Screen Africa - September 2013

LOERIES

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

www.screenafrica.com

VOL 25 – September 2013 R35.00

Smaller.. Faster.. Cheaper

microP2 Card, The World’s First UHS-II Compliant Professional Memory Card.

Bringing Higher Efficiency, Reliability and Speed to Broadcasting Workflows.

Panasonic has developed microP2 card solid-state recording media for broadcast use with the same size as the SD Memory Card. While dramatically reducing the size and cost of the current P2 card, the new microP2 card offers the same level of data capacity (32 GB/64 GB) as well as high transfer speed, superb reliability and excellent security.

A Memory Card Adapter for use in devices equipped with the current P2 card slot, and a Memory Card Drive are also available. This provides a smooth transition to a microP2 card-based workflow with superior operability.

Hardware upgrade from Pansolutions is required on existing P2 equipment to be compatible.

AJ-P2AD1G

AG-MPD1G

Memory Card Adaptor

Memory Card Drive

www.pansolutions.co.za Contact: Sean Loeve Cell: 083 677 4917 Tel: 011 313 1622

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

www.screenafrica.com

VOL 25 – September 2013 R35.00

All systems go for CTFM Over 30 projects in the feature film, television series, documentary and television format genres have been submitted for the Finance Forum of the inaugural Cape Town Film Mart (CTFM), which runs from 4 to 6 November at the Protea Fire & Ice Hotel.

CTFM, the co-production arm of the Cape Town & Winelands International Film Festival (CTWIFF), was officially launched on 16 May at the Cannes International Film Festival.

“Originally the market was only open to projects from South Africa, Africa and the countries with which South Africa has co-production treaties and memoranda of understanding (MoUs), but we’ve accepted some delegation input to include the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries as well,” says CTFM’s acting project manager, Monica Rorvik.

She notes that projects from six treaty countries are under consideration for the Finance Forum. Sixty percent of projects submitted were from South Africa; some of these projects are co-productions with other African countries.

“The stipulation for eligibility for the Finance Forum is that if the project emanates from outside of South Africa, the producers must be open to working with South African co-production partners,” explains Rorvik. “An international selection panel will decide which projects will go through to the Finance Forum, where they will have the opportunity to be pitched to overseas financiers, distributors and sales agents.”

Official delegations from Italy and Brazil have confirmed their participation at the market and Rorvik is in talks with other treaty and BRICS countries in this regard.

Among the activities at CTFM will be a BRICS Breakfast Meeting, as well as an Animation Breakfast, where French producers will present their ideas for animation incubators. There will also be animation panels and workshops – these form part of the France South Africa Seasons 2012 & 2013.

The French and South Africa animation producers who participate in these sessions will then go on to attend the DISCOP AFRICA multi-platform content market in Johannesburg (6 to 9 November).

CTFM will also present panels on transmedia and financing for co-productions. In addition, master classes will be presented by international experts who will also present workshops open to the public.

It is hoped that some interesting insights from CTWIFF’s Arabian Knights programme will – continued on next page

SuperSport’s new OB vans Continental satellite pay-TV broadcaster SuperSport Africa recently took delivery of two new outside broadcast (OB) vans – OB 4 which is full high definition (HD) and OB 5, a standard definition (SD) van scheduled for a partial HD upgrade in the future.

Says head of SuperSport Africa André Venter: “Both new vans were delivered in Kenya but OB 5 has since been relocated to Zimbabwe to cover the Pakistan versus Zimbabwe cricket tour.

Once the tour is complete OB 5 will go to Kenya and OB 4

relocates to Zimbabwe. The soccer leagues that the new vans will cover are ZPSL in Zimbabwe and KPL in Kenya. They will also cover Zimbabwe Cricket, Kenya Cricket and Kenya Basketball.”

In a first, system integrator C2S Systems, which has done the integration on six of SuperSport’s vans, also did the coach work on the two new trucks.

Venter continues: “Smiths in the UK did the coach work on our previous two vans. We switched to C2S because we preferred to have a one-stop-shop and we

were extremely happy with all the work C2S had ever done for us.

“Furthermore, we were also not satisfied with Smiths’ after sales service and in fact had to ask C2S to go to Nigeria to fix OB 1 and 3 when we experienced problems with those trucks. C2S also did the coach work for our new mobile production unit (MPU) in Kenya.”

Venter notes that the two new vans were a complex project for C2S in that OB 5 was fitted with equipment from SuperSport’s old OB 4 and 5 and OB 4 was – continued on next page

ROLL CAMERA! Rolie Nikiwe and Rory O’Grady shooting the new South African film Nothing for Mahala. See Page 14

ANN7 launches Two years in the planning, the Africa New Network 7 (ANN7) 24-hour news channel was officially launched at an Infinity Media stakeholders’ dinner held on 21 August at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre.

The channel went live on channel 405 of MultiChoice’s DStv satellite pay-TV platform at 19h00 that day. This was the second South African 24-hour news channel to launch in August 2013 – SABC News went on air at the beginning of the month.

ANN7 owner Infinity Media is a joint venture between India’s Essel Media, the Gupta family’s Oakbay Investments and a broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) structure.

The Gupta family allegedly has close links to President

Jacob Zuma.

Since going live ANN7 has been dogged by derisive feedback in the media, Facebook and Twitter addressing the numerous bloopers made by the channel’s presenters.

A comment made at the launch

by ANN7 editor-in-chief Moegsien Williams might have hinted at this problem in advance.

“The talent pool in news broadcasting in South Africa is quite shallow. I believe there is a need for a broadcasting school in South Africa,” he said.

Willimas went on to say that media multiplicity was the basis of democracy. “After months of deliberation we’re ready to bring you stories as they happen and with in-depth coverage.

– continued on next page

Continued from page 1 All systems go for CTFM

filter through to the CTFM’s funding panels.

“I believe the industry needs to pool resources for its own collective development. To this end we’ve had meetings with the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival and the National Film and Video Foundation to find ways to strengthen the CTFM offering to the industry,” comments Rorvik.

Only accredited delegates can attend CTFM. Accreditation grants access to the CTFM master classes, networking events and the CTWIFF screenings.

CTWIFF In exciting news, CTWIFF (formerly known as the Cape Winelands International Film Festival) will open on 1 November with Jerome Salle’s Zulu, the Forest Whitaker / Orlando Bloom starrer that closed the Cannes International Film Festival.

Whittaker will be in attendance at CTWFF, which runs until 10 November.

Says CTWFF festival director Leon van der Merwe: “We are also delighted to announce that Dame Maggie Smith will be attending the festival to receive our International Lifetime Achievement Award.

We will screen her recent hit, Quartet, in her honour.

“As the festival features a special tribute to woman filmmakers we have decided to present the South African Lifetime Achievement Award to South African actress Denise Newman. Denise, a much awarded actress, studied theatre at The Actors Studio in Los Angeles In 1980. Her first lead role, City Lover, was adapted for film from a short story by Nadine Gordimer.

The film deals with the subject of love across the colour line in apartheid South Africa.”

Newman’s international film credits include Anner House (UK); The White Lioness (Sweden); and The Waterbaby – Sara Sara (Italy). In 2009 she played the much lauded title role in the South African film, Shirley Adams, directed by Oliver Hermanus. Over the years she has moved effortlessly between theatre, film and television, as well as teaching and developing young actors in South Africa.

Film highlights include her unforgettable roll in Forgiveness, directed by Ian Gabriel in 2006 and Russell Thompson’s 1997 film, Sexy Girls. She received best supporting actress nominations for both films at FESPACO. CTWIFF’s Arabian Nights programme will include several films that screened at the Abu Dhabi Festival last year and Arabic films which won FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) awards in 2012.

The festival will also host the nine-day Film in Your Pocket workshop for aspirant filmmakers who will be tasked to shoot films on their cellphones. The top three films will be screened on awards night on 10 November.

Sponsors for CTWIFF and CTFM are Wesgro, DTI, Distell, NFVF, and City of Cape Town.

“Various embassies and consulates like Brazil, the Flemish Representative Office in Pretoria, the French Embassy, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and the Italian Consulate all have special projects at the festival,” concludes Van Der Merwe.

For more information about CTWFF and CTFM please visit http://films-for-africa.co.za

SuperSport’s new OB vans

ROLLING SMOOTH: SuperSports’ OB 5 upgraded to HD. The timeframe was 12 weeks from order to commissioning.

“It is now possible to fault check the 2 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

facility remotely, however this will only be in extreme cases when our engineers cannot resolve the issue, which we believe will be

ANN7 launches

IN THE NEWS: Minister Yunus Carrim and Imtiaz Patel (MultiChoice CEO) at the launch Our approach is to practice critical journalism without fear or favour. ANN7’s focus is on breaking news and concise analysis. We plan to reveal corruption in the country and we also want to show positive elements about South Africa.

“The biggest contribution we will hopefully make is to balance the news. Our viewers will be entertained, informed and enlightened.”

Williams claimed that ANN7 is ‘the most modern news station in Africa’.

Minister of Communications Yunus Carrim was invited on stage to officially switch on the channel, after an ANN7 promo featuring its numerous foreign correspondents from around the world, was screened.

Said the minister: “The visuals we’ve seen tonight are amazing. I wonder if SABC management is watching this launch tonight. I know what news channel I will be watching!

“We’ve had two new 24-hour news channels go on air in one month. South Africa has come a long way since 1994 and by the end of March 2014, the Department of Communications (DoC) will have finalised a new broadcasting policy. We want your input in helping us to shape this policy.

“DoC is considering issuing a directive to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to open up competition in the pay-TV sector.

Currently the premium content is locked up with one broadcaster (MultiChoice).”

Minister Carrim commented that the launch of ANN7 would hopefully lead to more competition in the broadcasting sector.

He continued.“Now, more South African stories will be told than ever before, and across the length and breadth of the country. I’m interested in seeing ANN7’s ‘pro South Africa’ editorial policy. You aim to raise the consciousness of Africa and you

want to be critical. Decent media needs to find the correct balance, as to be uncritical is as bad as being overly critical.

“I see that many of your anchors are women. In Women’s Month it’s important to recognise the role that women played in the struggle for democracy.”

The minister concluded by saying that ANN7 shared similarities with the SABC and that the two broadcasters should co-operate.

At the launch frequent references were made by Williams and the evening’s MC, ANN7 anchor Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon, to the ‘never before seen technology’ that ‘is new to South Africa and Africa’ which had been installed at ANN7’s headquarters in Midrand. Apart from brief mentions of Vizrt graphics, Autocue and ‘robotic cameras’, no further technology details were released at the launch.

Just before the launch Screen Africa received an email from a broadcast industry stakeholder who did not wish to be named, saying there was some concern in the industry about who actually built the ANN7 facility, as it appeared that all the equipment was imported and that the system designers and installers were foreign.

Screen Africa’s requests for an interview with ANN7 management had not been granted at the time of going to press.

few and far between as we have our own highly skilled engineers,” he says.

Jonathan Lyth, systems manager at C2S Systems comments: “We were keen to show off our mechanical engineering and coachwork ability on this project, as it was the first bodywork project we’ve done for SuperSport and we obviously wanted to impress. The seamless mechanics and smooth operation of the mechanical rigging, with the power of the hydraulics, gives the truck an extra wow-factor – these elements allowed us to prove the team’s ingenuity and attention to detail.

“Using equipment from other systems posed its own challenges in the system

design. We knew the truck needed to be ready for an upgrade in only a few months’ time, so we built a system that would allow that to happen with minimal disruption, and also fitted the truck with an HD-ready system so that all additional equipment could simply slot into place. Making things seem easy can be surprisingly complex.”

Outside of South Africa, SuperSport Africa now has seven OB vans and one mobile production unit (MPU). Other than OB 4 and OB 5 they are as follows: OB1 HD – Nigeria; OB2 SD – Nigeria (soon to be relocated to Ghana); OB3 HD – Nigeria; OB6 SD – Zambia; OB7 HD – Kenya; and MPU1 HD – Kenya.

Moegsien Williams

From the editor

C ont e nts

On the agenda This issue of Screen Africa will be distributed at two important industry events – the Loerie Awards in Cape Town and the People to People (P2) International Documentary Conference in Johannesburg. If you’re in the brand communication industry the Loeries are the premier accolade in the region – South Africa, Africa and the Middle East. As anyone who has ever attended the Loeries before will tell you, it’s one heck of a party! But beneath all the revelry and high jinx is a steely desire to snare a Loerie Trophy, and bathe in all the glory it brings. There’s no doubt that winning a Loerie brings huge prestige to the winning individual creatives as well as their companies.

P2P is a hugely significant biennial event in that it brings together top local and international documentary filmmakers to focus on socio-political issues. It runs alongside the Tri Continental Film Festival, the only festival in Africa primarily dedicated to human rights.

Talking of important industry events, the Cape Town Film Mart (CTFM) is gearing up for its inaugural edition this November.

Co-production markets are always good news for the industry because they offer opportunities to further projects. CTFM focuses on projects from South Africa, Africa and countries with which South Africa has co-production treaties and MoUs, as well as the BRICS countries. The fact that it takes place in November and is part of the Cape Town & Winelands International Film Festival makes one remember the long-defunct Sithengi Market.

There is lots of exciting film news in this issue – Roli Nikiwe’s meaningful new comedy, Nothing for Mahala and Andrew Worsdale’s award-winning Durban Poison. It’s wonderful to see filmmaker, writer and journalist Worsdale back in the director’s seat – his previous film, Shot Down, was made 27 years ago.

This month’s Director Speak gives readers insight into the mind and career of Donovan Marsh, whose new film iNumber Number was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival.

One of our front page stories focuses on the recent launch of South Africa’s newest 24-hour news channel, ANN7. Its initial broadcasts have been dogged by presenter bloopers and technical hitches and thus generated negative feedback. Still, beginnings are general bumpy and leave only one way to go – up – or so one hopes. There is also some industry concern regarding the fact that ANN7’s high tech facility appears to have been outfitted by foreign suppliers and experts. Our local suppliers, as evidenced in our Mediatech Africa report in this issue, are highly skilled and experienced masters of their technologies and so should not be bypassed in their own country.

Joanna Sterkowicz

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

Advertisement Sales: Marianne Schafer: marianne@screenafrica.com

Editor: Joanna Sterkowicz: editor@screenafrica.com

Accounts: Natasha Glavovic: accounts@sun-circle.co.za

Journalist: Martie Bester: news@screenafrica.com Contributors: Andy Stead, Ian Dormer, Anton Crone, Sekoetlane Jacob Phamodi, Linda Loubser, Franette Klerck, Andre Redelinghuys, Professor Keyan Tomaselli

Sun Circle Publishers (Pty) Ltd Tel: 011 025-3180

Sub-Editor: Tina Heron

Physical address: First Floor, Process House Epsom Downs Office Park 13 Sloane Street Bryanston, Johannesburg South Africa

Design: Trevor Ou Tim: design@sun-circle.co.za

Postal address: PO Box 559, Fourways North, 2086

Website & Production Updates: online@sun-circle.co.za Subscriptions: Tina Tserere: data@sun-circle.co.za Delight Ngwenya: admin@sun-circle.co.za

www.screenafrica.com

8

4 Sibande is SANTF 2013

Authentic stories rule

6 TCFF showcases human rights films

15

10 The (Loerie) bird in full flight

22

A killer romance

16

SA INDUSTRY GETS ANIMATED

For greater good – to censor or not to censor

SPECIAL FEATURES MEDIATECH AFRICA REPORT

NEWS

FINANCE

All systems go for CTFM; ANN7 launches; SuperSport’s new OB vans.. 1 / 2 NFVF 2012 / 2013 project highlights; Sibande is SANTF 2013; DISCOP AFRICA latest..... 4 The return of P2P; TCFF showcases human rights films..... 6 Mesmerising SA / Lesotho co-production; Authentic stories rule................... 8

Crowdfunding short sets scene for feature................ 20

Looking back at Mediatech Africa.......................... 29 Concilium makes waves; Blackmagic infiltrates African market........................................... 30 The CLEAR solution.................. 31 Busy Mediatech for Panasonic; Pro-Sales reports successful show; Editing in the cloud; Standing out in the crowd....................... 32 / 33 AJA’s ROI much sought after... 33 Wide array of Sony products dazzles; Inala on display; ‘The best show ever!’; Datavideo goes mobile.............. 34 Top of the range displays; MAM’s the word; Groundbreaking device launched........................................ 35

ADCETERA The (Loerie) bird in full flight.......................... 10 / 11 The potential of African identity in advertising................. 12 Crafty business; The importance of advertising in the mother tongue................. 13

FILM ANIMATION SA industry gets animated..................... 22 / 24 Inspiring art.................................. 24 Unstoppable creativity; Bringing ideas to life................... 25 Global recognition and creativity................................ 26

A message about moolah.......... 14 A killer romance......................... 15 For greater good......................... 16 Director Speak – Donovan Marsh........................... 17

TELEVISION SA crews and locations enhance UK / US co-production............. 18 Five SABC boards in five years?

What hope for change?; Next generation decoder......... 19

DIGITAL MAKEUP The camera never lies, right?... 28

AFRICA Saving girl children through film; Tracking pay-TV in Africa.......... 36 Sailing back to our shores........ 37

WEB NEWS Sony and MRC on board for Chappie; SA student wins global short film competition; Looking to the ‘Future’; Project ‘Unearthed’ at DFM; SK App reaches one million downloads; Concerns over Zambian media restrictions................................... 38 New Google initiative for Africa; M-Net supports local filmmakers; Malo 8 directs pan-African ad................ 39

REGULARS Production Updates......... 40 / 41 / 42 / 43 Events............................................. 43 Advertisers List........................... 43 Social.............................................. 44

News

|

NFVF 2012/2013 project highlights At Durban FilmMart in July the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) announced its strategic objectives for 2013 to 2016. According to Zama Mkosi, CEO of the NFVF, the organisation intends to increase the number of South African films and previously advantaged individuals producing them; increase audience access to South African films; increase the number of people trained in the industry, particularly in areas of scarce skills; promote the South African film industry locally and internationally; and promote social cohesion and the expression of the nation’s stories through film.

“The number of films funded in development increased from 34 to 57 in 2012 and films funded in production from 34 to 48 in 2012. From a total of 239 applications received in 2011, 68 (28%) of those were funded compared to 327

DEDICATED: NFVF CEO Zama Mkosi applications which were received in 2012, of which 105 received funding (32%),” said Mkosi.

In terms of films funded by race in an attempt to increase the number of South African films and previously advantaged individuals producing such films, 37, 66 and

Sibande is SANTF 2013

NEW TALENT: Shooting the music video for MTN8 As the winner of the SA’s Next Top Filmmaker (SANTF) 2013 competition, Donna Sibande directed a music video in Newtown, Johannesburg for the MTN8 official anthem by Professor, featuring Oskido, Busisiwe and Zulu. Sibande directed under the careful mentorship of award-winning director Tim Greene of Quizzical Pictures.

SNTF, now in its fourth year, is a General Post initiative aimed at identifying and developing emerging filmmaking talent.

The judges for the 2013 competition were: JP Potgieter (head of Commercial Productions, Quizzical Pictures); Anton Burggraaf (head of TV, Endemol); freelance producer Alan Roberts; Jamie Taylor (senior editor, General Post); and Kirsty Galliard (MD, General Post).

Says Galliard: “We shortlisted the six most promising entries and once we received the winning artist’s name and track from MTN, the finalists had 24 hours to write a treatment for a music video for that track. They were given some examples of music video treatments and a document explaining why it was necessary to assist them. We also gave them parameters as to what resources were available to them.

“The finalists had 20 minutes to pitch their treatment to a panel of judges. Our

4 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

decision was based on the creativity of the idea, how executable the idea was in the timeframe, and whether they had taken into account the resources they were given.

Donna Sibande was chosen as the winner by four votes to one.”

SANTF 2013 was held in partnership with MTN Last Muso Standing. Sponsors for the competition were Quizzical Pictures, Nates Audiovisual Hire and the Bladeworks, with support from Ochre Media Galliard continues: “MTN contributed towards the ‘people’ costs of the production. This allowed us to work with some of the best crew around, including Alan Roberts (producer), Adam Bentel (DOP), Rusty Ruthen (focus puller) and award-winning General Post editor Jamie Taylor.”

MTN held their own competition for musicians who were competing for the chance to be the Last Muso Standing and have their track chosen to be the official anthem of the MTN8 2013 tournament. This meant the SA’s Next Top Filmmaker team had to wait for the Last Muso Standing winner to be announced before preproduction could begin. The team then had nine days to produce a complex music video which had to be delivered in time for the opening MTN8 match.

79 black filmmakers were funded in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively while 31, 39 and 43 white filmmakers were funded in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively.

In its attempt to enhance access to information and increase audience access to South African films, the NFVF funds, supports and participates at various platforms at which South African films are showcased and during which workshops are held for aspiring filmmakers such as provincial roadshows; the Bojanala Film Festival in North West; the Macufe Arts Festival in the Free State; the Grahamstown Arts Festival in the Eastern Cape; the Durban International Film Festival in KwaZulu-Natal; the Kwa-Mashu Film Festival, also in KwaZulu-Natal; the Encounters International Documentary Film Festival in Gauteng and the Western Cape; and the Cape Winelands Film Festival in the

Western Cape.

Projects highlights for 2013 and 2014 also included calls for proposals from 10 youth filmmakers for which R2.5m had been allocated; a documentary slate for which R1.5m had been allocated to develop three projects and produce one a year; in celebration of the 20 years of democracy R5m had been allocated to provide 10 female filmmakers, particularly those from historically disadvantaged backgrounds with the opportunity to make a film in collaboration with other women on the theme; and R2m had been allocated to provide 10 documentary filmmakers an opportunity to celebrate 20 years of democracy by making four documentaries at R500 000 each.

Mkosi also announced that entries for the 8th South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) had closed on 2 August.

The 2014 awards will be held in March over two days. – Martie Bester

DISCOP AFRICA latest A special country focus on Nigeria at the DISCOP AFRICA multi-platform content market, which takes place from 6 to 8 November at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre, will see 10 up and coming TV producers and distributors from Nigeria man the official Nigerian Pavilion.

“In addition we will organise a party on Wednesday 6 November to honour 20 years of Nigerian Cinema,” says Patrick Jucaud-Zuchowicki, general manager of The DISCOP Organisation. “All the important Nigerian industry associations will be represented at the market and, most particularly, during our DISCOPRO pitching, matchmaking and training programme.

“We have extended invitations to Nollywood›s most important filmmakers through our country manager in Nigeria and are awaiting their confirmations.”

DISCOP AFRICA 2013 will occupy 3900m2 of space at the Sandton Convention Centre. This is the same as last year’s edition but the event organisers have optmised the floor space so that there is 20% increase in the amount of exhibition space.

Jucaud-Zuchowicki extended the floor plan following last year’s highly successful market because he anticipated additional requests. “Between veteran exhibitors wanting more space, new national pavilions such as France, Brazil, UK and Korea, as well as new exhibitors, we ended up selling our space very quickly.

“To date, close to 150 exhibitors have confirmed and we expect another 50 to do so by market time, as we still have low-cost / national umbrella exhibit packages that always sell at the last minute,” he explains.

For the first time, representatives from Korea, Brazil, Taiwan and Turkey will participate at DISCOP AFRICA. Among the confirmed exhibitors thus far are: Cote Ouest; SABC; M-Net; Zee

IN FOCUS: Patrick Jucaud-Zuchowicki Networks; Dreamworks; CBS International; NBC Universal; A+E Entertainment; The Walt Disney Company; Televisa; Caracol; Armoza Formats; NHK; Al Jazeera; Wananchi Group and Nollywood Entertainment.

This year the DISCOP AFRICA organisers have decided to make the event more relevant for independent TV content producers and have added a strong programme – the DISCOPRO pitching, matchmaking and training programme that has been developed in collaboration with Africa›s most important producers’ associations.

Three thematic pitching competitions rewarding TV show ideas created in Africa will take central stage during the DISCOPRO programme, namely formats, TV series and documentaries.

For more information visit www.discopafrica.com

NOW WITH AND

Introducing HyperDeck Studio, the broadcast deck that uses solid state disks!

Now you can get the incredible quality broadcast deck that records and plays using low costs solid state disks. HyperDeck Studio works like a regular broadcast deck, and supports dual disk slots so the moment one disk is full, recording can continue to the next disk! That’s unlimited recording!

HyperDeck Studio supports uncompressed and compressed DNxHD recording into QuickTime™ and MXF files so you can simply mount the disks and edit media directly without any file copying! HyperDeck Studio is perfect for live production, instant replays and disk server use!

Absolute Perfect Quality

Simply plug in a fast 2.5” solid state disk into HyperDeck Studio and start recording! SSD’s are used in desktop and laptop computers so prices are constantly falling while sizes are getting bigger!

Plug the SSD into your computer and the disk will mount right on your computer’s desktop! Files are stored in standard QuickTime™ or MXF 10 bit format so you can use the media in Mac™ and Windows™ software!

