Scren Africa - August 2011

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As the South African public service broadcaster SABC marked its 75th birthday on 1 August the situation between the corporation and the Broadcast, Electronic, Media & Allied Workers Union

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BREAKING BARRIERS WITH SEVERAL FIRSTS: The Alien Princess in the 3D live international broadcast of Dragonflies and Astronauts, featuring famous South African band, The Parlontones. See page 4

Unions decry lack of SABC consultation

The Egyptian documentary project 69 Messaha Square from director Ayten Amin and producer Wael Omar was presented with the Hubert Bals Fund Award of €5 000 for the Most Promising African Project at the closing night of the 2nd Durban FilmMart on 25 July.

Two South African projects were recipients of grants given by the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) and Jan Vrijman Fund for the Most Promising Documentary Projects: Buddha of Africa (producer / director Nicole Schafer) and Ndiyindoda / I am Man (director Mayenseke Baza and producer Bryony Roughton).

Says Schafer: “This project is my first feature documentary, so the award is a real a vote of confidence. Buddha of Africa

presents a new way of looking at China’s engagement in Africa through the story of a Chinese Buddhist Orphanage in Malawi. It’s a hugely topical subject but told from a fresh perspective.

“The award will allow me to be a guest at IDFA, one of the biggest and most exciting documentary festivals in the world. This has great significance for me and for my film.”

Schafer intends to go into production as soon as possible and is in the process of trying to source immediate funds.

Bryony Roughton describes the award as one of the significant moments in her life as a producer, while Mayenzeke Baza says: “It’s really an amazing

DFM’s big winners

The DTT ‘musts’ The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is installing 300 low power transmitters around the country to ensure that once South Africa has migrated to digital terrestrial television (DTT) – a process expected to commence next year – its signal will reach 95% of the population.

“These low power transmitters complement the SABC’s existing 179 transmitters which are being converted to carry the digital signal on the DVB-T2 standard adopted by government. Because DVB-T2 is on UHF signal distributor Sentech will have to convert all its VHF transmitters to UHF,” said SABC chief technology officer Richard Waghorn at the recent Screen Africa

(BEMAWU), the Media Workers Association of South Africa (MWASA) and the Communications Workers Union (CWU) remains tense.

This is due to the unions’ on-going claim that the SABC has not properly consulted them with regard to its proposed new Operating Model and Turnaround Strategy.

The SABC did not respond to Screen Africa’s request for comment at the time of going to print.

On 1 July the SABC sent out a notice to the three unions that they planned to reduce the headcount at the corporation by 700-800 people to ‘improve efficiencies and effectiveness’. The letter, sent by SABC group executive: Human Capital Services, Justice Ndaba,

stipulated that 500 to 600 employees would be reduced in the 2011/2012 period, and the balance in the 2012/2013 financial year.

The unions reacted strongly to the letter, calling plans to retrench workers illegal. BEMAWU president Hannes du Buisson says they threatened the SABC with an urgent interdict. “They withdrew the letter, which nullified the dispute,” says Du Buissson.

“The official view is that the SABC can’t consult with us on voluntary retrenchment until they’ve consulted on the new Operating Model. It would be foolish to let go of experienced and core employees until you know what your strategy is going to be.”

One of the core systems in processing the high volume requests from subscribers for DStv Box Office, South Africa’s first ever video on demand (VOD) service, malfunctioned over launch weekend (22 -23 July) causing some delays in access.

At the time of going to press DStv owner MultiChoice had issued this statement: “MultiChoice would like to advise its subscribers that it has made good progress in

addressing the technical problem with its BoxOffice service. The customer experience of the service has improved. Our engineers are monitoring the system closely. We would like to thank our subscribers for their patience and understanding.”

Operational hiccup aside, DStv BoxOffice represents another technological step forward in South Africa’s pay-TV environment, with MultiChoice consistently

– to page 44– to page 44– to page 44

– to page 43

SA’s first VOD service

Black Ginger

SPECIAL FEATURESIBCTechno-talk ........................16 / 18

MEDIATECH AFRICAThe show that buzzed! ...20 / 22

IT’S A WOMEN’S WORLDWomen making

their mark ..........................26 / 27

TECHNOLOGY AND TV PRODUCTIONSIdols ................................................ 28Rhythm City, Scandal,

Skeem Saam ................................. 30

NEWSUnions decry lack of SABC

consultation; DFM’s big winners;

SA’s first VOD service; The DTT

‘musts’ ..............................................1The Bang Bang Club in focus;

BBC commissions local show;

Adstream comes to SA ...............3Movie inspired by casting world;

Oz – here she comes!;

Live 3D a great success ...............4

DOCUMENTARYPunk music rocks political

change in Africa .............................6The politics of ethics ................. 36

FILMDebut director serves up

star-studded noir film ...................8Jonker film reaches

global audience ........................... 10A really big miaow ..................... 33

COMMERCIALS‘Break with convention’

urge Loeries judges ................... 14

TRACKING TECHNOLOGYThe digital delivery debate;

ABT does STBs .......................... 24High-tech technology

on display ..................................... 42

TRAININGA master teacher ....................... 32Imagine a world of

top African filmmakers .............. 38

TELEVISION‘The Admiral’ and

Akin talk movies ......................... 34Up close and personal .............. 35 Satellite’s role in DTT ............... 37

BUSINESSA new world of distribution ... 36Defining success ......................... 39

AFRICAEast African animation

on growth path ........................... 40New Senegalese channel to

launch; Kenyan filmmaker

scoops awards............................. 41

REGULARSAdcetera.............................12 / 13Audience Ratings ........................ 45Vital Stats ..................................... 45Production Updates ........46 / 47Close Up ...................................... 48

C o n t e n t s

6

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However tired people are of trying to deal with (and read about) the seemingly never-ending saga of the crisis at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), be assured that the Screen Africa team is fatigued with having to write about it. Is there ever going to be any actual progress in sorting out the SABC’s board, executive, commissioning and financial woes?

Hasn’t the much used phrase ‘the SABC’s Turnaround Strategy’ become the most boring phrase in history? Boring because nothing ever seems to come of it. As the lead story on our front page reveals, the SABC appears to be unwilling to consult with organised labour and the industry (all made up of people who have experience and knowledge of the broadcasting business) in its turnaround. I’m reminded of the period between 2001 and 2005 when the SABC was run by Peter Matlare, someone who had lots of experience in the broadcasting industry. Most will agree that the SABC was far more financially stable under Matlare’s regime. But soon after his appointment I remember a comment that someone once made to me, that however clever and experienced Matlare was, he wasn’t likely to endure at the SABC because he wasn’t politically heavyweight enough. And so it came to pass.

And all this SABC mayhem takes place against the background of preparations for next year’s launch of digital terrestrial television (as seen in another of our front page stories). The freeing up of analogue spectrum will give rise to a multitude of digital channels, which means that the SABC will end up with several more channels. DTT in theory sets up the exciting possibility of regional public service channels. However, if the SABC struggles to fund, run and fill its existing three channels, how on earth will it fund, run and fill all the extra digital channels?

Technology focus

Amidst all the exciting production stories in this issue of Screen Africa is also a strong focus on technology. We include a report back of the Mediatech Africa show, the biggest local event of its kind, which, as feedback shows, was a resounding success. There is also a preview of Mediatech Africa’s European counterpart, IBC.

In praise of women

To commemorate Woman’s Day (9 August) we run a special feature on just some of the inspiring South Africa women who have made significant marks on the industry.

We hope you enjoy reading this edition of Screen Africa.Joanna Sterkowicz

EdItor: Joanna Sterkowicz: [email protected]

In-housE JournalIst: Linda Krige: [email protected]

ContrIButors: Andy Stead, Karen van Schalkwyk, Martin Chemhere, Ian Dormer, Mariam Sha, Anton Crone

suB-EdItor: Tina Heron

ratIngs: Enid Venter [email protected]

hEad of dEsIgn:Trevor Ou Tim: [email protected]

WEBsItE & ProduCtIon uPdatEs:Anusha Dayal: [email protected]

suBsCrIPtIons: Anusha Dayal: [email protected]

PuBlIshEr & ManagIng EdItor: Simon Robinson: [email protected]

advErtIsEMEnt salEs: Marianne Schafer: [email protected] Ballinger: [email protected]

aCCounts: Marietjie Esterhuizen: [email protected]

front offICE: Delight Ngwenya: [email protected]

Sun Circle Publishers (Pty) Ltd Tel: 011 025-3180Physical address: Block A, Process House Epsom Downs Office Park 13 Sloane Street, Bryanston, Johannesburg PO Box 559 Fourways North 2086

From the editor

SCREENAFRICA

The roundabout

August 2011 | SCREENAFRICA | 3

| NEWS

Currently on release locally, The Bang Bang Club tells the story of a team of South African photographers who became known during apartheid as The Bang Bang Club. They were Ken Oosterbroek (Frank Rautenbach), Kevin Carter (Taylor Kitsch), João Silva (Neels van Jaarsveld) and Greg Marinovich (Ryan Philippe).

The Bang Bang Club was directed by South African director Steven Silver (who lives in Canada) and produced by Foundry Films and Out of Africa Entertainment. It premiered very successfully at the Toronto Film Festival in 2010.

Independent distributor Indigenous Film Distribution is handling the local release. CEO Helen Kuun says the film was released in 53 sites around the country. “We were thrilled to be asked to distribute the film locally and we have an all out marketing campaign. This comprises TV, radio partnerships with Primedia (702 and 94.7), a print partnership with The Star Tonight and online and social media activation, as well as some outdoor advertising and a big premiere at Ster-Kinekor Sandton. Internationally the film is sold by Entertainment One.”

Kuun notes that one of the biggest challenges with releasing any film is to make sure of dates, sites, planning and materials as all these factors need careful consideration. “There wasn’t anything in particular that was more difficult about this film than others we’ve released. In fact, the film has received good support from media and audiences alike.”

She believes that the release of The Bang Bang Club will show South African filmmaking in a better light. “The more quality local products that are released, the more South African audiences will buy into them. The Bang Bang Club is the next installment after the recent success of stories like Liefling and Spud. Our local content market is definitely growing and producing a film like this is testament to that.”

The film’s South African co-producer, Lance Samuels of Out of Africa Entertainment, adds: “This was one of the best filming experiences I’ve ever had. The team really came together and I was thrilled to be part of this process. When Steven Silver initially approached me I jumped at the opportunity to become involved in this project. I would like to thank the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Canadian

authorities for being 100% behind the film.”

Samuels adds that they wanted to work with Indigenous Film Distribution from the outset. “They had distributed our Leon Shuster film, Shucks Tshabalala’s Survival Guide to South Africa, and did a fantastic job. I really hope that South African audiences give the film a chance and appreciate this unique part of our history.”

He adds that the crew and cast were fantastic. “It was really wonderful to see how American actors Ryan Phillippe and Taylor Kitsch got behind their characters and embraced the country. We shot in the actual locations so the emotional impact on all involved was really very moving.”

Silver concurs: “This was a fantastic filming experience. Lance and his team were great and, even though this was a small budget film by international standards, the quality of the crew and production values were exceptional. We also shot the whole film in 30 days with 1 600 slates so it was a tight shoot.

“I would like as many South Africans as possible to see this film to engage in interesting debate about this important part of our past.” – Karen van Schalkwyk

Adstream SA has became official following a licensing agreement signed by local industry stalwart Mike Smit and the global Adstream giant, which provides solutions in storage distribution, validation and management of multimedia assets for the advertising community.

Smit explains that Adstream is based on the cloud computing principle. “Users can store, organise and digitally distribute

all multi-channel ad campaigns and content for television, print, radio, web and mobile in one convenient space. No data is stored on individual agency servers

so there are no bandwidth issues.”Adstream’s approach is to provide a

global distribution services platform and to implement a production workflow solution and automated job bag management, as well as the establishment of full reporting processes to capture KPIs from all relevant milestones, from servicing to production.

“The delivered results,” says Smit, “include greater control in every step of the production job and visibility of its progress, enhanced capacity to demonstrate cost transparency to agency clients and improved communication speed and efficiency levels, easing planning requirements and increasing available creative time.”

Adstream has more than 20 international offices and serves more than 5 000 clients in 90 countries worldwide. – Andy Stead

The Bang Bang Club in focus

Adstream comes to

SA

ADVANCING WORKFLOW – Mike Smit

EXPOSING SA FILM – Frank Rautenbach,

Neels van Jaarsveld, Taylor Kitsch and

Ryan Phillippe

As per an agreement with ITV Studios Global Entertainment, BBC Worldwide Channels has commissioned a South African version of the ITV format, Come Dine With Me. It will be produced by Johannesburg-based Rapid Blue and is the first show to be commissioned by BBC Worldwide Channels in this region.

The 10-part series will be filmed in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Come Dine With Me South Africa will debut on the BBC Entertainment channel on DStv in October and will also air on BBC Worldwide Channels networks across the Middle East, Scandinavia and Poland.

Jon Farrar of BBC Worldwide comments: “We have ambitious plans for growth in Africa. BBC Worldwide has been really successful in bringing the best of the UK to the continent and while our viewers are very loyal, we also recognise the need to appeal to new viewers, including those that watch other international channels.

“We have lots of great programming coming through from the UK but we also want to do what we can to stay relevant and exciting for African audiences. I would love to do more African versions of UK shows that have been made popular on the BBC channels.”

Rapid Blue’s Kee-Leen Irvine says they are thrilled to be producing the series. “We have over 21 years experience in producing a range of shows, both home-grown and international formats. We are over the moon to add Come Dine With Me to our slate. The key to producing good shows is an exciting format with interesting characters, intelligent and entertaining scripting, coupled with great production values.”

Farrar says that the reason they chose Rapid Blue to produce was because they have ‘a fantastic reputation’ for making highly creative and ambitious shows. “They thrive on working on big projects and have made a huge success out of African versions of other international formats, particularly SA’s Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing.”

Irvine explains how the format works: “We follow four people who have never previously met as they snoop around each other’s homes, sample each other’s cooking and pass judgment on each other’s entertaining skills.

“Each night for a week the contestants take it in turns to cook up their ideas of the perfect evening. As the guests travel home they give their verdicts on the evening, and give a mark out of 10. The series taps into people’s fundamental domestic differences: their cooking and their tastes and what it takes to entertain in style.”

Farrar believes that the South African version will appeal to an international audience because: “South Africans are full of personality, are very sociable and charismatic and great cooks. These are the perfect ingredients for Come Dine With Me.” – Karen van Schalkwyk

BBC commissions show in SA

4 | SCREENAFRICA | August 2011

NEWS |

One of South Africa’s most respected animators, Jacquie Trowell, is set to spread her wings and move to Melbourne, Australia.

Trowell began Cape Town-based Triggerfish Animation with her partner, Emma Kaye, in 1996 and subsequently sold the company to Stuart Forrest in 2004. She has been involved in some of the best stop-frame animated commercials seen on local screens, including Royco Potato Bake and Plascon, as well as the children’s television series Takalani Sesame.

Australian-born Trowell has decided to move back there to seek fresh opportunities. “I have always respected the way Australia approaches the arts. While I look back on some amazing work in South Africa as an animator, animation director and director, I was frustrated with my pile of original content ideas that I could never get off the ground. Local funding for animation projects is still scarce. Most of the non-commercial work I have produced was for international clients. I have also become more interested in innovative new media projects, which proved difficult to launch without support from big business and government initiatives.”

Trowell will concentrate on character performance and animation direction in Australia. “I will put my skills to use in the long form industry and also work in the digital trans-media world. In addition I have applied for specific projects funded by the Australian Film Commission and Screen Australia.

“However, I am not closing my doors

on South Africa. Over the past 20 years I have built up an incredible network that spans the advertising, education and television sectors. My Australian adventure is about adding to my network and creating a bigger mix of resources.”

She notes that the Australian industry is bigger, more established and accessible than its South African counterpart. “The Melbourne International Animation Festival

(MIAF) is just fantastic and provides invaluable exposure. I saw amazing films at this year’s festival, got to meet potential project partners and plan to submit a short film next year. There is a much more varied approach to animation in Australia.”

On the subject of trans-media projects, Trowell elaborates that she and Emma Kaye have created ‘forward thinking projects’ where content lives on multi-platforms and creates a completely new interactive community experience. “There is room to create unique content and plug it into commercials and social platforms in a way that uses both traditional and digital media strategies. I have already seen projects that use this approach and met with a few producers in Australia. Emma and I plan to launch some of these ideas in Australia.”

Trowell has spent most of her life in South Africa and loves the country. “A few years ago I directed a short animated documentary called Beyond Freedom, which comprised the work of many different animators — all with incredible talent and unique visions. It made it to the top 10 shorts at the Berlin Film Festival.” – Karen van Schalkwyk

Dragonflies and Astronauts featuring The Parlotones’ live 3D international broadcast which took place at The Teatro at Montecasino, Johannesburg on 16 July, broke many barriers and claimed several firsts for South Africa.

Show director Eban Olivier, who worked on this project with Danie Van Der Heever from Catalyst Entertainment, is highly enthusiastic. Not only was this the first live 3D production in South Africa, but also the first live global broadcast by a band in 3D. It was also the first live Internet broadcast by a South African artist or group on the social networking site Facebook.

Says Olivier: “This was the first time that I directed a theatre production that took on a music video approach,” says Olivier. “Halfway through the run I reminded myself that this was actually a 3D experience that we designed for theatre as well. The Parlotones were on top form as was the crew. All the 3D equipment behaved and it was clear that we had made the right decision to go with the

Pro Ultra rigs and Alfacam’s OB30.” Executive producers for the show Doug

Stanley from Ridgeline in the US and Sovereign Entertainment, the band management and record label, were equally ecstatic. “I wasn’t sure that we were successful until many hours after the show, when our programme was re-broadcast when a re-broadcast hadn’t even been planned,” says Stanley. “It was then that I knew we had succeeded and exceeded our expectations at DirecTV.”

The only mixed feeling Olivier has stems from the fact that the theatre community criticised the stage show. “They clearly did not agree with us pushing the bar on the theatre end, but six sold-out nights and standing ovations at The Teatro speaks for itself.”

Danie van der Heever adds: “Catalyst Entertainment looks forward to taking our clients confidently into the world of 3D and all the opportunities this format presents.” – Andy Stead

Live SA 3D first a great success

Oz – here she comes!

Casting Me is a new South African comedy and is Chasing Migade Production’s first feature film. Written and directed by Quinton Lavery it was shot on a budget of just R35 000.

Lavery says that the film was inspired by working in the casting industry for the past year and a half. “I took a job as a casting director so that I could work with actors and I discovered the wonderful, funny and crazy world of castings in the process. Through the job I met some great characters and amazing directors and a year later I started to write a script.”

Casting Me is a comedy about making a film. “It’s steeped in pop culture and movie geekdom and has a lot to do with twenty-somethings living in today’s world,” continues Lavery. “From the start my cinematographer, Darren Wertheim (with whom I run a small production company), and I did not set out to make a particularly South African film but one with universal characters and a storyline that could unfold anywhere in the world. Our aim was to make a film that would entertain audiences and that is grounded in the real world.”

He notes that the script development process was rushed. It took him about two months to write the script and there was not much time to refine it before shooting commenced.

The miniscule budget was one of the big challenges on the project. “Our shooting budget was closer to R25 000 but by the end of post-production it went up by about R10 000. Darren, Joerg Mika and I put up most of the money and Assegai Lube & Condoms gave us an additional R5 000. We also enjoyed great support from Lee Jeans for our main leads, while Media Film Service and Visual Impact helped us with gear,” explains Lavery.

