Skillset UK

Skillset is the UK government's development portal for the film industry, with a whole range of really useful information including job descriptions, skills sets for particular crew roles and links to unit standards. This, for instance is taken from the unit standard on what directors need to know / do in order to understand whether their ideas actually are viable.



D1 INVESTIGATE THE VIABILITY OF IDEAS FOR PRODUCTIONS
This is what you must be able to do
1. ensure you keep yourself up-to-date with trends and developments in the industry including those with relevance to the context of the medium in which you work
2. network to establish good working relationships with people known to possess potential ideas
3. initiate ideas and encourage new ideas from others
4. review and select ideas that meet your own capabilities and objectives or those of your organisation
5. where appropriate,organise the securing of the necessary rights for development and production of potential projects in good time
6. establish with relevant people the commercial and artistic viability and audience appeal
7. appoint and negotiate with relevant people who will bring quality and value to the proposed projects
8. manage the development process by encouraging constructive discussion with relevant people
9. review the development work and base final decisions about the feasibility of projects on appropriate research and discussion
10.collate necessary information to enable the preparation of an attractive pitch to be made to relevant people
11.interact with the producer in the way that best suits their own individual modus operandi and this particular project

This reminds me of the Producer's Profile outlined by the Canadian Cultural HR group, available here.. Use it as a check list and tell us what you need to learn......

Piracy

A DVD-quality copy of the sci-fi blockbuster “District 9″ was posted to file-trading networks over Labor Day weekend. The movie was downloaded over one million times within the first 24 hours. Downloads are likely to exceed the leaked workprint of another SA-linked movie, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” which was downloaded over 4 million times.



Filmcontact.com says that most movies are available on the Internet within a few days of their release, but the quality is typically poor and all but the most prolific pirates avoid them. The “District 9″ release is described as an R5 copy, or a retail DVD sold in Region 5 — Eastern Europe, India, Africa, North Korea and Mongolia. Studios release R5 DVDs early and without any special features or image processing in an effort to compete with bootlegs in areas where piracy is prevalent......

Sundance No-Budget Films

Sundance, Robert Redford's now iconic film festival has announced the launch of a new section called "Next," which will focus on six to eight innovative and original low- and no-budget films.



The idea behind "Next" is to discover and promote new filmmakers whose vision is hemmed in only by available funding. THAT MEANS YOU, PORT ELIZABETH!!!!!

Programmers hope to introduce these directors, previously known to the devotees of the mumble core and dogma movements, to the wealth of viewers, talent and media at Sundance.

If you're a no-budget filmmaker and want to get in on "Next," submissions are still being accepted for 2010. Get more info here.

Co-Production

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has announced new co-production guidelines.

Co-Production basically allows for South African producers to join forces with producers from other countries with whom we have treaties, and access their government funding mechanisms as well as our own. As much as 80% of a budget can therefore come from overseas government funds.



Our Co-production partners include Canada, Italy, Germany and the UK, with unconfirmed buzz of more to come (France / Australia / New Zealand?) later this year.

Read the guidelines here. And read more here on the principles of Co-Production from the Knowledge Foundation, authors of the above chart.

District 9 SFX

Found this while looking for the previous post - SFX behind District 9....

100 Years of Special Effects

A potted history:

PcTv4Me

Is this the future of how we'll consume our television product? This mailer for PcTv4Me just arrived in my in-box, offering 2,000 world wide TV channels direct to my PC for no monthly fee - just the cost of the software.

The blurb claims the product offers:

• Hundreds of channels from around the world to watch. And new channels
• are added every day
• Hundreds of Radio stations to listen to anytime, all of the time. And new
• stations are added daily
• Available 24 hours per day right from your PC and laptop
• All of the programming is uncensored
• No additional hardware needed

South Africa is one of the countries the package claims to include. I wonder if SABC is factoring stuff like this into their revenue calculations. I mean, although this may be the future of consumption, I doubt they think it's "the right thing to do."

