| While digital 3D technology is gaining popularity with local cinema audiences, further applications will only materialise once demand grows. This is according to Mike Buckland, technical producer at local animation studio, Triggerfish. by Lezette Engelbrecht |
| “It's very early days for the 3D industry in general,” says Buckland, adding that demand will only pick up once people become aware of 3D again. “It's a technology that raises its head every so often and then goes again.” Films were initially offered in 3D in the 1950s, but some viewers found the experience uncomfortable, as processing the 3D images could cause headaches, eye strain and nausea. In a recent report on 3D technology, Stephen Prentice, VP and fellow at Gartner, explains that modern equivalents of the cardboard red and green 3D glasses use high-speed LCD shutters or polarised light to send different images to each eye. Each image appears from a different perspective, creating the stereoscopic vision the brain translates into a 3D effect. According to Vidya S Nath, senior analyst for digital media at Frost & Sullivan, modern 3D technology breaks several barriers to true virtual reality and recreates an almost “live on-site experience”. “For instance, in an ideal situation, a viewer watching a football game will get transported to the actual field and watch the ball being kicked around him,” she explains. Learning curve Mark Harris, Nu Metro content and marketing executive, says film studios are committing billions to the production of 3D films worldwide. “At this stage, there are no fewer than thirty 3D movies scheduled for release over the next three years. The new generation of digital 3D has been hailed as the most vital and exciting development in cinema since the advent of colour film.” Both DreamWorks and Pixar have stated that all future animation releases will be in 3D, with films such as Toy Story 3, Rapunzel, A Christmas Carol, and James Cameron's sci-fi fantasy, Avatar, set for 3D release. Ster-Kinekor acquisitions and scheduling executive, Paul Burton, says the company has seen between four and 13 times uplift with a 3D film, compared to a 2D version. There are currently five Ster-Kinekor 3D-equipped theatres, in centres in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, with plans for additional screens, adds Burton. According to Harris, digital conversion worldwide has generally been slow-moving in the cinema industry for the past few years due to costs. “However, 3D has recently become a catalyst for exhibitors to convert to this new technology. As with all new technology, there is always a price tag.” Harris adds there are already advances in SA, with Nu Metro planning to add more 3D screens. “By the end of the year, Nu Metro would have installed a further five 3D screens at two new cinema complexes, taking the 3D screen count to 14 screens over nine complexes,” he says. The two new cinema complexes will be located at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg and Galleria in Durban. Reel to real According to Nath, the move to 3D is still in early stages, with complex technical and production requirements providing a challenge. “There are a limited number of cameras, especially digital 3D cameras, for producing content. Large screen projects require specialised editing, and products for the same are not evolved optimally. Secondly, technical expertise to handle equipment for 3D production is limited.” Buckland says the biggest consideration in using 3D is that there is double the amount of data. “This has a considerable impact on storage and processing power as you need twice as many machines to render frames and store data.” He adds that the challenge is financial rather than technical. “There are stereographic experts who can advise us and initial tests indicate it is definitely achievable technically. It just means that one has to be more careful with cutting corners – everything has to be that much more precise.” Besides the financial implications of double the rendering, there are also cinematographic elements to consider, according to Buckland. These include the framing of shots and editing between different depths of field. “Filmmakers are still learning the best way to present images and push the boundaries.” Tracey-Lee Troskie, from 3D animation and graphics company, DXF Extreme Effects, says local studios aren't behind in terms of getting hardware or commercial software used for high-end 3D. “Where we do lack is the knowledge to apply all of these tools and the big problem comes in getting sufficient funds for huge projects. Overseas, they have a lot of R&D teams to develop new tools and push boundaries. This is where we lack.” But Buckland says the tools are evolving. “As more studios produce in 3D, we'll develop better workflows, improve the way of doing things and it will become easier. It's uncharted territory, so there are lots of new techniques for storytelling and we're still figuring out how to give the audience a better experience.” While 3D offers more immersive viewing, Buckland stresses that it doesn't necessarily offer value for every film. “Personally, I think 3D is a tool for telling a story. In some films it really serves the story, but it's not for every movie.” http://www.itweb.co.za |
Blockbuster animated films with an African theme like The Lion King and Madagascar have reaped rich rewards for Hollywood studios.
Now it is South Africa’s chance to shine.
Although not the first to be produced here, Zambezia will be the biggest animated film created in SA.
Cape Town-based Triggerfish Animation Studios, which has three full feature animated films in the pipeline, is already in pre-production on Zambezia, the first film of the three.
Last week, the Industrial Development Corporation, when announcing its financial results, confirmed that it has approved a R17- million investment in the film.
Triggerfish director Anthony Silverston said the pilot was produced in 2006 and it has been a long slog since then to perfect the script and to secure funding.
Both issues are at an advanced stage and Triggerfish is recruiting production staff for the film.
While Zambezia cannot compete with Hollywood budgets, Silverston said, in local terms, the creators were working with a comfortable budget financed largely by the IDC but also by US investor Wonderful Works, US finance group 120db Film Finances, Triggerfish itself and the National Film and Video Foundation.
Silverston said while it was not the first full-length animated film from SA (Lion of Judah has been completed, but not released), it would be the biggest, and pre-sales have already been extremely positive.
Zambezia, which will be directed by local writer and director Wayne Thornley, is a coming-of-age adventure about a falcon from the plains of Zimbabwe who travels to the big city, where he is tested to the limits when he has to protect Zambezia against a horde of aggressors.
While the scriptwriters are from SA, including Thornley, Silverston, Raffaella Delle Donne and Andrew Cook, they have been consulting with Kiel Murray from Pixar and an experienced UK Film Council script editor.
There is a lot of local talent on which to draw. Silverston said there has been a huge response to the call for applications. “We were excited by the level of talent,” he said.
The film is in pre-production where design, storyboards, characters and environment are being finalised and it will take 18 months to finish, with a 2011 release planned.
Since 1996, Triggerfish has been doing animation for commercials including the Royco Potato Bake potato head ad, and the Plascon Woodcare ad, and has done a lot of work for Takalani Sesame.
Silverston said the creators wanted the film to be authentic and wanted to use local voice talent, but American audiences struggle to understand the accent, so it may have to be dubbed for some international audiences.
Music also plays an important part, and will be a mixture between traditional and contemporary African music.
The org has been pushing an animation agenda hard for the last couple of years, and it won a small victory last spring when The Location Film and Television Production Scheme, which provides a rebate of 15% for service work productions, opened up to include animation among its eligible formats.
CTFC also pushed to get animated projects in on the action of the South African Film and Television Production and Co-Production Scheme, available to official treaty co-productions with total budgets of at least US$260,000. The fund provides a rebate of 35% on the first US$623,000 spent on production in the region, and then 25% after that.
The inclusion would benefit a relatively small community of animators who have been quietly cutting their teeth on CGI work for commercials and feature films including Blood Diamond and Lord of War over the past few years. "The problem with feature films," says Sean Rogers, MD of Capetown-based live-action and 2-D animation studio Clockwork Zoo, "is that after the three- to five-week shoot wraps, you're not creating regular income for people. Our aim is to build an industry that can support 200 to 400 people earning a living 12 months of the year."
Part of that growth will depend on the community building connections with potential partners in the wider global industry. This past October, a larger contingent of South African studio heads than ever before was at MIPCOM pitching for service work and co-productions. Such profile-raising efforts have certainly paid off for Rogers' shop, which is about to grow from 50 animators to a staff of more than 200 in order to take on a slew of new animation projects and, if all goes as planned, develop an original series. Clockwork is also mapping out blueprints to build a new complex in 2010.
Paris-based Xilam, Wish Films in the UK and Welsh studio Dynamo are all Clockwork clients, and Rogers is in the process of closing a deal with Toronto, Canada's Cookie Jar Entertainment. He has discussed three original series concepts with these existing partners, but for the time being, finding more service work is top of mind. "You've got to get the balance right," says Rogers. "Long-term scalability is based on creating IP. But in terms of gaining skills and credibility, the service route for us is very much a key focus."Fellow Cape Town shop Triggerfish Animation Studios is also trying to juggle original IP development against a steady service business. The company made a name for itself in the kids industry by creating some stop-motion characters for Takalani Sesame Workshop, the localized version of Sesame Street that debuted on SABC in 2000. Triggerfish has since developed a technology for lifting stop-motion images and placing them in CGI settings that gives its characters a unique aesthetic. This expertise has helped director of animation Anthony Silverston attract US service work, including a pilot for Alabama-based Studio 125 called Me + Jesse D and half-hour direct-to-DVD series Life on the Pond from Isaac Entertainment, also in Alabama.At the same time, Triggerfish has two of its own animated features in the hopper - Zambezia and Khumba - and Silverston has hired sales agency Cinema Management Group (credited with selling Hoodwinked to the Weinsteins) to ramp up presales for Zambezia in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Benelux, Turkey and China.
