The Callsheet Issue 9

ISSUE 09 | 2018

M MIPCO

18 IBC 20

TIFF

+ THE POST PRODUCTION LANDSCAPE Bringing Visuals to Vivid Life

+ MUSIC MAKES THE MOVIE The Unseen Canvas of Music in Film

+ MAURITIUS: LOCATION ON THE RISE Productions Drawn to Incentives

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CONTENTS / 01

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02. Ariane Suveg on CN Africa Creative Lab

10 16 20 22

03. Why SA’s Commercial

BRINGING VISUALS TO LIFE

A big-picture look at what’s happening in post production in South Africa.

Service Industry is in Decline

04. Industry Snapshot 06. The Making of Ellen 08. MIPCOM Brings the World Together

09. NFVF Announces

MUSIC MAKES THE MOVIE

Kim Crowie speaks to the people who compose and catalogue the music that tugs at our heart strings.

Funding Cycle Dates

10. Post Production:

Bringing Visuals To Life

16. Music Makes the Movie

20. Cape Stills Industry Update

22. Loeries Rewards

STILLS INDUSTRY UPDATE

Commercial stills production remains strong, while unit stills photographers find creative ways to deal with downtime.

Creativity at 40th Award Show

24. Quarterly Update:

Wesgro’s Film and Media Industry Engagement

27. Spier Celebrates a Decade in Film

28. Film Opportunities 30. Location Spotlight:

Marvellous Mauritius

LOERIES 40TH AWARD SHOW

All the fanfare, highlights, Grand Prix and Gold winners from this year’s Loerie Awards.

32. Events to Diarise 34. Associations News 36. Directory of Advertisers

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CN AFRICA CREATIVE LAB ARIANE SUVEG ON

Cartoon Network is forging their way into the continent with an incredible competition that could lead to the next great animated show on the channel.

C

artoon Network has long been known for its off-kilter comedy and extraordinary stories – Adventure Time, We Bare Bears, Ben 10 and Steven Universe to name a few. And now the producers of some of the world’s most loved animation is in search of star talent in Africa. The recently-launched Creative Lab competition is open to anyone to submit, and, says Ariane Suveg, Head of Acquisition for Turner Kids, it’s all about finding an idea with the element of surprise, a bit of irreverence, and laugh-out-loud comedy.

Why is it so important to create content from Africa?

At Turner, for Cartoon Network we have a strong involvement in Africa, because it’s a huge market for us – in Africa, Cartoon Network is the number one kids’ channel – and now what we want to develop on air and on our digital platforms is local content. We really want content that resonates with our audience on the continent. Regarding animation, we want to develop local productions and build relationships with local production companies. We feel that there is a huge potential to produce new animated things in Africa, which is why we have created the CN Africa Creative Lab competition.

Because all our shows are based on comedy, that is what we’re looking for, and short form content is a great place to start.

Tell us briefly about the competition.

So this is a competition for participants from all over Africa, from students in animation to those in graphics, production, etc. And we’re sure that we’re going to find some unique ideas.

In some African countries you have very good production companies in animation, but at the same time there are those who don’t have, so we feel that through this competition, we’re looking for the talent and we’re giving an opportunity to everyone – so it’s much more open. We would like to be part of the process of aggregating talent, so it’s imperative to pick talent from different countries, and to work with production companies to develop content.

The important thing is that we don’t close any doors.

What exactly are you looking for?

We’re looking for something very different, unique and new.

We don’t want to replicate what has been done before, and we don’t want to work on an established model. We want to be surprised. If we get something in an African context that’s great, but we really want something that makes kids laugh out loud. That’s the main objective. We don’t see so much African content in animation so if that’s what makes it unique, then we’d like to see it.

appealing to boys of 6-10 years of age, when compared to other shows coming from our competitors. These include everyday life stories, love stories, live action, etc. Boys also watch animation for a much longer time that girls, but more and more we are seeing girls watching animation, so audiences are becoming more balanced.

Ariane Suveg, Head of Acquisition for Turner Kids

What global trends have surfaced in animation?

The main trends this year are comedy. We see that, for example, action in animation is very strong in our audience. It’s really in the DNA of Cartoon Network and Turner to create comedy, but we see this trend growing even more. We also see that the African audience is not so different from other regions of the world, but I think there is really an appetite for random, irreverent comedy styles in Africa. Another trend is that African audiences, when compared to other continents perhaps, we see that for one show you can separate different age and gender groups, but in Africa the segmentation is less relevant and kids watch shows more together.

Why make animation predominantly for 6-10 year-old boys?

We see that these kinds of comedies are globally more

Where is animation headed in the future?

It’s difficult to say. Globally we are looking for co-productions and acquisitions of animation from all over the world in all continents.

Animation is a very good format that travels well globally and we’re seeing great shows coming from everywhere. From a very personal perspective, I think it is now time for Africa because we don’t see that many productions from the continent in our group. So it’s all about making great partnerships in Africa. At Turner, we want to grow with them, and mentor them, because with animation it’s a very long process. African creators have so much energy and positivity in the way they work, and as soon as they have the means, they will be able to fly.

The Cartoon Network Africa Creative Lab competition closes at the beginning of September. For more information or to submit your idea, visit www.cartoonnetworkhq. com/CreativeLab.

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WHY SOUTH AFRICA’S

COMMERCIAL SERVICE INDUSTRY IS IN DECLINE Michael Moffett, Managing Director and Founder of Production Service Network comprising 44 countries worldwide in the production service network - shares his expert insights.

SOUTH AFRICA IN THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

Producers always want to know where they can go to get the best deal. I have lived and worked in Spain for 25 years, and much of the off-season work went to South Africa in recent years. We found that we could not keep producers close to home despite the convenience factor of being in Europe. But things have changed over time, and South Africa is one piece in the global puzzle.

The fact that South Africa’s commercial service industry is experiencing a downturn is because the competition is coming from all sides. Australia has stormed onto the scene with a weaker currency, since 2016 they have been drawing clients that are willing to travel the distance. Brazil has also become more competitive, to the point that they are beating out the regional competition in Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.

Turkey has experienced a weakening of their currency to make them 30% cheaper now compared to three years ago, which is a huge advantage for a warm weather country within the Euro-sphere. If producers are not dependent on weather and location-shooting, Eastern Europe is a major player. In the

times when South Africa was doing well in commercial service work, there were countries like the Ukraine that were a no-go for political reasons.

Those fears have subsided, and countries like Romania and Bulgaria are now strong, and as inexpensive as ever. Serbia is now competing at similar price levels thanks to an incentive that applies to commercial films as well (anything over 100 000 Euros). I have recently learnt of some British and German industry players who are building up services in both Kosovo and Montenegro, so there is no end to the competition.

COMPETITORS

South Africa’s share of commercial service work out of the US is less than half of what is was. When the work was at its peak in SA, Eastern Europe was just finding its feet. Now, it is like a seesaw and Eastern Europe is up top. From a location-shooting perspective, during our winter season, there are different players involved: Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Morocco, Greece, Croatia, Portugal, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. They are all vying for the location work during our Northern Hemisphere winter.

When producers travel, they must consider cost and convenience, and perhaps South Africa isn’t as sweet a deal as it used to be. The SA industry needs to be aware that the distance is a disadvantage, and you must overcome that disadvantage in your offering.

AVERAGE SHOOT DAY COSTS ACROSS GLOBAL TERRITORIES

For a standard TVC shoot day, without talent, and without any bells and whistles, you are looking at 30 000 to 40 000 Euros in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania and Ukraine, 40 000 to 50 000 Euros in Croatia and Hungary, 50 000 to 55 000 Euros in Thailand and Brazil, 55 000 to 65 000 Euros in Chile and Portugal, 60 000 to 70 000 Euros in South Africa, and 65 000 to 75 000 Euros in Spain.

South Africa and Spain are under similar pressure to sell ourselves better. 37% of the respondents to a recent Production Service Network survey said that value

for money is the main reason to choose an overseas shoot destination; it is more important than seasonal weather, close proximity, diverse locations, and lowest talent buyout.

THE EFFECT OF INFLATION

When South Africa was at its best back in 2013, it was as competitive as Eastern Europe is now. But no longer. Because of inflation and the incremental increases per year, you have bumped yourselves into another league. In the context of other major film hubs that are not experiencing large increases in inflation, it exacerbates what you are seeing in your local market.

South Africa was everybody’s sweetheart five years ago, but that is no longer the case. To your credit, no one has said that South Africa is way too expensive, yet. In a market where producers are really pressured to create more content for less, you need to deliver on the creative, and a target budget. It’s a buyer’s market.

VALUE FOR MONEY IS THE MAIN REASON TO CHOOSE AN OVERSEAS SHOOT DESTINATION.

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INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT We dig into the hot topics in the local film production, commercial and animation industries.

Cape Town locations remain attractive despite the industry downturn © Dan Grinwis via Unsplash

SERVICE WORK COMMERCIAL AND FILM INDUSTRY COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY

In late July and early August active participants in the film production and commercial service industry met to discuss the current situation in the sector.

Led by the Film Sustainability Forum and the Commercial Producers Association (CPA), a film plenary and two days of workshops were held to explore the severity of circumstances, but also to find a way forward in marketing the industry holistically, as well as making the sectors more sustainable and att ractive for international clients.

The commercial service workshops saw a great turnout in producers, technical crew, agencies, artists, suppliers and many others who voiced their concerns. Some of the solutions that were tabled for further discussion include more communication and collaboration between producers, suppliers and crew; and more involvement of all parties at an earlier stage to assist in planning.

Ultimately, what came out of these talks is that more needs to be done to bring a sense of accountability, cohesiveness, oneness in communication, and a wider reach across these sectors so that sustainable solutions can be implemented across the board.

On behalf of the Film Sustainability Forum, we would like to thank the Cullinan Hotel, Inhouse VTM, the CPA and all participants who

attended the sessions.

A massive thank you to the City of Cape Town, Inspire Furniture, Wesgro, and Media Film Service for an insightf ul plenary session and a packed Callsheet networking function.

ANNUAL FILM INDUSTRY BRIEFING

The City of Cape Town’s annual film industry engagement, which was held in late July, proved very successful, according to Monica Rorvik, Head of Wesgro’s Film and Media Promotion Unit.

