china pianzi

The Orphanage in Beijing

2007-03-08T22:20:00.000-08:00

Senior personnel from LA-based vfx standard-bearer The Orphanage will be in Beijing this week to kick-off their involvement in John Woo's upcoming historical costume-drama epic, Red Cliff. With only a few weeks to go before shooting one can only assume that the production is trying to minimize the vfx budget by limiting their "time on the ground" but what impact does such an accelerated planning cycle have on execution later on down the line?

The Orphanage has proven their capacity to alongside Asian productions with their stunning work on Bong Joon-ho's The Host. Let's hope that the producers of Red Cliff give these guys what they need so that they in turn can give the film a first-rate visual treatment.

It's Tough Being A Chinese Animator

2007-03-08T22:16:00.001-08:00

Vancouver Film School recruiting reps were in Beijing this past week talking to potential applicants for their film, television and animation/vfx programs. While their time in Beijing was limited, one recruiter described an applicant's animation portfolio (completed as part of her master's degree at Beijing Film Academy School of Animation) as "the best she had ever seen".

Sigh. Let's just assume that this is an accurate indication of the calibre of local talent and not merely an attempt to flatter an aspiring animator into shelling out additional tens of thousands of dollars in tuition fees. What are we to make of this dicovery that some of the world's finest young animators live in a country where the state of the animation industry is so enfeebled that it can barely string together a 5 minute demo reel? Is it any wonder that a woman with an advanced degree in her art would even consider investing in additional training abroad?

But let's look at her options. On the one hand, a school like VFS is well-versed in the "real-world" standards and requirements of industry employers and could very well prepare her for an interview with a North American studio. But on the other, what are the odds of this student being able to find a job with a Canadian or US-based studio right out of school in such a competitive marketplace? Failure to do so means only one thing: a return to the China market and the prospect of making 5-6,000RMB per month (if she's lucky) in a studio she was probably over-qualified for in the first place.

It's tough being a Chinese animator. It's even tougher being a good one.

Sheridan/Beida program seeks director

2007-03-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Looks like some clever Canadian's found a way to fill the need for industry-standard animation training in China. With more companies looking westward to the east for outsourcing partners capable of meeting their high creative and technical requirements, something like this was bound to happen.

Applicants are requested to apply for the Director position of an advanced training program for high-level professionals in this rapidly expanding field. Join the founding team in this ground-floor opportunity to establish the leading animation and digital design program in China. Founders include renownedfaculty from Sheridan and Beida; curriculum and certification from the leading 3-D and 2-D software developers, and apprenticeship placements in major studios in the industry.

View the entire recruitment posting:

http://www.thatsbj.com/index.php?a=2&b=198075