Forward thinking into a new era

Bara E. Minata

President, 3-DI/PT. Tri Digital Intermedia

What is the outlook for the 2010? What are some of the developments in the industry that will make significant impact over the next few years?

In answer to your questions, I believe the outlook for 2010 is good. In developing countries like Indonesia, people are still heavily influenced by TV commercials for buying decision and there are always new products which need new TV commercials. Local Indonesian movies are also on the rise again.

What are some of the challenges that you face in your sectors of this industry?

We’re seeing more and more works done in digital format so companies that are ready for digital like 3DI should benefit. There are more competitions in 2010 but there’s still more than enough market for everyone.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of operating in the Asia-Pacific industry?

The thing that worries me is the political situation in my country. However, I sincerely believe that if the ruling government can sail this political storm then business should be good.

Tng Siew Moi

Managing Director, Cine Group of Companies, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila and Melbourne

I expect 2010 will be a cautious and exciting year. Due to lesser spending in 2009, companies that have make significant recovery in the last quarter will be able to invest in 2010. However it is likely that we will continue to see them being cautious and will invest only in their necessity.

HD and 3D will still be the main focal point. I believe the market watcher will continue to look out for a more user friendly, upgradeable with cost effective roadmap offer by individual manufacturer that will stay for the next few years.

More and more manufacturers are cutting down their representing agents and going direct. Thus the road ahead looks uncertain for representing agents. Product competitiveness has also gone up to an all time high level in such volatile economy where price sensitivity is the key considering factor for all.

Asia-Pacific has continued to grow over the years with huge potential compared to other parts of the world. This is a plus point for any company wanting to do any investment. On the other hand, we have to look at the investment cost and do the figures right to avoid any backfire.

Rachel Knowles

Head of Post Production, Digital Pictures

(Melbourne, Australia)

• What is the outlook for the 2010? What are some of the developments in the industry that will make significant impact over the next few years?

Digital Pictures has a very steady slate of Feature Films and TV series next year which is fantastic considering the obvious challenge of FINANCE. It’s something the world is facing, including Hollywood , but it’s not necessarily only due to the Global Financial Crisis. The culture of entertainment is changing and accelerating. We constantly need to ask ourselves how, where, are why people are viewing something. With feature films there’s a definite push for things to feel “cinematic” to justify a cinema experience in a theatre or multiplex.

Developments in Digital Camera Acquisition, Digital Intermediate technology, Digital Cinema and 3D Stereoscopic film making are going to be the key growth areas in 2010 and the years to come. Digital Pictures is placing itself strongly in each of these areas. Most of not all Australian films are now done via the Digital Intermediate pathway rather than chemically colour timed and doing opticals at a film laboratory. At Digital Pictures we’re finding that our strength in feature Digital Intermediates has grown immensely over the last 2 years, especially in the light of two highly nominated features in this years AFI awards – Balibo and Mary & Max. Mary & Max also won best animated feature at the Asia Pacific Awards in 2009.

We’ve also been fortunate to secure James Cameron’s “Sanctum” (3D), filming now at the studios on the Gold Coast. Digital Pictures will complete the 3D stereoscopic live action post production for delivery to Universal by the end of 2010.

In terms of Digital Cinema, we have a fully fledged Digital Cinema department that offers DCP encoding, KDM key management, DCI compliant Quality Assurance Screenings and Digital Print Distribution.

• What are some of the challenges that you face in your sectors of this industry?

See above but also

The strength of the Australian dollar compared to the US and unsteadiness in our domestic funding compounds the challenges for us in Australia, but Producers, film makers and facilities are fighting through it. One of the answers has been to streamline traditional ways of film making and “go digital”. There have also been different approaches to financing projects and we’ve seen an increase in discounts, deals, and deferral / investment type agreements just to keep things moving along.

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of operating in the Asia-Pacific industry?

The advantages of working in the Asia-Pacific industry are that we can adapt to our own markets. Strengths and potential still exist, even though there appears to be so much diversification. We just have to research, be open to new trends, and not be afraid to change. To be ahead of the pack in every one of these different media streams and to create the new rather than just follow it, now that’s the true challenge. We have an exciting interactive company called Boffswana who are doing amazing things in the online market. They recently won B&T Magazine’s 2009 “Digital Services company of the Year” www.boffswana.com.

