So Is There A Plan? (part 2)
A couple of years ago I was offered the opportunity to do a training attachment in New Zealand with a famous digital effects studio. Most people would probably jump at the opportunity, but I didn’t. Since this was just a 6 months training attachment and that having fulfilled the 6 months of training, I would immediately be bonded to the local company for 1-2 years, I thought to myself, what is the point? Besides the company was not exactly known for their efficient HR policies and employee welfare benefits. So I turned it down and have never regretted the decision. But I do know of more than a couple of guys who went and regretted it.
Anyway the training attachment was jointly funded by the government and the company. And here’s the shocking part- the digital effects studio was charging $60,000 per head for 6 months of basically industrial internship. The plan was to send 6 guys there- so you do the math. In the end, the only party to get anything out of it is probably the New Zealand effects studio. Hell, those guys are getting paid on top of getting free additional. Not a bad deal if you ask me, for the foreign company, that is.
Although they say lightning never strike twice, well, it just did. I don’t know if its even out in the news, but 10 lucky guys will get this “once in a lifetime opportunity” to go for an industrial training attachment- this time with a famous digital effects studio in England. I guess since we got burnt the last time round in the southern hemisphere, the government scholars thought they might try their luck in the northern hemisphere.
Well, good luck with it.
Most people will probably be too excited to really read through the fine print, but it did however state explicitly that opportunities are for matchmovers, rotoscope artists and production assistants. For those not in the know, matchmoving and rotoscoping are entry level jobs in a effects facility. Now I don’t want to denigrade those responsibilites, but the fact is, there is a reason why they are entry level jobs. Its because they are mindnumbingly boring and tedious jobs. It requires little creativity but tons of patience and willpower.
Production assistants are basically there to do sai kang or shit jobs.
Pardon my negativity, but signees better do so with both your eyes open because having done those tasks before, I can tell with all my heart, 12 months of doing that will drive you mad if they don’t kill you or give you carpal tunnel syndrome first. But that’s just me.
So a quick recap of our government’s highly paid scholars plan to turn singapore into some sort of digital media hub-
- Step 1: throw lots of money at local companies to bring their productions out of singapore so that our taxes can be used to fund the training of foreign artists.
- Step 2: throws lots of money at foreign companies to bring artists out of singapore so that our taxes can be used to fund their training.
Stick around for part 3 when I will tell you why its not as good an idea as it sounds on paper. But then again our scholars entire validation seems to lie in their paper qualifications, so perhaps its not such a big surprise afterall to see that their only priority seems to be to look good on paper as well.
12 Comments so far
hello, your font size a bit small leh.. Can make it bigger or not? Then easier for old man with bad eyesight like me to read lah…
Good entries. The media hub thing is a failure through and through. We will end up, as some one said sweat shops, the way we continue.
oldman, I think the font is standard size 11 font. All other website also the same one.
anyway this phase is best
“But then again our scholars entire validation seems to lie in their paper qualifications, so perhaps its not such a big surprise afterall to see that their only priority seems to be to look good on paper as well.”
two thumbs up.
ironically, you posted this on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the first release of Star Wars.
rotoscoping was coined, I believe, when the ppl in ILM created the light sabre effects for the movie.
Insense,
Actually you are wrong. Rotoscoping was developed in the early 20th Century by animation pioneer Max Fleischer. It was a regular feature of the early “Betty Boop” cartoons, some of which you can see on Youtube, that featured the sophisticated dance choreography of Cab Calloway.
The gahmen media wannabes do not know why they are not getting it right. It is to do with our education system for the past few decades. We have been training people in engineering and science day in and day out. For those decades, they did not encourage arts education, because they said it “cannot make money” after graduation. So, now that the media bandwagon is here, they try to jump start the process and try to achieve instant success in compressed time. Always doing shortcuts, as if to meet the next KPIs, to complete the mission before the next GE.
Hello, you wannabes, please study the digital media history (of other countries) first before wasting more money. With money saved, there may still a chance to go beyond $290 (PA).
“But then again our scholars entire validation seems to lie in their paper qualifications, so perhaps its not such a big surprise afterall to see that their only priority seems to be to look good on paper as well.�
I’m a scholar myself, but I have to agree that there is too much emphasis on grades and paper qualification when it comes to selecting “talents” in singapore. So much so that it sickens me.
As a aspiring cg artist in singapore, I am quite sadden by the situation in singapore. Those people up there always seems to make policy that are either too idealistic or non practical since most of them have actually not been down here before. (question: who are the people up there? Are they even former cg people? ) I really hope they can get their facts right abt growing a industry. They should take a look at US, canada and UK history, even Hong Kong, Korea and Japan.
They (people up there) probably have looked at those countries and find that they take too long to establish this media industry. These gov people wants to do it faster cos that leader said so. Balls are licked hard, promises are made. But, alas, the ground is not as such. They know that CG skill sets need to be transferred, so the faster way is to get help from foreign established sources. Well, the overseas CG people do not work like our “ultra-efficient” gov, they know how hard it is to do CG. It is all about return of investment (ROI) and not about passion & talent.
The gov here is full of rubbish and crap.
They use the same old tactic to promote digital media: THAT’S IS DUMP MONEY. They start throwing money here and there, hopefully to find few success among hundreds of project, and than advertise a “few” success in the newspaper to show that dumping money is the right way !!
Incredible ? Yes it is, I meet some Highprofile people from gov’s MDA, and their answer ? Dump money and hope for miracles !!!
the gov just get it wrong ! It is not about making corporate success that really matter, it should building a culture of innovation and risk-taking ! Build your culture first before thinking of making money !
The gov try to shortcut everything so to make everything look successful in short-term. But in the end, nothing really come out, and soon be forgotten. Why not short-cut the gov’s salary as well ?
Gov always think that they know it all, but always end up failing and then hope everything be forgotten.
It will not work, it will not work because at the end of the day all they’re looking for are still economic returns.
Everyone with a slight hint of “creative talent” is probably being told right now that this is the new way to go, but five, or ten years down the road, we’ll see for real what this push has reaped. You can’t grow creativity, you can’t forcefully instill the vibrance, freshness and skill you see out there with brute schemes typical of our entire educational construct, if there’s no heart, there’s nothing. Surely there will be benefits in the form of more opportunities, but I don’t know about the bandwagonism.
Anyways, happened to stumble upon your blog and found it a good read, pretty much mirrors a lot of my sentiments, especially so being an NSF and aspiring artist, just don’t have too much time or strength to put it to words haha. Curious if you have any works to show?
ah wait my bad, was viewing the site without frames.
Maybe InsanePoly will want to develop a CG model of our perfect gahmen, with saliva dripping from their mouth with billion in front of them and their eyes is filled with Dollar signs.
This model should release to the world to show how first class is our gov and what our gov stand for !