Hey all..winning the oscar for Tsotsi and getting a nomination last year for Yesterday was great, but I just read in the Pretoria News that local film makers find it difficult to get funds for their films and also to get to distribute it is a bit of a hassle..what do you think can be done to help to get the stories out there - the good films that make a difference in peoples lives? And no negativity please..
2006-09-29 04:31:37 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Africa & Middle East ➔ South Africa
I don't know much about the film industry, but do watch a lot of movies. Renting movies is a daily thing for me. But INVESTING in movies is widely considered a "fool's game", because of how difficult it is to predict the public's fickle taste. Finding a good investment is always tricky. Finding a great investment is next to impossible.
We were all in awe when we saw Tsotsi get an oscar and it really made many South Africans aware of the talented South African actors and filmmakers. But it's true that funds are very scarce. I believe that the problem lies in the fact that South Africans have stopped going to the movies.
When I was a youngster, we would que for miles to see a movie in my hometown. Now the bioscope is long gone and a church is renting the old movie theater. I remember seeing ET with my aunt and we had to sit on beer cases in the isles, because all the seats were taken. And shows would run in the morning, afternoon and night (the late show). All gone now!
I suggest more filmmaker workshops so that directors and actors can come together and find a solution for the problems they face. Industry seminars are a great way for university students to get a look at what the movie industry offers. And if we can get more young minds involved in these seminars, we will see the government creating oppurtunities.
Another suggestion is why not get the music industry and sports personalities involved in the movie business. It has done a world of good for Hollywood. Just look at all the musicians (eg. Jennifer Lopez) and sports people (eg. The Rock) getting in on the act in Hollywood. They aren't great, but they can get the numbers. And when the numbers are good, the funds will come automatically. Imagine the possibilities if Mandoza was to star in an action movie!
Another reason for the lack of funds may be because of the type of genre. I know that South Africans love comedies and that the Schuster-movies made tons, but what other genres are people watching in South Africa? My friends and family all love action movies. These are the kinds of movies South Africans should be selling. And investors will buy, I tell you. And I'm not talking about adventure movies. We've had tons of that as well.
The problem with South Africa is that we don't have a lot of "insiders", meaning people that know how the game works. A recent question on the film industry in SA on Yahoo Answers made me make a frantic call to my niece in SA. I wanted her to find out. She works for UNISA and asked some professionals there. As much as I wanted to answer the question, I couldn't. None of the professors at UNISA had an answer!
As always, I will put some info here on the Korean situation. Seeing that I live here and can see some differences. The Koreans have been very successful in the movie industry, because they promote their movies worldwide. No matter what the cost, these guys will have screenings in all the Asian countries and some western countries. I think they even made a good impression at the Durban Film Festival. Getting some of the movies out there internationally is a good way to get investors. Not only one, like in the case of Tsotsi, but as many as you can.
Lastly...South African movies are good, but not great. "Plekkie in die Son" was great and so was "Tsotsi". But we need better ideas and maybe then the money will roll in.
2006-09-29 06:45:30 · answer #1 · answered by Porgie 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
One thing is that government should realize that film making has a huge potential for drawing foreign investment, addressing unemployment and acts as good PR for the country in terms of tourism etc. This I think is something that the Australian Government has noticed of their own country and for that reason the huge investment. SA should set up a trust/film board where funding comes from government. This funding should not only be used for producing films but also to hone the skills of writters. Sorry to say but at present the stuff coming out of SA is a bit badly written (maybe i'm too much of a critic). Must add though that there is many excellent stuff coming out too. The stuff is sometimes also a bit depressing... there are so many good things in SA, but why focusing on the dark depressing underbelly of life in SA. Give me something upbeat like the sound of music in the drakensberg... Sound of Shaka - a musical in 5 acts.
Negativity not intended!
2006-09-29 08:15:33 · answer #2 · answered by djymz 1 · 2⤊ 2⤋