling, a heightened awareness and alertness that I didn’t have before. I guess knowing first hand that gang shootouts really can happen anywhere and any time does change your sense of security. That said my camera provides a sense of security and an ability to focus on the task at hand without worrying excessively about what is going on around me.

While violence is a reality and a serious social issue, there is also a considerable amount of hope and life in these communities which I would never have experienced had we not shot this scene.

Franklin Esau and Malcolm Booysen on Elsies

Wayne C. Simpson on sound The scene immediately felt like a point of reflection for me as the composer and I wanted the viewer to know that. Themes of hope run through much of the film, but this scene injects some reality. Slow motion scenes suspend time and give us a chance to reflect and this was my starting point with the score.

The piano I used, along with the strings sound broken and worn somehow. There was a strong parallel between what I was trying to communicate and my own process of writing. The cue is written in Dorian mode and avoids a feeling of rest anywhere. The whole cue feels like its suspended, like a chunk of time that was cut out.

Limited resources definitely were a challenge. Creativity is just problem solving and having too many possibilities could stifle workflow. My process felt like a parallel to Franklin and Malcom’s life after prison. You just make it work.

Franklin Esau: Although I was excited about filming my music video, I was feeling protective for I know in the neighbourhood I grew up in, violence erupts at any moment. I had my eyes on the crew the whole time so that they didn’t get robbed. Luckily music is in my blood so it did not affect my performance on camera. When the shots went off, then got louder and closer, I was looking for each one of the crew. Rounding them up, explaining we needed to get going.

As you see in this image of the young boy holding a toy gun, he has no choice but to accept gun violence as a normal event of the day. This violence has an impact on your moral compass. To have held a real gun as a child adds to the destruction of the community, it is too easy to fall victim to gangsterism and drugs. I think we must educate our youth and steer them towards building positive pillars in the community.

Malcolm Booysen: When the shooting took place it was good and bad for me.

Good, because that shows how dangerous our communities are even during daylight. People who see the film also feel what it’s like living in these difficult circumstances. Bad, because our kids are at risk of the dangers that reside there.

Compiled by Cera-Jane Catton

July 2016 | SCREENAFRICA | 27

FILM | Director Speak ang Lebog aba Raseth

“There is this intensely creative, unapologetically young and curious energy in South Africa that I sense and subscribe to; it’s really infectious and I point my camera in that direction,” says South African director Lebogang Rasethaba.

Arcade Content director, Rasethaba is a patriot, he is passionate, and he is a filmmaker.

After completing his master’s in film studies in China, he returned fluent in Mandarin and experience. Since then Rasethaba has made his mark on the advertising world, and is also known for the documentary features The People Vs The Rainbow Nation, Future Sound of Msanzi, and Prisoner 46764: The Untold Legacy of Andrew Mlangeni.

What is your background and how has this shaped you as a director?

I am a young black South African. I was raised by strong black women. I was born in Soweto and moved around tirelessly while my parents tried to find themselves in the new South Africa. I had a best friend who was white. I was once punched outside a Spar by an Afrikaans kid who called me a k*****. I did horribly in school, but excelled in university. I was creative at school but not necessarily cool. I was only cool because of how good I was at cricket.

I tried to start an art society but failed. Once I got my history teacher to paint a portrait of my mom and never got it because I never paid her. Once some kids in my school found my pad where I doodled and laughed at me. I wanted to be a fine artist but my father said no; I haven’t stopped thanking him since.

Describe the moment when you decided to become a director?

I feel there is no such moment. One becomes a director over a long period of obsessing with arts, culture, life, storytelling, representation, fashion, rap music (Kanye West to be specific), table manners – or the lack of – in people you have dinner with, lovers, comics, Myspace and all its manifestations since its untimely death.

Where do you find inspiration?

My What’sApp group with Mzi Khumalo, Thabang Moleya, Mpho Twala, Ernest Nkosi, Tebogo Malope and Zweli Radebe.

Do you have any mentors?

The many mistakes I make daily in my work.

What are your personal career milestones?

When my mom watched my documentary, The People Versus The Rainbow Nation, and she couldn’t move for an hour after its conclusion because she wished someone had made a film like that when she was growing up.

Which projects are you currently involved in?

A few documentaries, mostly follow-ups: A follow up to the MTV documentary, The People Versus the Rainbow Nation, and another follow up to Future Sound of Mzansi. As you know with commercials, they keep coming in and out; it just depends on when I last checked my emails.

DO YOU PREFER FILMING COMMERCIAL OR FEATURE LENGTH? They are both so different and fulfil such different creative needs. I don’t have a preference; that’s why I do both.

28 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

What has been your FUNNIEST moment on set?

I am always trying to be funny on set but no one ever laughs so I have stopped, and now I am just serious all the time.

What IS your favourite COMMERCIAL and why?

Castle Lite Ziyabanda is my favourite piece of work because it’s the best piece of work I have ever done.

What is your favourite oneliner from a COMMERCIAL? I prefer silent commercials, and I am big on non-dialogue commercials.

What songs make up your most recent music playlist?

Miles Davis and Robert Glasper.

If you could produce an African version of a Hollywood classic, what would it be?

I wouldn’t. I would produce an African version of an African classic. There is too much literature on the continent to reproduce Hollywood stuff. I low-key hate Hollywood.

Compiled by Cera-Jane Catton

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Documentary

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Alison: A contemporary Set for theatrical release this August, which also happens to be Women’s Month, director Uga Carlini’s hybrid feature documentary Alison, is a tale of courage and the resilience of the human spirit.

real-life fairytale

A

lison reflects on the events that took place in December 1994 when two men raped, stabbed and disembowelled Alison Botha after they abducted her from outside her home in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Botha was left for dead on that horrific night, but she defied death and has lived to tell her story, using her trauma, and triumph over it, to empower others. More than 20 years after the attack, Botha shares with audiences her thoughts on being your own hero, how trauma is on-going and how she manages, against the odds, to keep it at bay.

Published in 1998 by Penguin SA, Botha’s best-selling book, I Have Life, has remained on the the publisher’s bestsellers list since its release, and has been translated into seven languages.

Botha was also, reportedly, the first-ever South African to publicly speak out about being a rape victim, and has since become a well-respected motivational speaker.

The film is written, directed and produced by Uga Carlini, the founder and owner of Fish Hoek-based production company Towerkop Creations – a film company that specialises in female driven heroine stories –who says that she knew she wanted to tell this story after she was left feeling captivated, empowered and inspired after first listening to Botha speak more than a decade ago: “In 1999, soon after I read Alison’s book, she came to do a talk at my old high school…

There, I experienced the gift, bravery and the honesty, of this incredible human being for the first time myself and was privileged to see, with my own eyes, how she rippled through everyone else who was there to see and hear her – to leave us inspired and better human beings. We need more of these stories.”

Carlini set about telling Botha’s story with a promo – funded by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), which was shot in 2014, “…with the help and forever deep gratitude of the NFVF and my dedicated crew and cast, and all the silent heroes who helped us make it

30 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

TO TRIUMPH OVER EXTREME ADVERSITY: A scene from Alison

happen and gave us gear and studios for free – Media Film Services, Stratosphere and Visual Impact,” she says. The promo eventually gave the project the momentum and funding it needed in order to shoot the feature film version and cameras started rolling in August 2015, with primary shooting lasting five weeks.

Carlini decided to tell Botha’s story using a hybrid style of storytelling – combining elements of documentary and narrative filmmaking – which has recently been increasing in popularity. A style which she says was chosen to give audiences the raw facts as a documentary would, while still entertaining in a way that would attract larger audiences.

“Visually, it employs the same kind of planning, incredible creatives, story scripting around the structure etc. – not the dialogue, as obviously that remains authentic – as one would in fiction,” she explains. “Also when it comes to audiences, unfortunately documentaries as a genre are reserved to a very specific, limited audience, and seeing that we are rolling out at Nu Metro cinemas for women’s month, I need to make sure my audiences know that there is as much here for them, except for the obvious, that one can expect from a fiction level film, as well as a non-fiction film. My plan and drive was always to offer them the

best of both worlds on screen.”

Cinematographer Georgia Court made use of the Red Dragon 4K due to the intense CGI and animation that needed to be carried out in post. “We knew that most of this film’s hard work was going to happen in post and that the Red Dragon was going to give us the best chance to have the canvas in place so we can make it all happen then,” says Carlini.

DOP Court adds that, with budget constraints, shooting on the Red Dragon also allowed her to complement the lens package they could afford with her own set of Samyang (Canon mount) Cine lenses and kit, which proved to be helpful and resourceful in terms of lighting: “I have a five-way Interfit Cool light that I combine with a photographic silver umbrella so that I can wrap light around the face and select the intensity of the light and swivel the position of shadows around a face. This I used as key light for all the interviews. In my ‘make up kit’ I had Ice Lights, small white light torches that I could gel to get a spot of red or blue light, cut crystals, film dust, glitter, fairy lights – anything I could use to create a little something extra in the shot.”

