Exclusive | Future of animation industry is digitization: MAAC's Ram Warrier

Remember your childhood days – like all children you too liked to watch cartoons and never missed your ‘Tom and Jerry’  show. Did you ever think of the mammoth effort behind the cartoon? That what then when hardly anyone had visualized it as an industry. The concept was laid back in the early days but not anymore. Today the animation industry as it is called is a big activity with diverse utility and information technology plays a big role. The industry has grown well in the last few years and is poised to gather momentum in the days to come.

Universities across the world offer graduate programmes in animation and it is seen upon as a respectable career option. As far as the country is concerned, it is an emerging hub for animation and special effects. It has a lot of hidden potential and talent but that needs to be properly groomed according to the international standards.

Avers Ram Warrier, Business Head, MAAC, “the Indian animation industry has tremendous potential, but it is still at a nascent stage and has a long way to go. As per the FICCI – KPMG report the estimated size of Indian animation industry is around $200 million (about Rs. 1100 crores) at present and it is growing at 30 per cent annually. With such rapid progress, we are optimistic about the industry reaching the $1 billion mark by 2014.”

Speaking exclusively to Adgully, Warrier shared his experience and knowledge about the industry.

On being asked as to how the industry is progressing, he replied, “Indian animation, gaming & VFX industry derives a majority of its revenue from outsourcing activities as international production houses outsource work to Indian studios. As far as animation is concerned, India is doing pretty well.”

When compared to the developed countries Ram observed that, “With movies like Life of Pi, Avataar and Delhi Safari being made, we are set for good times and a youthful era. I believe, we should make our youths productive. In the recent past, many Indian students have delivered a lot of good work on international projects. At present, India competes with Europe, China, Malaysia and Korea. Based on the outsourcing model, India is doing pretty well, but we need to focus on other areas too, create good properties in India and showcase them on the global stage. There a few constraints such as budget, lack of content, dearth of skilled talent, etc that India faces, but I believe, if the energies are directed in the right direction, we can overcome  shortcomings and do exponentially well in times to come.” Globally Malaysia, Singapore, USA, UK are few countries that have pool of talent and are doing well whereas, China is catching up big time, lately, he added.

According to him there is a significant demand for highly skilled and trained workforce that merges technical and artistic capabilities in the field of animation. He further said, “the industry has opened up a plethora of opportunities for skilful aspirants. One can work as a Character Designer, Compositor, Digital link and paint artist, Key frame animator, 3D Modeler, Layout Artist etc. Upon gaining knowledge, skill set and the required work experience, one can also work as an Art director, Animation Director, Creative Director, etc.

As animation is a genre which goes with digitization, we asked Warrier how digitization will enable industry’s growth, he thoughtfully said, “certainly social media has had profound impact on the industry. The future of animation industry is digitization, which is here to stay for long. It has helped the industry massively in terms of generation & sharing of content, ideas, which has helped spread awareness about the developments in animation, VFX and gaming.”

MAAC organizes competitions, seminars, workshops for students across centres throughout their course duration providing them opportunities to interact with the industry experts and keep them abreast of the latest developments in animation, VFX and gaming. Contests like Bollympics script writing, MAAC-artoon, etc help bring out the hidden potential of the students and develop team building skills.

On talking about MAAC’s work he said, “we have collaborated with the UNIC for past two years now, providing a platform to the aspirants to showcase their creativity based on the eight millennium development goals and participate in MAAC 24 FPS Awards, an international event that rewards the industry stalwarts for their outstanding contribution and also encourages & recognizes the best talent across the world. Such events help our students gain an edge over competition and boost their confidence.”

MAAC’s USP lies in their training infrastructure at their centres, unique properties such as National Students Meet, 24 FPS International Awards and our pedagogy.

About competition in the industry and MAAC’s edge over it, he replied, “apart from a couple of really strong national players, the competition is mainly regional. Our strength lies in pedagogy & industry connect which we use effectively in our placement endeavors.”

MAAC is planning to expand its center base to 100 by this year-end; it is making quick inroads into Tier II cities and also targeting Tier III cities selectively. The company is also planning to consolidate their presence in the High end 3D & VFX segment.

“We recorded a moderate growth last year. We have high expectations this year and are looking forward to additional revenues coming in from our newly opened centres in the country,” concluded, Ram

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