Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Attrition may defer animation movies

PUNE: Hit by attrition and manpower crisis in the animation industry, most animation movies may not be able to adhere to earlier announced release dates this year. While only two 2D animation movies have begun promotion campaigns, the release of other movies may be deferred to Diwali or even to next year.

As against the host of 3D animation films announced, only one is likely to be released in 2008, throwing everyone’s calculations to the wind.

Movie buffs this summer will have to settle for Ghatothkach and Dashavatar, both 2D animated mythological movies, scheduled for a release on May 23 and May 30. Ghatothkach, produced by Shemaroo and to be released in seven languages, is a life story of Ghatothkach, the son of Bhim, one of the Pandavas from the mythological epic Mahabharata, while Dashavatar, produced by Pune-based Phoebus Media, speaks about the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu, and will be released in four languages.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Finding genuine talent is Indian animation’s biggest challenge

Even three years ago, who would have thought that Maya Entertainment Ltd, one of India’s oldest animation studios, was poised to become a Rs 100-crore company? And that the company will release at least two films each calendar year post-2010? If all goes well, the company may plan an IPO in the next two-three years. Ronald D’Mello, the new managing director of Maya, shared all this and more in a candid interview with Pritha Mitra Dasgupta. Excerpts:

Why did you leave UTV for Maya?

Being at the strategic helm of a diversified media company for 15 years, I felt the need to get involved in something more focused and, hence, the move.

What was your primary mandate at Maya?

The primary mandate was to drive Maya towards its true potential. Maya looked to me like an entity, which had the potential, and my mandate was to identify and ignite this potential.

What were the reasons for restructuring the organization?

There were some fundamental hygiene issues that needed to be set right, which led us to ensure that some executives exit the company. We also terminated some franchisee operations of the company on the education side. This was necessary to build a transparent and empowered organisation without which no business can expect to have all-round growth. Secondly, my study on Maya’s historical evolution led me to believe that the company was always short of its real potential because of a lack of clear focus on each of its activities. Hence, we restructured the organisation in three clear verticals—education, services and own intellectual properties (IPs).

What are the basic differences you observed in the work processes/culture in UTV’s animation division and in Maya?

I think Maya had the legacy of stalwarts like Ketan Mehta and, hence, the overall creative backbone of Maya’s animation was superior to that of UTV. Apart from that and some culture differences that are peculiar to a corporate entity versus a personality driven business situation, it was all the same.

What is the current revenue and compounded annual growth rate of the company?

Maya’s combined revenue for 2007-08 would be about Rs 100 crore, majorly contributed by its education vertical. While the education side of the business will see robust growth year-on-year, the services and own IP segments will see multiplying growth for the next few years, as we have been able to energise these verticals significantly during the last six months.

Source : http://www.financialexpress.com/

Monday, April 28, 2008

Animation sector still hard pressed for skilled manpower in North

With a string of successful animation movies coming out of the Indian closet, the animation sector is poised to tread the growth trajectory. The entry of various global media giants into the arena of media and entertainment in India is also set to give a major thrust to the $10 billion industry. Walt Disney, BBC, JC Decaux, Viacom, Astro, Blackstone, Temasek, Warburg Pincus, Goldman Sachs etc have already made a buzz in the industry.

But animation industry is still hard-pressed for skilled manpower. Talking about the impediments, Navin Gupta, COO of Mumbai-based Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) said, "Right now, about 3,00,000 students are undergoing training in animation technology across India. Most of the professionals are still at the entry level. The way the industry is growing, even these 300,000 professionals will not be enough to handle the workload in the coming years. We have about 25 operational Frameboxx training centres with about 3,000 students enrolled for different programmes. We aim to impart training to 10,000 students within this year by adding 15 new training centres. We need more skilled people than the available pool of 10,000 artistes and 2,000 programmers that we have today."

As per the figures released by KPMG business advisory services recently, the animation sector has attracted investments of $1.5 billion out of which 40% accounts for FDI. The media and entertainment sector in India offers tremendous growth opportunity and is set to touch $21 billion by 2010. The Indian animation and gaming industry is projected to reach the $1 billion mark by 2010 from the current combined revenues of $402 million.

Gupta further added, "The fresh lease of investment, which is to the tune of $8-10 million, will be enthused into new training centres and five incubation centres to help the students prune their skills through live projects. We are planning to add more verticals to our portfolio such as online training and DVDs to diversify our reach. A number of Bollywood production houses like BR Films, Adlabs, Pritish Nandy Communication and UTV, besides Percept Picture Company and Shemaroo, are into making animation movies.

