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Mediatech Attracts 5 700 Visitors |
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For three days the Coca-Cola dome in Johannesburg played host to the industry’s biggest names for the advanced technology trade fair, Mediatech. The event took place from 23-25 July 2009, attracting 5 700 visitors, a considerable increase from 2008’s 4090. The change in venue from the Sandton Convention Centre had many wondering if the show would be as well-attended as previous years, but the overwhelming response allayed all further doubts. Show director Simon Robinson said the dome allowed more space for new exhibitors and attractions. For example, the Miller Marquee acted as a stage for live acts throughout the three days, such as pianist Peter Bartmans, showing off the latest in Yamaha technology, The Sick Leaves, Chix with Stix, and Robb Allen, sound engineer for Coldplay and the Manic Street Preachers. Simon was happy with the increased turnout, as were the exhibiting companies. “A lot of the exhibitors commented on the increased space we had to work with this year,” Simon said. As has been the standard in the past, exhibitors went all out to outshine each other on the floor and alcohol played a large part of that. Audio distribution company Tadco stood out for the innovative bar at their stand. which became a major socialising hub for visitors. One company, Specialised Broadcast Sales and Services (SBSS), formerly known as Shoal Creek, had pole dancers bumping and grinding at their stand half-an hour before closing on the last day. The stunt may have been approved with the organisers, but more than one eyebrow was raised. Of the 130 exhibitors, Sony won the Overall Best in Show stand award and Spescom was runner up. Film and Event Publishing, the parent company of the The Callsheet, The Filmmakers Guide to South Africa and The Event Newspaper, won a Gold stand award for its innovative movie house design, where fresh popcorn was distributed and visitors were able to watch a showreel of animations, such as Gijima, the promo for the latest animated feature from Character Matters. Animation was one of the larger themes this year and Toon Boom Animation delivered a full workshop in digital animation using Toon Boom Animate. Animation SA and Touchvision were two other companies highlighting the animation industry in South Africa. One of the talks of interest from the show was a panel discussion on “Success on a shoestring,” where panelists spoke openly about the reality of fi lmmaking in South Africa and working with smaller budgets. Kevin Fleischer, part of the production team behind Stepping Stone Pictures (White Wedding), hails from the finance industry and professes not to be a filmmaker. He explained, “In Nigeria investors are putting money into Nollywood movies because they are guaranteed a good return. In the South African fi lm industry, if you put money into a fi lm you’re almost guaranteed to make a loss.” White Wedding reached R5 million at the box offi ce, 40% of which goes to the production company. “That’s R1.7 million,” he says. Further income is generated from DVD sales but piracy is a massive problem. “White Wedding was on the streets for R20 five weeks before we released it on DVD. I’m sure double the sales in the formal market was made on the street.” Paul Raleigh, the director of South African Film Financiers SA, reiterates Kevin’s comments. He said that on its opening weekend, copies of Tsotsi were being sold on William Nichol. “On the plus side, we outsold Leon Schuster in the informal market.” The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) rebate is essential for South African production companies. Keith says, “Without the rebate you are not going to break even.” Interestingly, Paul says that its movie stars that make a movie successful. “Look at the Bollywood model,” he says. This could account for the success of Leon Schuster films in South Africa, which have historically out-grossed all others. Other events that stood out were the sound demos, held at Mediatech for the first time, although not without problems. Simon says, “We did have three sound complaints from the area but we had a sound engineer on site all the time who measured the sound according to the bylaws.” Sally Fink | |||
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