John Rechsteiner

Vice President of Sales, Asia Pacific, Avid Technology

What is the outlook for the 2010? What are some of the developments in the industry that will make significant impact over the next few years?

2010 year will be better than 2009 in many ways for Avid, although we have no illusions that business will bounce back after the worldwide recession of 2009. We see some inklings of spending again by broadcasters and large post facilities; the need to upgrade aging equipment and introduce new technologies such as HD and 3D workflows won’t abate. Perhaps the biggest development for the industry as a whole will be the continued shift to IPTV and cable broadcasting.

What are some of the challenges that you face in your sectors of the industry?

Persistent piracy of our intellectual property is the biggest challenge to doing business in parts of Asia, although this problem is by no means unique to Asia. In many markets we also face well-entrenched, local competitors. While this is a challenge it also forces us to be at the top of our game and that is a good thing for us and our customers.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of operating in the Asia-Pacific industry?

Phenomenal opportunities abound throughout Asia in both the consumer and professional sectors. The large number of countries means though that the opportunities are scattered and not always so easy to address. Customization, localization and differing regulations make it more difficult to operate in Asia Pacific than in a single large market such as the EU or the United States.

Chris Thorp

Managing Director, PixelBox

Our outlook for 2010 is very positive. With the onset of HD in China and across the region the commercial market seems to be maturing. We have also seen a significant increase in the online advertising sector.

Budgets are a consistent challenge, but we feel if you add as much value in terms of creative input and post direction as possible, and be open minded to your clients’ needs, this challenge can be overcome. Also, the switch to HD requires more attentive management of the job, that naturally should offset some of these budget pressures.

I think the Asia -Pacific region is a great market. The growth in the China market is attracting a lot of new participants that don’t necessarily have the experience to manage and deliver the level of work required for a market that is entering a more mature phase in its cycle. So on the plus side, China offers a lot of creative flexibility and growth opportunities; however, it is high maintenance and requires a greater degree of hands-on management compared with more developed markets. Overall though, its a very exciting place to be developing our business.

Les Luxford

Executive Producer, UFOFILM Sydney

2010 will continue to see digital cameras such as the Red take over from traditional 35mm aquisition for TV commercials and feature films. Post houses are now pretty comfortable with the Red and the results are, in certain conditions, so close to 35mm it’s hard to see the difference. 35mm will continue to be used for the highest budget projects and difficult lighting conditions, such as cars on location.

The challenge as always will be budgets. As the economy recovers clients will expect more for their money, and in many cases the budget allocated is problematic as there is simply not enough to meet the expectations. Big post houses will be challenged by the emergence of boutique post companies. Thanks to the growing acceptance of high end digital cameras like the Red and Arri’s D21, a post house no longer needs an expensive telecine chain to take on “high end” work.

Companies operating in this region understand well the local conditions, and tend to trust each other. This makes it harder for distant offshore companies from North American and Europe to have any real impact. There can be major issues when directors are imported from distant shores and they don’t appreciate the cultural differences and sensitivities of the region. 2010 should be a good year for operators in this region, with a chance to grow and improve.

Phanich Sodsee Executive Vice President Production, Workpoint Entertainment Public Company Limited What is the outlook for the 2010? What are some of the developments in the industry that will make significant impact over the next few years? There are changes in the format of TV programs production because of competition with the new media industry such as the Internet. Existing audiences may be bored of the same old programs therefore we have to come up with new ideas in order to keep them entertained. For next year live shows will be different from existing reality programs. For example, there will be real live updates on news with live video clips or the use of SMS vote. It is possible that we may combine different approaches together to make it more interesting. I believe that it will encourage further development for our business in the coming year. Moreover, introducing new programs differently will give us the opportunity to become successful in this business. What are some of the challenges that you face in your sectors of this industry? There are times when we are stuck on coming up with new ideas but we have to be able to do so. The results of those ideas are the many successful programs we have and that is the challenge. Another challenge for those who have many achievements is that to be able to follow the industry trends and understanding the audiences. The advantage is the diversity of the cultures within the region allowing the combination of different new ideas and creating new and interesting programs for the audiences. The disadvantage is that we may over look some of the interesting factors because we are used to the cultures we live in.