LINDA KRIGE wrtites…First time feature director Charlie Vundla had two ideas for his debut film: a modern day film noir set in Johannesburg, or a hostage drama shot in only one location. How to Steal 2 Million is a composite of these two ideas, Vundla told Screen Africa after the film’s premiere at the recent Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
How to Steal 2 Million has been generating a buzz in the South African industry due to its all-star cast featuring Rapulana Seiphemo (White Wedding, Tsotsi), Terry Phetho (The Bold and The Beautiful, Tsotsi), John Kani (White Lion), Hlubi Mboya (Isidingo) and Menzi Ngubane (Country of My Skull).
Vundla explains that getting big names to star in the film was an integral part of their strategy for a successful run at the local box office to generate enough profits to fund the next film.
“There are so many ways to be entertained these days, including Internet, TV and DVD, so it’s difficult to convince people to make an evening out of it and fork out their hard-earned cash on things like petrol, movie tickets and popcorn. We wanted to use all the tools at our disposal to get people into the cinema, and actors were number one on that list.’
Strong script
The film, produced by Jeremy Nathan, Karen E Johnson Vundla, Michelle Wheatley and Mfundi Vundla, follows an ex-convict called Jack (Ngubane) who attempts to leave a life of crime behind. However, after failed attempts to get a loan he is tempted by his former partner Twala (Seiphemo) to do a risky job with a R2m take.
Vundla, who also wrote the screenplay, believes that the script is usually the biggest factor that attracts actors to a project. “I guess they saw something in this project, and it was definitely not my directing track record,’ he explains.
Unlike most first time directors, Vundla says finding funding for the film “wasn’t that big an obstacle’. The budget of less than a million US dollars was funded through the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) rebate, as well as private investors.
“It happened very quickly. I’m under no illusion that this is how it usually goes, but we were very fortunate. From the first draft of the film until it was completed was less than two years,’ says Vundla.
He started working on the film in 2008 and the shoot took place at the end of summer 2010 at locations in Johannesburg, including Houghton, Braamfontein and Modder B prison on the East Rand.
It was shot by DOP Nic Hofmeyer on a Sony PDW 700, a high definition digital camera, and converted to 35mm during post-production, which was done at Refinery and Postmasters.
“Having the film in digital and 35mm format gives it the ability to stay on the cinema circuit longer,’ explains Vundla.
He notes that the challenges during the shoot were those specific to making a film on a low budget. “The question is: how do you stay true to your original vision when you don’t have money to throw at problems? You have to be creative, and I think it’s quite a skill to not get lazy, but to think about the means you have at your disposal to not only get it done, but to get it done right,’ he says.
Another challenge was dealing with the unpredictable weather of a Johannesburg summer, but Vundla claims that he will do it again on his next film. “Those Highveld storms are kind of like free special effects.’
Film noir
To attain the high-contrast, noir look of the film they used a process called bleach bypass during post-production. “We went for a very dark, moody, broody type of look, using films like Blood Simple, The Yards, Little Odessa and Road to Perdition, as well as the artist Caravaggio as reference points,’ says Vundla.
The film is distributed by Indigenous Film Distribution and will hit South African cinemas nationwide on 2 September.
Vundla says it’s hard to predict who the audience for the film will be. “I just try to make films that I would want to see and that my friends would want to see, and hope for the best, basically. Anybody who’s of the age and the inclination to see an exciting film will enjoy it.’
He believes the film business is the most uncertain business “in the history of mankind’. “We’ve tried to make the film as good as we could, and market it as well as we could, and the rest isn’t really up to us. I almost feel like a kid with a chemistry set, just mixing things together to see what works, and hopefully it won’t explode in our faces, but we’ll see,’ he explains.
As a young director, Vundla feels DIFF was very kind to him. “They’re really cognisant of enabling young filmmakers and getting their products seen by international audiences. It’s pretty much my coming out party as a filmmaker, and I will be forever grateful to DIFF,’ he emphasises.
Vundla is currently writing his next feature film, The Chaperone, which will shoot in January and February 2012.
