Archive for April, 2008
Animated Shorts For Animal Planet by Aardman
Must see : Brilliant clay animation series by Aardman for Animal Planet.
Watch: AnimationMentor.com’s Shawn Kelly’s Webinar
Available only till 29th April, this is a must watch video- learn the tips and tricks of animation from Shawn Kelly of AnimationMentor.com If you liked the free downloadable e-book I had written about in one of my earlier posts, this is something you shouldn’t miss!
Cheenti Cheenti Bang Bang - An interesting premise and a promising film!
A war between Red and Black Ants makes for a very interesting premise for an animated feature. Cheenti Cheenti Bang Bang is a 82 min long being produced jointly by Elecom Animation Academy, a Kolkata-based animation training institute, and Mumbai’s Fiesta Entertainment and will be released in May this year.
SEE THE TRAILER
The name of the film is a clever play on words (an ant is called a Cheenti in Hindi) and has absolutely nothing to do with the 1964 Ian Fleming book - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or the 1968 film by the same name. It is actually based on ‘Lal Kalo’ (Red Black), a popular Bengali children’s novel by Girindrashekhar Basu.
Workshop on Animation Industry & Careers for students and parents
Graphiti School of Animation is offering a free workshop for all students and parents and anybody who is interested in knowing more about careers and opportunities in animation on 2nd May, 2008.
The workshop will deal with basic issues like:
* What is animation? What are the steps involved in making an animation film?
* Is animation a formula for a successful career?
* What are the Job opportunities in Animation?
* Can everyone do animation or is it limited to only a particular group of people?
* Where and how should I learn Animation?
To register for the workshop and book your time slot, call Graphiti on (022) 24440107 or (022) 32448544 or sms at (+91) 9833841580 or visit their website: www.graphiti.net.
Bringing Robots To Life… the ILM way!
I just received an email from Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, which has a center in Hyderabad in India, about a session with ILM Artist - Nigel Sumner, that they are organizing. Though the only details they have provided are the date (11th May), time (2 pm to 5:30 pm) and speaker (Nigel Sumner), once we have more info, it will be uploaded here on the website.
You can register online by going to: lasjedi.com/events Though entry is free, there is limited seating so if you want to attend, you better hurry up!
Nigel Sumner has worked on numerous Hollywood films as Sequence Supervisor and from the poster, I am assuming that he will be talking about his work on the Hollywood VFX-rich film, - Transformers.
To know more about Nigel Sumner, you can read this interview from ILMfan.com (It’s an old interview but it should help you get some idea about the speaker and his past work): Read the interview.
Women in Animation Meet Up in Mumbai on 23rd April
Meet Chutki, the cute little mascot of the Indian chapter of Women in Animation, at their first ever Meet Up on 23rd April, 2008, in Mumbai.
Women In Animation is a professional, non-profit organization established in 1994 to foster the dignity, concerns and advancement of women who are involved in any and all aspects of the art and industry of animation. WIA is also an educational organization. The Indian chapter is led by Saraswathi Balgam with help from Rekha Thorat.
Through their workshops, meetings and panels, WIA aims to share with its members a valuable insight into the industry, available opportunities and other educational resources. The Indian chapter is actively looking for volunteers to help launch this organization at a grass roots level.
On 23rd April, WIA has organised its first ever meet up that will bring together on one platform some of India’s leading women animators and film makers like Simi Nallaseth, Geetanjali Rao, Simi Nallaseth, Sherry Bharda, Nina Sabnani, Shilpa Ranade and Saraswathi Balgam.
Aptech going global! What about India?
This isn’t a rant against any particular institute but a general comment on our severely handicapped animation education system. With schools that claim to point their magic wand at ordinary mortals and turn them into animation geniuses proliferating all across the country, I shudder to think of what level of artistry and skill our so called talent pool will have in times to come. The poor, unsuspecting souls who enroll for most of these courses are no more than cannon-fodder for behemoth animation ’schools’ riding on the wave of the global animation boom.
What triggered this tirade? I just read this press release announcing Aptech’s global expansion:
Aptech Global Learning Solutions announced today that it will open its first animation training academy in Brazil in May.
“The centre in Brazil will start functioning within three weeks. We have decided to open 35 new centres in countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Russia and Vietnam this fiscal. These centres will be a combination of Arena Animation Academy and Aptech Computer Education training institutes,” Aptech executive director R. Krishnan told IANS.
“We will also be expanding nationally. New centres will be opened this year at Cuttack, Rourkela, Bhubaneswar, Durgapur, Guwahati and Dibrugarh,” he added.
Don’t Miss! Making of TZP’s Animation repeats on 26th April 2008
TASI’s workshop on the Making of the animation and VFX for Taare Zameen Par saw such an overwhelming response that it will now be repeated on Saturday, the 26th of April at Whistling Woods International, Film City, Mumbai (view map)
Session Starts: 2:00 pm
Speakers:
Pankaj Khandpur from VCL (CG and VFX), Dhimant Vyas (Clay Animation) & Vaibhav Studios (2D Animation)
Registration:
TASI Members - Entry FREE (Please carry your TASI ID cards) Non-members - Students - Rs. 50/- and Professionals - Rs.100/-
Please Note: Students please carry your ID cards to avail the student discount.
To pre-register, please contact:
Ravish Shanbhag: 9833105305 | ravish@tasionline.org
Yogi Chopra: 9820366313 | yogi@tasionline.org
Ritesh Reddy: 9869403527 | ritesh@tasionline.org
