LaMB: The Animax’s First Original Anime Production Project at Astro 715

LaMB: The Animax’s First Original Anime Production Project at Astro 715

About LaMB

So, what is so hype about LaMB? Is it some sort of sheep or goat? Well, kinda..since it got some similarities with them. LaMB actually is the first Animax’s original anime production project based on the script submitted by a Filipino writer, Carmelo Juinio for the 6th Animax Awards in 2007. Instead of ‘LaMB’, the original script title of this animation is ‘Laminated Woman: To the Sand Planet Cerra‘ (what a mouthful title). Although it didn’t win the Grand Prize (only regional winner), but it really impressed the judges so much that they decide to turn it into a feature length animation too.


Jack Griswold and Eve (Major Sara Integra), two protagonists of this LaMB anime.

The LaMB Storyline

Basically, this story takes place in distant future in a desert planet called Cerra. One unique thing about this planet is its imprisonment system without walls. Prisoners has to go through the “Lamination” process where they will wear the cybernetic laminated skin-tight suits and then they can move around the place and do slavery job that cannot be done by machine or robots. The laminated prisoners are called LaMBs. One of the LaMBs is Eve (voice by Medicorp DJ, Petrina Kow), an ex-weapon specialist who has accidentally taken innocent lives while doing her military operation job. She was charged with manslaughter and then sentenced to 200 years in the virtual imprisonment behind the laminated suit. It is a fate that Eve met with Dr Jack Griswold (voice by Vanness Wu, a JVKV or F4 member), a scientist specialising in advanced botanical engineering from another planet who is such a workaholic in order to forget the tragic loss of his dead wife. What a Titanic love story…

The LaMB Team

So, who is behind LaMB? To start with, there are around 50 production team working in 10 months to complete it with the budget of US$6mil (RM21.6mil). Hey, that’s equivalent to movie Puteri Gunung Ledang cost. Well, some of them are really famous. To start with, Simple Plan and Click Five music and song are featured in this movie and have been made into exclusive music videos for Animax. The director for this anime is Thomas Chou, the co-founder and director of Da Joint, a Hong Kong production house. The project consultant is Ryosuke Tei, former founder and creative director of Furi Furi, a Japanese creative agency. The storyboard artist is Yasufumi Soejima who used to work with the legendary Studio Gonzo (Holy shit! That’s rock!). The concept art and designs are provided by the famous Imaginary Friends Studio, a Singapore company. Eve’s suits or dress are designed by Vivienne Tam, a New York-based fashion designer. Peach Blosson Media, a Singapore-based animation studio worked with Animation Asia on the LaMB’s animation and production. Well, it certainly looks like the whole world is working together on this animation. That’s what we called GLOBALIZATION or Cross Cultural Phenomenon. Awesome!!

Lastly, you can watch this Animax’s baby on Astro Channel 715 (Animax) on this coming Tuesday, 7th April 2009 at 8 pm (the one hour finale). For more information about LaMB, you can visit:
1) The Official Website of LaMB at http://animax-lamb.com/.
2) Article in The Star about this Animax baby project.

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http://vrempire.com/animation/lamb-the-animaxs-first-original-anime-production-project-at-astro-715.html

Van Ness, the voice

His long, floppy rebonded hair sparked a trend among Asian guys who couldn’t carry off the look. Best known for being one-quarter of once phenomenally popular Taiwanese boyband F4 (which has since been renamed JVKV), Van Ness Wu — he’s changed his name from Vanness to Van Ness, the road in his hometown of Los Angeles he was named after — has long since shed his flower-power Meteor Garden image in favour of an edgier style.

The 31-year-old, who has dabbled in diverse ventures including music, film and, most recently, jewellery design, stars in LaMB, Animax Asia’s first original animation production. Or at least his voice does.

LaMB explores the futuristic world of a harsh desert planet where the inhabitants have perfected “lamination”, a system by which criminals are imprisoned in laminated suits to ensure that they remain productive members of society in a system of virtual slavery.

“I’m very excited about this project,” said Wu over the phone from Taipei. “I’ve been a very big animation buff since I was a kid... I love the way they’re able to create a different world with so much imagination.”

Also starring the voices of Josie Ho and Tanaka Chie, the ambitious project includes music videos, web manga, mobile graphic novels and mobisodes, as well as online and mobile games. In addition, it features songs from The Click Five and Simple Plan, as well as costumes designed by Vivienne Tam.

Wu, who counts Ninja Scroll, Appleseed, Akira, Samurai Champloo, Naruto and Finding Nemo among his favourite animations, voices protagonist Dr Jack Griswold, a visiting scientist who debates the ethical implications of lamination and falls in love with a woman serving her sentence in the laminated suit.