More info here

Shortcut Wednesdays

Here's a good one; how to mobilize yourselves: in Cape Town from 2nd September......

Shortcut Wednesdays offers a platform for Filmmakers to showcase their film projects in their chosen genre (ie. short story, documentary, commercial, music video, anime), leading to acknowledgement and exposure of their work.

Beginning the first Wednesday from September the 2nd and every month following, each event will showcase a selection of Films from different genres in the following categories:
1) Student
2) Professional
3) Newcomers



Each event will be uniquely packaged according to Collaborations with various Sponsors in conjunction with This Side Up Events and Speedway Café 105. Prizes, awards and audience participation will be encouraged. There's a Facebook site if you're interested.

Discop Africa - Broadcast market

The Kenya edition of DISCOP AFRICA runs from 16th - 18th September,

This Broadcast-focussed Marketplace combines 3 days of individual meetings between participants organised in advance of the event by our in-house research staff as well as a conference programme addressing 5 important issues related to the development of television business in Africa.



Topics to be addressed in the conference programme will include:

1. How to create a compelling programming bouquet that can attract viewers and advertising revenues
2. How to build and manage an efficient television air-time sales department
3. How to establish distribution deals with mobile operators
4. The importance of television to provide health care and medical news
5. The emerging roles of China, Brazil and India in the African television landscape

In addition, a series of 3 training and case-studies workshops specifically aimed at African audiovisual content producers will cover the formating, funding and distribution of programs "Made In Africa". ScreenAfrica has reported that over 330 participants have already registered to attend.

NFVF Responds to Media Criticism

Eddie Mbalo, CEO of the NFVF, responds in his blog to criticism of the organisation's funding decisions regarding its support (or lack of it) for blockbusters like District 9.



"While the NFVF continuously encourages filmmakers to consider SA audiences in their work as the widest possible viewership for every film means financial success for investors and producers, box office success is not about good PR for the institution....."

Make up your own mind by visiting www.nfvf.co.za

Trend Watch: Advertising Online

More small and medium-sized business advertisers are now spending their advertising budgets online than are buying ads in traditional media, according to a report from The Kelsey Group and research partner ConStat.

The penetration of digital and online media grew to 77% in August 2009, up from 73% a year ago, while penetration of traditional media fell from 74% to 69% during the same period.



"Penetration" is the percentage of businesses using a given type of media, irrespective of spending level. Small and medium-sized businesses reduced their overall spending on advertising and promotion by 23.5% over the past year but Digital/online rose as a percentage of overall ad spend from 22% to 36.8%. Spending on websites and profile pages increased by 26.8%.

Mobile Music Downloads

Only 10% of U.S. cell phone owners listen to music on their devices, according to a report from market research firm Forrester Research.

This compares with 27% of Britons and 70% of Chinese mobile subscribers.

"Part of the reason is that mobile and music providers have focused on their business models first and the user experience second. Europe and Asia have fared better in terms of user adoption, but direct revenues from mobile music remain lean," the report says.


"To benefit from mobile music adoption, music labels need to shift their strategy from direct to indirect revenue gains, services need to become platform-agnostic, and device makers and carriers need to up the ante on innovative offerings."

While 60% of U.S. mobile subscribers polled said they had no interest in purchasing music on their phones, Forrester predicts that the U.S. market for purchasing music via cell phones will reach $263 million by 2013.

TED.com Lectures

Ted.com bills itself as "Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world...." and that's just what it is.

TED.com makes the best talks, lectures and performances on three core subjects - Technology, Entertainment and Design - available to the world, for free. More than 450 TEDTalks are now available, with more added each week. All of the talks feature closed captions in English, and many feature subtitles in various languages. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted.



So educate yourself, and start trend-tracking today.....

Internet Video Viewing On the Rise

Digital Media Wire is carrying a story from Internet audience measurement firm comScore which reports that more people watched online videos in June 2009 than during any other month since the birth of the Internet.

The firm said that more then 157 million U.S. Internet users viewed video online during the month, attributing the surge to a plethora of major news stories, led by the death of Michael Jackson and the Iranian elections.

SA Film tops US box office!

SA-made Sci-fi action thriller District 9, about a colony of space aliens stranded in South Africa, landed atop the North American box office with an estimated R300 million its first weekend, distributor Sony Pictures said on Sunday.



The film was directed and co-written by South African native Neill Blomkamp, making his feature directorial debut after a career of doing commercials. The movie cost roughly R240 million to make - a modest budget by Hollywood standards.

The cast of unknowns stars South African newcomer Sharlto Copley as a bureaucrat leading the forced eviction of alien creatures from a Johannesburg slum, District 9, where they have been settled since their ship stalled over the city 20 years earlier, marooning them on Earth.

Music Fan interrogated over mobile phone vote

One of the hidden risks of pursuing a digital future:

Rovshan Nasirli, a young Eurovision fan living in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, says he was summoned this week to the country's National Security Ministry -- to explain why he had voted for Armenia during this year's competition in May.

Nasirli, like others, used his mobile phone to send a text message expressing his preference, little imagining his vote would eventually result in a summons from national security officials......

The full story here.

SABC wreaks havoc on Independent Producers

The Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) issued a strongly worded press release earlier this which which sounds the alarm bells regarding the proposal by the SABC to freeze, cancel and delay various local productions in order to cut costs.



As per the SABC’s 2008 Request for Proposals (RFPs) from the independent production sector, the TVIEC has been informed that only 12 out of the 47 productions due to have been incepted in April 2009 will be going ahead this year. The balance will be delayed or cancelled.

There will be no 2009 RFPs for production in 2010. Furthermore, numerous existing/renewable contracts have been postponed or deferred......

More, as always, at Screenafrica.com.

Seeking South African Documentaries

SnagFilms, is looking to sign South African documentaries for its digital distribution service.



SnagFilms streams over 800 non-fiction films from leading content owners including National GEO and PBS and has an established partnership with NBC/Fox owned Hulu. The goal of SnagFilms is to create a formidable online community of non-fiction films for a discernible international audience.

If you own the digital distribution rights for your documentary, Snagfilms would like to be your digital distribution partner. Contact Erica Motley for more information.

Real Change - Digital Style

By the way - if there is ANY doubt left in your mind about how the digital era is going to democratize and revolutionise our lives then take a brief squizz at the coverage of theIranian crisis at AndrewSullivan.com. Sullivan's become one of my "must-read" daily fixes and he blends news, first-hard tweets, photo-journalism and really insightful comment from a variety of sources in a way that the mainstream media can only dream of.



The Digital Era offers us a total transformation of media in South Africa - what we make, what we see, how and when we see it. Things will never be the same again.

Cab Music

I've been saying for as long as anyone can be bothered to listen that the Music Industry stands to be the biggest unintended beneficiary of the Soccer World Cup. 2 billion people will be watching their edited highlights to an African beat - and then hopefully they'll go on line to try to find more of that South African music for themselves.

And so how can film benefit from this cross over? Very easily apparently. Check out these black cab sessions: load up a couple of musos in the back of a London cab, get them to perform live and unplugged and then post it on You Tube. It's great theatre!

National Heritage Council tender

The National Heritage Council has announced a tender for Research and a documentary programme on the experiences of South African ordinary people, historic events and places that have liberation heritage significance. Who better to complete this than Eastern Cape academics and producers, who sit at the heart of the nation's liberation journey......



Tender document NHC/29/2009 costs R100 and the deadline for applications is 9th September - contact a.motloung@nhc.org.za (or tel 012 348 1663) for more information.

Rooftop Films

This is an interesting Film-Music hybrid - a NYC film festival with various rooftop venues where they show music, some scored with live music, all around the city.