To encourage skill development and information-sharing amongst South African animators, Canda Kincses started up the AnimationXchange, a monthly networking event and discussion forum for animation professionals, about four years ago. "At that time, in terms of government support, we were quite off the radar," says Kinces, a director at Cape Town's Breakdesign. "Most people haven't heard of the animation industry in South Africa and aren't aware that we have specialized needs." So Kinces and her colleagues organized a Cape Town chapter of AnimationSA, a trade org that lobbies the government on behalf of the industry to create sustainability, as well as globally competitive content and services. Across South Africa, AnimationSA now has more than 2,000 members.
"We're doing a lot to encourage people to invest in the infrastructure that we need to drive up the animation industry significantly," says Kinces. In particular, that means ramping up education and training. Cape Town has a 25% unemployment rate and a wealth of talented people who Kinces believes not only need to be informed about animation as a viable career path, but need assistance in getting the education that will start them on it. "We want to set up training facilities in the areas that were previously disadvantaged during the apartheid years, and that are still carrying the legacies of poverty," says Kincses.
Already, the AnimationSA chapter in Johannesburg is building a training model. Funded by national public broadcaster SABC, the organization is putting six young adults under the age of 25 through an intensive 10-month 2-D animation pilot learning program. Natalie Delport, a director of AnimationSA and owner of Portal to Learning, which is facilitating the program, has ushered the group through the entire process and says the class will walk away with a specification in 2-D animation endorsed by the South African department of education. As well, SABC has committed to airing the five x four-minute original series the students created in class.
"The whole point is empowerment," says Delport. "You don't just put someone through this program and then walk away; you help them to help themselves, to create their own jobs," she says. To that end, her dream is that ultimately the SABC series will help the group land another commission and partner with an industry production company to get it off the ground. "They're hoping they can stay together as a team and become the first self-sustained black animation production company," says Delport. Her next goal in January (after the formal learning portion of the course is completed) will be to guide the students through an exercise on setting up their own animation business, with the help of an industry mentor.Delport says the course costs roughly US$10,000 per person, from start to finish and includes transportation costs and course material such as books, software and computers. Other animation studios are planning to run similar programs based on the success of Delport's pilot effort, including Clockwork Zoo. Rogers says he'd like to have a first class going through a course in his Cape Town studio by the end of 2009. Triggerfish's Silverston also has a training budget in place as part of his overall production budget for Zambezia. He says it will be used to bring in 10 fledgling animators for five months of background training, in expectation that they will then be able to help churn out the film.
Animation software manufacturer Toon Boom has taken an active interest in investing in South Africa, and now has more than 200 licenses up-and-running in the country. "We're very interested in emerging countries," says Joan Vogelesang, Toon Boom president and CEO. "If we help to create an industry and there's a reasonable percentage of return for us, then it's a great investment for us." So far, Toon Boom has set up an office in Cape Town with a service representative who has a background in animation and can liaise with studios to help grow the market. That includes offering education licenses to the likes of Delport's SABC pilot program, as well as committing a set amount of time to teaching part of the course curriculum.Vogelesang is also keen to facilitate introductions to animation studios in other territories and encourage potential partners to view South Africa as a destination point in an industry that is always on the lookout for new outsourcing and co-production opportunities. "Right now, we're seeing a lot of acceptance in Europe and Canada; they're the early adopters," says Vogelesang. With many years of experience backing it up, Vogelesang predicts the South African animation industry is just 18 months away from having the infrastructure to support an international animation industry.
