PEN to release 2D animated feature Lava Kusa

Seems it is an animated Ramayana season this Dussehra.

Close to the heels of release announcement of Maya's 3D animated flick Ramayana, Hyderabad based RVML animation is all set to release 2D animated feature Lava Kusa: The Warrior Twins on October 8th across 200 screens pan India.

The feature is presented by PEN, produced by RVML animation and released by Suniel Wadhwa from '52 weeks entertainment Inc' in India.

Lava Kusa: The Warrior Twins, is the tale of two endearing twins Lava and Kusa (Sons of lord Rama and Sita), growing up in the forest with their mother and sage Valmiki. As young men they pit their strength against Rama, the absentee father who has aggrieved their mother. This story from the Ramayan depicts the determination of the twins and the adventures they have as they journey towards their aim, getting their father to redress the wrongs he's done to their mother.

On being asked about choosing a generic topic (mythology) as the story has been told several times on different platforms, Rayudu V. Sashank, Creative Director and Producer of Lava Kusa. Says, "The story of Ramayana has surely been told several times in popular media, but not so in the case with the mythological characters of Lava and Kusa. This is the reason why children today do not know much about the warrior twins. Telling the story of Lava and Kusa through an animation film would best connect with children who are our target audience,"

Music of the flick plays a key role and is being released in three versions, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The music is composed by acclaimed Music Director late L. Vaidyanathan of Malgudi Days and Pushpaka Vimanam fame. Renowned singers like K. J Yesudas, Vijay Yesudas, Shankar Mahadevan, Chitra and Sadhana Sargam have rendered songs in the movie.

On a concluding note, PEN's Dhaval Gada added, "The Warrior Twins will add an extra zing to the festive season this year, the first offering from Pen's stable of animation films. Children and families are sure to enjoy the film"

Source: http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/10/05/14727/

Studios using 3-D more to attract moviegoers

There are a whole mess of 3-D movies coming out this year that won't just be for the kiddies. The first 3-D movie of '09, "My Bloody Valentine," opening today, puts viewers up close and personal with an unstoppable killer whose tool of choice is a pickax.

The competition between motion picture studios and home entertainment systems is driving the increase in 3-D movies, said Steven Smith of Movie Marketplace. "Studios along with theater exhibitors are looking for ways to enhance the experience and drive people to theaters."

Both DreamWorks Animation and Pixar Studios have announced that all future feature films will be released in 3-D, said Nikki Kealalio, director of marketing for Krikorian Theaters. "Nearly all our theaters have one 3-D viewing room, so we will show these movies in both 3-D and 2-D."

Several Krikorian Theaters broadcasted the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship game live in digital 3-D last Thursday and will broadcast the NBA All Stars game in February as well.

"We're going to be doing a lot more live sporting events," Kealalio said. "We will eventually start adding more 3-D rooms to our theaters so there will be more viewing capabilities."

Read More Article...

Dr. Toon: 2D or Not 2D

With this year's arrival of The Princess and the Frog, Martin Goodman assesses the current CG landscape to ascertain the significance of Disney's highly anticipated 2D return.

The movies have been subject to as much advancement over the years as any other form of media. The first static efforts in the late 1890s gave way to ever-sophisticated changes in techniques such as cuts, fades, zooms and POV shots, devices that we now take for granted. There is a popular myth concerning the famed silent film The Great Train Robbery (1903); audiences allegedly fled the theaters in fear, believing that they were seeing an actual robbery and trains coming directly towards them. While this is untrue, there was a scene at the end of the film in which a nasty desperado fires a pistol directly into the camera. This always seemed to get at least a few patrons ducking cinematic bullets in their seats. After that, filmmakers vied to wow their audiences through the use of spectacular fx and fancy camerawork.

Animation first appeared in the late 1890s and amazed audiences with moving pictures that were drawn by hand. People saw popular comic strips come to life, as well as some original characters that made an indelible impact on the culture itself. Seminal animator Winsor McCay averred that audiences, upon seeing his short How a Mosquito Operates (1912) believed that McCay was manipulating puppets with wires. Although this is highly doubtful, moviegoers were eventually treated to genuine magic such as synchronized sound in 1928 and full Technicolor by 1933, raising the stakes for future artisans.

To be sure, there have been misfires. 3-D movies (aside from a few early experiments) existed at least since 1922, but it was not until the early 1950s that the technique made its way into American theaters in wide release. Observers in the local movie houses reported patrons shying away from objects "thrust" at them, ducking "flying" projectiles and attempting to grab or get their hands behind objects that seemed to float in the air before them. While 3D was a nifty perceptual trick, it did little or nothing to advance the actual art of filmmaking; it was a novelty rather than a progression in cinematic language and representation. In fact, 3D stilted films by purposely setting up shots that emphasized technique over narrative and acting performance.

Computer-generated imagery was a true advancement. By all accounts, CGI first appeared in a mainstream film in 1973 when raster effects were used in the film Westworld. Early wireframe techniques soon followed, but most of the general public was not overtly aware of CGI until the 1982 Disney film Tron. Roughly 15 minutes of full computer animation was featured, and everyone who attended the film realized at some level that a revolution was underway. It was merely a matter of time, training and technological advancement until CGI became a major component in world cinema. Technicians, software engineers, film studios and even some visionary critics secretly wondered how soon a film might be composed of nothing but computer-generated images.

Read More Article...

Using Animation to Explore the Nanoworld

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

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

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

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

Read More Article...

Animation boom!

Animation has come a long way, from the early phenakistoscope device of the 1800s to today’s photo-realistic, computer-generated, three-dimensional (3D) graphics.

Disney Productions’ early 2D animation film "Steamboat Willie" in the late 1920s was already considered revolutionary for animators then. But today, CGI (computer-generated imagery) animation continues to soar as the new standard in film animation.

This continuously evolving art form has captivated the imagination of new generations of artists, most especially Filipinos. Today’s young generation grew up either reading comics or watching cartoons, or both, and this may have influenced young Filipinos’ inclination towards the cartoon industry.

In the comics industry for example, publishing companies like Marvel Comics hire Filipino artists to draw for their famous comic pages. Because of the growth of the digital film and gaming industries, Filipinos are again tapped to be one of the prime professionals in the industry.

And now experts are making a big pronouncement, that in a few years from now, digital arts, animation in particular will be the next big thing. "Ang forecast is next to Nursing, magbu-boom ang digital arts in the next 10 years, mainly because of the films and gaming industry," explains digital artist and 3D animation instructor Peter Honrade.

Read More Article...

An animation film on Lord Ayyappa

While animation films do have an audience, very few companies produce them. One such company is India Tales who is coming out with a film on 'Lord Ayyappa' titled Manikantan. Eight different types of animation like 2D, 3D animation, clay mation, toy mation, oil painting and Kerala murals were used in the film.

India Tales, started by Nalin Singh a year-and-a-half back, opted for an animated film on Lord Ayyappa as his company’s aim is to show to the world the rich Indian tradition. “We want to tell Indian stories to foreigners in a way they would understand easily,” says Nalin Singh adding that 200 technicians are working on the film in Hyderabad and 60 in Trivandrum.

Besides using different types of animation techniques, the full-length feature film also has big names behind it. Malayalam actors Mohanlal, Sugumari and Jagathi have lent their voice to the film, while maestro Illayaraja has done the music.

Read More Article...

My Friend Ganesha 2, promises to be another great 2D animated film

My Friend Ganesha 2, promises to be another great 2D animated film, explains director Rajiv Ruia

Second part
Last year, when we made My Friend Ganesha it won intense adulation from cinegoers.As a mark of completion of the film we had organised Ganesh Puja. On the day of the immersion, we went to Juhu beach to immerse the idol. When people came to know that the makers of My Friend Ganesha had come to the beach, they swarmed us like bees, many of them saying that they had brought home idols of Lord Ganesha after their children, who were dumstruck after watching our film, insisted. That gave us an impetus to make My Friend Ganesha 2.

Strong Point
My Friend Ganesha, our first film was the country’s first 2D composite film (a film mixed with live action and animation). This film combines the animation character of Lord Ganesh with real life characters to create a fascinating tale of a young boy, who befriends young Lord Ganesha.