The film employs stylistic elements that reference fairy tales; Carlini says she chose to incorporate these as she views Botha’s story as a contemporary, true-life fairy tale, not only encompassing lessons

to be learned but also a somewhat magical component: “This contemporary real-life fairy tale has more than just its moral or ethical undercurrent and lessons to be learned, but like the original versions of fairy tales – as written down by the Brothers Grimm in their adult versions in the 1800s before it became sanitised, reworked versions for children – it is full of macabre and gruesome twists between the magic and miracles. Evil tried very hard that night to destroy Alison for keeps. It failed. And it failed for many reasons. Partly because of Alison, partly because of the incredible, heroic individuals that crossed her path that night and in the days that followed the vicious attack, and partly because of the unexplained. The miracles if you may, the magic if you must! This fairy tale is real.

There are monsters, princes, princesses and they give the stereotypes of what we’ve been led to believe is the norm, a run for their money.”

The film’s cast, in addition to Botha, includes Christia Visser, Zak Hendrikz, De Klerk Oelofse and Francois Maree. Alison is made in association with kykNET Films, the Department of Trade and Industry (dti), the NFVF and Waterfront Film Studios. The film is distributed by Black Sheep Films.

Alison releases at Nu Metro Cinemas on 12 August. – Chanelle Ellaya

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Television | South Africa

A

noble calling

FIRST TIME IN THE FIELD: A veterinary student taking care of a zebra in a scene from Frontier Vets

As of 9 July, the 13-part first season of Frontier Vets – a new and original, local reality series produced by South African production company Green Films Pty (Ltd) – airs on SABC3.

T

he series follows eight young veterinary students who, still in their final year at university, have the overwhelming responsibility of running an animal clinic in an under-developed rural area on the border of the Kruger National Park.

Patients will include dogs, cattle, elephants, lions, rhino and other wildlife, with the students being put to the test under the guidance of Dr Greg Simpson.

Many of the animals coming into the clinic represent the livelihoods of their owners and so the pressure is on for the young students to perform well. More than just a show about animals, Frontier Vets has been dubbed a coming of age story of personal and professional growth.

Produced by Dr Greg Simpson and Jonty Action, Frontier Vets had its beginnings when Simpson – a veterinarian working for the University of Pretoria – approached Action in 2009 regarding an interesting project he was involved in at the time, where a community vet clinic had been established in Hluvukani, Mpumalanga (on the border of the Kruger Park), operating both as a training facility for young vets as well as a centre to provide animal health care in an area which previously had no formal vet clinic. “It was a unique partnership between the university and local government,” explains Action.

What made the project even more interesting was that this would be the first

32 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

time that the student vets would be working with real animals: “Dr Greg was running the clinic and every two weeks he would receive a new batch of students from the university, students who at that point had no practical experience. They had six years of theory studies behind them but this would be the first time they would be applying what they had learned in the practical field.”

Action says that according to Simpson what impressed him the most about his time with these students was how much they learned in their time at the clinic, not just about veterinary science, but about themselves. “This showed definite potential for a possible TV documentary show based around the students at the clinic.”

Action says that what attracted him most to the idea of making the series was the journey of the students. How they go from a definite point A in their professional and personal lives at the beginning of the series, to a point B at the end. “The dramatic potential of this important life stage of any person going into the workplace for the first time was what really interested me… But more markedly so when the stakes of your job involve life and death on an almost daily basis. Who really knows how they will react when faced with having to take a life for the first time? So for me the strength lay in the character-based nature of the show. Of course the animals were an extra draw card, the wild animals in

particular… And the unique nature and positioning of the clinic and the culturerich community added extra layers to what I felt was a strong foundation for a story of learning and self-discovery.”

Six of the eight students featuring on the show were cast when an open casting call was held for all students in their final year of veterinary science at the University of Pretoria. Furthermore, the producers sent out a casting call to veterinary schools in both Germany and the USA, and cast a German and American student. “The foreign students brought an interesting outside perspective to a lot of the things we take for granted as South Africans, but of course they were completely ‘fish out of water,’” says Action. For final selections, the team enlisted the expertise of a psychologist: “It was very important for us that we cast very different types of students, as their inter-personal relationships are an important element of the show.”

Each episode of Frontier Vets is case based, following the students as they handle a case at the clinic, or are called out into the surrounding community and wildlife parks to work on cases there.

Action explains that when dealing with these cases, the students are faced with conflict on three levels: Their internal self-confidence and knowledge (do I know enough?); the inter-personal (working with clients and colleagues very different from themselves); and conflict caused by the external environment (the lack of facilities and proper tools, the limited treatment options, the threat of disease to themselves, the danger of wild animals etc.).

Action, who in addition to coproducing Frontier Vets, also directed the series, explains that in terms of a prescribed look and feel DOP Jeandre

Gerding was focused on capturing real moments while staying true to the reality genre and predominately using a handheld style of shooting. Further enhancing the stylistic realism, lighting was kept to a minimum with mostly natural light being used. To shoot, Gerding and cameramen Juan Doubell and Johannes Schoutsen made use of the Canon FX-300, which Action says was chosen because “the workflow was really easy, it’s a great ‘run and gun’ camera, and its 50 mbit/sec data rate satisfied broadcaster specs.”

In addition to the personal journey of the students and the beauty of the wild animals, Action says that one of the driving principles around producing Frontier Vets was to showcase veterinary science to the younger generation of South Africans.

“South Africa is short of vets in certain areas, rural areas such as Hluvukani in particular, and it was Dr Greg’s hope that by getting the series into the homes of South Africans more people might consider the profession as a real option. The young men and woman who choose this profession are, in my mind, heroes. They look after the most vulnerable lives which very often get pushed to the bottom of the pile. It’s emotionally tough and it can be soul-destroying at times, but it’s a noble calling.”

Shot in and around the Hluvukani community in Mpumulanga, where the clinic is based, as well as the Kruger National Park and several private game farms, season one of Frontier Vets was financed by private investors as well as a loan from the National Film and Video Foundation.

Frontier Vets airs every Saturday at 11h30 on SABC3. – Chanelle Ellaya

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Television | South Africa

Branded the greatest shoal on earth, the famous sardine run sees these fish travel in seething masses stretching up to 15 kilometres in length, three and a half kilometres wide

Photo CREDIT: Gordon Date White Lens Photography

Sardine run becomes a reality series

and nearly 40 metres deep.

As millions of sardines travel north, between May and July, along the gorgeous and rugged shores from Cape Point to the Eastern Cape and KZN coastlines of South Africa, the run is visible by satellite and for the first time, it will be coming to screens as a reality series, Bait Ball, showing the gruelling pursuit to witness the spectacle.

T

he migration is a show in itself, but the sheer number of sardines attracts hundreds of predators en masse, creating a feeding frenzy.

Birds, dolphins, sharks, whales, seals, and gamefish put on a show like no other.

Patrick Walton, producer at ShootAway Productions, spoke to Screen Africa from Port St Johns during the filming of Bait Ball, which commenced on 20 June and ended on 3 July 2016. Worldwide distribution will mean initial airing in Canada and Europe before it hits local

C

screens. Walton anticipates that part one of the series will include 13 episodes.

The series is inspired by footage taken

by Frogsquad, a marine support and commercial diving company that services the SA film industry. Frogsquad’s Jason Martin and Jimmy Fraser showed Walton their run footage and shared the idea to film the skippers doing the run. Walton thought that it had potential to be as good, if not better than the successful series, Deadliest Catch. The trio created the format and filmed a pilot so that Walton would have the tools necessary to pitch the series for funding abroad.

Finding international partners and an international distribution company was key to accessing funding. “Local funding for Bait Ball was turned down by a number of entities as it does not fit within the scope of their funding mechanisms,” says Walton.

The pilot, shot in 2013, went well but Walton says they were hampered by the lack of local funding. “Despite a small compact crew, we came away with enough content to create a six-part series,” says Walton. He then travelled abroad to a number of film and TV festivals pitching the idea. The series was optioned by Peace Point Rights, a Canadian based distribution and production company, and collaboratively they started to tackle investors and broadcasters to find the funding.

“Ultimately we received investment from Canada and Italy just two months ago so preparation time has been very short,” says Walton.

“Due to the nature of the shoot we have spent a lot of time discussing cameras suitable for the conditions the operators will be under,” Wlaton says.

They ultimately settled for the Sony PXW-FS7 4K XDCAM. “ShootAway recently completed servicing of The Bachelor and these cameras worked really well in run-and-gun, ENG style filming,” explains Walton.

Planning for rough seas and inclement weather, particular attention was paid to waterproofing of all equipment. “There is not a lot out there besides the traditional splash bags to protect gear. We are on open super ducks with no option for cover and confined spaces. We brought solutions in from Germany with the assistance of Digital Media Services and Media Film Services. We have also been inventive with pool noodles for rifle mics and waterproof dive bags for sound gear,” explains Walton. “Shooting in high seas was a challenge both technically and physically for our crew,” he adds. “Eight to 12 hours on boats meant being well prepared with data, power and other technical requirements.”

Raw and real, the series is not scripted, and dolphins, whales and gannets certainly played their part, to the delight of the story producer, Bobby Janic.

Walton says: “By its very nature there is enough action going on.” He explains that the run is unpredictable, and it comes down to luck and timing. “With the sardine run running late, there was the risk of us not finding enough action but we were fortunate in so many ways with

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what we were able to capture. Despite freezing mornings, rough seas and very long days we had no fallout from our crew.”

