The Race-ist

Facebook Buzz about the Race-ist :)

2010-04-02T00:51:00.000-07:00

Jade McKinon Rikki Brest Yeah I got the call yesterday!!!! How rad!!! I'm excited :) saw lots of u in the race-ist too!!! Super hot!!!!!!!!! X

Rikki Brest Jade McKinon you look INCREDIBLE in the raceist!!!! and heard you might be playing my best friend in the new movie? See you on sat....cant wait to party :)

Kriya Gangiah what an amazing night last night...!!!go out and watch the Race-ist comes out in cinemas nation wide tmz!!!!

Leon Kriel The Race-ist... Releasing Country wide 1st April www.therace-ist.com Saw the movie last night , it was great. The message is deep and relevant and the scenes dynamic, fast and sexy. Not everyone wakes up one morning and decides "I'm going make a movie " and actually makes one! well done to everyone involved!!!!!!!

Murray Bruce Todd is stoked about response to The Race-ist. Thanks for allthe SMS's. Missed the premiere so gonna have to pay to see it like everyone else. Go on, PAY, the SA film industry wants YOU!

Michane Viljoen The Movie Premiere was a BLAST! The Race-ist is showing everywhere. Go watch it u all! Thx Andrew & Mandy.

Robert John Brooker The Race-ist opens today go see it its awsome.

Lindi Coertzen Ladies and gents pleeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzz go see the movie "The Race-ist" this weekend. It starts at Nu-Metro today and Ster Kinekor tomoz. It is fast, funny and loud!!! Lots and lots of South African FUN!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoop Whoop!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tracey Jordaan what an awesome experience. The movie The Race-ist is very very good and being a Comedy Drama, was very funny. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a must see in cinemas near you. My Corsa is in the movie as an extra, but a very small part. So cool. To Andrew and Mandy Wilmot, Cast and Crew. Well done and congratulations, hope this opens more doors for you.

Lenge Kotzé The premier of the race-ist last night was rockin ! check it out at numetro cinemas from 2 april !

Lyndsay Stephenson If you are going to pay to watch one movie this year, let it beThe Race-ist!!! A proudly South African and brilliantly movie :) Don't take my word for it, go and see it!

Celeste Colyn The Race-ist rocked Brakpan style @ premier. Tx 4 a gr8 nite

Chris Dos Santos Just came back from the Race-ist premiere..... All I can say is that the 7D on a 60ft Cinema Screen is amazing. I love this camera! Angels here we come.. PS. NEWS JUST RELEASED---> CANON to update 7D firmware, allowing camera to capture full RAW uncompressed images! RED ONE, move over...

Johan Freakstyler De Kock Had an absolute blast at the premiere of the race-ist! Thanx to all involved! For an awesome night!

Mark Stent The Race-ist rocked!!! So weird to see myself on screen...welldone to all involved

Timothy Kruger The Race-ist movie premiere was kick ass! Andrew I cant wait for your next one! You're a legend!

How I feel about the critics...

2010-03-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

A lot of people are already asking me about film critics and what I think of the whole thing in general.. well here's the thoughts of a baby film maker:

Look, lets be honest. No person in their right mind would be keen to show anything they do to someone whose entire life revolves around finding fault with whatever they are watching.
Then there's also the fact that most critics are uber nerds who are fifty times more intellectual than the rest of us mere minions on planet earth. They sit there scratching around for all the faults and completely judge the story and pace of the movie by some personal measuring stick relevant only to themselves and their chess club.
Hell man, I go to the movies to enjoy the experience. A movie would really really have to be crap for me to not like it! I hate watching movies with okes that have only negative stuff to say about 'what was wrong'. But Ja, thats just me.

That said, even though I have no doubt that critics will roast my first movie over a slow spit, I kinda value their opinions. For me it's about how I can learn, move on and make the next movies better and better.

My first movie was tough to make, and I mean TOUGH!
When funds dry up halfway through production because of investors going 'bang' in a tough economy and have to get your ass out there to raise more money in a horrible financial climate, you learn what tenacity truly is.
20 hour days under intense deadline pressure with that horrible financial pressure on your neck will definitely force you to make mistakes and believe me, if you are looking for those mistakes, thou shalt surely find them.

I already laugh at critics comparing us to fast and furious... those American movies have literally 100 to 1000 times South African budgets (not exaggerated). Compared to the those big budget movies, South African film makers are making little more than full length student films!

Obviously, as we have more budget and more time, our movies will get better and more polished. but while us South African film makers - the okes that make movies with Rands not Dollars - have the worst budgets on planet earth for our movies, you are going to get stuff that entertains you without the epic polish of a R300 000 000 "low budget' American movie. (Seriously, American movies consider $30 mil to be low budget).

When you read reviews about films like Mr Bones 2 (slaughtered by the Arty Farties) and most other non-emo South African films (critics love emotional films), you begin to get the idea that most critics actually love it when they can naill film makers to a cross. Incidentally, Mr Bones breaks local box office records every time. it may not be your cup of tea, but a lot of people are drinking it very happily!
I've been pissed at critics for much longer than I've been making films. I mean, who the hell gives Forrest Gump a 1 out of 10? Go make a film yourself if you're so good at it! Really man, what the hell?
I generally scratch around the internet looking only for good reviews on 'bad' movies so that my viewing experience is enhanced. it's awesome to head to the cinema armed with cool things to notice!

