Transfer from-Xinhuanet
Reading comic magazines is a must for many comic fans every month. In order to be closer to readers living in the internet age, many Japanese comic magazine publishers have launched online comic magazines in the past two months.
At the end of April, Shuangyeshe, a Japanese animation publishing house, launched the comic seeds known as "the world's first free comic online magazine". After entering the website, readers can browse comics by clicking the mouse on the computer screen, which is not much different from reading magazines. The June issue of Comic Seed has 206 pages, including several groups of comic books. This virtual magazine also includes the next issue of comic books and advertisements, and the back cover also gives readers a small gift: free download of comic books on the desktop.
Koji Shimano, director of the comic book publishing department of Shuangyeshe, said that online magazines don't need printing and binding, so the overall cost is half lower than that of printed magazines. The publishing house hopes to create a business model, and profit from advertising and publishing paper comic books by expanding the readership of free magazines.
The comic magazine Blood launched by Softbank Creative Company, a subsidiary of Japan Softbank Group, in April has three forms: traditional print magazine, online version and mobile version. It is reported that the mobile version of Hot Blood magazine implements a membership registration system, and the monthly fee is 3 15 yen (1 US dollars is about 1 12 yen). The content is the same as the online magazine, which can be read on a 3G mobile phone of an operator at present.
"Yomiuri Shimbun" quoted relevant statistics on the 20th, saying that the sales volume of traditional Japanese comic magazines 10 has been declining for years, and the sales volume in 2005 was 242 billion yen, down 5% from the previous year. The sales of paperback comics surpassed comic magazines for the first time in 2005, reaching 260 billion yen.
According to a survey by the Network Life Research Institute under the Impress Group of Japan, the Japanese e-book market is estimated to have doubled in fiscal year 2005 compared with the previous year, with sales reaching nearly 9 billion yen. One of the important growth points is digital comics that can be viewed on the screen of mobile phones. (LSMH finishing)
☆★★★★★ Comics in the coming digital age ☆★★★★
From-Uncle Mai. com www.mysoon.com
"Did you hear that XX comic magazine fell down!" For a while, such messages would pop up on MSN or QQ from time to time. I was a little scared at first, but I got used to it when I was afraid.
The subtlety of the current situation of animation in China has never been seen in more than ten years. On the one hand, the good news continues, and the country is eager to develop the animation industry. Large-scale comic exhibitions are one after another in various places, and animation majors and vocational training in colleges and universities have been launched one after another, and the situation is excellent; On the other hand, most soldiers struggling in the front line are trapped in the predicament of running out of ammunition and food. In retrospect, they were at a loss. Original magazines have fallen, and most of the surviving ones are in poor business conditions. The author's stage is getting smaller and smaller, and the opportunity to get published does not mean that they can get the manuscript fee in full and on time. More and more industry members are beginning to think about where to go. ...
For our originality, this is the best time and the worst time.
What should we do if we don't want to give up our comic dream? Get a sum of money and expect to make one or two successful original publications? In the current depressed market, this piecemeal approach has been proved and continues to be proved to be very ineffective. Give up the futility, find an animation school and concentrate on teaching students, looking forward to tomorrow? If we fail, how confident are we to lead our students to success?
Look up and look out of the comic book. Our life is rapidly digitizing. Computer, broadband, mobile phone, MP3, MP4, PDA…… .......................................................................................................................................................... Our habit of appreciating comics has also changed involuntarily. Now, how many believers in the original paper comics use picture reading software and press PageDown；; How many regulars who used to report to the comic book store every day are now paying attention to the animation website.
When anime fans watch anime, do you have a deep understanding? Some people think that anime fans only need to watch anime and don't need to pay attention to the information and knowledge of the animation industry. This concept is wrong! So what is a real anime fan? Is the initial beginning of animation. So we need to understand the core value of animation culture.
I think the core value of animation culture is to convey information or emotion, such as Steelmaking, which not only expresses the information of "equal exchange", but also expresses the respect for the principle of alchemy and the yearning for the resurrection of mother, which is very strong and obvious from the emotional color and transmission; More than one animation work is like this, and so is Variety Star (カレィドスター), which expresses my love for acrobatics, and also expresses that people will not give up.
