Moonlighting has created the first South Africa Video Virtual Village which we have just used successfully on our recent shoot with London production company 1st Ave Machine. Their clients were unable to travel so we took the shoot to them, enabling them to have full, real-time participation as normal.

Using the dual facilities of a conferencing system and a high-resolution video stream, the clients participated in real-time with the team on set and watched the setups without compromise, dialling in from different time-zones from around the world.  While the conference system can stream in without delay, the quality is not always as high as is required so the high res stream follows 20 seconds later on a dedicated and secure streaming platform.  The images are controlled by the set VT operator as per normal.

Because it was first time out for everyone. Nisa from 1st Ave Machine established a very workable communication strategy with their remote clients; each setup was discussed, a walk-through of the set done and artists introduced to the client. The different camera takes were discussed as per normal and approvals given without delay.

“As this was our third job with this client it was our intention to maintain the same standards, despite the travel ban, and have an uninterrupted service,” explains 1st Ave Machine EP / MD Kerry Smart. “ Live-streaming became the obvious choice – the quality of both picture and sound of this service was impeccable.  It was just as if Video Village was a little further away…12,434km away to be exact.”

Moonlighting’s Philip Key adds “Of course, it’s preferable for the whole team to be here for the shoot but when that’s not possible for whatever reason, we have a proven and successful solution. It can also be of great benefit where a project’s budget is restricted and when reducing CO2 emissions is a brand imperative.”

For more information about our South Africa Video Virtual Village, contact Moonlighting’s Philip Key (philip@moonlightingfilms.co.za / +27 82 453 7576) or Shayne Brookstein (shayne@moonlightingfilms.co.za / +27 82 960 0529)

Film industry South Africa applicants for work-authorization visas will no longer have to apply in person but can send an agent or proxy to apply on their behalf. This is a huge step forward in the film industry visa situation and comes thanks to the team at FIVA (Film Industry Visa Assistance) and their successful negotiations with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to overcome the visa processing challenges faced by our industry.

The DHA have also agreed to a 5 working day turnaround for visa processing unless there is a valid reason why this is not possible. Both these conditions will have huge impact on time-restricted talent who are among those still required to get work authorization visas when coming to shoot in South Africa. As most readers will know, the requirement of Directors, DP’s and photographers from visa-exempt countries to apply for work authorization visas was dropped last year: a vital step forward & a heartening indication of the DHA’s recognition of the importance of our industry and of their willingness to work with us.

Other international crew members who still need work authorisation visas include talent, camera operator, stylist, make-up artist etc.

Any visitor from a non-visa-exempt country will of course still be required to get a visa regardless of their role in the production.

Here is a full summary of the new concessions for applicants of work authorisation visas in this latest directive:

• Film industry South Africa applicants no longer have to apply in person but may apply through a proxy or agent (various terms and conditions apply regarding letters of authority etc)
• Embassies will ensure that visas are turned around in 5 working days unless they have a valid reason why this cannot be achieved. NB the normal turnaround time applies where applications are made at VFS Centres (Eg UK VFS Centres where turnaround time is 7-10 working days).
• Applicants may apply in whichever country they are in even if on holiday; they are no longer required to apply in the country in which they are resident
• Those embassies which insisted on appointments must now accept walk-in’s (eg Dublin, the Hague)
• Work authorization visas will no longer be specific only to the South African service company who is “sponsoring” the application (ie a visa will not mention the sponsor company by name)
• If an applicant has been issued with a 90-day Work Authorisation visa in the past then on their second application they will be granted a 3 year multi-entry visa.

FIVA was established when the film industry came together 5 years ago to petition the DHA after they ended the visa exemption system that we had been operating under for many years. Since then the FIVA office has issued over 44,000 letters for clients from 138 countries and negotiated many changes and improvements, earning the trust of the DHA and proving themselves to be an invaluable asset to the film industry.

Next on the visa wish-list is for FIVA to be integrated into the e-visa system, something that would literally change the world of film industry visas as we know it.

We are incredibly grateful to the CEO of FIVA Rudi Riek and the incredible team behind him who work so tirelessly for our industry; they do this industry proud and are yet another example of what makes the film industry South Africa service industry such a force to be reckoned with . Read also : https://moonlightingfilms.co.za/what-is-the-secret-ingredient-that-makes-south-african-production-services-so-good/

– Beccy Kellond, Marketing / Partner Moonlighting

This week, we celebrated the 30^th anniversary of Mandela’s release from prison – an event of cataclysmic importance that launched South Africa onto a new democratic journey.

