Dreamworks & imagi

[johngalliano]

Higher salary, more good brains and talents go into the industry (or stay in the industry), then we'll have products of higher quality, better cg education,...
It's stupid to cut salary to that low, the salary will never be lower than that in China and India.
And, i hope the government won't make the industry a shelter for those F.3, F.5 students...

[leelingzone]

I heard Dreamworks has confirmed to produce the first ever primetime all CG TV series and it's gonna premiere on NBC starting next July. The most shocking news is that Hong Kong studios-imagi animation studio-will be producing this show for Dreamworks.That's why that have been hiring new trainee so rapidly.I heard news that they have now over two hundred animators.

These guys in imagi is making history.

Anyway,the show is called "father of the pride"see the news below

http://ontv.nzoom.com/ontv_detail/0,158 ... Dreamworks plans all-CGI television series



American network NBC and movie studio DreamWorks have unveiled plans to produce the first-ever series for prime-time TV made fully using computer-generated images like those in hit movie Shrek .

Father of the Pride promises to be a family comedy with "cheeky, edgy and ironic" humor that centers on a pride of white lions in the Las Vegas act of Siegfried & Roy. It will debut in Fall 2004, the companies said in a joint statement.

Computer-generated imagery, or CGI as it is called in Hollywood, is fast becoming a darling of movie audiences and a preferred method of animation compared with old-style hand drawings. Films like Shrek, Ice Age, Monsters, Inc . and the Toy Story films are all CGI-movies.

"This is the single most important project I've been involved with in two-and-a-half years," said Jeff Zucker, president NBC Entertainment. "The CGI technology is the biggest advance in animation, and finally we can bring it to NBC."

The half-hour series will revolve around the competition between a family of snooty white tigers and a white lion pride featured in the Siegfried & Roy act.

DreamWorks principal partner and Shrek producer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, said Father of the Pride puts an "irreverent comedy spin" on showbiz icons Siegfried and Roy by seeing their world through the eyes of the animals.

He added that doing a weekly TV series will challenge the studio to stay on the leading edge of CGI technology.

CGI versions of Siegfried & Roy will be featured in the series. The duo's current production is the longest-running on or near the famed Las Vegas Strip, with each show selling out during an 11-year run. The show is filled with elaborate sets, costumes, illusions, and live exotic animals.

Reuters

to Siegfried:
系咪你有份做呢?

[h2o]

Siegfried & Roy...... o系 拉斯維加斯 表演魔術, 而且好出名, tvb or atv 都播過, 最記得系只白獅

以下系佢地既 website 而且有 biography:

http://www.siegfriedandroy.com

[lazy late]

我啲英文唔系咁好, 唯有寫中文, 希望大家睇得明白.

我其實想問呢條問題好耐:究竟用什麼准則去定義薪酬嘅'合理'水平?學歷?工作經驗?工務員薪酬指標?cost of living?年齡,身高,體重仲要睇個樣靚唔靚?定系啲傳媒決定呢?. . .

真系唔知邊個系答案, 不過系人都識講現在系電腦綱絡嘅時代, 系要講互動, interactive, right?個地球好似越來越細, 在任何一個地方發生嘅事都會有chain reaction, 或大或小或遲或早都會影響到自己, 不要再只系認識自己系香港人或者中國人, 你地有冇抬起頭來試試睇唔睇到火星? We're living in the planet 'Earth'!

其實六,七十年代嘅香港就正如現在的大陸, 大量cheap labour令制做業蓬勃, 再加上普及教育提高知識水平做就經濟發展, 所以現在香港要轉為知識型經濟, 但有冇諗過當高學歷系咁'普遍'的時候, 普遍到'大學學位'就似以前'小學畢業'的時候,所謂合理薪酬應該系'大學'定'小學'呢?

可能有人會話software唔系人人都識, 就算識用software都未必做得靚, 系要有skill, 啲skill 都應該值番咁上下人工啦!

不過以前啲車衣女工都會話唔系人人都識用衣車, 就算識車都未必車得靚, 要講經驗嘅!

講真computer animation嘅發展越來越似工廠咁流水作業式生產, 有廠長/管工(CD/Producer),line長(team head),車衣女工(animator), 希望唔會好似粵語長片咁有麥基做淫賤管工迫良為娼就好啦!

[HammerChugoh]

咁就真系要睇下你有幾醒, 有幾多經驗咧. 例如如果你識hdk, 又有production experience. 咁就系d工搵你, 唔系你搵工咧.
我覺得如果人人都用maya, 你又系用maya, 又唔系特別醒既話就大檸樂了.

我希望imaxi expand 還 expand, 目光可以放遠d. 可以做些少 development. 唔好一味請100個後生仔番尼就埋位車衫. cg studio 唔系人多就掂, 都要講下質素既.

