Career in animation
THERE was this family which adopted a mouse as their second son, and the mouse was good friends with them all much to the consternation of the family cat... Remember the movie `Stuart Little', wherein the protagonist, a little mouse Stuart Little, enacts all the human qualities. Credit for all this goes to the animation team. Welcome to the world of film animation - a world where reality meets imagination, where dinosaurs walk across silver screens. This is a world of special effects, unbelievable graphics and exotic technologies that mesh and converge to create unbelievable real and virtual experiences. It's a world that beckons creative minds to unleash their power; and it's calling you!
Animation is the art of conceiving an action by drawing inanimate objects or characters, which are made suitable for filming. It has lately become so high paying a profession that it will soon be matching the pay packets of software professionals. Television channels are applying animation techniques as a relief from ho-hum viewing. According to a study by Andersen Consulting, India's animation industry (domestic and exports) will touch USD 2 billion and create employment for around three lakh professionals, including content developers and animators, by 2008.
The Indian animation market, fairly "static" until a few years ago, is suddenly waking up to a host of global opportunities that promise a lot of "action" for the country's leading design specialists. North American film and television programme producers (that boast worldwide networks) are finding it viable to sub- contract animation production activities to independent studios overseas. The demand for animation production services from international animation studios is thus spurred in large part due to India's lower costs of animation production and technical manpower to meet 2-D and 3-D animation requirements.
The requirement of the burgeoning Indian television segment for animation and special effects- related work is also giving a fillip to this segment. Recognising this potential, a number of Indian software players have turned their attention to animation. Animation studios now dot the country and the industry is also witnessing the arrival of training houses that are dedicated to building skilled manpower for this market. Indian cities such as Mumbai (which houses India's movie industry), Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram house some of the country's leading animation houses. Companies such as Crest Communications, Films Division, Maya Entertainment, Silverton Studio, UTV Toons, Zee Institute of Creative Arts (ZICA), 2NZ Studios, Prasad Studios, Acropetal, jadooWorks, Color Chips, Toonz Animation, Heart Animation, etc. are just a few of the ventures that have dedicated themselves to the world of animation and special effects.
What then are the prerequisites to start a career in film animation?
Firstly, you must have an incorrigible itch, to draw! If you have completed higher secondary school and are versatile in drawing, you can enrol in the Visual Communication and Design course. If you are already a graduate in fine arts with an aptitude for drawing, you would do well by joining production houses or studios as a trainee. There is a course in Animation Film Design offered by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
You must be familiar with the various modes of drawing methods available in the software.
Recognising the significance of the multimedia industry as an emerging career destination, NIIT, one of the premier computer education institutes, has developed a special programme to help learners build the skills needed for this market. Called Maxi media, this programme is a complete learning guide to the art and science of multimedia. From designing annual reports to creating realistic 3-D animation films, Maxi media covers virtually every segment within the multimedia domain.
Following are the courses that can equip you for a career in animation industry:
The Foundation Courses - They offer an introduction to the world of multimedia, covering concepts, tools and techniques
Digital Printing and Publishing - A module focused on designing products for the publishing segment
Digital Web Authoring - A complete course on website creation
Digital Film Animation - A programme for creating professional animators
Digital Interactive Multimedia - A course to acquaint students with the new media
Diploma in Digital Visual Communication - Exposes to platforms such as print, the Web and interactive multimedia
Advanced Diploma in Digital Visual Communication and Animation - Prepares for careers in animation, multimedia, special effects, games, CBT (computer-based tutorials) and WBT (Web-based tutorials)
For a successful career in the field, one needs to be familiar with web authoring, digital illustrations, image editing, page layout creation, multimedia authoring, web publishing, conventional animation, contemporary animation, animation for Web, video editing and composing.
You can be absorbed at various levels depending on your skill sets, as graphics designer, visual artist, supervisor, digital film animator, senior animator, content writer, clean up artist, web designer or web author. Salaries are competent and are on par with the software industry.
MALLIKA JAYASHEELA
faqs@cnkonline.com
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