“If you are a filmmaker you will find a way to make a piece of content, movie or music video and work with whatever you’ve got and just do it.” – Josh Hawks
The great legacy of the ANC that was hugely responsible for the liberation of this country is now being overshadowed by corruption and instability – these are the makings of a banana republic and the notion behind Freshlyground’s new song and music video titled, Banana Republic.
The controversial video has enjoyed over 150 000 views across various platforms since its release on Freedom Day on 27 April 2017. “We thought that Freedom Day is rich with symbolism and appropriate to help make a statement and provoke the question: Look from where we’ve come and look where we are now,” proclaims Freshlyground’s band member and director, Josh Hawks.
It’s hard to imagine that the video took just three hours to shoot, with Hawks as the director by default, when he suggested a music video after the song was enthusiastically received by audiences at a Joburg Day event. “We are also in the process of releasing an album and want to start generating some curiosity,” Hawks added.
The band had unanimously decided on the Sunday evening to make the video the very next day at their usual rehearsal space, which happens to be the garage of one of the band memebers. Hawks confirms that he had no brief but a simple concept in his mind triggered by the topical subjects projected from the song’s lyrics:
Emergency, Insecurity, No opportunity
It’s just another day in the Banana Republic
These are lyrics sung by lead vocalist, Zolani Mohale. “The idea, because we were shooting in a small room and not a great space, was to keep it simple. We shot in black and white and used a strobe light for drama and a sense of emergency. A combination of the strobe and the two kinos was all we used; we also did a few performances with some of the students who came to help also being pulled in to some of the scenes.”
Hawks emphasises that the video was shot on a shoestring budget with friends and a few students helping out. “I literally called Jean Marc Rolando the night before, an experienced camera operator and friend, and asked if he had the time to pop over and shoot a quick video. He arrived with another camera operator, Ricardo Koopman who brought the equipment and a few students from CPUT (Cape Peninsula University of Technology),” says Hawks.
As part of the scene set up the team printed pictures of luminaries from books that Hawks had and pasted them on the wall. They also sourced images of the Guptas, the VOC and The Dutch East India Company. “These images swim on the walls with the luminaries, an acknowledgement that corruption began in 1652 but that now the struggle has been sold with the party being captured by greed and money,” Hawks explains. There are also flashes of historical images in the video which Hawks says were meant to be an acknowledgement that all South Africans are shareholders in the burden of our history, more especially the white people who benefited from the apartheid system.
Ubuntu Films was kind enough to give them permission to use footage from their documentary film, The Giant is Falling – directed by Rehad Desai. “The film is current and has seminal footage of flashpoints of the political discourse we have been experiencing including Khwezi and the rape allegations ten years ago; Marikana; Fees Must Fall as well as images of inequality which of course is systematic and structural because of our history and a legacy of white domination. We wanted footage that would add authenticity to the question we were posing.”
According to Hawks the term Banana Republic or more specifically ‘banana republic politics’ is essentially about elites with access using public money as a source of private monopoly capital. “It is not only in South Africa where this kleptocracy and corruption happens thus Trump, Putin and Erdogan and the US dollar make it into the video too. There are flashes too of dictators with the question being; are we sleepwalking to less freedoms and a dictatorship?“
The cameras and equipment used for the shoot included the Sony PMW 300, Red Heads and 4’ Kino Flo’s. After the shoot, the band footage was converted to Apple ProRes 422 LT for cutting. “The video was cut using a combination of band footage and sourced political footage. Colour grading was kept predominantly black and white, but a subtle red tint was applied to the political footage for contrast,” says Hawks.
While keeping to the rhythm of the song, Hawks says that the cuts were made to alternate between quarter note, eighth note, sixteenth note and triplet patterns. “The cuts were generally made quite fast for dramatic effect; however cuts slow down on the verses in order to leave space for climatic build-up towards choruses and the ending.”
The film was edited by Vega student, Guillame De Villiers through his small company Madam Speaker, with the final edit being exported as HD720ph.264 for easy online upload.
The video can be viewed on the Freshlyground website and on Youtube.
“The point I think for young creatives is that if you have an idea don’t wait for money or better gear, if you are a filmmaker you will find a way to make a piece of content, movie or music video and work with whatever you’ve got and just do it. Work within your limitations and let your creativity push you,” advises Hawks.
KEY CREW:
Director: Josh Hawks
DOP: Jean Marc Rolando
2nd Camera: Ricardo Koopman from CPUT Film School
Editor: Guillame De Villiers from Madamspeaker.tv
