Centro Digital Pictures
 |
 The Centro Digital Pictures first logo, used from 1985 to 2012 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Visual effects CGI animation Post-production Game design |
| Predecessor | Centro TV Studio |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | John Chu (Chinese: 朱家欣) |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong, China |
Key people | John Chu |
Number of employees | 150 |
Centro Digital Pictures Limited was a visual special effects and animation company based in Hong Kong that provided visual effects for film, interactive media, and video games.
History[edit]
Centro Digital Pictures was founded by John Chu in 1985. Centro (先濤) began as a post-production house for Hong Kong commercials in the mid-1980s. In 1998, Centro decided to co-produce The Storm Riders, a film directed by Andrew Lau. Centro then co-produced, "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.[1] Centro also produced visual effects for Kung Fu Hustle.[2] The company also performed contract work for video game company Ubisoft on the titles 187 Ride or Die and Splinter Cell. In 2012, Centro became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Deluxe Entertainment Services Group. In 2015, the company went offline, and it closed in 2018.[citation needed]
Special effects filmography[edit]
- 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 Run (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 Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia, directed by Zhang Yimou, 2006)
- The Promise (Wu Ji, directed by Chen Kaige, 2005)
- Kung Fu Hustle (Gong fu, directed by Stephen Chow, 2004)
- Kill Bill volume 2 (directed by Quentin Tarantino, 2004)
- Kill Bill volume 1 (directed by Quentin Tarantino, 2003)
- The Eye (Gin gwai, directed by The Pang Brothers, 2002)
- Chinese Odyssey 2002 (Tian xia wu shuang, directed by Jeffrey Lau, 2002)
- Shaolin Soccer (Siu lam juk kau, directed by Stephen Chow, 2001)
- Bangkok Dangerous (directed by the Pang Brothers, 1999)
- A Man Called Hero (Zhong hua ying xiong, directed by Andrew Lau, 1999), based on the manhua Chinese Hero
- The Storm Riders (directed by Andrew Lau, 1999)
- Waan ying dak gung (directed by Ma Chu Cheng, 1998)
- Boli zhi cheng (directed by Mabel Cheung, 1998)
- The Emperor and the Assassin (Jing ke ci qin wang, directed by Chen Kaige, 1998)
- The Storm Riders (Fung wan: Hung ba tin ha, directed by Andrew Lau 1998)
- The Soong Sisters (Song jia huang chao, directed by Mabel Cheung, 1997)
- Legend of Mad Phoenix (Naam hoi sap saam long, directed by Clifton Ko, 1997)
- Ta fa likit (directed by the Pang Brothers, 1997)
- The Emperor's Shadow (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 Strike (Jing cha gu shi 4: Zhi jian dan ren wu, directed by Jackie Chan, 1996)
- The Umbrella Story (Ren jian you qing, directed by Clifton Ko, 1995)
Awards[edit]
Wins[edit]
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 Award 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).
Nominations[edit]
They have also been nominated for Hong Kong Film Awards in the area of Sound Design 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).
References[edit]
- ^ Centro Digital Pictures Ltd Archived October 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Centro Digital Pictures Ltd Archived July 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine