Making the "Happy" video. Part 1 - The Technical Aims

As I begin work on one of the last music videos I'll be doing for a long while, I can't help but look back at all the music videos that i've directed, shot and edited. To date they should be around 40 (about to audit the full list soon), and they have served as a great learning tool and a place to express technical and creative ideas. In a bid to improve, I had to ask myself... what can we do to make this one better? Since I won't be around in the music video scene for a bit, I wanted to make this one iconic... a standard of sorts.

So! the Nafuna team and I had multiple brainstorming sessions. Ruffy, Aura and Myself set about figuring out what would make this video special. There was a lot of back and forth on the elements that would make this special. We then created some technical milestones:

1. we wanted to introduce liquid simulation into our VFX. I'd dabbled a bit with this before but nowhere near the scale we will be implementing it here.

2. we wanted to push the boundaries on lighting and getting the best picture before editing.

3. we wanted to introduce the concept of having CGI shots that are radically different in technologies that we'd use in our animation/visual effects pipeline (these included rigid body dynamics, cloth, realistic rendering, e.t.c)

4. experimenting with cool gear like camera helicopters, Jibs, steady cams and more)

5. Collaboration (I wonder if I should have listed this under technical milestones...)

All this coupled with a great song and excellent personalities shows us the dope ingredients we have to pull off something great. I will now outline some of the crew involved:

Enqore- Director/Alpha Geek/Editor/Animator

Ruffy - Technical/creative director/Animator

Aura - Creative/accesories director

Naim - Lighting and DOP technician

Nakai - Producer/impromptu gaffer

Simba - Grasshopper/Gaffer

DJ smoov - NafunaTV "making of" host

Kudzi - NafunaTV "making of" DOP

We have officially entered post production for the video. I'll post what I can whenever there's spare time. Be ready to share/ tweet/ stream/ blog about/ chat about the video when it's out.

Masaai Elder Xbrush to Cinema 4D tutorial

One of my newer tutorials. It premiered on http://cgmotionbox.com . Hadn't updated the blog in a while because work kinda got in the way.

--
Nqobizitha Enqore Mlilo
Lead creative/ Animator/ Alpha Geek
NafunaTV
www.nafuna.tv
www.enqoremedia.com
Skype: theqore

Speed Sculpt [5 October]

A speed sculpt I did yesterday.

Enqore

the masaai seer

this image was created for the purposes of testing a new pipeline workflow at the studio.

started off with zbrush 4r4 using dynanesh and the new qremesher tools. then brought the model into cinema4D for some lighting and rendering.

I should have the tutorial done in a few days and will try to keep it shorter than my last wasp tutorial.

enqore-
alpha geek.

Funa funa coming soon!

Snippets from an upcoming project. We've been developing a whole bunch of projects at nafuna and some of them are entering production. Good times ahead!

NafunaTV episode 3

check it out! The 3rd Episode is out!

NafunaTV about to take off!

So, I haven't posted on the blog in a while, I was under pressure with a hectic Job we were doing, it was pretty taxing. But after the job we had our heads down polishing the final concept for the new company we are setting up! Nafuna INC.

Enqore Media will still continue functioning as the studio and doing RnD and generally providing technical muscle while Nafuna is the new creative entity. Nafuna's first project is NafunaTV, an online platform for Afrikan content in the form of webshows, music videos, podcasts and the like. NafunaTV also houses it's flagship Webshow with the same title. The flagship webshow is an Afrikan Entertainment and lifestyle show but soon, there will be plenty of other different shows on the site. Other things to look out for is Radio Nafuna! the online podcast hosted by Aura. That will be the top end music and lifestyle radio show on the website! Nafuna is also a creative agency ready to take on any creative and technical tasks!

At this moment, I am working on putting together the first Two episodes. The website is currently in development by my web hardcore dude from skies (Bulawayo) Kudakwashe Zimunya who runs a number of online News sites http://game-sait.com http://otakurakuen.com/ (normally geek related... anime and games and other awesome stuff!) and we are so happy to have him on board! Some familiar faces from some of my other projects will be surfacing here like T-Krued (producer), Squash (producer) and a whole lot more other very talented artists!

Setting up the email addresses for submitting videos and music over the weekend but for now you can send all content  to aura@enqoremedia.com

[Qorian Workflow] Project Tsika trailer test 01

So this is the new project in the pipeline. This is more a concept piece created for two purposes:

a) To help visualise the project before we begin writing it and developing it further.

b) To test out a new 2.5D animation pipeline (that we call the Qorian worflow) that will allow us to acheive this efficiently.

