The Callsheet Issue 3

ISSUE 03 | 2016

N DLIO RAPI V MIPT

+ OF KINGS AND PROPHETS

ABC Studios’ First Large-Scale Production in SA

+ LOCAL TELEVISION CONTENT

The Companies Raising the Bar in SA’s TV Sector

+ MANUFACTURERS OF FILM GEAR Industry Leaders Share Their Insight

CONTENTS / 01

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02. Afrikaans Film Vir

08 12 24 30

Altyd Shatters Records

OF KINGS AND PROPHETS

The Callsheet explores ABC Studios’ latest production in depth.

03. SAFTAs 2016 Nominees

04. Cape Film

Commission Closes Its Doors

06. Design Indaba

FilmFest Reviews

07. Bobby Roth presents A Director Prepares

TV CONTENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

Local production companies share their challenges and triumphs as they navigate the television sector.

08. On Set with Of Kings And Prophets

10. Cinemark Young Lions Competition Sees Top Judges for 2016

12. Raising the Bar for

Television Content in SA

FILM GEAR MANUFACTURERS

We place the spotlight on leaders in the manufacturing realm to find out what’s new in 2016.

22. CTIAF 2016 24. Spotlight on

Manufacturers: Industry Leaders Speak Out

27. Fixers in Africa 28. MIPTV 2016 Preview 29. RapidLion

Countdown Begins!

30. Morocco: Successful Track-Record In Film

MOROCCO

A country steeped in motion picture history, Morocco is a paradise for filmmakers. Imogen Campbell reports.

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

02 / NEWS

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AFRIKAANS FILM

SHATTERS RECORDS T

he new Afrikaans romantic adventure film Vir Altyd, not only elated audiences during its opening weekend at the box office – the film also shattered records by earning R4 727 479 and was seen by 89 731 people. This officially puts it in the top spot for best earnings by an Afrikaans movie in its first weekend. The film opened on the 12th of February at cinemas around the country.

Vir Altyd tells the story of Hugo (Ivan Botha) and Nina (Donnalee Roberts) who grow up as best friends, but lose contact because of a tragic accident that changes both their lives forever.

After ten years, Hugo and Nina see each other again on the eve of her wedding to Retief (Stiaan Smith), but when her fairy tale comes to a sudden end, she and Hugo go to Mauritius; she a reluctant ‘bride’ and he a ‘bridegroom’ who is confronted with painful memories and strong feelings for Nina.

On the island they realise, after they go on several adventures and meet other couples on the ‘road of love’, that it’s not about the happy ending, but about the journey on the way there instead.

After this brilliant opening weekend, Ivan Botha and Donnalee Roberts, writers, co-producers and lead actors of the film, say: “We are eternally grateful for everyone’s support and wonderful positive feedback.

As filmmakers there is no greater honour for us than having so many people share our story and that our characters make them laugh and cry. Vir Altyd is a dream on which we’ve been working tirelessly for the past two years and it is a privilege to share this adventure with you.”

Danie Bester, co-producer of the film, says about the box office success and the entire Vir Altyd experience: “The biggest compliment and also honour for a filmmaker is when an audience comes to watch your work, identifies with the story and you have the privilege to work with people who inspire you. That is fantastic.”

Vir Altyd will be enjoyed by young and old. Supporters on Facebook are flooding the film’s page with compliments such as, “Was the best Valentine’s outing with my beloved to go and see the most beautiful movie” (Zeldine van den Berg); “My husband and I went to see your film today and the tears were streaming down my face. The movie’s depth just reminded me again that it is a privilege to find someone to share your life with.

I’ll watch the movie over and over again” (Christelle van Wyk); and Maureen van der Merwe: “We went to watch the movie today…

Grandpa and I laughed and also shed a tear… it’s a fantastic movie… we recommend it 110% to everyone… all the actors, we salute you… was great to see young and old went to watch it!”

Elize Cawood, Wilson Dunster, Ilse Roos, Dirk Stoltz, Laré Birk, Deidre Wolhuter, Andre Jacobs, André Stolz, Sans Moonsamy, Nicky de Kock, Caylem Else and Hèléne Truter can also be seen in the movie.

The film was released nationwide on 12 February 2016 by Ster-Kinekor, Nu Metro and independent theatres.

Distribution through SterKinekor Entertainment.

Vir Altyd was produced by 17FilmStreetMedia and The Film Factory.

MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO SEE YOUR FILM TODAY AND THE TEARS WERE STREAMING DOWN MY FACE. THE MOVIE’S DEPTH JUST REMINDED ME AGAIN THAT IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO FIND SOMEONE TO SHARE YOUR LIFE WITH. I’LL WATCH THE MOVIE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

NEWS / 03

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SAFTAS 2016 The SAFTA nominees have been announced! Below is a small selection of nominees.

For the full list, please visit www.thecallsheet.co.za SUB CATEGORY

NOMINEES

Best Internati onal Format Programme Best Internati onal Format Programme Best Internati onal Format Programme Best Reality Show Best Reality Show Best Reality Show Best Lead Actor (Feature Film) Best Lead Actor (Feature Film) Best Lead Actor (Feature Film) Best Lead Actress (Feature Film) Best Lead Actress (Feature Film) Best Lead Actress (Feature Film) Best Lead Actor in a TV Comedy Best Lead Actor in a TV Comedy Best Lead Actor in a TV Comedy Best Lead Actor in a TV Drama Best Lead Actor in a TV Drama Best Lead Actor in a TV Drama Best Lead Actress in a TV Comedy Best Lead Actress in a TV Comedy Best Lead Actress in a TV Comedy Best Lead Actress in a TV Drama Best Lead Actress in a TV Drama Best Lead Actress in a TV Drama Best Achievement in Directi ng - Feature Films Best Achievement in Directi ng - Feature Films Best Achievement in Directi ng - Feature Films Best TV Soap Best TV Soap Best TV Soap Best TV Drama Best TV Drama Best TV Drama Best TV Comedy Best TV Comedy Best TV Comedy Best TV Comedy Best Feature Film Best Feature Film Best Feature Film Best Made for TV movie Best Made for TV movie Best Made for TV movie

INDIVIDUAL - PRODUCER/PRESENTER Kee-Leen Irvine Kee-Leen Irvine Candice Tennant Megan Tinkler Kopano Gelman Georgie Caldow Mduduzi Mabaso (For Love and Broken Bones) Emanuel Gweva (Thina Sobabili) Lionel Newton (While You Weren't Looking) Fulu Mughovani (Ayanda) Jana Strydom (Treurgrond) Thishiwe Ziqubu (While You Weren't Looking) Aggrey Loake Mandla Gaduka Nik Rabinowitz Bekisisa Mkhwene Siyabonga Radebe S'dumo Mtshali Robyn Scott Chantal Herman Vati swa Ndara Ntathi Moshesh Linda Sokhulu Gugu Masondo Sara Blecher Tebogo Malope Ernest Nkosi The Bomb Shelter Film Company Clive Morris Producti ons Quizzical Pictures BrandedSoul Producti ons Penguin Films Quizzical Pictures Rous House Producti ons What Not Entertainment & Burnt Onion Quizzical Pictures Both Worlds Real Eyes Films Palama Producti ons The Bomb Shelter Film Company Penguin Films Ferguson Films Quizzical Pictures

events

Pro Events is the leading specialist in professional & personal security solutions for the Film Production, VIP Protection and Special Events Industry.

Risk management consulting K9 unit and armed escorts VIP Security and special events

Mobile operations unit with fully fitted CCTV control room SPACEWORX

PR

X Factor South Africa: Season 1 Strictly Come Dancing Season 8 Celebrity Masterchef South Africa Ulti mate Braai Master Season 3 Date My Family Season 1 Global Wheeling Season 1 Mduduzi Mabaso (For Love and Broken Bones) Emanuel Gweva (Thina Sobabili) Lionel Newton (While You Weren't Looking) Fulu Mughovani (Ayanda) Jana Strydom (Treurgrond) Thishiwe Ziqubu (While You Weren't Looking) Z ANews : Puppet Nati on Gauteng Maboneng Z ANews : Puppet Nati on Uzalo Saints and Sinners I Saints and Sinners I Those Who Can't Those Who Can't Kota Life Crisis 2 Saints and Sinners I Shreds And Dreams II Shreds And Dreams II Dis Ek, Anna For Love & Broken Bones Thina Sobabili Isibaya Ashes to Ashes Rhytym City Matati ele Saints and Sinners Umlilo Ga Ra Dumele Kota Life Crisis Those who can't Z ANews : Puppet Nati on Ayanda Dis ek, Anna For Love & Broken Bones Ingoma The Gift Rise

WESTERN CAPE: 13 Prestwich Street, Cape Town, 8001. Tel: +27 21 425-2170 Cell: +27 (0)83 252 1151 GAUTENG : 311 Surrey Avenue, Randburg, Gauteng, 2194 Tel: +27 11 326 4684 Cell: +27 (0)82 825 1299 E-Mail: info@proevents-sa.co.za Website: www.proevents-sa.co.za

04 / NEWS

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CAPE FILM COMMISSION

CLOSES ITS DOORS Courtesy of the CFC.

A

fter 15 years of working with the film industry, government and government agencies, the Cape Film Commission (CFC) has closed its doors. The decision was made due to the lack of funding and support we have received from local and provincial government in recent years. This lack of operational funding has made it impossible for the business to continue.

The last grant funding the CFC received was from both the Western Cape Provincial Government and the City of Cape Town in 2011 and the City of Cape Town in 2012.

These combined amounts equated to approximately just over R3-million for each year from each entity.

In recent years we have relied on project funding from MICT SETA to continue with our business. This funding has resulted in the CFC supporting over 600 bursaries, learnerships and internships during the past five years. Coupled with the limited revenue we received

from the sale of insurance policies to the industry, this project funding enabled us to continue with our core operations as well as delivering these projects. Unfortunately, we need operational funding to complement this project funding; that funding is no longer available to us and has been allocated elsewhere.

In 2015, the CFC signed an agreement with the City of George to work with them and the surrounding municipalities to develop and promote the local film industry there. This enabled us to run a series of film workshops in the Eden District for filmmakers during 2014 and 2015. There were also dividends brought to the region through a grant we received from the National Lottery Grant Trust Fund to run the Eden Independent Film Festival in October 2015.

This festival brought together filmmakers from all over South Africa to share their experiences and expertise with local filmmakers and students.

THE R10-BILLION IN ECONOMIC INVESTMENT CREATED MANY JOBS AND RAISED THE PROFILE OF SOUTH AFRICA AND SPECIFICALLY CAPE TOWN AS A FILMMAKING DESTINATION INTERNATIONALLY.

The agreement we signed with the City of George brought some limited grant funding to the CFC which assisted with our operational costs and the management of the Film Festival.

During 2015 we also received signed agreements with Stellenbosch, Knysna, Plettenburg Bay and the Northern Cape to assist them in promoting their region to the local and international film community, there was no funding received from any of these entities. However, this initiative proved successful and attracted filmmakers to those regions during 2015 and in 2016.

The core mandate of the Cape Film Commission was to promote Cape Town and the Western Cape for local and international filming. This was done through relationships with the Department of Trade and Industry, the International Emmys, the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI), the South African Consulates in various territories, the Department of Home Affairs and the film industry. These partnerships assisted us in assisting the local industry to bring in on average approximately R2.5-billion of business each year for five years. Unfortunately the relationship with the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town fell away in 2012/13, although we continued to work with various departments in both spheres of government on issues such as access to locations for filming and the use of camera drones.

The R10-billion in economic

investment created many jobs and raised the profile of South Africa and specifically Cape Town as a filmmaking destination internationally; we have witnessed a steady growth for interest in filming in the region.

One of the major challenges is to ensure we have the capacity to deliver against the opportunities we received, this in part was the work we were doing with the DTI and MICT SETA. There is a general belief that Cape Town is now in the top five of international film destinations.

The CFC is not taking credit for this, this was done by the film, television and commercials industries, we were merely facilitators in the process. Our local industry now has worldclass skills. The current exchange rate of the Rand to the US Dollar and British pound must also be factored into this success.

