I created this 3D Nature composition with Vue xStream using the native renderer and Photoshop for post production. The theme and atmosphere captures the challenges of survival in ever changing world, and the vulnerability of even the strongest Predators such as the indomitable T-rex. I have included some wireframe renders in the gallery below.

Here are some more renders with a focus on key composition areas. It includes the interface screen grab of Vue.

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“Dare to Dream Big, Friends” ~ This is a quick update to this interesting path I have been on since I came to the United States in 1996, and my quest to using film and animation to tell stories and make movies that can make a difference in Africa and around the world.

I am back to working full time as a 3D Artist, Animator and Post Production artist. After my studio was raided by robbers at the end of 2011 (see my reflections on that here), I was stripped off pretty much all my ability to work as a Freelancer and Independent film director.

I had to do some serious soul searching. I knew I didn’t want to give up on my dream of making films, and the wildlife conservation effort was on my heart through the mental struggles of what I needed to do move forward.

So my family and I sat down and mapped a way forward. Both my wife and I are now working fulltime, and we have signed up our son and daughter to a great lady who is a friend of the family, to homeschool them. Homeschooling our kids was a priority and that’s one of the reasons I have been a stay at home dad for the last 3 years, while working on the Galiwango film and freelancing.

I have learnt so many lessons through this challenging time. I have had to hold on to my dream even when faced with adversity and I know that the God who put all these gifts in me, will see my journey through to the end.

I continue to strive and desire to be used as an instrument to make a difference in peoples lives while I am still here on planet Earth.

I shall continue to share my testimony and hope that it will inspire other aspiring Independent film makers in Africa and around the world. We have been created for a purpose and until we harness the talents inside us to make a difference, we will continue to simply exist instead of Living out our destinies to the full.

I encourage you to never give up, God is still at work in your life and he cares about every tear that you shed and the cry you send out for help.

Here is a verse that has inspired me through the adversity.

Isaiah 40:27-29
New International Version (NIV)
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Animated FILM: Raising awareness to the plight of the Mountain Gorillas, Rangers and Batwa

Check out the Galiwango Website at: http://www.galiwango.com Join other Galiwango Fans on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/Galiwango.A.Mountain.Gorilla.Film

DIARY
Galiwango Film Production: October 10th Update

I have spent the day working on refining the Facial Motion Capture Rigs and Data for the Gorilla Characters. It’s crunch time, and these animations have to start rendering like Yesterday. Here is a screen grab of the Rig with one of the gorilla characters.

Check out this VIDEO ~ Behind the scenes of the Making of the Galiwango film Sound track and audio score ~ Thanks to Alan Kisaka, based in Los Angeles, CA ~ your talent is greatly appreciated and thanks for joining me in this effort to raise awareness to the plight of the last remaining mountain gorillas, and the sacrifices of the Rangers in the range states, who are working hard to protect these endangered great apes and their forest habitats.

August 24th Update:

WOW! where does the time go?? So here is an update on the Galiwango Film Audio score. My good friend Alan Kisaka has been busy at work on several tracks for the more somber scenes in the film. I am really excited at how the final is going to sound and for Alan’s generosity. I will be uploading the behind the scenes video shortly. Alan plays for a Band called The Strangers, do please check them out and show them your support! Website: http://thestrangers.org/

July 19th Update:

A special thank you to the team at Faceware Techonologies, Inc and ImageMetrics for partnering with the Galiwango film, by providing Facial Motion capture services for the 3D characters, both for the rangers and mountain gorillas. Check out more details about the partnership here: https://www.sowl.com/2012/07/galiwango-film-partner-faceware-technologies-inc-powered-by-imagemetrics

July 9th Update:

Galiwango Film 3D Character Profiles/Sketch: Sergeant. Muteesa: A ranger of 10 years experience. Voice Acting by Maurice Kirya ~ Mwooyo Kirya ~ Maurice is lending his talents and voice to this Character, playing as a former co-worker o Colonel Kasobeza, as a committed soldier and voice of reason, with a goal of encouraging Col. Kasobeza to abandon the Poacher ranks and rejoin the Elite Ranger Unit.

July 6th Update:

First Video look at the new 3D environment This is a test render of one of the more emotive scenes in the film featuring the sad transition from a beautiful habitat to one stripped of the forest cover ~ Undergrowth shot

July 5th Update:

This is another Galiwango Film Jungle Environment ~ In this particular scene, I am showing the gradual decline of the Jungle from a prestine and beautiful habitat, to one poluted with ash falling from illegal charcoal burning Kilns ~ a practice that is stripping the Virunga Jungles of the much needed forest and tree cover, which provides a home for many endangered animal and bird species.

Charcoal particles floating in the jungle undergrowth.

June 28th Update:

I have been up to my neck with wrapping up other projects before leaving North Carolina. Here is a quick update of the Jungle environment from one of the Scenes with the Poachers and Mountain Gorillas.

The render was done in 3DS Max with Mental Ray, the scene was setup using Vue xStream for the vegetation and some custome plants.

