Translator: Tamami Nakai Reviewer: Claire Ghyselen
When I was a child,
I obsessed over the way people made animation.
It's what inspired me to draw.
I spent long hours of my childhood
watching animated films by Japan and America.
The films were beautiful.
They told simple stories in fantastical settings
or fantastical stories in simple settings.
They helped me see the beauty in the mundane
and the tragedy in the beautiful.
Pakistan is famous for many things,
but hand-drawn animation is not one of them.
It all seemed like a distant dream,
yet I always longed to be a part of this magical world of animation.
And there's something incredibly beautiful about hand-drawn animation.
It never looks obsolete.
The beauty of the lines drawn and painted by the human hand
cannot be replicated in today's obsession with computer generated detail.
Not letting the fact that Pakistan had no background in animation stop me,
I pursued my desire to make my own animation a reality.
I learnt the ins and outs of animation however I could.
I learnt how to storyboard by studying those who came before me,
and I keep learning something new and amazing everyday.
Through my work with TED,
I got to visit incredible animation studios;
I got to meet some of the greatest living animators;
and when I met them,
I poured my heart out about how much I love animations
and how I want to learn everything that I can.
I began to further develop "The Glassworker",
a coming-of-age story about two children from separate walks of life:
One, an apprentice glassblower,
learning from his father in their glass shop.
The other a gifted violinist,
struggling to find her own unique voice on the instrument.
The film will follow both characters through their formative years
as the growing threat of war strains their relationship.
Now in American animation studios,
the concept art behind the animation is a very collaborative process.
You have a writer, a director,
a storyboard artist and a character designer
working together to create the storyboards and scenes for the film.
In Japan, it is much more personal.
It is expected of the director to draw their own storyboards
and really guide the team to execute their vision.
Since this style of animation
is what fascinated me ever since I got into this field,
I based all my work around it.
My family and I began to build our team to make this animation a reality.
I kept thinking Pakistan is full of so much potential,
and there are so many gifted young artists.
What if we were to bring these artists under one roof?
We searched for like-minded creatives
and spread the word by holding workshops in art schools and universities
about what we wanted to achieve.
We found some exceptional artists in Malaysia and of course Pakistan.
People like me, who were obsessed with animation
and did everything they possibly could to pursue it.
We also found some unexpected talent.
We found a gifted doctor, who longed to be part of animation
but never thought she would get a chance to pursue it in Pakistan.
She is now one of our lead animators.
We found a dentist who dreamed of one day working in an animation studio
but had to put that dream aside
because it was just not possible in Pakistan.
We found people willing to drop out of their universities
and leave their successful careers because animation is what they truly love.
We jokingly call these people our "Diamonds in the rough".
But what truly moved me was when our office attendant,
the young man in charge of cleaning,
started leaving hidden drawings and sculptures in the studio.
Eventually when I found out it was him
and confronted him as to why he just didn't come to me directly,
he told me that he was embarrassed,
and he didn't know how everyone would react.
He is now part of our animation team as well.
Animation is what brought us all together.
Against all odds,
we began to form the very first hand-drawn-animation studio in Pakistan:
"Mano Animation Studios".
So how does one make a hand-drawn animated film
in a country with no background in hand-drawn animation?
The truth is, because there is no industry in Pakistan, there are no rules.
And because there are no rules, there are no restrictions.
So we seized the moment and took everything into our own hands.
We set Kickstarter goal of $50,000 to make just a few minutes of animation
and managed to make more than double our funding goal,
not bad for a bunch of nobodies from Pakistan.
I guess people were able to see
the enthusiasm and sentiment behind the project.
This really is a passion project, a love letter to hand-drawn animation.
And today, it's my pleasure to debut footage from the animation
here at TEDxKyoto.
Japanese animation inspired me to become an animator,
so it's very special for me to be sharing this with you.
(Video) Sneak Peak of 'The Grassworker - Prelude'
Mano Animations Studio
(Music starts)
(Urdu) Man: Vincent,
(Urdu) take this upstairs!
Boy : Oh.
(Urdu) Man: Don't drop it!
Boy : Hmm.
(Sound of a train)
(Music ends)
Boy : Hmm
(Creaking sound)
Boy : Hmm.
(Sound of object falling)
(Music starts)
(Music ends)
Thank you.
So, building an entirely new industry is not easy,
and completing this film will be a long and difficult journey.
But I feel the team we have formed is crazy enough to go on that journey.
You are probably asking yourselves
why I chose to start an animation studio in Pakistan?
To make hand-drawn animation in a country with no hand-drawn animation.
Well, so many people leave their country
because they feel there is more opportunity abroad,
that things are simply better abroad,
while - I won't deny that - I don't subscribe to that ideology.
What about the people back home who have the talent to accomplish remarkable things
but have never gotten an opportunity?
And if you are in a position to give those people an opportunity,
is it not your responsibility to do so?
There is a saying that I really love:
"Bloom Where you are Planted".
We want children in Pakistan
to grow up knowing that if they enjoy art and animation,
there is a place they can come and work not so far a way,
where that passion will be appreciated and encouraged.
We want to one day make an animation academy
to teach animation to these aspiring artists,
to give them hope that they can accomplish their dreams
and that all they need to do is to take the first step.
With this film and our studio,
we hope to lay the foundation for artists in Pakistan
to come and work on beautiful works of art that they can be proud of
and inspire others to tell their own stories
the way the animation I grew up watching still continues to inspire me.
Thank you.
(Applause)