BROADCAST, FILM, TV, COMMERCIALS, NEW MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY NEWS
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VOL 30 – February 2018 R38.00
BY
is klr@movievision.co.za | 011 885 2042 | www.movievision.co.za
| IN THIS ISSUE
29 LIGHTING FEATURE
12
4 Revolting Rhymes nominated for an Oscar
25
Advertising trends for 2018: It’s a virtual world
26
Thesha tackles youth entrepreneurship in modern day South Africa
Thembi explores the living conditions of South African female inmates
Special FEATURE TECHNOLOGY News Lighting....................................... 29 Loyiso Madinga to helm Daily Show LED lighting – transforming the game..... 30 segments for Africa.......................................... 9 The importance of the gaffer Lighting the future with Aputure............... 10 in an ever-changing film world................... 32 Avid releases a new version of Pro Tools............................ 10 “Our Craft Is Art”: a look inside the lighting industry........... 34 Canon’s new LEGRIA HF G26.................. 10 Lighting the way: Dave Howe..................... 36 New Panavision Millennium DXL2 camera........................... 10 NEWS AJA delivers FS-HDR v2.0 software......... 11
Nando’s – fixing our Sh#t........................... 14 NEW MEDIA The power of cinema advertising: Thesha tackles youth entrepreneurship A big screen with a in modern day South Africa........................ 24 captivated audience...................................... 16
Sahara Group tackles girl-child
empowerment through film.......................... 3 Revolting Rhymes nominated for an Oscar...................................................... 4 Africa embraces the “queer movement” through film festivals....................................... 6 Opera launches new app, Opera News in Africa..................................... 7 Irdeto focuses on piracy control................. 8 Farewell Angela Van Schalkwyk..................... 8
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FILM
INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
Thembi explores the living conditions Film industry development of South African female inmates.............. 26 boost for Nelson Mandela Bay.................. 18 Director Speak: Peri van Papendorp........ 28
Television
STUDIOS
Case Closed brings local true-crime Sony announces the launch stories to South African screens............... 37 View Sports Radio........................................ 19 of two new 4K HDR camcorders............ 11 From the producer’s mouth: Urban Brew Studios gears up for Thierry Cassuto............................................ 38 the next generation of ADCETERA 20 content creation in Africa........................... Advertising trends for 2018: REGULARS It’s a virtual world......................................... 12 INTERNATIONAL CONTENT MARKETS SOCIAL The strategy and measurement International markets: Vision View Sports Radio............................ 39 of online video............................................... 13 A perspective for African Transformation: New times for me. content producers........................................ 22 Marketplace.................................................... 39 New times for Monarchy............................ 13 Upcoming Events.......................................... 39
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From the editor
The Team Editor
It’s an exciting time for the local production industry, with our productions and talent making an impact in the international arena, and garnering some well-deserved attention on the world’s most prestigious awards’ stage. If you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, I’m talking about the Oscar nomination gained by the animated film Revolting Rhymes – produced by Magic Light Pictures, animated at Magic Light’s Berlin studio and Cape Town’s Triggerfish Studios. A win for the local animation industry as a whole, our News section this month leads with this exciting news. Artificial Intelligence, Augmented and Virtual Reality continue to change the way we consume and interact with content of all types – this includes advertising and marketing content. Our resident marketing guru, Louise Marsland delves into just this in her annual advertising trends piece on page 12, titled It’s a virtual world. Motheo Matsau, chief of Marketing and Sales, Ster-Kinekor also makes an interesting contribution to this month’s Adcetra section on pages 16-17 where he presents an in-depth look at the power of cinema advertising. We take a look at the importance of international content markets and preparing adequately for such. On pages 22-23, festival veteran Lara Preston shares her top tips, advice, DOs and DON’Ts, on how to draw the right attention to your production at these often cut-throat events. February holds our annual and muchanticipated lighting feature. We present an informative look at the industry over eight pages. The feature includes contributions from our resident techie Ian Dormer who takes a look at the way in which LED lighting has transformed the industry; gaffer and Tag Wilter founder, Oliver Wilter presents an informative, topical opinion piece on the importance of the gaffer on a film set; our contributor David Cornwell chats to a few local suppliers about current challenges and product trends in the sector, giving a glimpse into the South African lighting industry. We close out the section with a Q&A with gaffer and Orbital Lighting founder, Dave Howe. Until next month! – Chanelle Ellaya
Chanelle Ellaya is a writer and a journalist. She completed her BA Journalism degree at the University of Johannesburg in 2011. While writing is her passion, she has a keen interest in the media in various capacities. Chanelle is an avid social networker and a firm believer in the power of social and online networking. Between writing and tweeting, she finds time to feed her love for live music.
JOURNALISTS Gezzy S Sibisi is a journalist and photographer with experience in print, broadcast and digital media. Her portfolio of work includes working as a lifestyle reporter as well as contributing business and education articles to The Times, Sowetan and Daily Despatch publications. As a freelancer she has worked on content development for corporate newsletters, community newspapers, blogs and educational websites.
Louise Marsland is an editor, journalist and columnist in the media and marketing communications industry in South Africa, who has been writing about the industry for over two decades as a former editor of publications: AdVantage, Marketing Mix and Bizcommunity.com. She currently writes extensively about industry trends and consumer insight.
Lara Preston is a passionately committed marketer and strategist with a focus in promoting African content and events. Two decades of working across Africa have provided her with insights and experience that she puts to work for the projects she manages. In 2006, Lara founded, and still personally manages, Red Flag Content Relations, a full service below-the-line agency that also focuses on African entertainment and lifestyle brand marketing, strategy, and publicity.
David Cornwell lives in Cape Town, where he writes fiction, films and features for a variety of publications. His debut novel, Like It Matters (Umuzi, 2016), has been long-listed for the 2017 Sunday Times Fiction Award.
Ian Dormer was born in Zimbabwe and has been in the TV business since the 1980s, having served in various positions at the SABC, M-Net and SuperSport. Ian currently works and resides in New Zealand.
SCREENAFRICA Publisher & Managing Editor: Simon Robinson: publisher@screenafrica.com Editor: Chanelle Ellaya: editor@screenafrica.com Journalists: Gezzy S Sibisi: news@screenafrica.com
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Sahara Group tackles girl-child empowerment through film ‘If we educate a boy, we educate one person. If we educate a girl, we educate a family – and a whole nation.’ – An African Proverb.
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ith this in mind, Sahara Group – a leading African energy and infrastructure conglomerate – decided to take on a more inclusive approach in the second instalment of their Grooming Film Extrapreneurs initiative by partnering with the DUSUSU Foundation and young female filmmaker, Zuriel Oduwole. “This year, in accordance with our commitment to the attainment of the sustainable development goals, especially goals 4 and 5 (quality education and gender equality); we have partnered with the DUSUSU Foundation, in empowering 90 girls from three African countries – Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire – with the skill of filmmaking,” shared Bethel Obioma, head of Corporate Communications at Sahara Group. DUSUSU or the Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up Foundation was founded by ‘girl-child advocate’ and15-year-old filmmaker Oduwole with the aim to encourage African heads of state to instil policies that promote equal education to both sexes. Oduwole is Sahara Group’s youngest ambassador to drive the ‘Empowering the Girl Child’ initiative, which also debuted the first #AsharamiSpeaks series that brings actors, producers, directors and other girl-child advocates as panellists for discussions on how to shape the narrative for young girls in Africa. Oduwole spearheaded the 10-day workshops alongside members of the DUSUSU Foundation and Sahara Group staff volunteers in the cities of Lagos, Accra and Abidjan. Thirty aspirant
Bodurin Sasore, Olajumoke Ajayi, Zuriel Oduwole, Bethel Obioma, Dakore Akande and Toyosi Akarele-Ogunsiji
storytellers from each country were chosen from various underprivileged communities to work with the young, female filmmaker. Participants were trained in the foundational aspects of scripting, producing, directing and editing their own stories. A 24-year-old, Konate Makoya from Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire remarked that the high point of the event was when she held the camera for the first time in her life. “This experience would certainly change my life, and I am looking forward to inspiring other ladies as well,” she said. Pleased with the outcome, Obioma added: “When girls are handed the tools to create what they had hitherto only admired and thought to be beyond them, they are empowered. They are given the wings to fly and achieve their potentials. This is the significance of the project for us.”
“This year, in accordance with our commitment to the attainment of the sustainable development goals, especially goals 4 and 5 (quality education and gender equality); we have partnered with the DUSUSU Foundation, in empowering 90 girls from three African countries – Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire – with the skill of filmmaking.” – Bethel Obioma
At the end of the programme, three short docu- films were produced by the participants from the various countries. The Lagos group created a short film on examination malpractice, while the Ghanaian team made a short film on the importance of school attendance, especially at secondary school level. Lastly, the group from Cote d’ Ivoire showcased a short documentary using dance to promote peace and justice. “It is a well-established fact that the medium of film remains one of the most engaging ways of shaping narratives and moulding norms that govern human relations – either positively or negatively, depending on how the medium is manipulated. We consider this medium as one that will share desirable girl child narratives across the globe to foster the change the world desires,” said Obioma. Apart from the workshops, the #Asharami sessions on promoting the empowerment of the girl child through the medium of film took place with distinguished people from the film industry and celebrities from the three countries. “In Nigeria, we had Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Stephanie Busari, Dakore Akande, Jadesola Osiberu, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji. Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire had Joselyn Dumas and Akissi Delta respectively,” informs Obioma. The discussions touched on issues such as pay inequality in the film industry when men are being paid more than women for similar roles.
Other talks included the positive growth of women taking leadership roles in the movie industry, with the example of how Nigeria has the highest grossing movies of 2017 that were written and directed by women. The panellists addressed issues of sexual assaults and harassment in the workplace, which has recently come under the global spotlight with the #MeToo campaign. The panel also took time to applaud people who aim to break the common gender stereotypes through film, by introducing strong and dominant female characters. References were made about the great impact of movies like Wonder Woman, The Zookeeper’s Wife and Hidden Figures, which all shed light on issues facing women and the amazing feats they can attain when giving the right opportunities to shine. While here in Africa, the Nigerian film Wives on Strike, was praised for not only it’s box office success, but also on how it brought awareness to issues facing girl children in Africa, such as child marriage, women marginalisation, girl-child education and women’s rights. “Following the outcomes of this project, we have realised that youth across Africa want a voice, they want to be heard, and they want self-reliance. Based on these outcomes, we will ensure that subsequent projects provide a platform to address these concerns,” concluded Obioma. – Gezzy S Sibisi
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Revolting Rhymes nominated for an Oscar
Revolting Rhymes
Revolting Rhymes is one of five animated short films nominated for an Oscar.
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irected by Jakob Schuh (Oscarnominated for The Gruffalo) and Jan Lachauer (Oscar-nominated for Room on the Broom) and co-directed by Bin Han To, produced by Martin Pope and Michael Rose, Revolting Rhymes is an adaptation of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake’s classic book of surprising fairy tales. Produced by Magic Light Pictures, Revolting Rhymes was animated at Magic Light’s Berlin studio and Cape Town’s Triggerfish. It’s voiced by a stellar cast that includes Dominic West (The Affair) as The Wolf; Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones) as Red Riding Hood; and Gemma Chan (Humans) as Snow White. “We’re beside ourselves right now, and just incredibly happy,” say Schuh and Lachauer. “Happy for the film and happy for all our fantastic collaborators here in Berlin, our producers at Magic Light, as well as our wonderful team in South Africa. It’s a pretty unreal feeling to find your labour of love has been recognised in this way. We’re deeply grateful to the Academy for this nomination. This was a
4 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2018
hard film to make. What always steered us forward was the level of love our team had for this story – and the blessings we received from Luke Kelly, Roald Dahl’s grandson, and from the great Quentin Blake. So, for everyone’s work to receive such love in return today, it’s the most beautiful reward.” Revolting Rhymes has already won nine major international awards: the Cristal at Annecy in France, the world’s premiere animation festival; Best Animation at the BAFTA Children’s Awards; two awards at the European Animation Awards; Best Animated Short at TIFF Kids; Best Animation at the World Banff Media Festival in Canada; Best Storytelling at Shanghai International Film and TV Festival in China; the Children’s Jury prize at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival and the Audience Award at Filmfest Munchen. Revolting Rhymes is also nominated for a prestigious Annie Award on 3 February 2018 in Los Angeles; a British Animation Award on 15 March in London; and an International Emmy Kids Award, which
will be presented in April 2018. “Congrats to Jakob, Jan, Bini and the amazing team at Magic Light; it was such an honour to watch and learn from them,” says Mike Buckland, head of production at Triggerfish. “We also feel immense gratitude towards our insanely hardworking, generous and talented crew, who fully deserve this recognition that their work stands up there with the best in the world. We’re hoping Revolting Rhymes’ success will inspire many more Africans to enter the animation industry, which is growing rapidly here but still not fast enough to keep up with demand. And we can’t wait for South African audiences to finally be able to see Revolting Rhymes when it comes to Showmax in the near future.” Magic Light Pictures’ third collaboration with Triggerfish, The Highway Rat, premiered on BBC One this Christmas, achieving total audience ratings of 6.0 million viewers and 31.2 per cent share for the Christmas Day premiere, making it the eighth mostwatched programme of the day. An adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s bestseller, The Highway Rat is a swashbuckling tale of bandits and biscuits the whole family will enjoy. David Tennant (Doctor Who, Broadchurch) leads an impressive cast in the title role.
Following the success of The Highway Rat, BBC ONE and Magic Light Pictures have announced that an animated adaptation of Donaldson and Scheffler’s Zog is set for BBC One this coming Christmas. Zog is about a loveable young dragon finding his way in a magical, yet challenging world. The animated half hour is being directed by Max Lang, Oscar-nominated director of Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo, and by South African Daniel Snaddon, co-director of Stick Man. The film is being produced by Michael Rose and Martin Pope of Magic Light Pictures, with animation services again being provided by Triggerfish Animation in Cape Town. Zog was first published in 2010 by Alison Green Books (an imprint of Scholastic). It won the Galaxy National Children’s Book of the Year Award and has sold over 1.5 million copies. For the fourth year running, Donaldson is the UK’s number one bestselling author (across children’s and adult books). Donaldson and Scheffler are the UK’s number one picture book pair. – Kevin Kriedemann
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Africa embraces the “queer movement” through film festivals Film Festivals devoted to the celebration and discussion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) productions, known as “queer movements” date back as far as 1977, with the Frameline Film Festival in the United States being the first and oldest such festival in the world.
