Animation sector pushes 'creative' outsourcing

Local animators, many of whom have already proven themselves in the international arena, aim to give the Philippines an even bigger spot on the world animation map by advocating “creative process outsourcing.”

The Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. said the country could also be a leader in CPO, after proving to be a formidable force in the business process outsourcing space.

“I (am) personally advocating to various agencies like (the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Foreign Affairs) that the Philippines should claim CPO, given the Filipinos’ inherent talent in designing anything from print animation to product modeling,” Acpi president Rowena Bagadion said in a statement.

She said creative industries should be consolidated under one umbrella organization, as this would make it easier for the country to market such services and create a brand for itself in the international arena.

CPO should cover the animation and game development industries, music and sound engineering, advertising, film, industrial design, architecture, comics, photography, publishing, and also those that fell under corporate communication such as writing and conceptualization.

“We want our own brand of animation. If one is familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the Filipino industry has matured to a point where we are now seeking for self-actualization,” Bagadion said.

The local animation industry has been making its mark in the world due to lower costs, consistent quality of work, quickness in delivering output, English proficiency, and understanding of concepts and story lines.

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Animation studio benefits from sales outsourcing

The Indian animation industry is set to boom in the next few years, causing one website to recommend firms to consider sales outsourcing there.

Proactive Investors UK wrote that the growing sophistication of televisions and film will open up the niche entertainment sector to double turnover by 2013, which will be helped by sales outsourcing.

It cited DQ Entertainment, which has used the Indian workforce in Hyderabad to help get its work noted by top global institutions such as the BBC, Discovery Kids and France 2.

"As a result of the transformation of the business model, DQ (currently capitalised at £39.6m) has been able to double its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation margin from 21 per cent to 43 per cent," the website said.

India recently topped a Global Services and Tholons poll to find the best destination for sales outsourcing firms looking to boost their productivity by using a foreign workforce.

Artic;le Source: http://www.pareto.co.uk

Indian animation charts new course on route to recovery

NEW DELHI: Economic slowdown has meant different things to different industries and though the economy has recovered, corporations have taken their lessons. The global phenomenon has left none untouched and industries have had to reshape the way they go about their business. The Rs 17.4 billion Indian animation industry has also found an alternate revenue stream in what was hitherto dubbed as ‘allied’ applications of animation.

From auto designing, and surgical models to fashion designing, engineering, animation has, over the years, found myriad uses and has been growing rather quietly while its use in media and entertainment has hogged all the limelight. But even as the media industry is faces a slowdown, studios working in specialized animation are growing fast, albeit on a small base. Industry estimates put media and entertainment as still providing over 70% of the industry’s revenue. But it is specialized animation that is growing faster, at about 40% (compared to media and entertainment’s 25% annual growth rate), and is powering the industry.

Twenty-one year-old Himanshu Gupta is a happy man. In his two years as a specialized animator, he has been able to steer ahead of his batch-mates at the animation school who, he says, are earning less than him. Himanshu is part of a 15-member team at Scientific Animation, a specialized animation and graphics company based out of Gurgaon.

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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.

Each studio has hi-end apparatus & facilities such as DV Cams, Green Matt room for compositing & visual effects, Animation light boxes, Hi-end scanners, Hi-end Editing software etc, and the students will be allowed to handle them personally, enabling them to understand the techniques involved in the various stages of SFX such as pre-production, production and post-production.

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Indian animation charts new course on route to recovery

NEW DELHI: Economic slowdown has meant different things to different industries and though the economy has recovered, corporations have taken their lessons. The global phenomenon has left none untouched and industries have had to reshape the way they go about their business. The Rs 17.4 billion Indian animation industry has also found an alternate revenue stream in what was hitherto dubbed as ‘allied’ applications of animation.

From auto designing, and surgical models to fashion designing, engineering, animation has, over the years, found myriad uses and has been growing rather quietly while its use in media and entertainment has hogged all the limelight. But even as the media industry is faces a slowdown, studios working in specialized animation are growing fast, albeit on a small base. Industry estimates put media and entertainment as still providing over 70% of the industry’s revenue. But it is specialized animation that is growing faster, at about 40% (compared to media and entertainment’s 25% annual growth rate), and is powering the industry.

Twenty-one year-old Himanshu Gupta is a happy man. In his two years as a specialized animator, he has been able to steer ahead of his batch-mates at the animation school who, he says, are earning less than him. Himanshu is part of a 15-member team at Scientific Animation, a specialized animation and graphics company based out of Gurgaon.

Although small in size, the company counts multinationals like Johnson & Johnson and Genentech Pharmaceuticals as clients, providing them animated visual representations for training, and marketing purposes. The company makes animated videos teaching how to perform surgeries, using latest medical implements et al. Theses come in handy for doctors and surgeons. It claims to be growing at 30% per annum.

Similar is the case of Mint Infotech- a company that deals in architectural animation- making 3-D architectural walkthroughs. The company provides life-like virtual representations of prospective buildings. These help builders/architects market their version of buildings to their customers. Started in 2004, Mint Infotech is also growing at over 30% and has worked for organizations like the United Nations Organisation (UNO), Hospital Service Consultancy Corporation (HSCC) (a government of India enterprise) and National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), India’s largest public sector construction company.

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Animation and Gaming industry to expand in India

Hyderabad: The latest report released by Ernst & Young titled 'The Animation and Gaming Industry in India' reports that the global animation market is estimated at $68 billion in 2008 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10 percent to reach $100 billion by 2012. The quality of animation has improved with the incorporation of 3D effects to enhance the visual appeal. Another key trend witnessed in global animation industry is the outsourcing of animation content to Asia.

Most of the outsourcing contracts in Asia are finding their way to India. The Indian animation industry can be divided into Animation entertainment, animation education, customer content development and multimedia/web design and VFX. The entire animation industry in India was estimated at $314 million in 2006, $494 million in 2008 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22 percent to reach $1 billion by 2012. Custom content development and multimedia/web design is the largest segment today, followed by animation entertainment, animation education and VFX, respectively.

The global gaming market was estimated at $36 billion in 2008 and is expected to grow at CAGR of 10.5 percent to reach $53.6 billion by 2012. The mobile and online gaming are relatively new segment in the global gaming arena, but have grown rapidly to account for 29 percent (mobile) and 24 percent (online) of global gaming revenues. Game consoles are evolving into multi-functional entertainment systems, offering multiplayer gameplay on the internet, internet browsing capability and options to play high definition movies.

The gaming industry can be divided into online games (massively multi-player online role playing games and casual games), mobile games, PC games and Console games. The Indian gaming industry was estimated at $50 million in 2006, $167 million in 2008 and is forecasted to grow at CAGR of 49 percent to reach $830 million by 2012. The overall size of the Indian gaming industry represents revenues from the consumer market, services market and revenues from non-development activities such as services rendered as technical support to international gaming companies.

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India has potential to grab the global animation market

MUMBAI: The global animation industry is poised for exponential growth and India has the potential to grab a big slice of the market, according to Samir Hoon, special effects wizard and brain behind several Hollywood blockbusters.

"India has become an important outsourcing destination due to a large English-speaking population, adequate animation capacity in 12 studios confirming to global standards, state-of-the-art computer hardware and software platform and above all, the low-cost factor," Hoon, who has provided special effects for blockbusters like Star Wars, Jurassic Park and 101 Dalmatians, told reporters on Wednesday.

"The cheaper rate of producing animation in India has made it one of the upcoming markets in the world in the field of animation," he said.

According to sources in the industry, currently pegged at $550 million, the Indian animation industry is expected to mop up an additional $2 billion worth of animation business over the next three years or roughly four per cent of the projected $50 billion global market in 2005.

India is expected to be seen as an important destination for outsourcing as far as television and morning serials are concerned, Hoon said.

The demand for trained hands is one of the greatest challenging factors to ensure that India nurtures institutions and training programmes for churning out skilled hands, Hoon added.

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Animate your career

This is the computer age, wherein technological advances have opened up a much larger canvas for artists to indulge in, and now it is the mouse, rather than the brush that is used to give vent to the artist's imagination. This has created innumerable careers that didn't exist earlier

Remember the movie, Twister, where a crow flew across the screen? Or Independence Day, where alien spaceships threatened the existence of planet Earth? The mind-blowing special effects in cartoon films, movies like Matrix or the more recent, Spiderman and even Indian movies such as Hey Ram and Hindustani and the special effects in Daler Mehndi’s famous music albums.

Behind all these breathtaking effects is — guess who — a multimedia artist at work who specialises in animation. Artists today do not just work with easels, palettes and brushes. This is the computer age, wherein technological advances have opened up a much larger canvas for artists to indulge in. This includes a plethora of activities, from creating a presentation style for a given topic, to visualising the graphic elements in an application and creating cartoon characters.

