Giving life to the inanimate

Diploma and postgraduate diploma courses in animation and multimedia are being offered by several institutes with basic requirement being sound creative skills and a flair for drawing

After having watched the recent flick ‘Kung Fu Panda’, did you want to be part of the action? Creating interesting characters, infusing life into them by animation and wowing children and adults alike by transporting them through multifarious emotions is a creatively satisfying job.

Anyone can drift into the animation territory for it is one field that is ‘open for all’, the basic requirement being sound creative and artistic skills and a flair for drawing, sketching or caricaturing. “Any aspiring animator needs to have an artistic inclination besides a creative bent of mind,” says Mahesh, a trainer at Arena Multimedia.

Professional diploma and postgraduate diploma courses in animation and multimedia are being offered by several institutes, what with the tremendous potential of the industry being realised.

Animation institutes equip their students in various styles and techniques like stop-motion animation, rotoscoping, computer generated 3D and 2D animation, clay-mation, photoshop, human anatomy, sketching and drawing.

Specialisation

Upon completing their course, students can specialise as 3D or 2D modeller, special FX creator, illustrator, layout artist, clean-up artist, character designer, visualizer, graphic designer, digital ink and paint artist, compositor, key frame animator, background artist, in-between animator, web designer, game designer, video game programmer or interaction designer.

Engineers and mathematics/computer science graduates with knowledge in programming (C or Java) can find employment in the gaming sector.

While a pass in Standard XII from any recognised board is required for a Diploma or Bachelors Degree in animation, a Bachelors Degree from a recognised university would suffice for a Post Graduate programme. “Although graduation in Arts is preferred, students from other fields are equally eligible as long as they have the bent of mind towards art,” Mr. Mahesh says.
Some institutes might test candidates’ talents in drawing, clay modelling, and visualisation before admitting them.

Reputed institutes like National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, Indian Institutes of Technology in Mumbai and Guwahati, Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, Birla Institute of Technology-Ranchi through its Jaipur and Noida centres and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing are also offering various certificate and graduate courses in animation. There are number of private players in all major cities offering courses in tune with industry needs.

Employment opportunities are available in cartoon animation, film animation, digital post-production, advertising, gaming and special effects sectors.

Diverse applications

Its application can also be found in areas as diverse as web designing, corporate presentations, education sector, computer based tutorials, publishing, defence sector, engineering design, interior designing and fashion designing.

Mr. Mahesh informs that students start off as junior animators on completion of their on-job training (part of course in some institutes) earning around Rs.12,000 to 15,000. Senior animators with an experience of three to five years are paid around Rs.30,000 to 40,000. “As in any sector, the hikes are good for those with outstanding portfolios,” he says.

However, not even half the manpower requirement in the animation industry is being fulfilled in India. With animation majors like Walt Disney and Warner Brothers looking at Indian companies for collaboration as well as outsourcing, the demand for animators has soared.

A recent report by World Trade Centre on ‘Prospects for Animation and Gaming Industry in India’ forecast the Indian animation industry to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 22 per cent and reach Rs.29 billion by 2011. The Indian gaming industry was estimated to reach Rs. 28.5 billion by 2011 at an outstanding growth rate of 68 per cent.

With growth opportunities available aplenty, the country might witness something like the software boom observed a few years back.

So what are you waiting for? Board the animation wagon before it leaves the station!