About
Meet
Writer-Producer
Dorette Nel
An experienced Writer-Producer who does more than wrestle with words, Dorette was selling tickets to her self-conceptualised back-yard concerts long before she hit the school benches. Her passion for entertaining people eventually led her to content development and scriptwriting.
She has worked in various genres of live-action television and feature films. A team player who has graced many story rooms, she forms part of the writing team of South Africa’s successful daily, Generations, The Legacy.
She wrote and produced a short, animated film aimed at the art circuit, Ruby & Roach, that has travelled to more that 70 International Film Festivals and has won 16 awards. https://www.facebook.com/AbyssSouthAfrica/videos/185325521043800
Locally it was awarded Best South African Short Film & Best African Short Film at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
She is currently developing an animated series for preschoolers, Spling-Go & Friends, as well as a mixed reality VR experience, Peek With Boo, and co-produced a short film in pre-production, Yellow Daisy Butterfly.
She is equally at home working as producer, storyteller, editor, strategist, motivator, coach, and sometimes…therapist.
Abyss South Africa Company Profile
Abyss South Africa invests time and resources in gaining valuable experience in different fields of the industry, both locally and abroad. This serves not only as a networking platform, but provides Abyss South Africa with an opportunity to expose and train previously disadvantaged individuals in a specific field of expertise within the film industry.
Online Distribution Platforms and Animation are both fast-growing fields that have not yet been monopolized. South Africa can provide services to this industry.
Abyss South Africa aims to attend festivals, markets and expos to network and build lasting relationships that will ultimately lead to collaborations.
Vision
- To produce high-quality local content of an international standard.
- To get involved in the vastly popular and fast-growing field of animation.
- To conceptualize, develop and write short animated films that have international appeal and will serve to introduce South Africa’s growing industry to the worldwide market and encourage & secure co-production deals.
- To use the animated short Ruby & Roach, part-financed by the NFVF (National Film & Video Foundation) as a business card to gain exposure, network, and build lasting relationships that will ultimately lead to collaborations.
Mission
- To attend training courses in the field of filmmaking, scriptwriting, show-running and content development for both live-action and animation, both locally and internationally.
- To attend festivals and gain exposure to the needs of the international live-action and animation market.
- To create high-quality short-format projects that has the potential to travel and that will attract co-venture and co-production deals.
- To develop content based on feedback received and contacts made.
- To market this content and package it in a way that will appeal to the international as well as the local market.
- To help put South Africa on the map as a one-stop “go-to” in terms of original content.
Resume
Writer-Storyliner: 13 x 30 min sitcom for Moja Love
“Housemaids”
March 2020 – present: In Development
Writer-Storyliner: 13 x 30 min sitcom for Foscha (Pty) Ltd
“Umuzi Wabadala”
March 2020 – present: In Pre-Production
Writer-Storyliner: 13 x 1hr drama series for Foscha (Pty) Ltd
“Erased” (DSTV Channel 157)
Aug 2019 – present: Completed
Script Coverage: Drama series
“South Western Townships” (Collin Oliphant)
Aug 2019 – present: In development
Script Editor: Animated Pre-School series with Fopspeen Moving Pictures
“A Little Bird Told Me”
April 2018 – present: In Productions
Writer-Producer: Animated short film for webseries at Abyss Productions
“Spling-Go & Friends”
April 2018 – present: In Development
Writer-Producer: Animated short film at Abyss Productions
“Ruby & Roach”
April 2017 – present: Completed
Head writer: TV sitcom at Darkchild Productions
“Ou Toppies”
Nov 2018 – present: In Development for SABC 2
Script Editor: ROMCOM feature film for KwaZulu Natal Film Commission
“Single’s Cruise”
September 2017 – present: In Development
Episode development and Script writing: Animated series at Mondo TV (Europe, Animation)
“Sissi, the Young Empress Season 3”
Oct 2017 – Dec 2018
Script & story editor, writer: SOAP at MMSV Productions
Script editor, scriptwriter on DAILY “Generations – The Legacy”
2005 – present
Storyliner & Breakdowns: SOAP at Clive Morris Productions
“Ashes to Ashes”
Feb 2016 – May 2016 (extended end of season 2)
Head writer: Drama at Clive Morris Productions
Development of 13-part Drama series working title “The Grid”
August 2015 – November 2015 (4 months)
Storyliner & scriptwriter: Drama at ASI B Films
13-part drama: development, storylining, writing (4 eps) working title “Aluta”
June 2015 – September 2015 (4 months)
Freelance Writer & Content Coordinator
SMASHWORKS: Edited and published “Just an Ordinary Woman” – Myriam Donin
MINDSET: Learning resources for Grade 12 IT: * video lessons * computer-based interactive multimedia *
2011 – 2014
Freelance Writer & Producer
Produced & Wrote: Action Adventure series “Nou of Nooit” (kykNet); Made for television comedy feature “Lyk Lollery” (kykNet); Made for TV action feature “Desert Diners (MNet).
Wrote One-ACT Comedies for stage: “Lyk Lollery” & “So ‘n plooi kan looi” – Available at DALRO