June 23rd Update:

I have been working on fixing the Hair Solutions, I noticed in one of the animation renders that as the Gorilla character was talking, some hairs were poking through the mouth so I had to go back in and repaint the hair solution. See the screen grabs below.

This is a test render of the New Facial Rig for the mountain gorilla characters: Emotion test.

June 2012 3D Character Update ~ Galiwango’s updated Beard 🙂 I am working on new models of the Galiwango Mountain Gorilla Characters, Poachers and Rangers.

Galiwango film Reload ~ I lost a lot of my film models, renders and environments to a robbery at the end of 2011. This is my new effort to getting back into the film pre-production and recreation. I have been working on this new model in my free time. It’s a joy to see it coming to life ~ out of the ashes and adversity. I am committed to seeing this Wildlife conservation film through to the end.

Here is a Video Preview of the 3D Galiwango, Mountain Gorilla Character.

This is Less Blurry Vimeo Version

Here is a Youtube Version (It’s a bit more blurry, something about the Youtube Compression)

If you find it in your heart  to help, kindly consider a small donation to help me regain the progress I had made, and rebuild the render and animation system.  The rangers, Batwa and mountain gorillas deserve their story to be shared. Together we can make a difference:

Donation link (Kindly share with your friends) ~ http://www.indiegogo.com/Galiwango-Short-Film-Production

Here is a Gallery of some more shots of the refined mountain gorilla characters, with a new look and feel.

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Galiwango Film ~ a Pre-Production and promotional Preview. The film is still in production. Thank you all for your support. Learm more about the film at: http://www.galiwango.com/

This is the Video interview that Aired on VOA. At the top is the most current Galiwango Film Preview.  Do please help support the completion of this Wildlife Conservation film: Donation link: http://www.indiegogo.com/Galiwango-Film-30-minute-Pilot-and-Promotional-Version

Check out this interview that Voice of America did on the Effort to raise awareness to the plight of the last remaining mountain Gorillas, the hardwork of the Rangers and the challenges faced in protecting the forest habitat shared by these endangered great apes and local communities like the Batwa.   The interview footage was shot in 2010, so it has some outdated video clips and the current mountain Gorilla population is about 786 as of the last Census done by the IGCP.

This is the Video interview that Aired yesterday on VOA. At the bottom is the most current Galiwango Film Preview.  Do please help support the completion of this Wildlife Conservation film: Donation link: http://www.indiegogo.com/Galiwango-Film-30-minute-Pilot-and-Promotional-Version

Galiwango Film ~ a Pre-Production and promotional Preview. The film is still in production. Thank you all for your support. Learm more about the film at: http://www.galiwango.com/

By Solomon W. Jagwe ~ www.sowl.com ~ On my recent trip to Uganda, I was blessed and fortunate to receive an invitation by Lilly Ajarova, the Executive Director of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, to take a trip to the beautiful Ngamba Island located in Lake Victoria, about an hours ride by speed boat from Entebbe Airport.

I grew up in Uganda, but I had never laid my eyes on a live Chimpanzee, let alone ventured farther than a few feet into Lake Victoria. Needless to say, I was more than excited. Lilly was shocked when she learnt that I had never visited Ngamba Island and that I had never seen a chimpanzee, and she said I absolutely had to make the trip.

“This is a trip I wish for every Ugandan and Tourists visiting Uganda.”

The boat ride was so peaceful with waves lapping away at the boat as we sped off, on 2 of the boats dedicated to transporting visitors to the Island. One of the speed boats had 3 Norwegian tourists and and the second on which I rode together with Lilly and my good friend Hazel Collett, had several other tourists from Sweden.

I struggled to stay awake because of the therapeutic sounds from the boat wakes, fine vapour from the waves and the cooing of the Cormorants racing alongside the boat.  I felt like I was simply floating along with no care in the world.

As we neared the Island, my thoughts returned to the gravity of why this Island Sanctuary was created and what the effort meant for poached Chimpanzees brought to this place from as far as Burundi and South Sudan.

The inescapable beauty of the Island belies the tragedy that brought the chimps to this refuge. The island hosts several bird species, and monitor lizards. It offers visitor quarters that are surrounded by beautiful landscaping and shaded trees.

In the center of the Island is a caged area reserved for the overnight sleeping area for the chimps.

Lilly explained that offering the chimps a place to sleep away from the forest, helps keep the forest intact. Over 40 Chimps are housed here and yet the island on its own, can only support 3 Chimpanzees in terms of available vegetation used for food. The Ngamba Island team has to supplement that diet with food brought in from the mainland.

There is a tranquility here that makes you feel like you are living in harmony with nature. The soft breeze from the fresh water Lake Victoria, sweeps over the island and creates a peaceful atmosphere.

You get a sense that you are breathing purely clean air, free from pollutants of the city smoke and dust. The island offers facilities where you can spend the night and enjoy the absolutely gorgeous night experience that is different from the day outing.

You get to sleep in spacious tents, with comfortable beds and well equipped bathrooms. The accommodations also offer balconies where you can watch the awe inspiring sunsets on  lake Victoria.

Even as you relax on this inviting island, it is of the utmost importance that you remember the real reason why this Chimpanzee Sanctuary was created.