Qorian Workflow:

 

This is a workflow devised by Nqobizitha Mlilo for the production of "Project Tsika". Essentialy born out of two needs, If we attempt to create a feature length film that we will shoot and apply Vfx on, we face the hurdle of having a shortage of actors who can pull it off. We would also face the limitation of only being able to shoot in HD. If we attempt to produce a fully 3D animated feature/long form product, all consumers would compare it with stuff they have seen like Shrek or Incredible. 2D animation offers us the advantage of not needing actors as well as faster rendering times... but we don't have as many illustrators as a Japanese studio would have... so the Qorian Workflow sits in the middle of 3D and 2D.

Combining the flexibility of 3D and using cel shading techniques, we can produce 2D results. The initial character set up for that is time consuming, yes, but once the character is set up, one can then pose and render out stills which is similar to drawing/scanning and coloring. Once you have this artwork you can animate it in 2D (in our case, a combination of 2D animation apps and mainly a custom rig built in a compositing app. This affords the pipeline fast illustrative capabilities as well as fast rendering as well as Higher res rendering (like 2K).

The Qorian document is being developed now and the trailer above is the first production created using the Qorian workflow. We will be creating another trailer, using better and more hand painted background plates this week. The trailer above only took one compitent artist 3 hours to produce once the character was designed, built and rigged. More tests will be shown on this blog in the upcoming weeks.

Comments are more than welcome to help us trouble shoot this pipeline and hopefully provide a workflow that will produce feature length animations in Afrika.

The Concept for what maybe my most ambitious project.

I have been going through a bit of change in my mind. A change of philosophy and just basically retaking a look at what motivates some of my perceptions. The main thing has been to contextualize all my skills to my environment. That last statement is probably a little emo and abstract, but trust me... the next few weeks will all make sense... I hope...

This is a concept of what may become my most ambitious and challenging project to date. I have had to reshuffle a lot of things n my head... slowly beginning to put it on paper.

Nqo

Munetsi - Number One! OFFICIAL VIDEO [Directed by Enqore]

 

Video finally out! Woooooop!

The way of the sage EP part 1 complete

Spent the weekend mixing the remaining joints for the new project. I realised during the writing process that I had way more joints than I had planned. So I decided to make a double EP in the quiet time I had since coming back from Rwanda. Alas I ran out of time so I decided to complete at least the one part and get to work on some promo material and videos.

The part 2 is halfway done. Just a two tracks left and that should follow the release of the other EP in a couple months.

Here is the track list for the part 1:

1. Intro - Produced by T-krued and mixed by BegottenSun
2. Angit'uyazi - Produced by BC and mixed by Enqore
3. Empress Ft. Roki - Produced by Roki and mixed by Enqore
4. Akekho Ft. Squash - Produced by Squash and mixed by Enqore
5. Igama'lam - Produced by Greg loyal and mixed by Enqore
6. Outro (track preview) - Produced by Zyon Black and mixed by Enqore

That's the track list for the part one! I don't have a full tracklist for part 2 (largely because I don't know the names of the tracks yet) but it features production from Jay-P (Rwanda), Jusa (Uk), ZyonBlack (Botswana), Squash(Zim).

I should get started on the videos after Hifa when I am done with the Munetsi video and the other one I am working on then its ON!!! So expect the EP online mid may (because that's when I'll be done with a video or two and some press material... hopefully).

Other than that... I feel great about having this done! After this EP I am taking a break off entertainment and music videos to focus on setting up my new company! Stay tuned!

Enqore

Munetsi Video coming soon!

Partanimator Comic strip pilot #04

Another test of the comic strip. This should be the amongst the last of this particular style test then I will be trying out other methods. Once again... Lemme know what you think!

Partanimator.com comic strip test 03

Here's a third test of the comic strip. I am now in the groove of things and I have a clear idea about how frequently I can release it and what else needs to happen.

as usual, comments and crits are welcome

Nqo

Partanimator.com comic strip pilot 02

This is another test for the partanimator comic strip project. using different method and altering the art style from the one before to improve it a bit before I can commit to a workflow for the series. What say you to the look and feel of this one as well as the content? PLUS! anyone who wants to write for this from time to time is most welcome! just send me an email! (it's there on the strip)

Comments and crits welcome!

Nqo

Part animator comic strip concept!

This is a concept for a new comic strip I have been meaning to get started. I wanted to create something that writing for wouldn't be too hard because it's loosely based around conversations I have daily. I put this together quickly just to figure out a workflow as well as time-frames but also to just get a strip going so that i can figure out what would need tightening up. I intend to have this strip produced every week once I start going with it.

I will be introducing new characters as the strip progresses!

Comments and Crits are most welcome.

Enqore

New video: Dikson - Trajedy (Directed and Animated by Enqore)

 

This is a video I have been working on on and off for over a year. Commercial work kept getting in the way and I feel I rushed certain aspects of the project but I still thought it'd be a good Idea to release it all the same. Talented piece by Dikson! In my opinion, one of the best poets outta Zim!

New Video: Dizzy Don Featuring Bashupi and Stunner! Toi Manya

 

One of EMG's newer productons. 

Making of the wasp video

 

Hey there all,

Here's a video I put together on how I created the wasp render in Cinema 4D and Zbrush and it's basically me outlining my workflow and the tools I used to achieve the final model. I didn't cover much of the rendering because it was computationally demanding but it covers most of the workflow including design decisions that didn't actually make it into the final image. One of the more longer videos I have put up as well but all the footage here is timelapsed a 500% and this video is incredibly casual, so don't expect any uptight delivery I would normally do for my other tut work.

Let me know what you think and any questions you have on the comments below and I will do my best to answer you.

Nqo

Stress testing Modo 601.

Ok, so I took some hours out to test drive MODO and here are some of the things I noticed:

-The modelling tools are not as "intuitive" as we are led to believe. They are rather specialised. Agreed that they give you more control over even the most basic operations, which is a plus. It still leads me to wonder if that would be reason alone to move...

-I noticed a considerable hit to system performance the more I worked in it. I wonder if it has a history like XSI that may need to be emptied? if not then it has serious problems! When I was in the render view, just trying to get my camera positioned took 5 whole minutes because everything was so slow. Guys over at CG talk did express concern about MODO's ability to handle big scenes...

-Navigation is a pain! I don't much appreciate the ctrl+space bar shortcut to change views... its really hindering.

-once I got the camera in place though, tinkering with the renderer to get a decent looking image was SUPER FAST! I did that in 2 minutes! and the actual render is SD took 10 seconds. IMPRESSIVE.

OVERALL:
I have multiple reservations about MODO as a full pipeline shift though I see why most would use it just as a scene assembly tool. The instability and system performance hit was such a surprising disapointment especially given that I wasn't actually working in a huge scene. Things in C4D in my opinion that trump MODO's tools are:

The nondestructive symetry tool.
cinema's new modelling tools actually give modo a run for it's money especially the basics like extruding or beveling.(i love the curve extrude tool in modo though... so sweet!)
Navigating a scene in C4D is just way faster and it has better scene handling.

Anyways, those were my observations and I encourage all who are trying it out to post your findings and also coment here so we figure out the way forward!. 

Enqore Video Blog #4

Found a little quiet time to put some of the footage and images I have been taking into some kind of edit. I think I need to figure out a screen captured way to put the blogs together! LOL! 

ANYWAYS! This is the Kigali update. I have been here for around 3 weeks now and there have been some interesting challenges and great moments. I think the main challenge is the language because English maybe the main language on paper but it's something else on the ground. Also there's ADMA, the multimedia center for the training of Rwanda's most talented visual effects artists. We kicked off the first lesson last Tuesday albeit without the internet fiber connection that was delayed by the city approval and a few other hiccups but we got it off the ground and now we are chugging along quite nicely.

I miss home though, being over here has taught me quite a bit... the first thing is that Zimbabweans complain too damn much! Being over here makes me value my education ever so much and being in a place were communication in any language on the national list is not a challenge. But at the same time, I have met up with a lot of the media industry people here and they get it in HARD! Just being around these people and hearing them put together  their plans and such has been truly inspirational. It's also a great ego boost to see people's reaction to my work here, nothing better to let you know you are on the right path.

I love the way people celebrate life over here! The way they throw their parties is really awesome. the roll it out buffet style! But they have a weird fixation with giving speeches... LOL!

The way of the Sage EP, what it'll be about, who is on it and when it will drop.

So, this is the art direction for the new upcoming E.P (from me), The Way Of The Sage.

So, a Sage is defined as " a Stoic wise man " and unlike the Rubix Qube E.P. where I was focused on the exploration of words and Rhyme structure, The Way Of the Sage EP is all about growth, topic and delivery. This is  my personal transition from "he's a dope rapper" to "he is off the chain with it, he come nice!"

I have met so many artists, poets, MCees and singers who have changed my perspective of music. I have adopted so many different approaches as I grow and develop the skills. In order to produce a world class hit, it's going to take more that dope beats and rhymes. Afrika needs to present something the world hasn't seen before. On my path to develop a truly musical Hit, I am in constant meditation about the uniqueness of Afrikan music and figuring out a marriage between that and what the world consumes. I don't want to reproduce something an artist in america has already done, when I reach the stage in my path where I feel I have something to offer the mainstream, I would like it to be it's own thing.

Production:

This EP will feature some new faces on the side of production. Some are not yet as confirmed because I still don't know what the track list will be like fully but I will list guys I have already worked with in one way or another:

T-Krued (Bulawayo's A-list producer and overall great guy! He produced many of the Rubix Qube tracks)

Squash (Amazing producer hailing from... Gwanda! This dude is just one of the most amazing people I have met!)

