Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects • Hacker News Board

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#31

Post by dlivingston » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 3:45 PM UTC

TheRealPomax wrote: post #24

ddmma wrote: post #9

Posted on twitter ‘Hope that George Lucas either Disney could finance these guys’

I hope not - can we let them explore what film-making means to them, instead of sending the worst offending film-colonizers after them?

"Can we let them continue to create videos with old smartphones and OSS for YouTube, instead of letting them unleash the full scale of their creativity and massively changing their lives with one of the most well-known movie producers of all time and the multi-million $ funding that comes with him?"

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#32

Post by bArray » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 3:49 PM UTC

I love how these guys had better sound recordings from their low cost setup than the TV crew covering them, good work!

I think they have the right idea though, start with what you already have. Try to test out ideas and learn with as little pre-investment as possible. Some friends of mine have purchased $3k-$4k gaming machines with the intention of live streaming gaming - all of which never came to fruition.

The very best of luck to them, I hope to see their movies on the Western big screen one day.

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#33

Post by arvinsim » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 4:04 PM UTC

nvahalik wrote: post #30

One of the biggest gifts that we can give our children is a limitation of resources. It is amazing how they learn and get really creative when given really basic tools to work with. They try things that they wouldn't normally try. I remember once my son wanted his own "phone" when he was 5. He ended up drawing the whole UI on paper and stuck it on a little slab of wood. Played with it for weeks.

Yup, creativity usually takes a hit when you have limitless options.

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#34

Post by rolltiide » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 4:57 PM UTC

nexuist wrote: post #22

babayega2 wrote: post #7

They use Techno Phones [0]. It's really the leading telephone in my country back in Africa to the point my wife refused me to buy her a Samsung one. :D You find those phone have really nice camera, and most importantly power consumption that can span at least 2 days... Peoples complaining that China is just copycat-ing stuff do not know how China is influencing peoples in developing countries. [0]: https://techcrunch…

>Peoples complaining that China is just copycat-ing stuff do not know how China is influencing peoples in developing countries. The problem is that altruism does not exist in geopolitics. Why is China influencing these people? Because it wants their support when it comes time to ask for favors. China is using Western inventions to grow its sphere of influence and defeat Western influence (and thus Western values, cul…

> The problem is that altruism does not exist in geopolitics. Why is China influencing these people? Because it wants their support when it comes time to ask for favors.

But more likely an entrepreneur sent a schematic to a fabrication line in Shenzhen for an underserved market they perceived, got a ton of the phones made for very cheap, and sold them as a service in that underserved market and it became a hit.

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#35

Post by CptFribble » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 5:00 PM UTC

corybrown wrote: post #11

Can anyone tell me what apps they're using? I'd love to play around with a green screen, but don't have much budget either

It's not what they're using, but Davinci Resolve also does chroma-key, as well as pretty much anything else in v16. It's also free!

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#36

Post by beauzero » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 5:08 PM UTC

kayoone wrote: post #12

Africas tech talent is on the rise, it's quite interesting to see as even 10 years ago it was still hard for them to get access to cheap computers and internet.

...and this is my hope for Africa. As new ideas, unique to different regions are allowed to fight their way to market share...this, hopefully, will improve their quality of life in the ways they desire. This is closer to freedom, in my opinion, than having a government, technology, and a way of life designed on another continent then dropped in.

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#37

Post by fredmorcos » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 5:14 PM UTC

nexuist wrote: post #22

babayega2 wrote: post #7

They use Techno Phones [0]. It's really the leading telephone in my country back in Africa to the point my wife refused me to buy her a Samsung one. :D You find those phone have really nice camera, and most importantly power consumption that can span at least 2 days... Peoples complaining that China is just copycat-ing stuff do not know how China is influencing peoples in developing countries. [0]: https://techcrunch…

>Peoples complaining that China is just copycat-ing stuff do not know how China is influencing peoples in developing countries. The problem is that altruism does not exist in geopolitics. Why is China influencing these people? Because it wants their support when it comes time to ask for favors. China is using Western inventions to grow its sphere of influence and defeat Western influence (and thus Western values, cul…

> considering the dystopian state of Chinese government (compared to Western governments, at least)

Would you trust a sheep in wolf's clothing or a wolf in wolf's clothing more?

Western culture and ideals are nothing more than a facade.

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#38

Post by dingoegret » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 5:19 PM UTC

nexuist wrote: post #22

babayega2 wrote: post #7

They use Techno Phones [0]. It's really the leading telephone in my country back in Africa to the point my wife refused me to buy her a Samsung one. :D You find those phone have really nice camera, and most importantly power consumption that can span at least 2 days... Peoples complaining that China is just copycat-ing stuff do not know how China is influencing peoples in developing countries. [0]: https://techcrunch…

>Peoples complaining that China is just copycat-ing stuff do not know how China is influencing peoples in developing countries. The problem is that altruism does not exist in geopolitics. Why is China influencing these people? Because it wants their support when it comes time to ask for favors. China is using Western inventions to grow its sphere of influence and defeat Western influence (and thus Western values, cul…

Given the sheer amount of innovation and R&D Asian countries have contributed to modern technology and especially phones, it's really myopic to say "western inventions". Even a cursory look into the volume of white papers and research literature today is saturated with Asian, Iranian, Arabic and South American names. The idea of western inventions is an outdated myth.

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#39

Post by thelittleone » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 5:53 PM UTC

thelittleone wrote: post #6

janekm wrote: post #4

"They saved for a month to buy the green fabric for the chroma-key background".

Amazing the things we can learn from kids.

If it’s any interest, I meant this genuinely. In my experience kids with less tend to be more resourceful. I find that a valuable lesson in humility and gratitude. The comforts we seek are often not what we need. Kudos to these kids.

Re: Nigerian Teens Are Making Sci-Fi Shorts with Slick Visual Effects

#40

Post by poiuyt098 » Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 5:58 PM UTC

sangnoir wrote: post #23

nexuist wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Peoples complaining that China is just copycat-ing stuff do not know how China is influencing peoples in developing countries. The problem is that altruism does not exist in geopolitics. Why is China influencing these people? Because it wants their support when it comes time to ask for favors. China is using Western inventions to grow its sphere of influence and defeat Western influence (and thus Western values, cul…

> Not that the West is entirely innocent in its quest for power either You don't say - most of Africa got a taste of Western "values" and "culture". The last generation that suffered from colonial rule is still living.

do you believe africa was some peaceful wakanda-like utopia before europeans arrived? arabs got there first anyway.