Animation ‘xpress presents ‘Emerging Trends’ the fifth in a 12 part series.. on The Importance of Industry based training in animation. The views expressed throughout the series are the Author’s. Animation ‘xpress may or may not subscribe to the same.
Emerging Trends
There are some interesting new markets for animation. Leading among these are episodic character animation, computer based training, education, film effects, web development, virtual reality and gaming.
Broadcasting is believed to be poised for tremendous growth with web development and technological advancements made in the field of streaming video, virtual reality applications and the gaming industry all augur well for the qualified animator. Multimedia productions, features, commercials and corporate presentations all require animation at some stage. Most companies today are looking at diversification as the preferred mode of operation. Convergence of technologies to produce a better bottom line is the key today. Falling prices and improved wares make it possible for cheaper and better visualisation of complex projects (whether this benefit is passed onto the client is a matter of personal choice).
3d character animation is the current favorite with animation companies. Traditional job work is also looked at as a major revenue generator but unfortunately this requires a large skilled workforce. Few studios in India are venturing into independent productions. The overall economic conditions are such that breaking in is proving to be difficult let alone breaking even. In such circumstances, joint ventures and co-productions seem to be the order of the day. It is possible for studios to collaborate with international and local partners and execute a project together and bite into the share of the larger players. However consistency and quality are the main stumbling blocks of such arrangements.
Computer based training products will emerge as a strong market for the future. India lags here, as basic computer literacy levels are quite poor. But these are bound to improve in the future. Companies that can position their products for such markets are bound to do good business. Most companies focus on the urban audience however a large untapped India is in the villages and it is there that a huge market exists.
Current animation and art training is mostly restricted to the urban areas. With the spread of literacy and computer education into rural areas this is another potential revenue earner. As I mentioned earlier 3d character animation is the current ride to success for long-term players wherein given the right tools, a small set of talented individuals can consistently deliver quality products.
Recent reports suggest that India has roughly between 2000-3000 animators as compared to China with over 8000 and the Philippines with an estimated 40,000+ skilled workers! Indian animators have excellent communication skills in English while China, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines are weak in that area. What is surprising though is while the average production cost in the South East Asian countries is between US$90,000-100,000 India currently commands around US$50,000-60,000 while China is reported to be below the US$50,000 mark.
Though the accuracy of these figures may be debatable the general impression they cast is irrefutable.
Be it setting up his own animation and sfx studio in 1995 or providing insights and project reports to help re structure organisations and animation training schools, independent animation producer and TASI India founding member/spokesman Ranjit Singh’s 15 yr old stint in the animation Industry is marked with many highlights.
In 2001, Ranjit resigned from the company he founded and has since been working as an independent animation producer, director and consultant. He is currently writing the first of a series of books on animation for beginners.
An animator and modeler himself, Ranjit is very passionate about animation. He wants the new breed of animators to avoid the struggle of his formative years and in this endeavor he is forever available for advice to students and animators alike. He can be reached at phanspal@vsnl.net
A point to note here is that while the Chinese Government offers incentives in their Special Economic Zones and the Philippine Government has designated animation as one of their top priority industries India still does not recognize the potential of this medium and does not provide any additional incentives to promote animation export.
Revenue figures in India may not be huge but they are worth looking at:
2 episodes a month = US$120,000 @ 45 = Rs. 54,00,000 = Rs. 6,48,00,000 in a year.
Typically these would be figures for one company engaged in episodic work only. It would be very difficult to draw a parallel with any other sector of the economy that can earn so much in such timeframes.
End of Part 5
Part 6 of the series entitled ‘Training’ shall appear in the next issue of Animation Express.