Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Setting new trends in the world of make-believe

R.K. Nair

The animation industry in India is experiencing something akin to what the IT industry went through 15 years ago and the BPO industry three years ago, says R.K. Nair, Executive Director, Toonz Animation Academy.

Mr. Nair was in Chennai to meet prospective partners for the Thiruvananthapuram-based academy, which has its sight set on expansion this year. He spoke to Susan Muthalaly about the increasing demand for animators as India goes up in the value chain in this field.

Realising the Toonz studio's requirement for trained animation professionals, the Toonz Academy was started three years ago. Initially, most of the students were absorbed by the parent company, Toonz Animation India Private Limited. But, as India experienced a countrywide need for animators, students were lured to other companies.

Mr. Nair talks about what sets his academy apart from the numerous others that have sprouted everywhere. "Most academies give training only in software tools, which is not an end in itself. We provide wholesome development of creativity." After all, good animators need to be creative.

That is why creativity is the only prerogative to get into Toonz. Once you finish your Plus Two, you are eligible to sit for the creativity exam where students are given situations they have to sketch out. "Animation is all about creating characters that do not exist, in worlds that are make believe," says Mr. Nair. So for the first few months of the one-year course, students learn acting, clay modelling and singing.

"If you are going to make a character act, then you should know how it is done," he explains. Students are even taught a bit of animal and human anatomy so they understand minor, yet vital details, such as how the body moves when one walks.

A lot of thought and practicality has been put into the course as experts in the field of animation — people who understand the process — have designed it. There are two areas of specialisation: 2-D animation, which is the traditional way where everything is hand-drawn, and 3-D, where computers are used.

Toonz Animation India Pvt. Ltd. has worked with several Hollywood studios, including Paramount, MGM, Disney and Hallmark. Mr. Nair says they have now ventured into production with the TV serial `Adventures of Tenali Raman,' which is running on Cartoon Network.

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