Other support came from Buzz Café, Butlers Pizza, Armoury Boxing, Labia Theatre and Rikkis Taxi. All crew worked on deferred payment over 20 days. Lavery admits that he and Wertheim ‘pulled every trick in the guerrilla filmmakers’ book’ to help keep the budget as low as possible.

Casting Me was shot in Cape Town in June and July. “Funnily enough, one of our biggest logistical challenges was transporting a borrowed table tennis table from Camps Bay to our location – that was a mission and a half. Other than that we had a few weather scares although we mainly shot inside,” comments Lavery.

The film was shot in black and white on two Canon 7D cameras with 50mm, 35mm and 20mm prime Canon lenses. Most of the film was shot hand-held ‘with a few moments’ on a Kessler Crane (provided by Cineslider) to ensure a smooth track for highlighted moments in the script. Sound was recorded on a zoom digital recorder. – Karen van Schalkwyk

AN ANIMATED MOVE – Jacquie Trowell

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DOCUMENTARY |

Punk in Africa follows punk in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe and is a co-production between SAFTA-awarded

Johannesburg company Meerkat Media and Prague-based producers Peligroso Productions and Bohemian Lion. It is directed by Keith Jones and Deon Maas and produced by Jefe Brown. Bill Botes and David Chislett are associate producers.

Jones explains that the film traces the untold story of punk in Africa, from its roots in the underground rock music of 1970s Johannesburg. “The first multi-racial bands were formed in the wake of the Soweto uprisings of 1976, while the militant anti-apartheid hardcore post-punk bands of the 1980s gave rise to the celebratory African-inspired ‘ska’ bands that sprang up from Cape Town to Maputo in the democratic era of the 1990s.

“Today an emerging generation of bands continue to draw on this legacy to confront the political challenges of contemporary Zimbabwe and the uncertain issues of identity of the Afrikaans minority in South Africa.”

Jones and Maas (the latter grew up during the emergence of the punk rock scene) met at a mutual friend’s wedding in Zimbabwe and immediately hit it off due to their shared passion for politics and music.

“Deon and I spoke about examining the whole protest rock scene and the role it played in the anti-apartheid movement, but that was just too wide a subject,” notes Jones. “We then narrowed it down to punk, wrote a treatment and approached the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) for seed funding. Even though the title Punk in Africa immediately hit a note, especially in Europe, it was only after a prolonged period that we managed to raise the money required to release the NFVF funds. The film was mainly financed by us, with a lot of ‘in kind’ services provided along the way by like-minded professionals who shared our vision.”

Inspired

Maas states that right from the start they were both inspired to tell this story. “We initially started with the creative aspects and then did extensive research before we went looking for money. From the outset the idea was to make a film that is not the usual made-for-television 48-minute format or just an assembly of interviews. We wanted to make a compelling feature-length film based on actual human stories. Keith and I directed the film simultaneously. We would discuss shots beforehand, plot our ideas and then make suggestions to each other on set about which direction to take.”

The look and style of the film was important to the directors. Says Maas: “We wanted to combine aspects of both African and punk styles and to explore the various graphic elements present in the punk scene throughout different eras. Keith and I shot primarily on a Panasonic VariCam P2 HD camera. The decision to shoot full HD was for business and marketing reasons.”

Super 8mm

Some of the film was partially shot on Super 8mm film stock to complement the archive footage. Jones explains: “Super 8 really reflects the punk aesthetic and the combination of a 1970s format with high-end HD was a conscious choice on our part. We were also fortunate to work with master cinematographer and Academy Award winner Gary Griffin. His contribution to the film was invaluable.”

Punk in Africa was shot over a year in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Maputo and Harare, as well as in Prague, Czech Republic.

Jones says that the shoot was pretty easy from a logistics point of view. “However, we had to work hard to convince some people to be part of the documentary because a lot of them have closed that dark door on their past, especially those who experienced police pressure. We tracked people down in London, Los Angeles, Prague and a host of other places.”

Historical significance

Maas stresses the historical significance of this particular punk story. “The film explores politics and the social and the economic context of the past. Punk was a hugely influential and important movement that has never really been documented. The bands we chose to feature were those that really strived to take their message out to the people. Punk, like heavy-metal, reggae and hip-hop, is a genre that transcends any one particular culture, language and country. It’s not just a form of music but also a state of mind, a philosophy and an approach to life.”

Jones adds: “One of our major objectives was to highlight Africa’s unique style of punk, which mixes rock energy and punk attitude with local indigenous musical forms such as kwela, goema, marrabenta and chimurenga. Almost all the bands and musicians featured in the film are multi-cultural in some aspect, whether musically, ethnically or in terms of approach to their African identity.”

A new feature-length documentary that tells the story of the multi-racial punk music movement in three southern African countries recently premiered at the Durban International Film Festival.

By Karen van Schalkwyk

Punk music rocks political change in Africa

National Wake (Johannesburg multiracial punk / ska outfit circa1981)

Wild Youth (South Africa’s first punk band circa 1978)

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FILM |

How to Steal 2 Million has been generating a buzz in the South African industry due to its all-star cast featuring

Rapulana Seiphemo (White Wedding, Tsotsi), Terry Phetho (The Bold and The Beautiful, Tsotsi), John Kani (White Lion), Hlubi Mboya (Isidingo) and Menzi Ngubane (Country of My Skull).

Vundla explains that getting big names to star in the film was an integral part of their strategy for a successful run at the local box office to generate enough profits to fund the next film.

“There are so many ways to be entertained these days, including Internet, TV and DVD, so it’s difficult to convince people to make an evening out of it and fork out their hard-earned cash on things like petrol, movie tickets and popcorn. We wanted to use all the tools at our disposal to get people into the cinema, and actors were number one on that list.”

Strong script

The film, produced by Jeremy Nathan, Karen E Johnson Vundla, Michelle Wheatley and Mfundi Vundla, follows an

ex-convict called Jack (Ngubane) who attempts to leave a life of crime behind. However, after failed attempts to get a loan he is tempted by his former partner Twala (Seiphemo) to do a risky job with a R2m take.

Vundla, who also wrote the screenplay, believes that the script is usually the biggest factor that attracts actors to a project. “I guess they saw something in this project, and it was definitely not my directing track record,” he explains.

Unlike most first time directors, Vundla says finding funding for the film ‘wasn’t that big an obstacle’. The budget of less than a million US dollars was funded through the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) rebate, as well as private investors.

“It happened very quickly. I’m under no illusion that this is how it usually goes, but we were very fortunate. From the first draft of the film until it was completed was less than two years,” says Vundla.

He started working on the film in 2008 and the shoot took place at the end of summer 2010 at locations in Johannesburg, including Houghton,

Braamfontein and Modder B prison on the East Rand.

It was shot by DOP Nic Hofmeyer on a Sony PDW 700, a high definition digital camera, and converted to 35mm during post-production, which was done at Refinery and Postmasters.

“Having the film in digital and 35mm format gives it the ability to stay on the cinema circuit longer,” explains Vundla.

He notes that the challenges during the shoot were those specific to making a film on a low budget. “The question is: how do you stay true to your original vision when you don’t have money to throw at problems? You have to be creative, and I think it’s quite a skill to not get lazy, but to think about the means you have at your disposal to not only get it done, but to get it done right,” he says.

Another challenge was dealing with the unpredictable weather of a Johannesburg summer, but Vundla claims that he will do it again on his next film. “Those Highveld storms are kind of like free special effects.”

Film noir

To attain the high-contrast, noir look of the film they used a process called bleach bypass during post-production. “We went for a very dark, moody, broody type of look, using films like Blood Simple, The Yards, Little Odessa and Road to Perdition,

as well as the artist Caravaggio as reference points,” says Vundla.

The film is distributed by Indigenous Film Distribution and will hit South African cinemas nationwide on 2 September.

Vundla says it’s hard to predict who the audience for the film will be. “I just try to make films that I would want to see and that my friends would want to see, and hope for the best, basically. Anybody who’s of the age and the inclination to see an exciting film will enjoy it.”

He believes the film business is the most uncertain business ‘in the history of mankind’. “We’ve tried to make the film as good as we could, and market it as well as we could, and the rest isn’t really up to us. I almost feel like a kid with a chemistry set, just mixing things together to see what works, and hopefully it won’t explode in our faces, but we’ll see,” he explains.

As a young director, Vundla feels DIFF was very kind to him. “They’re really cognisant of enabling young filmmakers and getting their products seen by international audiences. It’s pretty much my coming out party as a filmmaker, and I will be forever grateful to DIFF,” he emphasises.

Vundla is currently writing his next feature film, The Chaperone, which will shoot in January and February 2012.

Debut director serves up star-studded noir film

First time feature director Charlie Vundla had two ideas for his debut film: a modern day film noir set in Johannesburg, or a hostage drama

shot in only one location. How to Steal 2 Million is a composite of these two

ideas, Vundla told Screen Africa after the film’s premiere at the recent Durban

International Film Festival (DIFF).

Charlie Vundla

Menzi Ngubane and Rapulana Seiphemo

TWO MILLION RAND ShOT – Menzi Ngubane

By Linda Krige

Concilium Technologies


FILM |

The Dutch-German-South African production Black Butterflies is a 1960s period piece and was shot in Cape

Town in March and April 2010 with a South African crew.

The film had Oscar nominated Dutch director Paula van der Oest (Zus & zo) at the helm, and stars acclaimed Dutch actress Carice von Houten (Black Book) as Ingrid Jonker.

Jonker’s work was placed in the global spotlight when her poem Die Kind (The Child) was read by Nelson Mandela at the opening of the first democratic parliament of South Africa in May 1994.This led to a documentary about Jonker’s life called Korreltjie niks is my dood made for Dutch television in 2001. Filmmaker Saskia van Schaik gave some of Jonker’s poetry to her friend, Paula van der Oest.

“I loved Ingrid’s poetry and I was very

much moved by her tragic life, and especially her relationship with her father,” says Van der Oest. One of the producers of the documentary encouraged her to become involved in plans to make Black Butterflies.

Moving story

The screenplay by South African Greg Latter focuses on the period of Jonker’s life after she separated from her husband and moved to Cape Town with her daughter, Simone. It shows her tumultuous relationship with writer Jack Cope (Irish actor Liam Cunningham), and her fruitless struggles to gain acceptance from her father, Abraham Jonker (Dutch actor Rutger Hauer), a National Party member of parliament

responsible for censorship and deeply embarrassed by his liberal daughter.

Black Butterflies chronicles Jonker’s opposition to Apartheid and her experience of seeing a child shot in Nyanga during a pass book protest that led to the poem Die Kind. The film also shows her struggles with depression, abortion and her

eventual tragic suicide in 1965 at age 31. One of the first questions from the

audience following the film’s screening at DIFF was why the filmmakers chose to make the film in English, since Jonker wrote in Afrikaans.

Van der Oest says that she loves Jonker’s poetry in Afrikaans. “It’s a lovely

language and the words are much crisper.” However, since the film was a period

piece ‘everything had to be created’, making the film expensive to produce. Therefore it was a pragmatic decision to use English to make it more accessible and more marketable to art house audiences worldwide.

“The poetry is still beautiful, because it was translated so well,” notes Van der Oest, “and now that it’s in English more people will learn about Jonker and be touched by her poetry.”

She says wherever the film has been screened, audiences have been moved by the story, although reactions have differed. “In the US they had many questions about Apartheid. In Europe people have been very impressed with Carice’s performance. They love her and think it’s a daring step forward in her career,” says Van der Oest, “although it was mentally a very tough part for her.”

Outsider

Van der Oest was also aware of the obstacles involved in coming from Europe to tell the story of an iconic South African. “I think I read about six books about her, and every time I learnt something new,” says Van der Oest.

She also visited South Africa three years ago to prepare for the film by traveling to places important in Jonker’s life and to speak to her daughter and other people who had known her well.

“Because I’m an outsider I needed a humble approach. I wanted to show the different sides of Ingrid, but I think I did her justice,” says Van der Oest.

Jonker is portrayed in the film as beautiful, passionate and a loving mother, but also erratic, impulsive, angry and at times cruel. Van der Oest says they had to find ways to balance Jonker’s dark side and tragic life with the beauty of her poetry. “The poetry itself gives you insight in a much more profound way,” notes Van der Oest.

The film was funded by German and Dutch funds as well as Spier Films in South Africa, and produced by Frans van Gestel, Richard Claus, Arry Voorsmit and Spier Films’ Michael Auret. It was shot by South African director of photography (DOP) Giulio Biccari on RED, and converted to 35mm during post-production at Watefront Studios in Cape Town.

They wanted the look of the film to be organic and not too polished. “We wanted to be as close to the character as possible,” she explains.

They also used a lot of imagery from Jonker’s poems, compiled by her assistant director, for example a barking dog, a yellow bucket and the ocean, which is often present in her work. “Nature was a really strong element,” adds Van der Oest.

She is full of compliments for the South African crew she worked with, describing them as ‘very professional and very dedicated’.

The film has already screened at festivals in the US and was released in the Netherlands in March, where it was still on circuit at the time of going to print. According to Van der Oest the film has been sold to about 50 countries and will release in the US in autumn and in South Africa in October.

Jonker film

reaches global

audience

A feature film about the tragic life of iconic South African poet Ingrid Jonker had its South African premiere at the recent Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).

POETRy IN MOTION – Carice van Houten as Ingrid Jonker with Liam Cunningham as Jack Cope

Rutger Hauer as Abraham Jonker

By Linda Krige

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In a year when the South African film award tally at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity was at a low, I asked a variety of advertising folk about the potential for distinctly African advertising to wow judges and consumers alike.

The respondents were two local creative directors, a local film director, a

South African creative director working overseas and a Nigerian marketing manager.

Y&R’s Graham Lang and Liam Wielopolski attended this year’s Cannes Lions and had this to say: “Some may point to a lack of authentic African advertising, but the idea that ‘local is lekker’ doesn’t win international juries over. For instance, work entered by India and Thailand often leaves judges baffled. Local references and nuances need to be explained and since judges are time-strapped, they don’t refer to creative rationales for context. Advertising should make sense straight away.”

Though there’s a plethora of typically African advertising created, many play on stereotypes, representing all demographics in a safe and sterilised manner. These campaigns should break free from conservatism and push creative boundaries.

It’s been said that South Africa’s diverse culture is indicative of a world in one country. This presents an opportunity for our advertising to speak to a cosmopolitan audience. Ideas that are relevant and understood globally are those that take home metal.

Human truths are universal and since awards juries have global representation, the way to earn their attention is to develop ideas that trade in a global village.

Local award winning campaigns are based on a core idea, dressed up in style rather than culture. Casting and music choices are less important than the execution and effectiveness of the idea.

In South Africa it’s more difficult for us to compete, because for every handful of entries our overseas counterparts submit, we can only afford to enter one. So what we put forward has to be innovative with a hint of South African flavour, relevant to the brand and a global village.

Mpho Twala, director at Velocity Afrika, has found Africa his muse since returning after a five-year stint with Caviar Productions in Belgium.

Twala and his team operate from a strategy or consciousness that people may live in a global village but they don’t all live the same way in that village, and in their work, they try to treat people with that respect.

As he told the publication, Cannes Lions Daily: “Nigeria, as an example, is quite a tech savvy country and people between the age of 20 and 35 can see if a commercial has been shot somewhere else. When that happens you’ve lost points immediately.”

Twala believes someone needs to tell the African story and that enveloping oneself in the community puts one in a far better place to know that story and to tell it well. Returning to Africa after five years, Twala was reinvigorated by people’s positive attitude, despite their hardships. He quotes his daughter when asked what inspires him most: “You are never fully dressed without a smile.”

He and his team have worked on eight jobs since joining Velocity Afrika a year ago, most of them for West Africa. Their latest success is a recent campaign for Vicks in Nigeria that has grown to become a model for the kind of advertising P&G want in Africa and has resonated incredibly well with West African consumers.

Leon Jacobs, creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi Geneva and previously S&S Hong Kong and Cape Town, attended this year’s festival where he and his team picked up a Film Gold Lion for Swiss pharmaceutical firm, Novartis.

Jacobs understands how hard it is to stand out from the thousands of entries in Cannes. “If you try and emulate whatever you think is the best, you have no chance of winning or developing. African agencies should find their unique voice, using the unique brand of creativity that is true to the continent to create standout,” says Jacobs, “It’s time for the world to see what African creativity is all about.”

Jacobs believes that production values and budgets can make a good idea great, but a winning entry will always have a great insight and idea – and if it is made with love, honesty and simplicity it will cut through and attract attention.

Finally I heard from Amaechi Michael Okobi, marketing manager for Smirnoff, Nigeria. Okobi works in the largest, most diverse market in Africa, a good vantage point from which to understand the cultural and economical differences that make up the continent.

He looks to consumers for answers and understands that quality and aspiration are vital for a brand like Smirnoff. In this market segment the desire is for a global feel, therefore many of the commercials are produced by South Africans and other international companies.

Lower income groups are discerning in another way because they respond to communication that relates to them and upholds their identity – an important factor in a nation as proud as Nigeria. If one looks at products as vital as washing powder, as common as soft drinks or the burgeoning cellular communication market, one must take the importance of African identity very seriously.

AfricAn Advertising And cAnnes

South African director Jeremy Goodall is a dab hand at shooting action scenes that have explosive energy and grit. He also has a knack for beauty exemplified by his commercials for cosmetics and cars. In his latest commercial for Radox, Goodall marries the two genres in such a way that it should have the ‘rugger buggers’ lingering in the soap aisle.

Conceptualised by Durban agency, TBWA Hunt Lascaris, the protagonist is Bobby Skinstad. The ad shows Skinstad taking a whiff of the new Radox ManX Shower Gel after a mountain bike work out. His world is transformed by the scent and suddenly Skinstad is in action mode, scaling the slippery precipices of a gushing waterfall like a true rock climber.

Action mAn

ADcetera Report on the South African commercials industry by Anton Crone

Graham Lang

Liam Wielopolski

Mpho Twala,

Leon Jacobs

Amaechi Michael Okobi

Radox commercial

A commercial developed for POWA (People Opposing Women Abuse) by Ogilvy and produced by Frieze Films was one of the few South African films recognised at Cannes.

Directed by Jonty Fine, it documents real-life responses to two different types of neighbourhood disturbances, one violent and the other not.

Shot in a townhouse complex, it was in truth a social experiment conducted over two different nights. The first night candidly records neighbour’s reactions to a tenant playing the drums. As expected, the neighbours take action by complaining to the tenant. A violent

Power

If clients think the extra table on the shoot is for craft, they’re in for an even better surprise. Glasshouse is getting out of the office and into the thick of things with its Mobile Editing Suite.

An edit suite on set affords the director the ability to assess whether their shots cut together seamlessly, composite accurately or look as good as they want them to. It’s also cost effective and has proven to radically decrease post-production problems, so saves money and improves the quality of work.

Some of the latest commercials to have benefitted are Liquifruit Sip, the charming Bakers Forest ad, Hyundai Rights of Passage and much of the new Vodacom

campaign.The service extends beyond the

film set and Glasshouse can take its operation to client premises if required.

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domestic argument was recorded in studio and prepped for broadcast on the second night. The neighbours took no action at all in this case.

The team were insistent on not alerting neighbours to any strange activity so the event could unfold as naturally as possible, therefore the cameras and crew were secreted into the complex so as not to give anything away.

