I am not one for “fantasy dramas.” I indulged in enough fantasy when I was younger and have enough drama in my life now to be instinctively repelled by either genre. It was probably for this reason that I waited until Film Society held a screening of Beasts of a Southern Wild before making the effort to actually go and see it.

After a shaky introduction, during which no one is really sure of what exactly is going on, the story launches into that of a six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy (Quvenzshane Wallis). She lives in a forgotten bayou community, with her father, and a collection of artifacts that her mother left behind. Hushpuppy’s community is called The Bathtub – probably because of the ease with which it floods. The audience follows Hushpuppy and her father through their journey as they try to survive the semi-apocalyptic state in which their community is left, after a heavy storm.

If this story-line was not enough, the audience is also allowed insights into Hushpuppy’s imagination, as we see the physical manifestations of the beasts that she faces, namely, aurochs (to which enormous wild boars hold the closest resemblance).

Another strength of the actual story-line was the fact that, although I felt I was crying from beginning to end, many of the tears were tears of laughter. This film definitely captures the often-forgotten saying “Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em cry, make ‘em think.” One line which stands out is Hushpuppy’s [about hospital beds] “When an animal gets sick here, they plug it into the wall.”  The innocence with which Hushpuppy approaches life, as well as Jean Battiste’s (Levy Easterly) permanent inebriation often left me chuckling for minutes at a time.

In addition to all this, the screenplay was developed as an adaptation from a stage play called “Juicy and Delicious” and, in my opinion, the transition is seamless. The cinematography was a treasure-trove for any film critic. It consists entirely of shaky hand-held shots, which are reminiscent of the way in which we might expect a six-year-old to hold a camera. This confirmed for the audience the notion that the story was coming from the perspective of six-year-old Hushpuppy.

Luckily, big-time film critics did not make my mistake of disregarding the film too early, and it is no surprise to me that it received four Academy Awards Nominations and was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival 2012. Among other accolades, its leading lady, Quvenzshane Wallis, now stands as the youngest Best Actress Nominee in Oscar history.

So, coming from someone who actively avoids fantasy dramas, this film is fantastical and dramatic in all of the best ways possible. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think. Success.

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

He was trying to upload a project he’s been talking to me about for some time, Jozi Shore, a hilarious recasting of the original Jersey Shore in which some Jo’burg boets hit the mother city.

Finally uploaded to the web, Jozi Shore has gone on to claim the all-too-elusive status of becoming a VIRAL video. Filmsoc can confirm that Jozi Shore, at time of publication, is ranked as the #1 most popular video in South Africa, in terms of views and shares, currently having 43,043 views since the 2 days of it being live online. If you’re one of the few people left in SA who hasn’t seen it, check it out below:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

UCT’s Van Wilder, Anton Taylor, stars in the central role, and no doubt his legendary status has been a contributing factor in ensuring the video’s viral success. Anton was featured on 5fm as South Africa’s ultimate Van Wilder student recently, and was also recognized as the International Man of Movember last year.

But credit is certainly due to the show’s innovative creator and director, Dean Shamley, a current UCT Film and Media Production student, who is also heading up the organising of UCT’s prestigious Short Film competition this year, Shotties, and juggling all this with his regular student responsibilities. Dean had the vision to capitalise on the popular trend on the web of making derivative work (here Jersey Shore), and also to get Anton Taylor involved.

Dean’s numerous years of experience, from his schooling at the New York Film Academy to his time spent as a promo director at top Johannesburg advertising firm, Clearwater Productions (which produces many of the incredible ads you see for DStv and Mnet content), have allowed him the insight necessary to identify what works and what doesn’t, and to establish a visual and editing style to match.

He may still have an overdue essay to finish (you know what I’m talking about Dean!) but he’s well on track to launching a successful career in the highly competitive world of visual media in the 21st century.

Jozi Shore featured on:

FHM

Life Is Savage

2 Oceans Vibe

Cam Archer, source: wikipedia

As you may know from my last post, I spent a semester abroad at the University of California, Santa Cruz last year, during which time I was lucky enough to be ‘taught’ by Cam Archer, an established film director. I say ‘taught’ in quotes because Cam did more than teach – he imparted his unique way of seeing the world without imposing any particular hard and fast rules, and in so doing helped us on our way to finding our own voices.

