They dream of being the Arabian answer to Walt Disney and Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit. Or maybe the biggest thing since the UAE’s very own Freej grandmothers.
The new generation of students is taking it frame by frame to develop their addiction to animation.
Tadreeb’s Cartoon Network Animation Academy has just taken in its fourth batch of students and Oliver Acker, head lecturer, hopes they will pioneer a regional animation industry – with Abu Dhabi at its heart.
“Being an artist is different from working in an office,” he says. “In this job you’re scared of the day you retire. You want to just produce and create for the rest of your life. It’s the most amazing thing in the world.
“It can be so tiring and difficult and frustrating, but at the same time it’s really rewarding and fun. Who wouldn’t want to make a living doing what they love?”
The 42-year-old animator has crafted an intensive 16-month animation-production course for Cartoon Network based on his knowledge and skills, refined over decades working with some of the world’s most respected studios, including Disney.
The course is run by the Cartoon Network Animation Academy, part of twofour54’s tadreeb training school, which offers more than 200 media training courses. It teaches aspiring animators to produce and write cartoons using traditional techniques. It focuses on traditional hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation, but also incorporates digital animation and visual effects using software.
Students also learn about the creative side of cartoons, writing and character development. Originally a 12-month course, this year’s revised syllabus is divided into four terms, culminating in a final project where all the students collaborate and produce a short cartoon from scratch. Top graduates can intern at the Cartoon Network Arabia studio, also in twofour54.
Cartoon Network Arabia broadcasts hit Cartoon Network shows in Arabic, but hopes to eventually accrue enough talent to produce cartoons that “reflect the design, colour, storytelling, rich history and humour of the region”.
Globally, Cartoon Network broadcasts to 248 million homes in 22 languages across 166 countries.
“It’s best to learn the basics in 2D animation by drawing because you have to craft every frame individually; then you actually understand what the computer does for you,” Mr Acker says. “And it opens up a lot more jobs because it’s always based on the fundamentals.”
The academy is picky about who it accepts, taking an average of 12 students each session.
“Talent is extremely important, but from my experience when someone is a little less talented but has the right attitude, with hard work we can even it out,” he says.
Fatima Almuhairi, 19, is part of a generation of Emiratis who have realised that animation is not just a form of entertainment, but a viable career option too. She flips through a sketch book, showing immaculately drawn characters of differing styles – from Japanese anime to Disney.
“There was a time where I just got really fed up with anime because my favourite characters kept dying. So I went back to western cartoons, they have less drama. Now I’m in-between – I don’t hold a grudge against anime any more.”
Having drawn comics since she was 13, Ms Almuhairi soon considered herself an artist. However, opting for a career in advertising, she started a degree at the American University of Sharjah.
“But I really couldn’t get into it and I didn’t think it was fair of me to be there when I wasn’t as passionate about what I was doing as everyone else – so I left.”
It was during this course that she first showcased her art at a comic-book convention. “I met Oliver there, that’s where they recruited me.”
Mr Acker says it is no cliche – great artists must suffer for their passions. “I do believe you need a struggle. You need to overcome something to develop a strong passion,” he says. “If I could become an animator easily, why would I want to? That’s why the interview process is really important to us, we don’t just take anyone who can pay. I need a sense that they’re really willing to struggle to become an animator.”
He speaks from experience. Animation did not come easy to him. As a child, his school reports said he was a bad student, constantly daydreaming and drawing in class.
“Of course parents don’t like that very much, but part of me was proud of that. That was who I was.”
Yet he did not know animation was a viable career option until he was 17, when he read a newspaper article about Andreas Deja. a German character animator at Disney.
Before the internet, books on animation were scarce in Germany and Mr Acker could ill afford to study. He wrote to famous animators and one replied: “As Walt Disney says, learn how to draw the real thing before you can caricature.” Faced with this daunting task, the young Mr Acker took odd jobs washing windows and delivering newspapers to fund art classes at night.
“Those jobs were all exciting because I had a purpose. And the moment you have a purpose, anything you do in life is fun. ”
Meanwhile, in his spare time he sketched people at the airport and animals at the zoo. In time, he secured an internship at Disney in Paris, eventually working on feature films in Los Angeles and Japan.
Mr Acker was a little sceptical about finding passionate animators in the UAE, an affluent country with a small population.
“But once I did some interviews with potential students, I realised there’s so much passion here. And there’s a lot of ambition to demonstrate that passion, especially among the Emirati females.”
Their struggle, he says, comes from not being able to express themselves as much as they would like. Animation becomes a tool for the students, a way of expressing their feelings, and who have few platforms to do so other than social media.
“We have people coming from outside Abu Dhabi and working on the side,” he says. “I’m really touched by that. That’s the kind of people I want, the ones who are really willing to take a risk or struggle to do this. That is a huge factor in succeeding.”
At the far end of the class, Maryam Alatouni, a 25-year-old Emirati, sits at a computer, calm and content. After taking the course two years ago, she became hooked.
“Actually I couldn’t go away from the course so I attended again. Oliver said I had a place if I still wanted to attend some classes, and that I could assist. Sometimes I help students with software if the teachers aren’t there, and I might do some teaching. I’m also doing freelance illustration for two games – one for kids and one for the iPhone and iPad.”
Other than interning at Cartoon Network Arabia, Ms Alatouni says there are still few opportunities in the country’s burgeoning animation industry. “I feel like my life is here with animation so it’s a great thing that we have an animation course in this region, with a level of professionalism that you can’t find in other institutes. Like any new industry it takes time, but the academy helps a lot.”
Tarek Monzer, 27, from Syria, felt stifled after two years of working in advertising and decided to abandon his career for his true passion.
“I don’t have any particular history with animation but I have been drawing since I was a kid. Since high school, I’ve wanted to work in either animation or the gaming industry, designing concept art and ideas, but back then it wasn’t a viable option.”
He says the medium is starting to gain wider acceptance. His parents, who originally wanted him to study engineering, gave him the push he needed to enrol in the academy.
“People’s views of decent careers, respectable jobs or anything that’s worthy are not just limited to being an engineer or doctor or a businessman any more. Now you can be an artist and when you have a facility like this that really pushes you and makes sure that you come out with the right skill set, what’s left to worry about?”
For Mr Monzer, the experience has been liberating. “It’s something that I love doing and I’m not just doing the same thing over and over again, I’m learning something new. I don’t have a problem just staying in all day and sketching because sketching is one of the very few things that really just makes me lose track of time.
“People say one of two things about turning your hobby into a job. Some say people have hobbies because they want to chill out and escape from reality, but once it becomes a job they hate it. But then others say if you do turn your hobby into your job then you’ll never work a day in your life.
“So far, I’m feeling the latter.”
halbustani@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
How do Sim card scams work?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
No%20Windmills%20in%20Basra
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Diaa%20Jubaili%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20180%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Deep%20Vellum%20Publishing%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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More coverage from the Future Forum
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The years Ramadan fell in May
Results
International 4, United States 1
Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods (US) beat Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann (International) 4 and 3.
Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im (International) beat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (US) 2 up.
Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An (International) beat Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau (US) 2 and 1.
Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan (International) beat Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed (US) 1 up.
Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen (International) beat Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland (US) 4 and 3.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BMW%20M4%20Competition
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
