Schomburg Black Comic FEstival 2024

[richardmurray]

 

 

https://www.schomcom.org/schedule

 

 

[richardmurray]

IYANU

 

weaving West Africa wonder into animation 

12:30 - 1:30pm

 

A- Roye Okupe

B- Kerri GRant

C- Dawud ANyabwile

D- Blerd Girl [host]

 

D- Introduce A, B, C

 

D- How did series come about
C- Most exciting crowd. It came as a love letter to my daughter. Wanted to share fantastical stories of Nigeria . Came out during 2019 right before covid. Highest grossing book on kickstarter.

 

D- What did you think when you first saw the novel?
B- Shared to her by a freind . Love the lead female's powers
A- Proud of Roy and shout out to artists on the team. 

 

D- Did you work on any story boards, your comic experience
A- He has done storyboards for films/television . When you go into animation this is his first time being a director. You have to think acting and lighting and motion. He likes some African martial arts.

 

D- Whar are images
A- did it in photoshop. Shout out to Darnell Johnson . They now do everything in a program called storyboard pro. An animatic. IT is choppy , bot fully , but a voice track, so we can see episode. 

 

D- What is writers room in Inayu like compared to others
B- all writers rooms are different, didn't have time as in others. This is unique like no other. Showrunner very organized. THis is little different than prior, for a little older audience. A little more serialized. Had to be extremely collaborative.

 

D- Show some of series . Is she older in the book?
C- no same age as in the books

 

D- What? 
A- before storyboarding , character design. Comprehend a whole team exist. It isn't just me. Make expression sheets, props, others work on autenticity. Another design team gets colors, lighting. 
C- IT is hundreds of people, people in Nigeria, South Africa, different parts of Europe, UA, ASia. He felt it was important to have voice actors. He wanted Nigerians talking like Nigerians in a show about Nigerians to a global audience. So nollywood voice actors have all the roles. 

 

D- Explain Inayu's powers
C- He was inspired by Avatar, a little in the natural power set. Unnatural charge object. Natural charging plants like swamp thing. Supernatural essentially combinating. Each power she has to master. Her supernatural power requires empathy. 

 

D -Who are Biyi and Toye
C- Biyi is sort of a scoundrel, young hansolo. Toye is a bookworm. His father is strongest warrior but he wants to be an engineer. He has to prove to his father he can do it his own way.

 

D- Ekun m was ekun your favorite? 
B- Ekun will be everyone's favorite. He is a giant cat. 

 

D- she needs a blue plushie
C- He doesn't speak but you can express. He wanted him to matter in a way

 

D- What is more difficult
A- relative to artist. Some specialize in humans, some nonhumans but people on the team. You don't want to try to be the everything. LEt that person shine, that is directing. 

 

D- How many times we have seen bad black hair?
C- Every single frame we look at the hair. It is cliche to say representation matters. Simple things like two tone color hands. 

 

D- What has the afrocentric details on the development of the show
B- Really fortunate to work on two shows to care about how it looks
C- we also take black men's hair seriously

 

D- In image every single word has to 
A- animation guide
C- xheets to time but movements. It is painful to make things proper. 

 

D- Let's talk about fighting style
A- in the show we incorporate different; donbe- north nigerian; capoeira angloe- making a mash up mythological yoruba land. Mashup to make adventure

 

D- Tell us about these images?
C- Yoruba is his tribe but Iyanu has lost all concept of her past and she learns she has the power of the gods
This is done about, thank Gordon Akban and Lionforge- the president of many firms talk alot about diversity behind the scenes. Very few did it. They took risk to make C executive director. To allow representation of his culture.

 

D- How does that work? the coordination
C- IT is difficult. We have been on meetings where the time is imbalanced. Everybody on team  Iyanu is dedicated to excellence. Once your dedicated you deal with sacrifices. 

 

D- first look
C- Inayu get lessons from Orole. HE wanted to show different shades of Black people, the darkest isn't always bad.  Art director put trees that only exist in Nigeria.[ another image] Inayu powered up. He felt he wanted agency , he didn't want her to be reliant on boys but a character [another image] 
B- We wanted to show a complex character [ another shot] 
A- showing details [another shot]

 

Question and Answer

 

Q- what about music?
A+C anybody know afrobeats

 

Q- screenwriter- how hollywood is run on the business side
D-Lionforge is a black owned company [ https://www.lionforgeentertainment.com/ ]
C- I created my first animated short in 2008 created second in 2012 when he took it before Black Panther. It has taken me 12 to 15 years to get to this point. Part of the reason we take this so seriously, we don't want someone else to take 15 years. You have to believe in yourself. People witha desperate desire to do this believe in themselves. I starter here, my first table was at Schomburg 2015. I had flyers and no book.

 

Q- How many seasons?
D- definitely one season

 

Q- Web animators role in the production
D- Lionforge is in charge of all things, all projects get freelancers.

 

Q-if someone wants to make animation like this, get started
A- start creating. He knew few independent black comic creators. He went to LA and on wild thornberries . I wouldn't do this if I wondered how you do this. He got a phone call near homeless, manifestation begins in the mind. I has been over 30 years. Stay on your path. But do it because you love it. 

 

Q- There are alot of people who aren't in their 20s but for those who are older where do they go to get guidance? where do you go?
B- Black women anime [ https://www.facebook.com/blackgirlswatchanime/ ].. Afro anime... PEople can show projects. Lionforge is not that old but putting together things , young people can participate in. MAny things are accessible
So we can try
C- some of the people he works with now, he met in conventions, you never know what will come from these connections

 

Q- How do you write characters, not too similar
B- all characters seem familiar. Her unique way is how does a character talk, start there. What is their function in a story, then group brian.