Animation films fail to rock the box-office

MUMBAI: All's not well in animation land. Despite corporates doing all they can to ensure that India's animation industry gets its place in Bollywood, there's still time before your favourite toon can rock the box-office.

Rumour has it that Percept Picture Company's Jumbo was bought cheap (it's originally a Thai animation film) but they paid Akshay Kumar a whopping Rs 9 crore as dubbing fee. They also shot a promotional video, allegedly had a large marketing budget (Rs 8 crore) and gave the Christmas offering great visibility on both hoardings as well as the airwaves. "However, Jumbo was swept away in the Ghajini wave,'' says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, who personally felt the film was probably Bollywood's best bet at animation in 2008.

Trade sources confirm that Bollywood has had a bad run with animation this year. Between Hanuman Returns, Krishna, Roadside Romeo, Dashavatar, Ghatotkach and My Friend Ganesha parts 1 and 2, insiders estimate animation losses will total up to about Rs 70 crore. "Indian animation has suffered quite a few hiccups,'' says a trade source. "What's worse is that many animation films that are complete and awaiting release have no takers.''

Barely a year ago when Walt Disney tied up with Yashraj Films to commission their first joint venture Roadside Romeo (Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor dubbed for the lead pair), Bollywood pundits went to town claiming that animation as a genre had `arrived'. In fact, at least 25 animation films were announced by various corporations, and an estimated Rs 4,000 crore was to be kept aside for the animation studios that were being planned across India. "Everything is on hold now,'' says trade guru Amod Mehra. "Film corporations are shaken with the blow-hot, blow-cold response to this genre.''

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The Good, bad and ugly of Bollywood animation movies in 2008

There were quite a few animation films that released in 2008. However, not even one of them turned out to be successful at the box office. ‘Roadside Romeo’ at least stood out from animation point of view while ‘Jumbo’ made waves due to Akshay Kumar factor. However, rest just fizzled completely hence putting a question mark on the future of animation films in India. Here is a low down on the performance of some of the most notable animation films which were unleashed to the audience in the year gone by.

Roadside Romeo
If not for Yash Raj Films’ practice of promoting their films to the minimal, ‘Roadside Romeo’ could well have been the second Bollywood animation film to have worked with the audience after ‘Hanuman’. While one or two have still been decent attempts at the least, the remaining have been plain shoddy.

Things could have just gone right for ‘Roadside Romeo’ had it been pitched amongst the audience in a better way. It was released sans any fanfare and worse, the two best parts about the film - it’s animation and coming together of Saif and Kareena behind the mike - were not just not highlighted enough for the audience.

‘Roadside Romeo’ may not be quite emotionally charged or howlariously funny like it’s Hollywood counterparts. But still, it is watchable at the least. And for that, most of the credit should go to Tata Elexsi - VCL that has managed to get some stupendous 3D animation in place. Whether it is shot taking, moving frames, transition from one situation to another, lip movements or lighting - everything about ‘Roadside Romeo’ comes across as a fresh experience. In fact for those who haven’t been exposed to the Hollywood animation flicks, this is a truly unique experience.

My Friend Ganesha 2
The most torturous animation film of the year which is so poorly made that one wonders how it’s rough edges, especially when it comes to animation, would seem when seen on the big screen. Those backing the film may have had an argument that it was made for kids under 10 years of age. Well, if they were actually under this false belief, they were seriously underestimating the choice and mindset of children who have definitely warmed up to far more entertaining films over a period of time.

Leave the storyline (which by the way is none at all); just one look at the animation in motion and you are seriously un-amused by the state of affairs. Frankly, the worst of movies can sometime become an engaging experience since they are so bad that they bring some full-on entertainment. However, ‘My Friend Ganesha 2′ crosses all patience limits. Lasting close to 2 hours, there is absolutely no redeeming factor in this film which has just about everything being so un-engaging and uninspiring.

