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INDUSTRY
Up close and personal
One of the biggest Johannesburg film gatherings for some years took place in November last year at the 2008 Film
infrastructure and technological developments of Gauteng, but also presented an opportunity for the industry to
Thinking out of the box
At the Gauteng Film
Commissions Indaba last year,
one of the most interesting
seminars looked at ways of
alternative distribution. The seminar
was titled: Thinking out of the box: A role
for alternative distribution. The panel
consisted of high-profile producers,
distributors and entrepreneurs – Ross
Garland (Rogue Star Films), Helen
Kuun (Ster Kinekor), Sello Twala (C-
Free Production), Tendeka Matatu
(Muti Films), Sharlto Copley
(independent producer) and Dan Jawitz
(Fireworx).
Helen Kuun’s presentation dealt with
the different methods that producers
use to distribute their film and the
recent success stories of films like
Jerusalema, Hansie, Bakgat! and
Confessions of a Gambler, which all made
use of different distribution strategies.
Kuun explained that 2008 could be
viewed as a tipping point for South
African produced films. “The last year
has been pretty good for local films and
all of them had different
methodologies. The development of
digital is most definitely changing the
landscape for film distribution.
“If we look at some figures, Bakgat!
made R3.3m at the local box office –
this is good when you compare it to its
foreign counterpart like Dude, Where’s
my Car, which made R2.2m at the local
box office.”
Kuun elaborated that Jerusalema has
made R4.4m on a print run of 14 and
Hansie, which went out on half digital
and half film, has made R4m.
Confessions of a Gambler, which went out
on 16 digital sites, has made over
R500 000, which is also a good return
on investment considering the
distribution run and the amount spent
on the film.
Kuun added: “All these films are
actually success stories if you look at
box office. It is great when you look at
local films that make R3m to R4m.
This is good box office even for a lot of
Hollywood and European distributed
films. Bend it Like Beckham, which was
an acclaimed international film, made
around R3.5m here. Local films are
starting to make their mark.”
Kuun however reiterated that box
office is different from recouping
money back on the film and making a
profit. “For instance, if you shoot at a
lower budget and make money back at
the box office then this is a good
position. Films like Confessions and
Bakgat! are examples. However, a film
like Hansie, which was shot for over
R40m and is only making R4m back at
the box office, means that it has to
travel to international territories to
make money.
Distribution
“DVD sales are also a huge part of
distribution and I think it is crucial that
the window of DVD release becomes
smaller. We should be looking at
releasing on DVD three or four weeks
after the film is released on the
theatrical circuit. This will also, I
believe, go some way in solving the
piracy problem.”
Kuun added that the DTI rebate is
one of the most important
developments for local producers. “This
is a key to access financing and being
able to produce films. New technology
is also creating huge opportunities to
make and deliver content.”
Ross Garland said that Confessions of
a Gambler was shot for R1.5m. “We
were also able to access soft funding
from the National Film and Video
Foundation (NFVF) and SABC. So
the R1.5m was not all risk money. The
challenge with Confessions was to get a
cinema release and try and manage
distribution as effectively as possible, so
we went out on 15 screens around the
country. When we went into the Cape
Flats we knocked US films off and
became the most popular film. It is
crucial to know your audience. My
view, however, is that for a film release,
you need wide release.”
Garland said that Faith Like Potatoes
in a way was the film that changed
perspectives. “They did their own
distribution and made money. We also
did our own release for Confessions.”
Tendeka Matatu explained their
path. “We shot Jerusalema for R14m on
pure equity. We had pre-sold the film
into some international territories and
had an international sales agent.
However, the benchmark for us was
how well the film would do with local
audiences and this has proved to be a
success story.”
Matatu added: “We also had a very
specific idea of how we wanted to
distribute the film with specific
audiences in mind. We went out on
35mm film projection and had a 14
print run and moved it around to
specific sites. For instance the film is
now only playing in some of the smaller
provinces.”
The two crucial elements, Matatu
said, were control of their own
distribution with the decision to go out
on film and to do a limited release.
“We also invested around R200 000 in
P&A and signed a deal with Metro
FM, which gave us publicity on radio
and on SABC. TV reaches the widest
possible audience, which was a great
way of getting the film out there. The
GFC also helped with marketing and
we had some billboards sponsored.”
Sharlto Copley explained his views.
“The simple truth is this: what the
industry comes down to is do you have
the knack to move people, and will they
be moved by what you do? I started out
with my ex-partner with the Space
Shuttle landing in Cape Town on
Internet distribution. The truth is that
the Internet is a horrible leveller and
there is a sea of stuff out there.
However, the clip has received 14
million downloads.
“You have to make exceptional
content to get it seen on the Internet.
The interesting thing with our clip
being distributed was that we could
show people what we were capable of
doing. The people who we wanted to
impress, namely the South African
broadcasters, took no notice but we
started getting noticed overseas in
Hollywood. I think this is an
undeniable truth – South African
broadcasters do not support talent and
there is generally a lack of support for
embracing and encouraging talent
here.”
Struggle
Copley explained that after Shuttle they
did Hellweek and this enabled them to
get interest from Videovision for their
feature film, Spoon. “However a lot of
this struggle rubbed off on my
professional relationship with my
business partner and we are no longer
together. With Spoon we have also
developed viral and Internet interest.
As a local independent filmmaker you
have to do it all yourself. The lesson is
this: it is hard work but all possible.”
Sello Twala, an entrepreneur,
elaborated on his experience: “One
needs to take a gamble. With our film,
Moruti Wa Tutsi, we shot it for
R300 000 and distributed via DVD in
the townships. To date we’ve made
close to R10m. Black people do not go
to the movies; they watch DVDs at
home. Our other release – My Shit
Father and my Lotto Ticket – is also
doing very well.”
Twala said that this kind of
distribution also eliminates piracy.
“The only way to eliminate piracy is to
compete with the pirates. I will be
selling my DVDs in spaza shops and
filling stations around the country. My
aim is to have music and film
everywhere and accessible to everyone.
The DVD market is growing and it is
only going to get bigger and bigger.”
SCREENAFRICA – January 2009