[2009 trends] Production trends for 2009

Marsh's trends:

1. We have done very big visual effects jobs for Africa and Asia - big brands doing big things - however, locally, we have not followed suit.
   
2. Quick and efficient are time and money - that trend will continue.
   
3. There is a huge necessity for new talent but our industry is simply not big enough. Talent is going to become a global debt.
   
4. On that note, there are some hot new young directors coming through but nowhere near as many as there were 15/16 years ago - there is an entrepreneurial lull.
   
5. In that same vein, I do think we are missing that fire, passion and hunger for filmmaking that we saw a few years back (late '70s/early '80s) - is it about the youthful sense of entitlement?
   
6. Mobile is a trend that is dying to happen but has still not really taken off or been exploited here.
   
7. Locally on the commercial front, we are not really seeing anything interesting and different on TV - Vodacom's new blockbusters are fun and KFC continues to astound me with the amount of advertising they do, but other than that, 2008 was a very average year.
   
8. Internationally and locally, we are in desperate need for content, and more and more people are getting involved in content.
   
9. Animation is massive: 2D more than 3D - it is cheaper to do a 2D movie over a 3D so there is a swing towards 2D - less refinement is required but the story and script are still paramount.
   

King's predictions:

1. There is a trend towards more work for African countries.
   
2. There is a trend towards budgets being reduced or cancelled.
   
3. Agencies are becoming more dictated to by their clients and creative work then suffers.
   
4. More work being given to the tried and tested production companies where the clients' money is more secure.
   
5. The focus of work is more hard-hitting retail, or more and more branding within the commercial.
   
6. Our invoices getting paid later and later.
   
7. More and more local content - clients do not want international artistes or voice artistes.
   
8. Tighter margins.
   
9. Collaboration - in our case between directors - the performance and tabletop directors shooting only their area of expertise for the same commercial.