For more, visit the Rooftop Films site

DVD Piracy

If we're going to drive a local production agenda in South Africa, then each of us will have to take a stand against piracy. This is a huge problem: in the United States, the National Consumers League published results of a study conducted that revealed that 90% of consumers believe they should be able to back up their DVDs to a hard drive or copy them to a portable device - and that they'd be willing to pay about $61 for a piece of software that helped them back up their collections. According to the survey:

• 55% of respondents are buying fewer DVDs today than they did a year ago.
• More than four in 10 (41%) expect to be buying fewer still a year from now.
• 41% said the ability to make back up copies would make their collections more valuable
• 40% said it might cause them to buy more DVDs.
• Households with kids have purchased an average of nearly 3 DVDs to replace those lost or damaged.
• Despite studio fears that back-up copying will lead to massive Internet piracy, only 18% of respondents reported ever having copied a DVD to a hard drive.
• Another 5% said they had tried but were unable to.
• The vast majority of respondents (79%) said they have no real interest in copying DVDs.

And, according to DMW, what have the studios come up with to deliver that value to their customers? Litigation against Kaleidescape Systems and RealDVD for providing tools that allow people to back up their DVD collections.

Eastern Cape TV Online?

Did you know there's an Eastern Cape company capable of providing online web broadcasting services? Check out Purple Turtle Communications. The availability of this locally means that even in the hiatus whilst we wait for regional tv licenses to be assigned, there are other (and arguably more affordable) options available, offering the potential of local content, 24/7.



I'd like the Eastern Cape to look at this kind of model for Provincial Communications generally, with costs distributed between departments to ameliorate the costs eg: health, arts and culture, education etc. etc. It could be just the springboard we need to build a local market for local products. Other benefits of this kind of approach include:

• creating an outlet for people to create content so they can generate income from the skills being taught
• offering the province/municipalities a way of communicating with their people
• Since all material used in the channel needs to be created, the whole value chain of production would potentially benefit

And incidentally, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that this could attract its own revenue streams; one local online news network in San Diego, California just received $700 million of development money.....

The Show Must Go On

ScreenAfrica's blog reports on some of the more unconventional methods producers are using to finance their films:

These difficult times have inspired producers, facility houses, studios and crew alike to re-think the narrow-minded adage "time is money" - which is of course fitting in a time when, for many, there is no money!

More at the ScreenAfrica blog.

African Films in the UK

An absolutely fascinating Guardian article entitled When Will We Start Taking African Films Seriously? tackles the thorny issue of African films breaking (or not) into the UK market:



Simply reinforces my increasing belief that building local audiences is the way to go....

Movie made for R600 gets Cinema release

A zombie movie made using a camcorder for less then the price of a DVD box set is set to be distributed in cinemas across the UK.....

"Colin," made by budding British director, Marc Price, will now get its own DVD as well as hitting the big screen in time for Halloween.



Price wrote, directed, shot and edited "Colin" over 18 months while working nights at a taxi company. The 30-year-old first-time director says he managed to make the film for so little by advertising for volunteer zombies on social networking site, Facebook. He also borrowed make-up and taught himself special effects by endlessly re-watching making-of featurettes and director's commentaries from his personal DVD collection. The full story at CNN.

So the question is: why not you next?

Eastern Cape Filmmakers Association on Facebook

Did you know, there's already a Facebook group for people working in, and/or passionate about, the film and tv industry in the Eastern Cape? it's called the Eastern Cape Filmmakers Association and it serves to connect Producers, Writers, Directors and other skilled people (e.g. camera, sound, light, art design, production etc.) from the region.



Go on, join the conversation......

PS and in case your wondering - here are a couple of similar hubs run by the sector in the UK. When we're big, we could have online communities like this:

• Who needs the Sea?
• Digital Dockyard
• Whippet on the Wire
• 38 Minutes

Cape Winelands Film Festival Call for Entires

Since the first edition the Cape Winelands Film Festival (CWFF) has significantly grown in size and international participation. More than 70 features, documentaries and short films from over 35 countries were in competition during 2009. More than130 productions formed part of the festival programme, in total 62 featues, 27 documentaries and 44 shorts from more than 35 countries. The 2nd edition of the festival had 32 international guests. The festival had more than 300 screenings in March 2009.