It provided insights into the way forward with the City of Cape Town introducing their new tactical communications plan and opening a dialogue around the various issues the film industry is facing.

“The engagement was well attended and encouraged the industry to work together to find solutions, and the CPA has already hosted their own

sustainability workshops to this end. We see this as a positive step forward as we move into this season and are hopeful for the future of Cape Town’s resilient local film industry,” she said.

CAPE LOCATION UPDATE Rudi Riek has been working in the film industry for 23 years in various roles and is well known for his expertise in locations related matters. He shares the latest updates with the Callsheet.

Much has been said in recent months regarding the sustainability of, specifically, the service industry in Cape Town in recent months. This includes both commercials and stills service sectors, as well as the long form service industry.

Sustainability encompasses many aspects; I want to zone in, however, on the locations aspect.

You would have read that the City of Cape Town has taken the lead in trying to clean up Cape Town’s image both locally

and internationally in order to have everyone speak from one voice, and much work has been done in this regard with a new campaign which will see the light towards the end of August this year. The service industry has traditionally been very good at doing its own marketing, however, and the real game changer here would be making it easier to do business. This is not limited to the City of Cape Town, but all entities we need to interact with within the area.

Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

This is a double-edged sword, if we as the film industry continue to manage location shoots the way many have been in the past by not sticking to the rules, or not briefing the crew properly on the parameters, or not informing all the role players sufficiently, we will continue to have resistance from residents and location providers.

On the other hand, if we continue to have lengthy embargos, insecurity regarding availability of traffic officers, bureaucracy regarding application timeframes and in the case of some entities a disinterest in assisting our industry, we will continue to lose productions to other destinations.

The challenges Cape Town faces are unique in South Africa. Stating that other South African cities might be more ‘film friendly’ is unfortunately not an easy calculation to make

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as no other city in our country needs to manage the volumes that Cape Town deals with. In addition, our City is relatively small and the proximity of the locations is condensed.

The hope is that in the lead-up to our next season, industry leaders and location providers (both public and private) are able to find each other on these outstanding barriers preventing Cape Town from realising its true potential.

ANIMATION MUNKI AND TRUNK LAUNCHES ON YOUTUBE

Sunrise Productions’ wildly successful Munki and Trunk launched on YouTube on 30 July, with new episodes of the show posted every Friday.

According to Producer Tim Keller, the company’s Jungle Beat channel has already hit

180 000 subscribers and is topping eight million views each month, making this an ideal time to launch their new hit programme.

The non-dialogue animated series, which wrapped production in early 2018, has already been licensed for 75 territories and was launched on NickToons Africa in April as Nickelodeon Africa’s first local animation acquisition. It has also earned top ratings with ANTV in Indonesia and recently launched on KBS in South Korea.

“We’ve been humbled by the incredible growth of our YouTube channel this year,” says Keller, “We believe this platform is a great complement to our broadcast strategy and a wonderful opportunity to reach new fans every day.

We’re so excited to bring Munki and Trunk to our truly world-wide audience.”

FILM PRODUCTION NFVF ON SEXUAL MISCONDUCT OF FILM DIRECTOR

The story of local director Khalo Matabane being accused of rape and sexual misconduct rocked the film industry earlier this year. In wake of the #MeToo movement, at least half a dozen have come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment, while two have accused him of rape.

Now, the National Film and Video Foundation has distanced itself from the director, issuing the following statement: “As a majority women-run organisation, the NFVF values and respects women. The organisation was the one of the first institutions to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) with Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT) and promote the signing of the SWIFT Pledge against sexual harassment through various channels including at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) 12 ceremony.

“Early in 2018, the NFVF awarded Marketing and Distribution Funding to Born Free Media (BFM) for their film The Number. Subsequently various allegations of sexual harassment and assault were made against former BFM director Mr Khalo Matabane.

The remaining producers of BFM only became aware of these allegations following the

Khalo-Matabane, former film director at Born Free Media

press and social media reports.

“BFM is founded on the values of diversity and respect and have always shown commitment to empowering and supporting women in the Film and Television Industry. As a member of the IPO [Independent Producers Organisation] and SWIFT, they have signed the SWIFT’s mission and code of good practice regarding its sexual harassment policy. They stand together with all organisations and campaigns that support #ThatsNotOk. “In light of these allegations BFM have chosen not to take up the funding awarded, a decision fully supported by the NFVF. The NFVF will not support acts that go directly against the pledge signed by the NFVF, but more importantly against the values that the NFVF is built on.”

The NFVF is currently reviewing its policies to include a clause that all NFVF-funded projects will be required to sign a copy of SWIFT’s Code of Conduct.

Munki and Trunk © Sunrise Productions

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Jill Levenberg, star of Ellen

Jarrid Geduld plays Abie Pakkies in Ellen (Images by Lindsey Appolis)

Ellen Pakkies and Jill Levenberg

THE

MAKING OF ELLEN

We speak to Executive Producer Paulo Areal and Producer Schalk Burger about the iconic story of Ellen Pakkies, to find out how it all came together, and why this tale of love, addiction and loss is so compelling.

Tell us about your journey with this fi lm.

Paulo: I remember reading about the case in 2008 during the court case. Years later a friend reminded me of the story and we went about setting up a meeting with her. Within 15 minutes of meeting Ellen I knew I had to make this film. Her honesty and willingness to speak to me and taking me into her confidence astounded me. I was taken in

by her love for her fellow man.

Schalk: We have been working on the film for four years. It’s been a massive labour of love.

We had a great team that worked so hard on this project and everybody in some way, shape, or form made this project their own. The hardest part was during production, seeing as how we were filming in Ellen’s home in Lavender Hill. It

was tough working conditions for the cast and crew, but I think it added such a great layer to the film, which made all the struggles worth it.

How does this fi lm differ from productions you’ve worked on previously?

Schalk: This is the first film I worked on where the person whose story we were telling was involved. It makes it very

real very quickly, and you want to honour that person’s story. The best moment was when we showed Ellen the finished film for the first time and she gave us her blessing and thanked us for staying true to her and Abie’s story.

What was your favourite memory from the fi lm shoot?

Schalk: While filming in Lavender Hill we had a massive crowd of

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about 300 kids who followed us everywhere. It was so magical watching the excitement on their faces every day. We sometimes forget how lucky we are as filmmakers. We have the coolest job in the world and we should never forget that.

Your thoughts on the local fi lm industry?

Paulo: The film industry is making waves internationally with films like Five Fingers for Marseilles and The Wound, and we truly can become a force to be reckoned with. Amazing cast, crew, locations and a reasonable rebate system make South Africa a great place to shoot, however we must not ignore local films and get carried away by service work.

As much as the dti rebate is great, we desperately need assistance in the marketing of films. Producers always want to make the best film possible

and end up spending almost all the budget on the film and there is litt le left for marketing.

It’s no use making a great film that no one knows about.

Schalk: We need to start working together more; our industry is very small and if we can’t work together to build our industry collecti vely, it will die a slow death. I feel there should be more training opportunities across the board, for everybody. We are never too old to learn something new.

How has Ellen been received by audiences so far?

Paulo: The reception to Ellen at the international film festi vals has been amazing, the audiences has been visibly moved and it made me realize that addiction is a universal problem; it doesn’t discriminate, not on rich or poor, sex, race, or sexual orientation. It can

Executive Producer, Paulo Areal © CT Photographics

Producer Schalk Burger © CT Photographics

affect anyone and there is a desperate need to talk about it. In terms of the box office, South African film-goers are discerning and I think this story will resonate with the audience as we all know someone who is suffering the pains of addiction.

Ellen is set to travel the festival circuit next year and will hopefully have an international release.

The film premiered in SA on 22 August, and will be in cinemas nationwide on 7 September 2018.

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MIPCOM BRINGS THE WORLD TOGETHER With over 13 800 participants converging in Cannes for four days, MIPCOM is the world’s premier entertainment content market.

A

s the largest global market for entertainment content across all platforms, MIPCOM promises to maintain its incredible programme by offering something for everyone across four consecutive days, from meetings and conferences, to special events and screenings. The mega event takes places in Cannes from 15-18 October and brings together over 13 800 participants including 4 700 buyers and over 2 000 exhibiting companies.

With a conference theme of “The Big Shift”, the programme will explore transitioning to

a reshaped media landscape, where volume and demand for premium content is reaching new heights, rising in tandem with unparalleled quality. Financial pressure is intensifying and to stand out and remain unique, it is critical to invest in talent, embrace risk-taking, finance innovation, and secure IP retention. Now is the time to envision future business models, put new rules into play, and take part in an unprecedented reshaping of the current industry standard.

MIPCOM will once again have a Diversity and Inclusion

Issa Rae is MIPCOM’s Personality of the Year 2018. Images courtesy of MIPCOM

MIPCOM takes place at the Palais De Festivals in October.

programme, highlighting the positivity of diversity in the TV landscape. Rania Ali, the subject of an award-winning documentary

by Norwegian filmmaker Anders Hammer, will share her story, while a panel of TV creators and industry executives will share positive and authentic stories from the development stage at MIPCOM. On the agenda is an awards ceremony paying tribute to international programming that provides a fair, accurate representation of ethnic groups, LGBTQ and disabled communities.

A highlight this year is Personality of the Year Issa Rae, Creator, Producer and Star of HBO’s Insecure, for which she has received an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations. She will take part in a keynote interview on Wednesday 17 October.

“Issa Rae is one of most brilliant creative minds in Hollywood.

She is shaping the present and future of on-screen storytelling through her authentic comedic writing and her uncompromising commitment to inclusion,” says Paul Zilk, CEO of Reed MIDEM, organiser of MIPCOM. Other speakers of note include

Kay Madati, VP and Global Head of Content Partnerships at Twitter, who will discuss how content is happening in a multi-platform world. Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver will talk about harnessing the power of TV to tell engaging stories that help create positive social change. Also on the conference programme are Tim Davie, CEO of BBC Studios, and Josh Sapan, President and CEO of AMC Networks – and who has been at the helm creating some of television’s most critically acclaimed series including The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, Killing Eve, Dietland, Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Davie will set out the ambitions of the new company since the BBC Studios and BBC Worldwide merger, discussing its approach to strategic partnerships as well as exclusively showcasing some of its latest premium content.

