Animation Camp: Students use computers to create art

WALL-E and Buzz Lightyear, step aside.

The next generation of Pixar animators might be sitting at the Casper Planetarium this week, hunched faithfully over their laptop computers.

For the first time, the planetarium is offering a week-long animation camp for teenagers. Students learn to use a software called Blender to create and animate 3-D objects.

Rod Kennedy, the camp instructor, is one of the few planetarium employees trained in using animation software. The planetarium's recently upgraded equipment offers employees an opportunity to create their own 3-D clips and programs for audiences.

Animation is a challenging skill to learn, yet the campers rarely leave their chairs during the three-hour sessions.

"The kids love it," said planetarium supervisor Michele Wistisen. "We tried to get them to take a snack break."

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Houdini 3D animation software comes to the Mac

When Side Effects software first began its public beta of Houdini last month, the company added Mac OS X support. Now the 3D animation software has gone gold and is available for purchase.

According to the company, Houdini was built from the ground up to look and feel like a Mac application. It supports 64-bit Intel Macs running OS X Leopard and has all of the interface features Mac users would expect from an application including drag and drop support and Quicktime support.

“More and more artists are embracing Houdini’s node-based workflow for their animation and visual effects projects,” said Kim Davidson, President and CEO, Side Effects Software. “Houdini for Mac is an important step in bringing Houdini’s renowned power and flexibility to the wider creative community.”

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Gujarat to house animation SEZ

Gujarat may be the next destination for the country's animation industry, which is expected to touch Rs 4,200 crore by fiscal 2009. Targeting the sunrise industry, an unnamed developer has proposed an IT SEZ in Umargaon in south Gujarat, according to state officials.

Overseas entertainment giants including Walt Disney, Imax and Sony are expected to outsource cartoon characters and special effects to Gujarat once the SEZ is completed

Confirming the development, Gujarat's IT secretary, Rajkumar Gupta, said Umargaon near Valsad would perhaps be India's first SEZ to target the animation industry. However, he declined to disclose the name of developer. According to a senior official in Industries Commissionerate, the government is considering the proposal and is likely to send it to the Centre for approval soon.

Ramaprasad S, the executive director of Toonz Animation, which made Return of Hanuman and Tenali Rama, said, the move acknowledges the fact that India's animation industry is receiving worldwide recognition.

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Indian Disney In The Making

Jul 28, 2008 (financialwire.net via COMTEX) -- DIS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- July 28, 2008 (FinancialWire) (Cross Border: US India News Wrap) The Indian animation industry has attracted the attention of leading players in the entertainment sector across the world. Warner Bros Pictures of the Time Warner Inc.

The US major will also be involved in financing and global distribution of the film. Last year Walt Disney Studios (NYSE: DIS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) and Yash Raj Films entered into an alliance to co-produce original computer-animated feature films in India. The growing international interest throws light on the potential of this emerging media.

Animation Industry Sees Encouraging Growth

A study conducted by National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) states that the animation industry in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 35% to USD 950 million by 2009.

Top media groups such as Walt Disney, Cartoon Network and Viacom have been outsourcing animation work to India. In the past few years these outsourced services are maturing from low'end 2D post production work to highly skilled 3D animation. The industry is slowly developing capabilities for co-production of full length animation movies.

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4 animation institutes to come up in state

JODHPUR: The state will make further penetration into the field of computer animation and gaming education in the coming months with four more animation institutes scheduled to be opened in Jodhpur, Ajmer, Kota and Udaipur.

Giving the information during his visit to Jodhpur on Friday, minister of state for education Vasu Deo Devnani said all the preparations have been done in this regard.

Apart from this, three more institutes to impart professional training to the youth in the fields like graphics and painting, draughtsman and automobile, will also be opened in Bikaner, Bharatpur and Alwar respectively.

The administration of these institutes, to be set at an estimated cost of Rs 2.5 crore each, will remain in the hands of the state government. So far, only one academy exists in Jaipur, which was opened last year by the government in private partnership.

