Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) Jaipur celebrates Annual Fest

Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) animation academy, recently organized their annual fest at their Jaipur centre. The purpose of this annual event was to encourage the creativity of the students by rewarding them. The occasion was graced by Parshvadeep Singh, Zonal Manager, MAAC.

Sharing their experience one of the students said, "It was a wonderful experience where all the MAAC students came together to share their experiences and accomplishments achieved in the last year. We are thankful to our management for organizing such events."

Students who have done exceedingly well in 3D animation movies were rewarded for their performance. Apart from rewarding students for their work Parshvadeep Singh also rewarded winners of the cricket tournament which started two days prior to the event. Six teams participated in the tournament. "The objective of annual event is to identify and reward the creativity and hard work of the students", says Parshvadeep Singh, Zonal Manager, MAAC.

The event also saw students showcasing their creativity in other fields by participating in the singing competition, dancing competition and fashion show. The event was attended by MAAC alumni as well.

MAAC Jaipur students covered in Rajasthan Patrika

Attached alongside is the extensive coverage of MAAC Jaipur's students efforts towards the cause of social awareness. The article reads the following:

Further to the technical excellence of 3d animation displayed by the students of Maya academy MAAC Jaipur has been very active lately in raising social issues and making animation films on creating awareness concerning the recent developments on Global warming and tree conservation. “These films are and effective medium of spreading the awareness, as most of the people like to watch 3d animation films and appreciate them; pertaining to this fact, when there is a social cause or a social message attached to the film the idea of spreading the awareness is accomplished and the message is understood very easily amongst all the age groups” says Lakshya Kabra Director of MAAC Jaipur. The movie Jungle ka karnama showcases the value of trees and gives a social message that if we don’t conserve trees how harmful it will be for us in future. Based on current climatic changes and the further ill-effects of global warming the world will be very different in future years to come. This is captured in the special effect movie 3009 which talks about the idea of resource conservation or the world will be a complete concrete jungle after 100years.

With this students of MAAC Jaipur are trying to bring out the positive effects of commonwealth games happening in India. “India has been doing very well in cricket at international level and by winning so many recognition at Olympics Indian athletes have also made their mark, we are trying to portray through our animated characters that after commonwealth games the awareness about the various other sports will increase” says a student who have been working behind the making of commonwealth game project.

 As the picture here shows an old man wearing boxing gloves, which means that after winning a broze medal in Olympic boxing has become popular in villages and people now can think of making boxing a career. Such initiatives by the students are not only adding the required creativity to their portfolios but also it adds up in making them responsible towards society. “The additional innovations and the projects which the students are taking will definitely add the technical excellence to their knowledge and help them do better in the future endeavors of animation Industry” Lakshya Kabra further adds.

IIMLucknow’s Gaming & Animation Conclave: 3D, Machinima, Farmville, Alpha & Omega & More

At a panel discussion organised on recent gaming and animation conclave ‘Chakravyuh’ held during IIM Lucknow’s Manfest 2010, CEOs of four companies launched into a whirlwind discussion on Machinima, Farmville, moms and games, Avatar and 3D animation movies, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and the current scenario of the Indian gaming and animation sectors as they sought to entice budding managers at the B-school to join the industry.

Both the animation and gaming industries in India are not new – they have been around for over 5 years and as the panelists agreed, are not still by definition a “market” but remain a “space” with just 7 animation movies released per year in India now. So what has prevented the two sectors from success?

50% Success Rate For Animated Movies, The Multiplex Matter, Merchandising Opportunities

There are many challenges, issues and lessons learnt by entrepreneurs, and the panelists did well to bring them out in the open and discuss them. In ourprevious report of NASSCOM’s forum, we heard India was not ready yet for animation, about the high costs involved in developing an animation film compared to a camera based one and the low returns. At Chakravyuh, Jai Maroo, Director, Shemaroo Entertainment, however said, “The success rate of Hollywood movies is 30-35% whereas the success rate of animations is 50%.”

He informed the audience that Avatar had been scripted 12 years ago but was shelved for lack of sufficient funding and also because the technology to make a 3D animation movie had not come around yet. Technologies to deliver some ideas are just coming up now.

In India, Maroo added, the media involved are different – while theatre and TV contribute only 30% of revenue for a producer in other countries, this is at a whopping 90% in India. Yes, we still love going to the multiplexes rather than downloading a movie or buying a DVD. Merchandising has still not taken off in India too, and there are opportunities for entrepreneurs in this segment. “Spin off possibilities across the value chain make the future look good,” stated Maroo.