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hile most parts of Africa are still battling to grasp and accept the idea of a heteronormative state; Tunisia has made headlines recently for its persistence in providing safe, public spaces for the promotion of queer material. According to the Tunisian Penal Code under Article 230, being a homosexual is a crime, and sexual acts between two consenting adults of the same sex could lead to three years of imprisonment. However this did not stop one Tunisia’s most vocal queer movement groups – the Mawjoudin (Arabic for “We Exist”) organisation, from hosting the very first queer festival in Tunisia. The Mawjoudin Queer Film Festival ran from 15 to 18 January 2018, gaining attendance from over 400 LGBTQ individuals and supporters who proudly exist in various communities. Festival director, Karam Aouini had this
to say: “The purpose (of the festival) is to promote queer culture and to give space for alternative non-normative art expression. To raise awareness about the LGBTQI++ issues in our society as well as, to encourage youth filmmakers and producers to talk more and to better represent queer characters.” Twelve short and medium-length films were showcased, with some works coming from Tunisia and North Africa making an appearance on the film line-up for viewing and discussion. Strong points and views were expressed about the underrepresentation of the queer community, and the stereotyped and homonormative representation currently portrayed in the arts; which later formed part of the panel discussions suggesting new ways of artistic expression and improvement. Khookha, Shrifa and some Mawjoudin members also took to the floor with
artistic displays and performances as part of artistic activities offered during the festival. The event ran smoothly without any police intimidation or threats except for some homophobic posts made on social media after the four-day event. Aouini expressed gratitude for the news coverage and support from African countries, especially those who find themselves in the same predicament with the law but continue to exist. “It gave hope, happiness to people who came and those who couldn’t. I guess, seeing some articles from around the world talking about the festival made us feel like a team proud and willing to do more and better on the next editions,” said Aouini. South Africa, which practices a more liberal law system in issues of homosexuality, however, bears some of the most horrendous genderbased crimes. The story of Zoliswa Nkonyana is one prevalent crime story that shook the Khayelitsha community in 2006 when the lesbian victim was brutally murdered through a corrective rape and assault ordeal. This year also marks the inaugural edition of Queer Feminist Film Festival at Khayelitsha, with the aim of collectively bringing the issues faced by black feminists and black queer people to the fore. “We want to explore what it means for our feminist activism to be inclusive and to be queer and vice versa. For many of
us, those two spaces and identities intersect, and it felt almost natural to bring the queer and the feminist together,” said the festival organisers. The 2-day event took place from 19 to 20 January at the Cape Town township and was a collaborative project by the African Gender Institute, Triangle Project and Oxfam South Africa. “We are very grateful that we could bring queer folk together in one space and enjoy one another’s company and celebrate one another in semi-safe spaces. We also saw the importance of discussing trans-continental solidarity because we need to be part of the solutions and part of seeing justices for all queer people,” said the organisers. Films like Simon and I, provided talking points for the audience with one of the directors of the film present at the event for an interview. “The film was very important in reflecting on the journey of queer activism in South African and where we are now. We have definitely progressed quite a bit, but the increasing numbers of acts of violence against queer people is an indication that we still have a long way to go,” remarked one of the organisers. The films Winnie and Not a Bad Girl based on Brenda Fassie’s life were also some of the crowd favourites. The organisers of the event are looking into bringing the festival to different communities and public spaces in the upcoming years. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“The purpose of the festival is to promote queer culture, and to give space for alternative non-normative art expression.” – Karam Aouini 6 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2018
Opera launches new app, Opera News in Africa
The new ¸VENICE – Channel playout excellence. On air. 24/7.
With more than 100 thousand downloads in less than two weeks, Opera News is on path to become the number one news app in Africa.
The new ¸VENICE media server pushes limits even further and provides a comprehensive solution for meeting your challenges in live, studio and channel playout applications.
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n 9 January 2018, Opera Software launched Opera News, a new AI-poweredapp which enables people to access their favourite news articles and hottest trending videos. The release of the new app follows Opera’s recent announcement that its AIpowered news service inside Opera Mini grew to more than 100 million active users in less than a year, showing an incredible interest in news globally. Opera News is a news app with a powerful recommendation engine designed to keep you on top of all the things you love to read and watch. Opera News delivers a variety of trending news and entertaining videos and gets smarter with each use. In addition to delivering great content, Opera News can also save up to 80 per cent of your mobile data use thanks to Opera’s unique data-saving capabilities.
❙ Reliability The Rohde & Schwarz virtual storage access technology enables uninterrupted broadcast operations with no single point of failure. ❙ Sustainability The Rohde & Schwarz video I/O board enables ¸VENICE to support hybrid SDI and IP workflows up to 4K/UHD. ❙ Scalability ¸VENICE can be scaled arbitrarily. No matter how many channels or how much storage capacity or bandwidth you need. ❙ Versatility ¸VENICE can be used for ingest, transform and playout operations throughout the entire production chain. www.rohde-schwarz.com/ad/venice
Reliability Sustainability Scalability
Opera chooses Africa First strategy Last year, the company outlined plans to invest $100 million USD in the African market. Opera recently announced further expansion of these plans by launching its “Africa First” strategy. This strategy means that Opera will develop and launch its mobile products first for the African markets. Opera News becomes the first product to be launched under this new strategy. “Africa is an incredibly interesting region that will experience an enormous growth over the coming years,” says Jorgen Arnesen, global head of Marketing and Distribution at Opera. “Our new strategy means we want to make the very best products for Africans, hence our priority on the region. “ According to Internet World Statistics 2017, there were 388 million Africans online as of June 2017. The internet penetration in African countries is growing fast with more than 14% growth year-on-year. The African region has proven to become the fastest growing region for internet penetration around the world.
Versatility
Most downloaded news app in Africa Results from the initial test phase for Opera News indicate strong interest for the new app. After only two weeks of testing, the app has been very well received by mobile users in Africa. More than 100 thousand people have downloaded Opera News and it is currently the most downloaded news app in Africa. “We are thrilled that so many people have downloaded Opera News even before it was officially released,” says Arnesen. “The overwhelmingly positive feedback in reviews and the high number of downloads make us confident we are on the right track with Opera News.” Opera News is addressing a strong demand for improved access to news and content. During the launch period, Opera observed a strong appetite for local and international content, but the company has also seen that Africans love sports, especially football. “African users are among the world’s most avid mobile news readers,” says Arnesen. “Users in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Tanzania enjoy browsing the web to read about their favourite hot topics such as sports, celebrities, arts and culture, politics and life-hacks. With Opera News, we bring a new type of tailored news experience to African users”. Opera News is currently available for download on Google Play in Benin, Burundi, Chad, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Guinea, Senegal, Republic of the Congo, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Madagascar, Rwanda, South Sudan, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. February 2018 20996.005_Venice_Screen_Africa-Feb18_111x320_e.indd 1
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Irdeto focuses on piracy control A world leader in digital platform security, Irdeto recently launched its nextgeneration Piracy Control solution. Providing rapid detection and enforcement for content owners and operators, the online piracy detection and enforcement solution now provides new data-driven web video discovery tools with expert analyst oversight, multi-language site searches, integrated social media and search engine discovery, as well as peer-to-peer (P2P) stream discovery such as SopCast and Ace Stream. These new features enable content owners and distributors to quickly and accurately identify and then shut down pirated content across streaming video on demand (SVOD), direct download (DDL) and hybrid pirate websites. The increasing sophistication of pirates has resulted in piracy growing from a nuisance to a global issue for content owners, studios and operators. In order to combat this growing problem, it is critical to implement a comprehensive solution that quickly and accurately identifies and shuts down piracy. Irdeto Piracy Control is a scalable solution that now offers artificial intelligence and
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machine learning for automatic logo detection, text and facial recognition, as well as video fingerprinting for automated tagging of metadata. This provides a combination of flexibility, enhanced accuracy and speed. With Irdeto TraceMark™ forensic watermarking built right into the solution, content owners and operators now have the most robust anti-piracy solution to address growing piracy concerns. “Operators need to expand their strategies to combat internet-based redistribution of content by including proactive piracy control solutions that identify and manage pirated sources of content available within their geographical footprint,” said Sam Rosen, vice president, ABI Research. “Content providers must work internationally to coordinate and protect anti-piracy efforts, maintaining the value of their licensing rights by protecting the legal distribution of content. In both cases, piracy control solutions should include robust operational knowledge combined with appropriate short- and long-term enforcement actions.” Irdeto’s next-generation Piracy Control solution also provides the flexibility to
Rory O’Conner, senior vice president of Cybersecurity Services, Irdeto
bundle web video, watermarking and P2P detection. Combined with advanced analytics, forensics and a new integrated reporting system, content owners and operators have an enhanced solution that
allows them to implement an intelligencedriven approach to anti-piracy, ensuring that their valuable content is protected. “The biggest threat to the content creation industry is content redistribution over the internet,” said Rory O’Connor, senior vice president of Cybersecurity Services, Irdeto. “As pirates become more business savvy, content owners, studios and operators need a trusted security partner who has the in-depth understanding of piracy and the technology expertise to implement a robust anti-piracy strategy to disrupt a pirate’s business model. Irdeto’s next-generation Piracy Control solution puts the content owner and distributor in the driver’s seat to protect their brand reputation and revenue.” Offered as a key solution in the Irdeto 360 Security suite, Irdeto Piracy Control provides rapid detection and enforcement to safeguard valuable content. Irdeto’s team of multi-discipline specialists and its proven methodology has a successful track record in rapidly identifying content theft, disrupting piracy and leveraging its established networks to track down pirates and their supply chains.
| TRIBUTE
Farewell Angela Van Schalkwyk Written by Joanna Sterkowicz,
former Screen Africa editor and colleague of Angela
Angela van Schalkwyk 8 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2018
As someone who had the amazing opportunity of working alongside Angela for 14 years at Screen Africa, I think it’s important to acknowledge how significant she was for the local film and TV industry. After co-founding Screen Africa, she ran it single-handedly for over 20 years in a very tough market and in an extremely male-dominated environment. For all those years she persisted in giving a valid voice to the industry, providing coverage of all the big issues, as well as of all the major productions and the various, ever-evolving technologies used by the industry. Angela was fearless in her hard-hitting editorials and never one to shy away from controversial issues. In addition, Angela was always full of innovative ideas for the magazine, as well as for the industry itself. This consistent flow of great ideas is the true mark of an exceptional editor. For instance, she was the first person to start promoting South African production companies at the Cannes Film Festival and at the MIPTV and MIPCOM markets, which also take place in Cannes. My proudest memory of Angela is
when she was invited, years ago, in the early days of the SABC crisis, to be interviewed on the SABC’s morning show on TV. She spoke with such authority, clarity and knowledge about all the problems besetting the public broadcaster, and in such a no holds barred way, that several producers who did not know Angela personally contacted me to say how amazing they thought she was. Throughout her tenure at Screen Africa Angela continued to garner a deep respect from the industry. Only those who worked alongside her will ever know just how hard Angela worked – she literally never stopped working, despite all the stress that this inevitably put her under. My fondest memory of Angela dates back to one evening in 2004 (I think that was the year), when I witnessed her sheer joy and unbridled pride at the moment when she found out that Screen Africa had won three top media awards in a single night. So – to a great journalist and editor – farewell Angela and rest in peace.
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Loyiso Madinga to helm Daily Show segments for Africa Trevor Noah, executive producer, writer and host, has selected Loyiso Madinga to helm topical segments for the African broadcast of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Giving local relevance to the global hit, the South African-based correspondent’s segments will air intermittently on Comedy Central across the continent. The first piece, a field report from the African National Congress Elective Conference, debuted in Africa on 11 January. “As wild as Donald Trump is for America, many countries around the world have Trumps of their own and since The Daily Show is in many countries, we thought ‘why not give each country a chance to show off their stable geniuses?’” said Trevor Noah. “Trevor’s curious obsession with South Africa aside, this is a great step in the continual globalisation of The Daily Show, which has expanded to unprecedented levels since he took over,” said Kent Alterman, president Comedy Central. “I am really excited to create a voice for local satire. What is really great is this places an authentic spotlight on local comedy and presents a reality that combats the stereotypical perception of Africa. Being part of The Daily Show, I get to join the best conversation in the world,” said Loyiso Madinga. “We’re always looking for ways to take global hits and localise them for regions around the world by adding great local talent, like Loyiso,” said Jill Offman, executive vice president and head of Paramount Channel and Comedy Central
Loyiso Madinga International. “This is a pilot, so down the road you may see more internationally based correspondents, making The Daily Show a truly global yet local show for regions around the world.” Madinga is a stand-up comedian from South Africa who has quickly risen to being a celebrated international comic. Madinga’s career has been on the fast track since his debut in 2012 where he also shared the stage with international acts such as Tom Segura. Since then, he quickly became a regular on local comedian, David Kau’s Blacks Only line-up. He has also travelled South Africa as part of Trevor Noah’s Nationwild tour and represented his home country at the Montreux Comedy Festival in Switzerland and Busan Comedy Festival in Korea. Loyiso has written and performed on the
two-time Emmy finalist satire show, Late Nite News with South African, Loyiso Gola, and also written and performed on the hit local sketch show, Bantu Hour. Internationally, ratings for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah were up +35 per cent YOY for all viewers across 10 measured markets for calendar year 2017, driven by strong growth in the UK and South Africa. On the domestic front, viewership for The Daily Show was up +15 per cent in 2017 and ratings among the key demo of adults 18-49 were up +9 per cent. In the U.S., The Daily Show ranks as the top late-night talk show among millennial men (18-34) and is the #2 talk show with all millennials, behind only The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Comedy Central’s programming list helped it reach 372 million subscribers in
146 countries worldwide in fiscal 2017, compared with 285 million in fiscal 2016. Trevor Noah, Steve Bodow, Jen Flanz and Jill Katz are the executive producers of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, with Justin Melkmann as co-executive producer. Max Browning, Eric Davies, Pam DePace, Ramin Hedayati and Elise Terrell are supervising producers. Zhubin Parang is the head writer with Daniel Radosh as senior writer. The series is directed by Paul Pennolino. Sarah Babineau is the executive in charge of Production for Comedy Central. Kagiso Lediga is the director of Madinga’s local segment for Africa.
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Canon’s new LEGRIA HF G26
Lighting the future with Aputure Over the past few months the Magic Lightbox team have spent a considerable amount of time and energy researching the future of LED lighting, and how these can be applied to our industry. After numerous tests with lights from a variety of suppliers, Aputure stood out above the rest. Their cost effective range of LED lighting was a great hit with our rental and sales clients, and we have since begun an amazing relationship with them. Even though the extended range from Aputure is available to our clients, the Tri-8 and C300d stood out from the rest:
Canon Europe recently launched the LEGRIA HF G26, a Full HD camcorder to satisfy video enthusiasts’ creative needs and instil confidence when capturing content. The compact and easily portable LEGRIA HF G26 offers a 28.8mm wide-angle lens with 20x optical zoom, superb optics, low-light capability and 8-blade circular aperture, which can create beautiful circular bokeh effects. Video enthusiasts and filmmakers alike can capture exceptional Full HD 50p footage for all creative pursuits with the simple, yet powerful, LEGRIA HF G26. With a range of innovative features, the LEGRIA HF G26 assures precise and high-quality shooting in the most challenging of conditions. The Intelligent Image Stabiliser (IS) compensates for five axes of camera movement, which is crucial for steady filming whilst on the move and capturing shake-free smooth footage even at extreme zoom, thanks to Powered IS. To support Full HD clarity, the LEGRIA HF G26 features Instant Autofocus for the rapid and precise identification of the subject position and distance. Capturing pin sharp Full HD video has never been easier. Using the three-position switch, users can easily alternate between Manual, Auto and Cinema modes without changing individual settings. With up to 20x optical zoom, the LEGRIA HF G26 enables the creative capture of video from wide shots to extreme close ups, capturing even distant subjects in brilliant Full-HD quality. Using a Wide Dynamic Range of 600 per cent and Highlight Priority looks, the LEGRIA HF G26 records Full HD 50p at 35Mbps delivering high-quality footage, while evenly distributing tones and managing areas of brightness. This produces beautiful video footage straight from the camcorder.
