The White Rabbit Entertainment Inc. - An Architect For Animation Dreams／兔將創意影業公司 築夢動畫
The White Rabbit Entertainment Inc. - An Architect For Animation Dreams
◎English translation: Lin Fu-ju
◎Photos courtesy of TWR, Pao Chung-hui
The White Rabbit Entertainment Inc. (TWR) is a Taiwanese company specializing in post-production animation effects. The company, named after the white rabbit in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, hopes to take each audience on an amazing journey as soon as they enter the theater.
Leading the company is CEO Li Chao-hua, who holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Cambridge. Li says that if Taiwan integrates technology with a culture of digital creativity, the country will enjoy great competitive advantages. Digital creativity in other countries has usually been supported by advanced science and technology, Pixar–a well-known animation company–being an example. While Pixar's engineers develop groundbreaking animation technologies, they regularly publish academic papers to facilitate the advance of industrial technologies. Li decided to chase his dreams after making similar observations. He invited friends with experience in R&D in Silicon Valley and post-production effects in Hollywood to join him, and they established TWR in January 2011.
TWR places great importance on research and development. The company sees technology as the engine driving the development of digital creativity. TWR is well known for its cloud technology which transforms two-dimensional animation into three dimensions, as well as its specialization in post-production and special effects. To put it simply, TWR can realize a picture in a customer's mind. From beginning to end – from brainstorming, production and special effects to release – every step is handled by specialists. TWR has offices in three time zones around the world, so it can provide international and timely services to the animation industry. By operating 24 hours per day, TWR can enhance its efficiency and productivity.
TWR's production of the Warriors of The Rainbow: Seediq Bale trailer attracted a great deal of attention and opened a door for TWR to handle the 3D animation for the new Jackie Chan movie Chinese Zodiac. In Chinese Zodiac, there are many jungle scenes, and in them each leaf must appear three-dimensional with different depths of field. Also, the vines and smoke had to be treated carefully. Making the movie was full of challenges, and TWR collaborated with more than ten companies in six different countries, a process in which cloud technology played a key role.
TWR is undoubtedly one of the brightest stars in the growing wave of digital development and the relocation of production from Hollywood to the Asia Pacific. Many animation engineers want to work for TWR, but the company's Taipei studio has very strict requirements. TWR established its Kaohsiung studio in September 2012, and it is recruiting entry-level employees. Li says there is a huge gap between academia and industrial needs, and that a common problem in the younger generation is a lack of patience when learning new things. He encourages young people to accumulate experience from training and work; learning does not happen overnight, he says. In order to enhance the quality of its staff, TWR provides employees with diverse training, such as lectures given by an effects artist who worked on the recent movie Captain America: The First Avenger, courses in drawing human bodies, and performing sessions led by an Italian lecturer. The animation industry requires frequent exchanges with people in other countries, so Li also encourages young people to sharpen their foreign-language skills. English proficiency also helps employees become familiar with English-language interfaces in animation software, he points out.
Mentioning that one of his colleagues is very good at illustrating animated cartoon faces based on how a human face moves, Li adds that such specialized and interesting technologies still need a stage. The world of animation goes beyond borders, and TWR hopes to provide a pleasant multimedia working environment for professionals who have versatile skills and who want to show their knowledge and strengths.
兔將創意影業公司 築夢動畫
◎文／侯雅婷
◎照片提供／兔將創意影業公司、鮑忠暉
來自台灣的兔將創意影業公司，專業是製作動畫後製特效，嚮往《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》的白兔，於是以故事裏那隻白兔為繆思，兔將的英文名字即取自那隻白兔─The White Rabbit(TWR)，希望觀眾踏進電影院，一段奇幻旅程就在眼前鋪展開來。
TWR領軍的是擁有劍橋大學電腦工程博士的執行長李昭樺，他表示，台灣若能結合科技與數位文創，將創造出極具競爭優勢的舞台，借鏡國外數位文創發展，皆以強大的科技為後盾，知名動畫公司Pixar的工程師在開發出突破性的新動畫科技時，亦定期發表學術論文，促使產業技術往前推進。這番觀察，讓他勇敢追夢，李昭樺邀集了具矽谷研發和好萊塢後製特效工作經驗的好友加入團隊 ，2011年1月，成立TWR。
TWR非常重視研發，視科技為數位文創發展的引擎。TWR以雲端2D轉3D的技術、後製和特效的專業而聞名，簡單的說，TWR能將客戶心中的畫面實現，從一個點子，到製作、特效乃至發行一整系列，每個環節都有專人負責。為了更貼近動畫產業的國際性和時效性，TWR於全球三個時區均設有工作室，能24小時運作以提高效率和產能。
TWR製作「賽德克巴萊」預告片引起各界矚目，開啟製作影星成龍「12生肖」3D電影版的機會，影片有許多叢林畫面，每片葉子得繪製立體感和景深，再加上藤蔓和煙霧的處理，挑戰性十足，TWR與10多家公司合作、展開跨6國的作業，雲端科技扮演關鍵的一環。
這股數位發展浪潮方興未艾，再加上好萊塢的案子朝東方發展的趨勢，TWR無疑是亮眼的新星，許多想從事動畫工作者都想到TWR一展身手，但台北工作室門檻較高，2012年9月，TWR成立高雄工作室，徵募初階人力，讓更多人得以進入TWR工作。李昭樺坦言，學界與業界需求落差極大，年輕人欠缺學習耐心是普遍的問題，他勉勵年輕後輩，學習不是一蹴可及，必須透過訓練和工作經驗的累積，TWR提供員工多元訓練，比如聘請美國隊長特效師授課、開設人體素描的課程乃至於請義大利講師教授表演等課程，提升員工素質。而動畫業與國外交流頻繁，他也鼓勵年輕人培養外語能力，在操作英文介面的軟體時也更容易上手。
李昭樺談起，團隊中有位同仁的專業是將動畫裡的卡通臉隨著人臉變化，但這樣專業且有趣的科技卻需要找到發揮的舞台，在想像力無邊界的動畫世界，TWR期提供愉快的多媒體工作環境，讓每位身懷十八般武藝的專業人得以痛快淋漓地發揮所長。