Animation schools mould students to beat recession

CAREER OPTION

As in other industries, animation too is now witnessing a slowdown due to lack of funds, amid the global meltdown. However, the industry seems to be looking out for polished or highly-productive animators. But a key factor restricting the growth of animation and gaming in India is the scarcity of skilled professionals.

Experts suggest initiatives like increasing the level of interaction between the industry and existing institutes to develop a comprehensive training module can result in bridging the demand-supply gap of skilled professionals. Keeping this in mind, animation academies are adding new features to give their graduates a better market entry. 

For instance, Whistling Wood International’s (WWI) optimised Animation Programme will add a learning-packed additional five-month semester. This new term’s 1,430 hours of instruction will increase student learning and career advantages by approximately 25 percent over its current programme. The institute aims at providing their students an additional layer of their chosen animation specialisation of modeling and texturing, rigging and animation, lighting and compositing, and VFX and compositing through this course.

This, new intensified and rigorous curricula at WWI, will commence its academic programme enhancements in its Animation Department from its July 2009 Session,” said John Jr Lee, dean, WWI.

Similarly, Toonz Academy, a subsidiary of Toonz Entertainment has also altered its learning module to accommodate the demands of the industry by including small projects into the training module to give the students a practical experience before entering the industry.

To spread awareness about the demands of the industry in the current situation, several animation academies are promoting industry interactions on a regular basis. For instance, Arena Animation recently invited Anthony Christov and Ian Livingstone, world renowned animation and gaming experts, to present Perspectives, a seminar on ‘Animation in India: Future & Careers’.

Likewise, the National Institute of Design (NID) is planning to host a festival to discuss the prospects of the animation industry.