• Aputure Tri-8 The Tri-8 packs unprecedented power in an incredibly tiny amount of space. The panel contains 888 high-CRI (95+) LED lights in a 11.5-inch panel. The high LED count means the Tri-8s is capable of outputting 24000 lux @ 0.5m, which is equivalent to a 600w. Furthermore, the Tri-8 is virtually indestructible. With an aircraft-grade aluminium body and slim design, it allows for efficient heat airflow while maintaining a highly durable structure. To further enforce its durability, the LED bulbs are covered by an impact-proof polycarbonate casing.
• Aputure c300D The LS C300d is the biggest and brightest light Aputure has ever made. Winner of several awards (including Best Lighting Product at NAB), the LS C300d is a game changing COB light, boasting extremely powerful output, an advanced cooling system, portable build, and a TLCI rating of over 96. Shining bright at 5500K, the LS C300d casts a powerful light that is both natural looking and pristine in colour. The LS C300d features not only a CRI rating of 95+, but a TLCI rating of 96+, allowing for extremely precise colour accuracy making it perfect for broadcast video, photography, television production, and studio filmmaking. The LS C300d utilises the universal mount design, allowing for a wide variety of available accessories, including but certainly not limited to Fresnel, Light Dome, and Space Light.
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New Panavision Millennium DXL2 camera Since its introduction, the DXL has been used on over 20 feature films, and countless television shows, commercials and music videos. Oscar nominee John Schwartzman, ASC photographed two features on the DXL and is among those who have tested the DXL2, providing input that has guided the design. Schwartzman says, “When you take an 8K image and super-sample it, it only gets better. It’s absolutely beautiful to look at. For me, the Millennium DXL2 is a no-brainer. It’s something I would use on anything. It does it all. And in fact, I’m currently planning to shoot my next feature with it.” The RED MONSTRO 8K VV sensor in the DXL2 offers a healthy 16-plus stops of dynamic range with improvements in image quality and shadow detail, a native ISO setting of 1600, and ProRes 4K up to 60 fps. Images are presented on the camera in log format using Light Iron colour science. An integrated PX-Pro colour spectrum filter custom-made for the DXL offers a significant increase in colour separation and dramatically higher colour precision to the image. Built-in Preston MDR, 24v power and expanded direct-to-edit features are also standard equipment on the DXL2. An anamorphic flare attachment (AFA) offers a convenient, controllable method of introducing flare with spherical lenses. New to the DXL2, LiColor2 streamlines the 8K pipeline, smoothly handling the workflow and offering convenient and quick access to high-quality RAW images, accommodating direct to edit without delays.
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Sony announces the launch of two new 4K HDR camcorders
AJA delivers FS-HDR v2.0 software AJA has released v2.0 software for its FS-HDR converter/frame synchroniser, for real-time HDR transforms and 4K/HD up, down, cross-conversion. FS-HDR v2.0 software introduces intuitive new parametric controls that allow users to fine tune the look of final transforms in FS-HDR, and adds support for camera formats Sony S-Log3 S-Gamut3 Cine and S-Log3 BT.2020. FS-HDR v2.0 brings 17 new controls to FS-HDR, including 12 for colour correction (red, green, blue and master controls for lift, gamma and gain), one for colour saturation, two for input formats (Log look and SDR softness), and two to adjust the volume of HDR in the output signal and ambient light compensation. Each control is accessible via FS-HDR’s front panel, the web GUI on any browser, or REST interface, and settings can be stored to a pre-set for recall later or copied to other FS-HDR units. FS-HDR is a versatile 1RU, rack-mount universal converter/frame synchroniser for real time HDR transforms as well as 4K/HD up/down/cross conversions. Fusing AJA’s production-proven FS frame synchronisation and conversion technology with video and colour space processing algorithms from the award-winning Colorfront Engine™, FS-HDR matches the real time, low-latency processing and colour fidelity demands that broadcast, OTT, post production and ProAV environments require. FS-HDR offers two modes for comprehensive signal conversion, and allows users to also convert a range of camera Log formats to HDR broadcast standards as well as to/from BT.2020/BT.709.
Sony has launched two new 4K HDR camcorders featuring its Fast Hybrid AF system: the XDCAM®PXW-Z90 and the NXCAM®HXR-NX80. Both palm camcorders combine fast and reliable autofocus (AF) function adapted for shooting with a 1.0-type stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor, delivering striking image clarity alongside a range of versatile shooting features. The Fast Hybrid AF system ensures highly-accurate focusing and tracking during shooting, delivered by 273 phase-detection AF points that cover approximately 84 per cent of the shooting area, high-density placement of autofocus points and a newly developed AF algorithm. This reduces the burden of focusing especially when highly accurate focusing is required for shooting 4K films. In movie recording mode, the appearance of phase-detection AF frames indicates the focused area and easily allows users to monitor a subject that is in focus. The new camcorders feature a high-resolution OLED viewfinder and advanced touch screen operation to allow users to quickly switch focus from one subject to another, while the AF Drive Speed, Tracking Depth Range and Subject Switching Sensitivity can all be configured as required for different subjects and content styles. The new camcorders support 4K HDR recording with HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) offering an Instant HDR workflow. This enables users to produce breath-taking HDR content while reducing the post-production work and produce high-quality HDR content smoothly, without the necessity of a grading process, which usually requires a highly skilled technique and special knowledge.
Oliver Wilter, owner of TAGWILTER, offers world class gaffer services with an extensive package of lighting, electrical equipment and generators available to fulfill your lighting needs. LATEST FEATURES & INTERNATIONAL TV SERIES Gaffered by Oliver: Maze Runner 3 ‘The Death Cure’, Dark Tower, L’odyssey, Mad Max Fury Road Cape Town Studios, The Giver
For more information please contact: Lisa@tagwilter.co.za | www.tagwilter.co.za February 2018
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Advertising trends for 2018: It’s a virtual world Written by Louise Marsland
The rise of independent media
In recent years, writing about trends for the media and marketing communications industry can feel as if you are in a dystopian sci-fi novel, as augmented reality, virtual reality, robotics and artificial intelligence all become more of a reality. And this year, 2018, will see more immersion by marketers in the virtual world. Artificial intelligence has arrived Self-driving cars, CRM bots and other customer service programmes are already using artificial intelligence and, according to Gartner, 85 per cent of bots will power all customer service interactions in a couple of years. Machine learning is very much here.
Augmented and virtual reality For the last couple of years, marketers have been coming up with innovative AR to thrill customers and amplify chatter on social media. AR and VR are about to go mainstream in everything from trade shows to print campaigns and movies. It presents a wonderful opportunity for marketers and advertising agencies to push the boundaries of customer experience. Gartner, in its raft of 2020 predictions, posits that by next year, 20 per cent of business will be investigating or adopting augmented, virtual and mixed realities (AR, VR and MR); and that in two years’ time, 100 million consumers will be shopping using AR applications.
Embrace video content In a world where 90 per cent of all internet traffic will be video-based by next year and 92 per cent of mobile viewers already share videos, South African brands and media owners still have to fully embrace video. Less than 1 per cent of press releases are sent to media including a video link to include as part of the content, unless it is of course, obviously, a new television or film or television commercial or movie trailer. Brands and public relations professionals need to start thinking about including video shorts and interview snippets as part of any press release and marketing release, as video content is amplified on social media. Brands need to include video as a priority in all messaging from herein out.
Streaming video pushes connected TV According to eMarketer, the number of households in the United States with traditional television packages, will decline by 4 million by 2020, as
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The “fake news” phenomenon and rise of nationalist politics across the globe, driven largely by the incoherent Trump era in the US, has had a positive spin for independently and crowd-funded investigative journalism, both in the States and here in South Africa. It has often been the independent press that has uncovered massive political and business scandals, and that era is returning and growing in the total onslaught against the media by unscrupulous politicians decrying: fake news; as well as the fake news spread by bots manipulating social media algorithms consumers go for connected TVs as the demand for streaming, on-demand video content grows. At AfricaCom in Cape Town, November 2017, the focus was squarely on VOD (video on-demand) services for Africa, with packages ranging from a few hours of video to per day and per month packages. The good news is that the focus is on brand advertising to fund these services across Africa, in the hope that content and data will eventually be provided for free.
New strategic model for agencies Locally and internationally, ad agencies and business consultancies are going head to head to service brands as data insight and business solutions become the key to building brand innovation. The result is that business consultancies are buying ad agencies and ad agencies are transforming into strategic partners to brands. It will be an interesting time of new agency models and consolidation. Agency heads in South Africa are careful to point out that they “own” creativity and no one can do it better as storytelling sits at the heart of all campaigns.
Content Marketing remains a key trend Content marketing remains a key trend globally and brands are increasingly creating and owning their own media properties as advertising agencies boost their content and digital teams with professional writers/journalists and social media experts. With social commentary by brands rising, coupled with purposedriven branding that makes a measureable difference in communities, brands will begin to influence society as much as media currently does, as the lines blur in a digital world.
No more digital Segmenting digital as a separate channel or service has ended as digital is integrated into everything we do. And if you are still featuring “digital” or “social media” as separate plans in any strategy, you need to find a new job. The only relevant question is “which platform”. It follows that anything a brand does will be featured on or seeded through social media and all the digital real estate owned or targeted by the brand.
The generation to save us from ourselves Generation Z is overtaking millennials in influencing brand decisions. They are an entirely new breed of youngster, purpose-driven, with a deep concern for the planet and all who live in it. They want to fix what their parents broke, but they don’t want to struggle like their millennial older siblings are, trying to cope in a brand conscious world which has had more than its fair share of economic and political crises. Generation Z are often anti-brand, they want authenticity and real stories, nothing fake. They will create their own world and they may allow brands to help if they demonstrate they really care enough to tackle global problems too. And watch out for Generation Alpha – the children of the millennials (born after 2011) – who are shaped by digital technology: “They are born into a landscape in which devices are intelligent, everything is connected and physical and digital environments merge into one,” according to Wired magazine’s recent special report. Their brains may, in fact, be wired differently due to the impact of technology. Start studying them now – they will change marketing forever and the rest of the world.
The strategy and measurement by Darren Kerr, of online video Written executive producer and director at 10th Street
Darren Kerr
In the early 2000s, a range of technologies came onto the consumer market offering the ability to operate a computer using just the eyes. Targeted at the severely disabled, the hands-free computing systems allow them to place the mouse pointer anywhere on the screen simply by looking at the desired location. Mousereplacement headsets track eye movement, with clicking literally done in the blink of an eye, or by staring (dwelling) at a spot. Disabled users could, for the first time, speak, send emails, browse the web and use increasingly complex systems for study and work.
Since then, the technology has become even more streamlined and has grown in usability, with multiple applications in engineering, driver safety, gaming and marketing. Marketers have been especially keen to learn through eye tracking, not only how well their outdoor, television and online advertising is performing, but what aesthetic aspects their audiences are focusing on, especially in the cluttered world of social media. It is all too easy to shift one’s attention to some other task while an intrusive video plays itself out, meaning that while information from data analytics might tell one story, the real reach of a piece of content can be hard to tell. Also, with the rapid uptake of digital video recorder devices such as PVR and on-demand services such a Netflix and Showmax, viewers have much more control over what they are exposed to. Eye-tracking technology can reveal which specific parts of a video most viewers gravitate to (or ignore). However, available devices are still quite cumbersome and intrusive, needing further development before they are seamlessly integrated into everyday applications. In the absence of a truly massmarketable eye-tracking system, it is more important than ever that producers create content that people want to see and even actively seek out. For marketers, the aim should rather
be to create content that achieves the highest possible return through a well thought-out creative strategy, dissemination plan and evaluation process.
Creative strategy The best content allows the consumer or viewer to gain a long-lasting benefit from spending their time watching the content and is, ultimately, a good story. People should want to engage with the content and re-post as widely as possible. As long as the content is genuine, communicates the right message and doesn’t talk down to the consumer, people will want to view, comment on and share it.
Disseminations The spray-and-pray approach of content dissemination does not work, and it is crucial to identify where the brand’s consumers are active and engaging the most. Once published, the content can end up anywhere on the Internet, but every agency involved in the production should take great care in selecting lead channels. In today’s world, driven by social media, YouTube and Facebook are key video channels, with Instagram becoming increasingly influential. The channels that should be avoided are those that are difficult to use, understand or track.
Transformation: New times for me. by Shaniel Mjekevu, New times for Monarchy Written director and partner, Monarchy I am Shaniel Mjekevu. I am newly appointed director and partner of the thriving award-winning South African creative agency – Monarchy. I’m thrilled to be part of Monarchy in this capacity. A meeting of minds and passions has forged an agency that, in its industry, has proven its international scope and executes a broad range of creative work within broadcast and all media to the highest standard. This position marks the on-going growth, not only my life, but in the business ventures of Monarchy. This partnership allows for exciting opportunities as a company and our clients, locally and abroad. The drive to succeed in producing original content and entering new avenues has always been on the cards. But now we have the hands, hearts and minds on deck to make this a reality, and, it is that drive that exists at the core of every person at Monarchy that ensures any project we pursue is wholly realised. I first met Nicci and Delarey (founders
Shaniel Mjekevu
of Monarchy) at the very beginning of my career in 2006 when I was a runner for a post-production agency. It was in this first position that the drive to become the most efficient and reputable Producer was instilled in me and from hereon I
climbed the rungs of the industry ladder in a truly traditional way; onto Production Coordinating then production manager where I had to balance the books of creativity and cash. Then I joined Monarchy in 2015 as a producer, now, it seemed, that it was my responsibility to instil the drive to succeed in impressionable newcomers to the Television/Production industry, just as the producer of the company I started at did for me. It looked like I’d come full circle. At least, that’s what I thought. So what does 51 per cent black female owned even mean? It’s a rhetorical question, because we all know it means that Monarchy is a company that is in tune with the landscape of the South African film/TV industry, it is a company that is growing – Monarchy is going through transformation. In many ways! Content constantly changes; consequently, how we market the content is always changing, and how we create new content must also change. More so, the media we work on
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Evaluation strategy Once a highly creative, useful piece of content has made it onto the right channels, its impact must be quantified and analysed for future campaigns. Platforms such as YouTube allow advertisers to target the content to audiences with specific tastes. Tools such as Google’s Brand Lift can then offer information about the age ranges and genders most drawn by a campaign on the video sharing site. While the number of shares, likes and comments are readily available on the user interface, analytics tools allow for deeper insights about reach, frequency and click-through rates. However, this should not be a replacement for direct, sustained customer engagements. Without the preliminary leg work on a targeted creative strategy, channel selection and a relationship with the customer, the investment into expensive measurement technology is better spent elsewhere. Even with the most sophisticated eye tracking technology, should a video be created without the right initial steps, any insights learned will only reveal a hollow message and a lack of connection. In short, analysis shouldn’t be limited to the post-mortem stage, but should be conducted before, during and after the campaign has run its course.
