Saladin - The Animated Series

[paintbox]

Only had time to watch a bit of the trailer, but it looks very nice. Very good art-direction and the animation looks pretty smooth as well.

[de_tomato]

so its finally done? it was started like many many years ago.. i wonder how much money they get fr the government to do this animated series?! not so impress tho if taking the time to make the series into account.. too bad.

[Buexe]

I really like the visual style and the effects. But is this supposed to be a children tv series?
Seems imo a little bit brutal for young children.
Good luck though!

[satoribomb]

I really like the character designs and lighting there. The narration is a bit stilted, and the reverse stereotypes are amusing. Still, I'd love to see how this would fare in a christian or other western country - watch those folks get the other side of the story, as it were.

[thematt]

looks like they invest a huge amount of money on the trailer doing something like that on an entire TV show seems impossible.But if you guys pulled it off, then hat off to you.

Will try to look at tit if ever it aim here.Still I wonder how much was invest in it.

good job anyway.

cheers

[ParamountCell]

looks very good, any idea what countries and channels that this show will be showed?

[dobermunk]

From the trailer, I feel the dramatic potential of Saladin is reduced to that of a placatative hero. There is no inner tension even alluded to! Unfortunate - as this is one of the greatest figures in history with an incredibly rich story. Hope the series has more story than this.
The production level oth looks quite good for a series.

David

[GoranNF]

The trailer looks very promising.Congratulations and I wish you guys good luck.

[weak_pig]

Apparently, they are going to distribute this 13-episode series in the Middle East, China and West (presumably the States?). You can read more about it in the news here.

http://www.disciplesworld.com/newsArticle.html?wsnID=9120

[de_tomato]

The project, expected to be completed by late 2007 or by mid-2008, could cost up to 10 million ringgit (US$2.7 million) in production and marketing, he said.

hmm.. isint the porject took off like 5 (or more?) years ago? And only 10 million ringgit? Probly they got confuse with the figure? Too bad none to the related party can fill us out here.

[veljko-lemonade]

excellent!:)
really lovely, the water sequences and the fire effects are looking great
best of luck to all of the people involved, i hope its a smashing succes,
from the look of the trailer you deserve it!:)

[ajsfuxor]

I for one dont think its getting the credit it deserves. The style looks fantastic, and its definately not the same talking animal crap hollywood is spitting out these days. I dont care if it costs billions to make is is 50yrs overdue, it looks great, and it good to see some seriousness in animation these days.

Looks very very cool IMO.

Well done guys.

[Lunatique]

Wow, it's finally done. We (back when I worked at Optidigit) were involved with it at one point in the past, but it looked like a project that was dead in the water for a long time. Guess they finally got the ball rolling (unless this is a totally different project apart from the one we were involved with). It looks really good, but it would be unrealistic to sustain that level of quality for the entire series, unless they get ridiculous amount of funding. I know the Malaysians took a lot of pride in the project, as Saladin is such an important folk hero, and Malaysia has desperately wanted to carve out a place in the international CG market (just about every developed country has a strong interest in the CG market) for years now.

Here's an article about it: http://news.tmcnet.com/news/2006/04/07/1550100.htm

[lazzhar]

Looks great.
Why links are pointing to thumbs?
I'm posting direct links if you don't mind:
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7913/test1ii.jpg
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1849/test19je.jpg
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3017/test28lm.jpg
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/9356/test39lq.jpg
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/600/test49og.jpg

[Slurry]

The quality looks fantastic. well above what I would expect for a TV series.
The character design for Saladin reminds me of Dreamworks (Sinbad, Prince of Egypt)

Great stuff. I hope you guys are very successful with this.

Art :cool:

[umjetnik]

very nice indeed

[Pentagramma]

Congrats to all involved, looks great. The fluid/fire effects are excelent, and the sequence is very cinematic (even if I didn´t like very much the music - a sequence as this deserved a better soundtrack).

Anyway, looks like a cool project to be in. Good luck!

[yhloon]

Probly they got confuse with the figure?