Walton confirms that despite unpredictable challenges filming went extremely well, and their long hours were rewarded with incredible footage above and below the ocean. “There were days where we had scoured many square kilometres and hit gold only on our return home,” says Walton.

Post-production is currently underway in Canada on Avid, and the show will be delivered in full HD. “We now go into post for six months, which is going to be a daunting task considering the amount of footage we have. We are confident with our Canadian partners, we have a great show.”

The crew were all South African with Walton and Martin Leitch directing 40 passengers and a team of 24 divers, skippers, safety divers and dive masters.

On the final day of shooting Walton says that an encounter with a whale left divers with tears in their eyes. “Such was the impact of this remarkable footage we shot.”

The show follows skippers Greg Da Valle, Jimmy Fraser and Carl Elkington as they take clientele to chase the run. “The SA crew displayed on this show why they are considered the best in the world,” says Walton. “This was a brutally tough job.” Audiences at home will be able to witness the remarkable phenomenon, captured by a team that risked it all to get the shots. – Cera-Jane Catton

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Hassle free music solution for advertising agencies We all know the stresses involved in getting the perfect song to add that extra special effect when creating an unforgettable advert. Why settle for good when it could be great?

Music in TV commercials, radio adverts and other mediums may be challenging and very stressful to agencies and companies rs who aren’t experienced in this discipline, therefore services provided by music supervisors like independent music/license clearances and possible music replacement are available to assist music users throughout the entire complicated and often confusing process of music licensing.

With the tough economic climate South Africa is currently experiencing, advertising agencies and their clients may find themselves facing deadline and budget challenges when licensing music, even more so when licensing international songs. The nature of licensing any piece of music is that the user requires approval from the all original copyright holders, which, depending on the songs originating territory and the number of copyright holders, may take some time which could possibly delay any pre-planned flighting schedules. As a music user, there are a number of factors to consider when sourcing your ideal song.

One of the biggest factors to consider when licensing a piece of music is the music’s origin. Is it a big international song, or is it a continental/local song? The territory will provide an indication of possible cost estimates, turnaround times and the number of people you may need to deal with on a license. The nature of licensing an international song is one that requires slightly more time in comparison to a local track, as approval is required of the all the original copyright holders and their representation. This may be a challenge depending on who currently represents the rights and how active they are. In some instances you may even find yourself liaising directly with the artist/composer, as they have no representation.

Also potential time delays with the Americas who only respond next day. This becomes slightly

more challenging for an individual without any past experience in the field, especially when dealing with ‘classic’ (very dated) tunes, as it may become harder to locate the rights holders.

Depending on the number of copyright holders involved in the music, you may find yourself liaising with 2 all the way to +7 people in attaining the necessary clearance, namely from the Record label and Publisher. “This can be scaled all the way down to one person when utilising the supervisory service of Sheer Publishing,” says Brett Vorster the Production Music Licensor at Sheer Publishing. “This is a great service for Advertising agencies and Productions Houses as it becomes one less thing to worry about in the midst of everything else thats being prepared for the production,” he continues.

Due to the ever-fluctuating exchange rate, licensing an international song may cost you an ‘arm and a leg’ as quotes and costs will be set out in dollars/pounds. Using African compositions are ever so advantageous in scenarios like this. The communication with rights holders may also be speedier and far more direct. It’s important to know that a clearance may take anything from a week to a year due the complex nature of budgets, licensing terms, medium and term requested, and the overall negotiation, which makes it very important to plan ahead of time.

When deciding on a potential piece of music to accompany a visual image, a client needs to consider whether the campaign is creative or budget driven. This will provide the music supervisor with a clear cut an indication of which strategy needs to taken when procuring the music at the outset, better yet, the most cost effective and timeous solution. In many instances, a client may find themselves creatively drawn to a piece of music because of its audio visual synergy and how the emotional feel of the music works perfectly within the advert, only to find that they can’t afford the “fees for that piece” of music.

“When faced with a such a problem, replacement options are a viable alternative in conveying the

message,” says Mandrew Mnguni, the Creative Head at Sheer Publishing. “This enables a client to keep the music at a consistent level with the visual, at a more affordable price,” he continues.

“We also know how sensitive time is in the advertising industry thus we pride ourselves on quick turnaround time, from sourcing replacement options, to procuring cost/quoting estimates, receiving approval, all the way down to the final stage of facilitating license agreements,” he adds. Replacement options are generally easier to clear as the Music Supervisor would ideally curate 100% owned/represented pieces of music to avoid the clearance involvement of other rights holders, thus make the process quicker and smoother. Replacements can be approached in a number of ways depending on which characteristic within a song you are looking to find a replacement for. This ranges from Live to electronically composed music, the overall feel of the music, the genre, the message being conveyed, and most commonly the lyrical content of the music. Thus the replacement options will strongly depend on which traits within the music are driving the creative message/goal in the advert.

Should it come to light that the music’s involvement in the campaign/advert is budget driven, options such as Commissioned music and Library/Production music are often the way to go.

Commissioning is a great option as the final piece of music is user defined, thus the commissioner can prescribe guidelines for the composers to work from. It is also advantageous to commission music as this allows you to pre-clear the proposed fee with composers pitching for the job. “We represent a variety of composers ranging from the world renowned film scorer Phillip Miller, to the super hit producer of singles such as AKA’s Baddest and All Eyes on Me, Tweezy,” says Mandrew. “This allows Sheer Publishing to cater to any and all musical genres by so making us a one stop shop in commissioning music,” he continues.

But what if I don’t like the end product? Well – it has a lot to do with the initial information and reference music provided. Firstly it is very important to word the brief in a specific manner to get to the correct and expected final outcome. When all’s said and done, music can tweaked, and adapted where it is deemed necessary, without forgetting to mention that until a clients happy, the job is not done.

Commissioning may be more effective when experiencing deadline constraints as it’s generally more time efficient than the nail-biting wait when requesting clearance for a commercial piece of the music.

Over and above than commission works will deem you the copyright holder of the master recording of the commissioned music, making it more effective should you plan on reusing the commissioned piece for other campaigns or renewing for subsequent years. Is there a solution that may be cheaper than commissioning? Well – Yes. Production Music is one of the best options when working with a concise budget. Production/ Library music is an inordinately great source of music. “With amazing rates and an abundance of music to choose from, Production music is a music user’s dream,” says Brett Vorster, the Production Music Licensor at Sheer Publishing.

For more information regarding Production/ Library Music please see the article below.

Over the past few months, we’ve seen a large shift in the consumption and licensing of African Music over the continent and it’s usage over various mediums. Most recently we’ve seen a change in South Africa with a shift to the 90% play-listing mandate of local content. As a result of this, we’ll soon be seeing a positive and strong shift in the licensing of Local content for Advertising Agencies and like music users..

With a reservoir of authentically brewed African music, free music searches and some serious bang for your buck, look no further than Sheer Publishing for all your music needs.

– Zwelibanzi Sisilana

Production music for advertising – the cost effective alternative When it comes to advertising, music plays a vital

The second are budget driven campaigns where

acquire a high calibre composer to create a piece

compositions for your advert at a price that fits

role in bringing the visuals to life. Therefore it is

the cost surrounding the advert as a whole, is

of music for your advert.

within your budget. So whether you require music

imperative to find the perfect music to carry out

everything. The message being conveyed within

your vision. Having said that, the topic of the

these particular ads is more important than the

comes in as a very cost effective alternative for

cinema, Skumba Music has an all-encompassing

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adverts on a tight budget. Further to production

production music library backed by a musically

music budget for your advert, is a topic that

campaigns will lean more

music being cost effective, it requires no

creative team, ready to facilitate music searches

needs to be well evaluated and assessed in order

towards commissioned music/production library

clearance, therefore when working on time-

according to your specific needs, to satisfy your

to ascertain what music you can use, and at the

music centric in order to remain within the

constrained projects; production music can be

adverts every musical demand. The broadcast

what price.

budget constraints.

supplied in a hassle free nature with very quick

mechanical rates associated with production

turnaround times. The outdated notion that

music are fees payable for the usage of the piece

Finding the right piece of music at the right

International commercial music comes with a

The great news is that production library music

for a TV commercial, radio spot or an advert for

price can be a challenging task, especially when

hefty licensing fee for two main reasons. Firstly,

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of music you wish to acquire and are subject to

hindered by budget constraints. It is important to

the popularity of the song in question sets a

become somewhat a fallacy in recent years.

the CAPASSO rate card. The fees applicable vary

remember that there are four main music

precedent for the price and secondly, the

categories to take into consideration that affect

originating territory of the song. License fees

scorers are creating music libraries of their own.

the rate card: Broadcast Medium (TV, radio,

your music budget differently. These four

applicable are often charged in USD and regularly

Recording with full orchestras and live

cinema, public location, internet etc.), Territory (In

categories, in order from most expensive to most

exceed amounts of $50 000 depending on which

instruments, often creating cinematic quality

which country/countries will your advert flight?)

cost effective are as follows: international

rights you seek to attain (TV, radio, cinema,

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and duration (how many seconds or minutes of

commercial music, local commercial music,

internet/online). These licensing fees become

Mnguni. The Skumba Music Library offer top

music will be used?). It is handy to have all of this

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particularly daunting as we as South Africans

compositions by renowned composers such as

information available to you when looking to

library music.

currently face very tough economic condition,

two-time Grammy nominated Cedric Samson, the

acquire a rate for your required piece of

rendering this option unattainable in instances

Emmy award nominated Philip Miller, who has

production music. The CAPASSO rate card is

help you ascertain which of the above four music

when your advert has budget constraints. Local

also worked on the Canadian Screen Award

attainable on their website (www.capasso.co.za),

categories you will be able to acquire. The first

commercial music is much the same as

winning series Book of Negroes and Wawela

alternatively, contact the team at Sheer

are creative driven advertising campaigns

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Award Winning Brendan Jury who has worked

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whereby budget is less of a factor. Popular

the exception that the fees applicable are

with the likes of The Parlotones, Vusi Mahlasela,

co.za/library2@sheer.co.za) to assist in obtaining

commercial songs come into contention in order

charged in Rands. Commissioned music, which is

Miriam Makeba and Johnny Clegg.

the applicable rates, whilst supplying you with the

to wow clients by making a bold statement, which

music specifically composed according to a brief,

is usually an approach undertaken by big brands.