[johngalliano]

以為車衣同cg制作可以相比就己經死啦．．．不過都系唔好死死聱，咁難聽．．．
照呀lazylate咁講，如果有朝一日全人類都系博士銜頭咪死？！全人類都拿小學人工?! 照計應該系教育愈搞得好，社會愈好先合理喎。　
仲有喎，　依家香港既大學生系大約得18%左右，比好多地方都低喎。講普遍又唔夠人地普遍喎。

[Luk]

For me,

Imagi guys got $6000/mth is not too low actually.

who worked in Imagi, they should know the answer.

[Luk]

For tylau,

I agree ur resonable salary,

but dont said that u speak english and got a CS degree. this is so funny.

u know what, I'm master degree also speak english in hk, but the salary is not much higher than u.

[Luk]

btw, tylau

in HK the education lvl is not balance with the salary. not only occur in Imagi.

u situation, should be better do IT industry better than CG.
at least the salary is higher

[tylau]

For tylau,

I agree ur resonable salary,

but dont said that u speak english and got a CS degree. this is so funny.

u know what, I'm master degree also speak english in hk, but the salary is not much higher than u.

我系REPLY 返之前話INDIA好多人都系CS同講英文咋... 唔系想講D乜呀.

[Heyusuxman]

In CG animation,HK is new kids on the block comparing to Korea,China,Thailand,Malaysia.

Their salary is only roughly HKD$1500-2500 a moth in those places.

韓國CG系發展得快同勁，
但系亞洲其它國家都可以當香港CG Animation 細路咁看待？
乜香港真系咁差咩？
定系太過妄自菲薄？
想問下retriever
可唔可以講下Thailand,Malaysia 勁既例子？
等我地見識下自己幾兒戲

另外，唔同國家既一個行業既薪金
系唔可以單一比較架喎，
大家既生活指數可能差好遠架喎
食個漢堡飽都唔同價錢
邊有可能兌換番過價就得架

我覺得呢兩個points都幾偏面
希望retriever討論下或者解釋下，
唔好等我懷疑你別有用心…

[retriever]

Comparing to Korea, the CG animation industry is much more established than HK and they get whole lot of support /subsidies from governement.Also,R&D/progamming is stronger than HK.

First of all, I don't want to get into economic discussion with you regarding the relationship between salary and living standard.However, it's a fact that U.S has lost a lot of jobs to india in the field of customer support and software development.Luckily,india is not next to U.S and indian is still very different than American. But for us,we're next to China and we're basically the same people.

I just think HK can produce much better CG than China now at this point of time but I guess they'll catch up in few years if we're not moving.

$6000 is really not enough to survive in HK, but it's the fact that you could get very good people in China with that money.

Many of the 2D animation is now already produced in china even from Disney so they have very solid background in animation like keyframe.

I'm just wonder what HK needs to do if we want to survive without sacrifice our living standard.In 2-3 years, people will question why we have to do this in HK if it cost 1/3 in places like india and China.I'm sure these countries are much more focused to develop that industry than us.

The whole world is interrelated.if you refused to look at the world in a practical way,just insist that we have different living standard and not willing not complete.it's a suicide.

People competes with people in HK,Countries conpete with countries.

Do we have our own software like PDI or Pixar? Could we do monster Inc? Clear differences between studio in US and HK.That's why they're making that money.

what we have that's better than others?In someway,we're still way better than china.

If we don't advance now.what will happen in few years.

we'll be all sleeping on the street telling oursleves it's not right.we should just keep our living standard.

[number5]

mmm... it has been a long time not logging in here. First of all I have to say I do NOT have any standing on neither higher or lower salary.

BUT Price=Demand meet Supply <- simple and basic.

All those living standard, education, and all other things just cannot change the golden rule. As long as people with the ability to do the job are accepting the pay (say $6000/mth) then it is the right price for you. You do not like it, well fine, just quit. If the company (say Imagi) cannot use 6000 to hire people to do it, they will raise up the price until they can get someone to work.

If the agree price is too high and the company cannot survive in HK, then the company move to somewhere else to produce IF and only IF the cost is justifiable for the move. Say the quality of the product is ok, the tax, the political environment etc.

So there is no too high or too low pay. If you do not like it, just Quit and change the industry. If you cannot, or you love CG then you will have to stuck in this sh_t hole with low pay.

It is sad to see skilled labours are being paid in such low monthly compensations and still there are 200+ people feeling fine with it.

[johngalliano]

So there is no too high or too low pay. If you do not like it, just Quit and change the industry. If you cannot, or you love CG then you will have to stuck in this sh_t hole with low pay.

That's why many skilled talents have left HK. HK companies just don't realize the importance of skills.
搞到依加大部份所謂 "senior" ,...也是好廢。

[lalung]

其實討論公司,真的好似工廠一樣,
動畫師同"車衣女工"並冇分別,大家醒醒吧!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!大家醒醒吧!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!我亦朋友在該公司做,其實當我們祖國可以用$1000-1500
請動畫師,你話香港怎做動畫呢?????

話明動畫"工廠",你地究竟明唔明呀!!!!
最緊要快!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
我覺得大家與自己唔好再發夢!!!!!!!!!!!!動畫"工廠"!!!!!!!!!
大家醒醒吧!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!