Unlike the KZN and Gauteng Film Commissions, the Cape Film Commission is a Not for Profit Company, we have never received the level of funding that those departments have. We are the only official Film Commission in South Africa and one of only three in Africa (as recognised by the AFCI). Our CEO, Denis Lillie is the only officially qualified Film Commissioner in Africa (as recognised by the AFCI). As a consequence of this membership and affiliation to the AFCI, the CFC are unable to charge for its’ services. This agreement holds for all of the 300+ Film Commissions around the world to ensure transparency and a level playing field. It also allows us to freely interact with these other

NEWS / 05

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WE BELIEVE THAT CURRENTLY THERE IS NO ORGANISATION THAT OFFERS THE BROAD SERVICES WE DO AS A ONE STOP SHOP, THIS IS CORE TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ORGANISATION AND THE SERVICE WE DELIVERED.

territories to discuss and develop co-production opportunities.

Several years ago when the CFC was made aware that its government funding would be cut, we met with several government departments and agencies to table the establishment of the South African Film Commission (SAFC).

This would enable us to draw on national government funding, especially as our membership had grown from 550 in 2010 to approximately 3 000 currently.

Many of our 2 000 SA members are from across the country and we took the view that we could be classified as a national organisation. However an organisation needs to have been established for over 12 months to apply for funding from certain government departments. We have never had the opportunity to test this.

Over the past year, we have been in discussions with the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) about handing over the South African Film Commission to them as there is a belief that it would make more sense for industry to have them running the SAFC, and this is in line with the Minister of Arts and Culture aspirations for the NFVF. We are hopeful that the gap left by the CFC will enable the NFVF to pick up the mantle on a national basis with the SAFC and enable it to deliver some of the services that the CFC provided to the general industry.

The role of a film commission is clearly defined on the AFCI website but some of the principal roles should be: 1. Promote South Africa as an international filming destination 2. Provide training services for local filmmakers to ensure the industry can support inbound productions 3. Provide letters of support for work visa applicants who come to South Africa as part of an international production 4. Work with the DTI on developing trade missions to international markets.

The CFC took over 160 filmmakers to international filmmakers over the past five years. This included Cannes, Tribeca, Berlinale, MIPTV, Annecy, Sundance and Banff.

5. Provide access to lost cost PL insurance for emerging filmmakers to allow them to apply for film permits.

6. Guide them through the various film permitting process with various agencies such as Public Works, SanParks etc.

7. Promote audience development It is unfortunate that the CFC will disappear from the industry landscape especially as the brand associated with the local and international markets is now more prominent than ever.

Since advising our members of our closure, we have received many emails and phone calls

from around South Africa and internationally expressing concern and frustration that we are closing. Unfortunately we cannot afford the costs to continue with the service.

We had considered alternative solutions such as membership fees. However, there are already many specialist organisations and guilds within the industry that charge membership fees. The CFC was established to support emerging filmmakers as well as the established industry.

To charge members who have little resources and ask the larger companies to pay yet another membership fee would cause frustration and would be counterproductive to the ethos.

CEO Denis Lillie comments “We believe that currently there is no organisation that offers the broad services we do as a one stop shop, this is core to the success of the organisation and the service we delivered.

Government has had internal personnel changes and policy changes that we have no say in.

We were not consulted by many of these policy decisions and therefore could not influence the processes. This has left us in the situation we find ourselves.

Serving the industry and undertaking this role for the past five years has been one of the highlights of my 38 year career. It has had its challenges and ups and downs, but ultimately it has been a privilege to work with many of you to support and encourage the development of the industry. I

am disappointed that certain government agencies made the decision to withdraw their support from what we do. We believe that with their support we could have created a much more sustainable industry with more jobs, more creativity and more opportunities.

As to the future, I haven’t given any thought to what I do next, we are currently busy with the legal and accounting process of closing the business. I would like to have continued in this role or head up the South African Film Commission for many years to come but that appears to be impossible.

I would like to wish everyone we have worked with in the five years of my tenure all the best and good luck for the future. We have been lobbying and taking different courses of action for the past three years but with little response, filmmakers can add their voice to that lobby to try and recover the situation, but that would need to be done in the next week.

I would suggest that concerned filmmakers should lobby their councillors and representatives of local, provincial and national government over this matter and insist on urgent action in further developing the South African Film Commission as an entity to provide the service the industry needs rather than just a funding body, although an independent film fund would be most welcome.”

IT HAS HAD ITS CHALLENGES AND UPS AND DOWNS, BUT ULTIMATELY IT HAS BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO WORK WITH MANY OF YOU TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY.

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DESIGN INDABA FILMFEST

This year we explored Design Indaba’s exciting annual FilmFest. The Cape Town leg of the festival was once again held at The Labia, the city’s oldest independent cinema, from 11 February to 20 February 2016.

D

esign Indaba has always had something for everyone, and this year was no exception. A celebration of film over ten nights, Design Indaba FilmFest 2016 hosted ten premieres to the African continent, showcasing features and documentaries that speak to design and creative industries. The Cape Town FilmFest took place once again at The Labia, with other venues across the country – The Ford Little Theatre in PE, The Beer Hall Contemporary Gallery in Durban, North West University’s Potchefstroom Campus, and The Bioscope – hosting selected films. Here’s a roundup of the films screened.

OTHER FILMS AT THE FEST Heart of a Dog Inspired by her beloved dog Lolabelle, American artist Laurie Anderson directed Heart of a Dog, a documentary exploring love and loss.

Misty Copeland, Image by Oskar Landi © A Ballerina’s Tale .

Anomalisa Charlie Kaufman’s puppet noir film, Anomalisa follows one man’s identity crisis during a weekend in Cincinnati.

VERY SEMI-SERIOUS

An inside look at The New Yorker’s cartoons over the years, Very Semi-Serious is a hilarious documentary that delves into the lives of the zany characters behind some of the world’s most iconic humour. Did you know that most cartoonists back in the day were men? Or that one of the few brave women who prevailed at The New Yorker really likes collecting cans of food…because of their packaging? Or that one artist submitted for 25 years before one of his cartoons were accepted? This is a fascinating and entertaining film that debunks all you’ve ever known about cartoon illustrators.

A BALLERINA’S TALE

A beautiful production that revels in the performing arts, A Ballerina’s Tale has shared Misty Copeland’s fascinating tale with

Live from New York!

Live From New York! documents the early years of Saturday Night Live and examines how this late-night show became an American institution.

A behind-the-scenes moment with Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor for The New Yorker © Very Semi-Serious

countless film festival goers – including Tribeca and Sundance.

As the first black woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre’s 75year history, Misty Copeland is already an inspiration for young dancers globally – and even more so for dancers of colour. “I didn’t fit the mould,” she says, “based on my body type, pedigree and background; I should not have been a part of one of the world’s greatest ballet companies.”

FOR GRACE

Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of the finedining industry? No more. For Grace blows the lid off this incredibly delicious world,

following Michelin Star chef Curtis Duffy’s journey to the top. Absolutely inspirational, his story explores the sacrifices a chef has to make – but it’s also showcases some wonderful, delectable and utterly creative dishes that will leave your mouth watering.

B-MOVIE: LUST & SOUND IN WEST BERLIN 1979-1989

A city in a state of emergency, West Berlin was a heaving mass of unpredictable subcultures and electrifying nightlife. A firsthand account of what took place before the curtain fell, B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West Berlin is a fascinating discovery of life before the Iron Curtain fell.

Mavis!

Mavis! is the first featurelength documentary on gospel and soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, the Staple Singers.

The Infinite Happiness The Infinite Happiness is a feature length documentary investigating and experiencing the lives of those who live and work in the 8 House.

The Wolfpack The Wolfpack is a documentary film about a family who home-schooled and raised their seven children in the confinement of their apartment in New York City.

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SPOTLIGHT / 07

A DIRECTOR PREPARES

Renowned episodic director Bobby Roth was in Cape Town for Of Kings And Prophets, and during his downtime, partnered with Wesgro to present his upcoming teaching series A Director Prepares.

W

esgro Film and Media Promotion recently hosted acclaimed LAbased director Bobby Roth at the Labia Theatre. On 30 January Roth shared his insights of the film and media industry in conjunction with selected screenings of his recently completed Masterclass series Bobby Roth (centre) with some of the Cape Town Workshop attendees. featuring interviews with 57 filmmakers and stars from his 40 Break , Revenge, Lost , and Grey’s from his unique perspective. years working in the industry.

Anatomy. At the session, he Presented to a packed room Roth has directed over shared a variety of experiences of eager local filmmakers, Roth’s eet I-2 p 80 Ad episodes 2016* 2/12/16 3:01 PM25 Page 1 and information pertaining to of television, series was not only engaging, C Y CM MY CY CMY K l Sheet I-2 p Ad 2016* 2/12/16 3:01 PM Page 1 television films and 13 features, directing, acting, producing and butM easy to understand and C Mwith Y useful CM MYinformation CY CMY K including series like Prison other aspects of filmmaking, all packed

and first-hand experience – showing just how much can be learnt on set. After each episode was screened, the floor was opened to questions, with many asking about his experiences, directing techniques, how he works with actors, and more.

His work has taken him across the globe, most recently directing on ABC Studios’ mega-production Of Kings And Prophets in South Africa.

His series is called A Director Prepares: Bobby Roth’s Masterclass, and will be available to the public later this year.

08 / SPOTLIGHT

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Of Kings And Prophets : Haaz Sleiman, Maisie Richardson Sellers, Simone Kessell, Ray Winstone, Jeanine Mason, James Floyd © ABC Studios 2016, Special Photography by Joe Alblas | African Photo Productions

OF KINGS AND PROPHETS

The Callsheet was invited to explore the incredible sound stage and outdoor set of ABC Studios’ upcoming series Of Kings And Prophets. Here’s what we found.

A

n unbelievably imaginative and vast operation, Of Kings And Prophets deserves every award it gets nominated for – and without a doubt, it’s a production that will keep viewers glued in 2016.

This is ABC Studios’ first largescale production in South Africa, and during our tour of the sound stage in Stellenbosch and the city of Gibeah in Durbanville, the local film industry’s

commitment to excellence was praised time and again.

Opening the tour, Christine Service, Senior Vice President and Country Manager for The Walt Disney Company Africa, explained how everything was constructed, manufactured and produced locally, offering skills development, work experience and employment for up to 858 crew members and 829 local businesses. Vlokkie Gordon, the

South African producer for the show, is ecstatic about what this means for the local motion picture industry, and despite her mammoth role in bringing things together logistically for the nine episodes, is still extremely humble about their achievements.

The show is inspired by the biblical book of Samuel 1, and although it’s the age-old story of David and Goliath, it’s also a story of David’s ascension to the

throne of Israel and how King Saul ultimately deals with the situation. “It’s [The Bible is] the world’s first soap opera,” Executive Producer Chris Brancato explained during a panel discussion with Production Heads and the DTI, “Your jaw drops at the detail, scope and scale.” He added that although he’s seen many crews in his day, Of Kings And Prophets’ was unique in its diversity – an eclectic mix of people he’s never

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seen before across the world.

Directors on the show also went back to Los Angeles “consistently impressed”, saying the crew was A+. “The country is gaining a reputation for excellence,” Brancato said. On average the production team spent eleven days on each episode, although the intricate detail in each setting belies this jam-packed schedule.

Of Kings And Prophets is an epic saga of faith, ambition and betrayal as told through the eyes of battle-weary King Saul, resentful prophet Samuel, and youthful shepherd David. But perhaps the most epic thing about this production is that it has changed the lives of all those involved.

During the tour, three trainees shared their personal experience working on set. Fayrous, who works in production, loves the fact that she’s learning something new every day. Luwanda joined the show as an extra and ended up in the costume department. Carl was a college dropout brought in as muscle and found he was great at costumes. “Now that I’m here, I can’t imagine doing anything else,” he said. Other success stories abound – a department cleaner became an on-set dressing trainee, four casual labourers showed such aptitude during the pilot that they’ve been integrated

into the costume department, and several ex-F.I.L.M. graduates mentored current F.I.L.M. trainees while working on the series.

This kind of production will not only impact the skillset of this sector, with many potential department heads coming out of the production, but it will also be a great vehicle for tourism. According to a 2011 paper in Cactus Tourism Journal, “researches suggest that films can have a strong influence not only on decision making for shortterm holiday, but affect tourism revenues and long-term prosperity of destinations. For instance, Braveheart saw a 300% increase in visitor numbers to Wallace Monument in Scotland after its release, Troy saw a 73% increase in visitors to Canakkale in Turkey, and Four Weddings And A Funeral saw The Crown Hotel in England booked solidly for at least three years – and the list goes on.

The Department of Trade and Industry’s Nelly Molokoane acknowledged this fact, adding that they have assisted 583 productions to date through the film incentive, 96 of which were foreign productions. Of Kings and Prophets will premiere on 8 March in the US and in SA later in the year on M-Net Edge (DStv Channel 102).