Use Cameras, Switchers and Monitors

HyperDeck Studio works with both compressed and perfect quality uncompressed video. You can select between 10 bit DNxHD MXF or uncompressed 10 bit QuickTime recording and playback. Only uncompressed gives you a mathematically perfect “clone” recording between capture and playback. Only uncompressed lets you trust your recording and there is absolutely no higher quality possible!

With SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs, HyperDeck Studio works with virtually every camera, switcher or monitor! Plug into televisions or video projectors for instant on set preview or get exciting live action replay with ATEM production switchers. Even use it for digital signage.

Just press play twice for loop playback! Imagine using pristine broadcast quality 10 bit recording on your next live event!

HyperDeck Studio

Familiar Broadcast Deck Design!

HyperDeck Studio has a familiar broadcast deck style design with transport buttons, jog/shuttle knob, deck control port and build in LCD! You get unlimited duration recordings because HyperDeck Studio includes dual SSD slots, so when recording, if your disk fills, it will automatically continue recording to the other disk.

*All prices subject to VAT, exchange rate fluctuation and import duties.

Solid State Disk (SSD) Recording

995*

US$

Learn more today at www.blackmagicdesign.com/sa/hyperdeckstudio

News

|

The return of P2P International documentary specialists such as acclaimed filmmakers Mads Brugger from Denmark, the DRC’s Djo Tunda Wa Munga and Belgian Manu Riche will participate at the 2013 edition of the biennial People to People (P2P) International Documentary Conference, which runs at The Wits Theatre in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, from 16 to 18 September.

First convened in 2007, P2P is a joint initiative of the Tri Continental Film Festival (TCFF) and the Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival, conceived with the shared vision of taking African documentary into the future. P2P’s administering organisation is The Human Rights Media Trust, headed up by Rehad Desai.

Says Arya Lalloo, conference co-director along with Katarina Hedren: “We have a fantastic line-up of speakers including the Nigerian / American transmedia starlet Aina Abiodun, legendary producers Joslyn Barnes (US) and Jacques Bidou (FR), and global decision makers Nick Fraser (BBC Storyville UK), Margje De Koning (Ikon, Netherlands), Ingrid Falck (Al Jazeera Witness), Amy Richardson (Worldview UK) and Judy Kibinge (Docubox East Africa).

“If previous editions of P2P are an indication, we predict around 300 people

will attend the 2013 edition over the course of the three-day conference.”

Among the African delegates expected to attend are Mark Kaigwa and Peter Mudamba from Kenya, Femi Odugbemi from Nigeria, Rumbi Katedza from Zimbabwe and Pedro Pimenta from Mozambique.

Included in the 12 panel discussions scheduled for P2P 2013 are sessions on freedom of expression, and the meltdown of South African public broadcaster SABC. Other topics are: Digital Cowboys: Speculators for Africa’s Internet Revolution; Co-Producing Africa: Obstacles and Opportunities; and Eurodoc: Lessons learnt among others.

There will also be a day long workshop on digital storytelling called the P2P Storycode ‘Paperhack’.

Lalloo continues: “We are very excited about this session. Led by P2P partner StoryCode NY, an open-source, global community for emerging and established cross-platform and immersive storytellers, the P2P Storycode Paperhack will offer a group of pre-selected delegates the opportunity to design paper prototypes of cross-platform projects under the guidance of StoryCode experts.

“The P2P StoryCode ‘Paperhack’ will

SHARED VISION: P2P 2011 offer a first step towards story ‘hacking’, designed for aspirant transmedia creators.

This workshop is ideal for filmmakers, artists and media organisations with crossplatform content needs as content specialists learn to tell stories across platforms, conceptualising and creating with the help of participating technologists.”

As part of the partnership with TCFF, P2P will screen The Ambassador with Mads Brugger in attendance, Snake Dance with Manu Riche in attendance, and The Act of Killing by Joshua Oppenheimer.

Unfortunately, due to the serious obstacles faced in financing this edition of P2P, the Good Pitch2 JHB – a unique forum spearheaded by The Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation and The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Programme – had to be cancelled.

“However, we hope to host a’pitching forum with a difference’ at a future date,” concludes Lalloo.

For more information about P2P log on to: www.people2people.co.za

TCFF showcases human rights films

DOCCY AT ITS BEST: A scene from The Guantanamo Trap Forty-eight films, including nine South African short films, will screen at the Tri Continental Film Festival (TCFF) which runs in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town between 13 and 29 September.

TCFF is the only festival in Africa primarily dedicated to issues of social, political and human rights.

Says festival director Anita Khana: “This year we received over 200 submissions for the festival. We have a selection panel of seven people who chose films that are beautifully crafted and that tell a good story. Our selections are also based on the big stories affecting humanity that will have resonance for our audiences.

“Many people became painfully aware of the crisis situation for women in South

6 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

Africa when Anene Booyson was brutally raped and murdered earlier this year. TCFF deliberately went all out to call for films on gender abuse, but also stories that are inspiring and thoughtful around how we tackle women’s inequality. These are featured in our Sex Politics strand.”

Khanna notes that this year there was a depressing lack of films submitted about women that were made in South Africa.

“For this reason we’re initiating a second phase of longer films in the Filmmakers Against Women Abuse strand that originated as a competition for short films run by Encounters earlier this year. TCFF will soon put out a call for women filmmakers to get involved. We need stories about South African women that are locally relevant and

competitive on a global stage,” she says.

Visitors to TCFF should look out for ½ Revolution (Egypt / Denmark), an insider view of the Egyptian revolution by Egyptian filmmaker Karim El Hakim and Diary from the Revolution (Libya / Norway), about the 2011 revolution in Libya.

Khanna continues: “We are delighted to screen another gem from documentary legend Connie Field, namely Martin Luther King in Palestine (US). This film follows an African-American gospel choir that has their perspective on Palestine turned upside down during a tour of the West Bank.

“Another fascinating title is Blood in the Mobile (DRC / Finland / Denmark), an expose which reveals that the minerals used to make the mobile phones are steeped

in conflict.

“The Ambassador (Libya / Central African Republic / Denmark) features Mads Brugger’s inimitable style of mixing documentary with drama to tell a controversial tale of corruption in the diamond business. This film’s ethics will be discussed at a panel at the People2People (P2P) International Documentary Conference, which runs alongside the festival in Johannesburg.”

Khanna describes The Guantanamo Trap (Germany / Spain / USA) as ‘documentary filmmaking at its best’. This character-driven story allows the viewer into the dark world of US policy and human rights abuses in the War on Terror.

This year TCFF includes a narrative film, Karaoke Girl, about an escort worker in Bangkok that quietly speaks about the experience of sex workers and relationships in general.

There are 13 South African films in the programme, including the nine shorts. The South African premieres include Boys Don’t Cry by Teboho Peterson and Marc Wadsworth’s Phagathi.

“We are concerned about the noticeable lack of South African films that were available for entry this year as one of our objectives is industry support and development. It seems that fewer South African documentaries were produced in the 2012 / 3 period compared to previous years,” comments Khanna.

For more information log onto: www.tcff.org.za.

News

|

Mesmerising SA / Lesotho co-production One of the films to screen at the Durban International Film Festival in July was The Forgotten Kingdom, a co-production between Lesotho and South Africa.

Writer and director Andrew Mudge tells the story of a rebellious young man who returns to Lesotho, the country of his birth, to bury his father and while there, he discovers love, friendship and an appreciation for his heritage.

Mudge also addresses HIV / Aids in a compassionate way without becoming sentimental in the manner he relays this powerful sub-plot of his movie.

“I started the process in 2007 when I met Chris Roland of Zen HQ Films. We agreed to make the film together and from there the other producers signed on in 2010.

“Lesotho is so beautiful and remote. I was drawn to the idea of making a film in this forgotten country. It’s not just beautiful as in ‘postcard beautiful’, there’s the aesthetic of the people and the huts. I thought these images would make great scenes,” continued Mudge.

Because Lesotho is a character in the film, some of Mudge’s favourite moments in the movie are the ones that have no dialogue.

Bonnie Lee Bowman was in charge of the professional casting in Johannesburg. The

kids. It was one of the most enjoyable processes for me to meet so many cool people and there is no greater feeling than discovering somebody. That is one of the highlights of being a filmmaker,” commented Mudge.

He mentioned that not only were they

the best actors for the roles but they were the ones who took the time to get into the script and deal with the characters.

He commented: “In the case of the entire cast, I had that privileged feeling a director gets when he meets his characters. My greatest challenge in the film was then letting go of the characters I had created and giving freedom to the actors.

“I describe The Forgotten Kingdom as a love story without a kiss. The characters never come together in a traditional way,” said Mudge.

Added Roland: “The thing about this love story is that it doesn’t have a Hollywood ending. That’s way more interesting for me as a viewer.”

The producers received grants from the US Embassy in Lesotho and in South Africa, which will give them the opportunity to screen the movie in December.

“I feel so lucky to have been able to make the film that I wanted to make and in the locations that I wanted to feature, using the actors I wanted to cast. The movie is like my child and I am really proud of it,” concluded Mudge.

The movie was shot over 50 days with post-production done by The Refinery in Johannesburg. – Martie Bester

screening director Sara Blecher’s Otelo Burning at film festivals in America.

“Sometimes people can relate to something artistic more than anything else.

They absorb other things over time but arts and culture are easily accessible and can have the biggest impact in some aspects,” Turner said.

She commented that filmmakers should be careful about the stories they tell as these can influence audiences’ perceptions of a country either negatively or positively.

“I feel we all have choices in life and that they have long-term impacts. When you tell stories about your culture and your experiences you have to understand that you are in reality branding and marketing your country.”

Turner added: “This is an ideal time for Africa to show its richness; the richness of your culture and people and your place in history. Africa is a growth market and a growth country and I think the image of the continent is very important to maximising your potential and how people do business with you.”

According to Turner, the images filmmakers portray can have a major impact on what kind of interest their movies generate. If approached with a new attitude, inspiring stories from Africa can benefit filmmakers and the continent as a tourist destination.

In terms of screening opportunities at

film festivals, Turner encouraged filmmakers to use a sales agent who can assess the world market and find distribution opportunities. Before filmmakers start their festival process, they should find a sales agent for individual territories around the world because that person is in the best position to identify distributors who can help filmmakers negotiate and license their deals.

“Once the film has been released I can be helpful with an innovative distribution model called TUGG that acts as a crowd source mechanism,” she commented.

Otelo Burning caught Turner’s attention because the movie essentially has an uplifting message. “I was specifically interested in Otelo Burning because it was a great coming of age story that dispelled myths. I think it is a relatable story for youth globally. In the movie, aspects such as jealousy, revenge and friendship are universal and the production value was just unbelievable,” said Turner.

She is of the opinion that audiences want to see movies that carry messages of hope. “I think people want more authentic stories. Although cinema is entertaining I believe viewers are looking for stories that are relevant to their everyday lives. And I think people are looking for inspiration and hope when they go to the movies,” she concluded. – Martie Bester

“LESOTHO IDOL” A scene from The Forgotten Kingdom rest of the cast was filled out by nonprofessional actors who were discovered during open days in Lesotho. Mudge refers to these sessions as “Lesotho Idol”.

“The casting session were open to anybody and we saw almost 2 000 people over three days and that wasn’t even the

Authentic stories rule

CHOICES WITH IMPACT: Dolly Turner At Durban FilmMart in July Dolly Turner, president of the New York-based Turner Group, suggested how South African filmmakers can advance into the American market, specifically in terms of accessing film festivals in the US.

8 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

As a full service marketing agency providing branded entertainment, marketing, digital and social media, experiential design and production, film festival consulting, programming and curation, the company was instrumental in

ADCETERA

| Report on the South African commercials industry

Compiled by Joanna Sterkowicz

The (Loerie) bird in full flight On 21 and 22 September the best in brand communication work in South Africa, Africa and the Middle East will be recognised at the Loeries Awards, to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

T

he 2013 Loerie Awards ceremonies take place as part of Loeries Creative Week Cape Town, which runs from 16 to 22 September.

Over 4 000 members of the brand communication industry are expected to converge on Cape Town during that week to meet and network, as well as be inspired and educated by the power of creative communication.

According to Loeries CEO Andrew Human, the focus of the two red carpet, black tie Loerie Awards ceremonies is similar to previous years.

“The experience is primarily around showcasing the award-winning work. What I can say is that a lot of effort has gone into the after-party this year. It’s now officially called the Channel O Party at Shimmy Beach Club and we’re flying in legendary international DJ Norman Jay from London as the headline act,” says Human.

Funk Productions will once again stage the two awards ceremonies, with Gearhouse South Africa as the technical supplier. Gearhouse is also responsible for the live relay stream of both events – to a venue within the CTICC on Saturday and to the Shimmy Beach Club on Sunday.

On Saturday 21 September the winners of the following award categories will be announced: Student Awards; Creative Future Scholarship; Print Communication & The Times Newspaper Award; Outdoor Media hosted by Greensky; Ambient, In-Store, Alternative Media, Direct Mail & Field Marketing; Communication Design & the Antalis Creative Use of Paper Award; Digital & Interactive Communication hosted

by The SpaceStation; AdReach Street-Pole Award; Marketing Leadership and Innovation Award; Adams & Adams Young Creatives Award; Unilever Ubuntu Award for Sustainable Marketing; and the Grand Prix 10 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

The joy of winning communication hosted by DStv; Integrated Campaign hosted by Adreach; Hall of Fame and the Grand Prix winners for that evening.

Sign of the times

Andrew Human winners for that evening (only winners of Gold Loeries are eligible for Grand Prix awards).

The following category winners will be announced on Sunday 22 September: Media Innovation hosted by Mediamark; Effective Creativity; Events & PR Communication; Radio Communication & New Voice Award; Africa & The Middle East; Television, Film & Video

Around 3 000 entries were received for this year’s Loerie Awards, a figure that is slightly down on last year.

Human believes that the number of Loerie entries received each year serves as a good barometer for the state of the economy.

“I think the region is still struggling with a very weak and sluggish economy and the Loerie entries are a reflection that there is no real growth in the economy,” comments Human.

As to which categories received the most entries, Human says the growth in categories strongly mirrors overall trends in brand communications.

“The Digital category is up by 16%, while Integrated Campaigns has increased by 29%,” he continues.

“Meanwhile, the Ubuntu Category for sustainable marketing is up by a whopping 79%. Also encouraging is the fact that entries from the rest of Africa and the Middle East are up by 19%. I’m sure that as the awareness in the region spreads, we will see this upward trend continuing.

“This year, for the first time, we included

Turkey as an eligible country for competition as it is part of the Middle East and should really be in the mix. And, because it’s important to include expertise from the other regions, we have included a judge from Kenya and one from the Middle East, in our judging panels. I expect that this representation from outside South Africa will grow each year.”

Earlier in the year Human announced some category changes, one being the introduction of the Effective Creativity Award. This award was introduced to recognise the link between innovation and business success. To be eligible for entry, a campaign must have won a Loerie in the past two years. That means winners from 2012 and 2011 are eligible, including Bronze, Silver, Gold and Grand Prix winners.

“There has been huge interest in this award and I think it’s a very exciting development which allows us to further showcase the value that creativity adds,” states Human.

In the Crafts section, new categories specifically for non-English radio communication were introduced for Writing and Performance Crafts. Non-English radio entries that have flighted may be entered in the New Voice Award category or the main Radio category, but not in both (as was allowed in previous years). In addition a new Digital Craft category for Best Use of Technology has been added.

| ADCETERA Campaign trail Each year a leading advertising agency is tasked with creating the official Loeries campaign to raise awareness for the competition. The 2013 campaign – Be the Most Famous You! – was conceived by award-winning agency, TBWA \ Hunt \ Lascaris Johannesburg and its digital counterpart, Tequila \ Johannesburg.

Be the Most Famous You! encourages individuals in the creative communications industry to be their own top search result by doing great work – work that stands out above the rest. This message ties in neatly with the Loeries Call for Entry, which closed on 31 May. The digitally-led campaign uses intelligent e-marketing, supported by Rocketseed email specialists, to pull 200 preselected top industry names into their individual email banners and link them to a Google search result.

Says Human: “I think it’s been a great campaign and we’ve had a lot of good feedback. We’ve also used unique digital technology for the first time, allowing personalised messaging, targeted online advertising and personalised Google search results.”

Still on the subject of digital, the Loeries committee this year revamped the Loeries website (www.loeries.com) and introduced a new digital upload system for entries which allows entrants to upload all media – images, videos and audio files – directly to their individual entries.

“These changes have been great,” reports Human. “The new website is far

more informative, visual and easy to use.

Similarly, our new digital upload system that we created in partnership with Sonovision has been fantastic. It’s resulted in a massive improvement in the management of the entries – both for entrants and our own back-end administration.”

Judging Loeries Judging Week takes place from 16 to 19 September at Cape Town’s City Hall.

There are a hundred judges this year, headed by the international jury chairmen – Geoffrey Hantson, executive creative director at Duval Guillaume Modem, Belgium; Goetz Ulmer, executive creative director at Jung von Matt, Hamburg; Jason Little, creative director at Re, Sydney; and Debbi Vandeven, chief creative officer at VML, Kansas City.

Human stresses that the focus of the awards is to recognise and reward the best examples of brand communication in South Africa, the rest of Africa (including the Indian Ocean Islands and the Middle East).

“The role of the jury is to reward excellence and to inspire greater things; the aim of the judging process is to seek out work and ideas that are exceptional, out of the ordinary,” he says.

All work is judged according to five criteria: an innovative concept, bringing new and fresh thinking; excellent execution; relevance to the brand; relevance to the target audience; and relevance to the chosen medium.

Judging week is rounded off with the International Seminar of Creativity, which

takes place on 20 September, where attendees will be exposed to the latest global trends in brand communication.

“We had around 500 people attending last year and are expecting that number to increase this year as the feedback was very positive. It’s possible that we may be able to extend the seminar to beyond a single day in the future.

“Our international jury chairpersons are all (by design) speakers at the seminar. This year in addition we have the CEO of Unliever SA, Marijn van Tiggelen, the head of Google’s creative lab, Michael Yapp, as well as Graham Warsop of the Jupiter Drawing Room flying the South African flag.

It’s truly a stellar lineup,” notes Human.

A really creative week Included in Loeries Creative Week for the second year running is the Pendoring Awards, which was originally created to recognise and award excellence in Afrikaans-language advertising. The Pendoring Awards take place on Friday 20 September at the CTICC. As to the benefit for the Loeries of holding Pendoring in the same week, Human says: “Rather than benefitting the Loeries or Pendoring for that matter, I think it’s great for the industry to have this very rich Creative Week. Holding Pendoring on the Friday adds to the overall experience.”

The biggest change to Loeries Creative Week Cape Town this year is that delegates will now be brought into one place at one time.

Human explains: “This was motivated by

the fact that the biggest difficulty with Cape Town as a venue is that it’s rather spread out. So our plan is to create a ‘village within a city’ – moving our focus from one hotspot to another. Over the week, we’ll be moving from City Hall, to the V&A Waterfront, to the CTICC, to Long Street and finally back to the V&A Waterfront on Sunday evening.”

Among the events happening during Loeries Creative Week are the Egg Films Judges Wrap, Loeries Expo, Student Portfolio Day and Media Brunch.

Although the Loerie Awards will remain in Cape Town for 2014, the Loeries committee is currently considering plans for 2015 to 2018.

The major partners of the 2013 Loeries are DStv Media Sales, the City of Cape Town, Western Cape Government and Gearhouse South Africa.

Category Partners are Adams & Adams Attorneys, ADreach, Commercial Producers Association, Greensky, Mail & Guardian, Mediamark, The Times and Unilever South Africa.

Additional Partners and Official Suppliers include AAA School of Advertising, Antalis South Africa, Aon South Africa, Aqua Online, Backsberg, BEE Online, Cape Town Partnership, Cape Town Tourism, Funk Productions, Gallo Images, Google South Africa, Graphica, GreaterCapital, Grid Worldwide, Hertz, Hetzner, Media Film Service, Newsclip, Paygate, Rocketseed, Shimmy Beach Club, Skyrove, Sonovision Studios, South African Airways, TBWA \ Hunt \ Lascaris Johannesburg, Tequila \ Johannesburg, The Rebellion, Tsogo Sun, Ultra Litho, Wesgro and Woolworths.

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 11

ADCETERA

|

OPINION

The potential of African identity in advertising

Jamie Foxx in the Oudemeester Brandy commercial

By Anton Crone While working as a creative director in Norway, I gave a presentation to their local ad industry about the potential of Nordic identity in advertising.

It came about because I was intrigued by the quirks of their culture.

One of the things that drew me to Norway – besides a Nordic wife and the endless variety of ski slopes – was their advertising.

12 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

But while I was in Norway their ethos gave way to the effects of globalisation with a shift towards emulating the styles of the West. Nordic work had always been a breath of fresh air to me, a respite from the sameness one sees on the international awards circuit. Their strange (to Westerners) sense of humour and unique character help them pull international awards and my aim with the presentation, as a foreigner reflecting their own identity back at them, was to show them an unbiased and objective appreciation of it. To back it up, I highlighted the success of the Indian identity that was on the rise in advertising at the time, something even the West was emulating.

In 2011 I gave a similar presentation to the Red and Yellow School of Logic in Cape Town. The focus of the presentation was the potential of our own African identity with inspiration garnered from travels and research I had done on the continent.

Because of the variety of judges on international advertising award panels, the best South African work tends to be Western in style in order to appeal to the tastes of the jury and communicate clearly to the broader spectrum.

There is no disputing that some of our favourite South African ads would not be understood there, but we are missing an opportunity. There is potential to leverage our own ethos. After all, there is a taste for it overseas and we can start by looking at music videos. Beyoncé’s video, Girls (Who Run the World), is one. The dance style is derivative of our own Pantsula. The casting, environment and styling are African to the core.

Photographer Pieter Hugo’s powerful series, The Hyena & Other Men, is the inspiration for one of the most impressive scenes. In fact, much of Hugo’s Nollywood series is directly emulated in another powerful music video: Nick Cave and Grinderman’s Heathen Child. Gnarls Barkley’s video, Going On, Is a wonderful expose of contemporary African fashion.

The thing that grabs the viewer is the juxtaposition of styles – traditional African adornment mixed with western styles –

outfits that our own Smarteez would wear.

We have stories that are true, distinctly African, and important to tell. Hotel Rwanda shone a light on the greatest African tragedy of modern times. It opened the West’s eyes to something overshadowed in the media at the time, ironically by the genocidal war of Yugoslavia and, beyond that, the OJ Simpson trial. Blood Diamond was another. Although fictional, it brought attention to the important issue of illegal diamond trade. Then there is the recent The Bang Bang Club which traces a pivotal time in our history, and no one can deny the success of Academy Award-winning Tsotsi to expose the darker and paradoxically humane part of South African society.

Sadly, if we look at international film exposure, there is little about Africa that seems positive. To be simplistic about it, Africans – white or black – often play the bad guy. Think of Arnold Vosloo, the mercenary leader in Blood Diamond. The truth is our people are often singularly inspirational because they are African.

There’s William Kamkwamba (The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind), the Malawian youth who made a wind generator from scrap to power his home and eventually his village.

Or Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, aka ‘The Snow Leopard’, who was the first Ghanaian to compete in the downhill skiing at the Winter Olympics. Or the late Wangari Maathai, whose tireless devotion to the environmental issues of Africa won her the Nobel Peace Prize, and made her the first African woman to do so. Then there is N’gan’ga Maruge, an ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who, in his old age, fought for the right to attend primary school so he could learn to read and write. He is the subject of a touching film, The First Grader.

We have amazing stories and characters and I am piqued when South African advertisers dig up American stars like Louis Gossett Jnr to sell beer and Jamie Foxx to sell brandy. Our advertising industry is full of talented, intelligent individuals who only need to look around them to find inspirational people.

It’s true we have a responsibility to marketers who focus on the buying public in South Africa that has ‘Western’ aspirations. But this does not rule out tapping into the idiosyncrasies that make that market uniquely South African. When we do try, sadly, we often resort to character clichés. This probably stems from a lack of understanding and appreciation of our own culture. Sadly, our marketing and creative backbone is made up of people who rarely venture across the cultural and economic barriers, and they rely too heavily on the findings of research. Too often we wait for some confirmation of a winning formula, and most often we look to the West for proof. All we need to do is look around us. After all, the West is already looking to Africa for inspiration.

Louis Gossett Jnr in the Windhoek Lager commercial

OPINION | ADCETERA

Crafty business

By André Redelinghuys – strategic planning director, The Jupiter Drawing Room At the Oscars, the evening climaxes with someone getting a gold statue for Best Picture, but throughout the night and even in the ad breaks, people get statues for other things, like Film Editing, Sound Mixing and Costume Design. These people usually don’t create the vision but they determine how successfully it’s realised.

Similarly, craft awards are often less celebrated by agencies. If we momentarily ignore the debate and focus on the reality: creativity is our capital and awards provide measurable currency, than let’s explore the role craft awards can play.

