EVERYTHING

ABOUT
ANIMATION
We dedicate this career guide to The great Animation Film Maker
WALT DISNEY, who had made animation art popular and created
new employment opportunities in the field of Art of animation to
the world during world war 1 & 2.
 The Animation Tree

Puppet
Animation
Clay
Animation
3D
Animation

Special
Effects
2D
Animation

A perfect combination of
“Manual Drawing Skills” &
“Computer Software Application”
Will give you
Proper fruits of Animation
 Introduction of Subject
Producing an animation film is an intensively creative and artistic
process. Commonly known as 'Cartoon Film', an animation film has a universal
appeal spanning across a wide spectrum of age. Say cartoon film, and the picture
that spontaneously comes to mind is that of Walt Disney and the various
colourful characters associated with it. We are inexorably drawn into an almost
mystic world and the child in our persona identifies with the characters and
screen. In the field of animation, Walt Disney enjoys a special significance, they
being the pioneers.
Developments in animation on the global level have invariably been
reflected in India. The media explosion that started a few years ago has only
helped to put animation in the right perspective. Special effects in movies,
television advertisements, multimedia and of course cartoon films have brought
animation into force.
In the context it can be said that animation has a bright future in India. A
positive trend is discernible and animation production is bound to increase
manifold in the next few year. Since this art form is becoming increasingly
popular in countries like the US, China, Japan, Singapore, etc. India stands to
gain immensely in the form of valuable foreign exchange.
All this leads to an increasing demand for animation professionals who
will enjoy a number of benefits like lucrative salaries, opportunities for growth
and a bright future too !
Wishing you all the best!
 Future, Potential & Demand for Animators
The excited voice of the compare booms across the auditorium. 'And
now on the best achievement in the Animation category.... The nominees are....
and the Oscar goes to.... “Shrek”. Following this announcement, the two
persons who were characterized in the award-wining movie rise from their
seats in the auditorium and throw up a wild cry of jubilation. They hug each
other and then humbly accept the ovation given by an equally excited audience.
Thanks to the art and science of animation, a number of movies have had
the honor of being recognized at the highest altar of the global film-making
industry i.e. Hollywood. It is singularly because of animation that films like
'Shrek', 'The Beauty and the Beast', 'The Lion King' have made it to Hollywood
and have been awarded the highest honor in he world of cinema. In a way, this
represents the recognition animation has acquired in the world of popular
cinema. And recognition at the global level is of fundamental significance for
any art form to flourish and prosper.
Making an animation film is an intensively creative process. It is
positively team work in which the skills and experience of a number of people
coherently combine to produce the film. To put it succinctly, an animation film
is a work of art. In India, an animation film is known by the popular name
cartoon film. Which is extremely dear to the child audience ? Say cartoon film
and what comes to mind is Walt Disney and their hugely popular characters
that have acquired status; well, almost. There have been a score of companies
and production houses with arguably good work in making animation films.
But Walt Disney and Co. are the pioneers and are legend.
Once and art form acquires recognition on a global scale, then physical
and geographical boundaries and barriers simply melt away. Global
dimensions came into play and it doesn't remain the exclusive prerogative of
any particular nation / region. This is what has happened with animation ;
quality animation movies are being made and will be made in different
countries. The only prerequisite are technical infrastructure and a talent pool.
Not surprisingly, the Indian masses have taken to animation in a big way.
Animation is successfully being employed in commercial advertising, popular
Cinema, governmental propaganda and a number of other medial. The Appeal
and basic nature of animation make it an ideal vehicle for brand promotion and
information dissemination. A number of publicity campaigns in the print as
well as electronic media (TV) can be quoted to this effect; Amul Butter,
Handiplast, Glucose C, Bata, Maggi Noodles, Kellogs, Cadbury, Colgate and a
number of other television advertisement have employed animation in same
way or the other. Animation has also found its way - albeit successfully - into the
mythological and historical space. Ramayan, Mahabharat, Veer Hanuman, Shri
Krishna and may other epics and mythologies has also found other domains
where its application has been more than successful. The social-culture domain
in one such. For instance, organizations like UNICEF have use the technique of
animation to spread awareness about the significance of educating and
empowering women. These filmlets are being shown on Doordarshan.
All these development portend a phenomenal growth in the field of
animation in India. The audience response to animation films on the exclusively
animation channel 'Cartoon Network' and other TV Channels like Sony, Zee,
Star, Doordarshan, Sahara, etc. is a significant pointer in this direction. Apart
from domestic application, these animation products (Film lets, Slides, Films
etc..) can be successfully exported, given the voracious demand for them in
countries like America, China, Australia, Canada, etc. In other words animation
could be a foreign exchange earner.
Animation has thrown up a vast canvas of opportunities with very
lucrative connotations. Artists, Professionals, entrepreneurs. Media Persons-all
these people have a very exciting and promising career in the form of animation.
All that is needed is same basic skills, ingenuity, creativity and the urge to
experiment. It would be an understatement to say that India is poised for an
animation revolution.
What is Animation ?
Animation is derived from the phrase “to animate”. To animate means to
'breath life' into a given entity. So in this way, animation can be said to be the art
of breathing life into an otherwise inanimate entity by using physical and
biological contexts in a logical fashion. Of course, this is a tersely technical
definition. Suffice it to say that animation is an art of rendering life into entities
or art of capturing motion.