Of Kings And Prophets © ABC Studios 2016, Unit Stills Photography by Trevor Adeline | African Photo Productions

OKAP IN NUMBERS • 1: This is ABC’s first largebudget television series in South Africa

• R70M: The estimated

tax, direct and indirect, generated by the series

• R470M: The direct

production spend in SA, of which R391 million is Qualifying South African Production Expenditure (QSAPE)

• 675-858: The number of

local crew members at any given time over an average of 39 weeks

• 3-10: The number of local actors per episode

• R7M: A distillery in

Stellenbosch was converted into a fully functional sound stage with surrounding production offices, at a cost of around R7 million

• R11M: The biblical city of

Gibeah was constructed on a farm in Durbanville at a cost of R11 million, with a fully South African Art Department overseeing the design and creation

• US$405K: Local visual

effects companies have been engaged to provide CGI work at a minimum spend of just over R6.3m.

• 26: The number of trainees on the series, spanning 12 departments

• 20,000: Around 20,000

• R1.7M: The estimated cost

• 99% : Of the overall

• 5: Since the beginning

extras man-days

shooting crew base, 99% are South African

• 829: The number of local

vendors contracted on the series

of training on OKAP

of the production, five trainees have graduated to full-time crew positions, working on OKAP or other shows currently in production

Of Kings And Prophets © ABC Studios 2016, Unit Stills Photography by Trevor Adeline | African Photo Productions

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CINEMARK YOUNG LIONS COMPETITION SEES TOP JUDGES FOR 2016

Ahmed Tilly, Executive Creative Director Black River FC

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ight phenomenal judges will be using their years of experience and expert opinion to decide which South African creatives from the brand communications industry will be heading off for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity during this year’s Cannes Young Lions Competition.

The judges who will hold the fate of hopefuls from around the country in their hands have been selected as the cream of the crop when it comes to the industry, ensuring that the very best candidates who have earned their spot at Cannes realise their dream.

AHMED TILLY

Tilly began his career at FCB before spending a couple of years at Publicis. He then moved to

Andrew Mackenzie, MD Boomtown

Kerry Friend, Executive Creative Director Isobar South Africa

Tshireletso Yvonne Diogo, Marketing Manager and Account Executive for Cinemark

The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town where he was appointed Creative Director. He returned to Johannesburg to work at TBWA/Gavin Reddy. In 2005, the ambitious and talented ad-guru started up Black River FC. With 20 years under his belt, Tilly has worked on brands like Mini, 1st for Women and Nando’s.

He has also won several Cannes Lions awards, a silver Nominee at D&AD and has won a host of South African Loerie Awards and other international awards.

wins at The Assegais, The Loeries, Clios, Cannes Lions and Epicas.

could create analogue Instagram filters using midi controllers, and distortion pedals. Kerry is also part of a collective, Create Africa, who produce cultural events focused on the intersection between culture and technology.

ANDREW MACKENZIE

MacKenzie leads Boomtown, a dynamic through-the-line, solutions-based advertising agency. With over 20 years’ experience on leading brands, he has judged at Loeries and Cannes Lions and led Boomtown to national and international accolades including numerous

KERRY FRIEND

Apart from working as Executive Creative Director at Isobar, South Africa, this talented lady also heads up Nowlab, an innovation programme, which plays host to workshops and hackathons for the Dentsu Aegis Network, and clients alike. Over the last 16 years Kerry has worked as a copywriter and then Creative Director at a number of leading advertising agencies, including TBWA Hunt Lascaris, Ogilvy and DDB, and as Executive Creative Director at hellocomputer for three years. Her projects have included an interactive mountain bike course for the launch of Toyota RAV4, the famous tweeting badger, BG, for the Johannesburg Zoo and recently a workshop where attendees

MARIANA O’KELLY

O’Kelly started her career at Lindsey Smithers FCB as an assistant art director. Over the next several years, Mariana has worked at South Africa’s top agencies, including TBWA\Hunt Lascaris, The Jupiter Drawing Room and Net#work BBDO, where she made logos bigger for Nike, BMW, Virgin Atlantic, Mercedes Benz, Economist, Cell C, Nedbank and Chicken Licken.

In 2011, Mariana took on the role of Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg and within two short, but successful years later was promoted to Executive

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Creative Director to run the largest creative department in the country. In 2012, she brought home two D&AD pencils and, in 2014, led her team to make history by winning Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide’s first Cannes Lions Radio Grand Prix for work on Lucozade.

MIKE SCHALIT

Schalit began his career by failing as a rock musician. He then nearly ended it with a B.Comm. Since co-founding Net#work in April ’94 Mike’s accolades include 17 Loerie Grand Prix, 3 Cannes Grand Prix, two Lifetime Achievement Awards, SA Advertising Hall of Fame, SA’s No.1 Creative Director for eleven consecutive years, Most Influential Person in Advertising, Advertising Person of the Year and Achiever of the Decade. Mike’s burning hope is for creativity to make a real difference, pioneering the world’s

first non-profit agency model, The MAL Foundation, which has so far designed seven funky libraries in township schools.

TSHIRELETSO YVONNE DIOGO Diogo oversees all of the Lions Festival’s programs in South Africa, which includes Cannes Lions, Eurobest, Dubai Lynx and Spike Asia. She has attended the Cannes Lions Representative Meeting in this latter capacity - where all 90 countries representing the festival in their respective territories share the state of creativity as well as best practice to advance creative excellence. It is the amalgamation of all such effort at Cannes Lions each year that is judged and awarded a Cannes Lion accordingly; thus setting the standard for best practice in global standards. She brings to the jury a retrospective view to ensure South African Young Lions selected continue to

represent the region well at the festival this June. In her 14 years as a seasoned marketer, she has delivered on national and international marketing campaigns comprising the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Miss South Africa, acts such as John Legend, Kylie Minogue and Sun City Resort to name a few.

XOLISA DYESHAN

Dyeshana’s passion lies in the world of creativity and it’s evident in the many accolades he’s received, both locally and internationally. Xolisa is the current Chairperson of Creative Circle – the highest decisionmaking body for creativity in South Africa, made up of a handful of the best Creative Directors in the country and has also served as Chairperson of The Loerie Awards, South Africa’s premiere advertising awards show. He has won numerous creative awards from

Cannes Lions, D&ADs and One Shows to Loeries. Having opened at the 20th annual Design Indaba Conference, along with Pepe Marais, in 2015, Dyeshan has also been named one of the Top 6 People To Watch In Advertising by Finweek. He has judged many award shows around the globe including The Cannes Lions Awards, The Bees Digital Awards, The John Caples Direct Awards and many more.

Creatives have to be under the age of 30 to enter one of the most esteemed and advantageous competitions in the creative industry – the Cinemark Young Lions Competition. The local leg of the competition will see a two-man team handpicked by the judges as the winners. These two will have an opportunity to travel to the Cannes Lions Festival and represent South Africa in the Young Lions Competition, taking place between 18 and 25 June.

Studio and field monitors designed for Videographers and Photographers.

Professional LED lighting soluions.

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RAISING THE BAR FOR TELEVISION CONTENT IN SA

South Africa has long been known as the ultimate service destination, but these days, television producers are all about creating their own content for local and international screens. Kim Muller speaks to the movers, shakers and up-and-comers in this sector.

DISCOVERY’S TV SLATE FOR 2016

Richard & Aaron, Fast n Loud © Discovery Networks

LEE HOBBS, VP OF CHANNELS, EMERGING BUSINESS, DISCOVERY NETWORKS CEEMEA What were some of the main things on your agenda on Discovery’s visit to South Africa last year?

November is traditionally when we hold our annual Upfront event, a showcase of upcoming content for the year ahead across our flagship channel brands in front of an audience of advertisers, media and DStv clients.

Discovery has been present in Africa for nearly 20 years and since then we have developed our portfolio to a point where it is arguably one of the most competitive in the market. In 2015 Discovery Channel was the #1 factual channel in South

Africa for men, while TLC has grown from strength-tostrength since its launch in 2011, and it is currently the #1 lifestyle channel for women.

Based on your experience within this industry, where do you see Africa’s TV landscape heading in the next decade?

People are changing how they watch content, and as one of the world’s leading programmers, we need to stay current and adapt how we deliver our content to consumers. Globally, Discovery is developing the way it distributes its content; we believe that we can tell our stories in any and every medium – free channels, Pay TV, digital, on mobile phones, and in all formats including long and short form, as well as epic movie-style content.

• Wild Capture School, produced by Goddunit Productions in Zimbabwe, is currently on air on Animal Planet Sundays at 6:20pm.

• Lions of Sabi Sands, produced by Aquavision in SA, is an extraordinary documentary filmed over 16 years. It will premiere on Animal Planet in August.

• Deadliest South Africa, produced by Double Rainbow Pictures in SA, follows Kurdt Greenwood’s quest to seek out SA’s 12 most deadly snake species.

• Diamond River Hunters currently airs on Discover Channel on Mondays at 9pm and is filmed in SA at The Letsing Mine.

• Characters like Whitney Thore and Buddy Valastro resonate with Discovery’s African TLC audiences, while series like My Big Fat Fabulous Life, Cake Boss, Long Island Medium, My 600lb Life and Extreme Cheapskates are popular.

• Fast n Loud, Gold Rush, and Running Wild with Bear Grylls are popular on Discovery Channel.

• The Killing Fields and a spin-off to The Island with Bear Grylls appeal to broad audiences in 2016.

LARA BLACK, OKUHLE MEDIA COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR What are some of the challenges you faced in bringing some of your productions to fruition?

One of the biggest challenge facing local producers is securing funding to cover production budgets – whether one is working on an Advertiser Funded Programming (AFP) model or a commission, the market is competitive and budgets tend to be low. Producing television shows is expensive, especially if one wants to film outside of South Africa – as we did with Sarah Graham’s Food Safari.

Okuhle Media has developed a commercial model that allows the company to secure partfunding via naturally fitting brand partners, providing a 360-degree value offering in return that extends beyond the incidental and authentic in series coverage.

How do you set yourselves apart from competitors?

We’re relatively unique in the industry in that we deliver a brand marketing service to our clients that extends beyond the TV environment. We support a Branded Entertainment model, where brand and advertising messages don’t compromise entertainment and production values. In

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addition to being financially competi ti ve, this approach provides an exposure footprint that enjoys a longer life and a higher impact than a classic 30-second TVC, delivering more than mere brand exposure, but provides the brand with a powerful associati ve link to the editorial values of the entertainment, which are further leveraged via an interacti ve social media campaign that includes digital, experiential, POS and direct marketing elements.

Is there enough work in local TV content production? What are the opportunities and trends for TV producers?

With the launch of new local channels, like VIA, there are more opportunities for local producers to start developing and producing successful formats that can

extend into multiple seasons.

While the barriers to entry are falling away, one of the biggest challenges remains being able to secure funding to produce good content. The other challenge is the need to keep up to speed with the fast pace of technology as it evolves. Filming in HD used to be cutting edge, but the goal posts have moved and now everyone’s embracing fourfold HD resolution in the form of 4k video.

OKUHLE MEDIA’S TV SLATE FOR 2015/16 • In November 2015, for the first time in Okuhle’s history, the company had one new or extended show broadcasting on each of the major local networks simultaneously: M-Net, SABC2, eTV, Media 24’s VIA and

the Food Network.

• The Fabulous Food Academy with popular food hosts Jenny Morris and Reza Mahammad was the Food Network’s top performing show of 2015 • Sarah Graham Cooks Cape Town was extended for a second season.

Entitled Sarah Graham’s Food Safari, the show debuted on M-Net in November 2015 following a US premiere.

• Kasi-Licious Season 3 is a street food-inspired cooking show featuring presenter Tol A$$ Mo and broadcast on eTV iKasi+ • Okuhle developed 6 Afrikans lifestyle series for VAI: Brood en Botter, Die Eet Oorlog, Ken Jy My, Stylstryd, Hou op Wegsteek , and Strooi Meisie.

• Hectic Nine-9 celebrated its 8th birthday last year and launched an allnew campaign, entitled Mission Mzanzi.

• Okuhle and Cooked in Africa joined forces to secure an SABC 2 commission to coproduce Sony Pictures international format Showville, which launched in February 2016.

• Season 2 of Neill Anthony Private Chef will be debuting on SABC 3 in prime time from July 2016.

• Ocean Adventurer will also see a second season air on SABC 3 in 2016.

