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A virtual boom

WOWING THE VIEWERS Special effects were the highlight of Krrish's success

It creates the `wow' effect on screen. Be it Hrithik Roshan bursting out of a manhole and rollerblading at high speeds across the streets of Mumbai in Dhoom 2 or Shah Rukh Khan driving at top speed in reverse through the crowded bylanes in Don, cutting edge visual effects work magic. Virtual sets, CG model building, 3D and 2D character animated sequences, digital painting, advanced lighting and digital compositing — sophisticated technology has become an integral part of storytelling in Bollywood, televisions serials, music videos and TV commercials.

And with the growing number of VFX, animation and gaming projects in India, the doors of the virtual world are open for the right candidates. But, are they cashing in?

"The key constraint is the growing demand-supply gap in manpower. We require individuals with a fine mix of artistic sensibility and technological skills," says. R. Seshaprasad, digital production manager of Rhythm and Hues India, Mumbai, headquartered in Los Angeles. Short-term courses, from animation academies, in the basic software tools are vital. "Once the students get the basics right, they can choose an area like lighting, modelling, compositing or animation and specialise."

Becoming an animator

"Individuals with an arts background (a BFA or a MFA degree) have an edge because of their knowledge in drawing, sketching and understanding of anatomy," he says. For a modeller, experience in sculpting comes in handy.

To become an animator, understanding movements is important, so familiarity with acting helps. And, exposure in photography helps a lighting specialist understand the art and physics of light better. "But, that shouldn't stop commerce and science students from enrolling. Even those with a higher secondary degree could explore the opportunities after completing short-term courses," says Arun Gowtham, who heads the SCMS Institute of Animation and Media Studies in Bangalore. He is also a founder member of the Association of Bangalore Animation Industry.

"Be it artists, non-artists or students, anyone with a combination of visual, creative and technological skills sets can easily make an average of Rs. 25,000 a month after a good exposure and training," says Niloykanti Biswas, project manager of Elecomtoon, a division of the Kolkata-based Elecom Software. Elecomtoon provides creative animation outsourcing services and turnkey solutions for the entertainment industry abroad. "We have also invested Rs. 5 crores in making Lalkaala, a 70-minute full-length animation film on red and black ants," he adds.

Though opportunities are immense in films, DVD projects, animation CDs, TV serials, medical and technical animation, e-education and gaming, the challenge is finding enough trained talent that has been exposed to high-quality work. "We screen 400 to 500 demo reels to shortlist a group of 10 people. And, we train freshers from academies through our apprentice programme," adds Seshaprasad.

To strengthen their position in the global animation map, it has become important for Indian studios to find key talents, build core teams and scale up operations.

"Right education and training are the key," says Madhusudhanan, ace visual effects producer, through an e-mail from London. Introducing mainstream degree courses in animation, visual effects and gaming that address the current and future requirements is one way of doing it. "Industry-institution tie-ups will work wonders," he adds.

The right candidate can get work in India and abroad. For, foreign studios are looking to collaborate with local players.

"With demand for skilled personnel on the rise, getting the right artists at a competitive price is going be a challenge. So, the focus should be more on training as in the IT segment," says Madhusudhanan.

As India is considered one of the best in the service industry, catering to the demand for manpower in the world market is important.

"The salaries are attractive, the positions good and the working environment great. We all love movies, music and games. And taking them to the world is great fun," he sums up.

K. JESHI

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