Multimedia technology is something that integrates video, audio, text and graphic components in an interactive format from movies to educational tutors. Its applications are wide-ranging, and career opportunities for multimedia specialists include high growth careers in music, publishing, graphic arts, films, television, advertising and corporate communications.

Basically, there are two main work areas for a multimedia professional. One is creation of graphics, animation and usage of audio-video. The other area is: application of multimedia for a range of usages including books, CD-Roms, corporate and marketing presentations, TV and films. Areas of work Radio, television, advertising and the film industry: Editors, together with the film directors, create their films with graphic designers who generate all the graphics and special effects on the computer. Often, this is handled in conjunction with sound recordists who add their inputs using multimedia to create results that truly blow your mind. Interactive multimedia: Multimedia specialists function as web designers and developers for interactive portals. With convergence and interactive technologies being developed every day, specialists in this area will be required for online education, and video conferencing.

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B2B Portal for Freelance Animators & Multimedia Experts

September 30, 2009 - A new B2B transparent portal for animation projects and freelance work has been introduced. http://www.animationprojects.net has been introduced for outsourcing service buyers and providers with revolutionary approach. It takes a very transparent approach to help outsourcing service buyers and providers.

A freelance animator carry outs animation services for whoever has hired him or her for a particular project. After the project has been completed, the animator will go on to another animation project, working for someone else. Freelance animation is a great option for someone who likes animation but cannot make a decision what area of the field they want to specialize in. There are always a lot of possibilities, and a successful freelancer can pick and choose his assignments.

Are you a talented animation expert looking for animation projects? You have come to the right place.

Service Providers - How it Works?

• Register/Sign up on website http://www.animationprojects.net absolutely FREE.
• Search projects from the categories you prefer.
• Purchase contact details of the outsourcing services buyers associated with projects.
• Get connected to unlimited outsourcing services buyers.

Service Providers - Benefits

• Absolutely FREE registration.
• Free listing of company / freelancer profile.
• Providing verified leads.
• Save time and resources in finding buyers.
• Cut down marketing overheads.
• Build international clientele. Get projects locally, nationally and globally.

Service Buyers - How It Works?

• E-mail your project description/requirements on projects@animationprojects.net or post it on site FREE.
• An editorial team will put your project on AnimationProjects.
• Project alert email will be sent to all registered providers.
• Services providers searching for the projects will examine your project’s details.
• If any provider is interested in undertaking your project, then he will contact you directly.

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Arena launches animation academy

kolkata: arena multimedia launched the second in its series of animation academies here on saturday to tap the burgeoning domestic and export market of animation content production for television and film. "from films to short television format and the new requirements of the web, two- and three-dimensional animation production for digital entertainment is emerging as a huge market in china, korea and india," said head of arena multimedia, sudhir mathur. quoting a recent study by andersom consulting which projected that the $550-million indian animation industry would grow at 30 per cent per annum in the next three years, he said the business was expected to reach $15 billion by 2002. "while the global digital animation industry is poised to grow from the current $25 billion to a whopping $70 billion by 2005, india would receive more than $2 billion in animation businesses," he observed. with western giants ilm and disney planning to set shop in india to produce animation films and movies, the field would be one of the fastest-growing it segments, he said, adding arena's mission was to create a pool of multimedia professionals. the animation academy, second after mumbai in a series of 20, would offer three- to seven-month courses costing between rs 30,000 and rs 60,000 on 3d and animation, audio-video editing and special effects.

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Japanese Animation Film Events in London

Anime in London

Anime fans in London, England are in for a treat later this month, as The Barbican Centre, occasional home to animation series/film screenings over the months, prepares local showings of long-awaited anime features. Meanwhile, Sci-Fi London's Oktoberfest Anime All-Nighter is gearing up for quite a selection later this month as well. For UK-based otaku, little could be sweeter than the chance to see films from directors such as Mamoru Oshii, Hayao Miyazaki, and Masahiro Andou all in about one month's time.

A component of anime scholar and author Helen McCarthy's continuing profile of Japanese animation, both creatively and critically, Barbican's showing of Andou's The Sword of the Stranger (2007), a vibrant, violent, samurai tale, is highly anticipated. Part historical-fantasy and partly vicious-drama as well, The Sword of the Stranger is sprinkled with traditionally fluid, ultra-violent fight sequences finding a nameless samurai with a troubled past. Guilty past and all, the nameless one takes on the task of protecting a mysterious young boy who is pursued by the royal army.

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Architecture Faculty at SCET to Start Animation Course

SURAT: Faculty of Architecture at the Sarvajanik College of Education and Technology (SCET) is to start postgraduation course in 3D animation post production and special effects from second semester after Diwali vacation. Formal inauguration of the course was done by acclaimed film maker Ketan Mehta on Sunday.

The six-month course will be offered to students of architecture, engineering and other streams. According to the institute, the fees are not yet fixed but it will be lesser than the fees charged by private animation institutes.

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Animation, Gaming Jobs Set to Double by 2012: Nasscom

KOLKATA: The animation industry is likely to have the going good in respect of jobs. Nasscom’s projections suggest that employment in this sector will double from 14,700 now to 29,500 by 2012. Similarly, the gaming industry too will create a huge number of jobs in the next three years, with the projections being 10,700 jobs by 2012 from a meagre 2,300 people now.

Responding to a ET questionnaire over phone from Delhi, Sangeeta Gupta, vice-president of Nasscom said: “The animation and gaming industry in India has immense scope to grow. Given the financial meltdown, many western countries are actively looking at destinations like India to develop animation content within moderate budgets. The increased interest of Bollywood and the regional cinema industry for animation, has boosted growth also. The Indian animation industry has moved from a pure offshore model to co-production model. While the domestic sector contributed with manpower and infrastructure, international producers helped with marketing and distribution.”

Ms Gupta said that according to Nasscom therefore, animation and gaming companies will witness a significant growth by 2012. “At present, there are some 250 animation companies in the country. By 2012, we expect the number of such companies to swell to around 400. The number of gaming companies will also double from around 50 now to 100 by 2012.”

The Nasscom vice-president estimated that the turnover in the animation sector could cross $1 billion by 2012 from $492 million in 2008. Similarly, turnover in the gaming industry stood at $167 million in 2008, but is likely to go up to $830 million by 2012.

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Academy to Examine Editing for Animation

he Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Perspectives on Editing seminar series turns its focus to animation for a one-night event set for Sept. 29.

Hosting the event will be Donn Cambern and Mark Goldblatt, both governors for the academy’s film editors branch. Other editors speaking will be Kent Beyda, whose credits include Alien Nation and Scooby-Doo; John Carnochan of Ice Age and The Simpsons Movie; Nancy Frazen, editor of Runaway Brain and Surf’s Up; Lois Freeman Fox, who worked on Fantasia 2000 and Osmosis Jones, and Kevin Nolting, who edited this summer’s Pixar-Disney film Up.

The session will include the screening of film clips and discussions between the guests and the audience.

The event will be held from 7-10 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater, 1313 Vine St., in Hollywood.

Tickets cost $10 for the general public and $7.50 for academy members and students with a valid ID. More information on buying tickets can be found online at www.oscars.org.

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

Stop Motion Bailed out Computer Animation?

Major Difference between Stop Motion & Computer Animation:-

1. Computer animation (or CGI animation) is the art of creating moving images with the use of computers. It is a subfield of computer graphics and animation.
2. Stop motion (also known as stop-action or frame-by-frame) is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence.
3. Using Computer animation the rendering can take a lot of time on an ordinary home computer.
4. Stop Motion will move frame step by step so it smooth process.
5. Traditional Computer Animation is very hands-on process; 2D animation is accomplished by hand-drawing hundreds upon thousands of individual frames only to transfer them to clear plastic cells, hand-paint them, and then film them in sequence over a painted background image. This requires a team of artists, cleanup artists, painters, directors, background artists, and film/camera crews, along with the storyboard artists.
6. Stop Motion Animations, the cost and effort involved in the processes, and the quality of the final output is very good comparing to traditional computer animation.
   

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Nasscom Lowers Forecast for Animation Industry

Mumbai, Aug. 26 The apex body of IT software and services, Nasscom, has lowered its 2012 forecast for the animation industry by 27.7 per cent and gaming industry by 16.3 per cent.

It now expects revenues from the animation industry to touch $830 million, against the earlier estimate of $1060 million, and revenues from the gaming industry to touch $1000 million against $1163 million.

This downward revision is largely on account of slackened demand due to the global economic downturn. “…the domestic box office for animation movies has not picked up as estimated, end-to-end skill sets not being developed in the animation services industry and proof of concept/IP creation not up to expectations,” Nasscom said in a press statement.

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Animation Has Potential in Vidarbha: Kulkarni

NAGPUR: Ashish Kulkarni is not new to the orange city. He was born and brought up here, and even held many posts in city-based and multi-national companies. However, on Sunday, he was here as the chief executive officer of Big Animation, and was conducting a seminar on animation as part of International Film Festival in Nagpur (IFFN).

