The Production of Tv Commercials and Stills Photography in Cape Town
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THE PRODUCTION OF TV COMMERCIALS AND STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY IN CAPE TOWN An overview of the impacts and constraints of the commercial production sector on the Cape Town economy. Martin Cuff, August 4th 2011 Commercial Producers Association SAASP P O Box 413005 PO Box 51649 Craighall Waterfront 2024 8002 Tel: 27 11 673 6809 Tel: 27 21 447 1075 Cell: 27 82 683 0575 Cel: 27 82 403 3661 Fax: 27 86 674 8321 Fax: 27 86 656 9656 E‐mail: [email protected] E‐mail: [email protected] Web: www.Cpasa.tv Web: www.saasp.Co.za DisClaimer: This doCument was assembled from various publiCations and websites between 2005 and 2011. It is intended for general researCh purposes only. Whilst every effort was made to ensure the information herein was CorreCt at time of Compilation, we make no warranties of any kind regarding the Completeness, aCCuraCy, reliability or suitability of the information. Any relianCe you plaCe on suCh is at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising out of, or in ConneCtion with the use of this information. The following doCuments were used as referenCe materials for this doCument: • DACST Cultural Industries Growth Strategy (1998) • Department of Trade & Industry SeCtor Development Strategy for Film and Television (June 2005); • Western Cape ProvinCial Government MiCro EConomiC Development Strategy (MEDS) Report for the Film SeCtor (April 2005) • CommerCial ProduCers AssoCiation Industry Survey (2005 ‐ 2011) • South AfriCan AssoCiation of Stills ProduCers Annual Survey (2005/6, 2009‐11) • Cape Film Commission StrategiC EConomiC Analysis (2006) • Gauteng Film Commission EConomiC review (2007) • The Durban & KZN Film Industry Review (2008) • Eastern Cape Development Corporation Film SeCtor Review (2009) THE PRODUCTION OF TV COMMERCIALS AND STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY IN CAPE TOWN SUMMARY: • Stills and TV Commercials make up 57.7% of the the turnover of production in the Western Cape • The combined value of Stills & TV Commercial Production in the province is R1.53 billion. • Estimated contribution of Stills and Commercials to South African GDP is R2.06 billion. • 98.9% of the productions shot in the Western Cape are Stills and TV Commercials. • Stills and Commercials account for 16818 Production Days annually • 69.6% of all jobs/labour is created are in the Commercials and Stills sectors. • The Commercials and Stills sectors create 5957 full time jobs annually. • 4560 of these jobs are in Cape Town. • Stills and Commercials contribute to 164,293 Person Days of Employment a Year. 1. THE SOUTH AFRICAN FILM SECTOR i) CLASSIFICATIONS & ACTIVITIES Statistics South Africa classifies the film and television industry under Division 96: Recreational, Cultural and Sporting Activities. In particular the Film Industry as it is known in South Africa falls under major group 961: Motion picture, radio, television and other entertainment activities. This group is further divided into subgroups relating to the different processes of film and television production namely: • Motion picture and video production and distribution (Standard Industry Classification (SIC 96111) • Film and tape renting to other industries, booking, delivery and storage (SIC 96112) • Motion picture projection by cinemas (SIC 96121), • Motion picture projection by drive‐in cinemas (SIC 96121), • Radio and television activities (SIC 96130), which includes the production of radio and television programs. (Note: broadcasting itself falls under a separate subgroup, (SIC 75200).) In other words, “Film” is more than just feature film. The business activities within the sector include amongst others: • Production of original content ‐mainly television programmes, commercials and corporate videos but including feature film; • Facilitation of Production of content ‐ commercials, television, photography and feature film productions that originate overseas and are primarily intended for international distribution ; • Provision of labour, equipment, services and talent for film sector productions; • Provision of financial / legal services to the film industry; • Distribution and exhibition of films and television programmes; • Post production operations such as editing, film lab, sound, graphics, etc. • Animation • Education and Training ii) BUSINESS MODELS For purposes of clarity, the South African film industry is actually made up of two distinct business models for production that operate simultaneously in the country, namely: • Commercial model (or “Production on Demand”) – servicing international clients with little or no creative input, but reaping major economic rewards for participating companies and the wider community. • Cultural / Creative model – producing local work mainly for SA broadcasters or local distribution, offering cultural integrity but severely under‐resourced and offering significantly lower commercial returns. (The national challenge of course is to move this specific sector to a more economically viable and sustainable platform.) The distinction between the two models is essentially one of product development and who is responsible for it. In the Creative Model, participants must be skilled at the cost‐ intensive but non‐revenue generating activities such as conceptualisation, financing, and other pre‐production elements involved in creating and developing one’s own products. In contrast, the Commercial Model does not develop its own products but rather on the marketing of services to international standards. At a structural level, the film sector relies on both vertical linkages between firms at different levels of the value chain (i.e. the availability of crew and services) and horizontal linkages between firms at the same level of the value chain, both to share resources, increase bargaining power, and facilitate the creation of industry standards and marketing campaigns. Taking these business models into consideration, the following kinds of production are typically undertaken in South Africa and are defined as follows: • Long Form The term Long Form is typically used in South Africa to describe a variety of filmed production activities that include Feature Films, Made for TV Movies and direct‐to‐dvd productions. The determining factor of Long Form Production is, (unsurprisingly,) the length of the finished product. The definition of minimum length varies from 40 minutes (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rule) to about 90 minutes (the definition in Cambridge Dictionaries Online). Long form can also be used to describe an episode of a TV series that has been extended to the length of a feature film. Such "feature length" episodes are usually series pilots, holiday specials or season finales. • Television The category “Television” is used to describe a broad range of productions that include documentaries, game shows, reality television, short films, corporate videos and even aerial footage. • Commercial A television commercial is a production for an advertised product. In comparison with Long Form, Television Commercials are usually short – typically 60, 30, 20 or 10 seconds. In South Africa, the industry usually distinguishes between: Local Commercial Local Commercials are commercials produced by local advertisers principally for use on South African television Service Commercial Service Productions are foreign productions featuring advertised product that are serviced in South Africa by a South African production company but without the create inputs of a South African director. International Commercial Director‐based commercials are productions filmed in South Africa for worldwide distribution, using the creative inputs of a South African director. • Stills Production Stills Productions most typically function as Service Productions, where foreign photographic shoots are serviced in South Africa by a South African production company but without the create inputs of a South African photographer. Stills Productions produce posters and billboards, point‐of‐sale advertising materials, catalogues, magazine spreads, fashion shoots and product brochures. • New Media New Media describes new methods for both the creation and dissemination of material. It includes animation, Video Games, Podcasts, Online Broadcasting, Cellphone distribution, Medical Animation and Social Networking. New media productions will become increasing prevalent in the future. iii) INDUSTRY VALUE CHAIN Irrespective of the business model, the Value Chain of the film sector is complex; and is generally laid out as follows: • Concept, Financing and Pre‐Production refers to the planning phase of a production. This starts right at the beginning of the process and includes screenwriting and film financing. It involves finding the location, planning and scheduling the shoots, budgeting and employing casting and crewing agents. (SIC 96111 / 96130) • Production/Development and Post Production includes pre‐and postproduction as well as activities related to film financing. These activities can generally be described as the activities required to produce one negative print of the movie. Production is the act of filming, where the disparate parts (crew, equipment, talent etc) are brought together. Post‐production refers to the editing process where the production is edited, and special effects and sound are added. (SIC 96111 / 96130) The other side of the value chain is determined by what happens to that one “negative” once it is completed, namely MONETISATION. • Distribution refers to the activities around buying and selling the print. • Platforms refers to