In the end what we read there is another person's opinion about what they watched, and statistically, very few people even take notice. They're gonna watch what they want to watch no matter what the critics have to say. Most films that break box office records are really really nailed by critics... Go figure...
Michael Bay, the Godfather of Summer Blockbusters, (Transformers, The Island, The Rock etc.) gets nailed by these okes every time.

Films are just a different form of theatre, they are an expression of a creative mind on a different kind of canvas. When you watch a film, you are watching someone's imagination spring to life. When you air your imagination in public, some will love it, some will hate it - it's just part of the experience. Those that hate it will always be more vocal than those who love it. Par for the course.

For a first time Director, critics are the scariest part of the journey. You get prepped by fellow film makers who will tell you that 9 out of 10 critics will nail you.
One of the cast of The Race-ist who has been in film for many years said this to me: "No matter how much the public enjoys your film, the critics will nail you, they are called critics because they criticize. Simple as that."

Personally, I'm a softy. I try to take the good and ignore the bad but that stuff will always either hurt you or inspire you. Obviously rave reviews make you feel great and nasty ones make you want to hide under the bed and cringe but you just keep going, improving as you go, learning as you go, taking the good and the bad and growing with every step.

Alternatively you can take the Donald Trump approach: "Don't believe the critics unless they love your work'.

Our Test audiences and Premiere audiences loved The Race-ist.
You are who we made the film for.
If you enjoy the movie then our mission is accomplished.
Budget or no budget, we make these films for you, our target audience. The only opinion that truly matters to us is yours!

So ja. While you are all enjoying our first movie and I'm roasting over the coals, you can safely realize that we're already planning our next movies. Much bigger, much better and much faster :)

Dang critics will be snapping at my heels all the way.

Hopefully one day I can pull an 'Avatar' - best movie ever!
...but even that movie is getting roasted by American critics... Ja Nee Kyk.

Times Live interviews with some of the cast

2010-03-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

www.therace-ist.blogspot.com

Liezel, Craig and Johnny.. cool interview snippets :)

2010-03-30T03:45:00.000-07:00

Bad Bad BAaaaaaad Brad!

2010-03-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

Righto... Bad Brad.

To get the nickname "Bad", we're gonna need a checklist:

1) Be a controversial reality star. - Check.
2) Look like you're about to do something naughty permanently. - Check.
3) Be in the news often for crazy antics. - Check.
4) Associate with dodgy dudes. Check.
5) End your average party evening by being chucked out or being involved in a Barny. - Check

So far so good. I mean.. er. .. Bad.

So I've know the dude for about 2 years now. And I reckon I'll give you my spin on Brad outside of the normal press sensationalism.

I've grown up clearly understanding the difference between the naughty okes and the evil okes.

The Naughty oke will chuck a turd in a newspaper, set it on fire and lay it at your door before pressing the doorbell and running like hell.
You naturally open the door and stamp out the fire....
Not cool, but certainly not evil.
You get angry and shout down the road at the naughty bliksem who did it.

The evil guy is the one who hears you shouting, comes back and beats you into hospital.

Brad is the naughty guy. He's a lot of naughty, but in my short two years of knowing him, I have not seen the evil side.

What I have seen is a oke who is exceptionally loyal to his friends, a fearless entrepeneur who learns from his mistakes like the rest of us do, and a soft hearted fellow who would give the shirt off his back if it could help a friend out!

He's one of those guys that you hug hello. (He doesn't like it much cos it doesn't fit the macho persona and all but I hug him anyway..hahahaha).

I'm more of a mischievous oke (the softy version of naughty) so I generally duck before the party gets rowdy.
Brad is there HOPING the party might get rowdy!
So why is the oke always in the press for gunfighting, fist fighting and all other sorts of mayhem?

Well.. I figure his naughtiness comes from the fact that he was born about a hundred years too late!
Brad should have been born in the 1800's where he could have been the Sheriff of a town. or like those Marshalls in the cowboy flieks that go from outpost to outpost cleaning up the scum!

This is why he's in the security industry!
If you had to ask me who I would prefer as a Sheriff between goodie two shoes and Marshal Bad Brad, I can tell you now that ol' goodie two shoes would run at the first sign of a fight!
It's Brad's s nature to look for baddies... and if you're unlucky enough to fall into the baddies category that night, it's quickdraw time! Someones gonna come flying out those Saloon doors!

Obviously the tougher clients are gonna request a guy like Brad to be around and he's gonna be in the thick of things more often than the oke who bodyguards old lady pippin in Houghton. He wants to be in the thick of the action... Hence him being around them dodge dudes and all sorts in the media... He'll tell you devorce your two timing husband or wife without blinking! And then he'll be spoiling for a fight when the conequences arrive.

Innocent? Hell Naw... if he thinks you're an idiot, he'll push you until your true colors show. And then he'll add a few colors to your face..and his.. hahaha. go Brad!

(Always outnumbered, never out-gunned.)

Hell man, Clint Eastwood spits Tobacco on a dog and delivers a one liner before cleaning up a town. Them lawferls aren't supposed to be nice guys.

