Intriguing work from South African company, Ontwerp

PUBLISHED by John Cranston



Check out some unusual work from this company from Johannesburg, South Africa. It took a couple takes but the work I saw grew on me and really pushes the experimental, and the pretty website doesn’t hurt either.

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43 Comments

david

Nice vfx work.. also here’s another cool studio in south africa… https://fundamental.tv/ Tyrone reprasent :)

simon

I wonder how long they’ve had that logo? It looks like ours.

sergio

nice work.
no offence to both parts but not knowing your logo their logo looks like a thousand of other logos.

simon

wow thats good stuff. ripping time…

Sir Monkey

I agree with Sergio, I wouldn’t exactly claim that the logo looks like yours because that same iconography has been used a thousand times over for the last 80 years, ranging from currency and flags in Thailand to fighter jet squandrons. And far as I know, you have not been around for the last 80 years.

Tim

Great reel- a number of those pieces were conceptualised and creatively directed by Graeme Carr and the team at Bite Visual. http://www.bitevisual.com

clive

Isn’t it funny how designers always criticize something small, rather than honoring the bigger picture? Give credit to these guys, there work is amazing, and now everybody wants a piece of the pie!

Ed

Isn’t it funny how the Ford Focus commercial on their site is a direct (not even well done) rip-off of the Scion commercial from a year ago. Amazing is a strong word, average is closer.

robert

if you work with another company in colaboration. cedit them for it. dont take full credit for something you had a hand in. i seem to remember another company picking up a few awards for some of the pieces shown on that reel. and it wasnt Onwerp. so who do we believe?

angela

yes guys. you’ve done this repeatedly and it’s now starting to p- off some agencies/directors here in SA. You need to credit your directors and collaborators.

gerry

i agree fellas. what exactly was your contribution to the work? perhaps you should specify.

ross

can’t we just all get along?

to quote the black eyed peas “where is the love…”

ross

p.s i DID NOT i repeat DID NOT have anything to so with the making of the black eyed peas track

J

“Where there is love… there’s peas-ah.”
Creditation is a prerequisite for any proffesional organisation or company. Period.

Peas oot.

Wesley

I like to thank motionographer for posting us on there site We are proud to be mentioned on this international portal. I would just like to advise SA viewers to look at the bottom of the clips when you click on them, you will find that all parties involved on the project are mentioned. If there is anything you would like to querie, fell free to pick up the phone or email us.

robert

too little. too late.

gerry

perhaps you should specify what exactly you contributed to the ‘collaboration’. (and do the same on your reel)

mia

i am LOVING the bickering…keep it goin!
BWAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

ha.
ha.

ahem.

flat

eeeish, nasty. I’m jeolous too. Very sensitive and refined work. Well done Ontwerp, you make SA proud!

goldfinga

i cant believe these guys. loads of their stuff was done by Graeme and the boys and girls at Bite Visual. Graeme’s gang even won awards for some of that stuff. Very creative guys – very creative way of stealing credit for stuff u didnt do… talk about Shaik-ing up your cv…

Charl

One other point, just to clear up any potential confusion, MOST of those involved in motion graphics in South Africa actually DO know how to use proper English…

Cupcake

My problem is not so much with the crediting of collaborators, as it is with the general originality of the reel. It seems like a lot of the pieces heavily reference other designer’s work, some of it very well known work. Both Ford commercials are good examples of this, as well as the Discovery ads.

Darren S

From what I know of the industry in South Africa, it is usually Graeme Carr that steals the credit and not Ontwerp. Bite may win the account, but Ontwerp actually does teh grafting. and Ontwerp DO credit the other companies they work with on their website.

All that aside, I think the work is great, excellent 3D and compositing! Well done to a South African company for making it onto Motionographer, may there be many more!

clive

I am trying to make sense out of this argument…First everybody is hammering the guys about credits, I went to the website and discovered there are credits. Now the argument is about the concepts…I conclude that due to the fact that Bite directed “loads� of the work (doesn’t directors come up with the concepts?) they should be bitten!!!

graeme

dear all. ok i, im just coming into this now, and i think its blown way outta context!!! its really sad that you guys have nothing better to do that cause shit like this. i have no problems with Ontwerp, they are a very talented and great bunch of guys to work with, i have always had good experiences working with them. and its great to see them representing South African Design as they are. so lets stop this beating ok, Bite and Ontwerp have always had a good relationship, so stay out of it!!!

i do agree that credit should be given where its due, and unfortunately in our small industry everyones work end-up on all the reels, it happens, deal with it. but it IS important to be clear on ones involvement in a project. otherwise we all just end up shooting ourselves in the foot by confusing the industry. Thank you to Ontwerp for all the hard work they have done for us in the past, and Thank you for Crediting us on your website, i think the issue comes down to the showreel, which unfortunately doent carry any credits, which is where i think people have had issues. correct this fact guys, and i think everything will be cool. lets all just be friends. the rest of you, stay out of it,

and DARREN S…. F*^CK YOU!!!

mrob(li)vious

okay, from now on, in the interest of not getting ripped apart and your reputation smeared by the Mograph Fanboy Mafia, follow this simple, handy checklist:

-credit anyone who may or may-not have contributed to the project. this includes the UPS guy and receptionist who may or may-not have answered the phone during projects development. people gallivanting by the office and throwing their 2cents in apply as well.

