ANIMATION & GRAPHICS TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Local animation grabs the spotlight

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:52

As South African animation hit cinemas in 2011, Screen Africa reflects on the state of the industry on and off the big screen.

South Africa’s fledgling long form animation industry reached important milestones over the past year. 3D animated feature Zambezia by Triggerfish Animation previewed at the Cannes International Film Festival in May, where it received good reviews and sold to 26 territories.

The Lion of Judah from Sunrise Productions and Character Matters became the first 3D animated feature film from South Africa to be released internationally when it opened at 100 US cinemas in June, and Duncan MacNeillie’s Jock of the Bushveld hit South African cinemas in July with earnings of R9.8m at the local box office, as at 28 August.

Long form

According to the Cape Town chair of Animation South Africa (ASA), Canda Kincses, long form animation is on the rise in South Africa. “We’re starting to build capacity and critical mass to support a long form industry,” says Kincses, “but we have to work with financiers and we’re looking at outlines for co-production. We’re also trying to bring the visual effects industry into the fold in terms of co-production to turn South Africa into a destination for international visual effects and post-production, as well as animation.”

The head of production at Refinery, Ancilla Berry, says Jock and the forthcoming Zambezia have created a lot of excitement and interest in local animation. “The opportunity is to ride the wave and create more animation projects to attract investors. They’ve proved that it is possible, so it’s created a lot of optimism for both the industry and investors.”

However, according to Hilton Treves from BlackGinger, the South African industry has seen a serious lack of work since the 2010 FIFA World Cup. “We need an international showcase of what can be done in South Africa,” says Treves, “then perhaps we can start talking about opportunities.”

He does not believe Jock of the Bushveld is testament to the capabilities of what can be produced in South Africa, and believes that inviting people to compare Jock to work by Pixar or Dreamworks will harm the credibility of the local industry. “However, on a positive note, from what I’ve seen of Zambezia, it’s looking pretty good. The guys at Triggerfish appear to be doing animation the right way and have brought in international talent to set standards, so I’m hoping that Triggerfish will make us proud,” says Treves.

Stuart Forrest of Triggerfish Animation says long form animation is definitely taking off for them, with Zambezia in post-production and work on their second film, Khumba, already in full swing.

“However, generally speaking, we’re still not quite cracking the real lift off. The local industry remains relatively isolated and hasn’t got a mass workforce mobilised yet.

“The trend within the animation industry is towards many studios making independent features. This means that everybody with the means to raise a little money is using a lowered barrier of entry to create an animated feature film, but the vast majority of indie animated films out there completely miss the mark and have low production value. If you get the production value up there, and have a good story with compelling characters, you can rise to the top very easily,” explains Forrest.

Competing internationally

According to Peter Furstenberg of Shine Interactive the market for animation is slow at the moment. “With the recent recession, budgets are cut and splash out on items like animation is the first to go.”

However, he believes there is light at the end of the tunnel. “I think more and more investment is being made here, but we’re still a long way off from competing in the international industry, when you compare the quality of animation coming out of South Africa to the likes of Pixar and other major players. Many lessons still need to be learnt. It’s getting better, but we’re not quite there yet.”

The creative director of Orijin, Leon Schoeman, says South Africa has always had some good animation companies who have produced a level of animation and VFX equal to the best in the world.

“Unfortunately the moment they start making a serious impact internationally, the animation superstars in this industry get snapped up by international animation powerhouses,” says Schoeman.

“The long form local animation industry is clearly still years behind the international trendsetters and leaders such as Pixar – this is very obvious when looking at the character, movement, mapping and general scene quality of the local animation films. But as lacking in animation perfection as some of these locally produced animated films might be, it is still a very positive move forward for the long form animation industry that was really non-existent in South Africa until recently.”

Pieter de Wet of Spaghetti Media sees a bright future for long form animation in South Africa: “as long as the quality of the work is kept at a high standard, such as on Zambezia.”

“Everyone wants to make an animated movie. However, the integration of live action and 3D animation is becoming an essential deliverable for clients,” says De Wet.

Stereoscopic 3D

Another clear trend in the industry is towards projects in stereoscopic 3D (S3D). According to Kincses cinemas are pushing for 3D content to pay off their expensive 3D projectors. However, many filmmakers use 3D only as a gimmick to sell films and do it in a cheap and easy ‘cheat’ way that can cause headaches and discomfort for cinema audiences.

“I think audiences will become more discerning and hopefully the amount of filmmakers jumping on the 3D bandwagon will tail off when they realise there is no market for bad 3D,” says Kincses.

She also sees a lot of potential for 3D in the gaming animation industry. Treves has been involved in S3D for 25 years. “I’ve seen it pop its head up many times. I’m not sure if it’s here to stay, though. The big question at the moment is: is it worth the extra ticket price, and does it add to the story? However, this time round there is a huge investment behind it, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see where it’s going over the next couple of years.”

Forrest believes it’s inevitable that the premium for 3D will come down. “Then it will be a personal choice about whether to see a movie in 2D or 3D at almost the same price. When it gets to this point, most people will choose 3D for animation. However, the jury is still out on live action.”

Schoeman agrees that 3D is not just a passing fad. “Three of the major international television networks now have 3D channels on their bouquets, and this requires the production of content in a 3D format. I think there is a permanent place and use for 3D as part of our entertainment experience, especially in applications such as motion picture, just as there is a place for 5.1 surround sound.”

According to De Wet S3D is an integral part of the future of the moving picture. “It makes the impossible possible,” he enthuses.

Challenges

Kincses believes one of the major challenges facing the local animation industry is the cost of broadband in the country, which pushes up production costs and discourages international work from coming into the country. Another challenge is the lack of support from the public broadcaster.

“In a country like Canada the national broadcaster is required to broadcast local animation and pay premium prices for it. This has boosted their industry to be the best in the world. It’s a challenge for ASA to educate the government on the huge employment potential of the animation industry.”

She says an animated feature film can employ about 100 people for up to three years. “If we work closely with government and they’re supportive of what we do, the only way is up,” concludes Kincses.

Treves thinks the biggest challenge is getting more work to grow the local industry.

“At the moment the market is a shrinking resource. The local market can’t sustain the number of animation shops in the country, and I don’t think there are any decent studios here that aren’t looking off shore for work. With the recession overseas, shops there have dropped their prices dramatically just to stay afloat. So our exchange rate advantage is no longer a selling point.”

According to Berry the industry needs more cohesion and support. “Budgets are cut and investors are few,” she notes.

Forrest says the industry still faces a shortage of skills and the country can’t really sustain more than one feature in production at any one time.

“The key is to continue to improve the quality of training, which is expensive, and to make the most of our diversity as a country through transformation within the industry.”

Schoeman adds that, while budget is the key challenge facing the animation industry, South Africa is a country ‘filled with pioneering people with explosive and creative ingenuity’. “I’m keenly waiting for South Africa’s next Neill Blomkamp (District 9) in the animation industry to stand up,” concludes Schoeman.

(By Linda Krige)

« go back