Poor Storytelling

Another factor halting the progress of the industry was the lack of animations targeted at the international market – Indians producers are not attempting to create them. Smita Maroo, Vice President of Shemaroo Entertainment, said the problem was, “we are poor in our storytelling.” The creativity of Indians and our ability to produce content that can be understood by other cultures has not matured. We have just started to develop content for the domestic market – the likes of Bal Hanuman and Little Krishna, for example. These work well within our country but are not meant for the global audience. We have beautiful stories – the Mahabharata and the Ramayana – but can we mould/remix them to suit a larger audience?

Machinima & Crest’s 3D Movie

In answer to a student’s query if producers were looking at new concepts such as Machinima (Wikipedia entry), an animation technique that uses video game-like 3D graphics rendering engines to create animations, Maroo said that Machinima requires higher budgets and hence might not be viable for many low-budget Indian producers.

The Mumbai-based Crest Animation Studios is readying a 3D animation movie called Alpha and Omega(Wikipedia entry). This will be the first Indian 3D animation movie and is set for a global release in October this year, announced A K Madhavan, CEO India, Crest Animation Studios. Some of the studio’s projects so far can be viewed here.

Farmville, Moms, Paying For Games & The Next Generation

Though the Indian mobile gaming sector has gained momentum, online, PC and console gaming are still at a nascent stage. Games like Farmville have helped change the perception of games in India, said Rajesh Rao, CEO,Dhruva Interactive. From being regarded as primarily blood, gore and violence filled hobbies that were deemed unsuitable for children, the wide variety of casual games and online social networking related games are slowly being accepted as family and, more importantly, mom-friendly pass-times, said Quentin Staes-Polet, Co-Founder and CEO of Kreeda Games India. The discussion was that if mothers are convinced about games being a good hobby, the market will be able to open up as families begin to buy them for their children. But Smita Maroo warned that “moms are difficult to market to” and it will not be easy to win them over.

Rao proferred a fun tidbit – the popular soap opera Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi by Balaji Telefilms is already a game! If you know more, do inform us and we will be sure to add it.

But gaming companies are yet to find the right price tag and payment option that will boost gaming amongst children and teenagers who can not afford costly consoles and branded games. This might take a few generations to seep down to becoming part of our culture, with adults purchasing and playing games and then buying them for their children, nephews and nieces etc. When asked if global gaming firms are taking India seriously as a market yet, Rao answered with a negative.

The domestic gaming and animation industries continue to face challenges; lessons have been learnt and entrepreneurs are adapting: will they ameliorate themselves?

Roadside Romeo wins National Awards for best animation

Bollywood actor-director Jugal Hansraj, whose “Roadside Romeo” was adjudged the best animation film at the 56th National Film Awards Saturday, says producer director Aditya Chopra gave him the idea to write and direct an animation film.“I have written the story and directed the film but the idea that I should write an animation film and direct it was given to me by Adi (Aditya). He encouraged me to write and direct the animation film. He wanted to produce it,” Jugal told IANS. Jugal said he feels happy and honored to receive the award not only for himself but also for his team members.

“I am very, very happy and very, very honored. Not only for me but also for the whole team. A lot of people have spent lot of time and effort to make this film happen. The effort has been recognized so it’s a big thing for all of us,” Jugal told IANS.It is the story of a cute pet dog, Romeo, who was leading a happy life until the family decides to move. They abandon him on the mean streets of Mumbai. Romeo faces the hardship of a stray dog but with time, he adapts to the roadside life style, finds love and settles into a normal life.

Jugal has several other plots for an animation film ready and is just waiting for an opportunity to start doing a film on any one of them.“I have a few ideas in my mind but I am waiting for an opportunity. If I get the right opportunity I will make animation film on them,” he said.

For more detail go to: http//www.animationxpress.com

Next "Harry Potter" movies coming in 3D

Studio executives around town have been scrutinizing film slates for opportunities to expand forays into 3D releasing. Warners has been testing footage from its upcoming "Clash of the Titans" -- converted into 3D by an outside vendor -- and the tests have gone so well that the studio has decided to release not only "Titans" but also the two-part "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in 3D.


Warners refused to confirm the decisions Tuesday, but an announcement on "Titans" -- a co-production with studio-based producer Legendary Pictures -- is expected by week's end. Official word on the "Potter" pics also is awaited.

