The Most Creative Animation and VFX Companies to Watch.

THE MOST

Creative

Animation & VFX

2021 Vol.-02 Issue-04

COMPANIES TO WATCH

Keitan Yadav

COO

Haresh (Harry) Hingorani CCO

Editor’s Note W

LEADERS IN VFX AND ANIMATION FORAGING A WAY TOWARDS NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

hen the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s blockbuster production Avengers: Endgame released, it captivated the audience with its impressive visuals and excellent action sequences. It evoked major interest among visual effects and animation aspirants and seasoned professionals.

The production of films rich in VFX have ushered in a demand for such professionals. The digital landscape is gradually evolving, while opening doors for endless possibilities and creating larger than life frames and sequences.

Visual effects in films provide the narrator with the freedom to narrate a story, while having full control of where and when the emotions or drama should be included. Additionally, the growing collaboration between studios has also enhanced the scope of further exploring the arena of VFX and animation.

However, it is important to note that VFX and animation is no longer confined to films. It is gradually becoming a part of business strategies for various industries. Moreover, VFX and animation are employed in the fields of education and healthcare as well to provide the audience with lasting experiences.

Darshan Parmar Managing Editor

darshan@insightssuccess.com

Various companies are implementing VFX in advertising and marketing, to ensure impactful communication with the audience. For many people visual presentation matters the most. Hence, showcasing animated branded videos to them will help develop a deep connection. This is because visually attractive content keeps the audience hooked and helps making a stronger impact.

continue to play an important role in our daily lives.

The leading animation and VFX companies are giving their best efforts to ensure lasting customer experiences. These companies are assisting their clients to achieve excellence in the field of visual effects. They are embracing innovation and cuttingedge technologies to deliver flawless finished products to the customers.

Animated commercials are easy to visualize and understand; hence, with a simple animated video, a company can reach out to more clients at a given point of time. Efficient animated content convinces the target audience to stay on a page for more than a minute on an average, thereby reducing the bounce rate.

Hence, in this issue of Insights Success, ‘The Most Creative Animation and VFX Companies to Watch,’ we showcase the best and most innovative VFX companies, that delivers flexible and agile services. These companies offer the best services and advanced solutions to the customers.

3D visuals and animated presentations help teachers to easily explain a given topic to the students. In fact, medical colleges can conduct animated and 3D classes and demonstrations, so that the students can learn effectively.

VFX and animation have established themselves as significant components in this ever-growing digital world. They will continue to revolutionize businesses and industries, while embracing innovation. The gradual immersion of companies into the digital world makes it clear that VFX and animation will

DarsHP

Cover Story

10

Revolutionising the VFX Scenario in India

20 AnimationPlanet Creating the Next Generation of Cinema Magic

24 Ripple Animation Creating Videos that Drive Business Results

28 RotoOut Bringing Virtual Magic to Your Screens

32 Suryadatta Institutes Adding Value to Creativity

Articles 18

Creativity Rising The Rise of VFX and Animation in India

Creative Insights Scope of VFX and Animation in India

26

Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar Managing Editor Darshan Parmar

sales@insightssuccess.com

Assisting Editor Aditya Umale

FEBRUARY, 2021

Contributing Writer Ananda Das

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THE MOST

Animation AND

VFX

COMPANIES TO WATCH

Company Name

Management

Brief

Animation Planet

Rucha Armakar Founder

Animation Planet designs content and videos with a unique research-based process called Informed Creativity.

Red Chillies VFX

Keitan Yadav COO Haresh Hingorani CCO

The brainchild of renowned actor in the Indian Film Industry, Shah Rukh Khan, the visual effects (VFX) Red Chillies has been able to bag prestigious projects and receive accolades worldwide.

Ripple Digital

Madhura Nathwani Founder

Ripple Animation (Ripple) specializes in creating animated video content for brands and has now become a leader in the space.

RotoOut

Shravan Kumar Bhrigu CEO and Director

RotoOut has been providing high quality VFX outsourcing services for feature films, TV series, commercials and more for quite some time now.

Suryadatta Institute

Prof.

Dr. Sanjay B Chordiya Founder, President Chairman

The Suryadatta Education Foundation, SEF, is a charitable trust registered with the Registrar of Societies, Government of Maharashtra.

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Revolutionising the

VFX

KEITAN YADAV COO

Scenario in India

HARESH (HARRY) HINGORANI CCO

The brainchild of renowned actor in the Indian Film Industry, Shah Rukh Khan, the visual effects (VFX) company has been able to bag prestigious projects and receive accolades worldwide for their sheer determination to deliver quality results in time even during the lockdown.

The creative and efficient team led

by Keitan Yadav and Haresh (Harry)

Hingorani work hard to produce the end results post-production.

Mostly into advertisements and commercials back in 1996, the audacious duo was approached by SRK who wanted to have a state-ofthe-art VFX studio in India.

Chief operating officer of Red Chillies VFX, Keitan, shared the metamorphosis of VFX and the incredible journey of Red Chillies, in a candid conversation with us.

