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Carly Barnes

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Nigerian filmmaker’s critically acclaimed short releases online

Carly Barnes
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Touch, a short sci-fi film by London-based Nigerian filmmaker Shola Amoo, has been released online after a well-received run on the international festival scene.

The film, which featured at the Hollywood Black Film Festival in 2013 and at the London Short Film Festival, New Voices In Black Cinema Film Festival and Colours Of The Nile International Film Festival in 2014, stars Tanya Fear (Kick Ass 2) and Alexis Rodney (Guardians Of The Galaxy).

The two characters in the film, Jessica and George, meet in a field each day at a particular time and place. Jessica keeps a secret from George, but as her feelings for him grow, she needs to make an important decision. Open-ended and insightful, the film poses questions about technology and the human experience.

Visit Shola Amoo’s Vimeo channel to watch the film.

US series sets new piracy record

Carly Barnes
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TorrentFreak, a publication which features news about copyright, privacy, and file sharing, has reported that 300,000 users of peer-to-peer file sharing service BitTorrent, shared the season four premiere of US series, Game of Thrones, online.

Global audience demand for the show saw the series experience over a million illegal downloads in only half a day while 6.6m households viewed the show legally when it first aired live on US television network, HBO.

The demand caused HBO Go, an internet streaming service for network subscribers, to crash which may have resulted in there being additional piracy activity.

Though concerned with this level of piracy, Jeff Bewkes, CEO of Time Warner, which owns HBO, said having Game of Thrones feature as the most-pirated television show in the world is “better than an Emmy.’

MultiChoice leverages Intelsat to expand DTT in Africa

Carly Barnes
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Commercial satellite services provider Intelsat will provide a platform for South African pay-TV operator, MultiChoice, to increase its Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) product offerings in a number of Sub-Saharan African countries.

Intelsat 904 at 60º East will be used to expand MultiChoice’s C-band capacity, enabling content to be distributed to its terrestrial towers for DTT services. GOtv, a product which has already been established in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Namibia and Malawi is now able to increase its market contribution and reach new countries.

Nico Meyer, CEO of MultiChoice Africa said, “With Intelsat, we are able to broaden our reach in Sub-Saharan Africa and deliver more affordable and differentiated programming to the region. DTT is an important growth area for MultiChoice, and the quality, reliability and reach of Intelsat’s satellite network enable us to continue to expand our customer base and grow our GOtv product offering across the continent.’

Grant Marais, Regional Vice President of Africa Sales for Intelsat added that Intelsat has a strong track record of supporting DTT and DTH deployments throughout Africa and concluded, “Intelsat 904 C-band provides MultiChoice with unparalleled reception quality, reliability and reach, enabling them to expand their DTT service offerings in Sub-Saharan Africa. As DTT signals allow for more efficient use of spectrum, MultiChoice will be able to provide existing and new customers with more differentiated content at very competitive prices.’

Short film introduces new SA knitwear brand

Carly Barnes
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Laduma Ngxokolo, a South African textile and knitwear designer, has created a short film titled: My Heritage, My Inheritance, to introduce his fashion brand, Maxhosa.

Xhosa culture is a dominant inspiration and influence in Ngxokolo’s contemporary design aesthetic and features in the film which portrays the tradition of initiation, a ceremony inducting boys into manhood.

Ngxokolo approached Batandwa Alperstein of production company, The Visual Content Gang, to direct the film which was shot in one day at Panavision Studios in Cape Town.

“The film was shot in a studio using a black-out cloth for a backdrop. We didn’t have a huge budget so we had to stick to the simplest setup, without compromising the quality of the picture. We shot it on a Red Epic in order to get the beautiful detailed slow motion shots, especially for the stick fighting,’ said Alperstein.

Ngxokolo said that he wanted to make the public aware of the culture which influenced his designs and added: “I want them to see it as ideology that preserves the Xhosa heritage for the future. I want people to ultimately say “this is culture made by my people, that is modern and classic’ so they can treasure my items. I wanted something that would make my current patrons even prouder of their items and the brand, and for new people to understand the deeper meaning behind my brand.’

The film was produced by Cherize Ross and shot by DOP Kent Satram while Graham Ward of Wardwide Music and Ross McDonald of Hey Papa Legend were responsible for sound recordings, sound design and music composition.

Visit the Maxhosa website to view the video.

Google celebrates Africa Connected winners

Carly Barnes
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The Africa Connected success story contest, which awarded the top five inspiring and successful people in Africa who run community transforming projects using the internet and Google, has announced the below winners:

Sitawa Wafula (Kenya) – a blogger who made use of Google Blogger to start an award-winning blog on the topic of mental health in East Africa.

Eseoghene Odiete (Nigeria) – a designer who used Google Search and YouTube to learn how to create handbags, which now feature on over 100 blogs.

Panford Christopher (Ghana) – a transport company manager who empowers Ghanian drivers to gain access to car loans, and uses Google Maps to monitor bank loaned vehicles.

Eric Obuh (Nigeria) – a singer who went from dump sites scavenger to a worldwide sensation, due to exposure on YouTube.

Eunice Namirembe (Uganda) – doctor who used the Google API dashboard and Google Maps to build a 24-hour accessible ambulance call centre to improve access to health care services.

Selected from over 2,200 entries from 35 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa by public vote, the winners each received $25,000 in prize money as well as an unexpected additional $10,000 from Google which will be put towards growing their ventures.

