Boy Kills World
Boy Kills World
Lionsgate
“Boy Kills World,” which made its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival last year. Directed by Moritz Mohr and produced by the duo of Sam Raimi and Roy Lee, this film is a thrilling ride filled with fast-paced colourful action and quirky charm.
At the heart of the story is the deaf and mute protagonist, Boy(Bill Skarsgård), who embarks on a quest for vengeance against Hilda van der Koy, the perpetrator behind the tragic loss of his family. Guided by the inner voice from a childhood video game, Boy navigates the world with a thirst for blood. Trained under a mysterious Shaman, Boy becomes a lethal weapon.
Chocolate Tribe worked on various scenes throughout the film, such as the dream sequences where Boy encounters the Shaman, Boy finds himself immersed in an alternate state of mind, enveloped by a swirling, smokey environment, as well as the title sequence.
We are super excited and convinced this film will be an absolute hit. It’s one of those films that will stand out from the crowd. Well done to everybody involved, and a huge congrats to Moritz Mohr and producer duo Sam Raimi and Roy Lee, for such an amazing high paced original adrenaline-filled film.
Distributor / Production Companies: Roadside Attractions & Lionsgate, Nthibah Pictures, Raimi Productions, Hammerstone Studios
Executive Producers: Sam Raimi & Roy Lee
Writers: Tyler Burton Smith, Moritz Mohr &Arend Remmers
Editing: Peter Matjasko
Cinematography: Lucian Barnard
Casting: Nancy Nayor
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Famke Janssen, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery,
Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Yayan Ruhain, Nicholas Crovetti, Cameron Crovetti, Quinn Copeland, Sharlto Copley
Visual Effects / Post Production: Chocolate Tribe
VFX Supervisor: Rob van den Bragt
CG Supervisor: Tiaan Franken
Executive Producer: Nosipho Maketo – van den Bragt
Senior VFX Producer: Tracy-lee Portnoi
Production Assistant: Katlego Makhudu
Lead Compositor: Novak Miller
Compositors: Johan Wentzel, Alistair Johnson
Concept / Digital Matte Painting Artist: Novak Miller, Michael Howard
Pipeline Developers: Tiaan Franken, Richard Frangenberg (Prism)
IT Support: Aqeel Abba
The Kitchen
The Kitchen
Netflix
The Kitchen, the Netflix UK Original, and winner of two prestigious BIFA Awards (British Independent Film Awards) for Best Effects and Best Production Design, is set against the backdrop of a dystopian future in London. Directed by renowned actor Daniel Kaluuya in his directorial debut, alongside director Kibwe Tavares, of Robot & Scarecrow.
The film spotlights the gentrification of London. The Kitchen, the last remaining public housing complex, shelters its defiant impoverished residents who grapple with the constant fear of utility cutoffs, and face police intimidation as well as eviction.
At the heart of the story is the unusual dynamic between Izi (Kane “Kano” Robinson”) and 12-year-old Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman) that begins at “Life after Life” where Izi works. A company that composts those who have passed on into fertiliser as their families are unable to afford the conventional funeral option. As Benji deals with the loss of his mother, the film delves into the struggles of residents. The Kitchen offers a nuanced exploration of societal challenges. We see Izi step into unfamiliar territory; initially portrayed as a self-sufficient, and “I am just trying to survive and make it out alive” character. Izi’s role transforms as he takes on the responsibility “of a father” for Benji.
This project was a remarkable bridge, connecting talent across the globe (UK, South Africa, France, India and Canada) and fostering collaborative energy that transcends geographical divides.
To build the grungy worn-out world of The Kitchen, Chocolate Tribe worked on over 250 VFX shots, such as large 3D city scape set extensions, 2D/3D holographic advertisements, animated drones and rendered future-inspired vehicles, as well as many detailed 3D city assets (such as construction sites and the futuristic buildings).
The tools used on this production were Autodesk Maya, Arnold, Foundry Nuke, Substance Painter, Ftrack, DaVinci Resolve, Blender, Redshift, Unreal Engine, Houdini and Adobe Creative Cloud. The film highlights heavily the structural and architectural look of the block of apartments in The Kitchen (Les Damiers, which were filmed in Paris, France), which required over 100 assets to be sculpted and modelled.
