Award-winning South African director, writer and editor Donovan Marsh has worked in
the local film industry since 1992. He wrote and directed the feature films Dollars and
White Pipes, Spud and the recently released Spud 2: The Madness Continues. Marsh’s
new film, iNumber Number, was selected for the 2013 Toronto International Film
Festival. In terms of television he has directed dramas (Hard Copy, Tsha Tsha and The
Good Fight), live multicam productions (Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Gladiators) and
was the creator of the reality show, Class Act, as well as the mobile series, Seduction
101. Marsh also directs commercials.
YOU SEEM TO HAVE DONE IT ALL – WHAT HAVEN’T YOU DONE IN THE
INDUSTRY THAT YOU STILL WANT TO DO?
I still want to conceptualise, write and direct my own television drama series. Some of
the best work in the world is being done in television and to create characters that one
can develop over 13 hours and not two, as in a feature, is something I really want to
attempt.
HAVING WRITTEN ALL OF YOUR FEATURES, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT
DIRECTING SOMEONE ELSE’S FEATURE SCRIPT? WOULD YOU GET THE
UNCONTROLLABLE URGE TO RE-WRITE IT?
Yes, I would get that uncontrollable urge. Hopefully with the feature film adaptation of
Deon Meyer’s novel 13 Hours, which I am attached to direct and is written by Malcolm
Kohl, I will finally direct someone else’s script. That is not to say I won’t grill Malcolm on
his choices. My belief is that only the scriptwriter truly gets every nuance of what they
have written and I believe it is the responsibility of the director to understand those
nuances and fully appreciate what and why it was written before they try and “make it
their own’.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I am inspired by filmmakers (like David O Russell, Quentin Tarantino and Martin
Scorsese) who are always fully aware and respectful of their audience and do everything
in their power, in every second and in every frame, to entertain, surprise, move and
finally comment on the nature of humanity. Good solid thinking also inspires me. The
world is in sore need of powerful thinkers.
WHEN DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WANTED TO BE A FILMMAKER?
In high school I wanted to be a psychiatrist, I even applied to medical school. When I
turned 17 I saw my first “making of’ and suddenly had this revelation: “That’s what I
want to do – I want to make films’. And I never looked back. My parents were very
supportive. I think my father always wanted to be in the arts and enjoyed my career
vicariously.
WHEN YOU WALKED ONTO THE SET OF SPUD 2: THE MADNESS CONTINUES,
HOW DID YOU COPE WITH THE FEELING OF DÉJÀ VU?
There was no such thing, only the familiarity of the cast and crew. Even the setting for
Spud 2 was totally different (Michaelhouse School did not allow us to shoot there for the
second film, because the content was too risque). And in every other respect the film
was a totally different animal, with its own all-consuming challenges and difficulties.
HOW DID YOU CONCEIVE iNUMBER NUMBER?
It was designed as a vehicle for Sdumo Mtshali, the winner of Class Act I. It took two
years from the end of the show to write and raise the finance for iNumber Number. The
film is inspired by Reservoir Dogs and takes place principally in a warehouse, where a
gang plans a heist.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE FILM’S WORLD
PREMIÈRE TAKING PLACE AT THE TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL?
Obviously it’s fantastic, especially considering I had no ambitions for the film to play at
festivals, or even outside of South Africa. I always saw it as a commercial venture for
the local market, but the film turned out so well that festivals are showing interest.
WHAT IS THE STRANGEST THING TO HAVE EVER HAPPENED TO YOU ON
SET?
I nearly fell through a hole to my likely death when shooting iNumber Number. The
location – the Orlando Power Station – as amazing as it is, is a bit of a death trap, with
random holes that drop you five or six metres. I was amazed no one got injured during
the shoot.
AS A DIRECTOR ARE YOU FLEXIBLE OR A CONTROL FREAK?
As I have become more experienced and confident I have become more flexible. However
a large degree of control is required in situations where time and money is limited, as
was the case with iNumber Number, which has a lot of big action sequences. These were
planned to precision and I was certainly very controlling in my execution of them. But
the things you don’t want to control are the nuances of performance and humanity – I
always make space for that magic to occur.
YOU EDITED iNUMBER NUMBER AND DOLLARS AND WHITE PIPES – GIVEN
THE CHOICE WOULD YOU ALWAYS WANT TO EDIT YOUR FILMS?
I love editing, I love watching scenes come together. But strictly speaking editing is a
two person job: one person to do the cutting, the other person to think and consider
and reflect. I need to alternatively wear those hats when I do it myself. It’s a bit lonely.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE FAVOURITE FILMS OF ALL TIME?
Influential were Barton Fink – a masterpiece of mood, atmosphere and character;
Inglourious Basterds as a master class in high concept, suspense and dialogue; and
Requiem for a Dream as a piece of devastating, original and brilliant filmmaking.
