Articles
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Synopsis
This story is about a troupe of minstrels "The Umbrella Men" who compete every year in Cape Town's carnival. Their leader Khaled has a fierce rivalry with Haadjie a dodgy businessman who runs the more affluent troupe. Khaled's nightclub sponsors the troupe and Haadjie knows that without the club ‘The Umbrella Men will no longer be a threat, he pulls strings to get the club closed down. No club, No Umbrella Men, No reason for living, Khaled is forced to get ‘creative'. The city grinds to a halt when the carnival is on as thousands of tourists flock to the parade, creating havoc for the police department. Taking advantage of the chaos on the streets, ‘The Umbrella Men' tunnel their way into the local bank. The plan is relatively simple for thieves, but these are not thieves they're musicians. So with their faces painted and dressed in brightly coloured uniforms Khaled and his gang seem to have the perfect alibi. But Haadjie does everything to derail their plans.
Statement
The carnival with its distinct music and colorful characters, set against a beautiful city makes for a very cinematic aesthetic. The grade will capture the natural beauty of the landscapes and the people. The contrast of the impoverished areas vs the wealthy are as vast as they are mystifying. As a follow up to "Bunny Chow", I would like to employ the use of hand-held cameras but in a much more controlled way. The hand-held style should go unnoticed to the untrained eye. Two cameras will be used throughout and as many as five to capture the carnival. The film will best suit an HD format as film stock will be too expensive. The script has gone through many drafts and therefore I will employ less improv techniques but still create a sense of spontaneity in performance.
Directed by : John BARKER
Country: SOUTH AFRICA
Duration: 90 minutes
Specifications
Locations and shooting dates: octobre / October 2009 - Cape Town, Afrique du Sud / South Africa
Shooting language: AFRIKAANS, ENGLISH
Working budget: € 0.65 M
Acquired financing (in April 2009): € 0.23 M
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