Jan 12, 2010 by alpharess
In Singapore to celebrate the launch of two new courses by Singapore Polytechnic, Kinson Cheung, training manager at Hong Kong’s Imagi Animation Studio, shares his expertise and industry insights.

FEATURE > Getting Animated

by Lin Wenjian

Kinson Cheung started drawing at the age of three. Although his works then were no more than innocent doodles, the artistic streak in Cheung, was evident for all to see.

Not satisfied with just getting his architecture degree in 1988, Cheung went on to study computer animation. It was a decision that would serve him well later in his life as Cheung, now 39, was recruited soon after graduation to be part of the Centre of Digital Media Technology’s consultancy (CDMT) team tasked with developing training programmes for aspiring computer animation professionals in his native Hong Kong.

Today, the father-of-one is a training manager at Asia’s largest animation studio, Imagi, a post he’s held since 2007. He professes to getting an adrenaline rush each time Imagi completes a new project.

“With computer animation, we can create things that were not possible in the past,” Cheung declares, in a clear reference to the animated film, Astro Boy, which opened in local cinemas in November. “For the older generations, it can bring your childhood idol to life,” he adds.

Not wanting to be left behind, Singapore has also joined this technological bandwagon, with the two new courses by Singapore Polytechnic – Diploma in Digital Animation and Diploma in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics.

This growing number of training centres and studios is fuelling Cheung’s belief that Asia is catching up with Hollywood in terms of the quality of the animation produced. “Currently, we have achieved 70 to 80 per cent of Hollywood’s standards, but our edge is that we are producing these works at just 40 to 50 per cent of the cost over there,” he shares.