Film production in Sou Africa is a growing busine

The South African film industry is definitely growing. Our charming landscapes, gritty stories and vibrant culture are starting to appeal to an international market on a cinematic level, but we are still behind the curb of technology. What benefits can South Africa use in order to break into the International film industry? by Tiffany McClure

There are three major tools that can be used in order to help South Africa develop into a global player.

Budgeting vs Quality

As a third country, government funding for film is still very low. Compared to France, China, Japan, America and UK our pockets aren't deep. Our government only started funding, bursaries and tax incentives for film in 2000. The difficulty to retrieve funding means we are unable to go outside of certain genres.

However, Kevin Kriedemann states: South Africans showed they are learning how to make films for around R1-million (US$140,000), which is starting to seem recoupable while still able to create acceptable production budgets.

Having a low budget means South Africa are able to produce better screenplays and explore different methods. Kriedemann states that the ultimate goal of the film industry is to create films for less money than received from the audience.

If South Africa can produce quality films at an appealing budget then we can attract more audiences. According to Kriedemann, with the release of Spud, Spud 2, District 9, Tsotsi and Material, plus an increase of South African feature films, this is already happening.

Attracting foreign business with low costs

George Szalai wrote in the Hollywood Reporter: Diverse locations, low costs and cash rebates have transformed the once-troubled region into a major force on the global film scene.

February 2012 was a turning point when audience's realised film Chronicle, and Safe House were both made in South Africa. Following this Charlize Theron is due to spend time in Cape town shooting the fourth Mad Max film and just last week we had the Avengers cast gathering in Johannesburg to shoot a few scenes.

The Department of Trade and Industry have since amended its film incentive programme to help local post-production companies attract foreign work.

The objective of the incentive is to create an environment that takes advantage of the country's diverse and unique locations, as well as low production costs and favourable exchange rates, which make it significantly more cost-efficient to produce a movie in South Africa stated Trade and Industry minister Rob Davies.

As part of the BRIC's, we have been able to secure a total of eight co-production treaties designed to enable collaborations between producers from both countries. Atrracting a global audience is a growing feat and getting our film artist to these global markets is becoming easier.

At the Cannes Film Festival, South Africa had its strongest representation yet. A total of 130 local filmmakers registered for the event, and the National Film and Video Foundation showcased 20 local projects, including 12 feature films and eight documentaries.

Location, location, location

Location is important for big budgets films to look authentic. South Africa has proven itself by having a variety of locations which are able to pass for major cities or rural areas.

Film Afrika CEO David Wicht states: South Africa has huge varieties of locations, looks and feels. Anything from desert to jungle, urban to rural.

For 2005s Lord of War, South Africa doubled for more than 14 locations, including Bolivia, Beirut, Sierra Leone, Indonesia, Berlin and New York.

http://www.mediaupdate.co.za

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