Jumbo
While promoting ‘Jumbo’ as an Akshay Kumar film, the makers chose not to high light the fact that the film was neither an Indian product nor had it been made in collaboration with an International animation house. Instead, Percept Picture Company had claimed the rights of a Thai film that went by the name of ‘Khan Kluay’. Nevertheless, the film boasted of good animation and was a good full fledged musical (’Roadside Romeo’ was a musical as well but the music wasn’t as good) to arrive on the big screen. Add to that actors like Lara Dutta, Dimple Kapadia, Gulshan Grover and Rajpal Yadav joining Akshay behind the mike and it was a Bollywood treat for children. If not for it’s arrival next to ‘Ghajini’, it would have done much better at the box office.

Dashavatar
This was an animation film which actually managed to hold your interest at least at the script level. Otherwise if one looks at the plethora of animation films which have released in the year gone by, majority of them have failed at the story level, let aside animation which by itself has been nothing great shakes. However, the area where ‘Dashavatar’ wins is that it tells a story which has been hitherto untold to majority of viewers in India, at least through the medium of cinema or television. Moreover, with good animation to match (at least by Indian standards), it only makes the experience more engaging.

Ghatothkach
First half of this animation film followed a standard route as adopted by many a mythological animation movies coming out of Bollywood in recent years. The ‘natkhat’ ways of a child, his escapades with all living beings, be it humans, animals or demons, his love for nature - all of this has been explored to the fullest by many a film makers in the recent past. Nothing wrong with this actually. After all it is a genre and the same holds good even for action, comedy, romantic or family tales which are bound to have a similar look and feel.

Still, overall ‘Ghatothkach’ was a very average film which had something going for it by means of visuals that were indeed unheard of (before the release of ‘Roadside Romeo) and surpassed the standards (although not quite high) set by it’s predecessors.

Prithviraj Chauhan
If after watching a film, you are made to log on to internet right away and explore further details about the subject and story line, you can certainly say that the makers have succeeded in telling an interesting tale!

This is what happens the moment you are through with watching 80 minutes of drama that unfolds in animation film ‘Prithviraj Chauhan’. For a change, you no more care about the quality of animation (it is substandard) but are intrigued by the sheer story line and narration. One can question the mediocrity of animation here but certainly not direction which manages to keep a stranglehold on proceedings without letting boredom slip in.

‘Prithviraj Chauhan’ was a ‘direct to DVD’ release rather than coming at theaters. A good move since the animation’s canvas isn’t quite suited for the big screen. However, instead of numerous animation flicks which are arriving at theaters these days and are primarily catered at children, ‘Prithviraj Chauhan’ boasts of a story that has a good appeal for adults as well. Watch it for it’s drama and forget about the animation quality!

Cheenti Cheenti Bang Bang
This movie had some interesting voice overs but animation wise, it just remained sub standard. Add to that the characters in the film that hardly appealed and one knew before the release of the film itself that it won’t do well at the theaters. The promotion of the film was patchy and there was no target audience defined. Result? A film that was certainly one of the most ignored and forgotten animation flicks that have been unleashed on the unsuspecting audience. -Joginder Tuteja / Sampurn Media

Source : http://www.realbollywood.com/

Arena Boosts Animation In Ahmedabad

Arena Animation has put Ahmedabad in even more prominence on the global animation market with its latest animation event – The Animated Movie “Jumbo” Showcase Event.

According to Vishal Vora, Regional Head, Gujarat, Arena Animation, entertainment giants like Walt Disney, Imax and Sony have increasingly outsourced work for special effects and character development to India, hotting up the market as a result.

The event began with a new concept titled First Day First Show Series where students of animation were treated to “Jumbo” and the “First Day First Show” that featured other upcoming animation and special effects movies.

Following the show segment was the award ceremony for the Creative Hunt Competition and Christmas celebrations.

Commenting on the competition, Anish Shah, Centre Head, Arena Animation said that its objective was to promote professional skills of the students that are all due in today’s animation industry. The competition not only enhanced their technical prowess but their ability in research and development for increased effectiveness in quality production.

Source : http://www.designtaxi.com/

Computer animation breathes life into learning

Kindergartners at Seminole Springs Elementary used software to create a book and learn about adjectives.

A first-grade class at Cypress Ridge Elementary created a Claymation movie to study endangered creatures.

