by Nancy Jundi
Sherman Oaks, CA – In June of 2010, Los Angeles, CA and Beijing, China came together to form a dynasty. Dynasty Visual Effects and Animation is the result of a fantastically researched collaboration of artists and producers obsessed with efficiency, quality and affordability. Whether you’re watching a big budget feature, playing a video game, ignoring a commercial or looking at a digital billboard, a great deal of what we’re viewing these days has it’s fair share of visual effects. From film to advertising, there is both a want and need for VFX and animation. Unfortunately, while demand has certainly grown, not all budgets have.
As a veteran of the advertising world Bruce Silverman, CEO of Dynasty, was aware of the demand for quality VFX that still allowed a budget to breath. Enter Leo Chen and Mark Hundahl, Co-Founders of Dynasty and Business Development Consultants. Hundahl’s background as an innovator, producer and all around entrepreneur lead him to explore business opportunities in China. Chen holds a degree in Civil Engineering from China’s prestigious Tongji University and emigrated to the U.S. in 1987 to earn an MBA in International Trade at Columbia University and has been a power in technology and it’s ability to form connections ever since. “Before I knew it we were all headed off to China to explore VFX companies and the quality of work we could expect,” said Silverman. “We needed to know if we could be a good fit working with one another in a cultural and efficiency sense. We made several trips over the course of a year and in that time we came up with the business model for Dynasty which we felt was unique.”
Between India, Korea and the Philippines outsourcing has become prevalent in recent years, which allowed for cost efficiency, but has left many questioning their practices. Many more found that time and money weren’t being saved after communication barriers caused delays and added expenses when shots had to be redone. “China has been largely uncharted territory,” said Silverman. “China is a gigantic country with a huge film and television market. We knew there had to be opportunity there. Our principle VFX studio in Beijing has about fifty people in it and our second facility houses twenty-five to thirty artists and technicians. Both of those operations are lead by people who have worked in the visual effects industry in Hollywood, Australia, Vancouver or San Francisco. That was a key issue for us in how to put this company together. We’re in a business that revolves around subtlety and nuance. We need to be able to communicate our needs and end results. That’s not easy even with a perfect translation. We needed to be able to speak with them in English and Chinese. We have Americans, Canadians and Australians over there in addition to having Leo Chen here to help the whole process work effectively and efficiently.”
Another key factor in Dynasty’s ability to make the unaffordable affordable lies in Executive Director Rob Morgenroth who also serves as Senior Director of Business Development for Dynasty. In 2004 Morgenroth had developed a 24-hour work cycle module for his own company in Taipei, which he later sold. “It was being talked about at the time, but not being done,” said Morgenroth. “China has always had a 24-hour work cycle that I found valuable. The language barrier wasn’t an issue in Taipei where most people are taught English in school. I’ve learned that a lot of people jump into outsourcing looking for the most cost efficient opportunity without really addressing the language barrier. If you say you want a tree created and you get an oak tree when you were expecting a palm tree that creates issues with time and monetary restrictions.”
While we’re sleeping here in Los Angeles, Dynasty’s team is a world away getting shots turned over. While some may have images of an underground work environment like Banksy portrayed for the Simpsons as a statement on outsourcing, Silverman noted, “Our Beijing studio looks an awful lot like Santa Monica. It’s a great work environment and work ethic. The people there have worked at Sony, ILM (Industrial Light and Magic), Digital Domain and Rhythm & Hues.” Morgenroth pointed out that “there are also cultural differences with work ethic. I’ve found that China has an incredible work ethic and treats their people better than what you hear coming from other outsourced areas. Work conditions are exceptional, privacy and security are of the utmost importance and at a level that is equal to or greater than what we’re used to here in Hollywood. All the bad things that can come from outsourcing just aren’t here. Bruce, Mark and Leo did a lot of research in building this company and expanded on what my initial idea had been. It’s incredible.”
Dynasty has gone above and beyond to ensure their clients’ peace of mind, exceptional results and ability to maximize their dollar. From legalities to licenses every detail has been combed over to offer the best of the best. Every client that Dynasty has only deals with the Los Angeles office and the Sherman Oaks team handles all communications with the team China. “Putting the Beijing operation together was in concert with our L.A. office,” said Silverman. “When we deliver animation our customers may want to go back into the file and tweak something. Everything has to be clean and kosher for that to happen.” Morgenroth acknowledged, “The perception is that outsourced material is being produced with ripped off software and it’s an accident waiting to happen. Our licenses are the most up to date versions, we own them and there are incredibly skilled artist working on them. These aren’t new comers. I’ve sat and watched them work!”
Silverman and his team are excited to be working on a number of projects including features films he’s sworn to secrecy on. Their most recent credit was the film CAT RUN that was shot in Serbia with stars from Los Angeles, a director from Austin and it’s VFX in Beijing. “We’re living in a global environment” said Silverman, “and that’s how we’ve been able to make this work. Dynasty has taken on the responsibility of connecting the pieces for an affordable outcome. It’s our studio in China, we’re one entity. The way we see it is our talent is one long corridor away – across the Pacific Ocean, but we’re on team. We do have people who work late and seep with their laptops, but that’s what we signed on for. Because of that we have the opportunity to offer a very good product at very attractive price and we’re pretty proud of that.”
