Dated: 30 July 2005
It was double joy for Mr. Ben Ho today as he celebrates his daughter’s one year old birthday with a milestone achievement in the local animation industry.
With his winning entry at the Animax/MDA “See Your Story Come Alive” Storyboard Competition, he became the first Singapore anime enthusiast whose creation will be regionally showcased on a cable and satellite TV channel. His storyboard entitled “Billy the Kid” will be produced into vignettes and televised on Animax, the first 24-hour Japanese animation channel under Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) Networks - Asia, reaching over 18million households in Asia.
Jointly organized by Animax Asia and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), the competition which was launched in March 2005, was a collaborative effort to discover budding animation talents in Singapore. The Singapore competition was part of Animax’s regional initiative which also consisted of Q&T storyboard competitions in Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Japanese 3D Animation Director Yasufumi Soejima from GONZO Digital Studio Tokyo, was the guest judge in determining the winning entries for all three countries. In Singapore, the top three entries were jointly decided by Animax, the MDA and Mr. Soejima.
Said Mr Soejima, who has produced animation shows such as Final Fantasy: Unlimited, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, Last Exile (TV) and Yukikaze, “I am very impressed by the standard of the works submitted. Singapore has the largest number of entries among the three participating countries, they are really creative and have certainly delivered beyond my expectations.”
The success of the collaboration was also echoed by Mr Seto Lok Yin, Director of Industry Development at the MDA.
Mr Seto said, “The MDA is committed to help develop animation capabilities in Singapore. I am delighted with the success of this competition and the response it has generated. Hopefully this will inspire more aspiring animators and story-tellers. I look forward to more of such fruitful collaboration with Animax Asia to develop the sector. ”
According to Mr. Vincent Sim, Executive Director of Marketing, SPE Networks –Asia, “With the storyboard competition, we are pleased to have played an integral role in promoting animation interest and discovering talents in the region. Animax will continue exploring innovative initiatives that will support the MDA’s vision of making Singapore an animation hub and will also assist in growing animation interest in regional markets.”
The winning storyboards will be produced into 2-3 minutes vignettes by Singapore animation company, Scrawl Studios and will be scheduled to air from September.
About the Animax/MDA “See Your Story Come Alive” Storyboard Competition The Animax/MDA “See Your Story Come Alive” Storyboard Competition was organized in March 2005, by Animax Asia and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), to give animation talents a regional platform to showcase their work.
Contestants had two months to impress judges with their visual storytelling skills. They had to design a storyboard involving two animation characters named Q &T (pronounced as “Quu” and “Tee”).
Q &T are animation characters designed and produced by Cowboy Water Design for Animax Asia.
The competition was held in three countries - Singapore, Hong Kong, and Philippines. The winning entry of each country will then be produced into 2-3 minutes vignettes, and showcased regionally on Animax, reaching over 18million households in Asia.
For more information, please contact:
Joyce Poon Tel: 6849 4868 (joyce.poon@octagon.com)
Lee Tien Sin Tel: 6849 4837 (tiensin.lee@octagon.com)
Issued by Octagon on behalf of Animax Asia and Media Development Authority of Singapore on 30July 2005.
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