[Lucasfilm] Inauguration du Sandcrawler building à Singapour (2013)

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George Lucas unleashes 'Sandcrawler' in Singapore

A building modeled after the Sandcrawler - the huge mobile fortresses featured in Star Wars films - has been constructed in Singapore to house the regional headquarters of American digital animation studio Lucasfilm.

The 22,500 square meter campus, which features a Yoda fountain, a 100-seat theater and state-of-the-art digital production capabilities, was officially opened on Thursday by George Lucas, the legendary director of Star Wars and founder of California-based Lucasfilm.

Lucasfilm's decision to cement its presence in the city-state through the construction of the "Sandcrawler", as the building is officially called, is a reflection of Singapore's rapid development as a digital animation hub.

"When we first opened our Singapore studio in 2005, the local production landscape looked very different. It was relatively small, with a limited talent pool and virtually no visual effects work being done," said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm.

Now, the caliber of animation and visual effects created in Singapore is comparable to the work produced out of the company's headquarters in San Francisco, Kennedy said. The company's headcount has multiplied to over 360 employees from just around two dozen since first establishing its base in the city-state.

In the recent years, animators based in Lucasfilm Singapore have made sizable contributions to blockbusters including animated feature film Rango and television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Meanwhile, some projects currently in production include Transformers 4 and Avengers 2.

Lucasfilm declined to provide details on the size of its investment in its Singapore campus, however, it said, "We have made a tremendous investment in both time and resources. We've brought a lot of talent from the United States to train people and build up the talent base. And George Lucas himself is invested in building this facility as well."

Lucasfilm Singapore runs an apprenticeship program for computer graphics artists and is involved in the development of budding artists through collaborating local schools.

"As artists grow, they then feed that talent back through the university system to teach new artists who are interested in coming into this line of work. This circular process of training has become enormously effective and that's why we've been able to move artists forward so quickly," Kennedy said.

Lucasfilm is one of many international digital media companies that have established a base in Singapore. The country's supportive intellectual property regime and business friendly environment has attracted the likes of America's Electronic Arts and Britain's Double Negative and France's Ubisoft.

According to Deloitte, Singapore's games and animation industries, together with online and mobile media, have demonstrated robust growth, recording a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent from 2006-2010.

CNBC - 16 janvier 2014.

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SINGAPORE: A new Disney-animated movie similar to the 2011 film “Rango” is set to get a made-in-Singapore stamp.

Other blockbusters like “Transformers 4” and “Avengers 2” will also have a Singaporean touch.

This was revealed on Thursday at the opening of the Sandcrawler, Lucasfilm's new state-of-the-art facility at one-north.

The building is named after a large vehicle featured in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, and will also serve as the regional headquarters for The Walt Disney Company and ESPN Asia Pacific.

Lucasfilm has 360 staff in Singapore. More than a third of them are Singaporean.

Their efforts have already helped spawn Hollywood blockbusters, such as the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Transformers" franchises. More are on the way.

Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm’s president, said: "We're finishing a full-length animated feature right at the moment that is being done entirely here in Singapore and the quality of that animation is also quite remarkable. 25 per cent of ‘Rango’ was done here, and it went on to win an Academy Award. So the next step is taking that work and going even further."

In the Sandcrawler, Lucasfilm has a 22,500 square-metre complex that houses offices, a theatre and production facilities.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who was a guest at Sandcrawler's opening, noted that the value-add from Singapore's interactive and digital industry has jumped to more than S$2 billion over six years.

An important part of that success is Singapore's creative environment.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: "The magic lies not in the equipment or processes, but in the creative spark that resides in human minds. And these can only light up in an environment which inspires people, promotes creativity and helps people to realise their dreams and to dream big."

For aspiring film-makers, Lucasfilm has the Jedi Masters Program (JuMP) to help nurture and grow the local talent ecosystem.

Disciplines cover the entire digital production pipeline, and include hard-surface modelling, lighting and rotoscoping.

Channel NewsAsia - 16 janvier 2014.

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Lucasfilm Singapore to work on new Avengers and Transformers movies

The new Lucasfilm facility here is running at "full swing" and its artists are already working on major projects, says Kathleen Kennedy, the company's president.

