In conjunction with this week’s Asia TV Forum and SIGGRAPH Asia, the Singapore government has announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art soundstage in the region. The special effects studio will be completed in 2011 and will allow filmmakers and production houses to shoot high-def and 3-D projects. The first building to be built will be Infinite Framework’s soundstage, according to Singapore’s Strait Times. The facility will include one large soundstage (up to 30,000 square feet) for feature films, and two smaller ones for commercial or TV work. Infinite Frameworks is the studio behind the country’s first CG-animated feature, Sing to the Dawn, which was released recently in Singapore.
According to Dr. Lee Boon Yang, the Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts, the area will add significant scale and depth to Singapore’s media infrastructure. ‘It will serve as the crucible for creating and sustaining powerful chain reactions to produce, package and distribute compelling and attractive media content and products for consumers around the world.’ Dr. Lee also announced the launch of a new $100 million media fund, put forward by Hong Kong’s Salon Film Group, which will finance films, TV series and video games.
Infinite Framework’s managing director Mike Wiluan told the local press that the soundstage will take two years to complete and will cost up to 120 million Singapore dollars. The new soundstage will be part of the bigger Mediapolis infra-structure which will be located at the new One North research and development district. The media industry contributes over $5 billion to Singapore’s gross domestic product and hires 54,000 people. In recent years, the government’s support of the animation and vfx industry has prompted global players such as Lucasfilm Animation, Sunwoo, Sparky Animation, EON Reality and Southern Star Group to open facilities in the region.