:twisted:I think so...


top quality in malaysia...but i wonder, will the other 13 episodes look the same?
I watch the trailer early this january, where one of my supplier involve in the sound effect and music, I was so suprise and couldn't believe that is from my country, jaw drop :applause:

[mahir]

I'm very impressed with the design of the characters and the look of it all. The animation is also top-notch. The look does seem inspired by the Disney style which in itself is not a bad thing. The combination of angular lines and smooth curves is a nice mix and definitely something I'd like to attempt in my next character modelling project. I really do hope they give the characters and story the level of respect they deserve - I'm more for a slightly serious adult depiction that stays true to the source than a lighter Disney's Aladdin/Sinbad movie version. From the looks of it so far it's off to a good start.

I'm definitely looking forward to how this one turns out.

[SpiralFace]

Man this stuff looks awsome.

I whould love to see the series, but judgeing from the graphic nature and the fact that I live in a primarily christian country, I can only hope Cartoon Network's adult swim block decides to sindicate it here.

Good work to everyone that worked on it.

[Wei2k]

The design is really awesome; wish they didn't feel the need to thow in the slow mo fx, it does get overused. if they can keep up this level of animation, it's going to put most US animated shows to shame.

[yuen]

msc finally can see want can we produce.......
it was a good jump start for malaysia cg world.
goverment finally can see the talent in malaysia.that was great man.

[switchblade327]

As mentioned before, this quality of television animation seems like it would be incredibly difficult to sustain, both timewise and financially-speaking.

Of course, I only say that because this trailer looks fantastic. I love the Disney-meets-3d art style and the serious, adult tone to it (FINALLY!!!). Great job, everyone who worked on this. You should be proud.

I'll definitely keep an eye out for complete episodes and I hope they find their way to the states.

[mistaman]

I am wondering - does anyone know how much something like this would cost to make? i.e. specifically the trailer... (especially in the US)

[seng83]

so proud to see a malaysian cg movie in this great standard...i want to congrat to those animators and seniors who involve in this movie trailer. you guyz really amazing and i proud that you all success to grap back some attention from government and 'malaysian animators' as well... wish to see a higher standard 'malaysian cg movie' soon !!

gogogogo !!

[ABin123]

incredible~~ good job:eek:

[losb]

Looks great, but it is along time until we get to see the series. And how long are those 13 episodes going to be?

[Mysterious X]

that's just off the hook..and the good part is that I live 5 mins away from MSC's offices..

hope my friends and I could find an intership slot and work on the project :drool:

[Nemoid]

despite i had to wait a long time to download it. the trailer was very good. animation was cool , considering its a Tv series. and i liked character design. :)

[anakinbrego]

Great stuff, I love it! Lets just hope the Clone Wars CG animated series from Singapore looks this good! Hey they're also planning on making the Saladdin the movie too! http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=saladin.tv

[ArtisticVisions]

Looks like a pretty promising show to me; I really like the art design that they used and the animation is definately well above the standard quality of TV animation.

[Emiliano]

Anyone knows which software were involved ?
I like very much the art, the lighting, the uses of DOF, sometimes looks like paintings.
Cheers for the team and for Malaysia.
Emiliano

[de_tomato]

Anyone knows which software were involved ?
I like very much the art, the lighting, the uses of DOF, sometimes looks like paintings.
Cheers for the team and for Malaysia.
Emiliano

The production house (SilverAnt) uses Maya a lot.

[de_tomato]

From our local news:



Six-minute, RM20m trailer comes under scrutiny

This is the amount spent by the Creative Application Development Centre to develop a trailer for the film, Saladin. The centre is under the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC).

The stunning disclosure on the animated movie came from DAP Seputeh member Teresa Kok who told the House that the money on the project was spent over a six-year period, begining 2000.

“Even more galling was that the pre-production script was written by a foreigner. A million (ringgit) was paid to the American script writer. Officials from MDeC also used the excuse of having to liase with the American director to travel to the US regularly.”

However, after six years of plodding, the MDeC failed to produce the movie.

“The right to produce the movie has been given to Silver Ant Sdn Bhd and Imaginex Studios Sdn Bhd,” said Kok.

“The film has been turned into a television serial. Now, MDeC is asking for more funds under the 9th Malaysia Plan for this project. Is this not a waste of public funds, and indirect corruption?” she thundered.


So as a Malaysian, you will know why we are aint proud with this 'Saladin'. Its all bout the money and corruption. Its rather make us look bad and stupid. Sigh.