We are proud to have been part of this amazing project. Congratulations to the entire team; behind the scenes and in front of the camera.
The Kitchen is currently ranked number 3 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 and has garnered wide positive reviews from audiences globally. The Kitchen premiered on Netflix on the 19th of January 2024.
Director: Daniel Kaluuya, Kibwe Tavaris
Writers: Daniel Kaluuya, Joe Murtagh, Amy Baty
Executive Producer: Michael Fassbender, David Kimbangi, Ollie Madden, Connor McCaughan
Producer: Kareen Adeshina, Theo Barrowclough, Daniel Emmerson, Daniel Kaluuya, Angus Lamont, Steve Newton
Editing: Maya Maffioli, Christian Sandino-Taylor
Cinematography: Wyatt Garfield
VFX Company: Chocolate Tribe
VFX Supervisor: Rob van den Bragt
Executive Producer: Nosipho Maketo – van den Bragt
Head of Production: Rob van den Bragt
Senior VFX Producer: Tracy-lee Portnoi
VFX Producer: Nikki Maistry
VFX Production Co-ordinator: Katlego Makhudu
3D Supervisor: Tiaan Franken
3D Artists: Fumani Hlungwane, Glenn Ewan, Grant Steyn, Kyle Sibanda, Lloyd Bisschoff, Mpho Vukea, Tanaka Musewe, Taija Hartwig, Taryn Jordan, Tegan Theron, Samantha Visser, Thezi Ndhlazi
Lead Compositor: Johan Wentzel
Compositors: Alistair Johnson, Angelo Collinicos, Graeme Armstrong, Jaron Clegg, Jean du Plessis, Jaco Kraamwinkel, Novak Miler, Sam Alessandri, Sven Hohmeier
Digital Matte Painting: Michael Howard
IT Support: Aqeel Abba
Legal: Nosipho Maketo – van den Bragt
3D Tracking: Glenn Ewan, Tegan Theron, Jaron Clegg, Alekh Kumar Singh, Gagan Deep, Prakash Chand, Md Azal
Roto Business Head: Abhishek Kumar
Roto Producer: Bosky Palan
Roto HOD: Prashant Sakpal
Roto Project Manager: Sushmit Daware
Roto Coordinator: Deepak Bhatt, Hanumant Pawar
Roto QC: Deepak Chadhokar, Shashank Tandle
Roto Supervisor: Prathamesh Gaikwad, Abhay Vibhute, Prashant Jadhav
Roto Lead: Nazim Patel, Bhavesh Jadhav, Ritesh Jagtap, Tushar Phadtare, Dipak Mandhare, Rahul Choudhari
Roto Artist: Amol Pagare, Shweta Patil, Vikas Yadav, Piu Dutta, Khushal Pardeshi, Asmita Kadam, Shashikant Gaikwad, Priya More, Sagar Khairnar, Sudarshan Sawant, Rajkumar Shakya, Arun Kurbetti, Sunil Chauhan, Jaywant Thakur, Ajay Shirsath, Pranav More, Rahul Pal, Ranjeet Mane, Vijay Bogale, Rahul Birajdar, Bharat Deve, Rohit Shelar, Indrajeet Sharma, Dipak Pisal, Sainath Nadavane, Omkar Patil, Swapnil Barje, Pravin Birajdar, Prathamesh Angre, Ajay Karmale, Girish Parab, Pankaj Chavan, Anil Gavde, Ashraf Shaikh, Pranav Dhadave, Miraj Ali Khan, Rahul Patil, Bhimashankar Birajdar, Imran Khan, Sushant Phadtare, Chetan Gawade, Vijay Lohar, Chandrakant Patil, Swapnil Panchal, Kunal Gaikwad, Sunil Mohite, Rahul Phadke, Amir Sangde, Kamlesh Gupta, Amar Sable, Shubham Shetti, Mayur Patil, Manohar Rathod, Ganesh Bhosle, Sushant Gaikwad, Omkar Bhosale, Rajesh Singh, Tushar Bijam, Mayur Madhekar, Akshay Bhavsar
Miseducation
Miseducation
Netflix
College dramedy, but make it South African! Our Tribe worked on Netflix South Africa’s latest coming-of-age comedy-drama Miseducation, created by Rethabile Ramaphakela and Katleho Ramaphakela of the production house, Burnt Onion Productions.