Celebrated director and DOP Rob Malpage of Velocity Films is working with The Jupiter Drawing Room on a new project, I asked him about awards and their role in his craft.

“They shouldn’t be taken too seriously otherwise they can be damaging. If you are in it with your heart and soul and get awarded, it’s right, but purely chasing awards is a bad path”, he says.

“None of them,” is Malpage’s response as to which of his awards he covets most.

He continues: “I suppose the silver at London (London International Advertising

André Redelinghuys Awards) for Freediver stands out, more for the experience than the award; shooting in the Red Sea, brilliant people, an amazing idea and all round experience.”

With shorter deadlines, more pressure for results and a shift to new mediums, I suggest the art of storytelling is under pressure. Malpage looks contemplative.

“Good ideas are rarer today,” he says

when asked if there’s a waning appreciation of craft. “When I lecture at film schools, one of the things I tell them is: if you shoot the best script on a Handycam it can be good but if you shoot a bad script on 35mm, with all the gear you want, you can’t make it good. Ideas are where it begins,” he replies, dismissing my idea that weak ideas can still be made into great craft.

Malpage adds: “The better the idea, the better everything that follows – more energy, money, dedication. If you look at the craft awards you’ll see they often go hand in hand with ‘idea’ awards.”

His advice for creating beautiful craft is: “Trust people to do what they’re good at”.

In many respects craft is honest and direct; a good cameraman doesn’t need to get bogged down in the measurability of the campaign – they must focus on creating a beautiful film.

Some of the hassles of chasing industry trends, looking for new ideas, campaign integration or even effectiveness can be sidestepped, but craft awards are not easier to land, in fact they require the coincidence of a great idea and great execution.

If anything, these awards provide an institutional appreciation and a safeguard for the art of storytelling – which should be celebrated and protected as the appetite for shorthand solutions grows.

Craft awards are classy. They show an appreciation for timeless principles; for pricking the senses, plucking the heartstrings and orchestrating emotion.

If awards drive industry points, literally and figuratively, and reputation ultimately drives business and pays the bills, then the craft awards offer a real opportunity, but you’ll need good craftspeople and a good idea.

The importance of advertising in the mother tongue

By Franette Klerck – GM, Pendoring Advertising Awards*

In South Africa we have 11 official languages with English and Afrikaans as the two commercial languages. This begs the question if the importance and buying power of the Afrikaans market is significant enough to warrant advertising in Afrikaans.

The latest South African census figures indicate a growing number of first language Afrikaans speakers in all nine provinces – a total of 6.85 million in 2011 compared to 5.98 million a decade earlier.

The statistics speak for themselves: Besides IsiZulu and IsiXhosa, Afrikaans is the most spoken home language in South Africa. English is only the fourth most spoken language.

13.5% of the South African population is Afrikaans-speaking, but the figure probably trebles when taking into account the number of people using it as a second or third language.

60.8% of the white population and 75.8% of the coloured population are Afrikaans speaking. Only 35.9% of the white population is English speaking.

The purchasing power of Afrikaans-

Franette Klerck speaking consumers constitutes nearly 30% of the total domestic spend in South Africa.

There’s no doubt that the Afrikaans market is huge and very profitable. So why do we see fewer and fewer Afrikaans ads on TV? And why don’t we see Afrikaans

copywriters in agencies? Why is ad spend for this market nowhere close to the 28% of household spending power of this group?

Surely, if we look at the statistics, we should see more Afrikaans rather than English ads?

Tough economic conditions are often used as the main reason for cutting budgets for Afrikaans advertising (and the other vernacular languages). Marketers maintain that it has basically become impossible and too costly to segment their markets and to develop a communication strategy for each target segment.

So what do marketers with limited budgets do? Quite clearly they follow a shotgun approach and hope that with an English campaign they will have a much wider reach (because everybody mostly understands English!) and believe or hope that an English message will be understood and resonate with everyone.

Everywhere in the world the value of mother-tongue advertising is respected and appreciated. If you live in Holland, Spain or France or any other country where English is a second or third language, (but also the commercial language) you will not find the majority of consumer advertising messages in English.

So why does a benevolent ignorance and assumption exist in South Africa that all

South Africans understand English?

And where does it leave Afrikaans advertising?

We know for a fact that Afrikaansspeaking people are extremely loyal to their language, today even more so than ever before.

I believe it’s time for marketers to face the facts and once again take cognisance of the purchasing power of the Afrikaans market and of their loyalty to their home language, unshackled and free-spirited. At the same time agencies and media houses also have a responsibility to inform their clients about the statistics of this hugely profitable market.

Local as well as international research has proven time and again that the style, wit and impact of a commercial message is far more powerful when it’s delivered in the home language of a target market. Hence the return on advertising investment should be significantly higher for companies that recognise this truth. *The Pendoring Advertising Awards were created to recognise excellence in Afrikaans advertising, as well as advertising in other indigenous languages. This year’s awards ceremony takes place on 20 September at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 13

FILM

|

A message about moolah

By Linda Loubser

A new comedy feature film by Quizzical Pictures and the NGO Heartlines aims to challenge South Africans’ attitudes towards money.

N

othing for Mahala, which releases at South African cinemas on 4 October, is part of a new Heartlines campaign on values and money.

Producer Nevelia Moloi, who is a project manager at Heartlines, explains that it is the first time that the NGO has ventured into comedy. “We know that there are a lot of social issues as a result of money and greed, but talking about money can be a serious, sensitive topic. We chose to do comedy to take the eina out of it all – so we can all laugh with a tear in our eye while challenging our attitudes to moolah,” says Moloi.

In the film Axe Gumede (Thapelo Mokoena) is a young, up-and-coming property agent who wants to make money at all costs. After a run-in with the law, he is sentenced to community service at an old-age home. He meets Hendrik (Marius Weyers), a grumpy old man who spent his life chasing money and ended up miserable and alone.

“It’s about how your life can be radically affected by chasing the wrong thing,” says Moloi.

Rolie Nikiwe directed the film and the producers include Moloi, Ronnie Apteker, Harriet Gavshon, Jennifer Charlton, Garth Japhet, JP Potgieter and Mariki van der Walt.

The shoot took the cast and crew all over Johannesburg – from a high rise glass building in Sandton to the Nelson Mandela Bridge, inner-city streets and a restored colonial mansion in Modderfontein.

“It’s a tale of two worlds,” says Nikiwe.

“The business world that is a very bling but sterile environment, and an old-age home environment that has a very museum-like feel. It’s an ambitious film.”

According to Nikiwe, it offered the same challenges as any piece of entertainment that tries to carry a message. “It’s an ugly beast. You have to constantly make sure that you convey the message, but also ask: is it funny? We had to keep making sure that we maintained that balance.”

14 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

HEARTFELT: Thepelo Mokoena in the old-age home scene

Eclectic cast

where we train people on how to use our resources and take the conversation forward in their own homes and communities,” she explains.

The primary sponsor for the campaign is Nedbank, but the film also received funding from the Department of Trade and Industry, the National Film and Video Foundation and the Industrial Development Corporation.

Nikiwe notes that choosing the right cast and crew played in important role in finding the balance. In addition to Mokoena and Weyers, the film also stars Mmabatho Montsho, Jamie Bartlett, Kenneth Nkosi and Casper de Vries.

“It’s an eclectic and varied cast, but I knew it would work the first day we were on set. Each actor had a very distinct character – a strong character in their own right. I thought we had something special,” says Nikiwe.

Producer JP Potgieter agrees.

“We’ve got really seasoned actors doing one or two calls and really amazing actors in very small roles.”

This did, however, also present some challenges. Says Potgieter: “When you have a cast of this stature you want to make everyone very comfortable, but this was difficult on a very low budget while working in many different locations.”

The script, written by Darrel Bristow-Bovey, was three years in the making. Quizzical Pictures was commissioned to make the film.

Moloi emphasises that the film is part of a broader campaign on values and money. “We’re producing resources to accompany the film, aimed at church or Bible study small groups, workplaces, faith-based groups, families and young people. We’ll also have an ongoing conversation through various media, as well as our ongoing community mobilisation events Thepelo Mokoena and Mmabatho Montsho

Production Nothing for Mahala was filmed by director of photography Rory O’Grady on an Arri Alexa. It was shot in 2K to allow for better cinema projection. “I’m very happy with the results,” says O’Grady. “The footage has a nice soft feel, especially on the skin tones. Because it’s a comedy, we wanted it to be high key, and not too contrasty.”

Offline editing was handled by Melanie Jankes Golden, with online editing at Deepend Post-Production and final mix by On-Key Sound Studios.

The music was done by Brendan Jury. “We’re very excited about the end credit song, Noma Kunjani,” notes Potgieter. “It’s a hip-hop remix version of a Sophiatown classic by Dorothy Masuko, Zahara and PRO.” Distributor UIP releases the film at more than 40 cinemas countrywide. It will also be screened on SABC channels in early 2014.

Moloi notes that the films is being marketed on social media channels, including a Facebook page which has more than 10 000 likes, as well as the Heartlines YouTube channel and Twitter.

Potgieter says they hope diverse audiences will be attracted to the film. “This really is a beautiful, heartwarming dramedy and such a universal story. I think a lot of people will relate to it.”

| Film

A killer romance

By Martie Bester

Twenty seven years after Andrew Worsdale’s first film Shot Down was banned in South Africa, the writer and director’s movie Durban Poison won Best South African Feature Film at the Durban International Film Festival in July and will have its international première at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea in October.

A

ndrew Worsdale wrote Durban Poison in 1987. The movie was almost made in 1988 but investors pulled out at the last minute. Worsdale left the country, disillusioned. But the story of the outlaw lovers at the heart of his film remained.

Durban Poison, which has been likened to a South African version of Bonnie and Clyde, a comparison Worsdale does not agree with, lingered in his mind when films such as Wild at Heart, Natural Born Killers and Kalifornia started screening. Also frustrating was the fact that, while Durban Poison lay dormant, movies like Adaptation, Being John Malkovich and Memento, with their brilliant twists started a new era of movie storytelling, mirroring Worsdale’s unreleased project.

However, the director had his own demons to overcome before Durban Poison was finally made in November 2012 with Cara Roberts and Brandon Auret in the lead roles.

“When the opportunity came to finally shoot the movie, I was so aware of the karma, the miracle of it, and was constantly saying thanks for the way it finally came to be. And I firmly believe the film is way better than it could have been in previous years. It was a long haul, but worth every bit of pain,” comments Worsdale.

Doomed romance Roberts, daughter of well-known South African actors Ian Roberts and Michelle Botes, plays the role of Jolene, a young prostitute who gets ‘rescued’ by Auret’s character, Piet, who is barely able to fend for himself. He sees in her his salvation, a reason to exist, but the joy is fleeting and life in all its gritty reality soon takes over the all-consuming passion the couple feels for each other.

There is a poignant scene in which Jolene and Piet lie on the hood of his car watching the sun rise over their new romance, lost in the moment and forgetting that the sunset is just hours away. As the light seeps from their relationship and their lives become more futile, and when the realisation hits that their love is doomed, they turn into murderers.

A love story “My film is a love story,” says Worsdale, “the story of a broken romance inspired by true events. It’s not about the murders or the killing spree, even though there are murders in the film. Rather it’s a tale of memory and regret, so you can expect a lump in your throat when you watch it, rather than some kind of lurid satisfaction at

OUTLAW LOVERS: Cara Roberts and Brandon Auret someone else’s misfortune.”

Worsdale continues: “The film went through many incarnations and it’s certainly the best or most mature movie I could have made. I think if I made the movie 20 years ago it would have been more flippant, perhaps sexier, but in a ‘kitchy’ way.

“The karma of the film is quite extraordinary. I was constantly aware of this karmic blessing and that is why I cast Marcel van Heerden as the baddie and Marie Human as the stepmom. They were originally supposed to play the leads in the 1988 version.

“Cara Roberts is the perfect age and is a young actress with enormous talent, it breathes in her DNA. I’d always liked Brandon Auret’s work so I called him, sent him the script, met him and knew he was right for the role.”

Underneath the surface

Cara Roberts, Andrew Worsdale and Brandon Auret

However, underneath this genre narrative is a story about violence in South Africa, machismo and bravado.

“Durban Poison brings up the whole macho part of the South African society and the fact that the men in the movie don’t know whether to protect Jolene or to fuck

her; they don’t know whether she’s a woman or a girl. There’s also the issue of possession.

“Ultimately everyone in the film just wants to have a good time and live happily ever after, but they’re so messed up by either having no money or this macho stuff.

And then someone loses their temper,” comments Worsdale.

He says: “What comes through is the loneliness of the lives these two characters lived, together and apart. Neither of them have power. She has no power to escape this life and he has no power to rescue her and that impotence is embarrassing.

“What could me more embarrassing to a man than to be unable to protect his woman from degradation and abuse, especially when he should have some foothold in the world?”

Durban Poison is the feature film debut of cinematographer William Collinson and editor Byron Davis and features an original score as well as songs by Durban-born musician Jim Neversink. The movie was produced by Diony Kempen, Deon Meyer and Carmel Nayanah.

The film also stars Gys de Villiers, Danny Keogh, Ronny Nyakele, Frank Opperman and Drikus Volschenk.

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 15

FILM

|

For greater good – to censor or not to censor

BANNED SUBSTANCE: A scene from Of Good Report

The first South African film to be banned since 1994, Of Good Report, ignited the 2013 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) into an explosive start, writes Professor Keyan Tomaselli, director of The Centre for Communication, Media and Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. In an exclusive article for Screen Africa, Tomaselli discusses what happened and why.

16 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

A

t DIFF’s opening night a disbelieving audience and shocked actors from the film, Of Good Report, took a while to realise that the announcement from the podium that the film had been banned and deemed child pornography was not farce. All copies of the film were to be destroyed, instructed the Film and Publication Board (FPB).

The government, cabinet ministers, the president and FPB were berated by the filmmakers for their head-in-the sand attitudes. The director of the film, Jahmil XT Qubeka, took to the stage placing a piece of cellophane on his mouth and symbolically cut up what appeared to be his ID book. The anger and dismay was spectacle in itself. This was real theatre in the cinema.

Film organisations met the next day.

A flash mob screening of the film on the beachfront was one suggestion, but producer Mike Auret called for cool heads. The FPB had got it wrong, he argued. But the debate raged on at the DIFF session where the FPB was scheduled to talk about its function.

Where were the DIFF film makers in previous years when the FPB had explained their criteria, they asked.

Auret was, however, correct. The ban was reversed a few days later on appeal.

A number of heavyweights also commented about the travesty of the banning. Both Kobus van Rooyen, who led the drafting of the 1996 Films and Publications Act, and Pierre de Vos, a constitutional law scholar, explained that aesthetic considerations would always overrule technical ones.

Industry organisations wanted to know who the FPB board members were. Why were they not consulting filmmakers about their decisions? Their website, which posted press reports on the banning, contains little on its members.

Exposure Whatever the merits or demerits of the banning, the outcome has been positive.

The film obtained global exposure and the issue of sugar daddies is now firmly on the national agenda. The question of public accountability of state regulatory bodies is back in the limelight, as is the role of a critical citizenry in the public sphere.

Can and should that sphere be compromised by a classification committee that would appear to have little expertise in any of these domains or grasp on the enormity of the banning?

There is no way that the dysfunctional characters in the film, all of whom suffer grievously as a consequence of their behaviour, can be considered to be depicting child porn.

Yes, some of the very fleeting sex scenes are tantalisingly erotic, but the function here is to shift viewer identification between the underage Lolita character and the teacher, a loner beset with his own demons.

This strategy initially unsettles the viewer and prepares him or her for the lack of narrative closure. At root, the film is a critical metaphor on what post-apartheid South Africa has become.

In contrast, pornography does not develop characters, it lacks in-depth plot lines, it does not pit ‘good’ against ‘evil’; pornography has no closure. There are no personalities, sensible dialogue or social or personal consequences in pornography.

There are just sterile sexual gymnastics.

Watching Of Good Report, in fact, takes an act of will. It is uncompromising in its criticism of disintegrating personas, all of whom stand for larger social roles in conflict with each other.

Historical movements Of Good Report is one of the few South African films that consciously draws on historical aesthetic movements such as Italian Neorealism (slow pace, observational, re-enactments,

monochromatic, daily life); the French New Wave (elliptical time, parallel dimensions); intertextuality (á la Kubrick, Lolita, extreme violence depicting character disintegration); and Third Cinema (socially critical analysis) all sandwiched into a psychological thriller genre.

Are the FPB appointments able to assess this kind of layered and multifaceted aesthetic complexity? What is the FPB’s expertise in art history, film theory, narratology, media studies, audience and reception analysis, media effects and cultural studies?

Filmmakers think of themselves as artists rather than educators. The latter practice needs attention when making social messaging films. Entertainment education strategies, public health communication methodology, social learning theories and critical pedagogy underpin TV programmes with which Of Good Report intersects.

The South African television drama series Soul City, 4Play: Sex Tips for Girls, Tsha Tsha and Intersexions are driven by global research institutes and associated bodies of knowledge tested and implemented in practice, backed up by audience research, reception analysis and behaviour change monitoring.

Once-off films rarely obtain this kind of research support. Makers of films who want to change attitudes would best work off known research bases and with the appropriate research and evaluation institutes.

Nevertheless, one wonders whether the FPB is aware of this huge body of research of which South Africa is a global leader.

Nothing mobilises complacent citizens like a banning. This incident was the catalyst needed for South African filmmakers, legislators and media professionals to band towards a common goal.

Professor Keyan Tomaselli is the author of The Cinema of Apartheid and Encountering Modernity: 20th Century South African Cinemas.

| Film

Director Speak Donovan Marsh Award-winning South African director, writer has and editor worked in the local film industry since 1992.

He wrote and directed the feature films Dollars and White Pipes, Spud and the recently released Spud 2: The Madness Continues. Marsh’s new film, iNumber Number, was selected for the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. In terms of television he has directed dramas (Hard Copy, Tsha Tsha and The Good Fight), live multicam productions (Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Gladiators) and was the creator of the reality show, Class Act, as well as the mobile series, Seduction 101. Marsh also directs commercials.

Donovan Marsh

CONTROL AND FLEXIBILITY: Donovan Marsh directing a scene

HAVING WRITTEN ALL OF YOUR FEATURES, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT DIRECTING SOMEONE ELSE’S FEATURE SCRIPT? WOULD YOU GET THE UNCONTROLLABLE URGE TO RE-WRITE IT? Yes, I would get that uncontrollable urge. Hopefully with the feature film adaptation of Deon Meyer’s novel 13 Hours, which I am attached to direct and is written by Malcolm Kohl, I will finally direct someone else’s script. That is not to say I won’t grill Malcolm on his choices. My belief is that only the scriptwriter truly gets every nuance of what they have written and I believe it is the responsibility of the director to understand those nuances and fully appreciate what and why it was written before they try and ‘make it their own’.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? I am inspired by filmmakers (like David O Russell, Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese) who are always fully aware and respectful of their audience and do everything in their power, in every second and in every frame, to entertain, surprise, move and finally comment on the nature of humanity. Good solid thinking also inspires me. The world is in sore need of powerful thinkers.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WANTED TO BE A FILMMAKER? In high school I wanted to be a psychiatrist, I even applied to medical school. When I turned 17 I saw my first ‘making of’ and suddenly had this revelation: ‘That’s what I want to do – I want to make films’. And I never looked back. My parents were very supportive. I think my father always wanted to be in the arts and enjoyed my career vicariously.

YOU SEEM TO HAVE DONE IT ALL – WHAT HAVEN’T YOU DONE IN THE INDUSTRY THAT YOU STILL WANT TO DO? I still want to conceptualise, write and direct my own television drama series. Some of the best work in the world is being done in television and to create characters that one can develop over 13 hours and not two, as in a feature, is something I really want to attempt.

17 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

WHEN YOU WALKED ONTO THE SET OF SPUD 2: THE MADNESS CONTINUES, HOW DID YOU COPE WITH THE FEELING OF DÉJÀ VU? There was no such thing, only the familiarity of the cast and crew. Even the setting for Spud 2 was totally different (Michaelhouse School did not allow us to shoot there for the second film, because the content was too risqué). And in every other respect the film was a totally different animal, with its own all-consuming challenges and difficulties.

HOW DID YOU CONCEIVE iNUMBER NUMBER? It was designed as a vehicle for Sdumo Mtshali, the winner of Class Act I. It took two years from the end of the show to write and raise the finance for iNumber Number. The film is inspired by Reservoir Dogs and takes place principally in a warehouse, where a gang plans a heist.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE FILM’S WORLD PREMIèRE TAKING PLACE AT THE TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL? Obviously it’s fantastic, especially considering I had no ambitions for the film to play at festivals, or even outside of South Africa. I always saw it as a commercial venture for the local market, but the film turned out so well that festivals are showing interest.

WHAT IS THE STRANGEST THING TO HAVE EVER HAPPENED TO YOU ON SET? I nearly fell through a hole to my likely death when shooting iNumber Number. The location – the Orlando Power Station – as amazing as it is, is a bit of a death trap, with random holes that drop you five or six metres. I was amazed no one got injured during the shoot.

AS A DIRECTOR ARE YOU FLEXIBLE OR A CONTROL FREAK? As I have become more experienced and confident I have become more flexible. However a large degree of control is required in situations where time and money is limited, as was the case with iNumber Number, which has a lot of big action sequences.

These were planned to precision and I was certainly very controlling in my execution of them. But the things you don’t want to control are the nuances of performance and humanity – I always make space for that magic to occur.

YOU EDITED iNUMBER NUMBER AND DOLLARS AND WHITE PIPES – GIVEN THE CHOICE WOULD YOU ALWAYS WANT TO EDIT YOUR FILMS? I love editing, I love watching scenes come together.

But strictly speaking editing is a two person job: one person to do the cutting, the other person to think and consider and reflect. I need to alternatively wear those hats when I do it myself. It’s a bit lonely.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE FAVOURITE FILMS OF ALL TIME? Influential were Barton Fink – a masterpiece of mood, atmosphere and character; Inglourious Basterds as a master class in high concept, suspense and dialogue; and Requiem for a Dream as a piece of devastating, original and brilliant filmmaking.

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 17

TELEVISION

|

SA crews and locations enhance UK / US co-production The highly popular British and American action military television series Strike Back is back for its fourth season. In October 2012, HBO’s Cinemax and Sky1 called up the troops again to shoot the first four episodes of the new season in South Africa, which doubles as Lebanon and Colombia.

Martie Bester found herself at an air field in Beirut, just a few kilometres outside Johannesburg.

“S

outh Africa doubling as Colombia and Lebanon shows the versatility of the country as we have created Colombian rain forests and rivers in KwaZulu-Natal near Port Edward,” said co-producer Selwyn Roberts who has high-action movies such as King Arthur, Pearl Harbor, Plunkett & Macleane, X-Men and X-Men: 2 to his credit.

Co-producer Bill Shepherd approached Roberts about the possibility of working in South Africa on Strike Back: Shadow Warfare. “I love the country and enjoy spending time here plus South Africa has huge filmmaking potential. I have other ideas for the country about programmes that can be made here. It’s a filmmaking destination and because the tax rebate works, the deal is very well-run and clever and benefits the economy.”

In the first two episodes of Strike Back: Shadow Warfare, the many water scenes and a big boat chase were shot in KwaZulu-Natal. “These episodes are of feature film standard. They have very big production values. We try to go for the feature film look in the series,” continued Roberts.

He added: “We then shot Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, in the middle of Johannesburg and also turned parts of Johannesburg and Limpopo into Lebanon.

18 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

CONTROL AND FLEXIBILITY: A scene from Strike Back: Shadow Warfare

At the moment, we’re actually sitting at an air field in Beirut run by an international arms and drug dealer called Leatherby played by Dougray Scott.”

Johannesburg lends itself to filmmaking, Roberts commented. “The city has a lot of different angles and views. It’s an ideal place to convert into many other locations.

You could actually shoot a lot of New York in Johannesburg for instance. It also looks a lot like downtown Dallas or Chicago, so it is a very versatile city.”

SA crews Roberts especially praised South African film crews for their excellence, mentioning that 80% of the crew on Strike Back: Shadow Warfare was local. “South African film crews are extremely good. Their go-can-do attitude is far greater than that of a lot of European crews.

“Also, they have exceptional expertise

The main men from Strike Back: Shadow Warfare

and a lot of experience. Local crews do a good job and know what they are doing.

They are excellent film technicians and filmmakers.”

Roughly 285 crew members worked on set in South Africa, including drivers as well as first and second units.

Strike Back: Shadow Warfare was shot on a huge budget divided between Britain and America. “You could never do anything of this scale on just British finance alone, you have to have an American partner, especially for distribution purposes,” remarked Roberts.

Tough role Philip Winchester (Crusoe, Flyboys, Fringe, Thunderbirds) reprises his role as Sergeant Michael Stonebridge. The actors receive military training as they do most of their own stunts. “You get banged up. I’m wearing knee pads and braces for the most

part, but it’s fun and par for the course. We do a lot of physical training in combat and knife training as well as a lot of gym work,” said Winchester.

