News and Notes from BroadcastAsia2008 : 18 June 2008

CG Overdrive gets into high gear

Local and international studios are out in full force for Asia’s biggest computer-graphics event, and are casting for new talents to fill over 500 jobs. 

CG Overdrive 2008, Asia’s biggest computer-graphics event, was opened by Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive of MDA, yesterday.

Dr Chia noted that CG Overdrive is "experiencing vibrancy and excitement". The first edition three years ago saw approximately 2,000 local and international participants. This year, the number of participants is expected to double to about 4,000 of which 50% are from overseas.

Besides an exhibition and conference, CG Overdrive – also held at the Singapore Expo – is packed with activities including masterclasses, a business forum and networking events. Sing to the Dawn, the first Singapore-made full-length animation movie, is being previewed by Infinite Frameworks at the event.

Another area of focus is the launch of the inaugural Jedi Master Program Summer Educators' Symposium. This joint collaboration between Lucasfilm Animation and CG Overdrive is targeted at educators in the digital media fields. This key event will help to forge closer links between the industry and educators, with the aim of raising the standards and quality of digital media education and graduates.

Recruitment efforts are also a highlight, with local and international studios casting for new talents to fill over 500 jobs.

Mr Olivier De Rotalier, Managing Director of Ubisoft Singapore, has plans to recruit up to 300 staff over the next “four or five years” as the French computer and video-game publisher establishes a local presence. He is seeking to fill “all the jobs in video games”, such as artists, designers, developers and project managers.

Codemasters Studios, with 100 staff in its Kuala Lumpur operations, aims to expand its headcount by 20 to 30 people – including artists in modeling, textures and animation, as well as programmers and testers – so that “in the near future, we’ll become a full-fledged games studio”, said its HR manager Kuan Sook Mee.

Likewise, Singapore’s Scrawl Studios – creator of the animated Nanoboy series – is looking to beef up its 30-strong team.

For more information, go to http://www.cgoverdrive.com/index.htm

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