1、本科毕业论文（设计） 外 文 翻 译 原文 ： Malaysian animation at the crossroads Taylor and Malaysias first animation television series was screened in 1995. In less than ten years, the industry has produced numerous ongoing animation TV series, feature films and telemovies. This is an unprecedented feat among the ASE
2、AN countries, considering that Malaysia does not have established studios, as in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Although these countries offer animation services to foreign studios, none of them has its own ongoing feature films or TV series. It would seem, then, that the Malaysia
3、n long-form animation industry is on the threshold of greater things to come. However, the general consensus among producers and practitioners is that the industry is not headed anywhere. Breaking into the global market is the possible answer, but this is easier said than done. Except for the output
4、 of a few studios, quality is substandard or just average. The majority of the producers are satisfied with supplying animation series only to Radio-Televisyen Malaysia (RTM, the Government channel), as it is the only TV station that pays about US$10,000 for a half-hour animation episode. All other
5、TV stations only offer about US$500. A common complaint among producers is that animation graduates are only trained in animation techniques but lack knowledge in areas such as story, miseen-scene , cinematography, editing and acting. There is no specialization in local studios, and animators have t
6、o double-up as writers, directors and designers. With this kind of scenario, the Governments desire to create more local content especially content that reflects a national identity appears to be compromised. This paper will, firstly, look at the state of the long-form animation industry and its dev
7、elopment. Secondly, it will look at animation training, and whether students are being properly prepared for the real world. Lastly, this paper will look at the foreign influences on narrative, design and techniques of Malaysian animators, and whether a uniquely Malaysian identity is being forged. T
8、he state of the industry The average price offered by TV stations for a half-hour episode is only about US$500. Therefore, the only avenue open to producers is RTM, which in 1995, offered about US$12,000. This drew producers into the industry, who thought that by finishing three or four episodes a m
9、onth, they could recoup their investments and make a profit at the same time. Without the necessary experience and knowledge, some of them soon ended up in the red, including missing the deadlines for delivery. So as to deliver on time and reduce expenses, some producers cut corners by compromising
10、on the animation. RTM, to its credit (?), recognized the difficulty of producing animation, and overlooked the shortcomings during the early stages. The economic downturn of the late 1990s caused RTM to cut its budget per episode by 15 percent. Whereas previously RTM commissioned producers, it now d
11、ecided to have an open tender system. This created havoc in the industry, resulting in some animation studios not getting any contracts, while studios that had been just set up and without animation production experience, received more than one tender. Some of these studios farmed out the animation
12、to smaller companies instead of handling it with their own in-house personnel. Others got some of the work done cheaply in the Philippines or Indonesia, which actually defeated the governments objective to encourage the development of an animation industry using local manpower. The unsuccessful stud
13、ios had to retrench their staff as they could not afford the high overheads. And as if that was not enough, the delay in getting the approved tenders resulted in the selected studios temporarily laying off their staff. Many animators and other creative staff were disillusioned by the situation and n
14、ever came back to the animation industry, moving on to unrelated, but more stable jobs. This was a big loss to the industry as all of them had been trained by these studios, and had had years of experience. The problem became further compounded with RTM commissioning only one season of 13 episodes a
15、nd spreading it out over many studios. Previously there were only about eight studios and this worked well as they went on to do about four seasons each. James Ooi of Makmur Megah lamented over this fact: The cake is now smaller and our overheads are higher. RTM just doesnt understand our problems (
16、personal interview, 12 August 2005). The only way out for him and the other producers was for their programmes to be sold overseas. Marketing woes The Government was aware that exporting local animation would help to galvanize the industry and make it less dependent on RTM. Many efforts have been ma
17、de to promote animation globally by the Government through various agencies such as the National Film Development Corporation (FINAS), and the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC). But with the tight deadline and low returns locally (now at US$10,000 per episode), producers were not able to reac
18、h an optimum level of quality that would enable them to sell their animation series overseas. Participation at film markets was also an added financial burden for animation producers, as most are only set up to do animation (except for those who had other television programmes 节目 to sell). Without a
19、n overseas market, producers cannot spend more money to employ skilled personnel who can enhance production values acceptable to an international audience. And quality productions could only be realized with the involvement of qualified animators. Animation graduates woes This has put animation grad
20、uates in a quandary. Even when employed by these studios,they are not really able to put their knowledge and training to proper use as all the TV series use the cel animation technique, whereas the majority of graduates are trained in 3D animation. Only three institutions of higher learning have for
21、mal training courses in cel animation techniques, the rest specialize in teaching 3D animation techniques. Cel animators need a high skill level for figure drawing and animation methodology. This takes many years to master, and so producers end up providing training, thus slowing down production. Compounding the problem is the absence of specialization of labour. A professional studio requires key staff, usually made up of the Executive Producer, Director, Writer, Animation Director, Art Director, and Character/ Costume/Props and Background Designers. But in a typical
