Centro Digital Pictures Limited
Encyclopedia
Centro Digital Pictures Limited is a visual special effects and animations company based in Hong Kong
that provides visual effects
for film
, interactive media
and video games.
a film directed by Andrew Lau
. They then went on to co-produce "A Man Called Hero" based on the manhua
Chinese Hero
. They also provided visual effects for Kill Bill
for which they received a BAFTA nomination, and Kung Fu Hustle
, for which Centro provided visual effects. The company also performed contract work for videogame company Ubisoft
on the titles 187 Ride or Die
and Splinter Cell
.
a Golden Horse Film Festival award and a Satellite Award
. In 2002 they won a Golden Horse Award in Best Visual Effects for Gin gwai (The Eye
).
for Zhong hua ying xiong (A Man Called Hero), a BAFTA Award for Visual Effects due to their work on Kill Bill
volumes 1 & 2, and a Hong Kong Film Award in Visual Effects for Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia (Curse of the Golden Flower).
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
that provides visual effects
Visual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
for film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, interactive media
Interactive media
Interactive media normally refers to products and services on digital computer-based systems which respond to the user’s actions by presenting content such as text, graphics, animation, video, audio, etc.-Terminology:...
and video games.
History
Centro Digital Pictures was founded by John Chu in 1987. Initially specializing in post-production work, in 1998 they decided to co-produce The Storm RidersThe Storm Riders
The Storm Riders is a 1998 Hong Kong film based on the manhua series Fung Wan by artist Ma Wing-shing. Directed by Andrew Lau, it starred Ekin Cheng as Wind and Aaron Kwok as Cloud. The plot involves two children, Whispering Wind and Striding Cloud, who become powerful warriors under the evil Lord...
a film directed by Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong cinematographer and filmmaker. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film...
. They then went on to co-produce "A Man Called Hero" based on the manhua
Manhua
Manhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
Chinese Hero
Chinese Hero
Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword is a wuxia manhua series created by Hong Kong artist Ma Wing-shing. It is also referred to as Blood Sword, Blood Sword Dynasty, A Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword and A Man Called Hero....
. They also provided visual effects for Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
for which they received a BAFTA nomination, and Kung Fu Hustle
Kung Fu Hustle
Kung Fu Hustle is a 2004 action comedy film directed and produced by, and starring Stephen Chow. The other film producers were Chui Po-chu and Jeffrey Lau, while the screenplay was written by Huo Xin, Chan Man-keung, and Tsang Kan-cheung...
, for which Centro provided visual effects. The company also performed contract work for videogame company Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
on the titles 187 Ride or Die
187 Ride or Die
187 Ride or Die is a video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, developed and published by Ubisoft. In order to become "top dog" of the game the player must race and defeat opponents through a variety of different stages all set in Los Angeles's infamous South Central region.The game's title comes...
and Splinter Cell
Splinter Cell
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a series of stealth video games, the first of which was released in 2002, and their tie-in novels. The protagonist, Sam Fisher, is presented as a highly-trained agent of a fictional black-ops sub-division within the NSA, dubbed "Third Echelon"...
.
Special effects filmography
- Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg (ji qi xia, directed by Jeffrey Lau, 2009)
- City of Life and Death (Nánjīng! Nánjīng!, directed by Lu Chuan, 2009)
- Gegege no Kitarô 2 (directed by Katsuhide Motoki, 2008)
- Run Papa RunRun Papa RunRun Papa Run is a 2008 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed and co-written by Sylvia Chang, and based on a novel by Benny Li. It was produced by JCE Movies Limited, with Jackie Chan serving as an executive producer...
(Yat kor ho ba ba, directed by Sylvia Chang, 2008) - The Secret of the Magic Gourd (Baohulu de mimi, directed by Frankie Chung and John Chu, 2007)
- Curse of the Golden FlowerCurse of the Golden FlowerCurse of the Golden Flower is a 2006 Chinese epic drama film directed by Zhang Yimou.With a budget of US$45 million, it was at the time of its release the most expensive Chinese film to date, surpassing Chen Kaige's The Promise...
(Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia, directed by Zhang YimouZhang YimouZhang Yimou is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. He is counted amongst the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum....
, 2006) - The PromiseThe Promise (2005 film)The Promise is a 2005 Chinese epic fantasy film directed by Chen Kaige and starring Jang Dong-gun, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse. The film is based on the wuxia romance The K'un-lun Slave, written by P'ei Hsing at the time of the Tang Dynasty.First released in mainland China on...
(Wu Ji, directed by Chen KaigeChen KaigeChen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
, 2005) - Kung Fu HustleKung Fu HustleKung Fu Hustle is a 2004 action comedy film directed and produced by, and starring Stephen Chow. The other film producers were Chui Po-chu and Jeffrey Lau, while the screenplay was written by Huo Xin, Chan Man-keung, and Tsang Kan-cheung...
(Gong fu, directed by Stephen ChowStephen ChowStephen Chow Sing-Chi is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director and producer.- Professional career :Stephen Chow began as a temporary actor for TVB. He entered TVB in early 1980s, and was trained there, although he had few opportunities to appear in films. Chow graduated from...
, 2004) - Kill BillKill BillKill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
volume 2 (directed by Quentin TarantinoQuentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
, 2004) - Kill BillKill BillKill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
volume 1 (directed by Quentin Tarantino, 2003) - The EyeThe Eye (2002 film)The Eye, also known as Seeing Ghosts, is a 2002 horror film directed by the Pang brothers. The film spawned two sequels by the Pang brothers, The Eye 2 and The Eye 10...
(Gin gwai, directed by The Pang BrothersThe Pang BrothersThe Pang Brothers are Danny Pang Fat and Oxide Pang Chun , twin-brother screenwriters and film directors, born in 1965 in Hong Kong. Among their films is the hit Asian horror film, The Eye, which has spawned two sequels, as well as a Hollywood remake and a Hindi remake...