Speaking on animation and development of the industry in Nagpur and Vidarbha, Kulkarni told TOI, "There is already a strong network of 500 to 700 dedicated multimedia and animation artists in the region with a huge participation from Amravati. The industry has just made itself known in Nagpur for three to four years now, and we need a critical mass of at least 3,000 such artists to set the ball rolling here."

He said that the industry would not take much time to take off in the city. "Nagpur is going through the 'grooming' process. I make sure that I visit here regularly. The moment we feel that the time is ripe to harvest Vidarbha for its talent, we will move in at the earliest. That was why when we decided to sponsor the short film contest of IFFN. I also suggested that we hold a seminar so that the people in Nagpur get to see the work we do behind the scenes, and learn to appreciate it," he said.

And what exactly is it that he expects people to learn about animation? "There are three aspects to making an animation film or becoming an animator. For one, the person has to have an artistic foundation wherein he or she must be able to have an innate sense of art. The second is the story-telling foundation where the person must have the ability to tell a story so as to engage the audience. The third is the film-making ability, which is to translate the story on film," Kulkarni added.

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Pixar directors win big in Venice

Directors of Pixar Animation Studios in the US have been awarded the Venice Film Festival's lifetime achievement award, making them the first team to bag the honour.

Pixar has made 10 films, four of which have won best animation Oscars [ Images ], with chief creative officer John Lasseter, 52, and other directors helming hits like Finding Nemo and Toy Story.

Star Wars [ Images ] creator George Lucas presented the Venice Golden Lion lifetime achievement award to Lasseter and his team.

Pixar began life as the computer graphics division of his company Lucasfilm, and it later became Pixar after Lucas sold it to Apple founder Steve Jobs for 10million dollars in 1986.

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Indian Animation Turns Spotlight on Local Stories

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - When the Cartoon Network channel launched in India more than a decade ago, it simply dubbed its shows in regional languages.

But it soon realized there was a market for local content and tapped Indian animation firms for shows such as "Krishna Balarama" on a Hindu god and "Tenali Raman," a popular folk hero who was a 16th century court jester.

Last year, parent Turner International, in a maiden effort, set up a multi-million dollar unit in India to develop and produce animated films and original live action TV series.

"The opportunity in developing local animation content is significant," said Samir Patil, chief executive of ACK Media, which was recently commissioned by Turner to produce two animated films and a TV series based on popular Indian folk tales and mythology from the Amar Chitra Katha comic books.

The animation industry in India, including entertainment, visual effects and gaming, is estimated at about $500 million and forecast to double by 2012, according to financial services firm Ernst & Young. The entertainment segment is likely to grow at 18 percent annually.

Animation in India, driven by lower costs and software expertise, was largely limited to low-end work such as title credits, special effects and brushing up of scenes created in Hollywood studios. Original work was rare or of poor quality.

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Australia’s SAE brings on animation courses through Access Atlantech

Chennai based Access Atlantech Technolgies India pvt. ltd. (AAT) in association with SAE college , is all set to roll out with Qantmâ s c ourses focused on Animation and Gaming.

Qantm College is Australia’s leading new media college which has its focus on animation, games design, games programming and multimedia, amongst others.

AAT provides training in media courses including digital film-making and animation, will introduce the courses with SAE college which is amongst worlds largest media schools with its presence in 21 countries having established a chain of 53 training centres.

The courses to be introduced are 18 months diploma and three years degree courses in (i) Animation and Sound for Games and (ii) Games design, programming and developing. The company has kickstarted the courses from 15th January 2008 at its four centres based out of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai for which its has invested a lump sum of close to Rs. 5 crore.

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India's Animation Ind Seen At $1 bln By 2012-Report

MUMBAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - India's animation industry is expected to hit $1 billion by 2012 and the gaming industry would touch $830 million then, aided by increased outsourcing and a growing domestic market, a report released on Wednesday said.

The Indian animation market, estimated at $494 million in 2008, is seen growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 22 percent till 2012, a report by National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and Ernst & Young said.

"The industry will witness a dip in growth rates for two years before becoming a billion dollar industry by 2012," Farokh Balsara, Partner & National Leader-Media & Entertainment Practice with Ernst & Young, said at a media briefing, referring to the animation industry.

The gaming industry was estimated at $167 million in 2008 and is seen growing at a compounded rate of 49 percent yearly to hit $830 million by 2012, the report added.

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Amritsar gets Animation Training Institute

AMRITSAR: Arena Animation, a global leader in animation and multimedia training, has announced the launch a new state-of-the-art Centre in Amritsar.

The Amritsar centre is Arena’s fifth Centre in Punjab is well equipped with digital labs, drawing studios and seminar room. The centre was inaugurated by Gurtaj Singh Mangat – Zonal Head, North & East, Arena Animation.

Inaugurating the new centre, Gurtaj Singh Mangat said, “It is a myth that good talent for the animation industry is only found in major cities like Mumbai and Delhi, we strongly believe that students trained in smaller towns and cities like Amritsar are more creatively inclined and have the passion to achieve their ambitions.”

In his message, Global Head, Arena Animation Anuj Kacker, , “We are delighted to announce the inauguration of the first Arena Animation centre in Amritsar. The animation and multimedia industry is growing at a scorching pace. It is one of the most sought after career options these days.

To meet the requirements of skilled talent in the industry, the new centre in Amritsar will offer courses such as B.Sc. Degree in Multimedia and Animation from MS University, Tirunelveli in association with Arena, the 2.5-year Arena Animation Academy.

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RPT- India's Animation Ind Seen At $1 Bln by 2012-Report

MUMBAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - India's animation industry is expected to hit $1 billion by 2012 and the gaming industry would touch $830 million then, aided by increased outsourcing and a growing domestic market, a report released on Wednesday said.

The Indian animation market, estimated at $494 million in 2008, is seen growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 22 percent till 2012, a report by National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and Ernst & Young said.

"The industry will witness a dip in growth rates for two years before becoming a billion dollar industry by 2012," Farokh Balsara, Partner & National Leader-Media & Entertainment Practice with Ernst & Young, said at a media briefing, referring to the animation industry.

The gaming industry was estimated at $167 million in 2008 and is seen growing at a compounded rate of 49 percent yearly to hit $830 million by 2012, the report added.

The expectation that the entertainment industry would be relatively isolated from the economic downturn has been disproved as the spending patterns were hit by the financial crunch hurting the growth rates, Som Mittal, Nasscom's president, said.

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Animation BPO Growing In Strength

Animation and gaming are seen as the next wave in Indias successful outsourcing story. However, there is a major change, this is a sector which has moved up from outsourcing to co production, a move up the value chain from low end, less creative work to higher creativity and advanced technologies, says Krayon Pictures director Namrata Sharma. She said that for India to catch the animation bus, it needed to quickly provide the required manpower since Nasscom had projected that both animation and gaming were multi billion dollar opportunities for India. The usual block, however, is the lack of trained manpower.

And those who do go to training schools offering such courses are not studio ready, industry veterans claim Industry is now trying to bridge the gap through an industry training institute co operation. MCCIAs Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, animation and gaming committee, comprising a three member group of industry professionals, has devised a curriculum for a six month foundation course, which will provide the industry with studio ready professionals.

Additionally, the committee has proposed the formation of a loose alliance of all training institutes so that some facilities might be shared. This association will ensure that basic standards are maintained in the quality of training imparted at these institutes.

MCCIA committee co ordinator Cmde Anand Khandekar said the sector was more than just software. Being a multi disciplinary area, its manpower must be skilled at acting and the other performing arts. Lalit Kala Kendra of the University of Pune has, therefore, devised a course for applied theatre, where theatre can be used as a therapy by the industry.

Source: http://www.offshoringtimes.com/

Miyazaki's Challenging Animated World

When we think of animation in the U.S., we think Disney, talking animals and Scooby Doo.

But if you haven't immersed yourself in the surreal, ethereal, earth-embracing work of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, you're missing one of cinema's true originals. His hand-drawn, anime-influenced work is difficult to describe in lil' blurbs such as this, but each entry in his diverse universe creates its own rich, sometimes daunting world in which magic and humanism and cruelty and an enduring love of nature all battle for a hardscrabble brand of survival.

His new entry, "Ponyo," is sort of "The Little Mermaid" stripped of the songs and the saccharine. The tale of ocean goldfish and her quest to become human is a bit sweeter than most of his complex recent work, but it's still soooo much more rich and complex than the "insert celebrity voice here/insert flatulence joke there" approach that's gobbled up much of American animation. Sorry, Shrek.

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Upgrade Animation Courses Often: Expert

PUNE: As the contribution of the city's animation artists to world cinema increases, training institutes in the city are upgrading their academic programmes to keep students abreast of the latest developments in the field.