Roki (We did a joint together that i much like the sound of. He will be doing some more work on this project too)

Jay-P (an ill Rwandan producer who reminds me of Flash and Take 5)

Zyon Black (one of the most talented dudes I know... he got that NEW sound)

Guest Artists:

The EP will feature some really cool people who have taken the time to bless the different records. This is not the full list as there are some Kats i want on this.

BegottenSun AKA Kane

Karizma

Aura

Squash

Roki

I will give an update on how the project will be dealt with visually in the way of videos but it will be FREE FOR DOWNLOAD!

3 reasons why Zimbabwe entertainment struggles

Once again, I have decided to take my opinion and make it public... but always remember, it's just THAT, my opinion.

So! It's no secret that Zimbabwe entertainment struggles... how do I know this? a few factors have led me to draw my conclusion. Firstly, switch on any Afrikan or international channel and you will see just what i mean. Our artists have zero visibility... no one even knows the genres of music in Zimbabwe. Now, my new-year's resolution was to call a spade a spade, and I believe the reason for this is the artists we are producing have very poor mentalities when it comes to the actual business of entertainment.

Now, I don't claim to be the end-all in this department but I have had the opportunity of sitting on both sides of the fence. I am a business owner and run a studio that services the corporate world as well as the entertainment industry and doing so for about 7 years now has allowed me the opportunity to observe a few trends. Coupled with the fact that I am a hip hop artist myself, I would like to believe my perspective and opinion are not totally uninformed,

Here are the factors I believe to be the causes:

1. Straight up unprofessional

The amount of times I have been in a conversation that started with "iwe Enqore, how come you've never done a video for me... you know... for free? it could give you exposure..." This statement seems to plague mine and many other studio owners whether they do sound, video, web or animation. The artists that normally say it are oblivious of the unprofessional nature of this request. Further more, if you turn them down they will be genuinely angry and bitter for a long while. I am not generalizing here and saying ALL artists do this... but you'd be surprised at how many of them often do. And that to me signifies a grave symptom of the culture of our modern day artists.

Now, I am not oblivious to the fact that Zimbabwe just came out of one of the worst economic climates the world has ever seen, and I understand budgets for entertainment are not what they should be... but it seems that only egos were a victim of inflation! 

2. Delusional-ness

I think often people watch MTV and Channel O then step outside and forget that they are no longer checking out the screen. People forget that we live in Zimbabwe. I think that we loose track of the fact that American music is "different" and not necessarily a standard to replicate. I have often heard "his good because he sounds like [insert american artist here]. this shameful behavior has KILLED originality and as I troll through my Facebook newsfeed and see obvious rips of a young jeezy or usher videos... and I am filled with shame for my brothers and sisters who do this. Also, most of our artists egos never fit the Zimbabwean situation. All the really big guys like Tuku will often be found at a coffee shop minding his own business and acting like a law abiding, tax paying citizen... then you have one guy who has a hit or two on radio behaving like they own the world... amazing.

3. Uninformed

Most artists have an overabundance of talent but fail to take advantage of it because they think they are already on top of their game. We are in 2012 and one of the few artists I have seen who may no yet be as "big" as some has taken advantage of everything 2012 has to offer. My case study here will be Tehn Diamond, he treats his music like a business. He has a website, professional looking images, well updated social media pages, videos out, press releases! The amount of artists without these things is shocking once you get to finding these things out!

All I am saying though, is could we please be a bit less ignorant, a bit more humble, a bit less arrogant, a bit more professional... that would help us ALL!

Nqo

We released the new Roki video today!

 

The second video we have been involved in for Roki's Karmma project. We are proud to present this to Zimbabwe and the world at Large!

EMG studios to adopt MODO 601 to it's production pipeline.

For a long time now, I have had multiple conversations about Modo with Shingai Mtezo, Marvel Banda and Alex Lindsay. I have long been a fan of the way Modo was coded and I have spent enough time in the interface to appreciate the genius in the architecture as well as the robust modeling and texture tools. I love the clean interface and it ran super fast on my system. It also had great support for MDD which was an attractive feature during my short lived messiah days.

With the announcement of 601, Luxology have truly outdone themselves Pixologic style! In one app you have better topo tools than topo gun (which costs USD$100), multi res character sculpting (similar to zbrush) and the best subdiv modeler and now a neat set of character tools that promise to get stuff done at a rapid pace. I have had many app-based conversations with artists and always I keep saying "yes you can use the so-called 'world-class' tools but do they work for Afrika?" I am always about efficiency. Having successfully run an animation and video production studio for 5 years as a one man band and in a collaborative environment with other artists, what I value the most is speed and efficiency. That's why I have used C4D all this time because the app gets the job done fast and efficiently and it's a stable app. My decisions are based on the fact that I don't wish to spend more time on something than what is necessarily. I need to deliver work to the client and move on with life.