Source : http://www.financialexpress.com/

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Stoke Your Fires animation festival detailed

BAFTA award winning animators are coming to Stoke-on-Trent for the city’s first animation festival. The four day event will take place in May at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, City Centre.

Guest speakers from some of the country’s leading animation studios will be running seminars, master classes and workshops. There will also be the opportunity to see an exhibition and screenings of award winning animation.

It is hoped that the animation festival will become an annual event, supporting the fast growing animation communities in Stoke-on-Trent.

The highlight of the festival will be an awards ceremony on Friday 16 May where entries from around the world will be judged. Categories include, Best International Animation, Best Animated Commercial, Best Professional Regional Animation, Best Animated Short, and Best Student Animation.

Read More Article...

Friday, April 25, 2008

Pixel Academix plans animation training centres

CHENNAI: The Indian animation industry is set for an exponential growth. India has become a preferred destination for outsourcing various international animation and gaming projects. The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) estimates that this industry will touch the $1 billion mark in 2010. Though there are many players in this sector, quality is the cause for concern, says Uma Karthikeyan, Chief Executive Officer, Pixel Academix.

To tap this market and produce quality animators, Pixel Academix, a new animation academy venture of Sanra Software, has decided to set up its own training centres in Chennai and Bangalore by this month end, says Ms. Karthikeyan in an informal chat.

She said Pixel Academix would provide career-oriented education in animation, gaming and visual effects, which saw a growing demand both within the country and abroad. With around 15,000 professionals working across 350-odd animation studios in India, another three lakh professionals would be on demand in the next couple of years, she added.

Read More Article...

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Pencil 2D animation software

Animation doesn't have to be complicated in the style of Pixar Studios – freehand drawings can be just as effective. Pencil is an open-source animation program that is ideal for anyone who wants to experiment with this style of work.

Pencil takes a simpler approach by sticking with 2D animation. As a freehand drawing program, you need a graphics tablet get the most from it but there are plenty of tools to keep work as efficient as possible.

It is also frustrating that there are no help files included with Pencil, as it is all on the Pencil website. Hopefully this will be changed in later versions.

Read More Article...

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Fantasy comes to life at animation gathering

ABOUT 400 Japanese animation (anime) fans including some from Singapore turned up at the Games, Anime and Comic Circle (GACC) convention to meet their idol Masakazu Morita in Malacca on March 1.

The 36-year-old actor from Japan was the main highlight at the convention organised by Multimedia University’s Emina Club.

Morita gained popularity for doing voiceover for anime characters such as Tidus of Final Fantasy X, Pegasus Seiya of Saint Seiya Hades: Chapter Inferno, and Ichigo Kurosaki of the current anime hit Bleach.

The actor, who was in Malaysia for the first time, said he liked the local food he tried during his three-day stay.

He said it was not easy to be a seiyuu (voiceover artiste) as sleeping was a luxury and he end up without energy after a hard day’s work.

Read More Article...

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Jazz And Animation Collaboration

Equipped with the latest in animation, and a large jazz ensemble, students at Parsons the New School for Design and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music will take the stage at The New School's Theresa Lang Community and Student Center on May 4 to present "visual music works," where music and animation come together in new and compelling ways.

The event marks the culmination of the university's first studio course in Jazz and Animation, in which students created original work through an unusually high level of collaboration.

"From Wassily Kandinsky to Oskar Fischinger, artists have long been exploring the relationship between image and sound," said Parsons faculty member Ernesto Klar, a media and sound artist whose work was just featured at the PULSE Contemporary Art Fair in New York. "Today's technology brings the work of visual artists and musicians to a whole new level, and over the past several months our students have experimented with a variety of analog and digital technologies to create innovative audio-visual works."

Read More Article...

Monday, April 21, 2008

Iran has developed world’s fourth school of animation: official

TEHRAN -- Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Mohammadreza Jafari-Jelveh stated that Iran has developed the world’s fourth school of animation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the first national seminar of animation at the IRIB College on Sunday, he said the Iranian school of animation stands fourth after the schools of Europe, the Far East, and Hollywood, adding, “Iran’s 5000-year-old historical credit attested by the discovery of the world’ first animation in the Burnt City of Zabol reveals the intelligence of this nation.”

Jafari-Jelveh also explained that fantasy and realism, human hopes and moral ideals, and storytelling are major elements of animation films in Iran.

Deputy Manager of IRIB College Mehdi Rahimian who also spoke at the seminar, said that the IRIB college is the first Iranian college to present courses on animation film.

Read More Article...

