All Entries in the "Featured" Category
Recession in the industry?!! Don’t press the panic button just as yet.
Now that the noise has died down and the dust has settled, the casualty is slowly beginning to show. For two years everyone was shouting from the rooftops about the animation boom in India. Institutes proclaimed India needs animators and ill-informed parents poured out their hard-earned money into many an unworthy school. Many people left their well-paying jobs and successful businesses to enter the animation industry. All of a sudden everyone wanted to be in animation.
The hype was not all bad. Many more people began sitting up and taking notice of this thing called ‘Animation’ than before. Students and parents alike opened their eyes to this new career prospect. Existing animators began celebrating their new-found respect in the eyes of their detractors who had so far looked down upon their choice of vocation. All-in-all the Indian animation industry saw a spurt in interest, enthusiasm, educational avenues and job opportunities. Within a year, more than 70 animated feature films were announced. Actual work began on a far lesser number of movies.
But the latest news coming out of studios is not good. Many production houses and studios have folded up. Others have laid off a majority of their employees. People have woken up to the fact that making an animated film is no cake walk. There may be a lot of enthusiasm and ideas but the lack of funds, acute shortage of ‘talented’ artists and short-sightedness of studios have become major obstacles.
CGTExpo 2008 - A successful start!
After spending two full days at the CGTExpo 2008, I must say the experience was unique. Hundreds of volunteers from all over the country, the CGTantra team, the Nine team, the participants and the supporters, all put in their best to make the event a truly successful one.
The planning was perfect, arrangements flawless and the least possible glitches ensured that everyone had a lot of fun and went back having gained something. Newbies, students, job-seekers, curious spectators, anxious parents of would-be animation students, were all milling around together in the two main halls and two smaller ones.
Animated Shorts For Animal Planet by Aardman
Must see : Brilliant clay animation series by Aardman for Animal Planet.
Discovery of the week: “Forget the films, watch the trailers!”
Submarinechannel.com is a very interesting website that I happened to stumble upon…
“Forget the films, Watch the titles”
This site showcases some very well crafted title sequences for films and TV shows. Classified into 4 categories - Animation, Motion Graphics, Mixed Media and 3D, it has some popular film titles (Pink Panther, Juno) as well as some which we haven’t seen before in India. The site was set up in 1997 as an online collection of some of the most brilliant and eye-catching title sequences made for mainstream as well as independent films. On the FAQs on their website, they tell us WHY they are doing this…
“Because we love a good title sequence, because we’re into innovative motion graphics, because we can… Femke Wolting, founder of Submarine Channel, curated a program for the International Film Festival Rotterdam several years ago where she showed a selection of the best title sequence designs. That program was called ‘Forget the Film, Watch the Titles’. SubmarineChannel editor Remco Vlaanderen has been collecting and researching title sequences for several years. We’re quite passionate about the subject! “
Worth viewing for sure! Check it out…
The Golden Cursor Awards 2008 : The Complete Coverage
At the ceremony on Thursday night, when AnimationXpress co-founder Anand Gurnani was asked,”How important is it to write about animation?” he said that a few years ago, many creative people would have loved to pursue a career in animation but due to parental pressure settled for more secure ‘jobs’ in companies and banks. Luckily, today times have changed. The Indian animation industry has seen an astounding growth and there are several lucrative career options in the field of animation, VFX and gaming. If we talk about it and spread the word, parents will be more open to allowing their kids to follow their dreams and become the future of Indian animation.
So here we are, writing about animation and sharing with our readers the events of the first ever Golden Cursor Awards for Excellence in Animation. Get all the details right here on the All About Animation Blog.
TASI event : Music for Animation by Tapas Relia
This insightful workshop was held on 23rd Feb. 2008, 2:00 pm at the IDC Auditorium, IIT Campus in Powai, Mumbai.
The response was overwhelming and the verdict at the end of this session on Composing and Arranging Music and Sound for Animation , conducted by Music Director Tapas Relia was a thumbs up! Three cheers for the TASI team!
The session was extremely informative and everyone present thoroughly enjoyed themselves as Tapas took the audience through the process of composing music. Tapas was accompanied by Sound Engineer/Designer Gaurav Chopra who also shared some interesting insights.
