High school animators invited to submit films

DURBAN International Film Festival and Durban FilmMart, Triggerfish Animation Studios launched a new programme aimed at engaging with high school animators to stimulate the development of animation at school level.

In a presentation at the 2018 Durban Talents programme, Triggerfish CEO Stuart Forrest spoke about the fast pace of growth of the South African animation industry, and the growing need to create awareness of animation as a career opportunity, as well as the need to find solutions to improve access to animation training.

“Triggerfish currently has in production and under negotiation two feature films, two TV series and two TV specials, and we’re turning away work because the industry isn’t big enough to support more productions. We’re looking at raising animation awareness at school level so that we don’t have the same capacity problem in 10 years time,” said Forrest.

Forrest also spoke about the growing need for visual storytelling literacy in all career categories.

“We live in an increasingly video-driven world, where having the basic skills to visually communicate concepts with clarity is an important life skill which goes hand-in-hand with effective reading and writing. Learning to tell a simple story through animation is a fun way to develop these skills, and all you need is a smartphone and some freely available software,” he said.

ALSO READ: DIFF closes on a high note

Learners are encouraged to submit short films to Triggerfish before the end of each month, from which Triggerfish will choose a Staff Pick of the month which they will promote on all their social media platforms.

All scholars who submit films will also receive personal encouragement from experienced animators.

The Staff Picks will also go into onto a shortlist and be eligible for a grand prize in January of animation software and a drawing tablet, among other prizes still to be confirmed.

Details of how to enter are found on the website https://academy.triggerfish.com/, which also has pointers on how to create your first animation with just a smartphone.

Aspiring animators are encouraged to join the community on the Triggerfish Academy website, where they will get access to studio tour invitations and online animation tips, as well as notifications of future developments in this programme.

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.

You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts