The Callsheet Issue 12

Issue 12 | 2013

Africa’s Leading Film Industry Magazine

Callsheet

+ African Film Industry 2014 Set to Sizzle

+ Special EffectsSouth Africa a Creative Hub

+ StuntsAfrica’s Experts

+ African Film Industry A Sizzling start to 2014

+ Special EffectsSouth Africa a Creative Hub

+ StuntsAfrica’s Experts

www.f i lmmakeraf r ica.co.za THE CALLSHEET | 01

Contents12 14 16

‘Mandela Long Walk to Freedom’ Screens at the White House 02

SA National Film Indaba Sets Strategy for Moving Forward 04

Film Industry Fund Launched 05

Nigerian Federal Government Launches R45 Million Film Production Fund 06

DISCOP Africa – Attendance Growth and Landmark Deal 07

AfricaCom Showcases the Future of Communications 08

French Actor Signs Up For SA Director’s Latest Film 09

Music Matters – What Filmmakers Need to Know About Music Rights 10

MetropolitanRepublic Loses Loeries and Apologises to Industry 11

South Africa a Creative Hub for Special Effects 12

Pyranha Stunts Making a Name for Themselves 14

The African Film Industry – What’s Ahead for 2014 16

F.I.L.M. Pays Tribute to Mentors 23

In Production 24

Charity Spotlight 26

Film & Event Media Network Event & Party 28

Industry Moves 30

Opportunities 34

Events 36

Associations 38

Directory 40

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DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in The Callsheet do not necessarily represent the offi cial viewpoint of the editor or the publisher, while inclusion of adverts/advertising features does not imply endorsement of any business, product or service. Copyright of this material is reserved. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, The Callsheet and/or its employees may not be held liable or responsible for any act or ommission committed by any person, including a juristic person, referred to in this publication. It and they furthermore accept(s) no responsibility for any liability arising out of any reliance that a reader of this publication places on the contents of this publication.

Cover: SAF3 TV series © Kalahari Pictures, Image by Jasyn Howes

Publisher: Lance Gibbonslance@fi lmeventmedia.co.za

Executive Editor: Maya Kulyckymaya@fi lmeventmedia.co.za

Business Manager: Taryn Fowlertaryn@fi lmeventmedia.co.za

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Head of Design:Jess Novotnajess@fi lmeventmedia.co.za

Editorial and Design Co-ordinator:Kim Mullerkim@fi lmeventmedia.co.za

Digital Co-ordinator:Tammi Kleintammi@fi lmeventmedia.co.za

57 2nd Avenue, Harfi eld Village, Claremont7708, Cape Town, South AfricaTelephone: +27 21 674 0646www.fi lmeventmedia.co.za

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NEWS

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‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ Screens at the White House

Triggerfish Secures Development Funding

The globally acclaimed film, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”, based on Nelson Mandela’s life story, was shown at the White

House in Washington D.C. in the United States on 7 November. Producer Anant Singh announced in a press release that U.S. President Barack Obama would host a special screening of ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ and invited Singh and members of the Mandela family to attend.

“It is an exceptional honour to have the film screening hosted by President Obama at the White House as it is the first for a South African film,” said Singh. “It is also of special significance as it connects Madiba and President Obama as statesmen who were responsible for major paradigm shifts in their respective countries and who have special

Cape Town, South Africa-based Triggerfish Animation (‘Adventures in Zambezia’ and ‘Khumba’) has secured funding

for the first phase of development for a five-film slate. The company also continues to explore additional financing options and the possible sale of a stake to a strategic partner. Two of the films announced to go into development include ‘Here be Monsters’ and ‘Seal Team’ (working titles).

“We have a number of exciting properties in the pipeline,” says head of development Anthony Silverston, “But we’re particularly excited by these two highly original and exciting high concept stories. And although both stories have an ocean setting, they couldn’t be more different!”

‘Here Be Monsters’, which was selected for the Creative Focus pitch at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival earlier

places in the hearts of their people.”The film is distributed in the United

States by The Weinstein Company. Owner and renowned producer Harvey Weinstein, who also attended the special screening, said, “Knowing what a strong relationship President Obama has with President Mandela, it’s an honour for this film to be shown at the White House.”

First Lady Michelle Obama also held an event on the 7th, with industry experts for high school students wanting to learn more about the film business. ‘Mandela:Long Walk to Freedom’ cast members Idris Elba and Naomie Harris, as well as Nelson Mandela’s daughters Zindzi and Zenani were in attendance.

Mandela’s wife Graça Machel and his former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela were

this year, is the next original story from writer Raffaella Delle Donne who worked on both of Triggerfish’s previous films. It tells the story of a boy and a sea monster and will be the company’s first foray into animating human characters.

‘Seal Team’ is an action-comedy that sees a group of Cape fur seals pitted against their natural enemies: the great white sharks of South Africa. The script is currently being written by Brian and Jason Cleveland of CMG who handled world sales on Triggerfish’s previous films.

“We had a good working relationship with the Clevelands on Zambezia and were impressed by their passion for the medium and for great stories,” says Triggerfish Producer Stuart Forrest. “So it was great when they came with this concept that is so close to home for us. Our first reaction was – why didn’t we think of that?!”

present at the film premiere in Johannesburg on 3 November. It was released in cinemas throughout South Africa on 28 November.

Triggerfish aims to release one film a year starting in 2016 and although the stories so far have been set in Africa, the company has a global vision to create animated films with universal messages for all ages.

The development funding was secured from Business Partners’ Venture Fund - a specialist risk finance company for formal small to medium enterprises in South Africa and select African countries.

The funds will be used towards developing Triggerfish’s slate of five animated feature films and to expand the studio’s digital department building on existing properties and exploring new ideas with apps and games.

Triggerfish CFO Jean-Michel Koenig who secured the deal says, “We are very pleased with the confidence Business Partners has placed in us as we look to invest further into our development slate.”

NEWS


SA National Film Indaba Sets Strategy for Moving Forward

Over 300 industry representatives gathered in Johannesburg in November for the South African National

Film Indaba. Measures to support funding for local content, collaboration to maximise limited resources, and strategic government interventions were among the critical issues raised at this Fourth National Film Indaba.

The deliberations were meant to inform the National Film and Video Foundation’s (NFVF’s) long-term macro strategy for the fi lm industry as a response to the National Development Plan and the Revised White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage.

These recommendations, which will inform the fi nal strategy, include:• Strengthening current funding

models;• Providing more money for

development of product and audience;• Improved intellectual property

protection in terms of licensing deals, similar to that of the French broadcast model;

• Introducing innovative ways to expand audiences including partnering with local government to promote a movie-going culture and a state-funded distribution agency;

• Distribution incentives including

loyalty cards for local fi lms; and,• The creation of a transformation

charter and values statement from all stakeholders.

Opening the conference, Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile emphasised the importance of the sector to economic development, “As we have gathered here for this Indaba, we are emboldened by the reality that our sector, the cultural and creative industries, including fi lm, now occupies the center stage in ongoing eff orts to foster social cohesion and nation building as well as the economic empowerment of the people of South Africa,” he said. “Indeed we have met at a time when our sector is no longer seen as a nice-to-have addition to the ongoing work of socio-economic transformation. It is now fi rmly at the core of this work,” said Minister Mashatile. In 2012 the South African Film Industry contributed R3.5 billion to South Africa’s GDP.

The Minister also noted that South Africa was on the verge of rolling out digital terrestrial broadcasting. “This will create numerous opportunities for local content developers, which the industry needs to take full advantage of. Equally, the industry needs to take advantage of the opportunities made possible by advancements in Information and Communications Technology,” he said.

Minister Mashatile urged the industry to confront challenges such as the slow pace of transformation across the industry value chain, insuffi cient skills and enterprise development within the sector as well as the skewed distribution of fi lm production and exhibition opportunities and infrastructure.

The Indaba included an announcement of a new partnership between the NFVF and Department of Women, Children & People with Disabilities. The partnership will provide funding for documentaries produced by fi lm-makers with disabilities; provide sign language at NFVF training programmes, and award bursaries for people with disabilities to enroll for fi lm related studies at South African tertiary institutions. “This is just one of our eff orts to ensure that we create an enabling environment for South Africans to tell their own stories in their own languages,” said NFVF Council Chairperson Ms. Mmabatho Ramagoshi.

“We have had rigorous debates and discussions over the past two days,” said NFVF CEO Zama Mkosi. “We have listened and taken on board the passions, concerns and insights tabled at this National Film Indaba and we are determined to defi ne a strategy that is inclusive of the voices of the industry.” “These contributions…will help articulate the policy going forward and inform our response to the new policy environment we operate in,” said Mkosi.

Zama Mkosi, CEO, NFVF

NEWS


Film Industry Fund Launched

South Africa’s First Dance Film for Cinemas Goes into Production

The Film Industry Fund NPC, a registered non-profit organization in South Africa, has launched. It is an initiative spearheaded by the

Commercial Producers Association (CPA) and the South African Association of Stills Producers (SAASP). These associations represent a combined membership of 74 production companies.

The Film Industry Fund aims to give back to the communities in which filming takes place in a responsible and transparent manner. The pilot programme of the fund is operational in Cape Town. The Fund has been endorsed by the Minister for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape, Alan Winde. “I would like to take

‘Hear ME Move’ is the first intrinsically South African dance film for cinemas. Produced by Coal Stove Pictures’ Fidel Namisi, who also wrote the script, and

Wandile Molebatsi, it is the first movie to use ‘sbujwa’ dance. The African urban dance form is a fusion of various dances and is used to tell the story of Muzi, the son of a brilliant pantsula dancer.

The film follows Muzi as he explores and discovers the truth about his father’s life and death. Along the way, he learns the meaning

this opportunity to applaud your organisations for spearheading the development of a film industry fund which aims is to give back to the residents of the Western Cape through developmental projects designed to uplift our communities. The envisaged fund, driven by the contributions of willing clients, has the potential of becoming a powerful tool to transform the attitudes of residents toward the film industry. Collaboration with communities in this manner may play a role in easing the path for filmmakers wishing to host shoots in the communities of the Western Cape, a key factor in growing this sector of our economy.” said Minister Winde.