He continued: “I love the fact that we’ve come back to South Africa as we’ve all worked together for three years and trust each other. We really get to be boys and have a ball travelling the world, shooting guns, driving fast cars and jumping out of helicopters.

“Johannesburg is a tough city but I enjoyed seeing that there is a community of people doing urban regeneration and removing the decay that has occurred. That is encouraging.”

Michael J. Basset and Julian Holmes directed the episodes in South Africa.

“They are two very different directors with very diverse attitudes. Michael is more gung ho while Julian is more cautions but both tell fascinating stories. The series carries a strong political message and combined with all the action it is extremely popular,” concluded Roberts.

The remaining six episodes were shot in Budapest and the entire series was shot on ARRI Alexa cameras.

Strike Back: Shadow Warfare also stars Sullivan Stapleton as ex-Delta Force operative Damian Scott; Rhona Mitra as Major Rachel Dalton, the head of Section 20; Michelle Lukes as Sergeant Julia Richmond and Liam Garrigan as Sergeant Liam Baxter, as well as Dougray Scott, Robson Green and Milauna Jackson.

The series screens on Fridays at 21h30 on South African pay-TV channel M-Net.

| TELEVISION

Five SABC boards in five years?

What hope for change?

By Sekoetlane Jacob Phamodi

Over the last two weeks of August, the South African parliament interviewed its 36 shortlisted candidates for the board of public service broadcaster SABC. These interviews came at a precarious time for the SABC, just shortly after it came into, and is only just recovering from, a debt of over R700m, the only possible solution being a R1.47bn commercial loan which had to be guaranteed by government. Perhaps, more significantly, these interviews came less than six months after the catastrophic implosion of the Ngubane board which was appointed in 2010.

This was the board South Africans had put their faith in for a structural and material change in the beleaguered public broadcaster, after the dissolution of a board which, in 2007, had overseen the financial meltdown and political capture of the institution. The Ngubane board saw egos, a lack of direction and equally rudderless executive interventions from then Minister of Communications, Dina Pule, which precipitated internal divisions and tore it asunder in a bitter and public display.

Not five years and four boards later, here we stand again, waiting for the announcement of the fifth board, wondering whether we’ll see any fundamental change in our public broadcaster, and speculating whether and just how long the new board will last.

In recent years, the SABC has not been short of exceptional and respectable individuals on its board. It has been able to attract well-skilled candidates who demonstrate a commitment to public broadcasting in the public benefit and make a tangible contribution in the lives of the majority of the people of South Africa and beyond, who depend on the SABC for the information, education and entertainment needs. So why has our public broadcaster been so obstinately unable to reform? What is it about the environment in the public broadcasting space which has led to the perceived collapse and consequent lack of confidence in the SABC as a trusted institution which should reflect and shape our lives?

Foremost in the vision of South Africans and, indeed, civil society, for a stable, sustainable and successful SABC is a visionary and accountable leadership which can demonstrate a commitment to independence and clean governance. Perhaps, this is what has been lacking in the SABC for all these years. And, in my view, perhaps this can still be achieved.

It is at this crucial moment that parliament needs to ensure the appointment of high-flying, skilled and accountable leaders with integrity and a deep sense of public service to the board. Further, it is at this crucial moment that we need to see the board agitate robustly on our behalf regarding the relationship between the SABC and the Minister of Communications as sole shareholder of government. Our public broadcaster should be unmistakeably distinguished from a state broadcaster subject to the whim and objectives of the ruling party of the day. It is also, perhaps most of all, at this crucial moment that we need to see the new SABC board supported by all stakeholders and ourselves, the public it serves, which necessarily requires a greater measure of openness, honesty and direct engagement from the board throughout its term.

The question that remains then is – will parliament rise to the occasion? Will the SABC board? And, most importantly, will we?

Next generation decoder Developed over a period of two years, MultiChoice’s recently released next generation Gerdus van Eeden HD PVR, the DStv Explora, was specially designed to provide the pay-TV operator’s subscribers with additional recording space and much more video on demand (VOD) content.

Says MultiChoice chief technology officer Gerdus van Eeden: “In developing the Explora we took into account customer feedback through user experience focus groups. With Explora, which has a 2TB hard drive, customers can now have up to 220 hours of personally recorded content on the decoder and three times more content from DStv’s VOD services, Catch-Up and BoxOffice. Our previous decoder only catered for 130 hours in total.

“It is also our intention with the Explora to give customers an internet-like experience, in terms of the breadth of content selection, without the internet.”

Van Eeden notes that the software for the Explora has two main elements: the operating system (Linux) and the decoder application based on Java (the part the user interacts with). The latter was developed locally by MultiChoice.

He continues: “The new decoder has more open source (Linux) and more

standard development environment (Java). This also allows for better connectivity, for example to the internet.

“The Explora eliminates the problem of buffering by downloading content onto the hard drive via satellite, using a dedicated high-speed data stream directly to Catch Up and BoxOffice.”

According to Van Eeden, the Explora went through an array of development validation testing, consumer focused testing, TV compatibility testing, as well as extensive field trials.

Vektronix was contracted by Pace, MultiChoice’s hardware provider, to assemble the Explora locally.

Lots of thought went into the new remote control device for the Explora.

Says Van Eeden: “Our previous remote requires customers to use the shift button to navigate to audio channels or to change settings – such as aspect ratios, etc. The new Explora remote provides customers with direct access to the functions required; the shift button has been removed and more direct buttons have been inserted.

These buttons make it easier for the customer to navigate his way through the DStv line-up and service offerings.”

“The new platform has also been designed to connect to the internet in the future. Although we did not expose any internet dependent apps at launch, these functions will be available in the future,” concludes Van Eeden.

– Joanna Sterkowicz

Sekoetlane Jacob Phamodi is the campaign organiser for the SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coalition. Follow them on Twitter @soscoalition and on Facebook.

Visit: www.soscoalition.org.za

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 19

FILM

|

Crowdfunding short sets scene for feature

By Martie Bester

At Durban FilmMart held in July this year, South African filmmaker Janet van Eeden spoke about how she raised money for her short film A Shot at the Big Time through the crowdfunding platform www.

IndieGoGo. Van Eeden raised production funds to realise her vision of telling the true story of her brother, Jimmy, who took his own life rather than fight in the Apartheid Border War.

REBEL WITH A CAUSE: The

Director Stephen de Villiers and Brad Brackhouse

“O

ne of the things IndieGoGo loved about A Shot at the Big Time is that I included a huge number of Do It With Others (DIWO) as part of the campaign. DIWO is one of the most important aspects of a successful crowdfunding effort. Those who come to the site want to invest something other than just money,” says Janet van Eeden, screenwriting lecturer at the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance (AFDA) in Durban.

“IndieGoGo featured us many times on their home page as they loved the DIWO aspect of the project.”

The short film, which will be used to raise funds for a feature-length version, was nine years in the making. Many industry professionals and other artists had read and been inspired by the script of A Shot at The Big Time and contributed in various ways to the project as normal fundraising methods had failed.

The original songs for the short film were written in 2011 and had been recorded, for free, by Jonathan Handley who was in the 1980s band Radio Rats.

“I put the songs from Jonathan’s recordings up on IndieGoGo in 2011 and started the campaign thinking nothing more would come of it. And then the interest and donations and auditions

20 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

Caitlin Harrison, Janet van Eeden and Olivia Henning started pouring in. Before I knew it, we were in pre-production for the short. Then we were standing in a frozen July veld filming scenes from my childhood.”

More DIWO Continues Van Eeden: “I opened online auditions for the main roles in the film. I encouraged aspiring actors to submit YouTube or Vimeo videos of themselves auditioning for various parts. Then the viewers were encouraged to vote for their favourite actors. All the actors in the final short film were auditioned online. We have the most wonderful cast as a result and one that cares deeply about the film.”

real Jimmy (far right)

Van Eeden also opened up auditions for the creation of the poster which was designed by a visual graphics company in Australia. “Our producer Magda Olchawska fell in love with the project and committed herself to any further work pro bono for the short and the feature. And the campaign caught the attention of my long-term friend Stephen de Villiers, who works as a professional director in Australia. He came to South Africa to film it at his own cost and made it into the moving short it is now.”

Actors came from Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Durban to be part of the project and director of photography Luke Pallett filmed the movie for no payment.

The online edit was done by KOJO Australia and the score and sound edit by composer John McGuiness as well as all musicians from South African group Freshly Ground.

In the end the 13-minute film cost around R60 000 to make. The movie was filmed in 2012 in and around Pietermaritzburg, shot in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, in the grounds of the Natal Carbineers, in the bush near KZN Poultry Institute and the Old Prison Pietermaritzburg.

Jimmy’s story Brad Backhouse plays the role of Jimmy van Eeden. “I’ve felt compelled to tell my brother’s story,” says Van Eeden. He lived for his music. He was in a rock band when he was called up at the age of 17 and playing his guitar and singing was all he wanted to do.

“He was the iconic rock and roll persona: anti-establishment, charismatic, a rebel with a cause. Jimmy didn’t respect authority and thought he’d breeze his way through the army with his cheek and charm.

“Unfortunately the army broke him. He had a violent breakdown during his basics after two traumatic incidents. He was

declared unfit for service and for three years they left him alone. Then they changed their minds and called him up for Border duty. Three days after arriving on the border he was dead.”

The official version, via telephone, was that Jimmy had been killed by a ricochet bullet. “My older brother and I were 13 months apart in age. He was my hero. I was 20 when he died and it changed my whole family’s lives forever.”

The short isn’t online yet as Van Eeden wants to do the world festival route first.

“We’re aiming for Sundance, Slamdance and as many others we can get it into before the end of the year. Once we’re on the way to pre-production with the feature, we’ll put the short online.”

Prisoners of war “I feel a little embarrassed claiming any ‘glory’ or pride in this film. It’s about a broken heart and my mother and father and younger brother’s broken hearts. It’s about the loss of our identity as a family.

It’s not something to celebrate, but I feel justice has been done in some small way.

It’s the story of almost all the men in this country who went to war before 1994.”

Van Eeden says she still hopes to find a co-producer who will come on board and raise the majority of the funds for the feature film in the traditional way. “We will put the short film and the EPK online and hope for the best.

“I’m hoping the short will garner support and find us funding to make the feature. The short is really just a starter.

The main course is still to come. Our whole team are still on board to make the feature,” concludes Van Eeden.

Filmmakers can utilise crowdfunding on sites such as www.IndieGoGo.com, www. kickstarter.com and recently launched South African site www.thundafund.com.

GY-HM650 | HD ENG camcorder

LIGHTNING SPEED GLOBAL CONTENT DELIVERY

GY-HM650 ProHD mobile news and production camera now features live streaming The GY-HM650 now makes live video streaming possible. Whether equipped with wi-fi, 4G or 3G connectivity via USB, and thanks to JVC’s dual codec technology, the GY-HM650 can stream live video transmissions in the background while continuing to record footage.

Equipped with three full-HD sensors and an integrated wide angle 23x autofocus zoom lens, the camera features exceptional light sensitivity of F12 at 2000 lux. And thanks to dual JVC codecs, it records .MOV and XDCAM EXTM compatible MP4 or MXF files with rich, descriptive metadata on one memory card, while simultaneously creating smaller, web-friendly files on a second card.

For further information on our camcorders, please visit our website at www.jvcpro.eu.

T: +971 4816 5200 • E: cdarnley@ae.jvckenwood.com

ANIMATION

|

SA industry gets animated By definition animation is the putting together of independent images to form the illusion of continuous motion. But what isn’t an illusion is the continuous forward motion of the South African animation industry.

I

n June this year, South African animation was put onto the international stage when the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) led a local delegation to the Annecy International Film Festival in Annecy, France.

Says NFVF Communications & Public Affairs director Naomi Mokhele: “The South African participation was the result of a fact finding mission that the NFVF undertook at Annecy last year, the purpose being to evaluate the merits of a stronger South African presence at this platform, as well as to explore and assess opportunities that the festival might presents for the country’s growing animation industry. This also worked for us as part of the France-South Africa Seasons 2012 / 2013.”

Industry organisation Animation SA, in partnership with the NFVF, the Department of Arts & Culture, the French Institute in South Africa (IFAS) and the France-South Africa Seasons, took an 18-person delegation to Annecy.

“The delegation included students, producers, filmmakers and animators,” explains David Whitehouse, chairman of the Johannesburg Chapter of Animation SA. “Our delegates manned the NFVF stand at the festival, which turned out to be extremely busy. A fantastically wellattended territory focus on South Africa was held, with Bugbox’ Tim Argall as MC. This focus featured presentations from The Animation School, Luma, Strika Entertainment and Triggerfish, and rounded off with a montage showcasing a selection of what the South African animation industry has to offer.”

Long vs short The majority of animation work in South Africa still lies in commercials, broadcast design and visual effects, rather than in

22 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

STRONG PRESENCE: South African delegates at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival

long form animation.

While some in the industry see this as a negative, Whitehouse believes that the very foundations of the long form industry lie in the short form world.

“Although our long form industry is growing and the long form-specific skill sets of our animators, technical artists and production staff have grown accordingly, we don’t yet have enough long form productions taking place consecutively. So the commercials, broadcast design and visual effects industries, with their ongoing requirement for freelance talent, offer respite between long form productions,” he comments.

Harry Ravelomanantsoa, chairman of the Cape Town Chapter of Animation SA, believes the local industry is currently over supplied with animators. “What we are lacking are the projects and the governmental structures to quick-start a more sustainable long form industry.”

Animation SA member and director of the Kunjanimation Festival, Daniel Snaddon, adds: “Not enough money is being spent on development to create sufficient content to attract investment from overseas. All the companies in South Africa that have made any content have started very slowly and many have made huge sacrifices of time and energy (a feature project can take anywhere between five and to 10 years from idea to completion). We need support

from the private sector as well as government if we are to make this sustainable.”

Despite these challenges there are a number of local long form projects in the pipeline.

Says Ravelomanantsoa: “Mind’s Eye Creative, Pollen and Sea Monster all have long form projects in various stages of development, with potential starting dates staggered within the next six to 12 months.”

Snaddon continues: “Strika Entertainment is on its third season of the worldwide syndicated show Supa Strikas, which was the number 2 show on Nickelodeon in India last year. We also have other independent producers like Bugbox, The Crucial Project and Tin Cup TV all developing long form content.”

In addition, according to Whitehouse, there are a number of international co-productions currently under negotiation, with both Cape Town and Johannesburgbased studios.

Raised profile The recent international critical and box success of Triggerfish’s first feature film, Adventures in Zambezia, has helped to raise the profile of South African animation.

Says Ravelomanantsoa: “Such projects are great catalysts to demonstrate the quality and capacity a destination like South

Africa can bring to the international playing field.”

Snaddon concurs. “And, I believe Triggerfish’s soon to be released second film, Khumba, is going to create a reputation for being able to produce great looking product for a fraction of the cost of a Hollywood production.”

Whitehouse adds: “Zambezia certainly made waves and, based on reactions to Khumba at screenings in Annecy, I think the South African industry can look forward to being taken a lot more seriously as the film is released theatrically worldwide.”

Both films are stereoscopic 3D releases.

Ravelomanantsoa believes this format is very much flavour of the month. “Unless the technique is directly required or dictated by the story, I don’t think releasing it in 3D will influence the audience that much. It can affect box-office in that 3D movies tickets are more expensive.”

Whitehouse is not a big fan of the format.

“However, as far as theatrical animation releases are concerned, I don’t think production companies have much of a choice because distributors demand stereoscopic.”

As to whether the animation genre will sustain its current popularity, Ravelomanantsoa responds by describing animation as a style of storytelling that has stood the test of time. “Studios such as

– to page 24

The Award Winning Animation School now in Johannesburg & Cape Town Given the ever-changing nature of the thrilling animation industry, the learning curve is becoming increasing steep and the days of self-taught hopefuls breaking into the business without any formal training are over.

Our curriculum has been designed to give you a powerful command of the current tools and techniques used in animation and visual effects production. We consistently adapt to industry trends to provide the latest in animation education preparing graduates to enter the field animation.

The Animation School boasts an array of student awards of which our most recent being a Gold and Bronze award at the New York Festivals in March 2013. The Animation School prides itself on being the most award winning animation school in Africa.

The Animation School is South Africa’s leading higher education animation institution with campuses in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The Animation School are currently on a recruiting drive to attract up and coming digital artists to enter it’s 3 year Diploma programme, apply today by visting The Animation School website and attend lectures in Rosebank or Cape Town.

3 Year Diploma in Digital Animation - Full Time - Ultra Modern Campus - Apple Computer Labs - Student Accommodation (Cape Town Only) - Sound Recording Studio - Industry Experienced Teachers - Fully Accredited Diploma - Proven Curriculum Watch our - 24 Hour Access Award Winningin 2013 - Launching in Johannesburg

Student Work

www.theanimationschool.co.za

Tel: 0861-8222-33 www.theanimationschool.co.za www.youtube.com/theanimationschool http://www.facebook.com/The.Animation.School Provisional registration certificate D.O.E no. 2009/HE07/013 Digital Animation NQF Level 6; Qualification ID 71756 Provisionally accredited with Council on Higher Education Ref No. H/PR038/E001CAN

ANIMATION

|

Inspiring art The Animation School has established itself as the leading specialist animation training institution in South Africa. Based in Cape Town since 2000, The Animation School has decided to offer its three-year animation diploma in Johannesburg as well to develop the growing animation industry and provide the market with competent graduates.

The Animation School Johannesburg is on a recruiting drive to attract upcoming animators and digital artists to enter its three-year diploma programme, which commences in February 2014.

Nuno Martins, principal of The Animation School motivates the importance of being in Johannesburg: “Through the years we have had several Gauteng applicants wishing to enter our programme who sadly couldn’t afford to relocate to Cape Town.

Having a campus in Johannesburg will provide Johannesburg applicants with the convenience of studying and commuting on a daily basis.”

Having serviced the Cape Town animation industry for 13 years, Martins confirms The Animation School’s intentions to the Johannesburg market: “The Animation School has graduated many animators and digital artists who have filtered into the industry. In fact, all the top production houses, gaming and feature film

studios in Cape Town rely on graduates of The Animation School to provide them with a skilled and creatively competent workforce making us a pivotal part of the animation industry.”

Martins says the reason their approach is unique is: “We understand our position in the market place, to service the television, gaming and film industries with skilled, qualified and competent artists.”

The Animation School has had great success with industry placement. “We have had as much as 80% placement within months of graduation. It’s safe to say that The Animation School has been the most successful in terms of graduate placement and we will continue to work very closely with industry to meet their strict skill demands,” Martins comments.

According to him the school spends equal amounts in both technical and creative aspects of animation, but the focus remains on quality. “In a digital production pipeline we guide students through the technical and creative aspects of production and make them understand that both work hand in hand.

“If you don’t know the technical aspects it may affect your creative output so it’s imperative that students learn how the tools work to inspire them to be more creative and in turn produce high-quality

Continued From page 22 SA industry gets animated Disney/Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky have certainly helped bring animation back into the limelight but more independent movies will continue to be a big part of our cinematic culture, worldwide.”

According to Snaddon, animation certainly is more popular now than it ever has been before. “However, only once a film has doubled its budget at the box office does it start to make money. So, if you spend $100m on a film (common these days for an animated feature), it’ll need to rake in $200m before you start to see a return. These huge numbers have made the studios a little jumpy, which is why we’re seeing so many sequels at the moment.”

Back to the basics With the current craze for 3D animation, it’s comforting to know that 2D is still very much alive and kicking. As Ravelomanantsoa points out, more than 70% of television series are still produced in 2D. “Lately more and more feature films have been done in 2D as we can see from the likes of The Congress (Israel), The Suicide Shop (France), Winnie the Pooh (USA), and not forgetting new series of all the classical superhero brands being rebooted by Marvel, DC Comics and Hasbro. The fact that Disney announced that they will not be doing traditional animation anymore 24 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

EXPANDING FOR THE FUTURE: A student being taught the art of animation productions. As John Lasseter CEO of Pixar said in reference to digital animation: ‘Art challenges technology, technology inspires the art’.”

Unique features of The Animation School are educational specialists in animation production. Martins explains: “We are known for servicing the animation industry with skilled animators, and employers from reputable production houses confirm that our graduates are productive within the first week of employment, a benchmark we will continue to uphold.”

Graduates learn every aspect of animation production, equipping them to enter any digital artist field from game production to feature films. “We prepare our graduates with the confidence to deliver in any graphics-related industry now and into the future,” says Martins.

Students of The Animation School have been the recipients of many prestigious awards since the school launched in 2000.

To date, students have won over 30 awards in 13 years. Martins says: “These awards are

testament to the creativity and skill that our students possess but also to the exceptional training and guidance that they receive from our team of expert lecturers.”

He mentions that South Africa is fast becoming an animation hot spot, having interacted with French animation producers and French animation schools such as Gobelins L’ecole de L’Image based in Paris.

“It is clear that South African animators have what it takes to compete globally. I recently spent time at Gobelins and we share the same principles to the extent that we have a partnership to collaborate more closely in the form of master classes and future exchange student programmes.”

These collaborations will further stretch The Animation School into the next decade and to compete with internationally based animation institutions.

The Animation School will launch its Johannesburg campus in November from its premises in Rosebank. Details are available on the website at www.theanimationschool.co.za.

|

doesn’t mean that they will not be producing in 2D; it simply means that they will not longer be using the traditional paper based animation style. Furthermore, their TV division is still producing more 2D than 3D,” he says.

Snaddon comments: “If you watch kids and cartoon channels, you will see lots of 2D animation, such as Adventure Time, Sponge Bob to Ben 10.”

Kunjanimation Animation SA is partnering with Wits University, IFAS and DISCOP AFRICA this year to stage the third edition of its annual animation festival Kunjanimation, which runs from 3 to 9 October in both Cape Town and Johannesburg.

“Kunjanimation comprises screenings, exhibitions, workshops and events. For anyone interested in learning more about the South African animation industry, meeting French animation producers, or seeing awesome local and international animated content, please check out our website at: www.kunjanimation.org,” states Snaddon.

Cape focus The Cape Film Commission (CFC) regards animation as a major growth industry. Says CFC CEO Denis Lillie: “The success of

INTERNATIONAL STAGE: Director of Khumba Anthony Silverston and some of the team at a screening in Annecy Triggerfish, Sunrise Productions, Strika Entertainment, BlackGinger and many others based in the Western Cape indicate the growth and international success of these businesses, which are now producing locally and selling content internationally.

Cape Town and the Western Cape are the largest producers of animation on the African continent.”

Lillie notes that the CFC was instrumental, in partnership with Animation SA, in the establishment of the Animation Academy at False Bay College. In other activities, the CFC partnered with the Department of Trade & Industry to organise a delegation of animation filmmakers to attend Annecy.

“We also worked very closely with Animation SA and representatives of the animation industry to put together a funding application for job creation under the Development Bank of Southern Africa Jobs Fund earlier this year,” he says.

In addition, the CFC has been working with MICT SETA (Media Information

Communication Technologies Sector Education & Training Authority), False Bay College Animation Academy and the Animation School, together with the industry in the Western Cape, to ascertain training needs.

Last year the CFC hosted the International Emmy semi-final judging for Kids Animation. Lillie explains: “Through this judging process we realised that our local content is up there with the rest of the world. Also, some of our members were able to attend the Kids Emmys in New York in February this year, where they were able to network with Disney, Nick Jnr, Pixar, etc.”

Recently the CFC received an enquiry from a high profile international animation company and merchandising operations business to assist them in the development of some of their content and support their growth plans.

“This gives an indication of the level of interest there is in our animation industry,” concludes Lillie. – Joanna Sterkowicz

| ANIMATION

Unstoppable creativity Johannesburg-based multi-disciplinary and award-winning creative agency Monarchy specialises in design-driven strategy, branding and live action.

Of the recent animation projects the agency has been involved with, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars Season 16 stands out, says creative director and co-owner Nicci Hattingh.

“First we were involved in a pitching process where the main directive from the client was that the show needed a new, sexy approach to modernise and rejuvenate the slightly dated air that started to surround Dancing with the Stars, as it has been such a successful programme for so many seasons,” comments Hattingh.

“They picked the favourite concept we were hoping they would go for. After that we could start boarding up the final with some great suggestions from ABC, which we included,” she says.

The concept for the new approach was ‘Industrial Glamour’. “I drew on inspiration from modern architecture such as the Disney Concert Hall, haute couture fashion shows (specifically Alexander McQueen’s Women’s Autumn / Winter 2012 Show) and the construction of the runways with all their beautiful floodlight structures,” remarks Hattingh.

She continues, “This was then

DANCING TO SUCCESS: Nicci and Delarey Hattingh transformed into our own unique architectural construction that would house the faces of the celebrities when they are announced in the first spot. It would be an actual real set built for a shoot with choreographed dancers, together with Pitbull performing Feel this Moment for the big tease-and-launch campaign as well as various templates to run throughout the

show itself.”

