Summary
Highlights
Ahmed Zim introduces himself as the founder of Dramatic Studio, a company that has been in the industry for 10 years. He shares his story of working for another company for three and a half years before deciding to venture out on his own to pursue his creative dream.
Ahmed presents a demo reel showcasing some of Dramatic Studio's projects, including work for Boruto, and collaborations on 'The One That Got Away' and an R&D studio project. He also mentions working on a McDonald's ad in 2021.
Dramatic Studio specializes in pre-production, animation, and graphic design, with a goal to deliver homegrown content to a global audience. Ahmed reflects on the studio's humble beginnings, starting in a rented house, and working on projects for Japanese animations like Koku, Boruto, and Doru.
Ahmed recounts quitting his job in 2016 at age 27 to chase his dream of creating his own animated IP. He describes entering the Intellectual Property Creators Challenge (IPCC) with various ambitious projects, including a robot IP and an animation based on 'The Tale of Bidadari'.
Despite pitching seven times andFacing repeated rejections, Ahmed emphasizes the importance of embracing failures and learning from past experiences. He advises that not everyone will like your ideas, and one must expect to fail often. He used the IPCC platform to network and secure animation service work, fostering a supportive ecosystem within the industry.
Ahmed details how networking led to his first opportunity to work with a Japanese animation company on 'Koku.' He highlights the experience of completing challenging projects like 'Boruto' and 'Black Clover.' He then provides advice on starting a company: finding like-minded friends, registering with SSM, avoiding early loans, and recording earnings.
Ahmed stresses the importance of meeting deadlines, being honest about capabilities, and maintaining good professional relationships. He showcases a short animated film 'Kao' made during the pandemic, reflecting on industry challenges, including the impact of AI on animation.
During the Q&A, Ahmed explains that IPCC key criteria involve representing Malaysian stories, culture, and unique local narratives. He advises incorporating Malaysian identity into IP designs. He also shares insights from working with Japanese animation companies, emphasizing the treasure of seeing local names in international IP end credits and the importance of meeting strict deadlines.
Ahmed advises aspiring 3D animators to build a portfolio with unique personal concepts and a diversity of styles (Western, personal, not just anime). He suggests treating final year projects as potential products for industry pitches, drawing inspiration from successful animated series like 'Family Guy' which started as a student project.
Ahmed shares the winning pitch for his short film 'Kara' at the newly rebranded DC3 competition (formerly IPCC). He highlights strategies for effective pitching: concise presentations with animation GIFs, storytelling based on Malaysian folklore with a unique spin, clearly defining target audiences, crafting strong loglines and character goals, and using visuals over excessive text in pitch decks. He also stresses the importance of highlighting an IP's unique selling points.
Ahmed discusses the challenges faced during 'Kamario's' production, particularly training interns during the pandemic who lacked proper in-person experience. He emphasized the need for hands-on training and making compromises on detailed backgrounds. He views the project as a learning curve, prioritizing completion and future improvements. He also shares how his team learned from various perspectives, including from director Matt Lun.
Ahmed confirms Dramatic Studio accepts interns, valuing desire and good drawing skills. He also addresses questions about video game IP creation and how MDA (now DC3) encourages Malaysian representation in stories. Regarding potential breakthroughs in Malaysian animation, he suggests creating emotionally resonant stories that connect with local or Asian audiences, similar to 'Papa Zola', and developing highly skilled 2D animators for Jujutsu Kaisen-level quality. He encourages young animators to consider their final year projects as industry-level endeavors.
Ahmed discusses his preference for older anime styles (like Ranma 1/2 and El Hazard) for their unique storytelling and world-building, contrasting them with modern 'cookie-cutter' styles. He advises striking a balance between story and action in animation. He also touches on the use of AI in animation, cautioning against using it as a 'cheap way' to create content and stressing the importance of maintaining the 'human factor' and soul in artistic output.