Read More Article...

‘Strong pre-production plans can save animation industry’

The Indian animation industry, which is caught in a vortex today with hundreds of animators left unemployed as studios shut down or shift business focus, need to develop a strong pre-production plan and pipeline to turn around, say experts.

In the last couple of months, big studios like Crest Animation Studio, Prana and others have terminated hundreds of artists and animators. Even bigger studios like UTV Toons have now ceased to exist, as it has merged with UTV Motion Pictures and is shifting away from an animation studio model. While industry bodies like Nasscom and Ficci are advocating the setting up of better training facilities for the animation industry to reduce dearth of talent, experts and animation studio heads feel that the training should be more specialised.

Rahul Bakshi, co-producer of the 2D animation film, Dashavatar said , “No studio in India today has a strong pre-production back up.” Bakshi added, “Today, if I need character artists, I will not get specialised talent in the market.”

Read More Article...

Digital animation to break barriers

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

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

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

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

Read More Article...

Where 'original Indian animation' is name of game

PUNE: One tour of Pune's Big Animation studio makes you realise that the Indian animation industry has come of age. And the man behind this set-up is Ashish Kulkarni, a pioneer in the field.

Kulkarni has created this massive studio with a built-up area of 60,000 sq ft, which will focus on original Indian content in animation.

"It was in 1995 that animation channels were first seen in India and there were no Indian stories. When our kids go to foreign universities they should have some knowledge of Indian epics," Kulkarni said.

The studio is owned by the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group and is their first venture in the sunshine industry of animation and gaming.

Big Animation was born in 2005 when Kulkarni's Bangalore-based animation studio Ani Rights was bought over by corporate honcho Anil Ambani. The studio produced the popular Veneta Cucine advertisement that went on to bag a 2006 award for best animated ad film.

"My first choice to set up the studio was Pune; I didn't want my artists to waste their creative time in local trains (with a studio in Mumbai). In all, 370 people along with their families were moved bag and baggage to Pune," Kulkarni said.

It was naturally a dream come true for Kulkarni who after his daughter's birth in 1994 wanted to drift away from offshore animation production to something original and Indian. And that is Big Animation's USP.

What's interesting is all the techno animation artists at Big Animation live within a radius of one to two kilometres from the studio.

"We thought if an artist wants to take a break in the evening he can go home and come back later in the evening, as an artist in the middle of a project needs to be completely focused and commuting takes away that creativity from him."

At present Big Animation along with the Indian Heritage Foundation, Bangalore, is completely engrossed in the production of "Hey Krishna", an animated feature film to be released later this year.

According to experts, the movie will set a new standard in the Indian animation film industry in terms of originality and quality.

"The studio is into the process of setting up multi-feature film pipelines for both domestic and international markets in 2D and high-end 3D. Big Animation is channelising its energy and funds towards acquisition and development of proprietary products and tools to create a one of its kind IP value chain in the world," says Kulkarni.

The studio is equipped with a Dolby digital sound auditorium, a 35 mm Barco projection unit, the ones used at INOX cinema halls. The auditorium also has an acting floor for animators, separate sound recording studios and a sculptor's room.

On the technical side, Big Animation functions on 64Bit architecture, it has a foundry big Iron RX network switch, one of the fastest in the world and a Blue Arch storage rate. According to Kulkarni, each workstation is equipped with specialised PCs worth Rs 50 to 60 million.

With the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group also deciding to start its own television channels, the studio is bound to be a hub for most animation content.

Big Animation is planning to increase from its existing strength of 610 employees to 1,200 plus by the year 2009. Feature films and high-end computer graphics TV series for a global audience will be its focus area.

The Indian animation industry is said to be growing at the rate of 50 percent every year and is expected to churn out around 800 movies in the next couple of years.

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

Manpower shortage hits Indian animation industry

MUMBAI: The Indian animation industry is expected to double its revenues to nearly $1.5 billion by 2010 but is still hampered by lack of skilled manpower, mainly due to lack of facilities and preference for traditional career options.

