I could no longer tolerate the silence of our local artists who are unwilling to speak up when they knew the “truth” behind our misunderstood industry.

What is the truth regarding our local Animation industry, you ask? The truth is… our local industry… is dying. Dying from foreign competition from giants. Dying because our locals are not supportive of our native talents. Dying before we make an animation that is truly made in Singapore.

Perhaps you would think that I and many students who study animation are naive brats. But no one can deny the many man hours and money is pumped into the making of many of history’s most beautifully animated works. Just like any industry, the animation industry is a SERIOUS industry that is far from mere child’s play.

Without further ado, I shall set people free with the truth:

4 years ago, I, like many other animator- wannabes, joined the bandwagon of a series of upcoming courses that promised us a lot of things. They promised us that if we take their diplomas, their certificates, we will join the ranks of animators around the world. With honeyed words, advertisements and more, me and my cohorts were misled and fell into a trap, a conspiracy. Unlike most polytechnic students, I and my like-minded friends saw animation not as a fan-boy obsession but a true career. We worked hard in our modules, some of us managed to graduate. But no one not even I suspected anything wrong with the system.

After we graduated and completed our National Service. We set off to find jobs in our industry. We met this man, an industrial veteran who is the managing director of a local CG firm in Singapore. He offered to critique our work and we were for a nasty big shock.

“You want to know something? The polytechnics have not prepared you for the industry. This kind of portfolio is below the standard of what the industry is looking for.”

Later conversations with lecturers from his studio and accounts from my classmate who have been training in his studio only seek to erode my initial faith in our tertiary education in Singapore.

In one sentence, our education system has failed its citizens to make sure that we are up to the mark for the various requirements of the job market in whichever industry. This made us much more vulnerable to the influx of foreign animators, who can accept lower pay and produce higher quality work than the locals; effectively starving out the local animators and animation companies.

To make matters worse, the government managed to woo top foreign animation companies to set up shop in Singapore, effectively killing the local companies. Many of these foreign animation companies hire lesser locals and receive government funding while local companies are left to fend for themselves. If you think about it, with the billions of dollars it makes every year, does Lucasfilm Singapore require that government funding to set up shop in Singapore?
My mentor’s studio once had courses that only costed $2K with government subsidy. But now with government funding cut, the courses now costs $10K. These put a lot of financial pressure on artists with the passion for the animation industry but are financially tight. I was one of the last batches who were under the $2K scheme. Many artists like myself have already been financially drained studying in tertiary education. What they need is a job to feed themselves or in some cases repay the bank! It is not helping given the fact that our locals are being out competed due to an incompetent education system.

My mentor’s studio was far from the only victims. In 2010, Egg Story Creative Production led by a local talent, Nickson Fong, has closed down in light of the recent downturn that hit the industry It has laid off about 30 employees and rendered a major production; Kung Fu Gecko, dead. A word with a former employee there spoke of funding cuts from the government which hastened its demise. Nickson Fong is now nowhere to be seen or contacted.

To add cockles to the mee siam[Singapore’s take of adding salt to wound],
There has been grim talk of the 3 Flops of Singapore produced animation: They are: Zodiac, Legend of the Sea and Sing to the Dawn. The poor quality of the 3 films has made Singapore look like a laughing stock in the international animation scene.

While many industrial veterans here put the blame solely on the “bo chap” attitudes of the students, I wish to point out the fact that those industrial veterans in the animation industry are just too afraid to admit that it was the fault of the tertiary education systems. It is true that while some students have an attitude problem, the lecturers in the polytechnics and universities have their fair share of the blame too. I also wish to speak up for students who have the passion for the industry but they are not shown the right path. Otherwise how do you explain that it took my mentor 2 years and only half the price of the poly fees to teach me all that I needed to know to find a job in the CG industry?

You argue that this would be equal to spoonfeeding. But I disagree…
A life drawing teacher of mine once told me that it would not be considered spoonfeeding if you do not know what you do not know. He also said that self learning cannot compare with the guidance of an excellent teacher. Sometimes bad habits during self practice can hamper one’s effective learning of a craft like life drawing, playing the guitar.etc

But one thing I am unable to keep a secret anymore is the fact that the industry was literally ruined in the hands of our government.

By a Patriotic animator with Passion

The writer is a graduate of Nanyang Polytechnic’s Digital Media Design. He hopes that this article will be that wake up call to ignorant students now studying in animation-related courses in the local polytechnics and very costly private courses.

“Do not join this industry just because it’s cool. Unless you have the passion for the industry, your presence in the polys/universities will waste your own time, your/parents’ money and taxpayers money meant for training truly talented and really passionate local artists.”

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