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 'xpress.
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Part 1
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Part 2
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Part 3
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Part 4
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Part 5
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