South Africa and Egypt lead the way, but quality work can be found in a number of African countries, as Karen Raugust reports. The success of animated films such as The Lion King and Madagascar suggests that properties with African themes can have significant potential with global audiences. To date, such properties have come out of Hollywood rather than Africa, but there are signs that animators on the continent may be poised to make an impact on the world market. In fact, a handful of properties produced in Africa, with African themes, are set to debut globally, including in the U.S. Tinga Tinga Tales, for example, is a television series animated at Homeboyz Ent. in Nairobi, Kenya, produced by U.K. studio Tiger Aspect in partnership with Cbeebies, the BBC's children's channel, and Playhouse Disney. Based on Tinga Tinga art from Tanzania, the series is hand sketched and colored before being scanned to give it a traditional look. Entertainment Rights will distribute the 52 episodes starting in 2009, as well as handling licensing and merchandising. Meanwhile, HBO acquired The Magic Cellar, a joint Canadian and South Africa production, in 2007 for HBO Family. Partners in the CG series, which consists of 20 animated folktales, include Chocolate Moose Media from Ottawa, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and South Africa's Morula Pictures. And the first CG feature film to come out of Africa, The Lion of Judah, was produced by Sunrise Prods. and animated by Character Matters (both South African studios) and commissioned, financed and owned by Animated Family Films in the U.S. The movie utilizes Hollywood voice talent and is expected to be released in April 2009. The status of the animation business varies in each of the 53 countries in Africa. South Africa and Egypt have established industries, albeit small compared to other global animation centers, while some nations have virtually no industry. "It is difficult to look at the continent of Africa as a whole undifferentiated mass," explains Paula Callus, a specialist in the study and research of African animation and faculty member in animation at Bournemouth University. "Each separate country has a very different landscape of animation, varying from independent self-funded filmmakers, grant-funded initiatives through UNESCO, UNICEF or The French Ministry of Cultural Affairs, to small and large local production studios." South AfricaSouth Africa has the most diverse animation output of any nation on the continent, both in terms of style and medium. Much of the work to date has been completed on a service basis, with a significant focus on commercials. However, more studios are starting to be active in the entertainment arena, including developing proprietary properties and investigating co-productions down the road. "In the short-term, the industry needs to go through some usual challenges facing a growing industry, but in the long term I think the South African animation industry will be a serious player, not only in commercials and TV but more and more so in CGI feature films," says Phil Cunningham, executive producer at Sunrise Prods. In addition to The Lion of Judah, Sunrise also produced a stop-motion film called The Legend of Sky Kingdom, among other projects. However, service work continues to account for the bulk of work. "As [South Africa is] Africa's economic powerhouse, with strong international relationships and an overall good perception and reputation, South African companies are therefore well placed to service international clients," says Roger Smythe, co-founder of Masters & Savant Worldwide, one of the largest studios in South Africa. He cites factors such as the country's reputation for creativity, time zone advantages, favorable exchange rates, and a strong work ethic as benefits of working with South African studios. Masters & Savant specializes in commercial and branding work and is currently pitching four commercial projects for the Middle East, creating an identity for a Gospel channel, completing the branding and holiday commercials for Musica, a local retailer, creating an animated corporate video for the MTN cellular network, and producing two public service announcements. Another leading studio, Triggerfish, focuses almost entirely on international clients. "Unfortunately, in South Africa, animation is often seen as the 'low-cost option,' so the domestic budgets do not allow for fluid 2D animation or high-quality 3D," says Stuart Forrest, producer. "We therefore do 90% of our work for overseas clients, particularly in the U.S. where we can take advantage of exchange rates and our relatively low cost of production." Triggerfish launched with a focus on stop-motion commercial work, expanded into children's TV animation, and, more recently, has concentrated on CG productions, including direct-to-DVDs for U.S. and other international clients. It made its name on the global market as the lead animation provider for Takalani Sesame, the African version of Sesame Street, on which it collaborated with 10 studios across the country. It has three feature films in development, including Zambezia, which starts production this February, andKhumba, which is scheduled to go into production in June. Some studios in South Africa produce mainly for the local market. Anamazing Workshop, for example, produces animation with African themes, mostly for South Africa. A recent project was Backyard Shorts, a collection of 13 short films produced at its in-house Animation Production Training Institute, which aired on SABC and in theaters around the country earlier this year.While the South African animation community is large compared to other countries in Africa, it is still small from a global perspective. There are about 20 established animation and vfx studios in the country, according to estimates, mostly small (two to three people) or medium in size. A few larger studios, with staffs of 30 to 35, dominate the commercial, vfx and long-form character animation sectors, but smaller studios can be profitable by specializing in commercials or motion graphics. While the industry is small, South African studios have developed a reputation for quality. Compared to studios in Asia, "we tend to give more attention and better quality with a competitive budget," says Ivan Greyling of Character Matters, a CG studio that has been in business for 15 years. South Africa is the rare country in the region where there is government support available for animation. The Department of Trade and Industry offers a rebate of 15% of productions and 30% of co-productions if the local spend is more than $100,000, while the Industrial Development Corp. provides funds for films made in South Africa. Regional film commissions