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Hindman:
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Hamano:
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Dreamworks, which Mr. Hindman just mentioned, is a new company formed by director Steven Spielberg and it took a lot of Disney talent. Kamiya-san, you teach at a Japanese animation school, don't you?
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Kamiya:
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I teach a voice acting course at a professional college. There are other courses in animation and sound, for example, as well. But I don't think any four-year universities in Japan teach any animation-related courses.
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Hamano:
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You're probably right. And CalArts and UCLA are extremely prestigious universities, at that.
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Kamiya:
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As Mr. Hindman just told us, in the U.S. there are a lot of top-level people working in animation, taking pride in their work. Good animators are treasures, and if the people and the government of Japan don't value them, that's really worrisome. There is the possibility that all of our best people will go abroad, and the quality of Japanese animation will go down. There's a lot of animation-related people here today ﾑ I wish more love was shown to the people who do the work.
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Hamano:
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Just the other day, we invited Tom Sito, chairman of the Animator's Union, to Japan, and I heard from him that the union ranks the various types of animation work and sets a minimum pay rate for each one. Animators are tested to determine their ranking and their pay, but those with talent can negotiate far greater salaries.
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Kamiya:
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When making a picture, I imagine Disney and other companies make sure they get highly ranked workers. In Japan, voice actors are ranked as well, but pictures are made on the basis of an overall budget. Changing the way budgets are drawn up is one of the things that needs to be improved in the Japanese system of animation production. In the 28 years I've worked in the business, I've always felt that the people who work on making the product deserve to have their value recognized.
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Hamano:
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Tokunaga-san, your parent company is American ﾑ how does it work at your place?
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Tokunaga:
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Mr. Hindman mentioned animators making as much as lawyers ﾑ well, we can't quite pay them quite that much. In the U.S., videos sell really well so their budgets are that much bigger. If videos can sell, say, five to ten million copies in Japan, our budgets would probably grow as well, but under the present circumstances we can't afford more. The same goes for movies.
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Kamiya:
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I suppose a bigger market would solve the problem, but I do think that without having wide horizons at the outset, the work won't grow. If Princess Mononoke is really the spearhead for Japanese animation abroad, then I think television and video works need to work with big enough budgets to raise their quality.
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Hamano:
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If we're talking about a global market, let's turn to Mr. Hindman: What needs to be done to make Japanese animation reach a global market?
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Hindman:
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Hamano:
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We're running out of time, so I'd like to ask each of you to offer a few words for the young people in the audience today, as I'm sure some of them plan to pursue a career in animation. Let's start with Tokunaga-san.
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Tokunaga:
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The animation field offers a unique and interesting opportunity to express things you can't do yourself. Once you experience this, it's pretty addictive. If you want to see what that's like, I'd urge you to try ﾑ because I'm sure that Japanese animation has a bright future.
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Kamiya:
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All right, here's one from a voice actor's standpoint. In the world of animation, there is no such thing as the impossible. That's what makes it difficult, but when you challenge yourself and succeed, the joy is immense. I think this work is worth spending your whole life doing, it's really worthwhile work. After all, I'm spending my whole life doing this and I love it. Not everybody can do it, but it is wonderful work, so I hope lots of people try.
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Hindman:
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Hamano:
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We tried to create an opportunity to think about animation with a global outlook today, and this discussion was the result. Now, we'll move on to the Awards Ceremony, with Kamiya-san presiding. Kamiya-san, I'm really looking forward to this.
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Kamiya:
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So am I. In fact, I haven't been informed of the results yet myself; I suppose they'll be handed to me when I go offstage now. I'll be just as much in suspense as you are, so it'll be really exciting.
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Hamano:
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Thank you, Mr. Hindman, Tokunaga-san, Kamiya-san, for joining us today in spite of your busy schedules. Let's have a round of applause for our panelists.
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