The City of Cape Town has partnered with the Fund by providing the permit data of the

of family and the place of the individual within the community. Directed by Scottnes L. Smith, it explores themes of family, loyalty and heritage, while taking the audience on a journey through ‘sbujwa’ dance.

Award-winning choreographer Paul Modjadji has been putting the dancers through their paces for months in preparation for the film and Danie Bester of The Film Factory has provided the production team with mentorship in his capacity as Executive Producer. Principal

registered companies upon their consent to the Fund. Each time a registered contributor films on City property and receives a permit from the City of Cape Town, this permit is automatically forwarded to the Fund and the company is invoiced by the fund based on the size of the shoot and duration of their project. a portion of these funds are then made available to the ward in which the project takes place and a portion goes to a communal fund to be used in disadvantaged areas. All moneys distributed are to be used on approved PBO (Public Benefit Organisation) activities such as welfare and humanitarian activities, health care, education and development, conservation, environment and animal healthcare as well as land and housing activities.

The Fund is estimated to generate between R1 million and R3 million rand annually. This initiative will not impact on small shoots and developing film makers and is geared towards shoots which have a major impact on the community. Although it is voluntary the CPA & SAASP have encouraged all of their members to join as contributors and it is hoped that in due course the Long Form companies will also become a part of this initiative.

For more information visit: www.filmindustryfund.co.za or email [email protected]

photography began in November. The production has received support from

the National Film & Video Foundation, the Industrial Development Corporation and the Gauteng Film Commission. ‘Hear ME Move’ aims to showcase Johannesburg, South Africa as a world-class, African city and to present ‘sbujwa’ as an original, African dance form.

The film will be distributed in 2014 by Ster Kinekor.

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

NEWS


Nigerian Federal Government Launches R45 Million Film Production Fund

UK Big Four African Film Festivals Unite

In a push to grow the fi lm industry in Nigeria, the federal government has inaugurated a N700 million (R45 million) Film Production Fund (FPF) for

commercially viable fi lms. According to The Punch Nigerian newspaper, grants of up to N10 million (R640,000) will be made available to independent fi lmmakers at any stage of production. In a statement from the Ministry of Finance, the production stages are listed as: pre-production, production, post-production, marketing, distribution and exhibition – selling the fi lm to audiences.

The FPF will reportedly consider higher grant contributions for a number of medium budget fi lm projects. “Funds are used to subsidize pre-production, production or post-production costs of fi lms. In making these grants, the initiative supports the further development of the Nollywood fi lm industry and fi lmmaking talent.”

The FPF is the latest operational segment

For the fi rst time, the UK’s biggest four African fi lm festivals - Africa in Motion (AiM) in Edinburgh/Glasgow, Afrika Eye in Bristol, the

Cambridge African Film Festival, and Film Africa, London – united to share fi lms and fi lmmakers in a drive to bring a greater variety of contemporary African cinema to a broader UK audience.

The festivals have combined eff orts to share highly-rated new feature fi lms from Africa and to enable UK cinema-goers to talk to three of their makers about their work. The collaboration agreement was reached at FESPACO, the Pan African fi lm festival held annually in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Under the Ouagadopugou Declaration, the festivals pledged not only to get more African fi lms shown in the UK but also to encourage more co-productions.

Speaking on behalf of the four festivals,

of Project ACT Nollywood, a programme created to encourage the sustained growth of Nigeria’s movie industry. Managed by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Project ACT, “aims to improve and promote key components of the movie value chain through the provision of grants schemes designed to support existing or aspiring practitioners within the industry”, according to their website.

Project ACT Nollywood recently awarded various grants to forty practitioners in the Nigerian fi lm industry. The grants, which were recently launched under the Capacity Training Fund of the Presidential Intervention Scheme, are currently being processed. They, “will enable the practitioners [to] receive high quality training in accredited institutions to improve their competencies in various areas of fi lm craft,” Paul Nwabuikwu, Special Advisor to the Coordinating Minister for

AiM’s founder and curator Lizelle Bisschoff said, “The collaboration by these four African fi lm festivals…this year maximises our ability to showcase the best of African cinema and excite audiences with what’s available.”

Filmmaker Simon Bright, the Zimbabwe-born co-Director of Bristol’s Afrika Eye festival added, “Currently only 0.01 % of cinema screenings in the UK show African fi lms. But Africa is where story-telling fi rst began and a new generation of Africans is fi nding exciting ways to bring this ancient talent to the screen via features and documentaries that thoroughly deserve the attention of UK cinema-goers.”

The season of festivals began with the Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival in Edinburgh and Glasgow in October then continued with Film Africa in London, the Cambridge African Film Festival, then concluded with the Afrika Eye in Bristol.

Economy and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Finance, said recently in a signed statement for News Express.

The second component of the Capacity Training Fund is worth N150 million (R9.6 million) and will give grants to existing Nigerian-owned private businesses which off er training courses and other technical certifi cation in the fi lm industry.

“We need more practitioners to come forward and take advantage of the opportunity. Go to the website and apply, apply, apply. That’s what we want,” Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said. “We need more qualifi ed practitioners to apply from diff erent parts of the country. The rate of applications from the north has been particularly low. This project is for the whole movie industry so practitioners need to come forward and take advantage of the opportunity.”

For more information, visit www.projectactnollywood.com.ng

‘Of Good Report’

‘The Children’s Republic’

‘The Forgotten Kingdom’

NEWS


The tremendous growth in African content was clear at DISCOP, and the diversity and wide range of what is available shows the strength of the industry on the continent.

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DISCOP Africa Attendance Growth and Landmark Deal

The 8th edition of DISCOP, Africa’s leading television content market and co-production forum, reported an 18% increase in attendance

over last year and the signing of a the first sale of a french-speaking African TV series to an english-speaking market. The Callsheet was there, with Publisher Lance Gibbons observing, “The tremendous growth in African content was clear at DISCOP, and the diversity and wide range of what is available shows the strength of the industry on the continent.”

The sold-out three-day event in November welcomed more than 2000 delegates from 70-plus countries representing 670 new and established regional and global companies driving content business and digital changes with and across Africa. Those companies included more than 300 TV Stations and Pay-TV platforms arriving at the market to acquire content. Meanwhile, a conference took place featuring a diverse mix of national and international speakers.

Distributors reported deals including a landmark agreement between DIFFA (International Distribution of Films and Fiction from Africa) with South Africa’s M-Net, which will see the first ever Francophone series produced in Africa, ‘Les rois de Ségou’ (‘The Kings of Ségou’) from Mali’s Brico Films, broadcasting on an English-speaking network.

The DISCOPRO conference put producers and co-production opportunities at forefront, with The Format People’s Pitching Competition announcing winners

across three categories. The ‘Formats’ category was won by Kaye Ann Williams from Penguin Films for her project ‘The Hook Up’ (South Africa); ‘TV Series’ by Marie Lora-Mungai from Buni Media / Buni TV with her animated series ‘Once Upon a Time in Africa’ (Kenya) and ‘Documentary’ by Wairuri Njeru from Tattuah Films with her project ‘Ex Generation’ (Kenya).

The event’s opening address was given by South Africa’s Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile, who said, “DISCOP Africa 2013 takes place at a time when our continent is increasingly being viewed as the continent of hope, the continent of the future and a new growth frontier. We have no doubt, therefore, that emerging out of this gathering will be effective partnerships and programmes aimed at accelerating the growth of film and TV production across the African Continent.”

“We are pleased to report another very successful edition of DISCOP Africa – both African and non-African producers and distributors reported a busy three days of deal-making, alongside inspirational and relevant conferences and sessions,” commented Patrick Jucaud-Zuchowicki, General Manager of Basic Lead, organizers of DISCOP Africa, “The growth of Africa’s content industry and its role in the international marketplace continues to accelerate and DISCOP Africa is now firmly established as the must-attend event in this region.”

DISCOP will reconvene in Istanbul from 4-6 March 2014, with the next DISCOP Africa confirmed to take place from 5-7 November 2014.

NEWS


AfricaCom included Digital Music Africa, Mobile Money Africa, LTE Africa, AfricaCast, AfricApps, Cloud and Big Data. This year the exhibition grew to more than 350 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees.

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AfricaCom Showcases the Future of Communications

A record number of attendees gathered in Cape Town, South Africa in November for AfricaCom, Africa’s largest annual

communications congress and exhibition. The event covered strategic issues aff ecting companies in Africa’s digital market including services, effi ciency, profi tability, customer experience, partnerships, and policy. The Callsheet was there, with Publisher Lance Gibbons commenting, “This conference was buzzing with what the future holds for broadcasting and off ered a glimpse into the opportunities that are growing in Sub-Saharan Africa and the thinking of the global innovators that are leading the charge.”

AfricaCom included Digital Music Africa, Mobile Money Africa, LTE Africa, AfricaCast, AfricApps, Cloud and Big Data. This year the exhibition grew to more than 350 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees.

On the opening day of the event, a keynote panel highlighted the need for increased investment in Africa’s networks, to cope with the data explosion. The cost-effi cient networks stream identifi ed strategies for increasing the quality of the network to the highest standard without excessive spend. At AfricaCast, the multiplatform focus day provided insights into the VOD and OTT opportunities that are growing in the African sub-continent. Central to this has been the rise of two new OTT platforms in Sub-Saharan Africa Buni

TV, and iROKOtv. The two CEOs of these global innovators presented their fi ndings at the show. AfricaCast also looked at local content and the impact of this content across Africa. Major case studies came from regional stations including Cape Town TV, Channels TV and Umuntu Media. This was mixed in with a special presentation from Stephane Mayoux, Current Aff airs Editor for BBC Africa, discussing the future of the BBC in Africa.

Also featured at the event was Richard Bell, Vice Chairman at Wananchi, who opened the fi nal day of AfricaCom 2013 by detailing how fi xed broadband networks will be the platform for the next surge in African telecoms. He said strong investment in the infrastructure continues, as the explosion of content drives traffi c on the internet and promotes economic growth in the region.

