Mike Smit, MD of Waterfront Studios, has parted ways with the post-production house as of the end of July 2010 to pursue other business interests. “My departure was facilitated in a supportive and amicable manner that would see plying my trade in the film industry in a new capacity.” Mike Smit told staff at a recent staff meeting.

Starting his career with the SABC in the early 70’s and having founded the Video Lab, Media Host and Condor Cape Town over the years, Mike has been a key player in the post-production arena. In 2006, The Refinery and Video Lab merged to become Waterfront Studios, which Mike has led to become one of South Africa’s leading post-production facilities.

Mike will continue making use of his many years of business experience by operating independently as a consultant and researching further business opportunities in the industry.

“It is with a heavy heart that we as shareholders and staff bid farewell to Mike after many successful years. We look forward to continuing his legacy and taking Waterfront Studios to even greater heights.” Rob Meddens, Waterfront Studios Chairman

Laurence Mitchell, the former Cape Film Commissioner, has joined Waterfront Studios as a director. Laurence and Gary Edwardes are responsible for the day-to- day operations of Waterfront Studios.

Waterfront Studios recognizes that stimulating local productions is critical to the development of a sustainable film industry in South Africa. In partnership with leading rental companies and suppliers, Waterfront Studios has developed lens-to-finish packages aimed at productions with budgets under R3-million. These packages cover both digital and film-based processes, allowing filmmakers the choice of medium through which to capture their stories. Together with their partners, Waterfront Studios aims to support Indy filmmakers who make a critical contribution to our industry.

The 16mm package includes: the camera kit with lenses, accessories and monitoring, 10,000ft per week Kodak 16mm stock, processing and telecine rushes, offline edit facilities, HD/2K online conform and full uncompressed DI grade, stereo and 5.1 surround audio mix, digital mastering, master tape and hard drive.

The Red One package includes: the camera kit with lenses, accessories and monitoring, on-set DIT and data management, all media transcoding, offline edit facilities, HD/2K online conform and full uncompressed DI grade, stereo and 5.1 surround audio mix, digital mastering, master tape and hard drive.

Terms and conditions do apply, and the packages can be tailored to some extent to satisfy the requirements of different projects.

The main advantage of these all-in-one packages, apart from the massive cost savings, is the continuity in technical knowledge and support, provided from the first day of the shoot to the last day of the grade. This minimizes the risks on set and ensures a hassle-free post experience.

The packages start at R700,000 (ex VAT) for the Digital Red One offer and R925,000 for the 16mm offer. These heavily discounted rates are only available for local South African film projects with a maximum budget of R3-million. Contact Richard Lackey (richardl@waterfrontstudios.co.za or 021-409-2000) for more information.

Condor, a member of Waterfront Studios, launched its long form VFX division 18-months ago. Andre van der Merwe, head producer, secured a series of great projects for LA-based clients. The first, “Scorpion King”, demanded 14 big VFX sequences and harnessed the talents of Sedick Simons, Heiko von Fintel, Jason Williams and lead artists, Grant Legassick and Nick Seal. Our next project, “Lost City Raiders”, required compositing and matte painting photorealistic CG environments, including a waterfall. Incorporating RED footage added a twist to the workflow, but our artists took it in their stride – lead artists included Heiko, Grant, and Nick with compositors Udesh Chetty and Grant Aerts. Our VFX team is currently working on “Bitch Slap”, an independent film under the direction of Rick Jacobson. “Bitch Slap” is a riot of action, attitude and the artistry of our VFX team. We can’t wait to share this before and after reel with you! Click the link to Condor Cape for our current showreels.