"The nature of the animation industry is such that it needs to be upgraded often," said Gaurav Singh, head of a city-based training centre.

According to chairman of the gaming and animation committee of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), Anand Khandekar, it is not just the film industry, but also popularity of mobile gaming which has triggered the concern for better training in the area.

"To keep up with the demands for better-trained individuals, many institutes have introduced new softwares that have been used by a number of Oscar-winning films. One such software is called Houdini, which helps in making animated characters emotionally believable. Audiences like to see animated characters acting', than just watching robotic features," said Khandekar.

Meanwhile, training centres in the city have included the software as part of their curriculum. "A lot of projects that the studios in the city receive are outsourced from the US and UK. These countries have faith in the high-quality content that Indian studios are able to deliver. But to live up to their expectations, we have to train our students in the latest on the technology front," said Singh.

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Pune has a stake in Indian animation industry's success

PUNE: The next time you watch a Hollywood special-effect movie and marvel at the talent the West has, think again. The man behind the on-screen
spectacle could well be someone sitting in a studio in Pune.

The Indian animation and visual effects (VFX) industry now has clients beyond Hollywood as projects come pouring in from countries like China as well. Pune has a major stake in VFX's success considering the increasing number of animation and visual effects studios in the city.

The latest in line is John Woo's Red Cliff', a Chinese epic that Jesh Krishna Murthy and his team of 45 animators and compositors worked on for about eight months. "Our work in the film is a quantum leap, we have done something different, something that people would not usually connect to India. One of the scenes we worked on was the final battle scene that involved thousands of arrows being shot. Rather than working on each arrow individually we created a tool that enabled us to show a number of arrows together," says Murthy citing an example of the VFX in the film.

Having worked abroad in a number of countries like the US, UK and Germany, Krishnamurthy started his firm Anibrain' in Mumbai about three years ago. Over a year ago, he moved base to Pune with a view to expand operations. "Pune is great because it offers a lot from good weather, accessibility to everything and also some decent talent," says Murthy who has worked on a number of Hollywood projects like Batman Begins' and Lara Croft: Cradle of Life'. His firm, Anibrain, on the other hand has worked on projects like Resident Evil: Extinction' and Death Race' among others, about 25 in total with another eight projects in the pipeline.

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DreamWorks Animation gets a kick from 'Kung Fu Panda'

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. blew past analyst estimates in the second quarter on continued strength from its animated feature "Kung Fu Panda."

In the quarter, the company earned $25.6 million, or 30 cents per share, which includes a gain of 10 cents a share after an agreement with Activision Blizzard that allows the company to recognize revenues from video games earlier.

Excluding the estimate, the earnings per share still beat analyst estimates of 13 cents a share.

In the second quarter a year ago, the company earned $27.5 million, or 30 cents a share.

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Animated Endorsers Turn Stars on Brand Screen

NEW DELHI: Animation and advertising, separated at birth, seem to be pairing up to create an all-consuming on-screen culture. The animated model is fast replacing celebrities on the endorsement circuit. These blown-up “characters” are now selling everything, from cell phones and fizzy drinks to cough lozenges and air-fresheners.

Companies like Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Reliance Communication, Coca-Cola and Reckitt Benckiser are using animation-based advertising to come through the clutter of celebrity overkill, make cost-effective ads and, in some cases, rejuvenate brands.

Coca-Cola is set to kick off a campaign for its lemon drink Limca starring animated characters, despite having popular model Sushma Reddy as the brand’s face. Vodafone’s series of ads using the eggshell ZooZoos pushed the who’s who of Bollywood A-listers, including Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan, promoting rival Bharti Airtel out of the spotlight.

ZooZoo became an overnight sensation during the Indian Premier League this summer. All 27 ZooZoo commercials were aired back-to-back on 15 channels recently. “The aim was to push the boundaries and create benchmarks of disruptive communication,” said Ajit Varghese, MD of Maxus, Vodafone’s media buying agency.

Virgin Mobile chose animation characters Pebbleheads to popularise its brand late last year. Reckitt Benckiser is using Mrs Raccoon for Air Wick air-fresheners and Mr T for Strepsils throat lozenges. Pebbleheads commercials made their debut with a 50-paisa offer late last year. “The Pebble World breaks the shackles which normal creatives could get confined to. It also helps us spin youth-relevant stories,” says Virgin Mobile chief marketing officer Prasad Narasimhan.

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Animated G-Force in 3-D

Action filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer’s first 3-D movie combines animation with live action in a story about animals and people looking for peace on earth. They may have different objectives individually, but they know how to bring their story to life in a Disney-like way to please everyone.

The movie is “G-Force,” and it has a cast of notable performers voicing the key roles of the animals that band together. Their objective is to help mankind as well as themselves, while a group of self-serving human beings have different ideas. Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Kelli Garner and Loudon Wainwright III shoulder the responsibility of those adult human beings with their “live” action roles, while the animals play the film’s most substantial characters.

The variety of pet shop animals is a constant reminder of the film’s family audience objective. It is also the first Disney Digital 3-D film to use Jerry Bruckheimer’s name in the credits. He produced the film, while Marianne Wibberley wrote it and newcomer Hoyt Yeatman directed it.

All the animated characters are compatible fugitives from a pet shop, and they speak perfect English. The four guinea pigs include Darwin (voiced by Sam Rockwell); Juarez (voiced by Penelope Cruz); Blaster (voiced by Tracy Morgan) and Hurley (voiced by Jon Favreau). Mooch the fly is voiced by Edwin Louis; Bucky the hamster by Steve Buscemi and Speckles the Mole by Nicolas Cage.

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Seminar on 3D animation on July 26 at Hotel Tampha

India's leading animation and visual effects training institute, Frameboxx is organizing a 'Seminar on Careers in 3D Animation and Visual effects' at Hotel Tampha, North AOC, Imphal on 26th July 2009 from 9:30 am to 12:30 am.

MLA Dr NG Bijoy Singh, Former Vice Chancellor Manipur University will be the chief guest and Naba Chandra, Pricipal Imphal Arts College, Soumerjit, Asst Professor Manipur University, Navneet Singh, Director Frameboxx Animation Visual Effects and Okram Gogo Singh, AGM Frameboxx Animation Visual Effects will be the guests of honour.

This is the first time that such a seminar is being organized in Manipur for the students who wish to benefit from the thriving employment opportunities in the 3D Animation and Visual Effects industry.

The Seminar would be followed by a series of Free Master Classes and Workshops on Production Pipeline for Animation Film and Digital Painting using Photoshop.

Frameboxx would also be conducting a Scholarship Creativity Test for the interested candidates.

Source: http://www.e-pao.net/

Too Much 3d for Me

The third installment of the computer-animated Ice Age films, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, has been released to excited fans. The film is being presented in three-dimensional formats across the country like so many of its animated contemporaries (Monsters vs. Aliens, Up). Audiences seem to gravitate toward these films. It is not necessarily the format, the animation and kid-friendly material all coagulate to form a gel of a film perfect for soaking up consumer funds. Still, the computer-animated three-dimensional film trend is exhausting.

Computer animation has entered a stage that is enough of a film deterrent in and of itself. If a viewer wants to watch a fully-dimensional film then they should watch an actual film with human actors. Animation was created and meant for a two-dimensional format. Classics like Cinderella, Pinocchio, and the animated films like them are works of art. It is both refreshing and humbling to think each second of those films consisted of multiple drawings, which were made by artists. Computer-animation is made by engineers, while it is not about attacking the person who creates the respective computer-based film, it does seem much of the craftsmanship is dead. It is too bad that artistic integrity has been replaced by monetary interests.

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Animation: It’s Time to Toon In

Cartoon creators and companies are getting animated about the future of the industry. Raziqueh Hussain discovers what colourful capers lie around the corner Cartoons are fast becoming a serious business in the region. New animation companies and talented creatives are gaining international attention for their inspirational characters and shows that focus on life and culture in the Middle East.

Shaabiyat Al Cartoon is a perfect example of this success. Aired on Sama Dubai, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon is a social comedy dealing with the problems of the Gulf community through the lives of people from different cultures living in Dubai. Anyone who has been through the trials and tribulations of daily life in the Emirates will laugh along with the characters Hanafy, Osman, Bu Sulaiman, Daheem, Koty and Umm Sayed.

Companies in the Middle East now see animation as big business, even though the region is a relative newcomer when it comes to producing its own content, lagging behind markets of India and South Korea.

Animated series Freej, meaning neighbourhood, is widely seen as the first indigenous computer animated cartoon about four elderly grandmothers and their dealing with life in the fast-paced, ever-changing, modern-day Dubai.

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Japan’s Master Animator to Be Honored in U.S. Visit

LOS ANGELES — When the schedule of events for the 40th Comic-Con International fan convention is announced on Thursday, it is expected to include something quite rare, even for a gathering that has pretty much seen it all: an appearance by Hayao Miyazaki.