Repeatedly at AfricaCom the African regulatory space and the impact on the industry was a subject of discussion. Speakers noted that Africa has a dynamic regulatory space which signifi cantly impacts the whole continent’s communications industry. The Regulatory Evolution discussion at AfricaCom revealed a general desire to increase competition to drive fairness. Speakers discussed the use of market intervention to avoid domination, easing market entry, economies of scale, and mandatory infrastructure sharing.

AfricaCom AfricaCom

NEWS

The film is Hermanus’ third after ‘Shirley Adams’, which premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2009, and ‘Skoonheid’, which was premiered at the 64th Cannes Film Festival in 2011 and won the Queer Palm Award.

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French Actor Signs Up For SA Director’s Latest Film

French actor Nicolas Duvauchelle is set to star in Oliver Hermanus’ third feature fi lm, ‘The Endless River’. The South African director

met Duvauchelle earlier this year in Paris and the two immediately “hit it off ”.

The fi lm is Hermanus’ third after ‘Shirley Adams’, which premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2009, and ‘Skoonheid’, which was premiered at the 64th Cannes Film Festival in 2011 and won the Queer Palm Award. It was also nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2012 Academy Awards.

‘The Endless River’ tells the story of a French farmer whose family is brutally murdered after relocating to South Africa. Set in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, the fi lm is scheduled to begin principle photography in April 2014.

Casting for Duvauchelle’s South African co-stars and supporting cast is already underway.

In a statement for Channel24, Hermanus said, “I am really excited to be working with Nicolas on this fi lm. He is the kind of actor that really excites me as a fi lmmaker. I think he is going to bring something unforgettable to this story.”

Duvauchelle channels James Dean’s infamous, rebellious qualities and seems to be one of the most promising young actors in France and Europe. He was first discovered in a boxing club in Paris while studying to become a pharmacy employer. He has performed in a number of films since 1999, as well as modelled for Levi’s jeans, Hugo Boss perfume and was brought to stardom with ‘Eager Bodies’ in 2003.

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“PRO” SPECTIVE


By Mpumi Phillips

Music Matters What Filmmakers Need to Know About Music Rights

Over the past decade Africa has increased its stake in the global market of fi lmmaking from locations and actors to locally

produced co-productions. Africa’s fi lm industry is making an impact with fi lms such as ‘Tsotsi’, ‘District 9’ and ‘Open Heart’ which received Oscar awards and nominations, respectively. With the rise of African productions comes great responsibility to inform fi lmmakers not just on the art of fi lmmaking but on the

legalities that come with it, especially when it comes to the use of music in a fi lm.

Music in movies is an essential tool of the fi lmmaking process and is one of the main factors that determines box offi ce success or failure. Think of a motion picture without music - whether it’s an orchestral or synthesizer score, a brand new hit song or a long-time standard - and you’ll begin to realize the value and contribution of music to a fi lm. The most successful motion pictures use hit songs to create a period fl avour, establish a mood, or elicit emotions. In the mid-1900s it was common for composers to create all the music in a fi lm. But these days it is more common to have the composer write the score and license popular songs to carry the themes within the fi lm.

An alternative to using a composer or

licensing existing music is to use a piece of library music. Music libraries have a huge number of pre-cleared tracks that you will pay a lot less for than almost any commercial piece of music.

Music has two rights to be cleared: Master Rights and Publishing Rights. When you negotiate the rights to music in your fi lm, make sure you are getting both. The Master Rights are the rights associated with using the actual sound recording of a piece of music, which can be obtained from the record company. The Publishing Rights are the rights associated with the intellectual property of a composition (music and lyrics). How do you fi nd out who owns these two rights? Look at the fi ne print on the CD, ask the record label, check with Performing Rights Organizations, or hire a music supervisor/clearance specialist. Any and all of these inquiries should lead you to the right people who can negotiate these rights.

Although fairly new to the African fi lm industry, the best option for clearing music rights is using a music supervisor. A music supervisor’s role consists of negotiating with right holders for the fi lm’s music. They will prepare budgets, source music, prepare contracts, and keep the fi lmmaker informed and updated about any changes in allocated budgets. Because of their close working relationships with rights owners’ music supervisors can also highlight any possible issues with song usages. Music supervisors are also becoming more extensively involved in the process of hiring score composers.

Whether your fi lm is being screened at a fi lm festival or has been picked up by a distributor, not having the vital licenses can be detrimental. By not clearing the rights in advance a fi lmmaker risks being sued by the music publisher and/or record label. Clearing the rights will also help you in the event that a distributor is interested in buying your fi lm. If your rights are not cleared, the distributor is looking at an unknown expense tied to your fi lm, and this can be a deterrent in a distributor’s interest in acquiring an independent fi lm.

Mpumi Phillips

NEWS

www.f i lmmakeraf r ica.co.za THE CALLSHEET | 1 1

We recant the commentary...that would appear to lay blame on the Loeries and their internal processes, and unreservedly apologise for any offense this may have caused.

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MetropolitanRepublic Loses Loeries and Apologises

CBS Channels Launched in Africa

The Loeries has received an apology from MetropolitanRepublic.

This follows the withdrawal of their MTN Project Uganda

entry that was awarded a Grand Prix and a Gold Loerie, which was found not to have met the Loeries entry criteria. The Loeries disqualified all the agency’s other entries, banned members of the agency from judging and applied additional requirements on all the agency’s entries for the next two years.

According to the Financial Mail, the penalties were imposed after it was revealed that Metropolitan’s “MTN Everywhere Library” campaign - for which it won a gold Ubuntu Award for socially responsible marketing and a Grand Prix for media innovation - never officially appeared and was never approved by cellular provider MTN. The highly emotive campaign was purportedly meant to improve literacy among schoolchildren in Uganda by allowing them to download books on mobile phones. Reportedly, agency founder Paul Warner and CEO Alison Deeb put out a statement suggesting agency staff not following process were to blame for the incident.

In the statement with regard to the Loeries’ responsibility, MetropolitanRepublic’s Group Chief Executive Officer Alison Deeb states, “We

Chello Zone, the channels arm of cable giant Liberty Global’s content division, currently in the midst of a US$1bn takeover, is launching four

of its networks in Africa.Joint ventures with CBS Studios

International – plus movie channel MGM,

recant the commentary… that would appear to lay blame on the Loeries and their internal processes, and unreservedly apologise for any offense this may have caused.”

The agency added that it fully respects the terms and conditions of the Loeries and that it accepts the decision to retract all awards won by the agency in 2013.

Deeb concluded by saying, “We deeply regret this error, and we will take the strictest measures to ensure that this issue never repeats itself.”

“The board of the Loeries accepts the apology from MetropolitanRepublic for

which Chello Zone acquired last year, debuted on MultiChoice’s DStv platform across Africa in November.

These will be joined by Chello Zone’s wholly owned children’s channel JimJam. However, all four are set to come under the control of AMC Networks in the first quarter of 2014 following

the unfortunate entry and subsequent comments made,” said Andrew Human, Loeries CEO.

“We believe the sanctions applied are appropriate and we’ll continue to require that agencies ensure their information submitted is correct, and that they obtain approval from their brand partners. There will always be an implicit expectation of honesty but we will review our processes, terms and conditions, as well as ensure that appropriate sanctions are in place for entries that are found to be ineligible.”

“The aim of the Loeries continues to be to showcase the value that creativity and innovation can add as a business tool. It’s vital that we maintain our high standards, and this is especially so for the Ubuntu category where our aim is to showcase the value that great brands can add to our lives.”

Justin Apsey, Vice President for Homecare, Unilever SA, who sponsored the Ubuntu category for the first time this year, added, “As a partner of the Loeries we support their decision to deal decisively with this issue. While an unfortunate situation for all parties involved, we look forward to supporting the Ubuntu award into 2014 and hopefully seeing more strong entries that have had an impact on society, while delivering scale and business results in the marketplace.”

the announcement that the US cable group is to acquire Chellomedia from Liberty Global.

CBS Chello Zone channels reach more than 80 countries, including Russia, the Netherlands and Poland following a rebrand last year, but the deal with MultiChoice puts them in Africa for the first time.

NEWS

SFX, VFX, CGI. To the regular person, they all mean the same thing. The explosions. The monsters. The impossible stunts. But there’s more

to it than that. Special FX (SFX) has grown into a global industry that encompasses advertising, events, marketing and television broadcasting. And it seems that this growth is set to continue into 2014.

Over the last decade, production houses and film companies have consistently set aside larger portions of their budgets year on year for Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) and

Visual FX (VFX). Even effects in television ads have increased in leaps and bounds. A great example of this is Orijin’s internationally lauded work with SuperSport. The company recreated live action sports scenes in specially made, green-screen studios, creating the crowd, pitch, atmosphere and so much more with some incredible CGI effects.

“We came up with a concept inspired by the dreamy, surreal “Spider Cam” footage seen at major sporting events,” says Rudy Sennet, MD and Executive Producer / Director at Orijin. “We wanted to combine the feel of

this type of cinematography with super real, High Definition 3D CGI and VFX treatments of sport action moments. SuperSport loved the concept, and briefed us to create a campaign to showcase their additional HD channel offering across Africa.”

The amount of expertise and innovation in South Africa’s VFX industry means that the country can compete at a global level. “I cannot speak for the rest of Africa’s VFX capabilities, but I think South Africa can play with the best at times. Certainly we have a huge disadvantage with poor

Special EffectsSouth Africa as a Creative Hub for

Images courtesy of O

rijin

NEWS

“bandwidth and access to new tech, but our ingenuity and creativity have always shone. We often need to match Hollywood style FX and VFX at a fraction of the cost – that is the expectation from our clients and the viewers,” says Rudy.

Searle Street Post is a Cape Town based post-production company making waves internationally. The company won Creative Circle’s Ad of the Month in September for their work in the Prudential ‘South Pole’ commercial. Creative Director Heino Henning

recently supervised the VFX in an Australian sports commercial titled, ‘Michael Matthews: TABtouch – We’ve Upped The Game’. He believes that South Africa is very much the creative hub on the continent. “Lots of African productions come to SA to shoot – we’ve even done VFX for the Egyptian market. We also compete very well with the world’s market because with rising prices, VFX have become a very expensive art form overseas. They look for cheaper alternatives, which they find in South Africa,” he says.

