Genesis: Kenyan Animation Event

I have been so tied up working on Tinga Tinga tales and other projects, that I found that Olokut’s production slipped into hiatus. I need a roadmap to figure out how to complete this film. In the meantime, I’ll use this blog for other stories.

Stories like the Association of Animation Artistes (A3) symposium dubbed  Genesis. Working in partnership with the British Council, The Ministry of Information and Communication and Unesco, the event is meant to present a business case for the animation industry. What that means is if you require animation services in Kenya or are trying to figure out how to create an animated production, then there will be panelists there from the industry who will talk you through the business and logistical side of animation production.

Paula Callus from UK’s Bournemouth University will also talk about the history of African animation and there will be workshops as well as a showcase of the best of Kenyan animation in the afternoon.  All this takes place at the British Council next Saturday Starting at ten.

UPDATE: the A3 site hasn’t been fully set up yet but to register for the workshops simply send a mail to habari@animationkenya.com. Also Click here to view the schedule.

I gave a talk to USIU students a few weeks ago about the business of animation. That went well and has led to more invitations so…

I will be doing a stop motion demo at an all day seminar on the 6th of December, 2008 at Sarit Center organized by the Kenya Film Commission in conjuction with Majiqmud and Mo productions. Read more about that here.

Then on the 9th, I will be talking to Design Students at the University of Nairobi on animation, design in general, skills required by professional designers and why they are extremely lucky to be alive at this time.

The Damage(d) Report 6

No damage. But I have a story to tell. I was ready to buy two red-reads this month to work with the green screen. The lights (according to the shop attendants) cost thirty thousand a piece. I had exactly 60, 000 shillings and was about to pay for two lights when the shop owner walked in. He said that thanks to a spike in the dollar rate. He would be literally killing himself if he sold them at 60, 000. He wanted 66,000. I didn’t have it and was rather disappointed at the fact that i faced paying almost an extra hundred dollars over the eight hundred. So I left.

CNBC Interview

I will be interviewed by CNBC Africa next Thursday morning (16/10/2008) on The Business AM Show. The discussion will be centred on the developing of the animation industry in Kenya. Tune in from 7.15 to 7.30 (East African Time). A lot of progress has been made over the past eight years and the efforts of those that paved the way is beginning to pay off. However, these are critical times for us, because we are at a point where we are in the process of defining how the animation business is going to be run in Kenya and this will affect the careers and livelihoods of the people who will join the industry over the next few years.

I will also touch briefly on the other project I’m working on called TINGA TINGA TALES and how that project is helping in the development of a skilled resource base that will be of great value in future.  Click HERE for an article about Kenyan animation by Carol Kimutai. See you on Thursday.

The Damage Report 5

…just a technicality. No damage last month. Very embarassing.

From a Whisper Review

You people of Nairobi are a rather peculiar bunch. I’m not talking about your calling habits or how you lose your minds when it starts raining, that’s old hat.

You flood bars on weekends to watch The Barclays Premiership soccer matches, ignoring live Kenya Premier League action in various stadia; idolize politicians in conversation instead of honoring your real heroes such as your sportsmen; and jam movie theaters to see films that have absolutely nothing to do with you such as WANTED, sidestepping films about you and your history, such as Wanuri Kahiu’s From a Whisper, currently showing at the 20^th Century.

I’ve seen it thrice in the past week. At all the screenings there was an average 10 people out of a possible 500. Of these, several were crew members. You’d think that the good people of Nairobi would want to spare time to watch Kenya’s first serious attempt at a historical drama made by a UCLA graduate. I found myself thinking that perhaps if I wish to make a historical film and make money I should be more bold and call it MOI: THE MOVIE or RAILA: THE REBEL YEARS. At this rate I don’t think Kenyans would care to see a film about Janet Jepkosgei, Peter Dawo or Wangila Napunyi. Even a Wangari Maathai project would risk colossal failure.

Or maybe we have this perception that paying money to watch a local film is an act of charity. Imagine a mainstream movie about 9/11 that only 200 people in the states showed up for. That is essentially what is happening right now, while all the time the film industry is lying in its deathbed.

Several audience members I spoke to blamed poor marketing for the dismal showing. I tend to agree somewhat. They had a really good trailer but a poorly designed and unconvincing poster. Still, I find myself thinking that word of mouth alone and the media coverage that it has received so far should have resulted in better returns.

From a Whisper is a partly fictional account-told in past and present-based on several characters whose lives were affected by the blast. TAMANI (CORYNNE ONYANGO) is an angry teenager back in Kenya having spent the years following the bomb blast in the states. She believes her mother went missing in the confusion that followed the attack on the US embassy and is still alive. Her loss drives her to paint pictures and inscribe them with the initials J.K for Joyce Keziah-her mother’s name perhaps in the hopes that someone will find her. Occasionally she also finds time to deface the walls of the memorial park with heart symbols, an action that doesn’t endear her to most of the security detail at the park.