According to reports, the computer animation and gaming industry is poised for a startling exponential growth. The size of the Indian animation market, estimated at USD 285 million in 2005, is expected to increase to USD 950 million by 2009.

The entertainment sector contributes as much as 68% of the total Indian animation market. In entertainment, the share of fully animated movies is expected to increase significantly, from 15% in 2005 to 28% by 2009.

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Big boom seen in animation sector

NEW DELHI: American IT firm Hewlett-Packard is predicting a big boom in India’s animation industry with companies now willing to move away from outsourcing projects from the US and Europe to their own co-productions.

Anurag Gupta, country manager (workstations, personal systems group), Hewlett-Packard India, said the entry of domestic firms into co-production is luring international giants such as Walt Disney to the country.

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Animation industry set to grow to Rs 4,200 cr

The Rs 1,200 crore animation industry in India is set to grow to Rs 4,200 crore by 2009 with its revenues projected to double up to almost $1.5 billion by 2010.

"The Indian animation market is only one per cent of the global market of the $1,125 billion but growth is expected to be around 35 per cent in the next few years. India is fast emerging as a destination for outsourcing assignments from international studios like Walt Disney Pictures and Cartoon Network." Prime Focus, Vice-President, Aijaz Rashid said at 'MAAC SRIJAN 2008,' a seminar for students and professionals seeking a career in the animation industry.

"India will become the global headquarters of animation world. At present, India has a Ferrari by the way of technology, software and amenities. What we need now is a Michael Schumacher to help us win the race. We need the artist, imagination and content to help us to lead the industry," Rashid said.

Animation in India is currently riding on two key factors-a large base of highly skilled labour and low production cost," Rhythm & Hues, Manager, Subhojit Sarkar said.

India definitely has advantages over other players. In that there are little government regulations so the industry is free of complexities.

Potential exists and it must be borne in mind that training, big investments and providing original and compelling content will be critical to growth, he added.

Source : http://www.business-standard.com/

Flip Boom Software - 2D Mac Animation Tool for Children

Flip Boom is a free-form animation tool designed just for kids of all ages. As such, it is the perfect educational software solution for any beginner animator. Winner of the 2008 Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Flip Boom is a fun and creative choice for developing quality 2D animations quickly.

This software works with QuickTime and the iPod, and runs on Mac OS X. Based on traditional animation principles, Flip Boom sets the imagination free while teaching kids concepts of timing and motion, including the principles of onion-skinning and coloring behind linework.

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New dimensions in animation

With "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" out this week, we're wondering: Which TV shows do you think have made the best (or worst) transitions to the big screen? And are there any shows left that could stand a multiplex makeover?

We have a feeling this summer's "Speed Racer" won't top your lists; maybe the Wachowski brothers should have stuck to animation. If you agree, you might be happy to hear that there are two-dimensional options all over town throughout the weekend.

Fans of the touring "Animation Show" should visit the IFC (www.ifccenter.com) for a new installment of shorts curated by Mike Judge. Dave Carter, who directed a series of manic, hilarious episodes called "Psychotown," will be around for a Q&A after tonight's 8:20 screening.

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More Than Cartoons in 'The Animation Show 4'

Given the rather profound poetry of a film such as "WALL-E" and the scathing satire of a television series such as "South Park," one could easily argue that we are living in a golden age of animation. Further evidence comes from "The Animation Show," a collection of animated shorts that returns to the big screen for the fourth time in six years, making its premiere today at IFC Center.

Now overseen solely by Mike Judge — the man behind such hit animated TV shows as "Beavis and Butt-Head" and "King of the Hill" — "The Animation Show 4" ("Animation Show 3" was recently released on DVD) features some impressive new works from animators who have struggled in years past. What will surprise longtime fans this year is the franchise's embrace of shorter and more inventive material, along with a wide array of animation techniques, pairing up traditional with state-of-the-art experimental.

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Govt plans Excellence Centre in Animation

The government is finalising plans to set up a National Centre in Excellence in animation, game and visual effects to meet the shortage of skilled professionals in this growing sector.

According to Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said the centre could come up in Pune as the Film and TV Institute of India is already there. The centre would be set up through public-private partnership.

