How Animation Become Effective In Indian Television

In our today’s blog we will be discussing about the impact of animation in television in India.

Animation has a huge impact on the Indian television series.

Now, Animation is ruling over every field, whether it is sports, fashion, media, business etc.

People now use Animation as they think that it is a very good way of communicating and sharing knowledge with the general public.

Nowadays, each and every channel and every show that we see today have a bit of Animation used in it.

Animation surely makes the audience more curious to watch the Idiot box because it more attractive.

With the introduction of Animation in Indian television, the people now have easy access to cartoon characters.

Previously, it was only movies where the Animated cartoon characters were seen.

Now, people can just sit in their houses and enjoy the animated short T.V. series.

It also saves their time and money as entertainment is available at their door step.

With Animation being so prominent in television now a day it also brings up a lot of job opportunities for the young aspiring Animators.

Several T.V. productions are now keen to use Animation as a major part of their shows. In the last, 2 to 3 years there has been a huge growth in the usage of Animation where daily soaps are concerned.

Shows like Naagin, Mahabharata use a lot of animated characters rather than using real life figures.

These shows are very much loved and appreciated by people as well.

Due to the immense growth and success of Animation in television, the audience watching television has also grown very much.

There are channels taking initiatives to bring up more animated series to a wider field of audience.

There are people trying to create content that fits into animation and is relatable to every class of people in general.

One such example of such a show is Choti Anandi.

Although it didn’t receive that much attention that it should have received but it was something new as it was telecast by one of the leading channels in India, Colors.

No other daily soap leading channel has telecast an animated series like this.

Nowadays people are trying to bring back the old days of Indian television through animations and one of the examples of such a try is Shaktimaan: The Animated series. Shaktimaan was the first ever Indian superhero.

Some years back, people brought up the memories of Shaktimaan by creating an animated series with a Cartoon Shaktimaan.

People really appreciated the initiative.

Motu Patlu, the cartoon series is also adapted from the comic strip Lot Pot which used to be very popular among the 70’s and 80’s kids.

There was a time when mostly the foreign animated characters ruled over the Indian T.V. boxes. Kids mostly preferred watching Doraemon, Spiderman, and Power Rangers etc. on television.

Animation in India came to be known very late as people were satisfied with the foreign cartoon characters. The International cartoon shows were dubbed in different regional languages in India.

Television is something, very prominent in every house and almost every kid watches television in today’s world. As Indian children were watching foreign cartoons, they were not getting any knowledge about the Indian culture.

So, it was very important to build an animated series based on Indians and which showcases the day to day lives of a regular Indian.

EK ANEK AUR EKTA, the first animated video to be made be in India and by an Indian. This was the very first Indian Animation production which was hardly seven minutes long which made in the year 1974. It was telecast by India’s oldest T.V. channel, DOORDARSHAN.

The film is the sister’s reply, using a metaphorical story of how a group of birds escape a bird catcher by uniting to recruit their friends, a group of mice.

The channel also telecast India’s first animated series, GHAYAB AYA, in 1990. The story revolved around the adventures of Ghayab the friendly always does- gooder ‘Casper type’ naughty ghost.

Ghayab Aya was directed by Ashok Talwar and Animated by Suddhasattwa Basu.

After Doordarshan, there were many channels that came up with cartoon series.

Cartoon Network was the most famous on e of them. There were channels like POGO, Nickelodeon, and Hungama etc.

These channels are broadcasting several famous Animated series which depicts Indian people.

Some of the Television Animated series which became very popular in India are:

CHHOTA BHEEM airs on POGO

CHOR POLICE airs on Disney XD

MIGHTY RAJU airs on POGO

MOTU PATLU airs on Nickelodeon.

There are many more such cartoon characters which are impact to our kids at home.

Animation series are a really good way of teaching kids our cultural values and learning. Animation also plays a vital role in mythology.

People generally don’t know much about Indian mythology because they find it boring.

So, when mythologies like Ramayana and Mahabharata is shown in an Animated form, it not only attract the kids but also educate the adults about their past.