And Astatula Elementary kindergartners made a computerized alphabet book.

The youngest students at these three Lake County elementary schools learned old concepts in a new way. And they did it with the help of some new computer software designed to help children bring clay to life and draw on the computer screen, among other things.

Last year, a few Lake County schools piloted the innovative computer programs to help the district's youngest pupils. This year, they're being rolled into more elementary schools.

The programs come from the California-based Tech4Learning. Lake's school district has been implementing the company's multimedia-publishing program called Pixie and its Clay Animation Kit, among other products.

"We have seen some incredible results," said Kathy Halbig, the district's manager of innovative learning.

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Animation up there with Hollywood

KUALA LUMPUR: Money is a major factor in the development of computer-generated imagery (CGI) technology in Malaysia, said Burhanuddin Md Radzi, managing director of Les' Copaque Production Sdn Bhd.

He said local producers could do better if they were willing to invest more in their work.

Still, films like Cicakman 1 and 2, Antoo Fighter and Duyung are proving that Malaysian film-makers are capable of putting CGI on the silver screen.

The local film with the most extensive use of CGI today is Cicakman 2 Planet Hitam, with 800 shots.

"Unfortunately, we are still lagging in the technology, compared with other countries," said Burhanuddin.
Les' Copaque was the first company set up by a Bumiputera to focus on CGI. Its first film, Geng, is a fully CGI film.

"The cost for the 103-minute film was RM4 million and it took us three years to complete."

Geng is expected to open nationwide in February and will be submitted to France's Aneccy Animation Festival in June.

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Israel's Crew 972 is animated about cartoons

Hollywood is the center of the film industry in the West, Bollywood its center in the East. But where is the capital of Toontown? If Crew 972 has anything to say about it, Tel Aviv will be the world center for quality animation.

"Our expertise is in high-quality animation and with a focus on top-tier clients: service work, advertising, film, Internet, and DVD," says company co-founder Michelle Orrelle, noting the company's client list. Crew 972 has worked directly for Aardman Animations - of Wallace & Gromit fame; Bren Productions - the 3D animation arm of Spain's Filmax Studios; Electronic Arts and Super Villain Studios; with advertising agencies Leo Burnett, Ogilvy and Mathers, Young & Rubicam, and as subcontractor on projects for Cartoon Network and others under non-disclosure agreement. This week, a new Crew 972 project is being tested at Warner Brother's studios.

"We've identified that Israel is a boutique provider of talent, innovation and creativity," Michelle tells ISRAEL21c. "It's not a mass animation producer like China or India, the Far East, or Eastern Europe. Israel's cultural compatibility is one advantage that we have; the Israeli sense of humor is one the US audience understands."

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Mass Animation Draws Animators to Facebook

Mass Animation, Intel Corp.’s initiative to create a CG-animated short film through a virtual studio staffed by animators around the world, has received more than 270 entries and accumulated more than 25,000 fans on popular social networking site Facebook. The short, titled Live Music, is being produced and directed by Yair Landau, former president of Sony Pictures Digital. The Facebook application is powered by online animation community aniBoom.

Live Music is inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and early CG films. Set in a musical instrument store, the tale follows Riff, a rock ‘n’ roll guitar who falls in love to the wrong song but ends up with Vanessa, the classical violin of his dreams. The story is conveyed through the universal language of music rather than dialog, and the instruments are brought to life through original compositions and familiar rock tunes played principally by legendary guitarist Steve Vai as Riff and acclaimed violinist Ann Marie Calhoun as Vanessa.

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Conor Nolan finds 3D animation in Monster vs Aliens very exciting

THERE has been much debate recently about 3D and its potential growth in the UK. So when the Dreamworks' big boss Jeffrey Katzenberg invited me to see a preview of his new 3D animated movie, Monster vs Aliens, I simply could not resist, writes Conor Nolan.

3D is of course not new and has been around since the 1950s, but the advent of digital projection technology has allowed it to advance leaps and bounds.

As I sat down in the cinema I was given a pair of odd looking sunglasses to watch the latest Dreamworks animated flick and what an experience it was: I was treated to about 30 minutes worth of clips from Monster vs Aliens and it was dazzling.