Earlier, the Working Group Report of 11th Five-Year Plan had suggested that the government should set up a Centre for Excellence in animation, gaming and special effects to address the problem of manpower shortage in such a high-tech content industry.

With the Indian animation and gaming Industry expected to grow, the I&B ministry has engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers to prepare a report on the human resources requirement for this sector. The consultancy is drawing the blueprint of the requirement of skilled manpower by the industry and suggest necessary steps.

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Could China create its own "Kung Fu Panda"?

Voice actor Jack Black poses near life-sized pandas during a beach photo call for the animated film "Kung Fu Panda" as the 61st Cannes Film Festival starts, May 14, 2008.[Agencies]

With Chinese box office totals of more than 135 million Yuan in only three weeks, "Kung Fu Panda" has broken the 100 million Yuan record at the animated film box office in China.

The inspirational success story from America has raked in huge quantities of cash from around the world, but some Chinese believe it has exploited their national treasures of pandas and Kung Fu.

However, the China Youth Daily carried an article that questioned whether China was actually capable of creating its own "Kung Fu Panda".

A CEO of Nanjing Animation Company said the Chinese movie industry simply doesn't have a basic foundation. He suggested that China should develop the animation industry with better script writing.

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Animation festival draws international VIPs

The eighth annual Animation, Comics and Caricatures Festival kicks off at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on August 13. The four-day program features around 100 events including, naturally, animation films, as well sessions with some of the artists, workshops, master classes, exhibitions, activities for children, lectures and stalls stacked with a wide range of comics from all over the world, and from different eras.

Like every year, the event, which is supported by the Education Ministry as well the Tel Aviv Municipality, the Cinematheque and the Israeli Film Council, will host a number of acclaimed artists from abroad. One of this year's VIPs is top animator Eric Goldberg, who has worked on a string of box-office hits, such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Aladdin and Pocahontas.

The festival also offers a rare opportunity to get a handle on some of the best animated efforts of artists from around the world, and to see works that wouldn't normally find their way to these shores. The film program includes works by artists from Argentina, Canada, Estonia, Poland and France, as well as a spotlight on the expanding oeuvre of animation from Israel.

For more information: www.anicomfestival.co.il.

Animation software for rugby coaches

Rugby coaches will soon have new software to develop and diagram moves in three dimensions, says Verusco software developer Bryan Mitchell.

Called PlayBuilder, the software features animated rugby players that look much like contemporary computer game characters. Their motion is fluid and natural, and they react as rugby players do turning to face the ball in a lineout, for example.

The animation will replace squiggly lines on chalk boards, giving players a "much better visual of what has to happen," Mitchell says.

In one demonstration, for example, backs were advancing the ball in a traditional style up field, when a player stormed into the line at a sharp angle. The ball carrier popped up a pass, and the new carrier crashed into the defence on an unexpected angle and with impressive pace.

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DreamWorks Animation goes from AMD to Intel chips

LOS ANGELES (AP) — DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., maker of the "Shrek" movies and "Kung Fu Panda," announced Tuesday it will switch from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. computer chips to Intel Corp.'s as it moves toward making all 3-D movies.

The studio's relationship with AMD started in 2005, back when animating animal fur was a key industry milestone.

With that achieved in the very furry "Kung Fu Panda," released last month, the animation house is following through on a commitment made last year to make all its movies in 3-D starting with "Monsters vs. Aliens," which is scheduled for release in March 2009.

The 3-D format requires twice the computing power of traditional animation because viewers' right and left eyes receive separate images, meaning it can take up to 16 hours to process a single frame, the company said.

"Our artists, to a large degree, actually work blind," DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "They send it out and have to wait overnight to actually see what they've done."

"The impact of these new chipsets is that it will go from overnight to hours to minutes," he said. "Within a handful of years — or less, actually — we may achieve the Holy Grail of our business, which is to actually work in real time. So it's actually, literally in the moment of creation, you can see your work."

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Toei Animation launches online downloads for hit animated series

MUMBAI: Toei Animation is all set to launch their two popular animated series, Digimon Adventure 02 and Pretty Cure online later this month. The series will be available for download on IGN.com’s Direct2Drive section.

Slam Dunk and Fist of the North Star were the first titles to premiere online last month as a result of this new initiative. Other animated titles from Toei’s catalogue will also roll out later this year.

Digimon Adventure 02 follows the adventures Daisuke Motomiya and his friends as they battle the evil Digimon Kaiser who is out for domination in the digital world.

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A Hollywood animation flick from Chennai

ONE of the companies that did the much acclaimed computer graphic for Dasavathaaram, Land Marvel Animation Studios is currently working on a full length 3 D Hollywood animation movie, titled X Mas Files.

“It’s not that we Indians lack creativity, yet, our weakness lies in the pre production stage. We are great executors, yet, we loose out in making good CG from our country,” explains Veerashekar, CEO, Chairman and CEO, Land Marvel Animation Studios. He and his team of 300 people had begun work on X Mas Files about a year ago.

An animation company into its fourth year, Land Marvel has worked on the visual effects of many big scale projects like Chandramukhi, Anniyan, Sachin, Sivakasi, Mazhi and Dasavathaaram.

“ X Mas Files is a complete animation Hollywood movie. The lead character will be Santa Claus and the movie will be an entertaining story of his activities during Christmas,” he explains. Plans are on to create popular celebrities in this animated movie and make them a part of it. The movie will be a December 2009 release.

Source : http://www.newindpress.com/

Animation FUNdamentals Is Now Live

Digicel Inc. and Larry Lauria's Toon Institute have partnered to present Animation FUNdamentals -- affordable online animation lessons for aspiring artists and animators.

The lessons are geared to meet the level of the participants.

Animator/director and instructor Lauria, said,"When Kent Braun and I brainstormed on this project -- our goal was to make animation lessons available to folks in junior high and high school. Then, as we developed our curriculum, we found that any age or ability could take these lessons."

Lauria, with more than 33 years in the industry, including a stint as the head of animation at the Disney Institute, is no stranger to varied levels of students. "We never knew who was going to come through the door -- it could be folks with no animation or drawing experience, or they could be pros The teaching was a challenge -- and it kept us sharp."

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Digital animation to break barriers

If you enjoy special effects then a course in digital animation could be for you.

Animaster launched a new course at its regional centre today. Along with 2D and 3D animation, students could now take up digital animation courses of 18-month and 30-month duration, respectively.

While addressing reporters here today, centre director Saad Hanan, said: “With the introduction of digital animation, our students here would be able to compete at the global level.”

Besides, as far as placements are concerned: “We are providing cent percent placement as we are linked with 53 studios across the country. Likewise, for those who are unable to move out of the city, we have made special arrangements, here,” the centre director said.

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Indian animators on their way to creating original animation content

The Indian animators are creating original animation content that is being accepted internationally, said Uttam Pal Singh, an independent film maker who is producing tv commercials, broadcast designs, and internet series especially Channel [V], while addressing the students on the last day of the two-days animation event, Treasureboxx08 here today.

An NID graduate, Uttam Pal Singh did post graduation in animation in 2000 and his first film ‘Bheeru No.1’ brought many national and international awards, and later as a part of Channel [V] his ‘Santa Banta series’ won him many accolades, who shared his quest to produce funny stories and create original contents and intellectual properties for the international masses.

He talked about his journey in creation of various tv series including his latest production, ‘Krazy Keeda’ for Hungama Channel.

The BIG Animation team of Rohan Pannalkar and Rajesh Bhosale, talked about the making of the 3D animation film, Little Krishna, produced by the India Heritage Foundation, which won two BAF awards as Best TV Episode and for Outstanding Indian content, recently.

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DreamWorks Animation and Intel Team Up for Digital 3-D

Earlier this week DreamWorks Animation (DWA) and Intel (INTC) announced they're partnering to create next generation digital 3-D animation. On Friday I spoke with DWA's CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and Intel's CEO Paul Otellini about the new deal, just before they presented the new technology along with a 3-D segment of Kung Fu Panda to the executives at the Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley.

