"60 Years of Hong Kong Animation" Exhibition
March 2012, written by Emily Wong
During the opening ceremony for this "60 Years of Hong Kong Animation" on the 19 March, it is a celebration and as well a reunion of local animation. Animation is for enjoyment, it is a mixture of passion and care and hardworking.
Love to see John's pupils all coming back, it is warm! And all the original artworks and pieces from all our dear animators and Neco, and the Oxberry animation system from The HK Film Archive (which is donated by John); and the beautiful design and layout of all the promotional materials and setting from Colan; and the great trophy design from Mak Siu Fung; and of course the efforts from all our b&s of HKAFS; and final but not the least, the wonderful music and songs played by some of my talent artists friends which to enhance and highlight the whole things, thank you all! And it is just the beginning. — at HKCEC Grand Hall.
Photo Link:
Video
recording during the opening reception of the 60 years of hk animation.
Video
Link:
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香港動畫60年陪我長大
■撰文：Sandy ■攝影：Dennis
「如果有太多牛奶味，朱古力味冇掟企，等到朱古力味返番嚟，牛奶味又唔爭氣！」大家會不會跟著一起唱以上的歌詞？除了廣告歌之外，你又會否記得它的動畫製作呢？
1982年維他朱古力奶廣告的手稿。
本以為80年代的動畫廣告是香港動畫的起點，但不講不知，香港動畫原來已有60年歷史！根據考證，香港第一個公開的動畫作品，是來自1948年的電影《江湖奇俠》中的打鬥場面，可惜，這部歷史悠久的電影，在坊間亦難以找到。
《香港動畫60年》展覽
是次展覽，主要讓業界和學生參觀。
資深動畫製作人盧子英(盧Sir)於香港國際影視展中，策展《香港動畫60年》，通過展覽、研討會及放映等，展示香港動畫60年的今昔變遷，雖然公眾無緣參與今次展覽，但盧Sir說：「希望今次是第一站，往後再物色其他場地，再舉辦公開展覽。」
今次展覽共展出90多件動畫的手稿，大部分均為盧Sir的珍藏。當時任職香港電台動畫部的他，看見已出街的動畫手稿被丟掉時，便把手稿收藏。由於當時沒有系統去收集，故不少手稿已遺失，更顯展品的珍貴。
在《成語動畫廊》中，除了主角熊貓博士和YY，不同的製作人參與製作成語故事中的動畫，因每個故事都不一樣，不用怕「不連戲」。圖為守株待兔篇的手稿。
一份手稿畫好之後，接著分層次，一張膠片只畫一個層次，最後把所有膠片疊起來，形成一個鏡頭。這個好處是方便鏡頭的拼湊，只需更換要動的層次便可。
在云云的展品中，最巴閉又亮眼可算是這部動畫攝影台，只要放好一張張的膠片，再打燈，透過菲林拍攝，變成可以動的影像。
動畫攝影台猶如小型電影製作，有攝影機和打燈的設備。
盧sir講解這個動畫攝影台的操作原理。
時而世易，電腦已取代動畫攝影台，成為製作動畫的媒體。對於盧Sir來說，並沒有太大的分別，動畫師依然要有良好的美術根底和創造性；而有份參與《長江七號》視覺效果製作的黃宏顯亦表示：「最近我重新拿起畫筆，感覺良好，使我重新手繪動畫，再用電腦製作」，不過，他又補充：「不同的人應善用適合自己的媒體」。
香港動畫代表作是…
1981年，香港首部動畫長片《老夫子》上映。
如果對有點年紀的讀者來說，最令你有印象的香港動畫，大概就是《老夫子》；而對於年紀較輕的讀者來說，印象最深的可以說是《麥兜》。其實，還有不少動畫仍讓人回味至今，例如是《成語動畫廊》和《小時候》。
早期的動畫師受迪士尼的動畫影響很深，林紀陶笑說：「連熊貓博士的手指，都和米奇老鼠一樣，只有4隻手指。」
《麥兜菠蘿油王子》揚名海外、《成語動畫廊》曾於英國channel
4播放，這足以證明香港的動畫能登世界舞台。然而，為甚麼在印象中，就數不出有其他動畫的代表作？這源於香港不偏重美術教育，使有創作動畫的人才，但製作動畫的人才卻短缺，加上香港沒有成熟的動畫片發行系統，市場較小，讓香港鮮有動畫長片的製作。
動畫還會出不少周邊商品，提高知名度。
3D動畫的出現又會否為香港帶來轉機？2009年，意馬公司購入《阿童木》的版權改編，票房慘淡。不過盧sir認為這亦是一個進步，因為電影大部分的製作都是香港出品，其精緻度代表著技術的進步。他更認為：「動畫人著重技術之餘，之後就會更注重故事的創作」。
港動畫人才在世界舞台發光發亮
雖然香港人才輩出，但和很多工業一樣，動畫師普遍到外地發展，當然，北上的機會較多。鍾志行是其中的一位，他曾參與《喜羊羊與灰太狼》的製作、有不少和內地動畫製作團隊合作的經驗。他又如何評價內地的動畫製作？「基本上，南北地的風格都各有不同。北方的比較注重美術的技巧；而南方比較懂得說故事」。有一次，他讀著日本的性感漫畫，在旁的內地藝術家更回應道：「她骨格很好」，讓他失笑。
鍾志行（左）表示南方的動畫人比較喜歡麥兜；而北方的則以《阿凡達》為奮鬥目標。