Nowadays, there are many obligations on the content shown in cartoon channels as they are mostly viewed by the kids of a certain age. Kids have soft minds and are very keen at observing.

Therefore, the Animators as well as the channels broadcasting Animation series should keep in mind the acceptance power and sensitivity of small kids.

Not only cartoon channels but sports and news channels also rely on Animation a lot.

News Channels like Aaj Tak uses a lot of animated characters depicting the current political scenario of the country.

Some of the characters even look like our famous political leaders!

When things are shown in an animated form it generally don’t hurt the people, especially if the topic is related to politics or religion.

So, now these channels hire Animators a lot. As now there is more competition among the channels as well so, they need their content to be visually appealing.

To conclude, I believe that Indian Animation is everywhere and it doesn’t need any more support from outside.

There is a proportionate number of people who was television only for the Animation and visual effects it contains.

The Animation & Vfx industry is at its peak and now the Animators need more training and hard work to compete in such a vast market. So, there is no other place but MAAC KOLKATA for such efficient training.

DIGITAL SCULPTING: BRINGING CREATURES TO LIFE

Hundreds and thousands of years ago, three dimensional art existed in the form of sculpture.  In our today’s blog we will discuss the evolution of sculpting and with time how it changes into digital sculpting.

In its earliest stages, sculpture took the form of relief carvings on walls and rudimentary carvings.

Eventually, over the centuries, the form developed from wall carvings to structures such as the Moai on Easter Island, to realistic masterpieces like David by Bernini and Moses by Michelangelo.

A wide range of materials, such as stone, wood, clay and ceramics, and metal, are used, as well as a range of techniques.

Today, sculpture as an art form has evolved from its physical iteration to gain a place in the virtual world of computers.

Like the Renaissance in Europe in the fifteenth century, there has been a modern renaissance of sorts with the advent of digital sculpting.

Digital sculpting is also known as 3D sculpting or sculpts modelling.

It involves the use of software in order to create highly detailed models in a manner similar to that offered by the use of traditional sculpting tools like brushes and shapers.

There is a range of software available, and the most common names are Autodesk Mudbox, Pixologic Z-Brush, and MAXON Cinema 4D.

Z-Brush in particular has proven to be a revolutionary contribution to digital sculpting.

The majority of digital sculpting software uses a mesh-based geometry: objects are made up of an interconnected surface mesh that can be manipulated in various ways (push, pull, pinch, slice etc.)

In a manner similar to traditional sculpting.

The geometry mesh can be sculpted at different levels of detail by adding proxy polygons.

However the limitation lies in the geometry design as well: This software is bound by the number of polygons and the layout of the polygons that make up the mesh.

In contrast to mesh based sculpting software are voxel-based ones. Voxels are to three dimensional spaces what points are to the two-dimensional.

Consequently, they can be used for more specific rendering as they can provide information in volumetric detail unlike a surface mesh, which is essentially a structure enclosing empty space.

Software like VoxEd use a voxel-based system to produce renderable geometry.

Voxel systems are frequently used in medical and scientific data analysis, while surface mesh systems are used more where surface information (that is to say, appearance of the geometry) is more important than the volume information.

As a result, our field of design, vfx and animation sees the widespread use of surface based sculpting software like ZBrush and Mudbox.

As we have established, digital sculpting is used to produce highly detailed models that would otherwise require millions upon millions of polygons to create.

In the average scenario, a model created in a software like 3DS Max is unwrapped (a process in which three-dimensional polygon data is spread out in a two-dimensional layout so that colours, bump and displacement information and the like can be applied in great detail), and this information along with the model is imported into the sculpting software.

After sculpting, the sculpted surface information is exported into a 2D image and applied to the model as a displacement (for surface deformation) or normal (for the illusion of surface deformation by changing the facing direction or normal of the polygons) map.

In ZBrush, models can be made from scratch, sculpted and posed with a basic rig setup, leading to its popularity as an all-in-one sculpting solution.