This new alliance aims to give both companies an advantage as the technology gains a foothold (and theaters). DWA will use Intel technology to speed up its production process and to evolve the strategies they employ to craft the digital images. Meanwhile Intel will use DWA to test Intel technology focused on entertainment and video.

The two CEOs were enthusiastic, Katzenberg saying that Intel "is really coming through for us," and that the technology will entirely revolutionize both the way DWA makes movies and the experience people get at the movie theater. Giving a theatrical experience that's entirely different from what consumers get from their home entertainment systems is crucial to the future of the theatrical movie business.

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Dharmapadato: First animated film in Oriya

Amid much headway and innovative experiments in entertainment industry of the state in recent years, the aspect of entrainment for children was virtually forgotten. Youngsters of the state had to heave a sigh of deprivation while watching their favourite animation feature films in foreign language or even in any Indian language, for not having one in their mother-tongue. Though they relish animated features in different language but had been longing for an animated feature film in their Oriya for long.

The long wait over as city-based Institute of Digital Media Technology (IDMT) is all set to roll out the first-ever Oriya animated feature film ‘Dharmapada- One Life For Many Lives’. As the preliminary step, the audio CD of the film was released here last evening, in a colourful function, amid enthusiastic children and parents of the city.

As the very nome suggests, the film is based on the life of ‘Dharmapada, the legendary boy hero, who sacrificed himself in order to save the lives of twelve hundred sculptors and artists engaged in building the world-famous Sun Temple at Konark.

The film, which is expected to be released on 1 April next year, on the occasion of Utkal Diwas, in an international premiere in USA, is being simultaneously produced in four languages ~ Oriya, Hindi, Bengali and English. The audio CD released yesterday, contains five songs and the release was for twin purposes ~ publicity and generation of much-needed fund for the project.

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Warner Bros to make its first Indian animation

In the last few years, the Indian animation industry has seen some big names make their presence felt. Warner Bros Pictures is the latest entrant in the animation space, with an untitled film, which is to be directed by Jyotin Goel and produced by Goel Screencraft.

Warner Bros is one of the most successful motion picture studios in the world and has been entertaining global audiences for over 85 years with high-quality, innovative, acclaimed motion pictures.

"We are delighted to associate with Jyotin on this film,” said Blaise Fernandes, country manager, Warner Bros India. “It marks our entry into the animation genre in India."

Goel has directed films such as Zahreelay and Inam Dus Hazar, besides the popular sci-fi TV show Antariksh. He is also associated with two filmmaking firms Goel Screencraft (as a proprietor) and Goel Cine Corporation (as a partner).

Speaking about his latest venture Goel said, "This is a story of love and adventure, full of colour, music, drama and comedy. The film is not based on humans, but portrays the melodious world of birds and attempts to explore their lives from an unusual standpoint. It is a journey into the lives of birds as they soar over dense jungles and teeming cities, giving them a point of view of the world that is hilariously different from ours."

The postproduction of the film will be handled by Interactive Realities International Private Limited (IRIPL).

Source : http://sify.com/

Kung Fu Panda - Stunning animation effects

THE Dreamworks team has built up an impressive reputation for animated films, with a host of popular hits including the Shrek trilogy, Madagascar and Chicken Run.

So its latest movie, Kung Fu Panda, telling the story of an overweight and unfit panda Po desperate to become a martial arts expert had a lot to live up to — and succeeded in meeting all my expectations.

The film's incredible animation sets the scene of old China, where Po, voiced by Jack Black, works for his father — who happens to be a goose — in a restaurant, but feels he does not fit in.

When the news comes that wise tortoise and kung fu master Oogway plans to choose the legendary Dragon Warrior, Po is eager to see his heroes, the Furious Five, in action.

But his inability to climb stairs in his unhealthy state means he fails to reach the mountainside temple in time and his ingenious way of getting inside brings him to the attention of Oogway, who crowns him with the top title.

The move is unpopular with his new master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and the five, who are voiced by a host of famous stars, including Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu.