In California I came to see film as art, and the most refined form of that art is found when you strip away the superfluous devices that so many films rely on as crutches. Basically, when you get back to basics.

Cam had a very different approach to lecturing. He made you work to figure out what he was trying to say instead of just handing it to you on a platter.

Now I know ain’t nobody got time on the internet, so to cut to the chase, I thought I would try and sum up the most useful things I took away from his class:

1.  The Character’s Reality
2. Less is More
3. F*ck the Plot
4. Experiment With Picture & Sound
5. Know Your Limitations
6. Avoid Student Film Clichés
7. (Ideally) Cast Someone You Know
8. Show Don’t Tell
9. The Best Art Hurts
10. Stop Caring So Much About The Audience

1. The Character’s Reality

There is the actual world of the film- the real reality, then there is the character’s head space, or the character’s reality. These are two different realities, and sometimes they can start to blend in interesting ways. Cam showed us numerous examples of how filmmakers in the past have tried to create a character’s reality on screen. Click the video below to see an example – playback will begin at the relevant scene.

In Spike Lee’s Girl 6, a phone sex operator’s head space (her distress) is shown to us in a sequence which clearly deviates from the real world reality. Cinematography, lighting and the edit cleverly combine to help convey this reality. Also see: Eric Mendelsohn’s Through An Open Window.

2. Less Is More

Cam would often show us examples of films he admired in class, but even within these, I’d sometimes hear him say a film was showing too much. Often filmmakers fail to recognise the audience’s ability to infer.

The edit has a lot to do with getting this right. When I took a rough cut of my short to Cam, he made suggestions about shots I could lose. For example, I had a scene where I started on a wide of two characters getting a croissant. He suggested I cut the wide and start the scene on my next shot, a close up on my character’s hand as he counts out money. The simple loss of the one shot changed the whole feel of the scene: suddenly I didn’t feel like a viewer watching, I felt like I was part of the character’s reality.

I had also included a fade in from black at the beginning of the film. Cam suggested I scrap this and a few other ‘cheap tricks’, to keep the edit clean and simple.

3. F*ck The Plot

Film is more powerful when it captures a moment, a true glimpse of life, rather than being a plot-driven emotion-manipulating machine. Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life is a good example. Last year’s Best Foreign Film at the Oscars, A Separation is a stunning example of a film which presents us characters at a certain point in their lives, existing in a certain society, without allowing the plot to overpower the film’s presence. Other examples: Silent Light and Jess + Moss.

4. Experiment With Picture & Sound

“Record your actors talking without them knowing, and ask them if you can use the audio after” is something Cam suggested we try. He was all for experimenting with sound and picture. What would happen if you shot through a piece of white lattice? Or if you converted your footage to another format, like DV? We watched films by Harmony Korine (Julian Donkey-Boy and Trash Humpers) as examples of what you can achieve by filming in less traditional ways, and manipulating image and sound.

He encouraged us to try recording conversations between our main actors and set them asynchronously to images of them interacting, or altogether unrelated images. I ended up doing this for my film and it created what I felt to be one of the stronger, more evocative scenes of my film.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

In Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park, a teen who accidentally causes the death of a cop is clearly seen to be in a state of despair/distress. To illustrate his reality, the piercing sounds of birds are slowly introduced into the sound of the shower until they become a deafening cacophony.

5. Know Your Limitations

When Cam said we’d each be shooting a 7-10 minute short I was worried because I was in a foreign land with no resources… but ultimately I found my inspiration, cast and crew all in the same place- my new international friends. It was about working the limitations to my advantage, not letting them get in my way.

6. Avoid Student Film Clichés

Cam had a  few  ”heavy, dead serious suggestions”, which were there to help us avoid falling into student film traps:

• No park benches.
• No coffee shops.
• No young people dressed in suits playing ‘professionals’.
• No violence unless you’ve experienced violence.
• No opening credits.
• No wall-to-wall music (from start to finish of film).