Following the story of High School leaver Mbali Hadebe (Buntu Petse) the daughter of a prominent politician, Brenda Hadede (Baby Cele) gets caught up in a grant funding scandal that results in all her possessions being repossessed on the night of Mbali’s 19th birthday party. This scandalous scene all unfolds just before Mbali, the High School popularity queen, is set to embark on her University journey. Amassed with humiliation, Mbali sets to blaze a new trail and start afresh at Grahamstown University in Makhada.
Miseducation is a delightful blend of light-hearted comedy and the compelling drama of college life.
Chocolate Tribe worked on 155 VFX shots and clean-ups across all 6 episodes. From the bright fireworks wishing Mbali a “Happy Birthday” across the Sandton Skyline, to the 3D crowd simulations of student protests, and burning down a heritage building in post-production when a disgruntled group of students sets the room alight.
Miseducation is currently streaming on Netflix.
Agency: Netflix
Production Company: Burnt Onion
Production Director: Catharine Cooke, Lwazi Mvusi, Themba Mfebe, Rea Rangaka
Producer: Phuthi Nakene
Visual Effects / Post Production: Chocolate Tribe
VFX Supervisor / On-Set VFX Supervisor: Rob van den Bragt
Executive Producer: Nosipho Maketo – van den Bragt
Senior VFX Producer: Tracy-lee Portnoi
Production Assistant: Katlego Makhudu
3D Supervisor: Tiaan Franken
3D Artists: Mpho Vukea, Tanaka Musewe, Taryn Jordan, Tegan Theron, Kyle Sibanda
Lead Compositor: Johan Wentzel
Compositors: Alistair Johnson, Sven Hohmeier, Jaron Clegg, Jean du Plessis
IT Support: Aqeel Abba
Legal : Nosipho Maketo – van den Bragt
iNumber Number Behind The Scenes
iNumber Number
Jozi Gold Behind The Scenes
Chocolate Tribe is thrilled to share an exciting project we worked on with Quizzical, and directed by Donovan Marsh, that has kept us buzzing with anticipation.
The feature film sequel “iNumber Number: Jozi Gold.” revolves around two friends, Shoes (Presley Chweneyagae) and Chili (S’dumo Mtshali), who bravely confront crime in the bustling city of Johannesburg as they pursue a notorious gold kingpin known as the Hyena Man.
Chocolate Tribe was brought on board to bring to life the character of Jonga, the Hyena Man’s trusted partner. A domesticated, ferocious, and intelligent hyena.
Chocolate Tribe turned to Autodesk’s Maya, Ziva muscle simulation toolset (from Unity), Peregrine Labs’ Yeti for some amazing hair sims, the robust Autodesk Arnold renderer for some amazing photorealistic rendering, Houdini for the various simulations on the chains and saliva, Substance Painter for texturing and Zbrush for sculpting. Naturally finished off with The Foundry’s Nuke for some final integrations.
The project took the studio about 8 months, requiring extensive research and study of hyenas to accurately depict their movement, gait, growl, and the nuances of their fur, as well as focusing our CGI creation on the accurate species of hyena for the film. When it comes to CGI creature creation, even the smallest gestures and behaviors unique to the creature cannot be overlooked, as they contribute to the character’s authenticity and believability.
From meticulously sculpting the muscular structure to refining the facial features and motion of the body and hair, all our Tribe team members played an amazing role in bringing this remarkable character to life. A heartfelt thank you to all involved from the Chocolate Tribe.
iNumber Number is now streaming on Netflix.
Fastrack Behind The Scenes
Fastrack
Fastrack Behind The Scenes
Photorealism, creature work, and Chocolate Tribe. A match made in heaven. We were thrilled to be approached by Fastrack, an Indian fashion accessory retail brand, to create a fully CGI orangutan for their latest fashion eyewear commercial. We created an orangutan before, and were happy to try and improve on what we learned during the production of the Checkers commercial.
The creative team worked in Autodesk Maya for animation, Arnold for lighting and rendering, Yeti for the fur system and Ziva from Unity for the model, muscle and movement simulation.
