By Nangamso Mabindla
7 April 2004

THE arrival of a Cape Town film-casting agency in Buffalo City to scout for talent for a BBC movie documentary has East London applicants buzzing with enthusiasm.

The agency, Colt Talent, is auditioning for extras for "The Rise of Sapiens", a movie which aims to explain how prehistoric man lived.

Talent scouts, Chris Quail and James Walton said they believed the Eastern Cape would provide a perfect backdrop for the movie, which should hit our screens later this year. "This is a beautiful province with lots of potential; there is also unused land which will be brilliant for our prehistoric scenes," said Quail, adding that he had fallen in love with the people.

In terms of auditions, Quail said he had been pleasantly surprised at the ability with which applicants performed the simple task they'd been briefed with.

Walton said 95 people had turned up on the first day, and he expected more for the second.

Applicants were asked to act out prehistoric man going about his daily chores. "They have to walk exactly how those men walked, with backs bent, and then act as if they're eating food that we've provided for the set," explained Quail.

They would also have to feign fending off a mammoth or a sabre-toothed tiger. "Remember these guys couldn't talk and they didn't fully understand death; so we also have a dead body they'd pick up, thinking it was still alive."

The agency was looking at around 150 people for background roles, but if any were impressive enough, they would be considered for lead roles, Quail added.

Besides the chance to exercise their talents, the spin-off of participating in the movie was the creation of jobs in the province.

"One lady phoned me yesterday to thank us, saying she appreciated our effort as she would have something to eat. It doesn't matter how much it is but it is important to these people here," a visibly moved Quail said.

Another hopeful, Yonela Gxasheka, a 15-year-old dancer who performed at the South African Games closing ceremony, said he was happy that Buffalo City had been considered for a big-production movie. "All I need to do now is to do my best to be selected for the movie, and then the rest will be up to me in front of the camera."