From Black Sails' to Avengers,' productions look to capture South African scenery, exchange rates and rebates. Moored off this coastal city's main highway, a fleet of pirate ships signals that a television- and film-industry boom is happening here. By Alexandra Wexler.
The hulking 18th-century-style vessels, visible to drivers heading north to South Africa's vineyards, are used on the set of Starz's hit television series Black Sails. The pirate-themed show, which occupies all four of Cape Town Film Studios' sound stages and workshops, is one of a rising tide of top-tier film and TV productions now shooting in South Africa, including Showtime's Homeland and Avengers: Age of Ultron, a recent box-office smash.
The productions are being lured by a combination of jaw-dropping scenery, favorable exchange rates and government rebates. Film-industry groups say the result is a 30% expansion in productions in each of the past three years, a bright spot for South Africa's otherwise listless economy.
This year, the Cape Film Commission says it's receiving enquiries at an unprecedented rate from production companies as far afield as India and Norway. Studios here have snared a broad spectrum of productions ranging from Bollywood and period pieces to superhero films, while other Sub-Saharan nations like Kenya and Nigeria mostly host local film industries and provide backdrops for productions set in Africa.
One result: the fully booked Cape Town Film Studios are expanding, unable to keep up with surging demand.
It's better to be saying no' to people, says the studios' chief executive, Nico Dekker, from his office on the sprawling 500-acre lot, where a fifth double sound stage and a new workshop have been approved for construction. Mr. Dekker says there is also plenty of space to expand the studio's convertible back lots, which include a pirate village, a beach tank that can create high and low tides, and a recreation of Soweto, a Johannesburg township, which was built for 2013's Oscar-nominated film, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, starring Idris Elba.
The back lots, a significant investment for the studios, are starting to pay dividends, attracting other productions that can adapt them based on their own needs. The recreation of Soweto was recently transformed into Nairobi for a film that also converted the Robben Island back lot-the scene of most of Nelson Mandela's nearly three-decade imprisonment-into a hospital.
With surging demand from productions like Black Sails, the Cape Film Commission is crafting inventive solutions to accommodate new requests, including converting neglected warehouses and erecting open-air sets. South Africa seems to rapidly be becoming the favorite of the month, says Chris Symes, executive producer of Black Sails.
But despite recent gains, South Africa's film industry still has a long way to go to catch up with industry majors. Film contributed 3.5 billion rand ($288 million) to the country's gross domestic product in 2012, according to South Africa's National Film and Video Foundation, a figure that the Cape Film Commission claims is not high enough. New Zealand's film industry contributed $2.8 billion to GDP in 2011, according to a 2012 study by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Recent legislation making it more onerous for foreigners to work in South Africa is one growth hurdle. We've lost some jobs because we couldn't get people visas, says Helene Turvey, a publicist who has worked on Black Sails and Homeland.
But South African industry executives are bullish and believe they have the right raw materials for growth. They cite Cape Town's adaptable mountain-and-sea vistas, which have stood in for Caribbean beaches on Black Sails and Pakistan's mountains on Homeland.
The scenery is bolstered by the quality of the light, which resembles the sunshine that fueled California's golden years of filmmaking before Los Angeles was shrouded in a hazy smog of pollution.
A government cash rebate for international filmmakers of between 20% and 25% has also put South Africa on a competitive footing with other major filming locations. Sugar-coating those benefits is a change in the exchange rate that offers filmmakers a lot more for their dollar: South Africa's rand currency has dropped to a 13-year low against the greenback this year.
When the dollar gets stronger, you're just able to do more, in terms of your sets and your construction and your wardrobe, says Carmi Zlotnik, managing director at Starz, who says that South Africa now ranks as the top country in which he operates.
Denis Lille, chief executive of the Cape Film Commission, puts it another way: It just doesn't cost as much as other destinations like Australia or Europe, he says. It's like South African wine.
Studio executives also praise the raft of affordable English-speaking talent. Of 700 crew members on Black Sails' third-season payroll, all but 30 were South African and just 10 of 200 speaking parts went to foreigners, Mr. Symes says.
To the north, Johannesburg has also become a draw as a setting for scenes of dystopian mayhem. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, a Marvel film released internationally in late April and in the U.S. May 1, the City of Gold hosts a 10-minute scene with The Hulk and Iron Man.
More than 300 local crew members and 600 extras were involved in that 10-day shoot, and some of them were brought on to travel to other filming locations with the movie.
At a time when xenophobic attacks on foreigners are making some tourists balk, the positive publicity is a windfall for South Africa.
If you think about hundreds of millions of people seeing this movie, it really is priceless in terms of marketing value, says Laura Vercueil, communications manage
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
From Black Sails' to Avengers,' productions look to capture South African scenery, exchange rates and rebates. Moored off this coastal city's main highway, a fleet of pirate ships signals that a television- and film-industry boom is happening here. By Alexandra Wexler.
