South Africa’s very first iPhoneography exhibition is taking place on Thursday 1st September 2011.

For those who do not know, iPhoneography is the process of taking and editing photographs with only the use of an Apple iPhone.

A few weeks ago, I submitted some of my photographs for the exhibition.

I got in.

When I submitted my photographs I did so under the guise of “why not”. The idea is new and the concept is great. So I took a chance and my photographs were accepted.

Believe me, I was truly taken aback when the email arrived in my inbox telling me that my photographs had been selected for the iPhoneography exhibition. Needless to say, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to display my photographs as ‘works of art’ – a term I did not think I would be able to attribute to any of my photographs that were taken with only a mobile phone.

I have been fortunate enough to have 17 pieces accepted for the exhibition. 16 canvasses and a single ‘unique’ creation.

Previews of some of my photographs that will be on display can be seen in the gallery below. The photograph with the ‘story’ is a teaser for my unique piece titled “Life: A Journey Through Time”.

The exhibition will be held at the iStore on Sandton Drive on ‘spring day’ (Thursday 1st September 2011). Everyone should come on down and be a part of this novel and potentially groundbreaking exhibition. I know that there will be many photographs that will absolutely blow your mind from other extremely talented South African iPhoneographers. The best part? If you like what you see, you can purchase the artworks on display.

For those who will be driving, please note that there will be road closures in and around Sandton City for the Springbok send-off. Be sure to plan ahead accordingly.

For those who, like myself, will be using the Gautrain, please note that once you arrive at the Sandton Station, you will need to catch a Gautrain bus running on the S4 route. There is a Gautrain bus stop directly in front of the driveway to the Sandton Drive iStore. For more information about Gautrain bus times, please call 010 223 1098.

For my fellow Twitter folk who attend, please be aware that the official hashtag is: #iPhoneographySA. If Facebook is ‘your thang’, you can RSVP to the event here.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Until the next time Milieunairs!

Over the last several months, Sterkinekor Entertainment in association with MiMoney, have been teasing Twihard’s (fans of the Twilight saga movies and books) with the possibility of attending “the most exclusive party in 100 years”. Entering was easy. Simply watch New Moon and text your ticket number to a specified number. Each entry increased your chances of obtaining an invitation to the event.

Furthermore, upon entering the competition, fans would receive a text message notification with a specific code. This code could then be redeemed at the viral marketing inspired ‘Bite My Apple’ website; in order to unlock exclusive content from the movie in the form of wallpapers and screensavers.

After being psyched about the event for months, I was obviously excited to be able to attend. The anticipation factor was intoxicatingly high!

The party was held at the Taboo night club in Sandton. Impressively, the entire venue had been hired out for this “Twilight Saga: New Moon Exclusive VIP party”. The venue was an excellent choice. Having never been to Taboo before, I was immediately taken aback by the highly stylised decor, which I would describe as having a ‘gothic-chic’ feel to it. Unique and edgy, just the way I like it!

Freebies included posters from the movie, a free candy apple and, if you were a VIP guest (like yours truly), you would have been treated to your very own ‘exclusive’ area, detailed to look like the Volturi castle; including copious amounts of delicious snacks and a free bar tab until 10pm. In my opinion, VIP guests were very well looked after.

In addition to the VIP area, Taboo’s entrance hall was turned into a mock studio. Here all guests were given the option of obtaining a Team Edward or Team Jacob tattoo as well as the possibility of having professional photographs taken with a host of characters from the Twilight universe, courtesy of… wait for it… several ‘look-a-likes’. Yes… ‘look-a-likes’.

As much as I enjoyed the party and the many novel and nifty parlour tricks, I could not help but feel short changed by the experience. Look, I do not mean to appear ungrateful, because I truly do feel privileged to have been there; but as a fan, I was partially disappointed.

Truth be told, I bought into the hype. I was so excited to have cracked an invitation. The promise  of attending “the most exclusive party in 100 years”, a “once-in-a-lifetime” event so fanglorious that even the Volturi themselves would be in attendance. I simply could not wait! So why the mild disappointment? Honestly, I naively expected the cast of the movie to be there. As it so happens, I was not the only one who was under the exact same delusion.

