A South Coast hide away, working with a writer to hash out the pages of the book, chapter by chapter.

I took myself off to a hide away on the South Coast of Kwazulu Natal, it was here I worked with a writer, including all the write ups and interviews that I have been doing over numerous months, in order to hash out the pages of the book, chapter by chapter. Here is a little on the experience.
It is exciting to be finally getting the structure of the book in a more final breakdown. The writer, has been fundamental to this process and instrumental in getting all the ideas, information and the vision of the book from my head into written form. That teamed with all the write ups and the interviews I have been doing over the last couple of years, we are hashing out the pages of the book, chapter by chapter. It is sometimes an overwhelming and intense process for both of us, as he is not in the industry and many of the everyday movie making methods we as industry people take so much for granted, to him is a foreign language, never mind the terms and language we use. It is for this very reason I wanted someone not in the industry to be involved in the writing process, as although the book is a tribute to the film industry, I want the man on the street to get some insight into what all happens behind the scenes, in order for them to be able to watch a movie or series. Don’t think it can all be written in detail in one book, however we are going to attempt to give them a glimpse.
The photo editing is also a real challenge, as I have over the years done a fair amount of sorting into the different departments, but somewhere along the line lost momentum in my own personal journey and had three years of pics that needed to go through the selection process, and what a process that is. Of course I am attached to every image, mostly for who is in it! Closer to the time I will work with outside assistance…editors, to help me pry my emotional attachment from clutching at every image, believing that “this one” has to be in. The process will aim at editing them down to the best images showing off this industry in its full glory!
It is still challenging at this point and there are some departments that need more information. As it has not been my full time job, but grabbing interviews on sets in the breaks and even then time runs out and suddenly the movie is over and there are so many I just didn’t get round to interviewing. The interviews, more an informal chat, to get crew’s tongues to loosen up and speak about how they see their role in the film making process. Although their words won’t be word for word in the book, they are a way to get a deeper understanding, as well as being able to pull quotes, to ensure an authentic and accurate chapter of each department.

The journey continues…

Calling all Crew Members

The roller-coaster of life can whizz you off at dizzying speed, you blink and time has swept past you. Not that I have been unproductive, I am still chipping away trying to get the content in. This still seems to be the biggest challenge, getting the crew to write about what it is they do. I guess, not everyone is a writer, I certainly am not but I enjoy the process when I finally find the time. Currently most of my time is being gobbled up by Black Sails, the tv series being shot predominantly at the Cape Town Film Studios. I needed to get the bank account healthy, so as to throw myself gracefully into book production once again. Last year’s book work gave me quite a beating, lesson learnt, beating not to be repeated…got it!

The good thing about working on such a massive set, with so many crew contracted to it…I have access to them! Here they cannot hide, some see me and put their heads down hoping I won’t approach and ask where their write up is. I don’t want to be some sort of stalker, but I need their contribution in order to make the chapters creditable. Based on the information coming directly from those who have been working in the business for years with incredible experience and knowledge makes for a solid chapter. Directly from the horse’s mouth , so to speak. I am going to try a new approach and will carry around my Dictaphone, so for those who feel challenged by writing it down, maybe a little interview…one on one, might be the answer. Will let you know how that goes!

Every day on the set, I am reminded what a beautiful tight family we are. How connected, supportive and loving to one another. Sure I’m not saying we don’t have our head butt sessions. Like any family there are disagreements but at the end of the day, unlike a family, we have to put our differences aside and get on with the job at hand, to the best of our ability! South African crew unlike in other countries, so I’ve been told, are also happy to help each other…kind of inter-departmental crossing over. We don’t belong to unions, so I guess we don’t have those defined lines drawn out and as a family we get, if one member is struggling, it is in the bigger picture’s best interest to get in and assist, helping us all to move along. Some days it’s more the people I work with that make my day, than the actual project itself, if the project, movie, commercial, or series is something special, well that’s just a bonus!