For the young, South African production services industry, this new journey meant that the world would now be open to filming in what South African filmmakers had long recognised as a production utopia. Indeed, Moonlighting’s Philip Key had begun marketing the industry overseas in 1989 after a French producer had approached him to facilitate a commercial shoot and he realised the potential South Africa had as a production destination.

South Africa – especially Cape Town – is unquestionably one of the most consistently popular film locations in the world; it has a unique basket of advantages that gives us solid production relevance and places us right up there as a tough place to beat. But that’s not the only reason. There’s something else, something less tangible, that comes from having to ride the ever-changing tides of South Africa’s own unique journey; an energy, a determination to move forward from our dark past and prove ourselves on the world stage. The combination makes us a force to be reckoned with.

Those advantages put us on the international production services map 30+ years ago and have grown to include a few comfort factors for the ever-cosmopolitan traveller:

• our Southern hemisphere climate that gives us summer when much of the world has winter and need to shoot their summer campaigns;
• our range of diverse locations within a 2-hour radius of the city that can replicate pretty much anywhere in the world;
• our world class crew, who are continually rated as among the best in the world, thanks to the flow of international short and long-form projects that shoots here and the immeasurable work experience and skills transfer it brings;
• a generally weaker currency that gives a lot of bang for your buck;
• our diverse talent pool, increased in season by the number of international models who base themselves here;
• flight access: we’re a simple, overnight flight from Europe with only 1-2 hours’ time difference + there is now a direct flight from New York
• our crew speak English as well as at least 2 African languages
• our world class sound stages at Cape Town Film Studios
• Cape Town is a leading tourist destination with world-class hotels and some of the best restaurants in the world (worthy of their own blog post – coming soon).

They give us a head-start in a fiercely competitive, ever-growing global landscape. We compete with many different countries at different times for different reasons, whether it’s because they are the new “in” place to shoot or because they have a weak currency. Competition is good. It keeps us on our toes and makes us fight to make sure we stay ahead of the pack and keep the business coming.

I’m not sure however that any country can consistently compete with our do-or-die attitude, our passion for this beautiful country of ours and for showing the world what we’re about. It works for our clients because it means we will always fight to ensure the best, most competitive, professional environment, whether it’s about us lobbying the suppliers to keep their rates down, lobbying government to relax visa rules or negotiating with talent agents. We all take a collective responsibility to drive our country forward. It’s deeply personal. We take nothing for granted – and it shows in our work ethic.

Afrikaans has a word for it: “gees” or spirit. You put that behind our natural advantages and you get magic.

– Beccy Kellond, Marketing / Partner Moonlighting

Sustainable film production is the new norm

The days of hundreds of plastic bottles on set are on the way out.   Sustainable film practices throughout production – whether in the office or on set – are becoming non-negotiable.

Those little plastic bottles are probably one of the main examples of why film sets used to be such waste-grounds. “I remember arriving on set one day when we had a lot of talent and crew. It was 9am and there were already 3 bins full of plastic bottles.” Moonlighting EP Shayne Brookstein recalls. “And it wasn’t just the plastic; we would waste so much water. You’d pick up a bottle, drink some then put it down and forget which is yours. So you get another.” Thank goodness those days are over.

Industry shift to sustainable film production

For many production companies, our clients have moved from insisting on specific recycling bins on set to requesting information on their chosen production company’s proven and visible sustainability film production strategy. Going green is no longer only about saving the planet; it’s a necessary business practice.

And as South Africa found when saving water during the 2017/18 drought – what started as a non-negotiable necessity has become the norm with ever-raised bars for best-practice.

On set, the easiest steps are regarding plastic and water, which takes us back to the subject of those water bottles.

• We now give re-usable water bottles to clients and any crew who have forgotten to bring them. They fill them up from water coolers or – if we’re on the same location for a while – a water trailer. On a recent 10-day production, shot mainly out at the studios, we brought in a water trailer from Bluewater (www.bluewater.africa) that dispenses chilled, still and sparkling water – a real game-changer.
• At the craft table, you’ll only find re-cycled paper cups and no more plastic lids.
• Only recycled, non-potable water is used for SFX.

