THE current technological advancements in key areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and more are crucial for developing the Malaysian creative and film industries.
With support from the government, newly formed local company Enigmar Studio plans to build a sustainable ecosystem where local as well as international productions can utilise high-level tech to provide quality visual effects (VFX) services and more.
"My mission is to promote Malaysia internationally, especially to the talented people around the world.
"I hope to bring them to Malaysia to do work here. We need more talent to grow the local industry and for the international markets to come here," said Enigmar Studio co-founder Joanne Goh in a recent interview.
A popular film producer, Goh has been in the local entertainment industry for nearly three decades and is responsible for the Malaysia International Film Festival and Malaysia Golden Global Awards, now in its seventh year running.
Goh founded Enigmar Studio with US-based Korean VFX expert, Jae Cheol Hong, who has over 25 years of experience in the field having worked in Hollywood for the likes of Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic and Disney Animation Studios.
Among the long list of blockbuster movies he's been associated with are 'Iron Man', 'Transformers', the 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' series, 'Star Wars: Episode III' and the 'Harry Potter' series.
"Malaysia has so many talented young people. To grow in the VFX industry, they just need dedication and hard work.
"It requires teamwork and the setting up of a working pipeline to bring in a group of really experienced personnel that will be supplemented by the hiring of people from here who will be trained," he said.
Hong added that they would open a training facility as well to equip college and university students so that the industry could grow organically.
"I will try to expand the industry here with high-end tech related to XR (Extended Reality, an umbrella term to refer to augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality).
"The XR tech will save a lot of time and money, and allow more creative flexibility for projects and productions which is why more people are starting to utilise it," he said.
Hong said Malaysia was a suitable candidate to spearhead this endeavour for three reasons.
"People here speak good English so it's easy to communicate and they're open minded so they have a very creative vibe.
"And, the government is also interested," he said.
Goh added that they would be working closely with the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
Hong had already been working on sharing his expertise four years ago but was derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns.
Now that things are moving again, the company is ready to start work this year.
"We've already got a few projects but we can't disclose anything before they're officially announced by the filmmakers and producers involved," said Goh.
Talking about the potential of the endeavour, Hong said: "It's the same cycle that I'm implementing here.
'In the mid-1990s that's how the various digital tech in VFX slowly blossomed in the US, which was the same thing in South Korea in 2000 where the industry had developed and just got better and better.
"So Malaysia will start learning and then eventually catch up," he said.
Goh added that in the future, Malaysian productions would not need to go overseas to places like Hong Kong or Taiwan for these services.
"They can just do it all locally and with reasonable budgets."
Goh explained that the plan was to make Malaysia the creative and film industry tech hub for Southeast Asia before spreading out to other regions as well, such as Hong Kong, China, South Korea, and Japan.
"Another incentive for foreign productions to come here is the Film In Malaysia Incentive (FIMI) which offers a 30 per cent cash rebate on the total production cost in Malaysia," she said.
Hong added that Hollywood filmmakers are always looking for new VFX companies for cost-effective work.
"They've tapped into Canada and then Europe, and are now coming to Asia."
Hong added that they were also working on tech to create seamless immersive experiences that can be applied to a wide range of things from videogaming and exhibitions to other artistic endeavours.
"I've been working on an immersive theatre project for 15 years and we're trying to bring that here too," he said.
Goh is proposing to the government to organise a special event to showcase the resources they have to make something different compared with what is usually done at local functions.
"We're also working on it now with lots of discussions and planning for something special.
"We're grooming local talent, utilising our own resources, and providing opportunities. It's an exciting time," she said.