To date the viewership tops 620 000 on YouTube and comments from users reflect the impact of the commercial.

the on-set edit AdvAntAge

ADcetera

Blade bfx

Goodall put Skinstad through his paces by dumping tons of wintery water over him from three bowsers set high up on the immense boulders of Llandudno beach. “Not my real action lifestyle,” Skinstad admits after hours of rope work and rough treatment, but the film is so well shot and orchestrated that the viewer might think otherwise thanks to the

close-ups and extreme angles combined with high speed photography and slick editing, courtesy of Graham Smith of Orchestra Blue.

“Jeremy is in his happy zone shooting this type of work,” says Liza Goodall, producer of Feel Good Films. She tells me he also gets his thrills dangling from helicopters to shoot what has become

another of his fortés: aerial photography. If it’s an action man you want, look no further.

Glasshouse’s Mobile Editing Suite

POWA commercial


COMMERCIALS |

International chairmen of the Loeries Judging Panels, André Laurentino, Garrick Hamm and Adrian Miller shared their insights on breaking

convention, being different and ‘interestingness’ at the seminar, which was attended by brand communication agencies and their clients and kicked off Loeries judging week.

Brave teams, brave clients

“Some things have evolved over time, like the telephone and the car key, but not the umbrella even though it’s not very efficient. Let’s not be the umbrella,” urged Laurentino, a Brazilian-born sitcom writer, novelist and executive creative director of TBWA \ London at the recent Loeries Seminar.

Laurentino, also known as Dede, is head of the TV & Radio Communication category. He spoke of TBWA’s commitment to break with convention and urged seminar attendees not to hold on to established marketing norms during a time of ‘revolutionary change’ in the industry.

He mentioned the example of Dick Fosbury who revolutionised the sport of high jumping by going over the bar back first; a technique that was ridiculed at first, but is now used by practically all high jumpers and called the ‘Fosbury Flop’. In the same way, according to Laurentino, marketers need to look beyond traditional methods including

TV, radio and print campaigns and do things differently.

He is also interested in the research on time and perception by US neuroscientist David Eagleman, showing that the more detailed a memory is, the longer a moment seems to last. Therefore the more familiar the world becomes, the quicker time seems to pass. “This is a way to turn a 30-second ad into something much longer,” said Laurentino. “When something is done differently our brains notice much more detail. You also learn much more from such an ad than when it is done in the same way.”

A campaign for the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Akatu and innovative campaigns for Skittles and Gatorade were used as examples where TBWA broke conventions with great success.

However, Laurentino warned that innovative advertising needs brave clients and brave teams. “Part of the Skittles campaign was to ‘drown’ a guy with Skittles in a glass container, adding Skittles for every ‘like’ on Facebook. We didn’t know we would be spending the whole night fighting, crying and opening small packets of Skittles. It wasn’t easy.”

Brand truths

Garrick Hamm, head of the Loeries Communication Design category, is creative partner at the London based design consultancy Williams Murray

Hamm (WMH) and executive president of the D&AD. He shared 20 lessons learned from his two decades of working in design for brands including Heineken, McVities Jaffa Cakes, Hovis Bread and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s food and kitchen shop Recipease.

Among his lessons were ‘if you really want to succeed, you have to put in the time’, ‘never trust a focus group’ and ‘every brief is an opportunity’.

Hamm said he also learned interesting things about where not to find creativity. “To get creative ideas you need to have your mind half freewheeling, like when you’re staring out the window of a train, which is a great place to get ideas,” said Hamm. “I need to be out and about, not in front of a layout pad.”

He also believes in the importance of ‘creating difference’, or ‘zigging when the world zags’. He said that when you look at brands, they all look the same. “Do something different, but not for the sake of being different, it has to speak to the story of the brand,” urged Hamm.

Something that Hamm does not believe is that good ideas can’t come from clients. “I don’t care where the great ideas come from, I really don’t. As long as it’s based on a truth, the consumer will see the truth and buy the product.”

‘Interestingness’

South African born Adrian Miller is chair of the Loeries Print

Communication category, and is chief creative officer of JWT Delhi and member of the JWT worldwide creative board.

He spoke about the importance of ‘interestingness’ to the industry, reflecting on his experience working in India. “We might think there are more important things than interestingness, like consistency or day after recall,” said Miller, “but brands are like people. How often do you meet a girl and say she was really consistent and on-message?”

However, he said that being interesting is not the same as being entertaining. “The work we do needs to respect people’s brains, leave gaps for them to fill in and leave room for thoughts. Too much explanation deters interestingness,” said Miller.

Advertising competes with all pop culture for the attention of people, emphasised Miller, quoting advertising legend Howard Gossage: “The real fact of the matter is that nobody reads ads. People read what interests them, and sometimes it’s an ad.”

He believes that brands need to go viral and spark conversation, even if they are divisive. “Communication doesn’t build brands, conversation builds brands, and conversations happen when things are interesting,” said Miller.

The Loeries are South Africa’s premiere brand communication awards and take place from 16 to 18 September in Cape Town.

‘Break with convention,’ urge Loeries

judgesThe latest global trends in brand communication were revealed at the Loerie Awards Seminar held at The Campus in Bryanston, Johannesburg, in July.

APPEALING FOR bRAVERy – André Laurentino, Adrian Miller and Garrick Hamm

By Linda Krige

AJA Video SystemsAPPEALING FOR bRAVERy – André Laurentino, Adrian Miller and Garrick Hamm

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TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY | IBC PREVIEW

AJA VideoDesigned as a miniature field recorder for creating ‘ready-to-edit’ professional digital video, AJA Video’s Ki Pro Mini records Apple ProRes 422 (including HQ, LT and Proxy) direct from any SDI or HDMI camera. Mounted and connected to your camera, Ki Pro Mini records the ProRes footage to affordable Compact Flash media, instantly ready to edit when connected to a Mac. Unifying the different formats employed by broadcast cameras, Ki Pro features AJA’s powerful hardware up / down / cross-conversion and captures ProRes direct to removable Storage Module media. RS-422 and machine control capabilities make Ki Pro a compact file-based VTR replacement. Extensive I/O ensures integration with all your other production gear is seamless.

AvidAvid Interplay provides workflows and applications that streamline ingest processes and make the most efficient use of your investment in encoding, server and production systems and personnel. Interplay supports a wide variety of HD and SD ingest devices, MXF or QuickTime file wrapping, and any compression format. All content can be easily found and reused, and can be annotated manually or automatically at any time, allowing you to maximise the return on previous media.

Interplay excels at coordinating and accelerating the collaborative editing workflow of tens or hundreds of team members who can work on the same projects at the same time. Interplay Production integrates directly and deeply with editorial processes, and its project-aware client applications enable users located

anywhere to find, shot-list and annotate media and contribute to projects in real time. A range of background media services handle media movement, transcoding, proxy generation and Web Service APIs enable a rich vendor partner ecosystem

Blackmagic DesignDaVinci Resolve 8 is a major new update to the world’s most advanced colour correction tool that is used on more Hollywood feature films, commercials and TV shows than any other system. It is available free for download from the Blackmagic Design website for all DaVinci Resolve users.

New features include multi layer timeline support with editing, and XML import and export with Apple Final Cut Pro 7 and Adobe Premiere Pro. DaVinci Resolve 8 includes OpenCL processing to allow use on Apple iMac and MacBook Pro computers. New advanced processing tools have been added for real time noise reduction, curve grading, advanced multi point stabilisation as well as automatic stereoscopic 3D image alignment.

DaVinci Resolve 8 also supports the Avid Artist Color, Tangent Wave and JL Copper control panels plus offers ALE export to relink graded DNxHD files back into Avid editors.

The new XML import and export combined with the multi layer timeline allows complex sequences from Apple Final Cut Pro 7 and Adobe Premiere Pro to be imported, colour graded and then exported directly back into Final Cut Pro 7 or Premiere Pro, with all the new graded shots, and the layer structure, intact. If the edit is changed, DaVinci Resolve 8 will automatically relink all the clips so the grades are preserved. Editing can also be performed inside DaVinci Resolve 8, and clips adjusted and relocated.

Crystal VisionCrystal Vision will showcase its latest modular interface products at IBC. Safe Switch-L 3G provides clean and intelligent 2 x 2 switching between two 3Gb/s, HD or SD sources, with a full frame store synchroniser on each input allowing it to correct for any timing difference – resulting in no disruption to the output picture when a switch takes place. Ideal for planned maintenance switches to manually re-route a good signal around broken equipment, it can also be used as an intelligent emergency transmission switch by engineers who do not want to restrict themselves to timed inputs, with the option of selecting from 16 different video and audio fault conditions to automatically trigger the switch.

Up-Down-S 3G is a synchronising up/down/cross converter with the picture quality that

broadcasters standardise on and the ability to perform two different conversions simultaneously between 3Gb/s, HD and SD sources and give out co-timed dual outputs. To keep the output valid at all times Up-Down-S 3G has two synchronisers downstream of the converter – one in the 3G/HD path and one in the SD path.

DHDDHD developed the 52/XC Core as the new central DSP and logic unit for all Series 52 devices. The configurable and powerful DSP system of the 52/XC provides sufficient resources for meeting the highest requirements. This specialised, rock solid hardware does all the audio and logic processing in the system, and all of that in a 1 U housing. It is completely silent – there are no fans, no moving parts and there is no PC inside.

The 52/XC Core provides enough processing power for even the most demanding applications. If necessary, it can handle an audio matrix of 2000x2000 signals as a router.

All Series 52 control modules are supported by the 52/XC Core.

Also new at DHD is its latest modular compact mixing console 52/SX. This price-optimised mixer is ideal for On-Air studios, audio workstations and smaller OB vans at radio and TV stations.

Harris The Harris Selenio media convergence platform will make its first European trade show appearance at IBC. Harris will illustrate how Selenio empowers system architects to integrate baseband and broadband signal types within the same cost-effective infrastructure. It will report on how this sophisticated media convergence platform is already providing efficient solutions to real-world convergence challenges within broadcast and electronic media operations worldwide.

Harris will also demonstrate new products, features and applications in many of its core areas of expertise in broadcast and production, including: servers, storage and editing, routers and multiviewers, signal processing, transmission, automation and digital asset management, targeted advertising, and test and measurement.

“For many years, industry observers have talked up media convergence. At IBC we will show that already we are delivering on the promise of a new and radically different approach to this challenge,” commented Richard Scott, senior vice president, global sales and services, for Harris Broadcast Communications.

– To page 18

Techno-talkIBC2011, which takes place from 9 to 13 September in Amsterdam, is the premier European event for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content. Among the 48 000+ attendees from more than 140 countries expected to attend, will be a large contingent of South African broadcast engineers. Here is a sneak preview of just some of the technologies that will be at IBC.

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TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY | IBC PREVIEW | From page 16

JVC JVC Professional will demonstrate innovative 4K and 3D products at IBC. The company has developed the world’s first large-scale integration (LSI) chip for high-speed processing of HD video, an integral part of the next generation of JVC camcorders. The prototype was launched at this year’s NAB show and will be demonstrated live at IBC.

Also on the JVC stand will be its first professional 3D camcorder – the GY-HMZ1. This features an integrated 3D twin lens design, enabling simultaneous recording of left and right images in full 1920 x 1080 resolution. There is a new 32” 3D display for medical and broadcast use, a 24” 3D production monitor and an upgraded IF-2D3D1 image processor, now with positive and negative image reproduction. There are also additions to the DT-V range of professional production monitors, with two new 17” and two new 21” monitors.

JVC’s ProHD tapeless camcorder range includes the shoulder-mount GY-HM750, with simultaneous recording to two SDHC cards for an instant backup or client copy, and the versatile GY-HM790 camera, with its innovative design that provides exceptional performance in both studio and ENG applications. The GY-HM790 will also be shown with the FS-790 optical fibre solution. JVC will also demonstrate the powerful TV-TOOLS digital signage software.

OradNew to IBC is Orad’s PlayMaker’s support for tapeless workflow with the export and import of video footage to and from NLE systems. Also new is the PlayNet module, allowing file sharing between servers. PlayMaker provides high quality synchronised replay and smart editing tools for game highlights. It offers 8 I/O channels, super slow motion support and huge ingests capacity.

ProSet, Orad’s high end virtual studio solution, provides a powerful dimension to any virtual studio production. The system offers an interactive graphics module which enables the encore to interact with the graphic elements. Orad’s IBC presentation will rely on its new version of Xync infrared tracking with free camera movement.

QuantelQuantel will display the latest developments for its broadcast, post and Stereo3D product range on show at IBC. Enterprise sQ SD/HD news/sports production systems are relied on by many leading broadcasters around the world to maintain their competitive advantage. A number of important workflow enhancements will be on show as well as Mission 2, Quantel’s second generation integrated MAM. QTube is Quantel’s revolutionary remote access and editing workflow solution. It removes the geographical limitations on working with media, allowing users to work with content from anywhere. QTube automatically and securely makes all content available – work in progress, finished clips, new recordings – and enables access to them all within seconds from anywhere via the internet. Expect exciting new QTube developments at IBC. The Pablo high-end color correction and finishing system for 2K, 4K and Stereo3D is also on show. At IBC the emphasis is on new Stereo3D tools, new color tools and integration enhancements

for the latest digital capture devices. New Pablo PA developments make it an even more capable assist station for Pablo owners and everyone else too.

Ross VideoRoss Video’s Vision Series high-end production switcher family marks another industry first with the addition of selectable user layouts for its unique internal MultiViewers. Vision series production power has been further enhanced with the addition of the new 8-keyer MultiDSK module, doubling the layering power of programme outputs.

Introduced at NAB 2011, the new Carbonite mid-size switcher series has received awards and accolades confirming its highly affordable ground breaking design. The Carbonite series offers 1 and 2 MLE variants with 16 or 24 inputs and an unmatched feature set. At the heart of Carbonite is the new Multi-Definition 2RU production engine.

IBC is the European debut of the CrossOver Solo compact switcher. Based on the highly successful CrossOver 12, the Solo has the same features and specifications; however the main electronics and signal I/O are combined with the panel as a single unit.

Version 10 software for OverDrive, as well as a new OverDrive feature called QuickTurn which provides automated web delivery, will be launched at IBC.

The XPression Project Server is a game-changing collaborative creation and media distribution product that allows users to share projects and move media within a facility or across an entire enterprise.

SachtlerOn display at IBC, Sachtler’s Cine DSLR is a professional fluid head for shooting with digital SLR cameras with a video function that although suitable for very lightweight camera set-ups, can also handle heavy lenses and accessories.

Sachtler will also exhibit its ENG / EFP fluid heads Video 18 S1 and Video 20 S1 and the renowned FSB fluid heads, as well as the Sachtler artemis modular camera stabiliser systems (including Cine HD Pro and EFP HD SE). The artemis range is suitable for independent video producers to major-market ENG or sports crews and feature the patented Hot-Swap technology that provides an uninterrupted power supply when changing batteries.

TelestreamTelestream has released three major new enterprise-class system management products in the Vantage video workflow family: Vantage Enterprise Control, Vantage Master Control, and Vantage Team Management. Telestream also announced the release of Vantage 3.0 which adds support for a number of new video and audio formats, wrappers and systems, and new video workflow design and automation features. Vantage server-based software products automate content ingest, transcoding, video file interoperability, video production workflows, and multi-channel distribution for content owners, creators, broadcast, cable and new media companies.

New Vantage Enterprise System Management products, Vantage Enterprise Control and Vantage Master Control, provide scalability,

predictability, and resiliency for large-scale and mission-critical file-based video workflow environments.

Thomson Video NetworksNew from Thomson is the ViBE VS7000 video system, a fully integrated IP video solution for convergent applications such as Web TV and over-the-top services delivery, traditional IPTV, and IP / cable delivery. ViBE VS7000 combines all major audio / video codecs, the latest adaptive streaming formats, and a resilient IT platform for native redundancy and scalability.

Also new is the ViBE EM4000 Multichannel HD Encoder which incorporates a substantially more powerful evolution of Thomson’s renowned Mustang compression engine. The ViBE EM4000’s performance delivers significant operational cost savings through better use of satellite or terrestrial bandwidth.

Thomson’s NetProcessor 9030/40 now includes a new DVB-T2 interface for a more than 30% bandwidth enhancement, as well as MPEG-2/H.264 enhancements for splicing from a national feed to a regional programme in a statistical multiplex without requiring rate-shaping. Combined with the Sapphire MPEG broadcast server, it provides a comprehensive ad insertion solution. New Sapphire features include frame-accurate clip editing enhancements, advanced logo insertion features (support for H.264, new scheduling capabilities) and BXF support.

ViewCastA new ViewCast product at IBC is the Niagara 7550 which offers complete plug-and-play capability to enable users to quickly capture and stream premium quality audio and video to IP and mobile networks in multiple formats and at multiple bit rates – all simultaneously. It accepts SD or HD video through its SDI interface and can switch on-the-fly between HD or SD sources without having to re-initialise the system. An SDI loop-out is also provided to facilitate workflow. Like all professional-grade ViewCast streaming appliances, the Niagara 7550 comes standard with Niagara SCX which allows remote management of all the key features of multiple units in the same easy-to-use interface, over the network.

Osprey 260e and Osprey 460e video capture cards are ideally suited for broadcasters, enterprises, governments and OEM system integrators looking for high-quality, reliable solutions for webcasting, live streaming, podcasting, mobile TV, video on demand and / or surveillance applications. Both the Osprey 260e and 460e cards optimise the PCI Express (PCIe) bus architecture to unleash the power of modern multi-core PC engines with unfettered access to all PC resources.

Niagara SCX 6.4 is an enhanced version of the company’s powerful SCX streaming media management software. Version 6.4 includes a number of advanced features, including support for adaptive live encoding via Microsoft IIS Smooth Streaming and PlayReady DRM support, updates to Akamai HD iPhone and iPad streaming, improved MPEG-4 streaming, and presentation and security enhancements for adaptive streaming

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TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY | MEDIATECH AFRICA

For the first time ever in Mediatech Africa’s history, a long queue of people waiting to register had formed outside the venue an hour

before this 6th edition of the show was due to commence. The two subsequent days also saw a flurry of visitors.

Says Mediatech Africa director Simon Robinson: “From an organiser’s point of view the show exceeded our expectations and we have received nothing but positive feedback from exhibitors. We are delighted with the increased attendance figures and going forward will strive to expand our national and African visitor base as we feel there is a big potential for growth on these fronts.”

There were 125 exhibiting companies at Mediatech Africa 2011, with a combined exhibiting personnel of 1 338

representing 880 brands. A total of 260 media covered the event.

Of the 6 395 visitors to Mediatech Africa, 4 141 had pre-registered, with 2 254 walk-ins.

Awards

An independent judging panel, drawn from the industry, was tasked by Mediatech Africa organisers to judge the exhibiting stands on the following criteria: Merchandising; Customer Oientation; User Friendliness; Stand; and Marketing Compatibility.

Platinum Awards were presented to Christie; DWR Distribution; J & C Joel South Africa; and a joint Microsoft / Adobe / AxizWorkgroup / COA / EMC / Intel stand.

Gold Awards went to: AVL Distribution; Gearshack; Jasco; Malapati Productions; Movie Mart; Showtex; TID – Technology Innovated Distribution, with Silvers awarded to: Audiosure Commercial ; Concilium Technologies ; Inala Tecnologies ; KPG Media Technologies ; Matrix Sound; Oasys Innovations; P led SA; Pro-sales; Prosound; and Viva Afrika Sound & Light.

Bronze Awards: AJ Niemeyer; Broadcast Installation Engineering; Cam-A-Lot Rentals; Harambe Technologies; Legacy Brands; Macro Video; MIDI Music, a division of TOMS Sound & Music (Pty)Ltd; Questek Advanced Technologies; SABC Technology; Singer Photographic; Stage Audio Works; TADCO and Visual Impact.