Heh! So ja, thats my buddy Brad in a nutshell. (I hope never a jail cell).

So lets revise the checklist for a cool buddy:

1) Got your back. - Check.
2) Not evil, just blerrie naughty. - check.
3) One of the coolest okes on the Planet - check!
4) Always great for a laugh. - check

:)

The Race-ist official Press Release

2010-03-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN MOVIE ‘THE RACE-IST’ SET TO HIT THE BIG SCREEN

Johannesburg, March 8th, 2010: - Local film, THE RACE-IST is set to heat up the big screen on April 1st, 2010 when it goes into national release. The film, which boasts a star-studded local cast, has everything that South Africans love in a movie… Plenty of fast cars, hot girls and loads of action.

The movie boasts an unusual combination of South African talent including Tsotsi star Craig Palm, up-and-coming actress Nicole Smart, veteran actor Ian Roberts, Jonathan Pienaar, Strini Pillay, DJ Mark Stent, Brandon Auret, former Big Brother turned security specialist “Bad” Brad Wood and is the feature film debut for two household names - Afrikaans pop icon Kurt Darren and 5FM’s DJ Fresh. THE RACE-IST is written, directed and produced by Andrew Wilmot.

The story revolves around a young boy called Lukas (Craig Palm), whose dream is to become the quarter-mile champ. He grows up with “insufficient resources” to achieve his dreams and fast track himself to stardom. But when he meets former coach of the quarter-mile champion, “Oom Noel” (Ian Roberts) - who is persuaded to mentor Lukas to champion status - Lukas realises that his dream of winning might actually be a possibility. Love, comedy, racial differences, patriotism and inspiration are issues which unfold to thicken the plot.

The film will be distributed to cinemas around the country on Thursday, April 1st 2010.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Heather Vorster
Nu Metro Entertainment
Tel: (011) 340 9396
E-mail: HeatherVo@numetro.co.za

Official Music Video of the Movie

2010-03-24T02:59:00.000-07:00

A Letter from Jonathan Pienaar.

2010-03-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

One of the lead actors in The Race-ist, Jonathan Pienaar, a man who has been a great strength to me in making my first movie, sent me this mail. He asked me to chuck it on the Blog.

When you read it you will see how it was possible to make such a cool movie with such limited resource (1% of District 9's Budget). I had some really awesome, supportive, talented people believing in me and my vision for not only this film but the film Industry in South Africa.

Any South African film maker will tell you that it aint easy making a film... but some people certainly make it easier!

Johnny is an actor, a writer, a poet and a natural mentor to all around him. The guy really gives a damn! I have gotten on well with him from the day I met him.

Anyhoo.. his letter is below, it's mostly about me, I'm glad it's a nice one :)

Jonathan Pienaar.

I met Andrew Wilmot about two maybe it was three years ago, doing a voice over and he was the engineer on the job and he turned to me and said ‘I want to make a movie!’

I have been able to see Andrew take what was an idea and drive it forward, because he can.

Most give up; many draw conclusions from illusion and simply judge.

Andrew and the team around him did it.

I was fortunate to act in this movie and see the kind of mentality, that needs to form, begin and start moving towards a way of making films that doesn’t result in a separation of all the entities needed to create the films we want to make.

A way of making films that is supportive.

That is the only way I wish to work. It is never about one film, it is the many films that come after it, that tell the tale.

I have got to know Andrew and I have seen immense courage and maturity in a craft that sometimes requires the enthusiasm of a child. It was his beginning, his first, in which he directed and produced, that is mad, he did it.

Things crumbled around him, he kept going.

In the beginning we all need support, understanding and the guidance to grow.

South African film making of the past is dead, gone, and no good to us. It doesn’t work. Now is all we have and that is a beautiful thing. Individuals like Andrew are rare; he is talented, relentless, mad and loving.

Many have more experience than Andrew and would have done things differently, but Andrew was the one who had the guts to do it.

I have never questioned Andrew’s integrity, I have seen him face his own ego and step over it, when necessary, the rough diamond of the first time movie maker who takes it on with only the support of a few tough individuals, doesn’t get cut gently, it has been hammered into clarity.

Open mindedness is of more worth to us as an industry than burnt passed experiences.

We are not victims, we just simply need to drop the past and make it for ourselves.

The support is what will work. It is too small a country to survive with the greed mentality that now seems to govern all of us. So we change it.

Andrew Wilmot is the right man for the job.

I have had to question myself, what do I want?

Do I want to be a part of a team that continually makes the best movies we can, at the time, with a sense of relationship, or do I want to just make a little money to bide me over till the next? Do I want to take, or, do I want to give?

In the centre Mr Venter is where I want to be, balance. There are no heroes, no villains, just all of us doing the best we can, at any given moment, mistakes I have discovered are easily forgivable far easier than resentment.

Secretly I think I have resented the South African film industry.

I now find it far more rewarding to work with and support a passionate team of people, like ‘The Race-ist’ and do what I can to make it work than focus on a little bit of money.

The money will always come.

If I have been any support to Andrew and his brilliant team I am grateful.

Thank you Andrew for your courage, madness, enthusiasm and love.