Now the 3rd edition of what's become one of South Africa's largest film festivals has announced its call for entries. Entry forms are available on the official website of the festival: http://films-for-africa.co.za/ The festival will take place from 17 - 27 March 2010 in Cape Town and Stellenbosch.

And incidentally, if you want to see Facebook in action as a marketing and promotional tool, then join the festival's Facebook group; these guys are really leading the way in profiling their films and their festival using this totally free medium.

SAFTAs - Entry Deadline July 30th

The 4th South African Film and Television Awards will be held in February 2010. The closing date for entry submission is July 30 2009 and productions are reminded to submit their entries. Entry forms and more information is available at the NFVF site.



Incidentally, thanks to a proactive industry lobby lead by SASFED (the South African Screen Federation), entry fees for this Awards have been waived this year. So even more reason to enter.....

Lisbon Docs 2009

Calling all Documentary Makers - Lisbon Docs 2009 is calling for proposals

Lisbon Docs is a documentary pitching session consisting of:

- a pitching session and workshop
- screenings of new films
- master classes on international aspects of documentary making



The workshop takes place on October 20-22. In the intense working atmosphere of the pitching workshop, 21 documentary projects are discussed, developed and turned upside down by colleagues and a tutor team of six internationally experienced professionals. Then on October 23 and 24 all projects are pitched to a panel of 10-12 Commissioning Editors from leading international co-production TV-channels.

For further information on how to apply, participation fees and other details please take a look at the EDN site about Lisbon Docs or contact EDN Network Manager Hanne Skjødt at hanne@edn.dk

Deadline for applying is September 4.

International Black DocuFest 2009

Saturday 25th July is the last day for submissions to the International Black DocuFest (IBDF)in Atlanta, Georgia.



IBDF's mission is to showcase the most innovative and compelling documentary films on the lives of people of African descent. Through a series of screenings, workshops and facilitated panel discussions, the International Black DocuFest explores the creative ways in which documentaries capture and chronicle the diverse experiences of black life from around the globe.

In other words, they want YOUR stories. The 3rd annual International Black DocuFest ™ will be hosted at Atlanta’s celebrated High Museum of Art on September 17 th – 19th, 2009. So jump to it.

Two Seas TV

Two Seas TV, a production company in Cape Town, has set up an online social network dedicated to film and TV production in South Africa.



It offers a number of tools to help you to stay in touch with other members and increase your online presence:

· Advertise your company
· Promote your film
· Drive traffic to your site
· Share ideas
· Brainstorm concepts
· Meet potential partners
· Read news & reviews
· Watch clips

It’s also FREE and easy to sign up, so go to: http://twoseas.socialgo.com/ and try it out, see if this kind of thing can work for us in the Eastern Cape too..... Maybe someone could start with a Facebook site?

Cape Film Workshops??

Cape Film Workshops has been designed by veteran educator John Hill to prepare emerging professionals for a career in the film industry.

With nearly 40 years experience in the industry and many years in film education and training in the academic sector, John felt that most current filmmaking courses are far too academic and do not cater for the needs of the profession. As a result he devised The Cape Film Workshops as a series of programme competency levels designed to overcome problems and propel participants to emerging professional status much earlier than usual.



Currently the Cape Film Workshops are scheduled mostly for Cape Town (as usual) but the content looks interesting enough to lobby him to run similar programmes in NMB, no? Email John to find out more: support@capefilmworkshops.org

Mmino second call for applications 2009

Since we're also looking at music in the NMB area, I thought you might be interested in this: Mmino, the South African - Norwegian music cooperation programme, has announced a second call for applications for 2009.

Housed at the National Arts Council in Johannesburg, Mmino provides funding to music education and exchange projects (between Norway & SA and SA & SADC countries). The organisation attempts to establish and strengthen mutually beneficial relationships between Norway and South Africa.

Official application forms can be downloaded from the website www.mmino.org.za. The closing date for this funding session is 12 August 2009 at 12h00.