such as the Cape Film Commission in Cape Town also have been supportive of animation. Animation SA is a nonprofit group representing the interests of the local industry. It has a presence at film festivals, holds monthly networking meetings that attract 150 people on average, and operates a website for networking and to promote South African animation companies. Animation SA has 1,800 members and a database of about 2,000, mostly comprised of animators with some experience."South Africa is breaking into the world animation market, and we're seeing more and more interest from abroad," says Forrest. "With a wealth of untapped creative artists and very high production values, it's just a matter of time before the industry explodes." Egypt The number of studios in the country has expanded throughout the 1990s and 2000s. About 10 of these account for much of the production, responsible for over 100 hours annually of television episodes, commercials and shorts. Examples of studios include Al Sahar, which has an animated feature, The Knight and Princess, in development; Tarek Rashed Studio, which got its start in commercials in the early 2000s and has since expanded into co-productions with Arab countries for local series; Zamzam, which produces Islamic series in clay animation; and A+ Cartoon, which uses Flash to produce series for Egyptian TV. The number of animators in Egypt also is growing, with academies such as Cinema Institute, Helwan University and Minia offering animation classes and more than 200 new students graduating every year with at least two years' of training. Ghazala estimates that about half of these pursue animation as a career.Egyptian studios services customers mainly in Egypt and nearby Middle Eastern and North African markets, including Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Qatar, Libya, Yemen and Kuwait, Ghazala says. The majority of work consists of 2D and clay animation, with some specialists offering 3D and Flash. Other Countries Studios tend to come and go. Some relocate to countries where the business environment is better; Character Matters, for example, began in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1993, but was forced to move to South Africa, which had more business advantages, a decade later. Others simply go out of business. Pictoon, a studio in Dakar, Senegal, one of the poorest countries in the world, produced a children's series called Kabango le Griot, which was a hit on the Canal France International satellite service in 2003 and generated a lot of publicity. But the studio subsequently ran into financial difficulties and had to cut its staff. There are positive signs in some regions. Homeboyz Ent., a company in Kenya that has several businesses in radio and music production, launched an animation studio to complete Tinga Tinga Tales. It employs local designers, writers, musicians and animators for the production and plans to continue creating African animation for global distribution after work on this production ends. A couple of other small studios are working on animation seriously in this country as well, according to CEO Myke Rabar and Angelina Koinange of Homeboyz.Even countries without an animation industry per se have some independent artists at work, reports Callus, citing Jean Michel Kibushi in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Moustapha Alassane in Niger. In Ethiopia, a country with virtually no animation industry, a UNICEF-funded studio called Whizkids produced Tsehai Loves Learning, an educational puppet and animation series in the Ethiopian language of Amharic that garnered international awards. One initiative that helped further the animation industry in Kenya and throughout Africa in recent years was UNESCO's Africa Animated!, based in Nairobi. Its intent was to train local animators and encourage the production of animation with African themes. The initiative offered three training workshops in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, which were attended by animators from 10 countries and yielded 20 short films, some of which went on to win awards in global festivals.Partners included the United Nations Development Programme, South African Broadcasting Corporation, the Mauritian government, Canal France International, the French Embassy in Nairobi, Bournemouth University, Parsons School of Design, Kenya College of Communications, regional broadcasters, educational and professional institutions in Africa and others. The plan was ultimately to set up a permanent training facility, but the initiative has gone dormant since its founder, Alonso Aznar, relocated out of Africa. Future Promise "We've got the talent, we can do the work -- we just need the rest of the world to switch onto that fact," agrees Forrest. Animators in Africa also are striving to develop a definitive style, which is difficult since many have been trained by European or American animators. "The biggest challenge -- and the one I undertook with Africa Animated! -- is to have a production made by Africans, for Africans and with images, scripts and music from that continent," says Aznar. He worries that the disappearance of Africa Animated! will prevent the industry from developing further in sub-Saharan Africa. "This is particularly sad since there is a treasure trove of talents ready to produce high-quality animation," he says. Observers agree that there is no lack of creative artists capable of producing quality work. "The most positive sign is that there is a group of creative hands that come from Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, Algeria and Zimbabwe, in addition to Egyptian and South African artists," Ghazala says. "In fact, I'm optimistic!" "Many young people are taking an interest in animation and realizing that it could be a viable career path for them," adds Greyling. Koinange and Rabar point out that big international animation companies are coming in to train people in countries like Kenya, and that both the quality and quantity of work are on the rise. "Not withstanding economic, social or political strife, the type of work that is being produced is qualitatively comparable to any animation being made in the West," says Callus. "The talent is not lacking; it is the support to enable this talent to grow and blossom that needs to be worked on." Karen Raugust is a Minneapolis-based freelance business writer specializing in animation, publishing, licensing and art. She is the author of The Licensing Business Handbook (EPM Communications). source: http://mag.awn.com/?article_no=3832 |  | |||
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By By Leslie Simmons
Publication: The Hollywood Reporter
Date: Saturday, November 8 2008
AFM is more animated than ever.