Jonny

Another cool poster :)

2010-03-23T05:35:00.001-07:00

Some cool behind the scenes interviews and stuff :)

2010-03-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

You know you're a Race-ist when:

2010-03-22T01:52:00.000-07:00

1) Someone calls you a 'racist' and you're like "Thanks man, you should see my epic double clutching skills!"

2) The word "Piston" is something you do at the Urinal.

3) You think a racist is "an oke what drives fast"

4) You think Jub Jub and Malema would actually be ok if they kept their speeding to the track. But they don't, so they're doff. Politics Schmolitics.

5) You have a pile of Speed and Sound Magazines next to your loo for an intense reading experience!

6) A horror fliek is when the okes' car breaks down, not when the zombies come running out of the bushes.

7) You know what 'variable valve timing' actually means.

8) You know who Chad 'Spyke' Luckhoff is.

9) You ask for a 'Jeremy Clarkson special' when you go to the Barber.

10) You can't wait to watch The Race-ist at Cinemas!

More Race-isms:

James Sutherland

Your a Race-ist if you like don't mind inhailing 2nd hand tire smoke...

James Sutherland

Your a Race-ist if someone asks you if you smoke and you tell them "only when I drop my clutch on pull away!"

How difficult was it to make The Race-ist?

2010-03-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

www.therace-ist.com

Careful now.. I'm gonna let you in on the reason they invented the phrase 'no pain, no gain'.

We've been showing our movie to investors and sponsors lately and after each viewing, my self confidence picks up a little more. So I feel sort of ok to share my experiences here with you...

Making movies?

It's scary as hell, because nothing works out quite like you want it to but you try to make it as cool as you possibly can with what you've got and hope like hell that someone will like it...
Evidently all directors go through this... I wonder what a mogul like James Cameron feels like when people watch something like Avatar for the first time? Does he already know that he is going to smash box office records.. again. or does he also chew his nails for the duration of the first screenings?

Well I aint Jimmy Cameron... yet! :)

This is my first movie and from the start the cards were stacked against us!
My first movie is a quarter-mile racing action-comedy movie with the best Cast I could find in a country where it is financial suicide to spend more than R2 mil on a movie (unless you are the awesome Leon Schuster!).

Anyhoo..

We jumped in Boots and all!
Went for it like wildfire!
And boy did we learn!
This is the most hectic film school there is baby, burned hands and chopped off fingers!

Before I let you in on the hardships, let me say this: Although things did not go as planned or promised, we forged through the fire and came out stronger and better on the other end. I believe we have produced a great product... but don't take my word for it, go watch it yourself!

Imagine jumping into a project that is bigger than anything you have done before, has almost no support from the powers that be and is complete virgin territory for you.

You just have something in your gut that says "you can do this" and you know that you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is something you have to do. Something you were born for. Like.. destiny or summin...

You do your homework, do your courses and then you jump in, and go like hell!

Halfway through your project, you start realizing that 2009 wasn't such a lekker year to make your first movie...
Marketing budgets get cancelled and Investors start dodging phonecalls...
You only realize 6 months later what the hell happened.
Epic economy fail.

When you are making a movie, money is literally everything!
Your cast and crew live from movie to movie - this means that if your movie does not pay them, you literally steal bread out of their mouths!

Imagine being the guy who has to pay those bills and then finding out that you are being strung along by investors and manipulated by the bigger sponsors who have to pay... These guys have legal departments who play you like a fiddle and have much more money (go figure) than you do for lawyers...

Dude.. we are talking sleepless nights, anxiety attacks and general 'where are you God?' prayers!

You keep pitching, begging, asking.. whatever you can to raise the missing bucks... Then you realize that the only way you're gonna pay these bills is to finish your movie.

Try being creative with a shotgun to your head!

Take a deep breath...

Annnnd...

You speak to as many of your suppliers as you can in the storms of responsibility. Some are uber supportive, taking the knock with you and trusting you to finish your project and pay your bills. Others are the exact opposite. All that matters to them is getting paid - and rightly so, this is their bread and butter and I made commitments! Some begin to sabotage your efforts to finish the movie, others hold footage ransom... It's a whirlwind of hell , a perpetuating nightmare that you think you may never wake up from... you lose your house, your car, you are homeless, living with friends and family but still you push on.. take the calls, make the calls, do the pitches, stay focused, stay positive... It hurts like hell when you realize that there is very little friendship when it come to money but your entire life gains new perspective when some of those who have the right to crucify you are the most encouraging. Some phone you consistently, cheering you on. Others phone you consistently with threats and even extortion. You keep hammering forward, thankful that your wife has not left you and suddenly....

on the morning of Monday the 15th of March at 09h55

...Twenty months after you left your job...

...it's over...

You deliver the final product... and people like it.

Sponsors are happy.
Investors are happy.
Test screenings go well.

None of it makes sense. After so much hell, you are wondering if there is a catch somewhere.

Suddenly Investors are approaching you for your next projects... it's crazy...

You dare to think "We did it".

Not even Box office matters... we finished it.. we did it.. we delivered... We can actually do what we set out to do!

I'm so exhausted right now that all I can think of is sleep. I think I should be enjoying the beginnings of the taste of victory... but until those bills are paid (IN THE BANK), sleep is a luxury... A week or two more of pressure and making investors happy and then it's me, a chair and a book.