Both Heino and Rudy agree that there is a growing demand for VFX artists. “The general public’s visual literacy gets more sophisticated as time goes by – so does our client’s expectations,” says Rudy, “There are a number of excellent animation schools in the country,

and each year they produce awesomely talented VFX graduates. If we can keep the talent in South Africa, then the future is bright.”

“As locations and film suites become more expensive, VFX will become more commonplace, “says Heino. The financial crisis is not yet over, he warns, as film budgets are still shrinking and will continue to do so into 2014. “We need to become very careful with VFX. We’re forced to be creative.”

Rudy has a different idea for the future of VFX. “I see us moving more into the cloud,” he says. “Some might not like the idea, but it’s motivated by simple economics. There is an incredible advantage in easily accessible, offsite processing power. We experienced that first hand when developing concepts for recent ads.”

We compete very well with the world’s market because with rising prices, VFX have become an expensive art form overseas. They look for cheaper alternatives, which they find in South Africa.

“


Africa is a stronghold in the stunts industry, despite large portions being taken over by computer-generated imagery

and other effects. Lower labour costs and smaller budgets have helped ensure stunt businesses use their creativity to bring work in. One of the busiest companies in South Africa, Pyranha Stunts has an international reputation for doing the job well. In recent years, their team has coordinated and performed stunts in blockbusters like ‘Dredd’, ‘Safe House’, ‘District 9’ and ‘The Fall’. The Callsheet spoke to Pyrhana co-owner Grant Hulley about the industry and stunts in Africa.

Pyranha Stunts Making a Name for Themselves

Images courtesy of Pyranha Stunts


Q: What notable projects have your team worked on this year? What about next year?A: This year we’ve worked on ‘Black Sails’ Season 1, ‘Strike Back’, Kite, Blended and ‘Dominion’. We also worked on the Malaysian ‘Fear Factor’ with our sister company, Pyrhana Reality. At present we are working on Neill Blomkamps new feature ‘Chappie’ and have started preproduction on ‘Black Sails’ Season 2.

Q: What stunts have been performed by Africans that may surprise people?A: In all the films we do, we have South African stunt performers. Franz Spilhaus, Kerry Gregg and myself are normally the stunt coordinators on film sets, with Francois Grobbelaar coordinating the team on ‘Fear Factor’. In all the films and commercials we do in South Africa, 90% of the stunts are performed by either South Africans or foreign stunt performers who have made SA their home.

Q: What are the current trends in stunts?A: With the new digital era,we have to work closely with the visual effects team. We don’t want them creating all the action in CGI so we often have stunt performers in grey suites creating the movement that forms the base of a computer generated character.

Q: What locations on the African continent are most popular for stunts? A: It all depends on the production.

Obviously with regards to ‘Black Sails’, they’re shot at the studios. They’ve got sets that have been built from scratch and we’re using life-sized ships. For ‘Blended’, we’re filming in Sun City.

Q: Where has your company worked outside of SA?A: My business partner, Franz Spilhaus, does quite a few Indian projects in India, Mauritius and Zanzibar. We have also worked in Bulgaria, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Malaysia. Grant Powell and Nathan Barris spent 3 months in Romania working on the new ‘Scorpion King’ movie.

Q: So you’re quite well-known globally.A: We are definitely the busiest stunt company in South Africa. We recently met up with a director from the UK and his producers, who are doing an independent film here next year. They had heard of us in the UK through work we had done with others.

Q: What’s in the future for Pyranha Stunts?A: Franz and I are trying to get more into the directing side of things. We often end up conceptualising and help storyboard action sequences because we like to have input on all the projects we work on.

Q: How much equipment have you developed to use in your stunts so far?A: Over the years we have invested in

excess of R4 million into research and development of equipment that we use in films. We have a training facility in Killarney Gardens and we’ve given a great deal of input into the South African Stunt & Stunt Rigging Association (SASSRA). It’s a governing body for performers and riggers, which is meant to raise the standard of stunt work in South Africa.

FEATURE


You have to be an optimist to be a filmmaker, so it’s perhaps not surprising that the mood in the industry seem positive as we

head into the new season. “2014 will be a marked improvement in 2013 and definitely 2012,” predicts Visual Impact’s Marius van Straaten. “We’ve had an early start to season and it seems like December and January are going to be good for us.” We asked various industry leaders to weigh in on what they think 2014 has in store for the film industry.

Opportunity: 20 Years of Democracy“South Africa will be celebrating 20 years of freedom in 2014,” says The National Film and Video Foundation’s Zama Mkosi. “This is an important milestone for all South Africans to take stock of what has been achieved as well as to reflect on the future. From an industry point of view, the NFVF will be launching a number of documentaries to celebrate South African democracy. In July 2013, we made a call for

the 20 years of democracy documentary project, where we invited local filmmakers to submit applications for funding under this theme. The selected projects will be announced before the end of 2013. The idea is to ensure that we also support projects that tell stories of and celebrate our democracy.” She adds that the local premieres of films like ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ and ‘Mandela’s Gun’ have already, “to a certain degree, set the tone for celebrating 20 years of freedom through film.”

By Kevin Kreidemann

The African

Film Industry

What’s Ahead for 2014

FEATURE

Trend: Anamorphic Lenses“There is a massive shift to shooting with anamorphic lenses,” says Media Film Services’ Neil du Toit, something that Panavision’s Tony Eddy echoes and expects to “no doubt continue.”

Red.com explains the benefi ts of anamorphic lenses are “primarily for imparting a unique look with a shallower depth of fi eld and characteristic bokeh, fl are and vignetting.”

Key Focus: Service Levels“We live in such a competitive landscape both internationally and within South Africa,” says Moonlighting’s Philip Key. “We need to keep raising the bar in terms of service levels, understanding our clients’ needs, attention-to-detail and taking responsibility for delivery.”

THANK - YOU TO OUR DEDICATED TEAM...and our clients for a great 2013.

www.refinery.co.za +27 (11) 799-7800

Khumba © Triggerfi sh

Zambezia © Triggerfi sh

FEATURE

Opportunity: Animation“We have seen two very successful animated features in two consecutive years in ‘Adventures in Zambezia’ and ‘Khumba’, both produced by Triggerfi sh Animation in Cape Town,” says The National Film and Video Foundation’s Zama Mkosi. “Given the success of these two fi lms, it’s going to be interesting to see if other local fi lmmakers give animation a shot.”

Trend: Alternatives to AlexaBoth Media Film Service and Visual Impact predict an increase in the use of alternatives to the Arri Alexa.

Media Film Service’s Neil du Toit says the Arri Amira will “defi nitely be a popular choice… It’s a smaller version of the Alexa, with slightly less functionality but still shooting 120fps.”

Visual Impact’s Marius van Straaten is particularly excited about Alexa’s competitors from Sony.

“The time of the Sony F5 and F55 is fi nally upon us,” says Marius. “They’re a third of the Alexa rental price, so are going to eat a lot into that market.”

Strength and weakness: Exchange RateAs The Callsheet was printed, the rand

is at 10.4 to the dollar, 13.96 to the euro, and 16.5 to the pound.

“The current exchange rate is really helping board fl ow,” says Moonlighting’s Philip Key. “We had a great season last year and look forward to maintaining the momentum.”

However, this is a weakness rather than a strength if you’re a gear company. “The Rand/USD exchange continues to be soft and looks likely to soften further,” says

Panavision’s Tony Eddy. “While great for attracting international work, this makes our investment returns that much more challenging within a market of diminishing budgets and tighter margins all round.”

Key focus: IT and Big DataVisual Impact has just implemented a new software system for their rental bookings: Flex. “It gives us an amazing utilization report.” Expect more fi lm companies to embrace software systems that save them time, increase effi ciency, and allow them to understand their business better.

Opportunity: Kenya-South Africa MOUThe Kenya Film Commission and the NFVF of South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on co-productions at Cannes this year.

“I am hoping that by next year, the industry in both countries can start realizing and taking advantage of this co-production MOU,” says Feisal Malik from Visual Africa. He warns, “If the MOU between South Africa and Kenya is not executed in some form or another in 2014, this deal is bound to go cold. As a result, we will not realize the benefi ts and the industry in both countries will not grow.”

Trend: More Long-form Work in South AfricaThere’s been a steady fl ow of long-form features and TV series recently, including high-profi le projects like ‘The Giver,’ ‘Chappie,’ ‘Black Sails,’ and ‘SAF3.’

“We are seeing a marked increase in long-form work – both local and international” says Panavision’s Tony Eddy. “Far more than in previous years. We see this trend projecting through into 2014 and hopefully beyond.”

Sony F55

FEATURE

Growth Area: Data Recovery“I also see a massive increase in our data recovery business,” says Visual Impact’s Marius van Straaten. “It was quite an investment on our side but I’m glad we did it.”

Threat: Political Instability Due to ElectionsSouth Africa is expected to host elections between May and June 2014. “From a political point of view, the elections

SAF3

Sony F55

SAF3

FEATURE


always bring changes in administration, introducing parliamentary and ministerial changes among key departments that we do business with.”

Zama adds that the current NFVF Council’s term comes to an end in April 2014. “One of the key deliverables for the NFVF and industry is to finalise the sector’s macro strategy and ensure it goes through all the necessary processes for approval.”

Opportunity: Fibre Lines“We finally have fibre in the building,” says Visual Impact’s Marius van Straaten. “We now have a 80mbps line, which will double in the next 12 months. We used to send our images to Joburg via satellite; now we can send via fibre. There’s going to be an explosion in streaming and content delivery via fibre in 2014.”

Trend: Move Away from Traditional Commercials“We’ll see the ongoing shrinkage in the traditional commercials market and an increase and blossoming in web-based material,” says Visual Impact’s Marius van

Straaten. “We’ll increasingly see a single shooter with social media knowledge and a Canon 5D Mark 3 doing work for a company that would have traditionally gone through an agency.”

Opportunity: 2014 Soccer World CupIt’s nearly been four years since South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup. Although the 2014 edition is in Rio in June, Moonlighting’s Shayne Brookstein still expects it to bring an increased board flow to South Africa. “We are shooting one project at the end of November where we are dressing and scouting to recreate Rio, and quoting one or two commercials where we need to try and recreate Brazil here in Cape Town.”