Most of the information can also educate people, and the information in the star of steel trial and change is also reasonable. This is the core value of animation culture.
I believe everyone knows that the cartoon "Little Snow Fairy Candy" (ちっちゃなぃシュガ-) is a healing animation, and the healing animation has one feature.
In addition, the core value of animation culture is to strengthen people's thinking and depth. For example, the animation work "The Trip of Reasoning" contains a train of thought and logic every time, which makes people constantly think and understand the mystery. In this process, it is actually like a topic and test, testing us, thus strengthening people's thinking and depth.
In addition, animation works can also increase Fan Zhi's knowledge, and I also realized Fan Zhi's core value. The original intention of empathy is to give a group of anime fans a space to create anime works so that their anime works can be shared. In my humble opinion, I think anime fans are warm in their hearts, as if their thoughts are burning! This spirit is worth preserving. Do you think the core value of animation culture (Fan Zhi) is to ignite a warm heart?
Cosplay is also a part of fan culture. Do you know its core value? As far as I know, Cosplay means to play an anime role, and Cosplayer is to satisfy his feelings for anime roles. This is the core value of Cosplay.
Some people say that words are unparalleled in conveying ideas, but in fact, animation has achieved the function that words can do. People who know how to appreciate will find that there is no difference between emotions and words, so the core value of animation culture is a tool to convey ideas.
To sum up, some core values are losing their luster, while others still exist. Because of this, we should protect the core value of animation culture. (LSMH finishing)
☆ ★★★★★ Animation industry: the quagmire of dreams ☆ ★★★★
Source: Computer World
With the improvement of macro policies and hardware conditions, the animation industry is shrouded in a beautiful aura on the one hand, and has to face embarrassment and helplessness on the other. ...
In 2005, the animation industry in China showed a prosperous scene. By the end of the year, there were 15 national animation industrial bases approved by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, including Shanghai Animation Film Studio, CCTV China International Television Company and Chen San Cartoon Group, as well as four national animation teaching and research bases such as China Communication University and Beijing Film Academy. In addition, the Ministry of Culture has set up three national animation and game industry revitalization bases, which are located in Shanghai, Sichuan and Liaoning.
Animation industry is known as the sunrise industry in 2 1 century, and its undeveloped market value in China is as high as10 billion yuan. However, in 2004, the total income of China animation industry was only11700 million yuan, and the market prospect was broad. In 2004, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued "Several Opinions on Developing China's Film and Television Animation Industry". Within two months, more than a dozen domestic and foreign private capitals entered the field of original animation in China with large-scale funds.
By the end of 2005, there were 265,438+00 domestic enterprises and institutions producing or about to produce animation products. At the beginning of 2006, Beijing's "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" outline report proposed that Beijing should vigorously develop cultural and creative industries, among which animation and internet games are one of the six central goals of key development.
In sharp contrast to the lively scene of industry development, animation companies are cash-strapped and embarrassed. At the end of April, at the second China International Cartoon & Animation Festival held in Hangzhou, many enterprises complained that although the state has issued a series of policies to support the development of animation industry in recent years, few investors or producers have heard of making money.
"There are a lot of people making cartoons now. We need to see if this wave of movies has been put on the market. After a few years, did you make any money? Only by reinvesting the earned money into the industry can we show that the industry has really started. " Zhou Xu, who once worked in Shanghai Animation Film Studio and Shenzhen Emerald Animation Company of Hong Kong Emerald TV Station and is now the general manager of Shanghai Beisheng Animation Company, said.
Industrial chain fracture
"From Dalian to Shenzhen, from Shanghai to Chengdu, animation industrial parks are being built everywhere, and animation has been hot for several years. It is said that the animation industry is very profitable, but how to make money? Many people don't know. This industry is still blind when it is going to market. " An expert from the Animation Industry Committee of Shanghai Information Industry Association said.
During the Spring Festival in 2005, an animated cartoon received a rating of 4. 17% in CCTV, and its copyright of 5 1% was acquired by CCTV for 2.3 million yuan, with an average price of 6,804 yuan per minute. For cartoons, it is rare for TV stations to buy broadcasting rights at this price.