• Safari CSI is on the development slate for the second quarter of 2016, featuring extreme adventurer and conservationist Braam Malherbe.

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PETER GIRD, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND CO-OWNER OF COOKED IN AFRICA FILMS What are some of the challenges you’ve dealt with in your productions?

Working in Branded Entertainment is a challenge for all of us. With the devaluation of the Rand, local brands are forced to put their prices up because of international costs. Sadly the advertising/ media/ film producers are the first guys to be cut and as a result of the economic situation at the moment, we are not experiencing the level of support from brands that we are used to. However, we still believe that our model

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delivers measured ROI for our clients and we believe that it is the most affordable TV and media exposure that money can buy.

What issues do TV content producers face in the local industry? What are the opportunities?

Our local broadcasters do not pursue or engage with us as to their needs and their entertainment requirements.

The communication between Broadcasters and Producers is non-existent. We are constantly trying to secure meetings to discuss ideas and get feedback. Sadly this is lacking and has to be addressed.

Where do you see SA’s TV landscape in the next decade?

The first thing we need to do is get the funding models right. I know that funders like the DTI, have the best intentions in the world in their support of new age filmmakers however you cannot buy experience. Having said that, I am proud to see new filmmakers entering the content market – and the fact that South Africans and their work are being taken seriously by global networks.

Who would have thought that a Johannesburg security firm would have a hit television show called Night Guard, or that four ladies from Charly’s Bakery in Cape Town would have a fan base from every country in the world with our hit show Charly’s Cake Angels. The possibilities are there, the financial backing is hard to find. I think we will continue to make some headway, but we need to find new funding models in order to make SA a force to be reckoned with.

LUCILLA BLANKENBERG, DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY MEDIA TRUST AND OFF THE GROUND MEDIA Ultimate Braai Master © Justin Bonello, Cooked in Africa

CIA’S TV SLATE FOR 2015/16 • Ultimate Braai Master was the biggest success story for CIA in 2015.

The show achieved a whopping 1.7 million viewers weekly making it the number one lifestyle outdoor cooking show in the country. Format options for UB were sold in seven countries: USA, Canada, Sweden, Poland, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. The current show is broadcast to over 100 million homes around the world in 280 territories and has been translated in to 22 languages. Season

5 is in production.

• Showville is on air since February 2016 every Saturday evening on SABC 2. A second season is on the cards.

• Beer Country continues to sell well internationally, and was bought by India and neighbouring territories.

• Global Wheeling has completed a successful run on Outside TV in the USA with a potential commission for Season 2.

• Leopards in Cape Town, Education and Neighbourhood Farming are a few of CIA’s passion projects in the works in 2016.

How healthy is the local television production sector?

Judging from the amount of local shoots and new local content on television, I’d say it’s fairly healthy. But producers have to constantly develop content and drive the fundraising for local content.

What are the challenges production companies face and how do you navigate these

issues to grow the industry?

Low budgets from broadcasters are a challenge and producers have to come up with creative ways to tell the stories within a low budget. It can also take some time for a budgets to approved or to raise the funding for the project, prices go up while you’re fundraising making it hard to produce on an outdated budget. It is also a challenge to compete with international productions which are able to pay much higher rates for crew and cast. CMT has managed to navigate these challenges by shooting in winter and by giving opportunities to young eager crew and cast to learn on the job.

What is unique about your new show JAB? JAB is unique in that it is told through the eyes of a young female boxer from Langa.

Women’s boxing in South Africa has not been explored in local television or media and that gives the show its unique point of view and context. JAB explores the issues of negative gender norms, gender based violence based on sexuality or perceived sexuality, living with disability and drug addiction. I chose boxing mainly because I love the movement and the sport, and I always wanted to direct a fight scene. But also because there’s a certain elegance in boxing, your defend yourself, but you have to think, to react, to pay attention, to have courage, it mirrors both the turmoil and calm in the life of the lead character, Bee Sonldo.

I AM PROUD TO SEE NEW FILMMAKERS ENTERING THE CONTENT MARKET – AND THE FACT THAT SOUTH AFRICANS AND THEIR WORK ARE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY GLOBAL NETWORKS.

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COMMUNITY MEDIA TRUST’S TV SLATE FOR 2016 • JAB is a gritt y comingof-age drama set in the world of competitive boxing. It is CMT’s second series for SABC 1 and airs from February 2016.

• CMT is working on its first feature RUN , currently being written by Meesha Aboo, one of the producers on JAB. This will be her first feature and is a vigilante thriller set in Khayelitsha.

• Atlantis is a documentary currently in post-production, which follows the demise of the textile industry in SA over a 10 year period.

• A number of drama series, doccie series and magazine shows are in development.

• The launch of Off The Ground Media will allow the creative/production team to produce more commercial work, which will help make CMT more sustainable.

I THINK TELENOVELAS ARE GAINING TRACTION AND OF COURSE REALITY TV SEEMS TO KEEP ON REINVENTING ITSELF.

© Visual Impact

© Visual Impact

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like Pixel Crew are a welcome addition to the crewing landscape as they only do digital crew and understand our needs.

Fast-moving technology can be challenging at times and one has to carefully plan and select your digital equipment and workflows.

Ocean Adventurer © Okuhle Media

MARIUS VAN STRAATEN, DIRECTOR AT VISUAL IMPACT What TV content has been popular with viewers of late?

I think telenovelas are gaining traction and of course Reality TV seems to keep on reinventing itself. Wildlife is an area our sales have done exceptionally well

VISUAL IMPACT’S TV SLATE FOR 2015/16 • 2015 began with consecutive series of the I’m A Celebrity…

Get Me Out Of Here! reality TV shows.

• Visual Impact has been providing fly away multi-camera production units for studios, setting up a complete control room and cameras in less than a day.

• The Siyakholwa TV series was hosted in the Media Hive studio.

• A Portuguese Telenovela in Mozambique was a rewarding, but very demanding shoot.

• Visual Impact has facilitated a number of Afrikaans shows including reality show Boer Soek n Vrou, cooking show Brood en

in. Wildlife is increasingly being driven by 4K acquisition and commercials and features will follow – albeit a bit slower. We also are getting more business from the emerging new media content generators. Religious content creation is definitely growing. I think considering the political and social times we are

Botter, and Afrokaans.

• Cooking show Siba’s Table.

• Local version of international reality format SA’s Got Talent.

• Live events coverage included Hillsong Colour Festival, Churches of SA Xmas Festival, TedX, Ultra Cape Town, Design Indaba Cape Town, Worldclass Bartenders Festival, One Direction concert and the Silicon Cape Initiative.

• VI provided 4K multi-camera fibre infrastructure for Mumford and Sons concerts in SA in 2016.

A number of large reality TV projects are on the horizon, as well as dayto-day rentals ranging from documentary shoots to online content generation.

experiencing this is only natural.

What challenges do you face in the productions you were involved in?

Often we have to advise and guide the client as to the most appropriate kit for their budget.

Especially with multi-camera clients sometimes expecting an OB (Outside Broadcast) van, when the budget is more suited to a fly away production kit. This requires carefully managing their expectations to avoid disappointment on delivery. Logistics can be challenging, especially in Mozambique. Our team was stopped a total of 17 times from the border to the location by officials trying to illicit bribes.

Good digital crew can be scarce at times. Crew agencies

GAMBIT FILMS’ 2016 SLATE • Suidooster, which is currently airing on kykNET and in production at Atlantic Studios, is in its first season.

• Two feature films are on the 2016 slate: a co-production with Kalahari Film and Media, and a production with Helena Spring.

What are some of the issues and opportunities in the industry, especially pertaining to local TV content production?

As long as the political infighting at the SABC persists, local content creation will suffer.

Online content and streaming is a two-edged sword, in that South Africans are watching more international online material, but at the same time also creating more South African online content. The quiet revolution will be the increase in online South African content accessible to initially a relatively small portion of the Wi-Fi enabled audience.

This, too, will change as internet accessibility increases and people in non-urban areas start watching.

BRADLEY JOSHUA, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, GAMBIT FILMS Tell us about your new show, Suidooster, co-produced with Urban Brew and currently airing on kykNET. 80 jobs have been created through the new show and the growth potential is huge. This is also a first for kykNET, because they realised it was important to tell stories of people of colour, but from their own view point –

X CON FILMS’ 2016 SLATE • Awakenings: A Muslim/ African religion magazine series is currently airing on SABC 3. Season 9 is in production.

• 400 episodes of Siyakholwa have been produced and aired, with Season 9 currently in production.

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not an outsider’s. After we won four awards at Silwerskermfees, kykNET gave us a production opportunity. Suidooster has been aired since November on kykNET and kykNET & Kie. What are the challenges South African TV content producers face?

We are missing good scripts in South Africa, but Gambit has some of the best up and coming writers and directors, with two feature films on the slate in 2016 – a co-production with Kalahari Film and Media, and a production with Helena Spring, both of which are 80% financed. We are also looking at international marketability to grow local cinema and TV audiences. We are spending time with the data to develop projects with universal stories in a local setting or subculture, that appeals to both South Africans and global viewers.

MUNIER PARKER, OWNER, X CON FILMS What are some of the challenges TV content producers face in SA? As one of the few black-owned companies with a 90% black production crew operating in the industry, I can say that 20 years after 1994 nothing has changed.

This is a sad fact especially in Cape Town because black filmmakers don’t have the same access to resources as their white counterparts might have. I was

on the frontlines helping the industry deal with political issues around black filmmakers – but about five to seven years ago I withdrew my involvement and focused on producing original local content. Since then, we’ve worked with the SABC regularly, and were chosen by Discovery to do some work with them.

We were also commissioned to do a short for HBO’s Sesame Street in the US, and we are on Season 9 of our Muslim magazine show and Siyakholwa.

BRIDGET PICKERING, PRODUCER, FIREWORX MEDIA What has Fireworx Media been up to recently?

We’ve been doing television dramas for the last ten years and it’s a very difficult medium because it’s so intense and relentless. We started with Gugu and Andile which was a Shakespeare adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, we’ve done Dreamworld, which is another Shakespeare adaptation, End Game, and we’re now doing Hustle. We’re also about to do a telenovela, Keeping Score, and it’s set against the world of sport. It’s about a boxer called Justice who suddenly becomes very well known and one day has a one night stand with a woman who gets pregnant. He then returns to SA 20 years later to set up a sports academy to develop talent, and the woman he met 20 years ago comes back into his life wanting revenge for

FIREWORX MEDIA’S 2016 SLATE • Feature film Chemo Club, directed by Thandi Brewer, is set for local and international release in late 2016.

• Dreamworld Season 2 follows the miniseries with 13 episodes.

It’s an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

• Hummingbird (Habashwe) Season 1 is in development,

this failed love and rejection.

That’s for SABC 2. Chemo Club is a feature featuring Lilian Dube and Brumilda van Rensburg and is set for release internationally in October 2016.

Tell us about your current production Hustle. What challenges have you dealt with on the show?

I think we’ve had to deal with the normal challenges of time, budget constraints, wanting to have really great actors, then there’s their availability – pretty standard.

I think some productions are harder than others. You also have to think of how you’re going to manage the monster, in a way, and you’ve got to really think about that quite strategically.

Hustle is an eTV project that will probably go on eTV eKasi, but it will be on eTV proper in

with director Jahmil Qubeka and writer Thandi Brewer attached.

• Keeping Score is a South African telenovela set in the world of sports and is set to air on SABC 2.

• The Sound of Animals Fighting is an upcoming feature by director Sibs Shongwe-La Mer (Necktie Youth). Currently in development.

• Hustle is an eTV project with a completed Season 1 and Season 2 in production.

June. We completed season 1 and we’re shooting season 2.

What are the opportunities in the digital arena, especially for TV content?

It’s a growing sector, but the main challenge is to change the business model so that it’s easier to produce high-quality work. We really have to open up this space and not depend only on broadcast funding, and digital opens up opportunities to do that. I think with companies like Netflix expanding, there’s an opportunity to do really high quality drama and shows. So I’m hoping that’s the direction it will go in – I really do. Television is the one place where filmmakers can certainly grow and develop their skills, there’s a huge opportunity there.

It’s where most filmmakers do learn how to make feature films.