Due to the realism possible, creature design is one of the most popular avenues for those interested in sculpting.

Science fiction and fantasy remain two of the genres where realistic three dimensional designs holds an esteemed and necessary place.

Films like Alien, Godzilla, Cloverfield, John Carter, The Hobbit are notable examples of the same. Let us understand more about sculpting and creature design by exploring these famous creatures.

Alien: Ridley Scott pioneered this creature in his 1979 film of the same name.

The Alien is an extraterrestrial creature and the main antagonist of the series of films, and while the initial designs with the classic crest on the head and extendable jaw were done by a Swiss sculptor, present day films in the franchise such as Alien vs Predator, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant rely heavily on digital design and sculpting.

Godzilla: In the 1998 film Godzilla, the creature is referred to as kaiju, a Japanese word meaning monster, and the 2014 reboot film uses the term from the comic series, gojira.

The latter design for the creature is a masterpiece, and is a brilliant example of the kind of creature design possible with digital sculpting. Godzilla in the reboot was designed to more closely resemble the ‘iguana-like’ monster in the original 1954 Toho film.

As director Gareth Edwards said, he imagined what it would be like if someone really saw a creature like Godzilla in the 1950s and then went and made a film about it.

And’s not just the titular monster; the winged beasts that Godzilla gets pitted against were also designed through digital sculpting.

Clover: Conceived by J. J. Abrams and designed by Neville Page for the 2008 film Cloverfield, Clover was designed as an ‘immature, newborn’ which was lost, confused and scared and served as a pivotal factor in terms of creature design and story development.

There are whites in its eyes to enforce this, like a scared horse. The fact that despite its enormous size, it is an infant makes it all the more awesome.

It is quadrupedal, with several appendages and pouches that inflate when it is agitated.

Smaug: The dragon from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy might have become famous for being voiced by actor Benedict Cumberbatch, but he is also a marvel of design.

Fearsome in the books, in the film this gets realised beautifully. Scales, claws and intelligence characterize the creature, and are enforced by his massive size.

His greedy and cunning nature, too, are captured through subliminal detailing like the shape of the eyes and proportions of the face.

Now that you have begun to scratch the surface of what creature design entails, it’s time to do some exploring on your own.

There are numerous creatures out there to gain inspiration from, and for technique and software knowhow there is MAAC Kolkata.

If fluid, organic modelling is your passion, it is well worth a try.

IT’S TIME TO MANIFEST WITH MAAC KOLKATA

We’ve all wondered at one point of time or another it would be like to be among the stars – not just the gaseous kind that we see in the night sky, but those that walk the earth as well. In every field, there are some names that – through time, perseverance and dedication to the work – have established themselves as ‘stars’, shining bright against the sea of ordinary folk.In the sphere of media education development, there is one such name that stands apart from the rest: Maac Kolkata.

From its inception sixteen years ago, MAAC has worked tirelessly to encourage aspirants to the world of media with its unique Research and Development department that curates holistic course content and ensures that the institute, its faculty and its students stay abreast of the latest happenings and advancements in the world of media.

The star behind this amazing facility to our students is Mr. Abir Aich, who is the AVP-Academics of MAAC India. He is a self-taught 3D Artist, and has been in the animation and visual effects industry for over 18 years.

He is also one of the first Autodesk Certified Instructors in India.

With this driving force of advancement as a constant motivation, MAAC Centers across the country organise several events every year so that its students can make the most of their learning period by interacting directly with the stars of the field and gaining invaluable insight and knowledge.

One such event is the MAAC MANIFEST, which is a seminar conducted with the sole purpose of serving as an interface between the students of MAAC and the stars of the media industry.

In recent years, MAAC MANIFEST  at Maac Kolkata was conducted in the Eastern zone by MAAC Chowringhee | Rashbehari | Kakurgachi in Kolkata covering themes such as visual effects and techniques used in films today.