He also insisted on us recording all of our own audio and not using sound effects. He said that if you were going to steal someone else’s sounds, you may as well do the same for the images.

7. (Ideally) Cast Someone You Know

For my own film I ended up casting my best friend as the lead, which worked perfectly because we understood each other really well so I was able to get the performance out of him that I needed.  Cam suggested we avoid casting acting students because as we were inexperienced directors, he thought it would be easier for us to get realistic performances by casting a non-actor and asking him/her to play a “version of him/herself”.

Cam’s directing tips when working with non-actors:

• See what they can do and reel them in if necessary.
• What is the character’s main aim? There has to be that ONE THING that the character is striving for. How will your actor portray this in every scene?
• Make the actor do something. Give them an action to perform while delivering the lines.
• Set up environments which challenge or engage the actors in some way.
• Make them comfortable… or uncomfortable…?
• Tell them where the camera is.
• We need to believe they’re thinking things. If there is a scene of an actor deep in thought, try get the actor to think about his/her breathing. Stillness is vital.
• To get them to think about something or produce a certain feeling, tell them to think about sounds which aren’t there.
• Also partially or entirely obscuring the actor’s face can help improve a scene, especially if you are struggling to get the performance you need.
• They usually don’t listen to each other when delivering their lines, you need to know how to deal with this. Maybe have them doing something or  looking at each other… or not looking at each other… and see what works best.
• If the dialogue is not working, rework it on set, it isn’t going to get any better in post. If it’s still not working, change something else, maybe the framing?
• If they can’t give you something you want, but can give you something else –  capitalize!

8. Show Don’t Tell

In the end my greatest regret about the project I created for the class was that there was a voice over throughout. Ideally I’d have liked to show what my character was thinking and feeling through a more cinematic approach. Just show something and allow the audience to take away a personal interpretation of  the film, don’t tell it what to think. Music can also sometimes be a crutch, dictating too much the mood of the film.

9. The Best Art Hurts

I actually read this in an interview with Cam online after I attended his class but it remains true and was definitely a central theme to his course, even if not explicitly mentioned.

10. Stop Caring So Much About The Audience

This is something Cam believed in I think and also which visiting filmmaker Jacob Aaron Estes spoke about when he came to premiere his film, The Details (a hilarous dark comedy starring Tobey Maguire), on campus.

The sad reality about film is that its the one art form that is very expensive to make and needs to make back that money. But the film should be a personal vision, and the director should ultimately be making something that he/she is pleased with. After we each screened our rough cuts to Cam in class his first question would be “Are you happy with where it’s going?”

He and Jacob agreed that they cared little for what the critics and box office statistics said about their films. The ultimate purpose of their filmmaking is higher than that.

I guess you could say it’s art for art’s sake.

This year, we have two themes for you to write on. They’re as follows:

1. Try Outs
2. Love and Other ‘Obsessions’

You can choose to write on one of them or both of them, but please try and stick to them. Adherence to the theme is one of our main criteria in choosing the screenplays for production, so bear that in mind when you are writing.

The due date for screenplays is FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2013 which gives you about two weeks from today. Your screenplays must be between 2 and 3 PAGES in length at the absolute most. Screenplays that go on longer than that will be marked down considerably.

In addition, there is no limit as to the number of screenplays you can submit. Having said that, you will only be able to make one film so if they all get chosen you’ll have to choose which one to make, which may be a harder situation than Meryl Streep faced in Sophie’s Choice. For real. (We would also like to caution you against writing too many screenplays and spreading yourself too thin. Submitting five poor screenplays gives you less of a chance of being accepted for production than if you submit one great one. Rather spend all your time perfecting one script. Unless you have two brilliant stories, maybe stick to the one. #PreachItBrother)

Please have a look at the following checklist as you write your screenplays. This will also be out criteria list when marking them:

- Is my screenplay under 3 pages long?

- Is my format correct? (If you’re not sure, please go to this website to make sure it is)

- Am I telling an original story with interesting characters?

- Does my story stick to one of, or both of, the themes?