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There are two broad areas in advertising that

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perfect piece of music to bring your advert to life!

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FESTIVALS & MARKETS | DIFF 2016 report

Durban International

HUB OF CREATIVITY: The historic Playhouse theatre, which was the main screening venue for DIFF 2016

Another Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) and Durban FilmMart (DFM) has come and gone.

Screen Africa reports on the trends and dominant themes at the 37th edition of Africa’s biggest film festival.

Opening night The tone of opening night at DIFF was rather subdued compared to previous years, perhaps as a result of the furor that had erupted a few months previously over the choice of the opening film. Although controversial, the move from the Suncoast CineCentre to the Playhouse Theatre actually benefitted opening night, offering a somewhat more elegant venue with stronger cultural connections. More controversial than that move was the final choice of opening film. This is always a big talking point at DIFF and this year was no different, with the documentary Journeymen getting reactions that were mixed, to say the least.

The opening night event and film screening was, as always, well attended with barely a seat in the house to spare.

Acting festival director Peter Machen welcomed attendees and thanked, by name, the organisation team behind the festival as well as contributing industry organisations and media partners.

Machen also took the opportunity to welcome and introduce David Maahlamela, the new director of the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

As for the film itself, audience reactions 36 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

were extremely varied. Some praised the picture for its sharp humour and unconventional editing, as well as for the unbiased way in which it showcases South Africa’s vast, differing landscapes and people. While other audience members, still acknowledging the former, found the film incohesive in its structure and dialogue, and unnecessarily longwinded.

For our part, it seems that if the opening film is to set the tone for the festival then this documentary was an unfortunate choice. Although entertaining in places, Journeymen does not achieve what it sets out to do and comes across as poorly structured, has a first-draft feel to it, is decidedly subjective in its view of 22-year-old democratic South Africa, and spends far too much time on trivialities that seem to have little to do with the film’s stated purpose.

Many of the vignettes in the movie are amusing but they don’t seem to tie up into a cohesive whole. Thankfully, the festival programme was filled with some fine documentaries that offered better examples of how to exploit the format – such as Finding Freedom and Nobody’s Died Laughing.

The industry programme got underway the following day at DFM, with a series of panel discussions that, while tackling

many ongoing issues that arise every year, still managed to bring something new to the dialogue. Among the main themes were international co-production, pitching techniques, authentic storytelling and micro-budget filmmaking.

Storytelling and story-selling On the first day of DFM, Marie LoraMungai of Restless Talent Management presented a session titled ‘How to pitch like a pro and not fall flat on your face.’

“A pitch is a concise verbal, sometimes visual, presentation of an idea for a film or TV series generally made by a screenwriter or a director to a producer, financier or a distributor in the hope of generating interest in the project and getting it off the ground,” explained Lora-Mungai. She went on to emphasise that there are two elements in the aforementioned definition that are particularly important to remember when developing a successful pitch and the first is that a pitch should be concise – it is not a synopsis, it is a well thought out idea that needs to grab attention. The second is that the goal of a pitch should be to generate interest in the project.

Lora-Mungai advised that when delivering a pitch, one should always be

aware of what the jury is thinking. She went on to outline the dos and don’ts of pitching and gave delegates the chance to practise their pitches in front of the other attendees.

Storytelling and story selling with the Business Model Canvas was discussed by a panel of four industry professionals from Cape Town, Kenya and Canada. The Business Model Canvas is a strategic management tool for content producers to make the transition to content entrepreneurs. The discussion showed how this canvas can be used to build a team of people to help take an idea completely through to fruition. They discussed how to get your story to the world, how to get your story making money, and how this canvas can ignite the passion that content entrepreneurs need.

International co-production In addition to signing a memorandum of understanding with the Namibia Film Commission, the National Film and Video Foundation also presented a discussion on the recently concluded co-production treaty with the Netherlands.

Terrence Khumalo from the NFVF, Frank Peijenburg and Pieter van Huijstee

DIFF 2016 report

| FESTIVALS & MARKETS

Film Festival 2016 from the Netherlands, and South Africa’s Marc Schwinges presented an open dialogue between industry professionals on how to make the most of the treaty.

“The greatness of storytelling is that everyone can relate it to themselves,” said van Huijstee about working on a South African story with a target audience in Holland. Answering a question about whether the film needs to be shot entirely in South Africa or can be shot throughout Africa, the panel explained that any spend outside of SA would be precluded from funding. However, if shot within the country the story could come from any nation, as long as it has a South African interest along with a strong artistic and international appeal. It was further advised that should a South African wish to be in a co-production, to contact the NFVF first and they will further advise on co-producing and how and whom to contact.

Authentic storytelling The final talk on this year’s DFM programme was presented by marketing guru GG Alcock, who offered some answers to the question of how to tell authentic stories and build credible bonds with target audiences.

Although not coming from a film background, Alcock was able to offer considerable insight into a problem facing the majority of South African filmmakers and storytellers of all kinds: how to create content that is relevant to an audience. In an industry constantly caught between the need to create authentic, specifically relevant content and the (conscious or unconscious) notion that such content must follow a Western model in some way, it is little wonder that South African storytellers often become confused, bogged down in restrictive ideas of what locally relevant content should constitute, or inclined to abandon their cultural authenticity in favour of something with “global appeal.”

Alcock set out, with his talk, to eliminate these conflicts and to try and bring to light the unlimited storytelling resources to which South Africans have access, by focusing on the difference between two concepts that are distinct from one another but often conflated: culture and tradition.

Alcock was raised in rural KwaZuluNatal and is thus a fluent Zulu speaker with a strong knowledge of Zulu culture and history – unusual among white South Africans. This cultural background has put him in a powerful position to identify

South Africa’s cultural resources. At the heart of his thesis is the idea that culture is not tradition – while tradition is stationary, culture is dynamic. South African storytellers may wish to steer clear of their own culture based on the idea that it is stagnant, restrictive and dictates that only certain types of story may be told. In Alcock’s view, it is tradition that is being spoken about here, not culture. By avoiding culture, storytellers sacrifice their authenticity and cut themselves off from a wealth of narrative resources.

The main take-out from Alcock’s talk are: • Modernisation is not Westernisation • Culture is not tradition • Story is found, not in stagnant tradition but in the rich textures and contexts of everyday real experiences, humour and people, where longstanding tradition and modern trends meet.

• Current sociocultural experience in South Africa remains anchored in local heritage and culture regardless of how modernised it may be. On the other hand, it continues to modernise and absorb new elements rapidly.

The shoestring lobby A panel discussion on micro-budget filmmaking saw a number of passionate guerilla-style filmmakers advocating for the importance of their methods in the building of the South African industry.

“It is essential that we find ways to make the industry accessible to emerging filmmakers and that we close the gap between established, aspiring and emerging filmmakers,” said independent writer-director and chairperson of the eThekwini Filmmakers Association, Andile Buwa, who opened the discussion.

Micro-budget filmmaking is a fiercely independent practice, championed by a handful of the most dogged emerging filmmakers in South Africa. They have recently found important platforms for their work via television channels like Mzansi Magic, and are even making inroads into the various state funding institutions, which are now starting to see the value in guerilla film production. The filmmakers in question, such as Buwa, Mr B and Lehlogonolo Moropane, aka ‘King Shaft,’ have been determinedly plying their trade since long before such opportunities became available, producing films in a short time on R100 000 or less, and are in a perfect position to advise incoming filmmakers on how to make the most of scant resources and just go out and get films made.

Although not entirely in line with the work of Buwa or King Shaft, one of the films on the festival schedule, Last Ones Out, written and directed by Capetonian Howard James Fyvie, perfectly exemplified the ethos of micro-budget filmmaking. The zombie thriller demonstrated what can be done with a small amount of money and a resourceful and dedicated team.

On the whole, a varied festival programme, while not leaving everyone completely satisfied, certainly stimulated debate and offered a kind of ‘state of the industry’ for South Africa and its neighbours. The DFM industry programme, as always, offered useful information for novices and pros alike, from the speakers to the journalists to the audience. It was, as usual, a hub of creativity, inspiration and culture. Despite the controversy that surrounded the festival in the weeks prior to the 37th edition, delegates from across Africa and the world came together with the common goal of celebrating and elevating the film industry, the filmmakers that contribute to it and the films that make it.