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Aptech to open animation centre in Brazil

Kolkata, April 19 (IANS) Aptech Global Learning Solutions will open its first animation training academy in Brazil in May, a company official said Saturday. “The centre in Brazil will start functioning within three weeks. We have decided to open 35 new centres in countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Russia and Vietnam this fiscal. These centres will be a combination of Arena Animation Academy and Aptech Computer Education training institutes,” Aptech executive director R. Krishnan told IANS.

Read More Article...

Friday, April 18, 2008

Film and animation camps for young people

YOUNG GALWEGIANS who fancy themselves as budding cartoonists or who would love to make a short film should take note of the Galway Film Centre film and animation camps.

The camps take place in June, July, and August and bookings are being taken now from the GFC at Cluain Mhuire, Monivea Road. Camps cost €250 for the week. Places are limited.

Participants can choose film or animation for the week and come up with a short drama and documentary. Tutors will teach them about script, camera, sound, directing, continuity, and editing the final piece. They will work with cameras and sound recording equipment.

For more information contact 091 - 770748.

Source : http://www.galwayadvertiser.ie/

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Computer animation, Its very hot!

One of the hottest job markets today is the field of computer animation. With technology getting simpler, and its possible applications growing, the number of opportunities for anyone to become a computer animation professional is on the rise.

The animation industry has come a long way since the first animated cartoon film. Today, computer generated animation content is being used in varying fields such as films, advertising, simulation, gaming design, website designing and much more. The advances in animation technology make it possible to simulate real life situations and create a "virtual world" such as is seen in films like "Final Fantasy, Matrix, and Star Wars".

Its wide application has made animation a booming industry worldwide. This industry has seen a major growth in the last 10 years. India is on its way to becoming the hub of the animation production industry in the world. The world of cell animation, character modeling, rigging, character animation, Industrial & Architectural walk-through, landscape and terrain design…the list is endless - the more we talk about animation, the lesser we feel we are justifying its growth potential.

Read More Article...

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

China making breakthrough advances in animation industry

In 2007, the nationwide broadcasting and film system achieved remarkable achievements in terms of production quantity, art quality, production technology, broadcasting effect, and industrial structure of domestically produced animation products.

Statistics show that in 2007, altogether 186 domestically produced animations with the total broadcasting time of 101, 900 minutes were produced in China's 16 provinces or by China Central Television (CCTV), up 23 percent year on year. The animation production institutions in Hunan Province ranked first in China in terms of production output. All the year-on-year growth margins for the volumes of domestically produced television animations produced in such provinces and municipalities as Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Chongqing also amounted to over 20 percent year on year respectively. 34 TV channels for children and 4 animation channels have become a major platform to promote the healthy development of the domestic animation industry with a total animation broadcasting time of around 8,000 minutes each day. The channel for children of CCTV spent 65,000 minutes on the first broadcast of domestically produced animations each year with a fast growth of the channel's viewership proportion, the effective landing of the channel increasingly expanded and its scale of viewers exceeded 600 million in number.

Read More Article...

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Disney plans ten new animation films in four years

Disney is planning a big push in animation with the announcement of ten animation films over four years.

Two years after its $7.4 billion merger with Pixar, Disney is keen to keep up the momentum after the success of Ratatouille and Cars.

The studio announced an uncharacteristically detailed plan for the next four years, which will include the creation of a Pixar film every summer. Dick Cook, Disney studio chief, said that it was the first pure animation presentation for the studio in more than a decade.

Read More Article...

Monday, April 14, 2008

Pune new hub of animation, gaming industry

Chetan Deshmukh, who was the sole animation and special effects expert for Hollywood movies like Chicago and Shanghai Knights, recently shifted his base to Pune from the US. What attracted Deshmukh to Pune was the fact that the city was “emerging” as the new hub for animation and gaming industry. It’s not only Deshmukh who thinks on these lines. Anirights Infomedia of Reliance Group and Anibrain Digital Technologies have also chosen to house their expansion projects in Pune.

In fact, many of the gaming and animation studios have decided to either move from other cities to Pune or to set up their expansion projects here. After IT and auto, it is probably time for animation and gaming industry to grow many folds in Pune. What the IT industry achieved in 11 years in Pune — five billion dollar business per year — the animation and gaming industry is expected to achieve it in six years, say industry experts.

The latest addition to boost this boom is the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) which has started talking to some of the industrialists to encourage them to reserve some special economic zones (SEZ) for animation and gaming industry.

Read More Article...