Types of Animation
1) 2D Animation
2) 3D Animation
3) Puppet Animation
4) Clay Animation
5) Special Effect Animation etc.
 There are many other types of animation, but from the practical
viewpoint in the Indian context, the above five types are significant.
Animation, as pointed our earlier, is extensively employed by a score of
establishments like animation studios, dotcom companies, advertising firms,
multimedia concerns, publication houses, etc. However, advertisement firms
and film production labs lead the way in all aspects - the amount of animation,
the level of complexity and the degree of technical wizardry.
In the last decade or so, thanks to the media explosion, entertainment has
taken on a whole new meaning. The scope is getting wider all the time and the
opportunities simply mind-blowing. Interaction and customization are the new
buzz words. Two decades ago, cinema and theater were the only avenues of
popular entertainment for the masses. But today entertainment is a different ball
game altogether. With the advent of computer games, video games. CD ROM
simulation games, a whole new realm of interaction - based, personalized
entertainment has opened up, of which animation is an integral part. Be it the
site of a blockbuster film or a chart buster album. Click to buttons. A menu
screen or a screen saver. The quantum of animation being employed is
comprehensive. E-learning too is proving to be a viable teaching methodology
in which the use of animation makes the interaction with the end-user more
livelier and the imparting of education fun-filled. Even subjects like
mathematics, which are dreaded by most, can be made easier to comprehend,
assimilate and remember, thanks to animation techniques.
Animation is made possible by animators. An animator is basically an
artist who thinks creatively, possesses ingenuity and has a bit unconventional
approach to things. Such a person. When trained in the use of the latest software
and packagers becomes an animator. Artistic skills, diligence, the passion to
learn and innovate and lots of patience are same of the prerequisites for a person
to be an animator
There are many other types of animation, but from the practical
viewpoint in the Indian context, the above five types are significant.
Animation, as pointed our earlier, is extensively employed by a score of
establishments like animation studios, dotcom companies, advertising firms,
multimedia concerns, publication houses, etc. However, advertisement firms
and film production labs lead the way in all aspects - the amount of animation,
the level of complexity and the degree of technical wizardry.
In the last decade or so, thanks to the media explosion, entertainment has
taken on a whole new meaning. The scope is getting wider all the time and the
opportunities simply mind-blowing. Interaction and customization are the new
buzz words. Two decades ago, cinema and theater were the only avenues of
 popular entertainment for the masses. But today entertainment is a
different ball game altogether. With the advent of computer games, video
games. CD ROM simulation games, a whole new realm of interaction - based,
personalized entertainment has opened up, of which animation is an integral
part. Be it the site of a blockbuster film or a chart buster album. Click to buttons.
A menu screen or a screen saver. The quantum of animation being employed is
comprehensive. E-learning too is proving to be a viable teaching methodology
in which the use of animation makes the interaction with the end-user more
livelier and the imparting of education fun-filled. Even subjects like
mathematics, which are dreaded by most, can be made easier to comprehend,
assimilate and remember, thanks to animation techniques.
Animation is made possible by animators. An animator is basically an
artist who thinks creatively, possesses ingenuity and has a bit unconventional
approach to things. Such a person. When trained in the use of the latest software
and packagers becomes an animator. Artistic skills, diligence, the passion to
learn and innovate and lots of patience are same of the prerequisites for a person
to be an animator
Animation - Facts and Misgivings
A lot of people harbor a lot of misgivings about animation. There are a
number of reasons for this, one of the prominent being stilted propaganda by
vested interests for purely commercial gain. It does not bode well with a person
interested in making a career in animation to fall prey to such misinformation. It
can only do harm and result in late recriminations and a sense of betrayal. Hence
it is imperative that such misgivings are laid to rest at the outset.
Perhaps the first and foremost misgiving is that all animation is done on
computers. Many youngsters and their parents are of the view that one can
become a hot - shot animator just by mastering computer basics and the requisite
software. Many people are also of the view-wrongly, through - that only
computer animation has demand in the market place. All this is far form true.
One cannot be an animator over nightly by learning computers and software. It
is a long drawn-out process which require patience, elegance and the ability to
concentrate and be for used for long periods of lime. Computers and software do
not came into the picture up-front. A lot of labor - intensive tasks are to be dealt
with, such as script, theme development, characters, location design, layout
planning, key framing, exposure sheet, property design, story board,
background painting etc. Without first working on these aspects you just cannot
