By Justine Anjanique P. Jordan / Special to the BusinessMirror
THE entertainment design industry in Asia is a growing business that can be further improved through education and cultural exchange, the dean of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts said.
Local artists can meet the standards set by the West, but in terms of technology sophistication, the industry has its drawbacks which are currently being addressed by giving students the education they need, Dean Jose Ma. Yupangco said in light of the ICON Manila 2015 Conference, a two-day event on June 26 and 27 at CSB’s School of Design and Arts building with speakers from international animation companies.
“Our local artists can see that they can emulate immediately the standard of work of a typical artist from the West, but how to make this into something that could convey is, at this point, a drawback,” he said.
He said the East and the West are continuously swapping artists, which he sees can make “a very good outcome” because the cultural exchange will give artists a “worldwide perspective.”
Filipino visual development artist for Walt Disney Animation Studio Armand Serrano, a speaker at the conference and known for several Disney animated feature films such as Mulan and Tarzan, also believes that “it is through understanding cultures outside our own will help the Philippines become more competent in the entertainment design industry.”
“To improve, we have to raise our awareness and openness to what is going on in the outside. Not to suck everything in, but to study them,” he said.
Serrano also said animation fads may not always work because they may not be suitable for a culture’s context.
“It’s not just about grabbing a concept or technique because sometimes the ‘in’ thing doesn’t work in your context. Grab them and apply them to your context,” he said.
Animation environment and character designer John Nevarez, who has worked at Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Studios, and also a speaker at the conference, said the perspectives of the East and West differ, a fact which affects the way films are made.
“Western movies have ways of how they make movies, and here you’re getting a different perspective,” he said, adding that more opportunities will come with the rise of artists from Asia.
“I’m seeing a lot more artists spring from Asia, which bring more opportunities and sensibility on how stories are told,” he said.
Yupangco said, in the industry, the merging of the physical and digital space, which he called the “phy-gital future,” as well as other hybrids, are being worked on.
“It’s the combination of the physical space and the digital. A lot of hybrids are happening now. I think that takes a lot of programs to make it interesting,” he said.
Nevarez said virtual reality, which allows a person to perceive a simulated three-dimensional world, is presently being explored.
“That’s a new experience. You’re still telling a story, but you’re not seeing it from a movie seat. You’re actually walking through it,” he said.
Nevarez said despite the different medium, at the core is telling a good story.
“There’s always [a] new technology, but it hasn’t changed. It’s still a story. You have to tell good stories and be a good designer to do so,” he said.
Serrano also said that although technology today continues to evolve, experiences remain to be important.
“People have different outlooks, and these outlooks are conveyed on the canvas to be seen by many people. The Philippines is like a melting pot of different cultures. I think we can learn from that, keeping intact with our culture, yet, at the same time, questioning how our culture can be influenced by experiences of other cultures and take what we can use from other cultural influences, then use them to better our lives, to better our products, and to better our design,” he said.