The projects include the upcoming superhero movie Avengers 2, the fifth instalment in the Jurassic Park movie franchise, the sequel to 2007's Hitman action movie, the fourth movie in the Transformers series, an unnamed animated feature, as well as a movie to be screened as part of a theme park ride.

The Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Jurassic World will be released in 2015. The Hitman sequel, tentatively titled Agent 47, is expected to be released later this year. Transformers: Age Of Extinction, will also be released this year, during the June and July blockbuster season.

"This will be our busiest year ever at ILM," says Kennedy. Industrial Light & Magic, or ILM, is the arm of Lucasfilm which creates digital effects for films.

The Straits Times / Singapore Press Holding - 16 janvier 2014.

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Using the Force: Lucasfilm opens Singapore creativity centre

(Reuters) - "Star Wars" creator Lucasfilm formally expanded its creative universe on Thursday by launching its visual effects and animation hub in Singapore that works on Hollywood blockbusters and bolsters marketing efforts in fast-growing Asia.

"May the Force be with you," Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister of the Southeast Asian city-state, said in a speech at the glass-enclosed and horseshoe-shaped "Sandcrawler" building.

Lucasfilm Ltd, bought by Walt Disney Co in 2012 for more than $4 billion, opened a small studio in 2005 in another part of Singapore but has built up the size and skills of the team into a staff of 400 at the new headquarters.

"This is a very robust operation that is comparable to exactly what we're doing in San Francisco or Vancouver," Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm and a producer of more than 60 films, told reporters before the launch.

"Many of the top-end movies that are being made in the next 18 months to two years, a vast variety of that work will head in this direction."

In Singapore, about 350 artists from some 40 countries are now working on a full-length animated feature and films that include "Hitman" and "Transformers 4".

More projects will be assigned as Lucasfilm's visual effects unit Industrial Light & Magic goes into its "busiest year ever", Kennedy said, including the next installments of the hugely successful "Star Wars" franchise.

George Lucas, the company's famous founder who has retired from making big-budget films to focus on smaller features, said quality-obsessed colleagues were very skeptical when he first suggested an expansion into Asia a decade ago.

"Everybody thought I was a little crazy," Lucas said in a speech, recalling how the early days of training local artists and giving the Singapore team small, basic tasks had evolved into a sophisticated operation and the Sandcrawler itself.

"This is a symbol of the people of Singapore and computer animation combining with Lucasfilm to create something that is world quality."

'INTERESTING AND CHALLENGING'

Named after a large vehicle in the original "Star Wars" film, the Sandcrawler teems with youthful staff in T-shirts, jeans, shorts and flip-flops. The corridors are adorned with movie posters and memorabilia.

Beyond digital studios, the building houses the Jedi Masters Program that runs six-month courses in the techniques and technology used by Industrial Light & Magic. Of the 182 apprentices trained to date, 125 have been hired as artists.

The Sandcrawler is also the new headquarters for Disney in Southeast Asia and its sports cable network ESPN in Asia.

David Anderman, Lucasfilm's general manager, would not disclose how much had been invested in Singapore but said its location, talent pool, protection of intellectual property and pro-business policies were major attractions.

"We have made a significant investment in the growth of the talent, in the growth of training programs," he said. "George Lucas himself has invested in building this facility as well."

With the seventh "Star Wars" film now in the works, Kennedy said Southeast Asia was an "interesting and challenging market" because the initial movies were not that widely seen, driving Lucasfilm to "educate an audience as to what has come before".

"We're beginning that process of communication and marketing right now, even though the movie doesn't come out until Christmas of 2015," she said.

Despite the roles played by visual effects and technology, film making always comes down to the basics, Kennedy said.

"Storytelling is the most important fundamental idea behind successful movies," she said. "The technology will follow."

Reuters - 16 janvier 2014.

Quelques photos supplémentaires du Sandcrawler Building qui abrite depuis septembre 2013 le siège régional de Lucasfilm Ltd. pour l'Asie (les studios Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, LucasArts et Industrial Light & Magic) ainsi que les bureaux de la Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) et ESPN Asia Pacific.

