The Hindu : Kerala News : Animation as a potential career

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala

Animation as a potential career

Animation, today, is a highly rewarding career option and a whole world of opportunities awaits the talented animators. As such, academic programmes in animation and multimedia are being offered by numerous institutes of repute. With the animation industry looking up, many of the academic centres are also offering specialisations in various areas of animation like 2D and 3D, special visual effects, video game programming and so on. India’s animation market today is e stimated at Rs.1250 crores which is one percent of the global animation content. Even if the animation industry strives to garner 3% of the growing global pie for the next 3 years, it has the potential to grow by a whopping 35% and reach the size of Rs. 4275 crores by the year 2009 and this is likely to generate employment opportunity to over one lakh animators. The booming celluloid industry which churns out more than 700 films a year is also opening up the flood gates of opportunities for budding animators in the country in a big way.

As one of the fastest growing global industries, the animation sector is projected to record USD 34 billion by 2010 (Source: NASSCOM). In spite of the fact that it is one of the young industries in Indian corporate horizon, the awareness level of commoners is still at a nascent stage. With the animation industry all set to grow by leaps and bounds, the demand for qualified faculty is also growing. As is the case with several other career segments, in animation too, Kerala has an edge over other states in India largely due to its qualified man power. With the entertainment and media sector bourgeoning at a fast pace, the scope for animators are immense in this part of the country.

Today, television channels and movie makers are increasingly resorting to computer generated special effects for stunning results. In recent years, some of the blockbuster Hollywood movies were developed at studios in India. Hollywood studios are increasingly relying on studios in India for developing their animations. According to industry reports, animation outsourcing is coming to India in a big way and this trend is expected to continue. Though the industry is forecast for excellent growth, few are aware of the scope and opportunity the digital media industry has in its fold. “It’s a discipline based on the creative convergence of art, science and technology and requires dedicated passion to make a mark of one’s own”, observes a leading animator based in Kochi. The industry is in need of more fusion artists who combine artistic and technical skills in equal measure. According to many, to meet the future requirements, more stress should be given to training and investment in advanced technology. The new technologies in animation have opened up employment possibilities in the world of gaming domain too and animators form an integral part of this industry. 2D and 3D animation skills have become very important for a career in the gaming industry. With the animation scenario growing at a rapid pace, it’s the right time to give more attention to quality animation training. As because, animators can find placements in a wide spectrum of industries ranging from films, TV channels, internet, advertising, architecture, health care and education. And within each industry, animators can again slip into a variety of challenging roles.

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