Triggerfish finish zambezia pilot

Zambezia from Triggerfish Animation on Vimeo.

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25 words or less

Funded by the UK Film council and NFVF, the six winning scriptwriters underwent a week-long intensive training session with script editors from South Africa and UK. 

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South African Filmmakers to Develop Four New films through UK-South Africa Project

Johannesburg / London:  Four and two-legged heroes, a horrific virus and a farmer turned hairdresser win film funding through UK Film Council partnership with the National Film and Video Foundation.

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:

• Zero to hero - Khumba by Anthony Silverston andRaffaella Delle Donne:   in a daring search for his missing stripes, an outcast zebra discovers his true self, revealing a lost legacy that saves his entire herd.
• Zero to hero - Another Brother Moses by Uzanenkosi Motha:  three losers plan a simple break-in but a slip lands them in Brother Moses' house with 20 million bored viewers who want them to stay
• Teen horror - Judgement Day by Sharlto Copley and Simon Hansen: a mystery virus causes national panic when it takes hold of a sleepy town; the origin of the virus is 'unimaginable'.
• Comedy 'fish out of water' Jimmy in Pink by Hanneke Schutte: a bankrupt Limpopo farmer is elated when he inherits a hairdressing empire; but is horrified to discover he'll have to air-kiss and bare his midriff.

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

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Trigger happy

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Long-form animation takes off

With a new animated commercial on TV seemingly every week, the increase in South African animation is clearly evident. Together with this current boom in the commercials sector, word of long-format work abounds, and it appears the local animation industry is flourishing.

There are a number of established companies based throughout South Africa, all offering excellent services across the board, covering every field of animation, be it 2-D or 3-D, traditional or computer. Those mentioned here only give a taste of the variety available. One need simply look at advertising campaigns currently on TV to see more of the vastly differing styles of animation on offer.

Gauteng-based company Depth animation believe they have pushed boundaries in terms of technology in a number of recent character animation ads, including those for ZamBuk and Playboy deodorant. Their work is, however, not limited to the local market. Amongst others, Depth have done a 60-second TetraPak commercial for Switzerland and have three more for the same client in development, along with a number of other commercials lined up.

Based in Cape Town, Atomic Visual Effects have proven how effective super-real animation can be. Objects are integrated into live action so seamlessly that the audience is barely aware of the hours of work and rendering that have, for example, gone into updating the Guinness bottle in an existing ad, or making a dinosaur walk casually through a local suburb for Telkom broadband.

Another Cape Town company, but one keeping the traditional form of 2-D animation alive is Capechino, whose recent work includes a spot for the perfume Hoity Toity by Lentheric. Capechino are currently working on an exciting campaign for Panarotti�s, consisting of three 60-second spots for cinema, each with its own storyline.

Although on the increase, commercials have always been around, and it is the appearance of more series and features on the scene that hint to the fact that our potential is finally being realised. Depth have an American animated series in development, a series in co-production with The Refinery, and one other long-format in development. Atomic VFX worked on 80 shots for What the Bleep? and are already in pre-production for their own special effects feature, Spoon. Videolab in Gauteng created a 12 minute, 2-D animated short, Ummemo, as part of Animated Tales of the World. This film won the Special Jury award at the HIAFF Animation Festival in Japan. Character Matters, who are originally from Zimbabwe, but are now based in Cape Town, produced a 24 minute 3-D CGI children's Christmas programme, Once Upon A Stable, which won Best Animation at the NRB conference in Texas. Since then, they have also completed two 5-minute episodes for a children's series. In addition, they are in initial stages of pre-production for a long format animated project scheduled to start in January 2006. The primary focus of Character Matters is to produce long format 3-D animation and they say they would love to see a 3-D feature coming out of South Africa in the near future.

But it is not only computer animation that is breaking out of the constraints of short-form advertising. The niche market of stop-motion is also something that can be produced locally at a world-class quality for international clients. XYZOO completed The Velveteen Rabbit, a 22 minute claymation film that won two major international awards, and Triggerfish Animation has just completed 5 and a half minutes of stop-motion inserts commissioned for the acclaimed series, Sesame Street. Long-format animation has even entered the independent film scene with Beyond Freedom � a 13 minute animated documentary directed by Jacquie Trowell � which has just had it�s international premiere in Washington.