Source Link (http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/MM/Thursday/National/20060420102319/Article/index_html)
edit: link added

[Lunatique]

If the feature film had actually gone into production, it would've been directed by an American too. The simple matter of fact is that Malaysians are not exactly confident in the level of talent in their own country--that's why they hired an American screenwriter. The general consensus is that getting someone who's knows how to appeal to a broader audience (the Americans are great at it--look at Hollywood) will greatly benefit the entire project and give it that extra push in the direction of success.

As far as corruption goes--well...anyone in Malaysia should understand how that game is played by now, so no comment. :D At least you guys got a trailer out of it. You know how much money the government of China has sunken into CG animated films that never saw the light of day? I personally know guys who made off with a lot of money but didn't produce squat here. So consider yourselves lucky I guess. :)

[hampsty]

If the feature film had actually gone into production, it would've been directed by an American too. The simple matter of fact is that Malaysians are not exactly confident in the level of talent in their own country--that's why they hired an American screenwriter. The general consensus is that getting someone who's knows how to appeal to a broader audience (the Americans are great at it--look at Hollywood) will greatly benefit the entire project and give it that extra push in the direction of success.

As far as corruption goes--well...anyone in Malaysia should understand how that game is played by now, so no comment. :D At least you guys got a trailer out of it. You know how much money the government of China has sunken into CG animated films that never saw the light of day? I personally know guys who made off with a lot of money but didn't produce squat here. So consider yourselves lucky I guess. :)

Everything was VERY well said. ^^ This might just be the beginning after all, and spending those amount of money.. while I would agree it's quite insane, but hopefully things will improve over time if they ever anymore project to come.

[mistaman]

Dear All,

I think we should not cloud our minds with news reports that come from tabloids which has no real basis or facts.

The saladin project has not ended - and it was never about spending RM 20 Million on a trailer. This is blatantly a very ludicrous statement from a member of parliament in Malaysia that has no understanding of the malaysian animation industry or even globally.

For an industry starting just to grow in Malaysia with everyone's eyes on us .. (http://www.animationmagazine.net/ or http://www.animationmagazine.net/article.php?article_id=5313) - Malaysians have to throw in the spanner to break the motion apart.

Let me introduce myself - I am Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, Manager MDeC. The Saladin project is one of the many projects that I work on. This is part of a larger initiative called the MSC Creative Multimedia Content Initiative or M-CMCMI.

The real objective of Saladin is to put together all the creative talents in Malaysia and around the world to create an original intellectual property that we could showcase to the world. It may have some commercial value but its major contribution to Malaysia is to showcase what Malaysians can offer.

No - the trailer did not cost RM 20 million to do. I laugh at this - because those who really in the industry should know how much an episode of CG would cost to make. And I know for a fact, it is nowhere near the RM 20 million that has been said.

This project is about industry building - building the capacity for the future. It is about the ability to give malaysians a chance to tell stories, to craft their ideas and share it with the world. It is about the impending wealth creation that could come from giving a people a chance to try what Malaysia has to offer.

The project is now at the stage of the production of a 2 episode pilot. If you were lucky enough to download the RFP, it states specifically that the cost should not be above the ceiling of RM1 mil. Once awarded, the responding organization will have to strive for the same quality as the trailer. This is the benchmark.

I have only replied on this forum as this is a forum that understands the trials and tribulations of an industry (especially in Malaysia) that has been misunderstood. MDeC sees the potential of its people like many around the world... I am just appalled at the spirit of other Malaysians who see this as corruption.

We want to build the future - we cannot do it alone. We need all the support we can get. We're trying to build your future. I think, I know Malaysia will rise to the occasion.

'Where will our journey take us?"

[seng83]

really gald to see this reply and this is really a big encouragement for us( youngters).

gogogo!

[mistaman]

Chee seng to tell you the truth i have seen your ayam productions. I am amazed.
work hard young one. Hopefully the future will be brighter for you

[hampsty]

Wow, that is a surprise Mistaman ( Mr Hasnul Hadi Samsudin)! Thankyou for the effort to help the local CG industry. :) Hopefully overtime the controversy will die down when things improve! I'm glad MDEC didn't give up Saladin, it looks really potential so far for a good story plot rolling. Keep it up!