Ziva as a tool allows the full reproduction of realistic muscle, fat and skin slide simulations. It can create an accurate simulation of the underlying skeletal structure and also manipulates the behavior of soft tissue and tendons. A vital ingredient to getting that photorealistic weight, look and feel.
Yeti was amazing to work with on the orangutan’s hair and fur. It was important to get the details right, and with Yeti’s node based workflow, gave the team an amazing amount of control over the dynamics, hair flow, length, density, color and texture of hair and fur.
From an animation point of view, The Tribe spent a lot of time to find a balance between creature and character animation. Although the client was keen to make it look as realistic as possible, they were also aware that the performance of the orangutan needed to connect with the viewer in less than 12 seconds. We filmed performance reference plates during the shoot with an actor, and experimented with a lot of different performance animation options to find the right level of expression.
Cape Town Office Moved To A New Location
Expanding Horizons: Chocolate Tribe Solidifies Roots in Cape Town with a Second Studio
We are thrilled to share some exciting news, that Chocolate Tribe is planting firm roots with its second studio in Cape Town. After a year and a half of being at The Business Exchange, we have secured a new, spacious 200 sqm studio in the heart of the Greenpoint at 5th Floor, 42 De Smit Hill House, Green Point. This marks a significant milestone in our journey.
Both our Johannesburg and Cape Town studios, collectively provide full animation production, VFX services, and content generation. We are also firmly rooted in uplifting diverse communities through our social impact initiatives, such as our festival AVIJOZI, which is coming up on the 16th & 17th of September 2023.
Cape Town is a major film hub that provides a stunning backdrop for our creative endeavors.
With our new studio now officially open for business, we are delighted to extend a warm welcome to our old and new Cape Town clientele. The move represents our strong commitment to growing the industry and talent.
“We have been in Cape Town for the past year and a half and this is a significant commitment to continue growing the animation and VFX industry, not only in South Africa but Africa at large,” says Nosipho Maketo van den Bragt, CEO of Chocolate Tribe.
The Cape Town team comprises our experienced Senior Producer, Tracy-lee Portnoi, and a number of talented and dynamic tribe artists. We are keen to welcome passionate and driven talent to join our Cape Town or Johannesburg tribe. Take your pick!
As we embark on this journey of growth and optimism in the creative space, we raise our glass to expanding the industry and opening up the space for new players, fostering new opportunities for collaboration. We remain committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation, and high production value through our expertise in animation and VFX.
Wherever you are on the continent or beyond, both our studios would love to welcome you and your exciting projects, see you soon!
Thank you for being part of this amazing journey with us.
Chicken Licken “Undefeated Since Forever”
Chicken Licken
Chicken Licken: Undefeated Since Forever
You know you are loved in South Africa when you are given a local nickname-Jose Mercibeaucoup, coach extraordinaire to the “Flaming Chickens” affectionately dubbed, Jose “Mazibuko” by his fans. He shares his passion for the beautiful game and his super striker team. Jose is inspired in an unconventional manner to develop the successful formations that make the Flaming Chickens the runaway success they are! We paired up with director Greg Gray from Romance Films and agency Joe Public, for the latest Chicken Licken ad. This time it wasn’t aliens or robots, but 3D crowd simulations to create a jam-packed, fan-filled football stadium.
The Tribe worked on creating the crowd replications with Autodesk Maya and Arnold Renderer, and the flag simulations using Houdini. Compositing and finishing in online, were done with Nuke Studio. Ultimately, the ad served as a reminder that inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. Jose “Mazibuko” Mercibeaucoup and the Flaming Chickens proved that you can conquer the world – both on the football field and in life- with creativity, determination, and a pinch of spice. Who would have thought that Chicken Licken order numbers are as hot as their chicken.
Agency: Joe Public
Production House: Romance Films
Director: Greg Gray
Executive Producer: Helena Woodfine
Visual Effects / Post Production: Chocolate Tribe
VFX Supervisor: Rob van den Bragt
3D Lead: Tiaan Franken
VFX Producer: Tracy-lee Portnoi
Production Coordinator: Katlego Makhudu
Lead Compositor: Jean du Plessis
3D Artists: Mpho Vukea, Thezi Ndhlazi
Concept / Digital Matte Painting Artist: Michael Howard
Legal / Business Affairs: Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt
Colour Grading: Nic Apostoli
IT Support: Aqeel Abba