– Cera-Jane Catton, Chanelle Ellaya, Warren Holden

July 2016 | SCREENAFRICA | 37

FESTIVALS & MARKETS

|

Africa’s first

surf festival shines on Wavescape International Film Festival setup on Clifton beach

38 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

ON A GOOD WAVE: Still from The Wave I Ride

| FESTIVALS & MARKETS

South Africa’s surf film festival, Wavescape, saw thousands attend free screenings on Durban’s Golden Mile. A full moon and engaging line-up concluded the June screenings. This epic festival has been touring the country since 2004, arising from a love of surfing and spreading through a love of sharing surf stories.

I

t was in 1998 when Steve Pike, known colloquially as Spike, started the website wavescape.co.za while travelling overseas. “It grew into a pre-Cambrian iteration of something resembling a website,” gibes Spike. “I used to send out a text-only HTML surf report via email, with whacky language and slang. It was the time of the prehistoric web.”

In 2003 Spike’s book Surfing in South Africa was published and while having coffee with his publisher, Ross Frylinck, he said: “We should start a surf film festival.

It would be such a cool thing to do.” The pair researched it to discover that there were only two surf film festivals in the world, one in San Sebastian, Spain, and the other in Kona, Hawaii. They held Africa’s first festival in Cape Town in 2004.

Frylinck quit his day job, by selling his publishing company and the Wavescape International Film Festival was born.

The first film festival included a surf board art exhibition and charity auction, and Spike says it was an immediate success. “Some big movies had come out in the early years, including Riding Giants, Dog Town, Z Boys and Step into Liquid.”

The inaugural screening was outdoors at Clifton fourth beach, and more than a thousand people came to the first screening. “Because the website had a database, and people still used to read newspapers, we could get the word out easily,” says Spike.

In 2005 Peter Rorvik at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF)

contacted them to explore a collaboration since Durban was after all nicknamed Surf City, and they were keen to add a component to DIFF that tied the city to the ocean. “We have been coming to Durban every year since, and for the past 11 years, we get around 2000 or so folks who come out for the Bay of Plenty open air screening as well as another 1000 or so who come to five nights of indoor screenings.”

Wavescape has steadily grown into an institution, according to Spike, with the help of partners such as the Save Our Seas Foundation and Pick ‘n Pay. “Cape Town comprises several events, including a beach screening, indoor screenings, the art board exhibition and auction, a Slide Night comprising top ocean speakers in a format that’s like a cross between Tedex and PechaKucha, and a Fish Fry, comprising sustainable fish braais and a cultural exchange among the surf craft community,” explains Spike.

Wavescape’s intention has been to foster the development of adventure film making in South Africa, and they are working with Wesgro in Cape Town and Red Bull South Africa to attract entries to their Shortcuts Film Competition as well as workshops where the best extreme sports filmmakers impart their wisdom.

“As surfers who have seen first-hand the threats to our oceans, we have slowly evolved into a deep awareness of issues around sustainability and conservation, and are keen to explore projects that have a real impact on saving our oceans,”

says Spike. “Surfers are at the coalface of these issues. As custodians of the oceans, in a sense, we could have a powerful role in educating the world about the shocking statistics around plastic pollution and ocean acidification,” he adds.

For 11 years Durban has made Wavescape proud by presenting its famous warm winters. Gear there is supplied by Black Coffee. “We have a potent projector and a scaffolded screen, with fibre cables running the video from the van,” explains Spike. “Because the weather is so mild, it is generally not necessary to take lots of precautions for keeping the electronics dry and the screen free from wind.” This is not the case in Cape Town, they have come a long way since their beginning. “In the early days of our Cape Town festival, we had this inflatable screen that needed a constant stream of air via an electric pump on the side. My partner Ross and I often reminisce about the good-ol’ bad days when we would stand on each side of the screen, watching a gust of wind catch the screen, causing it to bulge horrendously and threaten to split it from end to end, or worse, to snap the nylon straps anchoring it into the sand and send a stainless ratchet into the audience. It was like playing chicken, to see who would last the longest before we abort the show by pulling two giant zips on each side that would instantly collapse the screen. A couple of times, we tried to continue, but had to call it off,”

explains Spike.

DIFF has never posed such problems and their current screen is a lot sturdier.

Spike says DIFF 2016 was the best evening yet for their first screening, with a perfect balmy night, cranking surf along the piers nearby and not a breath of wind. “We had sell-out shows and busy screenings,” says Spike of the indoor screenings at Rivertown Beerhall. “Durban is an awesome city, and we’re so proud to come up from Cape Town and be part of the vibrant growth of a truly African city. If we can help in even a small way to build Durban into a tourism and cultural destination, then we feel we have fulfilled our role at DIFF.” Wavescape does screenings in Cape Town, at the Labia in town, and on Clifton fourth beach, and have previously done tours of the Garden Route, as well as shows in Jeffreys Bay, and in Reunion. Filmmakers can submit their films for consideration via the website www.wavescapefestival.com and they keep an eye out for new projects that are in the mix around the world.

“We have good relationships with many of the top surf filmmakers, and of course with the rise of social media and the ubiquitous YouTube, it’s hard to miss most of the films. However, we’re always looking for edgy narratives that fly in the face of the ‘surf porn’ convention, and sometimes those films take a little bit of digging to find,” adds Spike.

– Cera-Jane Catton July 2016 | SCREENAFRICA | 39

Broadcast Technology | Media Over IP

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THE ALTERNATIVE WAY: NewTek NDI workflow

Video over IP (Internet Protocol) comes in many forms and the technology used to stream video over IP has in fact been around for more than 20 years. In the world of broadcast and production, video over IP is an alternative way to transfer file-based media on networked computers. This method of pushing high bit-rate media signals over Ethernet is now a solid replacement for a seemingly dated serial digital interface (SDI). But not all IP standards are equal, it seems. Many industry professionals are joining the debate over which has greater merit. – Continued on page 42 40 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

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Broadcast Technology | Media Over IP

T

here are multiple options for utilising video over IP, and one that is increasingly used among content producers and vendors is SMPTE 2022-6, which was ratified in 2012.

However, a newer, open source protocol released recently is expected to be the widest adopted IP standard on the market by the end of this year.

Video over IP offers numerous advantages due, in no small part, to the fact that video can be processed on a computer, while on the production side there are countless software-enabled solutions. There are many advantages to IP transmission, including cost savings and greater operational flexibility but the issue of discussion is always on selecting the best path forward. It is no longer a question of whether video over IP will happen but when.

Hundreds of broadcasters and facilities have already switched to a total IP environment while many discuss all the options. The SMPTE 2022 standard was first introduced in 2007 and has expanded to cover more types of IP video transport – positioning video over IP as a replacement for SDI. SMPTE 2022-6 offers a number of advantages as it was designed specifically to handle up to 1080p video, and what makes it so attractive is that it offers the ability to use a single standard for high-bitrate, uncompressed signals.

The main downside to SMPTE 2022-6 is that it isn’t exactly future proof. While it

42 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

could be seen as a building block that allows video to be sent over Ethernet, the standard is considered to be a transition and can’t handle 4K/UHD raw uncompressed video easily—as SMPTE 2022-6’s pipe supports 10 GB while UHD is about 12 GB. Compression solutions for UHD over 2202 are already in the works however, and one option touted by some in the industry is TICO, a patent-pending, visually lossless, light-weight compression that specifically has been designed for the industry to move 4K content over active 3G-SDI and IP networks. TICO, which is simply an acronym for ‘tiny codec’, is gaining traction, with big names in the industry seeing this as a way for SMPTE 2022 to support 4K/UHD. TICO is just one of several codecs, but these are still essentially stop-gap measures as the industry determines how to best handle UHD video over IP. In late 2015, there were announcements from two organisations promoting video over IP. One is called AIMS (Alliance for IP Media Solutions) and the other is called ASPEN (Adaptive Sample Picture Encapsulation).While both organisations support the idea that the future of video transport will use IP-like protocols for switching and delivery, they differ in how they manage the important requirement of video synchronisation.

Will these two approaches eventually be interoperable? Clever solutions should evolve that can enable the interchange between AIMS and ASPEN encapsulated

video and audio signals without breaking the bank or experimenting with partially deployed competing SMPTE 2022 10GBit protocols like AIMS and ASPEN. But there is uncertainty regarding the use of commercial, off-the-shelf IP switches for transport of live video and audio signals.

Which IP switches will support which protocol and more importantly, at what cost?

Another approach, and becoming increasingly popular in the industry, is one developed by NewTek, called NDI (Network Device Interface) technology.

NDI makes it easy to send high quality video over any qualifying network, new or existing, and make any video source available to any video destination at an affordable low cost. Of course normal network rules apply – it has to be a fast enough network, and not clogged up by other users, but with a bit of planning, this is easily possible these days. NDI is bidirectional, allowing devices to communicate with one another, but more importantly it makes it easy for a production facility to move into videoover-IP without having to make a large capital investment in a high bandwidth network switches or having to replace SDI devices.