The students got to have an in-depth behind the scenes look at some of the recent visual effects work in groundbreaking films from the various film and television industries, such as Baahubali, Magadheera, Bajirao Mastani and so on.

Also, an important and irreplaceable take away was the advice that these stalwarts of the media world gave the students.

Sanath PC of Firefly Studios, Hyderabad stressed the need for time management and having a well coordinated team, and provided insight on the importance of visual effects in the media industry today.

Gitanjali Rao, a legend as far as classical animation films in India go, talked about the timelessness of the format, and about animation in general.

Rajiv Chilakalapudi, founder of Green Gold Studios and the mastermind behind the popular TV show Chhota Bheem spoke of the importance of the market and the audience in the media world, which runs entirely on the demands of the end user.

All work and no play, however, make one a dull boy or girl… and through the information exchange, these stars shared little tidbits about their experiences that were both entertaining and wholesome.

Mr. Chilaka, for instance, while explaining the story behind the creation of Chhota Bheem, touched upon the topic of how they decided on a name for the studio.

Mr. Sanath PC recounted several incidents from when the team was working on Baahubali: The Beginning. These anecdotes were welcome reminders that despite the all-consuming nature of work in the media industry (be it in the form of film, television, advertisements or graphics), there is plenty to enjoy along the way.

This year, too, MAAC Chowringhee | Rashbehari | Kakurgachi is organising a MAAC MANIFEST by Maac Kolkata, with a very special star of the field as the guest speaker. Mr. Pete Draper, co-founder of Makuta Studios will be gracing us with his presence and sharing his expertise with our students.

 


For those who aren’t familiar with these names, Makuta Studios is based in the USA with an office in Hyderabad, and is the studio that churned out the likes of Ghajini (2008), Eega (2012), Magadheera (2009) and the Baahubali duology (2015-17).

These films are path breaking in terms of the quality and amount of visual effects work involved, and we at MAAC Kolkata are privileged to have someone who was closely involved with all three projects in a supervisory capacity to share his experiences with us and our students despite his busy schedule.

The latter three films are part of the oeuvre of Telugu filmmaker S. S. Rajamouli, who has established himself as a maker of unique fantasy-films which feature the brilliant and often ingenious use of visual effects.

Eega depicts the story of star-crossed lovers, one of whom turns into a fly that makes it its mission to protect his lover. Magadheera is the tale of a warrior and a princess who are reincarnated and reunited after four centuries.

Baahubali is an epic yarn about a heroic ruler whose lost son returns to claim his birthright as king. The films have all been critically lauded for their technical achievement, and have won several major awards.

Pete Draper was VFX supervisor and advisor for these projects, and is a well-recognized name in the world of film and visual effects.

He is also known to be a jovial and passionate person, thoroughly versed in his craft of making illusions come to life on the big screen.

It’s not every day that one gets an opportunity to mingle with the stars of this world, and that Mr. Naveen Choudhary, Director –  MAAC Chowringhee | Rashbehari | Kakurgachi is keeping up the initiative to ensure that students, and the well-rounded formation of their careers, come first, is a wonderful thing indeed.

We look forward to seeing you at the MAAC MANIFEST 2017, at Maac Kolkata which living up to its name, will share the light of wisdom that is in store for us all.

Or click here on the link to register yourself free of cost for this gala event.

https://animationkolkata.com/up-coming-competition.php

MAAC MANIFEST  AT MAAC KOLKATA 2017

When: 22nd June, 2017; 10.00 A.M. Onwards

Where: Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata

For free passes, drop by MAAC Chowringhee (3rd Floor, Chatterjee International Centre, 33A,  J. L. Nehru Road – near Park Street Metro station). Or Call: 98363 21595

Seats are limited – hurry!!

“Explosion in Animation & VFX In Indian M&E Sector”

The use of Animation & VFX has become widespread. Its use ranges from media channels, advertising, and websites to music videos, movies and is gradually increasing its reach.

With distinctive lines between live action and animation are also blurring, as shown in some of the movies in 2016-17 namely Beauty and the Beast , Jungle Book etc.  Which depended as much on the believability of their animated or motion captured characters as much as the ‘real actors’.