MIPCOM offers attendees an exclusive look at some of the most anticipated new series from around the globe. Two of these are Escape at Dannemora (CBS Studios International) and The Pier (Beta Film), which will screen on Monday 15 October and Tuesday 16 October respectively.

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NFVF ANNOUNCES FUNDING CYCLE DATES

The National Film and Video Foundation has announced the dates for funding submissions throughout 2018.

The National Film and Video Foundation has announced their annual dates for funding cycles, with cycle one completed in May and June 2018. Cycle 2 and 3 dates are as follows:

Call for submission dates: Production and Development Marketing and Distribution

3 September 2018 3 September 2018

Submission deadlines: Production and Development Marketing and Distribution

24 September 2018 3 October 2018

Council meeting

6 December 2018

Outcome notification

17 December 2018

Call for submission dates: Production and Development Marketing and Distribution

14 December 2018 14 December 2018

Submission deadlines: Production and Development Marketing and Distribution

14 January 2019 14 January 2019

Council meeting

TBC 2019

Outcome notification

TBC 2019

Production Music for Professionals representing over 60 international labels and African Planit, a South African Music Library.

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CYCLE 3

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CYCLE 2

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Stroomop © Refinery

POST PRODUCTION: BRINGING VISUALS TO LIFE

Although last year saw some turbulence in the industry, post production houses are slowly bouncing back with some incredible local and international projects.

A

s the local film and commercial industry has hit hard times, this, in turn has impacted the world of post production. The sector saw a significantly quieter-than-usual 2017 pass by, but over the last few months things have once again begun to pick up slowly.

“2017 was a challenging year in Johannesburg with virtually no international productions, except Liberty with Stage 5 Films shooting,” says Tracey Williams, Managing Director at Refinery.

“The local market was challenged with funding. 2018 has seen more local productions being greenlit, which is promising.”

They recently had the good fortune to secure all the post on Lake Placid Legacy for Blue Ice Pictures/Out of Africa. “From the VFX we got to create a CG

monster crocodile. It isn’t often that we get the opportunities to really extend CG talent. Time was spent designing the creature and then bringing it to life. Rory Mark was the set supervisor and VFX supervisor who pulled it all together. Alex May colourgraded the film, and Charlotte Buys with her mastery pulled the sound together.” They also worked on local films like Mayfair, Meerkat Maantuig, and Stroomop.

The industry model for doing business continues to evolve, and audiences continue to change, however, and ultimately this will end up affecting every facet of the film industry – including post.

The only way to combat this and create a sustainable future is by being consistent, says Cal Kingwill, Producer at Priest.

“Post production will always

be needed. There is a niche for all the layers of production, from high-end to the lesser production values. Aspects of this depend on agency sell to client. Stick with the production value your company wants to represent and be proud of it, do it well. Cost out the time of the artists fairly. Look at the big picture of your investment in the job and your client. This will secure a maintainable position for the future.”

Priest recently acquired a 4K grading suite as a new addition to their offering, with colorist Fran Verveccken at the helm.

INNOVATING IN A TOUGH CLIMATE

The local post sector has seen some upheaval, and it’s not about to go away. “The changes

are happening from acquisition to final delivery,” says Tracey, “Everyone is exploring new ways of doing business. Cost cutting is everywhere. It is becoming more of a freelance industry and very little value is being placed on infrastructure.”

Companies like Post Production SA – Cape Town’s first post production crew agency – are innovating in this climate by bulking up on their offering.

Barry Strick explains: “This past year saw the launch of Post Production SA’s ‘pop up post’ offering and delivering our first two feature films. A new concept, which entails putting together a mobile facility for a single project and/or oursourcing to other existing who have the skill is a way of using what we have rather than re-inventing the wheel.”

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The company provided pull post services for The Forgiven starring Forest Whitaker as Desmond Tutu, and simultaneously completed Supermama, a local comedy. “A typical post house has changed dramatically over the last few years,” he says, thanks to lower entry barriers.

Another issue is that many TV producers have brought their post in-house. “Local budgets are so low that they demand creative and imaginative ways to maximise quality – we have to make content that is technically

saleable internationally and keep costs consistent.”

One way of selling the country’s post offerings to internationals is through Priest’s recent work with the Cape Town International Film Market and Festival. The market has a very collaborative programme where work-in-progress fiction or documentary feature length films can be submitted into competition. The six most promising are selected and these receive sponsorship awards from Cape Town’s top

post facilities to assist winners in completing their projects.

And despite the last year’s downturn, there is much scope for the future, says Tracey. “Our reputation is starting to grow, allowing for more VFX and full post work to happen here,” she explains, “Our local broadcasters are beginning to require higher standards of post production, because some of the content has the opportunity to travel. The recent dti rebates are supportive of growth within our sector both locally and internationally.”

LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE JOB AND YOUR CLIENT. THIS WILL SECURE A MAINTAINABLE POSITION FOR THE FUTURE. Priest office event - Elias Ribeiro addressed film industry regarding new programme offering at this years CTIFM&F © Nikki Froneman, Project Manager at CTIFM&F.

REBATE UPDATE South Africa offers a rebate for local and international post production work.

According to the latest dti guidelines, reviewed in July 2018, Qualifying South African Post-Production Expenditure (QSAPPE) should be at least R1.5million for conducting post-production activities in country. The Foreign Film and Television Production and Post-Production Incentive provides an incentive of 20% of the QSAPPE of at least R1.5-million. An additional incentive of 2.5% of QSAPPE is provided for spending at least R10-million of the post-production budget in South Africa; or an additional incentive of 5% of QSAPPE is provided for spending at least R15million of the post-production budget in South Africa.

The incentive programme offers a reimbursable grant to the maximum of R50-million per qualifying project. This incentive is effective from 1 September 2018. Here are some of the conditions attached: • The international studio must use a South African service company • The applicant must complete and submit their application 45 days prior to principal photography • The applicant must have secured at least 80% of the total production budget • The post-production activities must be carried out in South Africa for at least 14 calendar days • The post-production minimum days’ requirement is waived provided that 100% of the post is conducted in SA The full requirements can be found on www.thedti.gov.za.

Meerkat Maantuig © Refinery

12 / FEATURE

THE POST PRODUCTION PROCESS Post production is broken down into two major sections: visuals and audio. They can be tackled separately or together, but never at the same time.

These sections can be further broken down into what you have accomplished through production, and what you don’t have (and need to find or create in post). Post production is quite linear and can be segmented into four major stages: • The assembly stage • The mixing stage • The mastering stage • Creating the deliverables

SOUGHT AFTER CAREER PATHS

Many don’t understand the sheer scope of post production and the types of jobs it covers. This ranges from post producers and sound engineers, to colorists, media managers, on-line editors, and more. According to Tracey, there are institutions where one can study to do post, but ultimately, it’s what one can show: “an understanding of the job’s requirements, being userfriendly, a good communicator, and above all, a passion to go over and above the requirement, which guarantees the next job.”

Barry adds that despite being a grade A graduate, one needs to remember that you won’t just be jumping into your chosen profession. “We are still very much an apprentice-based industry…newcomers to our business need to accept that they need on-the-job practical training, too.” He says that even without formal education one can get into post – “it often involves working up from the bottom – a junior assistant or similar – or perhaps a related skill or qualification can be an

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HERE’S A LOOK AT HOW THE PROCESS WORKS: 50% VISUALS

50% AUDIO THE ASSEMBLY STAGE

What You Have Shot

What You Haven’t Shot

Location Sound

Studio Sound

Music

Principal Photography

Pick-Ups

Sync Sound

ADR

Recording

Second Unit

CGI

Pick-Ups

Foley

Reshoots

Keying

Production Stills

Stock Footage

Electronic

THE MIXING STAGE Editing

Sound Editing

Music Mixing

Compositing Motion Graphics

Sound Mixing

Colour Grading

THE MASTERING STAGE Render to Final Master

Mix-Down to Final Audio Master

CREATING THE DELIVERABLES Theatrical: DCP or Equivalent

Theatrical Mix: Dolby, DTS, THX, etc.

Television: HDCAM SR

Television: Stereo, 5.1

Blu-Ray

Blu-Ray: Stereo, 5.1, 7.1

DVD

DVD: Stereo, 5.1, 7.1

Internet: VOD

Internet: Stereo, 5.1, 7.1

Trailers

Trailer: Stereo, 5.1, 7.1

Marketing Package

Soundtrack: CD, MP3

Bonus Features

Audio Commentaries Information © Sareesh Sudhakaran 2013

entry point,” he explains. “A good IT person can transition into the technical side, artists or photographers, having an eye for colour often make good colorists, or graphic designers cross over to VFX or animation.”

Thys en Trix © Refinery

Cal says a sought after skill is a one-man-band combination of AfterEffects, editing and motion graphics. “This allows one artist to work on a multi-media project – from selecting live action or stock

shots, to creating titles and graphics and animating the artwork, and putting all the elements together.” Jobs like these may vary from in-house presentation AVs to addons for digital activations.

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EDITING FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES Daniel Mitchell, Senior Editor at Left Post Production, worked on the critically acclaimed Five Fingers for Marseilles. We speak to him about his journey with the film and his recent win.

Congrats on winning the BRICS Award for Best Editor.

Tell us how it happened.

I didn’t even know I was up for the award! But it takes into account the main developing countries of the world, and it’s quite cool to have won that because Russia, China and India are pretty serious industries.

We’re obviously the smallest film industry in competition so it was nice to pick up some awards.

What was your involvement on Five Fingers, from script to final cut?

It’s a nine year journey, really, and the core group of four of us started the Be Phat Motel film collective, where our goal was to make films. We naively thought it would get done quickly!

But Sean Drummond and Mike Matthews drove the process to really find the finance and get the film going. I had just started to believe it wasn’t ever going to happen when they told me it’s going ahead. It was a five or six week shoot in the Eastern Cape.

I was on set with my assistant for the entire shoot, which was a great experience – and also useful for the director and the production team to have post there so that they could feedback on things and be closely involved.

I’ve only done doccie features previously, but being on set helps with scene construction and getting a feel for the story.