Once it was decided that the team had landed the project, everything was completed within three weeks. The shoot in Los Angeles was wrapped up over two days and the first spots were aired shortly after that.

Says Hattingh: “Amazingly, the first spot aired during prime time viewing of the live

broadcast of the Academy Awards event, so that was quite a surprise.

“The opening night of Dancing with the Stars Season 16 was the biggest grossing with the highest audience ratings in the whole of America that evening. It’s always great to get this kind of feedback and realise that we must have done something right. When our clients get good feedback, we are very happy.”

Hattingh was creative director and main creative for the project with Delarey Hattingh as director. Pascal Martin was one of the senior 3D animators and Renzo Rader a senior compositor.

“A small and tight team was exactly what this project needed as the deliverables weren’t vast. We worked closely with One World productions in Los Angeles where they turned around the set on that side in a day before we flew over,” adds Hattingh.

The project was completed on Monarchy’s computers and Wacom tablets (both Mac and PC), 3D Studio Max, After Effects, Photoshop and Illustrator.

Other exciting projects that Monarchy has worked on over the years are The Billboard Music Awards (also for ABC), DStv’s rebrand with the hypercube and a character animation for MTN’s Perfect 10.

The most exciting aspect of working in the field of animation? “That absolutely anything that you can conceive is possible!

Pair this with a client who has the same vision and you’re unstoppable,” concludes Hattingh.

Bringing ideas to life

TRANSFORMING THE OFFICE: Transformer Robot for Giant Leaps, the Gamechanger BFX Design and animation studios form part of Blade Works post-production facility in Johannesburg. “Our primary focus mainly involves visual effects, motion graphics and character animation for commercials,” says Shaun Froneman, animation director at BFX. The team recently created a Transformer Robot for Giant Leaps, the Gamechanger range of office furniture, which is a modular, versatile and scalable office desk system.

“Director Jonathan Cohen approached us with an elaborate idea of turning a range of office furniture into a Transforming Robot,” says Froneman.

“The fact that you can slot different pieces onto the base structure reminded

the director of a Transforming Robot.”

He mentions that the robot concept worked well as it took the idea of the modularity of the system to a whole new level. “Through being so modular and versatile there wasn’t a single obstacle city life could throw at this robot that could hinder it from reaching its goal: which was outfitting any new office with awesome new furniture.”

Froneman comments that a lot of the creative team’s initial time went into character and concept design. “The nature of this project meant that the design needed to be very precise. In the end the whole robot was from the ground up with to-scale parts from the furniture range.

“Another huge challenge was to rig this complex robot we built to be able to move freely without geometry overlapping! After the rigging, we tracked our shots, created 3D cameras and then spent time on getting the robot’s performance nailed down.”

One more intricate animation shot was the final transforming shot. “Once we were happy with the performance, we matched lighting and rendered it all out for composting and grading,” says Froneman.

He adds: “In total the project spanned more than four months of which we spent the bulk in animation. We had three animators working on the project full time and then spent two weeks compositing and grading it.”

All the animation was done in Autodesk Maya and XSI, while rendering was handled with Mental Ray and Arnold and the initial compositing was done in After Effects. The final compositing and grading was done in Nuke and Flame.

Froneman says that the process of creating something that didn’t exist from scratch and breathing life into it is incredibly rewarding. “With that the unique challenges each new project brings and the interesting ways we can overcome these challenges. We get to push the boundaries on a daily basis. How can that not be rewarding?”

The Gamechanger commercial was created

by Froneman (animation director / animator), Mills De Carvalho (lead animator), Rayn Lloyd (animator), Jeanette Thom (animation producer), Jean du Plessis (lead compositor), Michael Henry (compositor) and Nic Apostoli (colonist).

BFX Studios has also worked on animation projects such as Hyundai i20 Visualiser (Jupiter Drawing Room), the Fake or Real Campaign for DStv, Vodacom Rooftop (DraftFCB), Gory Story for BFX, Vodacom Retail Campaigns, SuperSport boxing campaigns and KFC Turbo, to mention but a few.

Gamechanger can be viewed on https:// vimeo.com/channels/bfx/69688166.

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 25

ANIMATION

|

Global recognition and credibility

DISPLAYS & MONITORING

BREAKING NEWS

3D

DVD

MOBILE TV

Broadcast

Video Streaming

DISPLAYS & MONITORING

New Media Digital Media Delivery

Forum

Editorial

TELEVISION

FILM EQUIPMENT BREAKING NEWS OB & ENG

Equipment Suppliers

RADIO

Film

HD

POST-PRODUCTION Guide to Filming in South Africa

Corporate Video

Directory Contacts Film Festivals

Jobs

OB & ENG

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

Film Festivals

Organisations

Production Companies TV & VIDEO PRODUCTION

Industry Directory

Video

Facilities & Rentals

Studios

3D

HD

Studios Documentaries

AFRICA

DVD

created while studying at SAE.” Birch mentions that the school’s focus is on the art of creating the characters and narrative, and using software and other technologies to facilitate this creative vision.

“We deliver tuition in industry standard software, but teaching the software is not the focus; animation fundamentals and pipeline are.”

He says SAE students get a thorough grounding in animation to ensure that they are employable in junior roles upon graduation with the intention that they make a useful contribution to their employer in any sub-discipline of animation.

“The context of this approach is that graduates can then choose a specific path within animation, based upon their own and the industry’s requirements, once they have

Services

3D

International Expos

Events

Filming in South Africa

Corporate

calibre work ethic and stellar creative output. Many of our animation students choose to enrol with SAE because they see the incredible value of studying alongside peers in the film and sound departments.

“Cross-departmental collaboration allows our animation students to produce greater quality show reels, as they can engage sound students to create or oversee the sound design for their animations and get different perspectives from their film department peers.”

Since 2009 SAE has produced 40 animation graduates. Birch says the uptake of students in the industry is good when there are productions on the go. Most of our graduates are employed on these productions, as they present good show reels composed of material they have

Services

The SAE Institute in Cape Town offers higher education qualifications in Animation and Visual Effects, Digital Film Production and Sound Production (Sound Engineering and Music Production).

According to Trenton Birch, head of Marketing and Operations at SAE, the objective of the SAE Institute’s Animation Department is to educate and train high-quality animators for the production of high-quality animation.

“The course in animation is very popular.

At many of our open houses, career presentations and school visits, animation eclipses film and sound production in popularity,” says Birch.

He mentions that the school is very successful in terms of animation. “We enrol two small groups annually to ensure a high

MONITORs

DISPLAYS

News Profile

TV

Reports Awards

Stunts

www.screenafrica.com

3D

Production Updates

ANIMATION & GRAPHICS

Tracking Technology

26 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

LATEST NEWS

Audience Ratings Golf Day

COMPANY NEWS

PRESS RELEASES

Equipment Suppliers

TV

Special Focus

TRAINING

Mediatech FESTIVALS

Awards

Services

Accessories

News

Editor’s Comment Services SATELLITE & TRANSMISSION

COMPUTERS

3D TECHNOLOGY

Cameras Vital Statistics

Commercials BUSINESS ProfileAUDIO LIGHTING

Cameras

Broadcasting

TV

Tripods

Twitter

Adcetera

CAMERAS & Accessories

Website

Social

Technology

Facebook

Studios

DVD Social Magazine • Website • Directory • Newsletter Media

We b s i t e : w w w. s c r e e n a f r i c a . c o m

achieved a relevant level of commercial experience.

“Our curriculum ensures that our students are exposed to each subdiscipline of animation, to ensure they are well informed about the overarching context and value of animation and the differences between each sub-discipline.”

Another significant advantage for students is that the SAE Institute is an internationally recognised name with 56 campuses around the world. Graduates have a large international network to support them in finding employment and making contacts within the industry. The SAE qualifications enjoy worldwide recognition and credibility.

“A cornerstone of SAE’s tuition is the focus on the ‘second curriculum’ as much as the discipline of animation itself. A mature, astute and humble graduate is a far more attractive employment proposition than an idealistic prima donna,” remarks Birch.

“The ‘second curriculum’ is the aspect of daily campus life, and formal tuition that supports and mentors students to be responsible citizens who make a significant contribution to society and the economy, and are not simply talented creatives who have no clue of how to earn a sustainable living from their art,” Birch concludes.

HD

Organisers

Events Expos

Email: publisher@screenafrica.com

Te l e p h o n e : + 2 7 ( 0 ) 1 1 0 2 5 3 1 8 0

ANIMATION

FILM

SOUND

NOW OFFERING DEGREES IN FILM APPLY NOW FOR FEBRUARY INTAKE

G N I M A G , Game & x F V N, Visual Effects O I T A Film, tion ANIM r o o f M n p o ati Sto

pps A r o f ation m i n A sign, e D & t Ar

ing, Anim m a G e il & Mob

iness, s u B Film , s o e d sic Vi u M , s ercial m m o TV C , s ction e i u r a d t o n r e ocum ack Video P D , s kp Film Short ontent, Bac C Digital iness, s u B usic M , d n e Sou v i L , g ducin ve Media o r P c i , Mus teracti g n I n i & d r Reco or Film, TV tuition o d i e d s i u l t S sign f rsona e e P D > d sses Soun all cla

N O I T C U OD R P M L I F L A T DIGI

SOUND

>

N O I T C PRODU

ities > l i c a f class World

d > Sm e s i n g y reco l l a n o i at Intern

CALL 021 469 3600 SAE INSTITUTE 5 Church Square, Cape Town CBD Email: capetown@sae.edu | Web: www.capetown.sae.edu With Campuses Across The Globe OUR WORLD IS YOUR STAGE

CAPE TOWN

DIGITAL MAKE-UP

|

The camera never lies, right?

French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic Jean Luc Godard once said: ‘Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world’. With the advent of high definition (HD) television and more recently the introduction of Ultra HD (4K) television comes technology that through clever utilisation of algorithms, compresses data to create a better, clearer picture on a bigger, better screen, a picture so crisp and vivid that cinematic ‘fraud’ becomes nigh impossible. So much so that news anchors and A-list actresses all desire new blurring techniques to avoid exposing their skin blemishes.

28 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

By Ian Dormer

BEFORE AND AFTER: The original photograph (left) and the digitally enhanced photograph of a model compared

T

hroughout the 1960s and 1970s, the CBS Network used to intentionally blur Doris Day’s face on every close up shot so that she looked younger. For decades people have been fooled by visual alchemy, quite literally.

Set designers, indeed film directors could, until now, rely on a certain amount of impressionistic leeway that their audiences couldn’t see through. Metal they accepted as wood, stone that was cardboard and glass that was plastic; it was easy for the model makers to fabricate anything they wanted.

The higher definition of the 4K format has attempted to recreate the experience of watching the original film print in the theatre. Screens have become much larger and closer to the audience so that the amount of information you perceive with your eyes is now much greater than when it was several screen heights away. You’re now twice as close and you can see twice as much.

For all its amazingness, the human eye has a finite resolution. This is why you can read your computer screen from where you’re sitting, but not if you’re on the other side of the room. Everyone is different, but the average person with 20/20 vision can resolve 1 arcminute which is 1/60th of a degree. This basically means that from close up you can see hairs on your arm, wrinkles on your thumb, etc, but the further you move your arm away the more blurred the image becomes.

But the development of 4K television screens, purely through their large dimensions and pixel technology, allows our eyes to see in greater detail…warts and all. If Doris Day was still on the screen today, it wouldn’t only be the wrinkles she would be worried about, you’d be able to count every grey hair with ease!

Facial imperfections HD shows all the imperfections on a face – every wrinkle, asymmetry, blemish or scar – because it intensifies surface textures. In standard definition (SD), these imperfections were less evident and the measures we took to correct them were less apparent.

The make-up effects industry is battling with the new resolutions. They’re even less prepared to deal with 4K than on-set crafts people or model makers. Contemporary make-up effects cannot even stand up to conventional HD photography very well because digital renders rubber as rubber, paint as paint. It doesn’t look like anything other than what it actually is.

The biggest problem that makeup artists face today is being able to correct the imperfections while hiding all the steps it took to do it. In other words, cosmetics that simultaneously camouflage imperfections, cover blemishes and still manage to appear invisible.

HD-friendly makeup “To avoid the cakey texture of standard TV makeup, high-definition makeups are sheerer while still hiding uneven skin texture and other un-telegenic flaws,” says makeup artist Joanna Schlipp. She has applied HD-friendly makeup for the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys. “You can see the skin through the makeup, but the makeup creates a softer focus,” she says.

The industry is mobilising to meet this completely new set of demands. Artists are experimenting, debating, discarding old techniques and discovering new ones.

Needing to find ways to confuse the all-seeing eye of the HD lens has also led to the development of the digital makeup artist.

US company Digital Anarchy has released a product called Beauty Box Video for the production market. Among others, Avid editors now have access to this plug-in for removing blemishes and wrinkles from film, 4K and HD. It also further refines OpenCL support and increases rendering speeds allowing a live work flow, perfect for sprucing up aging newscasters for example. There are over 35 pre-set styles that can be chosen from to make things even easier when getting the perfect look for feature films, commercials and music videos.

“We always need to make our artists look their best and Beauty Box from Digital Anarchy is the go-to software plug-in for this purpose,” says Dave Pollard, head of Video Production for Universal Music. “It’s an enhancer rather than a replacer and it brings out the natural flesh tones and removes unsightly lighting effects without looking airbrushed.”

Beauty Box Video is considered by many as being a critical tool for dealing with skin and makeup problems that HD and 4K video reveal, solving this problem by giving subjects an incredible makeover, using state-of-the-art face detection, masking and smoothing algorithms that preserve important details and the natural skin texture, combining to create realistic digital makeup. The retouching is subtle and the resulting product looks natural creating a look that is indistinguishable from real makeup.

The 4K and HD revolution in terms of makeup is comparable to the advent of colour film in the 1930s; it’s that big, not that I have heard many people complaining about …uuh, just pull focus a little there, it’s a little too sharp… (do I really look that old?).

REPORT

|

Looking back at Mediatech Africa The latest in broadcast technologies and film and post-production equipment was showcased at the recent Mediatech Africa advanced technology trade fair, which took place at Johannesburg’s Coca-Cola Dome.

A

record-breaking 6 924 people visited Mediatech Africa, including 424 international visitors, of which 197 were from Africa.

There were over 130 exhibiting companies, representing in excess of 800 top brands.

Says Mediatech Africa director Simon Robinson: “We are absolutely ecstatic about the overall standard of the exhibition and with the professional approach that the exhibitors took in leveraging their participation. The stands really were of international quality.

“In particular we are delighted with the attendance figures and the increase in African delegates. The amount of

international manufacturers who made the trip out to support their local distributors was also fantastic. This made for a truly intercontinental show.”

According to post-show statistics, 40% of visitors to Mediatech Africa were interested in RECORD-BREAKING – Mediatech Africa 2013 broadcast; 32% in film and production; 27% in postproduction; 14% in animation; and 14% in Mediatech Africa show will take place at the satellite and signal transmission.

Coca-Cola dome from 15 to 17 July 2015.

The next edition of the biennial On the following pages Screen Africa

highlights just some of the exciting technologies that were on show at Mediatech Africa.

Protection for your cameras and other valuables Italian style, lightweight, colourful, tough, and much like ants, able to carry equipment many times their weight.

HPRC cases can be used for all sorts of applications. HPRC is easy on the pocket and provides total protection for your equipment, against dust, water, impacts, corrosion from chemical agents... and even ants.

WWW.PRO-SALES.CO.ZA TEL: +27 (0)11 462 0000 FAX: +27 (0)11 706 7140 E-MAIL: INFO@PRO-SALES.CO.ZA ADDRESS: 1 ORMONDE STREET, BRYANSTON, SOUTH AFRICA, 2023

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 29

| REPORT

Concilium makes waves Principals from Harris Broadcast and JVC were on the Concilium Technologies stand at the recent Mediatech Africa show to showcase their latest products – the Harris Broadcast Versio integrated play-out solution and the JVC GY-HM650 tapeless HD camera respectively.

According to Christopher Darnley, general manager: JVC Kenwood, the GY-HM650, which features an extremely long (23x) wide angle lens, has proved incredibly popular overseas, with the BBC standardising on this camera for ENG operations globally.

“Over the course of 2013, the BBC will purchase more than 500 units,” continued Darnley. “We’ve also made sales to other major broadcasters in the US and the Middle East.

“Apart from its lens, the big selling point of this camera is its low light capability – F11 sensitivity at 2 000 lux. This surpasses any other camera of similar chip size currently on the market and is essential for shooting in Africa.”

Darnley maintained that the GY-HM650 changes the news workflow paradigm as it has built-in FTP and WiFi connectivity. It adds live transmission (streaming) while recording to memory cards.

“You can publish your footage on the internet, or transmit it to broadcasters, within minutes of recording. Transmission at selected resolutions and bitrates is possible independent of the recording mode. You can stream 1920x1080 (3Mpbs or 5Mpbs), 1280x720 (1.5 or 3Mbps) or 480i (0.8Mbps).

“Additionally, you can control the camera

by any web-ready device, such as a tablet or smart phone. The camera comes with its own IP address – you type in the address on the device and immediately you see the live picture. You can also load metadata on the camera via the web-ready device,” he explained.

The GY-HM650 has received certification from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) approving it for electronic news gathering (ENG). It is also the first1/3-inch 12-bit CMOS camera to be approved by the EBU for documentary filming.

Another JVC camera that Darnley believes should appeal to the South African market is the 790 studio camera, which has been sold to Libya, Egypt, Morocco and the Middle East.

Versio At Mediatech Africa Mat Shell and Tim Eyles of Harris Broadcast told Screen Africa that Versio, which combines baseband video, channel branding and graphics and automated workflow capabilities in an easy-to-deploy, software-based, singlerack-unit solution, was launched at last year’s IBC. “Versio stands out in the market because it entirely powered by Harris’ award-winning end-to-end workflow capabilities. Generally in a comprehensive product like this you often find that companies are strong in one area only, unlike Harris Broadcast which benefits from years of experience in automation, servers, branding and workflows. We’ve had a lot of interest in this

LIGHT SENSITIVE AND WEB CONNECTED: JVC’s Christopher Darnley with the JVC GY-HM650 product because of the proven reliability in the core technologies behind it. Our automation systems are the most widely used in the world and our server capability is equally well respected,” said Eyles.

Shell stressed Versio’s scalability and flexibility. “It can be used for single channel or multichannel applications. With Versio broadcasters can work either with its internal or external shared storage and they also have the option to use the unit’s internal automation or use external automation.

“Versio can integrate directly into an existing system – this particular capability

was crucial to us. We’ve sold Versio to HBO Moscow and Indian broadcaster Angel TV. I can reveal that we will soon deploy the first Versio in Africa; it’s being pre-built by a French system integrator.”

In November last year, Shell conducted a Versio road show to South African broadcasters SuperSport, SABC and CNBC Africa.

“One of our ways into the African market is through Harris Broadcast’s range of high quality transmitters. These clients often have further requirements for playout management and automation solutions from a supplier they trust,” noted Eyles.

Blackmagic infiltrates African market Earlier this year, Blackmagic Design, a leading innovator and manufacturer of creative video technology, announced that South African company Stage Audio Works had been appointed its official distributor for sub-Saharan Africa.

Tim Siddons, Blackmagic Design channel sales director, was on the Stage Audio Works stand at Mediatech Africa to demonstrate the latest products.

“The line between broadcasting and live events is blurring,” said Siddons.

“Blackmagic Design has seen its broadcast market grow significantly over the years and now we’re making serious in-roads into the live events sector too.

“As a business our particular focus at the moment is growth in Africa and we’re expecting to see a fast acceleration in the use of our products on the continent. Up until recently we didn’t have a suitable channel in place to distribute our products into Africa so this region was left behind in terms of our activities. We have also recognised the need for local pro-level support for our resellers and customers.

This was our reason for appointing Stage Audio Works as our official distributor –

30 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

ULTRA HD: ATEM Production Studio 4K they are absolutely the right company for the job.”

Blackmagic Design re-sellers in South Africa are Zimele Broadcasting Services, Pro-Sales and Protea Electronics.

Three of Blackmagic Design’s ATEM live production switchers were on show at the Stage Audio Works stand at Mediatech

Africa, including the Production Studio 4K, which was launched at NAB this year. This is the world’s first Ultra HD 4K production switcher with support for Ultra HD live production with 6G-SDI and HDMI 4K technology. It allows users to connect up to eight SD, HD or Ultra HD 4K video cameras, disk recorders and computers for live

production. The ATEM Production Studio 4K includes all the features expected from a professional switcher, including chroma key, transitions, media pool, downstream keyers, audio mixer, multi view and the world’s first 6G-SDI and HDMI 4K video connections.

Siddons stressed that Blackmagic Design products and systems are built around the customer’s needs.

“We believe our Teranex advanced standards converter will be an important product for South Africa. Teranex processors have a heritage in Hollywood but are now available at affordable prices for everyone. This product is perfect for live production and, with the built-in Thunderbolt port, can also be used for cleaning and converting content for authoring, as well as video capture and playback for editing, design and effects.

“At Blackmagic Design we call Teranex ‘the Swiss Army Knife’ as it fixes anything – it’s the perfect video converter, standards converter and capture and playback tool all in one. A Teranex system is currently being tested by the SABC,” concluded Siddons.

REPORT

|

The CLEAR solution At Mediatech Africa, CLEAR™, the award-winning hybrid cloud technology platform from Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), was showcased on the stand of PFT’s South African partner, LaserNet. PFT was represented at the show by its co-founder and COO, Ganesh Sankaran.

Said Sankaran: “PFT is five years old and a division of the Prime Focus Group, a global leader in media and entertainment industry services. We started PFT because our regular visits to international trade shows like IBC and NAB revealed that there were companies focusing on asset management and others specialising in workflows, but none that combined the two. As we come from a post-production background it was natural to spot the pain points in these systems.

“Our CLEAR platform is a media cloud infrastructure that was designed and built by a team who understands media and has a strong IT background. Anyone who is in possession of content is a potential PFT customer. We help content owners to monetise their content. PFT has 200 software engineers in its R&D facility. For media processing services it has 180 editing and sound mix rooms,” said Sankaran.

PFT’s first South African client was free-to-air broadcaster e.tv, followed by

CLEARLY IN THE CLOUD: PFT’s Ganesh Sankaran pay-TV news channel CNBC Africa. At Mediatech Africa Sankaran met with public service broadcaster SABC.

Some of PFT’s international clients include ad agency JWT and Lowe, as well as Warner Bros. Disney, The Associated

Press, Netflix, Schawk!, CNBC, A+E TV and Bloomberg.

Sankaran continued: “We’ve just done an interesting project for Star Sports to enhance their second screen experience.

It’s our belief that new media has to be more interactive and should involve social media. So we built an interactive platform for the Star Sports web portal (www. starsports.com), which includes a timeline player with Facebook and Twitter interaction.

“The portal is entirely interactive so that the viewer can find out about the players in each match. We also have heat maps to show the game is progressing. Traditionally with a sports website, the video player is in the website, but with www.starsports.com we’ve put the website inside the video player offering interesting interactive elements.”

Sankaran pointed out that content workflow is no longer sequential. “In the old days you received a tape and put it into a machine. Now content comes into a portal and is accessible to anyone working at a broadcaster, making the workflow concurrent. Thanks to cloud technology like CLEAR, you can have access to your content anywhere in the world. The need for a physical presence is gone.”

www.aja.com

Transition from tape to file-based workflows quickly and easily.

If you’re making the transition away from tape, Ki Pro Rack delivers the recording and playback capabilities you’re used to in a compact 1RU size that goes beyond a traditional VTR. With support for ALL quality levels of Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD files, built-in up/down/cross conversion and advanced network connectivity, Ki Pro Rack provides the flexibility you need.

Integrates easily With professional connections including; SDI, HDMI, AES, analog and embedded audio support, LTC in and out, RS-422 control, Genlock, LAN networking and more.

Standalone operation

Accelerate your production

Feel at home immediately with Ki Pro Rack’s familiar front panel controls and an intuitive interface that allows stand-alone operation that gets your staff up to speed right away.

No more time-consuming logging and capturing from tape. Record ready-to-edit Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD files directly to rugged, affordable storage media.

Find out more at www.aja.com and visit us at Stand #7.F11 Touchvision

Tel: + 27 11 886 8572 • www.touchvision.co.za

07-29-13_HP_ScreenAfrica_KiProRack+IBC_EN.indd 1

7/31/13 10:39 AM

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 31

| REPORT

Busy Mediatech for Panasonic At Mediatech Africa Panasonic Broadcast Systems supplied equipment for the stand of its dealer, Timbre Broadcast Systems.

Sean Loeve from Panasonic Broadcast Systems manned the stand with Panasonic factory representative, Shinichi Nakai.

“We showed cameras from our AVCCAM range and our P2HD range, as well as remote controlled camera systems and

switchers,” notes Loeve. “A major attraction was a sample unit of the soon to be released AJ-PX5000 camera. This is the first time this camera has been shown.

