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 cartoons and animated films from the likes of Scooby Doo (1969 to present), Tom and Jerry (1940 to 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.
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 résumé 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 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 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.
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.