Mr. Miyazaki, regarded by many as the world’s greatest maker of animated films, does not seem to crave publicity. He was a no-show at the Oscars in 2003, when his “Spirited Away” won for best animated feature.

And he has not been quick to visit this country. “I think he has an image of the United States as a culture that isn’t that helpful to the world,” offered Duncan Williams, chairman of the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Yet the very private Mr. Miyazaki, in an extraordinary step, has agreed to address a room full of 6,500 admirers at the San Diego comics, fantasy and film convention on July 24. That is a prelude to his planned appearance the next day in Berkeley, where Mr. Williams’s center will present Mr. Miyazaki with its Japan Prize, awarded annually to a person who has brought the world closer to Japan.

July 28, should find Mr. Miyazaki in Beverly Hills, Calif., to be honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The night before, he will be in Hollywood for the United States premiere of his “Ponyo,” about a 5-year-old boy and a goldfish princess in a world gone awry.

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Animation should be included in formal education: Expert

PUNE: Animation should be included in formal education system considering its widespread applications, Ram Mohan, an animation expert opined here recently.

Animation industry has the scope of transcending itself beyond the entertainment sector, he said, adding that animation has vast applications in the fields of education, health and construction and students could derive great benefits if included in formal mainstream education. He was talking to Sakal Times after attending the third anniversary celebration of MAAC Animation Institute.

Talking about the present status of field of animation in India, Mohan said, “Animation industry, which has numerous job opportunities on the lines of IT industry, is yet to receive recognition in India. Economy of this industry depends mainly on outsourcing work of foreign countries only. However, if cultivated properly it can cater to the domestic needs and thereby could gain proper ground within India.”

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Animation Festival to Be Held News

The fifth edition of Anifest India, an annual international animation festival organized and promoted by The Animation Society of India (TASI), is slated to be held from August 13-16, 2009 at the IIT Powai campus in Mumbai.

Anifest India brings together some of the world's best animation directors, technicians and several international animation stalwarts under one roof. Some of the speakers at this year's event include MTV India's Piyush Raghani; Manish Sherawat and Sheetal Sudhir of Channel [v]; VCL's Bill Miller; Krishnakant Mishra of Sony ImageWorks; and Nate Wragg of Pixar.

Some of the topics for discussion at Anifest India 2009 include Art direction and pre-production, Principles of animation in 2D & 3D, VFX: Behind the Scenes, Career options, Comic Art, Graphic Novels, Character Animation and Story-Telling, Creation and Marketing of IP, Art of Voicing for Animation, Animation for tele channels, and Animation Production Management, to name a few.

Anifest India 2009 has targeted students to creative heads of organizations to enthusiasts looking to get a comprehensive in-depth understanding about the various stages involved in creating an animation film from concept to completion.

Source: http://www.domain-b.com/

Take Your Fill of Animated Movies

According to a Nasscom-Ernst & Young report, the Indian animation industry is slated to grow to $1.2 billion in 2012.

While the the numbers are small compared to the $80 billion global industry, the growth is encouraging for India.
It’s also well known that many countries are outsourcing their animation work to India mainly because of cheaper labour. Top companies such as UTV Software Communications, Toonz Animation, Pentamedia Graphics, Crest Communications, DQ Entertainment and JadooWorks have all inked in deals with global giants like Walt Disney, NBC Universal and Mattel to share copyrights and profits.

Hanuman, India’s biggest animated hit earned Rs 20 crore through theatrical and satellite releases, besides mopping up big bucks from home videos and merchandise. Inspired by its success, a slew of animation films were lined up and made ready for Indian audiences. Percept tied up with animation studio DQ Entertainment to make three films for the global market costing Rs 100 crore slated to be released in 2009-10. Reliance Entertainments has invested Rs 100 crore in animation. BR Films plans to invest Rs 50 crore in animation films over three years.

At a time like this, a few commercial duds seemed to have played spoilsport with Bollywood’s animated dreams. Trade sources confirm that Bollywood has had a bad run with Hanuman Returns, Krishna, Roadside Romeo, Dashavatar, Ghatothkach and My Friend Ganesha (1 and 2) with an estimated loss of up to Rs 70 crore. In fact, insiders say several animation films are ready, but have no takers. At least 25 animation films were announced by top corporations, and an estimated Rs 4,000 crore ($831 million) was to be kept aside for the animation studios that were being planned across India. Everything is on hold now. “Indian animation films have improved a lot when it comes to creativity and technology. If the script of an animated film is good, there will be an audience for it,” feels Prasad, owner of the Oscar winning animation company, Rhythm and Hues based in Hyderabad. Suryadevara Vinod who produced Ghatothkach doesn’t seem to be too worried either. “Ghatothkach was made in several languages. It was didn’t do well only in Indian theatres. But we topped the DVD list for a very long time.”

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Animation BPO Gaining Momentum

Animation and gaming are seen as the next wave in Indias successful outsourcing story. However, there is a major change, this is a sector which has moved up from outsourcing to co production, a move up the value chain from low end, less creative work to higher creativity and advanced technologies, says Krayon Pictures director Namrata Sharma. She said that for India to catch the animation bus, it needed to quickly provide the required manpower since Nasscom had projected that both animation and gaming were multi billion dollar opportunities for India. The usual block, however, is the lack of trained manpower.

And those who do go to training schools offering such courses are not studio ready, industry veterans claim Industry is now trying to bridge the gap through an industry training institute co operation. MCCIAs Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, animation and gaming committee, comprising a three member group of industry professionals, has devised a curriculum for a six month foundation course, which will provide the industry with studio ready professionals.

Additionally, the committee has proposed the formation of a loose alliance of all training institutes so that some facilities might be shared. This association will ensure that basic standards are maintained in the quality of training imparted at these institutes.

MCCIA committee co ordinator Cmde Anand Khandekar said the sector was more than just software. Being a multi disciplinary area, its manpower must be skilled at acting and the other performing arts. Lalit Kala Kendra of the University of Pune has, therefore, devised a course for applied theatre, where theatre can be used as a therapy by the industry.

Source: http://www.offshoringtimes.com/

DreamWorks: 3D movies to double data storage requirements

With a growing number of feature-length animated movies and the changeover from a 2D to a 3D format, DreamWorks Animation deployed a disk-based data archive system that reduced the time it takes artists to retrieve reference video from days to seconds.

DreamWorks Animation SKG is releasing all of its films in stereoscopic 3D, more than doubling the amount of data storage capacity required to store its movies.

The move to 3D animation also requires the company's IT shop to migrate away from tape-based storage systems to disk systems in order to keep archived films online for animators to use as references for future sequels, which is the company's mainstay.

DreamWorks recently released its first 3D animated moviem Monsters vs. Aliens, which packed its newly installed disk array from Hewlett-Packard Co. with 93TB worth of images. The company plans to release five feature films every two years. In the past, each animated film averaged less than 25TB, according to Derek Chan, head of digital operations for DreamWorks Animation.

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Rs 120-cr 3D animation film on The Jungle Book

The mischievous ‘Mowgli’ and his jungle friends, including his bear companion ‘Baloo’, will once again be reincarnated on the big screen.

But this time, in a high-definition stereoscopic 3D (with wearable glasses for viewing pleasure) animated feature-film format.

Hyderabad-based animation, gaming and entertainment company DQ Entertainment International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the over Rs 200-crore AIM-listed DQ Entertainment Plc, is producing the film which is an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's novel The Jungle Book, with a budget of ¤18 million (approximately Rs 120 crore).

“Currently, two noted writers are working on the initial script treatment in London for the feature film. And we are in the process of roping in three distributors — one each in the US, Europe and Asia — to cover all the territories worldwide. The film will begin production in September 2010 and will be ready for a global theatrical release by the end of 2011,” Tapaas Chakravarti, chairman and chief executive officer of the DQE Group, told Business Standard.

About 150 of DQE’s animation experts, including 10 from its Paris office, will work non-stop for nearly 18 months for the 90-minute film, while the entire post-production work will be done at DQE's Ireland facility, he added.

The movie will unfold interesting tales of Mowgli, the man cub, raised by a pack of wolves in the tropical jungle of Seeonee.

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Magnolia TV Forum looks at China's animation industry

China produces hundreds of cartoons each year. But only a handful of them ever make a profit. Industry professionals gathered at the Magnolia TV Forum on Wednesday to discuss ways to boost the country's animation industry.

The popular animation "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" was the big winner in the Chinese animation market last year.

Yang Wenyan, director of Haha TV, said, "One successful approach is the government's ban of imported cartoons during evening prime time."

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Will the best animated movie of the year be ... 9?

Most animated films seem to be cut from the same cloth. This decade has seen an abundance of movies starring anthropomorphic animals and robots making cutesy pop culture references and singing songs. Pixar is the lone animation studio that strives to inject something original and fresh into their films, but even they end up making movies about talking cars and cute characters. And animated features like Waltz With Bashir are so unique that they are singular, only being made and released once every few years, and by dedicated people with a real passion for their work. Otherwise it's all a bunch of Hoodwinkeds, Delgos and Bee Movies (for the record, I like Bee Movie. But it's nothing special).

