Ilonggo 2D Animators aim high
By Ronelo Ladiao
Published in
Iloilo
City
local newspapers: The News Today,
Sunstar Iloilo,The daily Guardian, The Daily Informer, News Express and Yuhum Newsmagazine.
“There’s no better life than
living your lifelong passion,” says 21-year-old Robert Lorenz Gustilo, one of
the 35 talented graduating second batch of Professional Assistant 2D Animation
scholars at Western Visayas College of Science and Technology. Like the rest of
his fellow animators born with unique gifts, Robert is both skilled to draw Anime
(Japanese style of animation or Manga), realistic or portraiture and has
interest in doing Western or American style of animation (inspired by Walt
Disney, Looney Tunes, Cartoon Network, Marvel or DC Comics).
Since last year, this breakthrough
project that geared towards the empowerment of the upcoming Ilonggo animators
was a visionary effort of the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) under the leadership of its Secretary General Augusto “Boboy”
Syjuco in collaboration with the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc.
(ACPI). With TESDA’s effort to provide effective programs and employment opportunities
to many less privilege Filipinos, the 3-months Professional Assistant 2D
Animation was included in the list of courses they presently offered. TESDA is
responsible in accepting applicants with potentials in 2D Animation after they
passed the level 1 examination provided by ACPI that decides who among them
will be granted with scholarships. As TESDA’s scholars, these youngblood
Ilonggo animators were also given the privilege to be called as “president’s
scholars” since this is one of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s major priority
to provide better job opportunities and alleviate poverty according to TESDA-Iloilo
Director, Lorena Yunque.
After completing the course
requirements and graduation, the scholars will be given a series of
examinations by ACPI to choose who among them will be absorbed for employment
or recommend to some international animation companies abroad.
The first batch of 2D Animators composed
of day and night class had undergone training since November last year and
graduated last April 11 this year are already starting their career by
accepting freelance projects that involves advertising and commercials.
“As 2D Animators, it is our goal
to promote the Ilonggo talent globally which I believe could open a doorway for
better jobs to many aspiring animators,” says the 20-year-old Marx Ydroy Silva,
member of APEX Animation and Creative Studios. For him, patience and perseverance
works well when you’re an animator since it involves hard work and sleepless
nights to finish even just a 5-minute animation. Their newly-founded animation
studio is composed of day class animators from the first batch of graduates who
are all are busy finishing their entries (entitled “Kamalig” and “Medalyon”) for
ACPI 2D Animation contest next month. The
first batch group project, an animation version of the historical “Barter of
Panay” recently gained attention on national TV due to its cultural relevance,
highlighting the promising potential of the Ilonggos in the expanding animation
industry.
Likewise, the second batch of 2D Animators
that started their training last April this year will hopefully graduate later
this month. Supposedly, they are only required to be trained in In-betweening
(IB) and Clean-up (CU) tasks that are both involve in only one department of an
animation studio out of 10. But their animation instructors decided to train
them further in scriptwriting, storyboard-making, character creation, digital
inking (involves using Adobe Photoshop for coloring and Cartoon Television
Program or CTP for line testing), and composting (combining of scenes) that
makes up the whole 10 departments.
Presently, the second batch of
animators is stretching their patience and talents by finishing a group project
which is a 5-minute fantasy-inspired yet informative animation of WVCST symbolic
statue aside from their respective individual projects. The plot of their group
project will revolve around the adventures of TASI (reverse of ISAT, old name
of WVCST) inside the school after he was turned into a real boy for one day. On
the other hand, their individual projects will involve each one of them to
create their own cartoon character, script, and storyboard and animates it.
They were even preparing to make their own entries for ACPI later this year and
had already started to build a website to post their outputs. Some of them are planning
to pursue advance 3D animation after graduation.
“Though animation takes years of
training before you can master this craft, our 3-months 2D Animation course
inspired us to pursue our continuous training even after graduation with hopes
to prove our worth,” 24-year-old Leonard Salvarino uttered while finishing his
drawings on top of his lightbox (a bulb-lighted-wooden-box with round plastic
flatform used by animators in drawing). As the elected president of night class
animators, he never gets tired reminding his classmates about their project
deadlines and inspiring them to work together.
Likewise, the day class of second
batch animators always looks up to 19-year-old Jonah Buenvenida when it comes
to decision making and suggestions how to improve their outputs as their class
president. With his passion and optimism for this craft, he has these sensible
words to share: “I believe Ilonggo animators are unique because we have a rich
cultural heritage that could inspire us in animating wonderful stories, historical
events, folklore and legends. Ilonggos are also diligent, hardworking and
creative”.
For Bryan Jandonero, an 18-year-old
computer programming student has decided to quit schooling for a while just to
focus his attention in 2DAnimation. For him, becoming an animator is tough and
challenging.
“Imagine this; I need to draw 24
frames of step-by-step action to animate a cartoon character every second
required in a Western or American style of animation to make the movement
smooth after it is scanned and line-tested in the computer. But for Japanese
Anime, it is much easier to draw because it only requires four frames per
second,” he quips while sharpening his pencil.
“But they say we need to adapt to
the Western style of animation because this is much more in-demand and
profitable these days among Filipino animators,” he added.
“Aside from having an opportunity
to express our creativity, I enjoy our bonding and friendship that will make us
stronger to face any challenges that will come our way,” reveals Janelyn
Minerva of day class, a 21-year-old Information Technology student of WVCST.
Aside from enjoying her usual responsibility in the scanning department, she also
takes charge of making sure his batchmates had their snacks and coffee
especially during late evenings of working together at school.
WVCST community as an educational
institution has already proven its outmost trust and confidence to the excellence
of Ilonggo artists never fails to show full support to this worthwhile project
that will put not only the
province
of
Iloilo
but the whole
Western
Visayas
in the limelight. This project will not be realized and
succeed without the active support of WVCST administrators headed by Dr. Luis
Sorolla, Jr. (President), Dr. Marjorie Caipang (Vice President for Academics),
Prof. Edwin Fos (Vice President for Administration) and the whole faculty and
staff.
Though it takes a lot of courage,
patience and passion to teach, the WVCST Computer Department led by Maureen
Nettie Navarrosa (Department Head), Rolly Gambol (Project Manager), and 2D
Animator Instructors Randy Tolentino, Maricel Blitanas, Paul Penuela, Carlo
Sira, Manfred Von Magat and Roslin John Robles never hesitated to give a sense
of direction for these upcoming Ilonggo animators. Presently, there are already
more than 80 2D Animators that included the first and the graduating second
batch to work for a special project in the near future.
With today’s growing popularity of
Filipinos in 2D animation internationally, foreign animation companies are
determined on hiring Filipino animators due to their competitive quality of
works. In fact, Filipino animators had contributed a lot in some
Hollywood
animation movies and cartoon series in the past
but were not given proper credit or recognition.
Now with the present boosting of
Filipino talents in the animation industry, the Ilonggo animators in
particular, are starting up something good and catching up with the challenges
of globalization.
Every dream has always been entailed
with sacrifices and risks before it can be fulfilled. But after a dreamer
proved its worth, he will finally realize that every dream is worth fighting
for at the end of the day.
But for now, these hopeful Ilonggo
2D Animators needs to spend more sleepless nights making their imaginations come
alive, keep their pencils sharp and stay beside their lightbox if they wanted
to bring their lifelong passion to the next level.
