Browsing by Author "Heatlie, Damon"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Challenging the Representation of Masculinity & Themes Pertaining to Rape Culture in Film & Televisual Media
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022-06) Gondo, Jackson Onai; Heatlie, Damon; Dladla, Tiisetso
    This dissertation raises questions around the representation of masculinity and in turn the notion of ‘toxic masculinity’ in film and televisual media, and will result in a project in the form of a screenplay and animated scene that subverts these representations and makes the audience, through viewing the film, question their relationship to toxic masculinity and ‘rape culture.’ The dissertation looks at the narrative and visual conventions pertaining to masculinity that have existed throughout the history of film and television and how they still manifest themselves today. It looks at attempts to subvert these conventions and where these attempts failed. It also looks at literary scholars who have theorized these notions of masculinity and how those ideas have indeed manifested throughout film and television.
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    Success Drivers for Independent Feature Filmmaking in South Africa
    (2011-11-11) Heatlie, Damon
    This qualitative research addresses the central research question - why is the South Afican feature film industry uncompetitive, and what are the key drivers for producing profitable films in the South African context? The central conceptual framework used is value chain analysis. The study limits its scope to focusing specifically on the development and distribution stages of the independent feature film value chain The study commences by investigatng the historic poor performance of South African films, which typically were not able to recoup costs and move into profitability. The study interrogates the critical role of the independent film producer as a 'creative entrepreneur' and looks at examples of successful film industry development in other emerging economies. The research then examines what international research indicates as success factors at the development stage, followed by an exploration of the rapidly changing digital landscape of film distribution and its associated opportunities... This study adds empirical data to an under researched field and contributes to understanding the nature of creative industries and their dynamics.
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    Success Drivers for Independent Feature Filmmaking in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2011-06) Heatlie, Damon; Marcelle, Gillian
    This qualitative research addresses the central research question ­‐ why is the South African feature film industry uncompetitive, and what are the key drivers for producing profitable films in the South African context? The central conceptual framework used is value chain analysis. The study limits its scope to focusing specifically on the development and distribution stages of the independent feature film value chain. The study commences by investigating the historic poor performance of South African films, which typically were not able to recoup costs and move into profitability. The study interrogates the critical role of the independent film producer as a ‘creative entrepreneur’ and looks at examples of successful film industry development in other emerging economies. The research then examines what international research indicates as success factors at the development stage, followed by an exploration of the rapidly changing digital landscape of film distribution and its associated opportunities. The empirical research component comprises of the analysis of semi-­‐structured expert interviews with 12 industry stakeholders – producers, distributors and funder­‐investors involved in feature filmmaking in South Africa. The data analysis involved thematic encoding, a reduction of 10 open–ended questions to four key thematic domains that presented in the findings: ‘understanding the market’, ‘finding a business model’, ‘government support’ and ‘embracing distribution challenges’. Conclusions drawn from the findings were that producers have historically misunderstood audience needs and market volumes for their films, that profitability is achievable if one targets local markets modestly, that government support is critical but deficient in the South African environment, and that South African films need committed local distributors and exhibitors even before serious investment in Internet based distribution mechanisms. This study adds empirical data to an under researched field and contributes to understanding the nature of creative industries and their dynamics.
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    ‘They stood their ground!’ – Professional Gangsters in South African Indian Society, 1940 - 1970
    (2019) Heatlie, Damon; Menon, Dilip; Bloore, Peter; Kros, Cynthia
    This thesis is one part of a Creative PhD that investigates the emergence of a new breed of South African Indian gangsters in Durban and Johannesburg in the early apartheid period. The second part, existing as a separate creative text, is a screenplay for a feature film loosely based on dynamics and events present in the Durban Indian underworld of the 1950s. In the thesis I argue that while prominent ‘professional’ Indian gangsters were similar to other ‘non-white’ gangsters in certain respects (their self-fashioning in relation to gangster films, for one), these ‘gentlemen gangsters’ were different in terms of their high level of social and economic integration into Indian society. Focusing on the Crimson League in Durban and Sherief Khan’s gang in Johannesburg, this research comprises reconstructions from (and analysis of) interviews and written sources. It shows how these hustlers positioned themselves as protectors of the Indian community, but also cultivated reputations as punishers, capable of brutal violence if opposed. In Chapter 1, I explore the world of changing South African Indian identity in the middle decades of the twentieth century, and the mobilisation of an ‘Indian’ identity by disparate groups to advance collective interests. In Chapter 2, I look at how subjugated Indian masculinity, a sense of vulnerable ‘territory’, and the rise of street gangs intersected in ritualised games of soccer and gang fights. Chapter 3 traces the rise of Durban’s dominant gang in the early apartheid period, the Crimson League, a vigilante outfit that turned to illicit activities and thuggery. Chapter 4 looks at some of the adversaries that the League engaged and ultimately defeated, including the Salots and the Michael John Gang – I dissect the John murder trial to show how the Crimson League seemingly bent the law to their will. In Chapter 5, I move on to a description of Sherief Khan’s rise to power over rival Old Man Kajee in the Indian areas of Johannesburg in the 1940s and early1950s, culminating in an analysis of his gang’s various ‘business’ activities. Chapter 6 finds Khan and company back on the streets in the 1960s - and examines a decisive conflict with contenders, the ‘Malay Mob’, that re- established Khan’s reputation as ‘South African king of the underworld’. In Chapter 7, I look at how mid-century Hollywood gangster films resonated with Indian gangsters, and how a convoluted conversation between Drum magazine, Hollywood films and Indian gangsters developed. Chapter 8 concludes the analysis with considering the thriving South African Indian cinema scene of this period, and how the cinemas functioned as multifaceted fantasy spaces for both gangsters and ordinary Indians.