Triggerfish calls for animator

Triggerfish’s award-winning animation ‘Zog’. Image via Instagram @triggerfishanimation

Triggerfish calls for animators to join Netflix-sponsored ‘Story Artist Lab’

Sponsored by Netflix, the ‘Story Artist Lab’ aims to upskill the next generation of animation artists. Here’s what you need to know.

Triggerfish calls for animator

Triggerfish’s award-winning animation ‘Zog’. Image via Instagram @triggerfishanimation

African animation studio Triggerfish has launched the Story Artist Lab, sponsored by Netflix to find talent and upskill the next generation of African animators. 

Applications for the Story Artist Lab opened on Wednesday 23 June and close on Friday 23 July. 

The Cape Town-based animation studio is well established in the animation industry with their film Mama L’s Team 4 becoming Netflix’s first African animated series and their film Zog winning an international Emmy for Best Kids Animation among other animation awards, including the 2020 Children’s Programme Award from the Royal Television Society.

THE NEXT AFRICAN STORY ARTISTS

The Story Artist Lab builds on the success of Triggerfish’s Mama L’s Team 4 all-female writers lab which saw nine African women placed in the writing room for the first animated Netflix series.

The purpose of the Story Artist Lab is to find talent and upskill the next generation of Story Artists in the African animation industry. The lab positions will be awarded to young African citizens who show outstanding potential in the creative arts and visual storytelling.

“Story artists translate screenplays into animatics, the loose first version of the movie that then shapes every step of animation that follows,” said Triggerfish’s Zimbabwean-born development executive, Tendayi Nyeke according to Triggerfish.

“So, having skilled story artists from the continent in control of how their stories are told is a gamechanger, not only in grooming the next African directors but also in giving pre-production artists the opportunity to establish their own voice as they bring African stories to life,” she added. 

WHO CAN APPLY

According to Triggerfish, 

  • Anyone with a love of storytelling, film and visual language.
  • The Lab is targeted at experienced and inexperienced storyboard artists. There will be multiple tracks within the Lab for different experience levels.
  • Applicants must be citizens of a country on the continent of Africa and women are specifically encouraged to apply.
  • Knowledge of Photoshop (or similiar) is a requirement
  • Applicants may upload a storyboarding portfolio (if you have one), but all applicants must do the Storyboarding Test. Details about this test below.
  • Matriculated school leavers and older may apply.

You can apply here

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • The Story Artist Lab is a paid skills development programme.
  • The Story Artist Lab is made up of two times six week Phases. Selected artists will do phase one after which there is a reduced number of artists that move to phase two.
  • Phase one runs from 2 August – 10 September 2021
  • Phase two runs from 13 September – 23 October 2021
  • Selected artists will be required to be available for daily and weekly sessions and training.
  • Remote working is encouraged.
  • You do not need to have storyboard experience. You can find videos on the Triggerfish site to help you, after watching you may proceed to take the storyboard test. All applicants need to upload the prescribed storyboarding test.

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