Animation technology trends that are expected to dominate the future are:-

Colour 3D printing can help generate millions of facial expressions for the characters which stop-motion and CGI experts use.

On the other hand 3D painting is going to be an invaluable tool with stop-motion animators, who will be able to leverage its possibilities to create bigger, better and more complex animations.

Non-Photorealistic Rendering (NPR) is an area of computer graphics that focuses on enabling a wide variety of expressive styles for digital art. Animator use 3D software to create an impressionistic hand-drawn media image visually appealing.

Projection mapping is a projection technology used to turn objects, often irregularly shaped, into a display surface for video projection.

One of the examples of its use in 2015 was the use of the Sydney Opera House by 20 different animation studios worldwide to create a living mural.

VR and AR are emerging as important tools for technology companies, content providers and animation/VFX players.

Currently, this tech is mostly used in the gaming community as the companies are hesitant towards non-gaming VR due to lack of demand for such media.

The potential challenges faced by the Indian animation industry are:-

The existing AVGC industry stakeholders have expressed finding highly skilled professionals as a major challenge to sustain growth.

Most of the small animation education institutes which has started in India of late are lacking in the quality of programme inputs (infrastructure, teaching resources etc.) budding a few reputed Institute where they have excellent training team and hi-end infrastructure.

But the course fee is high with them. Many students tend to opt for the centre with low fee structure but they tend to forget the quality they get. Which is not upto the industry standard.

Focus should be shifted towards the design and creative aspects of content, animation education and creation of skilled workforce.

Animation is not a quick and easy process; it involves thorough visualisation and adequate process of storytelling. Therefore, the genre needs more time and labour.

Animation in India lacks funding unlike western film makers. Despite of possessing a vast potential, India does not produce a high percentage of animated films due to lack of initial high investment. Therefore we end up doing outsourced work for Hollywood more than creating our own IP.

The industry would benefit if measures such as reservation of a certain number of hours of domestically produced content on channels, ‘must-carry’ clause for kid’s channels and tax benefits and treaties are provided by the government.

Government is also not that supportive which is also affecting the growth of animation in India.

The Intellectual Property (IP) protection policy needs to be strengthened and companies operating in the outsourcing sphere need to take stringent steps to protect clients’ IP rights.

On the other hand consistent growth in VFX industry in India has brought a revolution in all verticals with blockbusters like Baahubali and Bajirao Mastani bewildering the audience worldwide.

The key trends include:-

 The year witnessed the Increasing presence of VFX in all M&E segments like films, television and advertisements.

In addition to that, VFX has ventured into the web space as new age companies are using 3D technology to conduct their digital business.

VFX players are now increasingly engaged in creating live action imagery by using computer-generated effects of what would have been handled by traditional animation.

Growing presence of Indian studios in international markets has led to global acceptance of Indian talent.

Captive centres in India have moved up the value chain to become Centres of Excellence (COE) in specific areas for many animation and VFX companies.

Virtual Reality (VR) is seen as an upward trend and is the inevitable evolution of visual effects due to its high implications for next generation talent.

The digital dawn has taken place with increasing internet penetration and access speeds, a plethora of devices that support content consumption, and the rise of digital media players driving the on-demand digital content industry.

The key challenges that the VFX industry in India currently faces are:-

Developed countries outsourcing VFX projects to low-cost ones have been significantly on the rise.

The incentives provided by foreign government, grants, labour tax credits and subsidies to domestic companies engaged in VFX work thus help them to retain artists as well as facilitate their expansion efforts.

Digital visual effects are quite flexible and thus can be revised over and over again which demands clearly more cost and time.

Such digital problems, hardware costs of equipment, electricity, staff costs, rent, and even depreciation are some of the major hurdles faced by the VFX industry today.

