Ever wondered what it’s like to make a film? The different aspects of filmmaking are often not well understood until one actually sees it all in action.  Emerging South African filmmaker and screenwriter based in the United States, Tumelo Tladi takes us through a day in the life of a 1st assistant director on the set of an independent film in production.

The objective: shoot a series of ten scenes written independently as part of pilot episodes of an anthology series about life in Brooklyn, New York, and call it Map of Brooklyn.

She writes in a thread on Twitter, “The mission was ambitious. Ten scenes from a ten-episode anthology series, shot in five days on location in January (winter). And, a cast of 25 lead actors, some extras and a crew of 30-35, paid. Began pre-production in September, and have been in post for four months.”  The production was filmed over the course of five days, excluding days for prep. And, the budget: $50 000 (roughly R730 000) - much more than any indie production can ever hope to work with.

Tumelo was tasked with one of the hardest and most challenging jobs on any film or TV set -- the 1st assistant director, aka 1st AD. Of all the on-set crew, the one who's running the show; the first one in, and the last one out.

She says about the role, "No matter how hard you prepare, you will always get something new each and every day when you show up to set. So it’s always best to know how to triage, handle multiple personalities, conflict and any potential disasters. Basically, be ready for anything. And, watch the clock!"

The 35-year-old stresses that as 1st AD, one really needs to be smooth, but also respectful of all the crew in order to get their way. "Remember that everyone has a job to do. Don’t do their job for them. Your job as the 1st AD is to make the director’s life on set as easy and as smooth as humanly possible. And, everyone else’s job is to make sure you can do that, IF things don’t go according to plan. This is triage work; preemptive work. Prioritising. Damage control might be going on behind the scenes (and over walkie), but it should be smooth sailing on set in front of the camera with the actors, the director, and director of photography. If you can pull that off, you’re a genius", she adds.

After all the hard work on set and in post-production, the anthology short was finally set to premiere on 4 May, but due to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, the planned screening was turned into a live YouTube premiere, followed by a virtual “meet and greet” with the writers, the director and some of the executive producers.

And, that is how you make an indie production. The full thread with insight into each department can be found on the filmmaker's Twitter and the full Map of Brooklyn anthology short is also available to watch online. Tumelo's currently in pre-production and crowdfunding for another short, scripted during the initial lockdown in 2020.

New Mediacontinues to rake in the awards with a category clean-up at the Pearl Awards, which were held in New York last Friday. In the Best Print Experience (B2C) category, New Media won both the gold and silver awards with their publications for Sanlam and Woolworths. 

Taking gold, the Sanlam Centenary magazine was one of a series of publications produced for Sanlam to celebrate its 100th birthday in 2018. Woolworths TASTE magazine took the silver for the March 2018 edition of the incredibly successful monthly title. Elizka Ferreira, head of foods marketing for Woolworths says, “We are immensely proud of the experience that New Media creates for our customers in TASTE, and to have that recognised on the international stage is phenomenal.” 

Although primarily a digital content and strategy agency, New Media is thrilled to receive these awards for two printed products. The results reaffirm its belief in print as a powerful solution in the right circumstances. Both products illustrate how careful planning, a relentless focus on excellence and the very best talent can come together to create wonderful reader experiences in what is fast becoming the premium channel of print.  New Media’s group creative director Crispian Brown adds: “Although very different in subject matter, audience and purpose, Centennial and TASTE share a basic DNA for creating great content: a good brief, a client who trusts and collaborates with you, a clear strategy and the best creatives focussing on their craft. A good print execution should pique interest irrespective of where people choose to start reading, and surprise and delight the more they explore.” 

Run by the Content Council in the USA, the Pearl Awards receive hundreds of entries and recognise the very best in content excellence around the world. The awards ceremony was hosted in New York at Hearst Tower on Friday and agencies from the USA, UK, Sweden, Canada, Australia and South Africa were recognised for their world-class work. 

Aileen Lamb, MD of New Media says, “Both Sanlam and Woolworths are long-standing clients of New Media and, in both cases, the relationship of trust allows New Media to push the boundaries of creativity, put the customer first, and invest in quality talent and resources. I want to congratulate our clients and thank them and our teams for their relentless pursuit of excellence and their willingness to always make it one step better. The excellence that has been rewarded in these two products is backed up by a body of varied and excellent of work for both Sanlam and Woolworths of which we are very proud.”