Pandjieswinkelstories (Pawnshop Stories) is a South African drama anthology television series created and written by PG du Plessis and produced by Krisan Produksies which - in the vein of his classic series Koöperasiestories - tells a different story each week through the eyes of three central characters, who confide in the viewers about what they are watching.
Broadcast in Afrikaans, the series premiered on kykNET on Tuesday 15 July 2014, at 20h00.
English Synopsis
In his three-season series Koöperasiestories for the SABC, PG du Plessis used an unusual method of telling the narrative, namely besides the usual filmic way, also adding direct narration, engaging the viewers directly by addressing the camera, in the manner of the so-called "stage aside".
This approach yielded many dividends and innovative structures.
The basic pattern is to use recurring characters who viewers get to know each week as a throughline, although each story has its own beginning, middle and end, with a wide range of dramatic moods, from the lightest comedy to the tragic.
TV viewers proved this was a popular format as the series Koöperasiestories is one of the most frequently repeated Afrikaans drama series on South African television, and remains a good seller on DVD. The nature of the stories are diverse and the viewer never knows what to expect.
With Pandjieswinkelstories, kykNET asked the author to take these techniques further and bring them to a new series of stories - once again with new recurring characters and backgrounds, with each story fully rounded into a beginning, middle and end.
The Pandjieswinkelstories series takes place across a wide range of places, events and times. It has a few stories closer to the city although remains largely rural in nature, creating a distinctive mood.
Recurring Characters
The three characters who bind the series together are Han, Skroef and Toffie, each with his or her own little idiosyncracies. As the series progresses, their backgrounds become clear: the struggle to keep your head above water, for example, the migration to the cities looking for a decent standard of living after the diggings have failed, etc.
But the stories they tell and experiences they share become the series.
They are:
Skroef (Deon Lotz)
Toffie (Frank Opperman)
Han (Elize Cawood)
Afrikaans Synopsis
In sy drie reekse Koöperasiestories vir die SABC het P.G. du Plessis 'n besonder geslaagde vertelwyse beproef, naamlik om naas die gewone filmiese vertelwyse, ook direkte vertelling in te voeg - deur die vertellerkarakters te gebruik om ook die kyker direk (in kamera, en op die patroon van die sogenaamde "stage aside") aan te spreek.
Dié werkwyse het vele dividende opgelewer en het vernuwende strukture en soms uiteenlopende stemmings moontlik gemaak.
Die basiese vertelpatroon het dan gebruik gemaak van enkele bindkarakters wat vir die kykers bekendes word, terwyl elke storie sy eie begin, middel en einde het en oor 'n wye spektrum van drama-stemmings vertel word: van die ligste komedie oor lag-met-'n traan tot by die tragiese.
Hierdie vertelpatroon het inslag gevind by die TV-kykers en die reekse Koöperasiestories is van die mees herhaalde Afrikaanse dramareekse op Suid-Afrikaanse televisie en bly steeds in DVD-vorm 'n goeie verkoper.
Die aard van die stories is uiteenlopend en die kyker weet nooit wat om te verwag nie.
Met Pandjieswinkelstories het kykNET die skrywer gevra om bogenoemde tegnieke verder te voer en 'n nuwe reeks vertellings die lig te laat sien - met nuwe bindkarakters en agtergronde, maar met elke vertelling volledig afgerond in 'n begin, middel, einde.
Dit is gedoen en die Pandjieswinkel-reeks speel oor 'n wye spektrum van plekke, gebeure en tye af. Dit het in 'n klompie gevalle nader aan die stad en die hede beweeg, grotendeels die plattelandse aard eenkant gelaat en 'n eiesoortige stemming geskep.
Bindkarakters
Die drie bindkarakters van die reeks is Han, Skroef en Toffie, elk met sy of haar eie klein eienaardigheidjies en geite.
Soos die reeks vorder, word hulle agtergronde duidelik: die gespartel om kop bo water te hou, byvoorbeeld, die stadtoe-kommery op soek na 'n menswaardige leeftog nadat hulle op die delwerye misluk het, ens.
Maar die verhale wat uit hulle monde en wedervaringe kom, vorm die reeks.
Die bindkarakters is:
Skroef (Deon Lotz)
Han (Elize Cawood)
Toffie (Frank Opperman)