Exhibitor feedback

Says Steven Lauter of Jasco (formerly Spescom): “I found the show very exciting

and vibrant. The foot-count through the door exceeded my expectations and our stand was constantly busy. We were extremely pleased with the attention generated by the Avid Media Composer 5.5 and realise that it was very opportune to have this on display so soon after the launch of FCP. Jasco is experiencing a huge trend to cross over to, or back to, Avid. We picked up numerous opportunities across all our represented brands in particular with Avid, Sony, and ViewCast.”

Concilium Technologies found the show to be one of the best yet. Steve Alves continues: “There was a considerable amount of interest in the award winning products from Harris (Selenio Media Convergence Platform), Ross Video (Carbonite production switcher), Hi Tech Systems (Avita controller) and DK Technologies (DK1 handheld audio meter). The other new products we introduced to the show for the first time this year, from the Harris radio consoles to the Zenon Media radio automation solutions, were also popular.

“We noted keen interest in the Apple based broadcast solutions from Tools on Air. JVC’s 2D to 3D real time converter connected to a JVC camera on the stand drew a lot of attention. The quantity and quality of the visitors was excellent, and we were able to engage with all of the broadcasters and production facilities during the three days of the show. The large contingent of overseas experts who were on the stand to assist with demonstration of the products generated a significant amount of follow up business for us.”

Arne Sack of Pro-Sales says: “It was a very good show for us. We had loads of customers on our stand – it was absolutely crazy busy. Well done to the Mediatech Africa organisers.

“Both the Sony and Panasonic sides of our stand were very popular. Newtek as a product was an absolute winners. Due to our varied product ranges, however, it is difficult to say which one was the most popular.”

Rui Valentim of MIDI Music (a division of TOMS Sound & Music) agrees that the show was excellent with good attendance. “We found our stand to be very busy at most times, generating over 600 leads. Our two most popular attractions were the Eleven Rack Guitar processor and the TORQ 2.0 DJ Software.”

Sony South Africa was unable to exhibit at Mediatech Africa because of the recent Japan tsunamis and earthquake. Says Jess Goedhals: “This meant we could not get new Sony products out to South Africa in time for the show. However, for me personally it was a great show as I had more time for networking without the stress of having to man a stand. Mediatech Atfrica is still very important for non exhibitors to cement relationships.

“Sony may not have exhibited at this year’s Mediatech Africa, but we did however sponsor two video cameras in a draw at the SABC stand. Furthermore, the Sony EX3 was also on display at the stand of a partner company, Opcom.”

DWR Distribution enjoyed an exceptionally successful Mediatech Africa. “This is the third time that DWR has participated at the show,” explains Duncan Riley. “A lot of people in Africa do not get to travel as much as we do so we think it’s essential when the opportunity arises that people should have access and direct contact with the manufacturers. Mediatech Africa is the perfect forum for this to happen. One of our most popular products was the new Robe lighting MMX Spot.”

The show that buzzed!Mediatech Africa, the continent’s biggest advanced technology trade show, took place from 20 to 22 July at Johannesburg’s Coca-Cola dome and attracted over 6 000 visitors, all eager to see the latest broadcast, film, professional audio, post-production, lighting, new media and animation technologies.

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TRACKINGTECHNOLOGY |

I recently had the opportunity to visit Washington, US, to discuss with a broadcaster digital delivery requirements of long form content. The

broadcast industry has recently undergone dramatic changes in digital technology but it was the sudden demise of the HDCAM SR factory in the Japanese earthquakes in March this year and the subsequent shortage of tape stock that set broadcasters scrambling to fast track a standard for, and a means to, deliver content.

The industry is hard at work to identify a shortlist of codecs and containers that are acceptable for the broadcasters’ workflow – from editing systems to video servers and long term archiving systems to attempt to service content for their channels through digital delivery.

A playout of final edit to tape was easy, checking the record status and tape condition monitoring to ensure the deliverable was ‘A-OK’. The tape could

then be quality checked and couriered off to the broadcaster. No problem.

So what about file-based material? Getting content from Europe to the US is easy due to the enormous undersea high speed optical cable linking the two continents. Upload to a FTP site and you’re done. There are many file-agnostic platforms capable of allowing any type of content to be sent and received across the networks, regardless of file size or format.

But in South Africa we live in a digital environment throttled by bandwidth restrictions and delivery by hard drive is the only other viable method. There is still discussion as to what format is best. Some broadcasters accept AVID video and audio AAF DNxHD 185X (10bit) projects consolidated onto a drive, some Apple Pro Res 422 HQ with 16 audio tracks embedded, and others DPX sequential files with multiple broadcast

wave files for audio. With 72 000 frames for a 48-minute documentary, file-based naming conventions are critical with no room for error, doubled when delivering left and right eyes for 3D content.

But hard drives are prone to failure. My colleagues in Washington were only too keen to show me a pile of drives that rattled when handled, victims of bad packaging and butterfingered couriers, it seems. Good quality (expensive) NTFS formatted hard drives with FireWire800 and eSata interfaces shipped in a watertight protective case is the only way to guarantee your hard work will arrive unscathed.

When I queried the fact that surely digital delivery meant more work I was quickly corrected. An independent study and assessment for this broadcaster revealed that they alone would save some $3.6m on tape and machine maintenance costs and $1.1m on labour savings a year due to automation processes.

It is encouraging to note that our local broadcasters are now gearing up towards file-based delivery in a variety of formats. Just remember, if it is digital then back it up….twice!

The company, which started off importing and selling set top boxes (STBs) in 2002, has undertaken and

implemented strategic and ownership changes necessitated by the difficult market conditions.

It manufactures and markets a wide range of STBs driven through cutting-edge technologies. ABT has a full product line-up of digital multimedia devices that include satellite, terrestrial and combos. The company has a potential production capacity of 120 000 units per month, comparable to any in Africa, and has 8 000 square metres of factory space

in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. “We are essentially a very young

organisation,” says co-founder and CEO Muzi Makhaye. “In 2006 we took a firm view to localise production of decoders and related home-entertainment devices, taking a cue from government’s expressed strategy of reviving the electronics sector in South Africa. The intervening period of our existence in this space has seen us learn as much as we have had to teach. Accordingly, the business is today appropriately structured, remodelled and recapitalised.”

In 2008 technology partners and suppliers pulling out of contracts cited difficulties related to the economic meltdown. Component suppliers from the west to the far eastern electronics industries cited the meltdown as reasons for pulling out of deals. ABT contracted with Arion, a Kosdaq-listed STB manufacturer, in 2008.

Makhaye continues: “While we have certainly fallen behind our own schedules as a result of the new market conditions and waiting for clarity on government policy and regulatory issues ABT believes the electronics industry in South Africa can still thrive. At ABT we adapted our plans to the realities of indecision and the hesitancy relating to the STB control system and the infamous ISDBT standards debate that side-tracked us all.

“The government still has to finalise and confirm the process and procedure through which they seek to subsidise the poorer households for their STBs. This is critical for our planning as manufacturers; we need to know exactly where the subsidy will go. There are varying implications should this subsidy be paid to us as opposed to the indigent households. Similarly, the risk profile changes if the money is to be paid to the households.

“ABT spent up to 18 months

developing and perfecting our own STB in line with the original SABS specifications, and we achieved this with input from globally renowned STB designers. By December 2009 we had finished facility upgrades to enable us to produce over 120 000 STBs a month. We have been ready since 2009 to start production for the digital terrestrial television (DTT) market.

“We could not stand idle and twiddle our thumbs,” adds Makhaye, “hence we supplied our AT2400 decoders that were used for broadcasting at the FIFA fan parks during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. ABT received positive feedback regarding the performance of our decoders from both the SABC and Sentech. We have also been active in selling our products to other migrating markets in Africa and the Middle East. Needless to say the delayed start of the DTT migration at home has an adverse impact on our business development efforts on the continent.

“ABT remains excited about the national prospects and the global opportunities as made possible by the analogue switch-off (ASO). The company has contributed immensely to the migration process and debates thus far and we will continue to lend a helping hand in bridging the digital divide.”

The digital delivery debate

AbT does sTbs

Broadcasters need a way to receive digital files from content distributors but not all delivery methods are capable of moving high definition (HD) media. Physical tape shortage and bandwidth issues are restrictions in the delivery process, both in terms of efficiency and cost.

ABT is a Gauteng based black-managed and black-owned electronics company that seeks to broaden the space in South Africa’s manufacture of home-entertainment devices and gadgets.

By Ian Dormer

brIDGING The DIGITAL DIVIDe – Muzi Makhaye

Harambe Technologies


sPECIALFEATURE |

Question 1: how did you start in the industry?

Question 2: What did you have to do to prove that you could make it to the top?

Question 3: What have been some of your highlights?

Question 4: Do you think women are making a greater mark on the industry today?

XoLIsWA sIThoLe – Producer, Naya Naya Pictures

1. I started in the film industry as an actress in anti-apartheid films such as Cry Freedom, Dark City and Mandela which were shot in the 1980s. Then I went to the US and was accepted to do an MFA but did not pursue it as I fell in love. In 1994 I came to South Africa and worked as a receptionist on the Cecil John Rhodes films and the rest, as they say, is history. I knew that I wanted to be a producer and was lucky to be mentored by Letebele Masemola Jones, Richard Green and Charlayne Hunter Gault and steadily worked my way up.

2. The issue of being a woman has not been a problem for me. What I have done successfully is to surround myself with very supportive industry people. These include True Vision TV, a company I work with in the UK, Bongiwe Selane, Harriet Gavshon, Mickey Dube, Carolyn Carew, Michelle Whitley, Sizakheke Moruthlele, Ramadan Suleman, Dr P Dgola

and Basil Ford. 3. Career highlights include winning

my first BAFTA in 2005 and then winning another BAFTA in 2011. This year I also won a Peabody award. However, most important is that the work that I do has enabled us to raise millions of pounds for children in need, whether it is through the Elton John Ball using a clip of my work to raise about 3.5 million pounds each year for two years for Aids Research. I also work with Richard Curtis (founder of Make Poverty History, Red Nose Week and screenwriter of Notting Hill) to raise money for schools in Zimbabwe.

4. Women who have made a mark in the industry include Bongiwe Selane, Helena Spring, Christa Schamburger, Dezi Rorich, Bridget Pickering, Karen Slater, Pearl Munonde and Natalie Haarhoff.

DeborA PATTA – Investigative journalist, Third Degree

1. I began working as a freelance reporter for Radio 702 and was instantly hooked. My first job was decidedly unglamorous – monitoring the wires during the Gulf War from midnight to 4am but I was lucky – Operation Desert Storm was launched on the first night of my new job. It took a lot of hard work and I was originally told that I ‘did not have a voice for radio’ but I think I proved my first boss wrong.

2. Women are their own worst enemies – if you believe there is a glass ceiling then you will be hindered. I have never been prevented from doing anything in my profession because I am a

woman. My career includes positions in senior management, running a newsroom and participating in the setting up of e.tv’s 24-hour news channel. All of these have been as a result of incredibly hard work and not because of, or in spite of, being a woman.

3. I have been incredibly lucky and am enjoying a wonderful career in broadcasting. I still feel excited every time we put a new Third Degree episode on air.

4. Women are a little timid sometimes when it comes to demanding top jobs and board positions in media houses. My advice has always been, ‘don’t knock on the door, bash it down.’

MANDIsA ZIThA – Director, encounters south African International Documentary Festival

1. I began at the Independent Producers’ Organisation (IPO) and then did a short stint at Women in Film and TV and then Women of the Sun. These organisations are an ideal place to learn about the industry, meet key role players and appreciate film. I also worked as production manager on an SABC3 series. This experience helped realise my strengths and weaknesses, and enabled me to identify the area of the industry that I was most interested in.

2. To prove myself I had to hone all the skills I acquired throughout my career. Experience and personal traits are more critical in the film industry than anything else. I have also gone back to university mid-career to complete a BA in Film and Media Studies at UCT. This has proved very useful in the position I hold as the

Festival Director for Encounters. 3. My highlights include being

invited to international panels and forums to speak about the scope of (South) African cinema.

4. During my tenure at Encounters we have seen a significant number of women filmmakers in our programme. There is still a concern about women gaining access into the film industry and getting the support necessary for them to tell their own stories. As an industry we are still lacking enough films made by women of colour.

DesIree MArKGrAAFF – Ceo, The bomb

1. I started in the industry as a runner. Although I was a hard worker and did not mind putting in long hours, I woke up one day and realised that few of the projects I worked on resonated with me. I decided it was time to find projects that audiences would love and to use my skills to bring them to life. Basically I was a producer looking for something good to produce. Then I met my partners, Teboho Mahlatsi and Angus Gibson, and I love everything we produce together.

2. Work hard, be a straight talker, deliver on my promises and have integrity. These are the same qualities that anyone, be they man or woman, who aspires to make it has to have. I think you have to love what you do and have great respect for your audience.

3. A highlight for me is when an audience responds to my shows, or when they change someone’s life for the better. Standing at the back of the cinema watching people sing, cry and rise up from their seats to ‘toyi toyi’ during Amandla

It’s a woman’s worldWomen who work in the South African film and television industry have always sought to make their mark in a highly competitive and difficult field. In celebration of Woman’s Day this month, Karen van schalkwyk posed some questions to a few key players in the industry.


| sPECIALFEATURE

WoS Event in celebration of women’s month In partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC), WoS is to host screenings and workshops as part of the DAC Arts Festival in • Northern Cape –

Mayibuye Arts centre 12 – 14 August

• Mpumalanga and Matsulu community arts centre 19 – 21 August

Submissions Now Open

Films of all genres directed by women

worldwideSend a DVD copy toP.O.Box Houghton

2041, Johannesburg More info:

www.wos.org.za

Call for submissions by women directors!!

In the quest to develop long-form fiction film women directors, WoS is inviting projects/scripts to which five will each be awarded R100 000 for the production 60min fiction films.

Selected directors will have the opportunity go through intensive directing workshops facilitated by local and international experts to ensure that they direct on time, on budget and still get the results they want.

Candidates will be required to:

• Have some directing experience ie. short films, documentary, PSA and commercials

• Submit finished scripts Deadline: 3 October 2011

More info: www.wos.org.za| contact Eve: [email protected]

Woman Of the Sun (WoS) wishes all women filmmakers a happy Woman’s Day Also Congratulates • Xoliswa Sithole on her 2nd

BAFTA Win! She remains the only South African woman to win a BAFTA let alone two.

• Sara Blecher on her achievement

‘Otelo Burning’ was the 1st film directed by a South African woman to open the Durban international film festival (DIFF)

AdvocAtes For the

AdvAncement And promotion

oF Women in Film And tv

Women of the Sun

It’s a woman’s world– A Revolution in Four Part Harmony; taking the proceeds from sales on The Burning Man to Ernesto Namhauve’s family in Mozambique. Reading Twitter conversations about what a character in Zone 14 or Jacob’s Cross did that night on TV; having a soccer team call themselves Yizo Yizo; these are all wonderful highlights.

4. Yes – look at the success of White Wedding directed by Jann Turner, or the Durban International Film Festival’s opening night film, Otelo Burning directed by Sara Blecher. Gcina Mhlope, Terry Pheto and Thandiswa Mazwai are just the tip of a long list of talent that is forging new paths. Inspiring women like Harriet Gavshon (Curious Pictures), Lebo Ramafoko (CEO, Soul City), Basetsana Khumalo and Patience Stevens (Tswelopelo). I think that woman have a natural emotional intelligence that is useful in the creation of story and in managing human capital.

NICKy GreeNWALL – Ceo of Greenwall Productions and presenter

1. Almost 10 years ago I sent a proposal to e.tv’s Debora Patta relating to the entertainment

coverage on what was then eNews Live at 7. I started working as arts and entertainment anchor for the evening news that same year and have been on-air ever since. In the years that followed I was fortunate enough to be able to develop and produce a number of entertainment and arts related programming for e.tv and the eNews channel. I started my own production company in 2009. So far it has produced The Showbiz Report, The Style Report, The Tech Report, The Close Up and Inside Art.

2. While I did come up against the odd bit of sexism during my time in advertising, my experiences in the television industry have been nothing but positive. I think in general I’ve always looked inward rather than outward for approval. The biggest challenge is always to stay cost effective, consistent and relevant and to always deliver what you promise.

3. I’ve had a great career so far and I hope it continues.

4. I think it was harder to be taken seriously as a young person with relatively no experience rather than the fact that I was a woman. Generally I’ve always just tried to deliver whatever it is my client is looking for – while at the same time trusting my own judgment. Once you have earned any kind of positive reputation – you need to hold onto it for dear life.

JyoTI MIsTry – Director and lecturer

1. I have always had a love for cinema and a passion for films. However, the opportunity to make films started when I was in graduate school at New York University. I was fortunate to have made a number of films while I

was there and, when I returned to South Africa, I continued making films even though I took an academic appointment at Wits University.

2. For women filmmakers the challenges remain a gender prejudice about content or the ‘kind of films’ that women make, like romantic comedies or women’s issue films. The other prevailing assumption is that women make for better film administrators, like producers, production managers, rather than their ability to be creative visionaries in their capacities as directors. Tenacity and a clear sense of what the creative project is are perhaps the most significant qualities that drive women in film production to be successful.

3. I am not formally in the film or entertainment industry, I make projects that treat film more as a medium of creative expression rather than solely as a vehicle for entertainment. My hope is that the kind of films I make can have qualities that are about enjoyment and pleasure.

4. In my observation there are more women in recent history who consciously choose careers in the entertainment industry but this of course must be seen in light of the

broader changes and opportunities that have developed for women in the film world over the past 25 years.

AMANDA LANe – Director

1. I began my career as an actor and a theatre maker and also worked a lot as a street performer. Magic, belly-dancing, fire eating, clowning and stilt-walking were some of the other deeply serious rabbits in my hat. When I was 29 I decided to make the transition, so I went to film school for a year.

2. Luckily our industry has some fantastic woman at the top of it. Desiree Markgraaff and Harriet Gavshon have been great inspirations to me. Desiree in particular has been a wonderful mentor and champion of mine. As a director you have to earn respect from your cast and crew whether you are a man or a woman. I think respect comes from having integrity for the vision of the work, yourself and others.

4. Jann Turner has made some delightful films and that first season of Hard Copy was also great. Desiree and Harriet are consistently making fine television and continue to raise the benchmark under increasingly challenging situations.


South African pay-TV broadcaster M-Net’s locally produced version of Idols is a complex shoot by any standard. It goes through various

phases from the initial auditions to the final extravaganza and each is treated quite differently from a technology and equipment point of view.

The audition tour for Idols takes place in various locations (each with its own accessibility changes), in different cities and at different times. An electronic news gathering (ENG) camera set-up from Visual Impact is used for origination.

“We break each city up into different days,” says Idols director and executive producer, Gavin Wratten of Nevermachine. “On our ‘sights and sounds and links day’ we have two ENG teams shooting at predetermined locations on Sony PDW 700, shooting to XDCAM disc. We also have footage from Helimedi and their Cineflex camera. For effects shots the team utilises a Canon 7D with fish-eye lens and a Sony EX3 for additional time lapse shots.”

On ‘queue day’ two ENG teams film vox pops of the crowd. Equipment includes a Jimmy Jib for effects and ramp shots, as well as additional Sony PDW 700 cameras for time lapse shots.