, 2002) - Chinese Odyssey 2002Chinese Odyssey 2002Chinese Odyssey 2002 is a 2002 Hong Kong film written and directed by Jeffrey Lau and produced by Wong Kar-wai. It stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Faye Wong, Zhao Wei and Chang Chen....
(Tian xia wu shuang, directed by Jeffrey Lau, 2002) - Shaolin SoccerShaolin SoccerShaolin Soccer is a 2001 Hong Kong comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Stephen Chow. A former Shaolin monk reunites his five brothers, years after their master's death, to apply their superhuman martial arts skills to play soccer and bring Shaolin kung fu to the masses.In 2008 a...
(Siu lam juk kau, directed by Stephen ChowStephen ChowStephen Chow Sing-Chi is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director and producer.- Professional career :Stephen Chow began as a temporary actor for TVB. He entered TVB in early 1980s, and was trained there, although he had few opportunities to appear in films. Chow graduated from...
, 2001) - Bangkok Dangerous (directed by the Pang Brothers, 1999)
- A Man Called Hero (Zhong hua ying xiong, directed by Andrew LauAndrew LauAndrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong cinematographer and filmmaker. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film...
, 1999), based on the manhuaManhuaManhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
Chinese HeroChinese HeroChinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword is a wuxia manhua series created by Hong Kong artist Ma Wing-shing. It is also referred to as Blood Sword, Blood Sword Dynasty, A Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword and A Man Called Hero.... - The Storm RidersThe Storm RidersThe Storm Riders is a 1998 Hong Kong film based on the manhua series Fung Wan by artist Ma Wing-shing. Directed by Andrew Lau, it starred Ekin Cheng as Wind and Aaron Kwok as Cloud. The plot involves two children, Whispering Wind and Striding Cloud, who become powerful warriors under the evil Lord...
(directed by Andrew Lau, 1999) - Waan ying dak gung (directed by Ma Chu Cheng, 1998)
- Boli zhi cheng (directed by Mabel CheungMabel CheungMabel Cheung is one of the leading film directors in Hong Kong. She was elected "Freshman's Queen" when she was studying undergrad at the University of Hong Kong, and was an avid sportswoman representing Lady Ho Tung Hall and HKU...
, 1998) - The Emperor and the AssassinThe Emperor and the AssassinThe Emperor and the Assassin, also known as The First Emperor, is a 1998 Chinese historical romance film based primarily on Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, as described in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian. The film was directed by Chen Kaige and stars Gong Li, Zhang...
(Jing ke ci qin wang , directed by Chen Kaige, 1998) - The Storm RidersThe Storm RidersThe Storm Riders is a 1998 Hong Kong film based on the manhua series Fung Wan by artist Ma Wing-shing. Directed by Andrew Lau, it starred Ekin Cheng as Wind and Aaron Kwok as Cloud. The plot involves two children, Whispering Wind and Striding Cloud, who become powerful warriors under the evil Lord...
(Fung wan: Hung ba tin ha, directed by Andrew LauAndrew LauAndrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong cinematographer and filmmaker. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film...
1998) - The Soong SistersThe Soong Sisters (film)The Soong Sisters is a 1997 Hong Kong film dramatization of the lives of the Soong sisters from 1911 to 1949. The three sisters married the most important historical figures during the founding of new China, making the family the focal point of every important major decision made in modern...
(Song jia huang chao, directed by Mabel Cheung, 1997) - Legend of Mad Phoenix (Naam hoi sap saam long, directed by Clifton KoClifton Ko-Filmography as director:-External links:* *...
, 1997) - Ta fa likit (directed by the Pang Brothers, 1997)
- The Emperor's ShadowThe Emperor's ShadowThe Emperor's Shadow is a 1996 Chinese historical film directed by Zhou Xiaowen and starring Jiang Wen, Ge You, Xu Qing and Ge Zhijun. It was the most expensive Chinese film produced at the time of its release.-Plot:...
(Qin song, directed by Xiaowen Zhou, 1996) - Lost and Found (Tian ya hai jiao, directed by Chi-Ngai Lee, 1996)
- Thanks for Your Love (½ Chi tung chong, directed by Norman Law, 1996)
- Police Story 4: First StrikePolice Story 4: First StrikePolice Story 4: First Strike , , is a 1996 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film made in the typical humorous style of Jackie Chan....
(Jing cha gu shi 4: Zhi jian dan ren wu, directed by Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
, 1996) - The Umbrella Story (Ren jian you qing, directed by Clifton Ko, 1995)
Wins
Centro has been recognized with awards from many top industry organizations. So far Gong fu (Kung Fu Hustle) has been their most successful film, and has won a Hong Kong Film AwardHong Kong Film Awards
The Hong Kong Film Awards , founded in 1982, are the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong and among the most respected in mainland China and Taiwan. Award ceremonies are held annually, typically in April. The Awards recognize achievement in all aspects of filmmaking, such as directing,...
a Golden Horse Film Festival award and a Satellite Award
Satellite Awards
The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
. In 2002 they won a Golden Horse Award in Best Visual Effects for Gin gwai (The Eye
The Eye (2002 film)
The Eye, also known as Seeing Ghosts, is a 2002 horror film directed by the Pang brothers. The film spawned two sequels by the Pang brothers, The Eye 2 and The Eye 10...
).
Nominations
They have also been nominated for Hong Kong Film Awards in the area of Sound DesignSound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
for Zhong hua ying xiong (A Man Called Hero), a BAFTA Award for Visual Effects due to their work on Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
volumes 1 & 2, and a Hong Kong Film Award in Visual Effects for Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia (Curse of the Golden Flower).