The Sandcrawler Building, qui a été conçu par l'architecte américain de renommée internationale Andrew Bromberg, intègre à la fois des espaces de bureaux, des espaces commerciaux et une salle de cinéma répartis sur les huit étages de ce bâtiment rappelant le char des sables des Jawas sur la planète Tatooine, le tout complété par un jardin luxuriant.

Bloomberg rapporte la vente de l'iconique Sandcrawler Building, qui abrite depuis septembre 2013 le siège régional de Lucasfilm Ltd. pour l'Asie (les studios Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, LucasArts et Industrial Light & Magic) ainsi que les bureaux de la Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) et ESPN Asia Pacific, au fonds d'investissement américain Blackstone Group pour 132 millions de dollars.


Ces derniers mois il a été également fait plusieurs fois écho du possible déménagement de Lucasfilm Ltd. (Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, ILMxLAB, Lucasfilm Animation, Consumer Products, Digital Media et Franchise Management) du Letterman Digital Arts Center situé dans le Parc National du Presidio à San Francisco vers le siège de Burbank ou vers le Disney's Grand Central Creative Campus de Glendale, deux villes situées dans le comté de Los Angeles (de très récentes offres d'emploi pour une division de Lucasfilm mentionne d'ailleurs Glendale comme futur lieu de travail).

George Lucas n'a en effet pas revendu le siège de Lucasfilm Ltd. à San Francisco, ni la totalité du Skywalker Ranch situé dans le comté de Marin au Nord de San Francisco qui abrite toujours différentes installations dont Skywalker Sound (design, mixing et audio post-production) et pour lesquels Lucasfilm paye à George Lucas un loyer depuis 2012.

Vu la situation économique difficile depuis le début de l'année 2020 qui risque de s'éterniser encore pour un moment, The Walt Disney Company continue à chercher le moyen de réduire ses frais de fonctionnement. C'est dans cette optique que le déménagement de Lucasfilm de San Francisco à Los Angeles serait sérieusement envisagé sans qu'aucune confirmation officielle ni date n'aient été avancées.

Citation :

Blackstone Buying Lucasfilm Singapore Facility for $132 Million

Eight-floor facility was Lucasfilm’s regional headquarters, City’s political and financial stability is luring investors.

Blackstone Group Inc. is looking to purchase Lucasfilm’s building in Singapore for about S$175 million ($132 million), according to people familiar with the matter.

The company has started the process of buying the building known as The Sandcrawler, pending regulatory approval, the people said, requesting not to be named because the matter is private.

The move signals Singapore’s property assets continue to be attractive to foreign investors, who see the city’s political, financial and legal stability as an advantage. Other American companies including Amazon.com Inc. and Facebook Inc. are also expanding their presence, while China’s tech behemoths such as Tencent Holdings Ltd. and ByteDance Ltd. are looking to make Singapore a beachhead for Southeast Asia.

The facility, located in central Singapore, has eight floors of office space. It also includes a retail shopping area, a 100-seat theater and lush gardens which accent its modern exterior. The building opened to much fanfare in September 2013, with Lucasfilm founder George Lucas and the city-state’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attending the launch.

Modeled after the Sandcrawler, a fictional vehicle featured in the Star Wars films, the building was used as the regional headquarters for the digital animation studio and also served as the base for The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia).

Singapore’s home prices are also seeing a recovery, rising to the highest in more than two years last quarter. The country forecasts a recovery from its worst recession since independence as Covid vaccinations are rolled out and restrictions eased.

Bloomberg.

Citation :

Blackstone to Buy Disney's Singapore Building for $132 Million

The iconic Sandcrawler building, which is designed to resemble the Jawas' vehicle from 1977's 'Star Wars,' has served as Lucasfilm's primary animation and VFX facility in Asia since it was opened by George Lucas in 2013.

Blackstone Group has started the process of buying Lucasfilm's flagship building in Singapore for about $132 million (175 million Singaporean dollars).

The iconic commercial development, known as the Sandcrawler Building, features a facade designed to resemble the Jawas' vehicle on Tatooine from 1977's Star Wars. The home of Lucasfilm's animation and VFX teams in Asia, work has been done there on everything from Harry Potter movies to Marvel tentpoles and Star Wars installments. The building also houses Disney's corporate offices for Southeast Asia.