With the release of the new MODO, the industry buffs are critical and the forums have statements like "it's still not as feature rich as Maya or xsi", "playing catch up is easier than pushing the boundaries". I appreciate the intellectual conversations but I LOVE the bottom line. "Is it faster?.... yes", "is it stable?.... yes", "Are the tools efficient for everyday use in a studio?(bare in mind... you wont be setting up a muscle system daily),.... yes". Modo has come through with features I love:

1. super fast character set up with no rigging! (and the bone chain follow the mesh as you draw them??? witchcraft!)
2. super fast weighting (I hate this time consuming stage and it always bothered me that technology hasnt given us a new alternative)
3. super fast UV creation
4. all in one pipeline integration for everything (the only app I forsee leaving the modo interface for is still Zbrush... but only for the really hardcore stuff... all the sculpting features in modo seem to work just fine for everyday use)
5. super fast renderer that uses all your system resources
6. skin shader (amongst all the other shaders)
7. and faster render set up workflow.
8. mograph-like tools (tools for motion graphics, which are the bread and butter of our work)

these features are not even a fraction of what Modo has brought forward to the table, these features are just what I look forward to adding the the EMG pipeline. With all that there is a price tag of USD1000, which makes it the best priced application in the market.

I believe this is now the time to jump onto the bandwagon as I am sure with updates like 602, they will address and finesse other elements that need adding. 

This doesn't mean we are are leaving our trusted C4D pipeline just yet. The crossover will take at least a year and we wouldn't like to throw away all the Knowledge we have amassed in Maxon's app over the years but we definitely see ourselves using Modo for when we eventually make a movie!

Nqo

Progression is essential

With this weekend project I wanted to test out the hard surface tools. Looked through a number of videos but didn't see a workflow I liked so I made my own. I have started the habit of recording all my projects as I work on them to make training for later.

Workflow was creating the basemesh in c4d then getting model into zbrush. I essentially used the model as a surface guide and begun creating the armour for the wasp using the Topo tools in zbrush  (which I think suck.). Used subtool  master to join all the peices to one mesh and then uv master for the uv's.. c4d for lighting and rendering.

Nqo

cuddles...For the missus

A render done in cinema 4d for my better half (if any one picks on me for modeling and rendering  pink fluffy things... I will kill you...seriously.)

rendered using the new physical renderer.

Nqo

The new Enqore EP to drop in April 2012

As I continue to grow as an artist, I use the art as a way of gauging my progress. With that said, I will be dropping "The Way of The sage EP" in April. 

This EP is symbolic of growth. All my anime heads will pick up on the naming convention relating to when Naruto first realised his dormant powers though hadn't fully mastered them. He then went on a journey to become a master. Same with me on this. After the Rubix Qube EP got such great responses off the internet, I have taken all the comments and crits into account and merged that all with my intention to produce something 1. truly Afrikan, 2. International Standards 3. Truly me.

This is the experimental joint. This EP is also a build up to "the Alpha Geek EP" which is due to drop around september. The Alpha Geek is a name I was given by my good friend Roki, but also represents a state of high level energy and power. This EP will be fully produced by myself and is meant to be the full exploration of my artisticness where I will go from songwriting to beatmaking to mixing and mastering all the way to videos and animation through to delivery, distribution and PR.

Hope you heads will dig both the efforts.

Nqo

The Resume! Enqore ft. BegottenSun, Aura and Karizma

http://soundcloud.com/enqore-1/enqore-ft-begottensun-aura 

A joint we started writing on saturday, the beat was my man's Sqaush and the recording, mixing and mastering was Me. I think this is the first in a series...

Enqore's video Blog ep. 3 [Freestyling at BegottenSun's place]

 

Enqore's Video Blog 02 [Karizma and BegottenSun getting it in]

Roki ft. MC CHITA video TEASER

 

Another Creature design [chitauri ver 6]

This is another update to the horror movie project. This is yet another creature design for the evil characters that live deep in the Inyanga mountains. Let me know what you think of this thing, it's still work in progress.

Nqo

The 2012 Demoreel (just realized I hadn't posted this here)

 

Lunch Crunch #2

Another Crunch. Tried a torso too. I think I'll stick to doing a bust on the next one though! LOL!

Daily sculpt [lunch crunch] 01

Here is a sculpt I did in 30 minutes during lunch. First of many (hopefully)

Nqo

Duma upade_-_ Render tests

As we continue to do tests and record the different workflows for the creation of the Take Me Away video, the curriculum is taking shape slowly. I have a clear sense as to what the render times look like and the workflow model between Zbrush and Cinema is being strengthened. The gaps in the workflow remain on the motion builder end as well as some rigging and cloth simulation for the jacket. The hair is a concern as well but we will make it work!