IndieVillage SA Short Film Competition

Independent filmmakers from across South Africa are invited to submit their work for entry into The IndieVillage South African Short Film Competition.



The goal of this festival is to support independent South African filmmakers by bringing their names, faces and artistic works to new audiences.

Films announced as part of the finals will be selected by panel and screened at the IndieVillage South African Film Festival scheduled to take place 27th May to 30th May 2010 in Toronto. All finalists will also become eligible to win one of the following prizes:

Grand Prize- R 10 000
1st Runner Up- R 3 000
2nd Runner Up- R2 000

So what can I say? This is a festival about you, and for you. Best you get applying. For more information and submission requirements, click here

Making the Movie

Making an independent film is a lot like having a kid. The sexy part is coming up with the idea and the money. Actually making the film is a lot like giving birth – both exciting and painful. Then you have your bouncing baby movie - and you have to raise the little bastard.

I love coming across blog sites by filmmakers who have actually made films. The information is usually practical, helpful and refreshingly candid. Making the Movie offers filmmaking tips, resources, reviews of Film Production books (useful!), news and links.

Here's some good stuff on the kinds of "special features" to add to your dvd.......

Survey about the NFVF

The NFVF is currently conducting a research for the South African entertainment industry and would be very appreciative if you would participate in the survey – link below, which should take no longer than 5 minutes. Your response will be kept strictly confidential and will be used solely for this project.



The objectives of the survey are to determine the perception of the public regarding the NFVF and also gauge the level of understanding of the NFVF activities from beneficiaries, while at the same time it should help us in assessing if there is need for a film publication. So here's your chance to tell them what you think.....

The survey will be opened to receive your response up until Friday the 24th of July 2009 at 12h00.Click on the below to take part in the survey.

South African Entertainment Industry Survey

Stop Motion Animation Workshops - Cape Town

Calling all filmmakers, puppeteers, sculptors, artists, animators, actors, designers, sound designers, performance artists, painters, musicians: UNIMA SA and ANIMATION SA have announced an exciting workshop series on Stop-Frame Animation to be held in Cape Town this September and October The course is designed to extend professionals' skills into a world of 3-dimensional moving pictures and will be facilitated by top animators.



Participants will move through the stages of creating a short stop-frame animation film over a period of 6 Saturdays, acquiring such skills as designing characters and sets, hands-on animation, creating sound effects and editing. Each step will be carefully monitored by top-of-their-game animation experts.

For information and to book a space, contact: Andrea Brittow on 021 4625811 (between 9 and 1 pm) or email: admin@unimasouthafrica.org

Cellphones and FIlm

In case you weren't completely convinced of the impact that cellphones will have in our lives - and in the way we promote and distribute Eastern Cape films in the not-too-distant future: according to a report from the GSMA, worldwide mobile phone connections have topped 4 billion, and are expected to reach 6 billion by 2013. Nearly 100 million of these connections are mobile broadband accounts.



The GSMA credited the integration of mobile into previously unconnected devices, and subscriber additions in emerging markets for the growth rate. And remember, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Global Entertainment Media Outlook: 2008 - 2012.

“those that will see the most significant growth are those segments who take advantage of the opportunities in digital and mobile.”

Economic Impact Assessment

As we try to understand the feasibility of the Film Sector in NMB, we need to look at the Economic Impacts of Production. We've created an online survey which we'd like your assistance in completing - preferably one for each of your productions shot during 2006-7.

Click here to take the Online Survey

Thanks

A Million Views on You Tube??

Some interesting stuff at Slate.com on the difficulties of monetising digital media. So, what are your chances of achieving YouTube stardom? Chris Wilson crunched the numbers to find out what percentage of YouTube videos hit it big, cracking even 10,000 or 100,000 views......

The results: here


(believe it or not, the fourth most viewed on You Tube???)

Umalusi opens in the Eastern Cape

Umalusi, a local film shot in the Eastern Cape, has officially launched in East London. It opens at selected Ster-Kinekor and Nu-Metro cinemas from July 10.