use the computer. The computer though vital in the scheme of things, is helpful
in line testing error detection and recovery and final output. The most important
application of the computer is complimentary in nature it is used to lend
technical support and integrate the various sub-process into a coherent and
logical thing. Shortly put the computer is used to give it all a slick. Professional
touch. Hence the human element is very important in producing animation
films. Apart from aforementioned skills, an animator also needs to be a keen
observer, a sharp analyst and fast sketcher. A person who does an outstanding
amount of sketching can hope to be a good animator quickly. And yes, there is
more to sketching than one would care to think. It requires envisioning a set of
complex tasks and actions in and space environment. These involve aspects like
body, language, action and reactions, costumes, facial expressions etc. In order
to make an animation film involving a score of characters in differing
geophysical domains a lot of effort, ingenuity, coordination and team work is
needed. The director plays a very crucial and supportive role in such an
endeavor.
Another common misgiving about animation is that animation films are
comedy makers or ought to be them. This is a very narrow overview of
animation. Of course, comedy or farce has a prominent place in the animation
scheme of things. But it would be doing grave injustice to equate animation with
comedy. For instance, cine-goers will vividly recall the scheme in the animation
film Lion King in which the character 'Simba' snuggles up to his father's corpse
when there is nobody about when his father killed.... Many in the cinema hall
have been seen wiping tears after this scene. Surely there is much more to
animation than comedy ?
Thanks to computers and software animation now is much fast,
technically superior and easy on the part of the animator. In the good old days,
when computer were not in the picture, the animator had a tough job cut out for
him. To start with, each caricature would have to be traced on a celluloid cell and
then paint on it from the backside. Shooting it by holding it below the camera
would come later. Then the film would be developed and its rushes observed.
Quite understandably. The animator would be bound by some constraints and
his creativity would not be realized to the fullest extent. But the advent of
computers and special software suites and packages has made the animator's
life much more simpler. operations like cut, paste, replace, fill colour, redraw
etc. can be accomplished with the click of a mouse. Painting is now done directly
on the computer. With all these modern tolls and techniques the animator can
watch a demo of his work including colour, music and camera movement within
a span of a few hours after commencing the project, Studios are getting more
modern and zany by the day. Since there is standardization in use of software.
Activities can be dispersed over a global level in terms of physical location. And
it is precisely this aspect which is beneficial from the Indian viewpoint. Indian
animators now get to work on world-class projects using the latest technology
and resources. They also get to interact and share ideas with international
experts in their field. And foreign exchange is steadily flowing in. These are
some of the advantages and benefits of employing computer system in
animation.
Futuristic
The future of animation is certainly bright. Since animation commands a
central position in advertising, Cinema, the Internet and a score of other media.
There is never going to be a dearth of quality work in this sector. In fact, the
demand for skilled professional is much more than their availability : presently
there are about three thousand trained animators while the required strength is
about ten thousand. Also, there is tremendous scope to implement inherently
Indian concepts and ideas in this field instead of blindly imitating western
notions. This will provide additional avenues for revenue, in the form of
invaluable foreign exchange, short of trained, skilled personal is perhaps the
biggest hurdle being faced by the animation sector. This problem should be
addressed forthwith and emphasis should be given to producing better works of
art in animation.
Facts and Figures
According to surveys and studies conducted by various consultant firms,
the Indian animation industry witnesses an average annual turnover of Rs. 2.000
crore. As per the projections available, this figure will double in the next two
years, i.e. up to 2005. In the international market a 22-minutes episode costs
around 1,50,000 US dollars which this figure is less than half in case of the Indian
market. China, Japan, Korea, the Phillippines are our principal competitors of
course. India has the edge : it has a rich talent pool. Ample training facilities and
excellence in the field of software etc.. because of which the international players
are keenly eyeing the Indian scenario. All that is needed is to tap the potential
and grab the opportunities. Animation and digital artists sure have a bright
future cut out for them. As per a conservative estimate about 10,000
professionals will be needed in the field of animation in the next five years. In a
nation where about 800-900 feature films are made every year, analysts and
industry watches believe animation films sure have a bright future.
The following table shows the monthly remuneration drawn by
animators at different levels of professional responsibility :-