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is evolving at a rapid pace, complete turnaround innovation is now the norm and so as a company we transform, adapt and evolve. As a company, Monarchy could rest on its laurels with little effort, but, we cannot accept that. We constantly strive forward, work hard and risk it all to do one thing – produce amazing work! Our motivation draws back to the drive to succeed that we instil in everyone at Monarchy as they walk through the door. We love our work, we love our team and we value our clients. Recently, I have discovered a new set of rungs in my working life. But, this time it’s different. When I look up I do not see the top of the ladder, it goes higher and higher. This is the attitude that Monarchy will take forward with our expanded structure, with the stellar amount of vision and expertise at Monarchy, and drones more pouring through the doors, we will never stop climbing the ladder until we reach the top, in which case, we shall keep on climbing. February 2018
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Nando’s – fixing our Sh#t
Nando’s WeFixOurSh#t
Fast food chain, Nando’s is known for its witty and comical ad spin-off on all things trending in South Africa. In their latest commercial, WeFixOurSh#t, by M & C Saatchi Abel, Nando’s gives the country hope for restoration and deliverance from the gates of Gupta.
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t was in 2015 when M &C Saatchi Abel’s journey with the Nando’s brand first began. M&C Saatchi Abel was approached to pitch for Nando’s and, according to creative director at M&C Saatchi Abel, Jordon Tryon, the two fit perfectly from the start. “As an agency, our motto is ‘Brutal Simplicity of Thought,’ and the simple truth is that South Africans can do anything. While it’s true that we’re experiencing challenges at the moment, South Africans have an incredibly
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tenacious spirit. In fact, we’ve faced far worse before, and we haven’t just survived – we’ve thrived. As an agency, we wanted to partner with Nando’s to remind the country of what we’re capable of when we stand together,” says Tryon. The pair has, through the years, managed to voice their shared (often spicy) thoughts on current events and exposés, resulting in a more innovative approach to advertising that not only connects with chicken lovers but with South Africans as a whole.
Their latest ad is best described as a visual scrapbook of footage, archive and graphics of events that support the belief that we are capable of fixing our mishaps. “Good or bad, a lot of truly unbelievable things have happened in our beautiful country. We simply identified a fraction of them, which we then wove together to communicate what South Africans subconsciously already knew: we can fix our sh*t!” exclaims Tryon. In a 1-minute clip, the ad reflects how the country has ended years of oppression to gain democracy, and how we have managed to reconcile with our oppressors. The spot then takes a humourous approach to social and political issues, with commentary on how it seems as though we can get new finance ministers faster than we can get new eyebrows. The #PayBackTheMoney debacle is also highlighted as we reflect on how we’ve managed to get some of the money back. And even when we felt “doomed” by a
false prophet spraying us with insecticide, the ad shows how we get back on top as we see a clip of South Africans who have conquered Mount Kilimanjaro. Near the end of the advert, we see three people resembling the controversial Gupta family, hurriedly packing artefacts into an SUV with the number plate ‘WE RUN GP,’ as the narrator remarks: “In South Africa, we’ve always fixed our sh*t and we can fix our sh*t again.” Director Jono Hall from Darling Films expands: “The concept is actually very simple – South Africa’s journey to where we are now has been an almost ‘must-be-experienced-tobe-believed’ rollercoaster. So, given what we’ve gone through and what we’ve overcome to get here, it’s truly amazing to imagine what we might be capable of next. Shem Guptas. Shem.” Casting for the commercial took place in Melville, however, the production team had to go far and
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TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Alexa Mini and Canon 5D
The Nando’s spot was shot on the Alexa Mini camera, with stills shot on the Canon 5D
KEY CREW
wide to find and film their ‘Guptas’. “It’s quite sobering to witness first-hand the psychological effect the Gupta name has on ordinary South Africans. They might be Public Enemy Number 1, they might be loathed in just about every corner and facing perhaps their final chapter, but the fear they still command is still very real. Casting them was really, really tricky because people really weren’t keen to go there. Finding a location for that scene carried with it similar challenges because of the potentially unwanted attention it might bring. In the face of this sort of power that they still command, Nando’s courage in pointing at them and poking fun at them takes on an extra-special quality – they truly are the only brand that has the ability to ‘go there’ and to do it with all guns blazing,” says Hall. The spot was shot on the Alexa Mini camera, while stills were shot on the Canon 5D. Other visual elements include
shots from a cellphone, memes and gifs, as well as animations that were drawn by Lung in Cape Town. No special effects were used in the making of the ad, but the TRC scene had to be recreated. A person resembling Schabir Shaik on the golf course is shown in one scene while people looking and sounding like the notorious Gupta brothers can also be seen. “It was a two-day shoot that literally felt like a travelling circus. We were pulling into fancy mansions, street-corners, golf courses, community halls and a Rea Vaya bus, shooting what we needed and then disappearing before anyone really even knew what had happened to them. It was an incredibly fun way to work because we were basically filming ninjas on a chicken mission,” shares Hall. All the footage and contributions were then sent to Upstairs Ludus and Sterling Sound for post-production duties. “It’s quite a head-trip to make an ad for
Nando’s. It’s even more of a head-trip to make an ad for Nando’s that doesn’t have a single piece of Nando’s in it – which is something only they could do,” concludes Hall. – Gezzy S Sibisi
Director: Jono Hall Producer: Elizabeth Dahl Executive Producers: Melina McDonald and Lorraine Smit Sound: Sterling Sound & Audio Militia DOP: James Adey Editor: Evy Katz
“A lot of truly unbelievable things have happened in our beautiful country. We simply identified a fraction of them, which we then wove together to communicate what South Africans subconsciously already knew: we can fix our sh*t!” – Jordon Tryon February 2018
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| OPINION
The power of cinema advertising:
A big screen with a captivated audience Written by Motheo Matsau,
chief of Marketing and Sales, Ster-Kinekor
At a time when reach appears to be seen as the be-all and end-all of advertising plans, cinema advertising offers more – a captivated target audience…
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n advertising, reach is not everything. A media strategy that aims for maximum reach at all costs may sacrifice creativity, positioning and engagement – it won’t necessarily generate the optimum ad spend return on investment (ROI). Cinema provides a platform that can target specific market segments in terms of both demographics and psychographics. Cinema advertising
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fulfils many of the objectives that a reach-oriented strategy misses out on, such as impact, high recall and audience engagement. In a recent Adweek article titled ‘Screenvision Launches the Hegarty Awards to Honor the Best in Cinema Advertising’, James Cooper, the editorial director, speaks about Screen Vision Media unveiling a new creative launch
pad ad unit at the 2017 Cannes Lions. Brands taking part in the initiative are eligible for the Hegarty Awards, to honour the best in cinema advertising. Cooper notes how “cinema provides a highly memorable impression in media, reinforced by a 59 per cent ad-awareness statistic”. Cinema has the benefit of a captive audience, and commercials on the big
OPINION
screen cannot easily be ignored. In addition, niche markets can be catered to. If you’re selling exclusive sports cars, for instance, mass reach should not factor into your media plan. Carefully crafted content delivered to the correct audience is a superior strategy for marketers and maximum reach should not be the default goal. The same rule applies when we schedule movies at Ster-Kinekor theatres. Showing a film at every cinema in the country won’t necessarily produce best results. Reach is not everything – the relevance of your brand message to your target market being delivered through the correct channel, is what matters. Cinema provides quality audiences, rather than aiming for quantity. Besides reach, other brand marketing goals might be awareness, brand positioning, brand affiliation, or shortterm impact and hype. What’s important is to have a clear objective of what job the campaign and media should do and be able to measure it. Industry analytical tools are evolving, following the end of AMPs and the imminent emergence of new media measurement methodologies, media currencies and segmentation models, marketers need to be clear about their campaign objectives. At the same time, we need to define and understand our audiences better. For instance, in the cinema space, there is a huge correlation between moviegoers and mall goers, simply because most movie houses in South Africa today are in shopping malls. This opens up possibilities for campaigns using cinema and out-of-home (OOH) activations around malls and in the broader cinema space. This also provides a fantastic opportunity for brand owners to keep their products top of mind within the retail environment. Besides this, there are collaboration opportunities between retail, brand and cinema. According to Primall Media, part of Primedia Unlimited, the annual spend in South African malls is R600bn. Around 40 per cent of final purchase decisions are
made at point of sale. These decisions are usually based around which brand to buy, rather than whether to buy. The consumer purchase decision can be influenced using the various advertising opportunities within malls – including cinema. There is a need for integrated campaigns that creatively unlock these opportunities. These should be targeted campaigns that don’t aim for reach alone. Cinemas, if you think of it, are more than just the big screen, they are auditoriums, versatile spaces. They can be used for live broadcasts, conferences and music concerts to reach a wider audience than just moviegoers. Cinema is innovating in the marketing products we offer as well as on the entertainment front. We are open and flexible to collaborating with innovators in all parts of the media space. Cinema advertising complements other media and advertisers and brand managers will find better ROI if they get that science right. The key is to use the versatility of cinema to drive and execute the campaign. As a recent Millward Brown white paper points out, one of cinema’s unique selling points is its minimal distractions compared to other media. Multiscreening is still not socially accepted in movie theatres, and ads can also not be skipped or muted. With wall-to-wall screens, surround sound and its dark environment, cinema is uniquely immersive, so cinema viewers process movie advertising more consciously, which yields results other advertising mediums cannot. Millward Brown research also shows that the impact of cinema advertising is boosted substantially when people see ads on cinema plus one other screen. This cross-channel synergy contributes on average 20-35 per cent of overall brand effects. Particularly with TV. If you want your message to have impact with high recall, cinema is the perfect platform. It also provides an opportunity to stretch your campaign
creatively, because advertising content has got to be great in the cinema space. The cinema space pushes the boundaries of creativity. The big screen alone won’t give you the reach of TV or radio, but a multiplatform strategy offers the best of both worlds. Combining cinema and TV is unparalleled in terms of ROI. The two visual media complement each other. In terms of viewing habits, one would think that viewers develop screen fatigue the more screens they are exposed to. But in our experience, screen media give viewers an appetite for even more. In the US – always a bellwether of industry trends – there are already indications of advertisers moving from TV to cinema. The US saw a 1-2 per cent decline in national TV advertising in Q1 2017, according to Pivotal Research Group, while cinema advertising reported 5.8 per cent year-on-year growth in 2016. As advertising budgets get tighter, we need to focus on offering marketers value, and strategists need to create innovative media plans to help achieve their goals. There have long been a few dominant media types that every media strategist and media buyer recommends. But, some media types are oversubscribed, and now provide less attractive returns. Perhaps strategists need to look to supplementary media to stretch budgets further and move into areas with less clutter. Some of our clients at Cinemark have unlocked opportunities for experimental, experiential activations and OOH advertising. An airline client, for instance, customised the seats in Cine Prestige cinemas so they resembled airline seats. Taking over the cinemas, this with a compelling screen ad and a call to action – no other channel offers that opportunity. Ster-Kinekor and Cinemark have noticed growing demand for this kind of unconventional OOH advertising and activations. In response, we have expanded our advertising division to offer
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a broader set of solutions. An integrated cinema campaign can now embrace bathroom panels, queue panels, corridor ads, posters, popcorn boxes, lobby activations and digital media – and we keep innovating. Gone are the days when cinema advertising was just about screen time. Media strategists can bundle this high-impact, experiential advertising with another media like TV, radio or print. TV will give you reach, and you can deliver the experiential elements at cinemas. Cinema makes up between 1 and 2 per cent of total advertising revenue in South Africa, so it’s not a huge share of the market. But it’s the only one, other than digital, that hasn’t declined. The channel has shown remarkable resilience in these challenging economic times. It can also be regionalised or localised – advertisers can limit their campaigns to just a few relevant sites. There’s nothing stopping a neighbourhood car dealership partnering with their local cinema. People seldom travel more than 20km to come to the movies – this offers options for remarkably focused targeting. Cinema is all about the experience. The smell of the popcorn, the slush, the dimming of the lights, the sound… brands need to optimally embrace this environment to their advantage. We don’t compete with other platforms, we complement them and remain a powerful, targeted, high-impact media experience with a highly responsive audience. Brand owners would do well to take a broad, integrated view incorporating cinema when bringing their brands to market. Cinema is the unique ingredient that brings targeted, quality, creative expression to campaigns, filling in the gaps of a one-size fits-all approach. With growing interest and innovative solutions, the medium is returning to take its rightful place as a key weapon in the targeted advertising arsenal. The big screen is limitless in bringing campaigns to life.
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February 2018
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INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
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Film industry development boost for Nelson Mandela Bay
Staff and interns at The Media Workshop
Port Elizabeth-based screen content hub, The Media Workshop, has employed ten film graduates as interns this year, as part of a broader film industry development initiative.
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he Media Workshop is owned by Denise Roodt, who was also instrumental in bringing AFDA Film School to Port Elizabeth in 2015. “I feel I have come full circle. Having seen the genesis group of AFDA students through their three-year degree programme, I have returned to running The Media Workshop on a full-time basis, where I shall focus on creating employment and self-employment opportunities for emerging filmmakers.” Over the course of the year, the interns will work on productions commissioned by the SABC and develop original content for distribution on a variety of platforms. Brad Oppelt (intern team leader, Technical) says, “The Media Workshop has given us the opportunity to still grow our skills as film and media producers, but also show the media world what we can do.” “I cannot wait to dive in and to create good local content for South Africa and to develop the industry within the Eastern
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Cape,” says Jessica Hogg (intern, Art Department). The Media Workshop has also secured funding for 20 disadvantaged learners to complete its one-year National Certificate in Film and Television Production. Both projects are supported by the MICT Seta. Roodt’s long-term colleague, Hubert Ngqawana, who managed The Media Workshop while she was employed as Dean of AFDA, has now taken up the position of head of Academic Programmes. “Our training programmes have over the years produced successful screen content practitioners like Nolitha Xozwa
and Siyanda Manzini, who were recently featured on Weekend Post for their TV series, Ubudoda on DSTV’s channel 161; former SABC 1’s Uzalo and MNet’s Isibaya story liner Zolisa Sigwanda; Gqabi Njokweni, Sicelo Mkhize and Bulelani Scott of SABC News; Lizo Tolom of Urban Brew Studios; comedian Siya Seya, Busisiwe Nako of Voo C Media Group and many more. We remain committed to training more filmmakers as we develop the Eastern Cape into a formidable film hub.” Roodt attributes The Media Workshop’s success to the fact that the company’s services cover the entire creative industry development value chain. “We deliver accredited training programmes, produce quality content and incubate innovative productions and production companies. We’re a one-stop shop!” The Media Workshop’s vision is to develop screen content producers who create sustainable businesses telling local
stories with universal appeal. “Opportunities in the content creation space are being created as we speak. The Media Workshop is in the business of developing creators of content. It’s a very exciting time for our industry.” Sipho Bosa (intern team leader, Creative) says, “The best thing about the Media Workshop is the freedom. The freedom to create in an exciting environment inhabited by other industry creatives. It’s a whole lot of fun.” The Media Workshop still has limited spaces available for their National Certificate in Film and Television Production programme, which starts in mid-February. The programme covers studio and outside broadcasts and film and television production, as well as single and multi-camera productions. Over the course of the year, students produce talk shows, short films, music videos and public service announcements.