Co-written by Jhamil Qubeka and Mlandu Sikwebu, and shot in the East London suburbs of Vincent, West Bank, Duncan Village and Mdantsane, Umalusi is the tale of a “privileged” young man living in an upmarket suburb who panics and goes on the run when a friend dies from a drug overdose.



The self-funded film was shot in the township with most of the small crew and extras drawn from around East London and Mdantsane. Qubeka says the film will teach South Africans to do things for themselves: "It will hopefully inspire people to tell their own stories."

KZN Sharks Board Commissioning Brief

The KZN Sharks Board has called for Expressions of Interest for the production of a 30 minute audio-visual film of its activities along the KZN coast. The bid reference number is: KZNSB5/07/2009.



So if you are really (really?) serious about getting into the water with the above, armed with nothing more than your camera, the deadline for submissions is 17th July. For more information contact Mrs. D. Hargreaves on 031 566 0431

Film Meeting in PE

Mark the date: a week on Monday......

Monday the 13th JULY!!!!
City Hall, Port Elizabth
11 am - 14 pm



We'll be hosting a lively meeting to discuss the feasibility of the film (and music) sector in Nelson Mandela Bay, and giving you ample opportunity to give input on the process.

Look forward to meeting with you then and hearing your ideas.....

PLURAL+ Festival Call for Entries

In collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other international partners, the UN Alliance Of Civilizations is launching a youth video festival exploring themes related to migration and diversity.

PLURAL+ is aimed at involving youth in addressing the key issues in their community related to migrant integration, inclusiveness, identity, diversity, human rights and social cohesiveness.



The project invites anyone aged 9-25 to submit short videos on their thoughts, experiences, opinions, questions and suggestions on how to promote harmonious yet diverse societies.

Submissions will be accepted from 1 June-30 September 2009. A prestigious international jury will announce the winners at an awards ceremony at New York's Paley Center for Media on 18 December 2009, coinciding with International Migrants Day. More from the NFVF

DIFF Indigenous Language Screenwriting Course

With the 30th anniversary landmark edition of the Durban International Film Festival just around the corner, DIFF has announced an exciting call for indigenous language writers to apply for participation in a free writing and scriptwriting workshop. The workshop, run by SA's leading screenwriter Mtutuzeli Matshoba, will accommodate all the indigenous languages if required, (although a reading level of English comprehension will be helpful.)


To be considered for the workshop, please send:

• a one page “treatment” of your life (a creative CV) (in any of the official languages)
• a one page treatment of one of your scripts. (in any of the official languages)
• a covering letter, in English or Zulu, containing your name, contact details and a declaration that you are free and available to attend the workshop between 29 th July to August 1 st from 09h00 to 17h00.

Applications (or requests for more info) are to be sent to diff @ukzn.ac.za or by fax to 0865490221. Closing Date for applications is 10 July.

ICASA Regulations on Commissioning

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa has published draft regulations and the Position Paper on the commissioning of independently produced South African programming. The draft regulations and the Position Paper follow the publication of the Discussion Document and the holding of public hearings on Commissioning of Independently Produced South African Programming.



The Authority has now invited interested parties who wish to make written representations on the draft regulations (but not the Position Paper) to submit such representations to ICASA by no later than 16h00 on 04th AUGUST 2009. So this affects you directly.

For more information, visit the ICASA website.

CNN - The Screening Room in Africa

CNN's The Screening Room has a three part special on the African Film Industry, including Kenya, Cape Town and Nigeria. You can watch all three episodes online here.

Disgrace

The National Arts Festival has bagged the local premiere of the movie version of JM Coetzee's novel Disgrace. Starring John Malkovich as Professor David Lurie, the Australian-financed film won an International Critics Award at last year's Toronto Film Festival in Canada.



But here's the frustration; although the script calls for the professor to retire to a remote farm in the Eastern Cape, the movie shot in the Cedarburg. In America, that's called Runaway Production..... Which could in itself be termed something of a disgrace, I suppose.