As most people are aware, the local feature-film industry has also grown immensely in the last couple years, and Videolab has worked on vfx for 28 features and Digital Intermediates for 9. The most recent was for local production, Tsotsi. The film has already won a number of awards and is our official Foreign Film submission for the 78th Academy Awards. On the international production Duma, Videolab also completed 75 visual effects for Warner Brothers. Up next is the new Leon Schuster movie Mama Jack, and the next Darryl Roodt/Videovision film, The Prey.

As Riccardo Capecchi of Capechino says, �animation is a collective effort, combining like-minded people with the same vision. Everything takes time but what is important is that we all push in the same direction.� With the local database of animation companies and freelancers (as listed at www.animationSA.org) doubling in size over the last six months, it seems that the training and experience brought about by the increasing international work is helping to build the infrastructure required to accommodate even more work. So keep it coming!

by Anthony Silverston

Article courtesy of The Callsheet Vol 2 Issue 10.

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Return of stop-motion

With the eagerly anticipated international release of two major stop-frame animation features (both with rave reviews), the world’s oldest and most magical form of filmmaking is set to make a comeback.

So what is stop-motion? In a nutshell, it is a process whereby images of a model, usually made from clay, plasticine, wire, or even Lego, are played back at such a speed that the human brain interprets the series of static images as one continuous stream of action. When Spielberg decided to use computer animation instead of traditional stop-motion for the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, it could have been the beginning of the end for commercial stop-motion. However, the release of two important animation pieces that same year demonstrated the charming and magical niche that is stop-motion. The Nightmare Before Christmas was a musical feast for the eyes with a wonderful story and design from Tim Burton, while the second Wallace and Gromit piece, The Wrong Trousers, won an Oscar and made their creator Nick Park a household name in the UK and created a buzz of activity at Aardman animation studios  that has continued ever since. 

Now, 12 years later, and a few more projects under their belts, the two creators return with new offerings for big screens across the world that are sure to bring with them a renewed surge of interest in the medium.

From the wonderfully quirky mind of Tim Burton comes The Corpse Bride, which, judging from box office figures as well as critic reviews, promises to deliver on all levels. Wonderful characters that look like Burton’s sketches in 3D are set in his typically dark world, and voiced by his muses Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Fittingly, the film is due for local release October 28th – just round the time of Halloween.

Fans of Wallace and Gromit or Chicken Run will also be happy to hear of the imminent release of the next Aardman feature, Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The story seems to promise the usual adventurous fare for the cheese-loving inventor, Wallace and his ever-faithful (and often more clever) dog Gromit. With only days to go before the Giant Vegetable competition, business is booming for Wallace and Gromit’s Anti-Pesto pest-control unit. However, as their own home overflows with rabbits, the duo must also deal with a mysterious veg-ravaging beast and the snobbish suitor of the competition hostess. This is Wallace and Gromit’s first full-length feature film after 3 shorts (resulting in one nomination and two Oscar wins) and opened at the number one spot at the US box Office, proving that the plasticine due are not just limited to critical acclaim, but are commercially viable too.

 

But the success and interest in stop-motion is only highlighted with these two major motion pictures. There have been more and more examples of stop-motion hitting the mainstream audience over the last few years. An Australian stop-motion short called Harvey Krumpet won the Oscar for best short animation in 2004. Stop-motion from Henry Selick, the director of Nightmare Before Christmas was featured in Bill Murray’s last film, Life Aquatic. Another stop-motion feature The Legend of Santa Claus is also in the works from a Utah-based company called Lumenas. The story depicts the life of the well-known Christmas figure from his childhood, before he became so famous. They seem to be approaching the animation in an inventive way, by combining stop-motion with computer in-betweens to blur the movement and reduce the jerkiness. 

Computers entered the realm of traditional 2D along time ago, speeding up the process immensely, so perhaps they can be used to overcome this single drawback of stop-motion – the time involved. Computers do already play a big part in stop-motion – painting out props, or animating against a blue screen allows characters to jump and fly and extra special effects can always be added to elaborate on an affect. Computer animatics are often used to stage out a complicated scene or try different camera angles, but this was used a lot in Chicken Run and in the end it almost looked so perfect that some say it might as well have been done in CG.

The wonder of stop-motion is often in those small imperfections that might not even be visible to the eye – who, besides an animator would notice a single frame out of hundreds with a mistake? It is these ‘faults’, these human fingerprints (sometimes literally) that give stop-motion the quality that cannot be obtained with a computer. Stop-motion is more hands on and the feat created with a finished piece is more apparent to the audience who is subconsciously aware of the fact that each frame of movement was physically carried out by a person….and at 25 frames per second, that’s a lot of miniscule movements to create one feature-length animation. 

I can personally testify to this, as I was fortunate enough to work on another stop-motion film, 

which has been in production in Berlin for the last 5 years and should be ready for release next year. Entitled Memory Hotel, the project is still largely unknown, but when it is completed, will undoubtedly make waves in the animation world due to the unique vision of its director Heinrich Sabl who has shocked festival audiences before with his confrontational and cinematic style of animation. The story is set in a Russian-occupied Hotel in post-war Germany and clearly the main goal of the movie is not to entertain children, which demonstrates another recent trend to include an adult audience who also appreciate the art form of animation. 

Less arty, but on the more adult (or arguably juvenile) level of MTV’s popular Celebrity Death Match has come a new series called Robot Chicken aired on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Creators actor/producer Seth Green and Matthew Senreich spare no one and run through many toys as they bring slightly mean-spirited pop-culture parodies to life in the 15-minute weekly series. They use legions of action figures to spoof everything from Quentin Tarantino’s blood-spattered epics to MTV’s The Real World, in which a cast of superheroes takes the place of drunken 20-somethings. Green and a number of other celebrities provide voices, including Scarlett Johannson, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Macauley Culkin. 

The recent string of feature-length animated hits have proven that animation did not die with Disney’s classics but has entered a new era of inventiveness both in visual style and technique. After Disney’s one feature a year, we are almost spoilt for choice now. There are enough releases to warrant a “best animation feature” category at the Academy Awards with 3 major companies vying for the accolade each year. Disney/Pixar, Dreamworks, and now Blue Sky, all create 3D CG features, Nickelodean aims at younger audiences with 2D spin- offs from TV series, and there are a number of smaller independent studios who can also deliver brilliant product as demonstrated with Spirited Away in 2003 and Bellville Rendezvous in 2004. Although CG has dominated at the awards until now, perhaps this year will be stop-motion’s turn. It might very well end up being a head-on competition between The Corpse Bride or Wallace and Gromit. Any bets? 

The South African Stop-Motion Scene

Locally, stop-frame is still relatively active, and animation in general does appear to be used more in commercials after a bit of a lull. 

Triggerfish’s claymation advert for SABAT batteries still airs on Super Sport 2, and shows an array of sports cars morphing from one to the next. Their delightful inserts using wire chameleons, and dancing plastic chickens can still be seen on Takalane Sesame and a recent piece for the New York branch of Sesame was accepted into competition at Annecy Animation Festival. More recently, Triggerfish has completed a title sequence for the television show Mantswe a bonono using a graphic visual approach, combining stop-motion with digital.

Sabat commercial

Another stop-motion title sequence delving into the digital is for the series, Helping Nature Help You, animated by Bernie Roux of Lovebomb who’s brilliant stop-motion ad for Childline won a Vuka and a Silver Lion. With limited time, and budget, the team, including Paul Hanrahan and Carlos Carvahos, decided to move away from characters and rather use colours, textures and real-life objects that would allude to each episode. Using digital technology to capture the images helped speed up and streamline the process. 

Director Jacquie Trowell, who is now working independently, completed an advert for Film South Africa in which animated curios come to life through the lens of a tourist’s camera. The advert is one of 5 which was given the go-ahead after a “director’s challenge” in an initiative to promote filming in SA and was showcased at Cannes this year. 

Souvenir commercial

XYZoo’s most recent claymation short The Velveteen Rabbit won 2 major international awards. Within two months, it won the 2005 Cine Special Jury award for best children’s film in the broadcast category and was awarded the Booklist ‘Top of the List’ editor’s choice for best DVD of 2004. Booklist is a review magazine that goes out to public libraries, bookshops and DVD outlets across the USA. XYZoo is currently completing a claymation commercial for Dubai.