You literally feel that you are in the thick of the action as it unfurls on the big screen and on several occasions I actually ducked and moved my head to avoid objects hurtling towards me.

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DreamWorks Animation bets big on InTru 3D technology

Jeffrey Katzenberg is a man on a mission.

That's why the head of DreamWorks Animation flew up to Boston earlier this week to meet with exhibitors, film students and members of the media. With the hope that he'd then be able to win a few more converts over to his new world view. Which holds that the future of film lies in 3D.

Mind you, this is not -- to quote Katzenberg -- "your father's 3D" that we're talking about here. Waving a pair of the old red-and-blue anaglyph lenses about, Jeffrey talked about how the old version of 3D used to " ... give some people headaches, make others nauseous. And that's supposed to be good for business?"

Katzenberg certain hopes that this new version of 3D is good for business. For he's pretty much betting DreamWorks Animation's future on this new film format. Starting with the release of "Monsters Vs Aliens" in March of 2009, all of his studio's forthcoming releases will be produced in 3D.

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Animated Film Gets Oscar Look

Hollywood - One of the 14 films submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the three nominations in the best animation feature category, Dragon Hunters will make its one-week qualifying run starting today at Laemmle’s Grande 4-Plex Theatre in Downtown, Los Angeles.

Set in a mystical kingdom of non-firma terra (“things fall apart; the center cannot hold”) a dragon so big and powerful and with such ferocious eyes that to gaze upon can drive a warrior blind or mad (“a vast image out of Spritus Mundi troubles my sight”), is about to rise from its long sleep and wreak havoc on the dark world (“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last”).

Okay, putting aside the near-fetched allusions – and there are others (“Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds”; “were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle”) — to William Yeats’ “The Second Coming” (the greatest poem by a vastly overrated and politically reactionary poet) filmmakers Guillaume Ivernel and Arthur Qwak’s Dragon Hunters follows the tale of a wandering and wondering girl who reads lots of fairy tales, Zoe (voice by Mary Mouser), and her band of misfits who have taken it upon themselves to save the day. (In fact nobody else notices any threat from the dragon accept those immediately involved in Zoe’s adventure.)

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Animated Film Gets Oscar Look

Using Animation to Explore the Nanoworld

Tiny self-assembling metal cubes dance across the screen in a video posted on the Web site of the Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology. You could read a book — or at least several chapters — on the principles behind how these microcubes build themselves up from microscopic metallic sheets cut by lasers. Or you could watch a one-minute animated video that tells their fantastic story.

The INBT video of the self-assembling cubes is the result of the independent study course Animation in Nanotechnology and Medicine and was produced under the guidance of INBT animation/Web director Martin Rietveld, who shares his skills and experience in 2-D/3-D animation with students from throughout Johns Hopkins who want to learn to use this lively medium.

INBT's animation studio and the independent study course have attracted students from the basic sciences, engineering, the School of Medicine's Department of Art as Applied to Medicine and the Krieger School's Writing Seminars, to name a few. Some students understand the science; others are skilled in illustration or other types of visualization. "My job is to try to guide these forces into something that actually produces a movie," Rietveld says.

Students who sign up for the course should be aware of the time commitment involved in order to produce a film as well executed as the current productions, Rietveld says. Presently, there are two animated movies on the INBT Web site demonstrating the research of INBT-affiliated faculty members. One explains the self-assembling cubes used in the research of David Gracias, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the Whiting School of Engineering, and the other shows the interaction between a protein and a lipid bilayer, based on the work of Blake Hill, associate professor of biology in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

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Katzenberg to 3-D movie fans: Open your wallets

Ever since Jeffrey Katzenberg boasted this September that sometime soon "all movies are going to be made in 3-D," I've had a nagging feeling that there must be a catch to all this 3-D ballyhoo, since, let's face it, do you really want--or need--to see "Doubt" or "Milk" or most of the other Oscar contenders in 3-D anytime soon? (Though I am looking forward to the first ad that trumpets: " 'The Reader': See It Now As You've Never Seen Before--In 3-D!")

