The city of Johannesburg is the backdrop and location of every activity that really means something to me.
It depends who you ask. Up-and-coming director to some; smart-mouthed cynic to others.
I started out just wanting to get onto a set and at that stage the opportunity was in wardrobe. I’ve been in wardrobe; I’ve done casting; production management; and finally got a break as a writer. There’s been a lot of stopping and starting; not so much a rollercoaster as a rickshaw ride.
I love getting into a new series; an early morning run listening to a great album; and of course, watching films.
How unpredictable it is – I enjoy working in an environment that hones my intuition and keeps me on my feet.
Across the industry, I wish there were more people fighting for the integrity of the work. Hard times have turned a lot of people into ‘yes men’ and it’s starting to show in the work. You go through so much to produce one piece of work; we deserve the reward of making something that doesn’t make you want to hide. Otherwise, what’s the point?
There’s no such a thing as an average work day, but most likely it involves working my way through emails, treatments, and meetings. There are lots of those.
The internet. I’m pretty much obsessed with popular culture and the net is my portal to everything new and exciting happening globally. That and your eye; it’s important to be able to articulate visually what you do and don’t like and more importantly, why.
It depends on how you see ‘getting it right.’ To me, it’s being able to work in the industry while retaining an authenticity in your work that is distinctly you. It’s hard enough to make any work, so any person managing to do that and maintain some sense of artistic integrity is worth celebrating.
Several things. I’m doing my commercial work though Arcade Content and also working on a documentary about the beginnings of rave culture in Johannesburg. I’m dying to make a fashion film, so hopefully I’ll pull that together shortly.
I’m the worst at keeping up with buzzwords. You can’t get away from the fundamentals of making a good piece of work: a great story, well-articulated characters and a good team to back you. You can come up with all the words you like, but the foundation of a good story stays the same.
In the shower and in those last five minutes in bed, just before I fall off to sleep.
My secret talent is being able to make a perfect fried egg: Crispy on the edges with a soft yolk. It’s a fine art.
I believe in free love.
Memes, selfies, cryptic notes that even I can’t interpret.
However hard you’re working, work harder. Stay on top of what’s happening in your industry globally. Absorb it all; never stop learning.
Simple as that. Click here for Arcade Content’s press office, follow Tisani on Instagram and Twitter, and view her work on Goodcop and Arcade Content.
*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.