NDI makes the entire video infrastructure virtual. Which means that once you have connected your video source or destination to the network, everything else is software controlled. If you have multiple video devices with an

NDI driver, all you have to do is plug it into the network for it to become visible to every other device as a source or your device as a destination for other devices. To get a camera’s output onto the network, you can either plug it into a video interface that is connected to the network (this could be one of many well-known capture cards that are available now – like ones from Blackmagic Designs for example), or any other device with an input that can ‘talk’ NDI. In other words NDI provides a fabric that connects video devices together.

The NDI Software Developer Kit (SDK) provides the tools and resources for developers and manufacturers to integrate NDI into their systems and workflows to enable or accelerate their transition to IP. The SDK supports finding, sending, and receiving any number of video streams over IP, with the encoding algorithm supporting all video resolutions and frame rates up to 4K and beyond, as well as 16 channels of audio and beyond. It also includes tools to implement video access and grouping, bi-directional metadata, and IP commands.

There is no doubt that the broadcast industry hysteria over IP video has rapidly produced remarkable technology and solid building blocks to allow video to be sent over Ethernet, what remains to be seen is how long the entire process will take? – Ian Dormer

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New Media | VR

The future is here In June 2016, Unreal Industries and Bladeworks Post Production pulled off a world first when they created a virtual reality live stream for the 22nd South African Music Awards (SAMAs). Never before had a live award show been broadcast for 360-degree VR viewing.

F

or the 22nd edition of the SAMAs, to be held in Durban, the award committee wanted something different. They called upon Unreal Industries, a production company that specialises in virtual reality, to create and execute a concept that would elevate the 2016 show to a new level. The theme that the committee had chosen “I had an idea, when we were first talking about it, that I wanted to do a live VR broadcast,” says Unreal creative director Malcolm Ché. “The committee loved the idea but we were aware that this would be a world first. We have an ongoing relationship with Blade and it’s always been great working with them because they understand what we want creatively and we are capable of pushing what they can do from a creative perspective.”

The project would include a camera rig that would offer full 360-degree coverage, allowing the audience to look around the entire venue during the course of the award show for a truly immersive experience.

Blade was easily co-opted into the pioneering enterprise, being eager to try something they had never done before.

With not much time allocated to the job, general manager Warren Bleksley assembled a team to build a solution mostly from scratch. Chief engineer Peter Hangelbroek and DIT Riaan van der Merwe worked on a portable rig that included six GoPros mounted in a 360-degree rig, connected to a

POST PRODUCTION

computer complete with Vahana image stitching software.

Flame operator Jaco Kraamwinkel then set about creating a stitching template to allow for the seamless fusing of the images from each of the six cameras, a process that comes with a number of complications involving issues of parallax.

To put it simply, if one camera has an image in close-up and the next one a mid- to long shot, stitching is not going to work.

Ché then briefed Blade animators Ryan Lloyd and Warren Jacobs to create a title sequence that would work both with the conventional television broadcast and the VR live stream. Using After Effects and Metal, Jacobs created a space travelthemed sequence that completely embodied the ‘Future is Here’ theme and tied in visually with the VR approach.

During the live TV broadcast, audiences were given the link for the VR stream on YouTube. Viewers were thus provided with a number of options. They could either watch the conventional TV broadcast on SABC or, if equipped with VR headgear, they could watch the live stream, which offered them a complete view of the arena, from the stage to the front and back rows. The effect was to move the broadcast of a live event to a point where the audience had the power to ‘direct’ their own coverage. The team then had the challenge of ensuring that there was something worth looking at wherever the audience looked.

As for the future of the VR medium, it

A WORLD FIRST: Bladeworks general manager Warren Bleksley with the portable 360-degree camera rig used at the SAMAs really seems to Ché and Bleksley that the possibilities are endless. Technical capacities are advancing almost daily, which is just as well, since the requirements of the medium are substantial. Bleksley explains that the live stream required an uncontested 100MB pipe – not too tall a requirement for a once-off but if the technology takes off, bandwidth provisions would have to increase exponentially. Cameras and software also require some tweaking, considering the parallax issues that Kraamwinkel worked hard to iron out, as well as the limitations of GoPros and their characteristic ‘bending’ of images. But Hangelbroek and van der Merwe explain that any camera can work in the rig – imagine a night shoot in the bush using six Sony a7S’s.

For Ché, the great value of the SAMAs project is that it brought long-cherished theoretical notions to practical reality.

“We now have proof of concept,” he says.

“Theoretically we knew there was no reason why we couldn’t put up a live broadcast through YouTube offering a 360-degree view of an award show. Now

we have actually done it. That gives us the confidence to move forward with other ideas we’ve been playing with.

“Aside from live broadcast, this will offer enormous potential for creatives in all kinds of other formats. The 30-second commercial, for example, is dead. Now, with virtual reality, you are no longer shouting at someone from a billboard, trying to wrench yourself into people’s lives. Now you are inviting them into your world, you’re offering them a certain amount of control and enabling them to empathise and that wins them over.”

For Bleksley, it’s all about expanding the toolbox that Blade can make available to creatives. “We’ve been talking a lot lately about how post-production is under pressure and how we can find new avenues to create work. This technology offers that. It’s still new and a lot of exciting things are still going to happen in this space. For creatives, it opens up a whole new medium. The playground is getting bigger – it will be interesting to see what people come up with.”

– Warren Holden

ANIMATION / DESIGN / VFX / VIRTUAL REALITY

NOW

V R READY WWW.BLADEWORKS.CO.ZA 44 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

P R O D U CP TR OI DOU N PD C T IU O N U PAD T A TEE S S FOR FURTHER DETAILS VISIT www.screenafrica.com

Those productions in red are newly listed this month Production Updates Order of Information 1. Title 2. Production Company 3. Director 4. Genre

IN PRODUCTION 20 and Free X CON Films Dir: Munier Parker Documentary 50/50 Clive Morris Productions Current affairs 53 EXTRA M-Net Inhouse Productions Dir: Navan Chetty Magazine A BROTHER’S LOVE 1300 Pictures (Pty) Ltd Dir: Elvis Nkosi Feature A CALENDAR OF EVENTS – MEDUPI & KUSILE Betta Beta Communications Prod: Tommy Doig Documentary A MAN OF HIS OWN PRINCIPALS Sekgopha Productions Prod: Buhle Mofulatsi / Thapelo Hlagala TV movie AQUELLE’ MIDMAR MILE 2015 Media Ventures Prod/Dir: Chris Moolman Documentary AFRICA 360 eNews News Head: Patrick Conroy Current affairs AFRO CAFÉ SEASON 7 Bonngoe Productions Prod: Pepsi Pokane Music ArtsCulturex Talent 1000 Championships Michics Global Communications Exec Prod: Mishack Motshweni Series Auditor General Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Brad Montgomery/Natalie Varoy Corporate BACKBONE PROJECT Global Access Creative Agency Prod: GA Creative Agency Documentary BINNELAND Stark Films Prod/Dir: Friedrich / Elsje Stark Series

Carte Blanche shorts TIA productions Prod / Dir: Tarryn Lee Crossman News

FRIENDS LIKE THESE Urban Brew Studios Prod: Trishana Singh Game show

CLAASENS DESIGNS MARKETING VIDEOS Panache Video Productions Prod/Dir: Liesel Eiselen Marketing videos

GENERATIONS Morula Pictures Prod: Mfundi Vundla Series

COOL CATS Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Cecil Berry Children’s show

GLAM GURU Homebrew Films Prod/Dir: Paul Venter Actuality TV series

CORTEX MINING FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate video

GOOD MORNING AFRICA Planet Image Productions SA Prod/Dir: Wale Akinlabi Magazine

COME DINE WITH ME SOUTH AFRICA Rapid Blue Prod: Kee-Leen Irvine Reality

GOSPEL GOLD Engage Entertainment Prod: Sthembile Mhlongu Music

CUTTING EDGE SABC News Current affairs

Got It Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Guy Sclanders Corporate

Debra Deel Khaki Productions Prod/Dir: Christelle Parrott, Wynand Dreyer Series

THE GREATEST THING Noble Pictures Prod: Claudia Noble Feature film

DIAMOND BROKER OF CONGO Bendimir Productions PTY LTD Prod: Dede Tshibangu Documentary

THEY, THEM, HERE Left Hand Films Prod/Dir: Lisa Henry Documentary

DIMENSION DATA Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Natalie Varoy Corporate

GROEN NAMIBIE 2 Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Wildlife

DINNER DIVAS 2 Blonds and a Redhead Filming Prod: Anne Myers Series

HEAT WAVE Ruby Rocket Media Dir: Eddie Edwards TV series

DISHONEST Inhlakanipho Films Dir: Vusi Nhlapo Feature film

HECTIC 99 Okuhle Media Prod: Wilna van Schalkwyk Magazine

Ditokelo tsa Medupi LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature

HITACHI POWER AFRICA MEDUPI AND KUSILE Betta Beta Communications Prod/Dir: Tommy Doig Documentary

DIY MET RIAAN Prod: Riaan Venter-Garforth Magazine EARTH BEAT Tekweni TV Productions Prod: Sandra Herrington Series EASTERN MOSAIC Red Carpet Productions Prod: Saira Essa / Mark Corlett Magazine END GAME Fireworx Media/ Tunc Productions Prod: Bridget Pickering Dir: Akin Omotoso/ Thandie Brewer/ Thabang Moleya Feature

