cape town Dec 2009

The 2009/10 season in Cape Town is already extremely busy and looks set to stay that way for Big Sky Productions.

Clients, agencies and photographers so far include old friends and new faces:

• Asos magazine, photographed by London-based Paul Farrell.
• Sainsbury's catalogue.
• ELC/Mothercare catalogue, with art direction by the Thorney Croft Bell agency.
• Burlington campaign with photographer Carsten Goerling.
• Coronation Fund Manager campaign with award-winning agency FoxP2.
• Apeal web campaign with Belgian-based Morris-Chapman.
• Puma.
• National Geographic Kids, with photographer Verster-Cohen.
• The Daily Mirror.
• Italian clients Fred Mello.

After a great response to its new location marketing brochures, First Productions has had a fantastic start to the season welcoming both regular and new clients. 2010 is looking busy too and the company is happy to be working once again with clients who have tried alternative destinations and will now be back in Cape Town.

Over the years, the company has found the most valuable form of advertising to be "word of mouth". It has maintained its renowned reputation by offering the highest degree of personal service with guaranteed professionalism, integrity and a "no problem" attitude. First Productions is in the process of revamping its website which will be up-and-running before the New Year.

Recent projects October - December 2009 include:

• Gabor by Robert Grischek, Waldmann Solar Hamburg. Agency: Service Plan Munich.
• Burda Style Advertising by Astrid Grosser, Birgit Stoever Hamburg.
• Charles & Keith and Pedro by Mark Law, Singapore.
• Kocca and Heyu by Roberto Pagano, Medias Italia.
• Heine and Impressionen by Torsten Ruppert, Gudrun Hamann Productions Hamburg.
• Nivea by Tina Luther, Birgit Stoever Hamburg.
• Peter Hahn by Emma Jönsson Dysell.
• Ernstings Family by Arbes and Tremmel Photography.

First Productions would like to thank all its new and existing clients for their support and wishes them a happy holiday season and all the best for 2010.

Over recent years the goal of Sabina Bezuidenhout, owner of Magic Mountain Productions, has been to offer some of the best production services in South Africa. Thanks to her highly motivated team she has managed to build-up a solid reputation for providing unique and fully bespoke production services with fast and transparent invoicing after each job.

Magic Mountain Productions has collected an excellent array of diverse locations and is permanently scouting for new exciting spots throughout South Africa.

The company recently shot with Michael Detter for Suedwest Versand, Martin Jakob for Yves Rocher, and Melanie Hammer for Ulla Popken.

Magic Mountain Productions has also expanded its services to include event management and has already organised two corporate cocktail functions for Bloomberg London.

Prinz Productions has gone global: the company shot Otto in Mauritius during the European summer with photographer Thomas Kettner at the helm, steering his way through a swimwear and lingerie extravaganza.

Photographer Jonathan Glynn-Smith worked with cameraman Stephen Pennells to capture some amazing imagery including ancient fishing boats, beautiful palm tree-lined beaches and old colonial buildings for the summer Aigle production with Elements UK. For the safari part of the story, Prinz trekked across to the north west of South Africa where the African Savannah and wild animals formed the backdrop to an 'Out of Africa' experience.

The season in Cape Town is looking good with weather stable until the middle of May. The company is busy quoting on jobs in Cape Town, Buenos Aires and Thailand, working alongside clients with its usual price sensitivity to make their productions a reality.

Happy that summer is back in the southern hemisphere, the Steel team - headed-up by Caryn, Andre and Nolan - are in full swing with some exciting productions.

Recent work has included:

• Zurich by Kiran Master.
• Hoegaarden by Blinkk.
• Purina by Graeme Montgomery.
• Dare2Be by Adolfo Crespo.
• DV Mode editorial by Jesper Brandt.
• Tullamore Dew and North Face by Dougal Paterson.

Kids and baby productions have been the flavour of the moment, with work for Nivea Babies by Berno Hjalmrud, Avent by Sue Parkhill, Jako O by Tamy Donnerstag, and Mothercare by Raphael Buchler.

With some exciting briefs and productions currently on the go, summer 09/10 is set to be a memorable one for Steel. The company looks forward to welcoming all its clients to Cape Town over the next few months.

Nomad slid into season from the beginning of October with a back-to back-flow of catalogue, advertising and stock library jobs.

First-up were long-standing clients Otto who had a spurt of fantastic weather to complete their shoot. The company moved up to Johannesburg to produce stills for Sky TV's 'Strike Back' series that - literally and figuratively - went off with a blast.

Back in Cape Town, Nomad once again had bright and beautiful weather for Alpro Soya Products and shot a quick Oakley campaign on the beach against a fantastic backdrop of Table Mountain. From one job to the next, true to its definition, Nomad is always on the move.