Excerpts from the interview: You are one of the pioneers of VFX and CGI. What are the prospects in India?

VFX started in 1996 mostly in ads

The

company started basically with was

R

ed Chillies VFX, a division of Red Chillies Entertainment, is one of the few companies in the country that have reached a stature where they were given a standing applause for their quality creation in limited budget by the Visual Effects Society in Los Angeles.

one man’s

vision – renowned Indian Film Actor

and commercials. Then it got into the film industry in very limited capacity. Today, after 24 years VFX is growing tremendously as a big industry. Even in India, VFX found new ways and technological advancements to get into mainstream.

Initially VFX was used for last moment damage control after the shoot, for effects that were not possible otherwise. Most of it was very basic. Now everybody understands that VFX can save time, risk, money, number of shooting days and number of people required for the shooting.

Now, we are one of the main departments where we get involved in the initial stage itself.

We have now created a benchmark in number of films beginning from Ra. One, followed by Krrish 3, Fan, Zero and many more. This was not possible without our VFX department. In future it is going to keep on growing, alongside the changes that the world is going through post-Covid.

Tell us about your journey from commercials to film industry.

The company was started basically with one man’s vision. In 2002, we met Shah Rukh Khan and he was looking for visual effects for his film, Main Hoon Na, which was Farah Khan’s directorial debut. We were into advertising then. At that time he trusted us and gave us the opportunity. On the sets of Paheli

he told us his vision of starting a world class studio. From 10 persons we are 500 today.

We always wanted to take up challenging projects and try to do it our own way keeping the Indian context in mind, budget constraints, infrastructure etc.

The quality of Ra. One stands out even today. We got a standing ovation at Academy Theatre, in LA

by Visual Effects Society. They were surprised with the quality of visuals and the budget with which we made it.

We also made Krrish 3 for Hrithik Roshan, which was another benchmark for VFX in India. In Fan, the director could have taken a

look-alike. But SRK wanted to play both the roles. It was challenging. We changed the nose, face and made someone who resembled him but was a different person. We delivered under 11 months.

No one in India did anything like what we did in Zero film.

At heart and core we are passionate, technologically creative. This is not just about business. It is about client satisfaction, passion and creativity. We have the best talents in the country, best projects run by professionals and are a successful organisation delivering big projects in time even amidst the pandemic scenario.

Given the present situation, how do you perceive the future of VFX industry?

We never thought work-from-home would be

OTT there and

If

What makes you the leader in the VFX industry?

was not

theatres were completely

shut down then industry VFX

would have been

under serious

strain

possible. But due to the pandemic the company has adapted #RCWoHo (Red Chillies Work from Home) and delivered projects on time. We did films like Class of ’83, Bulbul, Gunjan Saxena, and many others. Whatever was scheduled we delivered it.

We can reach out to anyone in the world, collaborate, grow and expand. VFX has lot of potential in OTT platforms, with its use increasing manifold. In future it will be used more extensively. People can use VFX as an advantage to leverage their products. It will invent and re-invent and is here to stay.

Are you planning for expansion abroad?

Right now we cannot say anything about it. Once we start with normal working conditions, may be then we can look at expansion plans, if necessary.

The economy of all the sectors are at a standstill due to the lockdown. But VFX is one sector that did not see a decline.

Yes, in a way. This can be credited to the streamlined work structure and the VFX pipeline which enabled us to work from home. Information Technology (IT) industry always had large portion of employees working from home. But because VFX industry deals with huge data files, high bandwidth, it is not possible to work from home. Right from the angle of privacy to online data theft, the fear is always there. Generating huge amount of business was not in someone’s mind through work from home. But necessity is the mother of invention. If work from home was

not implemented, then our industry would be in serious economic crisis.

Work from home is not an ideal situation for us due to additional cost implication. We also do not get the desired output. The task that requires one day takes around oneand-a-half days to complete with one machine in the office and another at the house of the person doing the work. So, per person we need two machines and internet bandwidth in both the places. We need additional Internet connection for the studio. Hence, the output goes down while the investment increases. To tackle this, it is feasible to work from home and manage the output better. Lot of changes are needed to successfully recalibrate work structure.

The advantage – Lot of films were already shot and were in post-production stage while some were shot but not edited.

These films went on OTT platforms. If OTT was not there and theatres were completely shut down, then VFX industry would have been under serious strain. But with OTT on the rise and work from home possible we could deliver projects safely, securely and on time.

We got a standing

ovation at Academy

Theatre

in LA by Visual Effects Society for

RaThey One were

Are you planning to venture into the education sector?

We have education at the back of our minds as we do have internal training and module for our employees in the office. It all depends on the future. Post-Covid if there is demand for VFX artists we may start an institute to train interested students.

surprised

with the

quality of visuals and the

budget with which we made it

VFX

will play a

bigger

role

Going ahead what is the plan of Red Chillies VFX? Major portion of employees will always be present in the office.