Blackstone has already submitted to Singapore's regulatory authorities for approval to close the transaction, according to Bloomberg, which was the first to report on the deal. The business wire cited unnamed sources with knowledge of the transaction.

A spokesperson at Disney's Singapore office declined to comment when contacted Wednesday by The Hollywood Reporter.

Disney unveiled the Sandcrawler facility at a splashy event in 2013, with George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivering speeches.

Spanning nearly 250,000 square feet, the Sandcrawler Building is located in a southwest suburb of Singapore, where offices for several other media and tech companies, such as Apple and Discovery, are based. The property includes a 100-seat theater, shopping areas and a "Yoda fountain" surrounded by tropical gardens.

The sizable sale points to the growing appeal of Singapore among global real estate investors and multinationals. China's harsh crackdown on democratic freedoms and the rule of law in Hong Kong has led to some companies shifting their operations and investments towards the stable city-state to the south. The growing economies of Southeast Asia also have lured large firms. Bloomberg notes that Amazon and Facebook are both boosting their footprint in the city, while China's tech giants Tencent and ByteDance are also looking to expand their presence.

The Hollywood Reporter.

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Lucasfilm to shut Singapore operations, affecting more than 300 employees

Lucasfilm is shutting its visual effects and animation studio in Singapore due to economic factors affecting the industry, says parent company Disney.

Lucasfilm is winding down operations in Singapore after nearly 20 years in the country, with parent company Disney citing economic factors affecting the industry.

Lucasfilm's visual effects and animation studio, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), has more than 300 employees in Singapore.

The studio has been operating since 2006. It was founded as Lucasfilm Animation Singapore in 2004 to work on the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

In 2013, Lucasfilm moved into the state-of-the-art Sandcrawler building, named after the classic Star Wars transport that inspired its design. Located in Fusionopolis, the nine-storey building houses a 100-seat theatre and production facilities that cater to the company's global production needs.

The building, which also houses Disney’s offices for Southeast Asia, was sold to the Blackstone Group in January 2021.

"Over the next several months, ILM will be consolidating its global footprint and winding down its Singapore studio due to economic factors affecting the industry," Disney told CNA on Tuesday (Aug 15).

"ILM is giving employees as much notice as possible and offering opportunities to relocate to one of the company’s growing studios."

Aside from Singapore and its headquarters in San Francisco, ILM also has studios in Vancouver, London, Sydney and Mumbai.

"ILM will be working with the local business community in Singapore to offer a job fair with companies identified as having a need for talent with similar skill sets," Disney added.

According to an ILM employee in Singapore, there are 340 staff members in the company and work will continue until the end of the year.

He told CNA that work has been affected by the ongoing Screen Actors Guild strike in the United States calling for higher pay and limits on the use of artificial intelligence.

Walt Disney earlier this year announced a sweeping restructuring under recently reinstated CEO Bob Iger, cutting 7,000 jobs or about 3.6 per cent of the company's global workforce.

It is part of an effort to save US$5.5 billion in costs and make Disney's streaming business profitable.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said Lucasfilm and the relevant government agencies are helping affected employees to find roles in other companies.

"The technical and creative skillsets of these employees - who are trained across roles such as designers, tech engineers and tech support staff - continue to be in high demand, both within the broader media industry and also in other industries that are going digital," said EDB and IMDA.

They noted that Lucasfilm has helped Singapore develop world-class digital animation talent through knowledge and skills transfer.

"Our Singaporean talent have worked alongside and learned from experienced producers, enabling them to develop their skills and play on the world stage. We are proud that Singaporeans have worked on Hollywood blockbusters such as Jurassic World: Dominion and Marvel’s The Eternals," the agencies said.

They noted that the global media industry is facing disruption from rapid technological advancements, while studios are coping with challenges relating to talent and profitability.

"While the global media industry undergoes transformation, Singapore remains a valuable and attractive hub for global media companies that are committed to growing a competitive and innovative ecosystem," said EDB and IMDA.

Media companies here have adopted new tools such as virtual production technology, they noted, adding that polytechnics and institutes of higher learning have also emphasised broader digital and tech skills training for students in recent years, allowing them to seize new job opportunities in areas such as game development. 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/lucasfilm-shut-operations-singapore-studio-animation-visual-effects-disney-3700061