TV & VIDEO PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT NEWS

Long and winding road for new series

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:20

New 13-part SABC1 drama series, The Fallen, has a very complex history – commissioned by one channel, abandoned and then picked up by another channel. The Fallen was produced by husband and wife team Margaret and Peter Goldsmid, who have won accolades for their drama series Justice for All, the sitcom Gabriel and the mini-series Riemvasmaak.

Margaret Goldsmid explains that The Fallen came about when SABC3 issued a commissioning brief five years ago.

“The brief stipulated that the series must deal with powerful family conflicts. Although the original successful pitch was written by Paul Venter, what SABC1 viewers will see is very different. It was Paul’s idea to set the story in the sugar cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The story changed quite considerably during the development process for SABC3 and the final incarnation for SABC1 is even more removed from the original idea.”

It has been a long and challenging process to get the series onto the small screen. Goldsmid continues: “Following the initial development with SABC3 and the first set of scripts and approved budget in 2008, the series was abandoned in the turbulence of the SABC’s financial crisis.

A short-lived flirtation with M-Net followed a year and a half later, but our approach to buy back the copyright for the scripts brought the project to the attention of SABC1. Management liked the natural way in which the story reflected the complex demographics of South Africa as well as its dramatic potential. This ultimately led to a commitment to produce following a rewrite and adaptation to meet the needs of SABC1 audiences.”
Story review

To meet the new requirements the Goldsmids made their characters younger and developed news character arcs for them. They were forced to take a step back from the story, review it critically and develop new step outlines. This strengthened the story dramatically. Peter Goldsmid wrote the scripts and Margaret was script editor.

She elaborates: “The story is triggered by the hero finding out about a 20-year-old crime. From there the police story elements come into play but the series is predominantly a melodrama. It is about one man’s fight against a powerful sugar company and about the price good men have to pay to see justice done. The Fallen is multi-layered and examines the way a crime can poison the lives for generations of not only those who commit it, but also their families,”

The biggest challenge was to produce a complex story set mainly in KZN on a tight budget. “We had to produce a high quality product on R3 000 per minute, which is less than was allocated in 2008. Also we had to air the first programme just five weeks after we started shooting. This forced us to make two trips to Durban to shoot key exteriors, instead of one, as we envisaged.

“Under such circumstances there is simply no room for error and post-production is significantly more pressured. We are lucky that Richard Green is line producing for us. His vast experience and knowledge are invaluable. We shoot up to 14 minutes a day which often included a location move.”

The Fallen is directed by Peter Goldsmid and Zuko Nodada and shot on a Panasonic AF101 high definition camera. Peter Goldsmid comments: “This gives the series a filmic look as it is a 4/3 chip camera that allows the use of lenses with relatively shallow depth of field.”

Margaret Goldsmid concludes: “Seeing our baby come to life after five years of uncertain gestation is very satisfying. Even more gratifying is to see scenes in which our lead actors deepen and enrich the writing and give it complex and subtle life.”

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