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That young Asian talent forms the core of Lucasfilm's Singapore team. Ian Pang, 29 and Singaporean, studied Japanese thinking he would one day have to move to Japan to design video games. "I thought I was going to have to pack my bags; Singapore had no games industry," Pang says. Instead, he now produces the latest Star Wars handheld game from Lucasfilm's 40,000 sq.-ft. (3,700 sq m) office space near Singapore's Changi Airport. Ho, the computer-science student, says he struggled to convince his parents that he could make a living in digital...
...Since arriving at Lucasfilm, both Pang and Dunsmoor have gotten intensive training in classical art, and their more experienced colleagues have helped them sharpen their technical knowledge. Those skills can be applied to any medium Lucasfilm works in, from feature films to TV animation to video games. "We keep talent by letting them work on all our projects, from games to movies to TV. Nobody else in this business gets to do that," says Micheline Chau, Lucasfilm's president and COO. Being able to create content across several disciplines, Chau adds, is "the new world order in entertainment...
Animation is even cheaper when it's produced in Asia, but Lucasfilm executives deny that cost cutting brought them to the region. Still, the move has allowed them to experiment with new ideas--including its first animated TV show--and take chances on young talent without as much financial risk. The Singapore studio's less experienced artists demand lower salaries than their California counterparts, and Lucasfilm doesn't have to navigate U.S. immigration laws to hire them. And by making use of the 16-hr. time difference between Singapore and San Francisco, Lucasfilm has essentially doubled its productivity...
Disney announced a similar alliance last June with India's Yash Raj Films, one of Bollywood's premier studios. The two companies will produce a series of computer-animated films in Hindi using nearly all local talent. Their first co-production, Roadside Romeo, is set for release later this year. "We believe that China, India and Russia are the main strategic markets from which our growth will come in the future," says Jo Yan, senior vice president of sales, co-productions and acquisitions for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Asia Pacific. "But at this point we're not arrogant enough...
...Lucasfilm's biggest challenge is snatching up the best talent within Singapore's burgeoning digital-arts community before rivals move in. In November, the studio launched the Jedi Masters Program, a two-year paid apprenticeship designed to attract Singaporean students like Travis Ho. Lucasfilm better move fast. Ho, who won't graduate for another two years, has already co-founded a small video-game development firm that has gotten government and foreign contracts. "It's a small operation," Ho says. "But we're doing pretty innovative stuff for beginners." It's no match for Lucasfilm yet, but who knows...