Hong Kong - Autodesk Inc. congratulates its customer T-Films Ltd., on winning the Best Animation Award, for its Hong Kong-produced animated film "Little Gobie," at the 2010 California Film Awards. The film was released in both standard and stereoscopic 3D formats.
The California Film Awards recognize important world cinema that represents the forefront of aesthetic, critical, and entertainment standards in contemporary independent filmmaking and screenwriting. Partnering with notable film industry companies, film educators, directors, producers, and writers, the Awards provide a forum for talented filmmakers to be recognized for their work, creativity, and achievements.
"Autodesk's Digital Entertainment Creation software allows our team to maximize creativity and put innovative ideas into practice," T-Films founder Tony Tang says. "The production time for 'Little Gobie' was significantly shortened because of the Autodesk technology used, and we were able to effectively manage our budget. Gaining recognition in the United States is an honor and an affirmation of the Hong Kong animation industry's sophisticated capabilities."
Established in 2007, T-Films has created numerous animated and computer-generated commercials. Tang's ultimate goal was to create animated feature films. His goal was realized through the use of Autodesk's Digital Entertainment Creation software, and funding from Tsui Wah Restaurant, a legendary restaurant emporium.
"Little Gobie" tells the story of a reindeer's adventure to find his lost pet dragon through a series of Christmas-themed locales. T-Films used Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Softimage 3D animation software as the core tools to create the film. These Digital Entertainment Creation tools allowed animators to exercise their creativity and generate wondrous virtual worlds while keeping the project on schedule. The software was used from concept to final delivery, including the creation of meticulous facial expressions, smooth character movements, and color management.
Additionally, by using the Interactive Creative Environment (ICE) in Softimage, animators could easily create complex 3D effects like water and snow using a node-based workflow. ICE also enabled complex tools to be deployed and used without writing code. ICE provided high performance for complex 3D scenes and shortened production time by executing 3D effects in real time.
"On behalf of Autodesk, I congratulate T-Films Ltd. on winning this award. Autodesk is honored that our Digital Entertainment Creation software helped shape this beautifully animated film that has successfully entered the global market. T-Film's California Film Award for 'Little Gobie' is a win for all of Hong Kong's animation industry," says Wendy Lee, Hong Kong and Macau branch manager, Autodesk Far East Ltd.