Ra.One-New Era in Animation, Graphics & Filmmaking.....

Just a few days back, Shah Rukh Khan's much awaited sci-fi flick, Ra.One, hit the box office with a bang. Attracting a lot of hullabaloo this movie aspired to redefine the role of special effects in Indian cinema. An ambitious project, Ra.One was made with an astonishing budget of 150 crores, making it the biggest ever in Indian history. Considering the fact that a large sum of the money was especially spent on the technical aspects and technology, the attempt to present it at par with international standards surfaced successfully. Nonetheless, if one tries glancing close, one would see an integration of lot many hands and minds behind making of this movie. From the horrifying appearance of the villain to the death defying stunts of the blue-eyed superhero, the team responsible for all the special effects and VFX in Ra.One worked seamlessly to make it all possible.

A synthesis of Human Efforts and Software Technology

Jeff Kleiser, the main supervisor behind all the VFX shots in the flick, worked in cooperation with Indian visual effects supervisors, Arjun Mehta and Snehil Pandey, on all the intricate aspects of 2D and 3D. With a mission to elevate the standards of film making, software's like MAYA, HOUDINI and Macs were incorporated in the movie to give away a complete 3D effect. For composites, the team relied upon NUKE and SHAKE, hence, making Ra.One a cut above the rest. In addition to this, a team of over 750 professionals was exclusively hired to work entirely on special effects and VFX in Ra.One. Professionals from all over the globe i.e. India, Bangkok, Canada, US and France added their bit to this flick.

Red Chilies VFX- an Indian company leading by example

Red Chilies VFX was the lead studio for this movie. A privately owned Indian company, Red Chilies VFX mainly handled all the post production activities and the arenas of special effects. It, in collaboration with various other international studios from Paris, London and Thailand, worked on this big project. The thing to note here is that this movie contained a total of around 3,500 VFX shots, out of which 800 shots were solely committed to G.One's suit, thereby making it exceed the total number of shots employed in ‘Avatar', decade's biggest sci-fi saga.
Moreover, in order to take care of special sound effects department, the Ra.One team had to specially fly down to los Angles to rope in Oscar wining Resul Pookuty for this project.

Breaking away from stereotypes

Till a few years back, special effects was an area alien to Indian surface. It was only with passage of time that it gained momentum and positive reception. Given that there a time when producers used to heavily hesitate in experimenting with technology, they used to stick to playing safe. Rather than embracing technology, they preferred shooting outdoors at beautiful locales and at mammoth sets. But with passage of time, aping the west, they realized the scope and potential of special effects.

Ra.One, a step towards excellence, was released with 3000 screens (2D) in domestic market and 500 screens in 3D. As a result, the use of advanced technology and VFX in Ra.One took Indian market by storm.

How to master the art of Animation and special effects?

Many animation schools in India have played an instrumental role in helping Animation strike big. Big names like Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) and Arena Animation Academy not only believe in training students in graphics design and VFX but also help them in gaining top line positions at reputed studios. Digital Academy is one such name that has been actively placing students in renowned companies.

Thus to conclude, it wouldn't be wrong to quote that a movie like Ra.One is a sneak-peak into a new era awaiting revolution in the sphere of graphics, special effects and animation.

Source: Priyanka Wali (Shiksha Team)