As I've said before, I am not a knee-jerk 3-D detractor. I've sampled most of the 3-D reels in recent months and can imagine a host of movies being great candidates for 3-D, including the next "Ice Age," Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland,"and "Iron Man 2." It's just that in an era of preplanned obsolescence, where I'm supposed to toss out all of the electronic equipment in my home (computers, TVs, cellphones, etc.) every 15 minutes, I've become a little suspicious when someone insists that even my happy movie theater-going is suddenly in dire need of being entirely reinvented, based on the vague promise that 3-D will provide a far more dazzling experience, which has been Katzenberg's sales pitch so far.

Thanks to Variety, which did a good job of covering a recent meeting between Katzenberg and a scrum of Wall Street analysts, I'm beginning to see why the DreamWorks Animation chief is really so eager to push us all into 3-D paradise. Surprise: He wants to improve his profit margins. It turns out that Katzenberg envisions us paying a $5 premium every time we see a 3-D movie, greatly enhancing both DreamWorks' and theater owners' profits. As Jeffrey's chief financial officer Lew Coleman put it: "Because the costs of 3-D are fixed, there is substantial leverage and most of the extra revenue falls to the bottom line."

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Using Animation to Explore the Nanoworld

Tiny self-assembling metal cubes dance across the screen in a video posted on the Web site of the Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology. You could read a book — or at least several chapters — on the principles behind how these microcubes build themselves up from microscopic metallic sheets cut by lasers. Or you could watch a one-minute animated video that tells their fantastic story.

The INBT video of the self-assembling cubes is the result of the independent study course Animation in Nanotechnology and Medicine and was produced under the guidance of INBT animation/Web director Martin Rietveld, who shares his skills and experience in 2-D/3-D animation with students from throughout Johns Hopkins who want to learn to use this lively medium.

INBT's animation studio and the independent study course have attracted students from the basic sciences, engineering, the School of Medicine's Department of Art as Applied to Medicine and the Krieger School's Writing Seminars, to name a few. Some students understand the science; others are skilled in illustration or other types of visualization. "My job is to try to guide these forces into something that actually produces a movie," Rietveld says.

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3D Animation - The Next Frontier in 3D Animation

As the frontier of 3D animation expands, animation studios are preparing for the next big thing. An internship with one of these studios may be the best way to prepare for a career in animation. First things first: you’ll want training in 3D animation from an animation school.

Taking 3D Further

Dreamworks, one of the largest animation studios in the industry, announced recently that beginning in 2009, they will begin producing all of their movies in stereoscopic 3D.

Most animation features in recent years have included 3D animation, but this new development opens a new frontier in animation. Traditionally, stereoscopic 3D films and animation features have been considered novelties. Now, with a major animation studio making it the standard, the rest of the industry will either get on board too, or wait it out to see if it catches on with the public.

In related industry news, Dolby just announced its new 3D projection technology. It can be used with conventional movie screens as well as inexpensive 3D glasses. Anyone see a future industry partnership?

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DreamWorks Animation drawing up new ventures

As DVD sales slow, the studio is launching its franchise characters into TV shows, a Broadway musical and theme park attractions to generate revenue.

DreamWorks Animation SKG is launching its franchise characters into new lines of business, giving the Glendale studio a chance to grow steadily and consistently even during a recession that already is slowing its DVD sales.

In their first investor conference since 2005, studio executives Thursday outlined a series of new business ventures to lessen DreamWorks' dependence on production of only two animated movies a year, which often has led to big swings in its earnings and stock price.

DreamWorks will feature the studio's popular characters in TV specials for NBC, for instance, as well as in theme park attractions in Dubai and Singapore.

"Shrek the Musical," which will debut on Broadway this Sunday, could be the first in several DreamWorks-inspired shows. The company hopes to match the kind of success arch-rival Walt Disney Co. had with its musical based on the classic animated movie "The Lion King."

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Free 3D animation tools released by Craft Animations

Craft Animations has released simplified versions of its Craft Director Tools 3D animation plug-ins. The scaled-down products include Craft 4-Wheeler Free, ObserverCam Free, and Airplane Free. The free series is intended to allow users of Autodesk 3DS Max or Maya to familiarize themselves with the suite of Craft tools, without needing to purchase the professional versions.

