How has the career landscape changed for Animators in the recent past

By Stephen Mascarenhas

Career in Animation

Some of our fondest childhood memories belong to those chilled out Sunday mornings and relaxed afternoons spent watching some of the most entertaining cartoons on TV. Whether it was a Tom & Jerry, Spider Man, He Man, Donald Duck or the famous Mickey Mouse show it didn’t really matter as each of them was as entertaining as the other. Besides watching these Ek aur Anek on Doordarshan was extremely entertaining for all of us until it came to the “Jungle Book” being telecast on DD National. These animated shows have always captured our imagination. Perhaps it’s the curiosity and enthusiasm that has led to so many dramatic changes in the animation industry, over the last 20 to 25 years.

It was the 90’s when Animation was very popular on TV and we also got a chance to see some of the International Animation movies that started coming through to the Indian Market. Films like Beauty & the Beast, Lion King, Aladdin, Toy Story, Pocahontas, Duck Tales, The Nightmare before Christmas and Anastasia are a few that come to the mind immediately.

While animation in India really took off in the early 90’s, a lot of animation companies came about working on a lot of Indian and International projects. Some of the big names in the animation business were DQ Entertainment, UTV Toons, Jadooworks, Reliance Big Animation, Crest, Toonz Animation to name a few .Then came the era of Indian content and one of India’s most famous movies Roadside Romeo, My Friend Ganesha, Hanuman, Tenali Raman & Chota Bheem changed the face of Indian animation films. ‘Arjun - The Warrior Prince’, released in 2012 in India & US, the film was vowed for its quality of animation, which not only gave a boost to the industry but also opened up new career opportunities in the industry. Some of the Hollywood production houses & studios initiated tie-ups with Indian production houses & studios. A Career in Animation and Multimedia had become the most sought after opportunity with the mushrooming of Training Academy’s that taught Animation at every other corner of the street.

The demand for animation has grown hugely because of the outsourcing model that has become so popular in India. Indian companies are being used by international film and TV production companies. In the earlier years a lot of 2D Animation was outsourced to India. The 2D had a little bit of 3D as well, however now there is a lot of 3D Animation Content being outsourced to India in a big way and the overall scenario has completely changed. This will further change with the internet accessibility and the penetration of mobile devices along with the growing popularity of streaming videos. Apart from this, there’s a growing demand for Animation and VFX content to increase immersive experiences such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. Smartphones have made animation, VFX & gaming platforms available to the masses. The Indian Media and Entertainment Industry is now one of the fastest growing segments in the global Media and Entertainment markets. More and more of the global animation, VFX and games are being produced and distributed globally. Tax incentives, regional dynamics have played a major role on making low labour costs and lower computing costs available, which have put immense pressure on companies to reduce costs and set up facilities in tax advantaged or low-cost regions. Consumers are consuming more immersive content across channels such as ultra-high-definition TVs, tablets, smartphones & head mounted devices. Consumers are spending more time on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. With the growing demand for streaming content and its reach, the Animation and VFX Industry are forecasted to grow exponentially over the next 5 to 7 years.

Animation & Multimedia Courses and Specializations in demand

The different forms of electronic media are without doubt the wave of the future. To cater to the need and requirement for sophisticated entertainment and educational tools, there’s a booming demand for talented and skilled 3D graphic artists and animators. Professionals are seen working remotely from home or as part of a team in a professional studio set up.

How to Become a 3D Animator

Multimedia & animation today is a very competitive field that requires strong foundational fundamental hands on skills on a 3D Graphics & Animation workflow, alongside a professional and presentable portfolio (ensure that your portfolio is your own) and a fair amount of experience via an internship or on the job training within the Industry. Individuals who are highly creative and possess strong design skills do well in this field.

Education

An entry-level position in 3D animation requires successful completion of at least a basic course that covers Pre-Production (Character Design, Concept & Storyboarding), Production (Asset Build, Layout & Animation – 3D Animation) and Post-Production (Lighting, Effects, Comp & Edit) for Animation. Students should look for a program that focuses on art and design during the learning process. One can also do a Degree program from a recognized university. Students working towards a bachelor’s degree may want to confirm that the following is included as part of the degree program:

•    History of Animation
•    Drawing
•    Scripting & Storytelling
•    Conceptualizing & Storyboarding
•    Character Development & Asset Building
•    2D and 3D Animation
•    Different types or formats of Animation
•    Some form of Industry Exposure as part of the Degree program

About the Author:

Stephen Mascarenhas

Stephen Mascarenhas is Sr. Vice President – Operations – Stereo Conversion, India Prime Focus World; Academy Director, Prime Focus Academy of Media & Entertainment Studies (PFAMES).

Stephen has been an integral part of the growth of the stereo conversion offering in India since its inception. Since his first project, delivering 1,700 shots for Clash of the Titans (2010), managing artists across Mumbai, Hyderabad and Goa, he has not looked back, delivering over 40 conversion projects in the past few years, including The Martian (Advanced Imaging Society winner), Ant-Man, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy (International 3D Society winner), Transformers: Age of Extinction, Star Wars: Episodes I-III and Gravity (International 3D Society winner).

Prior to his current role, Stephen was Head of VFX Production (Film) for Prime Focus in India, working on some of the biggest blockbusters in Bollywood, including Paa (2009), Blue (2009), and Chandni Chowk to China (2009), having already proven himself following stints as Executive Assistant to the CEO and latterly as Operations Manager.