MY TOUR OF THE FERGUSON FILMS’ ‘THE QUEEN’ STUDIOS
A few weeks ago, I was invited to join a few lucky film students at the Ferguson Studios in Ruimsig, Johannesburg.
Proudly South Africa handpicked these students and gave them an opportunity to go through a comprehensive tour of the Ferguson Films’ The Queen studios – from the Khoza mansion, Noma’s, Corner House, Jerry Maake’s house and the police station. (Pretty cool how it’s all in one yard – a very big yard.)
We then went to see the action at the Sebata house. Working with the entire crew, we went through every department, from editing (my favourite part), subtitles, colour grading, lights, cameras, sound and directing. We then had an opportunity to see the infamous father-daughter duo, Thando and Hector in action. I am patiently waiting for that scene to air so I can say, “I was there when that was shot” 😂
Speaking to the students upon arrival, Happy Ngidi, head of PR and Communications at Proudly South Africa said that this was a part of their campaign titled ‘living lekker locally’, a consumer drive aimed at reminding South Africans that almost everything they need can be sourced from local manufacturers. “We want to remind people that they can wear, eat, drink, travel, listen, watch and drive local,” she said. We also wanted to show them the intricacies of creating a production, while ensuring that they appreciate the work done behind the scenes,” she added.
It was a wonderful experience that really opened my eyes to the level of work that goes into creating a television production. My boy, Mpilo, really wanted to join me but he had school that day. He did, however, get shoutouts from legends, ausi Connie Ferguson and uncle Raps (Rapulana Seiphemo).
Thank you to Proudly SA for arranging, and to the Ferguson Films team for hosting us.
Watch my experience on Instagram: