Hassles amid the glitz as Cape Town hits the red carpet

SOME blasé Capetonians might get angry when filming closes city roads or interferes with their daily rituals.

SOME blasé Capetonians might get angry when filming closes city roads or interferes with their daily rituals.

A resident in District Six recently shouted at a production crew: "Do you see me going to your house to take pictures?"

But movie making is big business in the city and brings in billions.

Rudi Riek knows all about the financial importance of foreign crews filming in South Africa.

He is a consultant for the Commercial Producers' Association and chairman of the South African Association of Stills Producers.

Members of these two associations bring an estimated 10000 international clients to South Africa every year - mainly to Cape Town - for an average of six days each.

"This equates to 60000 bed nights in some of our top hotels and 10000 business-class flights.

"All these clients have at least one meal a day at a high-end restaurant and a large proportion of clients will stay for a couple of days to a week after the shoot in order to explore our country and purchase gifts to take home," said Riek.

The industry also supports 25000 jobs.

According to the National Film and Video Foundation, R3.5-billion a year is generated by the industry. The commercial and stills sector generates another R2-billion.

Other businesses linked to the industry are catering companies, security firms, gear and prop hire companies, model agencies and freelance professionals.

Rebel Wilson, who stars in comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's filmGrimsby, tweeted this month about working with 1000 extras, enjoying seafood and climbing Table Mountain.

Nicole Jennings, an animal wrangler, said: "People all think the film industry is so glamorous - that we make so much money and it is all Hollywood and glitz and stars.

"But it is so not. The people work incredibly hard. It is a very tough industry and there is nothing glamorous about standing on a beach at four o'clock in the morning in the pouring rain trying to shoot something."

Riek said that because municipalities were not able to ring-fence money coming in from filming, a fund had been established.

"The Film Industry Fund has been operational for about six months and 27 production companies contribute," he said.

"Each time one of these companies films on location in Cape Town, a contribution is made to the fund and these funds are made available for community projects."

The fund's first donation was to an orphanage in Khayelitsha, which got computers and printers worth R37000. Soon it will contribute R83000 to various projects, including a dance school in District Six, a jungle gym in Bo-Kaap and tree identification labels in Wynberg.