Indian
companies yet to tap the scope of animation on the world scene
(Posted on 4 April, 5:30 pm)
Speaking on "Marketing Indian Animation Abroad", Firdaus Kharas,
co-founder, UTV International, delved into what India needs to
look at to forge ahead in animation on the international arena.
The Indian presence at international trade fairs where there
is a potential for many business deals should be enhanced. "In
the past five years it was for the first time that some Indian
animation companies exhibited at the NATPE 2001 (National Association
of Television Programme Executives) held at Las Vegas in January
this year which is a good development," Kharas noted.
Speaking about the areas that the countries advanced in animation
are looking for, Kharas said the area with maximum potential was
2D animation. India should pitch for this segment if it wanted
to be noticed in the international animation scenario. Actual
animation production is done in 2D which normally required 15,000
to 18,000 drawing and when these put together contributes to a
22-24 minutes animation episode.
Looking at it from the costing perspective, a 22 to 24 minute
episode would put you back by $ 200,000 to $250,000 in the US
and Canada while in Europe it would be $250,000 to $300,000. A
similar project in an Asian country however, would work out to
$50,000 to $75,000.
In 2D animation, at the moment most of the pre production is
done in the west. India does not really figure in the picture
except for a few companies and is competing with countries like
China, Philippines and Korea.
The quality of work that comes out from Asia is often below
expectations. According to Kharas, the two crucial areas very
important for western productions were meeting deadlines and quality
of work.
Kharas urged Indian animation firms to participate in international
conventions, which is a platform to exhibit what the country has
to offer.
Dr V Chandrasekaran, chairman CEO Pentamedia Graphics Ltd,
saw a tremendous scope for animation with more television channels
opening up. Currently if there are four million hours of programming
potential for television alone and if even 10 per cent of these
hours are considered for animation programmes for children there
is a lot of scope, Chandrasekaran said.
Rajesh Shah, CMD, Rajtaru Videosonic LTD, cited the example
of the Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator, done mainly in India to
illustrate the work that companies in India were capable of. According
to Shah, the industry needed to plan better since many times due
to tight schedules, quality was compromised. "The difficulty that
we face is producers coming to us at the last minute and asking
the work to be completed in a week or fortnight's time," he lamented.
Sumati Shridharan, vice-president Pentamedia's presentation
of the future of animation in India with Pentamedia Graphics as
a case study had to be wound up abruptly since it came through
more as a promo for the company rather than providing any light
on the subject at hand, a delegate complained.
Session:Animation:India the New Hub
Moderator:DR V Chandrasekaran, Chairman & CEO,Pentamedia
Graphics
Speakers:
Firdaus Kharas, Cofounder, UTV International - Marketing
Indian Animation Abroad
Rajesh Shah, MUV Technologies LTD - 3D
Ketan Mehta, Managing Director, Maya Entertainment LTD
- Creating Animation Abroad
Sumati Shridharan, Vice-President, Pentamedia Graphics
- Future of Animation in India
Click below for more on FICCI-Frames 2001:
Key
issues covered in FICCI-Frames 2001
Address by Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Union
I & B Minister
Nearly 80 per cent of content on TV linked to films: Bachchan
Legal, Copyright & IPR in Entertainment industry
Entertainment & Media Research
Satellite TV: The future trend
Speeches
at the Inaugural address
Snapshots
- Frames 2001
Star
team conspicuously absent from proceedings