This cartoon is the first series of "A Pig Falling from the Sky" launched by Wuhan Jiangtong Animation Co., Ltd. "In the past, the investment subject of cartoons was mainly the country. The reason why this film has caused such a great response is that it is one of the few cartoons with successful operation of private capital. But so far, we still have not recovered our investment. " Chairman Zhu Youlan said.
In recent years, a number of cartoons with wide influence and mature market operation have indeed appeared in China, among which "Blue Cat Naughty 3000 Questions" is one of the best. Now, more than 2,000 episodes in six seasons have been completed, and the cartoon image of "Blue Cat" has been shaped. The industrial chain extends to more than 6,600 products in more than ten industries, such as books, audio and video, stationery and toys. Baidu Post Bar has "Blue Cat Bar", Taobao has a blue cat monopoly, and Blue Cat has its own "Blue Cat Club" like a star.
Chen Shan Group, the production company of Blue Cat series, is also known as the only profitable enterprise in Chinese cartoons. Even so, the Shanghai expert is not optimistic about the profitability of domestic animation companies. "China may not make money animation, if there is, it is also virtual. Because the initial investment comes from the state, media promotion may be free. If all resources are included in the cost, Blue Cat may not be profitable. "
The question is, why? The animation market is generally divided into three levels: first, the broadcast market; Second, the animation books and audio-visual products market; The third is derivative products. Among them, the last level is longer than the first two levels, the market is wider, and making money is also at the last level.
According to international practice, more than 70% of the profits of the animation industry come from audio-visual publishing and derivative products. In China, many cartoons have little influence on themselves, even if derivative products are introduced, they are unknown. From the aspects of capital investment, pre-planning, mid-production, post-processing, marketing and derivative products, a complete industrial chain has not yet been formed.
First of all, producers and investors are still cautious about this industry. "Investment in animation must be able to persist, and persistence can see the return." Xu Zhou said.
Encouraged by the policies of the state and governments at all levels, a number of private capitals have set foot in the animation industry. Taking Hangzhou as an example, Guangsha Group, Hengdian Group and Zhongnan Group have all set up film and television animation production enterprises here. Hangzhou Zhongnan Construction Group invested 48 million yuan to produce 500 episodes of "Eye of the Sky" cartoon, each episode was 7 minutes, with a total duration of 3,500 minutes. It is reported that Zhongnan also plans to invest 200 million yuan in animation production and 3.5 billion yuan to build "China Animation City", which will expand animation derivative products to theme parks, children's clubs and other broader fields.
"The investment cycle of cartoons is very long. It takes three years or even longer for a good cartoon to go online successfully, and it is faster. During this period, enterprises can't get any benefits, and many enterprises can't afford it. Therefore, some people say that animation is the business of rich people and must be able to withstand it. " Zhu Youlan said this. Because it is based on the creation of original animation products, the amount of funds needed for originality is particularly large, and Jiangtong animation has also encountered many difficulties, but Zhu Youlan said that she is confident to recover the cost.
Secondly, there is less recycling in the broadcasting market. In the past, because the country did not pay special attention to this industry, for a long time, China's cartoons were imported. However, in order to enter the broadcast market in China, foreign cartoons are broadcast to China TV station at a very low price, even at a premium, which leads to the discouragement of domestic manufacturers. That's how foreign comics count. I don't make money by broadcasting. As long as the popularity is large enough, there will be no market for downstream derivatives such as books, audio-visual products and toys.
In June 2005, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television put forward the draft of "Specific Measures to Promote the Development of Animation Creation in China", involving 18 items, of which two are more important: domestic cartoons must be broadcast by TV stations during the prime time of 17:00 to 2 1:00, and the ratio of the number of imported cartoons to the number of original cartoons produced by production institutions should be 65430. Although it has not been officially promulgated, this regulation has given great confidence to domestic animation.
In recent years, the broadcast price of domestic cartoons has also increased slightly. According to Zhu Youlan, an animated film broadcast nationwide can now sell for 3,000 yuan per minute, compared with 500 to 65,438+10,000 yuan two or three years ago. To make matters worse, some TV stations have offered the price of 10 to 20 yuan per minute. However, compared with the animation production cost of 6,543,800 yuan per minute, this figure is still very small.