Machines, infrastructure, IT structure, review rooms are in the 40,000 sq. ft office. As we plan to resume office, a portion of employees may always work from home. If demand rises we can hire more personnel and introduce them under #RCWoHo. How do you see the future of this industry with trying times of the present?

During pandemic time the industry was in post-production stage and we got OTT platform. But if shoots do not start then we could face a slack as it takes a while from shooting to post-production stage where the shoot is edited, approved

and then sent to the VFX studio.

Although OTT released many films but shoots have not resumed due to Covid. If it does not resume soon it might create problems in the long run. So, it is very important for our industry for shoots to resume. Due to demands from IPL there have been an increase in ads. Certain films have restarted. Once shoots resume, things will start rolling.

People are adapting to manage lives with Covid around.

What are your future plans?

We will continue to strive for new benchmarks, keep updating skill sets, adopt higher efficiency, give pathbreaking results and always bringing something new to the table. VFX will play a bigger role than before and Red Chillies VFX are ready for it.

now

than before and

Red Chillies VFX is ready

for it

The Rise of

VFX and

ANIMATION in India T

he dragons of the worldwide phenomenon ‘Game of Thrones’(GoT) were created by around 800 animators in an Indian subsidiary of LA-based Prana Studios, in Mumbai’s Goregaon suburb.

The animation industry of India, although often flying under the radar, but much of the world’s biggest animated movies and action-packed blockbusters pass through India thanks to it being a major outsourcing hub.

Slowly and subtly, we have witnessed the rise of VFX and animation in India, and after the developments introduced by last year’s pandemic, the advancement has only speeded up.

Brief History During the second half of the ‘90s, the decades-old established 2D animation studios sensed the changing tides and gradually adopted CG pipelines. But with the lack of any proper CG training courses, studios had to

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Creativity Rising

learn and train their teams to adopt these completely new workflows, shifting traditional 2D artists to 3D pipelines.

The last decade has seen a steady growth in the output, quality, and quantity of these studios. The main shift began however, when international studios became more and more interested in either opening their own studio in India, such as Digital Domain, or investing in already existing Indian companies. An example of the later was the acquisition of Indian animation studio Paprikaas by Technicolor.

Another trend has been the growing increase in demand for domestic IP (intellectual property) versus services for international projects. Evidently, the animation industry has seen a steady growth of 8.9% for international services in the past few years, but an even impressive rise in the domestic IPs market of 18.4%.

discouraging the film makers from shooting during the pandemic, animation was one industry which witnessed growth in demand.

According to one estimate, there was a 39% growth in consumption of children’s content during the lockdown.

Channels like Zee 5 Kids saw 200%, and VOOT saw 700% increase in viewership in this period.

The new remote working requirements for postproduction and visual effects work, along with the other impacts of the pandemic, mean VFX companies need to be building workloads and computer systems that can support this new way of operating – both for now and for the future.

All these developments have basically had the work cut out for the VFX and animation industry in India, and thus, the numbers are skyrocketing.

Present Day The New Wave The emergence of online streaming services has also increased the demand for CG content creation for movies and series, and the Indian market has been riding the profit tide. According to a 2019 KPMG report, the Indian animation, VFX and post-production industry is expected to more than double in the next five years.

Government incentives have also played a vital role in helping the Indian VFX and animation markets lift off, thanks to national and state-level subsidies, fiscal incentives, and the creation of large number of local hubs and facilities.

Pandemic Era The lockdown situation that resulted from Covid-19 naturally led to a surge in number of subscribers of OTT (over-the-top) platforms. The entertainment industry, however, was at the advantage because of the Covid-19 situation. Despite the Government of India’s strong laws

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The same KPMG report illustrates constitution of these industries, which almost doubled in size in the four years before the pandemic. It grew from 53 billion rupees in the fiscal year 2016 to 101 billion rupees in FY 2020. Of that, animation accounted for 21.8 billion rupees, and VFX and post-production for 79.5 billion rupees. The pandemic may have slowed this fast ascent, but ultimately, the animation, VFX, and post-production industries are projected to climb back to 77 billion rupees in FY 2022.

It is an exciting time in the world right now! And an exciting time to be in VFX!

By Aditya Umale

FEB 2021 | 19

“

Our vision is to provide best video solutions for existing businesses and create the next generation animators to make India a leading country in the animation and VFX industry

ANIM Rucha Armarkar Founder/CEO

“

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The Most Creative Animation and VFX Companies to Watch

MATIONPLANET

CREATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CINEMA MAGIC

A

s the credits roll at the end of a movie, it is easy to disregard the thousands of small names that come after the director, actors, and actresses. VFX artists and studios only appear at the end of the credit roll, but despite how much importance it weighs in the minds of the audience, no one can argue that VFX studios are an integral part of modern film production. If storytelling is a form of art in cinema, then VFX is a crucial pre-requisite element.

The animation and VFX industry is the fastest growing industry in India. The growth rate of this industry reached nearly seventeen per cent in 2018, as per KPMG IndiaFICCI report. We are already starting to see certain trends emerge in 2021 that are sure to shape the industry and streamline the workflows of artists and animators.