- Does my cover page have my contact details on it?

That’s just about enough information for now. We will email you during the week with a few more details regarding your submissions. Please make sure that you are following us on Twitter (@uctfilmsociety) and that you have liked us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/uctfilmsociety) as we will constantly be giving you tips and information regarding screenwriting that may just help you make it all the way!

We look forward to reading your screenplays! Now get writing!

It was a night almost without surprise at the 85th Academy Awards. Those who have been following the Oscars buzz may have been able to preempt most of the names that were read from the golden envelopes throughout the night. In the end Argo picked up the big prize for Best Picture and became the first film since 1989 to win the biggest prize without also being nominated in the Best Directing category.

Here is a full list of the winners at the 85th Academy Awards:

Best Picture

Amour

Life of Pi

WINNER: Argo

Lincoln

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Silver Linings Playbook

Django Unchained

Zero Dark Thirty

Les Miserables

Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

Denzel Washington - Flight

Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables

Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin - Argo

Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook

Philip Seymour-Hoffman - The Master

Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

WINNER: Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams - The Master

Sally Field - Lincoln

WINNER: Anna Hathaway - Les Miserables

Helen Hunt - The Sessions

Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

Animated Feature Film

WINNER: Brave

Frankenweenie

ParaNorman

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Wreck-It Ralph

Cinematography

Anna Karenina - Seamus McGarvey

Django Unchained - Robert Richardson

WINNER: Life of Pi - Caludio Miranda

Lincoln - Janusz Kaminski

Skyfall - Roger Deakins

Costume Design

WINNER: Anna Karenina - 
Jacqueline Durran

Les Misérables
 – Paco Delgado

Lincoln - 
Joanna Johnston

Mirror Mirror
 – Eiko Ishioka

Snow White and the Huntsman
 - Colleen Atwood

Directing

Amour - 
Michael Haneke

Beasts of the Southern Wild
 – Benh Zeitlin

WINNER: Life of Pi
 – Ang Lee

Lincoln
 – Steven Spielberg

Silver Linings Playbook - 
David O. Russell

Documentary Feature

5 Broken Cameras

The Gatekeepers

How to Survive a Plague


The Invisible War

WINNER: Searching for Sugar Man

Documentary Short

WINNER: Inocente
 - Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine

Kings Point
 – Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider

Mondays at Racine
 – Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan

Open Heart
 – Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern

Redemption - 
Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill

Film Editing

WINNER: Argo
 - William Goldenberg

Life of Pi
 - Tim Squyres

Lincoln
 - Michael Kahn

Silver Linings Playbook - 
Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers

Zero Dark Thirty
 - Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg

Foreign Language Film

WINNER: Amour
 – Austria

Kon-Tiki
 – Norway

No
 – Chile

A Royal Affair
 – Denmark

War Witch
 - Canada

Make Up and Hairstyling

Hitchcock - 
Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - 
Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane

WINNER: Les Misérables
 – Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

Music: Original Score

Anna Karenina - 
Dario Marianelli

Argo
 - Alexandre Desplat

WINNER: Life of Pi
 - Mychael Danna

Lincoln
 - John Williams

Skyfall
 – Thomas Newman

Music: Original Song

“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice
 – Music and Lyric by J. Ralph

“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from Ted
 - Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane

“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi - 
Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri

WINNER: “Skyfall” from Skyfall
 - Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth

“Suddenly” from Les Misérables - 
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Production Design

Anna Karenina - 
Sarah Greenwood (Production Design); Katie Spencer (Set Decoration)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - 
Dan Hennah (Production Design); Ra Vincent and Simon Bright (Set Decoration)

Les Misérables - 
Eve Stewart (Production Design); Anna Lynch-Robinson (Set Decoration)

Life of Pi - 
David Gropman (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)

WINNER: Lincoln – 
Rick Carter (Production Design); Jim Erickson (Set Decoration)

Short Film: Animated

Adam and Dog
 – Minkyu Lee

Fresh Guacamole
 – PES

Head over Heels - Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly

Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
- David Silverman

WINNER: Paperman - 
John Kahrs

Short Film: Live Action

Asad
 - Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura

Buzkashi Boys
 - Sam French and Ariel Nasr

WINNER: Curfew
 - Shawn Christensen

Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw) - 
Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele

Henry
 - Yan England

Sound Editing

Argo - 
Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn

Django Unchained
 - Wylie Stateman

Life of Pi
 - Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton

WINNER: Skyfall
 - Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers

WINNER: Zero Dark Thirty - 
Paul N.J. Ottosson

Sound Mixing

Argo
 - John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia

WINNER: Les Misérables
 – Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes

Life of Pi - 
Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin

Lincoln
 - Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins

Skyfall
 - Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
 – Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White

WINNER: Life of Pi – 
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott

Marvel’s The Avengers
 – Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick

Prometheus - 
Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill

Snow White and the Huntsman
 – Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson

Writing: Adapted Screenplay

WINNER: Argo - 
Written by Chris Terrio

Beasts of the Southern Wild
 – Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin

Life of Pi
 – Written by David Magee

Lincoln
 - Written by Tony Kushner

Silver Linings Playbook - 
Written by David O. Russell

Writing: Original Screenplay

Amour
 - Written by Michael Haneke

WINNER: Django Unchained
 – Written by Quentin Tarantino

Flight - 
Written by John Gatins

Moonrise Kingdom
 – Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola

Zero Dark Thirty - 
Written by Mark Boal

Every now and then we get confronted by a desperate first year student on Jammie Plaza. We know that they are in first year because they have a lanyard with a student card around their necks, a map of Upper Campus in their hands and a shellshocked look painted across their faces. In our experience, their most common questions are:

• Where are the Menzies?
• Why are there so many pigeons and why are they out to get me?
• Where does this Jammie go?
• What the hell is Shotties?

Usually, it’s the last question that grabs out attention. So, in a (probably futile) attempt to prevent further petrified students asking us about Shotties and how to get involved – below is a summary of all you need to know for now…

What the hell is Shotties?

We’re delighted you asked. Shotties is UCT Film Society’s annual short filmmaking competition. The films are between 2 and 3 minutes long and can be about almost anything, so long as they stick to the theme that we announce each year.

So it’s a filmmaking Competition! Why should I enter?

If you are a human, the chances are that you love film. If you’re not a human, the chances are that you aren’t reading this right now. So I’ll address the humans.

We’re bombarded with films everyday – from advertisements to television shows to movies to YouTube clips. However, very few people understand the work that can go into producing even a short film. Shotties gives you an opportunity to appreciate and understand this most relevant medium of communication and have a heck of a time while doing it! Many students have and will continue to leave UCT, remembering Shotties as one of their most enjoyable experiences.

Plus, if you are a film student wishing to make it into the Screen Production or Screenwriting streams mid-way through your second year of study, you need practical work to add to your application portfolio. With our hands on our hearts we promise you that the easiest and most enjoyable way of working up a portfolio for your application is to take part in Shotties. Just ask Bernadette who took part in 2012 and said: “Jis laaik – that was lank kiff! My toes went all curly!”

But I’ve never made a film before!

And we say: “great!” Students of all shapes and sizes and degrees of experience can take part in Shotties. Yes, it is a competition, but the emphasis is not on winning but on taking part and making a film that you are proud of. You do not need any experience to take part, but you could have all the experience in the world. We’re cool like that.

If you’ve never made a film before, we spend a lot of time and money getting people in to show you how. To this end we run a number of workshops based on the following disciples: screenwriting, cinematography and directing and editing. The rest is for you to figure out – and trust us – the best way to figure it out is to go out and get some experience on set. We also give you a film student as a tutor to help you out on set and answer any questions you might have.

And what if I don’t have my own camera or editing software?

Never fear – we provide you with as much as we can. The film department, very kindly each year, has sponsored us the use of some of their equipment which we give to you to go wild with (within reason). We also make use of the UCT editing studios and allow you the opportunity to play around with Final Cut Pro to put your beautiful film together.

If you have your own equipment, you’re welcome to use that too.

Ok, wise guy, when does it all start?

