africa blog: October 2015

SPRING JUMBO BLOG - 25 OCTOBER 2015

Yep, it's spring here south of the equator. it's been awhile since the last blog due to me being really busy and little lazy in getting around to this. but finally!

it's a gray sunday here in cape town city centre at my flat and a good day to catch up. if you're in a hurry, i'm loving my life and the adventure certainly continues with some interesting turns. i'm doing great! bye!

if you have seem time, i'd like to share some new life stories and lots of pics. i actually do get a kick showing you things perhaps you've never seen or never knew. we could call this blog edition more of THIS IS CAPE TOWN. more buildings than parks. more commercial. a proper city. and it's well done and well maintained.

i figure i landed here at the perfect time as cape town has never been better. the security is good, the coffee culture is very strong, new eateries and bars opening every week, with the high exchange rate for the USD = TV and film production has perhaps never been better. my flat is ground zero central in town. i walk everywhere, and i even took a taxi to an audition last week so i didn't have to drive and hassle parking. Uber is very big here, so transpo is a snap.

i had 3 castings last thursday in one day. it's been a long while since i had that many in one day. my record was 8 in one day, NYC 1985. and that was fairly frequent. but the industry has changed a great deal since then and being 60 puts you in an infrequent demographic for adverts and castings. but i believe this coming season from nov-april will be especially busy. so i am very excited about that. auditioning is really my favourite part of the biz as all the pressure is on.

i'm with Emma Ress Management and she's one of the tops. very happy with her. and just booked my first commercial in south africa. a spot for Virgin Resorts shooting on one of the famous beaches in Mozambique. travels Wednesday, shoots thursday, fly back friday. perfect. will run in the UK. all good. yeah, it's getting busy for sure. i say bring it. time to book!

otherwise my life has been basically consumed with a new documentary that came out of nowhere. since july 1 when i moved into town i have made a full length feature documentary and a soundtrack. in 100 days. it stars the Cape Town Youth Choir. here's the liner notes for the CD.

The Story of Finding Messiah

If film producer Anri de Klerk doesn’t by chance meet filmmaker D. David Morin at a BBQ braai in South Africa, there is no film and no soundtrack. Morin, an American filmmaker who was living in Strand in Western Cape on the ocean at the time, told de Klerk he was moving to Church on the Square in City Centre, Cape Town.

De Klerk, a long time friend of the Cape Town Youth Choir, told Morin they were performing Handel’s Messiah at Groote Kerk as part of the church’s 350-year anniversary. By chance, Groote Kerk is the church on the square. Morin would be moving right next door.

As a screenwriter, David had been interested for years in telling the story of George Frideric Handel, a German composer living in London whose career was over by his mid-fifties. He was in debt, his health was failing, his music style was passé, and by all accounts he was done. His best days were behind him. Then Charles Jennens, a long time friend and supporter, dropped off the book to Messiah to Handel and he wrote the 257 pages of music in 23 days.

So what started with Morin shooting rehearsals of choir conductor Leon Starker for archival reference later, became a more immediate documentary film in the present. And it all happened by chance. Or was it the divine plan kicking in?

Originally a research project on Handel, Finding Messiah blossomed into a unique peek at the rehearsal process to stage Handel’s most famous oratorio Messiah.

The subject of the documentary is conductor Leon Starker and South Africa’s own internationally acclaimed Cape Town Youth Choir (CTYC). Since its start in 1997, the choir has proven itself both in South Africa and on the international stage.

The CTYC won "Choir of the World" title at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales and "Champion of the World Choir Games" by winning the Musica Sacra category at the 5th World Choir Games in Graz, Austria.

During international tours the CTYC has sung in Carnegie Hall (New York, 2008), Salisbury Cathedral (2008 and 2011), St Paul's Cathedral (London, 2008), Grosse Aula (Salzburg, 2011).

“FINDING MESSIAH” chronicles Starker and three choir members as they climb “the Everest of all chorale pieces”…with “rough, rough, rough” beginnings for the tenors and the inevitable tensions that build between choir and the orchestra, as well as all the different voice parts as they tackle the most specific and demanding of all music compositions.

Leon Starker is a perfectionist conductor and proves as passionate and entertaining as he is demanding. The CTYC Festival Orchestra adds to the combustible mix of “feel versus timing” as they struggle to follow a choir conductor whose forte is not exactly counting the beat as much as finding the overall sonic feel.