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Kasi-Licious © Okuhle Media

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Sarah Graham Cooks Cape Town was extended for a second season entitled Sarah Graham’s Food Safari © De Leça Photography, Okuhle Media

TV PRODUCTION COMPANIES COMPANY NAME

SPECIALITIES

9mm Films

Boutique production company with experience in tailored content

KEY PROJECTS

WEBSITE

Africade Productions

Production house specialising in stills, commercials and reality TV shoots

Amazing Race, Britain’s Next Top Model

www.africadeproductions.com

AFS Productions

Production House specialising in commercials and broadcast

Netflix

www.afsproductions.com

Aquavision TV Productions

Premier wildlife production company with over 10,000 hours stock footage in HD, 2K, 4K and 8K resolution

Mother Warthog

www.aquavision.co.za

Area 51 Productions

Production company with experience from big budget location shoots to studio pack shots

Tabloid (e.tv), Spirit of Olympia

www.area-51.tv

Astral Studios

TV and commercial production studios with focus on educational and animation TV series

Alison Moyet (DStv), Jojo, Mouse in the House

www.astralstudios.co.za

Bellovista Productions

Production company with experience in Southern Africa and South America, specialising in documentaries and travelogues among others

Big Banana Films

Production company facilitation documentaries, drama reconstructions in Southern Africa

Big Film and TV Productions

Filming, editing, post, directing and producing

Bluehouse FX

Broadcast Visual Effects

Hectic Nine-9

www.bluehousefx.com

CamHouse productions

A television and video production company, home to award-winning programmes like Carte Blanche

Carte Blanche, Oscar Pistorius Trial

www.carteblanche.co.za

Chroma Television

TV, corporate and documentary production company with post production facilities

The Muhammad Ali Tour of South Africa, Wildlife Documentaries at Mala Mala and Mashatu in Botswana, SABC and M-Net programming

www.chromatelevision.co.za

Coal Stove Pictures

Film and television production company headed by an awardwinning director, a seasoned actor and a well-known filmmaker

Hear Me Move, Tooth and Nails, KeJive, Call Center, Remix

www.coalstove.co.za

Community Media Trust

A non-profit organisation producing a number of shows and documentaries on social justice and other topics

Amaza, JAB, A Country for my Daughter, Brothers in Arms, Law and Freedom

www.cmt.org.za

Competent Artistes

Video production for television entertainment and news

Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital Project, Interview with Oprah

www.competentartistes.tv

Cooked In Africa

A company specialising in original content, with over 21 TV series and 150 hours of programming under its belt

Ultimate Braai Master, Cooked, Global Wheeling, Beer Country, Leopard, Charlie’s Cake Angels, The Ride

www.cookedinafrica.com

Cover Africa

A news and sports production company for international broadcasters

Al Jazeera English, BBC News, BBC Newsnight, BBC Panorama, BBC Radio 2, Sky News, Sky Sports, Sky Vision, CBC, ITN, SABC, Endemol, Soweto TV

www.coverafrica.com

Dancing Light Productions

Commerical, television and film production services, as well as creators of film and TV fiction content

Let’s Fixit, High Season, Shooting Stars, Unicity

www.dancinglight.co.za

Day Zero Films / Steps

Documentary productions and international co-productions for social change.

Afridocs on DSTV, CareTakers, Steps for the Future, Why Democracy, and Why Poverty

www.steps.co.za

www.9mmfilms.com

www.bellovistaproductions.com

BBC’s Walking with Cavemen, An Idiot Abroad, Man Hunt: Kalahari Killers

www.bigbanana.co.za www.bigfilmandtv.com

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COMPANY NAME

SPECIALITIES

KEY PROJECTS

WEBSITE

Deepend Post Production

Post for TV Series, commercials and documentaries

4Play: Sex Tips 4 Girls, MasterChef SA, The Lab 2, Intersexions,

www.deependpost.com

Desert Rain Films

Namibia’s only production service company dedicated to conservation of land, cultures and wildlife

The Amazing Race, Superhuman Animals – BBC America, ITV, The Hunt – BBC 1

www.desertrainfilms.com

Devereux-Harris

Film and video production company specialising in music videos, live shows, TV shows, and documentaries

Digital Broadcast Hub

Television broadcaster, production company

Do Productions

Production company working in both film and television industries

Dreamcatcher Productions

Production & editing company specialising in behind the scenes, production/client content management and montages and showreels

Dv8 Films

Filmed content across the production spectrum from cinema and television to mobile and internet distribution platforms

How to Steal Two Million, State of Violence, In a Time of Violence (The Line), Africa Dreaming, Short and Curlies

www.dv8.co.za

Edenrage Media

An immersive entertainment company offering content for all platforms

Coke Studio Africa, The Biggest Loser South Africa, SuperDance Championship, Show Me the Mommy

www.edenrage.tv

e.tv

Broadcast studios across the country for live and studio recorded shows

Endemol South Africa

Producers of quality TV content

Survivor SA, Isidingo

www.endemol.com

Farm Film

The Farm is a hands-on production service company with experience shooting in over 15 countries in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands

Universal Channel, Black Mirror Series, Sky Anytime+

www.farmfilm.tv

Film Afrika

Africa’s premier production company and SA’s most prolific producer and co-producer of films for the international market

Black Sails, Dominion, Labyrinth, Chronicle, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

www.filmafrika.com

Fireworx Media

An integrated production and distribution company creating original content

The March of the White Elephants, The Dream of Shaharazad, The Chemo Club, The Devil’s Lair, End Game, Askies!

Sticks and Stones, uGugu No Andile, MzansiLove, Monna wa Mmino

www.fireworxmedia.co.za

Foghound Studios

TV and radio content producers and studio facilities

Sharp Shooter for M-Net

www.foghound.co.za

Gambit Films

TV and feature film production house focused on local and international work

Suidooster, Nommer 37

www.gambitfma.co.za

Geoff Theys Productions / Durban MediaNet

Broadcast TV productions, children’s TV, wildlife, sport and documentary productions

Durban TV, Edu Wild,

www.gtprod.webs.com

Global Access

HD Studio, Live TV broadcast and streaming, pre-production, location broadcasting, post production, distribution

Money for Mahala, Gospel Grooves, Skwizas, Dzinge, Life with Thami, Dirty Laundry

www.globalaccess.co.za

Green Earth Films

International and local documentary series and project development

Grinder Films

Studio and stage technology for a tabletop studio work

Groundglass

Boutique production company with experience in service, tabletop, beauty and content.

Hartland Studio

Television broadcaster

Homebrew Films

A production company with a number of local productions under their belt

Kwela, Bravo, All Access Mzansi, Roer, Jou Show, Kollig, Wild Animal Orphans, Tech Report

www.homebrewfilms.co.za

Imageworks

An award-winning video and multimedia production company

BBC, National Geographic, MNet, Animal Planet and Discovery Channel content

www.imageworks.co.za

Kalahari Film and Media

A leading production company in Southern Africa

Dredd, District 9, SAF3, Thirteen Hours, The Triangle, The Librarian

www.kalaharipictures.com

Let It Rain Films

A collective passionate about commercials, feature films, television content and documentaries

Survivor 2, Amazing Race, Voices, BBC, Jack Up Your Shack

www.letitrainfilms.com

Man Makes a Picture

Production house specialising in documentaries and television

It’s Africa’s Time, Straatpraat, Mzala – Discovers Wine in the Winelands

www.manmakesapicture.co.za

Maxi-D TV Productions

Film and television content production

SABC 1 – Skeem Saam

dmaxbrown@mweb.co.za

Miros Films

One of SA’s longest established production companies with over 47 years’ experience

M-Net Production Services

Television broadcaster and Studios

www.dha.co.za www.digitalbroadcasthub.co.za My Sister’s Kids in Africa (Denmark), Where the Road Runs Out (Netherlands), 419 (USA)

www.doproductions.com

www.dreamcatcherproductions.co.za

www.etv.co.za

Michael@greenearthfilms.co.za www.griderfilms.com MTV Base, The Man with the Heavy Leg, Birdman (short), Thomas, Thomas Returns

www.groundglass.co.za www.hartlandstudio.co.za

www.miros.co.za Special interest, magazine and other shows including Big Brother Africa and Carte Blanche

www.mnetcorporate.co.za www.mnet.co.za

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COMPANY NAME

SPECIALITIES

KEY PROJECTS

WEBSITE

Modern Times

Production house with boutique post-production facility built around FCP, DVD authoring, conversions, web, multimedia and audio mix

SABC, Carte Blanche inserts, Burden of Truth, All About Reeva, Finding Leigh, A Tangled Web

www.modern.co.za

Moonlighting Film Production Services

One of the premier production companies in southern Africa for production services, co-productions and structured financing with over 20 years’ experience

Homeland Season 4, Livingstone, Locked up Abroad, How We Invented the World, The Challenger, Mary and Martha, Restless, The Borrowers, Flight of the Storks, Infested, Mister Bob, Pirate Island, Hitchcock, I Shouldn’t be Alive 4, Of Kings And Prophets

www.moonlighting.co.za

Morula Pictures

Award-winning, BEE compliant TV production house with credentials including primetime drama, serial drama, feature films and children’s television

Magic Cellar, Generations, How to Steal 2 Million, Winnie the Opera, HANI, JOZI H, Backstage

www.morula.co.za

Ochre Moving Pictures (Ochre Media)

OMP Production Services offer post-production facilities with flexible, 24 hour service

Mzansi, Kwanda, Scandal!, Relate, Takalani Sesame, Take 5, The Wedding Show

www.ochre.tv

ODM

Television broadcaster

Off the Fence South Africa

International company producing and distributing documentaries, factual features and TV shows

Britain’s Broken Families, Confessions of an Alien Abductee, Freaks of Nature, Stan Lee’s Superhumans Season 3, Wildest Indochina, Wildest Middle East, World's Wildest City: Manaus

www.offthefence.com

Off the Ground Media

Sister company to Community Media Trust, it supplies affordable marketing and media production for small businesses

Amaza (SABC 1), Siyayinqoba Beat it! (SABC 1), A Country for My Daughter, Casa De La Musica

www.offtheground.co.za

Okuhle Media

An award-winning media and production company that currently delivers over 500 hours of content per year, both locally and internationally

Signal High, Kasi-Licious, Hectic Nine-9, Glitterboys & Ganglands, My Night Reality Series

www.okuhle.co.za

One Step Beyond

A service production company with experience in commercials, film and television

BBC London, The Entertainment Group (Netherlands)

www.onestepbeyond.co.za

Orijin

Leading broadcast design group in South Africa

M-Net, Channel O, kykNET, Carte Blanche, MK, Promax, Animax, Koowee

www.orijin.co.za

Out of Africa Entertainment

Production company with an experienced team able to provide a “hand-on” approach to both television and film productions

Wild at Heart, The Prisoner, Strike Back, Generation Kill, The Royal, The Bang Bang Club, Bluestone 42, The Book of Negroes

www.outofafrica.info

Pieter Cilliers Productions

Award-winning television production company specialising in magazine programmes, actuality and documentaries

Kwêla (kykNET)

www.pietercilliers.co.za

Phenomena Productions

Creative producers in the TV and non-broadcast fields

Picture Tree

A production company specialising in commercial, service and broadcast

Gogglebox

www.picturetree.co.za

Quizzical Pictures

An industry leader for over 15 years, creating quality TV drama, factual programmes and digital content innovations

Rhythm City, Intersexions I & II, Swartwater, 4Play: Sex Tips for Girls, the Lab, Those Who Can’t I & II, Hopeville

www.quizzical.co.za

Rapid Blue

World class television producers for SA, Nigeria and the rest of Africa, from live TV to international formats

SA’s Got Talent, Pawn Stars SA, Strictly Come Dancing, The X Factor SA, Dragon’s Den,

www.rapidblue.com

Neill Anthony Private Chef © Okuhle Media

www.starsat.com

www.phenomenaproductions.co.za

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COMPANY NAME

SPECIALITIES

KEY PROJECTS

WEBSITE

Red Pepper Pictures

TV production house and animation facilities

Ed and Eppa In the Wild

www.redpepper.tv

Sasani Studios

Television and film studios with post production facilities

National Geographic, Scandal!, Muvhango, Rhythm City, Turn It Out, 7de Laan, Big Brother – The Chase, eKasi

www.sasanistudios.co.za

Silverline 360

A group of companies – Media Film Service, Movie Mart, Refinery and Searle St Post –bringing world class film and broadcast services to clients in Africa

www.silverline360.com

South Africa Broadcast Corporation

The SABC has broadcast, recording and outside broadcast facilities across the country including music studios, a drama studio and TV broadcasting

www.web.sabc.co.za/sabc/

Spier Films

Spier Films is an award-winning production and finance company with offices in Cape Town, London, and Reykjavik.

The Salvation, The Price of Sugar, Veraaier, Of Good Report, Trend Beacons, Indigenous Encounters, Highway Vultures

www.spierfilms.com

Stark Films

Friedrich Stark is a television producer creating content for the SABC

Generations, Binneland

friedrich@postmasters.co.za

Street Stories Films

Company broadcasting four seasons of Street Talk in Western Cape, Eastern Cape and DStv

Street Talk

www.streettalktv.com

Talking Pictures

A specialist production company focusing on natural history, cultural and wildlife related productions

Nature On Track, The Whole Story, Young and Wild, Nature’s Babies

www.talkingpics.com

Tekweni TV Productions

Production company

The Bomb

Production company focused on local talent, TV dramas, documentaries, commercials and museum instalments

Isibaya, Jacob’s Cross, Yizo Yizo, Shuga, Soul Buddyz, Think Big live on SABC 3

www.thebomb.co.za

The Bridge

Production house for film, television and media

Vallei van Sluiers, Medua – Queen of the Climb, The Story of an African Farm

www.thebridgesa.co.za

The Video Lounge

Production house for commercials, television series, documentaries and reality shows among others working across Africa

TVPC Media

Award-winning production of TV content, documentaries, outside broadcast and international facilitation. Green screen & virtual studio.

SuperSport, e.tv, Sky, SABC, MTV, M-Net, The Game, The Wrap and live sport broadcasts

www.tvpcmedia.com

Two Oceans Production

TOP have produced more than 60 movies for the German speaking market, both TV and features

Superdad, Rosa 2, Stranded in Paradise, Grzimek, Unfriend, The Sinking of the Laconia

www.topproduction.de

Urban Legends International

Film, television and commercials on-set production services and post production

Black Sails Season 1, Mad Dogs Season 3, Seal Team 8, Heatstroke, Skrillex – Ragga Bomb

www.urbanlegendsinternational.com

Uhuru Productions

Producers of quality, socially engaging films, documentaries, television drama and factual series

The Mating Game, Dilemma, My Land My Life, Miners Shot Down, The Battle for Johannesburg, Bhambatha, Citizen X

www.uhuruproductions.co.za

Ukhamba Communications

Television and video productions, editing, graphic design and animation

Visual Impact

The authority in both digital and high definition broadcast solutions in South Africa

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, Fear Factor Malaysia, India & America, You Deserve It, Dare to Dance

www.visuals.tv

Waterfront Film Studios

TV Series, Staging, Post Production, Visual Effects

Dominion

www.waterfrontfilmstudios.com

Waterston Entertainment

TV and film productions specialising in documentaries, children’s live action, entertainment TV and commercials

Scrapmac and the Sky Raiders, Antartica: Ice World Pioneers, Whispering the Wild, Circle of Ice

www.waterston.tv

We Shoot Food

Tabletop studio run by Rob Payton & Farm Film

J’Accuse – The Superchefs C4 UK, Further Abroad – Beer BBC 2, Two Fat Ladies – BBC 2, Gary Rhodes around Britain BBC2

www.farmfilm.tv/weshootfood

Wicked Pixels

Award-winning production company offering highly creative visual solutions to advertising, broadcast and gaming industries

X CON Films

A production company with over 10 year’s production experience in diverse subject matter

Pasella, Awakenings, An NUR, Club Hopping, The Kolbe Show

www.xconfilms.co.za

ZenHQ

ZenHQ is a leading film and television production company with expertise in co-productions and co-financing

Die Windpomp, 12, 4 Women, Black Beauty, The Forgotten Kingdom, Clifton Shores, Darfur, Our House, Tunnel Rats, Hotel Rwanda, Stander, Charlie Jade

www.zen-hq.com

www.satvchannel.com

www.thevideolounge.co.za

www.ukhamba.com

www.wickedpixels.com

Disclaimer: Although there are many successful television content production houses in South Africa’s motion picture landscape, due to space constrictions The Callsheet is only able to include the major companies involved in this line of work.

22 / SPOTLIGHT

www.thecallsheet.co.za

CTIAF 2016

LEAVES LOCAL ANIMATORS IN HIGH SPIRITS The Cape Town International Animation Festival, which took place from 18-24 February, was a feast of animated content from the African continent and further afield.

K

icking off with a special screening of Adama and a Q&A session with French Associate Producer Arnauld Boulard, the Cape Town International Animation Festival was an impressive curation of fascinating talks, mesmerising animated stories, and networking events. Taking place between the swanky, upmarket River Club and the Labia Theatre, it explored all aspects of animation – from products and trends, to animator talks and more.

Friday, 19 February, saw Academy Award nominated Director Tomm Moore share via live link his experiences working on Song of the Sea, while Mastitute spoke on their new opportunity of a lifetime.

AJA Video Systems brought a captivating talk on the world of Adobe animation, with Matthew Gyves showcasing a range of new tools from Adobe Systems including tablet-based motion graphics, new product launches and tools for 3D character previs. He also spoke on products that open up character animation to anyone and everyone.

The afternoon saw a number of seminars on packaging your product for market, selling yourself, and how to get started as an animator, including a talk from Creative Producer Wendy Spinks, Nick Wilson, creator of My Child and winner of the DISCOPRO 2014 Animation Pitching Competition, Improv Specialist and Coach Megan Furniss, and a panel discussion with Alexi

Adama

Wheeler, Tas Parsadh and Pippa Tshabalala from Nickelodeon.

CTIAF attendees celebrated the festival opening with a cocktail party, culminating the evening with the muchanticipated Student Awards.

Saturday, 20 February, was packed with things to do, with Lars Espeter from Friends of Design discussing how gaming tech can and will affect the advertising realm, while Tyrone Rubin from SenseVirtual explored the topic of VR and what the opportunities are in various industries in South Africa. Chaos Group and The Foundry presented Shahin Toosi, who demonstrated Sci-Fi City – a project that lays the foundations for a new approach to workflow for compositors.

Senior Dreamworlds Animator Nedy Acet shared his

enthralling 17-year journey in the industry, while LAIKA shared 300,000 Clicks of a Camera, a captivating look behind the scenes of major stop-motion productions. Triggerfish also shared their experience in taking Stick Man from script to screen, with Daniel Snaddon and Mike Buckland taking attendees through the process.

Christine Ponsevera led a workshop on producing and IP development, using a number of case studies to present the different strategies for development, financing and producing film and TV content in Europe. Matthew Brown Head of Production for Jungle Beat also led a workshop where he discussed what it takes to package, sell and distribute six seasons of 7 minute episodes in 180 countries.

CTIAF finally wound down on the Sunday with a few presentations, including a graphic novel/sequential art workshop with SA indie comic book artist Su Opperman, a Pop Panel chat on the convergence of comics, graphics and animation, and a selection of short films.

The Best Student Film award went to Aurora, which was a collaborative effort between six students from The Animation School and three from Stellenbosch University. Aurora also won Best Technical Effects and Best Sound; while Paint took home Best Character Animation.

Best Solo Project went to The Render Games. The winners of the Nickelodeon-sponsored Award for Best Student Film, Aurora, will spend two weeks at Nickelodeon studios in the US all expenses paid.

FILM HIGHLIGHTS AT CTIAF • Adama • Between Frames: The Art of Brazilian Animation • Ernie Biscuit • Farmers Llamas • Lost & Found • Phantom Boy • Sita Sings the Blues • Song of the Sea • Stick Man • The Best of London International Animation Festival 2015 • The Best of SA Animation • The Boy and the World

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WINNING SHORTS

TEAM

Best Student Film: Aurora Best Sound: Aurora Best Technical Effect: Aurora

James Mann, The Animation School Tyla Koen, The Animation School Samantha Hillebrand: Technical Effect Lead, The Animation School Daniel Morrison, The Animation School Grant Jacobs, The Animation School Chris Thwaits, The Animation School Philip Antoni Schonken: Soundtrack Composer, Stellenbosch University Aret Lambrechts: Sound effects and Foley, Stellenbosch University Jo Ellis: Final Mix Engineer, Stellenbosch University

Best Character Animation: Paint

Character Animation Leads - Timothy Mayers & Luke Berge, The Animation School Andrew Cottingham, The Animation School George Botha, The Animation School Ruan Smith, The Animation School Nico Venter, The Animation School Matt James, Rhapsody Recording Greg Albert, Rhapsody Recording Maike Watson, Rhapsody Recording

Best Production Design: Arid

Production Design Leads - Jeremy Van Reenen & Alex Bain, The Animation School Ruan Rosslee, The Animation School Charl Van Der Merwe, The Animation School Wisaal Abbas, The Animation School Nicholas Danks, The Animation School Arthur Feder, Stellenbosch University

INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS Best Character Design: Blue Moon

Allegra Hoekstra, The Animation School

Best Character Animation: Out of Coffee

Eduardo Rocha, The Animation School

Best Solo Project: The Render Games

Dayaan Abarder, The Animation School

CTIAF 2016 OPENS WITH

ADAMA

The Cape Town International Animation Festival opened on 18 February with a special screening of Adama at the Labia. Kim Muller reports.

O

n a beautiful summer’s eve, animators, industry supporters and film lovers gathered to celebrate the opening of the Cape Town International Animation Festival.

Held at the Labia, the city’s oldest independent cinema, attendees were greeted with canapes and drinks before heading into the screening of Adama.

An epic story with a fascinating mixture of 2D and 3D animation, sweeping brushstokes and delicate movements, Adama is the first full-length animation to come out of Reunion Island. Set in 2016 during the First World War, Adama is a young, naïve twelve year old determined to bring his brother Samba home after he becomes

‘possessed’ by the Nassara – conscripted into the French army.

His sheer determination takes him far from his home hidden in the cliffs of West Africa, where he’s stayed sheltered from the unpredictable World of Wind.

From stowing away on a war ship, to the filthy streets of oldenday Paris, and finally to Verdun, the terrifying frontline of the war – Adama prevails...or does he? The end left me wondering, wanting more, but mostly in awe at how much I cared about what happened to him.

This compelling story is woven together magically, with intricate animation techniques, seemingly bizarre cultural mores and some zany but ultimately good-natured characters along the way.

Adama

24 / FEATURE

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© Panalux

MANUFACTURERS OF FILM GEAR INDUSTRY LEADERS SPEAK OUT Will you be releasing new products to the market?

AJA: AJA continuously releases products throughout the year and not just at the major broadcast trade shows like NAB and IBC. AJA’s new products build on and expand the company’s

award-winning lines of professional solutions for the TV, Film and AV industries.

New products showcased this year include Ki Pro Ultra 4K/ UltraHD/2K/HD recorder, KONA and Corvid video I/O and encoding cards, HDBaseT and Fiber as well as Io solutions

for professional broadcast and streaming markets.

Canon: Canon invests considerably in research and development to ensure constant innovation in delivering new products, solutions and services that are relevant to today’s

market. However, Canon does not divulge information or offer insight into future products.

What we can tell you, is towards the end of last year Canon made a few announcements at their Paris Expo event including that the company is currently developing

FEATURE / 25

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an 8K cinema camera and a 120 megapixel DSLR. Sony: We continuously strive to understand the requirements of our customers and deliver innovations that address their changing needs. Our unlimited passion for technology, our relentless pursuit of innovation and our constant dialogue with our customers helps us understand our customer’s needs better and deliver products and solutions that are appropriate for them.

JVC: We certainly will! Last year we released four new cameras and we definitely see areas this year where we believe we can offer exceptional products particularly with our success in streaming and IP workflows.

Panalux: We always have a number of products in the pipe and in various stages of development. One aspect of Panalux operations that makes us unique and able to compete on an international scale as a world-class lighting equipment rental provider is our in-house engineering and product development teams.

As a direct response to our customers’ feedback, we recently launched the battery-powered Panalux LED Flex Light, a thin, flexible and super lightweight LED lighting panel. It has been incredibly well received in the market, and we’re pleased with what DoPs and Gaffers have been able to do with it – from strapping it to a person to throwing it up on a flagstand to nailing it to the corner of a wall.

Flexibility and sustainability are key trends that are heavily influencing the direction of our R&D right now. We have some products currently in the works that support productions’ aim of being more environmentally conscious through the employment of low-energy lighting.

And we see that in the past few products Panalux has launched, including the NessLED lighting kit, the HiLo Softsource, the Tektile panels, and LD X90 lights as well. We have some exciting things coming.