Believe it or not, people flew in from all over the country to attend the event, all under the assumption that they would be able to meet the infamous Twilight Saga trio: the socially inept Robert Pattinson, the gorgeous Kristen Stewart and the beef caked Taylor Lautner. Even though I knew better than to expect the stars from the film to actually be at the party, I could not shake the possibility, no matter how minute, that they would actually be there to make an appearance. For this, I scornfully applaud the Sterkinekor marketing and hype machine, for they are truly talented, no matter how much propaganda was spewed in the process. However, the solemn fact remains: not once were we promised the possibility of the actual stars attending the party. This was pure conjecture created by a too eager and largely deluded fan base. After all, “when you ‘assume’, you’ll make an ass out of you and me”! In short, Sterkinekor did the best they could, given the logistical and costly nightmare of bringing A-list celebrities to our backwater country. Thus, Sterkinekor settled for second best, through the use of gifted ‘look-a-likes’.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the party was being able to mingle and take photographs with the various ‘look-a-likes’ from the Twilight Saga. On show were Edward, Bella, Jacob, Alice, Victoria and Laurent. Each ‘look-a-like’ appeared to embrace the character they were chosen to portray with absolute aplomb. ‘Bella’ frequently bounced back and forth between the lovelorn vampire and the heated shape shifter, whilst their enemies made light meals of discerning guests. In addition to the various photo opportunities, a director and film crew were on hand, shooting pivotal scenes from the movies, all the while guests partied the night away as mock ‘extras’. Too awesome!

In addition to the filmed sequences, we were notified that guests, with enough votes, could win a limited edition poster of his/her self and a twilight ‘look-a-like’, made in the vain of the New Moon film posters. How cool is that?! Apparently any professional photograph taken with the ‘Twilight Crew’, was eligible.

As it so happens two photographs, starring myself, made it into the running, out of hundreds of photographs that were taken. The photos are now available on the ‘Bite My Apple’ Facebook fan page and voting is now open. Needless to say, being the Twilight fan that I am, I would love one of my photos to be made into a poster. Consequently, I am turning to my readers for some added support.

The voting process is simple and works like this: 1 vote = 1 like. So all you have to do is ‘like’ the two photographs on Facebook in which I appear. You may vote for any other photo that is available too; some of them are actually pretty funky. If you would like to vote and help me obtain an exclusive poster, please do the following:

1. Become a fan of ‘Bite My Apple’ here: [http://bit.ly/BMAza] (Unfortunately you need to be a fan in order to ‘like’ any of their photographs)
2. Once you are a ‘fan’, please click on these links [http://bit.ly/bR55NB] and [http://bit.ly/9xyZBK]; and simply ‘like’ each photograph.
3. That’s it! You are all done! Thank you!

Although diehard fans may have expected a bit more, there is no denying that the party itself was an extravagant affair and a night many of us will never forget. Thank you to Sterkinekor and MiMoney for an experience like no other. An experience I am whole heartedly looking forward to repeating for Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, should further Twilight Saga inspired events be pursued.

Please do have a look at some of the photographs that I took while at the event:

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Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

“Why did van der Merwe keep a pair of scissors in his racing car?
So he could cut the corners!”

For the last several months, ever since first viewing the initial teaser trailer, there has only been one movie to have successfully garnered my obsessive anxiety.

Not Slumdog Millionaire. Not Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Not even the infallible Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. No, this exclusive obsession could not be for any ordinary movie or typical Hollywood cash cow.

Instead, my focus has continuously been drawn to a movie which is set, surprisingly, in the very city within which I live.

That movie has been none other than this years science fiction sleeper hit, District 9.

As a gamer and general technology enthusiast, I have been aware of Neill Blomkamp for quite some time. Without a doubt, Blomkamp’s most notable breakthrough was way back in 2005, for his short film entitled Alive in Joburg. However, what many people may not realise, is that Alive in Joburg actually served as the premise for District 9.

It was this short film which allowed Blomkamp to garner the attention of the ring baring Peter Jackson. At the time, Jackson’s company, WETA Digital, was recruited by Microsoft, in association with Bungie Game Studios, to help produce a series of live action short films to promote the latest game in the Halo franchise, Halo 3. As it so happened, Jackson liked Blomkamp’s work in Alive in Joburg so much that he chartered the South African to be the director for the Halo: Arms Race live action short film.

The Halo: Arms Race short film was so well received that Microsoft decided to green light a Halo movie with Blomkamp as the director, courtesy of Peter Jackson. Unfortunately, the Halo film project was shelved, due to “internal disagreements between Fox, Universal and Microsoft” (Boucher, 2009). However, because Halo was supposed to be Blomkamp’s foray into the world of feature filmmaking, Peter Jackson and those involved felt obligated to give Blomkamp financial support and a chance to direct another film.  Consequently, it was decided that the short film Alive in Joburg could be expanded into a feature. Ultimately, and according to Jackson, District 9 was born “the day Halo [the film] died” (Boucher, 2009). On a side note, the Halo film appears to be back on track with Stephen Spielberg at the helm.