Thirdly, the industrial chain lacks professional division of labor. "I licensed a film to an audio-visual company. If it is a company that sells everything instead of monopolizing animation products, my products may not be taken seriously, and then they will be well packaged and promoted. " Zhu Youlan said that in theory, audio-visual, books and TV broadcasting can all recover their costs, but China lacks such professional companies, and related products may not sell well.
be top-heavy
Hu Zhanfan, deputy director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, said at the recent 2006 National Film and Television Animation Work Conference that the animation industry is a comprehensive industry, involving many aspects, and animation production is not the whole of the animation industry, but only a key link in the industrial chain. The real success of animation operation lies in the overall planning, rational layout and coordinated deployment of its industrial chain.
Hu Zhanfan's speech has a background. Since 2003, the output of domestic cartoons in China has increased by nearly twice every year. In 2005, it reached 42700 minutes. In the first quarter of 2006, the actual output of animation in China was close to 20,000 minutes. In sharp contrast, from 1993 to 2002, the total output of domestic cartoons in China was only 33,900 minutes.
From the output point of view, China animation shows a straight upward trend, but from the industrial structure point of view, it is not so ideal. On the whole, the vast majority of animation production companies in China still play the role of processing overseas products, and their early creative ability and late synthetic strength are seriously insufficient, forming an industrial structure with two small ends and a big middle, lacking independent intellectual property rights and unable to obtain maximum profits.
Someone pointed out that the domestic animation industry is "first-class painting skills, second-rate stories and third-rate management". The expert in Shanghai pointed out: "The government's strong support for the development of the animation industry does not mean that everyone will' do' animation. In fact, production is only a small part, and more is planning, creativity and marketing. "
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Japanese, European and American took a fancy to China's cheap human resources, and moved the animation processing industry to China one after another, training a large number of animation producers. At that time, the monthly salary of an animation company employee was as high as 20 thousand yuan. Around 2000, the international animation processing industry began to flow to countries with lower labor force, and the profit margin of OEM became smaller and smaller.
Hu Zhanfan said that at present, the number of original animation production organizations with formal qualifications in China is increasing at a rate of about 50 every six months, and many animation companies that originally only undertook overseas animation processing tasks have also turned to domestic originality. However, due to the inherent obstacles of insufficient funds and the industrial characteristics of long production cycle, the original road of China animation industry is not smooth.
Haibeisheng Animation Company is a small company with only ten people, 50% of whom are engaged in business, such as making animation advertisements for other companies, and 50% are making original animation art short films. The latter's investment is completely subsidized by business income. At present, Besson Animation has produced two short art films, the first one is "Take the jar" which takes less than six minutes, and the second one is 17 minutes "Princess of the Iron Bar". Xu Zhou, general manager, said that the aim of Besson Animation is to combine the contents and scenes of China traditional martial arts with high-tech 3D animation, and make innovations in animation art forms.
After the completion of Taking the Cans, Besson spent 50,000 yuan on animation, which did not include labor costs, because all the creators and producers were not paid. By the time of the movie Princess Iron Staff, Besson Animation began to look for investors, and the process was not smooth. Initially, Zhou Xu negotiated with domestic investors, but "they were all very slow and didn't respond". Contact with foreign investors is different. Many people are optimistic about their works and soon enter the stage of cooperation with current investors. Japan invested 50% in this film, which is planned to be shot in 2003. After the Chinese production is completed, the other party will get a Japanese version, and both parties will have the right to participate in the film festival and facilitate the transaction within two years.
However, neither of these films has been shown on TV. On the one hand, the TV station did not set up a corresponding column, "even you have no place to broadcast for free." Some TV stations can broadcast in the form of program introduction, but they charge a lot of advertising fees. For this reason, Xu Zhou is very upset, although he just wants to expand the company's influence among the masses and open its popularity through TV broadcast.
"In fact, there is a lot of idle capital in society. In foreign countries, from the introduction of a protagonist to the rolling broadcast of cartoons by TV stations, the influence is gradually established, and this process sometimes lasts for eight years. There will be no return in the first year or two. After two or three years, some people will buy derivative goods, but there are not many people who can persist in China for three or four years. " Xu Zhou believes that the lack of long-term vision and fear of market risks are important reasons why many capitals are unwilling to intervene in the original animation market.