So when something like 9 comes around (not to be confused with the upcoming non-animated Daniel Day-Lewis starring musical film Nine), it might be worthwhile for you to check it out. That is, if you want studios to continue making interesting and unique movies.

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Anil Ambani Opens Animation School

The Anil Ambani group has forayed into animation education by launching the Big Animation Infotainment and Media School or Big Aims, a training institute in Pune.

"Big Aims is unique and a first-of-its kind," said Ashish Kulkarni, chief executive of Big Animation, the group company that launched the project and made the animated TV series "Little Krishna".

"It will be a big leap for freshers, amateurs and aspirants to migrate to a much higher level of training practised by major Hollywood studios like Dreamworks," Kulkarni told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

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With Pixar, Animation Grows Up'

"Up" is a wonderful movie. Among the best I've seen this year.

I gave it 3 1/2 stars. After writing my review I saw it a second time and came away convinced I should have given it 4 stars.

Apparently lots of you agree. Pixar's latest effort did smashing business on its opening weekend (nearly $70 million). Even more telling are the comments I've been getting.

On the same day, two guys - both middle-aged men - told me they'd found themselves crying twice during the film.

This is not a reaction we're used to with animated entertainment, much less from middle-aged men. But "Up" makes cartoon characters as real, as substantial, as emotionally rich as any Oscar-winning drama.

Yeah, it's a fanciful adventure about an old man and little kid who float away for a South American expedition in a house borne aloft by hundreds of colorful helium balloons.

But it's also about growing old, about loneliness at any stage of life, about bereavement and the human need for growth and adventure that stubbornly refuses to fade with time.

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DreamWorks Animation To Increase Film-Release Rate

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (DWA) said it will release one additional feature film every two years as it unveiled its slate of eight animated-feature films through 2012, which includes sequels to its hit franchises Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda.

Shares rose 2% to $27.70 in early trading.

The studio, which is now planning five films every two years, is coming off a strong first quarter in which it bucked Hollywood's trend of falling DVD sales. DreamWorks has been able to ride a hot streak at the box office, largely thanks to the performance of "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" in theaters and on DVD.

The company's strong first-quarter showing, particularly at the box office, is an encouraging sign for the rest of Hollywood, just ahead of the summer season, when the studios release their biggest films.

Planned animated films include "How To Train Your Dragon," based on the book by Cressida Cowell, set for release March 26. It is centered around a teenager from a mythical island where fighting dragons is a way of life, who whose world is turned upside down when he befriends an injured dragon.

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Why the world wants Australia's animators

When the Adelaide animator Ben Walker got serious about a career in film, he didn't bother getting on a plane to Los Angeles. He just flew to Sydney.

The 25-year-old completed a one-year graduate diploma in digital media at the Australian Film Television and Radio School then leapt straight into work as a digital artist with the Oscar-winning animation studio Animal Logic.

In his first year on the job Walker worked on Baz Luhrmann's Australia and Alex Proyas's sci-fi movie Knowing , starring Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne. He is now working as a matte painter on Guardians Of Ga'hoole , an animated feature about the owl world directed by Zack Snyder and featuring the voices of Jim Sturgess, Geoffrey Rush, Rachael Taylor and David Wenham.

"This industry is so much about getting your foot in the door," Walker says.

What started as a cottage industry in Sydney has become a hub for animation around the world. The city has six major animation and visual effects studios, including Animal Logic ( Babe , The Matrix and Happy Feet ), Omnilab (Spike Jonze's upcoming Where The Wild Things Are ) and Rising Sun Pictures ( Wolverine ).

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Animation firm grows one frame at a time

Allan Magled has a simple formula for business success. Love what you do. Learn as you grow. And never take on more than you can handle.

He is president and one of three partners of Toronto-based Soho VFX, a special effects studio that has been expanding with each project that comes its way. Now in its seventh year of operations, Soho VFX's portfolio of projects includes such blockbusters as Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

The team of 70 full-time employees (numbers can reach 120 when projects are in full swing) animate characters, lighting, scenery and textures for the film industry from a 7,500-square-foot studio.

That is a far cry from the early days, when four people worked in a room the size of a freight elevator on television and short feature projects. "It was a great way to start," Mr. Magled says. "If the projects had been any larger, it would have been hard on us because we had to everything ourselves. Our computers were the cheapest you could get and we didn't have a render farm."

The team built up its repertoire by honing its software capabilities, he says. "Our software just kept getting better. We got very good at doing fur characters and creatures."

Over time, the studio built the infrastructure to take on bigger and better projects. "It's hard when you're new because the first question studios ask is if you have the infrastructure," Mr. Magled says. "You have to prove yourself each time."

Its big technology leap came in 2004. By then Soho VFX had landed jobs big enough to justify the investment. "Fantastic Four was the best thing that happened since it took us to where we are today."

"It takes a lot of processors to do this kind of work," says Kevin Smith, enterprise solutions brand manager for Dell Canada in Toronto. "The performance needs are similar to what university researchers use for advanced computational analysis."

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'Kung Fu Panda' live show in the works

Hollywood's DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE:DWA) has announced a live arena show based on its hit film "Kung Fu Panda" is being developed.

"Working with Franco Dragone is an incredibly exciting prospect for us. We expect that the combination of the Franco Dragone Entertainment
Group and DreamWorks Animation will result in a totally new and inventive live entertainment experience for family audiences," DreamWorks Animation Chief Operating Officer Ann Daly said in a statement Tuesday.

The show is targeted to be ready for touring in 2011, timed around the June theatrical release of the sequel to the Oscar-nominated blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda," which amassed more than $630 million in worldwide box office receipts, DreamWorks said in a release.

Source : http://www.upi.com/

Kung Fu Panda series in the works

Kung Fu Panda tells of a chubby bear who learns martial arts

Animated feature Kung Fu Panda is to be turned into a cartoon TV series, cable network Nickelodeon has announced.

The 26-episode series will use the same computer-generated process as the film and feature plucky martial arts-loving panda Po in the lead role.

"The characters we created for Kung Fu Panda are well suited to be further developed in new and exciting ways," said Ann Daly of DreamWorks Animation.

Jack Black provided Po's voice in last year's DreamWorks production.

It is not known whether he will reprise his role in the TV series, scheduled to air in 2010.

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Pixar Animation To Build Studio In Vancouver

Vancouver, British Columbia (AHN) - Pixar Animation is setting up a 20,000-square foot studio in Vancouver where it will produce popular short features. Pixar plans to hire about 100 people, most of them Canadians, who will make the studio's 3D, computer-animated short films which normally run for three to five minutes.

However, the theatrical features of the film will still be made at Pixar's main studio in Emeryville, California, where about 900 employees are located.

According to the Calgary Herald, Walt Disney Studios, which merged with Pixar in 2006, is looking for good locations in Vancouver, particularly downtown. Pixar's timetable is to have the studio in operation by fall.

Pixar's entry is considered timely since 600 jobs were shed at video game maker Black Box, following the cost cutting measures initiated by its parent firm Electronic Arts.

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20th Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards

The 20th annual Dusty Film and Animation Festival and Awards will highlight over 100 films by students graduating from the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).

The program includes screenings of short films, videos and animations; and an awards ceremony and gala with notable presenters from the film industry.

This year's Screenwriters Night is a collaboration with the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in which SVA graduating screenwriters will have selected scenes performed live by alumni from The Neighborhood Playhouse.

"We are very pleased to have reached the 20th year of the Dustys as we recognize the outstanding achievement of emerging filmmakers, and members of the industry get the chance to see the work of the next generation of some remarkable film and animation talent," said Reeves Lehmann, chair of the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department at SVA.

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DreamWorks Animation shares soar on earnings

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Shares of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc soared more than 25% Wednesday, a day after the Hollywood studio reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and a contract extension for CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Several analysts also upgraded their ratings on the stock, saying concerns about future DVD sales and other challenges have been priced more than enough.

DWA shares closed up 25.2% at $23.87 on the Nasdaq, easily outpacing a broadly higher market.

Goldman Sachs analyst Ingrid Chung upgraded DWA shares to "buy" Wednesday, arguing that recent negative catalysts and earnings estimate cuts are now behind the company. She raised her price target to $27 from $23. Lazard also upgraded the stock to "buy."

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3D animation really rocks

YOUNGSTERS were given the chance to create a 3D animation using cutting-edge computer technology.

The 14 budding film-makers from Swindon, aged between 13 and 18, came up with their three-minute film at a studio in the Wyvern Theatre.

Entitled Prehistoric Pet Shop it focuses on a caveman who thinks he has bought a parrot egg from his local pet shop. But after it hatches he realises he’s been given a tyrannosaurus rex egg. The dinosaur then chases him out of his house.

