Bangalore, A Hub for Animation
Were you spellbound by the visual effects of the recent 300: Rise of an Empire? Or, last year’s Superman extravaganza Man of Steel? A large amount of graphics was done by animators in Bangalore, a hub for the Audio, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector.
Now, animation trainers can improve their skills as the Association of Bangalore Animation Industry (ABAI) is all set to launch a Train the Trainers (TTT) program, funded and recognised by the State government under its AVGC 1.0 policy.
“One of the salient points of the policy was the upskilling of the trainers. Since the industry is relatively new, there is a paucity of skilled trainers. In addition, a large number of current trainers lack studio or pipeline experience which impacts the quality of training of students,” says Ankur Bhasin, secretary, ABAI.
AVGC education is slowly being formalised and entering the mainstream education, Bhasin observes. “With awareness spreading, animation is slowly being accepted as a mainstream education. It is essential that along with the education of students, there is apt education of the parents to ensure their mindset changes. It will also be helpful to introduce animation as an optional subject in schools where the creativity is at the peak and students get to express it,” he adds
TTT will be offered in two variations - Standard and Executive. Standard TTT is aimed at candidates interested to get into the training field (0-6months of experience) while Executive TTT is offered to the current faculties in the industry (more than one year of experience).
“Xentrix, Bhasinsoft, AIGA have already agreed to support the initiative by sending their subject matter experts to train the candidates. Other larger studios such as Technicolor and MPC have also shown a keen interest in the initiative. Various institutions from Canada and UK have also expressed their keenness to associate with TTT,” Bhasin said. According to ABAI, the Animation, VFX and Post Production market has grown from `35.3 billion in 2012 to `39.7 in 2013. It is expected to add over 40,000 jobs in 3-4 years.
“The growth opportunity in the industry is fast attracting the young talent to look at this industry as a career option. Typically, a fresher earns `10,000-`15,000 a month, which is comparable to other sectors such as IT. The AVGC industry, traditionally considered a part of the entertainment industry, is perceived as a high-risk industry. Hence, finance availability is a challenge. With the awareness seeping in, this is bound to change in the near future.”
For more information on the TTT program, visit www.abai.in
Animation in Bangalore
Bangalore is one of the largest hubs for AVGC sector in India. With international studios such as MPC, Technicolor, Dreamworks Dedicated Unit and large Indian studios such as Xentrix, a large amount of international work has been done in Bangalore. This includes The Monuments Men (2014), Into the Storm (2014), Skyfall (2012), John Carter (2012), Fast Five (2011), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and others. The city also has the oldest Indian gaming company - Dhruva Interactive - and many domestic and international gaming studios such as Zynga, Digital Chocolate and others.