IR Print Quick Take: Made In Japan Animation - The 2019 Okinawa Film Festival [Okinawa, Japan]

The ultimate experience while at the Okinawa Film Festival was the visit of the CGCG Animation Studio which has the biggest motion-capture set up in Asia.Not only is CGCG Studios doing motion capture but they also are producing 3D computer graphic video using motion capture technology. The studio is now located in Tokyo and Okinawa in Japan as well as Taipei in Taiwan with just under 200 employees under the direction of CEO, Koji Matsumoto. Needless to say CGCG has become the most competitive partner for movies, tv and gaming with series such as “Blade & Soul”, game "Kamen Rider Battride War" or even the iconic “The Clone Wars” produced mainly in the Taiwan operation.On a sunny afternoon, Mr. Takeshi Yamazoe welcomed our team to the CGCG Studio in full motion capture costume to explain us the process of filming sequences using these high tech resources. Mr. Yamazoe explained how the studio is unique as it belongs both to the city of Okinawa and to private investors. It is also used as an education center as well as a commercial vehicle to produce state-of-the-art programming. Motion capture is now used in most special effect driven features, animated series and games manufacturing. With the team of CGCG studio the future is bright in this Okinawa hub.To further our animated experience we also got introduced to the maverick young prodigy: Ujicha, director of “Violence Voyager”. For his animated short, Ujicha, who graduated from Kyoto Sag Art University, used the technique called Geki-mation which is a process where paper cutouts are moved in front of a background and special effects are added. This is a unique technique giving a vivid, life like appearance to the animated endeavor.There is a richness and diversity to the CGCG studio team which contributes to their leadership position in the region as master magicians in their field.

By Emmanuel Itier