Dear Kin from the Indian Animation Industry, we are witnessing some fresh history in the making.
After grossing more than 45 Million USD Box Office till date, after releasing in more than 2600 screens across N America, after carrying more than 250 Indian Artists names on its credit rolls, the 1st Globally released 3D Stereoscopic Animation feature produced out of India, Lionsgate & Crest Animation‘s CGI Stereoscopic feature Alpha & Omega is releasing in India this Friday, the 4th of Feb 2011.
The movie which is the pride of Indian animation, is releasing in more than 70 screens across 8 Indian cities including Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata & Ahmedabad.
Of course, its entertainment and narrative value is the core reason why any one would want to go and watch the movie. Also anyone who has pride and love for Indian animation will definitely go and watch the movie out of their own initiative. But here‘s another big reason why you should go and watch Alpha & Omega! A logical reason that goes beyond the realm of entertainment and that of sentiment, patriotism and pride.
Its about how critical it is for all of us to build a market for Animation feature films.
We all know that there are several well mounted big budget Indian Animation Feature Films co-produced by large studios and entertainment houses that are ready and complete yet not released, waiting since several months to find buyers and to find the right release period, and the right market sentiment.
We also know that the Movie Distribution Guys, the Live Action producers, the Exhibition Chains and the investors are shying away from the genre of animation, because of no other reason than the lack of a belief system, the lack of conviction that Animation on the Big Screen works in India.
The fact is that Animation on the Big Screen works in India, it is just that we have not yet built and invested in the market. If the live action Bollywood Industry can have 5 super hits, 10-15 break evens and 150 flops in a year, and yet witness the phenomenal Indian and International growth it is going through then the Indian Animation Movie Industry too has a fair chance.
We need to Build the market. We need to go watch animation movies and build that demand if we have to. If all 70 screens of Alpha & Omega (Or for that matter Any other well produced Indian Animation Movie) are fully booked for the 1st week, can you imagine the kind of impact it can have on the trade? And we are talking about the impact in terms of animation market sentiment here.
Can we imagine how the distributors who are distributing the movie will be encouraged to boost the P&A spends, how the other distributors will look out for other interesting Animation features to distribute? How the Exhibitors who are justifiably worried about low occupancy figures and their popcorn sales, will now have the confidence that not only PopCorn, Indian Animation can even sell their colas and much much more!!
When we participate to breathe confidence into the distribution & exhibition circles, that “Animation sells”, we are ourselves creating a market of buyers for us! At the end of the day Money has no color and it does not matter whether the ticket was bought by an animation professional, animation student or by someone whose only connection to animation is as audience. At the end of the day, any product category that has buyers, will always be sold. As the maxim goes Have Buyers? Will Sell!
Once there is a demand for animation, once the distributors and exhibitors are in a positive sentiment, automatically there will be producers and investors from India and abroad making a beeline for announcing and kick-starting Animation Features and ventures… that.. will create more jobs, ..more dollars will get invested into the system…quality of animation will again further improve up across studios,..more technology will be sold….more capital will be invested and will make money for
investors…more story tellers, film makers and animators will have the opportunity to tell their stories, the Indian audiences will start developing a taste for animation and we will have a good and healthy ecosystem for stakeholders across the value chain.
This is not a sales pitch for Alpha & Omega, this is a logical argument for Ecosystem Development.
One may argue that how can a few of us watching a movie, have such a strong positive impact. Firstly there‘s not a few of us, there‘s a lot of us. Counting the entire value chain, the Indian Animation Ecosystem (Including Artists, Studio Management, Entrepreneurs, Educators, Students, Investors, Technology Professionals, Ancillary Service Providers) is more than 350,000 people (including 300,000 students who have chosen to invest their future careers and lives in the animation space) and this is without counting their families, with that taken into account, we are 1 Million strong audience base right at home (as in) the Indian Animation Industry!!
We can choose to be indifferent, and become accustomed to hearing news about animation releases being delayed all the time, for no fault of the producer or artists but because there were no distributors willing to invest in it.. or we can choose to change the future of our industry, all by a simple act of going and watching an India Produced Animated Movie in the theater.
A simple walk to the nearby Multiplex and booking of tickets for you and your family, can cause the largest positive and strongest Bull Run in the Indian Animation Industry. It can make your industry a thriving one.
The choice is yours.