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The Buddha goes to the Oscars
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"The Legend of Buddha" produced by Pentamedia is a contender at the Oscars. SHONALI MUTHALALY on what makes this animation flick click.
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THERE'S A big green, bad mannered, triumphantly ugly ogre in the way. And there's no point wishing he'd head to the Kingdom of Far Far Away, because he has been there, and back. His next stop is the Oscars. And yes, he'll be taking that big-mouthed, big-toothed donkey and flamboyant puss in boots with him as he lumbers down the red carpet.
But, guess whom he's likely to bump into there? The Buddha, from Pentamedia's "The Legend of Buddha," who was conceived and created in Chennai. While "Shrek 2", which has made $437 million so far making it the highest grossing animated film ever, is probably the most intimidating competition at the upcoming Annual Academy Awards, that isn't stopping the folks at Pentamedia Graphics from keeping their fingers crossed. And doing all they can to ensure that the Buddha gets a fair run in Hollywood.
Animation giants
Pentamedia's " The Legend of Buddha" was recently announced as one of the 11 films contending for the Oscar. This and a Korean one, made by Maxmedia from South Korea, are the only contenders from outside the United States. All the other entries are from the usual animation giants — three from Walt Disney, three from DreamWorks, two from Warner Brothers and one from Paramount.
"It has been this way for the past three decades," says Sumathi Sridharan, vice president, Pentamedia Graphics Ltd. "Till now, these were the only players in the field of animation films. Not only was there no competition from India, there was no competition from anywhere outside LA and Hollywood." Evidently things are changing. So while Disney might not be chewing its nails nervously yet, it's probably just a question of time.
Although Pentamedia has already made four animation films, "The Legend of Buddha" is very different from the rest, because it is in 2D with rich 3D backdrops for depth. The film, based on the life of Prince Siddhartha, was produced at the Pentamedia's studios in India, Singapore and the Philippines in association with the Government of Singapore. "We submitted the proposal to the Economic Development Board of Singapore, since the Singapore Government was keen on developing the technical skills of its people," says Sumathi, adding that the proposal was for $6.3 million, which is a relatively small budget in comparison to the Walt Disneys of the world. "The investment is much bigger in the U.S.," she adds. "They spend between $40 and $100 million for a film, and get returns of about $300 to $350 million. No Indian player has that kind of money." There's also a dramatic difference in production time. "They take three to four years to complete a film, we can't afford to. So we finish in 1½ to two years."
Animation films may be tough to make, but they're also big money, since the dough keeps coming in, even ten years after a release. "They have a much longer lifetime," says Sumathi.
Udeep B., head, International Distribution, agrees with this view. "There are home videos, DVDs, television, merchandise... The return is not tomorrow. It comes gradually, so it's a long-term proposition... . You have to wait." Judging by their past releases, however, they do make profits — slowly, but steadily. And this time, Sumathi feels the Buddha will earn between $10 and 12
Dubbing is easy
Besides opening up a whole world of T-shirts, coffee mugs and stuffed toys, animation films tend to be more profitable because dubbing them is easier. "They can be made available in multiple languages," says Udeep. After all, all they need to do is change the accent, and language, depending on the region where the movie is being released. The version going for the Oscars, for example, has American accents. "We will be distributing the movie in the U.S. The world is our target," says Sumathi. Apparently Indians make up just five per cent of their market, as audiences for animation films are rather abbreviated here. Besides, they have the whole `exotic India' advantage abroad.
"There's definitely a market for an Indian story," says V. Chandrasekaran, chairman and CEO, Pentamedia. "Even today, at least 10 to 11 DVDs of "The Pandavas" (an earlier Pentamedia production) sell everyday." He adds, however, that it is an advantage to cater primarily for children, who tend to be a lot more open minded than adults. "Children are not corrupted.
No matter what setting, faces or languages are depicted, they enjoy them." Not that they've compromised on quality, simply because they anticipated a four-foot high audience. "It's really hard work," says Udeep. That is evident at the studios, where artists hunched over huge drawings covered with intricate pencilled details, barely look up from their work. At the 3D animation computer studio, it's just the same: dozens of people staring mesmerised at their screens where all kinds of characters - from hunky young men to raging stallions - come to life.
"For just forty minutes of film, 70,000 drawings are required," says Riyaz Babu N.S., general manager, as he shuffles a thick bunch of papers covered in sketches of the Buddha.
Potential destination
While India is a potential destination for outsourcing 3D work, because the labour is cheaper and highly skilled, the folks at Pentamedia feel Indians still have a long way to go with character animation.
One problem, by the way, is the fact that Indians tend to draw Indian faces, while animation films that intend to go places need characters with an `international feel.'
But, once the sketches were done, they were brought to India for post-production work, where they were coloured in and set against the backdrops created by the Indian artists. Then came all the special effects, dubbing, sound. Now that they have qualified to contend for the Oscars, the next step is to make a lot of noise. "We have started lobbying in the U.S., and tied up with the LA based paper, The Hollywood Reporter. Now we have to see that the key 5,000 people, the jury, see the film," says Udeep. "It's also in for Best Picture... and there, well, we're up against anybody who's got a good story."
"Let us hope for the best," says Chandrasekaran. Today, everybody wants peace, and this story appeals to people at the right time. It talks about the middle path... the dialogues are very powerful... I think it should do well."
Fact file
* The Legend of Buddha cost more than $ 6 million. It is expected to make between $10 and 12 million.
* The two-lakh sketches done in Manila by about 400 people cost one and a half million dollars.
* Almost 1000 hand painted backdrops were created by artists in Chennai for the film.
* Each of the Pentamedia computers used for special effects costs as much as a Mercedes Benz.
* They took six months to just fine-tune the movie once it was completed, because they wanted it perfect.
* Every person on the team has seen it "hundreds and hundreds of times."
The contenders
Clifford's Really Big Movie
Disney's Teacher's Pet
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Home on the Range
The Incredibles
The Legend of Buddha
The Polar Express
Shrek 2
Shark Tale
Sky Blue
The SpongeBob Square Pants Movie
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