COMMENT
How would you react to the headline “Pristine forests felled for television series”. Like well known filmmaker Jim Stockley you would probably be shocked. But like him you would probably be even more incensed when you read the article below and found that the headline was used chiefly for sensational, eye-catching purposes. Here we run the article and Stockley’s response
By Craig Bishop, The Witness
Unsrcupulous international film producers are wrecking KwaZulu-Nata!’s pristine beauty spots in search of that perfect money shot.
That was the warning, a week before the International Wildlife Film Festival starts in Durban, from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the Department of Economic
Development and Finance (DEDF) and the Durban Film Office.
KZN has become a world-class film destination with a staggering 1 300% increase over four years in movies, documentaries and commercials in the province. However, without any regulatory policy and without a provincial Film Commission, anyone with a video camera, from Russian reality TV to Hollywood B-grade Tarzan movies can come, shoot and leave, seemingly without penalty. In the worst example to date, the Russian Survivor series chopped down sections of pristine swamp forest, leaving behind mounds of litter in the Amatikulu Nature Reserve on the north coast without penalty.
Ezemvelo even received a request once to build a Lost City for a Tarzan movie in the Injasuthi section of the uKhahlamba World Heritage Site. This week, Ezemvelo banned one German wildlife documentary producer from attending their annual game auction for failing to pay a mandatory filming R10 000 fee.
DEDF Economic Information Management Unit head Nisaar Mahomed confirmed that KZN will soon boast its own Film Commission. This will create a legally binding contract between provincial authorities and film producers, and will have enough muscle to police environmental impacts and, where necessary, the rehabilitation of affected habitats. A section 21 company is some two months away from finalisation. This will act as precursor to the commission by the end of June, Mahomed said.
Commercials rose from two per season in 2002 to two per week currently. Twelve features movies were shot in KZN last year alone, representing a 41% increase. Ezemvelo spokesman Jeff Gaisford said he receives weekly calls from hopeful production scouts
“Ezemvelo give the ultimate thumbs up or down. If we are unhappy about the impact of a production, we will prevent it. We have been talking to New Zealand to see how they managed filming Lord of the Rings in one of their protected parks. It is a vertical learning curve for us at the moment,” he said. A provincial Film Commission will also be in a good position to harness massive economic spin-offs from the film industry, Mahomed said.
Every rand spent on films contributes R1,67 to the GDP. Every R1 million spent on a production in KZN creates 50 direct jobs, 120 indirect jobs and supports around 800 dependants. A small budget of between R10 million and R50 million creates about 100 jobs, while a medium budget of R51 million to R100 million creates about 150 jobs. Growth of the film industry will result in massive spin-offs for the transport, telecommunications, warehousing, hospitality and social services sectors, Mahomed said.
The average TV commercial company employs 10 people full time, and between 20 and 50 crew. Photographic shoots employ around four full-time staff and four part-time staff. Feature films employ up to 300 people for up to five months. Over 40% of every film or TV commercial budget is spent on local labour. Durban Film Office’s Toni Monty said that the DFO’s responsibility is limited to eThekwini Metro. The commission will have to balance environmental concerns with economic paybacks, she said.
Published: 15 April 2006
JIM STOCKLEY’s RESPONSE
In an internet-driven world, what a thoughtless, negative headline “Film Crews Wreck KZN” (Witness 15 April)to send out into cyberspace! An article that could so easily have been headlined “KZN Feature Films up 41%” or “Film Industry creates 100s of jobs”. Craig Bishop chooses to emphasise the negative.
Whilst there is a need for a Film Commission, I have worked in the industry for 20yrs and have always found film crews to be ecologically careful and aware, more so nowadays. Location agreements are signed by landowners, if there was a problem with Endemol’s ‘Survivor’ then it’s as much the fault of the location owner/supervisor as the film company.
So what if the ‘Tarzan & Jane’ film had the temerity to ask if they could build in a sensitive area ? They only asked – they didn’t build. Where’s the crime in that? The article makes it sound like they did something wrong.
That 1997 “Hollywood B-grade Tarzan movie” employed busloads of local people and brought huge sums of money to KZN businesses.
If you look at the millions upon millions of Rands spent and jobs created in KZN by films like “Man to Man”, “Duma”, “Elephant Tales”, “Racing Stripes”
and “Blood Diamond” – I think Bishop’s headline is totally irresponsible.
The Film Industry can come and ‘wreck’ me anytime !
Jim Stockley
