Some film-makers feel the SABC is not being fair and equitable to both in-house and independent producers, reports
Jacquie Golding-Duffy
While the SABC is committed to independent production, some independent film-makers are frustrated and are accusing the corporation of foot-dragging its implementation of commissioning procedures.
A commissioning procedures task group, with representatives from the SABC and the independent production sector, met last year in a bid to ensure that commissioning took place within programme categories and that commissioning procedures were fair and equitable to both in-house and independent producers.
But independent producers feel the SABC is not implementing the proposed restructuring quickly enough.
The chairman of Marula Pictures, an independent production company, Mvundi Vundla said the aim of talking to the SABC was to engage them in a process of professionalising the acceptance of proposals by SABC editors.
I think the SABC is opposed to local production as some people see local content as a burden slapped on to them by the Independent Broadcasting Authority. The decision to implement the agreed commissioning procedures lies with the head of television.
Vundla said that commissioning editors had to be highly specialised in their specific areas and that the SABC agreed to advertise posts for commissioning editors publicly but reneged on their agreement, he said.
The posts were advertised internally instead and I have gathered that the entire process has been frozen. Unless you are an independent producer of stature, you are at a loss as to who to go to with your proposals at the SABC. Nothing has changed despite an agreement having been reached, Vundla said.
Some independents now feel the ball is in the SABCs court.
Head of Television News Production (TNP) and acting chief executive for television, Jill Chisholm, said she was as impatient as independents to have the relevant commissioning structures in place but because of the relaunch and organisation that had to be done, the SABC was strapped for time.
It is not wilful that the commissioning procedures are not yet in place but, among other things, the decision rests with the three channel heads and due to the massive organising of the relaunch and reprogramming, most of our time has been taken up, Chisholm said.
She said as far as she knew some posts were advertised publicly, but that it was also SABC policy to first advertise internally before going public. I am keen to have commissioning procedures in place and want to reassure independent producers that nothing has been frozen. I am committed to independent production and it will be encouraged by the SABC. It is essential in ensuring diversity in the industry, Chisholm said.
Independent producer Jeremy Nathan said it was a great pity that eight months of negotiations, where a positive agreement was reached to the benefit of film-makers and audiences, has come to nought.
Its a commonly held view throughout the world that independent film-makers are an important part of the television and film industry, and it is more cost-effective because if independents fail, they dont get more work, Nathan said.
He added that the cornerstone of the talks was an attempt by the SABC to usher in a new era of openness and transparency but exactly the opposite was happening.
On the one hand, one has to be fair to the SABC to allow them the time for restructuring, but we are looking for the new relaunch and new management to implement agreements that have already been reached, Nathan said.
Theres a great fear in the industry that the programme managers of the past will merely be replicated in the future. This will be detrimental to the audience which both the independents and the broadcaster serves.
Independents are negotiating for the improvement of programmes and their diversity and the continuous dragging of feet is ultimately in nobodys interest, Nathan said.
Former task group chairman and television magazine programme editor, Eric Nhlapho, said the SABC had the right to utilise its internal production to the full but it did recognise the right of independent film-makers to increase diversity in the industry.
The SABC believes it can work well with independent producers and thus successfully concluded an agreement which it is fully committed to implementing, Nhlapho said.