With nearly 90 toon titles offered at the market, from low-budget straight-to-DVD or TV to high-end $10 million-plus features, buyers have seen a constant rise in animated product, thanks in part to 2005's "Hoodwinked! The True Story of Little Red Riding Hood."
"The cost of production has come way down and, with a budget of $10 million, you can make a really great looking movie," said Edward Noeltner, president of Cinema Management Group, which brought "Hoodwinked" to the market four years ago.
At the time, "Hoodwinked" was among the few high-quality animated features at AFM, selling in 16 territories its first time out, Noeltner said. It was picked up by the Weinstein Co. and went on to scoop up $110 million at the boxoffice worldwide, with a virtually even split between domestic and foreign boxoffice sales.
Its main competition that year was "Valiant," repped by Odyssey Entertainment, which was picked up by Buena Vista Pictures and went on to gross $62 million at the worldwide boxoffice.
Since then, Noeltner has noticed a steady rise in the number of CG-animated features at AFM. CMG's offerings this year include the African adventure "Zambezia" and the action feature "Louis La Chance."
Noeltner has already negotiated distribution for both films in several foreign territories, including the Middle East, Russia, Portugal and Turkey.
"In the five years that we've handled animated features, the quality has gone through the roof," he said. "That allows us to have scripts with more characters and detail and more spectacular imagery."
The ones that do well, Noeltner said, are usually made for between $10 million and $20 million, can be marketed to audiences ranging from ages 6 to 60, and can easily be dubbed to whatever foreign market it is distributed.
The technology to create quality animation for less money has increased, allowing features to be produced anywhere in the world. For CMG's titles, the animators are based where the film is being produced. "Zambezia," for example, is being produced entirely in South Africa, while "La Chance" is in France.
Interest in animated features was evident Wednesday night, when Summit Entertainment screened to a packed room at the Casa Del Mar Hotel a short sample of its feature "Astro Boy."
"The only difference with independent animation is vis-a-vis the distribution and P&A push," Summit's Patrick Wachsberger said. "Some independent animated films have done quite well in Europe."
Also generating buzz at AFM is "Light of Olympia," being offered by ITN Distribution.
It's an about-face from last year when the film's producer, Liyan Yan, came to AFM shopping the project around.
"No one wanted to talk to him," ITN's Annalisa San Juan said. "We didn't even have any animations at the time."
But ITN owner Stuart Alson was so impressed by Yan's artwork, they made a deal a few months before Cannes.
ITN sold Turkey and the Middle East at Cannes and at AFM they're in negotiations for several territories, including a bidding war among several Russian companies.
"The amount of traffic of people coming in ??? even if they're not normally picking up animation ??? they're asking because the quality looks so good," San Juan said of the animated feature, made on a $16 million budget.
Liza Foreman contributed to this report.
Pin Ittaken from http://www.screendaily.com
Triggerfish Animation in Cape Town, South Africa is venturing into feature film production with Zambezia, a CG movie set in the Victoria Falls area of the Zambezi river. The family film revolves around the unique flora and fauna found in the lush river valley and promises plenty of high-speed chases and an exciting climactic aerial battle.
