Since their inception in 1996-97, Arena Animation - Malleswaram & Rajajinagar have been at the forefront of the Animation & Multimedia revolution, imparting value based education to respond to the various needs of the ever demanding industry. It is among the few centres to have all their technical faculties being 'A' Graded certified trainers for all the skills in Animation and VFX. This year, the centres stepped into their 16th year of existence and service to the student community. B S Srinivas, Director of Arena Animation, Malleswaram and Rajajinagar, who was among the first to pioneer Animation Education in the country, speaks to Vyas Sivanand about their latest activities and their plans for the upcoming World Animation Day.
What are the latest activities that you have been associated with?
We were associated with the Delhi Safari, India's first stereoscopic 3D animation feature film. We are also working closely with the animation industry in order to prepare industry-ready animators after taking inputs from industry experts, which helps us to train students according to the industry requirement and also making them placement-ready by the end of their course. We have introduced VFX Pro, which is an exclusive course on visual effects. We have included advanced software in the curriculum which are of international standards. We are in fact the first in India to have launched these softwares.
With such high-tech animated movies coming up, what is your view on the future of animation in India?
The Industry is booming, it is estimated to grow to a whopping Rs.5400 Crores by the year 2014. It is definitely a very good and positive sign, which will have long term benefits, since growth for the industry means more job opportunities. Such big films are indeed giving a big boost to the animation industry and to institutions like us who equip the industry with skilled animators who enable quality, high-tech indigenous movies.
What are the main advantages that a student can have once exposed to courses and training modules adopted by you?
Our institutions believe in the all round development of its students, hence several value additions like Clay modeling sessions, Communication & Personality development classes, Team building skills, Mock interviews and many more are held regularly. Alumni interactions and seminars by industry experts are conducted for the benefits of our students.
The Institution's philosophy has been to develop qualities through not only classroom/lab teaching and learning but also equally importantly through participation in co-curricular activities
As part of the course, students are exposed to various areas of the specialisation in a professional atmosphere. Right from sound recording, videos, live action, exposure to various camera techniques, screen room, composition of visual effects shots, etc., are all gained by students in a completely professional and state-of-the-art setup. Students are also exposed to stop motion animation.
As a career, how strongly can one depend upon animation?
Animation has today transformed from an alternate career to mainstream career. This has resulted in many students showing interest and coming to us at a very early age. We get students who have completed their Xth standard showing interest and the advantage is that compared to others, they are industry-ready at a very young age itself.
What are the activities planned during the World Animation Day?
October 28th is the World Animation Day and to commemorate the occasion we have celebrations throughout the month. During the month we have been conducting a series of workshops, seminars, exhibitions and competitions for students. We also have a short film festival where students are encouraged to showcase their work to the general public as well as industry experts. We also have arranged for a special screening of the movie Delhi Safari, with which we are associated.
How strong is your placement mechanism?
We have a very strong track record when it comes to placement. Arena conducts regular Creative Minds events, thus ensuring that students get adequate exposure to the industry. Talks & discussions by industry experts are also organised from time-to-time. Job fairs & campus recruitment are conducted to help studios & companies find the best Arena students to fill their vacancies. All this helps students find appropriate jobs in the animation, multimedia & gaming industry while also helping save companies’ recruitment costs.