Generations creator and director Mfundi Vundla had sleepless nights as he battled the stress of the strike drama around Generations three months ago. But the craziness and chaos have subsided, filming is on track and tomorrow night, after a two-month absence, the show is back on SABC1.
The director of the soapie has spoken for the first time about the strike and its impact on him .
He indicated that he refused to allow the striking actors to call the shots. After all, he is credited with creating the countrys top-rated daytime soapie and hed be damned if he would allow actors to call the shots.
I figured, let me just get them out of my life, he said.
The 68-year-old director said dealing with the strike was not easy by any means, at times it was actually scary. But he said that once the strike started, he knew he would have to get rid of the actors defying him.
After all that was being said about me, how do you go back and start working with people like them? he said.
On August 11, the actors who had demanded extended contracts were fired. They have since approached the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. The case is still before the commission.
The actors demanded exploitation fees covering royalties, compensation for reruns , payment for character-specific product placement and a standard industry pay hike of up to R30000 a week.
Vundla said he was harassed by Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula. It was chaos , said Vundla.
After the series was abruptly cancelled, Vundla went abroad to clear my head.
Upon arriving in Chicago, he became involved in a heated SMS exchange with Vavi.
He said the trade unionist demanded that they meet to discuss the sacked actors. That was not going to happen, said Vundla.
The last SMS Vundla wrote to Vavi read: Mr Vavi, I will not see you and kindly refrain from contacting me again.
He said most of his friends thought he had lost it when he took on Vavi.
But I was fighting for my show and this Vavi comes around and thinks he can f*** with my show. No way, that was not going to happen, shouted Vundla.
The director said he was accountable only to the commissioners of his show, the SABC, and the shows sevenmillion viewers.
He did confess, however, that he considered getting one of the 16 sacked actors back. He put out feelers to Seputla Sebogodi, who played villain Kenneth Mashaba.
I wanted Seputla back and I was having back-door conversations with his manager - and for a while I thought it was going to work out.
After a strategy meeting in the Magaliesberg, where we were rewriting the whole Generations, we made up our minds that having him back wasnt going to work, said Vundla.
With his new show set to start tomorrow on SABC1 at 8pm, Vundla revealed that he had been approached by numerous big-name actors, including Connie Ferguson, who plays Karabo Moroka, and Sello Maake Ka Ncube, who played Archie Moroka. Maake Ka Ncube did not make the cut because his character had been killed on the show years ago.
Vundla said he had worked for 20 years to build up Generations and Ill be damned if anyone comes along and destroys this.
Canning the show was never a consideration. My view was ... these 16 people walked into a show that was already successful anyway. They didnt build this thing.
They were too happy to jump into Generations, which was successful, and for them to think all of a sudden ngabo abayakhileyo leGenerations (they built this Generations), no ways, shouted Vundla.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
02/06/2024
AE add 3D motion to still photographs
Brie Clayton June 2, 2024
0 Comments
AE add 3D motion to still photographs
May 30, 2024COW Featured Resume: Pa...
01/06/2024
Dustee Jenkins, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Spotify
With billions of people from over 50 countries heading to the polls to cast their vote, 2024 is shaping u...
01/06/2024
Busy this week catching up from the Memorial Day holiday? Our TV Tech weekly wrap-up of all our coverage of new products, services and deployments will get you ...
01/06/2024
Young Sherlock, with Guy Ritchie directing and executive producing, is a go at Prime Video. Hero Fiennes Tiffin plays Sherlock. Prime Video calls it the origin...
01/06/2024
The Los Angeles Sparks-Indiana Fever game on Friday featuring the top two WNBA draft picks, Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink, was the most watched WNBA game on I...
01/06/2024
Lionsgate, which increased its majority stake in 3 Arts Entertainment in January, said it named Brian Weinstein co-CEO of 3 Arts....
01/06/2024
Netflix is launching four video games based on unscripted series this year. They...
01/06/2024
ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates switched from their regular programming to carry live coverage of the verdicts in the porn star hush-money trial of former Pres...
31/05/2024
A U.S. Marine fires an FIM-92 Stinger missile during a training exercise in Yuma...
31/05/2024
NEW YORK The global body that sets technical standards for digital advertising h...
31/05/2024
In a new analysis of what services might make up a good bundle and what services might benefit the most from bundling, Antenna has released new data that highli...
31/05/2024
Global SVOD revenues will increase by $116.6 billion by 2031, a growth rate of 13.3% per year over the next eight years, according to a new report from MIDiA Re...
31/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The FCC Media Bureau has announced that effective August 1, 2024 the Commission's TVStudy software will incorporate the most recent U.S. Ce...
31/05/2024
NBCUniversal has announced that its FAST channel TNBC will be rebranding to NBC Comedy Vault on June 1 and that the free streaming service will officially launc...
