Creative Cape Town

Say ‘South African short film’ at a dinner party, and you’re not necessarily going to get the response you’d expected. Especially not if you’re sitting with a set of sexy young film writers, actors, editors and directors who do it their own way because they can and they care and they made this :

This short film is the latest example of Be Phat Motel’s consistent creativity and productivity .   Quality like these, and other, quirkier ones like hosting the first Cape Town leg of shnit international short film festival earlier this year, galvanise the film company as the maker and supporter of marvellous and unexpected tales with a universal touch, an approach attractive to audiences, clients, investors and collaborators alike.  Listen in as we investigate the cross-genre, Cape Town short that’s re-appropriating perceptions of quality, imagination and innovation in the context of local, independent film.

Inge Beckmann, lead actor

CCT : Lead actor of a short, independent film – now there’s pressure and privilege rolled into one! What were some of the techniques you used to get into your unusual role? And has the experience widened your scope?

Inge : I would not want to give too much of the story away by answering that question but I will say that I am very grateful for being offered the opportunity to play such an unusual but frustrating character as my first official lead. I like the deep end. Read more…

Michael Matthews, director

CCT: You’ve mentioned a ’dry spell’ preceding the shooting of Sweetheart . How did the sudden opportunity to be freely creative affect your professional decisions on set?

Michael : It was a dry spell in terms of shooting a project I really wanted to. I had been doing jobs for money and doing a lot of development with Sean Drummond (writer_  on feature film projects, but I was just getting tired of playing so many films through my head and doing all the development work without actually shooting them.  Read more…

Sean Drummond, screenwriter/producer

CCT : are you satisfied with the team’s composite personal interpretations of your script? (and is it easier to write freely and effectively when you know you can trust the team that will turn it into film?)

Sean : Yes, trust is a big part of the working relationship and we really trust each other as a team, from the point where we’ll conceptualise a story, the guys trust that I’ll write it well, we trust that Mike will direct it well, Shaun will shoot it well, Dan will edit it well, etc… It’s a huge part of the reason we work well together and continue to work together. Read more…

Shaun Lee, cinematographer

CCT : The composite scenery, whilst recognisable to a Capetonian, is both eerie and attractive. How did you choose the particular vantage points of the establishing shots like the farm house, the closing scene in silhouette against the night sky?

Shaun: It comes down to fairly extensive location scouting, driving round with a stills camera taking pictures trying to figure out what will work in the context of the script/story. It helps that as a film maker you’re often looking at your environment as a potential location so you tend to build up a mental bank of places which, if you’re lucky, slot in to upcoming projects.  Read more…

Daniel Mitchel, editor

CCT: Yours is the fresh eye and the last word in a long line of creative contributions and decisions. What techniques/mindsets did you employ to ensure you do the rest of the Sweetheart creative team justice when you cut and pasted the film into the final product? And were you ever nervous about how the others would feel about editing decisions you took?

Daniel : Mine is not the last word in the line of creative decisions. Rather, it is the beginning of a new line of creative decisions, which all revolve around how best to tell the story. In terms of deciding which editing techniques to apply, it’s not really a conscious choice but more feeling ones way through a scene and punctuating emotional highs and lows and then placing that scene in the context of the film to ensure fluidity.  Read more…

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If,  after this chit chat, you still think Sweetheart sounds like something that should be screened on the Hallmark Channel, become a friend of Be Phat Motel, and they’ll let you know when you can view the film’s stunning and unusual CT scenery, exemplary character portrayal, and chilling story line that gets you thinking.