Centro Digital Pictures Limited was a visual special effects and

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

company based in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

that provided

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...

for

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

interactive media Interactive media refers to digital experiences that dynamically respond to user input, delivering content such as Text (literary theory), text, images, animations, video, Sound, audio, and even Artificial intelligence, AI-driven interactions. O ...

, and

video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

History

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 Andrew Lau Wai-keung ( zh, t=劉偉強, born 4 April 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, and cinematographer. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and ...

. Centro then co-produced, "A Man Called Hero" based on the

manhua () are Chinese-language comics produced in Greater China. Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China throughout its history. They are usually graphic and can be written for a myriad of genres, including romance, fanta ...

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 Cal ...

. They also provided visual effects for ''

Kill Bill ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts action film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a group of assassins ( Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael ...

,'' for which they received a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nomination. Centro also produced visual effects for ''

Kung Fu Hustle ''Kung Fu Hustle'' ( zh, c=功夫, l=Kung Fu) is a 2004 Martial arts film, martial arts action comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Stephen Chow, who also stars in the leading role, alongside Eva Huang, Huang Shengyi, Yuen Wah, Yue ...

''.Centro Digital Pictures Ltd
The company also performed contract work for

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

company

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

on the titles 187 Ride or Die and Splinter Cell. In 2012, Centro became a wholly owned subsidiary of the

Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Deluxe Media Inc., also known simply as Deluxe and formerly Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Inc., is an American multinational multimedia and entertainment service provisions company owned by Platinum Equity, founded in 1915 by Hungarian ...

. In 2015, the company went offline, and it closed in 2018.

Special effects filmography

* Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg (ji qi xia, directed by Jeffrey Lau, 2009) *

City of Life and Death ''City of Life and Death'' is a 2009 Chinese drama film written and directed by Lu Chuan, marking his third feature film. The film deals with the Battle of Nanjing and the following massacre committed by the Japanese army during the Second Sino- ...

(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 ''Curse of the Golden Flower'' () is a 2006 Chinese epic wuxia drama film written and directed by Zhang Yimou. The Mandarin Chinese title of the movie is taken from the last line of a poem written by the rebel leader Huang Chao, who had revolte ...

(Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia, directed by

Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 14 November 1950) is a Chinese filmmaker.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retrieved 21 August 2008. A leading figure of China's Cinem ...

, 2006) * The Promise (Wu Ji, directed by

Chen Kaige Chen Kaige ( zh, s=陈凯歌, link=no; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese filmmaker. A leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese directors, Chen is known for his visual flair and epic storytelling.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: His ...

, 2005) *

(Gong fu, directed by

Stephen Chow Stephen Chow Sing-chi (; born 22 June 1962) is a Hong Kong filmmaker and former actor, known for his mo lei tau comedy. His career began in television, where he gained recognition through variety shows and TV dramas. Chow's breakthrough came in 1 ...

, 2004) *

volume 2 (directed by

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

, 2004) *

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

, 2001) * Bangkok Dangerous (directed by the Pang Brothers, 1999) * A Man Called Hero (Zhong hua ying xiong, directed by

, 1999), based on the

* Waan ying dak gung (directed by Ma Chu Cheng, 1998) * Boli zhi cheng (directed by

Mabel Cheung Mabel Cheung Yuen Ting (, born 17 November 1950) is a film director from Hong Kong. She is one of the leading directors in Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong cinema and is considered one of the three women (along with Ann Hui and Clara Law Cheuk-y ...

, 1998) *

The Emperor and the Assassin ''The Emperor and the Assassin'' (), also known as ''The First Emperor'', is a 1998–1999 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 ...

(Jing ke ci qin wang, directed by Chen Kaige, 1998) * The Storm Riders (Fung wan: Hung ba tin ha, directed by

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 Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

, 1996) * The Umbrella Story (Ren jian you qing, directed by Clifton Ko, 1995)

Awards

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 Award The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual List of film awards, film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies typically take place in April, and have mostly been held at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Cent ...

a Golden Horse Film Festival award and a

Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

. In 2002 they won a Golden Horse Award in Best Visual Effects for ''Gin gwai'' ( The Eye).

Nominations

They have also been nominated for Hong Kong Film Awards in the area of

Sound Design Sound design is the art and practice of creating auditory elements of media. It involves specifying, acquiring and creating audio using production techniques and equipment or software. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking ...

for ''Zhong hua ying xiong'' (A Man Called Hero), a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

for Visual Effects due to their work on

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

{{reflist

External links

Centro Digital Pictures Ltd. Official site
Film production companies of China Hong Kong animation studios Computer animation Special effects companies Visual effects companies Entertainment companies established in 1985 Privately held companies of China Film and video technology Digital media