Massive logistics are required to capture all the action in MasterChef South Africa, produced for pay-TV broadcaster M-Net by Curious Pictures and Lucky Bean Media.
In a first for the hit international MasterChef format, the South African version is currently shooting in a pavilion in a picturesque wineland setting. All other MasterChef series are shot in studios.
The pavilion is situated in Paarl, Western Cape, and belongs to Nederbug, one of the show’s sponsors.
“I particularly wanted to set the series in the Western Cape as my research indicated that this is the best location for a South African cooking show. Our beautiful Paarl setting allows us to move between exterior and interior scenes more easily,’ says M-Net’s senior commissioning editor Anne Davis.
The MasterChef set is hugely complex, with multiple kitchens and interview areas. According to series director Donald Clarke of Lucky Bean Media, who is producing the show with Curious Pictures’ Mariki van der Walt, the Nederburg pavilion had to be re-modelled completely to make it shoot-ready.
Says Clarke: “We custom built a facade to suit the MasterChef look and feel and remodelled the entrance. Besides creating a control room, the space had to accommodate a huge preparation kitchen. The floor had to be levelled and re-laid with a custom floor from Rhoms Timberworld. Underneath is a grid of electrical points that allow us to change the configuration of the cooking stations at will.
“Temperatures in Paarl reach the 40 degree mark in summer so we had to fit massive air-conditioning units that will manage the heat from the cooking as well as the lighting. The MasterChef South Africa kitchen is a first of its kind in the world in that it is a real space in which we can shoot 360 degrees.’
Eight camera teams operate the multicam set-up in the MasterChef kitchen and shoot single cam when required. The crew uses the Sony PMW-500 HDCam EX series from Visual Impact.
“We have a Jimmy Jib and Steadicam, as well as a dolly and tracks. Aerials are filmed using the Cine-flex gyro stabilised helicopter mount from Heli-Media. The offsite challenges in the show require a different gear list which we tweak depending on the location,’ explains Clarke.
Footage on hard drivses (with a redundancy kept in the Cape) is couriered to the post-production team at Curious Pictures in Johannesburg. Four Final Cut Pro edit suites are assigned to the production. The high shoot ratio – up to 80 hours of footage a day – necessitates an X-San archiving system.
Food, food and more food
Clarke points out that the food logistics in the production are enormous. “Every contestant needs a fully fitted kitchen and one that we can shift around and take with us. The MasterChef pantry has to stock every possible ingredient for each contestant. Multiply that by 50 contestants and suddenly it’s a massive undertaking.
“MasterChef is probably the hottest international format right now internationally so trying to live up to the expectations and the incredible production value is quite a task. Luckily we have the best team in the business.’
Switching on the stove
The seeds of MasterChef South Africa germinated early last year when M-Net channel head Pierre Cloete decided to strip MasterChef Australia for the 2012 schedule.
“This was an unusual and brave decision as local broadcasters tend only to strip soaps and cooking shows are niche,’ notes Davis. “M-Net head of Group Content Services Jan du Pless then entered into negotiations with Shine to purchase the format rights for a South African version.’
The MasterChef format was originally created in the UK in the early 1990s but was redeveloped a few years ago by Australian company Shine in conjunction with Network Ten. Since then MasterChef has been produced in about 33 countries around the world.
In April last year Davis was assigned to develop the series. “My first move was to visit Shine. I then asked M-Net Magic Factory to help with research into South African food shows and chefs. In addition I observed production on MasterChef France II for a week to learn how they handle workflows, call sheets, shooting days, etc.’
Davis then devised a brief for MasterChef South Africa and put out a request for proposals to 15 companies, including some in the Western Cape. Companies had to be able to produce a big reality show and fit in with M-Net BEE requirements.
Fourteen out of 15 companies agreed to pitch. Each submission was evaluated by Davis and a team from Magic Factory led by Henriette de Villiers and Christal Sampson. A shortlist of five companies was presented to channel director Theo Erasmus.
Davis continues: “I decided that Theo, Henriette and I would go to the companies to hear the pitches rather than the other way round. This allowed the companies to set up visual references.’
A joint venture between the award-winning Curious Pictures (The Lab, Heartland) and reality specialist Lucky Bean Media won the pitch.
Big, big, big!
According to Davis the show’s budget exceeds that of South African drama. “It’s akin to shows like Survivor and is a fully HD production with a huge new media element. The MasterChef format is quite flexible so there will be surprise elements in the show, even for regular viewers of the Australia and UK series.
“We have a wonderful relationship with Shine and one of their consultants, Tara McWilliams, visits the set.’
MasterChef South Africa will air on M-Net in March.
By Joanna Sterkowicz
Screen Africa Magazine – February 2012
