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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