Sr. Post Monthly Remuneration

01 Entry Level Animator 4,000 to 6,000

02 Assistant Animator 10,000 to 12,000
03 Senior Animator 20,000 to 25,000
04 Animation Director 50,000 to 70,000
05 Entry Level Digital Artist 4,000 to 5,000
 06 Senior Digital Artist 8,000 to 10,000
07 Project Co-ordinator 15,000 to 20,000
08 Designers 25,000 to 30,000
09 Layout Artist 10,000 to 15,000
10 Background Artist 10,000 to 15,000
11 Art Director 20,000 to 25,000
12 Project Manager 25,000 to 30,000
13 Project Head 30,000 to 40,000

Note : These figures indicate the average situation. Actual figures may
very depending on factors like the reputation of the studio experience and skill
of the artist. Etc.

Prerequisites of a Good Animator

An animator is basically an artist. The quality of animation eventually
depends on the ingenuity, skills and experience of the animator. Since animation
is a skillful combination of creativity, dexterity and sheer hard work, an
animator needs to be a human person. He/She should be a good communicator,
have an inclination for good literature music and the arts in general. The person
should also cultivate good habits like observing discipline, punctuality and have
an excellent presence of mind. The individual should also respect moral values
and observe professional ethics. A passion to experiment and innovate is
another prerequisite. The person has to be open and receptive skills should also
be tuned fine. Last but certainly not the least, the person should be able to work
comfortably in a team and meet stiff deadlines.
Animators and digital artists can work on free-lance basis. Many
multimedia firms, production houses and advertisement agencies hire free-
lance professionals. Flash animators and Toon Boom Studio animators are in
demand these days who can create animation shows for internet application,
CD ROM development and also for broadcast animation. Here too, the prospects
are excellent.
 List of International Animation Schools
1)www.sheridanc.on.ca
2)www.multimedia.edu
3)www.sva.edu
4)www.academyart.edu
5)www.calarts.edu

Best Websites on Animation

1) www.awn.com
2) www.tasi.org
3) www.disney.com
4) www.pixar.com
5) www.cartoonnetwork.com
6) www.cartoonsupplies.com
7) www.cambridgeanimation.com
8) www.3dcafe.com
9) www.3dlinks.com
10) www.3dark.com
11) www.viewpoint.com
12) www.discreet.com
13) www.aliaswavefront.com
14) www.softimage.com
15) www.thumbnailanimatiostudios.com
16) www.indiantelevision.com
17) www.animationexpress.com
18) www.rahulcom.com
 LIST OF INDIAN ANIMATION STUDIOS
MUMBAI
1) Creast Communication
2) Animagic Animation Studio
3) 2NZ Animation Company
4) UTV Toons
5) AG Technologies
6) AMM Studio
7) Graphiti Multimedia
8) Livoza Toons
9) Cosars Catoons
10) Toonistan D.A.P.
11) Dreamteam
12) Prime Focus Ltd.
13) Rythme & Hues
14) Paradox Studios
15) Ettamina Studios
16) Animation Dimensions
17) Black Byte Multimedia
18) Illusion Interactive
PUNE
1) Digikore Studios
2) Thumbnail Animation Studios
3) Todkar Infotech
4) Sysoft Technologies
5) Fantasia Studios
6) Graycell Entertainment
7) Wiznet
8) Cilik Animation India Pvt.Ltd.
HYDERABAD
1) Detaquest Entertainment
2) Padmalaya Animation Studio
3) Heart Animation Academy
4) Shrivan Multitech
5) Oceanpark Multitech
6) Fireply Entertainment
7) Studio 8
8)Nipuna Services Ltd.
TRIVENDRAM
1) Toonz Animation India
BANGLORE
1) Paprikaas Animation Studio’s
2) Visual Computing Labs
3)Anirights Animation Studios
4) Heart Animation Academy
5) Shrivan Multitech
KOCHIN
1) Benz Infotech
2) Catoons Entertainment
BANGLORE
1) Jadooworks Limited
2) MUV Production
3) Acropetal
4) Animation India
5) Bionic Informatics Pvt. Ltd.
6) Papricas Animation Studio
7) Internal Illusion Graphics
DELHI
1) Escosoft Technologies
2) Base 77
3) Game EDU
4) Leoart Communication
CALCUTTA
1) Netguru Incorporated
2) Reflection Multimedia
3) The Academy Of Animation Arts &
Technology

AHMEDABAD
1) Animedia
2) Art Effects

CHENNAI
1) Classicon Solutions
2) Effects & Toons
3) Titaly Design Studios
4) EFX ( a division of Prasad Group)
5) Redoctane Technologies Pvt Ltd
6) Land Marvel Animation Studios

RAJKOT
1) Crackerworks Media

JAMSHEDPUR
1) Toonbox Animations
3) The Academy Of Animation Arts &
Technology