Monday, 29 September 2008

TV License Ad Campaign

It pisses me off. How much money did they spend on this?

I see advertisements on Magazines, Radio, Newspaper, TV. And these are not cheap ads either, I mean to take out a series of advertisements in the financial mail, is not cheap, production of these advertisements is not cheap.

It just seems to me that we are asked to pay our TV licenses in order for the TV license people to be able to afford the ad campaign for the following year.

The whole thing just seems obscene and unjustifiable. The money they collect should be used for other things, I don't know.

Who the hell do we pay this license to anyway?

Who ever it is, do they buy content for the various TV stations? Do they give a little to SABC and etv?

Would these ads actually convince people, appeal to their moral side to pay their TV license??? Will YOU pay your TV license after seeing these ads?

Would the money not be better spent on other things? And then convince people to pay their license by saying, ‘…this programme’ or, ‘…this message was made possible by YOU paying your TV license’? I could buy into that. I don’t buy into spending money just for the sake of it!

What pisses me off the most is that the campaign is so brilliant. I love the print ads, the alien going off on his space ship, the werewolf, etc. I get so excited when I see one, and then I get crushed when I see the TV License logo at the bottom. Aaarrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!!!

Friday, 26 September 2008

The boldest story ever told

I want to know if Oliver Stone could do the blockbuster epic that is SA politics at the moment.

Imagine, against the back drop of the world economic meltdown, emerges a story of a misunderstood president (or however you see it) and the events of the past week. Certain incidents could be changed for dramatic effect, to take the story forward.

Instead of just one thread this could be a couple. The Weekender story of how they got the scoop and were the only Saturday paper to carry the story. They are patting themselves on the back very publicly and unashamedly for that. Which I suppose they should! Well done Karima!

The other story is a more personal one and aims to get Thabo better understood. There would be scenes of him as he is at home with the lovely Zanele, (do they have kids? maybe one of them could be gay because his dad did not hug him enough as a child so he looks for love in the arms of strange men, this is where artistic license would need to be exercised), him taking council from Moeletsi, his off the camera interactions with Miranda and so on and so on.

The next key story would be that of Kgalema and his rise.

On the periphery would be the likes of Julius the patsy, Trevor the tease, and Jacob the irresistible.

So one needs action and romance in there somewhere right?, I think therefore we could add the story of how Manto and Thabo met as young revolutionaries but Manto broke his heart and he has never been able to fully give it up ever since. Aloof? he does not want to get hurt again! (again, for dramatic effect, does not necessarily have to be true)

I'll get going on the script. I welcome suggestions for key roles.