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Movers in the movies

Without trucks, the silver screen would take on a decidedly grey palour considering that the film industry in South Africa is almost entirely reliant on outside suppliers for its transport needs. The Western Cape has become a popular venue for international film makers which has had a positive spin-off on the local truck rental industry. However, as our Western Cape correspondent, Stephanie Platts reports, there is also a downside to the boom.

The film business in the Western Cape is a seasonal one, active from late September to the end of March. During this period, local rental companies who canvass this sector are unable to keep up with demand for certain categories of vehicles. Their normal industrial business plays a poor second fiddle to an industry that is highly demanding and prepared to pay above the norm.

The film industry, worth in excess of R400 million a year, spends anything from 2% to 8% of this amount on transport.

While a fair portion of the transport budget goes to the hiring of minibuses and cars, almost every production also needs commercial vehicles. Dependent on the type of production, vehicles are needed to transport lighting and camera equipment, wardrobe, makeup, grips, catering and other unit requirements. Generators, caravans and toilet units are also often towed to locations where no facilities exist.

With the growth of the business, only a surprisingly small number of truck rental companies have made an effort to capture this market. The perception that it is a high risk, low return and damage prone business has scared off smaller or more conservative companies. However, where an effort has been made to accommodate the film industry needs and to structure rates accordingly, a bumper season is being enjoyed.

The main suppliers appear to be Kempston Hire, Super Focus, Imperial Truck Hire and Greg Symons Van Hire.

Local company Greg Symons Van Hire started renting to the film industry some 14 years ago. Owner of the company, Greg Symons, says although there is a perception that all he does is rent to the film industry, that is not the case and he is now making a determined effort to focus his business elsewhere.

"Rates are not longer realistic and have not changed in three years. I attribute this to the national companies who are going for market share instead of profit. The perception that this is a lucrative business is because of the volumes. Bookings for 10 to12 vehicles at a time are not easily obtained in Cape Town. Added to this, vehicles are abused and companies expect you to be on call 24 hours a day. Some film companies also have a habit of booking far more vehicles than they need and then cancelling at the last minute."

Super Rent's film transport division is Super Focus, a joint venture which operates only in Cape Town. Run by Dave Talbot, this company supplies specialised vehicles containing generators, mirrors, curtains and air conditioners.

New kid on the block
New kid on the block in terms of film transport is Kempston Truck Hire. Director Carolyn Clokie explains how this happened. "We entered the market about three years ago and dabbled until we employed Rhonda Watson as Film Division manager a year later. She took up the challenge, changed the pricing structure, demanded the back-up service and we have not looked back. Today, this business accounts for more than 30% of our annual Cape Town turnover. We can have 60 to 70 vehicles out at any one time in this division"

Watson, who is bubbly and energetic, says her customers are incredibly demanding. "There is no leniency. They expect you to be on call at all hours, even if it's just for a flat battery which they've let run down by keeping the truck lights on."

She's concerned about industry pricing, although vehemently denies that rates have not increased. "We've increased out rates every year, although we often have to match the rates of other companies to get the business. Other suppliers to the film industry, such as accommodation establishments, are in danger of outpricing South Africa as a film destination which is of more concern than vehicle hire rates."

Felix Unite Vehicle Hire has no vehicles at all but acts as brokers to the film and TV industry. Neil Ratcliffe is general manager of this division of Felix Unite who also supply full unit services including catering and mobile camps to production companies.

"Because of this, we are in a position to act as a one stop shop and source vehicles from a number of rental companies. This saves the production companies from the hassle of sourcing the vehicles and they also enjoy a single billing."

Vehicle abuse
While the upside is reflected in a vibrant business sector, the downside is that all rental companies interviewed by FleetWatch are concerned about vehicle abuse.

Super Focus has an insurance excess waiver that can be taken, although abuse is not covered.All other suppliers charge compulsory excess. Damages are often minor and cosmetic. Dents, scratches and broken mirrors are the order of the day and all agree it is seldom that a production terminates without some vehicle damage. Reasons for this are long hours, remote locations and the pressure that production companies work under. Symons and Watson also attribute this to the fact that there is a "don't care" attitude toward rental vehicles.

Ratcliffe also point out that overloading is common where LDV's or panelvans are used to tow toilet units of 2,5 ton, or Sprinters loaded to capacity irrespective of weight. Another theory is that all crews are freelance and will move from production to production without having to take responsibility for damages. Ratcliffe says Felix Unite used to offer a top-up insurance but was forced to withdraw it.

"The industry has a reputation for frequently damaging vehicles. Now we try mediate between the rental company and production house to try reach a conclusion. Because there are so many freelancers though, it causes problems as they work under tremendous pressure to get the work completed. They then move on to the next shoot and we then try and resolve the problem."

What do the Film and TV companies feel about it? Big World Cinema is a production company that makes documentaries, features and commercials. Producer Steven Markovitz does not believe the crew is negligent.

