Knowledge, creativity and guidance comes from experienced Masters. The thirst for learning never curbs, and interaction with the experienced minds of the industry revitalises your enthusiasm and inclines you towards learning till eternity. This profound interaction with eminent masters was witnessed at the Animation Masters Summit 2016 organised by the Toonz Media Group which commenced today at God’s own place Trivandrum, Kerala.
‘Kerala and Culture’ always go together just like the mesmerising flora and fauna of the southern state. So, the two day event flagged off with a traditional opening ceremony which began with Toonz Media Group, CEO, P. Jayakumar inviting all the eminent masters including the respected Father of Indian Animation Shri Ram Mohan to the prestigious event followed by the tradional custom of lighting of the samay.
Chief Guest of the summit and New Zealand Trade Commissioner and Counsel-General to India, Kevin McKenna inaugurated the event with his speech followed by a keynote about digitalisation and technological advancement from YouTube Kids & Learning, Head APAC, Don Anderson. KSITIL, MD, S Ramnath addressed the people gathered for the summit and Festival director Mohan Subramaniam rejuvenated the congregation as he disclosed the theme for the Animation Masters Summit 2016- ‘The Spirit of Animation’.
Padma Shri Ram Mohan was honoured by a sculptural momento and traditional shawl as he expressed his notable opinion about animation and this summit as a profound initiative by the Toonz Media Group.
The presentations kicked off as Oggy and the Cockroaches, creator and director, Olivier Jean-Marie enthralled the congregation with his successful humourous chase comedy creation. He gave a deep insight into the actual creation of both the cartoon series and the feature film named Oggy and the Cockroaches The Movie (2013). Touching various aspects like conceptualisation, scripting, characterisation, storytelling, drawing, voicing and direction of animated series, Olivier presented a live performance of him voicing the animatics of the storyboard entirely.
Nobody ever thought that Hanuman Chalisa could be interpreted in a strong influential manner until Charuvi Design Labs, founder and director, Charuvi Agarwal presented her own creation in the form of a short film named Shri Hanuman Chalisa. Highlighting her various ventures into painting, sculpting, augmented reality, virtual reality, interactive art/installations and animation, Charuvi displayed a perfect mix of the power of creativity and enhancement of technology.
Starting with working on few miniscule projects to creating the whole Marvel Universe in the animated series for Disney; Mechanic Animation, CEO, Greg Harman presented his journey in the animation world in New Zealand. Harman also shared the amalgamation of 2D and 3D renders and creation of the Marvel characters and their universe with utmost creative utmost freedom yet within the boundaries of the Marvel brand.
India’s favourite animated character ‘Chhota Bheem’ would have been under wraps if Green Gold Animation, founder, Rajiv Chilaka had given up years back when he pitched this project to broadcasters and was rejected. Rajiv shared his personal milestones that he faced and overcame in the course of studying animation and building a career of his own. He inspired the young artists to follow their dream with utmost passion and zeal, and ‘never give up’ as he shared the success story of the Chhota Bheem franchise.
An in depth knowledgeable panel discussion between the moderator and Toonz India, CCO, Hari Verma and the panelists Rajiv Chilaka, Charuvi Agarwal, renowned VFX production head Sabu Cyril (Baahubali), Director of Arjun The Warrior Prince Arnab Chaudhuri and Indiantelevision.com Group, founder and CEO, Anil Wanvari drew light on the future of the animation industry in India and measures to improve the current status to achieve higher success.
As Kerala is known for its cultural art forms, the first day of the two day event ended with a thorough fine piece of Kathakali displaying the potential and beauty of Indian art. Stay tuned to AnimationXpress.com for the second day coverage of the Animation Masters Summit 2016 for definitely there is interesting information to come as few renowned Masters are yet to share their experiences.