It all starts on Saturday, March 2nd at our screenwriting workshop. At the workshop, we’ll teach you how to write an industry-standard screenplay before announcing this year’s themes and any other specific news and rules that you should know. After that you’ll be given a week or so to write your screenplay before submitting it. Thereafter, we’ll choose just over a dozen or so of the screenplays for production and invite those people who made it to attend the rest of our workshops. The final products will be handed in at the beginning of May and we’ll organise a lavish screening with all the bells and whistles and whiskey you have come to expect from us.

What if my screenplay doesn’t get chosen?

In real life, if your screenplay isn’t chosen there’s no movie to make. It’s probably a good thing that we’re not interested in ‘real life’. If your screenplay isn’t chosen you have two options. First, you have try to find your own equipment and make the film anyway and submit it along with everybody else’s. Second, you can join the group of someone whose screenplay was chosen and help them make theirs. Each group is made up of four or five people who fill the following roles: director, producer, cinematographer and editor.

When there are about 15 films being made, the chances are good that there will be a place for you.

How do you decide the winning film? And what do they win?

We don’t. We get professional judges to do that for us. Each year, at our aforementioned lavish screening event - we ask industry professionals and some of the most learned lecturers and professors on campus to come and choose the best films for us. There are cash prizes for the best direction, best cinematography, best editing, best screenplay and best film.

How do you think our film will turn out?

I can’t tell you that right now. But I can show you a few from the past. Here is a random selection of some past films made during Shotties:

Pavement Special:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Rhythm of Feet

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Cereal:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

CapeEx

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

But the final product is a long way down the line. We’d first just love to meet you and see you at our Screenwriting Workshop on March 2, 2013 at 10h00. If you have any other questions, you can bring them along then.

Until then, try to keep away from the pigeons. They are out to get you. Trust us.

BEST PICTURE

Should Win: Life of Pi

In my humble opinion Life of Pi was the best film made in 2012, it had heart, a stellar lead performance, and visual images to bring one to tears. However, the odds of it taking home the big win are slim to none unfortunately.

Will Win: Argo

Much like last year, the film that seems practically assured of a win, does not deserve the win. There is nothing inherently wrong with Argo, it’s an okay film, and until it cleaned house at almost all major awards shows I didn’t even consider it a real competitor. The only thing it has going against it  is the fact that it has been many years since the Best Picture winner was not nominated in the Best Director category as well. Ben Affleck is notably absent from said category.

BEST ACTRESS

Should & Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

The Best Actress race is so close this year, and not a single actress in the category does not deserve to win.  By the slightest of margins I would give it to my personal preference, Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence has only been on the public radar for a couple of years but in those years she has amassed a wide range of memorable and masterfully acted roles. Her work in Silver Linings Playbook was really aspirational; the things she does with her face are a filmmakers dream. There is a real possibility the very worthy Jessica Chastain or even Emmannuelle Riva could pull off an upset, considering they have both won other awards this season.

BEST ACTOR

Should Win: Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

We all know that Jackman will not take home gold, but a guys allowed to dream right? His performance was truly fantastic and highly underrated.

Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis , Lincoln

I feel like I am in a minority when it comes to Mr. Day-Lewis, I thought his performance – much like the film itself – was painfully mediocre and uninteresting. However, for his portrayal of Honest Abe, Daniel Day-Lewis will go home a winner.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Should & Will Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables 

I dare anyone to watch Anne Hathaway’s performance in Les Miserables and not feel anything. Personally, I straight up gross-sobbed all over myself. She lost a staggering amount of weight for the film and cut-off all her hair, and she sang her little heart out while crying and dying. Flawless.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Should Win: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Christoph Waltz is no stranger to Oscar gold in this very category and for a Tarantino film, in 2010 he won for his supporting role in Inglorious Basterds. His timing and line-delivery in Django Unchained are perfect and mesmerizing, and when **SPOILERS!!!** his character dies the film lost something for me **SPOILERS!!!** There is a high chance he could win come the 24th, so here’s hoping.

Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Again, I was really underwhelmed by the supposedly amazing performances in Lincoln, but that does not mean the Academy voters share my sentiment, as Tommy Lee Jones is the favourite to win.