I put this image together for two main objectives, to provide PR material for the classes as well as give a tangible milestone for the project. Will have a video demo out tomorrow! 

Duma Character WIP update

This is the Work In Progress of the lead character in the video. I intend on spending time figuring out a  solution for the dreadlocks so i just put that hair as a place holder for the time being. My mouse broke as I was working on this so this is where I call it quites for today. I will put more work on the model later tomorrow as I have to finish the clothing for the PR material for the Enqore's Academy workshops. 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sculpting the Duma Character

I started work today on the central character in the Take Me Away project. I recorded all the progress for use later in the training that will teach people how to put this together! Tomorrow I do texture work as well as some clothes. Thinking of having a test for Monday. Will see how far I go because I have to work on another character tomorrow for a presentation on Monday... work.... LOL!

Eat-Sleep-Animate!

New pipeline update to the Enqore's Academy course.

Hey there people.

So, as we prepare for the "Take Me Away" project, the A.R.N (Animation Rebellion Nation) has been doing tons of research and development in producing the animated music video (A.M.V) as well as beginning work on structuring the workshops.

The last session was with Chengetai Machacha and Eugene Ramirez Mapondera, and Cheng was taking us through Motion Builder. A mocap and Character animation application originally owned by Alias and now belongs to Autodesk since they bought Maya. Now, the reason we are exploring this option is because of the amount of animation data we have to create and that has forced us to look into a motion capture alternative. We will plan on building a poor-man's motion capture rig using either Playstation 3 or Xbox Kinetics cameras. If we can get this working then we will have tons of motion capture data and that's why we are exploring motion builder to deal with that data, clean it up and create complex animations based on many different clips.

So, our task yesterday was to get a character rig into from Cinema 4D into Motionbuilder. then apply some Mocap data to this and finally bring that mocap data and retarget the animation. We have ran into a few glitches, namely that when you retarget in the animation into the main rig in Cinema, it flips the character 90 degrees. We figured a quick work around of just parenting the rigg into a null and rotating that back. We will explore if there's a better way to do this BUT, that end of the pipeline works!

The next task is to get familiar with motion builder and also figure out a way to get the mocap data to begin with!

I will keep you posted.

Nqo

Bad Parenting: Where douche-bags come from

I have come to a realisation. Douche-bags and idiots are a problem created from bad parenting.

So, I know my fair share of douche bags. The kind of people you would like to bludgeon with a blunt instrument made from a baseball bat, razors, nails and chewing gum! (so that it sticks forever in their hair). I have come to realise though that this is due to the fact that some parents just didn't do a good job. The douche-bags never become douchy on purpose. To them, they never see anything wrong with any of their actions or the crap that spews from their lips as shit from ass (Spartacus quote)!

I think the government needs to create a budget for re-educating douche bags then reintroduce them into society... If they can't do this then maybe make douche-baggery illegal. That way, we can put them inside and throw away the key.

As a closing note... MOTHERS... IT'S YOUR FAULT!

Video Blog ep. 1_-_ Enqore talks Horror movie and introduces some of the team.

 

Hey there. So this is the official update of the Horror project we are working on. If you follow the blog you would have seen some of the images in this video though we have some new content to show. 

Basically we have thrown around some ideas for the creature design and animated a test. Sime interesting stats at the bottom:

Creature concept - 2 days to build the model in Zbrush, topogun and Cinema 4D

Creature animation test - 2 days to rigg and weight as well as animate and render.

Creature designs - There have been a total of 6 creature designs. Some created by Eugene Ramirez of http://sigmadigital-studio.com

team - the team is about 6-8 people, all contributing in different ways. we are yet to finalize the crew.

Any enquiries about the film can be sent directly to me : nqo@enqoremedia.com

Chitauri Character render tests

This is an update on the Horror film project. This is a character I put together earlier this week. I managed to get a rig and some decent weights going using the awesome character tools in Cinema 4D r13 as well as the physical render. I had the model rigged, skinned and animation ready in 40 minutes! that kind of power is awesome to have... and quick. The combination of the new character tools and the render engine are one of the main reason I would recommend Cinema 4D to Afrikan studio set ups.

I posed this and used the progressive renderer to monitor roughly how long per frame in rendering I would need as well as what passes I would need to knock out to achieve somekind of realistic rendering. I will do another test with an image based lighting approach and see how that goes.

But at least I have tested the pipeline a bit. I will be done testing some time next week, hopefully create a 20 second test. Finalising the creature design is next on the list then i can start working on the final creature models for the movie. I am thinking of having 3 different designs.... we'll see....

This was built in Zbrush and I logged about 5 hours on it. I then spent another 3 hours in topogun. I think i will spend a week on the final models. two weeks maybe for the really detailed ones.