Zambezia centers on an independent young falcon named Aero, who leaves home to join the most famous aerobatics team in Africa. Having entered the prestigious Spring Race, he finds himself in the middle of a plot hatched by egg-eating giant monitor lizards that threatens the entire island sanctuary and the future of bird life in the entire valley. In his heroic quest to defeat his formidable foes, Aero eventually comes to realize that the most important journey of life is finding the way home.
Trigerfish has a history in stop-motion animation and recently branched out into 2D and CG production when the company was commissioned to handle all animation for Takalani Sesame, the South African version of Sesame Street. The company plans to have Zambezia ready for release in April of 2009. The pilot animation can be viewed at www.zambeziamovie.com.
taken from : http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/6719
Six South African writers have been awarded funding to develop their feature film ideas into screenplays through the '25 Words or Less' pilot project announced by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the UK Film Council's Development Fund.
Run as a competition, the filmmakers will receive R100,000/£10,000 each to develop a first draft of their project and will be helped by a script editor assigned by the Development Fund and the NFVF. Each of these drafts will then be jointly produced by a UK and South African producer.
The winning writers who were challenged to pitch their idea in not more than 25 words within three chosen genres - teen horror, comedy 'fish out of water' and zero to hero are:
The UK Film Council's Development Fund has run a number of 25 Words or Less funding rounds in the UK but the South African programme is first to be run with an international partner. The pitching concept has kick-started the careers of emerging British writers and seen scripts snapped up by major production companies in the UK and the US. The South African programme is designed to help writers find a way of fast-tracking high concept screenplays which are aimed at the international market and have commercial appeal. In the process, British and South African script editors will work together on the projects, bringing an additional development dimension to the programme.
Jenny Borgars, Head of the Development Fund at the UK Film Council says: "Developing opportunities for the UK to work with international film talent, exploring different approaches to storytelling and finding new voices is vital to creating exciting new films. South Africa is a rich source of writing and creative talent and this partnership with the National Film and Video Foundation has attracted exciting talent to develop their ideas as film projects and opened the door to future co-productions."
Ryan Haidarian, Head of Development and Production at the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa says: "We were overjoyed at the calibre of pitches. It was a proud moment for us having to mill over the shortlist of fantastic story ideas wondering which one was the best. Ultimately we had to add a fourth project due to the stiff competition."
Comments from the winners:
Hanneke Schutte, writer of Jimmy in Pink has worked in advertising as a copywriter and lectures in copywriting in Sandton. "The idea for Jimmy in Pink originated from my fascination with hairdressers and women's professional and emotional relationships with them. Men speak to barmen (or maybe those are drunken monologues) women speak to their hairdressers. I come from a long line of mielie farmers, so I thought, what would happen if you take a farmer ('n stoere boer) who's never set foot in a hair salon, you dress him up, you teach him to say "doll" after every sentence and you make sure he services his customers' hair and hearts?"
Raffaella Delle Donne and Anthony Silverston writers of Khumba are both Cape Town-based writers who have teamed up to write their first feature-length script. "We believe that our story is universal yet uniquely South African and will resonate with anyone who has ever experienced what it feels like not to fit in. We wanted to tell a personal story that addresses sensitive issues such as the search for identity and self-acceptance in an entertaining way; and the great thing about animation is that it's the perfect medium to do this. The animation industry in SA is still in its early stages and this is an amazing opportunity for international exposure for us and the local industry as a whole. After working on this story for about 3 years, to say that winning this competition is a dream come true, is an understatement."
Uzanenkosi Motha writer of Another Brother Moses is a producer/writer/director. "9/11 and Big Brother Africa inspired Another Brother Moses. First and foremost, I was searching for a commercial film for a first time black filmmaker. I also understood that the project, once realised, had to establish me as a bankable film producer/writer/director. So, I asked myself what would happen if terrorists, instead of hijacking planes, dropped in the Big Brother House. Since terrorism was and is not really true for South Africa, I ended up with housebreaking."
Simon Hansen and Sharlto Copley, writers of Judgement Day, are co-directors of the two most popular South African short films of all time, both of which were screened last year in the Cinema du Monde section of the Cannes Film Festival. "We are extremely thrilled and grateful to be one of the "25 words or less" winners. The collaboration between the UK Film Council and NFVF is an exciting step forward for us as South African's into the international film making arena and we look forward to the development process." Simon and Sharlto are currently in production on the NFVF funded feature film Spoon.
taken from: http://www.ukfilmcouncil.co.uk/news?show=12202&page=21&step=10