Trend: a Move Away from DSLRsVisual Impact’s Marius van Straaten has noticed a move away from DSLR cameras, for example towards Canon’s new C100, C300 and C500 range of dedicated video cameras, which he says have the right form factor and are a simpler shooting experience than Canon’s hybrid photography-video cameras like the 5D or 7D.

Key Focus: Right Sizing“Our HR consultant says a good company is always rightsizing,” says Visual Impact’s Marius van Straaten. “We’ll continually be looking at where we’re not performing and where we’re not optimizing. We’ll be less patient than we were in the past; more inclined to make changes faster and address issues quicker.” For example, Visual Impact has centralized their rentals system.

Opportunity: DTTDigital Terrestrial Television (DTT) has been a long time coming. But while there are many skeptics, it is closer than it has ever been.

“We are looking forward to DTT rollout, which is anticipated to bring more channels and variety for television audiences,” says The National Film and Video Foundation’s Zama Mkosi. “We certainly hope that the demand for more content for this platform will introduce new business models for content creators and the value for their product. “

Threat: Unsustainable DiscountsVisual Impact’s Marius van Straaten is particularly worried about the increased use of unsustainable discounts to secure work. “A lot of rental companies are playing the severe discount game again; that’s unfortunately eroding things. I’m worried about the ongoing, unrealistic discounts.”

Trend: Drone-mounted Filming“We have purchased a GOPro Hero3 black edition, which shoots true HD and is a 4K camera,” says Visual Africa’s Faisal Malik. “Along with it, we have purchased a DJI Phantom, which is flown with a remote control. The camera is mounted to the Phantom and can fly as high up as 400m. It is WIFI-enabled, so with a smartphone or tablet, you are able to see the shot that you are framing with the camera when it is airborne. It is also GPS-enabled, so once you do get a steady shot once you position the Phantom at the elevation you want, despite wind factor.”

Key focus: Education“2014 is all about Education,” says Panavision’s Tony Eddy. “A key focus for Panavision going forwards will be the education of our team-members at all levels

FEATURE


at company level, as well as fuller involvement in outside learnerships and mentorship programmes for young aspirant filmmakers and general technology students.”

Opportunity: Incentives and Film Cities for Kenya“Over 2013 we have been engaging our government to pump in more incentives into our industry so as to make it grow,” says Visual Africa’s Feisal Malik, who is also the secretary of The Kenya Film and Television Professionals Association. “Our president is really keen on promoting Kenya’s TV and film industry and I foresee positive changes in the near future. Already, there are plans to build two film cities in two of our upcoming counties around Nairobi. The groundbreaking for one of them happens on 10 November 2013 and the second film city investors attended Discop. This will be a boost to local producers, who will have access to a wide range of facilities. It will also attract foreign crews to come and shoot in Kenya. We already have the locations; now we will have the facilities.”

Key Focus: Greener, More Energy Efficient Lighting

“With the present outlook from the industry manufacturers to greener and energy-efficient products, we are seeing some amazing products being developed,” says Media Film Service’s Neil du Toit. “The new range of lighting products from Arri are all lighter, brighter and more energy efficient. We expect an extended range of LED lighting from a number of manufacturers with greater strengths and more impact.”

In particular, Neil expects demand to grow

for the new M-series of lamps from ARRI .

Threat: Weak Box Office“Challenges that we seem not to have immediate solutions to are a worrying factor,” says The National Film and Video Foundation’s Zama Mkosi. “For instance, building a cinema-going culture and appreciation of local films among our audiences is a challenge that requires a multi-prong approach. The NFVF - together with distributors, exhibitors and filmmakers - has to find a way to crack the local market and audiences’ preferences and cater to those tastes. Audience development is without a doubt one of the main challenges facing our industry and I am hopeful that all the stakeholders involved can come up with effective ways of developing our audiences. It is the only way to ensure the economic viability of local films.”

Threat: The Digital “Junk Pile”“The digital ‘junk pile’ is growing as the market constantly demands the newer

equipment with very little use of the old,” says Media Film Service’s Neil du Toit. “It is now almost impossible for a rental facility to carry all the latest and greatest. Purchasing of the gear needs to be done wisely, with a lot of research into the trends and of course popularity of pieces. The redundancy period of all this digital equipment, especially the cameras, is exceptionally short compared to the now-ornamental film cameras. New lensing that must now accommodate these new developments in resolution and sensor size is exceptionally expensive, which will ultimately push up the cost of the gear.”

“HD technologies continue to evolve at a breath-taking pace so predicting popular equipment becomes much more a case of predicting which products will be launched – as these automatically enjoy popularity status as the new ‘must-haves’ on set,” says Tony.

As an example of the continued flow of new products, Neil points to the Dragon 6K sensor now available from RED.

Prediction: The Only Constant is ChangePredictions like these should always be held lightly. As The National Film and Video Foundation’s Zama Mkosi says. “The industry operates in an open market environment which is dynamic, making it difficult to forecast any specific trend.”

As Media Film Service’s Neil du Toit says, “The quote ‘The only thing constant is change’ is now so apt in our industry. Technology is changing faster than ever and we are constantly seeing new or updated equipment in our marketplace. With the digital revolution, we have seen a myriad of changes in cameras, lensing, lighting, data capturing and storage capabilities, with no end in sight.”

FEATURE


at company level, as well as fuller involvement in outside learnerships and mentorship programmes for young aspirant filmmakers and general technology students.”

Opportunity: Incentives and Film Cities for Kenya“Over 2013 we have been engaging our government to pump in more incentives into our industry so as to make it grow,” says Visual Africa’s Feisal Malik, who is also the secretary of The Kenya Film and Television Professionals Association. “Our president is really keen on promoting Kenya’s TV and film industry and I foresee positive changes in the near future. Already, there are plans to build two film cities in two of our upcoming counties around Nairobi. The groundbreaking for one of them happens on 10 November 2013 and the second film city investors attended Discop. This will be a boost to local producers, who will have access to a wide range of facilities. It will also attract foreign crews to come and shoot in Kenya. We already have the locations; now we will have the facilities.”

Key Focus: Greener, More Energy Efficient Lighting

“With the present outlook from the industry manufacturers to greener and energy-efficient products, we are seeing some amazing products being developed,” says Media Film Service’s Neil du Toit. “The new range of lighting products from Arri are all lighter, brighter and more energy efficient. We expect an extended range of LED lighting from a number of manufacturers with greater strengths and more impact.”

In particular, Neil expects demand to grow

for the new M-series of lamps from ARRI .

Threat: Weak Box Office“Challenges that we seem not to have immediate solutions to are a worrying factor,” says The National Film and Video Foundation’s Zama Mkosi. “For instance, building a cinema-going culture and appreciation of local films among our audiences is a challenge that requires a multi-prong approach. The NFVF - together with distributors, exhibitors and filmmakers - has to find a way to crack the local market and audiences’ preferences and cater to those tastes. Audience development is without a doubt one of the main challenges facing our industry and I am hopeful that all the stakeholders involved can come up with effective ways of developing our audiences. It is the only way to ensure the economic viability of local films.”

Threat: The Digital “Junk Pile”“The digital ‘junk pile’ is growing as the market constantly demands the newer

equipment with very little use of the old,” says Media Film Service’s Neil du Toit. “It is now almost impossible for a rental facility to carry all the latest and greatest. Purchasing of the gear needs to be done wisely, with a lot of research into the trends and of course popularity of pieces. The redundancy period of all this digital equipment, especially the cameras, is exceptionally short compared to the now-ornamental film cameras. New lensing that must now accommodate these new developments in resolution and sensor size is exceptionally expensive, which will ultimately push up the cost of the gear.”

“HD technologies continue to evolve at a breath-taking pace so predicting popular equipment becomes much more a case of predicting which products will be launched – as these automatically enjoy popularity status as the new ‘must-haves’ on set,” says Tony.

As an example of the continued flow of new products, Neil points to the Dragon 6K sensor now available from RED.

Prediction: The Only Constant is ChangePredictions like these should always be held lightly. As The National Film and Video Foundation’s Zama Mkosi says. “The industry operates in an open market environment which is dynamic, making it difficult to forecast any specific trend.”

As Media Film Service’s Neil du Toit says, “The quote ‘The only thing constant is change’ is now so apt in our industry. Technology is changing faster than ever and we are constantly seeing new or updated equipment in our marketplace. With the digital revolution, we have seen a myriad of changes in cameras, lensing, lighting, data capturing and storage capabilities, with no end in sight.”


Errol has been operating in the film industry for over 25 years, and his wealth of knowledge and hands on experience makes Errol’s Tracking

Services the most qualified South African Film Tracking company!

Fully-equipped warehouses in both Cape Town and Johannesburg ensure the availability of the required vehicles to production companies.

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Errol has recently been shooting on various features such as ‘The Salvation’, ‘Babalas’, ‘Schuks! Your Country Needs You’, ‘Hector’ and ‘Vehicle 19’, which is currently on Circuit.

Various commercials have been shot with

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Contact us for all your tracking requirements! Tel: 021 557 3794, Fax: 086 563 0458, Errol: 082 455 9932, Frances: 082 928 6292, Email: [email protected], www.trackingvehicles.co.za

Errol’s Tracking Services Skill and ExperienceBy Frances Ludwig

SPOTLIGHT


The Film Industry Learner Mentorship (F.I.L.M.) programme is a non-profi t, Section 18 (a) PBO dedicated to helping transform

and develop the South African fi lm industry by providing skills and entrepreneurial development, hands-on, mentored experiential learning, career channelling and employment opportunities - primarily to previously disadvantaged people - in the fi lm, electronic and digital media industries.

At the Film & Event Media Networking Function & Party F.I.L.M. acknowledged and paid tribute to mentors and mentees

who have “gone the extra mile” in their commitment to transformation and a diverse, globally competitive, local and international fi lm industry.

Two of the mentors honoured are industry icons Simon Rice & Damien Walsh.