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Big banner animation films will change Indian scenario

Kolkata, March 28 (IANS) The Indian animation industry will get a boost after the release of animation films from big banners like Yashraj and UTV studios, feels Ram Mohan, the doyen of the Indian animation industry. “I expect that the upcoming big-budgeted films from Yashraj, UTV and Adlabs will take animation films in India to the next level, and revive the animation market,” Ram Mohan told IANS.

Ram Mohan is known as the father of Indian animation, with a career spanning more than 50 years. He is best known as the creator of the feted “Meena: The Girl Child” for Unicef and had co-directed “Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama”.

On Thursday, Ram Mohan received a Special Recognition Award from the British High Commission at the FICCI Best Animated Frames (BAF) Awards 2008 in Mumbai.

He is the man behind UTV Toons and runs Graphiti Studio at Mumbai. He also runs an animation school there.

A number of Bollywood production houses have recently forayed into animation film production in a big way.

Read More Article...

Big banner animation films will change Indian scenario

Kolkata, March 28 (IANS) The Indian animation industry will get a boost after the release of animation films from big banners like Yashraj and UTV studios, feels Ram Mohan, the doyen of the Indian animation industry. “I expect that the upcoming big-budgeted films from Yashraj, UTV and Adlabs will take animation films in India to the next level, and revive the animation market,” Ram Mohan told IANS.

Ram Mohan is known as the father of Indian animation, with a career spanning more than 50 years. He is best known as the creator of the feted “Meena: The Girl Child” for Unicef and had co-directed “Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama”.

On Thursday, Ram Mohan received a Special Recognition Award from the British High Commission at the FICCI Best Animated Frames (BAF) Awards 2008 in Mumbai.

He is the man behind UTV Toons and runs Graphiti Studio at Mumbai. He also runs an animation school there.

A number of Bollywood production houses have recently forayed into animation film production in a big way.

Read More Article...

Friday, April 11, 2008

International Animation Festival combines art and science

Animation enthusiasts had better get in line for the coveted “gold pass,” which is the hottest ticket in town next week.

It opens the doors to everything from workshops to film screenings to Cartoon-a-palooza — all events presented by the 2008 Red Stick International Animation Festival April 16-19 in downtown Baton Rouge.

Now in its fourth year, the festival brings together animators, directors, students, artists and designers in a fun, friendly atmosphere to share their skills and promote the art of animation.

The field that used to be limited to Saturday morning cartoons long ago stepped out of the box and into every area of entertainment … web sites, video games, toys, special effects, digital media, music videos and more.

Read More Article...

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Turner turns to India’s animation opportunity

MUMBAI: After sealing a joint venture deal with Miditech’s Alva Brothers for television channels, Turner International India is now chalking out aggressive growth strategies for India.

Turner will independently launch its animation theatrical business in the country and is also planning a Hollywood-centric entertainment channel in partnership with Warner Bros.

For its animation business, Turner will establish a new “multi-million dollar business unit” to develop and produce animation films to be released primarily in the Indian market and expand its current output of live-action television series.

Steve Marcopoto, president, Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific and Anshuman Mishra - MD South Asia said in a press conference on Thursday that this was Turner’s first maiden venture of its kind internationally.

Read More Article...

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Animated movies to go 3-D, Disney says

The Pixar animation studio plans to release all future movies in 3-D format beginning in May 2009, the Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday.

Most animated films from Walt Disney Animation will also have 3-D versions, chief creative officer John Lasseter said at a presentation in New York.

"I love 3-D. I made a 3-D computer-animated short in 1989 called Nickname, and in fact my wedding pictures with my beautiful wife Nancy were made in 3-D," he said.

DreamWorks Animation announced last summer it would make all its computer-animated titles 3-D.

Disney is following suit, with plans for both conventional and 3-D releases for 10 upcoming movies.

Read More Article...

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Cartoon Network and Pogo line up local animation films

MUMBAI: Cartoon Network will air four Indian animation films namely Bal Ganesh, My Friend Ganesha, Bal Hanuman and Krishna Aayo Natkhat Nandlal this summer. With these films, the tally of Cartoon Network’s locally acquired animations has touched 19.

Additionally, POGO has also acquired it’s first Indian animation – Chhota Bheem. The series has been produced by Hyderabad based Green Gold Studios.

Gearing up for the summer, POGO will also air Hindi films like Krrish and Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire. The channel has also launched a live action comedy series about a fictional sports league – Thumb Wrestling Federation.

On the other hand, Cartoon Network has rolled new action-adventure shows – Naruto, Maskman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; plus the adorable pre-school series Land Before Time.

Read More Article...

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Animation comes closer home

The success of movies like Hanuman and Bal Ganesha has made production houses realise the potential of the domestic market .