After that, we edited for three or four months – and that was one hell of a journey. I think in the first month we wanted to submit to our first festival so we were chasing that tight deadline – I had about three weeks to have

Five Fingers For Marseilles , Photo by Graham Bartholomew

full assembly done. We ended up submitting but didn’t get in. So after that, it was really a balancing act: weighing up how much time was spent with each character, were the characters too heavy weighted, were we not feeling our protagonist, etc. In a Western drama film it’s not really about the edit, it’s more about the story, the cinematography and the nuanced characters.

What goes into editing a film?

It’s really important to understand the genre of the film you’re trying to create, and with the Western, the edit’s really meant to support the narrative. Let shots linger when you can, let as many things play out as you can. The cinematographer, Shaun

Lee, did such a great job and at first the edit was very long. With the budget that we had, there were moments on set where we couldn’t quite get what we wanted or get the script to screen, so we had to shape things to ensure the narrative still flowed correctly. An example is the end of the film with a big shoot-out sequence. The plan was to go with all the main characters, the Five Fingers, and each of them would have a nice played-out fight sequence. But it turned out that instead of three days to shoot this segment, the director had half a day because of weather. So in the end we had to cut out certain peoples’ journeys and we had to look at the edit and ask, how do we turn this into something good and entertaining?

How does this film differ from others you’ve edited?

In terms of long form, previously I had worked on Unearthed with Jolynn Minaar, and that was 1 100 hours of footage where she was driving around and doing sound herself so the footage is very documentary-style. Such a super star! It was a situation where not everything was planned, and very messy despite a basic story being there. With Five Fingers, Mike was so clever with scene construction, and he really knows how to tell a story visually so strongly. There’s a very strong film language there, it was a lot more controlled environment and very cinematic.

I think in this film we really get into the craft of cinema.

14 / MILK&SUGAR

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MUSIC MAKES THE MOVIE No great production is without a beautiful score or a pumping sound track. Kim Crowie speaks to the people who compose and catalogue the musical pieces that tug at our heart strings.

T

here’s no good film, television series or advert that doesn’t effectively use music. These magical notes speak to us in mysterious ways; moulding our feelings and creating an unseen canvas on which a filmmaker paints his story. “The best part is the emotion music carries with it,” explains Simon Ratcliffe, Founder, Sound Supervisor,

and Music and Score Mixer at Sound and Motion Studios.

“It constantly amazes me how, when working on a mix with great composers, music can craft and accentuate the emotional context of what’s on screen. For example, if someone on the screen turns to an ex-lover and gives a certain look that’s meant to break your heart, part of my

HOW TO LICENSE MUSIC FOR FILM Step 1: Set aside an adequate budget for music, and enough time to license it rather than leaving this until the last minute.

Step 2: Find the music you want to use – this is usually found online on a music library like Universal, Sheer Publishing or Synchro Music Management.

Step 3: Communicate with the experts. Tell them all the ways in which the music will be used so that you can receive possible package deals and in order to receive the correct license.

Step 4: Play the waiting game.

Licenses take anywhere from a few days to three months to clear, with international clearances typically taking longer than local ones.

Step 5: The music is now ready to be used in your film, series or advert. ©Kimberleigh Aleksandra via Unsplash

job is to help make you feel that. Amazing.” The company worked on eight feature films in 2017, and has done score mixing for Sony, Lionsgate, post for TV shows like Idols and has worked on some great local productions – Nommer 37, The Recce, Table Manners, Five Fingers for Marseilles, and High Fantasy, many of which they did both audio post and score mixing on.

THE INTRICATE WORLD OF LICENSING “When you consider that virtually every film, series, documentary and advert in the world contains music, one begins to appreciate the colossal demand for licensed music,” says Ryan Hill, Managing Director at Universal Music Publishing Africa. This process is not to be taken lightly – although technological advances mean that it’s much easier to find that perfect sound or composition, although licensing can become quite complicated. There are several types of licences and permissions that can be obtained, and fees also need to be negotiated based on how or where the music will be used.

This is why it’s so important to be as upfront as possible or filmmakers could run the risk of getting an incomplete license for the required usage, says Mpumi Phillips, who works in the Creative Department at Sheer Publishing, a comprehensive local music library.

“Music companies like Universal Music Group have evolved beyond the traditional, reactive business of music licensing,” Ryan adds. “They now use sophisticated analytics tools to report detailed local and international market data that ultimately matches artists to brands. By blending scientific research with the empirical, albeit subjective ideas of their creative teams, music supervision and licensing has improved.”

By using live engagement data, companies are now able to

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suggest ideas that are more likely to win consumers over.

In fact, he says, research has found that South African’s engagement with musicians on social media is 20% higher than the global average. They’re also extremely passionate about music – 23% more than the rest of the world, to be precise.

SOUTH AFRICAN’S ENGAGEMENT WITH MUSICIANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS 20% HIGHER THAN THE GLOBAL AVERAGE. THEY’RE ALSO EXTREMELY PASSIONATE ABOUT MUSIC.

SOURCING NEW MUSIC Online music libraries or catalogues make it increasingly easier to find the perfect track or song for a production. For Synchro, local and international music can be auditioned or even downloaded and need only be licensed for the production it’s used in.

“With the music libraries we represent, we try to cover all genres, and with the great search engines, it’s an easy and pain-free way of getting background music.

THREE PILLARS FOR A CAREER IN FILM SCORING 1. Study music 2. Do apprenticeships with established writers 3. Hustle to get a foot in the door by submitting work to music supervisors and producers The sound for Nommer 37 was done by Sound and Motion Studios

Music of

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The South African Film Orchestra recording the score for Crossroads at Sound and Motion Studios Cape Town.

Photography by Simone Rademeyer. © Sound and Motion Studios

The Church Cinema © Sound and Motion Studios

We are seeing new albums released weekly across the libraries that we represent, so there is always something new and fresh to find on the music platforms.” And, if ever you’re lost, they also assist editors and producers in finding the right tracks, sometimes putting playlists together to help the process along.

Mpumi says that with an increase in local productions comes greater opportunity for composers and the wider music industry. “Before there was only a handful of music scores for film that you could go to, now there is a slew of composers…As a composer, doing library music is also a great way of

FILM COMPOSERS AND ORCHESTRAS

working with this sector. Sheer Publishing works with some of the most prominent music scorers who provide library music for the catalogue.”

Services from companies like Universal Music Group now include anything from live bookings of artists through bespoke activations, to production music, artist features, influencer mentions, docustyle fan content, brand partnerships, specially composed work, and much more. “Users can audition, playlist and download tracks,” says Ryan, “production music licensing is simple, highly economical, fast, and doesn’t require special permission from composers or their managers.”

FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN 1. Typically a film editor begins by cutting the picture to a temporary track made of pre-existing tracks that match the feel.

2. Some people, like Pressure Cooker Studios, meet with the director then supply them with a ‘playbook’ of ideas based on their vision.

3. A composer works on getting music cues that match the feel and director’s vision.

4. This is eventually locked to final picture before going to a sound studio for recording, mixing or both. ©John Hult via Unsplash

Perhaps a better known part of this process is that of film scores. Working in sync with the director and editor, these artists compose and record the perfect music to accompany any given scene. According to Simon, each project has got a “very distinct sonic landmark”.

“I’d say what we most enjoy is having the sound play a role and become a character in itself, when creating the soundscape with the director,” he explains.

Working with a film orchestra is a far cry from finding already composed and recorded tracks for use in a production. It’s also different from being part of a performing orchestra. “Being

able to work to picture and work on click tracks for tempo are vitally important,” says Simon.

“Also with bands, the emphasis is on the song, while with film scores the emphasis of what a band does is on the picture.

We’ve worked on films where it’s been a combination of orchestral and band music.” One such example is Table Manners, soon to be released, which is a combination score of the SA Film Orchestra and a rock band.

According to Ryan, writing for film is a highly specialised form of composition and proper understanding and delivery of a brief often takes years of experience and rejected pitches. “Given that film scenes may demand music from any period, in any country, that evokes any number of emotional reactions, film composers usually need to have a good grasp of arrangement and composition in many styles.” He adds that many commercial artists also compose and record production music as a side venture, including artists like Alex Band, Serj Tankian, Chuck D, Nitin Sawhney, Jonathan Butler and many others.

Although mixing and recording are part of the process of putting music to a film scene, not many know about this

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process, Simon explains. Often great filmmakers don’t know that these options are available to them, or that his job even exists! “Half the reason I got into this is because composers are often required to compose the music, edit it, mix it, and deliver it straight to final mix – which is something almost unheard of in the international community,” he says. “Whenever I work with a new composer, either as a score mixer or as a film’s music editor, I always say that my job is to deal with the techie stuff so that they can get on with the really important stuff: making music.”

GETTING INTO THE INDUSTRY Artists who wish to get their work featured or used as background music in a film or television production can do so in several ways. They can submit their repertoire to an existing production music label that could license their music and include it in their catalogue. They could also upload their work onto a range of online platforms that specialise in finding sync licenses, says Ryan. “However music placement is almost always more successful when an intermediary is involved,” he explains, “as they are usually the expert curators and understand music rights licensing and creative briefs. Brands can be faced with difficult legal issues and significant reputational risk if rights are not properly licensed.”

When it comes to writing scores, it is ever-important for a composer to research the industry and meet filmmakers. “If you don’t research,” says Mpumi, “you won’t know who is working on a production. Networking is a way to get to understand what productions are looking for.

But most importantly, it is good having a person or company that has the expertise that you can associate with in order to create those opportunities.” She adds that music supervisors play a vital role in this sector, forming a bridge between the music world

GLOSSARY OF LICENSING TERMS

© Sound and Motion Studios

and that of film and television.

Ryan offers up some poignant last words on the subject: “Whether production music, commercial, or commissioned, the key in today’s media society is flexibility. A composer’s ability to adapt to the everchanging needs and demands of content producers, directors and the consumer, will ultimately determine their level of success in the world of music licensing.

TRENDS IN THE SECTOR As the world changes, so does this industry. Not only is big data informing music choices for advertising and beyond, but new genres are also coming into play. According to both Mpumi and Ryan, Gqom is making waves in the local scene, as is South African House music.

“Especially since Black Panther there’s been an increase in requests for these genres from production houses and advertising agencies,” says Ryan.

“FMCG advertising typically relies on trusted, recognised international music, while summer campaigns for telcos and banks look more to current local charting songs for credibility.