Enter ABU (KEN AMBANI) who is presently the security manager. His subordinates wish he would have TAMANI arrested, but he is more fascinated with what drives this young girl to paint these images. Plus his wife is a big fan of the paintings. It’s not just fascination that draws him to Tamani. He understands her point of view, having lost his close brother FAREED (ABUBAKAR MWENDA) in the attack. She becomes something of a pet project for him.

The story shuttles back and forth between a bright and colorful past and a gloomy dark present. The genius is in how everything seems to unravel and yet come together simultaneously while all the time we bear witness to Fazul Abdallah Mohamed and company planning the terrorist attack all the time.

From a Whisper features some of the best on screen performances I’ve seen in any Kenyan production so far. Ambani and Abubakar are exceptional as two brothers following different paths in life. Their body language in every scene they share is sincere and heartfelt. You do feel an invisible kinship between them and this makes their characters emotionally accessible. These could be people you know or have come across, friends or neighbors perhaps.

Corynne is probably a good actress, but this was the wrong film for her. I was thrown off by her accent and soap opera theatrics. She has one scene in the film that is supposed to be dead serious but comes off as laughable. The film fails in this regard because you’re supposed to be feeling sympathetic to her and what she is going through but you cant simply because she comes across as a wealthy spoiled brat who hangs out in a run down building (forsaking the luxury of her wealthy father’s house), but has the resources to dress up in trendy clothes and maintain perfectly styled hair.

Is it a great film? Not in my opinion. It has several gaping holes in its plot, some bloated and silly scenes. But it has great moments-enough great moments to make it worth seeing. It also features great music by Eric Wainaina, Maia and Lavosti. The visuals are beautifully rendered by the cinematography of Marius Van Graan. On the whole it’s well worth a trip to 20^th Century where it’s being screened up until the end of September-if you care that is.

Got a New Green-Screen!

It’s been slow news for the past two month, but all that is changing.

I had ordered a green screen from www.tubetape.com and it arrived earlier this week. It’s a massive 10 by 12 feet (compared to the other screen I had that was 8 by 8 feet) and cost 20 dollars. Add thirty dollars for shipping and ten dollars for customs clearance and the total cost ended up coming to just over sixty dollars. I don’t feel like that’s too much money to spend. It was important for me to have the correct green to key out.

So it came as a surprise to me when, upon unwrapping the packaging, I found out that the green screen was significantly darker than the last one I had used. I’m not complaining. I have to test it out first. I was just taken aback. Maybe because after shooting two scenes and having some difficulties getting a solid key on some shots I’m realizing I may have been using the wrong green.

According to tubetape.com, to obtain a perfect key you need to light the green screen evenly and have a screen that’s as close to pure green as possible. Sounds fairly simple but I think in practice there are other factors to take into consideration such as the how the color of the lights you are using to light the screen may modify the color of the screen itself.

Without getting into specifics, if you are using a DV camera connected to a computer you should be able to use software to check whether your green screen will key out using a chroma vectoroscope. I don’t have either so I guess the only way for me to find out will be to test it out. Before that I need to have the screen ironed to remove folds and I also need to install a rod to support the screen in place.

Before I resume shooting (or testing for that matter), I need to buy lights. I found two types of red-reads in town. One type is Chinese and the other is German. Both use the same bulbs which are available in plenty, but the Chinese lights have a lifespan of a few years while the German red-heads apparently last forever. I’m not picky, so I might get the Chinese lights (unless anyone raises any objection between now and next Saturday).

The Damage Report 4

…lack of damage last month. Not to worry there will be more news soon.

The Damage Report 3

…minimal damage this past month. I just can’t do without professional lights and the green screen, so i have to re-organize the production. I plan to buy lights in the coming week and figure a way to green / white screen my characters without having to spend hundreds of dollars making a screen. I have been doing tests in blender and they are phenomenal so far. I have also been spending time cleaning up some of the shots and doing basic composites, so it hasn’t been a total loss.

This just in…

…and now we have some  complications.

1. 1. After shooting the drumming scenes Maena (bless him) needed his lights and green screen back so I have to find some way to substitute these. Fortunately I am starting a new scene, so I’m not too worried about switching lights as opposed to doing the same in the middle of a scene. The drumming scenes were fundamental to the whole film and having the Lowel lights and the screen made shooting it a lot more painless. The new green screen consists 2 pieces of joined cloth with a huge seam in between. It suck, but will have to do for now.
2. Olokut just broke his shoulder, and the Omulosi puppet lost some fingers after the drumming sequences. I need to ensure that both puppets are structurally sound before shooting.
3. I begin production on an animated series in September so this gives me five weeks left to shoot. No pressure.