I have a black eye. The combo of sleepless nights to finish the movie and blood pressure from the constant stress over such a long stretch inexorably lead to the inconvenient symptom of passing out every now and then... like on your desk.. with your eye.. haha.

I can feel the pressure starting to leave my soul though, the finished product and Investor approval were massive weights upon my shoulders. Someone got me a Bulldog pup as a prezzie - wow man - band aid for the soul! :)

Enough of the emo, lets keep moving!

The premiere is going to be awesome... Even though many of the sponsors did not keep their promises to us, we kept our promises to them - we kept them in the movie, we did not threaten them for money and now the fruit begins to show. Not only will the bills be paid, but many of those same sponsors are more excited about the marketing campaign and premiere than we are! 700 guests fed and hydrated plus given cool prezzies without it costing us a cent... Sound systems and lighting sponsored for bands and DJ's... awesome awesome awesome. Playstation threes to GIVE AWAY and the list goes on. The light at the end of the tunnel is not a train.. hallelujah man! If I had the enrgy I'd be in my garden doing a jig in my undies right now.. I guess I'll save the jig for when those bill are paid eh?

So Ja... After the marketing campaigns, premiere, events and all the other work that goes with it, I'm gonna sleep for a while.

And then my next movie will make this one look like it's in nappies.

Watch this space!

www.therace-ist.com

5 interesting facts about the Director of The Race-ist

2010-03-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

1) Andrew was a youth Pastor for 14 years before deciding to head into movie making full time.

2) In general, people think he is not so lekker in the head...

3) To make the movie took 20 months of dedicated focus - Andrew and Mandy lost their house and car and were even homeless for 3 months during the production...

4) The only break in those 20 months was a month in hospital.. with kidney stones...

5) He really isn't lekker in the head because even though it was the toughest 20 months of his life, he can't wait to get stuck into the next movie.

Bonus point:
6) Andrew wrote this Blog. Further proof that he isn't lekker in the head.

Welcome to South Africool!

2010-03-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

Fillus-->

<--Cummef...

Our two backyard Bio Chemists who manage to extract a Bio Superfuel from Cow manure...

All they need is someone crazy enough to test it in a car...

<--- Lukas

A fellow who is so besotted with driving that he believes a racist is actually a race-ist - Someone that looks cool and drives fast!

Get Ready for a

Lekker,

Fun,

Funny

and

LOUD

Cinematic experience!

www.therace-ist.co.za

5 Facts about the music in The Race-ist

2010-03-10T23:11:00.000-08:00

1) It pumps. Seriously. You will feel like you walked out of a nightclub! (Unless the Cinema has crappy sound! ...Make sure you moan if the Cinema sound is crappy!)

2) It ROCKS! Seriously.. We literally produced South African band 'Evolver1' to suit our movie.. (they were already hot before Nathan got his hands on their stuff.. now it's Godlike!)

3) All the music in the movie is produced by our own team! - Nathan Winkler, Johan de Kock and Geo Hohn. Watch the trailers and listen to the music to see how hot these guys are! (At making music I mean..)

4) Even the emo music is awesome! (We don't dig emo music so much so we made sure it was sweet on the ear!) You can leave the razor blades at home.

5) The music is mixed for big sound systems... yeeeehawwww! You should feel the riffs in your soul! Remember to moan if the Cinema sound is crappy!

The Top 10 reasons to watch our film!

2010-03-10T05:23:00.000-08:00

1) Cos it's South African and every ticket sold helps us make better and better movies so support your local talent if you want better and better local stuff!

2) Cos it's got cars and chicks in it. (And Mark stent with his big muscles!) (Vin Diesel looks like his sister!)

3) Cos a Race-ist is a oke what drives fast and not an ignorant inbreeder that judges people by color.

4) Cos Kurt Darren and DJ Fresh are in it. (their first movie!)

5) Cos it's directed by an awesome dude with bad hair.

6) Cos Brandon Auret and Murray Todd are funny as hell!

7) Cos it's got Ian Roberts and Jonathan Pienaar in it. (Jaaa Boet).

8) Cos People who don't watch it will be labeled dweebs and shunned by society for the rest of their miserable lives.

9) Cos it's a lekker, loud, fun, funny movie!

10) See number 1) and 8)

Proof that film makers are loony!

2010-03-02T04:35:00.001-08:00

Making a movie...

After you have written your script, shot your promo and begged for money for 10 months or so.. you finally shoot the thing and then go into post production...

This is what post production entails:

90 minutes of footage cut down from about 600 hours of footage.

90 minutes of cleared and sometimes re-recorded dialogue.

90 minutes of infinitesimal sound effects for every footstep, closing door and revving engine.

90 minutes of Ambient sound - Like cars driving by, dogs barking in the background, general sounds that we don't notice unless they are not there.

90 Minutes of music - a very very tough process which is basically like building a puzzle with your ears...

Every time there is a change, the entire audio chain is effected and must be moved accordingly.. on a 90 minute HD film, this translates to about 30 man hours per change...

As a director, you begin to get sick of your movie, you struggle to maintain perspective so you bring in other eyes to give their opinions. There is no such thing as a non critical test screen.l People will find changes in a diamond if they can.. you trust them and make the changes because you are too close to the project...

