AFRICA Digital Media Institute (ADMI) CAMPUS TOUR
On 27th May 2022 the Association officials made a Campus tour to Africa Digital Media Institute ADMI. The tour’s objective was to create awareness about the Animation community in Kenya and to encourage students to join the Association as student members. This would allow them to be counted as members of the animation community.
On this visit, the students expressed a lot of interest while learning about the history of animation in Kenya and the importance of joining a professional body. To entice the students present to learn more about the association, the A3K office offered a one-month free student membership. This helped them understand the essence of the Association before formally joining.
ANDREW KAGGIA VISITS USIU-AFRICA
On 15th July 2022, United States International University (USIU) – Africa’s Cinematic Arts Department was privileged to host the founder of Afrikana Digital, Mr Andrew Kaggia. He is an award-winning filmmaker, 3D animator, and Game developer. The creator of Hero Smashers – a 3D Animated Youtube Channel, Nairobi X – 3D mobile and PC game and Wageuzi: Battle 2012 a 3D Animation short film.
On this occasion, Andrew shared a preview and conversed about “the making of” his newly completed film Terastorm, the 1st Kenyan 3D Feature film scheduled to premiere later in the year. He revealed that the production of this new film took him one and a half years, with 16 to 19 hours a day dedicated to its production.
Andrew, a self-taught animator, took the audience through his creative journey as he shared his experiences of constantly keeping up with the evolving world of software and technology. Drawing from his experiences, he warned against employers exploiting talent and emphasized the need to work with clearly outlined and signed agreements/contracts while shying away from the not-so-gentle gentleman’s agreement.
There’s an unmistakable admiration for his work as he takes the audience through some of his creations. A lot of superhero influence is evident in his work which he admits is inspired by superhero and alien invasion movies. He encourages young animators to strive for quality in their animations no matter the style, which can only be attained through putting in a lot of time and commitment.
Andrew is also popularly known for the Nairobi X 3D mobile game, his youtube channel HeroSmashers and the politically inspired Wageuzi: Battle 2012
PRICING AND BUDGETING WORKSHOP AT USIU
On 23 rd June 2022, Ernest Livasia a 2D motion designer and the General Manager at Chomoka Studios conducted a workshop on Pricing and Budgeting at USIU-Africa. The workshop provided very valuable insight into how to price your animation work as well as considerations to explore when planning budgets for animation projects.
In his presentation, Ernest took the USIU students through defining the differences between pricing and budgeting, emphasizing the need to understand the project brief and being able to define the deliverables before preparing any quotations. He also took the students through a cost analysis process that enables creatives to make well-informed decisions that provide sustainable solutions for their businesses.
The team leader from Chomoka Studios further stressed the need for creatives to pay attention to ethical considerations when running their businesses, advising also that every creator needed to be armed with legal protection before getting into any contracts with a client. He encouraged working with legal consultants to counteract any conflicts.
As an active member of the Association, Ernest currently completed his service as a jury member at the Kenya Film Commission’s annual Kalasha Awards where he represented the Animation Community.
