The Hindu : National : Indian talent set to `animate' global cinema

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Sunday, Apr 03, 2005

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National

Indian talent set to `animate' global cinema

By Anand Parthasarathy

— Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Producer Barrie M. Osborne (left) and N. Madhusudhan, member of the Visual Effects Society, at a press conference in Bangalore on Thursday.

BANGALORE, APRIL 2. The Oscar-winning American producer of all three ``Lord of the Rings'' films will soon collaborate with India-based talents on multiple fronts, for his upcoming cinematic projects.

Barrie M. Osborne, whose producing credits include such seminal special-effects-heavy products as ``The Matrix'' and ``Face/Off'', besides the ``Rings'' trilogy, announced here on Friday that he would be partnering with Shekhar Kapur on the production side of the Indian director's upcoming multi-million dollar venture, ``Paani'' - a story set 15 years hence, in an Indian city, where there is no water — only a water - mafia. ``It's a futuristic story — that calls for lots of ``FX'' mostly 2-D compositing and possibly some 3-D work.

It will demonstrate to the world, what can be done in India in computer graphics and animation and who knows, it may even fetch an Oscar nomination as an ``Indian product'', Mr. Osborne said.

In another initiative, he will also join the noted Chennai-based special effects expert, N. Madhusudanan, in setting up a studio in India to tap the talent here in the areas of computer animation and graphics for the big screen.

The details of the project are still being worked out. Mr Madhusudanan who won the President's award for Technical Excellence and Visual Effects, for the Tamil film ``Alavandan,'' has worked with Mr. Osborne earlier - as part of the visual effects team for the last ``Rings'' film — and became the first Indian to qualify for membership of the Visual Effects Society, the elite — Los Angeles-based club of ``FX'' practitioners.

``Barrie has always been my mentor - and I'm proud to say, soon he will be my partner,'' ``Madhu'' said.

The duo - and Shekhar Kapur - are expected to provide more details of their collaboration at the FICCI ``Frames 2005'' event in Mumbai, which starts on Monday.

The media interface in Bangalore was organised by ``Ample'' the authorised re-seller of ``Apple'' computers whose software products such as ``Final Cut Pro'' and ``Shake'' are industry-standard tools in the digital film making business.

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