Putting this book together, is one of the most challenging things I have taken on, and I so want to create something “my family”, the crew will be proud of, now if I can just get them to write something already! It’s not all bad, the write ups I have received, have sometimes surprised and even blown me away with the insight and writing style. I think it’s a fantastic exercise to be able to put on paper how you see your position on a movie set. It allows you to give value to your input, give focus to your skill, and recognise your contribution adds to the quality of the end result…it is inspiring to know there is no other industry like “ours”! That this machine “the film industry” is unlike any other with the military procession in which it operates. Some days, I look around at the unique, talented, hardworking individuals I am rubbing shoulders with and have been off and on, for the last 20 odd years and I feel blessed. I guess that’s the reason the book is so important, it is an opportunity to give back to the remarkable individuals that I have had the pleasure of getting to know.

I am excited to get back into the book, full time in the next two weeks, and hopefully take it to the next level and get it that much closer to an end product.

The journey continues….

The Film Book Rollercoaster of Production

Here we go into another year, and a journey on the roller coaster of book production. Last year, it frequently found me on my knees, I guess that’s what a project like this is all about, the highs and lows and pushing through regardless. At times I wondered what on earth propelled me into such a venture, one of the most challenging I have had the fortune to take on. Fortune because I know without a doubt when on completion of this book; I will produce something not done before; something that will give insight into the exciting world of film making, albeit having to meet incredible challenges in order to get the job done. However that is the idea, to give people an understanding of how this machine called film making, operates, and how each department, each individual is intrinsic to the outcome of the product be it Feature film, TV series or Commercial. The production can only work when everyone is giving their all at every working moment.

I am often struck by how dazzled people are when they hear one is in the “film industry”. To most it sounds so glamorous, for others we appear like a bunch of misfits (especially judged on our attire), however besides the military we are one of the most organized, regimented, together organizations you will meet. Who else can go into the most remote area, be it beach, desert, forest, mountain, and operate as if it was just another day at the office. It comes from every department being completely responsible for what they do, hence we will have toilets, catering, power, shelter from the elements (we’re talking rain and sun here, the wind sometimes make it unbearable, especially in Cape Town) the list goes on. Regardless of the elements “the show must go on”, scenes must be shot, schedules must be met, and it is every individuals job to work as a team with their department to make this a reality.

People say film making is magic, personally I think the magic happens when a wide variety of individuals are hired on a job, they are brought together by a story that needs to be told. Some have never worked together before, and in prep, which happens before the camera can turn over (roll) will find the different departments acting like busy worker bees, doing what they need to do to prepare for the pending shoot. The Camera department are doing camera tests based on the “look” that has been discussed with the Director and the Director of Photography; Art Department are building sets, dressing them according to the scenes of the script and the brief from the Director; Wardrobe are buying, making clothes and fitting the artists accordingly and so on and so forth. Although the entire crew is never together in pre-production, the Heads of Departments are gathered together, for a full script read through, which is a rapid process as there is much still to be done and no time to waste, so this is the time for questions and answers, problems and solutions, in order to meet the starting date of the shoot. Then on Shoot Day 1, the camera is ready, the artist in the right wardrobe and make-up with possibly a bruise or two, from a fight we haven’t yet shot, on a set that is dressed, holding the correct props whatever they may be…and the 1st Assistant Director calls “Roll Camera…aaan…Action!” Now THAT is magic. What a remarkable bunch of people, and it is this very discipline and intensity with which we work that makes us such a close bunch…a family!

My intention for this book, is give the crew fresh understanding of each other and how amazing they actually are, and give people outside the industry, insight into a world that excites and entices. As well as giving anyone with an interest in joining the industry, some knowledge of how it all works, and to further promote the South African film industry.

Besides my own personal experience, and understanding, I have pulled from the expertise of the crew from their writing contributions and countless interviews explaining what they do, and that gives me the accurate and real content for this book. Hence it is no small undertaking, but as they say in the classics…”how do you eat an elephant?…bite by bite” The adventure continues, as do the challenges but unlike last year I will take them in my stride and do what is humanly possible with the love and passion, I began with.