"At the close of next year, the industry will require at least 25,000 more trained hands to fill the gap and by the year 2012, the industry will have room to accommodate 300,000 professionals, if not more," Atul Vohra, in-charge of the education division of the Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC), told reporters.

At present only a little over 10,000 professionals are working in this techno-creative field.

Although there are about 500 private animation-training institutes, apart from a few government-run colleges having animation curriculum, India, as of today, has only a handful of institutes teaching high-end animation techniques.

"If there was earlier an anathema towards animation among Indian students, I would rather blame their parents and guardians for it. Because, until recently, the elders in this country had a misconception that animation was all about drawing cartoon figures and so they felt there were no career prospects in this field. They never encouraged their wards to take up animation as a professional course," Vohra pointed out.

The Arena, the animation division of APTECH, is the oldest of the lot in imparting animation training and it also has a variety of high-end training courses, while the six-year-old MAAC specializes on imparting training in 2-D and 3-D animation.

Read More Article...

Maharashtra emerges as major hub for animation industry

Mumbai, May 30 : Maharashtra is now the new hub for the animation and gaming industry.

In less than a year, the town of Pune has emerged as a serious gaming and animation industry hub with about 30 companies and studios dealing in special effects and animation.

Pune has already earned fame through animation studios that have made several 2D and 3D animations.

This place is ideal for every type of industry be it automobile, IT, gaming or animation.

People working here have made a name for themselves in Hollywood also. There is ample talent available for animation companies here.

In fact, several of the gaming and animation studios have decided to either move from other cities to Pune or to set up expansion projects here.

After IT and auto, it is probably time for the animation and gaming industry to grow several times over in Pune.

According to industry experts, what the IT industry achieved in eleven years in Pune - five billion dollar business per year - the animation and gaming industry is expected to achieve it in six years.

"Several companies are coming to Pune on a talent scout. There are several computer institutes and art colleges. So, the companies get easy access to talent from these colleges and institutes. Talent in other places like Mumbai and Hyderabad is saturated, but here in Pune, talent is fresh and ready to be absorbed. There are experienced people to be found here," said Hrishikesh Patil, Managing Director, Trimurti studios.

"One more advantage is that it is close to Mumbai life in metros can stay here in peace. The weather also complements the place. Traffic is a headache, but one can tackle that. This place is cheap too as compared to other places. So, these are some points that are favourable to the animation industry coming here," added Patil.

According to Anand Khandekar, Chairman, Animation and Gaming Committee, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (M CCIA), Pune has all the right ingredients because of its history and culture, and this combined with IT strengths makes the city an ideal destination for the gaming and animation industry.

"MCCIA took the initiative in 1996. At that time, there was virtually no IT in Pune. Within 12 years, the IT industry has grown from 30 million to five billion dollars. Thanks to the right ingredients and right government and infrastructure support from private as well as government agencies. We had support from educational institutions for the right manpower and very strong support from Maratha Chambers to co-ordinate all this and to provide business development support. All these four pillars have moved the IT industry to where it is now. I am absolutely confident that we will apply the same four pillars to uplift the animation and gaming industry in Pune," said Anand.

At present, at least three studios in Pune are working on independent animated films. For the gaming industry too, there are several outsourced projects in the city.

Animation films in India are still in the nascent stages. 'Ghatothkach-Master of Magic' will be the first non-mythological to be released in the country. This will be the second animation film from the stable of Shemaroo. Their first film that tasted success at the box office was 'Bal Ganesha'.

India is a cheaper destination to make animated films. For example, in the US it costs around 9,367 US Dollars to make a 30-minutes animated film, while in India the cost comes down to 1,405 US Dollars. (ANI)

Source : http://www.topnews.in/

Arena Animation opens new center at Mohali

MOHALI: Multimedia training firm Arena Animation opened a new center in Mohali, to meet the needs of students wanting to pursue animation & multimedia in the fast growing town.

The centre at Mohali will offer the flagship career course on 2D and 3D animation - the 2.5 year Arena Animation Academy Specialist Program (AAASP) & the comprehensive Arena Multimedia Specialist Program (AMSP).