Baahubali 2: the Conclusion Most Awaited Visual Effect Movie of 2017

Baahubali 2: the Conclusion is an upcoming Indian  historical  epic full on visual effect fiction film directed by   Mr S.S Rajamouli The movie is is the continuation of Baahubali: The Beginning.

The budget allotted to the movie is approximately ₹2.5 billion (US$37 million).

However the budget of the second part i.e Baahubali 2: The Conclusion   was increased a bit more, than the part one.

It is been said that the second version of the movie has made a business of ₹5 billion (US$74 million) even before its release.

The film is scheduled for a worldwide release on 28 April 2017. We all are looking forward for the same.

Baahubali 2 will be the first Indian film to be released in 4K High Definition format, requiring many of the theatres to upgrade their projectors in-order to run the movie.

It is actually beyond our imagination that this one movie can actually change our perception of South Indian Cinema. And it actually deed. All the credit goes to  Mr.S.S. Rajamouli’s for giving us this magnum opus Bahubali.

And now, the second part of the much-awaited movie is all set to hit the theatre screens soon. The excitement of the second part of the movie was quite evident when the trailer of Bahubali 2 released.

The trailer went on to become the seventh most watched online video in 24 hours which was unexpected.

The movie is expected to get a massive release – which no other Indian film has ever got in the past as in record.

It is going to hit 6,500 screens all across the nation, the highest ever for any movie in India so far.

“It’s so satisfying to see this kind of response which I never imagined. More than the pressure of working on the trailer of India’s biggest motion picture (yet), I was very anxious to know how audiences will receive it,” said Vamsi Atluri, who edited the trailer of the movie.

The movie has a surplus of spectacle in its trailer. The arrows fly fast furiously and blood flows in a tempestuous torrent as ‘Bahubali’ Prabhas and Rana Daggubati take on one another in the journey of game of death.

What one immediately notices in the trailer of the second and concluding part of Bahubali is Prabhas’ substantially enhanced confidence level as well as the energy he has inculcated in the movie.

His swag and his action pact energy is supremely on display in the movie trailer.

From a  reliable source it came to news that “Prabhas has actually  has lived the role the last two years,, going as far as to remain in costume even at home, so as to not lose his hold over his characterization.

Which is commendable indeed?

He put all his attention into preparing for Rajamouli’s epic.

Prabhas learnt rock climbing, kick-boxing, horse-riding, sword-fighting…everything that is required to enact for the character. He also had to change his physical appearance.

Coming to the visual effect delight of the film which we all are waiting to experience and are eagerly waiting for the film to release as early as possible.

So that we savour our visual pleasure. It’s been reported Visual effect of the film is completely taken care by a core team members.

Baahubali 2 is all set to create a new bench mark for VFX or visual effect in Indian cinema.

VFX Breakdown Of Mirzya

Mirzya one of the best VFX film of 2016 opened in the theater with mixed reviews.

However one factor that nobody may deny was the sheer brilliance of the VFX & production styled by the team.

The picture recreated the legend of Mirza-Sahiban, and every frame was pure delight to observe.

Lets take a glance at the VFX breakdown of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s new journey.

The Story

Mirzya is a beautiful epic love story set in the midst of Rajasthan.

As mentioned the story is a real inspiration  by the name of the  legend of Mirza-Sahiban.

It is a  tale of two  lovers, played out in two timelines – real & mythical. Their trials & tribulations type the crux of the story.
Lets take a look at the VFX breakdown of Mirzya.

Ideation

 Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra got one of the best VFX team with excellent skills to shoot this fantastical  love story.

He worked exhaustingly  for 3 years, with  the actors designing, vfx team, to create this film.

The actors did their best too as they were strictly trained in horse riding, mounted sport, and polo and other physical activities.

The team

The best from the national & international trade worked as a part of the VFX team for this movie to give superlative effect. Where the VFX team had earlier worked for legendary film like Life of Pi, Cars, and Tron Legacy etc.

That is not all the film has polish cinematographer, Pawel Michal Dyllus, known to hardly ever step out of his country, made an exception for Mirziya, and was the director of photography for the film.

