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In SA we tackle a lot of heavy topics in our entertainment offerings - politics, family secrets, hell, even aliens - but we've clung firmly to our garlic and crucifixes and stayed the hell away from anything remotely supernatural.
Could that all change? Tenacity New Media has produced a 10-minute pilot called The Watchers. It's about a documentary filmmaker who meets a vampire and follows him on a seemingly fateful night.
Watch it here.
The pilot is written and directed by Brandon Oelofse, the director behind HHP's MTV Africa Music Award-winning Mpitse video. So why did he choose vampires? "Because of their high salability" he says. Hey, at least he's honest. Oelofse asks a valid question: "The rest of the world is doing it, so why aren't we?" and he and producer Laszlo Bene aren't shy to admit that they're riding this cash-cow wave.
But is Oelofse really into vampires? "I'm a big Anne Rice fan. I like my vampires sexy and violent. When I saw the Twilight series [movies] I just thought they were kind of soft". Yes, yes they were. Real vampires don't sparkle.
So who's in this thing? You'll recognise So You Think You Can Dance's Sade Giliberti. She was approached because producer Laszlo Bene's girlfriend, Binneland: Sub Judice actress Sandi Schultz, was on Survivor: Santa Carolina with her, and then they got talking. It's all about connections. The rest of the cast are made up of benevolent friends and industry acquaintances of the producer and director, and they all did this for free.
As yet, only the pilot series has been produced to gauge the public's interest in this concept. The production team is enticing investment and considering all options, be it a film, TV series, web series, mobile, or all mediums combined. Laszlo says that he wants it to be a mixed media offering so that the entire public can have access to it, regardless of your medium.
So what do you think of The Watchers? Would you bite into it, or does it suck? Let us know!