I also need to start figuring out which tracker I will be using for the handheld shots.

Thats it for now. 

Nqo

The Handu "Take me away" Project beginnings

This is the first step of the Take me away project. The concept.

This is the central character in the animation. Through out the video he will be involved in a battle with evil robots. The concept of the character is that he is a modern age Sangoma. The setting is in the future of Afrika and the people have returned back to the old ways of ubuntu. The character is a Sangoma General, one of the leaders of a resistance. The suit he wears is meant to be a sangoma uniform and the metalic "amplifiers" on his midsection and forearms are a futuristic technology that amplifies his Sangoma abilities.

At some point, a class about creating 2D illustration using Photoshop and line art like this will be organized and that will officially start off Enqore's Academy. After that class we hit some 3D skills and model the character itself and his accessories. Another class will go to building the robots he fights. We head back to 2D and hold a class for matte painting environments as well as explore bringing the 2D environment paintings to life via 3D projection.

a Rigging class as well as Motion capture/Animation class will follow to finally a compositing class. Editing will be the last thing.

Apps to use so far will be:

Maxon Cinema 4D (as scene assembly, matte painting extraction and some Character Animation work)

Pixologic Zbrusg (For character modeling and sculpting as well as texturing)

Topogun (for character retopology)

Adobe PhotoShop (for mattepainting)

Adobe After-effects (for compositing)

Sony Vegas Pro (for editing) 

Enqore's Academy update

As you may know, I have been doing a number of workshops over the past few months in a bid to increase the number of digital artists in the country. All these workshops were free to get the information to as many artists as possible.

I have also been conducting a large amount of research into the best character animation pipeline for Africa, given that we have small studios and fewer artists to throw at a project. That means we need to devise a way to shed the fat in the technical process and allow for creativity to be hampered. I believe I have sort of found a workflow that could work. This came from very high level technical discussions I have been having with fellow CG geeks like Chengetai Machacha, Shingi Mtezo and Eugene Mapondera.

So! I have been devising two projects, creating a 3D trailer/music video project that will test out the workflow featuring shots with hair, rigid body and destruction sequences, matte painting, scene extraction, sculpting, compositing, character design. Because there are so many technical hurdles, I think this is the right time to document and create a workshop around it. every stage will have a workshop as well as a tutorial video. The result is a tutorial series that spans the entire Visual Effects pipeline while creating a hopefully awesome Anime style Music video.

I will be in talks with a bunch of venues soon and I have already talked to Roki and Zyon Black and made a dubstep remix to one of his tunes and that will be the soundtrack. 

There will be guest lecturers to and as soon as I can figure everything out, I will post how the full course is structured and who will be taking which workshops.

Depending on participation from the donor community, I would like to still keep these classes free but we might also have to look at charging a fee, of which participants have been insisting i do. I will give out progress as its happening.

The music video is called "Take me away" and that maybe what the project will be called.

Hope to see as many new animators and digital artists there so that we can grow this damn thing! (the industry)

Enqore

Self Appointed general of the animation rebellion nation A.R.N... i just thought of that... i think it will stick!

Enqore's top 10 producers! (ZIM)

How things have changed! Zimbabwe has come a long way in music production, a lot of people have come and gone, others stayed. I have been lucky enough to work with many producers in my career and I have a list of who I think is hot. This is my personal opinion so please, don't send me hate mail! Some of the guys i will mention here are known, others not so much. Some are mentioned simply for their input in the industry, others for just shear technical skills! here we go!

*** Delani (step aside) Makhalima

The founder of Urban Grooves, the man that created the careers of many. Delani needs no introduction and in as much as music goes. Every fibre of the Zimbabwean urban music is influenced by Step aside in one way or another. That's why I didn't give him a number in my list. I chatted with him recently and after a decade off, the man is preparing a new hot project!

*** Kuda Musasiwa AKA Kane/Begotten Sun

Legendary producer whose career dates back as far as the track he produced for Mau Mau! what more is there to say? Kane has taught some of the best in the Biz including Jusa, Kazz (from BK and KAZZ) and so many more!

9) Mark Blaze

I have only met this man a few times but his reputation preceded him. One of Hip hop's finest producers, Blaze's beats are real soulfull and rich. Listenning to Munetsi's LP is a testament to how hot dude is. Mark makes it on this list by the strength of his music.

8)Tagz

Tagz is hard to ignore. All the tracks I have heard from him are on point. When his name comes up in conversation (which it does quite often), very few would call him Wack. His upmarket sounds have placed him solidly on most artists "A-lists". 

7) Shay-Zar

Kwekwe originator, Shay-Zar is best known for the legendary hip hop compilation "Zim's Hip hop finest" which set Harare ablaze with its fresh and hard-hitting sound. Shay-Zar's mixing and mastering quality for club bangers is what earned him respect among the industry's elite hip hop community.