Marketing departments are

increasingly looking to leverage local fan-artist relationships, searching for a fine balance between authenticity and ROI.” Mpumi echoes his words, saying that right now there is “a greater need to use local music in advertising” rather than international hits. “We hope this trend continues as it grows the industry and gives more relevance to the product.”

Companies like Synchro market music based on current events, says Louise.

“We put out a lot of Russian music around the World Cup time, and in August, we concentrated on music to do with women.” She adds that an ongoing trend in the industry is more and more composers are trying to get into film.

As more marketers and advertisers work in online media, the importance of carefully managed fan marketing that relies on artists will increase. Voice activated speakers and AI will also play a role in the future of this industry, says Ryan. “Already it is possible to buy rights to AI composed music, and the internet makes for easier prediction of music and brand consumer preferences.”

• Branded Usage: when a piece of music is used by a particular brand • CAPASSO: the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association, through which music is licensed (www.capasso.co.za) • Commercial Music: popular music, often with a heavy radio rotation • Production Music: also known as stock or library music, used for film, television, radio and other media • Rights Fees: the cash paid to a property in return for access to the exploitable commercial potential associated with that property • Rights User: the person or organisation to which permissions are granted to access and use a particular piece of music commercially • Synchronisation Rights: the right to use music in timed relations with other visual elements in a film, video, television show, commercial, or other audio visual production.

WHETHER PRODUCTION MUSIC, COMMERCIAL, OR COMMISSIONED, THE KEY IN TODAY’S MEDIA SOCIETY IS FLEXIBILITY. © Brent Dawes / Sound and Motion Studios

20 / SPOTLIGHT

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CAPE STILLS UPDATE The local commercial stills industry remains resilient and consistent despite a quiet period for the rest of the film sector.

Illegal mining in JHB, a story photographed on a large format 4x5, Linhof Technika 3 and Ilford FP4. © David Bloomer

T

he stills service production industry has done relatively well despite a number of challenges including the recent Cape drought and a quiet season for the rest of the commercial service sector.

According to Rudi Riek, Consultant to the SA Association of Stills Producers, none of the reasons why internationals choose to come to the Western Cape have changed. “Cape Town still offers excellent value for money, a beautiful bouquet of locations, a vast diversity of talent, and exceptional lighting conditions, amongst other attributes,” he explains, “Our members have definitely seen an upsurge in productions requiring more than just stills, with most companies now also handling requests for new media and hybrid stills/motion productions.”

In 2016/17 financial year, 1 729 permits were issued to stills

photographers. This year saw a dip of 12% in permits issued to stills to 1 521 permits issued for locations in the Western Cape.

That said, there has been a rise in micro shoots (from 2 678 last year to 2 918 in 2017/18), and some of these inevitably include stills assets being shot thanks to hybrid media requests.

The trend for handling more than just the still assets of a production is not new, but is growing and becoming a large part of the kinds of productions SAASP members’ service. “The traditional print media campaigns continue to be the backbone of the stills service industry; however our members are having to service more and more new media productions, a crossover from the stills industry into moving camera photography for the online and social media markets, with small teams of 8 or 10 people.”

The unit stills industry has

seen some rough seas, particularly in the film sector, where fewer productions were shot in South Africa over the last season. This has brought a change in pace for unit photographers like David Bloomer. He says that although the season’s not been great, it has meant he’s been able to work on something that’s close to his heart – telling the story of illegal mining in Johannesburg, a project that’s been in the making for the last two years. “The film industry’s had quite a radical downturn for the last three or four months, so a lot of crew that rely solely on the features and television industry have had quite a bit of forced downtime. I’ve been using my off time – luckily – to get this project off the ground.”

At the end of the day, whether you’re finding creative ways of working during a quiet season, or whether you’re doing something new on the commercial front, it’s about being flexible and ready for anything that this fourth industrial revolution has to offer. As Riek says, “The SAASP members continue to adapt to the changes in technology and global trends. Ultimately it’s about servicing international clients’ needs and although the format is ever-changing, there will continue to be a market for companies who position themselves as professional service outfits.

We do need to continuously adapt, including encouraging and actively promoting transformation and other best practice.”

LOCATION IS EVERYTHING There are over 5 000 identified locations in the Cape, with the city centre by far being the most sought after area for shoots. Documented are some of the most popular locations in the Cape, based on the permits issued in 2017/18.

TOP LOCATIONS IN THE WESTERN CAPE Cape Town City Centre Camps Bay/Bakoven Sea Point Clifton Foreshore Bo-kaap Muizenberg Zonnebloem Woodstock Greenpoint

BE SEEN IN THE

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AFRICAN FILM MARKETING TOOL

2019 Distributed at the biggest film festivals and film markets in the world.

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Africa 2019.

CONTACT JOYCE CHIREMESO e. joyce@filmeventmedia.co.za t. 021 674 0646

Thomas Brodie-Sangster stars as Newt in Maze Runner: The Death Cure | Location: The Old Cement Factory in Philippi, Cape Town © 20th Century Fox, Out of Africa Entertainment, Unit & Special Still Photography by Joe Alblas | African Photo Productions

22 / LOERIES

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The Loerie Awards Awards Ceremony at Durban ICC on August 18, 2018 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Jethro Snyders-2018 Loerie Awards-Gallo Images)

LOERIES REWARD CREATIVITY AT 40 AWARD SHOW TH

The Loerie Awards brought the best of brand communication from across Africa and the Middle East together on its 40th anniversary in Durban this August.

A

t the Loerie Awards ceremonies on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 August, 287 Loeries were awarded across 14 categories. These included 6 Grand Prix, 31 Golds, 69 Silvers, 113 Bronzes, 18 Craft Golds and 50 Craft Certificates.

This year over 2 500 entries were received, with 15% of these from outside South Africa, 700 brands were represented by 265 agencies from 15 countries across the continent and the Middle East, and the awards were judged by over 170 regional and international industry leaders in their fields, including international jury presidents Fabian Frese, Ian Mackenzie, Nicolas Courant and Sebastian Padilla.

THE 6 GRANDS PRIX WERE AWARDED TO:

• In Communication Design, Fear and Fantasy Festival’s Fear and Fantasy Festival by TBWA Reklam Hizmetleri A.S., Turkey • In Digital & Interactive Communication, Sanlam’s 2 Minute Shower Songs

by King James Group, South Africa • In Print Communication, Nando’s #rightmyname

by M&C Saatchi Abel, South Africa • In Radio, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Highway Gallery by TBWA\ RAAD, United Arab Emirates • In Film Communication, Kimberly-Clark’s The World’s First Baby Marathon by Ogilvy

Johannesburg, South Africa • In Integrated Campaign, La Libanaise Des Jeux’s Lucky Face by Impact BBDO Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tseliso Rangaka, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Cape Town, was announced as the new Chairman of the Loeries for the next two years. “I think Africa and the Middle East are among the most brand-conscious places in the world right now and I’m thrilled that I’m going to have a bird’s eye view of the region. I think we have an opportunity to be really brave and take advantage of the fact that we’re not as constrained by tradition as markets like Europe and the US,” said Rangaka.

The Marketing Leadership and Innovation Award was presented to Doug Place, Chief Marketing Officer of Nando’s. The award is designed to honour those who bring sustained dedication and performance as marketing professionals, according to Loeries CEO Andrew Human.

Five Gold Loeries were awarded in the Student category, and the Loeries also announced a new partnership with the AAA School of Advertising Johannesburg and TBWA\Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg who, together, are contributing to the Creative Future Scholarship.

Since 2015, it has benefitted 11 local students to the value of R8-million, in partnership with Vega.

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Greg Gray, Director at Romance Films, was inducted into the Loeries Hall of Fame. He is a commercials industry stalwart and has been responsible for an incredible and memorable body of awardwinning work over the years – including a few Loeries this year.

In the film campaign category, Campaign Gold was awarded to the Joburg Ballet for Breaking Ballet, by TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg.

Other Gold and Craft Gold winners in this category were: • Gold in TV & Cinema

Commercials – up to 90s: Landmark Group’s Greed for Centrepoint by Impact BBDO Dubai, United Arab Emirates • Gold in Internet Video – above 30s: Mercedes-Benz’ Return to Chapman’s Peak for S-Class by Net#work BBDO, South Africa • Gold in Music Videos: H2The’s High On You by Meow Meow Woof, South Africa • Craft Gold in Film Crafts – Direction: Chicken Licken’s SBU 2.0 for Feed My Craving 10 by Romance Films, South Africa

THE LOERIES BRINGS EDUCATION, INFORMATION AND INSPIRATION TO THE ADVERTISING AND BRAND COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY, WHICH AT THE END OF THE DAY MEANS BETTER ADS.

DJ Reddy D during the Loerie Awards Awards Ceremony at Durban ICC on August 17, 2018 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Al Nicoll-2018 Loerie Awards-Gallo Images)

• Craft Gold in Film Crafts – Cinematography: Landmark Group’s Greed for Centrepoint

by Impact BBDO Dubai, United Arab Emirates • Craft Gold in Film Crafts – Production Design: Chicken Licken’s SBU 2.0 for Feed My Craving 10 by Romance Films, South Africa • Craft Gold in Film Crafts – Animation: Cerebos’ Snow for Cerebos Salt by FCB Durban, Tulips & Chimneys, and blackginger, South Africa • Craft Gold in Film Crafts – Special Visual Effects: Chicken Licken’s SBU 2.0 for Hot Wings by Bladeworks and Chocolate Tribe, South Africa • Craft Gold in Film Crafts – Performance: Chicken Licken’s SBU 2.0 for Feed My Craving 10 by Romance Films, South Africa The awards were brought to a close with the announcements

of Agency and Regional Agency Group of the Year. The top three agencies are Joe Public United, TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg, and Impact BBDO Dubai, while the top three regional agency groups are TBWA\, Ogilvy EMEA, and Joe Public United respectively.

Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, CEO of DStv Media Sales, a Major Partner of the Loeries, said that it was important to take a vested interest in the ongoing development of creativity. “Our business is all about an enjoyable viewer experience. Our viewers are used to seeing great content, and good advertising forms a part of this. The Loeries brings education, information and inspiration to the advertising and brand communication industry, which at the end of the day means better ads.”