Shifu reluctantly takes on the enormous challenge of training Po and manages to motivate him to kung fu greatness through his love of dumplings in the hope he can defeat treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane).

Black is perfectly cast as the lovable Po, who the audience cannot fail to love and his expert comic timing provides some of the many laughs in the film.

Other interesting characters are Oogway, with his thought-provoking philosophy, and Shifu –– but many of the Furious Five have few lines and their personalities do not have chance to develop.

However, I think the real stars of the Kung Fu Panda were the animators who have done a spectacular job –– both in creating some amazing fast-paced fight scenes and in the quality of the small details, down to the individual hairs on Po's head.

While the 90-minute film is aimed at children, many adults hoping for some light-hearted entertainment this summer will also enjoy it and cannot fail to be wowed by the stunning animation effects.

Source : http://www.chad.co.uk/

Animation Block Party Set to Roll

The Fifth Annual Animation Block Party (ABP) is taking place July 25-27 in Brooklyn, New York. Festival favorites Hot Dog from Bill Plympton, Lapsus from Juan Pablo Zaramella and The Pearce Sisters from Luis Cook will be among the more than 100 short films scheduled to screen during the three-day summer festival. A complete list of films can be found at www.animationblock.com/summerfest08.

ABP opens on Friday, July 25 at Rooftop Films, featuring live music from Plushgun, followed by a screening of the festival's most fun and fan-friendly cartoons. A party at Bar Matchless will follow with free beer from Radeberger. The fun will continue on Saturday, July 26th at Bam Cinematek, with experimental works and music videos in Program One, and a storytelling focus in Program Two. Screenings will be followed by an after-party at Cherry Tree with free Newcastle courtesy of America's favorite fake news source, The Onion Inc. The fest will conclude on Sunday at Bam Cinematek with top professional-independent works in Program Three and narrative local and international shorts in Program Four. The after-party will be held at Habana Outpost, featuring streaming cartoons, food specials and free beer courtesy of Autodesk.

Winners in ten award categories, ranging from Best in Show to Original Design. will receive juried prizes. Software sponsors include Adobe, Toon Boom, Boinx and Autodesk. Crumpler Bags and Animation Magazine will also offer prizes for filmmakers. The winner of the student film competition will receive a production grant to create a PSA for the 2009 Animation Block Party. Other fest sponsors include L-Magazine, Without A Box, AWN and Pair.

Source : http://www.animationmagazine.net/

Animated film is a real winner

'WALL-E' should garner a best film nomination in Oscars, says critic

Computer generated images (CGI) were first used as a special effects tool in the film business, seen for the first time in The Abyss (1989) and later in Terminator II: Judgment Day (1991). Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993) was famous for the use of the tool when it came to creating the dinosaurs within the film, and finally in 1995 an entire feature film was created inside a computer.

First of all, let’s be clear that Pixar, the company that teamed with Disney to create some of the greatest animations of this generation, made Tin Toy in the ’90s, a fascinating early look at what could be wrought inside a computer. That led to Toy Story (1995), which changed the face of the industry and revolutionized the art form and technology. Like the coming of sound, movies were rocked by CGI as sweeping change could be felt in the air. You see, the technology could be used to create stunning animation or as visual effects tools in big-budget epics like Saving Private Ryan (1998), or low-budget works such as The Sweet Hereafter (1997), in which the bus plunging into the frigid water is all a computer effect.

Since Toy Story, the CGI-animated features have dominated the box office, with the most breathtaking work being that in Finding Nemo (2003), a brilliantly animated film that was also wildly entertaining and fun to watch. So popular were these films that a brand new Academy Award was created to present to the best animated feature film each year, as the flesh-and-blood pictures were being threatened by the presence of such brilliance in the world of animation.

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Digital animation takes a giant leap with good networking

BANGALORE: When George Lucas set about creating his masterpiece ‘Star Wars, Episode I’ , it was the animation bit which started playing party-pooper. The excited cinema crew working on the animation matrix, was riddled with a problem — the speed of file transfer. Animation files are heavy computing files which store packages of information. When these files get transferred from the work stations to the servers for storage, it slows down the system.