“I feel that Mediatech Africa was incredibly well supported this year. We gained huge value out of the show and are still struggling to keep up with all the leads and requests. There is little doubt that this year’s show was far busier for us than the previous shows and the interest seemed more serious. I feel that we will turn many of the contacts made into sales.

“We basically sold all the equipment we had on the stand at the show. Additionally we have made a few other significant sales since and are busy closing some other deals which were initiated at the show,” he adds.

Pro-Sales reports successful show Pro-Sales displayed several big brands at Mediatech Africa such as Panasonic, Sony, Newtek and Sennheiser.

Other brands on display on the Pro-Sales stand included Genustech, GoPro, Swit, Secced, Rode, Phonak, Azden, LS Lighting, Roto Light, Cosmo Light, Lytek Lighting, Cartoni, Panther, HPRC cases, Draka cabling, Belitz Kabel Kultur, AnimFX, and many more accessory type products.

“We also had a few of our overseas distributors represented on the stand,” says Pro-Sales’ Arne Sack. “These included Christian Heinz of Panther, Mark Blaker of Genustech and Newtek’s Simon Medallion

‘MIRACULOUS’: Arne Sack and Rama Jane.

“For us this was by far the best Mediatech Africa ever. We would not call it good, better incredible or even excellent.

The only word to describe it would be miraculous. We not only made an incredible amount of on-stand sales but also sales which we are in the process of delivering now. There were many solid enquiries made

Standing out in the crowd CLOSING DEALS: Timbre / Panasonic stand

Editing in the cloud FORscene, the online video editing platform that provides professional editing tools in a SaaS (Software as a Service) package, was showcased for the first time at Mediatech Africa by system integrator Atos, the exclusive South African and continental distribution rights holder.

Utilised by top UK post-production facilities Envy and Halo, FORscene has handled over three million hours of professionally shot content worldwide. A multi-platform and multi-user system, FORscene requires only a standard PC or Mac and a 1MB internet connection for operation, from anywhere in the world.

Said Atos country manager Mark Gordon: “We have been talking to three big customers at Mediatech Africa, one of which is a reality television show. Another customer commented that FORscene is such a flexible system that it could be used on a pay as you go basis. In addition we’ve had lots of interest from people in Zimbabwe and Nigeria.

“The whole concept of editing in the

ONLINE EDITING: Mark Gordon 32 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

cloud is very new to some people, especially the veterans as they are used to working in a fixed location. Over the course of Mediatech Africa I’ve noticed that the 20- to 30-year-olds are more open to editing in the cloud as they’re used to mobile phones and apps.”

Gordon noted that FORscene had generated lots of interest from South African broadcasters e.tv and SABC, as well as new entrants in the community television sector, because of the flexibility it offers in terms of having to edit programmes after hours.

“Time and travel are big issues for broadcasters and editors and FORscene eliminates both of these problems. It also offers the flexibility of being able to collaborate with others in the cloud.

“There was a great vibe about this year’s Mediatech Africa and the attendees were of a more professional calibre than at previous editions. It reminded me of a tiny IBC,” he said

Mantis satellite antenna and a Mantis 90cm satellite terminal.

“The Mantis satellite terminal has just been launched by Vislink and was displayed for the first time in South Africa at the show,” says Telemedia’s Quentin Barkhuizen. “It’s a self-contained portable satellite terminal, weighing only 15kg and built to fit into a backpack system.

This makes it ideal for first time responders in multiple markets. The unit offers both IP link modems and full broadcast video encoders.”

He notes that international principals on Telemedia’s stand at Mediatech Africa included Crystal Vision’s Michael COMMON POINT OF INTEREST: Telemedia’s Hummer Hall and Andy Rawlings, who represented Hitachi The Telemedia (Pty) Ltd stand at Kokusai broadcast cameras. Perran Bonner Mediatech Africa displayed a wide variety from Vislink as well as Richie Ebrahim and of products such as Kroma monitors Ashdeep Ravinder from Wasp 3D were also (including a Quad Split HD broadcast on the stand. monitor) and Wohler Presto switchers and “The show was definitely worth it,” video and audio monitoring equipment. continues Barkhuizen. “We were able to get Other products on display included: a number of leads and catch up with other Comrex Access (a 3G audio codec for radio players in the industry who we hardly see outside broadcasts); Wasp 3D (a video anymore. The show basically becomes a graphics system); 3D studio systems; common point of interest for all players to Ericsson AVP3000 video encoder and come together. decoder used for satellite transmissions; “I noticed that with regard to the major Crystal Vision chroma keyer; video safe / broadcasters in South Africa, SABC was the redundancy switchers; Vislink (L1310 MPEG only broadcaster to have a stand. It would 4 wireless camera system); and a 1.2m be nice to have e.tv, M-Net and SuperSport

REPORT

|

AJA’s ROI much sought after

at the show and we will spend quite a bit of time beyond the borders of South Africa as a result.

“My hat goes off to the foot soldiers and their captains who organised the show. I honestly think we were possibly the busiest stand on the show – this is what many people told us. We were certainly complimented on our stand many times.”

on board.

“The History of Technology stand at Mediatech Africa was really impressive. It was nice to see how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time.”

Bryce Button, AJA Video Systems product marketing manager, was on hand at Mediatech Africa to showcase several products that launched at NAB this year.

Products included the KiStor Dock, which quickly connects any KiStor module and allows users to mount their FireWire 800 and USB, and the AJA Mini Matrix App, an on-the-go reference guide for AJA’s Mini-Converter range.

Other AJA products on show were the Ki Pro Quad for 4K recording, ROI and the Hi5-4K. At Mediatech Africa Button met with broadcasters NBC, e.tv, eNCA and SABC, as well as with production company Urban Brew.

“Whenever I travel to different countries it’s always interesting to see which of our products generate the most interest. For example, ROI (Region of Interest) is doing very well in South Africa because it merges computer DVI and HDMI signals into the video world with high quality conversion and scaling to SDI output. ROI’s scaling

4K IS THE WAY: AJA Video Systems’ Bryce Button technology allows any portion of the computer screen to be selected and scaled, using AJA’s high quality algorithms, to fit within the output frame. This allows for isolation of individual windows or elimination of taskbars and other unnecessary interface elements. It’s ideal for broadcasters and post-production facilities, and can also be used for houses of worship and Skype,” said Button.

Highlighting the Ki Pro Quad range for 4K, Button pointed out that some South African filmmakers are excited about 4K because they want to deliver their programmes to international broadcasters.

However, local broadcasters are not yet making the switch to 4K. “In the US we’ve been shooting 4K for a while because the higher the quality of

original material, the more potential it has to generate profits down the road. The real convenience of Ki Pro Quad is its dedicated HD output so you don’t have to use a 4K monitor. Traditionally with such high resolution you would normally have to work with raw material, but with this product there is no need to do so except on feature films.

“Small devices like the Ki Pro Quad are very practical as there is less equipment to carry in the field. Another added benefit is that the batteries last longer,” commented Button.

The Hi5-4K, for 4K monitoring, also attracted a lot of interest at Mediatech Africa. This device converts professional 4K or QuadHD signals, using four 3G-SDI inputs, to a single HDMI.

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 33

| REPORT

Wide array of Sony products dazzles Much to the delight of industry players, Sony had a wide and impressive range of products on display at Mediatech Africa.

“We are showcasing the F65, which is also known as the ‘Hollywood camera’. This is the camera that has been used by Sony Pictures for different big-name movies overseas,” said Jess Goedhals, general manager: broadcast division at Sony South Africa.

“Then we have the 4K F55 and the F5 on display. The F55 is a camera that is generating an amazing amount of interest in the market in terms of its dynamic range, its affordability and its feature set,” continued Goedhals.

Oher products that attracted a lot of attention were the FS700, which is the smallest of Sony’s large sensor cameras. On the lower end, the PMW200 and the PMW150 also generated a lot of interest. In terms of studio cameras Sony displayed the HSXC100 and the cost-effective HXCD70.

“In addition we have Oled monitors to showcase all the 4K material. On display we

Inala on display IMPRESSIVE RANGE: Jess Goedhals have the PMWX300, which is the first broadcast 4K monitor. We are also showing the BVMF250, a colour grading monitor, as well as two production monitors, namely the PVM2541 and the PVM1741 which are production-type Oled monitors,” mentioned Goedhals.

The new optical disc archiving system the ODSD55 was introduced to the industry at Mediatech Africa as well as a prototype of the AWS750 production kit in a box and the PMW50 and PMW1000.

“Mediatech Africa is an opportunity to showcase all our products within a concentrated environment to all the right people. It brings the customers to us. I’m pleased to see that Sony have come up with some killer products such as the F55 camera of which we’ve sold 12 since its introduction earlier this year,” Goedhals concluded.

In terms of expert input, JC Milner, Sony’s South Africa’s technical sales manager, manned the stand with Goedhals.

‘The best show ever!’

Inala Broadcast participated at Mediatech Africa 2013 in conjunction and with the support of many of its principals, including Harmonic, Miranda, Tektronix, Dolby, Pebble Beach, MOG, TSL, Riedel, ENPS, Aviwest and Broadpeak.

“The theme of our stand,” explained Inala’s Colin LOCALLY RELEVANT: Colin Wainer (right) on the Inala stand Wainer, “was to exhibit the products that are relevant in the South African broadcast market, which Cape Town. include some products recently launched at “The South African broadcast fraternity, the NAB Show in Las Vegas.” together with many overseas A long list of principals included Florian manufacturers, supported Mediatech Kolmer from Aviwest, François-Xavier Africa, which gives many of our customers Simon from Broadpeak, Tom Gittens and who do not get the opportunity to attend Peter Hajittofi from Pebble Beach, who either NAB or IBC, the ability to network were visiting South Africa for the first time with our principals, in our presence. This “The Inala Broadcast team was in allows us to display the importance, attendance together with our principals to dedication and esteem in which Inala provide technology information and Broadcast and our principals hold the local demonstrations,” said Wainer. broadcast market.

Pebble Beach Marina automation was “I am very pleased and proud that the shown for the first time in South Africa at an Inala Broadcast stand was awarded with a exhibition, although the Marina automation Platinum Certificate at the show,” system was recently deployed by e.tv in concluded Wainer.

Datavideo goes mobile

MOVING PRODUCTS: The Macro Video stand MORE QUALITY: Sean Kerr, Gary Johnston and Didier Brugel Overseas principals on the Protea Electronics stand at Mediatech Africa and included Philippe van Walle from Grass Valley Belgium, Steve Burgess from Grass Valley UK, Patrick Morgan from Digital Vision UK and Didier Brugel from Thomson Video Networks France.

“We had an impressive display of equipment,” said Protea Electronic’s Gerald Newport, “including a Grass Valley LDX studio camera chain, as well as – for the first time in South Africa – a Sony HXC-D70 camera chain. There was also a Grass Valley Eduis editing station, a Digital Vision Phoenix Video Restoration Package (also a first for South Africa), and Sony OLED monitors.

“I think that although less people attended Mediatech Africa 2013 than

34 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

previous editions, the visitors to our stand spent more quality time with us than ever before. In my opinion this year’s exhibition was the best I’ve seen in South Africa. I would say that it equals the standard of IBC or NAB.” Newport also attended the Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association (Sadiba) event at Mediatech Africa which he found interesting.

“I had an opportunity to visit other stands at the show. While I did not have the time to walk around the entire exhibition, I enjoyed the stands of Sony South Africa, Jasco Broadcast, Concilium Technology, Inala Broadcast and Harambe Technologies. I also enjoyed the nostalgia of the History of Technology stand,” noted Newport.

Macro Video Pty Ltd, the official distributor of Datavideo products in South Africa, had a very successful time at Mediatech Africa. Its stand was themed ‘Go Mobile’.

Said Macro Video’s Eric Wiese: “We highlighted the new Datavideo SE 2800 HD/SD switcher and its associated models.

This switcher has eight inputs which can be configured by the user. It is able to accept HD-SDI, SD-SDI, composite and HDMI input signals. The unit can be expanded to a 12 input unit by the addition of an input module. Other features include dynamic and static logos; still frame store, downstream key and more.”

The 2800 is also the basis of the OBV 2800 – a complete modular outside broadcast (OB) van solution that was too large to exhibit.

Other Datavideo products on display

included the MS 2800, a robust mobile video studio including comms, recorder, etc, and the HS 2800, a compact mobile video studio designed as a ‘studio in a brief case’ and small and light enough to take aboard an airplane.

“The three units we had on our stand were sold either at the show or almost directly after it,” continued Wiese. “In addition we sold a complete MS 900 mobile video studio to the Soweto-based Unity Fellowship Church.

“We also showed two new teleprompters – the TP 500 designed for DSLR cameras and the TP 700 for electronic newsgathering (ENG) applications. Both make use of an iPAD or Android tablet to generate and display text, like the current and hugely popular TP 300, which we launched two years ago at Mediatech Africa 2011.”

REPORT

Top of the range displays

WELL-LINKED: LEMO HD Z-Link™ Camera System Jaycor, a leading distributor of specialised cable and connector solutions in South Africa, had a wide variety of audio visual broadcast cabling solutions on display at Mediatech Africa.

“Special emphasis was placed on the LEMO HD Z-Link™ Camera System for exhibition purposes,” said Greg Pokroy, director of marketing and product development. This fibre optic link system from LEMO provides multi-channel system camera-style video and audio connections

as well as control for studio cameras and camcorders over a single hybrid cable using LEMO 3K.93C connectors.

The top-of-the range LEMO HD Z-Link™ Camera System is compatible with a wide range of cameras from top-end digital cinematography cameras, broadcast system cameras and camcorders, professional cameras and camcorders and top-end consumer cameras among others from Sony, Thomson, Hitachi, Ikegami, and Panasonic to low-cost handheld camcorders According to Pokroy, the LEMO 3K.93C connectors and Belden Audio and Video cables attracted a lot of attention and interest from the industry at Mediatech Africa.

Belden is a global leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of broadcast, enterprise, industrial connectivity and industrial networking products for the broadcast industry; and many other businesses.

Commented Pokroy: “Mediatech Africa benefited Jaycor and our products and we attained our objectives. At the event we spent valuable time networking with existing customers and after the event we had many good quality enquiries. It was a great show!”

|

MAM’s the word Jasco Broadcast Solutions, part of the Jasco Group, showcased a selection of offerings from some of its premier partners including Avid, Front Porch Digital, ClearCom, Vizrt, Axon and Egripment, at Mediatech Africa.

Said Mark van Vuuren, MD of Jasco ICT Solutions: “This year’s Mediatech Africa is much bigger than the previous show in 2011 and provides great networking opportunities. We’ve met with representatives from several broadcasters, including SuperSport, SABC, Africa Broadcast Network and the Namibian Broadcast Corporation.

“In particular there has been lots of interest in Avid’s media asset management (MAM) solution as well as the MAM systems from Front Porch Digital.”

Van Vuuren stressed that the Jasco Group is not only active in the broadcasting arena but is a significant player in the telecommunications, security and power sectors.

“The lines between IT, telecoms and broadcasting have become blurred,” he continued. “Jasco comes from a different perspective in that we’re unlocking the different industries and leveraging different solutions. For example, we’re very excited about MAM as a solution for the corporate

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE: Jasco’s Mark van Vuuren environment. Similarly, we’re trying to unlock relationships with big telecommunications customers.”

According to Van Vuuren, the Jasco Group has corporatised over the last three years and moved into the African market.

“We’ve opened an office in Kenya which will offer the entire Jasco portfolio.

Generally speaking, our broadcast business has grown despite the fact that the economy has been down,” he commented.

Groundbreaking device launched Zimele Broadcasting Services showcased the Simple R slomo tv, the smallest professional multichannel recording and replay system, at this year’s Mediatech Africa. This was the first time the product was shown in Africa.

There was overwhelming interest in the device that is just 1U in size and which weighs approximately 4.5kg. The slomo tv is a multi-channel recording, slow motion / instant replay and sports refereeing device.

Its features comprise three channels in, two channels out dissolvable / simultaneous search on all three channels with a recording capability of 33 hours HD video on the internal SSD Drive (optional up to 125 hours).

“The slomo tv was originally developed for refereeing purposes for ice hockey in Russia and is adaptable to any live sport event. Slomo tv replay is necessary when

ELECTRONIC REFEREE: Simple R slomo tv

referees have to make decisions to determine scores,” said Casper Klopper, CEO of Zimele Broadcasting Services (Pty) Ltd. “We decided to bring slomo tv to the South African market because, as a system integrator, we see the need for new and innovative solutions.”

A representative of slomo tv commented that although there are some other established players in the market, slomo tv’s technology is newer and easier to handle.

According to him the device has more functions and costs significantly less than its competitors.

Kloppers said: “Slomo tv is ideal for emerging markets and fits like a hand in a glove in markets with cost restraints.” Apart from being much lighter than its traditional counterparts that weigh in at 40kg, slomo tv uses SSD drives which makes it more robust and super fast.

“It offers a wide range of multi-channel recording and replay systems for any need of the modern broadcaster, all at very competitive pricing,” concluded Klopper.

Slomo tv made its international debut at IBC in Amsterdam last year and was heralded as a ground-breaking device.

4 Camera SD OB Van (Triax)

8 Camera HD OB Van (Triax)

HD DSNG Vehicle

Various Multi Cam Mix Kits

4 Camera SD Flyaway Kit

Like us on Facebook

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 35

Africa

|

Saving girl children through film Nigeria’s Child Not Bride campaign was recently highlighted by a short film of the same name written by Tegbe Toba. The filmmaker made the movie to bring the plight of child brides to the attention of the youth and communities in Nigeria and globally to aid in ending the devastation of this common practice.

It is reported that northern Nigeria has one of the highest rates of child marriages in the world, and that nearly half of all girls in the region are married by the age of 15.

In response to the national crises, and the prevalence of vesicovaginal fistula (a condition that occurs when the pressure of childbirth tears a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum, causing lifelong suffering), Nigerian actress Stephanie Okereke has completed the movie Dry which addresses both this condition and the other horrors child brides face.

Thousands of young Nigerian girls suffer from fistula after days of trying to push babies that do not fit through the birth canal. Health reports indicate that 12 000 new cases of vesicovaginal fistula are reported each year in Nigeria as young bodies cave in against the pressures of childbirth.

Okereke says: “I have been to the north and to other parts of the country, and I have seen first-hand how this health issue defies normal living for girls and women of

different ages. I have decided to share their stories through Dry.” It is hoped that Dry will help increase the global awareness of fistula and underage marriage in many parts of Africa.

Other advocates of the campaign against child marriages are Nollywood actresses Stella Damascus and Omotola JaladeEkeinde. “Today I am one of the most

influential people in the world because I wasn’t given off to marriage before the age of 18,” says Jalade-Ekeinde in reference to her inclusion in this year’s Time magazine’s Top 100.

According to UNESCO, Nigeria holds the world record with the most children out of school, an estimated number of 10.5 million. This makes uneducated girls easy

fodder for thousands of men who buy their brides from poverty stricken families, eager to earn a stipend.

As the debate rages on in Nigeria about whether it is acceptable to pronounce a 12-year-old girl ‘full age’ simply because she is married, filmmakers such as Toba and Okereke are taking a stand.

In Toba’s short film, Child Not Bride, a terrified mother and her daughter try to run from the man who has come to claim the youngster as his bride. The mother falls. One senses her stumble is both an emotional and physical one; the hurdles are too many to overcome.

In defiance, but nonetheless defenseless, the mother says: “She is a child, not a bride.” Yet the man towers over them, ready to snatch his prize.

However, just before he can steal away the girl, the mother and her child are joined by a community member and yet another and another who circle around them, shielding them from the predator in their midst.

He turns around and leaves. Together, one of Nigeria’s girl children has been saved.

The movie Child Not Bride was produced by GBFilms and Phoenix Media and can be viewed online.

– Martie Bester

Tracking pay-TV in Africa

GROWTH PATH – Richard Bell 36 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

According to research recently published

by Futuresource Consulting, global pay-TV decoder shipments are growing, although this growth is mostly in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region because developed pay-TV markets are approaching saturation.

At the upcoming DISCOP AFRICA multi-platform content market in Johannesburg in November, Richard Bell, CEO of the Wananchi Group, will present a season on the development of the pay-TV market in Africa.

Bell believes that Africa will soon become the world’s fastest growing pay-TV market.

“This is because penetration is currently so low and over the medium term is likely to reach global penetration levels.

“Despite the steady improvement of free-to-air (FTA) offerings in Africa, FTA ad revenues are limited. Therefore, the ability of FTA broadcasters to generate content is constrained. Pay-TV operators have more revenue streams and can therefore invest in more content, so they have more to offer viewers.

“The growth of pay-TV offers a fantastic opportunity to grow local content and on the back of that, expand the entire creative arts and sports entertainment industries on

the continent. That’s where the Wananchi Group’s focus and passion lies,” says Bell.

Positioned as East Africa’s leading home entertainment operator, the Wananchi Group is the second largest pay-TV operator in Africa after South African giant MultiChoice. Wananchi is the owner of the direct-to-home (DTH) satellite pay-TV offering, Zuku TV, and currently broadcasts in five countries to over 200 000 households.

Commenting on the present pay-TV landscape in Africa, Bell notes that there are a few home grown pay-TV operators in West Africa, as well as a few small ones across the continent. “But there’s nothing that we know of currently with much scale.

In addition there are some DTH companies broadcasting from the Middle East on a free-to-air basis, but not with pay bouquets that we’re familiar with.”

He cites as a negative milestone in the development of pay-TV in Africa the fact that GTV, HiTV, Smart TV and Top TV launched onto the market and went out of business.

“A positive milestone is that Wananchi has now been around for four years and continues to go from strength to strength,”

says Bell.

The regulatory framework in Africa also presents challenges for pay-TV. “Every one of the 53 countries in Africa has a different broadcasting regulator and different policies. The advent of pay-TV has coincided with a drive towards the digital switchover in Africa.

This has caused a lot of confusion with regulators and the market.

“Generally pay-TV is not regulated too heavily which is a double edged sword.

On the one hand getting licences is fairly straight forward. However, issues such as equitable access to premium sports content (such as the English Premier League), as well as local content provisions, and the FTA ‘must carry must offer’ are all being dealt with by regulators in a very haphazard fashion. The result is significant barriers for pay-TV operators in growing their businesses,” explains Bell.

When asked about the viability of IPTV in Africa, Bell expresses the opinion that cable operations will grow exponentially in urban centres over the medium term.

“Wananchi also believes that IP based streaming will grow dramatically,” he says. – Joanna Sterkowicz

| AFrica

Sailing back to our shores

By Joanna Sterkowicz

Nigerian-born actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Pirates of the Caribbean III; X-Men Origins: Wolverine), who spent many years working in South Africa before moving to Hollywood, recently returned to Cape Town to star in the major television series, Black Sails.

C

reated by Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine for Starz, Michael Bay’s Black Sails is positioned as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. The series is set in 1715, when the ‘golden age of piracy’ in the Caribbean was at its peak.

To prepare for his role as Mr Scott, a former slave whose loyalties are put to the test, Hakeem Kae-Kazim steeped himself in research on 18th century pirates.

“Black Sails is like Spartacus meets Game of Thrones, set in the same time period as the notorious pirate, Blackbeard,” explains Kae-Kazim. “The series deals with the real essence of what it must have been like to be pirate in those days on the island of Nassau. It’s all about the machinations of pirates – very rough and raw, with really complex characters.

“I based Mr Scott on a legendary pirate called Black Caesar, who was Blackbeard’s chief lieutenant. Black Caesar was an African chief who was captured into slavery.

When he escaped he became a very successful and feared pirate. My research revealed that 40% of the pirates in those days were of African descent, most of them slaves who’d escaped captivity. They turned to piracy as a way of making a living.”

As someone who’d lived and worked in South Africa for many years before moving to Los Angeles, Kae-Kazim was delighted to be able to return to Cape Town to shoot Black Sails.

“I always love coming back to South Africa – it’s like my second home. My wife is South African and my kids were born here,” he says.

Black Sails was filmed at the Cape Town Film Studios complex, which Kae-Kazim describes as comparable in terms of size and infrastructure to Hollywood studios. He is also very complimentary about South African crews, maintaining they are the best in the world.

When asked if he enjoys working on period dramas, Kae-Kazim responds: “I love doing them because they really are great fun. In the case of Black Sails, so much work was invested into the set by the production design team that I felt totally immersed in the world of the film. This really was a testament to the craftsmanship of South African crew.”

Black Sails will be broadcast by Starz in January 2014. A second season has been commissioned and Kae-Kazim returns to Cape Town in November for the shoot.

Hollywood calling Kae-Kazim came to Hollywood’s attention in Terry George’s Oscar-nominated masterpiece, Hotel Rwanda, a 2004 release. In it Kae-Kazim played an evil and menacing officer in the Hutu militia.

“Hotel Rwanda really helped me to cross the water to Los Angeles,” says the actor.

From that point on Kae-Kazim’s CV is populated with famous film titles such as Pirates of the Caribbean III and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He has also starred in numerous top television dramas including 24: Redemption; Human Target; Criminal Minds; Navy NCIS; Law & Order; Covert Affairs; Strike Back; Lost; Law & Order: SVU; and The Triangle.