The session was kicked of with a brief introduction by Tapas.
“I have been composing and producing music for visuals for the last 7-8 years. ‘Producing’ does not mean financing but composing the basic melody, recording the instruments, arranging tracks etc.
Annecy ‘08 : Focus on India
ASIFA India in association with TASI, CG Tantra, Animation Xpress, All About Animation and NID is proud to collaborate with Annecy to bring forth the Annecy 08 India Focus.
Annecy is an International Animated Film Festival held every year since 1960. It has been showcasing the very best in animation for over 45 years, making it the industry’s leading international competitive festival.
Annecy is a festival where people meet other people and together they share projects, screenings, markets, etc. By putting the focus on one country , the aim is to making the world of animation discover or emphasize on a country where animation is strong, growing, interesting, different or even unknown. Indian animation is surging and it is very crfitical to see what is being produced in India. This years Focus country is India and it will be a great platform to showcase Indian talent in the world space.
A selection of choices films from the Focus country are put together in form of 80 min programs. If possible conferences, exhibitions, meetings and presentations (and even sometimes publishing) are also included.
Submission Categories:
The following are the five main categories available for submission to the competition this year:
1. Student Films
Films made by animation students in further and higher education.
2. Professional Films / Independent Short Films
Films made by professional animators and studios
3. Professional Commercials and Promos
Films made by professional animators and studios, can be Short films, public service messages, Documentaries, etc.
4. Professional Films / Independent Films
Films made by professional animators and studios TV serials, episodic animation, etc.
5. Feature Film Clipping / Sequences
Films made by professional animators and studios
FAQs
Q. What is the Annecy?
A. Annecy is an International Animated Film Festival held every year since 1960. It has been showcasing the very best in animation for over 45 years, making it the industry’s leading international competitive festival.
Q. What is the aim of the Country focus ? India 08
A. Annecy is a festival where people meet other people, and together, they share projects, screenings, markets..etc. In the stream of world animation, the focus aims at making the world of animation discover or emphasize a country where animation is strong, growing, interesting, different, unknown, etc. Indian animation is surging,and it is very crucial and important to see what is being produced in India. This years focus country is India and it will be a great platform to showcase Indian talent in the world space.
Q. How is the country focus program different from the Annecy film competition?
A. The Annecy Film Competition is a contest between films from all over the world which are preselected by independent committees, and awarded by a specific jury.
A focus on a particular country is completely different from this. A selection of choices films from the Focus country are put together in form of 80 min programs. If possible conferences, exhibitions, meetings and presentations (and even sometimes publishing) are also included.
Q. What are the categories of the 80 mins country focus program?
A. The following are the five main categories available for submission:
- Student Short Films
- Professional Short Films
- Professional Commercials and Promos
- Professional TV Series
- Feature film clipping / sequences
Q. How to Submit a Film?
1. Download the Entry Form
2. Add in the information and required data in the form
3. Please Send the completed form along with the DVD and DigiBeta tape of the film to the address mentioned below.
Asifa India,
c/o Rhythm & Hues Studios India Ltd.
Prism Towers, ‘A’ Wing, 3rd Floor,
Mindspace,
Goregaon- Malad Link Road,
Goregaon (W),
Mumbai
India 400062
Ph: +91 22 40034567
Please note it is very important that you complete all the required information to represent your film in the best possible way
Q. When is the last date for sending in entries?
A. 10th March 2008.
If you have any further questions please feel free write to info@asifa.in or feedback@allaboutanimation.com
‘DREAMS’ team - Dreaming Big.
(click the image to see larger version)
“With an intriguing storyline, endearing lead characters, adventure, humour, music and fun, the feature-length animated film ‘Kutti Chetan and his Friends’ seems to have got what it takes to challenge the mythological heroes currently ruling the Indian animation scene.”
- from “Will Kutti Chetan and Friends dethrone our Screen Gods?” 18th Nov. 2007 (Read the complete post…)
In November last year, this is what we had to say about a promising new Indian animation studio DREAMS and the animated film - Kutti Chetan and his Friends that is being produced by them.
(click the image to see larger version)
The film is now at the production stage, with teams working in Manila (Philippines) and Shanghai (China). Going by their current estimate, it looks like they will be able to meet their December 2008 deadline.
