6/17/22, 9:23 AM Animation and the Filipino I Henry J.

Schumacher

BM Q

Animation and the Filipino

BY HENRY J. SCHUMACHER · APRIL 2, 2018

AS early as the 1980s, the animation industry has

already been present in the Philippines; our local
animators have thus been providing animation
services for 30 years now. Besides Finding
Nemo, Filipinos are the talents behind esteemed
CREATIVE cartoons and animated films from the likes of Scooby
'-f P~·HLIPPIINES Doo (1969 to present), Tom and Jerry (1940 to
By Henry Schumacher present), The Incredibles (2004), Dragon Ball Z (1989 to
1996), Captain Planet (1990 to 1996) and The
Mask (1995 to 1997), all under big names in the
entertainment industry, such as Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network and
Marvel.

Aside from flourishing in the film industry, Filipino animators are also able to provide
graphics for the gaming industry under companies like Nintendo and Sega.

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6/17/22, 9:23 AM Animation and the Filipino I Henry J. Schumacher

However, considering that the country had first-mover advantage, its current share
of the global animation market remains below expectations when compared to the
international demand for animation work. It is high time that the Philippine
animation industry secured a more commanding portion in the global market.

The continued demand in the global animation market has allowed the Asia- Pacific
region to further emerge as a premier destination for animation outsourcing. The
major players in the region include China, India, Singapore, South Korea and the
Philippines.

The Philippines still manages to remain "top-of-mind» when it comes to animation

related services. The Tholons Report "The Philippines Animation Industry
Landscape» of May 2008 attributes this to the following:

The established local animation industry with an impressive resume of animators in

the country;

The rise of the business-process outsourcing industry in the Philippines; and

The presence of a creative talent pool.

Below are some of the challenges the industry needs to address to be able to meet the
industry potential and level-off industry threats:

One of the major challenges of the Philippine animation industry is the lack of large
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6/17/22, 9:23 AM Animation and the Filipino I Henry J. Schumacher

animation companies capable of supporting and fulfilling large international clients.

Since most of the companies are small and medium in scale, the industry is seen to be
fragmented with small players doing their individual work without minding the
collective capacity of the industry. With the opportunities available, the industry
needs to find a way to consolidate its efforts in order to bring in the bigger contracts
which will be ultimately beneficial for the industry as a whole.

In terms of infrastructure investment, the industry must be able to attract local, as

well as foreign investors, in order to boost infrastructure development. The challenge
is also for the animation companies to take the risk of investing in infrastructure,
more specifically in the acquisition of new animation software and related hardware
technologies.

Considerable investment in time and resources are needed in order to hone the skills
of new animators. This dilemma is largely attributed to lack of training in relevant
animation skill-sets of graduates and entry-level employees. Further, with an average
pay of $250 to $300 a month, local animators in the Philippines will continue to seek
higher-paying jobs outside the country. The industry is also faced with the issue that
many animators are working in the Gig Economy, doing freelance jobs around the
world.

In order to neutralize the growing competition in the global animation space, the
Philippine animation industry needs stronger backing from the government. If the
government is able to provide an enabling legislative environment for the local
animation industry, in terms of policies that provide incentives (whether economic,
financial or physical), then investment in the animation sector is expected to follow.

Computer animation has been subjected to many interesting developments over the
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6/17/22, 9:23 AM Animation and the Filipino I Henry J. Schumacher

years. Computer animations are being increasingly used in various fields that require
communication as an irreplaceable means of functioning to be successful unit. For
instance, the use of this is quickly increasing in the education sector, where various
theories and concepts are being explained in a fun and interactive way, with the help
of computer animations.

We can see the tremendous impact that technology growth has had on all professional
walks of life. Be it architecture, education, medical or even the forensic sector, it is
being incorporated to give a better impact. Hence, the use of this has branched out,
and is no longer restricted to just the media and entertainment industry. Even uses of
animation in advertising are diversified, as well. Some of the other prominent fields
are:

Animation in the Medical Industry;

3D Computer animation in the architecture industry;

Engineering and animation;

Computer animation in case of Forensics; and

Education and the use of computer animations.

Other than the obvious sectors like media, gaming and film - making, where computer
graphics are exploited to create amazing results, the remaining fields are also playing
catch up and trying to use all the benefits provided by animation to their advantage.

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Today, all sectors promote innovation; inspired creativity is the need of the hour
because competition is multiplying manifolds every day and to stay at the top of the
ladder, one needs to have all the skills they can acquire. With technology taking over
so many aspects of business, it is quite apt to implement them. Importance of
animation in business is something that can no longer be ignored.

Comments are welcome-e-mail me at Schumacher@eitsc.com.

S-WlllBBI

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