With
astounding successes of Rango, Wall E, Cars, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Rio, Happy
Feet, Ice age and other recent animated feature films along with the slightly
older ones like Toy Story, Chicken Little, Aladdin, Tarzan, Beauty and the
Beast and Bugs Life among others, the international focus is slowly turning
towards the animation industry. Major players like Walt Disney, Pixar and
Warner Brothers still have a huge market stronghold but smaller studios are
slowly gaining popularity.
Although India's film
industry has
a long history, it is a relatively newcomer to the field of animation. A decade ago, there were hardly 10-15
animation related studios in the country but today, there are hundreds of them
purely dedicated to animation, graphics and special effects. This steep and
speedy growth can be attributed to huge demand for quality animators and
professionals in the field. This profession not only pays well but is also
lucrative due to its connection with the glamorous film industry. Animation in
India is currently riding on two key factors - a large base of highly skilled
labour, and low cost of production. While the industry is gaining prominence
steadily, several important factors such as the government's role in supporting
the animation industry, and producing original content locally. The industry is
growing at the rate of 30% and is estimated to reach US$ 1.5 billion by 2015.
Lots of international studios and production houses are outsourcing film-making
processes to India. Animation and graphics are used everywhere nowadays-
Movies, TV serials, advertisements, trailers, promos etc. The advertising
industry is also a major employer of trained professionals from this field.
Careers in the new media industry which include the
internet, websites, multimedia, games, digital entertainment etc are
non-monotonous and each day is different. Each day poses a new challenge. The
media industry, particularly off-late is best described as a field where
“Technology meets creativity” (As the institute I am doing the course at-
Animaster Academy, Bangalore, puts it) . Jobs are aplenty and courses and
specializations to choose from are vast. A student can either pursue an
undergraduate degree and start working or pursue higher studies to specialize
in a department. There is also freedom to study and work abroad or even enter
the Journalism field.
With such a huge scope and amazing opportunities
beckoning young, vibrant and energetic individuals, the animation and new media
industry is sure not to disappoint!
