An East London writer’s film script may soon be made into a short film after garnering a national award.
Eduard Frauenstein walked away with the Short Film Script Award at the third annual Writer’s Guild of South Africa (WGSA) Muse Awards held at the Soweto Theatre at the weekend.
Speaking about his winning piece, All Living Things, Frauenstein said it was about a man who grew a tree in his ear and focused on the inter-connectivity of life and how nothing existed in isolation.
He said it would be a fun piece to produce.
“I actually wrote that script a year or so ago for a different commission. It is an unconventional story. I tried to write a piece that was as memorable and visually engaging as possible, while still attempting to imbue it with a deeper message,” Frauenstein said.
He said that winning was a great boost to his portfolio and would give him more traction while looking for partnerships or funding for future projects.
“The opportunity to converse and network with the other winners was a phenomenal learning curve for someone in my position, and I got some promising invites for call-backs once I have finished my degree,” he said.
Frauenstein, who is completing his final year of a Language and Literature BA degree at Unisa, said he had enjoyed writing since he was a child and was fortunate to receive the necessary encouragement, teaching and critical reading skills from a very young age.
“Although I have long considered it, I only really got into writing for film a couple of years ago, and this has become the medium that most intrigues me. I think that people working in the creative fields sometimes gravitate towards a certain medium in which they feel most able to express their message,” he said.
He said film writing was the medium that he found most intriguing and comfortable.
“To be honest, that is probably because I find it easier due to the opportunity to juxtapose two or three disciplines at once, like music, dialogue and visual; with which I feel most able to convey an aesthetic experience or message,” he said.
Frauenstein said that although this was his first film award, he had “other work on the go, particularly feature film scripts, with which I will be going to Los Angeles in September to attend a content market”.
The short film is set for final edit by September. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za