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Surprise hit has animation house raising its sights,
Pornnalat Prachyakorn
Prapaporn Konchueratana, Pairach Pansakoon and Yan Myo Aung show off VCDs of `Gor Ei Gor Gai', which began life on YouTube and became a mini-hit. |
It is a quiet morning, with the sound of cars and passersby audible in the distance outside the office.
Pairach Pansakoon is at his desk as normal, a graphics stylus in his right hand. He waves his hand, making the 22-inch computer screen come to life.
''Kids will definitely love this,'' says the 38-year-old animator with a slight smile, as the giant cartoon figure on the computer provides a laugh.
The 10 artists, programmers and computer animators that work at Idiom Co are certainly in a good mood these days. The company's first animation work, Gor Ei Gor Gai, a 10-minute animated film to teach children the Thai alphabet, has become a bona fide hit, with more than 130,000 downloads over the past two months on YouTube.
The company is now working on its second project, Nap 1-2-3, an educational film about numbers.
Prapaporn Konchueratana, Idiom's general manager and one of its founders, says the company's success has been pure serendipity.
''We didn't think Gor Ei Gor Gai would become a big hit. We put an early version, with just basic narration, on YouTube just to get some feedback about the story,'' she said. ''But it turned out to be the talk of the town.''
Gor Ei Gor Gai has since been spotlighted on a number of TV programmes, including the popular prime-time show Reung Den Yen Nee on Channel 3, MCOT's VIP and TrueVisions' Inside.
The film follows the journey of Por Gor Gai, or Father Rooster, in his search for the missing sun. As he travels through dark forests, caves and rivers, he meets various characters representing the 44 letters of the Thai alphabet.
Yan Myo Aung, an Idiom co-founder and programmer, said simple, fun stories were at the heart of the firm's work.
''We've tried to differentiate our products from others by adding a story to make them fun and easy for children to follow,'' said the 40-year-old Burmese national.
Mr Yan said educational multimedia would normally be in the form of interactive games or karaoke. But teaching children the alphabet or numbers through a story is a new way to make learning more interesting.
Idiom was founded in 2000 by Mrs Prapaporn and Mr Yan. Mr Pairach, who was working at the time as a graphics designer, later joined the company.
A drama graduate from Chulalongkorn University, Mrs Prapaporn first thought about setting up her own company after she lost her job when her employer, Siam Inter Active, folded during the 1997 economic crisis.
''I was unemployed for three years. ... That was when a friend of mine introduced me to Mr Yan, as I needed someone to help me with the programming,'' she said.
''I've now spent half my life in the field of children's entertainment.''
For most of its history, Idiom has served as a animation production house, developing educational media clips for clients such as Thai Software Enterprise, Isuzu and the Fine Arts Department.
Now the company hopes that its success with Gor Ei Gor Gai will solidify its ambitions to develop, produce and distribute its own Idiom-branded films.
''I had the story of Gor Ei Gor Gai in my head for 10 years before I got a chance to do it,'' Mrs Prapaporn said.
Idiom's move to develop its own brand was prompted by the weak economy, as corporate clients have cut back spending on new projects.
''We came to think that we should stand on our own and develop our own animations. We cannot always rely on orders from our clients,'' she said.
In April, Mr Yan set up a new distribution company, Gateway Icon, leaving Mrs Prapaporn and Idiom to focus on animation production.
The company expects Gor Ei Gor Gai, which was released last month on VCD for 139 baht, to sell its initial 3,000 run by next year. Another six projects are now in development.
Mr Yan said that over the next few months, the company would also begin marketing its English-language multimedia animations in Singapore, Malaysia and other countries.
For now, contracted animation still provides the bulk of the company's revenues. But Mrs Prapaporn said that within three years, it expects its own animations to account for 30% of revenues. While declining to disclose financial details, she suggested that cartoon animation is more a labour of love than a path to riches.
''We know this business won't make us a fortune. We only hope that we can make children enjoy learning just a little bit more,'' she said.
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