Feature | Youth animated: Are youth being encouraged to opt for animation...

Today the current generation of youth has literally grown up with cartoons and video games as their second family. Animation industry has seen a huge rise in the last couple of years. India as a country is taking this profession more seriously and slowly today we have more institutes to train and hone the skills of young people who are inclined to this profession. In a feature done recently on Animation we saw the origin and shaping up of the industry. However it is of concern to discover if enough young people are showing interest in an offbeat profession like animation.

Not enough is done by the government to encourage students in this field is the general thought process that exists largely.

One of the senior officials from a highly reputed animation institute, MacGuff studios said, "Though there is talent in India, the systems are not developed enough for students to be encouraged to take this up as a serious profession."

"Passion seems to be available in plenty, what is lacking is support and encouragement," he added further.

DSK Supinfocom, a highly reputed institute in this field and known to have produced some great skilled animators, had their students showcase some of their best work in an exhibition recently. The work seen was remarkable and promised a lot of potential. Speaking about the industry, Jerzy Kular, Head of Studies ' Animation, DSK Supinfocom said, "The industry is vast and diverse. Everything usually depends on what your interest are animation, design, texturing and so on. A good animator is somebody who observes things and understands why somebody would react in a particular way. An animator person must be as good as an actor or better. Animator should give his work expression and life like no other."

"In India there is very little public support and public awareness. And there very few leaders in this field in India, India versus rest of the world is different. There are enough aspirants entering this field. I don't believe any of us can get enough good training to make a little difference. We have had nine graduates this year," he then explained.

Animators need to be extremely creative and passionate and have patience in terms of work, according to some experts who spoke to Adgully.

Sachiko Kondo, Owner, pH studio Inc. said, "An animator requires all the qualities like perception, understanding, foresightedness, patience and determination, diligence and not having one or the other will not do. It is about hard work and passion."

Talking to some students, Adgully discovered that students are hopeful and very clear about their objectives in this industry.

Pratik Joglekar, a student of DSK Supinfocom said, "I would opt for animation as an animator in the small company where I can handle many departments and learn much more rather than a big company where everything is in restricted divisions."

Janmeet Singh, a graduate from DSK Supinfocom said, "It depends on the market how you approach it. If you step in and take control then you can make a difference. I intend to make a difference in every possible way."

As compared to five years ago, there are more students opting for this field. It is still in nascent stages, however the industry is moving at a fast rate.

There are immense opportunities in India with its growth rate escalating and as more brilliant work is seen in animated movies and games. However students need to be made more aware about the kind of opportunities that are available here so that they make good use of it.

Another progress seen in the field of animation is that today more individuals are being aware for good institutes to train students. India now boasts of many top institutes and courses all across the country. Some of them include Arena Animation Academy Specialist Program (AAASP), Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC), Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation (AIGA) and so on. The young animation enthusiasts are spoilt for choice today. However India still needs to make sure that the technology and infrastructure used are at par internationally. Many of these top animation institutes also make sure that the training provided is of global standards.

Some of the work seen in the industry today is equal to that of international standards and the testimony to that will be the number of movies like Jumbo, Bal Ganesh, Arjun ' The Warrior Prince and more recently Koochie Koochie Hota Hain and Alibaba Aur 41 Chor. Apart from movies, India also has a number of animated TV series produced like Little Krishna, Chhota Bheem and so on. The opportunities are vast and as a student, one must look at all the options and place one's skills in the right field in animation.

Along with the industry, if the government also showed some kind of support, the students needn't go abroad for their training and can have good work profiles in their home country itself. | By Janees Antoo [janees(at)adgully.com]