4-Wheeler is used for creating simulations of four-wheel vehicles, with adjustments for acceleration, top speed, steering angle, brake force, suspension and weight. Users control a vehicle in real-time with an input device, directly through the Autodesk parent program. The Airplane Free plug-in works in a similar manner, allowing configuration of weight, top speed, altitude gain, and turning speed. Aircraft are also manually controlled by the user.

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Computer Animation- How to Learn How To Do

If you are wanting to learn how do computer animation there are a many things you will have to learn about. Here are a few things to get you started on the right track.

Instructions

Step:1
Design Software. Before you can actually animate things you must be able to design pictures. That way the things you have drawn you can animate. This can be done on the computer or free hand. Things can move a lot faster if you are good with the computer, so try to practice with using animation software.

Step2
Practice. When animating practice is really the key. The more you practice, the better you will get. You rarely hear of anyone practicing and getting worse. So continue to practice your computer animation and you will learn more things that will make your animation better.

Step3
Classes. When starting out things can be difficult to understand and programs can be very complicated. Try taking a class online or, even better, from a school. That way you can get one on one help with any questions that you have. Then eventually you will be able to do your animation all on your own.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/

3D films: the next film revolution?

They've been the next big thing for the past 50 years, but 3D films have finally come of age. Just the thing to get bums on seats, says Chris Evans

Cinema has already been through two major revolutions in its relatively short life. First there was the transition from silent to talkie, then from black and white to colour. Now Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, believes "3D is the next revolution in the cinema-going experience".

A bold statement, and one tinged with a distinct bias as DreamWorks is one of several Hollywood studios set to release their forthcoming animation projects in the new, digitised 3D format. Titles set to hit our screens include Monsters vs Aliens (2009), A Christmas Carol (2009), Toy Story 3 (2010), Shrek Goes Fourth (2010), and Avatar, due for release in December next year, which is hotly tipped to be the turning point in the 3D revolution.

It is important to point out that 3D is, of course, nothing new. It was first experimented with back in the 1950s and Imax cinemas have been showing films in 3D for the past 30 years. But now, with the advent of digital 3D technology being installed in cinemas worldwide, and the fact that the choice of films in 3D is not only broader but much better, audiences need only head to a multiplex and put on the glasses to immerse themselves in what is proving to be a wholly new way to enjoy the latest studio blockbuster.

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Annie Award nominations

'Kung Fu Panda' masters the field, drawing 17 nominations, far more than other comers for the annual prizes in animation.

"Bolt," "Kung Fu Panda," "Wall-E," "Waltz With Bashir" and "9.99" were nominated Monday by the International Animated Film Society for best animated feature for the 36th annual Annie Awards. The awards honor the year's best animated features, TV productions, commercials, video games and short subjects.

DreamWorks Animation's' "Kung Fu Panda" received 17 nominations, more than any other film. In addition to best animated feature, the box-office hit earned recognition in the character animation, character design, directing, music, production design, storyboarding, voice acting and writing categories.

Walt Disney Animation Studio's current hit "Bolt" received nine nominations, and Pixar Animation Studio's summer blockbuster "Wall-E" earned eight.

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Animation bonanza for film buffs

KOLKATA: Over the week starting Sunday, the city will have the rare opportunity of catching up on some extremely offbeat short films including some cutting-edge animation work at Nandan.

The festival is being organised jointly by Chitrabani (an initiative of the missionaries who run St Xavier's Collegiate School) and the Nandan authorities that will help budding film-makers from across the country showcase their work. Incidentally, a large number of animation films have been selected as part of the pantheon.

While a majority of the films have been shot by students from Kolkata, there are several entries from other cities and even foreign countries like UK, US and Bangladesh.

The shortest film to be screened is an animation of 31 seconds and the longest a tragedy of 43 minutes, 36 seconds. The city directors are students learning filmmaking at institutes like Jadavpur University, Calcutta University, St Xavier's College, Chitrabani, Roopkala Kendro and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.

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