Thursday, July 29, 2010

Meet....the modeller (Andrew Wilkins)


"I am constantly looking at game trailers and awesome concept art of characters and environments and I can't help but want to re-create them."

Andrew first joined Triggerfish as an intern fresh out The Animation School. He worked on the pilot for our up-coming second feature, Khumba and is now working primarily as modeller on our 3D feature, Zambezia. A keen gamer, Andrew has always been interested in CGI and also takes inspiration from photography, sculpture as well as Japanese Anime. The fictional character he most identifies with is Skwisgaar from the anime, Dethklok because, like Andrew in real-life, he also plays the guitar. Pin It

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Thanks to Ned we found our voice!


Photo: Wayne Thornley (Director) and Ned Lott hard at work in the recording studio.

We were privileged to have Ned Lott, veteran Hollywood voice director and producer, come to Cape Town to continue his invaluable work with us on our voice recordings and edit. He put in incredibly long hours to make sure we had everything we needed before he returned to LA (where he will continue to put in long hours on our behalf). Ned handled the job with grace and sensitivity and taught us all a lot in the process. Ned's hard work and genuine care for the project have helped take Zambezia to a new level. Thanks, Ned! Pin It

Friday, July 23, 2010

Meet...the storyboard supervisor and animation director (Lindsay van Blerk)


With decades of experience in animation,Triggerfish is fortunate enough to have someone like Lindsay heading up the Zambezia team. Lindsay cut his teeth during the 1980s when he worked as an animator and character designer for Klaybow Films. Over the course of his career, Lindsay has worn every hat from producer and director, to lead animator and character designer on no less than five stop-motion films and more than 60 commercials for Xyzoo Animation. He has also directed 20 episodes of an animated series for Clockwork Zoo. Lindsay has an eclectic mix of influences that include Picasso, Da Vinci, Goya, Tex Avery, Pixar, Aaardman, Mozart, Guy Richie, Stanley Kubrik, Coen brothers, pre-historic art, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens and Nick Cave. The fictitious character he most identifies with is the chivalrous dreamer, Don Quixote. Pin It

Monday, July 19, 2010

Happy birthday, Zolani...or should we say Zoe!


We are thrilled to have Ned Lott, our U.S. dialogue and casting director in the studio with us this week.Today we recorded Zolani Mahola who voices the part of Zoe in our feature Zambezia and, because it's her birthday, we thought it was a good excuse to have our cake and eat it!
Photo: Zolani with Dialogue and Casting Director, Ned Lott and Wayne Thornley (Director) and Anthony Silverston (Creative Producer). Pin It

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Ned Talks: How can SA animation find its voice.....literally?

Animation SA in association with Triggerfish will be hosting a talk by L.A.-based Casting and Dialogue Director, Ned Lott, the U.S. voice and casting director on Zambezia which is currently being produced by Triggerfish animation studio.

This talk is an exciting opportunity to benefit from Ned’s wealth of experience within the animation industry. Ned has acted as Producer, Voice Director and Casting Director with  Walt Disney Studios on seven Studio Ghibli titles, including Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar™ nominated theatrical release “Howl’s Moving Castle.”  Aside from working on numerous Disney projects , Ned has also worked for Pixar and Warner Brothers with some of the top talent within the industry, including Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Shia LaBeouf, Billy Crystal, Dakota Fanning, Anne Hathaway, Angela Lansbury, Geoffrey Rush and Uma Thurman.

As part of the talk, Ned will be providing an overview of how to act as a voice-over artist for animated feature films by offering practical advice on developing strong acting skills when reading scripts, microphone techniques, and how to voice multiple characters. Ned’s talk will also reveal an ‘insider’ perspective on what Hollywood casting directors look for in voice auditions and how best to go about creating characters.

So whether you’re an actor or a producer, an animator or a director, or you just plain LOVE animation....don’t miss out on this talk.

Date: Thursday 22nd July
Time: 18:15 for 18:30 until 21:30
Venue: Michaelis Lecture Theatre, Hidding Campus, Corner Orange and Rheede. 
The session is free but booking is essential as numbers are limited. Please RSVP by July 20th.

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Meet....the animator (Kevin van Kraayenburg )






"Toasted Ham and Cheese has definitely had a major influence on my character development. It has become one of the standards I measure life by."

What does sailing yachts in the Caribbean have in common with animation? Nothing except that Kevin van Kraayenburg has done both. Kevin who is working on Zambezia, as both an animator and layout artist, has been hooked on animation ever since he was a kid, or as he puts it..."a a victim of peer pressure at pre-primary school and  sat down to watch a gripping episode of the Ninja Turtles - it had everything, action, suspense, drama, thrilling adventure, Kung Fu, romance and mutant turtles!" Grown-up Kevin cites Ratatouille, How to Train your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Horton hears a Who and...Top Gun as a few of his greatest influences. The animation character he most identifies with is Samurai Jack because he is well-mannered, strong willed and wears slops. But consensus at the studio seems to sit with Wiley E. Coyote or a "dirty wizard" like Jafar or a dirtier version of Gandalf before he got his robes washed. If you want (or dare) to see Kevin's work, click here. Pin It

Monday, July 12, 2010

Meet....the critics!

Zambezia was screened to the most discerning critics in the animation industry....kids of course!  Last Saturday, a group of boys and girls, ranging from the ages of 4 -14 descended on to the studio to view the first 20 minutes of our feature. Despite their age, the critics took their job seriously and armed with crisps and sweets, they didn't waste any time getting stuck in (to the film, not the snacks, that is).

On the whole, the focus group yielded some interesting and favourable results. Our loony stork, Gogo and the terrified lizard were a hit and definitely got the most laughs. Director, Wayne Thornley was pleased that even the younger kids didn't have any trouble following the story and that many of them remembered lines from the script: "It was great seeing them engage with our story. It's so rewarding to get the reaction you're hoping for."  And best of all, after the seeing the 20 minutes they were excited to see more. We're taking that as a thumbs up! Pin It

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

New arrivals on Zambezia!

Photo: Deep Roy with Noureen DeWulf and Zambezia's 'gossip girls', Kelly Stables and Kristen Rutherford.

As Gogo, our loony, old stork, always says...Zambezia is a place "where birds of every feather flock together" and if our growing, colourful (not to mention talented) cast is anything to go by, her words couldn't be any more true!


Photo: Deep Roy in the recording studio

Experienced TV actress and voice-artist, Kelly Stables (Hoodwinked) and Kristen Rutherford (Howl’s Moving Castle) have teamed up to make the perfect pair of 'Gossip Girls'. Noureen DeWulf (The Back Up Plan and Oceans’ Thirteen) is the voice of Pavi, our Bollywood-inspired Ibis and Jamal Mixon (The Nutty Professor) is Ezee, the incorrigibly laidback Nightjar. We also have on board the veteran actor, Deep Roy (Transformers, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Star trek) bringing his wealth of experience to the character of Mushana, Zambezia's ubiquitous Green Pigeon.  Pin It