Time is money
"There is real pressure and time is money. We often need to move from one location to the next in as short a time as possible. If the transport industry sees it as a problem though, then they should set up formal communication from their industry to ours. I would personally like to see an analysis of damages from the rental companies. I don't believe much will be achieved if it is done simply from rental company to production house - that is too piece meal."

"Filming is very intensive and generally safety standards are high. Production companies would also like to see unnecessary expenses brought down" adds Markovitz.

One example of the type of abuse that occurs is the production company, which shall remain nameless, which rented a DAF for filming at Langebaan. When the crew packed up in the evening to return to Cape Town, they discovered that the rear doors would not unlock. In a hurry to get home, they simply took a hammer and screwdriver and forced the locks. The resultant repairs to the doors and locks cost around R6 000 as the DAF locking mechanisms are fully imported. Needless to say, neither the rental company who suffered downtime during repairs, nor the customer who had to foot the bill, was happy.

A change that could increase the level of awareness has been the move from code 08 to code 10 vehicles. When the code 08 DAF's came onto the market, they were an immediate hit. They are now phased out and those few that remain are old. Greg Symons is rebuilding his for the second time. "The industry needs it and there is nothing on the market to take its place," he reckons.

Mercedes Sprinter's have also become popular and in fact are preferred because of their speed. However, with the higher license required, production companies are trying to get crew to upgrade their licenses. One ton panelvans are also a scarce resource as a result of theft. The main other requirements for longer shoots are four and eight ton panelvans, where lifting tailgates are being more and more often requested.

Barry Grey, national secretary of the National Television Association of South Africa (NTVA) says that the industry in the Western Cape for the period November to April is realistically worth R400 million. While not in a position to give any figures with accuracy, Markovitz estimates that transport accounts for two to three percent of a documentary budget and between six and eight percent for features. Even conservatively, this is a large market and more importantly, one that is growing.

With the forecasted growth, it is highly likely that there will be more development and specialisation. There is no doubt that a market exists and we may yet see an array of vehicles on offer which are designed and built specifically to accommodate the specific needs of the film industry.

Symons has already seen changes where lighting companies are supplying their own vehicles built with specialised shelving and rigged for protection of their equipment. Kempston's Watson has also found camera and unit crew members who have rigged their own vehicles out, which they then sell to productions companies together with their services. "It is expensive for us to specialise to this degree and exclusive usage is not financially viable."

Clokie adds that although they cannot keep up with seasonal demand, "we could easily increase our fleet size. However, filming must either go on throughout the year or rates must be adjusted to cope with the winter slowdown."

Big World Cinema's Markowitz is confident about the future: "This industry will continue to grow and we are looking forward to more features and big-budget documentaries. The foreign productions help to build our industry and show our capabilities but South Africa must produce its own stories, which will lead to long term local work. "

Silver screen boon in Cape

Discussions on growth in the Western Cape are normally limited to tourism or wine. Another industry coming into its own in terms of growth and contribution to the region is that of film, TV and commercial productions.

Although South Africa has one of the oldest film industries in the world - started some 100 years ago - it is young in the Western Cape. As democracy opened the country to the rest of the world, the region was viewed as attractive for the production of foreign commercials, features and docu-dramas. This has led to a boon and a plethora of foreign interest.

Rapid growth has created its own problems - which are being addressed. There is plenty of summer work in foreign commercials and while this work is lucrative, it is unstable as currency fluctuations can cause companies to move to countries like Australia and Argentina. To our advantage now, are studios that have been built which can attract long film work.

The final product may have all the glamour of beautiful people in stunning surroundings but behind the scenes is a frenetic, pressurised industry which is ruled by costs, profits, expenses and labour issues - much like the transport business. The difference, of course, is that the transport industry never sees its final product on celluloid and never wins Oscar's.

Traditionally seasonal, the bulk of filming takes place in the Western Cape from late September to April when production companies take advantage of long days, clear weather and a variety of locations which can be adapted to depict almost anywhere in the world.

At present there is no official body that represents the industry so meaningful figures are difficult to come by. However, a South African Film and TV Industry report prepared for the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology in April 1998 put out some interesting statistics in terms of job creation.

Estimates show that 40 to 50 people are employed behind the cameras for each documentary or commercial made while on a feature film, this increases to between 75 to100 people. The report states that in 1997, it was estimated that 24 325 job opportunities were created, lasting from a couple of days to a couple of months.

Well known movie stars often slip unnoticed into the country, complete their work and slip out again. The same can be said for producers and directors. Months later, films are released depicting scenes of rugged Texas ranges, enchanting French countryside or futuristic desolate moonscapes, all shot within hours of Table Mountain.

The hundreds of commercials made for foreign companies achieve the same effect. Made to market and sell goods in their country of origin, foreign products and actors come in by the planeload, work for one frantic week and leave again.

It is not uncommon to find sections of Long Street in central Cape Town blocked off while trucks stand with their rear doors open disgorging leads, lights, cameras and tables of food. Dressed in a motley array of weird outfits, crew appears to mill around aimlessly while somewhat cynical Capetonians and camera-toting tourists divert around them.