This year also saw the release of Africa’s first full-length animation feature and the world’s first “Junkmation” movie The Legend of the Sky Kingdom. It told the story of three orphans who escaped the Underground City and would stop at nothing to reach the Sky Kingdom. Formerly based in Zimbabwe, Sunrise productions have moved to Cape Town, where they continue to produce both CG and stop-motion. 

By Anthony Silverston

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US turns to SA for new children's TV series

Weekend Argus - Aug 27, 2005

Getting Back to the Nest from Triggerfish Animation on Vimeo.

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Chicken Soccer goes to Annecy

Triggerfish is well-known for producing quality stop-motion animation with a local flavour, and one of their recent pieces for Sesame Street New York was recently accepted into competition at Annecy animation festival in France. The piece is “Chicken Soccer” and portrays the ubiquitous plastic chickens in a whole new way. The piece was the only South African animation accepted at Annecy and was one of 200 accepted from over 1600 entries. Laduma!

Chicken Soccer from Triggerfish Animation on Vimeo.

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Acclaimed director, Jacquie Trowell goes independent

In other news from Triggerfish, Jacquie Trowell has left her creative director post at the studio after starting the well-known animation company with Emma Kaye nearly ten years ago. "I've had a great run at Triggerfish and animation will still play an enormous role in my career. It's just time to include new things. Stuart Forrest will take up the Triggerfish reins and his passion for stop-frame animation means that the name will live on. Right now, I'm joining the freelance ranks and getting involved with pretty diverse projects." Jacquie recently won one of the five positions in the Film South Africa director's challenge and is directing a commercial that combines live action and stop-frame animation. The ad, promoting South Africa as a filming destination, will be showcased at Cannes this year.

Jacquie Trowell working on "Souvenir"

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Hi-tech ad offers hope to girls' shelter

Weekend Argus - October 23, 2004

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South African Animation: Not Just Elephants and Zebras

Eric Oldrin reveals the animated possibilities and astounding growth of animation and visual effects studios in South Africa.

When most people think of South Africa, they imagine elephants not animation. So, you may be surprised to learn that in addition to one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, there is a thriving community of talented animators.

Ten years after the birth of democracy, there are hundreds of CGI production companies, several 2D animation houses and an impressive handful of stop-motion studios. Upon closer inspection, overseas producers may find distinct advantages in Africa. With a favorable exchange rate and lower cost of living, South African budgets are very competitive. More importantly, the people take an incredible amount of pride in their work, are hungry for opportunities and offer a unique creative perspective.

Growth of the Industry
South African ad agencies have always had a penchant for dry wit and over the last decade, they’ve earned international acclaim. Their success has attracted most of the major players, from Ogilvy and Mather to Saatchi and Saatchi and their work is seen both domestically and abroad.

There’s been a certain learning curve in their relationship with animation, changing a misplaced perception that one resorts to it when they can’t afford live-action. This view is changing and many agencies now consider animation a creative opportunity, rather than a fiscal consequence. This is especially true with 3D productions.

“South African 3D has reached a very high standard because of commercials production,” says Irene Constantinides, exec producer at Astral Studios. “Animators have to have excellent control of modeling, lighting, and texturing processes in order to satisfy an over-alert brand manager.”

At the tip of Africa, the stakes are raised, competition is rife and the standards are high. The “over-alert brand managers” have fostered an impressive work ethic and that tenacity has attracted productions beyond the ad world.

The film industry has also grown over the past decade, as Cape Town became one of Hollywood’s favorite locations. The skill and perseverance developed through advertising has been recognized in the post-production world and big films are starting to trust their effects with local talent.

Craig Wessels from Wicked Pixels says, “We have some of the best creative minds in the world and we are technically up to speed. More and more producers realize that this is the place to post.”

Traditional animation and stop-motion have a presence, as well. Most 3D companies have a traditional animation department, though the quality often suffers from the lack of focus. However, a few studios are completely dedicated to non-3D forms of animation and their work is world-class.

Overall, the face of the South African animation industry is quite diverse and holds interesting opportunities for stateside producers.

Face of the Industry
Here’s a quick snapshot of a few studios. This is not a comprehensive guide but it gives you a sense of the variety and quality of talent in South Africa.

