SA production house shoots webisode for US agency

International award-winning documentary director Toni Strasburg was sourced by Sub urban to shoot the story, which features young, San girls ‘becoming a woman' through puberty. It tells their stories through their world by sharing their dreams, imagination and creativity and is crafted to show their potential, so that viewers will feel empathy towards them and support the initiative.

The webisode was produced as a result of corporate funding donated to a charity initiative that aims to give all young girls around the world a chance to shine. It's intended to pull on the heart-strings of viewers and encourage further donations, without coming across as a direct call-to-action that plays on feelings of guilt. Rather, the series of episodes are designed to entertain and capture audiences' attention, because it's interesting and takes a colourful, positive angle on personal stories.

Delicate nature

Strasburg has worked as an international peace monitor and election observer for the United Nations. Before joining the film industry specialising in social and political documentaries, she worked as a teacher, social worker and researcher. According to Sub urban, this experience was incredibly valuable for directing a story of such a delicate nature.

The production team set up camp for 10 days in a remote Namibian location. Says Sub urban MD/ Executive Producer, Linda Notelovitz Goodall, “It was important for us to spend time with the girls before we started shooting their stories. This way we'd ease them into feeling comfortable having the crew and cameras in their space. It was essential to gain their trust so that they wouldn't feel nervous or awkward around us allowing them to easily communicate and share their stories.”

One of the crucial elements of getting this webisode right was having a strong team supporting Strasburg. It was challenging working in extreme temperatures, with little or no infrastructure, little or no communication with anyone outside of the village and dealing with language barriers.

Says Goodall, “All footage is being edited in the States, so we're waiting for the final cut to come through, and soon we'll be able to measure the success of the campaign. It's very exciting to be a part of an innovative project that supports our ‘energy exchange' philosophy and provides a platform for an individual to have hope in their future. It's always incredibly rewarding to catalyze change in someone else's life.”