An emerging company riding the wave of this everincreasing expansion and rise in demand for animation, VFX, and video marketing is AnimationPlanet.

AnimationPlanet excels at taking complex subjects and producing clear, engaging video content that can sell, explain, inform, engage. The company understands the vast appeal of videos, especially animated videos, that are used across industries to provide solutions to problems that businesses had never even thought of.

To understand the scope and scale of the animation and VFX industry in India, as well as how it is shaping the business spheres as well as the entertainment industry, we are honoured to present to you an interview we conducted with the team over at AnimationPlanet.

So, without further ado, let us dive right into the interview and relish the knowledge we are about to receive.

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Kindly brief us about the Founder/CEO and the motivation behind venturing into this particular industry.

Rucha Armarkar is a young, dynamic, and creative personality. Her ‘let’s do it attitude’ brings in the imaginative experimentation much needed in the creative field. She's an engineer and an artist. This knowledge of technical subjects and art gave her the boost to start her own business.

There is this story, while studying 3D animation Rucha was approached by an automation company to create few 3d models of their new product. After a few discussions, she found their need to have an animated video representing the working and features of their product for their international automation expo.

She got in touch with few of the needed artist and created the animated video. After few weeks of delivery, she got a call from the client saying because of her video, they could filter in only the interested buyers and increase their sales by 20% within 3 days. This made her realise, she can help businesses in presenting their products and service in valuable way.

Kindly tell our readers about AnimationPlanet.

AnimationPlanet is a video marketing firm. It has evolved from being a video production company to video marketing company. The key thing behind this is, with the knowledge, experience, and the right resources for utilisation of videos, AnimationPlanet can bring out the results that a company requires from its marketing goals. It's SVMP, Systematic Video Marketing Plan framework helps the clients

FEB 2021 | 21

recognise the right strategy for creating videos and correct implementation to bring out the results.

How did the pandemic affect the company? How do you plan to overcome the same?

What are the different sectors that the company provides its products and services with?

The pandemic indirectly affected the company. Being a B2B business, our clients were affected and the first thing they did, is cut down their marketing efforts and focus on only operations to survive. This affected us. However, we focused on working hand in hand with our clients and made new video survival packs. This way they could keep their business running and bounce back when the situation turns good.

AnimationPlanet helps businesses in 3 key sectors: 1. Building the right video marketing strategy 2. Creating effective videos with technical expertise and valuable content

Brief us about the company’s future perspectives.

3. Implementing these videos in the most result-generating platforms This combination of service is used to achieve the marketing goals of brand awareness, educating customers, building trust and generating qualifying leads for sales.

What is the USP of the company that serves as an advantage over competitors and benefits clients/customers?

AnimationPlanet's SVMP (Systematic Video Marketing Plan) framework is the USP it holds over competitors and has fantastic benefits for clients. This framework has been rigorously tested and proven to achieve the marketing goal of the client. Keeping the focus on the goal and taking help of videos to reach it, instead of just creating videos without purpose is what makes AnimationPlanet different than its competitors.

AnimationPlanet has lot in pipeline. We currently have client base in 5 countries apart from India. We are increasing our base to other countries. We are evolving our SVMP framework according to our client needs yet trying to provide them with better solutions, educating them about videos and their effective use through our video marketing academy webinars and events.

We are working with schools and universities for early education in animation. Making animation and video creation one of the main career streams in India. Our vision is to provide best video solutions for existing businesses and create the next generation animators to make India a leading country in the animation and VFX industry.

Share with us the challenges faced by companies in your sector?

There are always new-born companies or freelancers claiming to create videos for clients in small budget and time. When the video doesn't bring the desired output as per client's expectations, it reduces the trust of the client from the effectiveness of all videos. Therefore, we educate our clients to make the best decision while choosing their video content creator.

Client wants original, high quality content, however, does not have the finances to comply. Companies like us belong from the service sector with non-tangible offerings. Often it happens, client fails to comprehend the effort and work required to create the video, and thus keep incomparable finances for the same.

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The Most Creative Animation and VFX Companies to Watch

Ripple Animation CREATING VIDEOS THAT DRIVE BUSINESS RESULTS

I

n an interview with Insights Success Madhura Nathwani, Founder shares the journey of Ripple Animation and its contribution to driving business results through creating videos.

Below are the highlights of the interview : Kindly brief us about the Founder/CEO and the motivation behind venturing into this particular industry.

Madhura completed her schooling in Mumbai and then got her bachelor’s degree with a major in Economics from Lawrence University in the US. She then worked on Wall Street in New York as an investment banker for a few years prior to moving back to Mumbai.

Madhura always wanted to run her own company and started 2 other ventures before she found success with Ripple Animation. Venturing into creating videos happened organically! Madhura’s first venture Liquid Equity Capital helped start-ups raise funds, her second venture Sharp Shooter Films which was a joint venture with the WPP group, created TV commercials and her third venture Ripple Animation is an amalgamation of her 2 core skill sets – understanding businesses and finding creative ways to tell their stories.

Kindly brief us about the company.

