After a long and thorough search of three months, Buffeljagsdam near Swellendam was chosen as the ideal location to film The Bridge, a new South African version of the international reality show.

The Bridge shows how strangers join forces in a remote location to build a bridge several hundred meters long to an island. A cash prize of R1 million is hidden there, but only one participant will walk away with the prize and must decide to either share it or take it all for themselves.

The local version, The Bridge / consists of eleven episodes, and was produced by Red Pepper Pictures, which is also responsible for programmes such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

The first episode will be broadcast on Thursday 26 October at 20:00 on kykNET (DStv channel 144).

“It was a huge team effort to find the right place,” says Freddy Louw, creative director and producer of Red Pepper Pictures, about the search for the destination.

“The executive producer, Cecil Barry, drove his car and visited every possible dam and reservoir in Limpopo and Mpumalanga while the rest of the team used Google Earth to scour the land. In the end, with the help of Google Earth, we discovered Buffeljagsdam. After visiting it three times, we decided it was the perfect place to film The Bridge.”

Buffeljags Dam is fed by two rivers: the Buffeljags River and the Tradouw River. It is located just east of Suurbraak, a small settlement in the Overberg, 19 km east of Swellendam and at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains.

The format of the program required specific conditions for the location where The Bridge would be filmed.

“It had to have a pond or lake surrounded by wild nature so that it would feel like another world to the viewer,” Louw explains.

“The ideal location is an environment where there is no modern technology and where no urban structures are visible, but where there is full logistical and emergency access for the film crew and the participants.”

Buffeljagsdam was therefore the perfect choice because it met all these requirements.

Louw also says that the Langeberg Mountains’ “dramatic backdrop” and even the position of the sun and the moon were decisive factors.

“The position of the Houthuis, where the participants live and work, was selected because it offered such stunning sunrise and sunset views. The location of Umshanti, a lodge that was only two minutes away by boat from the participants, and the climate of the region – with both good and stormy weather – also played a role in the final decision.”

RNews reported earlier that this is the eleventh installment of this series and according to Waldimar Pelser, M-Net’s director of kykNET channels, it is the kykNET reality program that has received the most entries ever.

It is an original Banijay concept and has already been broadcast in countries like Australia, Brazil and the UK.

“The Bridge is not just a program, it is a global experience that attracts viewers from all over the world. We are thrilled to be producing the local version of this hit series, bringing together the best South African talent and showcasing our beautiful landscapes,” Pelser said earlier about this program.

BOUND TO SECRECY

The team at Umshanti was bound by confidentiality while they hosted and catered for the film crew, who stayed there for 27 days.  Every day the crew would be transported  to the secret location using the  famous Umshanti double decker barge, plus another smaller barge and three small boats. 

(pictured: Umshanti team and film crew) 

Kosie van Zyl

Kosie van Zyl spent two months building the accommodation for the contestants, which had to be rustic and blend in with the surroundings. You can see how well he did in the image above.

The secret had to be revealed when flares, which were used to communicate with the contestants, alarmed the nearby Buffalo Creek residents, who thought they had to save someone in distress! 

The crew enjoying their after party!

Suid-Afrika is ’n wonderskone land met van die indrukwekkendste natuurtonele op aarde. Dit het die vervaardigers van die avontuur-realiteitsreeks egter drie maande geneem om die ideale plek te vind om Die Brug te verfilm – die gewilde internasionale reeks waarvan die plaaslike weergawe in Oktober sy buiging op kykNET maak.

Waaroor gaan die reeks? In kort: Twaalf vreemdelinge moet saam ’n brug bou om by ’n eiland – en ’n skat van R1 miljoen – uit te kom.

“Dit was ’n reuse-spanpoging om die regte plek op te spoor,” sê Freddy Louw, kreatiewe regisseur en vervaardiger van Red Pepper Pictures, die produksiemaatskappy wat vir Die Brug verantwoordelik is. “Die uitvoerende vervaardiger, Cecil Barry, het in sy kar gespring en elke moontlike dam en reservoir in Limpopo en Mpumalanga besoek terwyl die res van die span Google Earth gebruik het om die land te fynkam. Op die ou end het ons, met behulp van Google Earth en inwoners van Swellendam, die Buffeljagsdam ontdek en ná ons dit drie keer besoek het, besluit dit is die perfekte plek om Die Brug te verfilm.”

Die Buffeljagsdam word gevoed deur twee riviere – die Buffeljags- en die Tradouwrivier. Dit lê net oos van Suurbraak, ’n klein nedersetting in die Overberg, 19 km oos van Swellendam en aan die voete van die Langeberge.

Volgens die formaat van die program, was daar spesifieke voorwaardes vir waar Die Brug verfilm moet word.

“Dit moet ’n dam of meer hê wat omring is deur ongetemde wildernis sodat dit soos ’n ander wêreld vir die kyker voel,” sê Freddy. “Die ideale plek is ’n omgewing waar daar nog geen moderne tegnologie is nie en waar daar geen stedelike strukture te sien is nie, maar waar daar tog volle logistieke- en noodtoegang tot die filmspan en die deelnemers is.”

Die Buffeljagsdam was die perfekte keuse omdat dit aan al hierdie vereistes voldoen.

“Die Langeberge gee die ideale dramatiese agtergrond en selfs die posisie van die son en die maan was ’n deurslaggewende faktor,” sê Freddy. “Die posisie van die Houthuis, waar die deelnemers woon en werk, is gekies omdat ons sulke asemrowende sonopkoms- en sonsondergangskote kon kry. Die ligging van Umshanti, ’n lodge wat net twee minute per boot weg van die deelnemers was, en die klimaat van die streek – met goeie én stormagtige weer – het ook bygedra tot die finale besluit.”

Die plaaslike Afrikaanse weergawe van Die Brug is die elfde lisensiëring van vervaardigingsregte wat vir hierdie internasionaal gewilde realiteitsprogram toegestaan is. Dit is ’n oorspronlike Banijay-konsep en is reeds in lande soos Australië, Brasilië en die VK uitgesaai.

Die eerste episode van Die Brug, wat uit elf episodes bestaan, word op Donderdag 26 Oktober om 20:00 vanjaar op kykNET (DStv-kanaal 144) uitgesaai. Dit sal ook op DStv Stream gestroom kan word en sal op Catch Up beskikbaar wees. Besoek die kykNET-webwerf vir eksklusiewe programinhoud en sluit aan by die gesprek op Twitter, Instagram, TikTok en Facebook deur #DieBrug te gebruik.

Source: rnews.co.za

Source: Maroelamedia.co.za

Source: Swellengram

Images thanks to Umshanti