Pixelloid bags Rs 1-cr visual effect projects

Hyderabad-based Pixelloid Computer Services Private Limited, a provider of 3D animation, visual effects and architectural walkthroughs for films, television and gaming industry, has bagged contracts worth around Rs 1 crore from eight regional and a Hollywood production house.

The projects include seven Telugu films, one Marathi and a two-minute 3D trailer for Hollywood film Revenir. The Telugu films include Mahesh Babu's Sainikudu, Devdas-fame Ram's Jagadam and Prabhas' Munna, while the Marathi movie is 'Mahalakshmi' by director Chandrakant Joshi.

The company has also signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with two Hollywood production houses. "The pre-production works on the regional movies have already begun, and we expect the visual effects works to be completed by January 2007," Pixelloid founder and VFX supervisor, Yugandhar Tammareddy, told Business Standard.

He said the company was currently focusing on commercially-viable feature films instead of looking at television and gaming industry. "Movies have better scope than other areas of entertainment. They demand quality and offer better earnings," he said.

In the past one-and-a-half years, Pixelloid had worked on over 50 Telugu film projects, with the prominent ones being runaway hits like Pokiri, Bommarillu, Badhra, Mass, Super and Sri Anjaneyam.

Yugandhar said dearth of talent had been a problem area for the animation industry in India, which is currently pegged at $5.5 million.

"Keeping this in view, we have been conducting training programmes in a simulated production environment on our ongoing projects, bridging the gap between static classroom learning and the reality of fast-paced 3D animation and visual effects. The students are then absorbed into the company," he said.

Pixelloid posted a turnover of Rs 2 crore in the 2005-06 financial year. It expects to close the next fiscal with a turnover of Rs 3 crore.