This is not simply a zoo or a place to just come and have fun, yes there is an element of an Island get-away, but the main focus of the great work being done here, is that of offering Chimpanzees that have been captured by poachers, and rescued by Rangers, a chance at rehabilitation and reintegration into the wild whenever possible.

The Ngamba Island team has gone to great lengths to create a setting that reflects the freedom that the Chimpanzees would have in a forest environment similar to their natural habitat along the Albertine rift stretching along the border of Uganda and The Democratic Republic of Congo.

Deforestation has decimated a large chunk of the natural habitat that the Chimpanzees used as a home in Uganda. Encroachment is a big problem fueled by the Illegal Charcoal trade that depletes the natural forest cover that has been a home for these primates for years.

I learnt from Lilly that 25% of the Chimps in the wild have been observed to have missing limbs, due to the influx of traps that have left a devastating effect on their natural movement and migration.

These are Skeletal Remains of a female Chimpanzee killed by this mantrap. With her fingers caught in its vicious metal teeth, She dragged the 12kg trap along the ground until she slowly and painfully died of starvation. Mantraps such as this represents one of the biggest threats to Chimpanzees in Uganda, claiming 6 lives a year.

All the Chimpanzees brought to Ngamba Island have had a remarkable recovery, and are much healthier than when they arrived, scared and traumatized from the ordeal of being snatched from their natural habitat and sold to bush meat dealers by poachers.

Each Chimpanzee has its own amazing story.  I listened as Lilly and the Lead tour guide retold some of the stories. I was touched by the dedication of the men and women who have injected so much time  to catalog the experiences of the chimps and kept track of their steady improvement.

The highlight of the day was watching the Chimpanzees emerge from the forest and make their way to the feeding area which is overlooked by a platform where visitors are given a chance to give them vegetables and fruits.

The intelligence of the Chimpanzees was on full display. There was this one Chimp that didn’t even bother to fight for the fruits and vegetables thrown down from the platform. He seemed to have harnessed the art of drawing attention and receiving the reward without a struggle. All he had to do was put his hand up as if he was in a classroom and wait for his turn to be called. It was fun to watch the process as he put his hand up again and again until he was full.

The Chimpanzees have overtime discovered ways to treat their own ailments like worms. They figured out that a certain type of plant called Luwawu, which has extremely rough leaves, has the ability to work as a de-worming implement. They roll the leaves up and swallow them without chewing. Guides report finding these leaves in Chimp excrement with worms attached to the abrasive leaves. Simply Brilliant.

Challenges still exist as the Island is not designed to offer a replacement of the natural habitat for the Chimpanzees. This sanctuary is a stepping stone to ultimately where the chimps need to be and a return to their original homes. Medical supplies and equipment are needed to treat the animals whenever injuries are incurred, especially during thunderstorms. The island has a large area of forest cover, but that is not enough to feed all the chimpanzees and so there is a need for additional food.

Do kindly take the time to visit the Island and offer your support. The Chimpanzee Sanctuary is an NGO and relies heavily on donations and support from within and outside the country. The tourism aspect is helping some but the larger budget needed to maintain the Island and increase the ability to take in additional Chimpanzees is dependent on donations which have declined to a trickle due to the global financial situation.

Lilly said that Volunteers are welcome to visit for a period of time and share in the effort to help rehabilitate the rescued Chimps.

To help do please visit the Ngamba Island Website, or Contact the Executive Director, Lilly Ajarova on Tel: +256-414-320662, Cell: +256-772-221537

Lilly’s Email address is director@ngambaisland.org.  The Ngamba Island Website is: www.ngambaisland.org

After the loss of my studio equipment to a robbery (4 computers and External Hard drives, all my DSLR Camera and Lens equipment, laptops), everything in me was screaming out, why did this have to happen?? I lost a lot of my Galiwango Film scenes I had created from scratch ~ work I had invested so much time and money to create.

The hard drives where I had saved the 3D Models, environments and animation backups had also disappeared. I had made sure  to backup my scenes, but now even the Backups were gone.

I wondered to myself, “Why did God allow this to happen? Is there any sense in carrying on with the Galiwango Film? It felt like I was paddling upstream ~ I had to remind myself why I had started on this journey in the first place and to remember the joy of serving and being used as a channel of Blessing.

I remembered the earnest request ranger Sgt. Major Benjamin Bayenda had made when I met him in Bwindi back in January of 2010. He urged me to share the story of the mountain gorillas and the effort the rangers were putting in to protect them. He emphasized the urgency and consequences of not doing anything, plus the need to get the youth involved.

One of the things that I truly thank God for is that he Made a way even in the midst of the adversity and loss. Some how one machine that had some Galiwango sketches and reference material I had gathered over time, including a Documentary I had been working on, had been left in the middle of the living room.

I have something to start from in the rebuilding process. I will continue to believe that there is a silver lining behind every cloud and that God is still in control. Do not give up on your dream. Even when times seem dark and hope is diminishing. There is a way and you will succeed if you do not lose faith.

My life story is still being written, and I am more than convinced that along the way, I will be given opportunities to grow and excell, as well as share my testimony .. and I am starting now ….

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13