End-of-year highlights for Anthony Friend include:

• Cosmopolitan swimwear shoot in Egypt.
• Cosmopolitan January fashion editorial.
• Cosmopolitan world record aerial bikini shoot.
• Woolworths World magazine.
• Edgars Club cover.
• German Men's Health cover.
• GQ cover.
• Boss charity exhibition.
• Peter Tempelhoff: art nouveau food.
• Singh & Son: Eat Out magazine.
• Network BBDO: Ackermans Valentine's, hot shots and baby shoot.
• Hippocampus: Pres Les catalogue.
• Jupiter Cape Town: Elizabeth Arden.
• Jupiter Johannesburg: Boardmans catalogue.

Anthony now proudly adds 'motion' to his portfolio; the latest clip will shortly be available for viewing on his website. The company would like to wish all of its clients and suppliers a joyful holiday season and looks forward to sharing a prosperous new year with all of them.

“13 years after first shooting with Mark, I’m still astounded at his ability to create sublime imagery, be it food, people, interiors or portraiture. His lighting is just exceptional, and he resolves complex situations in an effortlessly natural way. Mark’s offbeat humour belies a serious pursuit of excellence, and he consistently delivers work that is cutting edge and refreshing.” Tess Paterson, magazine journalist and décor stylist.

The team: Take two artists, mix them together and the results form an eclectic blend of mind and soul that is Still. Their combined industry knowledge, shared love of photography across genres, and solid CVs of formal art training lead to a dynamic, multi-skilled team that is innovative, fresh and 100% committed to quality and excellence.

At Still, client experience and work excellence are business imperatives. "From brief to billboard, there is no compromise on quality - ever!"

The company's strong reputation as a premier retouch and digital art studio has been hard-won. Creative flair, uncompromising commitment to realism and meticulous attention to detail position Still as master of its chosen field of excellence.

Recent news from Ice Models:

• Michelle Oosthuizen recently returned from her first international trip to Milan where she set the fashion scene ablaze. The 17-year old delivers with photographers Andoni & Arantxa.
• Charlbi is once again in the fashion capital, Paris, and reaffirms her presence as one of the world's most beautiful models. In this Showcase she is fabulously styled by photographers Melanie & Ramon.
• Michael Held is the new face (and body) of Palmers.
• Katia Lekarski features in the August 2009 issue of Amica.
• Japanese fashion sensibilities and discernment shine on a handsome young Levi Lomey in the autumn issue of the coveted Condé Nast publication, Vogue (Japanese edition). This autumn-inspired story was shot under the auspicious eye of photographer Brett Lloyd.

Max Models is a boutique agency that is highly selective of the models it manages, retaining high standards by offering only the best service and quality.

Recent campaigns by the Max models:

• Jenna and Palesa - Shimansky campaign.
• Jenna - Sassoon campaign.
• Gina Athans - face of Re_ jeans 2010.
• Minki - GQ cover 10th anniversary edition, December 2009.
• Rue - face of Liquifruit 2010.
• Elana - Daniel Hechter.
• Palesa - Face of Yardley 2010.
• Ariane - Marie Claire, December 2009.
• Maryke - Women's Health 1st edition, November 2009.

Be sure to check out Max Models' exciting new website.

Recent highlights from Y Models:

• Lera Koryt’ska - Sports Illustrated 2009. Photographer: Warwick Saint.
• Mignonne van Eeden - Marks & Spencer 2009 campaign. Photographer: David Oldham.
• Sumarie Bouwer - International Elle magazine.
• Rory Johnstone - Jean Paul Classique. Photographer: Jacques Weyers.
• Michael Anderson - KaDeWe Germany. Photographer: Timothy Barnes.
• New faces from Y Models in 2009: Don Madge and Amerae.

Latest campaigns from the Zero models:

• Charie Botha - Luella campaign. Photographer: Richard Keppel.
• Denni Parkinson - (Paris). Photographer: Stephane Gautronneau.
• Jessica Roffey - Guess Lingerie campaign. Photographer: Yutsai.
• Lays da Silva - Women's Health. Photographer: Antonia Steyn.
• Marzaan Kalis - Sports Illustrated SA. Photographer: Settimio Benedusi.

The coolest bolthole in the Cape, Kensington Place was fun and sassy even before last year's renovation, but owner Chris Weir is one of those people who just aren't happy unless everything he casts his eye over is beyond right.

The hotel is a real find, not simply because the setting is so great - in front of Table Mountain with views over the town towards the Atlantic - but because its groovy heart has had a techno injection: the rooms all have laptops, Skype and i-Pod docking stations. The hand picked furniture in the bar is fabulous and contributes to the Kensington Place being the perfect small city hotel.