[terenctb]

I have known about Saladin for a while, when our old office was in Cyber Jaya. I must they I am very vertoy impressed and inspired by the fact that Malaysian's have done this. I would ask those who care and know how much work it takes to do this of this level of quality to support the people who did it.

It is silly and childish to talk negatively about so many people who have put alot of hard work into bring a vision of such quality to fruit, and I am dissapoint with some people who should know better.

Sure the industry is hard on some of us, but perhaps this shows us a light at the end of the tunnel at we should work towards instead of just making disparaging remarks.

[yhloon]

Hi mistaman

excelent work, I belive the quality is one of the best i've seen...:)

I'm wondering how many people are working on this project in total?
and how many people are involve in the CG: modeling, animation etc...

once again, excellent work

Loon

[mistaman]

Hi,

For the benefit of the foreign audience here, MDeC is the company tasked in driving the transformation of Malaysia through ICT. The development of the Digital Content industry is one of our mandates. Our department (Creative Multimedia Department) is the group tasked to handle this mandate.

Specific to the project: Managed by an MDeC appointed producer, the conceptual arts and pre-production was created with 6 artists. This has created the characters, backgrounds and overall look and feel of the project.

As this is a project to catalyze the local animation industry - MDeC, through a tender, appointed Silverant (http://www.silver-ant.com) to produce trailer based 3 Pages of the script.

The total number of artists/animators who worked for this project from Silverant's side - is around 25 individuals. The project was completed in 3 months. (Silverant is very much a MAYA house)

The sound you hear today was a proof of ability by another local malaysian company, Imaginex Studios (http://www.imaginexstudios.com/) , who had mixed it in 5.1 surround. This team was about 6 person strong.

Hope this answers your question.

[Cocefi]

Saladin is looking great. Excellent job to those who're involved. This should give the local animation industry a big boost. :thumbsup:

[The Funimator]

I'm very proud of Malaysia! At last we are moving to the world class. :thumbsup:
I'm looking forward to see Saladdin series to be born soon! :beer:

[DavidKwok]

Dear Mr Hasnul Hadi Samsudin

Wow. I trully respect you.

Every story always has 2 sides. Whatever it is, the bottomline is that the objective has been met. And it is really a noble move. To me, he is indeed the Malaysia Hero. A man brave enough to make things change and believe in his people. I seldom see a govt person actually bothered to come to any forum. And that speaks louder than words.

3 cheers to Malaysia for their effort.

David Kwok
Chairman
Singapore Animators Connection
dkcm@rocketmail.com
http://www.tinyisland.net/SAC2004.html

[mistaman]

David,

And I of you (respect that is). Been following your enthusiasm and work on building the community in Singapore. I managed to stumble upon your vigor in the IGDA forums telling your fellow singaporeans of opportunities.

One day we shall cross path - and I think - very soon i will be making a trip down to talk to the MDA guys. In the end - i think what's most important is for the region to benefit not just Malaysia.

Good luck!

[DavidKwok]

Hi

Good to hear from you. I do know the MDA guys pretty well too. If you drop by Singapore, drop me a mail. We can meet up for a coffee. :)

Thks for the compliment. I admire your spirit. You have done great things for Malaysia.

We do work closely with IGDA. For your interest, here is our forum.

http://www.aestheticcorp.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi (http://www.aestheticcorp.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi)

All the best for your projects.

David Kwok
Chairman
Singapore Animators Connection
dkcm@rocketmail.com (dkcm@rocketmail.com)
http://www.tinyisland.net/SAC2004.html (http://www.tinyisland.net/SAC2004.html)

[neods]

salad where? sorry, I had to.. :bounce:

[darkflonne]

To Mr Hasnul Hadi Samsudin,

I would like to know approximately how much was spent for using Imaginex Studios and Silver Ant services.

Thanks, and good day.

Watched the trailer, and I gotta admit, it was really amazing. When I first read about it in the papers I had to admit I didn't really think highly of it, but the trailer really changed my opinion. It's simply amazing, maybe a few faults here and there but still, it's great and I enjoyed the moments watching it.

[tjabba]

I googled Imaginex Studios and found:
http://mgdc.xullum.net/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=5864
In the last post it says
"RM 400k only for the trailer, which is outsourced work"
btw I agree, great effort from SilverAnt!!!

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