不過，一些內地的動畫製作還停留於「加工廠」的階段，這是鍾志行不可接受。他不屑和加工動畫廠合作，同時指出香港的動畫師最吃香的還是創造性，能動人地敍述故事才是主要的一環。
黃宏顯在研討會上分享到印度工作的經驗。
北望神州，更要放眼世界。黃宏顯認為首要面對的問題是文化差異。在香港做事，每秒都分秒必爭，但是和印度的動畫人合作時，即使答應了今天交稿，但要經三催四請後才會收到。然而，兩地的合作縱然會帶來不方便的地方，同時亦會深入了解當地的文化，刺激創作。
香港的動畫新血應具有…
林紀陶認為香港暫未能有突破性的發展，只能夠保持水準，但內地已出現人才斷層的情況。
今年，林紀陶和盧Sir同時擔任ifva
的評審，發現多部優秀動畫作品湧現。近年，數間大專院校都開辦有關動畫的課程，培訓人才，使入行機會更容易。除了到外地發展外，林紀陶留意到一個現象，「他們會幾個朋友夾份開一間studio，上網去招攬生意，或製作更多動畫短片」。
有志入行的動畫新血，除了要有基本的美術底子之外，還需要有運用電影語言去講故事的能力和保持個性。
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The Footprint of Hong Kong Animation
By Keeto
Lam
Editor’s
Note: Film critic and historian Keeto Lam did a presentation at the 60 Years of
Hong Kong Animation event and was kind enough to provide AWN with a great
synopsis of the history of animation in Hong Kong.
Animation
production in Hong Kong has been around roughly for sixty years. It is not
until recently that it has been recognized and appreciated as a respected
industry.
As early
as in the 20’s, when movie making was just emerging, the four Wan brothers of
Shanghai had already been considering making an animation film. In the 40’s,
Wan lai-min and his twin Wan gu-chen came south to Hong Kong to look for
filming resources. They used their
animation "Princess Iron Fan", released in ’41 in Shanghai, as part
of the Hong Kong film"Father and Son" which was directed by Shuen Wei
in 1953. The “Movie within movie” format
made the record as the earliest animation in Hong Kong. Until 50’s to 60’s, Hong Kong animation
pioneer Mr. Lo kei-ping used self-developed special animation technique to produce the early special effect
films such as"The Buddha's Palm"in ’64(a series of seven films). A
lot of animations were hand drawn onto the film stock, without optical
synthesis. Those “hand drawn” film
copies were extremely precious.
During
’64, the founder of US animation company UPA, Mr. Steven Bosustow, came to Hong
Kong and formed an animation company with Mr. Lin Jie of The China Paint
Company, with the intention of making an animation title "The Red
Child". It fostered people such as
Au Ching, Dick Wong, John Kay and Chan Ding Chung. Although the project was
turned down finally, they adopted one man band practice and produced quite a
lot of popular animated commercials.
Adding animated TV commercials produced by Hong Kong Film Company, a
company founded by Woo shu yue in the 70’s, it had made great impression to all
the Hong Kong people at that time.
In the
mid-70’s, a group of movie enthusiasts established The Phoenix Cine Club, which
promoted making independent short films.
At around that time, the Extramural Studies of the Chinese University
started a short workshop in animation.
Its students produced many independent animation short films.
