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felt like a widow in the process.Thomas<br />
often crawled home in the early hours<br />
of the morning—and he still had a full<br />
day’s work waiting for him.<br />
But what are the films about? Relationships<br />
between a man and woman are a common<br />
theme that is explored, but often the<br />
darker aspects, such as obsession come to<br />
the fore. Onrusbarend, one of their most<br />
recent screenings, is typical in that it boasts<br />
most of the BlackMilk hallmarks.<br />
Thomas shares a bit more about their<br />
creative process: “Ronnie and myself<br />
spent many hours working on the script,<br />
going back and forth with various ideas.<br />
Each time the story seemed too obvious,<br />
too predictable. We wanted to create a<br />
story that resonated with us, that would<br />
ignite the spark we both feel drives us<br />
towards the end of the various projects<br />
we create.<br />
“When writing, we often take the other two<br />
members of BlackMilk into consideration<br />
and this was no different. We wonder<br />
whether they will enjoy creating our vision.<br />
Will it be challenging enough for them<br />
but at the same time doable? Leon is<br />
very good at knowing if something is<br />
possible, and is very pragmatic. We often<br />
discuss key technical issues with him<br />
before finalising the script.<br />
“After creating at least ten possible options<br />
and stumbling through the quagmire of<br />
many dead ends, we came face to face<br />
with a creature summoned up from the<br />
darkest depths of our collective psyche,<br />
which Esté soon named ‘Onrusbarend’.<br />
“Built from myths, dreams and distant<br />
memories, Onrusbarend has many references,<br />
most personal, many biblical and<br />
some very South African. Many were created<br />
intentionally; others on some deeper level<br />
which we only discovered while filming.”<br />
BlackMilk Productions is more than just a<br />
film production company. It’s a creative<br />
partnership and a cultural revolution all<br />
rolled together with a perspective on<br />
contemporary arts that is not subservient<br />
to current social expectations.<br />
“we came face to face with<br />
a creature summoned up<br />
from the darkest depths of<br />
our collective psyche”<br />
Ronnie concludes, “BlackMilk was conceived<br />
by the necessity to ‘label’ our<br />
creative energies. Despite the fact that<br />
this energy is still in its infancy, it has<br />
changed the way we are perceived and<br />
has given a platform for like-minded<br />
peers to collaborate with us. BlackMilk<br />
is an organic entity which drifts along a<br />
clear path that is fueled with creative<br />
passion. Drink BlackMilk.”<br />
FROM NEXT MONTH ONWARDS<br />
Ronnie and Thomas will review the most<br />
offbeat, twisted and underground films<br />
imaginable, for Kultür Magazine.<br />
Anna, BlackMilk's latest short film, will premiere at this<br />
year's South African HorrorFest, 3 November, 8:30pm at<br />
the Labia Theatre on Orange.<br />
Bio: By day, Nerine Dorman slaves for a newspaper publisher as sub-editor and writer; by<br />
night she writes and edits fiction. She is a full-time snark and occasionally plays groupie<br />
hanging out with the BlackMilk Productions crew. Follow her on Twitter @nerinedorman<br />
57<br />
KULTÜR<br />
NOVEMBER 2011
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