R30-million post-production boost for Cape Town film industry

A joint venture between Condor Europe, Sasani Limited and Mike Smit, Condor Cape Town will open its doors in July 2003, offering high-end, superior quality telecine, compositing, visual fx and other related services for both local and international commercials.

The Western Cape Provincial Government has identified the film industry as one of the top five growth industries with sustainable development within the sector on the agenda across government departments.

Long, dry summer daylight hours; professional service and infrastructure and the favourable exchange rate augment Cape Town's diverse natural beauty - making it one of the most sought after locations for commercial, TV and film shoots.

Over the past years there has been marked growth in both the scale and range of service providers covering all aspects of a shoot including production co-ordination, production design, equipment hire, talent and art department services. The boom has had concomitant spin-offs in the hospitality and transport sectors.

While international film companies make ever-increasing use of these services, they still do very little post-production work in Cape Town and the majority of productions are completed in Europe.

There is a clear opportunity to holistically increase the value of Cape Town's film industry by developing and offering world-class post-production service - hence the launch of Condor Cape Town.

As part of the Condor network, Condor Cape Town will reflect the Condor brand which has been established in Europe for the past twenty years. Independent, creative and innovative, Condor is renowned for its strong service ethic and its solutions-driven operations.

"Cape Town was the obvious choice for me in looking to extend the Condor network," comments Rob Meddens, Condor Proprieter, "Many of our established and potential European clients regularly make use of Cape Town as a location for their shoots. It makes good business sense for Condor to rather offer them the same quality post-production facility as they use in Europe right here in Cape Town. The City is recognised as an attraction to the international film industry - the time zones suit Europe, the vibe is congruent and the culture of Cape Town is highly appealing. People working in the film industry want to be here."

But it's not just pragmatism and appeal that has tipped the favour Cape Town's way. Meddens is also certain that he has found just right partners for his first venture off the European continent.

"The mix of partners is ideal," he says, "Mike Smit had an instant understanding and connection to the Condor brand. He is instinctively part of it. That works perfectly with substantial infrastructure that Sasani Limited has brought to the deal. This is the first time I have considered expanding the network outside of Europe, and the first time I've entered into a joint venture. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't have faith in the potential of the Cape Town market and also in the partners."

A boutique-style business, Condor Cape Town embraces a small-company culture - swift, select and sophisticated. The use of the latest global technology will be maximised to improve the value proposition and afford opportunities for remote collaboration. By exploiting converging video and information technologies, Condor Cape Town will be able to provide post-production services to clients all over the world at internationally-competitive prices.

"Being able to start off with the most state-of-the-art technology available in the world is one advantage," says Mike Smit who heads up Condor Cape Town, " But we are really focussed on our ability to attract, and then offer the very best of South African talent. People are our strength - we have some phenomenal talent here - editors/compositors, colourists and visual effects artists. As a new, young and innovative operation, Condor Cape Town is going to build its business on the vigour and capacity of a highly-skilled, highly-motivated team of bright, trend-setting professionals."

While Condor Cape Town is clearly aimed at attracting the overseas post-production work not being done in South Africa, it will also serve the local, high-end commercial market.

As Smit points out: "By making use of our services, the South African offices of global advertising agencies will be able to generate generic work for international clients with cost-saving benefits. This is significant not only in terms of generating revenue in South Africa, but in promoting South African talent out there in the global marketplace."

The impact of this R30 million investment in post-production services should not be underestimated. Condor Cape Town is expanding the range of the local film industry, and as it fills a gap in the infrastructure, it is also contributing to a more solid and secure market.