Quite a challenging task indeed for the crew which had deadlines to meet and worser still, frustrations to fight over the long delays in working on slow computers. It was around this time that word got around that a new series of switches and networking solutions were being designed by a local ‘guy’ which could solve this problem. George Lucas immediately contacted Earl Ferguson , who said that he had just the right solution to this problem. Loading a complete networking package into the boot of his car, he reached the site location.

He personally connected all the switches and routers, going under the tables, scrambling on dusty floors to get the network in shape. The result was amazing. Artists, who hitherto had to battle with slow computing speeds, could work at remarkable speeds making their job a lot easier.

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Arena launches Animation Studios in Chennai

CHENNAI: Arena Animation, the Global leader in Animation and Multimedia training launched Animation Studios at Arena’s Vadapalani and Anna Nagar centres, which offer Arena’s hi end Animation Engineering (DAE)program.

Addressing a Press Conference at Chennai, Mr R Krishnan, Executive Director, Aptech Ltd said, “The hi-tech Animation Studios are being launched with an aim to enable the students of Animation Engineering (DAE) to undergo intensive training in Animation related subjects. The state-of-the-art studios are equipped to train students on the latest Animation & Special Effects and offer them hands-on training in highly advanced animation technology, equipping them for the ever-evolving & challenging world of multimedia & animation.”

The studios will facilitate live projects and intensive industry interaction for the DAE students.

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World's best animation training course enters China

According to reports, on June 30, the Beijing Bowen Huizhi Cultural Dissemination Center, under the Beihang University (BUAA) Science Park, signed a cooperation agreement with Suonan Digital to introduce Japanese Suonan Digital 3DCG (Creative training courses) into China. This will be the first time that Japan's top animation training course enters China; and it will be vital for the development of China's animation training.

It is expected that the 3DCG will train top-level and advanced digital creative professionals through two year related courses training; and as the core of Japan's latest creative development system; relying on Japan, Europe and the United States' expert resources; supported by well-known universities, and game, animation, and video design company professionals; and using the world's most advanced OJT (On the Job Training).

By People's Daily Online

The Animation Show

Location
Landmark's Lumiere Theater
1572 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94109 map
cross street: Polk Street
district: Polk Gulch/Van Ness

Date and Time

Fri Jul 4 (TBA) - 415.267.4893 - Filmmakers in attendance

Description
The Animation Show is a showcase for the world's greatest independent animated short films. We currently license animated short films for a variety of programs including our theatrical and DVD collections, iTunes and web channels and for television (via MTV).

The Animation Show was started as an annual feature-length theatrical compilation of short films from around the world, exclusively curated by Mike Judge (Office Space, "Beavis and Butt-Head," "King of the Hill") and Academy Award nominated animator Don Hertzfeldt (Billy's Balloon, Rejected, The Meaning of Life).

As animation continues to be plagued as the single most misunderstood film medium, the animated short film is sadly undervalued and underexposed in American cinema, despite widespread appreciation throughout the rest of the world. With luck, popular animated shorts may see limited theatrical play, but most are relegated to the dungeons of the internet, or with luck, DVD.

The theatrical animation festival was born in 1976 with the launch of the Fantastic Animation Festival. This was the first show to create the now-universal "program on a flyer" and the first to receive a first-run 35mm theatrical release. The Fantastic Festival's popularity helped pave the way shortly thereafter for similar commercial programs throughout the 80s and 90s, including Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation, the Tournee of Animation, and several others that came and went with varying success.

The Animation Show launched in 2003, making it the first festival of animation created and produced with actual animators at the helm. A sister series of high quality Animation Show DVDs now supplement the theatrical tour with additional insights and brand new lineups of films - while the main Show remains a unique and unforgettable annual program that is usually gone forever once it is out of theaters.

Every year the Show works diligently to put animated shorts into more theaters than any festival in American history: giving these filmmakers the wide exposure their work deserves and sharing their short masterpieces on the big screen, where they belong.

Source : http://www.sfstation.com/