Animation ‘xpress presents ‘Training’ the sixth 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.
Training
Recently FICCI reported that Korea has sixty colleges dedicated to the art and
craft of animation. And how many do we have in India?
The current status of animation training here is quite lopsided. While the tremendous presence of private players in the market offering animation courses cannot be denied the quality and structure of courses offered needs to be closely examined in view of changing industry requirements. We may have institutes but we certainly don’t have institutions.
To understand needs there has to be participation in training from the industry. Not just by way of figureheads and prestigious names being used by companies to fill seats but by way of actual hands-on contribution on a regular basis from the industry. Very often people who have very little and in most case no knowledge of the internal workings of animation studios teach current courses.
Majority of courses offered concentrate on 3d computer animation with little or no emphasis on traditional animation techniques. Moreover courses are designed to impart training on specific software packages and do not cover basic theories of animation. In such cases we are faced with a situation wherein a student who completes these courses is left in the lurch. He is neither qualified as an animator nor does he have sufficient software experience for him to be useful to the industry from day one.
The renowned Walt Disney is reported to have said that it takes 16 years to make one animator and Indian players will have you believe that we can do it in 6 months flat!
A look at local industry will also explain why the training structure is so poorly designed. Large companies look at training as a short-term measure that is designed more to fill up vacancies to complete specific projects than as a means for future investment in the trade. Medium and small-scale companies do not have the resources to run sustained training programs. Whatever little knowledge is imparted to employees is mostly through senior to junior percolation. Companies do not view this as a major area of concern as most of them are fighting for their own survival.
External vendors best run training programs as these can cater to specialised needs of the entire spectrum of industry. However such players need to be constantly in touch with industry and its developments as only then can they provide raw material that is useful. Companies dislike the idea of spending money on employees especially when employees claim to be carrying qualifications from training institutes, and rightly so.
Trainees present another dilemma for companies as employers have to maintain a fine balance between providing suitable work and finding time to properly oversee progress. Companies perceive a lack of direct benefit in training people as the never-ending fear of employees leaving after gaining suitable experience seems to take hold. Couple this with the fact that expensive capital equipment has to be made available for the trainees in order that they learn under proper working conditions. In such a situation careful and constant supervision is required for a beneficial learning experience. Lack of supervision and guidance can lead to a very negative experience for the trainee.
Internationally it has been found that companies do see a very serious need for proper training institutes and the role they play in shaping the future of the industry.
In the late 90’s the International animation industry felt that there was a specific need for training. This need was for both senior as well as junior artists. Those who were fresh entrants to the industry required proper training in its workings while existing people needed improvements and newer skill sets. Art direction, character design, storyboard, layout, 3d construction, action and kinetics, special effects, background art, digital ink and paint, dope sheets, camera operation, scanning, model making, texturing, performance animation, set design, computer hardware and software systems and animation direction were some of the prominent areas that required training courses. In cases where companies did run some form of internal course it did not lead to a formal qualification while external courses were sometimes funded by the companies themselves.
It was found that the quality of courses being offered was either downright poor or not very good at all. The utility of trained animators cannot be overstated but there were hardly any institutes providing such qualified people to the industry. The industry felt that if remedial actions were not taken there would be a serious shortage of skills and technical knowledge that would eventually have an impact on creative abilities of the industry.
On the positive side it was found that emerging trends indicated that with falling prices better technology would be available to small and medium scale companies that will then be in a position to produce their own complex and large-scale productions. There will be an increase in 3d computer animation.
Educational and intellectual programs will replace special effects and pure entertainment cartoons for children. Growth in Internet and information technologies will see a higher demand for animation and employees will need to have multiple skills in order to survive in this new age.
The main concerns of the industry were:
1. Lack of basic animation techniques
2. Lack of script writers for animation
3. Shortage of skills
4. Lack of training and awareness in business skills
5. Lack of cross or multiple skills
6. Too much theory and not enough industry related practice in art schools and colleges
7. Inappropriate level and quality of courses
8. Absence of a single unifying body that supports animators and industry
9. People were entering industry thinking jobs are plentiful without
sufficient skills
10. Training and professional environments were disjointed
11. Need for long-term investment
12. Lower costs in production will eventually create more opportunities
13. Skilled work force necessary to avail of the emerging opportunities
Unfortunately for us we can see that these concerns are still very relevant our local industry. We can either take advantage of this research by working towards removing these ills from our own industry or dig our heads in the sand and pretend all is well.
Some hard facts therefore are:
Training needs long-term investment
Lower costs in production will create more opportunities
Skilled workforce needed for emerging opportunities
Only relevant training can provide qualified talent
From these concerns we can infer the following on the importance of industry-based training:
-To produce animators who are useful to the industry from day one
The main objective of training should be to produce a usable animator. Money and time spent in a training institute is best realised if it can be recovered in a short period of employment. This is possible only through disciplined training.
-Specialisation courses are difficult to run and best left to experts
Most companies do not have the time or resources to run courses that cater to special needs. At most a general overview is provided. This is not only inadequate but also forces the aspiring animator to progress at the pace of his employer. Specialised courses run by independent third parties are the only solution. The animator is free to specialise in subjects of his interest and institutes run only those courses that are in demand thereby efficiently utilizing their funds.
-To prepare animators for real world pressures
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
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Animation is labor intensive and requires discipline and dedication. Many students join animation for the perceived glamour only to be disappointed by the long working hours and short deadlines. Training can condition an aspiring animator to face such operational hazards.
-To build a strong base for the future
Demand for animators is increasing every year. A pool of talent needs to be built if we aim to compete at international levels. Relevant training is the key. The Indian animation industry is facing immense challenges today. The main question is how will it face the ever growing shortage of trained animators and at the same time cater to the demands of the international market.
Most students of animation are first time entrants into this industry i.e. they have no prior knowledge of media, entertainment or any of its allied fields. An insignificant small percentage of people have some knowledge due to interaction with media people or through word of mouth. Even today large numbers of students take to animation because it seems to be the ‘in-thing’. The average duration of courses available to aspirants is 4-6 months with most of the courses concentrating on training in animation software. A general survey will indicate that almost all students are unhappy with the quality of training they have received and most companies have to re-train employees in order that they become useful to the trade. This leads to wasteful expenditure in both time and money for the employer.
End of Part 6
Part 7 of the series entitled ‘Recruitment’ shall appear in the next issue of Animation Express.