Computergenerated dreams
Genting Studios’ executive producers Daniel Regis Brown and Steven Lim have big plans up their sleeves, writes
WE’RE at the concourse area of Sky Avenue in Resorts World Genting and all around, people appear to be anxiously waiting for something to happen. Surrounding my friend and I are large LED screens that provide a spectacular panoramic view from the ground floor. Meanwhile, above us, suspended from a fourstorey high ceiling are thousands of little winch balls, still and unmoving.
From the chatter around me, I gather that we’re actually looking at Genting’s latest family entertainment attraction called SkySymphony, a free-to-public performance that showcases an enchanting orchestra of audio, visual and motion graphics programming.
Curiosity keeps us rooted to the spot — just like everyone else. Suddenly, the screens go dark. A friendly-looking sea turtle complete with a cute black maestro ribbon appears, replacing the advertisements that had been playing before. Getting onto a coral and standing upright, he taps the edge with a conductor’s baton. And as if on cue, different types of fishes and crustaceans begin to appear on the individual screens beside him, each producing a different tune played from their respective instruments. One by one, they come together as a unique under-the-sea orchestra similar to the one from The Little Mermaid.
Adding to the already vibrant atmosphere are the tiny kinetic balls that begin to move while flashing different coloured lights in time to the rhythm. At one point, the balls even begin arranging themselves into the image of a sea turtle as well as a manta ray. Standing in the middle of all the heady action, I feel as if I’ve been transported into the ocean’s depth with magical sea creatures swimming ethereally above us. A turtle formation by the kinetic winch balls to complement the story.
Unfortunately, the “party” soon ends as the maestro comes to a sudden halt and begins to eye a worm that had been nonchalantly enjoying the musical while attached to a fishing hook. The fishes rush to have him, abandoning their posts. Magically titled Ocean Groove by Maestro Ning, the computer-generated animation, Genting Studios first in-house production, had kept us all transfixed for almost five minutes. adjacent shopping mall block, they rise for a quick handshake and a round of introductions. The bespectacled Lim is the first to speak, offering me some background on what I’d just witnessed. “This (Ocean Groove by Maestro Ning) is just one of the many animations we intend to produce under the Genting Studios name. Suffice to say there are already many other production houses in this country, but we hope to be a step above them by bringing our productions to Hollywood or even Europe.”
Nodding enthusiastically, Brown chips in: “Basically, what we’re trying to do is combine Hollywood creatives with Southeast Asian economics and talents.”
The men are no strangers to the animation and film industry with more than 30 years of experience between them. However, for Lim, the slightly more reserved of the two, he never actually saw himself having a foot in the industry after graduating with an engineering and economics degree.
“I started off as a news reporter with 8TV,” he shares, adding: “From there, I continued learning the ropes and ended up as a producer for Malaysian Idol. It was after leaving 8TV and working freelance for a bit