Clifton Shores is a glitzy, glamorous and high-end show – South Africa’s answer to The
Hills and Laguna Beach – and is currently filming in Cape Town.
The series, produced by Clive Morris Productions, is the first of this kind of reality series
to be produced locally. It is the brainchild of creative director Quinton van der Burgh,
CEO of Burgh Holdings, an executive producer on M-Net’s Sharp Shooter series.
Clifton Shores follows the lives of four American women who navigate new lives in a
foreign city. Clive Morris, producer on the show, explains: “The women were cast in the
US and brought out here to work for Quintessential, Van der Burgh’s events and
marketing company. They work with three South African women.
The show tracks their lives in the exquisite setting of Cape Town and showcases the
high life of the city’s rich and famous as the show’s stars mingle with Cape Town’s elite
and become accustomed to life in one of Clifton’s famed cliff-side mansions. This is just
the perfect location as it is exotic and will appeal to American and European audiences.’
Morris says a huge scoop for the show is having Hisham Abed direct the first few
episodes. “Hisham was at the helm of The Hills and really wanted to work on this show
when we pitched it to him. Chris Roland (Darfur; Stander; Charlie Jade) is also producing
and directing the show, which is great.
“Ideally we want to sell the show to American and European broadcasters and promote
Cape Town on a world stage. In future we would like to extend the show’s reach and
brand globally.’
Engaging concept
Genna Lewis, creative director at Clive Morris Productions, explains: “When Quinton Van
der Burgh first pitched the show to us we were immediately engaged. Firstly the genre
of an unscripted drama has not been greatly explored in South Africa. Secondly the
opportunity to showcase Cape Town and the country as experienced at a real level by
these young American women was fascinating and unique.’
Lewis says that the creative approach is a fine line between balancing the unscripted
reality aspect while keeping it dramatic and engaging. “We wanted to create a three-act
structure and this can be a daunting task, but it forces the team into a highly creative
space that requires a lot of in-the-moment thinking. The bottom line is that we aim for
the highest standard visually and in terms of content.
“With the content we want to ensure the show is fun and entertaining to the youth and
young adult market, while at the same time balancing the frivolity with a true look into
the hearts and minds of our cast and what they are going through.’
The main challenge of the project, according to Lewis, is shooting 13 episodes in three
months. “This is pretty tight and we have to keep up with the story elements as they
develop for the girls in real time. Unlike a conventional drama series or film, where you
are afforded the opportunity to plan in advance, we follow the girls’ collective and
individual lives as and when they develop.’
Cinematic look
Chris Roland, who directs some of the episodes, decided to go with a cinematic look.
“Clifton Shores is a drama, albeit soft scripted, so we wanted to create a series that had
the same look and feel that audiences are accustomed to with prime time dramas. Clive
Morris and Quinton van der Burgh were very flexible when it came to setting style and
tone and they have been extremely supportive. I am confident the show will attract an
international audience.
“We have achieved some great shots in a very short shooting period. There are only
four days to shoot an entire episode, and this includes one to three unit moves a day to
various locations. This is the most challenging show I have ever been involved in. We
literally craft stories on set within minutes of shooting them, then our DOP, Sven
Vosloo, and I look for the best locations and camera positions within the parameters of
what is available.
“Another challenge is crowded noisy situations like clubs and events. We can’t shoot
with music playing in the background due to music rights and sound issues and crowds
are hard to manage, but we want to capture these locations live and within our cinematic
style. To achieve this we shoot dialogue scenes before or after the noise starts and
crowds arrive, carefully constructing camera angles, cut the two together and add music
and ambient sound afterwards.’
New camera
The show is shot on three Panasonic AF100s. “This is a new camera and we chose it
because it gives us the film look we are after. I did not want to shoot on HD cameras
where everything is sharp and clear and in focus. The AF100 provides really good
defocused depth of field,’ says Roland.
Daniel Black, technical director, says that there were a number of reasons why they
went this route. “Yes the AF100 has a great cinematic look and feel, however we also
have budget constraints. Another strong factor is the ability to shoot with a narrow
depth of field, offering the look the show needed.’
He adds that having three cameras on set allows for a faster turnaround of scenes that
have a traditional wide shot and two cameras following the action. “The cameras have
been fantastic and have really advanced the great production value of the show.’