Check out the movie during the festival.

Eastern Cape Production named Film of the Year

Did you know that Wild Ocean - a 3D movie shot in the Ocean off the Eastern Cape, was selected as the 2009 Earthwatch Film of the Year? How cool!



Wild Ocean celebrates the annual feeding frenzy in the oceans of South Africa as billions of sardines migrate up the Wild Coast, causing breaching whales, frenzied sharks, herding dolphins, and diving gannets to compete in an epic struggle for survival.

Written, directed, edited, and scored by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas (the UK-based, Oscar and Emmy-nominated creative duo behind the internationally acclaimed Stomp), Wild Ocean was a finalist for two Panda Awards (otherwise known as "The Green Oscars) at the 2008 Wildscreen Festival: "Best Film-Theatrical" and "Best Music".

It's only a little whinge, but if only Eastern Cape filmmakers could have gotten to this story first......

Eastern Cape delegation from Amathole District Municipality visits CFC

The (Western) Cape Film Commission's newsletter notes that it recently hosted a delegation of Councillors and officials from the EC's Amathole District Municipality.

According to the report, ADM is in the process of establishing a Film Office/ Commission and they specifically came down to Cape Town to meet with the CFC and learn more about how the film industry unfolded there and in particular issues related to permitting and marketing.



Hopefully this move is something that can be coordinated with the NMB process - and the ECDC's own efforts - so we can build synergies and avoid duplications. Let's watch this closely.

Television and Music

In this blog I'm going to be looking a lot at how the lessons learned by the music industry in terms of distribution, copyright protection, audience development, online marketing etc. can be applied to our regional tv industry. And to reiterate the cross-over, Senegalese master-musician Baaba Maal has announced the release of his new album entitled, Television - a groundbreaking successor to 2001's Missing You.

The title-track refers to that African phenomenon - ubiquitous TV screens. "The television set is like a stranger you didn't ask for coming into your living-room," explains Baaba. "You don't care about who he is: he just seems to come from nowhere and gives you information."

Now we just need to get Eastern Cape product onto those screens.....



Television is a collaboration primarily between Baaba Maal and singer Sabina Sciubba and keyboardist Didi Gutman, both members of New York's Brazilian Girls. The result is a stunningly beautiful and diverse record that meshes two genres, generally unfamiliar to each other, to produce an eclectic and romantic sound.

Viral Marketing and the new District 9 Movie

Re. Digital (again) - here's something to look out for - the online viral marketing campaign for the new SA Sci-Fi movie District 9. It's produced by Peter Jackson (yes, he of Lord of the Rings fame) and has a clever but also quite relevant story about the integration of aliens. In this case, alien aliens, but there's a lot of apartheid in there, and a lot about the attacks on refugees last year. It looks like it might be the kind of SA tale that works without a lot of finger wagging and point scoring.....



So visit www.d-9.com and play around with the very cool interface and various websites that have been setup to give you an introduction to the origins, look and hardware/technology on the "non-human" aliens that are the focus of Neill Blomkamp's film.

And how does Viral Marketing work? well, just like this actually; I see something I like and send it on to all my friends. It's the kind of word-of-mouth advertising that money can't buy...... Another reason for us to start building a database of Eastern Cape movie audiences.

Screen Africa Talent and Technology Conference 2009

Make a note: the 6th Screen Africa Talent & Technology Conference will take place on 23 July 2009 alongside the Mediatech Africa exhibition.

Dedicated to the business of broadcast, film, new media and communications media in South Africa and Africa, the Talent and Technology Conference represents an excellent platform for learning and sharing experiences in the fields of technology developments and trends as well as content creation, management and delivery.



With a strong focus on 2010 and Low Budget Production, the conference highlights include panel discussions on 2010 Preparations, New Media, Digital Terrestrial TV, Doing Business in Africa, Film Financing, New Technologies and Platforms, Funding Update and Broadband Internet Opportunities.

So where do I catch the NMB Film Bus to this event???

For more information visit www.screenafrica.com