Ripple Animation focuses on creating explainer videos, demo videos and social media videos that drive business results. These videos can be animated videos, stock footage videos or live action ones. The bulk of Ripple’s work is in animated explainer videos. Clients include from Fortune 500 companies across the globe to funded start-ups.

The company has now come up with a unique and neverdone-before offering for small and medium sized (SMEs) businesses. These SMEs will now be able to create beautiful marketing videos within minutes by just inputting 24 | FEB 2021

text when prompted. Ripple’s software and graphics will do the rest.

So, SMEs can now have the ability to create to explainer videos, demo videos and festival greeting videos that look professional, are easy to create and can be ready within minutes. Ripple has eliminated the need for employees of SMEs to know how to animate and/or edit. Since prospects are reading less and watching more, Ripple’s templatized video offering can really help SMEs convert better.

What are the different sectors that the company provides its products and services with?

Ripple works within the following industries – Technology, Pharma and Healthcare, BFSI, Engineering, Manufacturing, Consulting, Retail and many more. People can view our portfolio by industry.

What is the USP of the company that serves as an advantage over competitors and benefits clients/customers?

We have 3 USPs – 1. Our teams are trained to understand businesses and also tell stories - we can therefore create memorable video content that actually drives business results. 2. Our experienced team has been with us almost since we started and has worked with global brands across geographies, giving us a wealth of experience and data points. 3. We have a tried and tested, approval-based process that helps us create videos that meet or exceed the client’s expectations 100% of the time.

Share with us the challenges faced by companies in your sector?

I can only speak about our challenges – it’s hard to find and retain strong writing talent in India.

How did the pandemic affect the company? How do you plan to overcome the same? www.insightssuccess.in

“

Ripple Animation’s goal is to create memorable content that meets business objectives Madhura Nathwani Founder

“

We haven’t had a down year. This has been the best year to date. Businesses have not shied away from creating marketing collateral and most of the industries we serve have benefitted from the pandemic.

Brief us about the company’s future perspectives.

We are very excited about our new SAAS offering for SMEs – they will be able to create high quality explainer videos cheaply by simply entering text within a word limit when prompted.

This offering is a game changer for SMEs who can finally implement a video marketing strategy that drives business results without worrying about costs. We’ve created this offering using data and IP we’ve gathered since we started the business and we believe that there’s huge value to be unlocked.

www.insightssuccess.in

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Scope of

and in India

W

hy do VFX and Animation appeal to so many worldwide including India?

Among others, for ONE reason. It simplifies, and it entertains. The latter it does by taking the form of myriad characters from the humans or animals. Among animals, one character that has stood the test of time for close to a century is Disney’s Mickey Mouse.

That said, is the scope of VFX and Animation only limited to entertainment, and to an extent informing while entertaining? Simplified communication being at the heart of Animation, and simplifying the complex in the case of VFX, these do have a range of uses worldwide, including India.

Today we tell you of some actual and likely uses of VFX and Animation in India.

1. In the field of explanation videos for products and processes VFX and animation features are things that people stick to and watch for hours without getting bored. The characters if made professionally, can hold people’s

26 | FEB 2021

attention for the longest period. That being the case, VFX and Animation are the best mediums when it comes to creating explanatory videos for products and processes. Be it how to unbox and use a mobile phone or repair a car or bike, these stand the best chance of being noticed by the right eyes- IF MADE WELL. Products besides, even services, and their usage-related nittygritties can best be explained using the right set of VFX and Animation. Why, even the working of an interspacetravel craft can be explained best by VFX and Animation given the simplicity that can be introduced in the teaching.

2. In the field of short entertainment and explanatory Industries as far apart as insurance, education, automation, and transport use short, explanatory animation films with their share of VFX to spruce up their product offering while telling clients how and why to use products and services to maximise their ROI. With full-feature videos using standard human artists become expensive, software has solved most of the problem by bringing in the ability to create characters out of thin air using wireframing and overlaying techniques- all within the confines of a software so that characters can be created, tweaked, and lengthened to meet specific goals.

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Creative Insights 3. In a field where identity has to be hidden One interesting field where animation and VFX may find increasing use in time is in morphing and legally hiding one’s identity and related fields, and even creating multiple ones where it so demands. It is not always advisable to exhibit one’s true identity given that it can be stored and used fraudulently and surreptitiously to cause harm mental, physical and financial to the world as also to the person whose identity gets stolen. To avoid these the future may see people take the help of VFX and Animation to hide true identities.

times to come with the assistance of technologies including AI and Big Data shall revolutionize the way problems are approached and solutions found.

The animation and VFX industry in India are no more a side-show that feeds the entertainment industry and handles small outsourcing jobs that comes its way from abroad. These days it does full-length international films include the likes of “Char Sahabzade” and Bahubali which saw the increasing use of both animation and VFX. The industry now produced its own ‘intellectual property’ as well in addition to its bread-&-butter outsourced service products.