The Indian animation industry is moving away from being just a back office for Hollywood studios and other international production houses. It is now creating original content for the local market.

With the success of animated movies like Hanuman and Bal Ganesha, production houses and studios are realising the potential of the domestic market. Apart from animated movies, animation series on television with original content have also been garnering huge TRP ratings such as J Bole To Jadu on Nickelodeon, MAD on Pogo among others.

The entertainment segment of the Indian animation industry is worth Rs 1,300 crore, says a Ficci-PwC report on the media and entertainment industry.

Over the next four years the growth in domestic demand for TV/Broadcast animated content is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49.5 per cent. It is forcast the domestic market will be worth Rs 150 crore in 2008 and will touch Rs 300 crore by 2010.

The launch of new channels almost everyday and the resultant desire to provide diversified and original content has made media houses look for original and localised content.

Read More Article...

Friday, April 4, 2008

BannerZest Flash animation tool released

Aquafadas has released BannerZest 1.0, a new Flash presentation application for Mac OS X. The tool allows creators to turn images into a gallery, a navigation banner, or a slideshow in a series of steps. BannerZest ships as both a standard edition and a pro version. The pro edition adds advanced publishing options, workflow enhancements, and specific Pro templates. The tool integrates with popular javascript media viewer applications that let the user visualize high resolution versions of each of the banner images.

Aquafadas says "Flash-based animations require zero understanding of Flash and in fact, users don't even need to own Flash. Everything has been pre-integrated into the BannerZest application."

Uploading content via FTP or to a .Mac account is supported from within the BannerZest application. To integrate a banner on a page, users paste a code snippet that BannerZest automatically generates.

The tool requires Mac OS X Version 10.4.11 Tiger or later, is a Universal Binary for PowerPC and Intel and needs Flash Player version 9.0.45 or above.

A single user license for BannerZest Pro is priced at $130. Standard is priced $50.

Source : http://www.macnn.com/

Thursday, April 3, 2008

French animators choose Provence

New companies open in sunny South

PARIS -- With its sunny weather, scenic coastline and sumptuous villas, Provence could almost be California.

The similarity hasn't escaped a growing number of French animators who have ankled well-paying jobs in Hollywood to return home -- but can't face the idea of life back in cold, gray Paris.

"It's about quality of life," says Erwan Maigret, a former R&D technical lead at DreamWorks Animation, who spent 10 years Stateside working on films such as "Shrek 2," "Madagascar," "Over the Hedge" and "Shrek the Third" before returning to his native land.

Last September, Maigret, fellow DreamWorks transplant Arnauld Lamorlette and a group of like-minded animation colleagues came to the region to found the Bakery Animation, a studio aiming to be a European challenger to Pixar and DreamWorks. Backed by Turkish entrepreneur Yalcin Cevikel, the Bakery is developing its own proprietary software and says it will begin production on its first feature-length toon two years from now.

Read More Article...

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

So you think you want to be a...Graphic designer

What is it? The theory is that graphic design is a fully paid-up member of the Creative Industry; that graphic designers are kept fresh, challenged and creative. That it breaks free from the norms of a regular job.

The reality is slightly different. Like most jobs there are mundane tasks and constant deadlines.

In its simplest form the job can be described as 'the practice or profession of designing print or electronic forms of visual information, as for an advertisement, publication, or website.'

Graphic designers work with advertising agencies, printing press companies, animation houses, studios and publishers to optimize the layout of text and images. Go look at any billboard, logo, brochure or newspaper and you'll see the final work of a graphic designer.

Typically they sit above an art worker (a dogsbody assistant) but below a Creative Director (in charge of the overall look and theme). They may work within a design framework laid out by the Creative Director, but there is a degree of individual design work required: stifling these creative types ain't good.

Read More Article...

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Celebrate Animation Day - April 1, 2008

The animation community is welcome to celebrate Animation Day on April 1, 2008 in Burbank, California. This is the 10th year in a row of a tradition that started in 1999. Animation Day is a social gathering celebrating fraternal goodwill between professionals in the animation industry.

Everyone is welcome. The Animation Academy and AnimationNation.com sponsor the event. There will be plenty of pizza and people, including a celebration of AWN's 12th anniversary.

Animation Day will be held at the Burbank Association of Realtors Hall, located at 2006 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank, 91506 on Tuesday evening, April 1 from 7:30 to 10:00 pm. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.. Free parking. A $5 donation is requested to help pay for food.

Celebrate unity, commaderie and the creative spirit that makes the animation industry unique in the field of entertainment. For more information contact info@theAnimationAcademy.com.

Source : http://www.vfxworld.com/

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