THE XC10 OFFERS INCREDIBLE RECORDING VERSATILITY AND CAN CAPTURE A DIVERSE RANGE OF SCENES IN PROFESSIONAL 4K QUALITY USING A SPECIALLY DEVELOPED 10X OPTICAL ZOOM LENS. and simplify integration of new formats into existing technology infrastructure. The company will also be showcasing new solutions supporting IP-based, Fiber and HDBaseT workflows for professional markets.

Canon: According to Future Source, a specialist resource and consulting company, Canon dominated market share in South Africa where it was the top selling professional video brand in quarters two, three and four of 2015. Aligned with its focus on becoming the largest and preferred provider of professional video equipment in this market segment, Canon is expanding its range and is using various platforms to showcase its professional video

Where did your strength lie in 2015, and will this be expanded or diversified in 2016?

AJA: In 2015 AJA continued to be a frontrunner in developing video and audio products that form the foundation for futureproof workflows in professional post, broadcast, production and AV markets including the emerging 4K and UltraHD markets. In 2016, customers should be looking to AJA for new products in their lines of I/O devices, converters, recorders, routers and cameras that offer new ways of working,

Canon XC10 FSL © Canon

products to the industry.

For instance, Canon South Africa had a presence together with two of its partners, ORMS and Cinephoto Tools, at the Mediatech Africa show, and it also hosted two interactive events, in Cape Town and Johannesburg, to launch the new XC10 and EOSC300 Mark II. These cameras expand Canon’s 4K range and demonstrate the company’s ongoing investment in new products.

The XC10 offers incredible recording versatility and can capture a diverse range of scenes in professional 4K quality using a specially developed 10x optical zoom lens. The XC10 is also Wi-Fi compatible; enabling remote control of key features via a browser, smartphone or tablet.

26 / FEATURE

The EOSC300 Mark II features an advanced imaging engine with dual DIGIC DV5 processors, new professional codecs and outstanding dynamic range, making it the most capable, flexible and accessible Cinema EOS video camera to date. The EOS C300 Mark II comprises Canon’s Super 35mm CMOS sensor and an increased ISO range up to ISO 102,400 which deliver exceptional low light performance.

Sony: We have seen continuous growth year-on-year and it has been reflected in 2015 as well. This is largely due to the expansion in products and services that we offer and our commitment towards providing advanced, technologically sound, audio/visual and security solutions to our customers.

In 2016, we look forward to further expanding our offerings and introducing cutting-edge solutions that will enable our customers to improve processes and ultimately achieve better business results.

JVC: Last year we released the GY-LS300 our first large sensor

JVC GY-LS300 with follow focus and lens © JVC

www.thecallsheet.co.za

interchangeable lens camera as well as an extremely highquality mini camera system in the GW-SP100, both of which really surprised people and have been used by the likes of the BBC and Eurosport as well as countless smaller production companies in the case of the GY-LS300. Both these cameras had the awardwinning streaming interfaces which are the most complete on market. As IP becomes more important to all customers we will continue to innovate and develop our IP solutions so that we remain number one.

Panalux: Around the world, Panalux had a strong 2015 that included several sizeable productions, regional expansions, and support of local projects we consider very important to progressing the industry like sponsoring film students and emerging filmmakers.

Year over year, Panalux South Africa increased work by 5.2% in the TV/drama segment and an incredible 17% in features, and added important lighting stock to their inventory. We were one of the first to supply

WE LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER EXPANDING OUR OFFERINGS AND INTRODUCING CUTTING-EDGE SOLUTIONS THAT WILL ENABLE OUR CUSTOMERS TO IMPROVE PROCESSES AND ULTIMATELY ACHIEVE BETTER BUSINESS RESULTS.

the ARRI Skypanels in both South Africa and the UK and expect demand to remain high through 2016. Among many other productions in 2015, our team in South Africa serviced Mad Max: Fury Road, Chappie, and series four of Black Sails.

In the UK, our TV/drama team really went to work in 2015, providing lighting and other equipment to nearly 60 different productions, including Game of Thrones, Outlander, Pole Dark, Night Manager, Dr. Foster and many others. Spectre, the latest in the James Bond franchise, and the yet-to-be-released

Bourne film capped the year for our Features Majors team in 2015. And our Commercials and Music Videos team maintained their momentum in 2015, servicing a huge amount of shoots throughout London and beyond.

Because our breadth and depth of inventory is so extensive, we were able to service all of these projects, often times several at a time.

That’s also a testament to the professionalism of our rentals teams around the world working in conjunction with one another to ensure client expectations are met and orders are fulfilled.

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SA FIXER DIRECTORY Imogen Campbell presents a snapshot look at some of South Africa’s best fixers.

A

fixer in the film and related industries is a profoundly necessary role. It is requisite for a fixer to be an expert with fundamental knowledge of their region, an outstanding organisation skillset and other specialist abilities. They are responsible for hiring equipment,

advising on cost, acquisition and sourcing of talent and crews, as well as accommodation and other logistical support.

Having good connections, cognisance of political process coupled with a dash of diplomacy and willingness to undertake some unusual tasks is all part of the requirements

to be a successful fixer.

Integrity and honesty are always safeguarded because reputation is at stake and is determinant of the next assignment. It is essential to complete shoots excellently and legally every time in order to save time and cost whilst eliminating inconvenience

and delay. South Africa is thoroughly promoted as a filming destination and has developed a good name abroad. The skills of local fixers contribute to this success with their proficiency and excellent support to productions. The Callsheet has compiled a list of fixers in South Africa:

NAME

COMPANY NAME

TEL

EMAIL

DETAILS

Helen Atty

Two Seas TV

+27 21 801 0986 +27 82 728 9818

helen@twoseas.cc

• •

Based in Western Cape Speciality: 15 years’ experience in production of television series and commercials.

Neil Bowden

Freelance

+27 84 674 5674

neil1@telkomsa.net

•

Speciality: Documentaries and Location Scouting.

Karen Brooks

Freelance

+27 83 259 6324

karenvbrooks@gmail.com

• •

Based in Gauteng Speciality: Line Producer, Wildlife Fixer and Researcher

Peter Currey

Freelance

+27 82 892 9997

peter@sitewise.co.za

• • •

Extensive experience in Northern Cape.

Speciality: Location management Website: ww.locationssa.co.za

Jo Higgs

Freelance

+27 21 462 3213

info@gotrolley.com

• • •

Based in Western Cape Speciality: Fixing mostly for foreign news and Documentary crews.

Did local Fixing for BBC Sport and BBC World

Tania Jenkins

AfriScreen Films

+27 21 788 5777

production@afriscreen.com

• •

Based in Western Cape Speciality: Logistical support and production management

Brad Logan

BLM Productions

+27 83 232 1758

brad@blmsa.co.za

• •

Based in Western Cape Speciality: Film and Stills production.

Margie McMahon

Freelance

+ 27 82 557 63 21

margie@margiemcmahon.co.za.

• • •

Does extensive work into Africa Line producing, locations, logistics, equipment Website: www.margiemcmahon.co.za

Rick Matthews

Big Banana Films

+27 82 443 6307

rick@bigbanana.co.za

• • •

Based in Gauteng Speciality: Producer and Location Scout Website: www.bigbanana.co.za

Jason Merle

Banana Boys

+27 73 747 9311

bananaboyz@mweb.co.za

• •

Based in KwaZulu-Natal - also does work in Mauritius Speciality: Locations and Logistics

Richard Moerdyk

FIXERFILM

+27 83 301 9032

richard@fixerfilm.com

• • •

Based in Western Cape Speciality: Producer Website: www.fixerfilm.com

Morten Nielsen

Freelance

+27 72 376 4405

locations4africa@gmail.com

• • •

Based in Western Cape Speciality: Location Scout and manager www.locations4africa.com

Morgeez Production

Morgeez Production

+27 73 371 7802

production@morgeez.com

• • •

Based in Gauteng Speciality: Filming production facilitation Website: www.morgeez.com

Yvette Oosthuizen

Freelance

+27 82 829 0896

yvette@wildblue.co.za

• •

Based in Western Cape Speciality: Field and line producing.

Susan Puren

Freelance

+27 82 416 6193

susan@puren@gmail.com

• • •

Based in Gauteng Speciality: Investigative Journalist, Sourcing of locations, interviewees and experts.

Worked for CBS (US) and SKY (UK)

Vanessa Yelseth

Time Frame

+27 11 782 1152 / +27 83 680 3441

vanessa@timeframetv.com

• •

Based in Gauteng Speciality: Equipment and Production.

Disclaimer: Although there are many successful fixers in South Africa’s motion picture landscape, due to space constrictions The Callsheet is only able to include the major individuals involved in this line of work.

28 / SPOTLIGHT

www.thecallsheet.co.za

MIPTV 2016 A FOCUS ON THE FANS

Imogen Campbell reports on the world’s most established TV and digital content market.

©MIPTV

M

IPTV will be held from 4-7 April 2016 at the Palais des festivals et des Congres de Cannes in Cannes, France. This four-day event is the world’s most established TV and digital content market. It is described as an ecosystem for dealmakers and content creators to forge partnerships, do deals and network with international executive peers.

Two facets of the conference are MIP Digital Fronts where the new digital era of content creation is shaped and MIP Formats, two days before MIPTV, focuses on scripted and unscripted formats and their latest developments.

This year’s theme is “Power of the Fans.” With radical advancement in the digital sphere,

and a pronounced shift in the way consumers digest their content, it is imperative to adapt to be able to feed the appetite that is changing the traditional television content creation model. Collaboration with fans by broadcasters, platforms and creators is imperative as fans drive content in new ways.

The keynote speaker in 2015, Tim Pastore, had highlighted the millennial shift influencing creativity and the pivotal need to grab and keep their attention.

2015 conference trends showed that national and cultural barriers were no longer of consequence with regard to content creation, especially in the drama genre. MIP Digital Fronts displayed a free flow of expertise and ideas between the online

platform and traditional television.

These trends exquisitely segue into the 2016 edition, setting the stage for robust discourse.

The three keynote speakers were selected on the basis of their role in the redefinition of content creation and how it is experienced and distributed.

Laurine Garaude, director of the television division, Reed Midem stated that they “truly embody the MIPTV 2016 overarching theme, the Power of Fans.”

The first speaker is best-selling author (60 million copies) Harlan Coben who has some of his work adapted for television and recently agreed to write his first exclusive television screenplay. The second is Mattel’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Richard Dickson, responsible for all aspects of Mattel’s portfolio of consumer brands, including Barbie’s latest rejuvenation. Mattel has been named MIPTV 2016’s Brand of the Year acknowledging its track record on fan engagement and innovative content creation. The third is the president of Vivendi Content. His unit is tasked with discovering talent and investing in new forms of video and music content for the group’s brands. He is also global Managing Director for Havas Media Group, where he oversees all brands, clients and commercial activities. The tenets of their presentations seem set to catalyse innovative buzz.

MIPTV 2016 will also spotlight Germany by its “Focus on Germany’ segment. It affords an opportunity to discover new German programming as well as meet high-level executives from their industry. German

companies have the fourth biggest presence at MIPTV with public networks WDR and Deutsche Welle also set to attend. In terms of revenue, Germany is the one of the world’s four biggest television markets, with more than 40 million TV households.

The inaugural MIPDrama Screenings will have a Selection Jury of six international creators featuring executives from among others Sky and Canal Plus. There will also be an exploration of the rapidly growing eSports as the next big content play as well as the tricky issues of rights and ownership.

The role of LIVE programming is also under scrutiny; it used to be the ultimate for linear television programming and appears as vital in the non-linear programming since the most popular apps downloaded in 2015 were the ones permitting live broadcasts.

Another major aspect is the continual development of Ultra UHD – in fact, Japan will present a segment, as it has made incredible strides in this arena in preparation for the 2020 Olympics. Virtual Reality is still on the agenda as it is projected to go mainstream in 2016.

STATS FOR 2015: • 100 Countries • 11 000 delegates • 4 000 buyers • 1 000 digital buyers

SPOTLIGHT / 29

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RAPIDLION COUNTDOWN BEGINS! Set to take the continent’s film industry to new and prestigious heights, RapidLion will present the best films from Africa, the diaspora and the BRICS nations at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg this March.

T

he official countdown for RapidLion 2016 has begun. There are just a few days left until the official opening of the festival.

The festival runs from 12 – 19 March 2016 at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. Film lovers will get to experience the very best films from Africa, the African diaspora and the BRICS nations at the festival.

South African film will be well represented at

the festival, with Mandla Dube’s, Kalushi premiering and opening at RapidLion 2016. Sara Bletcher’s Dis Ek Anna and Richard Finn Gregory’s, The Boers at the End of the World – will also be among the South African offerings at the festival.