On the other hand, the lack of creative talents also leads to the lack of development momentum of China animation industry. As a practitioner, Zhu Youlan is deeply touched by this. "There is no shortage of production talents. What China lacks is creative talents, which is also what we don't understand. I may have limited personal contact. Although I have recruited talents at home and abroad, the creative talents of animation are not as good as I thought. "
Zhu Youlan's feeling is not wrong. At present, there are less than 1 1,000 animation practitioners in China and only13 in South Korea, and most of them are low-end producers and high-end pure researchers. There are only about 2000 animation graduates in China every year. In fact, the total demand for film and television animation talents in China is 6.5438+0.5 million, and the total demand for game animation talents is also around 6.5438+0.5 million. There is a huge shortage of animation talents, especially those who plan and create animation in the early stage.
Without good ideas, the whole industrial chain will lack competitive upstream products, and downstream derivatives will be unable to start. At present, Jiangtong animation mainly dabbles in traditional themes. In addition to the third and fourth seasons of "Pigs Falling from the Sky" being produced, there are plans to produce cartoons such as Mulan and "Little Boy Base III". These stories are either based on China's traditional literary works or from local folklore. They think this kind of subject matter is easy to grasp, but as for science fiction subjects and subjects reflecting modern life, they rarely set foot in it. "I don't know how the market will react. Modern themes put forward higher requirements for creativity, otherwise it will be difficult to be accepted by the market." Zhu Youlan said.
Starting from the strategic height of developing cultural industry and advocating excellent culture, China government actively supports and cultivates national animation industry, and regards "China brand, industrialization and internationalization" as the basic strategy for developing animation industry in China. However, just because it is well grasped, it is undoubtedly not conducive to the birth of animated works that adapt to contemporary life and are full of vitality and modern flavor. Over time, as the creative and script end of the upstream of the industrial chain, it is difficult to develop and grow.
Exploration is priceless.
The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) clearly pointed out in its official website that the planning of film and television animation will be strengthened this year, and measures will be taken to encourage and support TV stations at all levels to broadcast excellent domestic cartoons in prime time. In addition, increase policy guidance and industrial support, focusing on supporting the creation and production of original animation.
In addition to the policies issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Information Industry, local governments have also issued support policies in light of the actual situation in their respective regions. Taking Suzhou as an example, from June 5438 to February last year, the Policy Opinions on Supporting the Development of Animation Industry pointed out that newly established animation enterprises should be rewarded according to their contributions to the local economy; Original animated films produced in Suzhou will be subsidized if they are approved to be distributed and broadcast in China; If an enterprise borrows money from a bank for the development of the animation industry, the government will give the loan a discount subsidy; Rent reduction and exemption will be given to enterprises entering the animation industry base.
Wang, deputy director of Beijing Copyright Bureau, pointed out that "the foundation of the development and prosperity of cultural and creative industries is the creation of works, the core is the trading and dissemination of works, and the key is the copyright protection of works". He said that creative industries are protected by intellectual property rights. If the protection of intellectual property rights is not enough, the creative industry will lose its development momentum. As a part of creative industry, animation industry is also facing the grim reality of cracking down on piracy and protecting genuine products. According to the statistics of Chen San Group, the owner of "Blue Cat" brand, the profits of pirates are about 9 times that of genuine ones.
After years of studying foreign experience, China animation enterprises have also embarked on some development paths with China characteristics, some of which have yet to be tested by practice. Changsha is an important town of animation industry in China, accounting for half of the domestic animation production. Bobcat Cartoon Company has explored a "post-cartoon" development model. This post-comic is to make derivative products first and then comics. Even making cartoons is not purely cultural and entertaining, but making a fuss about the cartoon image.
Bobcat Company chose the blank spot of animation music and established Bobcat Choir and Bobcat Art Troupe. With the appearance of original animated songs such as "Little Bobcat Get Up Early", "Catch the Question Mark", "Hippo Caught a Cold" and "Tug of War", the popularity of Bobcat has also been rapidly improved. Cultural products such as schoolbags, toys, stationery and color plates with Bobcat cartoon image as the brand logo are not only sold in the domestic market, but also 65,438+10,000 sets of Bobcat cartoon color plates are exported to Mexico.
