press kit - Wonderphil Productions

We always want that extra shot, or better framing. What wedid do correctly was allow ourselves enough time for lightingso that we could shoot the scenes quickly and in two takes.This made it harder for the actors, but ensured that we gotthe images.Script WriterETIENNE FOURIEEtienne published his first short story at the age of 16 for theATKV’s Nasionale Skryfskool Kompetisie under the guidanceof prof. Hans du Plessis (Die Griekwa Psalms) and his secondstory a year later. His short story collection Die Kloosterkoekewas adapted for stage and performed as part of Affies’ annualculture festival. Etienne was the first student playwright athis high school and wrote a number of plays over a threeyear period.In 2011 Etienne completed his honours year at AFDA, bywhich stage he had already made a variety of short filmsand music videos, for amongst others Wrestlerish andZondernaam, which was the winning video at the 2010 MKRockspaaider Competition. Etienne’s commercials includeSleeping Children Around the World (nominated for a 2011Loerie) for a Canadian charity organisation and an advert forSter-Kinekor’s Vision Mission inisiative (Loerie winner 2012).Etienne garnered awards for Best Director as well as BestScript at the 2011 AFDA Awards as well as a nomination forthe 2012 Student Oscars for Die Windpomp.What were the biggest challenges in writing this script?Despite the joy of writing Klein Karoo, there were manychallenges. As a writer who is always in charge of theconsruction of the world in which the story is set down tothe hairstyles of the characters, it was challenging to to builda story from an existing concept. My only other experienceof such a process was in 2010 when I wrote Die Bakker forRegardt. The challenge was knowing when to use my ownvoice and when to listen. It was important that the story Ipresented to Kaapland was recognisable as the one that itbegan with. There were times when I found it extremelyfrustrating not to be able to write instinctively and manipulatethe story into one that felt natural to me. It was more importantthat I understand the story from the start and to tackle thisnew world with my new character friends. Now I would notchange them for the world.Which of the characters are favourites, who did youenjoy writing most?All the characters that Tim originally created were interestingand colourful. It was fun to work with characters that I liked,characters with whom I would like to have coffee and achat. That helped the process immeasurably. Although I wasintroduced to most of these characters and they were not myown creation, it was important to me to put my own stamp onthem. The dialogue is the only tool a writer has to introducecharacters to an audience and make them likeable, hatedand so on. For this reason I love Karel, the uncomfortable soulwho only talks when it is absolutely necessary. The upshotof this is that everything that Karel gets up to, has a sortof weight to it. I saw many aspects of my own charater inKarel. I was also very fond of Hermientjie, who is the exactopposte and is never stuck for words. It was fun to give hera couple of mad things to say and do with the result that ourlead characters, in contrast, come across as cultured andacceptable, even when things start to unravel. I also tend tofall for the smaller characters and have to confess that myfavourite by far is Bongi’s wife with whom I would like to havea glass of wine rather than a cup of coffee because I think wewould have lots to discuss.How does it feel to have Regardt van den Bergh bringingyour story to screen?It is an honour to have someone of the caliber of Regardt vanden Bergh add his own magic to the words that you wrote inthe darkness of your flat. He is a legend. For this reason it