31/05/2024
PARIS Ateme has announced that the Indonesian public broadcaster TVRI is making the transition to 4K UHD OTT streaming using Ateme technologies....
31/05/2024
The proposal had received support from James Cameron, Andy Serkis, Paul Greengrass, Richard Curtis, and Jeremy Irons
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 31, 2...
31/05/2024
According to multiple reports, the new bid from Skydance offers a better deal to Paramounts Class B shareholders, who were said to be unhappy with the companys ...
31/05/2024
The awards recognise women and companies who are stand-out performers, innovators and leaders in the broadcast media technology industry
By Matthew Corrigan
...
31/05/2024
NEW YORK The global body that sets technical standards for digital advertising has expanded the reach of its measurement software development kit to include Sam...
31/05/2024
The rise of digital platforms is fundamentally changing the broadcast newsroom and its investment in technology according to Jon Roberts, director of technology...
31/05/2024
In a new analysis of what services might make up a good bundle and what services might benefit the most from bundling, Antenna has released new data that highli...
31/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Fifty state broadcasters associations, including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, have sent a letter to Congressio...
31/05/2024
EVS has announced the appointment of Richard Katz as senior vice president of operations for the North and Latin American (NALA) region. This appointment is par...
31/05/2024
CommScope has announced that it was selected by Casa Systems, Inc. as the highest to acquire Casa's cable business assets and that the two companies have en...
31/05/2024
Robert De Niro won't be receiving the Service to America Leadership Award from the NAB Leadership Foundation after all....
31/05/2024
Viant Technology said it formed an integration with Google Cloud's BigQuery data clean rooms...
31/05/2024
The CW said it will broadcast the 2024 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop Last year, The CW aired the game when it was called Bar...
31/05/2024
Allen Media Group said it made a deal with Amazon's Fire TV Channel that will make content from several of Allen's outlet available via Fire TV and Echo...
31/05/2024
Robert De Niro, announced as the winner of the NAB's Leadership Foundation's Service to America Leadership Award on May 28, will not get the award. The ...
31/05/2024
Comcast Technology Solutions was selected by AccuWeather to create, manage and distribute linear and over-the-top video channels....
31/05/2024
Connected TV is becoming a bigger deal for consumers and advertisers, according to a new report from TVision....
31/05/2024
By Craig Anderton
Let's get right to what this sounds like. It's not quite feedback or tape reverse, it's well, listen to what it does in this blue...
31/05/2024
31 May 2024
VEON discloses April YTD trading update at its AGM Amsterdam, 31 May 2024 07:00 CEST -
VEON April YTD 2024 Highlights
Total revenue of USD 1,278 ...
31/05/2024
31 May 2024
VEON Announces Its New Board, Names Founder Augie Fabela as Chairman Amsterdam, 31 May 2024, 16.00 CET: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam...
31/05/2024
May 31st, 2024
TRIBECA FESTIVAL AND OPEN AI ANNOUNCE SORA SHORTS'
Five Commissioned Short Films Created Using Sora Debut at 2024 Tribeca Festival
New ...
31/05/2024
In-Venue Technology Wrap-Up: How 4K, IP, and More are Changing the Game Pres Gam...
31/05/2024
UEFA Champions League Final 2024: The host broadcast facts and figures for Real ...
31/05/2024
UEFA Europa Conference League Final 2024: Bringing the broadcast to global TV sc...
31/05/2024
Willow Offers Free 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Preview via DirecTV, Verizon, ...
31/05/2024
Women's College World Series: ESPN Brings Live Drone, Two-Point Cabled, and ...
31/05/2024
SVG College Summit Brings Video-Production Industry Together in Atlanta in the M...
31/05/2024
UEFA Champions League Final 2024: CBS Sports' UCL Today Studio Show Is Pitch...
31/05/2024
Back to All News
Master of the House' Unveils a Scandalous Tale of Power and Greed on July 18
Entertainment
31 May 2024
GlobalThailand
Link copied to ...
31/05/2024
Back to All News
JEEtu Bhaiya is Back: Kota Factory' Season 3 Arrives on Netflix June 20
Entertainment
31 May 2024
GlobalIndia
Link copied to clipboar...
31/05/2024
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
With around 9,000 employees, Ground Transportation Systems is a global leader in Rail Signaling and Train Control Systems, Telec...
31/05/2024
RT 2FM is the home of music this summer, entertaining listeners across the day and night, with the best music, chat and interviews providing the soundtrack to ...
31/05/2024
After the 2008 financial crisis and increased risk-management regulations that f...
Generations creator and director Mfundi Vundla had sleepless nights as he battled the stress of the strike drama around Generations three months ago. But the craziness and chaos have subsided, filming is on track and tomorrow night, after a two-month absence, the show is back on SABC1.
