 | Avatar Sets New Benchmark for Studios
Vancouver Animators Explore Opportunities as Hollywood Producers Ship Computer Animation Work to Lower-cost India
By Joanne Lee-Young, Vancouver Sun, January 18, 2010
The financiers may be fixated on the ka-ching as James Cameron's 3-D adventure Avatar shows every sign of becoming the highest-grossing movie ever.
But animation geeks are in a different kind of Avatar awe, and they are scratching out what it might mean for their industry, one that is in a flux of global pressures. |
Warren Franklin, CEO of Rainmaker Entertainment, says Vancouver
has built a reputation for creating high-quality computer-generated effects for
films. That may help the local industry stay ahead of other countries -- such as
India -- where labour is cheaper.
Photograph by: Jon Murray, PNG, Vancouver Sun"Eight weeks ago, 2012 [the movie], was state of the art. Now, suddenly, Avatar blows it to another level," said Warren Franklin, CEO of Vancouver-based Rainmaker Entertainment, which makes computer-generated [CG] features. "Films are going to become totally digital."
"What [James] Cameron was able to do is a concept we have all been working on for the last 10 years: That you can create compelling characters that people will have emotion about and care about, and that you can do that synthetically. It's getting closer to the reality that everything is captured digitally as opposed to photographically. So, you don't go to locations; you don't shoot. You're creating it by computer.
"It has woken everyone up to the potential that is there. I think more and more people will be pushing the envelope and really be trying to do more," said Franklin.
He is optimistic that CG animation companies in Vancouver can stay on top of this new wave by focusing on higher-end work that can't easily be outsourced.
But, realistically, investing to keep up with that goal could force some companies to prioritize what they do, and reassess spending accordingly.
"We've found that the curve of expectations is in correlation with technological advances. To do this, you need the ability to purchase new equipment," said Asaph Fipke, CEO of Vancouver-based Nerd Corps Entertainment, which also does CG work.
Inevitably, according to many observers, this will see more companies getting drawn to lower-cost India, a market that is attracting many big Hollywood studios -- Disney, Warner Bros., Universal -- and debuting the prowess of its own companies abroad.
Mel D'Souza of Vancouver-based Silo Entertainment Inc., a content developer, has been closely watching the Indian entertainment market for more than a decade. Five years ago, he would only see Indian companies or regional players at animation conferences in Mumbai. Now, there are many Europeans and Americans attending. "There are many big names, but behind that, there are many suppliers to these guys and many opportunities."
At Crest Animation Studios, Mumbai-based CEO A.K. Madhavan is getting ready to release Alpha & Omega in the fall. After "opening the Indian outsourcing market" about six years ago, Crest co-produced this "first 3-D stereoscopic release out of India and Asia" with Lions Gate Entertainment.
"Every year, the Hollywood studios set a new benchmark, and without a doubt, Avatar has created records of all sorts," said Madhavan in an e-mail. Next, "the world is waiting to see Crest's first global theatrical release, and it certainly is going to make North American studios rush to India."
As a last word, Franklin of Rainmaker points out that even though India offers lower costs, companies in B.C. have carved out a unique reputation for expertise on visual effects for digital films.
"Many films are not being shot in L.A., but in Vancouver. They may be financed and produced out of Hollywood, but they aren't being shot there," he said.
Keep in mind, he advises, that "some of Avatar was shot in a box in L.A., but much of it was done in New Zealand by Weta [a renowned digital animation company]. This wasn't offshoring done for cost, but for capability.
"We need to compete on doing the best work that can't be done anywhere else."
jlee-young@vancouversun.com© Copyright (c)
The Vancouver Sun
