“I feel the government should help setting up a facility to impart the right training to the interested aspirants”
What are the features of the new Autodesk Lustre HD? And what are the enhancements as compared to the previous version?
Three years ago when color correction was introduced in India, the post-production houses used Lustre Master Station. Since then, Lustre has played an important role in enhancing the look of the films. With the launch of Lustre HD the focus will be more on television commercials, broadcast and digital films as these are the emerging segments in M&E industry. Lustre HD, a specialized digital grading tool will provide the broadcasters, ad and film makers an affordable and flexible creative tool set.
A brief account of Autodesk M&E`s increasing India focus and its future plan
We have been in M&E market for years now and India is a very important market. Autodesk has done some amazing work in China and now it is focusing on India, as India has a very strong corporate base. We have a unique position in the domestic as well as the outsourcing market and at this point we are focusing a lot more at this aspect.
What do you have to say about the new age technology trends in the Indian film industry?
In the past few years`, importance of the look and feel of movies have grown. Films, being a visual medium of communication need to have enhanced narrative and with apt color grading which suits the entire set-up of the film.
Additionally, the use of VFX in movies has increased extensively over the years. Though the film industry has seen the entry of VFX for quite sometime, it wasn`t very visible to a layman. For instance, even in the movie KANK there were special effects to digitally create some crowd as required in the scenes but that`s again not very noticeable on the screen by the audience. But now with movies like Krrish and Dhoom 2, we have used VFX for more action scenes which will be very much understandable even by an audience. Hence, we are witnessing an evolution of VFX in Indian cinema – from invisible VFX shots to photo realistic 3D visuals.
How is India becoming the outsourcing hub for post-production work?
India has a lot of potential but it also has a lot of challenges. These challenges can not be completed unless something is done about them. People here in India have talent but not the right training and exposure. For instance, in India, we have excellent universities and colleges with medical, engineering and management courses, hence delivering some outstanding candidates for these professions. But we don`t have a recognized training system for the students who are keen in pursuing a career as a skilled technician in the field of media and entertainment. I feel the government should help setting up a facility to impart the right training to the interested aspirants. Our objective should be to train not only the freshers but also to educate the existing technicians about the various technologies that are used today to enhance the films at an international level. The training system should help the film-makers and technicians to understand the application of various technologies and learn the best practices being followed globally and provide them the opportunity to have a more successful career. This will in turn drive the growth in the Indian market which currently suffers from a severe talent crunch.
What are the upcoming projects in which Autodesk`s Lustre HD is being used in India and internationally?
As yet Lustre HD has not been installed in India. The process will start soon. With Lustre HD we are basically looking towards the television market. And I believe that if Lustre is used in the right manner then the television market will look different from what it is now. Also Lustre HD will be used in ad commercials and broadcasting. Lustre HD will be used not only for the betterment of the serials which have VFX but also daily dramas because these also should be presented as well as any other serial.