Dancehall giants Bounty Killer and Beenie Man are the latest artistes to be featured in popular social network Animation series, ‘Dutty Bwoy’.
The animation, created by Mental Chung Creative Labs, is currently the fastest growing video on his YouTube channel, which has over 800,000 views.
Reinardo ‘Mental’ Chung is a self-taught animation genius who learnt the art from reading books. Over the past three years, his ability as an animator has improved by leaps and bounds.
“I am self taught, I learnt from online resources as well as books. I have a younger brother, Peter Chung, who is coming up in the trade,” he told THE STAR.
According to Chung, while he expected a good response from his subscribers, the results have exceeded even his predictions.
“Well, I knew people were anticipating its release, but it was totally unexpected as the previous videos would normally range 14,000 views in seven days. It was surprising to see 13,000 views in one day,” he said.
Mental Chung explained that watchers were particularly interested in a scene where Bounty Killer and Beenie Man are involved in a heated Kung Fu fight.
“The response and feedback is amazing, people leave comments saying it’s the best one yet. My inbox keeps filling up with emails thanking me for the series,” he said.
Reinardo Chung of Mental Chung Multimedia Designs Company. – Contributed
Mental Chung has also tapped into the corporate market, and was responsible for the creation of the character Chris Swag, featured in the popular TV show, Guinness Sounds of Greatness.
According to Chung, he aims to be on the same level as Pixar Animation Studios.
“I want to take this talent to the highest height it can attain, and I expect rapid expansion overall to contribute to Jamaica’s animation community and to the entertainment industry,” he said.
The animation genius has also worked on music videos for established artistes such as Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica, Anthony B and Jah Mason.
He also disclosed that he has been getting requests from persons wanting animation, while others have presented scripts that they want to see him produce.
Chung believes that this concept is new to the local entertainment industry, and is a new way to display local culture.
“To me, Dutty Bwoy is the next major step in Jamaican entertainment, promoting dancehall, reggae and Jamaican culture.
“Viewers can always count on humour, great music selections from featured artiste, and a reflection of the Jamaican culture overall,” he said.
The next Dutty Bwoy episode will be released in two weeks, and according to Mental Chung, the content will be based on inspirations drawn from life.
“Life is the major source of my inspiration and I live to express. I’m also inspired by music, particularly reggae and dancehall, and a drive to create excitement,” he said.
Dutty Bwoy Episode 4 currently has over 30,000 views in less than a week.
Episode one featured Vybz Kartel and bleaching, episode two featured Bounty Killer and the part he is alleged to have played with using a hammer, while episode three featured Aidonia as ‘Lord Evil’ and Usain Bolt as ‘Boltman’.
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