iNumber Number: Jozi Gold

Netflix

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.

Please click here to view the behind the scenes.

Director: Donovan Marsh
Written: Donovan Marsh
Executive Producer: Harriet Gavshon, Nimrod Geva, Donovan Marsh
Producer: JD Potgieter, Israel Matseke-Zulu
Production: Quizzical Pictures
Cinematography: Tom Marais
On-Set VFX Supervisor: Rob van den Bragt
Costume Designer: Lehasa Molloyi
Art Director: Anneke Olivier, Erique Swart
Editing: Mmapula Letsoalo, Dash van Moron
Colourist: Terry Simp

Post Production: Chocolate Tribe
Animation & VFX Supervisor: Rob van den Bragt
Lead Technical Director: Tiaan Franken
Executive Producer / Legal: Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt
Senior VFX Producer: Tracy-lee Portnoi
VFX Production Assistant: Katlego Makhudu
3D Artists: Mpho Vukea, Tegan Theron, Kyle Sibanda, Taija Hartwig, Taryn Jordan, Sam Visser, Grant Steyn, Lloyd Bischoff, Tanaka Musewe, Ramzan Mulani, Ahmed Abougabal, Mahmoud Elmanakhly, Brett Sinclair, Stephen Goodson
VFX Artists: Thezi Ndhlazi, Sam Visser
Lead Compositor: Johan Wentzel, Jean du Plessis
Compositors: Novak Miller, Alistair Johnson, Sven Hohmeir
Animation Support: Viskefi
IT Support: Jandre van Heerden
Human Resources: Erika Jhavary