Report of Seminar Multimedia Application in Animation Industry

Venue: Dewan Multimedia FTSM Date: 26/2/2013 Time: 2.30pm 4.30pm Speaker: 1. Mohd Azrul Mohd Noor (Senior Manager in Multimedia Synergy Corporation)

Mohd Azrul Mohd Noor, who worked in Multimedia Synergy Corporation (MMSC) as a Senior Manager stated that MMSC is a learning technology company and which is an End-to-end E-Learning Solution Provider. It was formed from the synergy of elearning professionals that posses experience and expertise in the field of courseware design, instructional design, media creation, content development, project management and consultancy. The elements of multimedia use in developing the e-learning applications are text, video, graphic, sound, software design, animations, storyboard and programming. Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images to create an illusion of movement. 2D animation figures are created and/or edited on the computer using 2D bitmap graphics or created and edited using 2D vector graphics. This includes automated computerized versions of traditional animation techniques such as of interpolated morphing, onion skinning and interpolated rotoscoping. 3D animation is digitally modeled and manipulated by an animator. 2D animation techniques tend to focus on image manipulation while 3D techniques usually build virtual worlds in which characters and objects move and interact. 3D animation can create images that seem real to the viewer. By using these elements in e-learning, which is attractive and students will pay attention in their learning session. The software used by MMSC in develop e-learning applications are flash, illustrator and photoshop. There are some examples of e-learning applications such as Tick-Tock, Seed-on-Morphosis, The Story of Earth and Introduction of Tourism Industry. It is effective in education and students easy to understand and remember by using these applications.

2. Ahmad Razuri Roseli (Assistant Art Director)

The second speaker was Ahmad Razuri Roseli who worked as Assistant of Art Director in Les Copaque Production Sdn. Bhd.. Les Copaque Production Sdn. Bhd. is specializing in producing high quality 3D animation with local images but has global appeal. The main project is to produce a 3D animation film title " Geng: The Adventure Begins ". Les Copaque Production has 3 major departments such as animation department, art department and story house department. Les Copaque Production team's member not only young and talented but mostly are trained to be multitasking and work in a team. Animation department doing the process of blocking which is pose to pose, finalize animation and facial and lipsync. In animation department, the animators are the ones able to make the modeled characters move around as if they were alive. Good animators will take into account that every character's movements are as natural as possible, down to the blinking of the eyes. Art department usually doing the concept, modeling, rendering, compositing, effect and games. Concept designing is very important to determine the overall look and feel of the animation. This is where the concept artists come up with designs and sketches of the characters and backgrounds before the next consecutive teams bring them to life. With the concept of the characters and background in hand, the members of the modeling department act as sculptors where they digitally model different shapes into characters. Besides that, they also model the clothes the characters wear and props like their houses, among many others. After the animation process is completed, the lighting and render artists step in. They put color into every shot the animators have produced. They also set up the lighting according to the mood and feel of the scene. Then, everything is rendered into final images this is where more powerful, high-end computers are used. Furthermore, compositors gather all rendered images from the render artists and combine them into final versions of the episodes. They enhance the color of the scenes and add in special effects like smoke and fire. They play a very important role because this is where the final stages of finishing the series are done.

In story house department, they do the script, audio and music, composer, storyboard and design. Scriptwriters are the ones coming up with new ideas and conjure up stories with moral values that best fit the characters and that makes the series exciting to watch. They ensure that the quality of the end product is delivered at its best. The audio team members are involved in voice recording, producing sound effects, sound editing and orchestrating music scores. Good music scores dress up each episode, enhancing the mood so that the animation is delivered well. The team of storyboard is in charge of planning every shot for the animation process. The shot planning includes camera angles, timing, and continuity. That is why they are considered as the backbone before the start of any animation process. Les Copaque Production main goal is to be a media production company that specializes in creating our own IP that showcases our own local talents and Malaysian culture. They also aim to be a platform for young Malaysian talents to showcase their own limitless imagination. They believe by doing so as above, they will be the driving force in elevating the Malaysian media-based industry. During the talk, the speaker also showed the 3D animated feature film " Kenangan Mengusik Jiwa " . " Kenangan Mengusik Jiwa " is episode-34, in the 35th and the 36th in Upin & Ipin sixth season. This episode is specially produced to commemorate the Great Artist P. Ramlee. All the products are award winning, the latest being the mini tv series " Upin dan Ipin " which recently won the Best Film (Animation) in the Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival 2007. Upin & Ipin is a Malaysian television series of animated shorts produced by Les' Copaque Production, which features the life and adventures of the eponymous twin brothers in a fictional Malaysian kampung. Upin and Ipin are five-yearold Malay twins who and their elder sister Ros and grandmother Uda (whom they call Opah) in a kampung house in Kampung Durian Runtuh. They have lost their parents in their infancy. In the filming of " Upin dan Ipin ", Les Copaque Production using 3D animation and many special effects to made the film more attractive and interesting. With young and fresh idea, Les Copaque Production always make sure the production quality is up to the standard and most importantly delivered in time. The popularity of Upin & Ipin could have attributed to the commercial success of Malaysia's first CGI-animated feature film " Geng: The Adventure Begins ", which propelling it into the RM 6.31 million mark throughout its seven-week run in Malaysian cinemas as one of the highest-grossing Malay-language films in history.