6) DJ Philo

Philo is one of those guys you never saw coming. His musical direction is heavily inspired by the drum'n'Bass/rock culture. He brought a new interesting sound to the scene and his beats are respected throughout the producer community. He is currently studying multimedia at the moment in Malaysia.

5)Zyon Black

Like Philo, Zyon Black is among the Elite-geeky producers who never leave their "lair". That's the only way anyone can account for his mad skills. Technically, I should think he is one of the dopest producers I have ever come accross. His music ear is very unique and his Dub-Step beats will blow your mind away! I recently paired him up with Roki to do a remix of a skit called "take me away" and the result was amazing!

4) Roki

Roki has grown as an artist in all the different ways. Roki is a classic example of extreme artistic gifts as well as a nerd-like approach to his music. Watching him plan a song from the beginning is like watching a master mind premeditate a murder. His new Karma LP is the proof.

3) Take 5

Another man who needs introduction, Take 5 came out of the era of Delani, when "Urban Grooves" first started. Take 5 has gone on to become a phenom in the industry, producing statistics that few can rival. Chamhembe Vol 1 sold over 60 000 copies! 60 grand! The only other LP that can boast those numbers is Delani's "the future". Take Fizzo is also known as an all round great guy, his character is unique and he has great energy. I don't think i need to mention that he started the careers of many such as GCI from double trouble (aka Lady thug), Mafrique, XQ and Stunner, Tererai among so many more!

2) T-Krued

The Bulawayo heavy weight, T-Krued has been at it for just over 10 years. He has arose to become the man you see when you need some of that good ol' grimey hip hop. He is best known for his mixing and mastering, producing clear, crisp records with his eyes closed. Very few can compare.

1) D.S

I think D.S. has earned his stripes in the game. From the Movip days, DS has dedicated his all into music production. His sound is so much in demand that if there was a platinum list, DS would be on it. DS is also known for his professionalism and his legendary Dry Jokes. 

*** Legendary status

The Horror movie WIP first glimpse

Some of you may know, some may not... basically, Enqore Media has embarked on its most ambitious step as a studio. All the research we have been doing on a technical level in the way of animation and Visual effects will be put to the test in the form of TWO full feature length films!

The work in progress that you see is from the horror movie, this creature is meant to be an alien/goblin character that resides in  the inyanga mountains and is one of the elements responsible for the disappearances that occur in the mountains. This is the newest creature concept, though its still a work in progress. The next step is to get into rigging and producing a small visual effects shot with the creature in a live action shot and interacting with the environment. After this stage, we will finalize the creature design (also taking into consideration that this design is by Nqobizitha Mlilo and Eugene Ramirez of Sigma Digital will have some swell concepts to see soon.). After that we will build the final model we will be using in the feature.

TECHNICAL SPECS

For those of you who like technical details:

Modeling and texturing was started and completed in Zbrush 4r2. Using the new and incredible features of the applications such as dynamesh, polipaint and its various sculpting tools. Then the model was shiped off to topogun, a retopologising tool. There a low resolution mesh was made and all the detail we put in the model was transfered into different maps. Finally brought into cinema 4D for lighting and rendering tests as well as setting up the skin shader.

The trailer for the movie is expected to be released in march.

My revenge on idiots will be animated...

Dumbasses beware!

One of my new year's resolutions was to not lie to people as much, especially not for the sake of being socially polite. I have decided to not mince my words anymore and tell it as it is!

Sometimes when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When life gives you idiots though... what to do? I have decided to turn it into a profit!

My intricate plan involves taking idiots who try their best to make my life hard and turn them into animated characters. There wont be any name changes to protect anyone's identity (otherwise the purpose of even animating them is lost!). I will take this animated feats of stupidity that are indeed based on real life events and post them on online. This will send the marauding hoards of the internet to the online channel causing it to become one of the biggest internet viral videos EVER! The folks over at google/youtube will then call me up and offer to make me partner and I will become rich from the product placement on following episodes.

This will cause a great bout of depression from the idiots because they will have enough sense to realize that they have made me rich. I will laugh at their miserable expressions and toss them coins from my limo.

Characters will include: music artists who constantly want free stuff (like videos), ignorant acquaintances who insist on getting worked up everytime i forget a name, pathological and unskilled liers who insist on teling you the lamest of stories, as well as strange characters one is forced to deal with because of one reason or another.

Beware.... and be very afraid...

joh! this workout tore me a new one!

To kickstart the new year, I began a hardcore health regime. I started by following BOB harper's inside out workout... WOW! I was sweating bucket loads in the first 10 minutes! Nothing like a workout to show you how out of shape you really are! I have a lot to do before i am fit again.... here's to the new year anyways!