“I have a lot of inner demons I’m trying to resolve on my own, and I’m trying to get through life living in the past and wondering what the future’s going to hold; trying to find a purpose,” he said of his character. “It was really difficult, but it was fun to try to connect with those emotions. It’s too bad I wasn’t able to do it in front of the camera.”

In fact, the Kung Fu Chefs star may have found his new calling. “I’d definitely love to try new characters and different types of voiceovers. I love doing crazy voices,” he said. “And funny voices and high voices and low voices and monster voices.”

Catch Part 1 of LaMB on Tuesday and Part 2 on March 31 at 8pm on Animax (StarHub TV Channel 84). Visit www.animax-lamb.com for more online content. - TODAY/yb

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainmentfeatures/view/416557/1/.html

Vanness Wu: From Meteor Garden to Anime Kingdom

Vanness Wu: From Meteor Garden to Anime Kingdom Ex-F4 member is no mild little LaMB

MSN News
http://entertainment.sg.msn.com/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1840670

source
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=636912

It has been difficult for VANNESS WU to shake off the ‘Just another pretty boy’ tag, especially since he was part of the extremely boyish and good-looking foursome F4 in the popular Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden , but we think that the singer/actor has carved a nice little niche for himself in Asia. He’s definitely talented. Being fluent in English and Mandarin enabled the American-born Taiwanese actor to work with Japanese director Ryosuke Tei in Animax’s first and biggest original production - English anime film LaMB.

As Dr. Jack Grisworld in LaMB, Vanness, 30, is a scientist visiting from another planet who delves into work to forget the memories of his late wife. He meets Eve, voiced by Hong Kong actress Josie Ho, an ex-weapons specialist, who while trying to do the right thing, causes a massive accident and ends up being sentenced to years in virtual imprisonment.

Vanness recently took some time off to speak to hot about his role as a nerdy scientist and how he’s kind of like ‘big dork’ like his character.
How do you feel being part of this film?
I’m very excited about this project. I’ve been a very big animation buff since I was a kid, so to be in any part of an anime project gets me excited. I love the way people are able to create such worlds in different times and explore the imagination. To be part of such a great story is such a blessing.
Can you tell us a bit more about the project and how you got involved in it?
I don’t know how it fell into my lap but I’m very grateful that it did. The producers told me that they were looking for somebody who was able to speak Mandarin and English and luckily enough, my name popped up. I was lucky. I’m just a very big animation buff!
Name us some of your favourite animes.
Let’s see, Ninja Scroll, Apple Seed, Akira, Gun Buster, Robotech – the list goes on and on.
Do you have any favourite cartoon characters?
There are so many! Naruto, because he has a big heart and he has a dream which he pursues no matter what. He doesn’t let anybody stand in his way. From Disney, I like Pinocchio for the same reasons I like Naruto. I liked him as a kid and I still do today. I also like The Little Mermaid.

If you were an anime character, what would you look like and what personality would you like to have?
That’s a hard one. I want to have super powers and ninja-like qualities. To be a shape shifter would be really cool.
Who do you think has the sexiest voice in showbiz?
They are so many! It depends on how they do it. I think one person is the actress from The Devil Wears Prada , Meryl Streep. She’s just so natural playing different characters and the way she plays them exudes sexiness. I have always thought she’s sexy!
What has the experience of doing voiceovers on this anime been like?
It definitely has its challenges but I enjoyed the great experience of working with the people who have helped me with the vocals when I was doing the voiceovers in English. The artwork and animation were not complete at that point and I didn’t have anything in front of me except for some sketches from here or there and there were no actors selected at that time as well. I was just saying my lines in front of the vocal producer and she really helped me get into character by describing every detail. I really appreciate all her help.
How different is regular acting as opposed to animation voiceovers?
[With voiceovers], you don’t have to worry about camera angles because there is no camera. But sometimes it’s simple lines like, ‘I’d like to get a cup of water’, that require multiple takes to get the proper effect because it’s animation and simple lines have to be said in a more specific way.
How did you bring your character to life and how did you feel about him?
I kind of injected my cousin’s personality into the role because he’s a computer engineer.He’s a bit of a nerd and I’m a big dork too so I can relate to that. Growing up, my cousin and I hung out together and we’re all into animation and the geeky stuff but I find it very cool.
How do you personally feel about the future of mankind?
I would love to save the world but I know I can’t and only Jesus Christ can. What I can do is pray, let me be a servant to him and let him to do his work through me and I think that’s the best way that I can do it.

Animax: LAMB Press Screening @ Greenbelt 3

A press screening for Animax new animation called LAMB was held last March 13, 2009 at Greenbelt 3 My cinema.

