Animation Options’ Kevin Geiger recently pitched new animation projects and delivered presentations at Animation Production Day & FMX in Stuttgart in his capacity as President of Magic Dumpling Entertainment, a Beijing-based development company creating original animation content for family audiences.
For more information, refer to the Magic Dumpling press page.
The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) announced earlier today that the Beijing Cultural and Creative Industry Cluster Area, the animation film/TV industrial zone in the Xiamen Software Park, and the animation industrial park in the Shenyang High-tech Industrial Development Zone have officially been designated as the fourth generation of national animation industry bases.
There are now 18 national animation industry bases and 8 national animation instruction and research bases throughout mainland China.
The 2008 National Senior Research Class in Animation Script Writing wrapped up today here at the Beijing Film Academy, and I was honored to be voted “Best Instructor” by the class of Chinese animation professionals.
See the Animation Options press page for additional info and pics.
I have been pleased to serve as the American co-host for the National Administration of Culture’s 2008 National Senior Research Class in Animation Script Writing, held at the Beijing Film Academy. Although my responsibilities have severely cut into my blogging time, it has been a remarkable experience. 
In addition to my seminars on story development, I delivered the following address at the opening ceremony:
Good morning. It is my great honor and pleasure to welcome you to the 2008 National Senior Research Class in Animation Script Writing, sponsored by the National Administration of Culture.
The Chinese animation industry is in a state of cultural inheritance and continual innovation. China is now the fastest growing animation market in the world, with rapid development in creative production capacity. The Chinese industry and market is prized by media giants here and abroad.
However, the Chinese animation industry faces a series of challenges, such as a shortage of professionals, limited financing channels, and a relative lack of original content. The most pressing challenge to be faced is how to write good scripts that appeal to global audiences while staying true to the rich history of Chinese culture.
Truly, the script is the heart and soul of the film. The quality of the script directly influences the success of the movie. Excellent scripts require not only inspiration, but also skill and structure. Accordingly, the National Administration of Culture is proud to present this exclusive series of animation screenwriting and story seminars at the Beijing Film Academy for our select group of conference attendees.
Each one of you is an experienced professional in your own right. At this conference, you have the benefit of sharing information from a notable group of speakers with backgrounds in film, animation, comics and games. The goals of these sessions are threefold:
• To improve the theoretical and practical abilities of Chinese animation and media professionals
• To apply successful development strategies and experiences from China and abroad
• To enhance and promote animation screenwriting, marketing and salesThere is a common human need for stories. Good stories fulfill human aspirations and the desire for resolution. In this regard, screenwriters are truly the architects of dreams. It is our hope that this conference will give today’s film architects the materials to engineer the dreams of tomorrow.
With this in mind, we wish you a productive and fruitful experience at the 2008 National Senior Research Class in Animation Script Writing.
An article on the event (in Chinese) may be found here.
Cheers,
Kevin Geiger
Haven’t blogged substantively in ages because I’ve been up to my eyeballs in it in Beijing: consulting, speaking, teaching and tai-chi-ing. Hope to return to writing soon. In the meantime, there are a few pics here. See if you can figure out what the folks in the third photo down are doing, and how it relates to production. 
(Answers in my next post.)