In the office: main changes are regarding the way we use (or don’t use) power, paper and water.

• At Moonlighting for example, we’ve installed solar panels as our main source of power

Why make the sustainable leap?

The argument for solar panels is a no-brainer; for every kilowatt of grid electricity NOT used, there’s less CO² emitted into the atmosphere. A tree – our main defence against rising levels of CO² – can absorb around 40lbs of CO² per year.  So doing the maths on the usage at Moonlighting, where we currently use approx. 30% grid v 70% solar, the 20 tons of CO² emissions that we now “save” is the equivalent of planting 1000 trees per year.

• We can now store power in solar batteries meaning business as usual during loadshedding

Loadshedding (scheduled power outages) is a sad but real part of current South African life while Eskom recovers from the effects of 10 years corruption. Our ability to bid, create location sites, carry on with all things production is now unaffected and we no longer have to depend on noisy, gas-guzzling generators.

• We’re testing solar film on the windows which will keep the office cool in summer and warmer in winter, cutting the need for fans and heaters.
• Our use of paper has been drastically reduced. Our callsheets for example are now distributed digitally with only a few printed, saving around 36000 sheets of paper.
• We recycle everything.
• We’ve installed 4 x 5000litre JoJo tanks to catch rainwater. These now supply all our flushing toilets which in turn have flushing mechanisms that allow you to control how much water you use.

It took the 2017/18 drought to jump-start South Africans into conserving water; we’re now all die-hard experts. I’m not sure you’ll meet any South African anywhere who can now stand under a long shower; we get wet and then we turn it off. Let’s hope that mindset spreads across everything we do.

– Beccy Kellond / Marketing, Partner & Shayne Brookstein / EP, Partner

Remote Production, Africa:

Moonlighting recently assembled the first multi-camera, remote production studio in Africa through its sports content division Moonsport. This significantly lowered the costs of production for remote & multi-venue filming.

While rugby is a relatively small sport compared to soccer on the continent, there is a growing base of players and fans.  Therefore the Rugby Africa Cup (** see below) required a Production Service where 20 games were filmed in 12 different countries, but on minimal budgets.

The remote production process:

We kept the entire production team in our office in Cape Town. Only the camera function happening on the ground in the country where the game was played. Hence we used the Cloud to transfer the image from the ground to the studio. Philip Key explains, “The camera plugs into a modem that has 8 bonded SIM cards which allowed the full HD signal to reach Cape Town within one and a half seconds. Here we added the commentary, graphics, stats and audio mix. This was before streaming the signal via Facebook and YouTube to an internet audience wherever they may be.”.

Why use remote production?

To keep costs down by flying one producer with the modems to the country where the game took place. In some cases, we flew an additional person as the primary cameraman but mainly sourced local cameramen.  Additional cost savings were achieved by amortising the budget of the studio crew. Because we filmed matches in Ghana and Cote D’Ivore in one day by scheduling morning and afternoon games. Accomplishing both within a 10 hour studio day.

“The process was remarkably efficient and the quality of the production uncompromising” remarked Philip.“. We look forward to the next 16 games in the middle of 2020.”.

As for relevance to commercial productions. We can also use the system to provide a remote Video Take Off facility on our commercial productions if needed by our clients. It’s probably not any director’s choice to have head office calling the shots from afar but the system could provide a solution for clients. Especially those who are an integral part of the production process but cannot travel to the shoot.

Philip Key / CEO & Partner Moonlighting.

The Rugby Africa Cup: Starting from November 2019, 16 teams will compete in the new Rugby Africa Cup (RAC) with an aim to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in 2022.

For all information on the RAC, visit www.rubgyafrique.com.

We have had great success this season in negotiating competitive but fair talent actor rates based on the merits of each project. Because we have also seen a huge increase in the need to cast “real” people – from Mark Zibert’s Right to Play and Angie Bird’s “Plan” to Discovery TRVLR, John Hillcoat’s “Ancestry” and “Toyota” and Theresa Wingert’s “Sargento”. In most cases, we’ve brought in our own researchers to work alongside our production teams and casting directors, finding representatives from diverse communities and nationalities and looking for real stories.  We cast in Johannesburg and Cape Town and have established connections with local communities from Chinese and Syrian to the modern-day members of the San and the Ghanaian Ashanti Tribe with the goal of paying respectable actor rates.