The 28-track soundtrack, with Suzanne Martens leading the CTYC Festival Orchestra, features soloists along with the more popular choir pieces. The extended soundtrack of 48 tracks covering the entire concert is available on iTunes.

it's not quite available on iTunes yet, but should be next year.

please like our Facebook page while you look at some clips from the film.

www.facebook.com/findingmessiah

i presently am working with my colourist and online editor finishing the last bits. sound mixing for the 5.1 movie mix and the CD was 2 weeks ago. working with great post folks. will collect 500 CDs next week. looking forward to giving everyone in the choir and the orchestra a free copy. they did such a great job.

and conductor leon starker featured in the film is really an amazing guy. so passionate. brilliant. i had no idea cape town would expose me to the arts so much. great theatre here, and lots of classical music. very cultured. nice to experience it. and even be a part of it, making Finding Messiah. wow.

no idea how the film will do. this is my 4th film as a filmmaker, my 3rd one as the exec producer. have only had flops so far. would be beyond fantastic to finally have a hit that would prove profitable. i'll try all the usual top festivals and see how we do. at the very least the DVD should do well. but a global deal would be the dream. we can always dream. plus the soundtrack CD locally can be used to raise funds for CTYC for their upcoming int'l trips.

the rugby world cup was fun as ZA went to the semis against NZ. tough to beat the ALL-Blacks though. even so, it was "Bokke" fever around here.

on a side note, one of my kid students from my weekend HAMC in Mpumalanga flew into town this week for the iPOP audition to be one of a few to fly to LA next january and perform in front of LA agents. well, proud to say after coaching Nadia for a couple of hours she managed to get a callback and did well enough the next day to get invited to LA! so good for her! luckily her dad can afford it!

then my kenyan protege Lorella has been in New York this week for the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival. her first time to the states. she stayed at The Standard High Line last night and is Amtrak-ing to DC today. then Dallas mon-wed and LA thursday-monday, with a lunch in Malibu at Geoffrey's, a Halloween walk with wolves, and a laker game sunday night! so she is having quite a VIP trip of her own. so excited for her. she will appreciate every moment.

so that's my report. loving my new city, my new film project, my agent, my auditioning, my pool at the end of the park, the monthly art walks here, the weather good or bad is awesome, my friends here, my friends abroad, and could not be happier with how this whole new life adventure is panning out. beyond my wildest dreams. and anything seems possible from this day on.

now it's time for some pics. many have appeared on Facebook, but many of my friends are not on Facebook. most of the pics are fresh. i always love getting updates from you as well, so please drop me a line if you have a second. ddmafrica@gmail.com

still 2 months left in 2015...but what a year already! my last blog was just after my Malawi shoot. now Mozambique. another country in africa off the bucket list! you'll see below the biker goat i've been growing since april to help get some acting work on either Black Sails or Of Kings and Prophets, both shot locally here in western cape. well, Virgin Resorts wasn't too keen on the ZZ Top look so i said would shave to do the gig and get to travel to a foreign land. well worth it!

lorella here in malawi on a shoot, now in NYC and the greater USA. always proud of her.

great King Tut exhibit here.

one of my faves...Hudson Burger Joint.

more Joint. cool vibe.

Longmarket street. off St. George Mall.

CTYC rehearsal with the passionate Leon Starker.

company gardens with the book deposit building.

groote kerk. the church we did in Messiah in.

Eastern food bazaar. colours and textures.

i went to Lieva's concert before she returned to UK to study music. talented!

cape town train station.

A nice bakery i hit now and again. at the end of st. george mall.

the view from Cape Grace Hotel. sundowner time. those cats still beckon me!

my park. my promenade. to the pool!

truth coffee. hipster central.

early goat and fresh readers.

DTCT. looks like grand central station in NYC if you squint a bit. 42nd street. east side.

shooting Finding Messiah. one of the soloists.

the TAJ hotel. across the street. posh.

my square at night.

some Mozart at church. of course.

more Burger Joint. Kloof street is happening!

love these blitz bikes.

my friend's exhibit at art walk. amazing stuff. young kid.

Stanislaw Trzebinski

road trip to Lambert's Bay. west coast.

Lambert Bay hotel. olds school.

through the Karoo.

my sunday steed. thanks lincoln smith!

Stanford breakfast club. these guys ride fast. geesh!

i still get to stanford about once a month. thanksgiving dinner next month!

if you live "on the other side of the hill" that means east of Sir Lowry Pass. open land. stunning.

lots of sheep.

spring colors are amazing.

zoom.

had a looping / ADR session for Game Changer. always fun. put on the cans..."hello london?"

nice old floor.

great stairs.

thursday on the mall.

market day.

been getting into zebra art. i new piece.

more zebra art for the flat. you'll recognise it in the clips.

Hlumelo at interview day. she's an alto. civil engineering student UCT. 19 years old. impressive girl.
one smart cookie.

random CT fountain.

Rhodes Memorial.

well done.

tucked into the mountains near UCT.

with a great restaurant.

pasta...that rare treat.

mount nelson hotel for lunch with emma ress.

Headquarters. worst steak ever. enough to go plant based for good!

we won something!

some music pickups.

i needed additional background music for the movie under the interviews.

a lovely sound.

snap.

had my big 4-episode audition for Black Sails. british accent. starts end nov. the "hollywood no" so far...
when the phone doesn't ring. Capt. Berringer. holding thumbs.