Meet....the animator (Aibe Elukpo)

Although Aibe went on to study media and communication at university, as a child growing up, he always had a passion for animation. "I remember how my brother and I would always talk about animation...imagining how it's done and how we could become people that actually do it!" After doing a short course in animation here in Cape Town, Aibe's childhood dream was realised and he joined Triggerfish as an intern. Aside from working on Zambezia, in the two years he has been at the studio, Aibe has worked on a number of other Triggerfish projects. He is a keen gamer and when he's not watching animation Aibe loves reading Frank Miller's graphic novels. Two of his favourite animation characters are Timon ('Lion King') and Mushu, the dragon in Mulan. Pin It

Khumba's getting in the mood....

Daniel Clarke has been inspiring us with his mood paintings for 'Khumba', our second feature in production. These are some of his initial mood paintings of the Karoo landscape in which the story is set.

'Khumba' is about a half-striped zebra who embarks on a quest to find his missing stripes and you can watch the pilot/teaser here.

                             

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Meet....the concept artist (Daniel Clarke)

"I am in awe of some of the Russian painters Like Ilya Repin and Isaac Levitan and their understanding of light."

Before this talented, young illustrator joined Triggerfish, Daniel was working as a freelance conceptual designer and illustrator. His foray into animation began about five years ago with charcoal rub-out illustrations (ala William Kentridge) and hand drawn cell animation. Some of Daniel's favourite painters that he takes his inspiration from include Goya, Velásquez, Rembrandt, Picasso and Gustav Klimt. Two of his favourite contemporary painters are Lucian Freud and Phil Hale. As for the fictional character that Daniel most identifies with....."Batman, because I also don a mask and fight crime by night." Pin It

Meet......the animator (Sue Sauer)

 As is the case for many animators working in the industry, the first Toy Story got Sue hooked and ever since she was a teenager, she has had a keen interest in animation. Before joining Triggerfish to work on our feature, Zambezia, Sue gained invaluable experience at a company called Luma doing commercials for local television. Sue identifies with two animation characters that are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum, Sakura from Naruto and Freakoziod!

Check out Sue's showreel and some of her work on her blog. Pin It

South African animation showcases in Brazil!

Anthony has just returned from Brazil where he attended Anima Mundi as representative of Animation SA (ASA). As vice-chair of ASA, Anthony put together a compilation of quirky music videos, diverse short films, and cutting-edge commercials which formed part of the South African showcase at the most important animation festival in South America.

"Rio was incredible and it was inspiring to see that South African animation was so well-received on an international platform", says Anthony.

The compilation from South Africa is the first of its kind and highlights the growth of this fledgling industry. It is by no means exhaustive and offers a taste of the incredible talent that reflects the colour, chaos and contradictions of living in South Africa. It features the diversity in style and aesthetic of our home-grown industry - from the work of internationally acclaimed artist William Kentridge, to Mike Scott's wacky music video for jazz-electro duo Goldfish to Jacquie Trowell's reflective, Golden Bear-nominated Beyond Freedom, as well as the multiple award-winning Public Service Announcement, The Rubbish Monster by Braam Jordaan.

Thanks to Anima Mundi for the amazing opportunity! Pin It

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

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

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

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

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. 

RSVP: animationxchange@gmail.com

The session is free but booking is essential as numbers are limited. Please RSVP by July 20th.

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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

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