CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – In 2030, a portal opens and paranormal entities from another dimension breach into the human world.
Restrained in prisons built by the military organization Global Security, monsters can find no way to threaten humanity – until one of them breaks the prison and escapes.
John Salazar, a warden in one of the containment facilities, faces his most daunting challenge yet as he is tasked to search for the monster before it unleashes insurmountable danger out in the open.
This is the premise of the upcoming animated film currently under production by Team XGN, the animation group of the Xygen CG Works, a rising company based in Cagayan de Oro.
A hybrid of 2D and 3D animation, the 10-minute film entitled Sonzai no Kyoukai (Division of Existence), has been anticipated by local fans of the genre since it was announced in March.
Inspired by Japanese animation style, it is one of the many creations born out of the talents of local and international artists, with Filipinos from Mindanao spearheading the project.
Passion project
Xygen CG Works head Dave Gadrinab said the project was made out of passion.
"Just like our previous projects, Division of Existence was originally planned only for Japan and the United States," said Gadrinab. He previously worked as an animator outsourced by companies in those countries and was mentored by Japanese creative team Anigo Animation.
He said they are planning to set some scenes of the film in Cagayan de Oro.
Inspired by modern Japanese pop culture, the film also traces its themes from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy and horror films like Paul Anderson’s Event Horizon and James Cameron’s Aliens.
The main character, John Salazar, attempts to fight the paranormal with style – integrating the otherworldly prowess of Death Note’s Light Yagami, Marvel’s the Punisher, and DC’s Constantine.
In a preview clip uploaded on their Youtube channel, Salazar speaks with a gun pointed to the screen, his hair and eyes in the shade of red and a cigarette stick tucked between his lips. He appears to talking with another character.
Gadrinab said his team is planning to upload the film on Youtube so that it would reach a wider viewership, specifically targetting Filipinos as primary audience.
Collaboration
The creators of the film, currently in different parts of the world, work towards the completion of the anime online. They started producing Division of Existence in November 2016.
Joseph Manuel, Gadrinab's brother, is currently in San Fernando City in Pampanga. He is on top of special effects and music. Linil Komban and Sri Mule, who animates the characters, are both based in India; while American writer Caleb Mills takes charge of the script.
Prior to Division of Existence, they have been heavily immersed in the animation industry.
Brad Arces, who supervises animatics, shared that the team is trained on hand-drawn animation. To keep pace with recent trend, they have consolidated both hand-drawn and 3-dimensional aspects into the film by utilizing Blender – a free software for animation, game creation, and video editing.
Arces shared that Division of Existence is the company’s first animated film with an original concept by the team.
"As the team already has enough experience by being involved with projects from different animation studios, we decided to create something from scratch and call it our own," he said.
Challenges
Yet refining each frame still faces hurdles. A project shaped by ideas still requires the right amount of resources.
Xygen CG Works receives support from the Cagayan de Oro Business, Incubation, Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Start-ups, a program of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines and the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology, Research and Development. Its studio is based in the state university.
Patreon currently funds the project, a social networking website catered to artists of different genre. (READ: In support of Filipino talent)
While the team actively advertises the film through their website, sponsors can also support them by promoting their film through social media platforms and by purchasing their merchandise.
Arces is positive the film will likely succeed. "I see CDO to be one of the best providers when it comes to animation with the project that we are currently making....One of our goals is to get more investors to help us build our own animation studio," he said.
"It will also depend on the people – if they like the film – for it to succeed," Arces said.
Artist support in the country?
Arces said there is a lack of support for Filipino artists in the country.
"As a fellow artist, I really believe in the local talents that we have here," said Arces.
He said that the lack of support in the field has discouraged the artists, eventually "seeking for greener pastures instead of paving their own path to pursue art" in the country. (READ: In demand and hard to fill: Jobs to consider and prepare for)
Set to be released later this year, Division of Existence hopes to inspire fellow artists – particularly animators – across the country to add more colors into the vibrant art scene through their original works.
"If you want to succeed in the [animation] industry, you need to be willing to do a lot of sacrifices. You also need to make a plan, find the right people, and work with the right team," he said. – Rappler.com
Angelo Lorenzo is one of Rappler’s lead Movers in Cagayan de Oro City. Besides writing features, he works in the city's local government unit.