By the time you get to the final mix (All the Audio elements mixed into a nice 5.1 experience) and Grade (Color balance and enhancements), you will have watched your movie almost 3 times a day, every day for 6 months...

Somehow though.. exhausted, stressed and scared as hell (critics everywhere!) you manage to finish it and love every minute...

Proof that film makers are nutjobs!

:)

Perks of my profession...

2010-02-25T03:18:00.000-08:00

It's tough as hell to make a movie in South Africa, but there definitely are perks.. like getting to drive the cars we have for the movie, hanging with famous peeps and of course, moving FHM models around the set.. heh heh

Fast cars, pretty girls.. and then my favorite, mentoring youngsters who share my passion for film!

In the pic with the girls in it, you will note a young girl wearing a white, long-sleeved top with a red vest thingie over it. That is Juanita - a fireball of encouragement and wisdom who has an epic future in film making!

You get tired of the other stuff, Cars and Hotties are great eye Candy but 13 hours later on set, you are irritated and exhausted and all you want to do is go home and sleep!

Enter the excitement of the teen-ager who has found her niche.
A 'you can do eeeet' speech from her is like having Red-Bull intravenously!

It's like that with all the youngsters we have around us on set! Their passion and energy have no limit! I reckon you could climb Mount Everest with nothing but toothpicks and elastic bands with that kind of positive energy around you!

Someone commended me the other day on my passion to mentor youngsters in their skill sets. "How nice that you put up with them" was the sentiment.

Hell no!

Mentoring them is merely the small price you pay for their energy and drive! They freely give input, serve with all their hearts and expect nothing in return except your attention here and there and an opportunity to learn while they show off their developing skills! It's awesome!

Whats' it like on a film set?

2010-02-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

I'm the stressed looking guy on the right wearing the bright wastecoat thingie with the cheap hat from Margate.

My expression about sums up the question posed in the title of this blog.

(Well.. I hope I look more focused than stressed.)

Film making is the island in the middle of the sea where discipline and creativity meet, where the unstoppable force meets the immovable object.

You have two teams around you consistently:

1) The Creatives who need to express themselves artisitically and represent their characters in a manner that will feel natural on screen.

2) The scientists who make sure the lighting and camera movement is as flawless as possible from scene to scene.

It's a case of 'hurry up and wait' as the creatives step aside for every lense or angle change. To get the shot from any angle differing from the starting point, you have to move the lighting.. and then any equipment that might be in shot.

The Art department will kill you if you have a light stand or a sandbag within the Director of Photography (DOP)'s blocking area (The area actually in shot).

When it's time for a reversal again, it's the art departments' turn to flee before the lighting department because the grips and lighting teams will kill you if your decor is in the way of their gear...

Whenever that Camera moves, the entire world moves around it.

This is an idea of the chaos behind the Camera. If we decide to look this way with the camera, all this stuff has to move.

Glamorous eh?

Haahahaha.

I hope that gives you an idea...

And herewith the result of all that chaos:

Ian Roberts... awesome dude!

2010-02-22T12:25:00.001-08:00

On Set, it's a combination of chaos and order. I'm not quite sure how you get the two living together harmoniusly, but you do.
I gues if my disciplined perfectionist wife can live harmoniously with a nutter like me, order and chaos can get on just fine in the workplace!

Some days though, the chaos of scheduling and resource meltdowns can kill you. No, seriously, it feels like you're not gonna make it...

*play superhero music here*

Enter Ian roberts, acting legend and the most relaxed dude in South Africa!

This guy stands in the middle of a typhoon and creates his own bubble of calm.. it's friggin amazing!

I'm spinning like a top and he's just: "Ja boet, lets try this" or "No man, it's easy boet".

The guy is awesome.

He'll jump in and help the crew, help newer actors learn their lines... awesomeness!

On set, when he is not busy with his character responsibilities, he chills in his old Yellow Volkswagen Kombie, playing his guitar and making coffee or chow on a little gas stove...

It's such a cool vibe, this awesome contradiciton against the backdrop of digital film making.
Like a reminder that there is more to life than running around like a chicken with my head chopped off.

Ja, Nee, Kyk...

The oke is a legend.. of note!
I think a lekker nugget here would be:

Don't get so busy with life that you don't get a chance to live it...

Rev

Get ready for the Blitzkrieg!

2010-02-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

It's time to market this baby!

One month before the South African Cinematic release of the movie and we are running around like crazy!

I have to do the last touches on the movie, make sure that March is swamped with all things Race-ist and hope like hell that someone comes to watch our film!

This morning I had the eventing team (NIMA) and Mobile/Web guys (MMS) here going over my strategy for the March blitzkrieg.

if you realize that you have to hit Cinema, TV, Mobile, Internet, Print, Radio and Events all at the same time, you will realize just how hectic your strategy has to be.

Between finishing the movie and directing the campaign I'm a bit flustered.

Luckily we have great draw cards to capitalize on:

Babes, Cars, DJ Fresh, Kurt Darren, Mark Stent, Actors that can actually act and a weirdly named movie that instigates discussion.

"The race-ist?"
"Ja, it's a movie about racing"
"ahhh, I thought it was about racism again!'
"No man, it's about racing!"

See?