So, in a cruel twist of fate, if it was not for the initial demise of a Halo film, we would most likely not have the film District 9.

On Wednesday 12th August 2009, I was notified by Sterkinekor entertainment of the South African premiere of District 9. To say that I was excited, is a complete and utterly profound understatement. I actually squealed in delight – not a good sign, what with Swine Flu (H1N1) rampant in our parts these days. Subsequently, rather than waiting for a press invitation, I immediately went out and secured my own tickets to the event – eight in total: for myself (Hans), Athena, Dillon, Cleo, Terence, Charissa, Gideon and Tiffany.

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There are nights and then there are ‘NIGHTS’ in Johannesburg! Yesterday evening, Wednesday 19th August 2009, was certainly one of those ‘NIGHTS’. It appeared that the whole of Johannesburg had pitched up for the premiere, well over 1000 people. Everyone was there, from the A, B and C list’s all the way to the ultra exclusive mainstream folk, such as yours truly.

Upon arriving at The Zone, in Rosebank, we were greeted with a preliminary red carpet; bursting at the seems with guests and stretching over a good 50 metres from the entrance all the way to a series of brightly lit and coloured ‘shacks’. Acting like born and bred celebrities, we completely bypassed the burgeoning queue of astonished guests and made our way toward the ‘nouveau chic’  inspired construction (I already had our tickets, the perks of forward thinking). It was there that we were hounded by the paparazzi, who gracefully led us into the shanty town structures for our mandatory photographic session.

After intimately exploring the District 9 drop zone, and after a thorough security check by Multi  National United (MNU) guards, we were tagged and relocated to The Red Carpet. The paparazzi had a field day. We narrowly managed to evade the press and made our way to the celebrity friendly Non-Human safe zone. It was there that we joined the celebrity ranks and socialised with fellow artisans such as Heinz Winckler, DJ Fresh (who is rather arrogant), Prime Circle, Miss Earth, Cindy Nel (PDA alert – get a room next time) and the cast of Egoli, among many other notables.

After a brief reprieve, made bearable by a multitude of delicious buffet styled snacks and copious amounts of champagne and wine, an MNU agent announced that the District 9 premiere was about to begin and that we should all take our places in the cinemas for launch. Most impressively, everything had been very well thought through and catered for; with  freshly produced condiments awaiting our consumption in each and every available seat.

Without giving too much away, the story focuses on an  extraterrestrial race, hatefully known as ”Prawns” by locals, who are forced to live in ‘squalid’ conditions, near the city of Johannesburg in South Africa, who suddenly find a kindred spirit in a government agent, who is unexpectedly exposed to their biotechnology whilst being tasked with the responsibility of relocating the aliens to a new “District 10″ camp. With family drama, corporate politics, inter-species sexual relations and some rather bad Nigerian ‘muti-loving’ gangsters, lest not forget steroid raging marines and a verbose use of gore, what more could science fiction critics want?

In essence the movie is a politically driven science fiction drama with a documentary styled focus, which offers no illusions to the fact that the movie is heavily based on South Africa’s ‘apartheid era’. After all, the title District 9 is a homage to District Six, a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town, South Africa, which was declared a “whites only” area by the apartheid government and whose population of 60,000 inhabitants were forcibly relocated to the Cape Flats – a zone 25 kilometres away from the Cape Town city centre. Consequently, the film is not shy about exploring hushed notions of stereotyping, xenophobia, inhumanity and blatant racism; a story not so far off from South African reality. Even with the underlying social commentary, which I think viewers may be unable to ignore, the movie itself is fascinating.

One of the best aspects of the film, in my opinion, has to do with the humour.   Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, the film is inundated with all sorts of local South African “in-jokes”, references and symbolism. For example, anyone who does not chuckle at the fact the the protagonist is a ‘Van Der Merwe’ or, better still, that the main expert on the case hails from ‘Kempton Park University’, cannot truly consider themselves true ‘Joburgers’, let alone South African.

I have written about casting veritable unknowns as leads within feature films before. As always, it is often quite a risky endeavour. However, in this case, every one of the characters was an ‘unknown’. Even so, the outcome proved to be worth the risk. Of particular mention is Sharlto Copley, who plays the anti-hero Wikus van der Merwe. I can honestly say, that Copley is excellent as the bumbling, mild mannered, Clark-Kent-esque MNU agent. He pulls off the role with absolute aplomb and I think they would have been hard pressed to find anyone else who could have done it as well as he did.