The Happy Station produced by Hui Culture Development Co., Ltd., which settled in Beijing Digital Entertainment Industry Base in Shijingshan District, adopted the recordings of classic sketches and cross talks in the past, and was accompanied by pictures produced by Flash animation, which was very popular after being broadcast on CCTV. This reuse of existing cultural resources is also expected to open up new ways of animation production.
Chengdu has taken the lead in mobile animation. Although domestic 3G has not yet started, foreign platforms have been used to test the water market in advance and seize the market opportunities. The 80-minute Flash animation "Girl, How Long Is Your Minute" created by Zhonghua Xuan is the first 3G animation work in Chinese mainland to land in Singapore and Malaysia. In Singapore, you can download the whole movie online or watch it in installments with 3G mobile phones. 1 month has earned more than 700,000 yuan.
With the development of science and technology and the increase of receiving terminals, there are more and more carriers and forms of animation industry. As long as there is creativity, there is the possibility of profit. Similar positive exploration by enterprises has also added a wonderful stroke to the animation industry in China. LSMH finishing)
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Turn from observation and thinking
Recently, the second China International Cartoon & Animation Festival opened in Hangzhou, and the animation industry projects with a total amount of 654.38+0.4 billion RMB attracted merchants from 8 countries and regions including the United States, the Netherlands and Denmark. "Like a spring breeze overnight", under the government's strong preferential policies, the animation industry is becoming a new investment hotspot for domestic and foreign businesses. Faced with the strong competitiveness of international giants, how do China enterprises snatch food from the jaws of death?
Anime dinner attracts countless heroes to compete for beauty.
In recent years, China's animation industry has been constantly moving, and good news has spread frequently. At the second China International Cartoon & Animation Festival held in Hangzhou not long ago, Jin Delong, director of the Propaganda and Management Department of China State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, announced an exciting news to Chinese and foreign media: animation enterprises in China have begun to make profits. As soon as the news came out, the industry was moved by it, because it changed the situation that "the animation market in China has been in a state of heavy thunder and little rain, that is, everyone knows that this is a sunrise enterprise, but they have to face the reality that once they set foot in it, they will lose their blood."
In fact, since 2004, the animation industry in China has made a breakthrough and accelerated its hot start. Over the past two years, three animation channels in Hunan, Beijing and Shanghai have been launched one after another, and several animation online game bases in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Dalian and Hangzhou have been stepped up, and animation exhibitions and animation talent recruitment fairs have been held one after another. At the same time, the China Municipal Government has issued a series of policies to encourage the development of domestic animation and original animation, giving unprecedented policy support to the animation industry.
While the market is constantly improving, animation products are also getting out of trouble. In 2005, the animated work "San Mao's Wandering" was not completed, and the copyright sales amounted to nearly 20 million yuan; Since 2006, copyright sales have exceeded 30 million yuan. The output value of a series of cartoons such as "Blue Cat" may reach1.200 million yuan this year.
Many businesses are amazed: In Chinese mainland, the feeling of animation has finally come!
The profits of the animation industry have always been favored by the giants of various countries. The main sources of profits are the broadcasting of TV or movies and the development of series products. The success of an animation film and television work lies not only in the success of TV or movie ratings, but also in the development and operation of its derivative products with the animation image as the brand, extending the industrial chain and sublimating its reputation into immeasurable real money and commercial operation. Among them, the development of various derivative products is the most important source of income for the animation industry, such as toys, drinks, health products, clothing, socks, shoes, stationery and so on. Can be developed into animation derivative products. Because there are many kinds of derivative products that can be developed, the sales volume is large, and the profit is difficult to estimate, which can be described as lucrative. For example, the online game industry in the United States has surpassed the Hollywood film industry for four consecutive years and become the largest entertainment industry in the United States; The animated film "The Lion King" produced by Disney Company of the United States invested 45 million US dollars, and the broadcast revenue has reached 7.5 billion US dollars so far. Even more amazing, the income from its derivatives reached $2 billion. The annual output value of Japanese animation industry ranks sixth in the national economy, and the export value of animation products is higher than that of steel industry.