Split-based studio to release animated NFT film about Yugoslavia in the 1980s

August 6, 2022 – The Lokals is an NFT animated film created by Split-based Prime Render Studios, taking viewers on a train journey from Ljubljana to Split in the 1980s.

How did a small multimedia studio from Split, which has celebrated over 70 awards, manage to combine filmmaking and the blockchain with the support of two Oscar-winning French production companies? Marin Pavelic from Netokracija tells us more.

“If someone had told me as a cinematographer and filmmaker that one day an NFT animated film would be made that lives on the Ethereum blockchain and along the way would educate the participants in that project to produce an animated film and that the film would follow a train journey through Yugoslavia in the 80s…” begins Pavelic about the new project of brothers Milivoj and Veljko Popović of Prime Render Studios, a studio known for producing 2D and 3D computer graphics and multimedia content, primarily focused on developing and producing short animated films.

Over the years, they have created seven short animated films that have been screened at the largest animation festivals in the world and won over 70 awards, including the Animated Eye Award at the Aspen Shortsfest Film Festival, which qualified the film for an Oscar and Jury Prize at the largest animation film festival and into the world Annecy International Animation Film Festival. In addition, their clients include names such as Netflix, CNBC, Financial Times, Lipton, HEP, etc.

The team has a lot to celebrate, and ready for a new challenge, it was time to get into something more innovative. Milivoj revealed to Netokracija what it would take to merge an animated film with blockchain.

The Lokals are the first NFT group to come to life in an animated film. Milivoj explains:

“It is a unique animated collection of 5000 NFTs living on the Ethereum blockchain, which we created in collaboration with the artist Božo Balova. It was created by combining virtual reality technology, i.e. the Quill program and the 3D application Blender .”

In addition to allowing individuals to become owners of a particular work of art, NFT also grants co-ownership and the title of co-producer to this short animated film, which is a model of work performed for the first time in the production of animated films:

“On top of that, the project also has an educational character because all project participants will have the opportunity to follow the production of the animated film, from beginning to end, and will also be able to help make the film. animated film! The goal is to fully integrate and utilize the power of decentralized ownership and production.”

The blockchain contract for this project was developed by the team from Blank.

Prime Render Studios has been actively participating in the blockchain world since 2017, so it was a natural and logical next step for them to use NFT technology and its applications in the art world.

“Having Božo in our studio and developing into a truly amazing and innovative artist was the link that connected these two worlds.”

While working on the film Dislocations, Božo developed a unique visual. However, Božo didn’t stop working on the visuals with that film, and that’s how late and authentic portraits were made, which they then turned into NFTs. They exhibited them on the curated and exclusive Superrare platform:

“The works sold very quickly, reaching a price of over 2 Ether. This confirmed what we already knew: that we have an exciting world that we want to develop further. This is how The Lokals collection and everything else that goes with it came to be. “

The project’s official advisors are Hollywood names such as Emmy Award winner Ante Deković and Hisko Hulsing, director of the successful Amazon Prime series Undone.

Milivoj poetically explains The Lokals with an image of a train journey through Yugoslavia in the 80s, driving south to the Adriatic coast:

“You would travel past Ljubljana, through Zagreb, and finally arrive at the end of the railway line in the small seaside town of Split on the Mediterranean. A living melting pot of ideologies, lifestyles and ideas, located at the intersection of the failed socialist idea and the promise of the American dream .”

Local musicians and artists were the first to accept the avant-garde anti-establishment ideology and became part of the modernist movements of the time:

“This is our stage – the small Mediterranean town of Split, and our story is set there.”

You can participate in the project by purchasing one of the Rooms from the NFT collection on the official website. This requires a Metamask wallet and an Ether token (ETH). However, Milivoj emphasizes that even without buying an NFT, you can join their Discord, which has about 2,600 members, follow the development of the project and participate in conversations with all team members and other project participants:

“Discord is where we talk directly to people who want to be part of this project or already are. Here we share all the news, listen to comments and suggestions, socialize and develop the future of the world of “The Lokals”, which we plan to evolve into The Lokal’s Metaverse.”

Although the collection is made and available for purchase, and they are slowly approaching the important figure of 1000 purchased Local NFTs, the film is still in the pre-production phase where the foundation of the entire film is being built. The visuals are fixed and they have the first draft of the script ready:

“However, there is still a lot of work to be done. First, of course, we need to close the financial structure of the entire project. The current global macro-political economic situation has presented us with the biggest problem, which affects all aspects of the financial sector, including crypto, which is closely related to our project.

Fortunately, we are looking for funding largely outside of that sector, and we also expect an improvement in the crypto market, which will further help bring the project to life.”

Prime Render Studios has excellent and long-term cooperation with HAVC, so they are optimistic about the partnership for this project, but also with two major Oscar-winning French production companies:

“We were also invited to present the project at this year’s Animafest – an international animation festival, which we did with great interest from the audience.”

As the film is in pre-production, it is still a bit early to give a launch date, Milivoj points out. We are talking about a long but exciting process that can be followed through weekly vlogs on Prime Render Studio’s YouTube channel:

“This is a unique opportunity to participate in it through developing the script, animation, graphics, characters, animation and everything else that makes up an animated film!”

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