Animation is a booming industry

The use of animation and VFX has been on raise in today’s films and they certainly have caught the minds of young and old alike. It has made our films more entertaining and engaging.

When it continues to be a hit, making it as a career is a good option.“Animation is easy if you have a creative mind, But like all other professions one has to work hard to understand and excel in it”, Says Mani Manchi, is an animator and among the animators who worked for Bahubali movie.

Krishna Mohan, another animator who worked on Chota Beem series says, “To excel in this field apart from animation and VFX, one should also understand film-making and storytelling as it is important to excel in industry”.

Careers in animation
Animation industry has a great career scope and Indian animation industry has a huge demand for skilled animators.
Many reputed studios like Disney, Sony Pictures and Turner Entertainment are known to outsource animation content to India.

Types of animators 3D modellers
3D modellers create computer models of a particular object from all angles, so that the viewers can understand the object better.
A 3D modeller is required in all sorts of industries including film and video production studios, game design companies, advertising and graphic design firms, software firms, medical animation, and product design firms.

Character animators
A character animator develops characters and appropriate body movements to tell a story, be it for films, television, mobile applications or video games.

Motion graphics artists
Motion graphics artists are responsible for the creative process at different stages.
They create animated 2D and 3D images to portray motion.

Texture artist
A texture artist's job is to create and apply texture, colour and three dimensional effects to animated characters, environment and props surrounding the character or the artwork.

Lighting artists
A lighting artist works with lighting department to create the correct light and shadow effects to make a scene realistic and flawless.

Rigging artists
A rigging artist needs precision and an eye for detail. They are responsible for adding bones and skins to an animated character.

Storyboard artists
Storyboard artists provide a visual representation of a sequence/film by drawing frame by frame sketches by hand or on a computer.

Compositing artists
A compositing artist is one of the most important players for the post production process, who gives finishing touches to the project.
Their job is to creatively combine all the elements received from various teams in to the final output.

Careers in VFX
VFX is also a booming industry and movies like Eega and Baahubali by director Rajamouli has opened the Telugu film industry doors for the VFX technicians.
That’s not it VFX artists are most needed in gaming industry.

Types of VFX artists Matchmoving artists
A matchmoving artist works on inserting computer generated graphics in live action footage and matches those movements in 3D. Their responsibility is to ensure that the animated objects, when inserted in the live action footage, look seamless and perfectly match the scene, so that viewers believe that character graphics elements are an actual part of the live footage.

Compositors
Compositors are responsible for the final animation or film project by combining layers of related material, which include rendered computer animation, special effects, graphics, 2D animation and live action.

Compositing artists may find work at film and video production studios, animation studios, gaming companies or advertising agencies.

Roto artists
Rotoscoping is the process of manually altering video or film footage one frame at a time.
Roto artists are responsible for tracing areas of live action frames where computer graphics will overlap or interact with live images.

Pre-vis artists
A pre-visualisation artist, more commonly known as a pre-vis artist, is responsible for visualising complex scenes before the actual shooting.

This can be done through images drawn by hand or by using digital technology.
Pre-visualisation helps a director to get a clear idea of a sequence and the final camera movements before the actual production starts.

Course fees
Depending upon the complexity and equipment required to pursue it, animation and VFX courses cost between Rs 7,000 to 11,000 (approximately) per month.

Remuneration offered
Starting from Rs 8,000 to 10,000 per month, salaries in the animation and VFX industry usually change based on the skills and capability of the student.

One can easily expect to command between Rs 25,000 and 30,000 per month within two to three years.

By:Vaishnavi Girish