Wat sê julle mense?

Last week Triggerfish gave a presentation on the process of animation to the members of MENSA South Africa.  MENSA is an international society that provides a forum for intellectual exchange among members and this was part of a talk that takes place every month. 

rough concept sketch by Allan Cameron 

Anthony, creative producer and partner of Triggerfish spoke about what it takes to get an idea from concept to screen as well as the (many) processes involved in bringing 3D characters to life. 

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Beat the Beak

The Zambezia team came 'beak-to-beak' in this week's 'Beat the Beak' competition. It wasn't pretty....but there was no doubt that Hayley was the deserving winner.

Matt is a carnivorous bird of some sort - he searches for his victim....

...and finds one. Nikki just stands by while Andrew is devoured.

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Meet.....the Triggerfish All-Star (Remi)

“Seeing the final modelled character come to life is a feeling like no other”.

Remi first joined the Triggerfish team as an intern in 2006 and after 6 months it was clear that we could never let him leave.  He is our resident all-rounder with a talent for character design, storyboarding, animation, modelling and texturing which means he often gets pulled in different directions amongst the various departments.  Remi did a one-year course in 3D modelling and animation at Prestige Academy and it’s been inspiring to see him develop to his full potential over the last five years he has been with the studio. He finds the process of storyboarding a script particularly exciting as well as the challenges that come with character design.  Animation classics from Walt Disney to the Warner Brothers’ Looney tunes have been influential on his work with his favourite character being Donald Duck. “Sometimes I can be really clumsy and really put my foot in it. Often I walk away from a Donald Duck cartoon with a great sense of happiness. I feel that I want people to feel the same happiness and satisfaction after being in my presence.”

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Meet.........the Lighting Artist (Kenosi Modise)

“I love Kung-fuuuuuuu!”

Kenosi originally studied Fine Arts at the Vaal University of Technology before being snapped up by a government-funded internship with Anamazing in Johannesburg. He started out working in animation but quickly moved on to texturing and lighting which he felt more comfortable with. Before joining the Triggerfish team, Kenosi worked at Clockwork Zoo. Disney classics like 'Jungle Book' and 'Pinocchio' are among his early influences with Pixar being his inspiration for 3D animated films. The character he identifies with most is Po from 'Kung-fu Panda'.

Check out his showreel here Pin It

School's Out

The 3rd year students from The Animation School recently had some time off from their studies in order to visit the Triggerfish studios where many of the School's past pupils are employed.

Just remember, you're going to need more than a great showreel to get into Triggerfish - we are protected by ADT, after all :) 

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Meet.......the surface artist, animator (Greg Murray)

“Travelling is usually when I feel most alive and independent....this then hopefully translates into confidence, spontaneity and inspiration!”

Greg has managed to squeeze in a number of Triggerfish projects in between surf trips to Indonesia, visiting his girlfriend in Holland and ...uh, making a bench before joining the crew working on Zambezia. He started off doing texturing but he is now part of the animation team. His small-town upbringing has had a lasting influence on him and he is particularly inspired by traditional photography and people who are honest. What he enjoys most about working in the animation industry is learning about the subtleties of movement because, for Greg, they evoke a "feeling" in the viewer, instead of being exclusively visual. Greg says that if Bill Murray in "The Life Aquatic" was an animated character he would like to identify with him, but he thinks he’s usually more of a "Shaggy" from Scooby Doo.

Check out his photography and showreel! Pin It

Farewell Laurence Mitchell

Last night, members of the Cape Town Film and Animation industries bid their farewells to Laurence Mitchell who has been a champion of our industry during his time at the Cape Film Commission.

Caricature by Daniel Clarke

To Laurence Mitchell who has tirelessly promoted the animation industry in the Western Cape and helped ensure that Cape Town is the animation capital of Southern Africa - thank you!! Your continued support and belief in us at Triggerfish and your constant enthusiasm for our work has been an inspiration to us all.   

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Get ready for some in-flight entertainment

Gogo's on the move! Pin It

International Bright Young Things

Last month we had some Grade 12 students from the Cape Town International School job-shadowing our interns. They recently wrote to us about their experiences at the studio and this was what they had to say:

"I felt very special to have been allowed to see the makings of Zambezia. We attended a drama class which was very funny because the animators had to get into character and really feel and act like the character they were animating for the movie. I enjoyed learning about the whole process of animation and movie-making." - Odette Dutkiewicz

"The stereoscopic seminar was informative - it gave me a good view and feel for the animation industry. As an aspiring designer with a love of animation, my appreciation for the industry and understanding has grown. With a team like this, it would be a great pleasure to work and grow as an artist. Triggerfish looks set to push the South African design industry forward." - Blessing Rugar

"I gained a lot of extremely useful information about the animation industry, particularly 3D animation. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, and always eager to give advice and share their knowledge. The atmosphere is really fun and relaxed, yet very professional. I could definitely see myself in a similar work environment in the future. Once again, thanks for this opportunity." - Joel Zannon Pin It

A Grand Day Out with Aardman

Triggerfish partners were fortunate to spend some time with David Sproxton, co-founder of Aardman while he was in SA to open the animation school in Khayelitsha. This was part of the AIDI (Animation Industry Development Initiative) for which Triggerfish has provided seed funding.


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Au revoir Minnie Mouse

"I want to accomplish as much as I can with the time I have left on this planet… and enjoy what the journey bestows".

Alas and alack we have to say goodbye to Lisa who has been the production co-ordinator on Zambezia for the past 7 months. Lisa will be putting her hard work and talent to good use on the Soccer Cinema team, a travelling cinema that will be screening films in community venues across South Africa in fifty towns.

Lisa has been a freelance production co-ordinator for 6 years and has worked with many reputable companies around Cape Town on a variety of projects from international commercials and feature films, local sitcoms and drama series to documentary film festivals. Zambezia is the first animated feature film she has worked on and, like all us, can't wait to see it on the big screen: "I was totally ecstatic when I got the job. Triggerfish is an amazing studio to work for and Zambezia is a really exciting project". The animated character she most identifies with is Minnie Mouse...why? Because that's her namesake, Lisa Mini.

We'll miss you Miss Mini Pin It

Re-animated animators

.......here are some more self-portraits by the talented triggerfish team.


Hayley


Neal

JP

Andrew Pin It