4. In the field of online gaming The world of cyberspace has in any case been taken over

by VFX and animated characters at every nook and corner. This includes the world of online gaming in all its widest amplitude. Online games have to be interesting to catch the players’ attention and retain it for the longest of time. The also have to be realistic vis-à-vis the environment, situation and storylines. All these factors can best be addressed by only one medium: VFX and Animation.

A KPMG report states that India’s own IP products have grown at +18% between 2018 and 2019 compared to just half that in the case of outsourcing services. These figures are likely to double in the next five years. In 2015, a measly 20000 out of the 4 lakhs in media and entertainment sector were employed in animation and VFX which likely touches 30000 by 2017 and shall touch an astounding 4.4 lakhs by 2023! Year 2014 was the golden year of the industry that saw VFX grow by an astounding 22% followed by post-production at 15%, animation production at 9% and animation service at 1%.

5. In the field of teaching Teachers are like Gods. You ought to have them in front of you for the whole thing to make sense. What if, reasons apart, the teacher(s) aren’t available? Has education to be suspended? Education then moves online, and the teacher in quite a few cases becomes an animated figure which can be made to resemble anyone animate or otherwise depending upon the audience’s age and understanding. A teacher of water-related subjects can be a fish, of air-related mattes a bird and so on.

While making the subject superbly interesting, animation and VFX creates job opportunities to both teachers as also the animators to come together and create things for the benefit of students.

As for the kind of industries that give employment to VFX and Animation specialists, they include: • Theatre • Advertising • Film & Television • Online and Print News Media • E-learning • Cartoon production • Video Gaming

By Ananda Kamal Das

6. In the world of corporate teaching Organizations are increasingly looking at VFX and Animation features to lead their training and strategizing initiatives. Other areas that observe their increasing use is scenario formation and solutioning. Put together this is one highly specialized area with a lot of scope that in

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The Most Creative Animation and VFX Companies to Watch

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he times they are changing, as the saying goes – a sentiment that seems to hold special weight as the VFX industry embraces a new year.

We are already starting to see certain trends emerge in 2021 that are sure to shape the industry and streamline the workflows of artists and animators.

Some of the notable trends include machine learning making faster artists, USD becoming uniform, and iterative workflows replacing those of a more ‘waterfall’ structure.

Animation and VFX market are expected to grow at a CAGR of over 9% during the forecast period 2020 to 2025. As the media sector gears up significantly in the sphere of the multimedia ecosystem, we can observe the ever-increasing expansion and rise in demand for animation and VFX. An emerging yet promising player in the VFX industry is the RotoOut VFX Private Limited.

RotoOut has been providing high quality VFX outsourcing services for feature films, TV series, commercials and more for quite some time now.

They can provide motion blur mattes/ hard mattes or roto splines. Everything customised as per the customer demands.

To gain insights into the dynamics of the VFX and animation industry, we conducted an interview with Sharavan Kumar Bhrigu, the Founder, CEO & Director of RotoOut VFX.

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So, without further ado, let us dive right into the interview and relish the knowledge we are about to receive.

Kindly brief us about yourself and your motivation behind venturing into this industry.

I am a man with dreams. Very early in my life, I realized that I must do something that not only gives me a feeling of satisfaction and fulfilment but also serves a greater purpose of making this world a better place. So, I have always wanted to do something that makes a significant positive impact on the world. It is my firm conviction that everything is possible, and all those people who reached to the heights of success and left an indelible mark on the world, either with their ideas or inventions, were no different than us. All they had was a to-do attitude that took them to the zenith.

Well, I am very knowledgeable in my field. I worked in big VFX companies for over 10 years before I started my own visual effects company and have previously worked in big movies and lots of commercial ads.

At one point most people get into a comfort zone and stop learning. But I always knew that: “People do not fail by thinking big, people fail by thinking small and achieving it”.

I have been a trainer and educator for VFX and special effects / FX particles, dynamics and spoke at various

conferences. I like to help people who have some creative ideas so I started my own company to help others with good and healthy working environment.

We live in a technology-driven and fast-paced world which is digitalized to an extent like never before. During the last few years, the digital media industry has experienced an unprecedented growth which does not seem to be coming to a halt anytime in the foreseeable future. With film and television, computer games, and promotions using animation & VFX technologies, the industry will be transformed into a whole new dimension. It's no exaggeration to say that VFX & animation will soon rule the media and entertainment industry.

Considering the ever-expanding scope of VFX, I am very optimistic about its dominance in the days ahead. VFX is something I have a deep fondness for, and I am motivated and excited to take the plunge into this industry. I am highly motivated and willing to go to great lengths to make positive and advantageous contributions to the media and entertainment industry.

I very much believe that no obstacle is insurmountable enough for the one who keeps on inching forward, irrespective of the pace, and never gives up.

Kindly brief us about the services provided by your company.

We are VFX professionals working around more than 10 years. RotoOut

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VFX studio is a VFX outsourcing provider. We offer all kind of VFX services; our talented artists craft the high-quality visual effect for our clients. Rotoout VFX Studio offers a wide range of VFX solutions that are designed to create high quality and cost-effective VFX work for clients.