Three outstanding F.I.L.M. interns, Ziyanda Ntseke, Siyanda Nelson Stuurman and Garth Kingwill received awards as mentees who have distinguished themselves by their professionalism, discipline, passion and their ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

F.I.L.M. Project Director Seton Bailey said,

“The fi lm industry is one of the most diffi cult industries to access and takes a unique combination of life and occupational skills, as well as huge personal commitment and sacrifi ce. It’s these special qualities that we salute and celebrate at the F.I.L.M. Awards.”

F.I.L.M. Pays Tribute to Mentors and Students

Garth Kingwill, Seton Bailey, Siyanda Nelson Stuurman & Ziyanda Ntseke

IN PRODUCTION


In ProductionThanks to ever-present confi dentiality clauses, no one is ever allowed to offi cially talk about what’s in production in Africa, so this monthly section is an unoffi cial overview of the industry’s worst-kept secrets.

Expected To Be Shooting

Black Sails‘Black Sails’ is back at Cape Town Film Studios for a second season shooting with Film Afrika. The fi rst season only premieres on Starz in January 2014, but IGN recently billed it as “Pirates, ‘Deadwood’-style.” Jon Steinberg (‘Jericho,’ ‘Human Target’) is the showrunner, while Michael

Bay (‘Transformers’) is executive producer. ‘Black Sails’ is the story of Captain Flint and his pirates, twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic ‘Treasure Island.’

The GiverMoonlighting Films is in production in Wellington, South Africa on ‘The Giver,’ an adaptation of Lois Lowry’s Newbery-winning dystopian children’s book. Triple-Oscar winner Meryl Streep leads the cast. Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges, ‘True Blood’’s Alexander Skarsgard, ‘The Kennedy’’s Katie Holmes and pop star Taylor Swift also star. Philip Noyce, who shot ‘Mary & Martha’ and ‘Catch a Fire’ in South Africa, is directing The Weinstein Company and Walden Media co-production.

Sophia Grace and RosieDeadline confi rms that Youtube child stars Sophia Grace Brownlee and Rosie McClelland (the girls in pink tutus covering Nicki Minaj on ‘Ellen’) are shooting a fairytale in Cape Town with Film Afrika for Warner Brothers. Deadline says Sophia Grace and Rosie, “playing versions of themselves, are sent to be correspondents at a royal coronation: one of three princesses is going to be chosen to lead the country. The two girls fi nd themselves caught up in royal intrigue as they help the best candidate win the throne.”

Jeff Bridges in ‘Crazy Heart’

IN PRODUCTION


Coming Soon

ChappieUncle Morris is in production in Johannesburg, South Africa on ‘Chappie,’ the new fi lm by ‘District 9’ and ‘Elysium’ director Neill Blomkamp. According to Deadline, ‘Chappie’ stars Sharlto Copley as a robot with artifi cial intelligence, which is stolen by gangsters (Die Antwoord’s Ninja and Yoland Vi$$er). Sigourney Weaver (‘Aliens’) and Brandon Auret (‘Elysium’) have joined the cast, which also includes Hugh Jackman (‘Wolverine’) and Dev Patel (‘Newsroom’).

SAF3Kalahari Pictures wraps fi lming in Cape Town on ‘SAF3,’ a new TV series from Gregory J. Bonann, the creator of ‘Baywatch.’ ‘Dancing With The Stars’ winner, ‘All My Children’ actor and Iraq war hero JR Martinez stars with action legend Dolph Lundgren (‘The Expendables’) and ‘The Bold and The Beautiful’’s Texas Battle. Bonann’s Tower 18 Productions is producing with Randall Emmett and George Furla’s Emmett/Furla Productions (‘2 Guns,’ ‘End of Watch’).

Desperate Housewives: Nigeria

Shadow & Act recently announced that Disney is developing a Nigerian-version of

‘Desperate Housewives,’ to be fi lmed in Lagos as a co-production with EbonyLife TV.

The EnglishmanIn August, ‘Variety’ reported that John Moore

(‘A Good Day To Die Hard’, ‘Behind Enemy Lines’) is expected to direct ‘The Englishman’

in South Africa in early-2014. The screenplay by William Wisher (‘Terminator 2: Judgment

Day’) is based on Will Scully’s book ‘Once a Pilgrim: The True Story Of One Man’s

Coverage Under Rebel Fire,’ about a Special Air Service regiment evacuating civilians

during a military coup in Sierra Leone.

UnfriendDeadline says William Moseley (‘Chronices of Narnia’) will be heading to South Africa

soon to shoot the Warner Bros International feature ‘Unfriend,’ “the story of a group

of college friends confronted by a dark force, directed by Phillip Koch and Simon

Verhoeven.” Ninja and Yolandi Vi$$er from Die Antwoord

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT


Thank You for Supporting the

SOS Children’s Villages

This December issue of The Callsheet is a very special holiday edition.

A percentage of the price paid for each advertisement in this issue

goes directly to the SOS Children’s Villages International. This will help to support their important work in Africa providing alternative care for children who cannot live with their biological families.

“Children, who cannot be cared for by their biological families, are supported by family-based carers either with foster families or within our SOS Children’s Villages,” the SOS Children’s Villages International said in a statement. The organisation has been operating for over 30 years and builds families for children in need, helping them shape their own futures. SOS also shares in the development of communities by responding to social needs, establishing facilities and programmes that aim to strengthen families. They help develop self-reliance, support education and health care initiatives and respond to emergencies where necessary.

The Callsheet would like to thank all the advertisers who chose to give back and to say “Thank You” to their customers while supporting SOS Children’s Villages.

For more information on how you can help the SOS Children’s Villages visit: www.sosvillages.org.za

Thank You for being a part of something special this Holiday Season!

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT


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A BIG thank you to all our clients for the year.

We hereby wish everyone a Happy Festive

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Have a good rest and an abundant new year.

locations

tel: +27 11 884 8924fax: 086 5411 360

mobile: +27 72 765 7201www.lindbergh.co.za

“The positive thinker sees the invisible,feels the intangible and achieves

the impossible.” (Anonymous)

Thank you all so much for your support of our beautiful, extraordinary piece of

quintessential Africa. We appreciate it very much indeed.

Have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!

God bless each one of you in a special way over this time and in the coming year!

Diana (Doolie) Lindbergh and all at Lindbergh


NETWORK FUNCTION

As The Callsheet went to print, Film & Event Media was preparing to host its highly anticipated end-of-year Network Function &

Party. Guests were invited for an evening of cocktails and canapés with the theme “Mad Hatters” at the hip Bennett Street in Cape Town, South Africa.

Ms. Palesa Kadi, the Shared Service Executive of the Film and Publication Board was the invited keynote speaker at the event. Gift Gwe, also known as Mr. Smooth, a SAMA & Metro Awards nominee was also to perform at the party. In 2007 Gift released his first original body of work with a high dose of funk, neo-soul, and exceptional vocals.

Entertainment was set to be provided by eXpress Dance Company, DJ Didier, and Gift. Also, mentors and mentees from the event’s partners, the Film Industry Learner Mentorship (F.I.L.M.) were honoured on the evening.

Guests were also asked to bring a can of food with them to the event as this holiday season Film & Event Media is putting together holiday parcels for the SOS Children’s Villages in conjunction with the “Thank You” campaign.

The Callsheet would like to thank sponsors and partners the South African Film and Publication Board, Royale International, Spartan Truck Hire (Film Division), and Jameson.

To view pictures from the event visit: www.filmmakerafrica.co.za

Film & Event Media Network Function & Party


NETWORK FUNCTION


NETWORK FUNCTION

INDUSTRY MOVES


The International Emmy World Television Festival is an incredible opportunity for expanding the global footprint of our local production companies and to publically showcase the quality of our work. More of our local producers need to submit their programs for consideration.

““

Academy President & CEO Bruce Paisner

The 41 Annual International Emmy Awards Gala

The 41 Annual International Emmy Awards

The 41st Annual International Emmy Awards Red Carpet

The 41st Annual International Emmy Awards Red Carpet

International Emmys Features African Judges and Contenders

Three African entrants were among the nominees, but were not winners, at the 41st International Emmy Awards Gala being held

in November in New York. The nominees were:ComedyLate Nite News with Loyiso Gola eNCA (e News Channel Africa) / Diprente South Africa

Non-Scripted EntertainmentMasterChef South Africa Quizzical Pictures / Lucky Bean Media South Africa

Telenovela Windeck Semba Comunicação Angola

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a membership-based organization comprised of leading media and entertainment fi gures from over 50 countries and 500 companies from all sectors of television including internet, mobile and technology. Bruce Paisner, President and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences visited Cape Town, South Africa earlier this year for judging sessions hosted by the Cape Film Commission (CFC). During that visit he told The Callsheet, “We want more entries from Africa. We want more producers, more production companies to understand that the work they do is good and it really can compete with work from other places in the world and they ought to enter the competition and they ought to enter more programs.”

South Africa’s Okuhle Media sent its Executive Director of Production and Development, Louise van Hoff (McClelland), to New York as a judge for the competition. Louise said that the

judging process showed that the quality of content being produced in South Africa is on par with, if not better than, that being produced around the world. She said, “The International Emmy World Television Festival is an incredible opportunity for expanding the global footprint of our local production companies and to publically showcase the quality of our work. More of our local producers need to submit their programs for consideration.”

Twelve South Africans attended the Emmys as a result of a partnership between the CFC and the South African Department of Trade and Industry.


INDUSTRY MOVES

South African Documentaries at IDFAFive South African documentary films were screened at this year’s International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

‘A Letter to Nelson Mandela’, ‘An Inconsolable Memory’, ‘I, Afrikaner’, ‘Voices of EI Alto’ and ‘The Devil’s Lair’ are five local documentary films that will be screened at the festival.

‘A letter to Nelson Mandela’ and ‘An Inconsolable Memory’ are in IDFA competition for feature-length documentary, ‘Voices of EI Alto’ is in IDFA competition for mid-length documentary and ‘I, Afrikaner’ for IDFA completion first appearance.

Furthermore, the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) and the Documentary Filmmakers Association (DFA) will lead the delegation of more than 40 South Africans to IDFA as part of showcasing the country’s documentary film industry. The NFVF will be represented by Neiloe Whitehead, the production and development manager for documentaries. South Africa’s programme at the festival will include a presentation on SA – the country to produce documentary with where local producers Neil Brandt and Marc Schwingers will be in conversation with Kgomotso Matsunyane to discuss the topic.