Chase Sequence

 It was high on action, and is considered to be one of the most crucial scenes in the movie. While there are no body doubles in these sequences, there were BHIM App Download over 30 horses along with trained riders from Poland chasing the lead pair. In all this, the back drops were touched to perfection.

A big applause to the VFX designers who make you believe that it was all set in an era long before our own. From the smoke to the flames in the air, the makers have ensured the scenes look as real as possible.

A special mention needs to be made for the night safari sequence in the film.

It was very high on action, and is considered to be one of the most crucial and interesting scenes in the movie.

While there are no body doubles in these sequences, there was BHIM App Download over 30 horses along with trained riders from Poland chasing the lead pair. So it was shot by the actor who acted in the movie themselves.

In all this, the backdrops of the movie were touched to perfection.

A big applause to the VFX designers who make you believes that it was all set in an era long before our own.

From the smoke to the flames in the air, the makers have ensured the scenes look as real as possible.

Locations

The locations for the shoot include the top notch palaces of Udaipur – Shiv Niwas Palace, Jag Mandir Palace, and Shikharbadi Palace etc. The production design was handled by Acropolis, of Guzaarish & Bhaag Milkha Bhaag fame, and the team visited nearly 50 palaces before deciding on the final palaces to shoot.

Conclusion

May be the film doesn’t have much success in terms of Box –Office. But it was nominated in most of the awards and it has even won a few of them.

The movie will be remembered by the viewers as one of the best VFX work of its time. We are sure we will be getting to see more of such work in future through our own Indian cinema popularly known as Bollywood.

ANOTHER FEATHER IN THE CAP OF MAAC CHOWRINGHEE

MAAC Chowringhee as a leading Animation, VFX & Multimedia training institute in Kolkata, was wearing a very plain & simple cap on his head.

With the success of its students this cap is becoming more and more beautiful every day. Another feather of success has been added to this cap by one of its ex student Mr. Abhishek Ghorui ,who is working with  MPC, Bangalore as a Digital Artist since more than three years & growing in the field each day.

Earlier his claim to success was being a part of the epic Oscar winning film “Life of Pi” followed by, now, another Oscars in VFX for the Hollywood Blockbuster  “The Jungle Book”.

His recent success found him a place on the front page and the second page of The Time of India, Kolkata Edition on 28th Feb ’17.

The article is attached herewith, which is self explanatory, and is a inspiration to all youngster aspiring  to have a successful and Dream Career in this wonderful world of Animation and VFX.


All eyes were on the Academy Awards on Monday and as the clock ticked, a collective groan went up as `Lion’, a major part of which is based in Kolkata, lost out on the golden statuette.

However, `Jungle Book’ -that captures young Mowgli’s heroics in an Indian jungle -bagged the Oscar in the `Visual Effects’ category , giving Bengal a reason to cheer.

Digital artist Abhishek Ghorui of Durgapur, who was part of a Bangalore team that worked on the movie’s VFX, is now waiting to hold the statuette a second time in four years.

As part of the `Life of Pi’ team, he was one of the privileged ones to pick up the Oscar when it was brought down to the company he works for in 2013.

“I was part of the roto-prep department in `Jungle Book’. For example, when Mowgli is moving, the animal characters shown on screen -be it Bagheera or Baloo -are in reality dummies or actors in suits.

Our job was to prepare these figures such that they can be seamlessly replaced with CGI,“ said 30-year old Abhishek.

His dream run hasn’t been smooth.Rather, it was pockmarked with hurdles.After completing a course at a Park Street centre, he boarded a train to Mumbai to try his luck and took shelter in a friend’s room, handing out pamphlets to earn a little.

Multiple interviews at animation studios later, he finally got a call and landed his first screen credit with `Tron: Legacy’ (in 2010 as digital compositor).

“When the time came to decide on a career, he said everyone is aiming to be a doctor or engineer but he wants to pursue his dream. I was scared as we had no contacts in Mumbai but he’s so strong mentally , everything has fallen into place,“ said his father Subhash Chandra Ghorui, a retired coal official.