Our wide range of VFX services include rotoscoping, VFX and clean-up and paint/wire, dust and scratch removal services, keying, compositing, matte painting, ‘matchmove’ and all CGI services for feature films, TV Series, commercials etc. We meet our clients’ deadlines without compromising the quality and we place immense value on data security and privacy. We enjoy new opportunities and challenges with our clients.

What are the different sectors that the company provides its products and services to?

Right now, we do not provide services to different sectors, but we do have some new plans to provide our creative services to some other similar sectors.

We are working on it. Maybe we will launch our new web-based platform (in 2021) to provide digital assets and other useful resources to the customers.

Also, we are looking to create our own content to entertain the audience. We always look for new opportunities to use our skills to serve the people.

or brand distinct from another.

Knowing the best way to position yourself and your services can distinguish between standing out and fitting in.

Pondering over the competition is the hallmark of every industry. I have devised a well-thought strategy and line of action that would assist us in providing top-notch services and stand out from the crowd. Firstly, valuing your customers is the best possible step that can be taken towards winning their hearts and making your business irresistible to them.

Secondly, optimism is an exceedingly significant factor in consolidating your business. Individuals having a positive mindset can uncover good, even in the bleakest of situations and are never demoralized by temporary failures or upsets. Also, optimism coupled with enthusiasm can lead to formulating better business strategies and plans that would be immensely beneficial to the customers/clients and consequently yield desirable and appreciable results.

I personally believe that to grow and excel as a company we should render great services to our valued customers.

Besides, we should always try to stay inclined towards improvement and never get complacent as satisfaction is the death of desire.

Our slogan is:

What is the USP of the company that serves as an advantage over competitors and benefits clients/customers?

“A satisfied customer is an asset”.

The ubiquity of competition in business is natural, particularly for brands where you need to think about not only your local competitors, but also your global standing. Customers seem baffled by the choices and want to easily grasp what makes one service

Like other industries, the challenges faced by the VFX industry are of a varied nature. Developed countries have greatly expanded outsourcing of VFX & animation to low-cost ones.

Incentives offered by different governments, loans, labour tax credits,

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Share with us the challenges faced by companies in your sector.

and inducements to domestic firms involved in VFX work thereby allow them to attract artists and promote their expansion efforts. Digital visual effects are very scalable and can thus be updated time and again, which obviously needs more time and cost.

These digital challenges, the hard costs of machinery, power, personnel expense, rent, and even depreciation are some of the central obstacles facing the VFX industry today.

The lack of back-end involvement and the defined revenue sharing model impedes the financial performance of VFX firms. With these new and everincreasing core trends, it is crystal clear that the animation and VFX industry, especially in developing countries, has gained tremendous momentum in recent years and there is certainly an ever-increasing graph in the foreseeable future.

In my opinion, development and success are therefore still marked by milestones. So, if the cardinal obstacles are resolved by prudent steps, the pace of growth can be accelerated by no major barrier in its way.

Brief us about the company’s future perspectives.

As we move towards our goal of being a world-class visual effect service in India, we invest in more advanced technology to enhance our production process and keep updating skill sets and invest time in R&D to find newer and faster techniques.

We always try to build a community of VFX lovers and creative people in Rotoout. Also, we keep trying to help film makers by offering world class VFX solution to make their vision and dreams into reality. We believe that we will be able to keep up with industry trends and satisfy our clients’ changing demands.

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SURYADATTA

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The Most Creative Animation and VFX Companies to Watch

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nimation and VFX have assumed a major chunk of the entertainment world and is continuously inventing and re-inventing itself. We Indians are naturally creative and have often experimented with it since time immemorial. We have adapted to changes with changing times. With the digital platforms of today, art and creativity have also gone that extra mile to keep pace with the modern technologies. Facilitating a vent to the creativity of young impressionable minds is Suryadatta Group of Institutes through their graduation course in animation and VFX. The Institute, Vision and Mission The Suryadatta Education Foundation, SEF, is a charitable trust registered with the Registrar of Societies, Government of Maharashtra. The Suryadatta Group of Institutes was established in the year 1999, with the blessing of Late Smt Ratanbai and Shri Bansilalji Chordiya in Pune - The Oxford of East.

Over the years, Suryadatta family has blossomed into a bouquet of academic institutions in varied disciplines such as School, Management, Travel & Tourism, Hotel Management, Media & Mass Communication, Interior Designing, Fashion & Jewellery Design, Event Management, Multimedia Graphics & Animation, Cyber and Digital Science, Creative Arts, Fine Arts, Performing Art, Media Arts, Aviation, Health & Fitness, Self Defence, Beauty & Wellness, Vocational & Advanced Studies, Media and Entertainment Skill Council courses etc. Students from many foreign nations and from all parts of India are pursuing education at various Suryadatta Institutions.

The ethos of Suryadatta is “Enlightening and Disseminating Knowledge for Prosperity.”

