After the complete and utter fiasco of Saturday night's
4th South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) on SABC2 it's obvious that the Saftas - whoever produces it next, as well as the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) - are in dire need of some serious help!
The shoddy diarama awards show production was marred by starting an hour and a half late (again!), a completely pathetic host in the form of
John Vlismas, a boring neverending story of technical awards (that
should be handed out – just not
on television), no-show celebs and winners, a rowdy crowd who blatantly left after a while, and shoddy production values (from sound to ad breaks to camera angles). The end result: a
very amateur-looking awards show. We have to ask: Can this sad and silly mess called the Saftas ever get better?
Here is my 10 tips to save the Saftas. If you want to see them (and it's simple things really), click on READ MORE below.
Invest in a quality TV host with a proven track record of hosting live events for television. Maybe, even get two who can share hosting duties (check out the upcoming Oscars with Steve Martin
and Alec Baldwin).
It creates and optical illusion of diversity and the viewers at home stays interested. One host (1) has to run like crazy (2) concentrate on entertaining a live theatre crowd (3) listen to the director or floor manager in an ear piece (4) while still coming across as warm and friendly to the viewers at home. Tough task.
Besides
Top Billing on SABC3, M-Net has the best presenters by FAR on South African television. Get them and USE THEM! The
Mark Bayly's and
Colin Moss', the
Basetsana Kumalo's and
Doreen Morris', the
Michael Mol's and
Vuyo Mbuli's – these are the people you need to get as host. Yes, sure, they're expensive. But you pay for quality.
A great host who's more than a mere pretty face and just a dime a dozen TV presenter, will elevate the whole look and feel of your production. They will demand attention without having to beg for it, and lure the theatre crowd, as well as home viewing audience in. A great host will steer your show with a firm hand whether its atrocious or awesome.
Drop the technical awards from the show. Still hand them out – I mean, they go to people in the industry who make the magic happen – but don't dump categories on the TV audience at home who have to watch people they don't know. Yes. It's unfair. But people like to watch what is familiar to them. Show them their soap stars, show them their actors who play they characters they hate and love. Don't give them people they have never seen before. If you see them on TV, give their award to them on TV. If you don't usually see them on TV, hand out the award like the Emmys and Oscars separately before the time.
The disrespectful (or maybe they just can't read) so-called
celebs and industry types who can't bother to show up on time should be locked out. Don't allow then in, irrespective of their air of importance. The Emmys, the Oscars, the Grammys – when that door closes 5 minutes before show time, you're either in or out.
When you hand out awards, kind of
know beforehand who's there and who didn't show up - or who left momentarily. Do not have your host call on people who are not there, or is not going to come to the stage to collect their award. You'd think its as simple and logical as that.
Have more nominations per major categories to make it more inclusive. If e.tv and M-Net don't want to enter the Saftas because they're of the opinion that there is a credibility problem – work harder. Listen to them. Hear what they're not happy with and why. Work it out. This isn't kids playing TV. This is real life. Sit down, talk. Work it out. Give us a truly representative, inclusive South African TV awards ceremony all South African TV viewers can be proud of. The
Channel O Awards are exceptional. So we know it's possible.
The lighting, sound and several production aspects need work. Look at the recordings of the past two years. Show it to film students. Ask them what are they learning right now about what should NOT be done. Then work on fixing that. What viewers were subjected to on Saturday night was deplorably bad in my opinion and should never have made it to air. It's embarrassing to SABC2, embarrasing to the production company, embarrasing to the TV and film industry and ultimately embarrasing to viewers at home.
Do not pan over empty red seats. You don't want to look lame. You want to look popular and desirable. During ad breaks, fill the empty seats. Those showing up should understand that its as much a production made for viewers at home and that – when they enter the theatre – they agree to be moved by the floor manager and production manager at a moment's notice.
People and shows shouldn't be able to be nominated and entered into multiple vaguely defined categories. It seems logical, and yet . . .
Choose who and what goes where and present a final exclusive shortlist per category.
Do not allow people to leave except in dire emergencies (bath room breaks in TV land is the only a dire emergency. Grandma who died is not.) The audience mingling and chatting and allowed to desert your production for the open bar before the end of the ceremony is not on. Don't allow it. Don't open the bar. It seems logical, and yet . . .
If this is too much too handle as a live broadcast (or delayed live broadcast - don't do it, record it and show it a day later. The horrible mess of Saturday night could have been slightly improved by some editing and some quick post production work by some of those unknown people who won awards in the technical categories, if it was broadcast a day or so later.
Not desirable, indeed, but if it limits the sea of undiluted amateur hour we saw on Saturday, then rather postpone it all. Give us a polished, gleaming, pacey, shining, relevant, poised, interesting Saftas. Not the sorry excuse of a tedious and terribly done TV awards show and unmitigated disaster that was thoughtlessly dumped on the nation on Saturday.