New presenters to appear on Channel O and Vuzu

Carly Barnes
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K-Naomi and Shelton Forbez will join talented TV personalities such as Dineo Moeketsi, Cyprian Ndlovu, Lalla Hirayama, Denise Zimba, and Siya Ngwekazi, as presenters on DStv’s music television network, Channel O (Channel 87), and entertainment channel, Vuzu (Channel 116).

K-Naomi will present the new season of viewer generated music show, iRequest Editions, which airs on Saturday, 12 April at 16h00 on Channel O. The second year Vega School Brand Management student says, “I love iRequest Editions because we get to interact with the viewers and let them tell their stories through music requests they give us. I’m confident the viewers will love what iRequest and myself have to offer.’

Twenty-two year old Shelton Forbez, who has appeared in local soapies and performed in a number of dance productions, will present V-Prime, a show featuring local and international celebrity news which airs on Vuzu on Monday, 14 April at 19h00.

“I will be bringing my uniqueness and bubbly personality to the Vuzu family. I’m charming and funny which draws people towards my space. Although this is my first presenting gig I have always wanted to be a part of the channel. Joining Vuzu is the beginning of a momentous journey and I am looking forward to the ride,’ says Forbez.

Visit the Vuzu website and Channel O website for more information.

SA film Stone Cold Jane Austen calls for crowdfunding support

Carly Barnes
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A feature film about the South African music industry, produced by radio presenter, musical director, singer and songwriter Jon Savage, is calling for support through a crowdfunding campaign, in order to complete production on the movie.

Stone Cold Jane Austen tells the story of a fictional Bellville-based rock band and features local actors and artists including Rob van Vurren, Jack Parow, Fokofpolisiekar, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Aking, Chris Chameleon and Blk Jks. Randall Abrahams (Idols), Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones) and international pop star Daniel Bedingfield also make cameo appearances in the film.

“I’ve seen all the sides of this industry, the good, the bad and the ugly. The SA music industry is gagging for a comedy about it,’ says Savage who has been working on the project for three years.

He adds, “When Leon Schuster watched the pilot, he loved it. He said to me, “people HAVE to see this film! You have got to get this made. That was a pivotal point for me as he was one of the first people to actually see it. And I’ve spent the last year getting it to this point.”

The film features on crowdfunding website, Indiegogo where potential contributors will find all the necessary information regarding funding requirements.

View the trailer on YouTube.

Got Talent reality TV format breaks world records

Carly Barnes
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The Got Talent reality TV format, co-owned by FremantleMedia and Syco Entertainment, has achieved an official Guinness World Records title for the Most Successful Reality TV Format worldwide.

The talent show rewards the winner, selected from a number of competing acts, with exposure, the opportunity to perform at a notable venue or show, and a cash prize.
The format has been commissioned in 58 regions around the world including Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and most recently Kazakhstan, Brazil, Moldova and Iceland.

Simon Cowell, inventor of the show and creator of The X Factor said, “I am very proud that Got Talent is a home-grown British show. We owe its success to a group of very talented producers all over the world who have made this happen. And of course amazing talent.’

Standard Bank commercial shows consumer hindsight is 20:20

Carly Barnes
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The pitfalls of being improperly insured are humorously conveyed through the performance of two characters in a new advert for Standard Bank car and home insurance, produced by Johannesburg-based production company Picture Tree.

Executive Producer Gary King and Producer Scott Njumbuxa created the spot for TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris whose team comprised of Executive Creative Directors Matthew Brink and Adam Livesay, Creative Director Justin Wanliss and Copywriter Alex Rupare.

Director Fausto Becatti delivered Standard Bank’s campaign message through the quirky performance of the awkward Mr Hindsight and the savvy Tiny Tim. Becatti says that in order to ensure that the duo was unforgettable and endearing, there was a strong focus on casting, character and performance.

“Mr Hindsight had to be nondescript and hapless, using a subtle, dry performance and comic timing to be memorable in the end. Tiny Tim couldn’t be too cool but had to have a confidence that comes from having everything sorted upfront. We got great performances out of our actors, making for a very funny commercial about something quite serious,” says Becatti.

DOP David Pienaar and Art Director Adi Koen assisted in adding clever narrative touches to the advert, like the gigantic bouncy burger and the techno-steampunk coffee machine, which were used to emphasise the contradictory worlds of these two characters.

“Insurance is a grudge purchase and most commercials for insurance products battle to get beyond that,” concludes Becatti.

View the commercial on the Standard Bank YouTube channel.

Homeland Season Four to be shot in Cape Town

Carly Barnes
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The US political thriller television series, Homeland, has opted to shoot its fourth season in Cape Town, South Africa from mid-June to November 2014.

Homeland stars Claire Danes in the role of Carrie Mathison, a Central Intelligence Agency officer who suspects that a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper has been converted by the enemy and poses a threat to the US.

Produced by Fox 21, a division of the Fox Entertainment Group, and broadcast on US cable channel, Showtime, Season Four is set to take place in the Middle East where Mathison is posted as chief of station.

Alex Gansa, showrunner and executive producer said: “We knew going into season four that we would need to move the production overseas to tell the story of Carrie returning to the Middle East as chief of station. We are thrilled to have found a new home in Cape Town and look forward to getting season four’s production off the ground.’

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