“After Plus 2, I had taken up computer science at a college under Calcutta University . But programming didn’t attract me at all. So I decided to give VFX a go.When two of the films I has worked for were nominated, I was hopeful to be part of Oscar history . But the surreal moment came when `Life of Pi’ bagged the top prize and the statuette was brought to our office,”  Abhishek told TOI on Monday .

While he waits to get close to the golden icon, this time it could be double the dizziness. “We won the BAFTA earlier this month and it’s likely the two awards will travel together to the country,“ he said. Of course, he wouldn’t miss a photoop for the world.

A lot has changed between `Pi’ and `Jungle book’. “I got married, for one.Then, career-wise, whereas I was an artist, I am now the show leader for my team,“ Abhishek reflected.

The Durgapur boy is now waiting for Alien: Covethe release of Ridley Scott’s ` nant’, where he is credited as a digital artist.

The legendary Scott, who has so far been nominated four times for his masterpieces ((Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and The Martian), is yet to bag an Oscar.

Will Abhishek turn out to be his lucky charm next year?

MAAC KOLKATA ANNUAL PICNIC 2017

 Every year with the onset of winter in Kolkata all the three centers of Maac Kolkata,Rashbehari, Chowringhee and Kankurgachi, conducts an Annual Picnic for the students.

Every student participates in the same, where the picnic covers lots of other interesting activities too like different games being played, with quiz, cricket etc, where there is also scope of winning prizes by paticipatant.

Basically, all the students from their respective centres gather and exhilarate themselves. This day is not only for the students to have all the fun but the faculties too get the chance to enjoy with everyone.

This time it was organised on 4th of January, 2017 and the venue was Monobitan Amusement and Theme park.

Luxurious buses were arranged for everyone’s comfort. Everyone started the day early in the morning by reporting at the respective center first.

Then all the students along with their mentors and co- workers got on the allotted buses from their respective centers.

Students grooved on the dance numbers played on the buses on their way and reached the venue in full excitement.

Reaching the venue everyone had breakfast together. After the energetic meal, it was time for some sports. Various sports were conducted for boys and girls like 100 meter race, spoon and marble, three legged race, 100 meter relay etc.

Most of the students participated in it. But the events highlight was the long waited cricket game. Mentors too get involved in this as a player. To win the game and the trophy for their respective centers, students and faculties stand together and give out the best in themselves.

Each and every one gives their best shorts and efforts to win. Three Teams were made and the game begins. This particular game gathers most of the spectators since everyone are eager to know who takes the trophy away.  Each and every passing second the excitement grows and it is completely a nail biting session. As per the rule only one team can be the Winner so let the best team wins.

While the game goes on, Director Mr. Naveen Choudhary of Maac Animation Kolkata joined in and witnessed the energy and excitement filled picnic.

After the mind-blowing game, players relaxed. And then it was time for the delicious and mouth-watering lunch. Which everyone enjoys every bit of it, followed by ice-creams?

After filling up and regaining energy, all went for another round of game. But this time, its football!



It was a rough and heated game still enjoyable. All shed sweats and marked their name in the winning list.

As time passed by, prize distribution ceremony started but before that our Honorable Director launched a new app in the play store named MAAC Kolkata, where one can directly excess to the official site and enter into their account through their android phone or PCs without searching it on Google.

                                                                                                                 

It was a great surprise for the students and definitely beneficial since one can upload his/her work directly from anywhere, not only this, it also provides a social networking field where the students can directly interact with the expertise and clear out their queries.

Best part of the app is student can raise there query to the other students and every one can participate to answer the raise question with their own expertise. It’s a kind of open forum where students can mingle exhibit there own work and share comments and queries.

For these entire benefits one has to do just one thing – Download the app!

Prizes and trophies were then distributed. The hall was filled in with cheers and applauds.  Followed by tea and snacks with the music in background.

MAAC Kolkata shared another year’s picnic with many memorable moments.