For Creative Minds, students are required to design an advertisement to promote an original brand, either for print or in a multimedia format - Interactive CD Rom Presentation, Animation or Web design. The students have to do their R & D, select their target audience and come up with an original creative concept. Awards will be given to the best three entries in each of the two categories.

The Placement Expo has a seminar and aptitude test be conducted by Rhythm & Hues Studio, India. Besides this, top e-learning companies, Television channels and other reputed studios and companies involved in Web Animation, 3D walkthroughs as well as Medical Animation would be participating in this expo. Students will be allowed to interact with HR-personnel of these companies and present their resumes and show reel. Selected candidates would be offered placement on the spot.

It would be nice to have “placement expos” on a pan-Indian basis and open to all students. CGTExpo by CGTantra was a step in that direction but a little limited in what it had to offer. There were more institutes at the expo than studios, the focus being more on education than careers. Hopefully, next year they will take care of that as well.

The Session dates are 4th July, 11th July and 18th July 2008. Each Session is been scheduled to be held at 12.00 noon at the Graphiti School of Animation.

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 successful career?
- What are the Job opportunities in Animation?
- Can anyone animate or is it limited to only a particular group of people?
- Where and how should I learn Animation?

Registrations details for the workshop are given below :

Pre - register for the workshop and book your time slot, call Graphiti on 022 24440107 or 022 32448544 or sms at 09833841580. You can also visit www.graphiti.net

The address of the workshop is
Graphiti School of Animation
404, Udyog Mandir No 2
Mogul Lane, Mahim West,
Mumbai 400016
Phone No: 32448544 / 24440107
training@graphiti.net
www.graphiti.net

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.

The event began on the right note by starting on time, which is a rarity these days. (God forbid you reach an event before time, you will be left cooling your heels for 2 hours before there is any sign of life! Thankfully, here it was not the case.)

RK Chand from CGTantra and Jigar Parekh from Nine - Making it Possible performed a small ‘pooja’ to begin with.

The show was inaugurated by volunteers, two girls who had come all the way from Jharkhand to be part of the expo. It was a genuinely nice gesture on the part of the organizers to show their appreciation towards the community that has actually contributed towards the success CGTantra.

The crowd began arriving early on Saturday morning. In the foreground is Laura Dohrmann from NVIDIA. Also seen in the middle of the crowd is Nigel Sumner, scene supervisor for ILM who has worked on films like Transformers, Terminator 3, Space Cowboys, Jurassic Park III, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Van Helsing, The Hulk, The Perfect Storm, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, War of the Worlds, Poseidon and Eragon.

The 2 day event organised by CGTantra with the help of Nine, went off smoothly right from the word GO. Apart from volunteers from Mumbai, there were students from all over India who had come just for the event, not only to participate but to help and to volunteer.

The opening speeches!

Student competitions in progress throughout the 2 days of the event.

Bang in the center of the hall was the Frameboxx pavilion which was also probably the liveliest and noisiest stall in the entire expo! Their yellow and black branding was everywhere as the team gave demos to curious visitors and prospective Frameboxx students alike. Large banners announced forthcoming projects including a Character Design contest that begins on the 28th of May.

Also present were Hardware vendors like NVIDIA, Apple distributors and resellers like Unicorn and Ample, Institutes from across India, Studios like Paprikaas, BIG Animation and Lucas Film Singapore who had come looking to hire new talent, Animation-related media companies like Animation Xpress, Animation Reporter, Animation Today and of course yours truly representing AAA, Zapak Games play-zone for gaming enthusiasts, Master Classes, student competitions, everything under one roof. TASI - The Animation Society of India also made its presence felt at the expo, announcing this year’s edition of the 3 day animation fest - Anifest India 2008! It was a place to learn, earn, network, have fun, share, make noise and lose your voice with all the talking!

Some more fun stuff!

Education Pavilion

Studios looking to hire fresh as well as experienced talent.

A huge Gaming Plaza by Zapak - every gamers dream…

Keep playing!

Kreeda Games’ Dance Mela and M M Mukhi & Sons’ Book and CD/DVD stall.

…and that’s Yours Truly at the AllAboutAnimation stall. A BIG THANK YOU to all the visitors and the readers who came specially and told me how much they like the website/blog. Feels great to know that one’s hard work is appreciated.

I sincerely hope that CGTantra keeps organizing more such fests in other cities as well. Kudos to their team!

Last evening I attended a Book Signing by Lord Jeffrey Archer at the Landmark Book Store in Andheri, Mumbai. It was one of the most beautiful and inspiring evenings of my life and I will soon blog about the experience and why I have chosen to include him, a story-teller par excellence, in this Animation related blog.

Today and tomorrow (21st and 22nd May) is the IAI - Industry Academia Interface organized by Animation Xpress. I went for the session today and was stunned by the abysmally low turnout. Either people weren’t informed or they weren’t interested Either way, it doesn’t bode well for the future of Animation, Gaming and VFX of India. There were more speakers than audience, though the line up of topics was very good. Sad!

This weekend - 24th and 25th May - is the CGTExpo 2008, CGTantra’s brand new attempt at reaching out to more people. All About Animation will be there with a stall so anyone who wants to meet me can drop by and find out more about AAA.

See you at CGTExpo!!!

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.

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.

The course content for the two academies is also going to change from May.

Krishnan said: “With animation and computer training institutes mushrooming everywhere, we are focussing on how our students can get faster and better jobs. We will introduce some new modules and methodologies.”