The centre was inaugurated by Member of Parliament Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

Samir Bhattacharjee, Regional Sales Head, Arena Animation said, "The Animation & Multimedia industry is growing at a tremendous pace, with more and more students looking forward to a career in this sector. The Arena Animation centre would definitely empower the students of Mohali to be a part of this booming industry."

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

MIDDS ties up with American college for animation studies

NEW DELHI: Mumbai-based Meteor Institute of Digital Design Studies (Midds) has tied up with Expression College of Digital Arts in Emeryville, California, to offer a degree programme.

Midds, an animation and game design institute, is a division of Meteor Films.

Expression College of Digital Arts has its campus near Pixar Studios and has programmes in animation, visual effects, game design and audio design.

As part of the collaboration, students who pass out of the 17-month advanced diploma programme will be eligible to enter Expression College with part of the credits waived and will be able to complete their degree in approximately three semesters.

In effect, students will complete their diploma at Midds in India and rest of the curriculum at Expression college to get their degree.

In a period of two and half years, Midds has expanded to 10 centers across India.

Midds was established as an educational institution dedicated to the professional design disciplines of 3D, 2D design, animation, multimedia, and game development technology .

Source : http://www.indiantelevision.com/

Toonz Academy bullish on Chinese animation market

Thiruvananthapuram-based training institute in 2D and 3D animation, Toonz Academy, sees vast opportunities in the niche Chinese market, which holds a $10-billion potential for animation training.

"Animation as an opportunity is enormous in the Chinese market place with huge scope to provide broad-based industry-academia related curricula for students. We intend to tap into this emerging market, which no institution has entered so far, and have already initiated discussions with the Chinese government in this regard," Ramaprasad S, executive director of Toonz Academy, said here on Wednesday.

The academy had recently signed MoUs with various Chinese universities including the Beijing University, Shengyang University and Dalian University to start centres of excellence in animation. As part of this, a student exchange programme will facilitate 50 Chinese students to study in India from this August.

"We will devise a six-month course in classical (2D) and 3D animation after which we will design a two-year programme as per the Chinese industry requirements, before introducing a three-year BS degree in digital animation in affiliation with the European Carolus Magnus University by the next academic year," he said.

Read More Article...

Attrition may defer animation movies

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

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

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

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

Pencil 2D animation software

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

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

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

Read More Article...

“Return of Hanuman” finally released, throughout India

Triruvananthapuram-based firm has finally released, India’s first 2D animated feature film entitled "Return of Hanuman". The movie has been released throughout India in 370 theatres.

The release is a sequel to the surprise hit of 2005 animation movie 'Hanuman'.

The 90-minute animated movie is a co-production of Toonz Animation and Percept Picture Company. It has been written and directed by Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap.

The animated movie shows return of Hanuman in the current age to save the planet Earth from destruction.

Read More Article...

Big budget animation from Bollywood in '08

PUNE: There is a cyclone brewing in India’s animation film industry, after ‘Hanuman’ took the Indian film industry by storm. Many animations films are taking shape in studios, with big budgets riding on them and industry insiders claim that close to 10 such films will be ready for release in India in 2008. Here’s a peek at what viewers can expect.

Yashraj Films Ltd in alliance with The Walt Disney Studios has finished 60% work on its first animation film ‘Roadside Romeo’, slated for release in June 2008. Shemaroo has also finished work on ‘Ghatothkach’, its second animation film after ‘Bal Ganesh’. Govind Nihalani is working on ‘Kamlu’, his first animation film, and has lined up three other animation projects after that.

Read More Article...

Animation festival comes to life

Disney producer Don Hahn calls animation "the ultimate team sport."

To prove it, he'll bring to Everett artwork from the Disney archives, some of which, he says, has never been seen. It's a way to show the "people who draw and paint and work on scripts and music, who contribute to making an animated film," he said.

Hahn is the keynoter for the second annual "2D or Not 2D" animation festival Friday and Saturday at the Everett Theatre. Hahn will present films and share what he knows at 7 p.m. Saturday during the festival, which is rich with animator talks, animated film showings, and screenings of entries for the Golden Pencil awards, given out at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Read More Article...