It’s been more than a year since I’ve posted what is supposed to be my yearly review. Oops!! The last 24 months have been an absolutely exhilarating rollercoaster!
Mid-2018 I decided to go freelance again. Although scary at first, in hindsight it was definitely the right decision both creatively and in starting my entrepreneurial journey.
Having graduated with my Postgraduate Diploma in Management and Marketing through the University of Cape Town in April 2018, I was hungry to use the business skills I learnt more readily.
Since making the jump, I have been afforded a lot more freedom in the types of work I do, clients I service, and capitalised on the time in my day.
Therefore, I’d like to share some highlights of the work I have done in the past 24 months!
Long-form Reality Television
Still one of the top genres I flourish in, Long-form Reality Television is certainly a space where you either can manage or not. I enjoy how as a colourist, you can be given 16 cameras for a 44min show and you have 2 days to match all of these cameras consistently over the show, as well as give the show a kick-ass look! This is certainly not a task for the faint of heart. My clients trust me with their show and I need to make the right calls for the look-and-feel with the tight deadlines that come with broadcast television.
I kickstarted my freelance journey in 2018 with My Kitchen Rules South Africa S2. I certainly love my cooking shows. Making the sets and food pop with colour is very visually pleasing! Another big part of what makes the shows rewarding is the team we get to work with. Working with the director, Jane Kennedy again on MKR was great. She really has good intuition into storytelling and shaping good content for audiences.
Following this, there were some fun shows I graded for Oxyg3n Media for international broadcast – namely SOS, Wine Dine & Stein, Eat Grow Love, Abnormal Load, and Greenhouse Effect.
2019 was kickstarted by a great collaboration with Rapid Blue on The Bachelor South Africa S1. A first on the continent, this internationally renowned show was a great success with local audiences. As Online Editor and Colourist, it was the first time I had done such a large show solely in Premiere Pro. However, with the right equipment, I found the workflow quite hassle-free and efficient.
Alongside 1 M-Net show already, I was grateful to also be the colourist on The Voice South Africa S3. The sheer volume of cameras on this show was certainly a good challenge that I happily tackled.
I also worked with the gents at NV Studios again on their beautiful international cooking show From Scratch which is hosted by David Moscow, a well-known actor. This show is yet to be aired, however, I don’t doubt that some of the locations and dishes captured on this show will wow audiences.
Long-form Drama Television
In the past 24 months, I have had the opportunity to complete 2 seasons of Lockdown. This is certainly one of my favourite drama series on South African Television at the moment. The DOP Gaopie Kabe and Director Mandla N ensure that the mood, lighting and camera-work make this suspenseful show a pleasure to put my grading flair on!
Documentary
Another highlight for the year was being able to collaborate with Jacqui-Lee and Aliki from Elafos Productions. We all studied together at the University of Witwatersrand some years back. They brought a really great project in for me to grade – namely the #YoursInPower Gender Activist Series which they are working on with ONE Global. You can watch the series here.
Awards
Last, but by no mean least – I’m happy to share that 2 of the shows that I worked on won at the SAFTAs (South African Film & Television Awards) in 2019. They were as follows:
- My Kitchen Rules South Africa S2 = Best International TV Format
- Lockdown S2 = Best TV Drama
Being apart of great teams and enjoying wins like this are always great affirmation to keep up the hard work!
Thank you to all my clients and colleagues for the pleasure of working on the content we have. I appreciate and enjoy it all!
I can’t wait to see what the year ahead holds!
Taryn Calverey 