HOUSE CALL Urban Brew Studios Prod: Lawrence Molepo Talk show IGNITE Footprint Media TV Prod: Cheryl Delport Reality IHAWU LE SISWE Provoke Entertainment Dir: Sechaba Morojele TV series iParent training clips Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Guy Sclanders Corporate

EXPRESSO (Season 2) Cardova Prod: Paul van Deventer Series

IMIZWILILI Ukhamba Productions Prod: Alfred Mpofu Music

BONISANANI Grounded Media Talk show

FACE OF GEMINI Footprint Media TV Prod: Cheryl Delport Series

INKABA Urban Brew Studios Prod: John Kani Telenovela

BRAVO! Homebrew Films Prod/Dir: Paul Venter TV magazine

Facility Management Lectures (A4FM) Panache Video Productions Dir/ Prod: Liesel Eiselen Educational

In search of our own Open Window school of film arts Prod: Adriaan De la Rey Documentary

BRENT OWENS UNWRAPPED…SOUTH AFRICA Oxyg3n Media Prod: Rebecca Fuller-Campbell TV series

Faith Today Impact Christian Media Prod: Carl Schultz TV series

ISIDINGO SEASON 19 Endemol South Africa Prod: Pumla Hoppa, Leo Phiri Soap

FOX NEWS CHANNEL Betta Beta Communications Prod/Dir: Tommy Doig News

JOBURG TAXI Xcut Studios Prod: Dave Kaminer Documentary

Free State Toursim Indaba Our Time Productions Dir: Jaun de Meillon Corporate

JOU SHOW Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Talk show

FRENZY Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Morena Sefatsa Variety

KWELA Homebrew Films Prod/Dir: Paul Venter TV magazine

BLOODLINE: NOW OR NEVER Dual Films Prod/Dir: Darrell Roodt Feature film

Bugatti Together Lucky Fish Productions Dir: Raphaël Crombez Commercial CAINE’S LEGACY Media Navigation Prod/Dir: Dan Akinlolu Short film CARTE BLANCHE (INSERTS) Modern Times Prod: Sophia Phirippides News

Unit 3, Harbour Place, 1061 Schooner Road, Laser Park, Honeydew

PROD U CTION

UP DAT E S NET1 – SASSA Betta Beta Communications Prod: Tommy Doig Corporate NEWS NIGHT eNews Prod: Nikiwe Bikitsha Current affairs Oscar Pistorius Documentary Inserts TIA Productions Dir/ Prod: Tarryn Crossman Documentary PASELLA Tswelopele Productions Dir: Liani Maasdorp / Werner Hefer Magazine PAWN STARS SOUTH AFRICA Rapid Blue Prod: Kee-Leen Irvine, Ed Worster, Johan Naude and Kat Weatherall Reality PHUNDEKA READING PROGRAMME SummerTime Productions Exec Prod: Phundeka (NGO) Documentary POWER COMBAT ZONE Mixed Motion Entertainment Dir: Dieter Gottert Sport PROJECT MV Zen Crew Prod: Laura Tarling Music Rands with Sense 2 Blonds and a Redhead Filming Prod: Anne Myersin Education RHYTHM CITY Quizzical Pictures Prod: Yula Quinn Soapie

KHUMBUL’EKHAYA Urban Brew Studios Prod: Khulile Nxumalo Factual entertainment KOKKEDOOR 2 Homebrew films Prod: Jaco Loubser and Paul Venter Cooking reality series KOLLIG Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Magazine KONA The Directors Team (Pty) Ltd Prod/Dir: Laurence Lurie / Cathy Sykes Series KOOLCON CORPORATE VIDEO FiX Post Production/ Marketing AV marketing video LATE NITE NEWS ON E.TV Diprente Productions Prod: Tamsin Andersson Series Light Girls South African Unit White Heron Pictures Prod: Themba Sibeko Documentary

Marang Estate: Mixed Used Development Nov/ Dec Our Time Productions Dir: Jaun de Meillon Documentary

RIVONINGO Asi-B Films Prod: Asivhanzi ‘Asi’ Mathaba Children’s show ROLLING WITH KELLY KHUMALO Red Pepper Prod: Cecil Barry Reality

MASHELENG1 LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature

ROOTS Ukhamba Communications Prod: Alfred Mpofu Music

MASHELENG 2 LMOL Production Dir: Jonny Muteba Feature

SAINT AND FREEDOM FIGHTER Blue Marble Entertainment Dir: Eugene Botha Documentary

MassTalk Global Access Creative Agency Prod: Brad Montgomery Corporate

SAKEGESPREK MET THEO VORSTER SEASON 5 Dirk Mostert Camera Production Prod/ Dir: Dirk Mostert Series

MATRICS UPLOADED Educational Improvement and Study Help (EISH) Prod: Lisa Blakeway Educational

SAUBA IMAGOFILM Prod: Tam de Vries Reality TV series

MOTSWAKO Carol Bouwer Productions Prod: Grant Paul Roy Talk show

SCANDAL Ochre Moving Pictures Prod: Romano Gorlei Soapie

MCA Training Global Access Creative Agency Dir: Guy Sclanders Corporate

SCHOEMAN BOERDERY – MOOSRIVIER Khaki Productions Prod/Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary

M-NET SHORT FILMS Current affairs Films Prod/ Dir: Jane Thandi Lipman Film

SELIMATHUNZI Sikhoyana Productions Prod: Baby Joe Correira Variety

LIVE LOTTO SHOW Urban Brew game show

MURDER OF A FORMER FIRST LADY Sabido Productions Dir/Prod: Catherine Rice Documentary

SHIZ NIZ Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Allen Makhubele Variety

LOVE RUNS OUT Muti Films Prod: Shanna Freedman Feature film

MUVHANGO Word of Mouth Prod: Pieter Grobbelaar Feature

SHIFT Urban Brew Studios Prod: Bongani Maphumulo Talk show

MAHADI SEASON 2 Urban Brew Studios Prod: Khulile Nxumalo reality show

MY GENERATION Current affairs Films Dir: Jane Lipman TV series

SISTERHOOD Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Andy Leze Variety

MAMELLO SEASON 2 Endemol Shine Africa Prod: Shirley Adonisi TV drama series

My name is Funeka Sabido Productions Dir/Prod: Catherine Rice Documentary

SIYAKHOLWA – WE BELIEVE X CON Films Dir: Munier Parker Edutainment

Mandela’s Gun DV8 films Dir: John Irvin Feature

MZANSI INSIDER Bonngoe Productions Prod: Pepsi Pokane Magazine

SKEEM SAAM Peu Prod/Dir: Winnie Serite TV series

LIVE Urban Brew Music LIVE AMP Urban Brew Studios Prod: Sjula Dlamini music show

NEILL ANTHONY – THE PRIVATE CHEF Okuhle Media Prod: Grant Flynn cooking show

46 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

Slender Wonder Doctors Conference Grey Cloud Productions Dir: Jacques Brand Prod: Slender Wonder Corporate video Slender Wonder Patient Testimonial Videos Grey Cloud Productions Dir: Jacques Brand Corporate videos SOCCER ZONE SABC Sports Head: Sizwe Nzimande Magazine SODA AND Mayoral Awards Global Access Creative Agency Guy Sclanders Corporate SPRINGBOK STORIES Angel Music Studio Productions Dir: Chrissie Rossouw TV series STUDY MATE Educational Improvement and Study Help (EISH) Exec Prod: Lisa Blakeway Educational SUIDOOSTER Suidooster Films Prod: Colin Howard Soap SUPERSWIMMER Media Ventures Prod/Dir: Chris Moolman TV series THE CHAT ROOM Eclipse Prod: Thokozani Nkosi Talk show THE COMMUNIST REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Jam TV, Creative South Africa, Nkhanyeti Production Prod: Barthelemy Ngwessam Documentary THE JUSTICE FACTOR eNews Prod: Debbie Meyer Current affairs

VELDKINDERS Kilroy Was Here! Productions Prod: Gideon Breytenbach Documentary series VILLA ROSA Spectro Productions Dir: Luhann Jansen / Andries van der Merwe/ Leroux Botha/ Isabel Smit Series VLERKSLEEP Homebrew Films Prod/Dir: Ben Heyns Reality TV series Volkspele South Africa Grey Cloud Productions Dir:Jacques Brand Prod: Bertie Brink Documentary WARD 22 TIA Productions Prod/Dir: Tarryn Crossman Documentary WEEKEND AM LIVE SABC News Current affairs WIZARD OF ZIM Away From Keyboard Dir: Samora Sekhukhune Documentary WOMB-MAN Bolobathaba Multimedia Prod: Molatelo Mainetje Documentary YILENGELO LAKHO Prod: Nndanganeni Mudau Current affairs YOTV Urban Brew Studios Prod: Adelaide Joshua Youth show ZOOM IN Footprint Media TV Prod: Cheryl Delport Talk show

IN POST-PRODUCTION

THE REAL GOBOZA 10 Urban Brew Studios Prod: Sydney Mekgwe Magazine show

A BUSHMAN ODYSSEY Onetime Films Prod: Richard Wicksteed Documentary

The Revolution Betrayed Shadow Films Prod/Dir: David Forbes Documentary

A DIFFERENT COUNTRY Sabido Productions Dir: Lisa Henry Documentary series

THE RUDIMENTALS Periphery Films Prod: Simon Taylor Feature

A FATAL ENCOUNTER – THE MARLEEN KONINGS STORY Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Johann Abrahams Documentary

