Not enough animators to sustain boom

Acute shortage of professionals threatens to stall growth of the industry

With the country all set to have its first special economic zone (SEZ) for animation and gaming at the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) park here, the lack of adequate animation professionals is seen as a problem.

Experts in the industry feel that there aren't enough animators to sustain the possible animation boom. It may be recalled that a study conducted by Ernst & Young earlier said that India would need at least 30,000 animators by the end of 2006. However, with the demand shooting up by almost three-fold, animation graduates are hard to find.

Says P Jayakumar, CEO, Toonz Animation India, "There exists a huge demand-supply gap when it comes to animation professionals in India.

The Toonz "� WEBEL Animation School we opened in association with the West Bengal Electronics Development Corporation in Kolkata was a first step in creating world-class professionals. This institute has produced two batches till now, and we expect brilliant professionals to pass out of the school".

Apart from this, Toonz also has an academy in Thiruvananthapuram which trains animators. "We have also registered an Asian Institute of Film and Media Studies in an attempt to start animation courses apart from other media. We expect the institute to get rolling by mid-April this year," Jayakumar added.

It was reported earlier that Kinfra too had lined up an animation school with private participation in its park. Talks with film schools abroad are already on.

These institutes apart, scores of small-time institutes are churning out animators by the year. However, when it comes to quality, most of them fall short of expectations, said an animation industry source. What we now need is world-class professionals in the field, he added.

It was in the late 1950s that perhaps India's first serious attempt at animation education began as part of the Film Division's Cartoon Film Unit. Many an institution followed suit, though with not much of an effect.

When foreign tie-ups like the one Modi Entertainment Corp entered into with the Vancouver Film School to teach classical animation, 3D and New Media came into being things started changing for the better. However, the numbers never came up to the needed standards even then.

With an SEZ for animation and gaming taking shape, Indian animation academies too would now roll up their sleeves to create world-class professionals, it is hoped.