The Loeries will release its full Official Rankings at a later date. The full list of winners can be found on www.loeries.com.

Loeries Hall of Fame - Greg Gray, Romance Films during the Loeries at Durban ICC on August 18, 2018 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Roy Esterhuysen-2018 Loerie Awards-Gallo Images)

24 / WESGRO

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CAPE TOWN & THE WESTERN CAPE FILM AND MEDIA PROMOTION - A DIVISION OF WESGRO

A quarterly update on local and international industry engagement.

TIFF

The 2018 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will be the first opportunity for some of the film bodies in Africa to collaborate and present a united African film industry at the new Africa Hub organized by the National Film and Video Foundation, and Wesgro is excited to be a part of it. The NFVF has also partnered with the DTI, as well as key stakeholders from Ghana, Kenya, Namibia and Nigeria. The Africa Hub will be a communication and networking platform for the African film industry and be open to all TIFF delegates who want to know more about the film industry in Africa, as well as providing key exposure to projects by African filmmakers and producers.

FINANCE WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

Hosted at the iconic First National Bank Portside Tower in Cape Town’s Buitengracht Street, the workshop covered both fundamental basics and recent intricacies of film financing.

Speakers from the major government film funders (NFVF, the dti, IDC and NEF) presented on funding opportunities and the application processes. FNB, the official sponsor of the event, presented on exchange control

and insurance. A session on Intellectual Property laws and regulations followed, copresented by Irish Macleod and Wesgro. To round up the workshop, a local producer gave some practical steps forward to packaging finance for the less experienced producer.

DTI INVESTSA INBOUND MISSION

Wesgro Film and Media Promotion Unit welcomed producers from Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, the UK, and the USA in July as the first leg of a joint South African inward mission spearheaded by the dti InvestSA team.

Supporting partners included; the NFVF, the Gauteng Film Commission and the KZN Film Commission. The delegation had the opportunity to visit various local studios on a familiarisation tour. The mission aimed to boost the South African film industry and explore co-production opportunities. To this end, Wesgro facilitated a successful “speed-dating” B2B session, which gave local companies the opportunity to engage with the visiting delegation. The response was very positive, with many opportunities for collaboration emerging as a result, and follow up meetings set to take place

at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.

AFRICA HALAL WEEK

The Western Cape’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Wesgro and other supporting partners have announced the launch of the inaugural Africa Halal Week 2018, which will take place between 15 and 18 October. The Africa Halal Week will foster business linkages and conversations, as well as highlight trade and investment opportunities spanning across sectors including Tourism, Banking, Fashion, and Film and Media. Facilitated by Wesgro, in partnership with CTIFMF, four delegates from the Middle East and North African film and media markets will participate in Africa Halal Week and the CTIFMF market programme. www.capehalal.com

CTIFMF

Wesgro is once again endorsing the Cape Town International Film Market and Festival. The 2018 edition of the Cape Town International Film Market and Festival will take place from the 9th to the 19th October at venues across the iconic V&A Waterfront, welcoming diverse and exciting attendees from all over the world.

Guided by the festival’s core

vision of transforming the African film industry, through the three pillars of creation, collaboration and celebration, the CTIFMF will incorporate a host of key initiatives and projects aimed at the local and Pan-African film industries as well as emerging and new audiences from Africa and beyond. filmfestival.capetown

BRICS WORKSHOP

Wesgro Film and Media Promotion Unit attended a BRICS Workshop during DFM/DIFF in July, during which a BRICS content fund and a content channel for productions were launched. These initiatives by film stakeholders in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are testament to the wealth of film business knowledge, ideas and strategies that are ripe for development.

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH

The City of Cape Town will soon launch a new website geared towards the international film community. It will position Cape Town as a leading service destination, and will include essential information on permits, pre-production planning, as well as a comprehensive showcase of recent work in the long-form, short-form, animation, commercial, stills and gaming sectors. Other features of the website include

WESGRO / 25

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up-to-date information on production and post-production incentives, a visual snapshot of the city’s diverse locations, studios, technical crew pool, and talent, as well as all the relevant contact details any foreign production company may require.

FILM CAPE TOWN

Boasting an incredibly diverse talent pool, the most amazing locations, world-class infrastructure and crew and the biggest and best Hollywoodstyle studio in Southern Africa.

Cape Town offers great value for money and perfect natural light compared to other top film cities. But it’s the City’s approach that truly defines it as a premier film destination. The local industry has the best can-do attitude in the business and an ability to innovate and create, that can turn any production into something spectacular.

Film banner strip 2017.indd 2

The City of Cape Town and the film industry have started a joint initiative designed to make Cape Town Africa’s film and media hub. This Film Cape Town initiative has been created to make the most of these natural resources, infrastructure and skill set – to create a thriving and sustainable industry that benefits all stakeholders. It will also work to make residents aware of how important the industry is for them and create a film-friendly environment.

By working together, the City of Cape Town and the local film industry will ensure that film goes from strength to strength in the City and continues to be a major contributor in terms of the local economy.

The initiative is well-timed since it arrives as Cape Town emerges from its worst drought in recorded history, with residents having dramatically

changed their water habits to become the most water savvy people in the world. This, and the arrival of winter rain has seen the region’s dams starting to recover.

The City of Cape Town also realises that the industry is a catalyst for many other related businesses, including car hire, hospitality and tourism, catering and more. Because of this, and in support of the initiative, the City has frozen the film tariffs for the 2018/19 season and committed to cutting red tape and doing everything it can to roll out the red carpet for both local and international film business.

The film industry, in turn, has pledged to drive five key points: 1. Collaboration – to work together to build a thriving local Media industry. a greatFilm placeand to create 2. Fair business practice – to always charge reasonable and competitive rates and practice

ethical and fair business.

3. Transformation – to drive transformation and create a representative, fully inclusive and diversified industry.

4. Sustainability – to commit to water-wise and sustainable productions and to having respect for both residents and the environment.

5. Promotion –to promote Film Cape Town to create jobs and grow the economy.

For further enquiries please email: film@wesgro.co.za 2017/03/07 10:56 AM

26 / CLASSIFIEDS

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EPIK SET CONSTRUCTION

IMPERIAL TRUCK RENTAL

KIBA RENTALS

Epik Sets specialises in designing and building sets for commercials, TV series and feature films. We have been servicing the biggest international and local brands and production houses since 2009.

Our experienced team of set builders and scenics are a true reflection of transformation in the South African film industry.

With branches all over South Africa, Imperial Truck Rental has been involved in numerous major feature films, television series, and TV commercials.

We have branches dedicated to servicing the film industry, with the experience and capability to provide bespoke services and solutions to fulfil all your needs.

KIBA Rentals specialises in supplying the Stills, TVC and Film industry with vehicles. 9-seater Hyundai H1 buses, diesel automatic Mercedes Benz LWB Sprinters with wardrobe rails, and shelving. Toyota High Roof and Low Roof Panel Vans, with wardrobe rails and DIT tables. Hyundai Panel Vans Small Cars We also source vehicles not on our fleet.

Epik Sets, 4 Transvaal Street, Paarden Eiland, Cape Town, South Africa T: +27 21 510 0195 M: +27 72 3903535 E: info@epiksets.co.za W. www.epiksets.co.za

Gauteng - Paula Vermaak M: +27 71 853 0919 Cape Town - Susan Vermeulen M: +27 83 274 6902 KwaZulu-Natal - Nompumelelo Shezi M: +27 83 443 7464

1B Arnold Road, Observatory, Cape Town T: +27 82 561 6036 | +27 60 528 7173 | +27 76 438 3009 E: Lauren@Kibarentals.co.za | Faiqah@Kibarentals.co.za W: www.kibarentals.co.za

NAMIB FILM

PICTURECARS

“Never underestimate the advantage of local knowledge” the slogan for the Namibian film company Namib Film, has served visiting producers well. Combining local knowledge with a high standard of service delivery and experience, Namib Film is the ideal partner to facilitate feature films, commercials, music videos, stills productions, etc.

With experience of over 35 years, we at Picturecars source, paint, dress, transport, supply and oversee all aspects of picture vehicles for Film and TV. Des Erasmus, the picture vehicle coordinator, will ensure a smooth-running production; whether period, military or contemporary vehicles are required.

From client production design to onset, and within your budget-sensitive parameters.

LION & SAFARI PARK

The Lion & Safari Park is an established leader in the commercial wildlife-filming industry and can provide any type of predator shot you may require. The stunning property in Broederstroom is a spectacular filming playground, suitable for documentaries and specialised feature-film requirements.

R512 Lanseria Road, Broederstroom T: +27 87 150 0100 E: andre@lionpark.com W: www.lionandsafaripark.com

62 Nathaniel Maxuilili Street, Swakopmund, Namibia T: +264 64 463 371 E: info@namibfilms.com W: www.namibfilms.com

T: +27 83 944 6690 (Des) +27 72 569 8467 (Teuns) +27 83 263 6747 (Sarah) E: info@picturecars.co.za W: www.picturecars.co.za

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PRIEST

REFINERY

SOUND & MOTION STUDIOS

A creative studio specialising in high-end Editorial, Color Grading, Compositing, VFX, Animation and Motion Graphics for TV, Digital, Advertising and the Feature Film industry. Priest’s HQ in Cape Town has a host of talents and the dedicated team offer their skills using Premiere Pro, Da Vinci Resolve, Autodesk Smoke, Houdini and AfterEffects.

Refinery post production delivers fully integrated 4K workflows and mastering.

Our services include sound design, seamless visual effects and colour grading by top industry creatives.

All wrapped in exceptional service.

Multi-award winning post audio studios servicing the South African, African and global audio community since 2002.

Final Mix cinema stages in Cape Town and Joburg. Specialists in film score recording, servicing media composers in collaboration with the South African Film Orchestra.

14 Pickwick Road, Salt River, Cape Town, 7925 T: +27 21 201 4777 M: +27 82 552 2295 E: cal@priest.co.za

Johannesburg T: +27 11 799 7800

Cape Town T: +27 21 469 2820

1 Port Road, Cape Town W: refinery.co.za

Cape Town | Johannesburg | Lagos | Dar Es Salaam T: +27 21 4619862 | +27 11 492 1201 E: info@soundandmotion.co.za W: www.soundandmotion.co.za | www.safilmorchestra.co.za

NEWS

SPIER FILM

CELEBRATES A DECADE IN FILM

U

nder Michael Auret’s stewardship, Spier has made 20 films that have helped reshape the South African film landscape. Spier hit the international limelight with their very first foray into film production, U-Carmen Ekhayelitsha, which won a Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2005.