Wratten continues: “On ‘story day’ we use two ENG crews on Sony PDW 700s for shooting location stories about contestants found in the queue on the previous day. ‘Judging day’ is the busiest day as two ENG cameras on Sony PDW 700 shoot arrivals and stories at the venue. One Sony PDW 700 is stationed in the ‘rant & rave room’ for pre- and post audition interviews.”

Monitoring station

Connected to Wratten’s monitoring station in the judging room are five Sony PDW 700s on tripods and one on a Jimmy Jib. Other equipment includes a portable production unit for monitoring and a waveform vector scope, as well as mobile communications. Visual Impact’s Gordon de Beer is the on-site engineer.

“This season we also introduced Samsung Galaxy Tabs for the judges,” notes Wratten, “so that they can access information on each contestant on a live document. We also used five seamless Samsung LCD screens as part of the set, portraying either the Idols animated logo or images of past winners. Lighting was a combination of Parcans, 1KW Junior Arris, blondes, redhead and Chimeras.”

For the theatre stage at Sun City the same rig was used for the audition tour. The audio side becomes more complicated as Wratten multitracks all performances for final mix later.

Top 10

“This year the Top 15 stage was at Vodaworld as we wanted a more intimate venue before going to the Top 10 phase, so that we could create a definite step-up when we moved into the Mosaiek Teatro in Fairland, Johannesburg for the Top 10. This is a fantastic 3 000-seater venue which is ideal because the demand for tickets is incredible. It is also one of the few good venues where it is possible for us to move our set in permanently for three months,” states Wratten.

Sunday night shows are pre-recorded

on Friday nights, while the Tuesday night results shows are live. “For both we use Alfacam’s OB 30 which is the latest generation HD van,” says Wratten. “Eleven HD cameras will be used (10 on Triax and the Steadicam will be wireless). Alfacam supply Thomson LDK 8000 and 8200 cameras with a variety of Canon lenses (11x, 17x, 22x, 60x, 75x, 86x and 4.5 wide angle). For the live shows we have satellite facilities (via Globecast) and link up on C Band — with KU band as back up.”

The Friday night shows are recorded on to EVS and the data is immediately downloaded using the X-file and IP manager system that is AVID compatible.

Sunday shows are edited at the Nevermachine HD post-production facility, using multiple AVID media composers. Multitrack band mix is completed by Christo Hattingh and the show is final mixed by Tinus Smit from SFX also at the Nevermachine final mix suite — all in time for the Sunday TX which is delivered on HDCAM to M-Net.

The set was designed by DeWet Meyer and built by Stage Magic and consists of over 80 Samsung screens. Nevermachine supply the 40X 46inch seamless LCD panels, driven by four Coolux media servers that make up the main 10m x 4m rear video wall. There are two towers of domestic LED screens sponsored by Samsung.

Lighting is supplied by Dreamsets and is driven by a Grand MA 2 lighting consol. A variety of LED parcans, profiles and various Robe fixtures are

used. About 40 automated lights are mostly Robe, the technical manager is Eben Peltz from Dreamsets and lighting designer is Josh Cutts.

Audio

“Our audio HOD is Marius Marais from Audio Logic and he drives the FOH, using a Soundcraft VI-6, 96-channel consol,” explains Wratten. “We have a separate monitor mix for band and contestants and a multitrack recording of the show. Marais provides the band with the Aviom monitoring system to avoid AMP and band noise on stage affecting the vocal mics.

“The contestants are all on Shure PSM 900 in-ear monitoring systems and have personalised in-ear moulds made for them by NoiseClipper. We also provide the judges with in ear monitors because of the crowd noise.”

Each contestant has a dedicated Shure wireless SM58 UR series mic and the judges use Shure 419 table mounts. As the show is multitracked each instrument mic is split to FOH, monitor mix and multitrack mix.

Yamaha supplies the backline and all contestant instruments. It also supplies a music room at the Idols house for the contestants to rehearse in.

Idols is broadcast on M-Net and Mzansi Magic. Anneke DeRidder is the producer and Kevin Bentz is co-executive producer.

– to page 30

TELEVIsION |

Over the next two pages Andy Stead looks at the technology used in three major South African productions – the reaIity show Idols, the soapies Rhythm City and Scandal, and the drama Skeem Saam.

Technology and TV productions

(ADC)

Inala Broadcast

Technology and TV productions


TELEVIsION |

Johannesburg-based Peu Communication Solutions recently shot Skeem Saam, a 13-part drama series in Sepedi with English subtitles.

According to line producer Gerard Savenije, the entire series was shot single camera on the Panasonic

AGAF101 recording to an external Nanoflash at 50mb/s to facilitate a higher quality and more efficient post production workflow.

“We were very privileged to secure the services of Chris Vermaak as DOP, not only due to his massive experience and boundless energy but because he has his own Steadicam rig. This enabled us to achieve an amazing look seldom seen on normal run of the mill SABC productions,” explains Savenije.

The addition of the Steadicam brought certain challenges for the sound department as they could not easily attach all the transmitters and receivers to it without compromising the delicate balance of the rig. This was overcome by shooting all the Steadicam footage as sync sound recording audio to a Zoom H4.

Lighting was kept to a minimum with the idea that the final look of the series should be as true to life as possible and not look ‘staged’ at any point. This was even carried through to the studio sets which were lit with the same complement of lighting equipment used on location. No

traditional studio ‘top’ lighting was used with all key light sources floor based.

All camera equipment and accessories were supplied by Vermaak, with lighting and grips equipment from Media Film Service. The generator came from Base Equipment.

Says Savenije: “The venues and locations were chosen after a lengthy interrogation of the script by creative producer Winnie Serite, supervising producer David Max Brown, director Norman Maake, location manager Kobus Esterhuizen and myself. Numerous recces of Polokwane (specifically Turfloop where the script is set) and intensive scouting of local options in the Heidelberg, Tembisa and Soweto areas took place.”

The vision was to shoot the series as economically as possible while staying true to the look and feel of Turfloop. Due to budget constraints and logistical reasons certain key scenes of the series were shot on location in Turfloop to establish an authentic geography for the series. The exterior of the ‘hero’ houses were cheated in Hammanskraal – an area very similar in geography and feel to Turfloop and only an hour out of Johannesburg. Interiors were shot in studio, which helped in terms of control. The balance of the series was shot on location in Tembisa.

Skeem Saam will flight on SABC1 in October.

E.tv’s soapies, Rhythm City and Scandal, are recorded in custom built studios at Sasani Studios in Highlands North, Johannesburg.

Says Sasani Studios chief engineer Kim Smith: “The studios for these two soapies were built in a frenetic four-month period. This must be some kind of record but in spite of the short construction time there were no compromises in quality and design.

“Although the studios were designed specifically for soaps, we had to ensure that they would be sufficiently flexible to accommodate other productions, should either soap be cancelled.”

Simplicity was the order of the day. Daily dramas do not require a high level of sophistication, as the sets are generally fixed with only a small amount of swing, so lighting positioning remains essentially

the same. The lighting grid for both studios reflects this simple philosophy. It is basically scaffold poles with certain customised items.

Smith continues: “The grid was made specifically for our application and we inherited conventional incandescent lights from previous productions. There are different lighting set-ups for different sets. It is all pole-based drop arms with some Pantographs, based around a design applied to our previous soaps. All lights can be dimmed via lighting control.”

Cameras

The cameras are Sony BVP-E10, all SDI and fully digital but not HD. Smith points out that HD is not a requirement at this stage. “Sony cameras are an advantage as we are able to provide total

back up because we have several on site. The cameras are mounted on Vinten Osprey pedestals, and all camera cabling is Triax.” Lenses are Canon 18:1.

“We record directly on DVC Pro and there are no ISO feeds. Audio is analogue and records in sync onto DVC Pro tape. The vision mixer is a Sony as the production calls for cuts only and any other effects required are applied in post-production,” says Smith.

For audio the studio crew uses Sennheiser MKHP 70 boom mikes and Panamic booms. Audio is fed to a Soundcraft desk. There is no multi-tracking.

Crews are small but efficient, consisting of cameramen and floor assistants, a lighting person, audio operators and one crew member for

both vision control and VT.Technical upgrades are done on

an annual basis. Production-wise Scandal is almost a mirror of Rhythm City although they are shot in separate studios. Everything from the shoot infrastructure to the post and even the office IT infrastructure is managed by Sasani Studios.

“Future plans include studio recording directly onto drives,” notes Smith. “Using experience that we gained on the Big Brother Africa tapeless workflow system (we shoot directly onto shared media systems from ingest to edit to playout), we hope to implement a similar workflow on Rhythm City and Scandal, as this is becoming a global trend.”

Doing it single cam

Andy Stead checks out the studio technology of two well-loved SA soaps and reports on the production of a drama series.

Technology in TV production – from page 28

soapies find their rhythm

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ruNNING shoT – Chris Vermaak shooting a scene of Skeem Saam, with Cornet Mamabolo and Eric Macheru

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TRAINING |

Robert McKee has held seminars around the world which have inspired thousands of writers. His former students have won 32

Academy Awards, 160 Emmy Awards, 21 Writers Guilds of America Awards and 17 Directors Guild of America Awards.

Some of McKee’s most notable students include Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind), Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings), Andrew Stanton (Wall*E, Finding Nemo) Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby) and many more.

A profound and inspirational teacher, McKee stressed two main aspects about writing: the first is to always write the truth and the second is never to display your mediocrity to the world. One must always strive to be the best.

McKee’s lectures were held over an intensive four-day period at Johannesburg’s Monticasino and covered The Writer and the Art of Story, The Principles of Story Design and The Writer’s Craft Applied.

He began by asking a simple question: “Why are people gathered in a room to learn about screenwriting when this used to be common knowledge? Over the recent 40 years that knowledge has slowly dissipated and there has been an errosion of the storytelling understanding. This is why more stories are banal, shallow and predictable. As a result the audience is less and less satisfied.”

At the heart of our lives is story. “Whether this is page, screen or stage. The storytelling artist makes sense out of life whether it is absurd, tragic or comic. Stories are experiments for living and they are metaphors for life.”

He stressed the importance of honesty in the telling of a story. “We need great,

honest stories to shine a light into the darkness.

“Storytelling is the key to the civilization of society. If this crumbles the result is decadence. Storytelling is not just about entertainment but an expression of the truth of life.”

Savvy audiences

He went on to say that one cannot fool an audience. “They know when they are in the presence of the truth.”

On the philosophical point of what lies at the heart of the creative process, he maintained, was not use of language. This was a naïve and superficial assessment.

“Story is far more profound than words. A writer must in a sense be a skeptic and see the subtext of everything; he is not a politician who thinks he knows the truth but someone who goes in search of the truth. Writers do not simply receive knowledge. They must go beyond to find the honest expression of what it means to be a human being. This is not easy.”

McKee does not support the idea that writers must mimic Hollywood to be successful. “If you try and imitate Hollywood the work is not yours. The critical objective is to make a work that is unique and expresses your vision of life. I try and help people to make films for the world that come from their own culture. Make works that cross boundaries and make great international work.”

There are two critical requirements for a story to resonate with an audience. “The first is for the audience to enter a world they do not know, to have an anthropological pleasure of discovering a new world and fresh vision of life.

Secondly, the audience must discover themselves in that world; to discover a humanity that echoes their own so they can live through those characters in a world they could never live in. If you do these two things you are on the right path to making an international film no matter how strange and foreign the subject matter.”

Form

Another aspect is that all stories must have form but this does not mean adherence to a formula. “There is an essential form at the heart of all art, whether it is classical music, acid rock or painting. This form is remarkably simple. For music it is the 12 notes on a scale. On the one hand form is also incredibly complex. One must accept this insight and become the author of your work. An author is someone with real knowledge and a Godlike understanding their world and characters. The passion for perfection is what drives any great artist and this comes with great diligence. You must only show the world your best work.”

McKee maintains that a talented person is someone who can take what is in their head, their life experiences and create. “A writer must master the craft and when you do this you are liberated. Ignorance of the craft is when you copy other people’s stories and become a slave; a place where your writing is full of clichés and your characters are dull. Inspiration is what gets you started, finishing is the problem. Socrates said that an unexamined life is not worth living.

“We must all be philosophers and find meaning in our lives.”

A master teacherBy Karen van Schalkwyk

Robert McKee,

the renowned

international

creative writing

teacher, was

recently in South

Africa to conduct

his Story Seminar.

VALuAbLe LessoNs – Robert McKee

| FILM

Puma Video

A true story about the continent’s big cats, African Cats is set against the backdrop of the Masai Mara and is narrated by

Samuel L Jackson. The film was directed by acclaimed British filmmakers Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill and was three years in the making.

Born and raised in East Africa, Scholey is a qualified zoologist and well known for his documentary career. He was a producer on the BBC Natural World and Wild Life on One strands, creating series such as Big Cat Diary. He was also editor-in-chief of Blue Planet and Wild Africa.

“Shooting African Cats was one of the highlights of my life,” says Scholey. “I love Africa and each time I come back here I have a strong sense of connection. In terms of shooting the film we set up base camp in the Masai Mara. We filmed on a Sony F3, with a Phantom for the slow mo footage. The whole film was shot on either 30/ 60/400 fps. This created a filmmic look.”

The other critical aspect was to create an interesting narrative story. “We worked with the great story consultant John Truby,” continues Scholey. “The objective

was to develop a character driven story that would grip the audience. Our music composer Nicholas Hooper (BAFTA winner and Grammy Award nominee) did a fantastic job to heighten the emotion.

“We wanted to make a hybrid between documentary and narrative filmmaking. As a director I believe we need to push the boundaries. I worked with a group of really talented people on African Cats and the whole process was brilliant.”

Christine Service, country manager South African and non-French speaking Africa, The Walt Disney Company, points out that Disney holds nature at the heart of many of the films that it has produced across its history, from Bambi through to The Lion King. Disney’s True-Life Adventure Motion Pictures, released between 1948 and 1960 won eight Academy Awards.

“We feel that the time is right to build on this strong heritage with a new genre of films that combine world class nature filmmaking with great Disney storytelling in a way which we hope will contribute to a greater understanding and appreciation of the beauty and fragility of our natural world.

“African Cats releases in South Africa on 5 August and we look forward to the reaction of South African audiences to the film. Our aim is always to create something that resonates and engages with every member of the family,” states Service.

The film will be released on DVD and BluRay on 28 November.

A new Disneynature film, Chimpanzee, is currently in production in the Ivory Coast and Uganda.

A really big miaow African Cats is the first film to be launched under The Walt Disney Company’s new brand, Disneynature, which aims to develop films that have real-life nature and wildlife at their core, as well as captivating storytelling for the big screen.

Keith Scholey Christine Service

FeLINe ChArACTers – Scenes from African Cats

“AFRICAN CATS” PHOTOS BY OWEN NEWMAN ©DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

“AFRICAN CATS” PHOTOS BY KEITH SCHOLEY ©DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


TELEVIsION |

While the show is aimed at ‘anyone who likes film’, Kasrils says during the first season, which

ended on 28 July, they received the strongest feedback from film students and media industry workers. “In that sense we know we’ve produced something niche. We’ve also been very subjective with the content — the idea is hopefully to stimulate film debate among viewers.”

The series is produced by T.O.M Pictures and funded by channel Mzansi Magic, which recently celebrated its first birthday and boasts a strong focus on content from South Africa and the rest of the African continent.

Kasrils explains that channel head Lebone Maema suggested they put together a pitch because he knows how passionate they are about film. “This was music to our ears because at that point we were going to the cinema and getting into lively debates over the post-film cocoa. We felt strongly that most of what is on TV, as far as film reviews are concerned, is programming that functions as Hollywood publicity, basically as advertising. So we met a few times and discussed what it is that we’d like to see — as cinephiles — in a TV show.”

This led to the strong emphasis the series places on the South African and African film industries. “To their credit, Mzansi Magic urged us to go even further with South African content in our concept. This worked brilliantly, because looking back on the past 26 episodes we’ve interviewed at least two local filmmakers, producers or actors per week. It has helped to showcase a South African industry on the rise and an existing African film culture to viewers who may not have been aware of it,” explains Kasrils.

Unique insight

According to Omotoso the series is shot at independent cinema The Bioscope in

Johannesburg. The two presenters offer their reviews, not only with a sense of humour and genuine love for film, but also from the unique insight that comes from being filmmakers themselves.

Kasrils, also a Dancehall Reggae musician and radio DJ, has made a short film called Miss Sgodiphola which premiered at the Durban International Film Festival in 2009. He recently completed a screenplay for a feature film that he hopes to make very soon. “It’s an interesting step from all the years of being a film critic – kind of like being a football commentator and suddenly getting out onto the pitch to play,” says Kasrils.

Omotoso, besides being a well-known actor in South Africa, started production company T.O.M Pictures with Robbie Thorpe and Kgomotso Matsunyane and has directed the feature film God is African and short film Rifle Road. He recently finished shooting a feature film called Man on Ground with a star-studded cast including Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Fana

Mokoena and Fabian Lojede.Kasrils is optimistic about the South

African industry. “The good news is that, thanks to government rebates and the hard work of many South African filmmakers, there are now more local films being made than at any time in the past 20 years,” he explains.

Obstacles

However, many obstacles remain. “The biggest challenge our filmmakers face is competing with Hollywood products for audience attention. It’s the same problem faced by film and TV industries worldwide. As we have seen with Asia, the solution can be an opportunity in itself: to create popular films that don’t mimic the Hollywood model.”

On the question of why box office returns remain low on many South African films, Kasrils says everyone is trying to guess the answer. “The Schuster films have worked financially and broken box-office records, which goes to show

that home grown success is possible. I think attendance has got less to do with access to the mall cinemas than it has to do with the content of the movies. However, that doesn’t mean we are confined to making mindless entertainment either. Good stories are where it’s at. Once the first hit comes, others will follow,” says Kasrils.

The best South African film he has seen in 2011 (at the time of the interview) is Jann Turner’s Paradise Stop. “Aside from our ‘big budget’ endeavours it’s heartening to see how many filmmakers are taking the gear into

their own hands and making films that might be rough around the edges, but are satisfying an urgent need to make a film or tell a story. It reminds me of the early days of Kwaito music when the producers of groups like Boomshaka or Bongomaffin were selling their CDs from the car boot. And look where they are today,” notes Kasrils.

Omotoso agrees: “I really enjoyed Paradise Stop and I am looking forward to watching Otelo Burning, How to Steal 2 Million, Skoonheid, Material and 31 Million Reasons.”

His advice to young filmmakers is to remember that a career in film is a marathon and not a 100 metre dash. “You’ve got to be willing to put in the time,” notes Omotoso.

Kasrils’ advice is to watch as many films as possible and analyse them from a writing and production angle. “It’s a good time to be honing your skills, the South African film industry is on the rise,” he adds.

By Linda Krige

‘The Admiral’ and Akin talk movies

Local film critics / filmmakers Akin Omotoso and Andy ‘The Admiral’ Kasrils will be back on South African pay-TV channel Mzansi Magic in September for a new season of movie review show The Admiral and Akin Go to the Movies.

FrAMeD AND FoCuseD – Akin Omotoso and Andy ‘The Admiral’ Kasrils


| PROFILE

Video Africa

HDCQ Lab

A new show on free-to-air commercial channel e.tv takes an intimate look at the lives of some of South Africa’s most famous celebrities, such as Kenneth

Nkosi, musical acts Tamara Dey, Black Coffee and Jack Parow, as well as model Lee-Ann Liebenberg.