BEST DIRECTOR

Should Win: Ang Lee, Life of Pi

I may be biased by my love of the film, but Ang Lee masterfully made a film adaptation of a book many people said was unfilmable and did artful, awe-inspiring things with the 3-D format. And I think he should be rewarded for that.

Will Win: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

I have nothing against Spielberg, he is obviously a legend and one of the great directors of any time, and I don’t mean to belabor a point, but Lincoln was too bleh for words. But Spielberg seems the most likely candidate, considering the perceived snubbing of Ben Affleck.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Should & Will Win: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

Tarantino has a way with words, his dialogue is electric and his characters sparkle with life, if he does not win I will eat my imaginary hat.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Should & Will Win: David O. Russel, Silver Linings Playbook

While the film may not have a snowball’s chance in hell at the Best Picture or Best Director categories, it’s script is an almost shoe-in for the Best Adapted Screenplay award.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Should Win: Wreck-It Ralph

This category was really hard for me this year, all the films nominated are good, but I found it hard to pin-point one that was great. In the end I chose Wreck-It Ralph because of it’s multiple wins at the Annie Awards and the fact it made a larger impression on me than the rest.

Will Win: Brave

The Academy love Pixar. I have come to quite enjoy the film after multiple viewings, but I was quite underwhelmed the first time, much like I was underwhelmed by Frankenweenie, which is also a contender. The only thing I’m certain of is that the winner will not be The Pirates! Band of Misfits or ParaNorman.

So those are my picks and predictions. Please feel free to sound off in the comments on your thoughts regarding the winners come February 24^th.

We’ve received a number of questions from our members about when and where we meet and, more specifically, what exactly being a member of our wonderful society entails. Well, fear no more – below is pretty much all you need to know about Film Society for now: a summary of what is happening and exactly how you can get involved in the opening months of the year. We’ll keep updating you as the year goes on with emails and messages that are (usually) a little shorter than this one.

Upfront, welcome to our website www.filmsoc.co.za. Be sure to check it regularly as we update it with news, event information, film reviews, student films, interesting blog articles and some hilarious pieces of writing and film. Feel free to browse to your heart’s content once you’re done on this page. You can read about anything from Tarantino’s masterpiece Django Unchained, to the abomination that is the new Bourne film, to keeping up to date with this year’s Oscars news. Hell, you can even watch some fantastic student films that made it to Sundance Film Festival in the States!

Also, if you want to be kept up to date with all the latest news and FilmSoc event information then be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. These are our main channels of communication, so if you don’t want to miss a beat, be sure to go to the following:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/uctfilmsociety

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UCTFilmSociety 

Alright, now the important stuff. You ready? Deep breath. Let’s go:

Parties

We like to party. Like a lot. In fact, we like to party more than Lindsay Lohan does in her first week out of rehab. And so, to this end, we have already given you a number of awesome benefits at O-Week events. But, as the year goes on and the calendar opens up, it’s going to be our turn to throw some wicked events at Cape Town’s hottest clubs.

As always, there is going to be at least one party that you will get FREE entrance to each month. On top of that we’re going to be collaborating with other clubs and societies to throw you some awesome events. On top of the on top of that we’ll be hustling you reduced entrance to some of Cape Town’s biggest parties but we’ll keep you updated on our social networks as we traverse 2013 together.

Film Production

Many of our members are interested in making films. And we’re interested in them making films. And they’re interested in us being interested in them making those films. And that, as Sir Elton John so eloquently wrote, is the Circle of Life. (What? It’s not what he was talking about? Well I’m not sure I ever understood him anyway).

Nevertheless, the production ball has started rolling anyway as we’ve been hard at work behind the scenes organizing our annual Short Filmmaking Competition, Shotties. If you are interested in production, this competition is a MUST for you and you will NEED to be at our Screenwriting Workshop on SATURDAY 23 FEBRUARY at 10h00 at a venue to be determined soon. The workshop will last about 3 hours and at the end of it, we’ll be announcing this year’s theme as well as explaining how Shotties will run in 2013. Please RSVP to workshops@filmsoc.co.za to confirm your attendance. Space is limited so make sure to get on that early.

