South African TV: " CINDERELLA OF THE CAPE FLATS "

   

!!10 Years of freedom celebrated by local documentary filmmakers!!

SABC1 Factual Commissioning Editor, Pat van Heerden, is currently working on Project "10", a series of narrative documentary films exploring the intimate/personal experience of 10 years of freedom in South Africa.

14 documentary proposals were selected for "10" and will begin broadcast in 2004, to celebrate 10 years of freedom.

The selected films are set in different geographic locations around the country and tell tales of South Africa's diverse sub-cultures. Together the films will reflect a vision of South African identity for the future, while acting as a kind of time capsule for the era.

The Binger Institute of Amsterdam has been providing master training courses in documentary filmmaking for the selected filmmakers and has brought international trainers to mentor the filmmakers. Jennifer Fox headed up the training program and people like Arne Bro, head of the Danish Film School have been brought out to run the workshops.

   

The Cinderella diaries - One

Finally the process has begun!

The week after returning from Josi and Sam Pollard's editing workshop, our first factory began rehearsals for their Spring Queen competition contestants and, for the first time, we got to meet our prospective characters. The challenge now, is in picking the Queen! And believe me, it is quite a challenge - beauty really is a very subjective thing.

Last Friday I was invited by the shop stewards of Rex Trueform to join them on a trip to Atlantis to watch their sister factory's competition. No filming tonight - this was to be a big social event where everyone - including me - would get an opportunity to let our hair down. In the car on the way over, everything changed. One of my passengers 'announced' that actually, they needed me to be one of the judges.

What an experience. 30 something hopefuls came parading out in all their finery, smiling beseechingly at the judges table! Fortunately, being an organisation very firmly rooted in sound democratic principles, the choice and the decision didn't rest entirely with me - 5 of us got to argue, lobby, connive and manipulate our favourites into the finals! It was tough and tense and a whole lot of fun. And, at the end of the evening, we were all handsomely rewarded with a beautifully wrapped bottle of sweet pink bubbly and an exotic piece of champagne coloured lacy underwear! Wish I had the courage to send in a photograph!

   

Cinderella diaries - Two

The Contestants.

Entries have closed and a whopping 36 people have put their names forward as contestants in Rex Trueform's 2003 Spring Queen pageant. I say whopping because we now have to explore the lives of the 36 hopefuls looking for our 'characters' and that, is a big job. I mean, what 'makes' a character in the first place? And how, in a short interview, can one possibly 'judge' another human being as a good or not so good character - even within the given that we are looking in film terms? And then, there is the added complication of having to choose a winner in pageant terms as well!

So, who to focus on. should it be Beverley: the thirty something soft beauty who is entering the pageant for the seventh time and has never won before. or Nolita: also in her thirties and a repeat contestant - her involvement in the competition motivated by her cultural pride? Or maybe it's sweet Shamila - a 'first-timer' in her early twenties, whose 9 year-old daughter has been teaching her how to walk for the judges. Then there's the chic crew from the admin section - commonly referred to as 'the bourgeoisie' who, in their black leather boots and pencilled eyebrows turn heads in the factory and the street! Oh, and how could I forget Micaela, one of two 'men' entering Rex's Spring Queen competition who has felt like a woman since she was a little girl?

So many options, so many stories - so little time! I wonder if there is any chance of the SABC extending my story to 60 minutes?!

   

Cinderella diaries - 3

Pick your crew carefully.

So I think I might have a bit of a problem.. In all of the theorising about this story, the fact that Penny and I are women filmmakers tackling what is so obviously a woman's story was seen to be a huge advantage. And it is. We understand the nuances. We can relate to the hair and the make-up and the ball-gown dress thing - hey, one of the strongest memories of my life was winning a prize in a hot-pants competition! Okay, I was only twelve but still, I know what it's like!

So we move into the factory and the filming of the story with Mohammed Arends on sound, Chris Lotz on camera and plenty of confidence.

I'm not sure at what point exactly I noticed that I wasn't getting the undivided attention I - as director - was entitled to. Why is it that whenever I'm chatting to the girls their attention slowly starts to wonder to my left and, even though I asked the question, Mo's getting the full, rich, doe-eyed intensity of the reply?

The penny (sorry Penny!) finally dropped when Micaela took me aside and asked me with a wishful eye if Mohammed was married. Ha! The good-looking crew is ruining the shoot! I know that this is a film about beauty but really. I mean, one of the contestants almost walked into the flower arrangement on the ramp because her eye was on Chris rather than her feet!

A word of advice to all - if you want to remain the focus of your character's attention - especially if it's women you are filming - take an ugly crew!

   

Cinderella diaries - 4

The Sunday morning after our first factories pageant and I am nursing a headache that feels like I personally was responsible for the hundreds of empty beer, whisky and vodka bottles that lay strewn across the floor of the Union hall last night. I think it must have something to do with the tendency in documentary making to immerse oneself completely in the story - intimate association intoxicated me! And, of course, I have to admit to extraordinary tension and excitement - who was going to win and thereby become one of the major characters in my film.

Either that or the two whiskey and sprites that I drank from a jam jar while sitting amongst the debris with Rex Trueform's benevolent society members after everyone else had left, were larger than I thought!

But one story at a time.

The winner - no, no, no, of course I'm not going to tell you who won - you'll have to watch the movie for that! What I will say though, is that I am very, very pleased with the results. I think that the 'documentary angels' where on duty last night because the woman who won has an extraordinary story to tell and I really look forward to spending much time with her over the next few months.

The crowd - well, what to say about the 900 odd screaming, cheering, dancing, gyrating people who made up the audience? I think that even without the lubrication from the many (I mean hundreds!!) of litres of alcohol consumed, they would have had a fine and fantastic time. This pageant is an event that the factory workers have celebrated for 25 years and although nothing much changes from year to year, it is still a highlight on the annual calendar. It is a wonderful excuse for a first rate party! And that is what was had by all!

   

And finally, the Benevolent Society. Formed within Rex Trueform by shop stewards and workers, the society's primary function is to raise funds to support fellow workers in need. Their main fund-raising tool is organising events for the workers and the Spring Queen pageant is one of their main events. It's a brilliant system really - find ways for people to have great fun while contributing to a 'savings' fund that they have a direct interest in. Win/win! And the Benevolent Society members at Rex have been my family and my friends for the past two months. They have opened doors, bent rules, stretched time and done absolutely everything possible to facilitate the filming of their event. Well, almost everything. There is only one thing they have denied me - access to the 'skinner stories'! When I walk into the room and they are in a huddle, the first thing they check for is the camera. If it's not in my hand, the conversation continues but, if it's anywhere in sight, we're back on the budget and the weather!

Sadly/predictably, the jam jar whiskeys happened after the gear had been wrapped and packed last night. The crew had left and I popped back into the hall for a final goodbye and thank you. There were the stalwarts - not more than eight of them - sweeping, packing, sorting and clearing the piles of chip packets, cigarette butts, empty bottles and cans. Exhausted, satisfied, happy and very ready to sit down for a well-earned drink, a laugh and a 'skinner story' or two!

Visuals Group Technical Department.