BIZCHINA / Point of View
HK could boost mainland's animation industry: expert
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-04-05 09:29
Hong Kong's experience in overseas distribution and strong investment
support could pave the way for the mainland's animation film industry to
penetrate global markets, according to industry veterans.
"The animation production houses on the mainland seldom consider the
overseas markets because they don't have access to the channels," said Xu
Ling, general manager of the Institute of Digital Media Technology
(Shenzhen) (IDMT), yesterday.
"But with Hong Kong investors on board, they can plan better for the
overseas market since the territory has played the role of linking the
East with the West for quite a long time."
The Shenzhen-based company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed
Global Digital Creation Holdings, wrapped up production on the country's
first full-length three-dimensional (3D) animated feature film, "Thru the
Moebius Strip," last year.
The film was five years in the making, with a total investment of about
130 million yuan (US$16.1 million). According to Xu, this amount would
shock mainland investors, but for some professional investment teams in
Hong Kong, the costs are reasonable.
"The co-operation between Hong Kong and the mainland is vital (to the
development of the animation industry)," she said.
New IDMT chairman of the board and chairman of the China Animation
Association, Jin Guoping, reinforced this comment, saying there was great
potential for a collaborative relationship between Hong Kong and the
mainland.
"The co-operation could take the form of idea creation, production or
capital," he said.
The new film has brightened prospects for the country's stagnant
animation industry, which has experienced a downturn in its creative
capacity since the 1980s, while it grew as a manufacturing base for
foreign animated films and TV series.
"Thru the Moebius Strip" will be screened in major domestic cinemas this
summer. Jin will travel to Beijing today to sign the distribution
agreement with an agent; details will be announced in May.
Overseas distribution will be handled by the parent company in Hong Kong.
According to Jin, many agents in Europe, North America and Asia have
shown interest in the film.
"Ideally we hope to get one-third of the return from box office revenue,
one-third from overseas distribution and one-third from merchandise such
as DVDs, T-shirts and toys," Jin said.
Yesterday the film generated 3.8 million yuan (US$469,000) by granting
the rights of mobile Internet services to a sole agent, Shenzhen Caishow
Technology, a dotcom company that has served more than 30 million mobile
phone users since its establishment in 2003.
Under the agreement, the mobile Internet service provider can provide to
its users clips, pictures, ring tones and interactive games related to
the film. It can also sell and auction film merchandise at a later stage
through mobile phones, said General Manager Bai Wentao.
Chinese animation fans are eagerly anticipating the film's release.
Liu Jie, a 24-year-old animation fan, said he hopes the film is more
creative than other domestic animation products.
"I have to use the word 'pale' to describe domestic animation, no matter
the plots or the lines. For me, humorous content is more important than
the technologies used," Liu told China Daily.
The producer of the 90-minute film assures viewers it will surprise.
Based on an original story by French artist Jean Giraud, "Moebius," the
film tells the story of a brave, resourceful 14-year-old boy who rescues
his father from a kingdom of giant aliens on a planet 27.2 million light
years away.
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
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