www.korea.net

HELPING THE CG INDUSTRY
GAIN GROUND WORLDWIDE
In November 2009, seven Korean VFX companies shared a booth
at the American Film Market (AFM), the largest motion picture
trade show in the world. The companies were involved in a project
aimed at actively promoting the technology of Korean VFX companies
through business meetings with international film professionals,
an endeavor spearheaded by Korea’s Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Creative Content
Agency (KOCCA).
The two government groups backed the companies’ promotional
efforts by arranging business meetings with buyers from
Hollywood, which Jo Ha-sup, an assistant manager at KOCCA’s
Future Convergence Content Group, expounded on when he said,
“It is very difficult for small Korean companies to open booths at
international festivals because of their limited budgets. That’s why
the government provided an opportunity for these small businesses
to share a booth.”
Park Sang-uk, who works at the MCST’s Convergence Content
Team, adds, “The AFM is part of the bigger promotional package
picture. The main part of the program is aimed at supporting
Korean CG companies participating in movie/broadcasting projects
both in Korea and overseas by paying for part of the production
costs. The goal is to help these companies enhance their price
competitiveness and the quality of their product. In this context,
participation in the AFM can be seen as an additional marketing
support tool.”
The industry welcomes the move. “Hollywood tends to keep
going back to companies that have proven themselves time and
again. Initially, we predict we will not achieve exactly what we
want, but I do think that we will be able to improve our relations
on a lasting basis once we successfully complete our first project,”
says Son Seung-hyeon, production director at Insight Visual. In
essence, government support is like fertilizer, supporting the
industry until companies can stand on their own two feet.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism made an official
announcement about the project to promote Korean CG companies
in foreign markets on January 14, 2010, with Minister Yu In-chon
explaining, “The government plans to inject around US$181 million
into its computer graphics industry by 2013.” The action plan
includes creating a special CG fund of around US$45 million,
offering tax breaks that include refunding the cost of production,
KM Culture