THE TECH REPORT Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Technology magazine TEMPY PUSHAS SEASON 3 Endemol Shine Africa Prod: Pumla Hopa TV drama series TIGER KLOOF – A SYMPHONY IN STONE Box Screen Pictures Prod/Dir: Mpho Dintwa Documentary TOP BILLING Tswelopele Productions Prod: Patience Stevens Magazine TOP TRAVEL (Season 3) Cardova Prod: Bradley van den Berg Series TOWNSHIP YOGI GreenShoot Films Dir: Peter Matthews Documentary Troopship Tragedy (Working Title) Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Marion Edmunds Documentary TRUE LIFE STORIES Endemol Shine Africa Prod/Dir: Victoria Maake Docu-reality series TSHIPE BORWA MANGANESE MINE Betta Beta Communications Prod / Dir: Tommy Doig Documentary Vaseline Experience Xcut Studios Dir: Lee Anne Theron 4D AV production

A Love Letter to Luxor Shadow Films Prod/Dir: David Forbes Short film A MOTHER’S MADNESS Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Ayesha Ismail Documentary A STOLEN LIFE – THE SASHA LEIGH CROOK STORY Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Catherine Rice Documentary AFROX CO2 PLANT FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate video AFROX FINANCIAL RESULTS FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate video AFROX RAU INSIGHT FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate video ALL FOR NOTHING – THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRUNO BRONN Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Barbara Friedman Documentary BA SEKWI Vu Prod.

Prod/Dir: Jeanne Vu Van Documentary BEAUTY CONTEST Phoenix TV Productions Prod/Dir: Koketso Sefanyetso Short film

P R O D U CP TR OI DOU N PD C T IU O N U PAD T A TEE S S CAESAREAN COMPLICATIONS SummerTime Productions Exec Prod: Professor Eckhart Buchmann Documentary

MURDER ON MILLIONAIRE’S MILE Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Barbara Friedman Documentary

THE CODE BREAKER NHU Africa Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Documentary

Challenge SOS 2 Blonds and a Redhead Filming Prod: Anne Myers Reality

MY SIGHT FOR SORE EYES Enigma Ace Films Prod/Dir: Ryan Kruger Feature film

THE FAMILY PUZZLE Site et Sons media productions Prod/Dir : Zamo Missie Feature

Collide Media Village Productions Prod: Ardeen Munnik TV series

NEW LAND Plexus Films/ Four Corners Media Dir: Kyle O’ Donoghue TV series

THE LAST GREAT TUSKERS NHU Africa Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Documentary

CROSSBOW KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Barbara Friedman Documentary

NIGHT OF THE MASSACRE Tshepo Lesedi Projects, Mathope & Izibuko Films Dir: Charles Khuele Documentary

The Message Reel Edge Studios Dir: David Golden TV drama series

DEBRA DEEL Khaki Productions Prod: Christelle Parrott TV series DIE WASGOEDLYN Kilroy Was Here! Productions Prod: Gideon Breytenbach TV series FASHION GURU SA Pro Media & Spider – Co Productions Prod/Dir: Dee Vanzyl Reality FORMIDABELE VROUE: CISSY GOOL Khaki Productions Prod/Dir: Christelle Parrott/ Wynand Dreyer Documentary

NIGHTCLUB KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Nobathembu Stefane Documentary NOEM MY SKOLLIE Maxi-D Productions Prod: David Max Brown Feature film NORTH WEST KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Ayesha Ismail Documentary Nyaope Gangsters LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature

HAD BETTER DAYS Uniquely Novel Productions Prod/Dir: Deon VD Merwe Feature film

PERFECT SHISHEBO Quizzical Pictures Prod: Nthabiseng Mokoena Series

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARIES: KIMBERLEY: SOUTH AFRICA Spike Productions Prod/Dir: Steve Muller Documentary

PLAY MORE GOLF FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Commercials

THE HOCKEY STICK KILLER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Melanie Rice Documentary HOPE NHU Africa Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Documentary HOUSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT Panache Video Productions Dir/Prod: Liesel Eiselen Corporate

THE STORY OF LITTLE FOOT Paul Myburgh Film Prod: Paul Myburgh Documentary THE TRANSPORTERS Sukuma Media/ Reality Motion Pictures Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Documentary TOWNSHIP TERROR Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Melanie Rice Documentary TROOPSHIP TRAGEDY Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Marion Edmunds Documentary Traffic Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant TV series TWEE GRADE VAN MOORD Inverse Films (Pty) Ltd Prod: Barry Strick Feature film

Pushi- Passion LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Series

UNDER THE MOUNTAIN Plexus Films Prod: Miki Redelinghuys,/ Lauren Groenewald Short film

THE QUIET BOY Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Charlene Stanley Corporate

UNSOLVED – THE STORY OF THE CAPE RIPPER Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Johann Abrahams Documentary

ROSA 3 Two Oceans Productions Prod: Giselher Venzke & Bertha Spieker TV feature

UNTHINKABLE Media Navigation Prod/Dir: Dan Akinlolu Feature film

I AM…CRAIG Away From Keyboard Dir: Samora Sekhukhune Documentary

SAFE BET Sukuma Media Producer: Nokuthula Sakhile Mguni / Bonginhlanhla Ncube Feature film

IN THE SHADOWS StreTalk Productions Prod/Dir: Bobby Mokhema Short film

SAMURAI KILLER Sabido Productions Dir: Catherine Rice Corporate

When I Was Water Shadow Films Dir: David Forbes Documentary

IQILI Impucuzeko Prod: Sharon Kakora Feature

SECRET PAIN #1 Makoya Entertainment Prod/Dir: Prayer Ndlovu TV drama

XJ-1 Eternal Film Productions Prod: Marius Swanepoel/ Dana Pretorius Feature

Joyous 18 RM Recording Prod: Lindelani Mkhize Other

SHALLOW GRAVE Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Meggan Raubenheimer Documentary

XTREME OUTDOORS AFRICA Africa InSight Prod: Esah Panyako TV magazine

JULIUS HAS A DREAM Creative South Africa, Nkanyethi Productions,Jam TV Prod: Bathelemy Ngwessam Documentary

SLENDER WONDER FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate video

You Deserve It Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant TV game show

KADARA Media Navigation Prod: Dan Akinlolu/ Biola Karonwi TV Drama Kerels wat Kook Penguin Films Prod: Roberta Durrant Reality TV series KNYSNA West Five Films Prod/ Dir: Maynard Kraak; Andre Velts Feature film LINCOLN CLAN Total Recall Media Ltd Dir: Adebanjo Oluseyi TV series MARIAH’S WORLD ZenHQ Films, SA Production Services Prod/Dir: Jeff Jenkins TV series THE MIME ARTIST Phoenix TV Productions Prod: Koketso Sefanyetso Short film

VKB LANDBOU BEPERK FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate video

SLENDER WONDER MJ LABS FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate video

UPCOMING EVENTS

SWARTWATER Quizzical Pictures Prod: Bianca Isaac Dir: John Trengove/ Jozua Malherbe/ Denny Y Miller Series SUPERDAD Two Oceans Productions Prod: Giselher Venzke and Bertha Spieker TV feature TELKOM: BUSINESS INSIGHTS WEBSERIES UZI Films Prod/Dir: Steven Hall Corporate TESSA BEETGE – A Life Interrupted Sabido Productions Prod/Dir: Meggan Raubenheimer Documentary The calling LMOL Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature

Unit C5 RobeRtville Mini FaCtoRies 255 nadine stReet RobeRtville RoodepooRt 1709

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JULY Screen Africa relies on the accuracy of information received and cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions which may occur.

E-mail production updates to: online@screenafrica.com

9 – 17 Zanzibar International Film Festival

Zanzibar www.ziff.or.tz

28 – 14 AUG Melbourne International

Film Festival

Australia www.miff.com.au

AUGUST 3 – 13 Locarno Film Festival

Switzerland www.pardolice.ch

15 – 21 Loeries Creative Week

Durban www.loeries.com

27 – 7 SEP Montreal World Film Festival

Montreal www.ffm-montreal.org

July 2016 | SCREENAFRICA | 47

Social

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DIFF 2016 PHOTOS BY CERA-JANE CATTON

Seen at the Playhouse in Durban about to watch one of the Durban International Film Festival screenings were…

Lloyd de Gier and Chloe Clark

Aimee Bouwer and Sandra Wilmot

Guru Kali, Tannah May Sawya and Meg Rickars

Sarah Scott and David Leslie

Camilla Pontiggia and Jess Butcher

Alison de Villiers, Greg Kriek and Christopher de Villlers

Upstairs Ludus welcome party PHOTOS BY CERA-JANE CATTON

South African post-production facility Upstairs Ludus welcomed three new staff members with a party at its offices in Johannesburg on 31 May 2016.

Angela Whitehouse, Schalk van der Merwe and Gavin Hong

Mark Ash and Joe Erasmus

Nic Apostoli and Matthys Boshoff

Jonathan Matus and Michael Henrey (Blade Works)

Meg Balanoff, Andre Lopion and Nicole van Wyk

Linda Notelovitz and Giovanna Winetzki

48 | SCREENAFRICA | July 2016

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