LaMB stars Taiwan-based singer-actor Van Ness Wu, Taiwan-based actress Tanaka Chie and Hong Kong artiste Josie Ho as voice actors in lead roles. International bands The Click Five and Simple Plan provide musical tracks to the show which also features costumes designs by Vivienne Tam. Further information is available at www.animax-lamb.com.


for more news and pictures regrading the press screening...visit the links below:

PRESS RELEASE

PHOTOS

credits to kuya az coladilla

V animated

V animated
Thunder Road
By James Gabrillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Last updated 01:10:00 11/15/2008

VAN Ness Wu isn’t two steps through the door before I understand his entire career. On paper, his clean-cut all-Asian good looks make him an unlikely choice to play a suave university student in the wildly popular Taiwanese idol series “Meteor Garden.” Earlier this year we saw him play a part in the epic period film “Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon.” He’s one-fourth of the pop music group F4, now known as JYKV. Why then, you have to wonder, the need to play a guy who experiences an emotional rollercoaster so vigorous and never-before-seen that I’m actually quite nervous for Animax.

In “LaMB,” Van Ness lends his voice to bring to life the character of Dr. Jack Griswold, a man suffering the pain and despair of moving on after the loss of his wife, the struggle against the system of virtual imprisonment, and the helplessness and anguish of his seemingly doomed romance with a prisoner named Eve. Clearly, this is a character unlike those he played before.

But Van Ness says this one is something he’s truly proud of. “I’m very excited about my involvement,” he tells me in an exclusive interview. “Jack is a very complex character with many facets and strong emotions, and I am looking forward to meeting the challenges to bring him to life.”

F4 in 2D

When the producers of the series approached Van Ness and offered him the role, he found it such a privilege. Van Ness admits that ironically, while his face won’t be seen on screen, he thinks this is one role critics and fans will remember him playing.

“To be a part of any type of animation project is nothing but a dream come true,” he says. “I love the way that animation is able to create different worlds, different times. It challenges you to explore the imagination.”

Not surprising to hear from someone who grew up glued to varied Japanese animated series. “Ninja School, Akira, Gunbuster, Robotech, Naruto, Evangelion, Samurai Champloo—the list goes on and on,” he recalls. “I’m a big dork and a bit of a nerd. When I was young my cousins and I were too involved with gadgets and we were all crazy over animation.”

Dub-le trouble

While recording his dubs, Van Ness got entangled with a little challenge that he never foresaw—bringing out the extra dark emotions the role demands while caged inside a small, cold audio booth.

“There were no actors or actresses that were picked at that time. So pretty much the only other sound I was hearing was from the vocal producer at the other room,” he says. “And sometimes the simple throwaway lines like ‘I like to get a cup of water’ are the hardest to say.”

Silence of the LaMB

A few hours after I talked to him, I caught him being interviewed on television. It was a press conference—probably his one hundredth in the last week, I thought. When Van Ness entered the room, he walked with his head bowed down and eyes turned inward. Later he revealed that perhaps he got too burdened by inner turmoil after internalizing his character too much.

He kept his olive-drab military cap on backwards as he slid quietly on the spotlight, so only a few wisps of his auburn hair slipped free. The high cheekbones suddenly seemed skeletal, the large eyes clouded. While "LaMB" is a project for young audiences, Van Ness seems very much aware that this is his most mature role to date.

I continued to watch the press con. When someone asked about his childhood addiction to anything animated, Van Ness’ face lit up. It was one of only a handful of smiles I got to witness, but the effect is as remarkable as it is disconnected: his eyes clear, his body slouching rakishly against the chair. For the moment, he was easy-going and seemed to have no idea.

All grown up

As the press con wrapped up and I recalled our conversation early that day, I thought that Van Ness Wu is a likeable chap, if a little guarded. He tells you, “I’m guarded” and crosses his arms over himself. Then he tries, with admirable humanity, to un-guard himself for you.

The more mature Van Ness Wu is a Van Ness Wu who seems to have traded vanity in for something more useful: a color-palette of nuances and delicately tuned emotional truths. You don’t have to be an actor or a Buddhist to notice that he has impressive interior design—he’s done a dutiful job of his own character construction.

Not that he couldn’t still be vain if he felt like it. He still has movie-star good looks. He just prefers to wear it inside out these days. He’s filled up now, and looks better than ever.

“LaMB,” Animax Asia’s first HD original animation production, is premiering in early 2009 across Asia. It is based on the award-winning script submitted by Filipino viewer and amateur writer Carmelo Juinio to the Animax Awards 2007 pan-Asia scriptwriting contest.

SOURCE

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/you/super/view/20081115-172355/V-animated