Auret joined Spier in 2008 and has built European partnerships for a sustainable model to creating quality South Africanmade films. The company returned to Berlin in 2013 with Layla Fourie which garnered a Jury

Special Mention in competition.

Festival attention continued when Spier hit the red carpet in the Official Selection at Cannes, once with a gala midnight screening of Kristian Levering’s western reboot The Salvation, which recreated the American west on the Highveld, and Die Stropers, Etienne Kallos’s Free State-set gothic drama which premiered in Un Certain Regard this year. Spier collaborated with Director Jahmil XT Qubeka last year for the afrofuturist short Stillborn, which won Best Short at DIFF 2018.

He thinks being involved is a gift .

“It has been our goal at Spier Films to provide a legal, financial and creative platform from which great films in any language can be launched. We are proud of the fact that we launched three Xhosa language films that made it internationally with U-Carmen Ekhayelitsha, Son of Man, and Of Good Report (TIFF 2014), and similarly we are proud to have been instrumental in the making of great Afrikaans films like, Die Stropers/The Harvesters, An Act of Defiance and Verraaiers while also telling the stories of great

Afrikaners like Ingrid Jonker (SAFTA Best Film 2012).”

Part of Spier’s modus operandi can be gleaned from what Auret’s producing partner, Lwazi Manzi, told City Press at Cannes: “The representation of Africa in film is grossly disproportionate considering the African population in the world.

The onus is on us to demand inclusion in the international film industry.” To that end Spier was approached to invest in Khumba, Triggerfish Animation’s film that premiered in Cannes and was sold internationally.

28 / OPPORTUNITIES

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HOT DOCS, SXSW, TRIBECA

OPEN FOR ENTRIES

Submit your film to Hot Docs, SXSW or Tribeca, or apply to be part of an official South African delegation to Los Angeles.

OUTWARD INVESTMENT MISSION INVITATION

The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) has invited South Africans to apply to participate in an Outward Film Investment Mission that will take place in Los Angeles from 31 October to 7 November 2018 at the American Film Market and Conference. The mission aims to promote local audio-visual content in animation, feature films and television series. It also seeks to promote SA’s film industry landscape, infrastructure projects, and shooting locations to international producers.

The invitation is extended to experienced SA filmmakers who have a proven track record in developing and producing two to five theatrically released productions in the last two years. Companies will be screened and selected in line with EMIA guidelines and market requirements, which are explained in the EMIA guidelines document. The dti will provide accommodation (bed and breakfast only) and economy class return airfare to a maximum of R17 000. Application forms and information can be accessed on www.thedti. gov.za/trade_investment/ emia_outward_investment.jsp. All applications are to be couriered.

No emailed applications will be considered. The deadline for submissions is 4 September 2018. Please courier the form and required documentation to: the dti Campus EMIA Division

Building A, Ground Floor 77 Meintjies Street Sunnyside, Pretoria 0002

HOT DOCS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

Hot Docs, the Canadian International Documentary Festival, takes place from 25 April to 5 May 2019. The event offers exceptional professional development, networking and business opportunities to filmmakers and industry professionals at all levels of expertise.

Film submissions to the 2019 edition of the festival open on 20 September at 10am EST. All submissions must have been completed after 1 January 2018, and must be at least a Toronto premiere. Long form submissions should also not be available online in any form or on VOD in any region, and should be in English, subtitled in English, or English versioned. For the full list of T&Cs, or to apply, visit www.hotdocs.ca. The early deadline for shorts, mid-length and feature submissions is 14 November 2018, while the regular deadline is 5 December 2018 and the Late deadline is 7 January 2019.

APPLY TO PARTICIPATE IN SXSW

South By South West (SXSW) Conference and Festivals is where a diverse group of creatives across interactive, film and music industries converge annually. Journey into this

oasis of fresh ideas to cultivate creativity, untangle problems, propose solutions, and forge lasting connections over 10 days of collaboration with thought leaders; working towards a more connected future.

Applications are now open for the 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals. From submitting your buzz-worthy film or performing on stage in front of a global audience to presenting your game-changing tech startup or bringing your art to the walls of Austin – take the opportunity to be a part of this inventive SXSW community from 8-17 March 2019.

The SXSW Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent from both behind and in front of the camera.

Premiere your film in front of press, film industry leaders, and film lovers as well as tech and music professionals at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival. Screening sections include Feature Film, Short Film, Episodic, Music Video, Virtual Cinema, Texas High School Short, and Title Sequence.

The official deadline is 20 September 2018, and the late deadline is 18 October.

To submit your film, visit www.sxsw.com/applyto-participate.

celebrates storytelling in all its forms from film to TV, VR to gaming. Submissions opened on August 20 for all sections of the festival – feature and short films, TV, Immersive, N.O.W. (New Online Work), and the Tribeca X Award. Filmmakers and creators can submit for consideration for all categories directly at www.tribecafilm.com/festival/ submissions or via Withoutabox at www.withoutabox.com/tribeca.

The 2019 Festival will introduce Critics Week, the first for a North American film festival, as a sidebar to the main programme. Tribeca also announced that the Tribeca X Award, which debuted in 2016 to honour the best in branded entertainment, will expand with new juried award competitions for feature length film, short film, episodic, and VR. Submission deadlines for the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival are as per dates below.

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL OPENS SUBMISSIONS

Tribeca X Award: November 28, 2018 (Early Deadline) January 9, 2019 Official Deadline January 30, 2019 (Late Deadline)

The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, announced that its 18th edition will take place April 24 to May 5, 2019 in New York City. Tribeca

Feature and Short Films, Tribeca TV, Tribeca N.O.W., and Tribeca Immersive: September 26, 2018 (Early Deadline) October 31, 2018 Official Deadline November 28, 2018 (Late Deadline)

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TWO OCEANS PRODUCTION / 29

TWO OCEANS PRODUCTION

Two Oceans Production is one of the leading service production companies based in Cape Town and Mauritius, specialising in co-production and production service to the European television market. Since its establishment in 1998, the company has grown to have completed over 120 international feature films and television series. Since the company’s official launch in Mauritius in 2013, with eight completed productions under the rebate scheme, Two Oceans Mauritius has become the front-runner in delivering world class co-production services on the island, and is very positi ve and invested in the growth of the film sector in Mauritius.

CONTACT DETAILS

Andre Loggenberg (Producer) | Giselher Venzke (Producer) t: +27 21 506 3300 f: +27 21 506 3316 e: info@topproduction.de

w: www.topproduction.de

30 / LOCATION SPOTLIGHT

www.thecallsheet.co.za

Mauritius © Still Photography by Anika Molnár, African Photo Productions

MARVELLOUS

MAURITIUS

Mauritius is the new go-to place to make movies. Here’s all you need to know about taking your next film shoot to this island paradise.

A

heavenly world known for its crystal clear oceans and white sandy beaches, Mauritius’ film production industry is slowly coming into its own. Thanks to its proximity to Southeast Asia, it is already a popular Bollywood shoot location. Some of the best known regions including the Black River Gorges National Park, Casela National Park, and the coloured earth of the Chamarel Plain and Le Pouce. Mauritius also offers an abundance of underwater photography and filming options, particularly along the more protected west coast – while Tamarin Bay has great surf breaks.

Specific looks include run-down French-colonial architecture, and sugarcane and tea agricultural looks. In December last year, Mauritius won Best Film Shooting

Destination at the International Film Business Awards.

FILMS SHOT HERE

Hundreds of Bollywood films, commercials and television series have been shot on location in Mauritius, giving the island its nickname of ‘Mini India’. These include Josh, 36 China Town, and Go Goa Gone, as well as Gérard Depardieu’s My Father The Hero (1991) and more recently, China’s The Breakup Guru (2014).

In May last year, the country hosted its first ever big-budget Hollywood production, Serenity, starring Matthew McConaughey alongside Anne Hathaway and Uma Thurman. About 80 local crew members were involved, and the island was at the heart of the story, according to the Mauritius Board of Investment.

FILMING ON LOCATION

Along with hundreds of pictureperfect locations comes another attractive reason to shoot in Mauritius: its tax rebate of between 30% and 40% on qualifying production expenditure for both local and international shoots. This incentive is eligible for production spend for commercials, feature films, TV shows, and documentaries, and there is no custom duty on equipment brought in to be used on qualifying productions. The Board of Investment facilitates producers with all shooting permits, licenses and applications for the Film Rebate Scheme.

The Board approved nine film projects last year, with a total qualifying production expenditure of MUR 1.2 billion (USD 35-million) to be injected into

the economy. India represents 43% of Mauritius’ existing film market; South Africa 10%; China 7%; UK 5%; USA 2% and France 1%. The film rebate scheme has assisted in creating over 500 direct and indirect jobs for locals.

As a result of the rebate, international filmmakers are reconsidering Mauritius as a film-friendly destination. A number of South Africans have also set up shop in-country and offer a range of production services. One such company is Two Oceans Production, which recently opened their Mauritius office. Although the country’s talent pool is small, it is growing, with a selection of local directors, videographers, stills photographers and crew available, as well as acting talent mainly of Indian and Creole descent.

LOCATION SPOTLIGHT / 31

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CLIMATE

ACCESS

Mauritius has two seasons: summer and winter. The wet, hot summer lasts from November to April, while winter is from May to October.