There is a method to our madness!

Sjoe, I'm nervous as hell, I hope everyone enjoys our movie.. blerrie hard work!

The trailers...

2010-02-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

The 2 minute Cinematic Trailer:

Above is our Cinematic Trailer, it was almost 4 minutes long originally with a lot of other cool content but we decided to chop it by almost half to keep the pace fresh!

Cutting the trailer is almost harder work than cutting the movie. You have to let people know how your movie is going to feel and get them excited about watching it without giving too much of your plot away.

You literally go through your whole movie looking for bits that work as stand alone moments without the necessary context or character arcs...

Finding the funny bits is sooo hard. In the movie, you establish a mood and almost counterplay that mood with a funny moment. It's very difficult to do that in the trailer. Light is most noticable in Dark - Funny is most noticeable in a serious moment.. you get the drift. Anyhoo, thats why we chucked the baboon spanner moment at the end. It would not have been as funny at any other moment of the trailer.

Sexy Back:

I don't know if anyone will notice, but the whole 'sexy back' thing is a play on words. The real play is for the Mechanics crack just after the tag line. We thought a short trailer like this would make our target market more aware of the comedic aspects of our movie. It's a comedy, more so than a racing movie.

Introducing the Cast:

South Africa has very little star power, we thought it was important to try and sensationalize our local cast with a trailer that focused on their names. Not sure if it will work, but people seem to enjoy the trailer!

Turning Lemons into Lemonade.

2009-12-11T04:16:00.000-08:00

And now I enter the world of production delays.

To say that I am exhausted is an understatement.
Luckily I am unstoppable! :)

This thing was supposed to be ready to rock and roll for release on the 9th December.

Sponsors and product placement companies defaulting on payment, investors simply not taking calls, bridging financiers lying through their teeth... We don't sue anyone, it's not how we roll! We just find money from scratch to finish our baby for a release in April.

After 4 months of ducking and diving, companies come clean on their slashed marketing budgets, loud mouth businessmen repent for over committing and we have to sell 35% of our movie...

Quite honestly, although it's been tough on the team and the poor sods who have had to ride the storms of financial hell, I am glad for every drop of anguish so far.

"Andrew are you mad?"

When I started making the Race-ist, I knew nothing.

Literally nothing.

All I was focused on was making my movie and it's sequels and that was that for the next 5 years.

The past 6 months have shown me a Country of unpaid cast and crew (not just from our project), ignorant producers, slimy investors, pessimistic distributors, unmotivated government and an industry that just cannot sufficiently keep its employees alive!

I must be honest. Although D9 was a fantastic film that created a lot of Jobs for South African cast and crew and really put us on the map (like a home run after Tsotsi :), It cannot be counted as part of the 'South African' film industry. That would paint a completely wrong picture! D9 had dollars.. LOTS of dollars. The average South African film has Rands, VERY LITTLE rands!

To Neil and his team I tip my hat (and bow on the floor for lack of worthiness) but I am driven with a mission to change the South African film Industry!

Our crews and cast walk around with too many battle scars for what should be a creative space, our producers are demoralized, most of them so sceptical you can't have a conversation with them! We've all been lied to so severely by so many people and (believe me) when your word to others cannot be kept because others could not keep their word to you, I can only describe it as hell.

Me, I'm fine, I am good at closing deals and finding money. The rest of the Industry?

The Race-ist is no longer my sole project. I am now driven to get South Africa behind our film Industry like they are behind our Sports teams!

Do you realize that out of 50 million South Africans, less than 1.5 million go to the movies?
Every year the number of film goers increase, but think about this:

The average 'good' movie will pull in a mere R10 mil at local box office. The film maker will get R4 mil of that if they are very lucky! What kind of a movie can you make for R4mil?

Mr Bones 2 pulls R30 Mil at the box office and we are all "Woohooo, a smash hit!"
Have we lost our minds? Thats less than $4 mil! We should be pulling ten times those numbers!

Movies with proper budgets create jobs, and lots of jobs! We are talking over 1000 people that need to be accommodated, fed, clothed, entertained and supported logistically.

If a high budget movie is produced in your town, TENS of MILLIONS of Rands or Dollars get spent in your community!

The more high budget films we have, the better off our entire industry!

So yeah... we're almost done with The Race-ist, but I'm just getting warmed up!

Watch this space!

Our First Official Teaser Trailer.

2009-09-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

40 hours without sleep to edit this one... hope ya likes it!

Just finished principle photography...

2009-09-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

The Race-ist is more than my first movie, it has become an event in my life that has shown me who I truly am and defined me as a man and a leader.

I have had to dig deep to keep going every day, fought frustrations within myself at the pettiness of industry tradition...

I have come face to face with people who demand clear and concise leadership and it has made me a better human being!
I have hated them at times but have grown to love and respect them and proudly call them 'my team'.

Producing and Directing a film is like being on a battlefield!
There is so much going on simultaneously, so much expected of you and so much riding on your ability to maintain a haven of perspective that giving up or backing down are simply not an option!

No matter how well you plan your strategy, you need to keep moving, stay on your feet, keep focused... When things go wrong, they cannot be fixed, they have to be changed! If you are making a film, fear of change is garunteed suicide!