“I hope people will be inspired to see an Afrikaans character played with a redemptive quality. Afrikaaners have just held this guilt for apartheid – fair enough in some instances, but it’s also remarkable what they actually did in the end, giving over the power that they had”.

Sharlto Copley on his character ‘Wikus van der Merwe’ (Jackie May, 2009)

Visually, the movie is sclera drying and amazingly crafted! Considering the budget, a mere $30 million, they did an astounding job. One would not be labelled a fool for thinking the movie to have a budget of over $100 million! It just goes to show that one does not need the exorbitant amounts often thrown around Hollywood to create a sublime and visually intensive movie (Michael Bay, I am looking at you)! The alien creature visuals effects were created by Image Engine in Vancouver, Canada, while additional visual effects were created by The Embassy Visual Effects, Zoic Studios and Peter Jackson’s firm, Weta Digital. The film also makes use of a unique cinematographic style. Think of it as a mix between the Blair Witch Project, Carte Blanche and Men In Black. Surprisingly, Blomkamp handles the varied mix amazingly well.

According to Chris Lee (Los Angeles Times, 2009), over the course of District 9’s opening weekend in American theatres, the science fiction thriller earned $37 million at the box office, surpassing all commercial expectations and, moreover, hauling in $7 million more than the “scrappy quasi-documentary cost to produce”. As of Tuesday night, the film had pulled in an additional $10 million, earning a total $47.1 million! The film is, no doubt, on it’s way to being the unofficial surprise hit of the season! “Jislike”!

District 9 has the scope of Independence Day, the visual cinematographic style of Cloverfield, the suspenseful thrill of the original Aliens and a gripping well written story like that of Primer.

Verdict: 9/10.

After being completely mesmerised by the absolute brilliance of District 9, we were all greeted by an inability to prevent ourselves from clapping in admiration and pride at a job well done. District 9 is proof, more than ever, that one can truly be proud to be a South African.

Everybody knows that when there is a premiere there is bound to be some kind of SWAG (Stuff We All Get). Bear in mind, this is not Hollywood, so we were not expecting items like District 9 emblazoned mobile phones or anything *hint, nudge, hint*. Thankfully, Sterkinekor did not disappoint. Upon exiting the theatre, each guest was handed a flower made out of the cans that soft drinks are sold in. This may not seem like much, and you may be thinking ‘what the hell’?, but until you have actually watched District 9, you cannot really appreciate this unexpected, yet extremely welcomed, gift. Guests were also given free posters and several sets of printed photographs from the ‘shack’ photo shoot that I alluded to earlier.

Of course, before we decided to leave, we made time to schmooze with the actors and actresses from the movie. All of them were incredibly modest and were more than happy to have their pictures taken with us (you hear that DJ Fresh? The ‘now’ international stars are ‘modest’! Go look it up). A majority of whom we inadvertently snubbed before watching the film, since we really had no idea who they were. I had actually asked an ‘alleged’ celebrity to take a photograph of my posse and myself after the movie. The look on his face was one of utter confusion when I placed the camera in his hands. He obviously thought I was going to ask him if I could have a photograph with him and his ‘entourage’. Good times!

Before we made our graceful exit, we were covertly approached by this inconspicuous little lady, who offered an exclusive invitation to the District 9 after party. Just when we thought the evening could not get any better, it did! We vehemently accepted and agreed to let her show us the way. After a short nipple freezing walk, in the middle of Joburg, we entered the Circle Bar at the Rosebank Hotel. One word came to mind: “Bliksem”!

The place was buzzing with the most incredible vibe. There were celebrities left, right and centre. The paparazzi were in full force, taking photographs at every opportunity. Interviews were being conducted right under our noses. Whilst the rest of the generally beautiful populace continued to mingle and converse. All the while being serenaded by a talented saxophonist whose melodically twanged notes were beautifully complimented by the resident DJ’s mastery of uplifting lounge grooves. We. Had. Arrived!

We mingled. We feigned knowing people we did not actually know (Cleo, you are a total ‘machete’). We gorged ourselves on the abundantly divine starters that were making the rounds. We spilled our drinks. We took photographs. Photographs were taken of us. We made friends with the cast of the locally produced Afrikaans movie, ‘Bak Gat’. We sang. We ‘whooped’. We danced. We changed the setting of our ‘inner’ electronic circle (Circle Bar FTW). We laughed. We laughed until we cried tears of insurmountable joy!