The Media Workshop has also secured funding for 20 disadvantaged learners to complete its one-year National Certificate in Film and Television Production. Both projects are supported by the MICT Seta.
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STUDIOS
Vision View Productions launches Vision View Sports Radio Africans love their sports, and Vision View Productions intends to show their loyal support – for the love of the game – through its recently launched online radio platform, Vision View Sports Radio (VVSR).
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epresentatives from the Department of Sports and Recreation, the Department of Gauteng Sports, Arts and Culture, as well as leading sports personalities and enthusiasts gathered at the corner of 20 Shaw Street in Blairgowrie. The wellattended affair was in celebration of the launch of the much-anticipated radio station by Mafadi Mpuru and Edward Seane, dedicated to elevating the coverage of African sports on the world stage. “The concept of Vision View Sports Radio started four years ago, Eddy and I were sitting and talking. We were envisioning what is going to happen in the next five years in terms of broadcasting and felt that there was a huge gap in sports radio in the country, and the way sports was consumed on radio. We felt that we should start something; we needed a different way to communicate to people in a sports sense. We then put a plan together, and the plan is where it is today, four years later,” shared co-founder of the station Mafadi Mpuru.
The radio station’s creative and colourful office space consists of state-of-the-art broadcasting studio facilities and HD camera equipment as well as editing facilities. In an effort to reach fans across the globe, Vision View Sports Radio managed to secure access to broadcast in most countries except for China, the UAE and Brazil due to their Competition Commission rules, informed Mpuru. The station, which airs from 06h00 to 22h00 on weekdays and from 07h00 to 21h00 over the weekends, offers a diverse sports, health and lifestyle content calendar from some of Africa’s most insightful media and sports personalities. VVSR station manager Mandla Maluleka expands: “We went for who we think would strategically work for the radio station. There are certain particular
Co-founder of Vision View Sports Radio, Mafadi Mpuru at the launch event
lifestyle elements within sports that we are trying to explore.” Presenters in the line-up include veteran DJ and radio personality Paul Mnisi (Rude Boy Paul) who presents an upbeat afternoon show called the Home Run; while the show Player Zone is presented by former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Brian Baloyi. Baloyi will be giving listeners never-heard-before conversations from reigning South African sports talents and fallen stars. Well-known female sports presenter, Thato Moeng presents a daily update on all hockey, netball and athletics events and happenings in the Mid-Morning Show; and award-winning journalist, OG Molefe will carry all sports codes in his show Vision View Sports Update. “We hope the sports radio station makes a significant impact on sports coverage in the country. We have many innovations up our sleeves that we can’t
reveal just yet, but we are very excited. We hope for lots of engagement via social media as we are a global platform,” Mpuru commented. Other exciting station highlights include former football analyst Chris Bongo’s show, Another Perspective which will cater for the African diaspora and communicate in French, amongst other language offerings. Boxing will also, for the first time in South Africa, have its own radio show called Ringside. The show will be presented by former international professional boxer, Dida Dipheko and Peter Leopeng, who was the first black editor in chief for Boxing World magazine. Vision View Sports Radio targets a hybrid LSM between 5 to 6 and a secondary LSM of 7 to10. The radio app is available on Google Play and App Store, as well as on the Vision View Sports Radio website. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“We were envisioning what is going to happen in the next five years in terms of broadcasting and felt that there was a huge gap in sports radio in the country.” – Mafadi Mpuru
www.sasanistudios.tv
Your Complete Studio and Post-Production Solution February 2018
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STUDIOS
| ADVERTORIAL
Urban Brew Studios gears up for the next generation of content creation in Africa A division of Kagiso Media, Urban Brew Studios has established itself as a leading African content creator providing original entertainment solutions and services for both local and international audiences.
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s producers of TV that breaks boundaries, tells stories, creates memories, forms new norms, starts and continues conversations, Urban Brew Studios has touched countless lives through its programming. It has also been the training ground for some of the most accomplished players in the TV industry for more than three decades. More than JUST a production house, Urban Brew Studios offer a range of services including outside broadcasting, graphics, video editing, audio recording and post-production, music composition and studio hire. Dominating the local independent television production sector, over the years Urban Brew has delivered some of South African audience’s most-loved shows across multiple genres. These include long-running children’s variety show YOTV, which is about to enter its 20th year on television. It has a long legacy of talented presenters. The
bring to life this particular dance culture,” comments head of Productions Adelaide Joshua. Sponsored by Vodacom, October saw The NXT LVL – a reality show that, through a mentorship programme, seeks to fast track the music careers of five individuals or groups – come to Mzansi Magic. The show saw five celebrity mentors – Danny K, Big Nuz, Euphonik, DJ Zinhle and Riky Rick – lead contestants through a 10 week crash course in music.
New CEO
Presenters of SABC 1’s Live AMP, DJ Warras and Lerato Kganyago
New studios success of this group is testament to the extraordinary talent YOTV cultivates and the adoration of its fans. Weekly reality family series Khumbul’ekhaya on SABC1. About to enter its 14th season, the show is a firm favourite for its soulful South African storytelling and real depiction of how love and hope overcomes time and distance. Weekly music show Live AMP is the place to be for music fans every Friday night at 19h30. Boasting the largest audience of any music show in the country, it’s well known as the first stop for South Africa’s most popular as well as emerging artists to premiere new music and new videos. The Real Goboza (RGB) continues to dominate its timeslot with its always current, always spicy, always on point look at the local social scene.
New productions
Urban Brew Studios new CEO Verona Duwarkah 20 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2018
In September 2017, Urban Brew Studios announced the appointment of Verona Duwarkah as their new CEO. Duwarkah has extensive television and content production experience. Over the course of her 26-year career in the media industry, Duwarkah has held various leadership positions at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) including general manager of Strategic Projects and group executive of SABC Television. Most recently, she occupied the position of business manager at Côte Ouest. “This is a different environment for me and it provides me with an exciting new challenge to lead a team that is passionate, driven and innovative,” comments Duwarkah.
Always looking for new, innovative ways to entertain audiences, in 2017 Urban Brew Studios delivered a host of new
original shows. April saw the premiere of Tyres & Braaiers on SABC3 which followed comedian Nik Rabinowitz and chef Hezron Louw as they toured South Africa in search of the most scenic and unique braai experiences the country has to offer. It’s a love letter to South African humour, culture, food, people and landscapes. Tongue-in-cheek late night show #WTFTUMI – hosted by comedienne and actress Tumi Morake –premiered on SABC3 last July. “Urban Brew Studios has a long history of producing talk shows, but it had been a while since we had the opportunity to produce a late night show, SABC3 was open to pushing the boundaries and we had so much fun shedding the daytime constraints and producing something with this much freedom,” says head of Creative Joanne Lurie. Reality dance show, Break Da Beat also premiered last July, uncovering the country’s best hip hop dance crews in one of the biggest dance competitions South Africa has ever seen. “We travelled across the country looking for crews to
Still to come in April this year, Urban Brew Studios will be moving into their brand new premises at Brightwater Commons in Randburg, Johannesburg, complete with state-of-the-art production facilities. A whopping 10 000 square metres of the shopping complex has been turned into the ultimate production space by The Moolman Group. Urban Brew Studios’ new facilities will include office space, television studios, dedicated audio post-production and music compilation facilities, a business centre and meeting rooms to name a few. The main studio is now 1 000 square metres. This is in addition to a variety of other fully-equipped studios of different sizes. Urban Brew Studios is in a prime position to comfortably produce content of all genres in various formats. Duwarkah adds, “Urban Brew Studios is in a very interesting place in its life-cycle. Due to the sheer enormity of all the changes taking place, I am both excited and nervous. But as the saying goes, if the dream does not scare you, it is not big enough.”
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INTERNATIONAL CONTENT MARKETS
| OPINION
International markets:
A perspective for African content producers As we head into 2018 a full calendar of film festivals and content markets await. It can be both exhilarating and overwhelming; and the reality of attending these events needs to be understood.
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ontent producers who want to make the most of these opportunities need to do their homework and understand the competitive and global nature of the industry in which they operate. Having worked at and with festivals and markets for over six years, as well as having worked closely with buyers, sellers, organisers, producers and distributors, I have spent a lot of time discussing the actual benefits of these events, and have gained much wisdom from those more experienced than I. Thanks to people like Pascal Schmitz and Mayenzeke Baza who, during their time running the Association for Transformation in Film and Television (ATFT), took over 100 companies/ producers to market; Don Edkins, founder and director of STEPS and AfriDocs; and Patrick Zuchowicki, founder and general manager of DISCOP, there is a wealth of knowledge that can be shared. So before leaping into the market and festival frenzy of 2018 – consider the advice the experts have to give. Make sure you talk to as many people as possible BEFORE you go to market, and make sure you do your research to understand which markets you should attend and why.
Which markets? First and foremost, producers must understand the nuances and functions of specific international markets and how these can benefit their specific content and business objectives. There is no point taking a TV series to a film market and doing so is not just a waste of time and money, but will also damage one’s reputation within the industry. It is therefore critical to research the various markets, to understand how they function, and then make an educated business-focussed decision on which to attend.
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There are basically three categories of markets, all with very different aims and business imperatives: • Film markets: Film markets, often (but not always) associated with a film festival focus exclusively on feature films. The largest and most well-known of these markets are Cannes Marche du Film, the European Film Market, and the American Film Market. These markets attract serious buyers from all over the world. Unfortunately, the Durban Film Market (DFM) does not have the same level of international business success at this stage, as does these other markets. Markets are all about deals. That is not to say that there are no other benefits in attending, but if your aim is to sell your film internationally, you need to make sure the buyers for your type of content are going to be in attendance. It’s also important to remember that ANYONE can show/sell their film at a market, there is no badge of credibility that comes from appearing at the Cannes Marche du Film, as opposed to actually being selected at the festival. Some festivals, such as the Toronto Film Festival for instance, don’t have a market per se, but the festival itself is so well-known that it attracts dozens of buyers and can still serve the same function as attending a market. These markets however are generally focused on big films and big names. The chance of an unknown producer selling a film with no star power is very limited unless it is truly something special. • Documentary markets: These markets are similar to feature film markets and are often linked also to festivals, such as the largest of its kind, The International
Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA). Other markets include Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Sunny Side of the Doc, and the Sheffield Doc/Fest. If you are not selling a documentary FILM – don’t bother going to these markets. • Television markets: Television markets are the most all-encompassing markets where you can sell anything and everything – films, documentaries, TV and digital series, genre categories etc. These markets are much more deal-focussed as the demand is greater. Ever-increasing content consumption means opportunities for producers and the types of content being sourced are more diverse than at film markets. The pinnacle of these markets are MIPCOM and MIPTV internationally and DISCOP within Africa. In addition to broadcasters from across the globe, these events are also attended by many VOD players (apart from Netflix and Amazon however, who tend to rather only buy films and produce their own TV content). TV markets are probably the best place to start as the scale and opportunity are much greater than at more niched film markets.
African content and the world Whilst there are a lot of positive indicators for the future of African content (that is content produced in Africa for African audiences), there are also harsh realities awaiting producers in this space. The good news is that the appetite across Africa and the world for African content is growing. Patrick Zuchowicki, founder and general manager of DISCOP Markets is so confident in the growth of
this sector that two more DISCOP markets are being added, Zanzibar in 2018 and Lagos in 2019. He explains further, “With revenue from Africa’s pay-TV sitting at $4.4 billion and expected to exceed $6 billion by 2021, the time is now to continue the momentum of content producion as a significant economic booster for African economies. Movies and TV programmes have always been part of the fabric of the countries we cover with DISCOP. What is changing is the ability for broadcasters, pay-TV platforms, mobile operators and on-demand video services to monetise the consumption of entertainment content, and for local producers to feed an immense appetite for home-grown entertainment. These countries will represent in the next five years 35 per cent of global wholesale licensing revenues derived primarily from intra-regional trade. By then and with five DISCOP markets a year, we expect to draw 6 000 delegates, three times more than we do now.” Within this growth environment however, the experience for many producers on the ground is still one of difficulty in recouping costs for African content. There are essentially four potential markets for content “made in Africa,” each with their own distinct characteristics and potential pay-offs.
These are: • Domestic market: African content made by Africans is by far the largest market in terms of eyeballs however, conversely to international norms, it is the smallest market in terms of monetary value for producers. Sadly, for African content – value increases as it leaves the continent.
OPINION This is due mainly to the fact that African broadcasters (and even more so for cinema distributers), simply do not have the same resources to spend on content. Even more disturbing is the fact that many local and regional broadcasters still use content illegally – not bothering to pay licensing or royalty fees. There are hardly any (apart from M-Net, Kwesé and a few others) Pan-African platforms, so deals have to be done regionally or locally, making them harder to do, harder to enforce, and often less profitable. Even African-focussed VOD platforms do not pay very well, with iflix and Showmax leading the way – but yet still not paying enough for most producers to recoup their budgets. • African diaspora: A smaller, yet more profitable market for African content is the African diaspora. With millions of Africans living across the globe, platforms like the US-based Africa Channel are finding a lucrative market and are offering more opportunities for African producers who want to produce stories for Africans. Keep in mind however, that these markets are often still looking for content in English, French or other international languages. • African-American/Urban market: The African American – or Urban market in the US alone is worth more than the entire African domestic market. Interest in content – Black-focussed content – like Black Panther is growing, especially in the genre formats. Pascal Schmitz and his team were able to sell the South African film Happiness is 4 Letter Word into this market due to its cross-over appeal. In order for content (whether for cinema or broadcast), to appeal to this market it must have this kind of broad
appeal; most likely in genres such as romantic comedies or action, and must understand the aspirational and urban lifestyles of this American market. Co-productions with established American stars or directors are also a way to enter into this lucrative market. • World Cinema: The last category for African films is that of World Cinema – a category similar to World Music in its market and appeal. These are generally feature films, or to a lesser degree documentaries, that speak to a global “elite” of cinema goers, festival attendees, and cinephiles. Generally, these feature films are dramas and can’t really be RomComs, fantasy or action films. These highbrow films will often receive limited theatrical releases in Europe, like The Wound, will be selected and receive awards at festivals, and are critically acclaimed films. Often filmmakers can recoup their production costs via this alternative circuit – but it is only open to very specific types of content.
The reality of attending markets With all of the above in mind, attending any market can be daunting, and especially for African producers attending international markets in North America or Europe, the cost alone can be discouraging. However, there are ways to make these trips feasible and also worthwhile. In order to do this, producers must understand how these markets work and what can realistically be expected as outcomes. Unrealistic expectations, being unprepared or uninformed, and not understanding the business of the business – will inevitably lead to disappointment.