There will also be a special partners

and supporters preview screening of ‘The Massacre of Marikana AKA Miners Shot Down’ as well as an exclusive South African networking function for invited guests.

‘A Letter to Nelson Mandela’, ‘The Devil’s Lair’, ‘Marikana AKA Miners Shot Down’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ were partly funded in production by the NFVF and ‘I, Afrikaner’ partly funded in development.

A memorandum of agreement between the Jintek Film and Television School and Rhythm Cycle a well-known East Rand based production company was signed in November. This historic event, was hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni Department of Arts and Culture.

“We are very excited about this new partnership which I believe is the result of hard work and commitment demonstrated by both parties” says Basil Dube, Executive Director of Jintek Film and Television School based in Pretoria, South Africa.

According to the memorandum of agreement, Jintek Film School and Rhythm Cycle Productions will collaborate in presenting a series of accredited film and television courses to over 600 young people in Ekurhuleni over the next three years. Dube said that during this period, there will be a strong emphasis on the production of short films, documentaries and animation projects.

“We are establishing the East Rand as a new and vibrant film hub in Gauteng. We have identified an old and abandoned building next to the Boksburg lake which we intend to transform into a fully fledged film academy and production house” said Dube. The building which is being used as hideout by criminals in the area is situated at 39 Market street in the Boksburg CBD.

New Film Partnership Launched in the City of Ekurhuleni

INDUSTRY MOVES


Universal to Remake SA Thriller ‘iNumber Number’

Five Minutes Till Noon Heads to New Orleans

Universal Pictures has optioned the remake rights to ‘iNumber Number’, a South African thriller written and directed by Donovan Marsh. The fi lm, which premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, will be released in South Africa next year.

An action-packed heist thriller, ‘iNumber Number’ is about a pair of cops battling corrupt colleagues as well as a gang of armoured-car thieves. The fi lm boasts an oddball cast that brings comic relief to the ruthless thuggery. “The fi lm has attracted lots of interest and it has now been slated for a remake by Hollywood giant Universal Studios,” says Harriet Gavshon, producer of Quizzical Pictures. “That is high praise indeed for a South African story.”

‘iNumber Number’ is South African director Donovan Marsh’s fourth fi lm. An award-winning director, writer and editor, Marsh has worked in the local fi lm industry since 1992. He wrote and directed the feature fi lms ‘Dollars and White Pipes’, ‘Spud’ and ‘Spud 2: The Madness Continues’. ‘iNumber Number’ The original fi lm was produced by Harriet Gavshon as well as JP Potgieter and Mariki van der Walt.

The remake will be produced by Chris Morgan, the writer of Universal’s ‘Fast & Furious’ movies, and his partner Emile Gladstone, via their Universal-based Chris Morgan Productions. Aram Tertzakian of XYZ Films is also producing. Nate Bolotin and Nick Spicer are attached to executive produce.

iNumber Number will be released by Indigenous Film Distribution on 28 March 2014.

The 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) awarded a total of ten awards to the fi lm ‘Five Minutes Till Noon’. Produced by TH Films and Epilogue Pictures, the short fi lm won awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. It will represent Cape Town next year at the annual Filmapalooza in New Orleans in 2014, competing against other 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) entrants from cities all over the world. The 48HFP aims to advance fi lmmaking and promote fi lmmakers. In 2013, it will visit over 120 cities where more than 60,000 people will make short fi lms. Entrants have only 48 hours to write, shoot, score and edit fi lms, and ten of the best fi lms of the 2013 tour will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner in 2014.

The requirements that the team pulled from the hat at 7pm on the Friday were that it had to be a western, include an envelope as a prop, a hair stylist named Neil and the line, ‘You Gonna Learn’. ‘Five Minutes Till Noon’ developed into a western set in the 1940’s where a serial killer is on the loose on a South African train.

iNumber Number

Five Minutes Till Noon


INDUSTRY MOVES

I, Afrikaner in competition at IDFA

Ryan Sandes’ ‘Beauty of the Irrational’ chosen as a BANFF Film Festival Finalist

Panavision Wins CPUT Award

South African feature length documentary, ‘I, Afrikaner’ (‘Ek, Afrikaner’) has been selected to premiere this year at the 26th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

It will be competing against another 14 premiering documentaries in Competition for First Appearance. The fi lm follows four generations of South African Boers as they grapple with their identity as white farmers in a post-Apartheid South Africa, where land ownership is highly contentious, and racism and violence are endemic. An award winning camerawoman, director-producer Annalet Steenkamp fi lmed her family on their rural farms over 9 years.

A delegation consisting of Steenkamp (Filmshebeen), co-producer Joanna Higgs (Go Trolley Films) and screenwriter and co-editor Emma Bestall will represent the fi lm at IDFA.

The African Attachment’s (TAA) short fi lm ‘The Beauty of the Irrational’ has been selected as a fi nalist at arguably the world’s top adventure fi lm festival, BANFF.

The short was fi lmed in 2012 with Ryan Sandes in The Fish River Canyon, Namibia as he travelled to take on the Canyon and attempt to break the record for the fastest time across the 87km hiking route. He would run the 5 day hiking route in 6hours 57mins.

Initially released online, the fi lm was selected as one of Vimeo’s staff picks; it featured on the curated website Infi tinitylist.com and has since played at a host of local and international fi lm festivals including the Adventure Film Festival in Boulder Colorado, The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, the ROSCARS in Durban, SHNIT in Cape Town and the Mountain Film Festival Salzburg, Germany.

Panavision Cape Town has won the “2013 Excellence Award for Experiential Learning Programme” from the Cape Peninsular University of Technology for their on-going commitment and involvement in learnerships and mentorships involving technology students studying fi lm-making, arts and entertainment. Every year Panavision hosts a number of students/ interns from the “Informatics and Design” faculty and off ers on-site technical training and exposure to the fi lm industry.

The Beauty of the Irrational

I, Afrikaner


INDUSTRY MOVES

I, Afrikaner in competition at IDFA

Ryan Sandes’ ‘Beauty of the Irrational’ chosen as a BANFF Film Festival Finalist

Panavision Wins CPUT Award

South African feature length documentary, ‘I, Afrikaner’ (‘Ek, Afrikaner’) has been selected to premiere this year at the 26th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

It will be competing against another 14 premiering documentaries in Competition for First Appearance. The fi lm follows four generations of South African Boers as they grapple with their identity as white farmers in a post-Apartheid South Africa, where land ownership is highly contentious, and racism and violence are endemic. An award winning camerawoman, director-producer Annalet Steenkamp fi lmed her family on their rural farms over 9 years.

A delegation consisting of Steenkamp (Filmshebeen), co-producer Joanna Higgs (Go Trolley Films) and screenwriter and co-editor Emma Bestall will represent the fi lm at IDFA.

The African Attachment’s (TAA) short fi lm ‘The Beauty of the Irrational’ has been selected as a fi nalist at arguably the world’s top adventure fi lm festival, BANFF.

The short was fi lmed in 2012 with Ryan Sandes in The Fish River Canyon, Namibia as he travelled to take on the Canyon and attempt to break the record for the fastest time across the 87km hiking route. He would run the 5 day hiking route in 6hours 57mins.

Initially released online, the fi lm was selected as one of Vimeo’s staff picks; it featured on the curated website Infi tinitylist.com and has since played at a host of local and international fi lm festivals including the Adventure Film Festival in Boulder Colorado, The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, the ROSCARS in Durban, SHNIT in Cape Town and the Mountain Film Festival Salzburg, Germany.

Panavision Cape Town has won the “2013 Excellence Award for Experiential Learning Programme” from the Cape Peninsular University of Technology for their on-going commitment and involvement in learnerships and mentorships involving technology students studying fi lm-making, arts and entertainment. Every year Panavision hosts a number of students/ interns from the “Informatics and Design” faculty and off ers on-site technical training and exposure to the fi lm industry.

The Beauty of the Irrational

I, Afrikaner

OPPORTUNITIES


Sabido Productions Call for Factual Submissions

ZIFF 2014 Film Entry Now Open

AFC Storytelling International Screenwriting Competition

Sabido Productions(Pty) Ltd is currently calling for documentary proposals from South African filmmakers. We want powerful African stories that engage universal themes. We are seeking extraordinary stories from the fullest possible range of genres and subject matter. The documentaries can reflect real lives, strong human interest stories, interesting journeys and other themes as diverse as adventure or music - either new subjects or well-known topics with new angles or revelations.

Commissioning brief:• The documentary must be entertaining,

unusual and dramatic.• A strong storytelling plan needs to be

included detailing the structure of the narrative.

• The films must appeal to International audiences rather than simply the South African domestic audience. In particular we are looking to engage audiences in the US, UK, Europe and Asia.

• Key interviewees/contributors must be articulate and engaging on screen.

• We will commission both one-off specials at 1 x 52 minutes and multi-part series with episode lengths of either 30minutes or 60 minutes.

All submissions should include:• A page synopsis.• Treatment (2-4 pages).• Fully itemized budget in ZAR and US

Dollars.• Key creatives biographies, in particular the

director and the producer• Screened or show reel, if any.• List of co-production, distribution or

finance partners, if any, already attached.

For more information visit: http://sabidoproductions.co.za/Closing date: 06 December 2013

The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) is currently accepting applications from African filmmakers (including the African Diaspora) and films from the Dhow Countries’ region- India, Pakistan, South East Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, The Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean Islands. Films from Europe, North America and Australia may also be submitted out of competition but all documentary films are viable for competition. All films must have been produced after June 2011. ZIFF however, reserves the right to accept any film with specific interest to the festival. Films reflecting the theme of global cultural interaction, cultural encounters

The AFC Storytelling International Screenwriting Competition of the African Arts Foundation was conceived to promote understanding of African life through screenplays and documentary projects and to create greater international cooperation in bringing African subject matters and locales to the screen.

First held in 1998, this Competition inspired writers from around the world to creatively contribute to a better cultural understanding of Africa. During our test – research periods of this contest, we were very pleased in the quality of entries, which represented an international collection of talent.