The funny animation was made possible thanks to a £4,000 grant from First Light Movies in conjunction with the British Film Council.

The youngsters were helped along the way, using the same computer software the Madagascar animation films were based on, by twin brothers James and Mark Carroll.

The Park South brothers set up evil.twin.artworks and have successfully run their own animation studio for the last decade. They use traditional animation for television, interactive online games, music videos, corporate videos, architectural visualisation and special FX.

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Japanese animation showcase heads for Hong Kong

Hong Kong has been chosen as the first city outside Tokyo to host a popular Japanese animation exhibition to ride on the wave of previous successes in the host country.

The C3 in Hong Kong: Japanese Character and Hobby Exhibition will be held at the Kowloon Bay International Trade and Exhibition Centre from April 24 to 26 to showcase Japanese cartoons, comics and animation.

Organizers, noting a growing popularity of Japanese animation in Hong Kong, decided to bring the event overseas for the first time to cash in on the rising trend.

"Hong Kong people seem to have the deepest understanding of Japanese culture outside of Japan and so we thought it an appropriate city for our popular event," organizer Retsu Tamura explained yesterday.

"C3 has been the world's largest animation and toys exhibition, and focuses on the three Cs - character, culture and content - of Japanese animation," he said.

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NYC show explores Japanese comic books, animation

NEW YORK — The gallery of the normally serene Japan Society has been overtaken by scenes of ruined cities, rocket travel, giant fighting robots, prostitution and teenagers in the throes of eating disorders.

The carnage and dysfunction are central to the elaborate fictional worlds of Japanese comics (manga), animated films (anime) and video games now on display in Manhattan.

On a recent weekend, two mothers and their kids huddled over a model of the 1980s video game Pac-Man, trying to get the yellow circle to devour all the dots in a maze without being killed by ghosts.

In another room, a couple of teenage girls crouched down to get inside a small tea house-like enclosure lined with hundreds of manga, some the size of telephone books.

Elsewhere, six anime were being simultaneously projected along a long wall in a room with cubicles where visitors could sit comfortably and watch the same excerpts on smaller screens. (The complete films are shown at scheduled times in the society's basement auditorium on Fridays through Sundays, free of charge with admission.)

The exhibition, "Krazy! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games," has been drawing large and diverse crowds — young, old and in-between — since it opened March 13.

Last spring, the Vancouver Art Gallery launched a larger version of the show, aimed at exploring the connections between the pop world of comics, animation and gaming and more highbrow expressions of visual culture.

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Graphic novelist embraces dark side of animation

The 2007 film Persepolis reminds us that animated features need not be comedies for kids or fairy tales with familiar messages.

Nor need they be in English, in color or elaborately drawn on computers.

The feature, named for the ancient capital of Iran, is the coming-of-age autobiography of its creator, Marjane Satrapi, who chronicled her Iranian childhood in a graphic novel. She and French animator Vincent Paronaud adapted it into a feature, retaining its simple style.

The film, an Oscar nominee for best animated feature, is the next entry in the Ohio Wesleyan University Community Film Series at the Strand Theatre in Delaware.

The narrative recalls the excitement of Satrapi's family when the shah was overthrown in 1979, then the confusion of a restless young girl when Islamic fundamentalists took control and dictated that women cover their heads. The rock 'n' roll that excited young Marjane was driven into the black market.

As she matures, Marjane lives in Vienna, Austria, where she encounters the joys and pains of budding love, and longs to be reunited with her family.

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Animation BPO set for growth

Animation and gaming are seen as the next wave in Indias successful outsourcing story. However, there is a major change, this is a sector which has moved up from outsourcing to co production, a move up the value chain from low end, less creative work to higher creativity and advanced technologies, says Krayon Pictures director Namrata Sharma. She said that for India to catch the animation bus, it needed to quickly provide the required manpower since Nasscom had projected that both animation and gaming were multi billion dollar opportunities for India. The usual block, however, is the lack of trained manpower.

And those who do go to training schools offering such courses are not studio ready, industry veterans claim Industry is now trying to bridge the gap through an industry training institute co operation. MCCIAs Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, animation and gaming committee, comprising a three member group of industry professionals, has devised a curriculum for a six month foundation course, which will provide the industry with studio ready professionals.

Additionally, the committee has proposed the formation of a loose alliance of all training institutes so that some facilities might be shared. This association will ensure that basic standards are maintained in the quality of training imparted at these institutes.

MCCIA committee co ordinator Cmde Anand Khandekar said the sector was more than just software. Being a multi disciplinary area, its manpower must be skilled at acting and the other performing arts. Lalit Kala Kendra of the University of Pune has, therefore, devised a course for applied theatre, where theatre can be used as a therapy by the industry.

Source : http://www.offshoringtimes.com/

3-D takes a giant leap into the future

Hollywood is looking at the future through tinted plastic glasses.

My Bloody Valentine, Coraline and the Jonas Brothers concert film were just warm-up acts. The attack of the 3-D movie revival begins in earnest next Friday when Monsters vs. Aliens, the latest computer-animated funhouse from DreamWorks, is launched into theaters.

At least 12 other titles will follow this year, including such milestones as Up, Pixar's first foray in the format; Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, a rare chance to see that disaster-prone Scrat get flattened in 3-D; and Avatar, James Cameron's return to feature filmmaking after a 12-year hiatus that will attempt to do for live-action futuristic thrillers what his Titanic did for sinking ships.

If ever a digital-age update on what was once an Ike-era novelty were going to take hold — and persuade more theater operators to invest upward of $100,000 to convert to the technology — it is now, with such already anticipated titles ready to give it a real workout.

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Early 2009 Korea Animation and Comics News

Celebrating this year what is considered the official centennial of the birth of Korean comics, artists and public officials of South Korea have already kicked into high gear a year full of specialized festival and event appearances geared toward increasing the funds available for developing additional, new intellectual property for Korean audiences. With the animation business in the region inching in the direction of a market threatening stagnation and the comics realm still too small to matter for some, the 2009-year should serve as an optimal time for policy-makers and active artists to pursue smartly-partnered, long-term projects.

As a result of this limited opportunity, a few interesting news items have come on the radar concerning Korean animation and comics projects. From the recently announced call for entries for the widely accessible Korean International Cartoons & Animation Festival, to a recent influx of funs from the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism, to a potential expansion of Korean comic artists in east and central European territories, there are some key industry-specific notes worth checking on at the moment.

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Cartoon Movie 2009: A New Home

Cartoon Movie's 11th edition moved from its home in Germany to Lyon, France, bringing a new focus on videogames and a record number of participants.

Cartoon Movie moved to a new venue and a new country this year, logging a record attendance and putting a new priority on links with the videogame industry. After 10 years in the historic home of German film at the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam, the event switched this year to France's second city, Lyon.

While Babelsberg was best known for production of cinema classics such as Metropolis and The Blue Angel, Lyon also has a place in the history of cinema as the city where the Lumiere Brothers invented the cinematograph. In more recent years, however, its media of choice has centered on videogame production.

Cartoon Movie was set up to ease the production of European animation feature films by encouraging co-production between European countries and accelerating the financing and distribution process. Films are presented to an audience of investors, distributors and producers at various stages of development. This year a total of 51 projects were on show with a total budget of €370 million -- seven completed movies, 10 in production, 16 in development and 18 in concept.

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The Animated Scene: A New Journey

In his last "The Animated Scene" column, Joseph Gilland ruminates on the last year, his new book and some big changes.

Well, here I sit at my computer keyboard, truly at a crossroads in my life. This new year started with both triumph and tragedy for me, and there is something in the air that smells like massive change. Not only for me, but also for the whole world, and especially the United States of America. My small world still revolves almost entirely around the art of animation, but I am as touched by world events as anyone, and before I leave my column here at Animation World Network, I would like to weave a tapestry of animation and worldly events, as well as the profound personal journey that we all embark upon, simply by being alive at this time, on this planet.

Late last summer, I began a new journey in my animation career, as I was working around the clock to finish my book about special effects animation. For the first time in almost 30 years, I found myself out of work, with no immediate prospects for a new job in plain sight. It was a perfect time to throw myself into the final difficult stages of finishing my book, an undertaking that proved to be far more complicated and challenging than I had ever imagined. I was completely strapped financially, and there was quite a bit of stress related to that, me being a single parent with a healthy and extremely active teenage boy to provide for. But I applied myself 100 percent to the task at hand. My book, Elemental Magic: The Art of Special Effects Animation, had been in the works for more than four years at that point. Lucky for me, I had a real deadline to meet this time, and that was just the incentive I needed. (My apologies to the editors at AWN for not quite making my column deadlines on multiple occasions) So the book got finished, right around the same time that I found a small independent animation studio in the Vancouver area, looking for a visual effects supervisor with the kind of experience I could bring to the table. Whew! It was a close call. I was still finishing the last touches of the book, working 'till the wee hours of the morning, when I first started designing and planning the special effects elements for the new Thomas the Tank Engine series being produced at Nitrogen Studios.