For any content producer looking to sell outside of their home country, attending markets is essential to understanding the global content market. Producers must learn what kinds of markets are out there and what buyers are looking for to service those markets.
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INTERNATIONAL CONTENT MARKETS
As follows are some guidelines to what producers can expect to get out of attending these events, as well as how to best engage while there. • The global perspective: For any content producer looking to sell outside of their home country, attending markets is essential to understanding the global content market. Producers must learn what kinds of markets are out there and what buyers are looking for to service those markets. Clearly, for anyone making content, it’s advantageous to think globally as it makes for better access to more markets. This kind of market research can and should influence the development of your content. If you’re going to market with content you’ve already developed, you may find that you have created product with no demand. Not understanding what the market globally is looking for will lead to failure. Pascal Schmitz of the ATFT experienced this first hand with many of the producers that he accompanied to market as a sales agent. Feedback around issues such as language, subtitles, location of stories and related issues often made sales of content impossible. • Networking: The content business is a people’s business – you have to know people and people have to know you. The reality is that if you don’t know people – you don’t have a business. Attending markets is one of the BEST ways to establish your network and your name. If you go to market understanding that you most likely won’t achieve all your goals – financing, production, distribution – but that you might just make the right contacts to do so, you have the right idea. Networks and real relationships take work though – it’s not just about taking someone’s business card and leaving it at that. You will probably even have to attend a market more than once; in fact, many in the industry advise that it would be better to go to the same market two to three times in a row than to go to different ones around the world. Consistency and building relationships will be essential to developing an international career. Eventually you will
develop real relationships with buyers and distributors who will be honest with you in regards to what they are looking for and in their feedback to you. It takes work. • Pre-empt the market: Those who have been to market will agree – it is probably not in your best interest to take your finished product to market the first time around. Rather, pre-sell or get interest in writing for your concept, if you can go to market with tangible interest from financiers or distributers and a conceptin-progress, you will still have the flexibility to adapt to the needs of the market. And keep in mind, things said at a market have no value – it has to be in writing. Many buyers will express enthusiastic interest in your content while at your stand – only to never contact you again. If the interest is real – they will put it in writing. • Get a sales agent: The above point goes to one of the most critical points for any producer. Many African producers do not understand that SELLING is NOT your job. While it is important to attend these events in order to manage your sales manager and ensure they are doing their job, your job is to network, market and promote. You need a sales agent to represent you in the same way you would need an estate agent to sell your house. Buyers simply do not have the time to meet with dozens of producers – each only selling their one product – they would rather meet with respected and well-known sales agents who understand their needs and can present relevant content. A good sales agent will not only be able to represent your content well, but they will also know which buyers are legit and which are not. They should know what is a good deal and what isn’t and all the relevant legal essentials when signing a deal. By all means however, producers should go to the market and monitor the sales agent – if you are there as the producer, the sales agent is much more likely to push your product. If you are not there you have no way of knowing if they are pushing your content or not. Go check the stand, make sure your branding is there, and remember that the sales agent is there to work for you. – Lara Preston
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NEW MEDIA
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Thesha tackles youth entrepreneurship in modern day South Africa An official selection at the Vancouver Web Festival 2018, Thesha – a colloquial, township term meaning ‘work’ – is a new, hard-hitting web series that confronts the subject of youth entrepreneurship and what it means in modern day South Africa. Scenes from the web series Thesha
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hile the series tells the tale of how talented but naïve young people battle with the choice of either staying in school in today’s harsh socio-economic climate, or pursuing their dream of a career in music, director of Thesha, Lungelo Mdlalose highlights that the series is also about the unwavering ambition that our young people possess, and their willingness to take charge of their lives and careers. “I think youth entrepreneurship is a topic that needs to be addressed on a national scale as the job markets dry up and the economic landscape is changing
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from industrial to technological. So this is just a conversation starter about this pressing issue,” says Mdlalose. Thesha explores the struggle of making it in the entertainment industry, using fresh faces and characters from different walks of life, which Mdlalose can very well relate to. He expands: “Growing up in the middle-class black suburb, our biggest struggles have always been trying to prove to ourselves and others that we are just as ‘hard’ as kids in the township. Which is the same struggle that Sibu one of our characters goes through? Sibu is a
spoiled middle-class kid trying to play gangster to prove his street credibility. Then on the other end of the spectrum, we have Goldstone, an orphan who lost both his parents in a taxi accident, who represents the other side of life in townships across South Africa.” Sibu and Goldstone feel rejected by the school system and have resorted to finding creative ways to not only survive but also chase their dreams in showbiz. “These two characters remind us that life is something you build for yourself regardless of which part of the socioeconomic ladder you come from,”
shares Mdlalose. The lead character Gundo is played by a real-life kwaito artist and actor, Mthokozisi Sithole. Gundo sets the upbeat, musical tone of the series as a large part of the film’s soundtrack is made up of his original works. “This worked for us because we knew from scripting that we wanted to create a web series that would give audiences who are not from South Africa a glimpse into modern-day South African youth culture from the fashion to the sound,” says Mdlalose. Adding to the cultural authenticity,
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NEW MEDIA
TECH CHECK Thesha was shot at Dawn Park in the East Rand of Johannesburg, which is also home to the late Chris Hani: “We used his actual house as one of our locations, and worked it into the script by having one of our lead actors struggling to save the house from being forcefully taken over by a political party after the death of her father,” explains Mdlalose. The series was shot on the Sony A7 camera with Canon lenses. Lighting consisted of tungsten lights, two LED’s and reflector boards. “I chose to go with the documentary look and feel in both lighting and camera movement as to highlight the realness of the situation these characters find themselves in…” explains Mdlalose. “It would be very easy for someone to mistaken us for glorifying these things, which is not the case. This is more of a cautionary tale of the price you pay to get what you want. So the documentary style of the film helps keep the audience engaged with these realities and give compassion to the characters
rather than to ‘hero worship’ them.” The complete web series consists of ten episodes that run for ten minutes each. Editing and grading were done by Mdlalose’s wife Lebo Mantso; while sound design was carried out by Rush Studios, based in the East Rand. The series has enjoyed favourable reviews and positive feedback on its YouTube channel with views ranging from 500 to 4 000 as the plot thickens. “The South African online audience is loving the fresh faces that are telling this South African story… it also gives us, content creators access to the overseas market especially urban areas in America and England where people are starting to check for African content, but we are looking to break more into the African online space where we can have audiences from both East and West Africa,” says Mdlalose. The series has also been adapted into a movie that has already earned several awards. At the 2017 Ekurhuleni
International Film Festival late last year, the film walked away with three awards including, Best Scripted Film, Best Festival Film and Best South African Film. Currently, Mdlalose is working on turning Thesha into a mini television series, while also working on the second season of the web series. “I hope Thesha gives the viewer the same impact one gets from watching Cassper Nyovest do his ‘Fill Up’ series – the feeling that they can get it too. This was my intention in creating this drama – to show youngsters that their lives don’t just start after matric or tertiary, but that life starts the day you are conscious enough to know what you want, and learn that it’s your responsibility to get what you want.” “So if I can see more kids taking chances and chasing their dreams, that for me is a win,” Mdlalose concludes. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“I think youth entrepreneurship is a topic that needs to be addressed on a national scale as the job markets dry up and the economic landscape is changing from industrial to technological. So this is just a conversation starter about this pressing issue.” – Lungelo Mdlalose.
Thesha was shot using the Sony A7 camera with Canon lenses
KEY CREW Producer: Nkululeko Ravuku Director: Lungelo Mdlalose Line Producer: Lachay Orpen Editor: Lebo Montso (Editor) Sound Designer: Zolile Valashiya Cinematographer: Nyanda Makonene
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Thembi explores the living conditions of
The feature film Thembi casts a spotlight on the everyday life and living conditions of South Africa’s female prisoners.
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he film is based on the incarceration of a mother, Zizi at the historic Number Four – now popularly known as Constitution Hill – and her daughter Thembi, who relives this tragedy while battling her own demons as a modern, successful woman of today. The story is the brainchild of Dr Victor Phume, a father and executive chairman of Zallywood Productions. He shared the story with his daughter, Ruth Mabona and son, Victor Phume Jnr who are the director and producer of the film respectively. “Often stories are told through the eye and the voice of a male and I wanted to change this by leading with a strong feminine touch. It was important that the title also carries a female voice,” shares Phume. lnnocent Sadiki plays the lead female character in this science-fiction film that uses time travel to tell the story. “Thembi is caught between two worlds, the present and the past. She is also trapped largely in her mother’s thoughts and encounters somehow,” shares Phume. In an effort to better understand and depict the journey of Thembi, Phume consulted former female inmates who had served at correctional facilities. Currently, South Africa has 243 prisons, with only 22 of them providing for female
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inmates and with poor living conditions. This inspired Phume to tell these past and present untold stories through Thembi, which is based on real human experiences. “As much as our apartheid history has been explored, little has been said about the experiences of women who were
incarcerated for criminal (not political) offences at that time. Not much has been told about how black female inmates were raped, insulted and degraded by the officials who were protected by the system. Equally so, the collaboration of some black inmates with white warders to maintain the status quo is not often
shown in other stories. This film depicts that,” says Phume. The story starts with Thembi discovering the shocking reasons behind her mother’s captivity and the horrific conditions that she had to endure while incarcerated. As a result, Thembi suffers a mental breakdown which causes her
“As much as our apartheid history has been explored, little has been said about the experiences of women who were incarcerated for criminal (not political) offences at that time.”
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Film
South African female inmates
“We hope to get the dialogue initiated about the conditions of women who are incarcerated. Furthermore, to highlight the importance of women in our society.”
severe headaches. As she falls asleep, Thembi wakes to another world where she relives everything that her mother told her. “The lead Innocent Sadiki, has one of the difficult tasks of playing a successful, sophisticated and young lady in a democratic South Africa and yet has to adjust to the role of being an inmate in an apartheid prison during the late 1970s.” It is behind bars where Thembi is confronted by the struggles and survival tactics of prison life. She meets different characters, which include a shady female warder named Du Plooy, played by Nina Marais.
“The white female warder Nina Marais ‘Du Plooy’ does not walk a straight line. While she is entrusted with the authority of maintaining order in the system, she corrupts it by aiding and abetting nefarious activities carried out by some black prisoners.” Thembi struggles throughout the film as she finds herself battling between these two worlds and time zones. Her flourishing career and marriage begin to suffer, and her once loving husband now finds himself in the arms of another man. The film was shot on the Sony FS7 and took just over three weeks to complete. To show the difference between the past and the present; subtle symbolism and sound effects are used in the film. Post-production duties were handled by Refinery. Thembi, had its first premiere in November 2017 and will be having its second screening on 9 February 2018 at Maponya Mall in Soweto. More
screenings are also underway, as well as plans to showcase the film at various international film festivals. Reflecting on the audience response at the film’s premiere, Phume says: “The response was overwhelmingly fantastic. Many expressed delight and wonder through a rapturous applause after the film. They remarked of the twists and turns of the unpredictability of the storyline. We are humbled.” The film has so far received much publicity from morning news shows including Morning Live on SABC 2 and Sunrise on e.TV. Maxi boards are also booked and mounted to advertise the film on the bustling M1 route. “Thembi tells the untold story of South Africa and it has all the ingredients of a superb film. We hope to get the dialogue initiated about the conditions of women who are incarcerated.
Furthermore, to highlight the importance of women in our society,” Phume concluded. – Gezzy S Sibisi
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Sony FS7
KEY CREW Writer: Dr Victor Phume Director: Ruth Mabona Producer: Victor Phume Junior DOP: Kabelo Thathe Gaffer: Elliot Sewape Sound Mixer: Morena Maile
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Director Speak
an Perinvdorp Pape
Giant Film’s director, Peri van Papendorp chats to Screen Africa about his journey from writer to filmmaker… What is your background and how has it shaped you as a director? After film school at UCT, I had plenty of theory but no practical shooting experience – and I liked writing – so I chose to ply my trade as a writer in advertising where I could at least come up with the ideas that would be shot. I did that for 10 years and when the time finally felt right, made the jump into film. Describe the moment, if there is one, when you knew you wanted to become a director? I always saw it as something I wanted to do and every time I was on set as a writer, I knew I could be in that chair. In the end, the best part of my job in an agency was making films. So I decided that was what I needed to be doing. Where do you go for inspiration? I watch and listen to a lot of comedy, and am constantly inspired by it. Just the creative ideas that come through in it give me a kick and make me want to create stuff. I also get pumped on just seeing good ideas of any kind – film, performance, art, music. That deep hungry lust to do something as good drives me.
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Who do you look up to in the film industry and who are your mentors? I don’t really have a mentor as such, but the folk at Giant are always there to help me raise my game. I certainly look up to some of the strong performance directors in SA, the guys who have been around a long time and consistently do good work. Top Three favourite directors, and why them? I love the Coen Brothers’ stuff as well as the crazy shit that the Daniels directing duo are doing. Maybe I just really like duos… Which projects are you currently involved in? I’ve just finished a campaign for KingJames and am working on some new spots with Ogilvy CT for a beer brand. And writing my own short films in the background. What kind of content do you enjoy creating? I haven’t done many, but I love the freedom that comes with music videos. I’d like to do some more of that. And just keep shooting and honing my skills at commercials.
What has been your biggest career challenge to date? Staying consistent in terms of output has been challenging. Tougher than breaking in, I found. You gotta have work coming out all the time or people start to forget you exist. What has been some of the highlights of your career thus far? My first highlight was winning a Loerie Grand Prix on the first thing I shot – which was just a live doccie thing. And a silver on the second thing I shot. But in general, having been able to pull off the leap into film still feels like a highlight to me. I’m so glad it worked out. If you could produce an African version of a Hollywood classic, what would it be? Jaws. Shot at Muizenburg. Top three favourite films of all time? Of all time is way too hard. So many great films. But some films I’ve re-watched too many times are Thrashin’, Stepbrothers and Snatch. What is your dream shoot location? Tahiti. Still working on that script. Who would play you in a biopic? I’d like to see Zach Galifianakis take a crash diet and play that role. If you weren’t a filmmaker, what career would you have chosen? Pro surfer. Hey... might still happen.
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LIGHTING
LIGHTING February 2018
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LED lighting –
transforming the game Recent technical specification changes associated with broadcast formats such as 4K and 8K (UHD) have challenged traditional stadium lighting capabilities and therefore live broadcasts from such venues.
U
ltra-high-definition cameras require aperture settings that will let in the ideal amount of light. As broadcast resolution increases, so does this required aperture setting. When the ideal amount of light is achieved, the lighting reaches the camera’s digital sensors, optimising the field depth and minimising adjustments required from camera operators. While light quantity is very important for broadcast, light quality is perhaps more so, especially for live sport events. One critical aspect of light is how well it enables the accurate depiction of colours for broadcast.