…focus on faster and better jobs? How about focusing on creating better animators? How about exposing our budding animators to world class global animation? How about giving them more well-rounded training in every aspect of the animation business? Getting the job is NOT the be all and end all of it. How about being prepared for and performing well on the job?

“We have introduced a specialised demo reel making module in the syllabus this year. Earlier, the demo reel was just a part of the curriculum. Now this demo reel will act as the portfolio of a student.”

The Demo Reel seems to be the Holy Grail of all aspiring animators. You get that right and a glorious job will fall into your lap, is what most animation students are led to believe. Sadly, it isn’t enough. Yes, a demo reel will get your foot in the door but then what?

Our Animation education system only seems to be churning out robots. We are mass producing tool-wielding technicians, not creative artists who are masters of their tools. Where are the visionaries? Where are the wildly creative artists who will push the envelope and breach boundaries to come up with original ideas and imaginative visual styles?

All companies need to grow and expand, so it isn’t surprising that our training institutes are also branching out globally. But when our own system is so sorely lacking, are we equipped to go teach the world?

This week’s special-

The Online Animation School - AnimationMentor.com is giving away a free e-book called “Animation Tips & Tricks” by Shawn Kelly. All you need to do is sign up. The book is the first collection of all the tips and tricks that appear in the Animation Mentor monthly newsletter. Judging by their high standard of teaching and the calibre of the ‘mentors’, the book should be informative and extremely useful for all animation students.

Written in a witty, tongue-in-cheek manner, the book covers a wide range of topics including ’spotlighting expressions’, ‘contrast in pose and timing’ and ‘transitioning your style’. Learn what ‘randomblinkitis’ is. ‘Rise above the snobbery’, ‘impress the recruiters’ and ‘recharge your animation batteries’. If all this has piqued your curiosity, head over to their download page and sign up.

Shawn Kelly is one of the co-founders of AnimationMentor.com. He is also the winner of the 2008 VES award for The Best Single Visual Effect of the Year for his work on Tranformers and he continues to work full-time at Industrial Light & Magic as an animator.

TASI is conducting a very interesting workshop on MUSIC FOR ANIMATION at the IDC Auditorium, IDC, IIT Powai (2 pm onwards). Even if you have not pre-registered, you can come to the venue at 1:30 pm and register yourself. The workshop, conducted by Tapas Relia, is a one-of-its-kind one for animation. Most workshops are focussed on CG and allied topics. Sound and music are extremely crucial to any film, let alone an animated one. It influences the mood of the film. In animation, it even guides the audiences. There is a lot to study and understand about this often ignored aspect of animation. Music composition for animation is an upcoming field and a viable career option for the musically inclined.

DO NOT MISS!!! Just show up at the IDC Auditorium at 1:30 pm today (Saturday, 23rd Feb.) and get yourself registered for a wonderful learning experience!

For info call Ritesh on 9869403527 or Akshata on 9820423908

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The other event is ANI-ART ‘08, the exhibition of animation work by students of MIDDS - Meteor Institute of Digital Design Studies in Andheri, Mumbai.

Date: 23rd Feb.
Time: 11 am onwards
Venue: MIDDS, C-101, Brook Hill Tower,
3rd Cross Lane, Lokhandwala,
Andheri (West), Mumbai - 400053
Telephone: 26315206 /07

www.midds.org

Panel Comix launches Happy Days and Little Pandavas Comic.
Hyderabad, 12th Feb. 2008

Panel Animation Studios Pvt. Ltd. launches its comics division Panel Comix, with “Happy Days”, India’s first film based comic and “Little Pandavas - The Beginning”, based on the 90 minutes fully-animated feature film, as its first offerings to the public.

IG Fun & INDIAGAMES to bring the award winning ‘BioShock’ to mobile.
Barcelona, Spain, Mobile World Congress, 12th Feb. 2008

IG Fun LLC, the international publishing arm of Indiagames Ltd, India’s benchmark online and mobile games company; today announced it will bring BioShock, one of the most awarded PC & Console games in the history of gaming, on the mobile platform. IG Fun secured the global rights to develop and publish BioShock for the mobile platform from 2K Games.

DQ Entertainment Limited & Percept Picture Company enter a three animation film co-production MoU.
Chennai, 11th Feb. 2008

Recognizing the potential and acute need for high end animated Indian films in Indian animation industry, DQ Entertainment (DQE) and Percept Picture Company (PPC) proudly announced their 3 animation co-production memorandum of understanding signed recently. The films are slated for 2009-2010 release and will be in the genres - Mythology, Super Hero, Bollywoodish and Animal Kingdom.

Graphiti Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. Launches Recruitment Drive.
Mumbai, 8th Feb. 2008

Graphiti Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. is an original animation content creator. With a vision of becoming a global leader in content creation. Graphiti is expanding it people base in all technical and creative departments. Graphiti is looking for professionals who have the passion to create original ideas and develop them into final animation properties.

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) and Prime Focus form Strategic Alliance.
Mumbai, 5th Feb. 2008

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging and Prime Focus have entered into a strategic alliance that will allow both companies to expand their abilities to offer their state of the art digital post production capabilities to filmmakers on a global scale. The agreement will provide filmmakers around the world with access to the expert talents and services both companies have been providing through their state of the art facilities. It also allows both companies to manage their workflows more efficiently between Warner Bros. MPI in Burbank, and Prime Focus’s facilities throughout multiple locations in India and London as well as in New York, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Los Angeles.