The
creative atmosphere in making short films in Hong Kong in the 70’s was hot. A
lot of such creators emerged. Most of them used super 8 for production. But
still quite a lot of them used the more expensive film type of 16mm. Later on,
a lot of independent filmmakers joined the animation team of TV station and
became the core members of professional animators in the early days.
Independent
animation in Hong Kong fostered one-man-band animation creative characteristic.
The animator built his own style independently.
When they were part of a large organization, due to the industrial
system was not yet in place, they were able to have the special roles of sole
creators.
In 1976,
the Art Department of RTHK and TVB had started their own animation team. They
produced many self-made titles for drama programs, and animation clips for News
reports. In ’79, Mr.Lee Shum taught an
animation production course for Hong Kong Film Culture Centre. It was also the first time in Hong Kong a
certificate course in animation consisted of both theory and production. Between ’79 & ’82, TVB and RTHK showed a
lot of influential animated short films.
Youth program "The Banana Boat Show" and "430 Space
Shuttle" in ’82 were some of the major programs that consisted of many
animated shorts in every episode.
Hong
Kong’s first animation organization, Single Frame, was founded in 1982. Its
objective was to liaise and promote animation in Hong Kong and overseas. At the same time, it organized animation show
on a monthly base, published magazines and implemented animation promotional
activities. These animators growing up
in the 80’s, especially growing from creative independent into animation
professionals such as someone like Neco Lo, Keeto Lam, Roger Ho and Aaron Yeung
were professional pioneers who established the characteristics of Hong Kong
animation.
The 4 to
6 panels comic "Old Master Q", by cartoonist, Mr. Wong Chak, had been
popular since the 60’s. It had then been
adapted and used real castings for six movies.
In ’81, initiated by Mr. Woo shu-yue, three"Old Master
Q"feature animations were made by joining forces with Taiwan
animators. It showed that Hong Kong did
have creative animators, but not production talents. It had been the problem of Hong Kong all
along. It was due to the fact that Hong
Kong’s education then tended to overlook the nurturing of art.
In the
80’s, a bunch of mainland animators came south and became a new force among
animators in Hong Kong. In 1982, Mr. Lee
Shum founded an animation company called HK-Animation. He intended to introduce Taiwanese animation
processing factory to Hong Kong but was not successful.
In the
same year, big budget special effect movies had also emerged. We had movies such as "Star Crazy"
and "Zu: Warriors from the magic mountain" were all due to the popularity
of the Hollywood movie Star Wars.
In 1986,
Mr. Run Run Shaw formed Jade Animation Ltd. in Shenzhen and produced the first
TV animation series in Hong Kong, they were "The animated Idiom"and
"Little Monkey King". He made use of China factory to solve the
problem of shortage of manpower in Hong Kong.
In the same year, film director Tsui Hark established special effect
department CINEMAX. It specialized in making movie special effect, such as
optical animation, special model effect and special effect make-up. It went on to become an influential special
effect company in both Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The
appearance of" Jurassic Park" in ’94 brought visual media into the
digital technology era. Centro digital
pictures and Menfond were formed and become major forces in digital special
effect in Hong Kong lately. Some of
their well-known production included "Shaolin Soccer", "Kung Fu
Hustle" and "Old Master Q 2001", etc.
Entering
millennium, the popularity of computer animation programs had turned 3D
animation into a sunny industry. Many
young people entered it, even one-man company appeared. Nowadays, a lot of colleges have animation
and comic courses. We encounter many
student works in 3D animation every year. Mainland TV animations have many Hong
Kong people participated in its creative process. Launched in 2001, "The Life of
Mcdull" had proved that even having extremely tight budget and man power,
one could still produce good quality feature animation in Hong Kong, this film
had won many awards in Hong Kong and abroad. "The secret of Bo Wu Lo"
was jointly produced by Walt Disney company, mainland China investors and Hong
Kong, it also won that year’s Best Children’s Film of Golden Rooster Award in
China,"Astroboy", a production of Imagi Studios, its 3D animation
technique had reached international standard.
In the meantime, a lot of mainstream film directors had joined the
animation industry.
Up until
2007, the data shows that there are 260 digital entertainment production
companies in Hong Kong. Among them, 30% are into animation, 45% are in the
business of Game Software. Adding those one-man companies and freelancers,
there are over 5000 workers in digital animation/comic industry. On top of
that, independent animation field produces a lot of new forces every year, as
well as new stars.
This is
the full blooming stage of 3D animation.
We animators in Hong Kong will also move from 2D to the new era. We look
forward to what is in store in the future!