Created by Nicky Greenwall, The Close Up – A Showbiz Special Report begins its run on e.tv on Saturday 20 August at 7.30pm and also airs on the eNews channel (DStv Channel 403) at 10.30pm on the same day. Greenwall is well known as the producer and presenter of e.tv’s long running Saturday evening entertainment news show, Showbiz Report.

Although each episode is 30 minutes long, Greenwall had the luxury of spending six hours with each celebrity to get a close look into their lives.

“This is the really great aspect of the show and it is more a conversation with the celebrity rather than an interrogation,” explains Greenwall. “We specifically wanted to understand the chronology of events in each of these celebrities’ lives and what impact their personal lives had on their careers. I am overwhelmed that they trusted The Showbiz Report brand enough to be so honest and frank in their interviews. Audiences will likely be surprised by some of the show’s revelations.”

The new series is an extension of Greenwall’s previous show, Behind the Name, the main difference is that The Close Up comprises completely of personal accounts.

“It’s the celebrities telling their own stories in their own words with very little commentary from other

sources,” continues Greenwall. “Most high profile personalities aren’t often given the chance to open up about their life experiences so that was the motivation for this new formula.”

Some of the challenges Greenwall faced included sourcing never-before-seen material to accompany the accounts. “We found that some celebrities are more organised than others in terms of their childhood and teenage memorabilia. Thankfully I have an excellent production manager who took control of the situation. We literally had to contact long lost family members to make sure we got the best material. Consequently, a lot of the material is quite unique and offers a lot of surprises, even for the celebrities themselves.”

Greenwall created the concept for the The Close Up and produced and narrated the show. “I create concepts for e.tv and the e.News channel which they then buy into, pay for and subsequently own all the rights to. A lot of independent producers that I have spoken to have problems with this kind of structure, but I consider it a privilege to be able to make a living in television (especially in this country) so I feel lucky that e.tv trusts me enough to keep giving me work.”

With regards to the world’s current obsession with the celebrity culture, Greenwall maintains that celebrity is man-made and created for sales and marketing purposes.

“However, I think that many of the stories in the series are compelling because they reveal a lot about human nature. Our goal has always been to be soulful, not self-promotional or sensational,” adds Greenwall. – Karen van Schalkwyk

up close and personal

There’s No bIZ LIKe shoWbIZ – Nicky Greenwall


BUsINEsss |

DOCUMENTARY |

The traditional model of film distribution is fast making way for a hybrid model that allows independent filmmakers more

control over the destiny of their movies. “The distribution revolution is well

under way,” said US expert Peter Broderick, speaking at the recent Durban FilmMart Producer’s Forum.

Broderick is president of Paradigm Consulting, a company that helps filmmakers design and implement distribution strategy. In his experience only 2 or 3% of filmmakers end up satisfied with traditional distribution deals.

One of the problems, according to Broderick, is that independent filmmakers, who often have complete creative control over their film, hand over all control in a traditional all-rights distribution deal. In addition, the strategies of the distribution company are often formulaic and not customised to the needs of the specific film. Due to processes like ‘cross collateralisation’ the

filmmakers also don’t make the profit they’re entitled to.

Broderick discussed several films he had consulted on and the lessons he has learnt about hybrid distribution strategies.

This includes the importance of customising a distribution strategy around your movie and choosing effective distribution partners. “Do your due diligence on the distributors, call other filmmakers who have worked with them and find out real results,” advised Broderick. He also suggested that filmmakers limit the rights they give a distribution company to what the company is really good at.

“The more ways you split up your rights with dependable partners, the better. When you split the rights, you not only have more control, but ultimately more revenue as well,” he explained.

Broderick emphasised the importance of retaining direct sales rights and spoke about the possibilities of selling DVDs and other merchandise through the film’s website. Direct sales ensure more profit and also give the filmmaker access to the information of the buyer, which is invaluable for marketing purposes. He suggested that filmmakers think of merchandise and added materials that really have value for their audience.

“You need to create utility and reasons for people to come back to your website. – And be generous,” added Broderick.

One of the most valuable lessons is to start thinking about the core audience of a film and how to effectively reach them, early on in the process. “Thinking in

terms of micro audiences is really important; having a core audience that really loves the movie is a good starting point for your distribution.”

He also suggested that filmmakers put together a distribution team to help with the website, social media, fulfilment of orders and screenings. They can also reach out to non-profit organisations, which Broderick said are great marketing and screening partners, and can ensure that feature films and documentaries that are issue-driven have a long life and enough exposure.

“I want your film to have a life. I want the people who are going to care about your movie to know about your movie,” he said.

Some of the distribution venues Broderick discussed included festivals, theatrical distribution, semi-theatrical distribution (ie. special once-off screenings), video on demand (VOD), television, DVD sales (retail and direct), digital rights and educational distribution.

“You can mix it up, but it’s all about being strategic,” said Broderick. “Be flexible, be strategic, and in the end we hope you’ll feel you maximised the potential of your movie.”

Because big parts of new world distribution rely on the Internet, Broderick acknowledged that African producers with limited access need to be even more innovative in their strategy. “There are different challenges and opportunities in each country, no model should be emulated blindly,” he emphasised.

“Ethics will always be a shady area because documentary filmmakers want a good story. But at

the end of the day you have to be able to sleep at night,” said South African filmmaker Ryley Grunenwald at a film ethics panel at the recent Durban FilmMart.

Grunenwald is the director and camera person on The Dawn of A New Day, a documentary about a South African plastic surgeon who leaves his successful private practice to volunteer on a hospital ship.

“The film is told through the eyes of the doctor and his wife and three West African patients who receive surgeries,” explained Grunenwald. “There was tension between the doctor and his wife and I got into an intimate space to capture their crumbling relationship on film. I did give them the opportunity to view my

final cut though, to make sure the film wouldn’t ruin their lives.”

Grunenwald also chose not to show footage of a 16-year old boy having a rhinoplasty. “I filmed the operation but decided not to use the footage as this boy had been humiliated throughout his life because of his nose, so I didn’t want to open him up to any further humiliation.”

One of the issues Grunenwald faced while making the film was that at first the patients on the ship thought she was part of the NGO that runs the ship. “They thought they were obliged to talk to me and say nice things. So I had to make sure that they knew I was a completely independent entity and that they could speak freely. The three patients who did tell their stories were excited to do so because they wanted to instill hope in other people.”

Grunenwald stressed that filmmakers

have a responsibility to the people they’re filming. “Documentary is not reality – it’s recorded reality; the way you frame the shot, what you choose to shoot, what you do in the edit – it all impacts on the way the story is told.”

Human beings first

Senegalese filmmaker Moussa Sene Absa’s The Sacrifice is about 11 young Senegalese men who were found dead in a boat off the coast of Barbados in 2004.

Said Absa: “As a filmmaker you need to tell the truth, gain the trust of people you film, and be morally comfortable with what you do. I could not include footage of the dead bodies in my film because that would have violated the souls of the deceased.

“The Sacrifice talks about the whole issue of Senegalese youth who have been

betrayed by their government and what the future holds for them. These young men were trying to get to Spain so that they could create a better life for their families.”

A character in the film is the 25-year old widow of one of the men. “This woman is very poor and has nothing. Although I wanted to help her at first I didn’t give her money and instead talked to her about how she felt,” continued Absa. “She started to cry but I didn’t film it. At a later stage she approached me and said she wanted to tell her story.

“For one week we had a conversation and it was a comfortable shoot. When I left I asked my son, who was producer on the film to give her $200. I didn’t have a moral issue with this because the woman and her children were starving.”

Absa regards a documentary filmmaker as the moral eye of society. “But you must have respect for your subject and try to build awareness around issues. Be honest and responsible but be human first. Before you film someone you need to establish human contact.” – Joanna Sterkowicz

ThepoliticsofethicsThe documentary genre aims to pursue the truth about its subject matter but often gives rise to situations in which the filmmaker might be forced to cross an ethical line to tell the story.

CoNTroL oF DesTINy – Peter Broderick

A of distribution

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South African broadcasters and signal distributors, as well as the government, have already invested millions to test a DTT platform

— first on the DVB-T transmission standard followed by DVB-T2.

Says Christoph Limmer, senior director for Market Development in Africa at satellite operator SES: “Satellite TV (DTH) is an ideal complement to DTT, but will certainly not replace existing DTT infrastructures. It can either be used as primary infrastructure to feed the terrestrial network infrastructure or complement the DTT offering. Therefore migration costs can be significantly reduced and the DTT roll-out effected more speedily and efficiently.”

Limmer cites the example of the French government, which has spent over E600m to roll out the network infrastructure, realising that DTT will reach only 95% of the population. “The government launched the same offering on satellite to reach the remaining five percent of the population. Other countries

like Italy followed suit but ceased building up DTT network infrastructures much earlier and added satellite offerings.”

He notes that satellite is capable of serving terrestrial, cable or IP networks everywhere around the globe. The satellite signal (DTH) can be sent directly to a satellite dish (aerial) or terrestrially. “I can illustrate this by using the French TNTSat offering as an example. This is a satellite delivery service made available by the Canal+ Group. TNTSat offers a DTH alternative which is available to 100% of the population and can receive all the French DTT platform channels. Satellite is a solution to bridge the DTT gap.”

Once satellites are up and running, services are available to the whole population in the footprint. Satellite reaches areas where DTT can’t easily access mainly due to the high cost of deployment, landscape challenges or frequency issues.

The deadline for Africa’s digital switchover set by the International

Telecommunications Union is 2015 but Limmer believes that the majority of the African countries will undergo some challenges to meet this deadline.

“Research from Balancing Act done in October 2010 reported that more than 30 countries have not even started initiating the digital migration process. Over the past month we have been in contact with African government spokespersons from various major sub-Saharan countries and it seems like some of them have set 2013 as objective; others are still in a planning, preparing or testing phase.

“Ghana, for example, is already quite advanced. They have initiated an advertising campaign with a logo and are attempting to create general awareness among the population by promoting digitalisation and its advantages for those in the urban and remote areas,” comments Limmer.

An advantage of satellite is that services like new digital channels, high definition television (HDTV) and interactive services can be added easily while DTT is subject to spectrum limitations.

SES covers Africa with seven satellites and has another four to launch in the next three years. It is currently working with a partner to build a new fibre-quality, satellite based global Internet backbone for telecommunications operators and Internet service providers (ISPs) across the African continent.

Satellite’s role in DTTAs South Africa prepares for next year’s commercial launch of digital terrestrial television (DTT), the question arises of where satellite fits in with what is a terrestrial migration from analogue to digital broadcasting. SKY’S THE LIMIT – Christoph Limmer


TRAininG | RepoRT by JoAnnA sTeRkovicz

Cinema is at that the top of Burkina Faso’s cultural list, despite the country’s lack of a bona fide industry.

So said Burkinabe elder of African cinema, Gaston Kabore (Wend Kuuni, Buud Yaam), who met with Screen Africa at the recent Durban International Film Festival.

“Burkina Faso has tried for 40 years to contribute to film expression,” continued Kabore. “Cinema is a vitally important vehicle of the African Renaissance because it allows us to express our views and visions of the future of the continent.

“I’ve always believed in the importance of training in the African industry, otherwise we will continue to see images of the continent from abroad. Africans must learn how to tell their own stories on screen. For this reason I began to build the foundations for Imagine. However, I can’t run it single-handedly which is why professionals from all over the world run workshops at the school. This is very important as technology changes so quickly.”

In the eight years of the school’s existence hundreds of Africans, including the up-and-coming South African director, Norman Maake (Home Sweet Home, Soldiers of the Rock), have studied at the school. Workshops are in English and French with the first Portuguese workshop imminent. Courses cover scriptwriting, directing, production, post-production and sound mixing.

“Africa is plural but we have a common background. This is why I’m happy to meet people from different countries and delighted if the school can inspire people,” noted Kabore.

Imagine has run over 40 workshops attended by 350 people. Entrance into the school is free which presents funding issues for Imagine and its partners, National Institute of France, CFI, TV5 and the Organisation Internationale de la Franchophonie (OIF).

Kabore notes that the recession saw training budgets cut. “We are in a critical period of survival as Imagine is a local initiative and funded by ourselves. There is no government funding so we have to think of how to restructure the school.”

Different levels

Imagine runs three levels of training. The first is for ‘young talents’ straight out of film school, and offers an eight-week course where students shoot a three-minute film. Maake underwent the second level of training, which is for those who have directed short films, films and documentaries. This course consolidates their process, adapts them to the new technological environment and prepares them for new challenges.

The third level of training exists to train the trainers. “This is very important as often film practitioners with lots of talent and experience don’t know how to teach. Imagine shows them how to create a syllabus and put evaluation

tools in place so that theory and practice can be combined in a defined way,” explained Kabore.

Unlinke many film schools today Imagine trains its students on celluloid. “If you are trained on 35mm it will make you a better filmmaker on digital formats,” commented Kabore. “Working on celluloid makes you think carefully before you roll the camera so that you don’t overshoot. We give students a culture of film to show that filmmaking is not all about computers. Editing is extremely important and if you’ve shot well, you will be able to edit even better. That’s why we advise filmmakers to storyboard their scripts before shooting commences. We train students to edit on Final Cut Pro, Avid Xpress and Adobe, with ProTools for sound mixing.”

A lot of Imagine’s trainers come from a celluloid background, which gives them a good culture of film. Kabore’s regret is that the school has not yet found many people in Africa to train its students so trainers mostly emanate from Ireland, UK, Canada and Quebec, France and Belgium. Imagine hopes to source trainers from South Africa and has a collaboration with the country’s National Film and Video Foundation.

Delivering emotions and feelings

Because Imagine believes that filmmaking is not just technical there is a strong emphasis on scriptwriting and how to think in visuals. For this reason

students have to view lots of films during their courses.

“By looking at other people’s films you can learn things,” stated Kabore. “You need to know what to say and how to deliver emotions and feelings. These days it’s possible to make a good movie with a small budget but you have to find inspiration in your soul. Making a film is not about pleasing yourself – at the end of the day it’s about what you’re saying on the screen.”

Kabore has shot four films in his career, all on celluloid. The last one was Buud Yaam in 1997. “I don’t have any regrets that I have made so few films in my life because I managed to create Imagine. In fact, I’m on the verge of making a new film and am in the process of completing two scripts. I hope to complete both films by 2015.

“Although I would love to shoot them both on celluloid I’m not dogmatic about format on my films. If celluloid isn’t possible then I will shoot on either the Sony EIX3 or Canon 7D. Either way I will use the discipline of celluloid. That’s what we try and instill in our students – use the new digital tools of today but adhere to the technical requirements of celluloid filmmaking. It is possible to make good films on digital.”

Kabore attributes his own personal inspiration to pioneers of African cinema such as the late South African filmmaker Lionel Ngakane and the late Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene. “I always refer to Sembene as ‘the elder of the elders of African cinema’.”

EYES FOR THE FUTURE – Gaston Kabore

A small country in west Africa has

been at the forefront of developing the

continental film industry, both through

the biennial FESPACO Film Festival and

a visionary film training institute called

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Put action into your planBusiness executives often question the reason strategic objectives have not been met.

Execution is a specific set of behaviours and techniques that companies need to master to have a competitive advantage. It is a discipline of its own. In big companies and small ones, it is the critical discipline for success now (Bossidy and Charan: 2002).

Action planning is an implementation plan – what action you will take day by day to achieve the objectives stated in the business and strategic plans. It’s a planning aid to coordinate resources to achieve objectives within a set timeframe.An action plan:• Lists all the goals that need to be

achieved, a statement of what must be achieved (the outputs or result areas that come out of the strategic planning process).

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tasks must be carried out to achieve the particular objectives.

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• List all the steps required to achieve your goals. At this stage think freely of ideas or scenarios of what may be needed to accomplish your goals. Involve your team in this process.

• Analyse, prioritise and prune. Look at your list of actions. What are the absolutely necessary and effective steps to achieve your goal? Mark them somehow. Then consider what

action items can be dropped from the plan without significant consequences for the outcome. Cross them out.

• Organise your list into a plan. Decide on the order of your action steps. Start by looking at your marked key actions. For each action, what other steps should be completed before that action? Rearrange your actions and ideas into a sequence of ordered action steps. Finally, look at your plan once again.

• Constantly monitor the implementation of your plan; identify changes that had occurred and its impact on the plan.

In summary, action planning is the process in which you plan what, when and how functions will be carried out within the project or organisation in a given period of time. It clarifies what resources are needed to make it possible.

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Thirty-eight-year old Kenyan Kwame Nyong’o won the East Africa Talent Award in ZIFF’s Signis Awards category with his

10-minute animated film, Legend of Ngong Hills. The main language in the film is English with some Maasai lyrics on the soundtrack.

Legend of Ngong Hills is about facing one’s fear and how the power of the collective can be harnessed to achieve goals.

Nyong’o is buoyed by the positive response to the film. “People really like the story and how it all leads to the creation of the Ngong Hills, the majestic hills that are the backdrop of Nairobi. Others have really liked the aesthetic and how it blends the traditional Makonde sculpture look with digital animation.”

He notes that marketing animation films in Kenya is not very lucrative. “Local animation is still in its infancy. At this stage it’s still a big experiment and we are in the process of trying to create a market. Our objective is to market Kenyan animation to Africa first and then the rest of the world.”

The absence of a local or regional animation festival has not helped the estimated 100 local animators in East Africa. However, hosting the ASIFA’s (International Association of Animation Filmmakers) celebration of Egypt’s 75th anniversary of animation in Nairobi later

this year, in conjunction with the Kenya International Film Festival (KIFF), may stimulate significant growth of the industry.

Nyong’o understands that Kenya’s animators are smaller in number compared to traditional power houses like South Africa and Egypt, although the local industry is growing fast. While statistics on the number of animation films produced in Kenya in the past few years are scarce, Nyong’o is aware of only two animation films made in the country during this period: Greedy Lords of the Jungle and

Domestic Disturbance by Gatumia Gatumia, owner of production company Re-Con Digital.

Kenya’s first animation production company, Mank and Tank, opened in the early 1990s and there has been gradual growth since early 2000, which Nyong’o attributes to the introduction of UNESCO’s Africa Animated project.

There are very few investors presently interested in East African animation but one successful investor is the UK’s Tiger Aspect, which created Tinga Tinga Tales in Nairobi.

Nyong’o believes that the future of East African animation is bright. “The Tinga Tinga Tales project proved that we can do amazing work of an international standard for the world market. We have a rich culture and a limitless wealth of stories in East Africa to draw from to

create fantastic stories for animation projects. The fact that Kenya now has fibre optic broadband means we are fully connected to the world and ready to deliver content.”

Tanzania’s first 3D animation feature

Boniface Mhella of Tanzania is making waves with his debut 3D animation feature film, Manzese, which he wrote, directed and created single-handedly in Dar es Salaam in the record time of six months.

“I designed the characters and the environment in the film to look like the Dar es Salaam township of Manzese,” he explains. “It’s true that animation needs a huge amount of people, labour and time to produce, but with Manzese I found ways to save on all three factors.

“A segment of the film can be seen on YouTube. Many people don’t believe that it is possible for one person to produce an 87-minute 3D animation film but that’s only because they are not familiar with new technology and how to take advantage of it,” says Mhella.

The premise of Manzese is that while human beings are independent rational beings, if we are too rational we can prevent society from flourishing. A strong message of the film is that a sense of a community is important in order for society to flourish. It urges society to pursue development for its own good.

Mhella believes that the film has a strong potential to change the society, although it has only been shown at ZIFF to date. He says that Tanzanian film fans are excited to see his work which he believes sets a new trend in animation productions. “However, the local industry

still has to grow and become competitive. Animation is a challenging format; it’s very difficult to raise finance and needs powerful technology.