The Animation Department The Animation Department has highly experienced faculties who thoroughly believe in practical teaching to their students. While the faculties diligently follow the guidelines of the syllabus set by the University, they are keen on going an extra mile by conducting various practical sessions and workshops for their students. These enlightening activities have drastically improved the department’s academic performance over the last couple of years and have set a new benchmark for its competitors.

Suryadatta has always been focusing on Extensive Industry

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Interaction, Innovation and Knowledge Management, Shaping a Complete Human Being, Value Based Education, and Enabling Sustainable Development.

Person Behind the Success Prof. Dr. Sanjay B. Chordiya, Founder President and Chairman of Suryadatta Education Foundation, is a senior management professional, a passionate educationist and a philanthropist. Along with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Government College of Engineering Pune, (COEP) Dr. Chordiya also completed his Masters in Marketing Management, Materials Management, Industrial Management, Operations Management, Human Resources Management and a Doctorate in Environmental Science.

He has been honoured with numerous awards for his invaluable contribution to Excellence in Education, Spiritual, Social and World Peace activities. He has also been honoured with the “Times Men of the Year” Pune 2018. He has recently been awarded the Fellow Membership of Centre for Education Growth & Research at the hands of AICTE Member Secretary.

Why Suryadatta?

The top reasons to join Suryadatta are as follows: 1. Robust curriculum in-line with New Education policy and global standards.

2. Emphasis on Start-Up, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

3. Integrated focus on 21st century Skill Sets.

4. Academic Partnership with Academic Partners of Global and National Repute.

5. Eminent Corporate Advisory Board with wide representation across all emerging sectors.

6. Faculty with 500+ years of collective experience in Academics, Research, Corporate and Global exposure.

7. Functional Forums, Special Interest Clubs and Cells for learning beyond the classroom.

8. Round the year industry connect initiatives.

9. Strong Digital Infrastructure enabling Blended Learning with LMS and ERP, and in line with the current needs.

10. Over 50 Value Added Multi-disciplinary Certifications from National and International Institutions.

11. New Age Specializations for career options in Sun rise areas.

12. Holistic Development Initiatives for Mind, Body and Soul.

13. Employability Enhancement programme from Day One assuring professional development for sustainable growth.

14. International Immersion programme with

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skill-based courses, they will not have to worry about career and future prospect for the ward.

Coping with the Pandemic “The pandemic has affected classroom interaction with students. However, there has been no major effect on teaching – learning, as we being recognised as one of the institutes with best e-learning facilities, we were always prepared for the digital transformation. Pandemic has in fact helped us move to the digital platform. There are some technical glitches at times but they are all dealt with precautions as and when necessary, to ensure smooth functioning,” shares the college management. integratedVirtual Global Project in seven countries.

15. Knowledge Enrichment Initiatives to meet Cutting edge Industry 4.0, thereby enabling professional advancement for sustainable development.

16. Fostering Start-up, Innovation and Entrepreneurial skills for National Growth.

17. Weekly training programs to prepare the students for the multiple career pathways – higher education and lifelong learning, corporate careers, Intraprenuer, start-up and Innovation, Research and consulting, CSR and NGO, services to Nation and World.

18. Continuous up gradation of the curriculum in pace with the market requirements and global needs.

19. Multiple placement opportunities to the students and lifetime support to the alumni through the advanced app.

20. Frequent interaction with the alumni during the mini and mega events organised for alumni engagement and through the alumni portal.

21. We introduce distinguished personalities as role models to students so that they can take inspiration from them and become leaders in their respective field.

22. Suryadatta provides valuable skills for lifelong professional and personal growth such as core functional skills, ICT skills, Health and Fitness skills, lifestyle management skills, entrepreneurial skills, cognitive, critical and creative thinking skills, communication skills, team building skills, etc.

They added that they want to ensure quality education at affordable price to each and every individual and are working towards the same with a team of talented professionals, who are aligned to the institute’s mission and vision. Under the abled guidance of SCMIRT Principal Prof. Dr. Abbas Lokhandwala, the Animation Department is headed by Prof. Dr. (HC) Ankit Jain, and the team is comprised of Prof. Amol Gupte, Prof. Vishal Firode, and Prof. Neha Saraf. “We are also in the process of developing our own in-house studio to be able to deliver quality content, not just in terms of education but also in terms of content creation for the industry,” shares the management.

OTT to the Rescue OTT platforms have proved to be a boon to the Animation Industry, there is a lot more content being developed and consumed than ever. The Graphics, Animation and Gaming Industry has shown an overall growth of approximately three times during the current Corona Pandemic.

Apparently, the VFX Industry took a hit since there were no live action shoots being carried out during the lockdown period. However, once the shoots get back on track the VFX Industry is also expected to show a steep climb. Apart from Pharma and FMCG Industries, Graphics, Animation and Gaming Industries are the only ones which have shown a rapid movement on the positive scale.

The Challenges One of the major challenges faced by any institute in this domain is the awareness and psychological thinking of the parent. Everyone wants their ward to either be a doctor or an engineer. Very few are open towards other skill-based courses, which generate employability and create content for the user. As a parent, if one understands the need of

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