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DreamWorks Animation Fourth-Quarter Profit Drops 45%

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. said fourth-quarter profit fell 45 percent as the studio’s latest DVD release “Kung Fu Panda” failed to match revenue from “Shrek the Third” a year earlier.

Net income dropped to $51.6 million, or 58 cents a share, from $94.1 million, or 98 cents, in the year-ago period, Glendale, California-based DreamWorks Animation said today in a statement. Profit, including a 12-cent tax benefit, missed the 62-cent average of analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Studios including DreamWorks Animation have been hurt by shrinking DVD sales, even with films such as “Panda,” the sixth biggest box-office seller in U.S. and Canadian theaters last year. Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Katzenberg said in December the company will produce TV shows, branch into live events and release 3-D movies to combat the decline. “Monsters Vs. Aliens,” its first 3-D film, opens on March 27.

“ It’s all a shortfall in ‘Kung Fu Panda,’” Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities, said today in an e-mail. He has a buy rating on the shares.

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Animation makes it into the mainstream

Animation is more than a century old and yet it is only in the last decade or so that is has made it into the mainstream.

“Now it has become an industry in its own right,” says Craig Wessels, of Wicked Pixels, a Cape Town-based production company that specialises in producing high-impact commercials for leading advertising agencies around the world. The company also produces on-air imaging for leading broadcasters. Clients include HBO, MTV, DSTV, SABC and e.tv.

“Whatever work we do, it's almost always for broadcast,” says Wessels.

TV here in SA works on 25 frames per second, and he likened a single frame to a poster, but of equal importance to the frames before, and those after.

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DreamWorks Animation profit drops 45% in fourth quarter

Revenue from the DVD release of 'Kung Fu Panda' fails to match that of 'Shrek the Third' a year earlier.

DreamWorks Animation Studios reported a 45% drop in net income during the fourth quarter of 2008 as DVD revenue from "Kung Fu Panda" failed to match that of "Shrek the Third" a year earlier.

Results were below analysts' estimates.

The Glendale studio reported that net income declined to $51.6 million, or 58 cents a share, from $94.1 million, or 98 cents, a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31 fell 31% to $199.8 million.

DVD sales from "Kung Fu Panda" generated $102 million in revenue during the quarter, compared with $179 million pulled in by "Shrek the Third" after its release in the fourth quarter of 2007.

"Kung Fu Panda," which grossed more than $630 million in worldwide ticket sales, was released on DVD in November, in time for holiday shopping season.

Home video sales in general, which Hollywood has relied upon for years to bolster the movie business, have slowed considerably as the recession has cut into consumer spending.

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Animated documentaries come into their own as an accepted genre

TORONTO — Animated historical films like the Oscar-nominated "Waltz With Bashir," the narrative-driven "Persepolis" and innovative hybrid "Chicago 10" are redefining the concept of documentary films, with fans heralding the features as part of a powerful new genre that can be just as effective, if not more so, as docs that rely solely on traditional footage.

"Waltz With Bashir" in particular has launched a new breed of filmmaking into the spotlight by melding evocative, sometimes dreamlike illustrations of an Israeli army mission to Lebanon in the '80s with real interviews with former soldiers.

It may sound like a contradiction in terms, but there can be such a thing as an "animated documentary," says Sean Farnel of the Toronto-based Hot Docs, billed as North America's largest documentary film festival.

"All documentaries are constructed in one way or another - filmmakers have to make decisions about what they shoot for instance, they have to make decisions about what they edit. It is storytelling. It's all in the service of getting to some kind of deeper truth about something," says Farnel, Hot Doc's director of programming.

"In a film like 'Waltz With Bashir,' even though the film is animated and the visuals are still highly constructed, the story itself has a very direct connection to real events and real emotions and I think that's what gives that film its power and that's what gives documentary its power, this direct connection to real events."

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Kung Fu Panda' vs. 'WALL-E" for animation Oscar

Art versus commerce, critical taste versus popular opinion - not the issues usually associated with animated cartoons. But these are the undercurrents of this year's Oscar race for best animated feature, making the category a bit more exciting than usual.

In June, Disney/Pixar released "WALL-E," about a droopy-eyed, trash-compacting robot who saves the Earth from a polluting mega-corporation. It became a massive favorite among critics, who compared it to Charlie Chaplin's silent masterpieces (its first 40 minutes are nearly wordless) and crowned it the year's best film in the Village Voice's recent critics' poll. Until recently, "WALL-E" seemed the clear front-runner for the animation Oscar, to be announced Sunday.

But then came last month's Annie Awards for animation, a low-profile but important honor. And the top prize went to - "Kung Fu Panda"?

That DreamWorks Animation product, about a chubby panda (voiced by Jack Black) who becomes an unlikely martial-arts master, received decent reviews but became a major crowd-pleaser. Worldwide, "Kung Fu Panda" outgrossed "WALL-E" by about $100 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

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8-year-old computer wizard makes 1,000 animation films

Aman Rehman is merely eight years old but teaches "students" who are thrice his age. Popularly known as the "computerwala bachcha" in Dehra Dun, where he lives, this little genius is a computer animation wizard and has made more than 1,000 animation films till date. Aman, the youngest of four siblings, began showing interest in computers at the age of three.

"We had bought a second-hand computer for our eldest son and Aman would sit watching his elder brother work at it. He would dabble at it whenever his elder brother was away. While his friends would be playing in the fields, he would be sitting at the computer. I would scold him because I thought that he would spoil the machine, but Aman would not listen," says his mother Shabnam.

Aman’s father, M. Rehman, is illiterate and works as a scooter mechanic in Dehra Dun. When some of his friends saw Aman work at the computer, they advised him to take the child to some computer experts.

Aman’s father approached the authorities at the Dehra Dun College of Interactive Arts and after considerable convincing, the authorities agreed to watch the boy work on computers.

So impressed were the college authorities with Aman’s skills that they immediately offered him admission. Within a month, Aman had written his own programme and completed the 15-month animation course in less than three months.

The College of Interactive Arts has now provided him with a scholarship for further studies and the state government has given him a laptop and Rs 1 lakh as incentive.

Aman, with 1,000 animated films to his credit, has now applied for an entry in the Young Achiever’s category of the Guinness World Records.

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36th Annual Annie Award Winners

The Annie Awards for this past year have come and gone, and the many artistic and technical awards that the animation community hands out to its many, deserving recipients have made their way to their respective owners. Taking place at UCLA's Royce Hall, the 36th Annual Annie Awards resumed their critical acknowledgement of key individuals (and teams of individuals) responsible for the development or production of the past year's best animation for film and television.

Taking the ceremony by storm this year was the DreamWorks Animation movie Kung Fu Panda, which registered an astounding 15 combined awards. Most notably drawing applause for Best Animated Feature, Best Directing (in a Feature), and Production Design (in a Feature); Kung Fu Panda, or one of its individual contributors, won every single category for which it was originally nominated. Suddenly, the widespread professional acknowledgement of the artistic merits of feature animation feels within reach.

In front of an audience of a reported 1800 or more last week, the masters of the cartoon world honored their own, regardless of the media type--claymation, traditional animation, or computer animation. Nickelodeon's fantasy-adventure epic Avatar: the Last Airbender, which finished its TV run last fall, took home two high profile awards: Best Directing (for TV) and Best Animated TV Production (for Children)

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Support for CSS animations added to WebKit nightly build

The WebKit team has been working on improving the CSS standard and recently added support for "explicit" keyframe-based animations to the nightly builds of WebKit, giving developers a powerful way to animate styles without having to use other animation tools.

There are always new features being added to WebKit, making it a bit hard at times to keep track of just what it can do. In the case of CSS, the WebKit folks have been working on enhancements to the standard for a while now, and the project recently gained support for a rather nifty enhancement. Called CSS Animations, the feature gives developers the ability to create style-related animations without having to use JavaScript, Flash, or other animation tools.

WebKit already contains some animation functionality in the form of support for CSS transitions, but the addition of "explicit animations" (no, not like that) gives Web developers an even more powerful tool. The new CSS animations use the concept of "keyframes," which, in this case, are styles that will be applied at a particular point in the animation. The CSS animation engine then figures out what should go in between the keyframes, thus creating the animation.

The WebKit developers also provide sample code for "pulse" animations, which are apparently "the new blink," although I wasn't aware we needed a new blink in the first place. So far, the feature is specific to WebKit (and not yet Safari), but if you'd like to try the animations out, support is now included in the WebKit nightly builds. The iPhone 2.0 version of WebKit also supports CSS animations and performance is supposedly quite good, so mobile users can get in on the fun too.

Source : http://arstechnica.com/