Photo credit: Philips
Cairo Stadium
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Back in 2012, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) devised a new system of assessing colorimetric quality called the ‘Television Lighting Consistency Index’ (TLCI). This was primarily set out to address the shortcomings of the way cameras interpret light, which slightly differs from how a human eye perceives it. The TLCI attempted to provide a more accurate prediction of colour fidelity of light source in broadcast setting especially with LED lighting in the HD and UHD (4K) world. The TLCI has become the preferred measurement for colour lighting accuracy in digital broadcast as it looks at a greater spectrum of light, including that which is captured by digital broadcast cameras, rather than only the light spectrum perceived by the human eye, as in the more traditional colour rendering index (CRI).
The biggest change we have seen in the industry that has impacted on lighting in recent years was the move from film to digital HD. This saw the fastest movie lenses linked to highly sensitive sensors so the overall light level required to get a good picture could be lower. Also, the emphasis for lighting directors moved more towards painting with small strokes rather than large swaths, a process that can be easily achieved with LED fixtures. Compared to their traditional tungsten counterparts, there are clear advantages in creating lamps out of multiple arrays of LEDs or a single source LED. The fixtures create plenty of light, suitable for modern lenses and digital cinematography, and the highest quality products can be dimmed without colour shift. LED lamps also weigh significantly less than their tungsten equivalents, and consume a lot less power. While LEDs offer demonstrable cost savings, producers, directors and designers have been reluctant to use them in the past, as some set ups using the technology were seen as either impractical, or did not offer the desired effect. LEDs are now able to project light over long distances and create a consistent colour temperature. Fixtures using LEDs offer a lighting technician full spectrum illumination in both daylight and tungsten colour balance. One of the key benefits for broadcasters is the low power consumption and good thermal
dynamic design which combine to produce low heat output. This significantly reduces the air conditioning requirements, which not only brings significant cost and energy savings, it means more comfortable sets and happier talent. Last year, the BBC carried out a quantitative energy analysis on its production lighting over a representative set of TV studios. This analysis indicated that there was a potential to save between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of production energy lighting costs, as well as reducing CO2 emissions. They calculated that savings could be made on energy use, cooling use and running costs by replacing existing incandescent production and house lighting with more efficient light sources. LED studio lighting recently implemented has knocked a whopping 80 per cent off their energy bills! If studios can save that much imagine the potential for stadiums and large sporting venues. Towards the end of last year, Spanish soccer team Sevilla FC replaced their 720-spotlight field illumination in their 42,500-seater stadium with 360 x Philips ArenaVision LED lighting fixtures. In a joint press release, neither Philips nor
Photo credit: Philips
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LIGHTING
Sinan Erdem Stadium
Sevilla FC mentioned anything about energy savings, a prime motivator for most end users to switch from conventional sources to low power consumption LED lighting. Instead they emphasised that the high-quality lighting adhered to the latest broadcasting standards for 4K television – therefore the viewers will be able to see fine detail and watch high-definition super-slow-motion replays, without the flicker commonly associated with older conventional lighting systems. Their transition to LED lighting is giving them high saving returns with the added bonus of noticeable improvements in broadcast quality. Playing surfaces that are illuminated with LED lights will appear brighter and crisper during a television broadcast. LED lighting improves the broadcast quality of a sports event by providing the playing surface with more uniform illumination, lighting colour temperatures that match the capabilities of broadcast cameras, and colour rendering indices that better replicate natural sunlight. Non-uniformity of illumination over a playing surface is a
problem for both athletes and viewers who are watching a broadcast of the event. The first generations of metal halide and high pressure sodium sports arena lighting inevitably created brighter and darker areas on the playing surface. Those areas required athletes to adjust to lighting irregularities and created shadows that obscured athletic action in parts of a field during a broadcast. Unlike those traditional fixtures, LED sports stadium lighting can be configured to better generate uniform lighting over a large playing surface area, even into corners and edges of a field that were previously hidden by shadows. LED sports lighting has evolved to create a near-perfect balance between warm and cool colour temperatures. Different types of sporting events might call for different colour temperatures (e.g. basketball benefits from warmer lighting, while hockey looks better under cooler colours). LED systems can be tuned to match the requirements of any event to facilitate the best possible conditions to broadcast that event. The LED lighting
delivers numerous benefits over conventional lighting. For example, the lights can be turned on and off instantly whereas older metal halide lights have a long restrike period, meaning that mechanical shutters are required to control the lighting. LED installations include a control system that allows operators to switch or dim each floodlight individually. The controls therefor allow the club to present impressive entertainment lighting effects for preand post-match shows as an added advantage. The same controls allow the operator to tune the lighting wavelength to assist in grass regrowth when needed. Television flicker has always been a problem with metal halide systems. Newer LED fixtures employ pulse width modulation, to enable flicker-free slow-motion capture. Some companies are taking this concept further, using a unique, super high-speed phase-shifting technology to enable optimal lighting performance compatible with super slow-motion capture. This technology will support frame rates in excess of 8000
frames per second, with no potential flicker with even the most sophisticated cameras, thereby ensuring compatibility with evolving new broadcast technologies. The benefits of LED lighting for sport broadcasts have been well documented. Modern LED lighting can be tuned to come closest to natural sunlight without adding any glare or distorting ultraviolet or infrared lighting spectra. Viewers who watch sporting events that are illuminated with LED lights will receive almost the same impression as if those events were played during daylight hours and under natural lighting conditions. Some of the biggest global broadcasters have already made the switch, in their studios, at outside broadcasts and for crews out in the field using LED lighting innovations optimised for all broadcast technologies and enabling the best viewing experience on advanced televisions and beyond... go technology go! – Ian Dormer
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LIGHTING
| OPINION
The importance of the gaffer in an ever-changing film world
Written by Oliver Wilter, gaffer and owner, Tag Wilter
The word gaffer in the old English dictionary is described as the ‘foreman of the docks’, which when broken down is probably the best way to describe the position of a gaffer on a film set. It is, in my humble gaffer’s opinion, certainly one of the most important roles on a film set. As the foreman of the lighting department per se, the gaffer’s role is not only highly technical and creative, but becomes one of management and planning as well. And alongside the other technical HOD’s to ensure that the sets are safe.
I
will start with the management side. The lighting department on large feature films can often crew up to 20 or more people, all with different and really unique tasks. The gaffer along with his/her best boy (right hand man) need to manage and co-ordinate all these people which often includes other units, such as pre-rigging and de-rigging teams; bringing in dimmer operators and additional crew for specific days or tasks, and the day to day management of people’s times (and overtime). Additionally, we have to make sure the team runs smoothly and each person knows his or her role. Equipment management is also very important. The gaffer and best boy will be responsible for not only the everyday use of very expensive and technical equipment, but also need to plan the
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delivery and returning of additional equipment as and when it is required. If the lighting equipment is not managed correctly it can be become really expensive, and over the duration of a long feature can blow a budget completely. Another very interesting element of the role of a gaffer is the planning and setting up of sets and locations that are still coming up on the film’s shooting schedule. I normally employ a rigging gaffer, who in the ideal world needs to have a similar creative and technical thought process and style to me. On the bigger films, I often need to hand over lighting plans to my rigging gaffer, and only get to see the setup very near to the shoot day, so I rely on his creative and technical input. Having said all this, I think it’s important to say how integral it is to
have a really strong team around you as a gaffer. My preferred rigging gaffer, Danny Smart and myself had spent a lot of time discussing a huge set on Maze Runner 3: The Death Cure – a feature I gaffered last year in Cape Town – where we needed to light about 5.5km of a tunnel that had no existing lighting in it. We had a really strong unique idea, and it worked very well on our many test days, I only got to see the final setup when we walked into the tunnel on the day of the shoot. I can’t lie, I had a few anxious moments! This is a great example of lighting team work, as well as how the ideas and the desired look come from a brief from the Director Of Photography (DoP) to myself, to my rigging gaffer, and eventually on to the screen. Besides the management of people and equipment, the gaffer’s role becomes mostly about being able to both technically and creatively make the vision of the DoP become a reality. The DoP and gaffer will discuss at great lengths what the look and feel of the film should be based on the DoP’s vision. Breaking it down into specific scenes and moments in the film; the gaffer needs to know and propose which particular piece/s of equipment and which specific lights are right for creating each look at all times. Often very detailed and specific lighting plans need to be drawn up, costs worked out and then put into motion; this also becomes part of the gaffer’s tasks. Included in this, is working out how much power will be required and how this will be achieved with portable generators. On Maze Runner we had up to 18 generators running at one time on some
of the larger night scenes filmed all around the city, you have to try imagine the planning that goes into that size setup, it’s no wonder my hair is grey at my age. The difficulty with knowing what lighting unit is correct for each application is the fact that so many new LED units are coming onto the market all the time. A gaffer needs to stay on top of the development of new products, as well as trusting the older more proven lighting units. A very good example of this was the introduction of the Arri SkyPanel range of LED units. A large studio set up a few years back would have required the rigging of many many Tungsten lights (space lights for this example), in order to create an ambience in the studio. These Tungsten lights worked really well but needed huge amounts of power, and also were very costly to colour correct. When I designed the lighting for Mad Max Fury Road at Cape Town Studios, we never had access to SkyPanels, so I used a couple hundred space lights (around 650) and over 1 000 PAR Cans – the diesel costs to run the ±2500kilowat of generator power alone was bigger than the complete budget of some feature films. Today the space lights could very easily be replaced by SkyPanels, which need radically less power and are fully dimmable and colour controlled through any DMX lighting Control system, it’s a game changer! In essence, it allows the gaffer to stand at the DoP’s side and adjust the light levels at the push of a slider, or even on a cellphone. Battery-operated, dimmable LED units are also becoming really handy and a
OPINION
quick safe alternative to some bigger setups for car interiors for example. In some cases it is no longer necessary to have cumbersome portable generators mounted to the roofs of cars, we can now use these newer efficient LED units. Not only do they save money and time they also are more versatile and a lot simpler to use in these and other setups. Another very important element to the modern era of filmmaking is the CGI element. A huge amount of Green/Blue screen work is now the norm on most feature films. So as a gaffer I have had to expand my knowledge in this area. Lighting becomes very important when using green screens, not only lighting the green screens themselves, which can become a massive task on its own – imagine lighting a
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LIGHTING
green screen 120 x 20m evenly, at night, to an exposure value of F4 for example, but also knowing how the CGI elements will effect what the final images look like. Lots of planning goes into these green screen setups, and in my experience it is always a collaboration between the DoP, visual FX supervisors and gaffer. I love what I do and I love being a gaffer, no day is the same and no film has the same challenges as then next. One needs to embrace the modern era and when combined with the tried and tested older ideas, we can really start creating some amazing visuals. Technology is not only simplifying what I do but also allowing me more scope to do more, quicker and more efficiently, and push the boundaries of my creativity.
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“Our Craft Is Art”: a look inside the lighting industry
LIGHTING
One of film’s most important companion industries, lighting is a complex and dynamic field. Not only must lighting fulfil a variety of functions, from the purely practical to the highly artistic, but fastpaced advancements in lighting technology mean that the industry exists in a constant state of evolution.
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n this article, we hear from leading lighting professionals about the challenges of the industry, exciting new products on the market, and how innovations in the realm of camera technology are affecting lighting practices in film and television production.
Staying Ahead of the Game Without doubt, the main challenges of the lighting industry relate to keeping up with the latest trends and technologies. This is true of technicians and practitioners – who need to keep learning 34 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2018
and taking on new skills as they become familiar with the new equipment that is constantly introduced onto the market – as well as those in charge of the supply of these lighting products. Marius van Straaten, the CEO of Cape Town-based Visual Impact, says that managing product supply in the context of the dynamic and ever-changing lighting industry is “the key challenge to renting out equipment. Equipment improves quickly and therefore stock becomes outdated. Next thing you know, you have old kit on the shelf that costs you a fortune. The solution is to buy carefully and try to identify niches in
the market.” Meanwhile, Luke Frankel – CEO of Broadcast Lighting in Durban – points out that this challenge also has a logistical component: “Keeping up with demand can be challenging at times, as most items are sea-freighted due to their size, and this takes time. So we have to time our stock orders so that we always keep up with demand.” John Harrison, CEO of Movievision and Southern Lighting, two companies based in Johannesburg, says that it helps to cultivate productive relationships with a small number of equipment agencies. “That way we know the stock from those
agencies backwards, and we are always up to date with the equipment that is coming out of those factories.” Harrison and Sean Boyce, technical director of Southern Lighting Solutions, also point out that – in the context of South African film and television production – the scarcity of funding often means that lighting companies are forced to accept lower and lower prices for their services. This has a detrimental effect on the industry as a whole, as often companies cannot accumulate enough capital to reinvest in new stock.
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The Evolution of Camera Technology
Essential Gear
Current Industry Trends The experts are unanimous in identifying a shift towards LED lighting as the industry’s most noticeable recent trend. In Van Straaten’s words, “LED technology is taking off like a rocket. Producers are increasingly appreciating secondary benefits like the very low power consumption, small size and portability.” Frankel – whose business model is built around LED lighting – confirms this shift: “There has been a huge movement from the old tungsten forms of lighting over to LEDs. New types of LED lights are being produced in all types of styles, from LED Fresnels to LED Kinos. With technology getting better and more powerful in terms of colour processing, the use of LED in video production is increasing rapidly. Most of our LED products are in demand at the moment, with no sign of slowing down.” Harrison admits that there has been a shift towards LED lighting, but likens the current age of LEDs to “early computers, in that they are very expensive but still quite limited in their output function compared to what you can do with tungstens and HMIs. They’re gaining ground all the time – every year they get better, brighter and more efficient – but we are still in an exploratory stage. People will continue to look to LEDs in the future, however, because it does cut down on power. Instead of needing a big, thick 63 amp cable, you can whittle it down to a 15 amp cable – and obviously you can put a lot more fixtures on the same circuit.”
When asked which pieces of lighting gear they would deem to be essential – and which items of equipment every aspiring film lighting technician should be familiar with in 2018 – the interviewees drew attention to some exciting new products on the market. For Van Straaten, it is essential to know “how to navigate the ARRI SkyPanel’s menu, as well as the Wi-Fi controls for the DS (Digital Sputnik) products.” He identifies the new DS Voyager as 2018’s must-have lighting product. “The Voyager is a Smart Light, a fixture concept which combines light source, battery, and remote controller into a single product. All you have to do is add a phone or a computer as an interface – you don’t need extra software licenses and no more hardware is required to run it.” According to Frankel, “Every videographer should be familiar with, or have, an on-camera light (Sun Gun), as it is the most versatile and handy piece of lighting equipment that you can have.” In terms of products he is looking forward to, he says that “large power LED lights are coming in that are producing great light for large-scale stage and studio productions. There are three products that we are excited about: firstly, our LED Fresnel 300 watt, which is the equivalent of a 575 HMI, but at one-fifth of the price, making large-scale studio lighting way more affordable. Then the Shark Light 200 watt with Bowens mount fitting, which allows for any photographic accessory to be attached to the light. And, finally, a new beginners LED setup, which consists of two softbox lights with stands and is extremely affordable for startups or hobbyists.” Boyce is hesistant over the question of ‘essential gear’: in his opinion, it should never be the case that you use whatever you have lying around, or simply what you feel comfortable with. “The best designers will use the equipment they know will give them the effect they want to create,” he says. However, he acknowledges that, “in terms of current trends, the ARRI SkyPanels are definitely some of the most popular in the film industry. Other favourites are faceted HMI units, such as the M18s from ARRI and Filmgear, as well as LED lightpanels and softlights.”