We made this thing with Rands... not dollars, not pounds... RANDS...

Our project is considered low budget.. and you feel it when you are shooting the thing! The strange thing is, 'low budget' is still enough money to buy a nice house and a very nice car...

You spend millions without effort!
It's an industry that eats money like popcorn. If you don't keep your eye on that budget, you'll be broken before you even finish filming the thing!

The financial pressure in itself is enough to crush you... still, your creativity has to stay up there! You have to keep pushing your team and just keep your eyes on the goal.

Well anyway... I'll chat some more in the future but I'll end with this:

My first movie making experience has simultaneously been the worst and best thing I have ever been through! I can't wait for the next one! :)

...still plugging at it!

2009-05-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

Almost a year later.

We start the shoot in a couple of days.

What a ride it has been, so bumpy in fact that all the naysayers and cynics have fallen off the Bus.

Pursuing your dreams is a great way to experience life. You find your real friends. Your relationships are tested to their limits and you see first hand who you will take with you to your great future.

I am so happy with my team right now, they are more than just great friends, they are great people.

Keep watching this space... it will be filled with success very soon! :)

And the beat goes on...

2008-09-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

Gahhh...

Logistics, Logistics and more Logistics!

This 64 page excel document is a mountain all in itself!

To many it is known as a dead stop, an intimidation so ghastly that it ends many journeys!

I lovingly call it 'THE BUDGET!'

This is where the other geniuses come in... they use phrases like 'forensically question' and 'economically viable'.

Well... I'll keep my attention deficit disorder under wraps for now and keep my head down.

Sugar anyone?

It takes discipline to be disciplined!

2008-06-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

So here I am working on the Character histories and story maps... it's like a spider spinning a web on crack...

We are not talking minutes here.. this is hours... and lots of them!

Each character needs a history, richly colored and lovingly crafted so that when the scripting is done, we have a strong reference to keep our story believable.

Boring as hell.. but it is crucial to a powerful story!

If you're going to tell a story, it helps to have well... um... a story in it... hahaha.

..and the hits keep coming...

2008-06-14T00:45:00.000-07:00

More than ever, I begin to realise the importance of a planned vision... of seeing your end product in your mind as if it is done. Preparation, preparation, refinement and more preparation.

Then there's the importance of keeping your mind open... allowing others to give input...

To helm any project means you need to 'know it all' without being a 'knowitall'...
Listen as much as you can, Learn as much as you can and do as much as you can...

Excellence, Brilliance... etc. these are words are much more than mere results.

These words are a discipline that needs to be present from the word 'Go'.

Great people bring greatness to the smallest tasks... so the small things..EVERY little thing!

Greatness is a decision.. and I have made that decision with all my heart!

Whn I speak to sponsors, actors, crew etc. I speak with confidence and passion. Dignity is something you give everything around you. never be ashamed to sell your dreams to people... you are a machine! yoo can dooo eeeet!

Putting the 'Fun' in Funding...

2008-06-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

So here we are... where we have never been before... cautiously peering over the edge of an intimidating precipice when suddenly...

...eh?

It's not half as bad as I thought!

I shake my head vigorously and gasp in surprise as I notice the lies and misconceptions of the nay-sayers scattered on the ground all around me... it's crazy... impossible is a mere point of view, nothing more!

They bark and they spew. They advise and they warn. We cover their cowardice by saying: 'they meant well'.

Well heres my new philosophy: If your negative opinion does not have a working alternative attached to it, shut the hell up!

The mountain:

My movie is going to cost me 30 million Rands (about 2 million pounds).

Its a great concept, powerful script and funny as hell.

I have awesome writers on board, the best crew are all saying yes and my cast is fantastic.

Investors are smiling at me greedily.... here's the catch:

I do not want investors! I want sponsors, advertisers and media partners!

Investors mean risk. I live in South Africa. Risk + South Africa = Epic Phail!

So off I go, I find clever people to help me work out the budgets, find great marketing and branding trade strategies and go find me some money!

Annnnnd they're off. 'It cant be done'; 'It hasn't been done'; 'You are biting off more than you can chew'.... it goes on and on... small minded, slow witted cowards who do not realise that 'can't' is a pure matter of perspective.

From my pont of view, ANYTHING looks possible!

The nay-sayer lies down on his bed of mediocrity where the pillow of challenge looks like an insurmountable mountain!

I send the first email... the answer is yes.
I send the second email... the answer is yes.

It would appear that Donald Trumps' motto works perfectly!
'When preparation meets opportunity, the idiots call it luck'.

I wait for answers from the other emails... nothing.. the deafening silence of rejection threatens to overwhelm me.

Another investor calls to see how it is going. I lie to him and say it is going very well.

No replies on them emails.

Phone not ringing.

Deafening silence.

And so I keep preparing.

Refine the story.

Upgrade the details.

Approach more clever people.

Research some more.

click the Send/Receive button as if it will speed things up...

Upgrade some more, refine some more.

and the project gets bigger...and better!

and still the deafening silence...

Then....

It starts.

The emails start arriving...

And the phone starts ringing...

The deafening silence had prepared me.

I have the answers. I have the strategies. I have the vision firmly in my mind.

I will accomplish this!

And I will not use one investor!

Impossible?

Just watch this space!