Embargoed Until After Delivery Please Check Against Delivery SPEECH
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Embargoed Until After Delivery Please Check Against Delivery SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG AT THE OPENING OF THE SANDCRAWLER BUILDING ON 16 JANUARY 2014, 11.00AM Ms Kathleen Kennedy President, Lucasfilm Mr George Lucas Founder, Lucasfilm Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen SANDCRAWLER 1. Happy to open the Sandcrawler, Lucasfilm’s new office in Singapore 2. Lucasfilm needs no introduction a. Movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones have entertained millions of us b. Its characters and lines have become part of popular culture, even in Singapore, e.g. i. Storm Troopers participate in the Chingay Parade and the Singapore Marathon ii. Everyone knows what “May the Force be with you” means c. Look forward to Lucasfilm creating new cultural icons from its Sandcrawler building 3. In Star Wars, the Sandcrawler is a slow moving fortress, home to the Jawas (scavengers, similar to our “karang guni” or “rag and bone” men) a. In real life, this Sandcrawler building is anything but slow moving or a home for desert crawlers b. It is the base in Asia for Lucasfilm in this rapidly developing industry c. A cutting edge office, equipped with latest technology d. The training ground of young Jedis under Lucasfilm’s Jedi Masters Programme 4. Look forward to touring the Sandcrawler later, and meeting Lucasfilm’s creative young minds INTERACTIVE AND DIGITAL MEDIA INDUSTRY 5. Interactive and digital media is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing industries in the world a. Millions of people go online to consume content or create their own (e.g. YouTube, Vine) b. Businesses and artistes are doing likewise, hoping to become the next Psy or launch the next “Gangnam Style” c. Changes are transforming our lives i. e-Books and online music services are making it easier to read and listen to music anywhere, disrupting bookstores and CD shops ii. Gamers make large sums selling upgrades and virtual equipment, although ailments like “joystick thumb” and “Nintendo-nitis” are becoming more common 6. Industry holds tremendous opportunities for Singapore a. We are located in the heart of Asia, whose growing middle classes will demand more of such services b. We are at the crossroads of East and West, whose diverse cultures are critical to this creative pursuit 2 7. Hence we have been developing this industry a. Promoted local production companies and talent with some success, e.g. i. VividThree, which did the visual effects for Ah Boys to Men 2 – the highest- grossing Singaporean film ever ii. Anthony Chen, whose film “Ilo Ilo” has won many awards, including the Cannes Camera D’Or b. Attracted leading players, e.g. Lucasfilm, Disney, Discovery, Ubisoft i. They cover many genres, from digital animation to gaming to documentaries ii. Their activities in Singapore range from animation to post-production editing to sales and marketing c. Hence value-add of interactive and digital media industry in Singapore has grown by more than 1.5 times since 2008 to exceed $2b d. We expect it to continue growing in future 8. We are strengthening Singapore’s position in this field Infrastructure 9. First, investing in infrastructure a. We believe that clustering digital and media companies will spur creativity and innovation b. Hence created cluster around Fusionopolis and Mediapolis at One North, which includes i. MNCs like Lucasfilm, Walt Disney, Ubisoft and Discovery ii. Local companies like MediaCorp’s new campus, and StarHub’s new Internet Exchange 3 c. Clustering has promoted engagement and collaboration i. Employees from different companies regularly get together to exchange ideas and dream up the next big thing ii. Companies partner research institutes like the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) with some success, e.g. I2R developed a technology to store and distribute content more efficiently d. Look forward to many more interesting partnerships and creations from One North! Talent 10. Second, developing and welcoming talent a. Singaporeans i. Local institutions offer specialized digital media programmes and degrees ii. They partner companies like Lucasfilm to train promising artists, e.g. Lucasfilm has trained over 100 Singaporeans under its Jedi Masters Program iii. Courses are growing more popular, and graduates stay on in the field iv. Institutions do good work – Nanyang Polytechnic helps me with my NDR every year, and does an excellent job v. Reflects our commitment to helping every Singaporean achieve his potential in a diverse range of fields b. At the same time, companies assemble diverse, talented teams from around the world i. Not just to find people with good animation skills or creative talent ii. But to create a diverse, dynamic mix of cultures and creative influences, from which new ideas and inspirations emerge 4 iii. See this in Lucasfilm’s Sandcrawler (1) It is home to a United Nations of talent (a) Almost 40 nationalities (b) From big countries, e.g. America, Russia, China (c) Many less familiar sources too, e.g. Macedonia, Ukraine, Argentina, Turkey (2) More than a hundred are Singaporeans, e.g. (a) Mr Winston Ng: Rose from an intern to an Associate Production Manager for ILM Singapore, who recently managed the ILM Singapore team that worked on “Noah”, which will be released in March (b) Mr Edward Chew: Lead Animator in Lucasfilm Singapore, who worked on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Rango” A Vibrant Creative Ecosystem 11. One important determinant of the industry’s success is the overall culture and environment of the society a. The magic lies not in the equipment or processes b. But in the creative spark that resides in human minds c. These can only light up in an environment which inspires people, promotes creativity and helps people to realise their dreams d. That is what we are trying to create in Singapore i. Promoting a spirit of inquiry ii. Staying abreast of global trends, so Singapore remains relevant to the world 5 iii. Creating an open, vibrant economy that offers exciting opportunities for Singaporeans and talent from around the world e. That is how i. We can attract such a diverse range of talent to Lucasfilm and develop exciting new sectors like digital animation ii. We can create exciting new opportunities for Singaporeans and Singapore CONCLUSION 12. Thank Lucasfilm for its trust and confidence a. We started this dream “a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” at the Skywalker Ranch in Marin County b. Lucasfilm could have set up an office anywhere in the world, but it chose to come to Singapore c. That was 10 years ago d. Lucasfilm has thrived here, and progressively built up its presence to seize the opportunities here and in the region e. The Sandcrawler is the latest milestone in our partnership, reflecting Lucasfilm’s confidence in Singapore, our people and our system f. We will do all we can to ensure Lucasfilm continues to succeed, as well as other companies in Singapore g. I wish Lucasfilm every success, and look forward to more exciting new partnerships in future 13. Thank you! . 6 .