Brian Dowrick: Founder of BaiAn 3D
What do you do after you’ve finished making CG animation for the Olympics? Brian Dowrick chose to stay in Beijing and start his own animation school, BaiAn 3D.
Tell us about working on effects for the 2008 Olympics.
I originally came to Beijing to work on the movie Red Cliff, but my company’s focus shifted to the Olympics. We did the Fuwa (the Olympic mascots) animation in-house at the same location where we did Red Cliff, but the other stuff was done in a building at the Olympic complex. We had a 40-minute taxi ride followed by two security checks, all so we could sit in an open space at the bottom of a stairwell. It was freezing cold. This, however, did not stop the mosquitoes from biting us!
Despite the mosquitoes, you decided to stay!
I’m not sure I could ever live in a place that doesn’t have hot pot.
Why did you start your own school here?
Many animators in China learn by copying key-frames from books or videos. I started my school to teach Chinese animators how to really animate – to be able to take an idea out of their head and bring it to life without copying source material. We focus on providing a foundation, so that students can intuitively understand animation. Our basic three-month course teaches how to make objects interact, and how energy moves through every action. There’s another 8-month course after that, which teaches how to put all that knowledge into a human character.
Animation in China … tell us about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Hmmm … I’ll start with the ugly. Some Chinese studios have earned a negative reputation. They do a demo with their best artists, then put their worst artists on the actual show. The bad is that because of this reputation, the only Chinese studios that get quality Western projects are those partnered with Western companies. The good? If local studios continue their partnerships with Western companies, and companies like Dreamworks and Disney keep opening studios in China, then there will be more opportunities for high-quality Chinese animators. And that’s really good.
What’s the future of the animation industry in China?
It’s funny – I get calls from studios asking for 30 good animators; they’re looking to replace the whole department! My classes are small, so I can’t help with a number that big. But it’s clear that they’re not satisfied with the local talent pool. Likewise, lots of Western studios are opening branches in China, but they’re bringing their own artists from overseas. China’s current path for animation is to keep following the West, but I’m hoping to change that future. I want to see the best animators coming from China.
For more details, visit Baian3d.com
This article originally appeared on page 48 of the January issue of the Beijinger.
Photo courtesy of Josh Fen