Cinema from the rest of the African continent will be sure to wow audiences as well. Film lovers cannot miss Timbuktu, a masterfully

made film from Mauritania and Independence, an Angolan documentary, which shows an intriguing account of the Angolan civil war.

There will be a plethora of films from all over the globe.

Drachinzeit - A Rite of Passage is a great documentary from Germany which shows a community of women that has created a rite of passage to help young girls come through the awkwardness of puberty into the realisation of their own beauty as they say goodbye to childhood and embrace womanhood. Dennis Rodman’s Big Bang in Pyongyang is an hilarious account of Dennis Rodman’s, a retired American basketball star player, trip to North Korea.

RapidLion also brings you excellent BRICS cinema too. Pechorin is an exquisite adaptation of a classic Russian novel which is sure to thrill audiences. Bodyguards And Assassins is an amazing Chinese Film, which tells the story of an attempt to overthrow the Qing dynasty in 1905. Brazil is also well represented in the festival with a brilliant feature length film, Trinta, which tells the story of Joaosinho Trinta, the most awarded organiser and creative brain behind some of the most thrilling ever carnival processions in Brazil.

India brings 3 Obsessions; a triptych spread over a hundred years, with each story exploring one facet of an obsessive relationship.

The short film section

is the only one opened up to the entire international community, and RapidLion has created an innovative feature length experience in this section. Short films will be arranged thematically as dramatic shorts, student shorts in competition, and comedic shorts. Within these categories, a viewer will watch between four and 11 films for the price and duration of one feature length film.

To crown the festival, the 16th of March will see the staging of the inaugural RapidLion Award Ceremony, where filmmakers in attendance at the festival will win the universe-class RapidLion, an award statues built by R.S. Owens & Company, the same outfit that makes the Oscar and Emmy awards.

RapidLion tickets will be available at Ticket Pro for as little as R35. The full ticketing price structure is as follows: • Students and Retirees (one screening): R35 • Discount Voucher (R15 off one viewing per screening): R50 • Normal Ticket (one screening): R55 • Day Pass (minimum fourteen screenings): R295 (You save R475) • Festival Pass (up to 55 screenings): R995 (You save R2 030) For more information or to book your place, visit www.rapidlion.co.za.

30 / LOCATION SPOTLIGHT

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Dromedario © Carlos ZGZ

Volubilis Walili, Morocco © Chico Boomba

Doors © Jamie McCaffrey

MOROCCO

SUCCESSFUL TRACK-RECORD IN FILM Imogen Campbell reports on a location laden with striking landscapes, astounding architecture and tantalising cuisine and culture.

M

ystical Morocco is a mere fourteen kilometres from Europe as separated at the Strait of Gibraltar. Roughly the size of California, it is situated in the Maghreb region of North Africa and also borders Western Sahara and Algeria.

Forming part of the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, it is fusion of Arabic, African and European flair; an alluring filming magnet with stature and formidable legacy.

Morocco presents striking

landscapes, astounding architecture and tantalising cuisine and culture. It has exceptional light for shooting, relatively low shooting costs and a developed industry.

Versatility is its hallmark, as it has the ability to mimic other locations. Morocco has been mostly unscathed after the Arab Spring of 2011 and its stability has contributed to its utility for the movie industry.

While competitors in the MENA region like Tunisia and Egypt are dogged by instability at this

time, it continued to flourish.

It is also renowned to have a more accommodating atmosphere for foreign film productions with more creative freedom and content regulation. Despite this, it still banned Exodus: Gods and Kings just one day before its screening. Similarly, producer Nabil Ayouch, who represented Morocco in the 2013 Oscar race, directed Much Loved, which was controversially faced with much criticism for its portrayal of prostitution in Morocco.

The industry is very reliant on its supportive government. The U.K. and Moroccan governments have signed a co-production treaty with regard to film production. The last decade saw development in the film industry as the public funding French model called Advance of Receipts, was a boon to the industry. The state institution, the Moroccan Cinema Centre (CCM) advances the film industry.

The most recent development is its new tax incentive legislation which has been approved and

LOCATION SPOTLIGHT / 31

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CLIMATE Morocco has a varying landscape so climates differ across the country, with the northern Moroccan coast and central areas being more Mediterranean. It has dry summers and mild winters. Inland temperatures vary between extremes.

Average Min and Max Temperatures in Marrakech, Morocco 40°C 30°C 20°C 10°C 0°C

Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, Game of Thrones © M-Net

Jan

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Jul

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Oct Nov Dec

Min temp © www.weather-and-climate.com

Average monthly precipitation with rain, snow, hail etc.

50mm 25mm 0mm

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Mar Apr May Jun

Jul

Aug Sep

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© www.weather-and-climate.com

GETTING THERE BY AIR Hammam, mosquée de Hassan II (Casablanca, Maroc) © Carlos ZGZ

will be implemented on 31 March 2016. The Moroccan government noted the impact of this type of system as introduced by South Africa, France and Belgium, because foreign films chose these locales instead of Morocco. The Moroccan World news confirmed that foreign films will be eligible to receive 20% cashback if its expenditure is at least MAD 10-million (US $1-million) and provides at least 18 days of work.

Marrakech International Film Festival honours films and filmmakers and its 15th edition will be held in December 2016, though dates are not yet confirmed. Other festivals include the Tangier Mediterranean Short Film Festival and the Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival’s 22nd edition will be held on 26 March to 2 April 2016.

Morocco’s first movie theatre was built in Fez early last century, whilst the first feature film recorded on Moroccan soil, Mektoub by Jean Pinchon and Daniel Quintin was completed

in 1919. Orson Welles won the Palme d’Or in 1952 with Othello at the Cannes Film festival under the Moroccan flag.

However, the first Moroccan movie was Mohammed Ousfour’s Le fils maudit (“The Damned Son”) in 1958.

Ouarzazate, Kasbah-imbued Hollywood of Morocco, is a renowned city and home of one of the world’s biggest studios, Atlas Film Studios. The studio was the site of shoots for Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator and recently the third season of Game of Thrones. Major foreign movies shot in Morocco include Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth, Bond movies The Living Daylights and Spectre, Paul Greengrass’s The Bourne Ultimatum and Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation.

Despite development in the film industry and blockbuster movies shot there, increasingly cinemas are facing closure.

There are approximately 50 theatres open nationwide.

Major Airports: Marrakech-Menara International Airport, Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca and Agadir–Al Massira Airport. Royal Air Maroc is the national carrier and Air Arabia Maroc are the two airlines based in Morocco.

Other major airlines servicing the country are: • British Airways • EasyJet • Iberia Airlines • Lufthansa Airlines • Qatar Airways • Emirates • Etihad Airways

POPULATION 33,322,699 (July 2015 est.) CIA World Fact Book. Moroccans are of Berber or mixed Arab-Berber decent. Its proximity to Europe allows other looks to be easily sourced.

FIXER IN MOROCCO Magic Pictures Tel: + 212 37 29 67 86 Email: info@magicpictures-morocco.com Website: www.magicpictures-morocco.com

CONTACTS Morocco Ministry of Tourism Tel: 212 37 67 40 13 Email: contact@onmt.org.ma Website: www.visitmorocco.com

32 / EVENTS TO DIARISE

MARCH BERMUDA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 4 - 11 Hamilton, Bermuda MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 4 - 13 Miami, USA

THE 5TH LUXOR AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL (LAFF) 17 - 23 Luxor, Egypt

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 9 - 18 London, UK

SOUTH AFRICA FILM AND TELEVISION AWARDS (SAFTA’S) 18 - 19 Johannesburg, South Africa

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST FILM FESTIVAL 11 - 19 Austin, USA

HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 21 - 4 April Hong Kong, China

RAPIDLION: THE SOUTH AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 12 - 19 Johannesburg, South Africa

HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL 30 - 7 April Toronto, Canada

UJ ARTS & CULTURE CONFERENCE 16 - 17 Johannesburg, South Africa

THE SOUTH AFRICAN ECO FILM FESTIVAL 31 March - 3 April Cape Town, South Africa

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EVENTS TO DIARISE / 33

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APRIL CAPE TOWN INTERNATONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL 1-2 Cape Town, South Africa SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL 1 - 10 Sarasota, USA ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL 1 - 10 Atlanta, USA THE WGSA 3RD ANNUAL MUSE AWARDS 2 Johannesburg, South Africa MIPTV 4-7 Cannes, France INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL NIJMEGEN 6 - 10 Nijmegen, Netherlands

VAIL FILM FESTIVAL 7 - 10 Vail, USA RIVERRUN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 7 - 17 Winston-Salem, USA DAKOTA DIGITAL FILM FESTIVAL 8 Bismarck, USA

STOCKHOLM FILM FESTIVAL JUNIOR 11 - 16 Stockholm, Sweden TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 13 - 24 New York, USA

LIFETREE FILM FEST 21 - 23 Loveland, USA THE MADEIRA FILM FESTIVAL 25 April - 1 May Madeira, Portugal

IMAGINE FILM FESTIVAL 14 - 24 Amsterdam, Netherlands

TETOUAN INTERNATIONAL MEDITERRANEAN FILM FESTIVAL 26 March - 2 April Tetouan, Morocco

3RD SETTING SUN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 14 - 17 Melbourne, Australia

4TH ANNUAL PAONIA FILM FESTIVAL 28 - 30 Paonia, USA

BOSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 14 - 18 Boston, USA

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL 28 April - 1 May Los Angeles, USA

NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL 14 - 23 Nashville, USA INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE FILM FESTIVAL AND THE ROXY THEATRE 16 - 23 Missoula, USA

HOT DOCS CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 28 April - 8 May Toronto, Canada RFN UNCONFERENCE AND FESTIVAL 29 April - 2 May Glasgow, UK

Mad Max: Fury Road © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Village Roadshow Films (BVI) Limited

21ST PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 6 - 14 Palm Beach, USA

25TH ANNUAL FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL 8 - 17 Maitland, USA

34 / ASSOCIATIONS

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CPA & SAASP ISSUE JOINT OBJECTION TO CAPE TOWN’S RE-ZONING REGULATIONS

INDEPENDENT COMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (ICASA)

A joint objection to the City of Cape Town’s proposed re-zoning and heritage overlay by-laws was made by the CPA and South African Association of Stills Producers (SAASP).

These laws, if affected would largely prevent filming in Cape Town’s private properties.

With access effectively denied to these locations, the commercial and stills production industry would be unable to function. The result would be loss of revenue and thousands of industry-related jobs lost.

The two submissions were made in December 2015 and January 2016 respectively, as required before the City’s deadline for comments.

ICASA held public hearings in respect of the review of the Draft End-User and Subscriber Service Charter Regulations. The meeting held on the 17 February 2016 – after extending invitations to the media, the public and stakeholders – was called to: 1. Introduce stricter rules on information to be provided to consumers at the point of contracting and on promotions 2. Strengthen parameters to improve the quality of service offered to end-users

3. Introduce rules and frameworks for data billing 4. Introduce information and billing requirements for subscribers roaming internationally 5. Introduce a new penalty regime that includes, non-monetary penalties.

Presentations were limited to those who had submitted written requests. The wider public was permitted to raise questions or submit comments.

These representations were the last leg of the consulting process on this issue.

ASSOCIATIONS / 35

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SAFTAS TENTH EDITION LAUNCHES NEW LOOK AND THEME The South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) are the pinnacle celebration of professionals in the film industry. The SAFTAs continually strive to acknowledge and honour creativity, quality and excellence.

It will launch a new look for this tenth edition with a refreshed visual identity. Ms Zama Mkosi, Chief Executive Officer at the NFVF, said that the gold colour used was in celebration of the glamour and the sheer hard work done in

the industry. As the backbone of the SAFTAs, it enabled the NFVF to demonstrate its sustained support and with it being at its ten-year mark, it is an appropriate time to redefine the theme. “Imagine” is the theme for 2016 and the word is evocative of creativity and inspiration, and for SAFTAs and the film industry is particularly apt.

WRITER’S GUILD OF SOUTH AFRICA The SABC recently requested that Best Television Drama Finalists, Peter and Margaret Goldsmith, withdraw their script A Covert Affair, from participation in the WGSA Muse Awards. The decision was not related to quality of the script or the nominee selection process of the said Awards.

Their place in this category has now been assigned to the two runners-up Paul Ian Johnson for JAB and Marina Bekker for Land with a Temper.

WGSA wishes them well for the final round of judging.

Western Cape © Carolinie Cavalli

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