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Viggle: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
John: I’m based in Lagos, Nigeria, and I’ve been a videographer for about 4-5 years, creating short films and working with brands. Animation has always fascinated me, mainly 2D and 3D work. Growing up, I loved drawing and dancing and always searched for easy ways to incorporate motion capture into my projects.
Nigeria is home to one of the largest movie industries in the world. Our animation sector is growing, with incredibly talented individuals creating amazing work. However, the costs of animation are still relatively high. Rendering requires powerful GPUs, and the process can take a long time. Despite these challenges, Nigerian filmmakers are thriving. Our movies are touring globally and gaining recognition. Nigerians are natural storytellers; we’ve been making films with energy and life since the 1970s.
Viggle: How did you start exploring AI tools in your creative process?
John: I’ve always been fascinated by technology. When I saw how filmmakers integrated AI into their workflows—like the work done in Klaus—I knew AI would play a key role in the future of creativity. My journey started with DALL-E, which I used for generating visuals. Over time, I began incorporating other tools like Leonardo for image generation and ChatGPT for scriptwriting. However, motion was still a challenge. Many tools produced movements that felt slow and unrealistic.
Earlier this year, I came across Viggle on YouTube. I don’t recall the creator’s name, but they showcased how Viggle could generate motion from 2D characters. This immediately caught my attention because, at the time, options for realistic 2D character animation were limited. That discovery inspired my current project, Ìràwọ̀.
Viggle: Tell us about your project Ìràwọ̀. How did Viggle fit into your workflow?
John: Ìràwọ̀ means “Star” in Yoruba. It’s a sci-fi project close to my heart. I’ve always been a fan of sci-fi movies and wanted to create one that would inspire Nigerians and Africans to see themselves in science and technology. I want this film to catalyze more technological thinking on the continent.
My team and I are working on two more episodes and plan to release them on YouTube. The storytelling is very intentional—I want to inspire pride and creativity in our community. Here’s how we used Viggle to bring Ìràwọ̀ to life:
- Character Creation: Initially, I used Leonardo.ai, but now I prefer FLUX for its image generation quality.
- Video Recording: We recorded the actors using a phone, ensuring the movements aligned with the story.
- Motion Generation and Character Swap with Viggle: The recorded clips were uploaded to Viggle for character creation. Since the characters’ costumes were green, we used a blue screen.
- Editing: We combined the footage in Adobe Premiere.
- Motion Cleanup: Using Krea helped refine the motion, but it affected lip sync, so we used Sync Labs to restore accurate lip movements.
- Upscaling: CapCut’s upscaler polished the final visuals.
Viggle: What’s your outlook on AI in filmmaking and storytelling?
John: I believe we should approach AI with a mix of caution and excitement. I understand the frustrations of artists who’ve had their work stolen, but AI also offers incredible opportunities. It allows us to achieve faster and in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
AI will make it possible to create entire movies with just a few clicks in the long run—we’re already seeing this with tools like Suno and Udio. While this may disrupt some parts of the industry, I believe it will empower creators to tell their stories without massive budgets.
Developing AI intentionally, keeping it in check, and ensuring it works alongside us to enhance creativity is crucial. As humans, we’ve always adapted, and I’m confident we’ll find ways to use AI positively while preserving the human touch in storytelling.
With Ìràwọ̀ and tools like Viggle, this Nigerian filmmaker is proving that the future of filmmaking is both accessible and inspiring. By blending technology and creativity, they’re not just telling stories—they’re shaping the future of African sci-fi. Stay tuned for Ìràwọ̀ on YouTube, and prepare to be inspired.
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