“There is no established animation industry in Tanzania or the rest of the East African region and before Manzese, no local animator had produced a feature length film in 3D. The few existing animation films from the region are shorts, mostly produced in 2D graphics and mainly for commercials.

“The development and growth of the Tanzanian animation sector has been restricted by the lack of technology know-how, financial problems that preclude the purchase of computers and

antiquated studio facilities.” Despite this Mhella

contends that animation is the future of film industry in Africa and the world. “If Hollywood is conquered by animated films why should we deny the power of this genre?” he asks.

Mhella made Manzese using a normal Microsoft PC with 1TB external

memory hard disk. “Because rendering is so slow I used a preview render setting in almost 90% of the film. This resulted in some unique visual effects which I refined using other graphics software. I think that’s why the final product looks so singular. The film is available in DVD format – HD 720p in Dolby 5.1.”

Now resident in South Africa, Mhella is keen to partner with local animators on projects. He holds a PhD in Social Sciences and has done research on international financing for poverty reduction and economic development.

“My aim is to make an impact on society by producing films that stimulate a developmental mindset,” concludes Mhella.

AFRicA |

East African animation on growth pathTwo animation films created in East Africa were screened at the recent Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF). Martin Chemhere talks to animators Kwame Nyong’o and Boniface Mhella about the region’s emerging industry.

Boniface Mhella

Kwame Nyong’o

ManzeseA WEALTH OF STORIES TO DRAW FROM – The Legend of Ngong Hills


| AFRicARepoRTs by MARTin cheMheRe

A new free-to-air terrestrial television channel, Africa7, will launch in Senegal in September. The channel will

also be available on satellite throughout Africa and Europe and will offer educational, cultural and sports programming in English and French.

Africa7 operates out of Dakar (Senegal) and is currently setting up offices in Accra (Ghana), Douala (Cameroon), and with offices in East and South Africa planned in the future. The channel has been in the testing phase since 7 July.

Owned by Senegal’s Citizen Media Group, Africa7 vows to exercise independence in its editorial content. A slate of more than 30 shows will be

broadcast daily from 7am until midnight. Says channel president Oumou Wane:

“The broadcast licence, awarded in August 2010, represents a wonderful opportunity to diversify and develop what we have already been doing, providing education through entertainment. Africa7 programming is a balanced mix of entertainment and culture. There is space for this kind of concept in Africa today. Many people are extremely supportive and enthusiastic about the channel, as there seems to be a real need for the content that we plan to broadcast.

“Africa7 is a modern, independent and straightforward channel that offers an exhaustive list of easily accessible programmes. Our presenters come from

at least 20 different countries, so viewers will find many points of view on the channel.”

More than a hundred people from all over Africa and Europe work for the company, which include directors, editors and technicians. The station is equipped with Thomson, Sony and Newtech technology.

According to Wane, the Africa7 name comes from a play on words around time and space. “We will be broadcasting in the five African regions: West, Central, East, North and South Africa. Africa7 will create customised content for the African diaspora, which we consider a sixth audience. The rest of the world is the seventh.”

Wane stresses that launching a television channel at continental level is a huge responsibility — from a financial, technical and human resource point of view. “It has been a long, difficult and very costly process, but every single day we are inspired by the ambition to create an innovative and state of the art channel.”

Citizen Media Group has been involved in the local production industry since 2006, producing educational television programmes for the national channel, Radio Television du Senegal (RTS). These include Citizen Match, a game show popular with students across

the country. Citizen Media Group also created Citizen Dictées, a programme aimed to improve the quality of writing. In 2008 the Group launched Citizen TV Jobs to help facilitate access to employment.

Wane notes that Citizen Match was an immediate success and led to the creation of a countrywide club known as the Young Citizens Club. The programme’s popularity even reaches Europe.

The Rugged Priest, by Kenyan director Bob Nyanja, recently took the coveted Golden Dhow Award for Best Feature Film at

this year’s Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF).

This is not Nyanja’s first award as his debut feature, Malooned, garnered a Silver Dhow at the Zanzibar International Film Festival in 2007 and won Best Feature at the Verona International African Film Festival in 2008.

The message in The Rugged Priest revolves around mustering enough courage to confront the past to seek justice for victims of political violence. Newcomer Colin Simpson plays the lead role.

“This film is definitely more daring that Malooned,” comments Nyanja. “I shot many more exteriors than before and it’s a far more passionate work.”

The Rugged Priest is shot in English and Swahili with subtitles in Swahili. Nyanja wrote and directed this story, which was co-produced by Isabel Munyua, Zorro Lukhwili and Tony Rimwah.

Collaborating companies in the project are Cinematic Solutions and Dreamcatcher Productions in association with Blue Sky Films and Complete Video.

Scripting for the film started in 2007 and pre-production commenced in June

2010. The shoot began in August and was completed in March this year. Locations included Nairobi, Naivasha and Nakuru.

Nairobi-born and raised Nyanja is upbeat about the film’s Golden Dhow accolade. “It’s a vote of confidence for us and means that our work stands out among many good films from all over the world. That’s a good feeling. However, I’m not sure how much the win will impact my career.”

Nyanja notes that the public response to the film since its launch

has been very positive. “The film received wide media attention and during its first screening some senior government officials walked out. This also helped send a message that it is possible to do good films here.”

Although the production was difficult

to finance, Nyanja solved the problem by ‘begging’ and ‘borrowing’, as well as ‘emptying’ his company savings account. He also negotiated with suppliers for easy payment terms.

The Rugged Priest was shot on a Red One at 4K resolution. It was post-produced on a Final Cut Pro and transferred to 35mm in Mumbai, India.

Nyanja, who studied for his masters in film and video production in South Carolina, US, is presently looking for a distributor in Africa. He hopes that the ZIFF triumph will help in this regard.

new Senegalese channel to launch

Kenyan filmmaker scoops awards

cOnTEnT FIRST – Oumou Wane

FIgHT FOR JUSTIcE – Martin Munyua, Charles Kimbero (stuntman), Bob Nyanja (director) and lead actor Colin Simpson

Bob Nyanja

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Visitors to the SBSS stand at the recent Mediatech Africa advanced technology trade fair in Johannesburg were able to

see the latest products from Digital Rapids and Root6 Technology.

Digital Rapids manufactures products for encoding and transcoding, including multi-format, high-performance hardware and software solutions for professional applications such as post-production, broadcast, IPTV, video on demand (VOD), mobile video, digital dailies, advertising, content protection, corporate marketing, training, education, web distribution, security and more.

Also shown were products for live streaming, including flexible, scalable solutions for live encoding, streaming and archiving with hardware-based de-interlacing and noise reduction for industry-leading quality, ideal for live

event streaming as well as delivery solutions for fast, efficient digital delivery of HD, SD and digital cinema media and metadata between content providers, contributors and distribution partners over IP networks or satellites.

Said James Macpherson of SBSS: “Laserstream, the streaming division of Lasernet, has chosen to use Digital Rapids through SBSS to stream content to the web, point to multipoint, as well as point to point. A client will give Laserstream a feed, video and audio and it is encoded and sent to a content distribution network. From there any client can access it. Digital Rapids products are used to enable this process

and to ensure a high quality end product.”Version 3 of Root6’s ContentAgent, a

management tool for automated digital workflows, was on show at the SBSS stand. Said Root6’s head of Product Management Owen Walker: “We’re finding that there is a huge interest in this product because everyone is going file based. ContentAgent is a universal platform for managing, repurposing and distributing digital content and provides seamless continuity of operation between acquisition, transcoding and distribution.

“The system has been bought by several South African facilities including Searl Street Post Production, Blade, Waterfront Post and Sasani Studios. ContentAgent is

resolution independent so you can bring in many different file formats (including DPX, MOV, MXF and Red), transcode them to other formats and do frame size and frame rate conversions in either SD or HD. Once the transcoding is complete ContentAgent sends you an email alerting you to the fact. ContentAgent can then automatically copy the file to a network. ContentAgent also features integrated DVD and Blu-ray authoring.”

Two versions of the system are available – a software version and a hardware version with video capture capabilities. Tektronix’s quality control system, Cerify, can be integrated into ContentAgent to check video and audio quality.

A common application of ContentAgent is to view and automate digital dailies workflows on feature films and television programmes as the system is able to read the metadata on the files and prepare them for editing.

International users of ContentAgent include the BBC, Dreamworks, The Mill, Technicolor, IMG and RDF.

For more on the products that were on show at Mediatech Africa, see the September issue of Screen Africa.

High-tech technology on display

POPULAR STAnD – Neil White and James Macpherson


Du Buisson says that following the McKinsey Audit of 1997 more than a 1 000 people at the SABC were retrenched, many of whom had to be rehired at higher salaries because their skills were still needed. “We want to avoid a similar process of haphazardly retrenching people,” explains Du Buisson.

BEMAWU is also concerned about the SABC Content Hub which they say is ‘very costly and cannot work in the matter that is proposed’, and the fact that there are approximately 12 general managers working at the SABC with no staff reporting to them.

Du Buisson says the last time they met with the SABC they were presented with a number of documents. “It’s impossible for us to get a proper idea of the Turnaround Strategy from these documents. We need a full information sharing session where the process leaders make proper presentations to be interrogated by the unions. Three months ago they said this would happen soon, but we are still waiting. Only once the presentations have been made and we have gone back to our union members to get feedback, can we go back to management for proper consultation to start. That is what is required of the consultation process, but it hasn’t happened,” says Du Buisson.

They are also ‘greatly concerned’ about the continuous recruitment and appointment of new staff members at the SABC. “We can’t prompt or push the SABC to consult us, the onus is really on

them, but we are really adamant that they can’t implement the Turnaround Strategy if they haven’t consulted us. If we find that they have been selectively implementing the strategy, we will look at an interdict,” says Du Buisson.

MWASA followed a different route and took the matter to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).

According to MWASA general secretary Tuwani Gumani, they declared a dispute due to the ‘piecemeal’ consultation offered by the SABC, and they believe the SABC’s notice to reduce the headcount strengthened their case ‘by demonstrating the SABC’s unsustainable, characteristic, non-standard appreciation of the concept of consultation’.

They were directed by CCMA commissioner Eddie Thlothalemaje to start the dispute afresh, and to hold several conciliation meetings facilitated by an independent person. “Clearly a delaying tactic,” says Gumani.

“We indeed followed the process as directed (under protest) and we exchanged the statements of case and held the stipulated meeting where we all agreed that the only issue was the all-encompassing matter of the failure of the SABC to consult on the entire Turnaround Strategy initiative. The dispute also encompasses the announcement of the intention to retrench +/-800 staff over the next few years as part of the Turnaround Strategy initiatives. We demonstrated that the matter of the mooted retrenchment of the

over 55 year-olds was equally an aspect of the dispute as provided for by section 84 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA). In fact the SABC’s intended action was illegal by all standards, however toned down in terms of terminology used to describe the veiled intended retrenchment. The very act of making the offer for early retirement outside statutory consultation is not supported by the LRA.”

MWASA has now referred the matter back to the CCMA head office to schedule a new date for final arbitration, and have requested that it happen under the auspices of a different senior commissioner.

“The demand, prayer, proposed and only remedy or relief is for the SABC to arrest further unilateral implementation of Turnaround Strategy initiatives, to reverse all already implemented changes and allow for proper consultation with MWASA as required by law and our Collective Bargaining Agreement,” says Gumani.

According to the CWU spokesperson Vulture Ntuluki, they have established a restructuring team to investigate the implications of the new operational model and Turnaround Strategy for employees in the bargaining unit, and to formulate the union’s plan and way forward.

Ntuluki says the consultation process has been faced with various challenges, but the union has made it clear that the framework on engagement agreement has to be honoured and respected in full. However, they’re not worried about

retrenchments at the moment. “After CWU wrote a strong letter of

objection to the intended retrenchments notice given by the SABC, the SABC withdrew that notice. According to us there will be no retrenchments in the SABC and this was confirmed by the SABC executives to CWU’s NEC. The SABC is currently attempting to re-instate the processes of offering voluntary early retirement packages in which they invited all three unions to the meeting on 29 July 2011. To our surprise the other unions were not present and CWU refused to be involved in that process,” says Ntuluki.

He also claims that they have received ‘bundles of documents’ from the SABC which have not been explained in detail. “We are still waiting for more feedback and information from the SABC around the entire strategy and we will be following up with them, since we have committed to respond to their position on the Turnaround Strategy,” says Ntuluki.

In addition to the unions’ unhappiness, industry representatives at the South African Screen Federation (SASFED) confirmed that they have also not been properly consulted on the proposed Turnaround Strategy.

“We met with the SABC at the beginning of the year and they said there would be regular engagement, but there hasn’t been. We’ve asked repeatedly for consultation and they’ve had every opportunity, but they’ve clearly closed the door on consultation,” says SASFED vice chair Marc Schwinges. – Linda Krige

Unions decry lack of SABc consultation

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feeling. I didn’t expect it because there were so many great projects at DFM.”

The two filmmakers believe their film has the potential to save lives and change people’s attitudes towards the ancient Xhosa tradition of ritual circumcision.

“I think it’s an incredible story and something that is very new, especially to an international audience,” comments Baza.

Broughton adds: “Attending IDFA will connect us with the top minds in the world of documentary filmmaking and give us access to international broadcasters, partners and funding. In the meantime, Mayenzeke and I have a lot of follow up work after the DFM. We need to work on a few adjustments to the structure of film.”

Three fiction feature films were chosen to attend the CineMart Rotterdam Lab. These are: James Taylor and Donald Mugisha’s Boda Boda Thieves and David Max-Brown and Lyle Lewis’ This Boy and Joel Karekezi’s Imbabazi / The Pardon.

This Boy also picked up Videovision Entertainment’s

award valued at R75 000 for the Best South African Film Project. Says David Max Brown: “It’s wonderful to have won these awards: I have been working with the writer, John Fredericks, for many years on his life story which he has crafted into a great screenplay. Kyle Lewis is a young director who I believe has the talent to bring a youthful and fresh feel to the film.”

Max Brown considers the film unique as it is set in the Cape Flats and written in Afrikaans by a person who wanted to be a writer but who turned to violence and gang life after he was raped by an older man.

The Videovision Entertainment Prize includes a commitment to distribution. “Videovision Entertainment will know best how to reach the international market,” notes Max Brown. “There is also a cash prize which will help us in our task to attach private and corporate investors. We plan to go into production in March or April 2012.”

Two PUMA.Creative Catalyst Awards with a R50 000 cash prize attached to each were

presented to: Femme a la Camera from director Karima Zoubir and producer Hicham Brini, and Eddie Edwards and Steven Markovitz’s Rollaball.

Says Markovitz: “It feels great to be recognised by an international awards panel for a film that Eddie and I have been developing for two years with no external support. Rollaball deals with its subject – Ghanian street people disabled as a result of polio – in an usual and fresh way, through sport.”

He regards the prize money as very significant. “These days most funders and broadcasters want to see a 20-minute rough cut before committing to a project. The prize money will allow us to do this.”

In addition, two R15 000 PUMA.Creative Mobility Awards recognised The Flight Pilot, from director Peggy Mbiyu and I, Afrikaner from director Annalet Steenkamp and producer Lauren Groenewald.

Previous Creative Catalyst awardee, Nonhlanhla Dlamini, was given an additional contribution of R50 000, towards the development of the next part of her story, Shattered Pieces of Peace.

DFM’s big winners

delivering ‘firsts’ such as Africa’s first digital satellite television service. It also pioneered the DualView decoder, the Personal Video Recorder (PVR), high definition (HD) channels, a catch-up service and mobile TV.

DStv BoxOffice is currently available only to DStv subscribers who have SD or HD PVRs but MultiChoice plans to launch an online version of the service at the end of the year. This will be available to all South Africans.

At the moment 15 movies – the latest Hollywood blockbusters which become available to MultiChoice (and DVD rental stores) immediately following their theatrical run – are available at any one time on the BoxOffice. More movies will be added to the carousel once new PVRs with more storage space become available on the market. Each movie can be watched on a pay-per-view basis for a period of 48 hours.

MultiChoice’s chief technology officer, Gerdus van Eeden, explains the technology behind BoxOffice. “The system is completely different to linear broadcasting as we send all the movies as a file download via satellite to the PVR. This happens in the background and doesn’t interrupt viewing. The file sits in a specially designed sector of the PVR’s hard drive.

“We download these movie files onto the hard drive once they are presented on the BoxOffice playlist as one of three options. The first option is the regular user playlist, secondly the catch-up playlist, and lastly the BoxOffice playlist. Subscribers can select any movie, view a trailer for free and read a description of the movie. If you want to watch the movie then you press the ‘Buy’ option on the screen and it will ask you to SMS a code which goes to the PVR backend and generates another SMS back to you which provides you with a link to pay on site.”

MultiChoice then sends a signal to the satellite to unlock the movie, which can be watched as many times as desired within the 48-hour period. The movie can also be paused during viewing. At least two new movies are added to the carousel every week.

Van Eeden points out that the movie file is encrypted onto the PVR hard drive. “We employ two independent encryption methods. The movie itself, as you play it, has copy protection on the PVR, which will bar a DVD recorder or video recorder from outputting to an HTM file. There is also another copy protection, as per Hollywood studio requirements, for MultiChoice to lock down the content. Subscribers with HD PVRs will see all movies in HD. All DStv PVRs dating back to 2008 are HD capable.

“During the BoxOffice development phase we looked at VOD models in other territories. Because South Africa is broadband challenged at the moment the only option is to push content from satellite as one HD movie uses 11/2 gigabytes. The other issue is that South Africa currently has capped broadband. American systems such as Netflix and LOVEFiLM rely on a practically uncapped Internet.

“The advantage of satellite is that it has huge capacity, much bigger than the BoxOffice catalogue. However, we hope, broadband willing, to launch the online BoxOffice service at the end of the year and this will allow for a catalogue of about 40 movies at any one time. But online movies will obviously be at a much lower resolution than satellite as HD is not viable online.”

SA’s first VOD service

Technology + Production Conference in Johannesburg.

Waghorn pointed out that digital migration is a huge consumer change programme that requires public awareness about the switchover and the benefits of DTT. “In the UK consumer education started four years before the switchover commenced on a region to region basis. However, no-one knew the actual date of the analogue signal switch-off until three months before it happened. Therefore it’s advisable for government to only commit to a switchover date once they know for certain when all the deliverables can be implemented. Once that date is confirmed then a simple call to action should be issued, like messages on the TV screen that say: ‘This analogue signal will be cut off in three weeks.’”

South Africa’s Minister of Communications Roy Padayachie mentioned April 2012 as a possible launch date for DTT in this year’s Budget Vote Speech. There has been no confirmation since then, neither had any consumer education programme been put into place

at the time of going to press.Although the director of the

DOC’s Digital Migration Project, Sithembiso Manzini, had been confirmed to present the keynote speech at the Screen Africa Technology + Production Conference, Screen Africa was informed on the night before the conference that Manzini would not be able to speak and that Deputy Minister Obed Bapela would give the presentation instead. The Deputy Minister subsequently cancelled.

Earlier this year the DOC

wrote to the Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association (Sadiba), which has been at the forefront of developing specifications for the set top box (STB) required to decode the digital signal, to include control technology within the box to ensure that the STB will not work if it crosses South Africa’s borders.

Sadiba deputy chair Dave Hagen noted at the conference that about 1.2million TV households in South Africa on VHF will probably need new antennas. “Thirty-five percent of South Africa’s current viewers – there are an estimated 11 million TV households in the country – will either need new antennas or modifications to their existing antennas.