Lighting is, of course, fundamental to the craft of filmmaking (John Bergen memorably described light as one of photography’s “primary raw materials”). But, how has the evolution of camera technology come to affect the lighting industry? The DoP of the Oscar-winning film The Revenant, Emmanuel Lebezski, famously only used natural light in the shooting of that film, and techniques like this are becoming increasingly popular as camera technology continues to develop. As Van Straaten says, “the sensors are getting better and better, and in some instances can allow one to use less artificial lighting. I was on a commercial last week and the wide scene was beautifully lit with one S60C SkyPanel. The camera was a Sony A7S Mark II with an ISO range from 100 to 469,600.” In Frankel’s view: “Even with today’s increasing camera technology, there will always be a need for light to create
LIGHTING
depth, textures and colour in the professional field.” He says the fact that “cameras are getting better results in low-light environments” means that “less distracting and invasive” natural lighting can be used more often, but that “some form of light to capture the aesthetics of the moment” will still be key to the videographer’s craft. Harrison and Boyce have an interesting take on the matter, claiming that the advancements in camera technology have had a profound effect on local production values. “In my opinion,” Harrison says, “camera people are becoming more computerised. And an effect of this is that a lot of people are doing saturation lighting, which for me is not natural. But because it’s easy to do, and because you can get the instant feedback of seeing it on the camera monitor – the people behind the camera think they don’t have to worry, because everything is lit. And often it gets put out like that, it’s like a sausage factory where everything looks the same as everything else, and for some reason we find it acceptable. But that’s not our craft. Our craft is art.” – David Cornwell
February 2018
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Lighting the way:
Dave Howe Screen Africa chats to Dave Howe, gaffer and founder of Orbital Lighting, about how he got started in the lighting industry, his career highlights and challenges, current favourite pieces of equipment and more…
Tell us a bit about your background in lighting and how you got into it? I got into lighting in 1994, I worked for a show lighting company called MJ Lighting, today known as MJ Event Gear. I was employed as a driver and workshop assistant. There I learnt high rigging as well as generic and then automated lighting, and gained knowledge of electrical power and distribution. We did mainly entertainment, show lighting and corporate events. I was with MJ for three and a half years. I then got an opportunity to work at Southern Lighting, it was there that I was introduced to the world of film and television, and let me tell you it was a whole new world! The only real discipline you can carry over as a junior technician from show lighting is your limited knowledge of power and distribution as well as rigging, it was as if I had to start all over again, trying to understand lighting for a camera and not a live audience was a very difficult and frustrating endeavor. I spent three years at Southern Lighting and then joined the often scary and unpredictable world of a freelance technician. Having spent almost seven years working full-time for two great lighting companies and having learnt from some of the best mentors in the film industry, it boosted my knowledge and confidence enormously. I registered my business Orbital Lighting in 2001, but I was only really in business from around 2004. We are still going strong!
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Why lighting? What about it captured you? I guess I never found lighting, lighting found me. I remember going home to my mom after my first week working at MJ Lighting and exclaiming that I couldn’t believe that I was getting paid to do something that was so exciting and so much fun! It’s hard to say specifically what captures you; there are so many different parts that make the whole. The creativity, the technicality, the difficulty, the physicality, the team work! As a gaffer what are you currently working on? I am currently working on commercials, while my company is supplying equipment, generators and trucks to a few of the top TV dramas currently in production in South Africa. Do you prefer lighting on location shoots or studio shoots and why? I prefer lighting on location shoots. I enjoy the initial concept, design and execution of studio shoots, but once they are up and running, the challenge is over for me. On location shoots you are faced with different problems every day. I’m a problem solver and work well under pressure, that’s what’s exciting for me, I suppose I also get bored quite quickly.
What is your current favourite piece of equipment to use? Why? The Arri Sky Panel range of lights is my favourite piece of equipment to use at the moment. I love the versatility of the lights; they are a real game changer. I am amazed by the amount of light they emit, as well as their built-in effects menus and their ability to dial in any of the Rosco or Lee effects, colour correction or cosmetic gels. I have recently ordered two of the Arri Sky Panel S360C, these are coming out with Arri’s wireless remote system, meaning you can control all aspects of the unit while rigged in a lighting gantry or off a crane wirelessly. Pretty cool! It’s no secret that most South African productions run on a tight budget, how does this affect your department and how do you overcome this? Well it’s ‘horses for courses’ – you will get what you pay for! Having a smaller budget for lighting is two-fold, one being there isn’t enough money to hire the lights you want and two being there isn’t enough time in the day to put up all the lights and craft your images the way you would like to. As in all departments you roll with the punches, you allocate your time accordingly, in other words you don’t sweat the small stuff, one needs to understand the nature of the shoot, the amount of content you need to film in the day and make it happen within your given parameters. Experience helps a lot here, it’s important to focus on the essentials and then go after the ‘nice to haves’.
What has been your biggest challenge on a shoot been to date? Lighting night exterior scenes for Paul Cameron ASC for the Infiniti Q50 ‘Use Your Instincts’ car commercial. He wanted to expose his cameras for the building explosions at 100 frames a second! I learnt a lot those few nights! What has been the highlight of your career in lighting to date? Working with Paul Cameron. What are the primary current trends of the studio lighting industry and where do you see it heading? Current trends are the move away from high heat, high power consumption incandescent lights, and the move to greener LED lighting technology. Where do you draw inspiration from? I draw inspiration from my fellow technicians, from fellow gaffers and crew members. I also draw inspiration from the ever-changing technology in the film industry, it’s fascinating. If there’s almost no budget for lighting on a production, what can you NOT do without? C-Stands, reflector boards, lighting clamps and sandbags. What’s one piece of advice, practical or otherwise, that you would give to a newbie in the industry? Pay attention, concentrate, learn, learn, learn. Never give up, work very hard, and don’t take too much crap from someone, you are important too!
Case Closed brings local true-crime stories to South African screens e.tv’s local crime and investigation series, Case Closed: Justice Served unpacks South Africa’s crimes and subsequent convictions, as told by those closest to the crimes.
“T
here appeared to have been a gap in the TV market for a local crime series. And with South Africans being natural storytellers, we felt, why not let those involved, tell their own stories with little narration,” comments Ayesha Ismail, head of research and series producer of the show. Local independent production house, Okuhle Media was commissioned to find the diverse and unique criminal cases featured in the series. The production team worked together with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to intricately unpack 13 cases that resulted in weekly episodes. Each episode begins by revealing the socio-economic realities of the area where the crimes were committed; painting a vivid picture of who the victim was from those close to the victim. We then meet the SAPS detective who investigated the case, as he retells the tale with dramatised scenes of the crime being playout, as well as supporting archive material. The episode proceeds to uncover how the suspect was caught and arrested. Viewers then get to see the ensuing case build-up as evidence piles up. Prosecutors and defence teams’ make compelling arguments in court. Each episode concludes with the judge
sentencing the criminal and justice being served. “Every single case covered showed how police carried out their duties diligently. The prosecutors also meticulously did their work and worked hand-in-hand with the police to secure successful convictions,” shares Ismail. In the 2016/17 financial year, courts managed to obtain 321 166 convictions with a 94.1 per cent conviction rate. Furthermore, the regional courts have maintained a successful conviction rate of 79.8 per cent over the past decade. Most of these successful convictions and backstories rarely make it to news headlines, which is what inspired the show. In the first episode of the show, we hear the gruesome details of how 21-year old Cameron Wilson was found guilty of five counts of murder, attempted murder, rape and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. Wilson’s killing spree started when he was just 17 years of age. He killed his victims in the most brutal ways. One of his victims is 18-year old Lekhita Moore who was stabbed 98 times. Viewers learn how this horrific crime unfolded and the subsequent trial concluded. “We wanted unique cases and cases that would appeal to all South Africans –
not only rape and murder,” says Ismail. “We also made a conscious decision to change the narrative that only poor black people commit crime.” The series was shot using the Sony FS5 as the main camera, while the Sony A7Sii was used as a second camera. The crew selected Rokinon prime lenses and a Canon L-Series zoom lens to capture run and gun situations, as well as for footage inside and outside the courtrooms. “Both camera colour modes were set to cinema and gamma’s were set to Cine Gamma 4 which performs well under low light and gives you a wider dynamic range as there was minimal time for grading hence those settings where used,” adds Minke Alves, producer of the series. Low light was also used for reenactments, as most crime stories took place at night, while interviews with victims and families were lit using the Velvet light panel. “I didn’t want to re-invent the wheel, so the interviews were lit with one key light (1x1 Velvet light panel), and the Rotolight Neo II with a Chimera attached to it as a backlight, with a reflector as bounce where necessary,” Alves expands. Case Closed: Justice Served also utilises archive footage supplied by eNCA, as well as stills from various newspapers to add to the credibility of the show. The series was shot at the actual crime scenes with each episode taking atleast three days to complete. Each episode plays for 23-minutes with two commercial breaks. Case Closed: Justice Served broadcasts weekly, every Monday at 22h00 on e.tv and eHD on Openview HD. – Gezzy S Sibisi
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Television
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Sony F55 and A7ii
KEY CREW Executive Producer: Wilna van Schalkwyk Series Producer: Ayesha Ismail Producer: Minke Alves Camera Operator/Director: Eaton de Jongh Sound: Zahir Isaacs
Lekhita Moore remembered by Mercia at her graveside
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Television
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From the producer’s mouth:
Thierry Cassuto Legendary Both Worlds producer, Thierry Cassuto chats to Screen Africa about his journey as a producer…
How did you come to find yourself working in film and TV? Was it always the plan? No, not at the very beginning. I initially studied literature and went to work for a book publisher. Back then, in the 80s, French book publishers, especially those that specialised in art and nice coffee table books, thought they would be forced to evolve or disappear, as video cassettes were now the hottest thing in the market. My employer decided they needed someone young to take them into the ‘video’ business and, along with the Guild of Publishers, they came up with some money to send me to study in the US. I managed to add to that a scholarship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and off I went to Boston University to study for a Master of Science in Broadcasting. Upon my return to France, I started to work as a production manager on TV and film projects, then handled international distribution for a television company before I got hired as director of Programming for the largest French cable TV operator. I created the popular arts and entertainment channel Paris Premiere before joining the team that would launch the M6 channel, today one of the largest broadcasting groups in France and in Europe. After a few years, I decided to create my own independent production company, TVTV, and we managed to get at least one regular TV show on each of the seven networks. After selling my company in 1997, I decided I was ready for a new adventure and I moved to South Africa along with my family – where we’ve been happy and busy for 20 years now! So, no, it wasn’t always the plan – but film and TV have been in my life for the last 35 years. You’ve found your niche producing comedy. What drew you to the genre and what challenges does it present? While in France, I was presented with the opportunity to produce the Montreux Comedy Festival for television, featuring some of the best local and international TV comedians, which my company did for several years. And before that, when I was running programming at M6, we bought the rights to the UK satirical puppet show Spitting Image, which we also tried to 38 | SCREENAFRICA | February 2018
adapt for the French market. We didn’t have enough money back then so we passed, and Canal Plus ended up doing their own version, Les Guignols. When I came to South Africa, in 1997, ZANEWS was the first project I developed. It took over 10 years to get a pilot commissioned by the SABC. And then you know the story… Every writer and every actor will tell you that comedy is more challenging than drama. Comedy is so hard to nail! For a producer, creating a successful comedy show is one of the more satisfying professional experiences. Convincing the broadcaster or the distributor that the show’s going to be funny and popular is already quite a challenge, as many will rule out the genre altogether on the basis of previous programmes that tanked. That never happens with drama. Ruling out comedy because the previous comedy show a channel tried didn’t do well is like saying I’m never going to eat bread again because the last piece I ate was stale! In film and TV you always have to try new stuff, and fail until you succeed. Now if comedy is challenging, imagine how difficult it is to do satire, especially in a conservative TV country like South Africa… But we’ve succeeded, with ZANEWS’s Puppet Nation (25 SAFTAs and two Emmy Awards nominations), Point of Order (SAFTA 2017) and now Parlement Parlement on kykNET. Hopefully the next one will also tickle the country’s funny bone.
As someone who I’m certain has mentored many in the industry, who were/are your mentors? Why them? My key mentors were French, and probably unknown here in South Africa. But there is one person whose incredibly successful career, finding and developing new talent, and building a very successful small comedy empire in the US, has inspired me – that is Lorne Michaels, the producer of Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock and many other powerful and longlasting comedy franchises. I hear the man is not the easiest or friendliest of producers (but then a bad rep often comes with the title) but he certainly is the TV comedy czar in the US! What has been the biggest challenge in your career to date? I had to produce the first day on air of M6, the French TV channel, which was going to broadcast live for most of the day from various locations, with music acts and star interviews, with only a week of prep.
to know how to plan, to budget and to manage teams. But if you want to be a creative producer, who can speak head to head with writers, directors and cast, and come up with ideas that will impress, then I’d say read, read and read more. Go to art galleries, go to plays and concerts, learn about design. Watch good, classic movies and good TV. Then the ideas will flow, and if you work at them hard enough, you might develop projects that you can shop around. And maybe one of them, one in ten if you’re lucky, will convince a jaded TV executive or a film financier that your idea is worth trying. Three people, dead or alive, that you would love to work with on a production? 1. Donald Trump. That would mean he’d be out of the White House. And I’d fire his @ss immediately. 2. John Belushi. The funniest and craziest man once alive. 3. Djimon Hounsou. He’s attached to our next big international project, which is not a comedy at all.
What has been your career highlight(s) to date? See above. That I managed to pull it off!
If you weren’t working in film and television what would you be doing? I’d run a French beach restaurant on a South African surf spot. Or vice versa.
What advice do you have for young people wanting to follow in your career footsteps? Don’t. Create your own path. In our business, footsteps get blown off very quickly by the winds of technology, new narratives and styles. To be a producer, you must first immerse yourself in all aspects of film and programme making,
What can we expect next from Both Worlds? More comedy on kykNET, Showmax and StarTimes. A musical gameshow. A big international drama series with Israeli and French partners. And very funny, angry, hungry puppets looking for a new TV home!
| SOCIAL
Vision View Sports Radio Vision View Productions recently launched its online radio platform, Vision View Sports Radio. Seen there were…
Dida Dipheko and Peter Leopeng
Zipho Hlobo and Azasakhe Gogo
Jeff Katala and Christophe Bongo
Brian Baloyi and DJ Mphulo
Mpho Tlhoolebe and Mandla Maluleke
Edward Seane and Mafadi Mphuru
Mandla Maluleka and Reabetswe Mashego
Obakeng Ngidi
Koni Mudau, Zoliswa Nkompela and Nonhle Mashele
February 2018 | SCREENAFRICA |
39
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