Wicked Pixels
Wicked Pixels is one of the more popular vfx and 3D animation studios in Cape Town. Founded in 1997, they have produced over 600 TV commercials and are now moving into TV series and film. Internationally, they’ve gained recognition, including a Gold Lion at Cannes for their work with clients like BMW, MTV, Smirnoff, Guinness, VW, Gauloises, Shell and Red Bull.

Most of their projects involve input from storyboarding to final delivery. They ‘re equally skilled at working out a complex visual effect shot as they are at character design. They have a good reputation and are worth considering for your next production.

www.wickedpixels.com/

Triggerfish Animation
Outside the masses of the many 3D production studios is Triggerfish, a talented stop motion and Flash-for-Broadcast animation house, also in Cape Town. Triggerfish Animation was formed in 1996 and has developed a reputation for producing quality animation, with over 150 titles to their credit. They’ve worked with Sesame Workshop since 1999 and over the last seven years, Triggerfish has become an integral part of the local animation industry.

“We produce animation because we love animation and in the end, I think that’s what makes good work,” says director Jacquie Trowell. “We have a personal desire to experiment, collaborate, and create.” That passion is part of everything Triggerfish creates. That’s why clients like Sesame Workshop keep coming back. Talented, enthusiastic, connected — Triggerfish is worth a look.

www.triggerfish.co.za

 

Astral Studios
In Johannesburg, Astral Studios has a wide variety of production skills for commercials, television productions, multimedia presentations, and websites. Irene Constantinides says, “We have seen the local industry rapidly improve in quality and complexity and we foresee that commercials and international work will continue to allow our creative team to push the leading edge of special effects.” She’s very enthusiastic about the future of the industry in South Africa.

“The new BMW 6 Series commercial On Your Mind is a excellent example of how a project reflects the way the South African creative industry is staking its claim on the world wide stage. Out of a number of top international companies, a South African agency, production company and director were chosen to execute the commercial,” she says. “Successes like these sends a message out there that South Africa is truly a significant player in the international field.”

www.astralstudios.co.za/

The Refinery
If you can’t find what you want in one of the smaller studios, you’re sure to get it at the Refinery. With offices in Johannesburg and in Cape Town, they are one of the largest post-production houses in the country. They offer a wide spectrum of services, including 3D animation and visual effects. They’re another a good example of the burgeoning advertising and film industry.

www.refinery.co.za/

Future of the Industry
A lot of the hard work has already been done. Ad agencies and the film industry have helped develop a talented animation community in South Africa. The opportunities of the future are really for foreign producers to tap into this unique creative pool and the distinct cost-saving advantages.

As Craig Wessels says, “Cape Town is becoming the new Soho/Santa Monica — only more interesting, less expensive and without the attitude.” Indeed, South Africa has more than elephants. From 3D to Flash to stop frame, it’s worth considering for your next commercial, post-production or animated series.

Maybe you’ll even get to expense a trip to beautiful Cape Town, if you’re lucky.

Eric Oldrin is a freelance producer from San Francisco, living in Cape Town. He is currently producing a clay-animated short, inspired by South Africa’s first decade of democracy and building a world-class Flash animation team.

source: http://mag.awn.com/index.php?article_no=2127#

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Triggerfish Aims For Takalani Sesame

South Africa-based stop-motion animation company Triggerfish Animation has been awarded the animation contract for the second and third season of TAKALANI SESAME, the South African version of SESAME STREET. Triggerfish began working on TAKALANI SESAME two years ago as part of a joint venture, producing half of the animation for the first season. Known for pioneering a "South African style" of animation that employs South African contemporary art into the animation, Triggerfish will also be incorporating 2D and 3D animation into the upcoming seasons of TAKALANI SESAME, and has commissioned other South African animation companies to participate in the collaborative project, under the creative direction of Triggerfish’s Jacquie Trowell. TAKALANI SESAME has recently been in the news because it has added an HIV-positive Muppet to its cast. The female Muppet, whose name is Kami, was introduced to the series on September 30, 2002. Since its July 2000 debut, TAKALANI SESAME has picked up a number of awards and has been nominated at various festivals around the world including the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, the Kinderfilmdienst, Anima Mundi in Brazil, Reel to Reel International Film Festival for Youth in Canada and the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=7525&dir=1

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