-supply a full unabridged bibliography for any instigators of ideas, inspiration, rips, bites, books perused, websites/mags/newspapers read, and a list of any and all people who may have influenced the formation of the idea(s). This also includes your weed guy and/or pill slinger.

it’s sad is what it has become – a big finger pointing party with everyone claiming to be Sparticus. i remember watching reels in like 2002 or 2003 with interns at psyop type shops posting sick shit that they did nothing on (okay, they roto’d a hand).

this is collaborative industry. people work together, but where does the crediting stop and the asininery begin? give credit where it is due, which Ontwerp did. What, do you think Wesley dropped everything and edited the site after a few of you webcrawlers cried foul?

from now on, Hollywood style 10 minute credit rolls on ALL reels or be prepared for a heavy web lashing.

get over yourselves.

Ego maniac

My EGO is bigger than yours!

no no my EGO is bigger than yours!

Shouldn’t we all be glad that SA is getting out there on an international level and not be bickering on a very public forum making us all look like a bunch of tin miners who have had too much to drink?

well what do i know?

tim

there are creative leaders, and there are sheep. Ontwerp are sheep from 1999. snore and move on.

saddened

WOW! flowers and tendrils growing across the screen! OOOH! Is that a crest I see? NO WAY! HOW CREATIVE! My goodness, how truly original and groundbreaking all this is.

I’m amazed at the fact that so much mudslinging could happen over such exceptionally medoicre and unoriginal concepts. Don’t get me wrong – the animation, compositing and finishing are superb. The concepts on the other hand are so done before I would’nt even waste my time looking through most of it.

Its amazing how ego-driven the motion graphics industry is. So ego driven that most people end up not challenging themselves creatively. Instead what seems par for the course is a hearty round of backslapping and
undeserved congratulations on how ‘cutting edge’ they all are, even while obviously and unashamedly stealing ideas, treatments, concepts and styles from overseas companies… nevermind each other.

Pathetic.

evilninja

awesome work!
these guys have been favs of mine for more than a while now.expect big things from these guys ,nice art direction.looks like the sa mograph scene is finally picking up.

Sparkly Cobra

Well, im sure “Saddened” has some super original and cutting edge design that is not IN ANY WAY derivitive of something…cos im sure everyone would love to see it…people shouldn’t really put people down unless they are pretty sure they have done better themselves.

saddened

thats true, there is very little that is original in this world, and it is also true that damning an entire industry is unfair. i suppose when i said industry, i meant a few people. but i do stand by the fact that A LOT of stuff i have seen is directly ripped. and the opinion that the industry is ego driven and backslapping i stand by too.

apologies for sounding like a holier than thou harpie. but that is my opinion…take it or leave, really.

JJ the Hammer

Sad but true-Ontewerp are good at plagiarising great ideas and wrapping it in some post-modern cellofane.Seen half that shit on design is kinky.Graeme’s stuff is great though,most promising.

mrob(li)vious

i hate to be the spoiler, but where do the “this is what we’re looking for” clients who cut the checks fit into the creative equation?

f#ck the rent, lights, and payroll!! this is almost as lame as the Open studio fustungle from tween.

Yussef

so… where is the reel? i couldn’t find it. i just see individual pieces. maybe i’m just stupid.

der_dude

this is so trendwhor’ish.
but thats why I love it.

Fuck contentdriven shit.
The future is now!

tosh

nice work, but cant help but see borderline rip offs in alot of it. the sonos piece screams 1stavemachine. and the one with the little monsters is more than a little like “la lets be friends” by 3leggedlegs.

Lil

Too many angry, insecure, bitter individuals in the mograph world, it seems. Gosh. Agree with Sparkly Cobra…just get over it.

JJ the Hammer

‘lil’ is right-but there are too many plagiarists who are getting away with it. South african designers are sooooo much better than that and we shouldn’t be screwing up our chances to be considered seriously in the global arena.

peter

Hi

Ive cracked all these avatars. I know who you are. Now let me go and check out all your reels and see what YOU did… on your own that is.

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