Conversion expenses have been coming down, so each film will cost just $5 million to change into 3D. Warners also will absorb an additional $5 million expense per picture to pay for 3D glasses for exhibitors handling the movies.

In a related move, Warners will push back the release of "Titans" one week to April 2. "Deathly Hallows: Part I" is set to unspool November 19, and "Part II" is slotted for July 15, 2011.

The only previous "Potter" pic to dabble in 3D was last year's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which included brief footage viewable in 3D in Imax venues. It was unclear whether "Potter" author J.K. Rowling had to OK the move into the third dimension.

As for the impact on box office prospects for the final two "Potter" sequels, consider the more imminent situation with "Titans."

A remake of a 1981 film starring Laurence Olivier, "Titans" previously might have been expected to fetch no more than $200 million domestically, and even that was an aggressive projection. Released in 3D, Warners figures to reap well north of $200 million, with 2007's $211 million domestic grosser "300" considered a beatable benchmark.

"Titans" in 3D also is considered a safe bet to best the $245 million in foreign coin that Warners fetched with "300."

The "Titans" move is not without risk. The installed base of 3D movie screens has been growing rapidly, but it's not sufficient to release the film entirely in 3D.

That should be less of a concern by the time the next "Potter" hits multiplexes. But execs also are quietly confident of getting enough 3D playdates for "Titans."

"I would not think it would be an issue to establish ourselves in the 3D marketplace with 'Titans,'" a studio insider said. "By sliding it back a week, we should at least have enough screens in the major markets."

Warners should secure upward of 1,000 playdates for "Titans," which will unspool a week after Paramount bows DreamWorks Animation's spring tentpole "How to Train Your Dragon."

The "Titans" move might spur further reshuffling in the spring release calendar, as its new date makes for a fifth wide opener set for Easter weekend, which historically is a solid boxoffice session but hardly one to support that many big pics.

Other wide openers set for April 2 include Fox's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," a likely PG-rated film adapted from a book series popular with middle-schoolers; Disney's PG-rated Miley Cyrus starrer "The Last Song," adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel; Universal's futuristic action thriller "Repo Men," starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker; and Lionsgate's latest Tyler Perry pic, "Why Did I Get Married Too?"

Meantime, the move of "Potter" into the extra dimension could prompt other high-profile moves. Could a 3D James Bond loom?

Warners' decision with its "Potter" franchise is likely at least to prompt 3D discussions between MGM and 007 producers. But unlike Warners' incremental move with the "Potter" franchise -- going with full-on 3D only after an initial foray into partial Imax 3D -- Lion execs would be starting at square one in talks on Bond.

Still, there is the siren call of those extra-dimensional dollars -- and other 3D currencies. In addition to lusting after "Avatar"-like boxoffice, industry execs have taken note of how well 3D pics play overseas.

Warners 3D horror pic "The Final Destination" overperformed internationally this summer, and Sony's 2D "Zombieland" did less than one-fourth as well overseas as domestically a few months later.

Perhaps by no coincidence, Sony might send "Spider-Man" into the third dimension with the webslinger's next pic.

3D imaging Machione creates Product Animation

Orter Technologies has launched its Photosimile 5000, a self-contained, light-box-style photo studio with which businesses or individuals can easily create 3D animations and still images. This product, which was shown at CES 2010, is now available for sale.


The Photosimile 5000 consists of a 28- by 28- by 28-inch box in which one can place an object and have it photographed, using an included Canon DSLR camera positioned on a track, in 2D or as a 3D animation in spherical, hemispherical, and 360-degree formats. The object being shot is set on a turntable, which can be rotated. For illumination, the light box uses 6500K (daylight-simulating) light bulbs.
Connecting via USB to a PC, the Photosimile (that's "simile" as in facsimile, not the poetic term) synchronizes turntable movement, camera positioning, and picture taking to photograph objects from multiple angles in one or more planes. The resulting images are automatically stitched together to create animated GIF or Flash files or exported to Ortery Real3D to compose 3D Silverlight animations with mouse control and deep zoom capabilities.

The Photosimile 5000, with a street price of about $17,000, is geared to companies and individuals who need to take product shots. But there are other applications: I could see it as a great way for a museum to catalogue its collection in 3D. No T. rex skulls, though--to be shot, the object has to fit in the light box.