Throughout the semester we’ll be running more workshops on Screenwriting, Cinematography, Directing and Editing so keep on the lookout for those.

The Finale for Shotties will be in May and you’ll want to be there to watch what our members have come up with this year! If you’re looking for inspiration, check out the winning films from the last two years:

2011 Winner: Ginger Curry

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

2012 Winner: Pavement Special

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Other than that, if you have ANY ideas for a documentary, short film, long film, music video, TV series that you want to start working on and shooting, email production@filmsoc.co.za and we’ll arrange a meeting with you to help you realise your dream. We’ll provide you with cameras, crew and help to cast your film as much as we can.

Screenings

Do you love watching movies? Don’t you hate that certain movie houses in Cape Town charge you over R50 to watch them? Then there is the expensive popcorn that you feel you have to smother in toxic salt flavours just to get your money’s worth only to leave your mouth raw and tender for days? Well, with Film Soc, watching movies is free.

We’re going to be screening two films each month for your viewing pleasure – and it’s not going to burn a hole in your wallet or tongue. As an added bonus, at most of the screenings, you’ll get either candy-floss or popcorn on the house.

We’ll also be screening student made films, award-winning shorts and a number of foreign language films that will expand your cinematic horizons. Keep an eye on the calendar on our Vula group and our Website for the times, venues, dates and content of the screenings.

Getting Paid

If you’re anything like most students, the above title attracted your attention. We know that money gets a student’s attention. Hell, we’re students ourselves! Film Soc is offering YOU the chance to earn some money! All you have to do is watch a film at the cinema and review it for our blog (www.filmsoc.co.za) and we’ll not only pay for your review, but we’ll reimburse you for your movie ticket as well!

If you wish to be a regular writer for our blog, please email a 150-word piece of creative writing to blog@filmsoc.co.za. It can be a film review, a creative piece, a detailed description of your grandmother or anything else that gives us an indication of your writing ability. For an example of one of our film reviews, go to http://www.filmsoc.co.za/category/watchinmovies and pick some of our reviews to read.

That’s All Folks

We think that that is just about enough to take in right now. If you’ve read all the way to the bottom, we applaud you and want to give you a free iPad. Unfortunately we can’t but it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it? For those who didn’t read all the way to the bottom, maybe you should have joined CLAW instead. They’re an actual society on campus who theorize about the end of the world. So that’s fun.

But let us not keep you – your friends coming out of Les Mis will need some tissues – Hugh Jackman just died. So as they say in the movies: “Bon Voyage!”

(What? They don’t say that? Bugger it. They should.)

Below are the best adverts from this year’s Superbowl.

8. Go Daddy’s Sexy Meets Smart

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

7. Toyota’s Wish List

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

6. Volkswagen’s Sunny Side

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

5. Volkswagen’s Get In. Get Happy

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

4. Samsung’s The Next Big Thing

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

3. Kia’s Space Babies

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

2. Dorito’s Goat for Sale

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

1. Oreo’s Whisper Fight

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Hollywood awards season marches on with intensity towards the 24th of February and the Academy Awards. Last night saw the Screen Actors Guild Awards live in Los Angeles. Traditionally, the SAGs is one of the better indicators as to who will walk home with Oscars and is the only televised awards ceremony that focuses only on performers. Interestingly, and possibly indicative of an outstanding year in both film and television, no one film or show dominated, although Lincoln and 30 Rock each won two awards in significant categories. Check out all the winners below:

Film

CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE

WINNER: Argo

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Les Misérables

Lincoln

Silver Linings Playbook

MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

John Hawkes, The Sessions

Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables

Denzel Washington, Flight

FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Helen Mirren, Hitchcock

Naomi Watts, The Impossible

MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

WINNER: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Alan Arkin, Argo

Javier Bardem, Skyfall

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Sally Field, Lincoln

WINNER: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

STUNT ENSEMBLE

WINNER: Skyfall

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Bourne Legacy

The Dark Knight Rises

Les Misérables