“There is lots of focus from the DOC to get ready for DTT. In the meantime the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) may change the DTT regulations slightly to accommodate DVB-T2 as they were originally written for the first generation DVB-T.

“By March 2012 Sentech will have achieved 74% coverage on DVB-T2 so it is progressing

well. At the moment the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) is re-writing the STB specifications for DVB-T2 and to incorporate high definition (HD). We hope that this process will be completed within two months. Once the specs are approved it takes nine months to get the STB from specs stage to the manufacturing stage so Sadiba foresees that the STBs will be in retail in May or June next year.

“We regard the government’s deadline of December 2013 as a pipe dream for the switch-off of the analogue signal. The typical migration time for the rest of the

world is six years.” In closing Hagen revealed

‘The 6 Cs’ necessary to ensure successful migration:

Content (the DTT offering must be appealing enough to warrant the purchase of STBs);

Cost (the price of STBs); Conformance (all decoders

must be tested to specification before going into retail);

Coverage (a fixed outdoor network);

Communication (inform and educate the public); and

Consumer support (providing STB installation assistance to those households that need it).

The DTT ‘musts’

MIgRATIng – Richard Waghorn


The above represents a selection of programmes only, and is calculated on the total calendar month’s weighted average of the total audience

over all age groups. If you want a particular programme included please contact Enid Venter on +27 (0)11 884-3162. The purpose of the schedule is to show the types of programmes

South African audiences view, and to what extent.

This monthly feature selects prominent local productions and ranks them in terms of audience ratings (ARs). Selected foreign programmes are shown only for comparison.

ARs are weighted over the period of transmission and the number of transmissions during the calendar month. Data is supplied by the South African Advertising Research Foundation and processed by Interactive Market Systems (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd.

Key: Day/s refers to the day or days of the week the programme is transmitted. Frequency refers to how often it is transmitted – D=Daily, W=Weekly, S (followed by a number) indicates a series of that number of episodes. Television Universe estimated at 5.232 million households. One ratings point of all viewers

The cream of the local productions

3 Talk Talk 18:00 M-F S5 3 1.6 1.8

3rd Degree Actu 21:30 Tue W e 7.3 5.5

7de Laan Soap 18:30 M-F S5 2 8.0 7.7

Carte Blanche Maga 19:00 Sun W M 1.0 0.9

Fokus Actu 18:30 Sun W 2 4.8 5.2

Generations Soap 20:00 M-F S5 1 21.3 22.0

Gospel Gold Musi Vari Sun W 2 5.4 5.1

Isidingo:The Need Soap 18:30 M-F S5 3 3.5 3.3

Jam Alley Vari 18:30 Fri W 1 6.2 5.8

Live Lotto Draw Quiz 21.30 W/S S2 2 5.7 5.8

Morning Live Maga 06:00 M-F S5 2 2.4 1.8

Muvhango Dram 21:00 M-T S4 2 9.2 9.6

News at Seven News 19:00 Daily D e 7.2 6.6

News at Seven on 3 News 19:00 Daily D 3 3.0 2.8

Pasella Maga 19:30 W W 2 4.5 4.3

Rhythm City Soap 18:30 M-F S5 e 10.5 10.4

Scandal Dram 19:30 M-T S4 e 8.7 8.9

Selimathunzi Vari 18:30 Wed W 1 5.3 4.7

Special Assignment Actu Vari M/T S2 3 1.7 1.7

Top Billing Maga 19:30 Thu W 2 3.0 3.0

Yo-TV Y-Ent Vari Vari D e 1.9 2.1

Days of Our Lives Soap 17:10 M-F S5 1 3.8 4.0

WWE Wrestling Smackdown Spor 20:30 W W e 5.5 5.9

The Bold and the Beautiful Soap 18:00 M-F S5 1 9.3 8.7

represents about 145 590 viewers.Key to genres: Actu: Actuality, Docu: Documentary, Dram: Drama, Educ: Education, Maga: Magazine, Musi: Music, News: News, Quiz: Game Show, Real: Real life, Reli: Religion, Sitc: Sitcom, Soap: Soap, Spor: Sport, Vari: Variety, Y.Ent: Youth Entertainment,

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Top foreign shows

We feature the top five shows viewed for each of the channels.

SABc1Rank Programme Date genre AR1 Generations 23/05/2011 Soap 24.42 Zone 14 23/05/2011 Dram 19.43 Intsika 10/05/2011 Dram 17.14 Zulu News 23/05/2011 News 14.85 Sokhulu & Partners 05/05/2011 Dram 14.8

SABc2Rank Programme Date genre AR1 Muvhango 10/05/2011 Dram 12.42 Powerball 17/05/2011 Vari 11.63 Ga Re Dumele 01/05/2011 Sitc 9.74 7de Laan 19/05/2011 Soap 9.25 Mohlolahadi 06/05/2011 Dram 8.3

SABc3Rank Programme Date genre AR1 Isidingo – R 18/05/2011 Soap 4.82 Pirates of The Caribbean:At World’s End 14/05/2011 Movi 4.73 Pirates of The Carribean:Dead Man’s Chest 07/05/2011 Movi 4.64 The Oprah Winfrey Show 31/05/2011 Maga 4.65 Days of Our Lives 30/05/2011 Soap 4.5

M-nETRank Programme Date genre AR1 Date Night 22/05/2011 Movi 1.32 Carte Blanche 29/05/2011 Maga 1.13 The Blind Side 01/05/2011 Movi 1.04 Survivor SA Maldives 19/05/2011 Real 1.05 CSI Las Vegas 17/05/2011 Dram 1.0

E.tVRank Programme Date genre AR1 Rhythm City 02/05/2011 Dram 12.82 The Medallion 08/05/2011 Movi 12.33 Littleman 07/05/2011 Movi 11.34 News 03/05/2011 News 10.35 Ghost Rider 01/05/2011 Movi 10.3

The top five programmes

MAY 2011 | AuDIENCE RATINGS

The cape Town Lab reports that they are doing pick-up shots for Dark Side and completion on Strike Back. They are quoting on feature work for August but this is uncomfirmed at this stage. International commercials are down by almost 40% compared with the same period last year, but local commercials made up for this. There is also a drop in camera test footage which although low is still double that of the previous year.

The Johannesburg Lab is still without any feature processing. Commercials have decreased slightly from last month but in general the work level remains low. Bulk printing, however, has increased on previous months with 18 features, 975 trailers and 1 947 commercials having been printed.

The commercials submitted by Media Host have increased significantly on the previous month, again indicating that most commercials are delivered to broadcasters via this method.

We would like to thank the laboratories and Media Host for the information they have supplied. Vital Sta’tis’tiks makes no attempt to identify the title of the production, or the production house or any other

information as this is often confidential information – we supply simply the numbers. We rely on the co-operation of broadcasters, suppliers of commercial material to broadcasters and local film

laboratories for information, however at the moment local broadcasters are not forthcoming in providing these vital statistics.

Efforts will continue to be made to build on this statistical data base in order to improve the accuracy, and should readers have comments or other ideas in terms of statistic gathering, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Your comments are appreciated.

Through the labs:JohannesburgFeatures Shorts Commercials Doccies 16mm 35mm 0 0 8 1 2 6Cape TownFeatures Shorts Commercials Doccies 16mm 35mm 1 0 10 0 0 11

Commercials submitted to broadcasters via media hostJune 2011: 1915 compared with 1526 last month

VitalStatsbrought to you by

Statistics for May 2011

Gauteng Film Commission (GFC)


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DAngEROUS TRAILS – ELEPHAnTS In THE MInEFIELDSNHu AfricaExec Prod: Sophie VartanWildlife DocumentaryDEAR SISTERMedia VillageProd: Debbie MattheeShort FilmDOOMSDAYRogue PicturesDir: Neil Marshall FeatureEnDAngEREDNHu AfricaExec Prod: Sophie VartanWildlife Documentary SeriesHARTLAnDBottomline Entertainment / Fix Post ProductionMichael ModenaTV DramaHOOFMEISIEThe Film Factory / Fix Post ProductionDir: Morne Du ToitFamily ComedyIQILIImpucuzekoProd: Sharon KakoraFeatureMARRY – AnnShadow FilmsDir: David ForbesDocumentaryMISSIOn cRAnETwo Oceans ProductionProd: Giselher Venzke & Bertha SpiekerFeaturePERFEcT SHISHEBOCurious PicturesProd: Nthabiseng MokoenaAFP – Cooking ShowPURPLE TOWnSukuma MediaDir: Bonginhlanhla NcubeDocumentaryRATI En MAATSKhaki ProductionsDir: Wynand DreyerChildren Series – EdutainmentRESTYLE MY STYLECurious PicturesProd:Anita van HemertChildren’s ProgrammingSA JUnIOR MASTERSOur Time ProductionsDir: Jaun de MeillonSeries on SuperSportSAFE HOUSEMoonlightingProd: Genevieve HofmeyerFeatureSOKHULU AnD PARTnERS 2Paw Paw FilmsProd: Roberta DurrantTV DramaTASTE OF RAInLuna Films / On Land ProductionsProd: Bridget Pickering / Richard PakleppaFeatureTREASURE gUARDSTandem CommunicationsExec Prod: Jonas Bauer / Rola BauerFeatureWELLBODI BIZnESPlexus Films & Four Corners MediaProd: Miki RedelinghuysDocumentaryWInnIE Ma Afrika Films/ Equinoxe FilmsDir: Darrell James RoodtFeatureZAMA ZAMAKokamoya ProductionsProd: Bertus van der WaltFeatureZIOnLetcosmartProd: Zibusiso NkomoFeature

COmPLeteALIcIA KEYS On HER JOURnEY BAcK TO AFRIcADO ProductionsProd: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid OlënDocumentaryAYESAn – FIgHT TO LOSESMS Multimedia IncDir: Seyi Specialborn AkanbiFeatureAWOYE – RETRIBUTIOnSmS MultimediaLine Prod: Temitope AkanbiFeatureFORERUnnERSSaltPeter ProductionsDir: Simon WoodDocumentarygLAMOUR – THE REALITY BEHInD DREAMSZG FilmsProd: Javed JafferjiFeatureInHLIZIYO YAMISukuma MediaExec Prod/ Dir: Bonginhlanhla NcubeMusic VideoInTERSExIOnSCurious Pictures / JHuCCPCreative Dir: Rolie NkiweDrama SeriesJOURnEY TO STATE HOUSEZG FilmsProd: Javed JafferjiDocumentaryJOURnEY InTO WILDERnESSTekweni TV ProductionsProd: Sandra HerringtonDocumentaryKAn EK SO LEEFLiquid Gate Creative StudiosProd: Kobus SwartMusic VideoKIng nAKIPlexus FilmsProd: Miki RedelinghuysDocumentaryLAcOnIATwo Oceans ProductionProd: Giselher Venzke / Bertha SpiekerFeatureO SESSIOnSFuel Media ProductionsDirs: Paul Llewellyn / Shaun PearceMusic ShowPROgRESSPeriphery FilmsDir: Simon TaylorFeature DocumentaryRED SUn OF AFRIcADO ProductionsProd: Marlow de Mardt / Brigid OlënTV FeatureROcKIng FUTURESummertime ProductionsProd: Sean Gardiner & Tanya VandenbergEducational VideoTIMELAPSETeam GR8 (for 48 HFP)Writers: Carl Roddam / Deon van der MerweShort FilmTHE TEAcHERBIP FilmsDir: BI PhakathiFeatureTHE BETRAYALShakarny InovationsProd: James KingstonFeatureVISCOUNt DOWNMsasa EnterprisesDir: Harmon CusackFeatureWROng cALLTeam GR 8Dir: Bonginhlanhla NcubeShort Film

O SESSIOnSFuel Media ProductionsDir: Paul LlewellynMusic ShowOnS MEnSEHomebrew FilmsProd: Jaco LoubserCurrent AffairsPASEKA EASTER ELEPHAnTNHu AfricaExec Prod: Vyv Simson & Sophie VartanWildlife DocumentaryPASELLATswelopele Productions Insert Dirs: Liani Maasdorp/ Werner Hefer TV Magazine ProgrammePEAcE PARKSNHu AfricaExec Prod: Vyv / Sophie VartanWildlife Documentary SeriesREDI On MZAnSIImani MediaProd: Bruce TownsendTV SeriesRHYTHM cITYCurious PicturesSeries Prod: Yula Quinne.tv SoapieRHYtHM CItY INtERACtIVECurious Pictures / e.tvProd: Viva Liles-WilkinInteractive Platform MediaROcKIng FUTURESummertime ProductionsProd: Sean Gardiner / Tanya VandenbergEducational VideoROER HOMEBREW FILMSProd: Jaco LoubserCooking ShowSAVING RHINO PHILANHu AfricaExec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie VartanWildlife DocumentaryScAnDALOchre Moving Pictures Series Prod: Romano GorleiDaily TV SoapSHORE – THIngHomebrew FilmsProd: Jaco LoubserReversioningSLEnDER WOnDERFC Hamman FilmsDOP/ Dir: FC HammanCommercialSTRAnDEDNHu AfricaExec Prod: Vyv Simson & Sophie VartanWildlife DocumentarySTUDIO 53M-Net Inhouse Productions Insert Dirs: Navan Chetty Mag ProgrammeTEcHnORATITalent Attack TVDir: Maxine NelTechnology Magazine ShowTHE RUDIMEnTALSPeriphery FilmsProd: Simon TaylorFeature DocumentaryTHE STORY OF LITTLE FOOTPaul Myburgh FilmProd: Paul MyburghDocumentaryTHE TRIP OUT A Roddam van der Merwe ProductionProd: Bonginhanhla NcubeFeatureTHE TRAnSPORTERSSukuma Media/ Reality Motion PicturesDir: Bonginhlanhla NcubeDocumentaryTOP BILLIngTswelopele Productions Prod: Patience StevensTV Magazine TOUcHIng THE DRAgOnNHu AfricaExec Prod: Vyv Simson & Sophie VartanWildlife DocumentaryVILLA ROSASpectro Productions Dir/s: Luhann Jansen / Andries van der Merwe/ Leroux Botha/ Isabel SmitTV DramaWALKING IN VICtOR’S SHOESCurrent Affairs FilmsProd: Jane Thandi LipmanFeature DocumentaryWHY ARE WE SO AngRY?Fuel Media ProductionsDirs: Scott Smith / Shaft MorapaneDocumentary Series

POSt-PrOdUCtIOn48Sukuma MediaBonginhlanhla NcubeShort FilmA MILLIOn cOLOURS -ELOLLIPOP 2Cloverleaf FilmsExec Prod: Charles FriesFeatureAFRIcA cALLIngTwo Oceans ProductionProd: Giselher Venzke / Bertha SpiekerFeatureALL’S FAIRPianoJ ProductionsProd: Pia van RensburgShort FilmBUA nnETEOwami EntertainmentDir: Charles KhueleShort FilmcAPE TOWn InTERnATIOnAL JAZZ FEStIVAL 2011Esp Afrika (Pty) LtdProd: Yana LombardDocumentarycHAMELEOnNHu AfricaExec Prod: Sophie VartanWildlife DocumentarycHEETAH DIARIES 2NHu AfricaExec Prods: Vyv Simson / Sophie VartanWildlife Documentary

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

E-mail production updates to: [email protected]


loG on To neWs | www.screenafrica.com • SA film wins

Encounters Audience Award

• Afrikaans films fare well at box office

• SABc meets with indie producers

• Press Freedom commission launched

• Zimbabwe Film Indaba in October

• Screenplay Development Fund calls for entries

• comms Ministry on reports re SABc

• Mokolo African Online Platform introduced

• The 48-Hour Film Project comes to Johannesburg

• NFVF Short Film competition calls for entries

• SA’s next Top Filmmaker 2011 finalists

• Amendments to the dti’s film incentives

• PromaxBDA Africa calls for entries

events |close up |

Dave Hagen (M-Net) and Mark Williams (Thuthuka Productions)

Seotlong Technologies’ Ephraim Magopa, Ephraim Malinable and Thabo Sekalos

SABC’s Gelfand Kausiyo, Marius Janse van Rensburg and Nic Bonthuys

The grant presented by the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) and Jan Vrijman Fund for the Most Promising Documentary Projects were presented to: Nicole Schafer for Buddha of Africa; Mayenzeke Baza and Bryony Roughton for Ndiyindoda / I am Man. DFM’s Toni Monty is on the extreme left and IDFA’s Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen on the extreme right.

Basil Ford (IDC) Russell Southwood (Balancing Act)

Johan Chandler, (SuperSport OB) with SuperSport Media Solutions’ Paul Mamabolo, Gerty Venter and Cassim Abramia

Susan Harrison (Harris), Steve Alves (Concilium) and Sally Wallington (Harris)

ABT’s Luke Swarts and Greg Richardson with Boikanyo Sebolai (Blackpearl)

MultiChoice’s Robyn Smith and Anita Patel

Jess Goedhals (Sony)

Kenneth Nkosi, Sara Blecher, Jafta Mamabolo, Tshepang Mohlomi, Nolwazi Shange, Thomas Gumede, Sihle Xaba and Kevin Fleischer

Screen Africa Technology + Production conference

SABc function at Mediatech Africa

Durban International Film Festival Opening night

Durban FilmMart (DFM) Awards

ABT ................................. IBcAJA Video Systems ......................15Aon Insurance .......................41, 46Atlas Studios ................................47Avmark ..........................................46Avid ..................................IFcBlackGinger .....................................1Black Magic Design ......................11Blade bfx ........................................13Case Connection, The ...............46Concilium Technologies ................9Creative Broadcast Solutions (CBS) ..............................................43Data Video .....................................21Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) ..............................................45General Post ................................47Harambe Technologies ................25HDCQ Lab ....................................35Howard Music ..............................46Inala Broadcast .............................29

Jasco Media IT ..............................17Jaycor ..............................................39JVC ................................ OBcLawo / B&I .....................................19M-Net TAG Awards .......................5Panasonic .........................................7Panavision ......................................43Pink Room Productions .............37Pro-Sales ........................................23Puma Video ....................................33Questek .........................................31Romney Park ................................42Specialised Broadcast Sales & Services (SSBS) .............................39Stock Options...............................47Telemedia ........................FcVideo Africa ...................................35Vision Cases ................................47Visual Impact .................................37Women of the Sun ......................27

AUgUST

Aug – nov Out in Africa South African gay and Lesbian film Festival Various venues and dates – check website www.oia.co.za

8 – 13 5th Lola Kenya Screen Kenya, Nairobi www.lolakenyascreen.org

23 – 25 Markex cape Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town www.markexcape.co.za

SEPTEMBER

8 – 13 IBc2011conference Amsterdam RAI, Netherlands www.ibc.org

9 – 13 Bc2011 Exhibition Amsterdam RAI, Netherlands www.ibc.org

16 – 18 Loerie Awards Festival Weeked Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town www.theloerieawards.co.za

9 – 25 Tri continental Film Festival Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town www.3continentsfestival.co.za

10 – 12 People to People International Documentary conference Johannesburg www.people2people.co.za

OcTOBER

27 Oct – 6 nov Africa in Motion (AiM) Edinburgh African Film Festival Edinburgh, Scotland www.africa-in-motion.org.uk

28 October 6th Annual PromaxBDA Africa Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg www.promaxafrica.tv

NOVEMBER

3 – 10 AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival Los Angeles www.afi.com

DEcEMBER

Date TBc Africa International. Film Festival Port Harcourt, Nigeria www.africafilmfest.com/

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Scren Africa - August 2011