The African Film Commission (AFC) is in its implementation phase and Africa is called to play a major role in this 21st century. Being so, AFC globalizes the contest’s objectives to encourage writers around the world to actively participate in its Screenwriting Competition. Three Categories have been created for writers to compete on namely:• Africa – African Diasporas: Focused

on the stories and people of Africa this category seeks projects with a distinctly

African point of view that enlightens, challenges and informs the reader. Stories can be set in the past, present or future.

• Go Green – Sustainability: This subject matter deals with the growing concerns about the state of the self, our immediate relationships, the environment and our planet. From Sci-fi to factual and fictionalized accounts and, portrayals of a planet gone array, writers are free to explore the impact of man on the world and those who share it.

• International – All Stories: This category has no limits on subject matter or content, but simply seeks to reward the most compelling, well crafted stories of our shared humanity from around the world.

The 2013 AFC Storytelling Finalists will be notified January 2014. The 2013 Winners will be announced in February. Both Winners, Finalists and Semi-Finalists will be posted on line.

Winners will be awarded with prizes in Los Angeles, California, USA, in March 2014.

Deadline is 30 December.

or sociocultural commentary will be given priority and we encourage filmmakers to submit works in any genre. We will accept submissions of works in progress. However, films must be semi-completed no later than April 1st, 2014For more information visit: www.ziff.or.tz

OPPORTUNITIES

www.thecallsheet.co.za THE CALLSHEET | 35

SAE Institute launches Film Degree in Africa

Calls for Film Proposal Submissions

In February 2014 SAE Institute will continue to set the bar for higher education in Africa by launching their Bachelor of Arts in Film Production degree in Cape Town, South Africa.

SAE have an established and respected reputation in the craft of film making, emphasizing both product and process, within a spirit of collaboration. SAE’s lecturers are all highly credible industry practitioners who have a passion for lifelong learning and higher education, and who prepare their students for employment in the incredibly competitive film industries located in Africa and abroad.

In the pursuit of excellent audio-visual products, SAE film Students collaborate closely with their peers from the sound department, to create stellar productions and professional show reels.

For more information visit: http://capetown.sae.edu/en-gb/home

The Natural History Unit of Africa (NHU Africa) is announcing the last call for submissions in 2013. Commissioning takes place throughout the year at NHU Africa, but producers submitting proposals for this call will be reviewed soonest.

All production companies, independent producers and filmmakers are invited to submit proposals before the deadline by 31 January 2014. NHU Africa will review all proposals that meet the commissioning criteria.

The NHU Africa is a commissioning body and production house that produces and commissions some of Africa’s finest natural history and wildlife programming. All proposals submitted should adhere to the NHU Africa commissioning brief and include one or more of the following points: Human-Animal Interaction, Adventure/Exploration, The Natural World and Pure Animal Behaviour, Investigation of the Natural World.

Commissioning BriefNHU Africa is looking for strong, African based stories that speak to the connections between people, animals and the natural world. Stories should be powerful, entertaining, unusual and dramatic – providing an insight into the natural world and our place within it. Furthermore we are looking for films which will appeal to International audiences rather than simply the South African domestic audience. We will commission both one off specials at

1 x 60 minutes and multi-part series with episode lengths of either 30 minutes or 60 minutes. We are particularly interested in the following themes:

• Human and Animal interaction: All films in this area need have strong characters both human and animal, developing story lines and an ability to tell us something new about the needs, desires and connections that drive human relationships with wild animals.

• Adventure, Exploration or Journey of Discovery: All submissions whether for series or single films need to be built around strong characters and have a strong sense of a quest or journey of discovery.

• The Natural World and Pure Animal: Proposals in this area must tell strong, unusual and dramatic stories, have their focus on species in the wild. This ranges from traditional behavior to behavior that has not been seen before, technical innovation and special access to remote areas.

• Investigation of the Natural World: Proposals in this area should focus on unusual, difficult or controversial subjects that deliver a genuine revelation. We are not looking for news, current affairs proposals or thesis.

For more information visit: www.nhuafrica.com

EVENTS


DecemberINTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF MARRAKECH6-14 Marrakech, Morocco

JanuarySUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL16-26Park City, U.S.A.

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF ROTTERDAM22 Jan-2 FebRotterdam, Netherlands

SAN DIEGO BLACK FILM FESTIVAL30 Jan-2 FebSan Diego, U.S. A.

FebruaryCOLOURS OF THE NILE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL5-9 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

PAN-AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL6-17 Hollywood, U.S.A.

BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL 6-16 Berlin, Germany

EUROPEAN FILM MARKET6-16Berlin, Germany

JOZI FILM FESTIVAL 21-23Johannesburg, South Africa

Mankind, H

istory Channel ©

Joe Alblas

EVENTS


WGSAWorkshop with Andrew WalshWGSA is proud to announce that their next international workshop will be presented by award winning writer and director Andrew S Walsh. From London and the depth of cyberspace, this renowned video games writer will mix talks with workshop exercises to cover a wide range of interactive writing challenges from concept to shipping.

Walsh’s credits include the immensely popular ‘Prince of Persia’, ‘Need for Speed’, ‘Lego City’ and various ‘Harry Potter’ episodes. His film work includes the English version of Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. He is currently working as Lead Writer at Lionhead Studios and is developing projects for the stage and screen for Sixteenfeet.co.uk. The workshop will not only include Walsh’s experience as a writer, director, producer and story consultant, but will also be a one-stop shop from concept to pre-production; from scripting to voice, performance capture and localisation. In addition, he has credits in film, television, radio, stage plays and animation, offering local writers the full package of learning how to spread their talents from film and TV across the full spectrum of new media.

This two day workshop will focus on writing dialogue and narrative in an interactive medium. Attendees will learn to recognise and analyse the different challenges offered by the various platforms, narrative genres and gameplay genres that face writers working in this medium. If you’d like to know the jargon, common pitfalls, career paths, formats, narrative structures, speech design principles and to get the chance to test out these elements, then this is the workshop for you. Organised by an industry veteran with experience on more than 60 game titles as well as film and television, these two days will contain vital information for those new to writing, established writers wishing to examine a new approach to their work and anyone wanting to dig deeper into the impact of interactive narratives.

ASSOCIATIONS


The workshop will take place in Johannesburg from 10 to 11 May 2014 and in Cape Town from 17 to 18 May 2014. Limited space is available and booking is essential! To book your spot contact: [email protected]. Pay before 31 December 2013 and qualify for the EARLY PAYMENT special!

• Standard price for member - R3500• Standard price for non-members –

R5000• Early payment (before 31 December)

– R2800• Early payment (before 31 December)

non-members - R4000• Bulk sales - 5 or more: Individuals and

Corporate - all attendees to become members - R2500

• Bulk sales - 10 or more: Corporate - all attendees not members - R3000

Announcement of the Judges for the Inaugural WGSA Muse Awards“WGSA has created the WGSA Muse Awards to recognise the hard work done by our members in the SA film, TV and entertainment industry. It is an award by writers for writers, which finally shines the spotlight on the often forgotten custodians of SA arts and culture,” says Harriet Meier, Chairperson of the WGSA. “We are thrilled with the number of entries, and that we have been able to secure some of the top names and stakeholders in the country, as well as international writer and mentor Larry Brody, as adjudicators.”

Entries have now closed and the WGSA is proud to announce the judges who will select the winners of the very first WGSA Muse Awards.

The judges for the various categories in the first round are as follows:• Feature Film: Clive Morris, Helena

Spring, Richard Nosworthy, Sam Shale, Thandi Brewer, Pulane Boesak

• TV Drama: Ayanda Halimana, Larry Brody, Vanessa Jansen

• TV Comedy: Dr. Eubulus Timothy, Sir Liam J Stratton, Marvin Mathibe

• Documentary: David Forbes, Harriet Meier, Peter Michael Goldsmid

• Stage Play: Clinton Marius, Julie Hall, Sam Phillips

• Afrikaans Scripts: Harriet Meier, Leon van Nierop, Nicci Bothma

The first round of adjudication will be concluded on 31 December 2013.

The judges for the final round and selections of winners in all categories are as follows:• Janet van Eeden• Larry Brody (International – USA)• Louis Minnaar• Ramadan Suleman• Richard Nosworthy• Thinus Ferreira• Thomas McLaughlin (International –

Ireland)

This round will conclude on 28 February 2014 and the winners will be announced during the WGSA MUSE AWARD Ceremony on 15 March 2014.

For more information or to participate in the gala event, please contact the WGSA office on [email protected], telephone: 011 888 4349 or mobile: 082 575 6901.

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ASSOCIATIONS


SAGESAGE Executive Committee for 2014 AnnouncedFollowing the SAGE’s annual general meeting and first executive meeting, the guild is pleased to announce their new executive committee for 2014.

Melissa Parry remains as chairperson, Nikki Comninos as treasurer. The new vice-chairs will be Marina du Toit in Cape Town and Nikki Comninos for Johannesburg.

Vice-chair Dr. Liani Maasdorp, Bronwen MacKellar, Dave Olivier, Jenny Hicks and Kat Turner will be stepping down from the committee.

SAGE would like to give a welcome to Daniëlle Nel and Tanja Hagen. They are also glad to welcome Johan Walters and Candice Odgers back to the executive committee.

The executive portfolios have been divided as follows:Chairperson: Melissa Parry - JHBVice-chairpersons: Marina du Toit - CTNikki Comninos - JHBTreasurer: Nikki Comninos - JHBAccreditation: Catherine Meyburgh - JHBMelanie Golden - JHBEvents leader (CT): Marina du Toit - CPTEvents (CT): Daniëlle Nel - CPTTanja Hagen - CPT Events leader (Jhb): Edgar Sibaya - JHBEvents (Jhb): Candice Odgers - JHBIndustry representation:Candice Odgers - JHBDaniëlle Nel - CPTMarketing: Johan Walter - CPTWebsite: Stephen Abbott - JHB

SAGE would like to extend a sincere thank you to those who volunteered for 2013.


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The Callsheet Issue 12

Documents

Transcript of The Callsheet Issue 12