印度IT业转战好莱坞大银幕

    借助过去十年间的发展，印度IT业已成长为一支重要的全球性力量。该行业提供各种科技性服务，包括编码和语音呼叫等。现在，随着复杂3D特效和动画的不断发展，娱乐业越发依赖电脑技术；因此，对于全球创意产业来说，印度企业的地位也正变得举足轻重。

    现在，全球电影行业为了与新型娱乐方式（比如社交网络和手机）竞争，都普遍在影片中加入成本越来越高的数字化效果。2009年，世界十大票房冠军电影中有九部都大量运用了视觉特效。毕马威会计师事务所（KPMG）的研究报告称，现在，好莱坞大片在特效方面的费用高达总预算的三分之一。在全世界五大电影市场，制片公司每年在特效制作上的开销总额高达约19亿美元。

    一直以来，数字化异形生物和令人眩目的爆炸特效等都是由美国本土公司负责制作；但如今，这一行利润像刀片一样菲薄，而人工费和技术成本却居高不下，美国本土公司倍感压力。印度企业由此找到了一个极好的切入点。根据普华永道（PriceWaterhouseCoopers）的研究报告，印度企业的工资水平较低，这使得他们的视效镜头成本仅为美国公司的四分之一到二分之一。（网络传输也不是什么问题，越来越强大的高速网络让海量数据和视频文件传送变得易如反掌。）

    理所当然的，印度特效、动画和视频游戏行业也已开始取得长足发展。据普华永道的预测，今后几年，该行业的年增长率将达到21%，到2015年行业规模将翻番，达到18.4亿美元。

    印度电脑特效行业的快速成长吸引了不少大型的合作项目。今年夏天，詹姆斯•卡梅隆的数字领域（Digital Domain）与印度信实ADA企业集团下属的信实媒体（Reliance MediaWorks）合作成立了一家电影制片厂。此外，2009年，信实ADA集团还为梦工厂（DreamWorks）提供了大约4.125亿美元资金。最近，数字领域公司承担的项目包括电影《铁甲钢拳》（Real Steel）和《变形金刚2：卷土重来》（Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen）。

    今年3月，卢卡斯影业（Lucasfilm）表示将与印度主焦点公司（Prime Focus）合作，将《星战前传：魅影危机》（Star Wars: The Phantom Menace）转换为3D影片。该片定于2012年初在影院公映。还有一些印度公司，比如巅峰动画工作室（Crest Animation Studios）和DQ娱乐（DQ Entertainment）也宣布，今年将与狮门电影公司（Lionsgate Entertainment）和法国电视公司（France Television）就新项目展开合作。

    India's IT industry emerged as a major global force over the last decade by providing all manner of left-brained services, from coding to call support. Now, as entertainment becomes more and more computational thanks to complex 3D special effects and animation, Indian firms are becoming crucial to the world's creative industries as well.

    The global film industry is packing movies with ever costlier digital wizardry as it competes with new entertainment choices, from social networks to mobile phones. In 2009, nine out of the world's ten top-grossing films relied heavily on visual effects. These days, as much as a third of the budget for major Hollywood films is earmarked for special effects, according to a research report by accounting firm KPMG. The annual amount spent by filmmakers on special effects in the world's top five markets totals some $1.9 billion.

    And yet, the domestic companies responsible for producing all those digital alien creatures and razzle-dazzle explosions have felt squeezed. They often struggle with razor-thin margins due to high labor and technology costs. That's where Indian firms have stepped in. Their cheaper wages result in costs for visual effects shots that are about 25% to 50% of what they would be in the U.S., according to a report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. (Increasingly powerful high-speed networks that make zipping around massive data and video files easy haven't hurt either.)

    Not surprisingly, Indian special effects, animation and video gaming firms have been growing. PriceWaterhouseCoopers predicts the industry will grow at a 21% annual clip, more than doubling in size to $1.84 billion by 2015.

    That growth has already attracted major projects. This summer, James Cameron's Digital Domain opened studios in partnership with Reliance MediaWorks, an affiliate of India's Reliance ADA conglomerate. What's more, Reliance ADA provided about half the $825 million in financing for DreamWorks SKG (DWA) in 2009. Recent Digital Domain projects include Real Steel and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

    In March, Lucasfilm said it would partner with India's Prime Focus for the 3D conversion of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, which is due for theatrical re-release at the start of 2012. Indian companies like Crest Animation Studios and DQ Entertainment, meanwhile, have announced new projects with Lionsgate Entertainment (LGF) and France Television this year.