Image from Zambezia (Copyright of Triggerfish)
Triggerfish Animation Studio has received funding from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as well as the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) to produce their second animated feature, Khumba. The film stars a half-striped zebra who is blamed for the drought affecting his herd. Teaming up with a sassy wildebeest and a flamboyant ostrich, this unlikely hero sets off on a daring quest through the Great Karoo to find his missing stripes. Last year, Triggerfish produced a 3-minute teaser for the feature-length film. The teaser was used by LA-based sales agent CMG to help generate pre-sales which were then used as security for some of the funding. “It’s great that our hard work on the teaser paid off and that we now have the opportunity to further develop the characters and production design as we go into full pre-production”, says Director, Anthony Silverston.
Khumba will be the studio’s second stereoscopic 3D feature film with Zambezia scheduled for completion in early 2011. Set in a bustling bird city on the edge of the majestic Victoria Falls, Zambezia is the story of Kai - a naïve, but high-spirited young falcon who travels to the bird city of Zambezia where he discovers the truth about his origins and, in defending the city, learns how to be part of a community. Amongst the 70-strong crew working on Zambezia, Triggerfish has employed two rounds of interns with financial support from the Services Seta. The first group of five proved to be so valuable in production that they have all ended up being employed for the rest of the project in various capacities. The second group is already helping out in a number of areas although their internship only starts in November. Depending on their strengths, each individual focuses on a different area of production - be it modelling, texturing or lighting.
“Having a second feature in production is a significant breakthrough for our studio,” says Triggerfish producer Stuart Forrest. “There was a massive learning curve on Zambezia, and Khumba gives us a chance to go back and build on what we’ve learnt – largely keeping the same team that we’ve been working together with for the last few years.”
The team was excited to hear that Triggerfish has also just received funding from NFVF to develop the script for their third feature. Says Forrest, “The whole concept is still confidential at this stage, but all we’re saying is that we’ll show you the Mother City like you’ve never seen her before!” Pin It
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