How a project runs

Discovery first.
Then the film.

Most quotes start with a camera and a day rate. That's backwards. Until we know what the film has to move and who it has to move, a shoot day is just an expensive guess.

Typical span: 3 to 6 weeks, brief to master
Contact: One person — me
Starts at: R34 000
Revisions: Two rounds, built into the schedule

Step 01

Discovery

A paid diagnostic before anything is shot. We pull apart what the business actually needs this film to do — the audience, the objection it has to dismantle, where it will run, and what "it worked" will look like in numbers rather than compliments.

Output — strategy document, creative direction, defined success measure

Step 02

Script & treatment

The idea written down, in full, before a call sheet exists. Script, shot logic, tone references, locations, cast. You sign off on the film you're going to get — not on a mood board and a hope.

Output — script, visual treatment, shot list, schedule

Step 03

Shoot

Lean crew, deliberate coverage. I direct and operate, which means the person who wrote it is the person framing it — and the person who has to cut it. Nothing gets shot that has no home in the edit.

Output — graded selects within 48 hours of wrap

Step 04

Post

Edit, colour, sound design, motion graphics and subtitles — all in Resolve, all by me. Two review rounds are scheduled in from the start, so feedback is a stage rather than an interruption.

Output — master, platform cutdowns, vertical variants, subtitle files

Step 05

Proof

Six weeks after delivery we look at what the film actually did against the measure we set in step one. If it underperformed, we say so and work out why. That's the only way the next one gets better.

Output — performance read, recommendations for the next round

Investment

Priced in days,
not in guesses.

Every project is quoted as a fixed scope built from these units, so you can see exactly what you're paying for and where a day was added.

Discovery & creative strategy: In every project
Shoot day — direction, camera, light, sound: R14 000
Edit day — cut, grade, sound, graphics, subs: R10 000
Extra cutdowns & further revisions: R1 500/hr
Smallest sensible project: R34 000

One shoot day plus two edit days. Prices exclude VAT, travel outside KwaZulu‑Natal, talent, location fees and licensed music — all quoted openly, none marked up.

Straight answers

Before you ask.

If the answer you need isn't here, ask me directly rather than guessing — I'd rather tell you no early than waste a month of yours.

Why do I pay for discovery separately?

Because it's the part that decides whether the rest is worth doing. Free "strategy" is a sales pitch dressed up as thinking. Paid discovery means I owe you a real answer — including the answer that you don't need a film yet.

Can you just shoot what we've already scripted?

Sometimes, yes. If the script holds up, I'll say so and quote a shoot and post. If it doesn't, I'll tell you where it breaks before you spend money proving it.

Do you work with agencies?

Regularly — as director, as DOP, or as the edit and grade behind someone else's shoot. Rates and turnaround for agency and production-company work are different; get in touch and I'll send them.

Do you travel?

Durban is home and most of KwaZulu‑Natal is a day trip. Gauteng, the Cape and international shoots are on, quoted with travel separately and honestly.

Who owns the footage?

You own the delivered masters and the usage we agree. Raw rushes stay archived with me for twelve months and can be handed over — just say so up front so it's in the quote.

How many revisions do I get?

Two rounds, scheduled into the timeline rather than bolted on. Beyond that it's hourly, and I'll always tell you when a request has crossed that line before I start it.

Discovery first.Then the film.