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is the main airport for the islands, located 48km southeast of the capital of Port Louis. Airlines flying to Mauritius include:

Average precipation (rain/snow) in Port Louis, Mauritius 200 mm 150 mm 100 mm 50 mm 0 mm

Jan

Feb

Mar Apr May Jun

Jul

Aug Sep

Oct Nov Dec

• • • • •

Air France Air India China Eastern Emirates eurowings

• • • • •

Kenya Airways • Singapore KLM Airlines Lufthansa • South African Malaysia Airlines Airways Saudia • Turkish Airlines

Precipitation www.weather-and-climate.com

Average monthly sunshine hours in Port Louis, Mauritius 400 hr 300 hr 200 hr 100 hr 0 hr

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Jul

Aug Sep Oct

Nov Dec

Sunshine hours www.weather-and-climate.com

Average Annual Temperatures in Port Louis, Mauritius 40 0C 30 0C 20 0C 10 0C 0 0C

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Max temp

Jul

Aug Sep Oct

Nov Dec

Min temp www.weather-and-climate.com

POPULATION 1 356 388 (July 2017 est., CIA World Factbook)

CONTACTS Mauritius Board of Investment Tel: +230 203 3800 Email: filminmauritius@investmauritius.com Web: www.filminmauritius.com Mauritius Film Development Corporation Tel: +230 696 3137 / +230 698 6013 Email: mauritiusfilm@intnet.mu Web: www.mauritiusfilm.mu

FIXER Tamarin Film & Services Contact: Veronika Zaplata Tel: +230 593 396 61 / +49 1728 366 827 Email: info@tamarinfilm.com Web: www.tamarinfilm.com African Fixer Contact: Durand Le Sueur Tel: +27 723 822 681 Email: durand@africanfixer.tv Web: www.africanfixer.tv

SOUTH AFRICANS HAVE ALSO SET UP SHOP INCOUNTRY AND OFFER A RANGE OF PRODUCTION SERVICES. ONE SUCH COMPANY IS TWO OCEANS PRODUCTION, WHICH RECENTLY OPENED THEIR MAURITIUS OFFICE. Two Oceans Production on location in Mauritius © Still Photography by Anika Molnár, African Photo Productions

32 / EVENTS TO DIARISE

SEPTEMBER TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 6 – 16 Toronto, Canada ATLANTA DOCUFEST 13 – 15 Atlanta, USA CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 13 – 16 Camden, USA COMIC CON AFRICA 14 – 16 Johannesburg, South Africa

GLOBAL PEACE FILM FESTIVAL 17 – 23 Orlando, USA OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL 26 – 30 Ott awa, Canada

www.thecallsheet.co.za

OCTOBER OUT AT THE MOVIES INTERNATIONAL LGBT FILM FEST 4–7 Winston Salem, Carolina

SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 10 – 14 San Diego, USA MARBELLA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 10 – 14 Malaga, Spain

JOZI FILM FESTIVAL 27 – 30 Johannesburg, South Africa

HAMPTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS 4–8 East Hampton, New York

MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 27 – 7 October New York, USA

IRIS PRIZE FILM FESTIVAL 9 – 14 Cardiff, Wales CAPE TOWN

CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 10 – 21 Chicago, USA

ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 27 – 7 October Zurich, Switzerland

CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL FILM MARKET & FESTIVAL 9 – 19 V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

CARMEL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 17 – 21 Sunset Centre, California

REYKJAVIK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 27 – 7 October Reykjavik, Iceland

BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 10 – 21 London, United Kingdom

EVENTS TO DIARISE / 33

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SHNIT WORLDWIDE SHORTFILMFESTIVAL 18 – 28 8 Cities Internationally MOSTRA SAO PAULO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 19 – 1 November Sao Paulo, Brazil SOUTH AFRICAN HORRORFEST 25 – 2 November Cape Town, South Africa TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 25 – 3 November Tokyo, Japan AMERICAN FILM MARKET & CONFERENCES 31 – 7 November Santa Monica, USA

NOVEMBER CARTHAGE FILM FESTIVAL 3 – 10 November Carthage, Tunisia NAPA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL 7 – 11 Napa, USA LONESTAR FILM FESTIVAL 7 – 11 Fort Worth, USA DOC NYC 8 – 15 New York, USA

DISCOP AFRICA 14 – 16 Johannesburg, South Africa INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL AMSTERDAM 14 – 25 Amsterdam, Netherlands INTERFILM FESTIVAL 20 – 25 Berlin, Germany

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF INDIA 20 – 28 Goa, India CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 20 – 29 Cairo, Egypt TORINO FILM FESTIVAL 23 – 1 December Torino, Italy

Hermosa Beach, California, USA | Photo by Marion Michele on Unsplash

NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL 17 – 25 New Orleans, USA

34 / ASSOCIATIONS NEWS

IPO ON THE STATE OF SABC FINANCE In early August, several production companies received a letter from the SABC saying they would not be paid this month for the programmes they provide.

Alarmingly, there was no indication of when they would be remunerated.

The implications of this are extremely serious, with most producers unable to continue working without contracted scheduled payments, which, in turn impact thousands of actors, technical crew, caterers and support staff.

This translates into thousands of bounced debit orders, unpaid bonds and school fees, as well as untold hardship for many people. Producers will already have paid VAT on the unpaid invoices.

The IPO has urgently called on the government to

assist the SABC financially as it is arguably a much more important national asset than South African Airways, which has been bailed out multiple times. Because the SABC employs tens of thousands directly and indirectly, this halt in finances is bound to cause havoc and hardship across the country. The IPO recognises the progress made by the current board in attempting to stabilise the institution, and although it works to provide a framework for long-term sustainability, the SABC’s short-term cash needs are severe and urgent.

www.thecallsheet.co.za

WINNERS OF THE APEX AWARDS ANNOUNCED The annual APEX awards were held on 16 July 2018 at the Sandton Convention Centre where marketing moguls and brand barons converged. Part of the event was the APEX NeXt Level of Thinking Masterclass packed with inspirational talks from some of SA’s thought leaders.

The awards recognised communications campaign excellence across three categories: Launch, Change, and Sustain, with an additional award for an entry that demonstrated the most ingenious response to limited advertising or research funds – this went to NSPCA Dog Fight by Grey South Africa.

King James took home a gold award for Sanlam Uk’Shona Kwelanga in the Change category. Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town took home a silver award in the Launch category for Audi Q2 #untaggable. No gold was awarded in this category, and no one was awarded in the Sustain category this year.

To view the full list of winners, visit www.acasa.co.za.

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ASSOCIATIONS NEWS / 35

CANADA AND SA RENEW CO-DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE

Canada © Mike Benna via Unsplash

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) announced on 20 July the renewal of an agreement to establish a dedicated incentive over three years for the codevelopment of TV projects between local and Canadian producers. To qualify, projects must involve producers eligible under criteria from both organisations and are eligible in the drama, documentary, or children and youth genres.

The total amount of funding available through the incentive is around CAD $120 000 or R 1 200 000 with each funding organization contributing

half of the funds. The total maximum contribution for each project funded through the incentive is CAD $40 000 or R200 000.

Producers interested in finding an international partner are invited to post a profile on the CMF website (www.cmf-fmc.ca). Profiles will be accessible to all, including potential partners from other countries.

For more information, visit www.nfvf.co.za.

36 / DIRECTORY

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DIRECTORY OF ADVERTISERS COMPANY

TELEPHONE

EMAIL

WEBSITE

PAGE

Epik Set Construction

+27 21 510 0195

info@epiksets.co.za

www.epiksets.co.za

26

FCTG Corporate

+27 11 778 8966

elizabeth.estment@flightcentre.co.za

www.flightcentre.co.za

Inside Front Cover

Gallo Music Publishers

+27 11 280 5750

michaelec@gallo.co.za

www.gallomusicpublishers.co.za

17

Global Bodyguard Solutions

+27 11 824 0334

saint@intrigue.co.za

www.bodyguardservices.co.za

05

Imperial Truck Rental

+27 11 977 7329

pasales@i-t-r.co.za

www.imperialtruckrental.co.za

26

Imwe Namibia Holdings

(+264) 64 46 3371

guy@imwe.com.na

www.namibfilms.com

26

Kiba Rentals

+27 82 561 6036

lauren@kibarentals.co.za

www.kibarentals.co.za

26

KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission

+27 31 325 0200

lungiled@kwazulunatalfilm.co.za

www.kwazulunatalfilm.co.za

Outside Back Cover

Loeries

+27 11 772 1220

info@loeries.com

www.loeries.com

Inside Back Cover

Lion and Safari Park

+27 87 150 0100

andre@lionpark.com

www.lionandsafaripark.com

26

Milk&Sugar Studios

+27 10 900 4452

james@milkandsugar.co.za

www.milkandsugar.co.za

14-15

Picture Cars

+27 83 944 6690

des@picturecars.co.za

www.picturecars.co.za

26

Priest Post Production

+27 21 201 4777

cal@priest.co.za

www.priest.co.za

27

Refinery

+27 21 469 2820

lauren@refinery.co.za

www.refinery.co.za

27

Sound & Motion Studios

+27 21 461 9862

info@soundandmotion.co.za

www.soundandmotion.co.za

27

Synchro Music Management

+27 11 462 8094

louise@synchromusic.biz

www.synchromusic.co.za

09

Two Oceans Production

+27 21 506 3300

andre@topproduction.co.za

www.topproduction.de

29

Value Logistics

+27 21 556 0700

margiew@value.co.za

www.value.co.za

07

Wesgro

+27 21 487 4844

monica@wesgro.co.za

www.wesgro.co.za/film

24-25

CONTACT US Cover Image: Mauritius © Still Photography by Anika Molnár, African Photo Productions

Special Projects Designer/Illustrator: Lauren Smith lauren@filmeventmedia.co.za

Business Manager: Joyce Chiremeso joyce@filmeventmedia.co.za

Publisher: Lance Gibbons lance@filmeventmedia.co.za

Junior Designer: Caitlin Perrett caitlin@filmeventmedia.co.za

Business Development Manager: Jennifer Dianez jennifer@filmeventmedia.co.za

Editor in Chief: Katie Reynolds-Da Silva katie@filmeventmedia.co.za

Writer: Natasha Skoryk tash.skoryk@gmail.com

Assistant Editor: Kim Crowie kim@filmeventmedia.co.za

Production Manager: Katlego Molele katlego@filmeventmedia.co.za

Head of Design: Sheree Steenkamp sheree@filmeventmedia.co.za

Traffic Manager: Tamlyn Peters tamlyn@filmeventmedia.co.za

Business Development Manager: Karen Barnes karen@filmeventmedia.co.za 2 Dingle Avenue, Kenilworth, 7708 Tel: +27 21 674 0646 www.callsheet.co.za

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CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THE PECKING ORDER #Loeries2018 Visit loeries.com for the full list of #LOERIES2018winners.

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