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I would like to publicly send a shout out to Sterkinekor entertainment and all those who made the District 9 premiere a possibility. From the decor, red carpet, free condiments and buffet styled starters, all the way to the great SWAG, copious photographic opportunities, celebrity appearances and ultra chic after party; I do not think it could have been done any better! Thank you for creating such an amazing event. One that will be imbedded in our memories for many years to come. You have shown that South Africa is just as capable as any other country to hold a first class event.

I can honestly say that this was one of the most memorable nights I have ever had. It was truly a spectacular event and one that will surely be hard to beat. However, I do not think the experience would have been as ‘mindblowing’ as it was, without the amazing group of family and friends who attended the District 9 premiere with me. You are all, without a doubt, a phenomenal clique of people, who share perfect chemistry. Thank you all so much!

Until the next time “Milieunairs”!

If you are wondering about the title of this post, it is supposed to translate into something like: “Internationalised Foreign Friends”. For all I know it could mean “Tasty Octopus Nipples”, what with the dubious reliability of some of the Internet’s ‘translation engines’.

My poor Japanese skills aside, it was great to be able to spend time with both Laura and Troy. Thankfully we got to see them a few times before returning to Japan.

The most memorable evening took place on Saturday night, 8th August 2009. Upon my recommendation, myself, Mik, Nicholas, Laura and Troy, made our way to the Nelson Mandela square in Sandton City. Those of you who know me personally, can attest to the fact that I always like to try new and exciting places or events. As a result, I managed to persuade almost everyone to try Lekgotla), an African styled restaurant, with the hopes of getting to eat a gastronomically unique dish. We were not disappointed.

Lekgotla is Tswana for ‘the meeting place’, and what a meeting place it is. The place is beautiful. There are no two ways about it. Think traditional African symbolism meets modern European contemporary art. The perfect place to bring foreigners for a taste of African culture.

Thankfully we arrived before the dinner time rush and were thus able to procure and be seated at one of the restaurant’s exclusive ‘gotla’ – one of only two hut-like structures that are able to seat eight people comfortably.

To be frank, the food was simply spectacular! All the way from the Crocodile Carpaccio, Peanut Butter Calamari and Vetkoek starters, to the Ethiopian Coffee Steak, Glazed Pear infused Ostrich fillet and vegetarian platter main courses, and finally all the way to the stomach distending three Crème brûlées degustation dessert; not a single dish was a disappointment. Honestly, a part from being absolutely divine, the food also served as a form of entertainment value for the evening. Discussing the strange delicacies and varied tastes made way for interesting conversational elements and, in some cases, the food prompted ‘hands on’ action as well as the often unexpected, and rather loud, oral expulsion of digestive gases. It was definitely an evening to remember!

Furthermore, throughout the course of the evening, we were constantly impressed by the level of service, but even more so by the welcomed yet unexpected amenities. To begin, we were all offered a cleansing vanilla infused hand wash, with vanilla scented towels to boot. Our hands smelled delicious, unfortunately they did not taste that way. After that a cart was brought over with an opportunity to try out a traditional ‘cocktail’. After come impressive bottle work, we were handed the crushed ice, vodka, honey and lemon juice cocktails. Although the drink sounds like something which could clear ones sinuses, it was actually rather good. A short time later, after the starters, we were given the chance to bare tribal markings upon our beautiful visages. Unfortunately, no one was keen to have their face painted, no matter how ‘unique’ the experience on offer was. Next time though! To top it all off, we were eventually asked if we would have liked our shoes shined. Once again, no one obliged. Although this time it was not for lack of trying, but merely because no one was wearing shoes which could have been shined. To conclude, the service at Lekgotla was excellent. From the moment we arrived we were greeted warmly and made to feel as if we were the only people there. Granted we were at the time, but the level of service did not decline even though the place eventually filled up faster than a rush hour taxi.

As a result, Lekgotla is the perfect place to take foreigners and it is the ideal location for individuals who are willing to embrace their ‘African’ roots. We would give Lekgotla a rating of 9/10.

In essence it was really very good to spend time with everyone, especially Laura and Troy. They have both grown tremendously as a couple and we are all looking forward to their big day – possibly in 2010. We miss them both quite a lot, but we are immensely thankful for the time we were able to have together. The venue just made the experience that much better. After all, nothing is better than creating highly memorable moments, with unforgettably awesome people.

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Until the next time “Milieunairs”!