Kae-Kazim describes working and living in Los Angeles as ‘fantastic’.

“However,” he continues, “it’s a very harsh environment for actors and the competition is incredibly fierce – there are about a thousand actors to every one job. I love being there but it’s a really tough place to work. Los Angeles is always called ‘The city of dreams’; I call it ‘The city of broken dreams’.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been able to work consistently so far. If you’re an actor you’re always aware that your luck could run out. You just have to keep working as hard as possible. I seriously wonder if any actor in Hollywood ever feels secure about the future.”

He makes the point that another challenge faced by actors in Hollywood is the changing business model in that more and more producers want to shoot abroad.

On the subject of typecasting in Hollywood, Kae-Kazim says that while he’s often played similar types of roles, the projects have all been vastly different.

“I think everyone in Hollywood is typecast to a certain extent. But it’s not actually a bad thing to be known as ‘the go-to guy’ for certain types of roles. Having said that I would love to do more comedy as I’ve not done much to date.”

AFRICAN WITH A CAPTIAL ‘A’ – Hakim Kae-Kazim

Roots A year after his birth Kae-Kazim’s family moved to the UK, where he was brought up and educated. But if you ask him his nationality, he’ll answer: “I’m an African with a capital ‘A’.”

Just as he loves coming to South Africa to work, he relishes regularly returning to Nigeria to witness the film industry’s growth.

“I recently filmed Half of a Yellow Sun; Biyi Bandele’s highly anticipated screen adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel of the same name, in Nigeria. It was really fantastic to come back to my birth country to do this film.

“Half of a Yellow Sun is a contemporary book, published in 2006, about the Nigerian-Biafran war of the late 1960s.

When I first read the book I was so enthralled that I wanted the buy the film rights but they’d already been snapped up.”

Other African films on Kae-Kazim’s CV include Flight to Abuja, Man on Ground and God is African.

He dreams of doing ‘an amazing co-production’ between South Africa and Nigeria that would win several Oscars.

“We really need more African productions where Hollywood does not dictate the stories. There’s a wonderful saying in Africa: ‘Until the lion learns to write, the hunter will always tell its stories’.

“I have a strong desire to direct and am currently looking at a couple of projects in that regard. It’s a natural progression for an actor to want to direct if you love the canvas of film because then you can paint the whole canvas.”

As for his dream role, Kae-Kazim dearly wants to play the villain in a James Bond film.

“I’d love to be Bond’s African nemesis!” he says.

Barbara Broccoli are you listening?

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 37

WEB NEWS

|

www.screenafrica.com

Sony and MRC on board for Chappie

SA student wins global short film competition

Following the global success of South African director, writer and producer Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 in 2009 and his latest movie Elysium earning $30.5m in its opening weekend in the US, Sony and MRC announced on 13 August that they will co-produce and co-finance Blomkamp’s next film, Chappie.

The movie, which commences shooting in South Africa in October, stars Blomkamp regular Sharlto Copley (District 9, Elysium) and tells the story of a robot with artificial intelligence that is stolen by two local gangsters who want to use it for evil purposes.

Doug Belgrad of Columbia Pictures said in a statement: “We’re huge fans of Neill

Graphic design student Nicole van Schoor from Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa has won the global SpongeBob SquarePants themed short film competition, SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes, organised by kids channel Nicelodeon on DStv Channel 305.

Van Schoor (21) won the prize for the 18 and over category with her live-action movie Finally Home, which follows a dedicated SpongeBob fan and her quest to find her ultimate dream home.

The SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes competition received over

A scene from Elysium Blomkamp, it’s a real thrill to be continuing our relationship with such a visionary and important filmmaker.”

Sony will distribute and market Chappie worldwide. District 9, Blomkamp’s previous Sony-MRC collaboration, earned more than $200m at the global box office.

The director co-wrote Chappie’s script with Terri Tatchell and will produce the new movie with Simon Kinberg. The film also stars Ninja and Yolandi Visser of South African rap duo Die Antwoord.

e.tv doccy triumphs at PSFF

Shooting Kushaya Igagasi

A documentary produced for South African free-to-air commercial channel e.tv won the award for the best short film at the recent Portuguese Surf Film Festival (PSFF) in Ericeira.

Produced by Megan Steyn and directed

by Olmega Mthiyane of Blue Fire Productions, Kushaya Igagasi encompasses stories of street kids who were saved by surfing, as well as the restoration process that took place in their lives.

Says Mthiyane: “I was quite thrilled to hear that our film Kushaya Igagasi won the award. The documentary is about four remarkable young men who did their best to tell their stories as honestly as possible, which helped convey the message and the plight faced by street kids. It’s important to always emphasise that there is hope for a brighter and safer future for street kids, especially when they are able to engage in healthy activities like surfing.”

Kushaya Igagasi was broadcast on e.tv on 6 January 2013.

A new season of local documentaries will air on e.tv from Sunday, 5 January 2014 at 6:30pm.

SK App reaches one million downloads The Ster-Kinekor App has been available for download across all mobile platforms for just under a year. This past week it recorded its one millionth download, a milestone believed to be a first for an app across all platforms in South Africa.

“Achieving the magical milestone of one million in such a short period of time is something of which we are extremely proud,” says Doug Place, marketing executive of Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

Since September 2012, the Ster-Kinekor app has been available for the iPhone, Android Samsung, BlackBerry and Nokia handsets as well as tablets. As one of the only cinema exhibitor’s in the world and the

38 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

1,000 entries from more than 70 countries.

Winners were chosen by fans via social media and online voting at www. spongebobsquareshorts.com as well as a panel of judges comprising Nickelodeon executives from around the world.

Project ‘Unearthed’ at DFM A documentary project about fracking, a controversial gas extraction process, won a WorldView development grant to the value of €2,500 at the recent Durban FilmMart Awards.

Unearthed is directed by Jolynn Minnaar and produced by Dylan Voogt of Stage 5 Films and Stacey Keppler at Zootee Studios.

Says Minnaar: “In order to remain independent during our investigation, Unearthed has depended entirely on personal funds and an online crowdfunding campaign throughout production. The development grant from WorldView is the first time Unearthed has received formal funding and we’re incredibly grateful for this timeous support as we seek financial assistance to complete post-production.

“But winning the WorldView award goes far beyond a financial contribution. After 18 grueling months of research, filming across South Africa, North America and the UK and participating in the heated, polarised fracking debate, the award recognises the

Jolynn Minnaar on location international significance in Unearthed’s investigation. This acknowledgement, knowing that people out there, from all corners of the globe, are seeking information and supporting your commitment to getting to the bottom of the controversial topic, is the biggest gift.”

Voogt adds: “It feels amazing and timeous to have won the award and we are grateful. I think the project appealed to the judges because it has international appeal.”

Concerns over Zambian media restrictions Doug Place only one in South Africa to offer its app across all platforms, the company and its digital agency, Prezence, are currently investigating the business case to develop the Ster-Kinekor app for Windows phones.

The cinema chain recently launched push notification to replace SMS to ensure that users receive relevant and personalised notifications regarding new movie releases.

Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, and the Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD) are alarmed at attacks on the independence of the NGO sector and the media in Zambia.

The Zambian government is starting to implement a controversial 2009 NGO law by requiring all NGOs to re-register. This law creates a difficult environment for civil society as highlighted by CIVICUS in its letter to former President Rupiah Banda. It includes the requirement for NGOs to be subjected to oversight by a government dominated board; government powers to dictate NGOs thematic and geographical areas of work; streamlining of NGOs’ work

according to the objectives dictated in the National Development Plan; and increased red tape through mandatory re-registration every five years .

In July 2013 alone, three journalists associated with the online news platform, Zambian Watchdog, which has exposed a number of official corruption scandals, were subjected to politically motivated arrests and harassment by law enforcement agencies.

| WEB NEWS New Google initiative for Africa In a new initiative called Africa Connected, search engine giant and content aggregator Google is calling on Africans to share their stories about how their lives have been positively influenced by the internet.

Five successful entrants will win $25,000 each, and will also have the opportunity to work with a Google sponsor over a six-month period.

Google is looking for young, spirited entrepreneurial web adopters who are using the web and technology to do things

M-Net supports local filmmakers to rise about their circumstances and achieve success.

Categories for entries include Education; Entertainment/Arts/Sports; Technology; Community and NGOs; and Small Businesses.

Submissions are open from 27 August to 11 October 2013. Winners will be announced in February 2014.

For more information and to enter the Africa Connected contest, visit www. africaconnected.com

Malo 8 directs pan-African ad

M-Net Movies is the official media partner of the 48 Hour Film Project, an initiative to develop the South African film industry via workshops and a film competition.

Interested filmmakers need to register on www.48hourfilm.com/johannesburg. The activities will start at 19h00 on the Friday evening and filmmakers are challenged to deliver their 4- to 7-minute film by 19h30 on Sunday 8 September.

Winners will represent their respective cities at Filmapalooza in New Orleans, USA in 2014, competing against cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Paris and more than 100 other ones around the world. The selected top films stand a chance of screening at the Cannes

Frieze Films’ Malo 8 recently directed Full House, Ogilvy Cape Town’s pan-African commercial for Coca-Cola.

Conceptualised by Ogilvy’s creative team of Jacques Massardo, Ben de Villiers and Logan Broadley, the spot celebrates the way Coca-Cola and meals go better together.

The director and DOP Paul Gilpin shot the guests arriving in sequence, lighting the lounge so that the two cameras could shoot in three directions. “It

A grab frame from Full House

International Film Festival’s short film corner in 2014.

Lani Lombard, M-Net’s head of publicity says: “This is an exciting project of which to be part. The South African film industry is growing like never before and with the necessary training and encouragement there is a bright future for talented new South African filmmakers.”

allowed us to play in real time as much as possible and gave the ad a pace that felt real and natural.”

Malo 8 also worked closely with art director Margaux du Preez to make sure the house felt ‘lived in’.

Edited by Kobus Loots at Upstairs Post Production, the ad is held together by Rob Schroeder’s cover of Hank Williams’ Move It On Over.

Watch the spot at http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=3xhXlVkTDHA.

general post supplying the finest freelance post-production & creative crew to the film and television industry

editors researchers animators visual effects artists post-producers post-supervisors storyboard artists sound engineers writers directors

Now offering editing facilities, available to dry-hire or as part of a full service package. Conveniently situated in the Blade building with access to high-end finishing and other facilities.

For more information on our full service and facilitation offering, contact Griffith on 0860 111 553 / 076 225 9173 or griffith@generalpost.co.za.

Office: 0860 111 553 bookings@generalpost.co.za

after hrs: 076 225 9173 www.generalpost.co.za

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 39

PR ODU CT IO N

UPDATES FOR FURTHER DETAILS VISIT www.screenafrica.com

Those productions in red are newly listed this month E F F

FOR THE NEW CITY – DANCE ON FILM SWiTCH / Resonance Bazar Prods: James Tayler / Julia Raynham Film

1. Title 2. Production Company 3. Director 4. Genre

FORSAKEN DO Productions Prods: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature

PASSARES (BIRDISH) White Heron Pictures / Casa De Criacao Cinema Prod: Themba Sibeko Feature

Genius Inhlakanipo Films Dir: Dumisani Vusi Nhlapo Short Film

PIETER CILLIERS PRODUCTIONS Pieter Cilliers Productions Prod / Dir: Pieter Cilliers TV Magazine

GOUE STERRE Suite People TVP Prod: Bell Curle TV Series

RAF INDUCTION VIDEO Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Corporate

80 MINUTES Periphery Films Dirs: Simon Taylor / Julia Taal Feature Drama

GRIZMEK Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature

AFRICAN NIGHTS Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker

HISTORICAL KIMBERLEY Spike Productions Prod: Steve Mueller Bsc. Documentary

ROAD ACCIDENT FUND INDUCTION Panache Video Productions Dir: Liesel Eiselen Corporate

IC

Production Updates Order of Information IE N T

Aspen 16x16, 32x32, 72x72 3G HD−SDI

IN DEVELOPMENT

Effective routing over long distances in a compact design

JHB Tel: +27 (0)11 7709800 KZN Tel: +27 (0)31 5330900 Web: www.electrosonic.co.za E-mail: sales@electrosonic.co.za 24 Hour Support Lines: AV: 0861 AVHELP (28 4357)

A LION IN THE BEDROOM Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature AMABHUBESI Inkwasi Television Prod: Bell Curle TV Magazine At The Creek Without A Paddle Zen Crew Exec Prod: Laura Tarling Documentary

OUR OB FLEET

Bagged Izithulu Productions Exec Prods: Donovan Mulligan / Mike Westcott Short Film

Insila yenkosi P.I.M.P Dir / Prod: Daniel P Nxumalo Feature (Zulu)

BLAST FROM THE PAST Sirius Films Prod: Ian Manly Documentary

Inventing Africa Imageworks Prod: Anthony Irving Documentary

BODA BODA THIEVES Yes That’s Us Prod: James Tayler Feature

IYEZA THEATRE & TV LIGHTING (PTY) LTD Iyeza Theatre & TV Lighting (Pty) Ltd Prod / Dir: Cal Morris Corporate

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature CHILDREN OF FAMOUS ACTIVISTS Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature Film CHILLI CHICKS International Radio Pictures, Inc Kit Reynolds TV series COILED DO Productions Prods: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature CONSERVATION & BEYOND SuitePeople TVP Prod: Bell Curle Documentary

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

40 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

IK1 – TOURISTS IN DANGER Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Indla lifa P.I.M.P Dir / Prod: Daniel P Nxumalo Drama series

BREAKDOWN Bollysamo Pictures / Apeiro Productions Prod Man: Carolyn Gregorowski Feature

You can reach us at:

IIQ Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Feature

BAD MEDICINE Tin Rage TV Production Dir: Enver Samuel Documentary

BREAD AND WATER Periphery Films Dirs: Simon Taylor / Julia Taal Feature Documentary

Tel: +27 (0) 11 431 3053 Fax: +27 (0) 86 689 9233 Cell: +27 (0) 83 426 6634 Email: mojapelepe@gmail.com www.mojapeleproductions.co.za

HOTEL SONGOLOLO The Media Workshop Dir: Benito Carelsen Comedy Series

JAM SANDWICH Meerkat Media Prod / Dir: Pauli van Dyk / “MQ”, Alvine Darboux Music reality show JAN SMUTS: AN INTERNATIONAL ICON AHEAD OF HIS TIME Tekweni TV production Prod / Dir: Sandra Herrington / Neville Herrington Documentary KADU’S JOURNEY DO Productions Prods: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature DYINGCRACY Sabstance Productions Prod: Edmund Mhlongo Documentary LEADERS of AFRICA The expeditionary force Dirs: nicholas schofield / alexis schofield Documentary LION GIRL DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën TV Feature

DAISY Bamboo Media (PTY) LTD Dir: Marguelette Louw

Lonely Planet Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature

do good design south africa Concept Interaction Prod: Karl Fedderke Educational

MANCHE, THE AFRICAN SAINT Get the Picture Prod / Dir: Jacky Lourens / Karin Slater Documentary

ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION Gaonakgang Film Productions and Publications Writ: George Phuthiyagae Documentary

MHLONGO Inhlakanipho Films Dir / Writer: Dumisani Vusi Nnhlapo Feature

ESCAPE Current Affairs Films Prods: Jane Thandi Lipman / Beata Lipman Feature Film

Money in the bag P.I.M.P Dir / Prod: Daniel P Nxumalo Reality TV show

espAFRIKA presents the Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2013 Espafrika Prods / Dirs: Rashid Lombard / Yana Lombard / John Bright Documentary

MUTI DOT MOBI Vuleka Productions.

Prod / Dir: Julie Frederikse / Madoda Ncayiyana Feature Film

Ex Pats Current Affrairs Films / French Connection Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Drama series

NEW BEGINNINGZ Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhanhla Ncube Documentary Nongoloza Current Affairs Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature

Palace of the Faithless White Heron Pictures Dir: Themba Sibeko Feature

SEBOKENG MPA (Motswako) Dirs: Charls Khuele / Zuko Nodada Feature SHORT BUSINESS FEATURE WITH BBC / ABC Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Short Business Features Sirens P.I.M.P Dir / Prod: Daniel P Nxumalo Drama series SUPERMAMA GoogelPlex Productions Dir: Karen van Schalkwyk Feature SWANK! International Radio Pictures Prod: D Gillard Musical The 7P’s to propel change Panache video productions Prod / Dir: Liesel Eiselen Script: Dr Caren scheepers The Black Blonde Steve Radebe Post Productions Prod: Steve Radebe Feature Film tHE blood kIng and the red dragon Current Affairs Prods: Jane Thandi Lipman / Mtutuzeli Matshoba Feature the book shop P.I.M.P Dir / Prod: Daniel P Nxumalo Drama series THE CONSEQUENCE DO Productions Prods: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Feature The Dreaded Evil Eye from Past to Present and Across Cultures It’s a Wrap Productions Dir: Eugene Botha Documentary THE EDGE International Radio Pictures Kit Reynolds TV Series THE FILM MAKER Elle Bolt Productions Prod: Elle Bolt Reality Series The Flawed Genius of Jan Smuts Tekweni TV Productions Prod / Dir: Sandra Herrington / Neville Herrington Documentary The Scores Are In Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Game Show / Entertainment Series VULTURE KILLING FIELDS SuitePeople TVP Bell Curle Documentary WAY TO ROLL Blue Ice Productions Dir: Freddie Strauss Feature WARD 22 AKA SPECIAL OPS DO Productions Prod: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid Olën Documentary Welcome To The Club Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature WHIPLASH Get the Picture Prod / Dir: Jacky Lourens / Meg Rickards Other Crew: Tracey Farren, Jenny Hicks Feature Film

PRODUCTION ZERO DIET Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature ZEBRAS DO Productions Dir: Bruce Beresford Feature ZEN FILM CREW MANAGEMENT ZEN Film Crew Management Prod / Dir: Laura Tarling Commercial

PRE-PRODUCTION Chabela Day Spa Grey Cloud Production Dir: Jacques Brand Information Video Die Verhaal van Racheltjie de Beer Brett Michael Innes Films Prod: Brett Michael Innes Historical feature film Elegy: forsaken in South Africa Market Street Productions Prod: Paul Van Zyl Short film Hermanus Social Upliftment Video Fc Hamman Films Dir: FC Hamman Marketing Video Holidays for Madmen Imageworks Prod: Anthony Irving TV Series IPCC CHURCH CHOIR FC Hamman Films Dir: Pierre Smith Music Video JUB JUB DOCUMENTARY (working title) Baxopath Media Dir: Nolitha Tshinavha Documentary LET HEAVEN WAIT Revolution real entertainment Prod / Dir: Deon Potgieter Sitcom Mandela Synergy Films Drama / Documentary MISTIFY Gleam studios / Wilddogs productions Prod / Dir: Sonja Ter Horst / Johnny Swanepoel Short film NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SOUTH AFRICA Panache Video Productions Prod / Dir: Liesel Eiselen Corporate video

THE MESSENGER Spirit Word Ministries/Footprint Media Academy Exec Prod: Annalise Van Rensburg Series UASA GOLF DAY FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video VROU SOEK BOER West Five Films Dir/ Prods: Maynard Kraak / Johan Kruger Feature Film

Cool Cats Red Pepper Exec Prod: Cecil Berry Children’s Show

3 Talk Urban Brew Talk Show 3RD DEGREE e.tv Investigative TV series 50/50 Clive Morris Productions Current Affairs A 400 year old bestseller – The King James Version of the Bible Eugene Botha Productions / It’s a Wrap Productions Prod: Eugene Botha Documentary AFROX LPG RESTAURANT TRAINING FC Hamman Films Dir: FC Hamman Training Video ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE 5 Endemol South Africa Reality ANGLO GOLD ASHANTI SAFETY SERIES SummerTime Productions Prod / Dir: Sean Gardiner Corporate Video ABC AMERICA NEWS SPECIAL ON MANDELA Current Affairs Films Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature News Special AFRICA FACTS SEASON 3 Lebapi Productions Dir: Daniel Moleabatsi TV Magazine

PSALTED Engage Entertainment Exec Prod: Vusi Zion (previously Twala) Variety

AFRO CAFÉ SEASON 7 Bonngoe Productions Exec Prod: Pepsi Pokane Music Show

RATE MY PLATE International Radio Pictures Exec Prod: Kit Reynolds Community Project

AFRO SHOWBIZ NEWS SABC News International Exec Prod: Jody-Layne Surtie TVMagazine

SAFE IN THE CITY Imani Media.

Comedy

Agape Gabaza Productions Prod: Sarah Ngubeni Magazine

SHAKESPEARE IN MZANSI: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Fireworx Media Prod: Bridget Pickering Mini Series SLENDER WONDER INFORMATION VIDEO Grey Cloud Productions Dir: Jacques Brand Information Video TALK OF THE TOWN SuitePeople TV Productions Bell Curle TV Series The Black Out Dithakeng Projects and Flms Exec Prod: Thabang Nkunyane Short Film

Alex: A history from below Uhuru Productions Dir: Rehad Desai Documentary ALL ACCESS Homebrew Films Prod: Paul Venter/ Hannes van Wyk / Tammy Anne Fortuin Magazine Show Awesome Africa Steplite Films Dir: Jacqui Logie TV Series barbour and thorne: 60 years strong Our Time Productions Dir: Juan de Meilon Corporate Video BBC PLANET EARTH LIVE Wild Images Dirs: James Smith / Tim Scoones / Roger Webb Documentary BIG BROTHER THE CHASE Endemol South Africa Reality TV

THE LOST ANGEL Inhlakanipho Films Dir: Vusi Dumisani Nhlapo Feature Film

Binneland Stark Films Prod / Dir: Friedrich / Elsje Stark Daily Soap / Tv Series

TO CARE FOR YOU ALWAYS Noble Pictures Prod: Claudia Noble Short Film

Bonisanani Kagiso TV Talk Show

TRUE DREAM South African Great Movies Production Dir: John Wani Feature

Child Geniuses Talent Attack TV / Fuel Media Productions Prod: Paul Llewellyn Documentary Series

WORKERSLIFE FUNERAL PLAN FC Hamman Films Dir: FC Hamman Marketing Video

AFRICA 360 eNews News Head: Patrick Conroy Current affairs

Si-solutions International Radio Pictures Exec Prod: Kit Reynolds Community Project

Carte Blanche (inserts) Modern Times Prods: Sofia Phirippides / Jon Pienaar Documentary

Codesign – commercial spot for furniture designers SWITCH Dir: James Tayler Commercial

NUPRO VOERE FC Hamman Films Dir: FC Hamman Marketing Video

SAINT & FREEDOM FIGHTER It’s a Wrap Productions Dir: Eugene Botha Documentary

BORDER MARAUDERS NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Wildlife Documentary

WAY TO FREEDOM Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Film

IN PRODUCTION

BOPSY BUNNY Firefly Animation Studio Exec Prod: Antony Steel Short Films

U PDAT ES

CORTEX MINING FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video Come Dine with Me South Africa Rapid Blue Prod: Kee-Leen Irvine Reality Cutting Edge SABC News Current Affairs DADDY’S MESS Dzunde Productions Prod: Thandiwe Mashiyane TV Sitcom DIE VIERDE KABINET Jan Scholtz Productions Prod: Jan Scholtz Series DINNER DIVAS 2 Blonds and a Redhead Filming Exec Prod: Anne Myers Cookery Series DIY Met Riaan Prod: Riaan Venter-Garforth Magazine EM PETROCHEMICALS TOP END Betta Beta Communications Prod / Dir:Tommy Doig Training Program EXPRESSO 2 Cordover Trading Prod: Paul van Deventer Lifestyle EASTERN MOSAIC Red Carpet Productions Magazine Programme FORMIDABELE VROUE: ANNEKIE THERON Khaki Productions Prod / Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary – kykNET FORMIDABELE VROUE: CISSY GOOL Khaki Productions Prod / Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary – kykNET FORMIDABELE VROUE: INA DE VILLIERS Khaki Productions Prod / Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary – kykNET FORMIDABELE VROUE: UNA VAN DER SPUY Khaki Productions Prod / Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary – kykNET

Cnr. Frost avenue & owl street | Milpark | Jo’burg t +27 [11] 482 7111

Hectic 99 Okuhle Media Prod: Wilna van Schalkwyk Magazine Show

Khumbul’ekhaya Urban Brew Prod: Enel Viljoen Reality

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

KONA The Directors Team (Pty) Ltd Prod / Dir: Laurence Lurie / Cathy Sykes TV Series – M-Net East Africa

HOUSE CALL Izwe Multimedia / Urban Brew Series Prod: Annalie Potgieter Live Medical Talk Show

LATE NITE NEWS ON E.TV Diprente Productions Prod: Tamsin Andersson Satire

Inkaba Urban Brew Studios Prod: John Kani Telenovela

Live Urban Brew Music Show

INSIDE STORY Curious Pictures / Discovery Channel Dir: Rolie Nikiwe Feature ISEDALE Golden Effects Pictures Dir: Kunle Afolayan Documentary Series

Freeway Frog Firefly Animation Prod: Ant Steel Animation Short

ISIDINGO Endemol South Africa Dirs: Raymond Sargent / Johnny Barbazano Daily TV Drama

FRENZY Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Palesa Mopeli Variety

IT’S MY BIZ Urban Brew Studios Reality business makeover series

GNLD FC Hamman Films Dir: FC Hamman Opening Video GOOD MORNING AFRICA Planet Image Productions SA Prod / Dir: Wale Akinlabi TV Magazine Gospel GOLD Engage Entertainment Exec Prod: Vusi Zion (previously Twala) Music Show GROEN Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Wildlife HEADLINE 5 Bitch Films TV Magazine HEAVEN – Africa Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature

KWELA Pieter Cilliers Productions Prod / Dir: Pieter Cilliers TV Magazine

Imizwilili Ukhamba Communications Music

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

GENERATIONS Morula Pictures Exec Prod: Mfundi Vundla Soapie

www.atlasstudios.co.za

JAM SANDWICH Meerkat Media Prod / Dir: Pauli van Dyk / Deon Maas Key Crew: Cam / Sound: Jaques Marais / Mzukisi Mtishiselo TV Series / Reality Music show JAM SANDWICH IV Meerkat Media Prod / Dir: Pauli van Dyk / Deon Maas TV series Jim Iyke: Unscripted!

