Film Fixers were privileged to spend time, and work with critically acclaimed South African author Deon Meyer on a story covering his novel, Fever. The production is done as part of the ‘Invitation Au Voyage’ series, broadcast on the Arte channel into France and Germany. We have a strong partnership with the French production company, Elephant, and it was great to be part of their team – post-lockdown. 

THE BOOK

The novel was written back in 2016 and recently sparked some attention as it follows the concept of a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a coronavirus pandemic caused by bats. The astonishing premise almost seems like an uncanny prediction, being written four years prior to our current situation.

The post-apocalyptic setting is based in the very-real Northern Cape town of Vanderkloof on the banks of the Vanderkloof Dam (formerly PK le Roux Dam) on the mighty Orange River – the green spine that snakes across South Africa from Lesotho to the Cape West Coast bordering Namibia

The story follows this community as it rebuilds itself slowly from the ground up – and as the community grows – so do the challenges it has to face.

THE SETTING

The setting, Vanderkloof, was chosen as the ideal location for the book because it ticked off the important requirements needed for survival. Deon was guided by expert advice during the research phase – specifically around access to arable land and water supply in order to survive and rebuild an entire community.

Another uncanny parallel is that this theory is not unique – and is actually backed by a proven ‘case study’. A mere 30km downstream lies the disaffected enclave of Orania – established on the same premise by post-apartheid Afrikaners wishing to control their destiny and culture.

THE SHOOT

We traveled with Deon to Vanderkloof and surrounds – where he is something of a local legend (including an impromptu book-signing in the local bar) visiting the locations brought to life in the book. A five day road-trip and we had one hell of a time. Despite our knowledge of Southern Africa, we are continually discovering new stories and unique locations every time we scratch the surface.  Watching the sun rise over the Orange River, and setting over the vast, arid, Karoo landscape is always something special – as is meeting people like Deon along the way.

Fun Fact

Meyer needed a virus for his book to achieve his means – to kill off 95% of the world’s population. It was professors Wolfgang Preiser, chief of Medical Virology of Stellenbosch University, and Richard Tedder of University College London,  who identified that the coronavirus as the best possible candidate to achieve this – and gave extensive information on how it would (hypothetically) happen. Terrifying how accurate they were in the end.

As always, we appreciate the trust vested in us to get this shoot done right remotely. A huge thank you once again to Elephant Productions. We sincerely look forward to the next shoot. We loved the shoot, and spending time in a beautiful part of the country. Deon Meyer is wonderful and having the opportunity to travel with him was cracking!

An absolute gem of a production.