The fi ne art of style guide design The fi ne art of style guide design
The fi ne art of style guide design The fi ne art of style guide design
The fi ne art of style guide design The fi ne art of style guide design
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y l a n a c a s t l e m a n<br />
Under the ban<strong>ne</strong>r <strong>of</strong> Singapore Media Fusion, the country’s<br />
Media Development Authority (MDA) brought<br />
its largest contingent yet (21 prodcos) to MIPTV last<br />
month. And while the government agency has been working<br />
towards turning the tiny island nation (whose total population<br />
is just 4.55 million) into a media production powerhouse for<br />
up front<br />
Singapore’s ST Electronics and<br />
Nelvana have paired up for a<br />
multi-project slate that includes<br />
<strong>ne</strong>w CGI series <strong>The</strong> Future<br />
is Wild, slated to bow on<br />
Discovery Kids in the fall<br />
SINGAPORE HITS ITS STRIDE<br />
WITH INTERNATIONAL CO-PROS<br />
about six years now, 2007 just might be a watershed year for<br />
animation in the region.<br />
According to CEO Dr. Christopher Chia, the MDA is devoting<br />
about o<strong>ne</strong>-third <strong>of</strong> its co-investment funding to international<br />
Singaporean co-productions this year. <strong>The</strong> plan is to capitalize<br />
on the country’s highly developed tech infrastructure and turn it<br />
into a creative production hub. In addition to animation, MDA<br />
has a hand in fostering <strong>fi</strong>lm, factual TV and video game content.<br />
Chia estimates the production activity in these sectors should be<br />
contributing US$6 billion to the region’s economy by 2015.<br />
To get there, the MDA has just announced that it’s putting<br />
up p<strong>art</strong> <strong>of</strong> the cash for a slate <strong>of</strong> content being co-produced<br />
by Singapore’s ST Electronics and Nelvana. Along with <strong>ne</strong>w<br />
CGI series <strong>The</strong> Future is Wild and more eps <strong>of</strong> Ja<strong>ne</strong> and the Dragon<br />
(currently airing on Qubo in the US), two <strong>fi</strong>lms and two directto-videos<br />
are in the <strong>of</strong><strong>fi</strong>ng. Chia estimates their market worth<br />
at around US$100 million (including production budgets and<br />
ancillary sales), and expects the ST/Nelvana p<strong>art</strong><strong>ne</strong>rship to ge<strong>ne</strong>rate<br />
two more TV series, four theatrical <strong>fi</strong>lms and eight more<br />
DTVs over the <strong>ne</strong>xt 18 months.<br />
Corus EVP and GM <strong>of</strong> kids Scott Dyer says the MDA is steadfast<br />
in its determination to build Singaporean companies that can<br />
compete on an international level. “And I’ve got to tell you,” he<br />
adds, “it has the mo<strong>ne</strong>y to make it happen.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> projects on the joint slate are true 50/50 co-pros that will<br />
split distribution and ancillary rights down the middle, says Dyer.<br />
Animation and modeling is being completed in Singapore, while<br />
Style <strong>guide</strong>s are the linchpins <strong>of</strong> merch programs. Check out “Elements <strong>of</strong> Style” Nelvana takes care <strong>of</strong> scripting and post in Canada. “Singapore<br />
on page 18 for tips on how to make them look good and work harder. “Singapore” continued on page 13<br />
MAY 2007<br />
11
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