Ifactory Live, Greyology Inc. & Oh Africa Exec Prod: Michael Djaba Reality TV series (AfricaMagic) JOU SHOW MET EMO en Wickus Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Variety Show Judge For You Self eNews Current Affairs Laugh out Loud Exec Prod: Rapulana Seiphemo Comedy

Live Lotto Show Urban Brew Game Show Maggs on Media eNews Prod: Jeremy Maggs Current Affairs MASSMART CSI REPORT SummerTime Productions Prod / Dir: Roxanne Rolando / Sean Gardiner Corporate Video MATRICS UPLOADED Educational Improvement and Study Help Exec Prod: Lisa Blakeway Educational MGONGO BY SONY Sony Prod / Dir: James Lennox Lifestyle & Entertainment Million Dollar Race Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature MK Campus Homebrew Films Prods: Jaco Loubser / Ben Heyns Student Show MOFEREFERE LENYALONG Moja Movie Factory Sitcom Montana 2 Penguin Films Exec Prod: Roberta Durrant Drama Series MOTSWAKO Carol Bouwer Productions Prod: Vesko Mrdjen Talk Show MUVHANGO Word of Mouth Prod: Pieter Grobbelaar Feature

September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 41

PR ODU CT IO N howard music SACA ADVERT_bold.pdf

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

1

9/13/11

UPDATES

11:18 AM

SERVICES INCLUDE FINAL MIX SOUND DESIGN COMPOSING & ARRANGING M U S I CA L D I R E CT I O N FO R C O R P O R AT E E V E N T S ADDRESS M i n i st r y O f I l l u s i o n B lo c k D S to n ewe d g e O f f i ce Pa r k N o 1 We d g ewo o d L i n k R d B r ya n sto n , J h b , 2 0 2 1

ROER Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Cooking Show

The Cypher Spoon Fed Generation Lerato Letebele Talk show

WORLDSOUTH Leago Afrikan Arts Foundation Dir: Sakhile Gumbi Documentary

Roots Ukhamba Communications Music Show

THE DR MOL SHOW Prod: Michael Mol Magazine

Xihlovo Grace Bible Church Religion

SAKEGESPREK MET THEO VORSTER SEASON 4 Dirk Mostert Camera Production Prod / Dir / Ed: Dirk Mostert / Rudi Ahlstrom TV Magazine

THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Wildlife Documentary

Yilengelo Lakho Prod: Nndanganeni Mudau Current Affairs

SANPARKS YOUTH & PARKS Francois Odendaal Productions Prod / Dir: Francois Odendaal Natural History TV Series SA’S GOT TALENT Rapid Blue Prod / Dir: Kee-Leen Irvine Reality

The Lighthouse Run – 42 Marathons, 42 Days SummerTime Productions Dir: Tanya Vandenberg Documentary

SCANDAL Ochre Moving Pictures Series Prod: Romano Gorlei Soapie

THE REAL GOBOZA 7 Urban Brew Entertainment

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

C O N TACT w w w. h ow a rd m u s i c . co . z a +27 (0)72 994 9695 +27 (0)11 463 8538 a d a m @ h ow a rd m u s i c . co . z a

SELIMATUNZI Sikhoyana Productions Prod: Baby Joe Correira Variety Series Ses’khona Tswelopele Productions Prod: Phuthi Ngwenya Magazine SHARK STORIES NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Wildlife Documentary SHIZ NIZ Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Allen Makhubele Variety Shift Urban Brew Talk show

Soccer 411 Engage Entertainment Exec Prod: Vusi Zion (previously Twala) Magazine

MZANSI INSIDER Bonngoe Productions Exec Prod: Pepsi Pokane TV Magazine

POWER COMBAT ZONE Mixed Motion Entertainment Dir: Dieter Gottert Sport Programme

Music Moves Me Engage Entertainment Exec Prod: Vusi Zion (previously Twala) Music Show

Project MV Zen Crew Prod: Laura Tarling Music Video

News Night eNews Prod: Nikiwe Bikitsha Current Affairs

Religion and the ANC Eugene Botha Productions / It’s a Wrap Productions Prod: Eugene Botha Documentary

NIGCOMSAT – TELEVISION COMMERCIAL SERIES SWiTCH Prod: Sarah Wanjiku Muhoho Commercial Nomzamo Tom Pictures / Authentic Images Comedy ONS MENSE Homebrew Films Prod: Jaco Loubser Current Affairs OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Plexus Films Prod: Miki Redelinghuys Corporate Video PASELLA Tswelopele Productions Insert Dirs: Liani Maasdorp / Werner Hefer TV Magazine Programme PGC FC Hamman Films Director: FC Hamman Marketing Video Phoenix Rising...The Business of Style Phoenix Entertainment and Production Prod / Dir: Koketso Sefanyetso Reality Docutainment

42 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

RETROBOUCHON Tunnelvizion Productions Prod / Dir: Ruan Lotter/Hein Ungerer Short Film RISKCON SECURITY FC Hamman Films Prod: Neels Smit Corporate Video ROLLING WITH KELLY KHUMALO Red Pepper Prod: Cecil Barry Reality Series RHYTHM CITY Curious Pictures Prod: Yula Quinn Soapie RHYTHM CITY INTERACTIVE Curious Pictures / e.tv Prod: Viva Liles-Wilkin Interactive Platform Media Rivoningo Asi-B Films Exec Prod: Asivhanzi ‘Asi’ Mathaba Kids ROCKING FUTURE Summertime Productions Prods: Sean Gardiner / Tanya Vandenberg Educational Video

Soccer zone SABCSports Head: Sizwe Nzimande Magazine Sony Presents Mgongo Sony Variety Spirit Sundae New Wave Productions Prod: Mishkah Roman-Cassiem Spiritual STUDIO 53 M-Net Inhouse Productions Insert Dir: Navan Chetty Mag Programme STUDY MATE Educational Improvement and Study Help Exec Prod: Lisa Blakeway Educational TASOL “Old Geezer” Bragge Film & TV Dir: Guy Bragge Commercial The B-Ball Show SABC Commissioning Ed: Dinah Mahlabegoane Variety The Chat Room Eclipse Prod: Thokozani Nkosi Talk Show THE CHEETAH DIARIES SERIES 4 NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Wildlife Documentary The Communist Republic of South Africa Jam TV, Creative South Africa, Nkhanyeti Production Prod: Barthelemy Ngwessam Documentary

Infomercials

AFRICA CALLING Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature

The Tech Report Greenwall Productions Exec Prod: Nicky Greenwall Magazine

AFROX CO2 PLANT FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video

THE WILD Magic Factory Exec Prod: Bobby Heaney Daily TV Soap

AFROX FINANCIAL RESULTS FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Script: Hulette Pretorius Corporate Video

TRANSFORMATION STORIES Media Village Productions Dir: Diane Vermooten Documentary THE TRANSPORTERS Sukuma Media/ Reality Motion Pictures Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Documentary

TOP BILLING Tswelopele Productions Prod: Patience Stevens TV Magazine

SKETCH U LATER Chris Morris Productions Dir: Genna Lewis Comedy series

4LIFE NETWORK Bragge Film& TV Dir: Guy Bragge

THE STORY OF LITTLE FOOT Paul Myburgh Film Prod: Paul Myburgh Documentary

S.I.E.S (SOCIAL IMPACT AND EMPOWERMENT STRATEGY) Penguin Films Dirs: Roberta Durrant / James Ngcobo Sitcom

Siyakholwa – We Believe X CON Films Dir: Munier Parker Edutainment

POST-PRODUCTION

A BUSHMAN ODYSSEY Onetime Films Prod: Richard Wicksteed Documentary

THERE ARE NO HEROES AFDA Cape Town Dir: Kyle Stevenson Science Fiction

SISTERHOOD Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Vuyo Sokupa Variety

Zone 14 The Bomb Shelter Prod: Angus Gibson Drama

THE RUDIMENTALS Periphery Films Prod: Simon Taylor Feature Documentary

SHORELINE 2 Homebrew films Documentary series

SKWIZAS 2 Lillian Dube Productions Prod: Lillian Dube Sitcom

Unit C5 RobeRtville Mini FaCtoRies 255 nadine stReet RobeRtville RoodepooRt 1709

The Justice Factor eNews Exec Prod: Debbie Meyer Current Affairs

Top 10 at 10 Don’t Look Down Radio / TV Simulcast TRAPPER IN AFRICA NHU Africa Exec Prod: Vyv Simson / Donfrey Meyer Wildlife Documentary TSHIPE BORWA MANGANESE MINE Betta Beta Communications Prod / Dir: Tommy Doig Documentary Turn It Out 2 Fuel Media Productions Dir: Marvin Raftopoulos Dance Reality show TWK AGRI FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video UASA CONGRESS FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video VKB LANDBOU BEPERK FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Script: Anton Dekker Corporate Video VILLA ROSA Spectro Productions Dirs: Luhann Jansen / Andries van der Merwe/ Leroux Botha/ Isabel Smit TV Drama WEEKEND LIVE SABC News Current Affairs When The World Was Here Fuel Media Productions Dir: Mzilikazi Kumalo Documentary Series Why are We so Angry?

Fuel Media Productions Dirs: Scott Smith / Shaft Moropane Documentary Series Why Poverty?

STEPS International Exec Prod: Don Edkins Documentary Series Wicket to Wicket SABC3 Lefa Afrika Magazine WORKERSLIFE INSURANCE FC Hamman Films Prod: Odette van Jaarsveld Marketing Video Workers World Series Cape Town Television Prod: Sharon McKinnon TV Series

AFROX RAU INSIGHT FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX SHEQ INDUCTION FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Commercial ALL’S FAIR PianoJ Productions Prod: Pia van Rensburg Short Film AMBASSADOR II Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature Animal Doctor (Working Title) Animal Doctor cc.

Prods: Greg Simpson / Jonty Acton TV Series AURECON STAFF INSERTS Panache Video Productions Dir: Liesel Eiselen Marketing BABALAS FC Hamman Films Exec Prod: Peter Scott Feature Film Bally Cullen Guesthouse Ad Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Corporate Bitter Root Imageworks Dir: Kerry Negara Documentary BLITZ PATROLLIE Diprente Films Prod: Kagiso Lediga Feature BUA NNETE Owami Entertainment Dir: Charles Khuele Short Film Calafornia: Valley Christian School Transformation Media Village Prod: Diane Vermooten Documentary DEAR SISTER Media Village Prod: Debbie Matthee Short Film DRAGON’S FEAST 3D NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary ERFSONDES Imani Media Dir: Peter Heaney TV Drama Freedom Park Installations Kevin Harris productions / Fix Post production Prod / Dir: Nadiva Schraibman Documentary FROM GUN TO TAPE Content House/Shadow Films Prod / Dir: Jackie Lebo / David Forbes Documentary GETROUD MET RUGBY SEASON 4 Bottom Line Productions Dir: Jozua Malherbe Series

PRODUCTION HALF OF A YELLOW SUN British Film Institute Dir: Biyi Bandele Feature Film

Shark Stories Talking Pictures Prod / Dir: Garth Lucas/ Ann Strimling Documentary

HOME OF THE LEGENDS L. Dukashe Productions Prod / Dir: Lumko Dukashe / Lulu Dukashe Documentary

SLENDER WONDER FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video

DINEO’S DIARY: A MOGUL IN THE MAKING New Vision Pictures and S2 Multimedia Exec prod: Dineo Ranaka Reality

Hong Kong Media Village Prod: Diane Vermooten Documentary

SLENDER WONDER MJ LABS FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Script: Hulette Pretorius Corporate Video

DRAGON’S FEAST 3D NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Series

INTEL HISTORY Bragge Film & TV Dir: Guy Bragge Corporate IQILI Impucuzeko Prod: Sharon Kakora Feature Israel Inside (Working Title) Imagination Productions / Wayne Kopping Films Dir: Wayne Kopping Documentary JACK UP YOUR SHACK Let It Rain Films Prod / Dir: Lee Doig TV Series JAM SANDWICH Meerkat Media Dir: MQ Ngubane Music Reality TV series JULIUS HAS A DREAM Creative South Africa, Nkanyethi Productions,Jam TV Prod: Bathelemy Ngwessam Documentary Kemang? lmol Production Dir: Lizzy Moloto Feature Film Launch of the Academy of Young SA Scientists Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Documentary LIFE UNDER THE FLAG Lifeundertheflag.Com Prod: Prince Angelo Doyle Documentary

South african Field Band Foundation Championships Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Documentary STETSON HATS Fourth Dimension Films / Creative Photo Services Dir: Neil Hermann Corporate Video Stolen Time Prod: Eric Myeni Feature Tanzanian Investment Opportunities Benchmark Productions Dir: Dermod Judge Corporate Video Technology Innovation Agency CEO Address Panache Video Productions Prod: Liesel Eiselen Corporate Video Technorati Talent Attack TV / Fuel Media Productions Dir: Maxine Nel Technology Magazine Show THE AFRIKANER BROEDERBOND It’s a Wrap Productions Dir: Eugene Botha Documentary THE CHEETAH DIARIES SERIES 3 NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson/ Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Series THOSE WHO CAN’T Quizzical Pictures SABC Comedy Series

LION’S TRACK Two Oceans Production Prods: Giselher Venzke / Bertha Spieker Feature

TO THE POWER OF ANNE FX Productions Prod / Dir: Robert Haynes TV Series

LOVE ABOVE ALL Firstfruits media Dir: Nthabiseng Gamede Feature Film

TOUCHING LIVES SEASON 3 GHANA Launch Factory Dir: Spero Patricios TV Series

MARRY – ANN Shadow Films Dir: David Forbes Documentary Melodi Jazz Festival 2011 L. Dukashe Productions Dir: Lumko Dukashe Live Concert DvD MICROSOFT 365 Bragge film & TV Dir: Guy Bragge Corporate Video National Heritage Council Educational Outreach Programme Panache Video Productions Dir: Liesel Eiselen Corporate Video

TREASURE GUARDS Tandem Communications Exec Prods: Jonas Bauer / Rola Bauer Feature Triple O Monarchy Prod: Mosibudi Pheeha Feature TRUE DREAM ( Revised Version) South African Great Movies Production Dir: John Wani Feature Vallejo Transformation Media Village Prod: Diane Vermooten Corporate

PEACE PARKS NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Series

Vehicle 19 Forefront Media Group / Picture Tree / The Safran Company Exec Prod: Paul Walker Feature

PERFECT SHISHEBO Curious Pictures Prod: Nthabiseng Mokoena Cooking Show

VERITAS Media Village Prod: Debbie Matthee Documentary

PLAY MORE GOLF FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Script: Hulette Pretorius Commercials

VKB LANDBOU BEPERK FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Script: Anton Dekker Camera: Dirk Steyn/ Simeon Hamman Corporate Video

PREDATORS’ PLAYGROUND NHU Africa Exec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie Vartan Wildlife Documentary Series PURPLE TOWN Sukuma Media Dir: Bonginhlanhla Ncube Documentary RESTYLE MY STYLE Curious Pictures Prod: Anita van Hemert Children’s Programming River of Stones Prod: Wiseman Mabusela Documentary SA JUNIOR MASTERS Our Time Productions Dir: Jaun de Meillon Sport Programme SCAREDYKAT Dirty Soul Productions Dir: Kyle Lewis Horror Feature Film SCHOOL E-WASTE INITIATIVE/ DESCO/ INCREDIBLE CONNECTION Philip Schedler Productions Prod: Philip Schedler Corporate

WALKING IN VICTOR’S SHOES Current Affairs Films SA Prod: Jane Thandi Lipman Feature Documentary WELLBODI BIZNES Plexus Films / Four Corners Media Prod: Miki Redelinghuys Documentary ZION Letcosmart Prod: Zibusiso Nkomo Feature

COMPLETE AFROX AFRICA INSIGHT EPS 4 FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video AFROX YEAREND RESULT FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Video Club Culture Bonngoe Productions Prod: Tumi Rabanye Variety

Cooking With Siba Prod: Siba Mtongana Variety

UPCOMING EVENTS

5 – 15 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

FORMIDABELE VROUE: PETRONELLA Khaki Productions Prod / Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary – kykNET

HARTLAND Bottomline Entertainment / Fix Post Production Michael Modena TV Drama IMATU UNION VIDEO FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Script: Bob Brown Camera: Dirk Steyn Editor: Neels Smit Corporate Video IMPACT CHRISTIAN MEDIA Impact Christian Media Prod / Dir: Carl Schultz TV Series JAM ALLEY CREW VS CREW SEASON 2 Red Pepper Pictures Prod: Melody Xaba Music Reality Competition JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM Khaki Productions Prod / Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary – kykNET MASTERS OF DREAMS Current Affairs Hambrook Prod / Dir: Jane Thandi Lipman TV Series MENTALIST MARTIAL ARTS Panache Video Productions Dir: Ryan Blumenthal Training MZANSI LOVE Fireworx Media Dirs: Myrto Makrides / Mmabatho Montsho / Neo Ntlantleng / Zamo Mkhwanazi Anthology series OSCAR PISTORIUS ABC America Documentary

Toronto http://tiff.net

6 – 8 THE 48-HOUR FILM PROJECT

GNLD AFRICA CONVENTION FC Hamman Films Prod: FC Hamman Corporate Video

|

SEPTEMBER

DURBAN/REEF FUEL PIPELINE Betta Beta Communications Prod / Dir: Tommy Doig Documentary

FORMIDABELE VROUE: LEONORA VD HEEVER Khaki Productions Prod / Dir: Christelle Parrott / Wynand Dreyer Documentary – kykNET

U PDAT ES

Johannesburg, South Africa www.48hourfilm.com

13 – 17

IBC EXHIBITION

Amsterdam RAI, Netherlands www.ibc.org

12 – 17

IBC CONFERENCE

Amsterdam RAI, Netherlands www.ibc.org

16 – 22

LOERIES CREATIVE WEEK CAPE TOWN

Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa www.loeries.com 18 – 28

NOLLYWOOD & AFRICAN FILM CRITICS’ AWARDS

Warner Theatre, Washington DC www.nollywoodcritics.com

20

PENDORING AWARDS

Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa www.pendoring.co.za 20

INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR OF CREATIVITY

City Hall, Cape Town, South Africa

21 – 22

LOERIE AWARDS

www.loeries.com

Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa www.loeries.com 13 – 29 TRI CONTINENTAL FILM FESTIVAL

Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, South Africa www.tcff.org.za 16 – 18

PEOPLE TO PEOPLE INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY CONFERENCE

Wits Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa www.people2people.co.za

OCTOBER 4 – 6 THE 48-HOUR FILM PROJECT

Johannesburg, South Africa www.48hourfilm.com

24 – 1 Nov AFRICA IN MOTION SCOTLAND

AFRICAN FILM FESTIAL

Edinburgh, Scotland www.africa-in-motion.org.uk

NOVEMBER 1 – 10

Cape Town & Winelands International Film Festival

Cape Town, South Africa http://films-for-africa.co.za 4 – 6

Cape Town Film Mart

POPCRU 7TH CONGRESS FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Corporate Event

Protea Fire & Ice Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa http://films-for-africa.co.za

SHORELINE REVISITED Homebrew films Documentary series

Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa www.discop.com

SING YOUR SONG Dir: Susanne Rostock Documentary SLENDER WONDER GLAM GURU FC Hamman Films Prod Man: Odette van Jaarsveld Script: Hulette Pretorius Commercial SPACE, ALIENS, UFO’S AND RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS Eugene Botha Productions / It’s Wrap Productions Exec prods: Eugene Botha / Anna Teichert Documentary STAND UP AFRICA On Air Media Dir / Story Ed: Mike Bardsley / Lex Dominguez Documentary THE 7 P’S OF LEADERSHIP COACHING Panache Video Productions Prod / Dir: Liesel Eiselen Educational (MBA students) THE BLACK JEWS AND THE LOST ARK OF THE COVENANT Eugene Botha Productions / It’s a Wrap Productions Prod: Eugene Botha Documentary VIENNA BOYS’ CHOIR MUSIC STUDY TOUR SummerTime Productions Prod / Dir: Tanya Vandenberg Corporate 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

6 – 8 DISCOP AFRICA

20 – 1 Dec INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY

FESTIVAL AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.idfa.nl

22

PROMAXBDA AFRICA CONFERENCE & AWARDS

The Mazlow, Johannesburg South Africa www.promaxafrica.tv

ADVERTISERS LIST

|

AJA Video Systems.......................31

Mojapele Productions..................40

Atlas Studios .................................41

Monarchy..........................FC

Blackmagic Design..........................5

Obeco..............................................35

Blade bfx...........................................1

Panasonic.........................IFC

Cape Film Commission...............39

PromaxBDA Africa.........................9

Case Connection, The.................40

Pro-Sales.........................................29

DISCOP AFRICA............................7

Rocket Science..............................33

Electrosonic ..................................40

SAE Institute..................................27

Gallo Music

Sony............................... OBC

Publishers....................... IBC

The Animation School.................23

General Post..................................39

Universal Publishing

Howard Music ..............................42

Production Music..........................19

JVC...................................................21

Vision Cases...................................42 September 2013 | SCREENAFRICA | 43

Social

|

Mediatech Africa Platinum Stand award winners

VIva Afrika: Luis Madeira and Bernard Pienaar

DWR Distribution: Joshua Cutts, Bruce Riley, Nick Britz, Robert Izzett and Duncan Riley

Concilium Technologies: Andrew Cole and Steve Alves

Inala Broadcast: Viwe Gantsho, Colin Wainer, Zak Shaikh, Hanli Reinecke, Leander Serrao, Anton van Staden and Goodman Siwela

Seen at Mediatech Africa

Andy Staed at the History of Technology stand

Betty Yengo and Jackie Djeumo of DISCOP AFRICA

Melanie Robinson, Simon Robinson, Chanelle Ellaya, Greg Bester, Ida Achiume, Carly Barnes, Jessica Neumann, Claire Badenhorst and Simone de Beer

Isidingo’s 15th birthday party Christie: Dale Miller, Brant Eckett, Phil Lord and Annalise Hodgson

Prosound: Francois Lotter, Grant Scott and Terry Acres

Bakgat! 3 première

Jamie Bartlett, Linda Sokhulu and Vusi Kunene

Director Stefan Nieuwoudt, actor Ivan Botha and producer Danie Bester

Actor Neil Sharim and partner

Letoya Mangezi and Gray Hofmeyr

Keketso Semoko and Don Mlangeni Altus Theart and Zetske van Pletzen

Lead actors Ivan Botha and Cherie van der Merwe-Coetzee

Actor Solomon Cupido and Wendy Cupido

New Appointments

New board members for MetropolitanRepublic New moves at Tempest Brett Myburgh has been appointed as the key accounts manager for Tempest, servicing South Africa’s vibrant and growing film industry.

44 | SCREENAFRICA | September 2013

MetropolitanRepublic’s Samantha Condon (operations director) and Nischal Naradh (financial director) have been appointed to the agency’s board of directors.

Having spent over 13 years with ad agency Draftfcb, Condon joined MetropolitanRepublic this year. She is responsible for the daily operation of the agency.

Nischal Naradh, who has over 14 years of financial experience, is responsible for the financial management of the group and a fundamental contributor to the overall success of the agency. Prior to joining MetropolitanRepublic, he served with Deloitte & Touche, BMW SA, EDCON and SAP SA.

Lalla Hiriyama

Top Billing presenter Lorna Maseko

SA Dealers: Jasco +27 11 266-1500 | Visual Impact +27 11 788-9879 | Protea +27 11 719-5700 | Specialised Broadcast Sales & Service +27 21 425-6337 Sony Broadcast & Professional +27 11 690-3200 | www.pro.sony.eu/mea