Embarking on a quest to unlock the potential of Filipino digital animators and game developers, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) opened the applications for the LikhaSanay: Masterclass Program for the Philippine Creative Industries, aiming to elevate the country’s digital animation and game development industries.
Focus is given to the implementation of the Digital Animation and Game Development Masterclasses for 2023.
DTI-Bureau of Industry Planning and Innovation (BIPI) director Lilian Salonga urged artists, animators, game developers and freelancers to send their applications on or before April 19, 2024.
“LikhaSanay was derived from the fusion of two profound Filipino words, ‘Likha’ [Create] and ‘Sanay’ [Skill-building towards Mastery]. As an initiative under the DTI Malikhaing Pinoy Program, the LikhaSanay Program gives the masterclass participants the opportunity to enhance their skills in creative design and storytelling as well as heighten their competencies in using digital tools and techniques,” Salonga said.
“The first set of masterclasses is dedicated for digital animation and game development sectors and designed to ensure that creatives gain deeper insights on digital animation and game development through the lens of top global players experts and help them be at par with international standards,” she said.
Featuring six meticulously curated sessions led by industry luminaries, Masterclasses for Digital Animation and Game Development are set to equip 20 chosen scholars per masterclass with latest tools and techniques.
This masterclass, in collaboration with Thames International, Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI) and the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), focuses on refining core competencies in key areas such as storyboarding, 3D character rigging, and high-level organic 3D modeling for digital animation, and game engineering and game design for game development.
Emerging leaders in both fields will also learn essential management skills and business acumen from the Masterclass.
DTI-BIPI seeks to buff the nation’s competencies of diverse creative sectors, addressing skills gaps and strengthening the global competitiveness of Filipino talents through the LikhaSanay Program.
The initiative supports the DTI’s role as the chair of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council, under Republic Act No. 11904, steering the nation toward its ambitious goal of becoming Asia’s premier creative hub by 2030.