The best Animation Studios in the world

Pixar was the dream project  of former CEO of Apple Inc. Mr Steve Jobs. The company was purchased by Walt Disney in 2006 which cost them more than $7 Billion. The first movie released by Pixar was The Toy Story which turned out to  be a huge hit and later on became a big franchise.  Some of the most acclaimed films commercially as well as critically from the Disney-Pixar collaboration areas follows:

■ The Toy Story films
■ WALL-E
■ Brave
■ Ratatouille
■ Inside Out

Disney is an established company since very long. They started making movies and feature films in 1937 and their first movie was a very critically acclaimed Snow White and Seven Dwarfs. Disney is one of the early companies to inspire the proper education in animation and hence there are so many top animation schools today., The other two movies which  came later are still engrossed in the minds of many and remain in the minds of fans viewers. The two all the time big hits from Disney Studio are The Lion King and Aladdin.  Some of the recent hits which have made mark in the world of animation movies are :

■ Frozen
■ Wreck-It Ralph
■ Big Hero 6

Dreamworks animation studios have been the champion all along as they have been the pride of all the award functions whenever they have movie on the floor. THe Major feature film franchises which are associated with Dreamworks are :

■ Shrek
■ How to Train Your Dragon
■ Madagascar
■ Kung Fu Panda

Each of these are critically acclaimed as well as huge commercial success

THe scope for animation is very high these days as there are large producing companies which are constantly recruiting and are always in search of fresh talents. It is a proud thing to know that maximum members of animation and VFX teams of these companies are Indians, the reason being the recruitment is down from top 10 animation colleges in india. If you think you have the talent you can always join this interesting course and make a fun career out of it.

Branch out to these multifarious Animation fields

One of the fondest memories of childhood that we all have is binge watching cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, Donald Duck and Ben 10 through the day! It seemed so magical, didn’t it?

When we think of these cartoons, animation is the first image that crosses out mind!  The process of animation was different decades ago but it was equally amazing!

A technique of sequential movement of photographs and drawings; Animation is one interesting concept to dive into. With having so many career options, one can gain insight and be a part of this world in order to produce magical content in their animation career.

If you are someone who is keen on making a career in this field, take a look at the variety or things you can do while you learn the skill-

•The Tech director: In Animation productions, the tech directors are the ones who will manage the new trends and technology related work to produce the best of graphics in the industry.

•Graphic designer and artists: Build on your artistic bent. From designs, colours to preparing a visual layout, a graphics person can just strengthen the campaigns and banners of advertising and productions field.

•Video game designers and cartoon animators: To bring characters and cartoons to life is what a video animator does. Computer programming knowledge, writing codes and preparing video games is a part of this.

•Art director: From falling in alignment with briefs of clients for the advertising campaigns and projects to executing them well is what the art director’s job entails. One must have the creative bent to be able to brainstorm and monitor the activity. TV commercials, movies and shows; all is predominantly an art director’s job.

The animation field is highly potent at the moment for young aspirants. Pursue a course from any Top 10 animation colleges in India and learn the nuances associated.

Careers after a multi-media course

With media and communication sector becoming more diverse, degree and diploma courses in this field are also gaining popularity. The days, more and more students are choosing media related courses which are not just exciting but relevant as well, in today’s media dominated landscape. So, for all those interested in working in this field, here are a few career paths that can be taken up after pursuing a course in multi-media:

Internet Applications: multi-media courses are very helpful for all those who wish to work in the IT field as web developers and web designers. It helps students develop websites using their creativity, latest software and other technologies related to the field. Pursuing a multimedia course from one of the top institutes help students stay at edge over others and significantly increase their chances of availing the best job opportunities in the industry.

Entertainment: there is a huge demand of trained animators in the entertainment industry. For a career in animation, multi-media courses are very helpful as it helps one to combine entertainment and multimedia and produce DVD graphics, images for video games, television programs etc. Some of the job positions one can work at after successfully completing the course include game developer, graphic designer, animator and broadcast designer.

Fine Arts: multi-media courses are also a good option for all those planning to make a career in fine arts. The course help students combine knowledge of traditional mediums like photography and drawing with computer applications. For example, if you want to become a photographer, a multi-media course will help you manipulate your work digitally and create unique images. On the other hand, for fine art artists, coursework will help them learn ways of combining audios and videos to create interactive art pieces.

All in all, career prospects in multi-media are many and earning a relevant degree from a reputed institute significantly increase chances of grabbing the best work opportunities. 

Why is Graphic Artist the Perfect Job for your Creative Soul?

“Creativity is the way I share my soul with the world” – Brene Brown

Times have changed, tables have turned – students are no longer entangled in the prospects of becoming an engineer, doctor, banker, and teacher and take up other mainstream jobs that societal conducts pressurized them to take up. In fact, students are more informed; they listen to their inner voice, and encapsulate their life on the basis of their dream. Creative and designing is one such industry that is witnessing increasing participation from students of diverse streams. The idea of students these days is to keep their inner pang of hobby satisfied – by making it a distinguished profession. And thankfully, to cater to these needs, there are various universities that proffer professional courses to keep the creative zeal of students alive.

Amongst multitude of options, one such option is graphic artist. This course is like a big feast for students who love creativity and working on different computer software to create tons of amazing pieces. There are various reasons of pursuing this amazing course from a leading animation institute:-

1.Bring a graphic designer, you can spill out what you feel in the most creative manner, and on the top of it you get paid for creating those engaging masterpieces.

2.The arena of graphic designing has broadened to take web into its clutches. It is no longer restricted to print, but is used across internet, which means you will never be out of work. As a designer, you can network with hundreds of people over web, and work with them. But for this one needs to have fair knowledge of programming skills such as CSS, HTML and PHP.

3.With upsurge of people going for designing jobs, there is a cut throat competition for getting acknowledgement of your uber skills, and acquiring the perfect job. But every company these days requires an in-house graphic artist, and so the hiring never stops.

4.You will never get bored since graphic artists also tend to do freelancing work, and have the liberty of choosing projects across the verticals. This helps gaining knowledge to work for number of things, and ultimately set up own studio.

5.Initially one can work without a studio to save business expenses. Freelancing doesn’t require a state of the art set up, it just needs your talent and dedication.

These are a few reasons that should help in determining whether animation career is the option for you. 

Are you cut out for a career in animation?

Animation is a dynamic field and that requires dedication and innovation in the field of multimedia operations. Your favorite Disney characters or those nostalgic children’s movies were not created in a day. It took the expertise of a number of animators to build up the characters and the story over a long period of time. For a field as specialized and competitive as this, you would probably want to be sure if you have it in you to be an animator. Also, the amount of money and efforts that needs to be invested is a factor that cannot be ignored.

So, who are exactly are animators anyway? Animators are multimedia artists who are into a plethora of creative activities right from creation of high octane video games and blockbusters to quirky television commercials, often with the aid of computers and other such electronic tools. Special effects, visual images form a major part of the package.

Though we do have an image of animators being cartoonists, but it the pictures goes beyond that.  Animation plays a crucial role in court proceedings, medical procedures and military practices. It also plays a crucial role in architectural drawings and designing.

So therefore, you must realise the importance of having a keen eye for detailing, people and their movements. The tiniest twitch of a facial muscle is important for a true animator. Infact, this is what differentiates a master Jude from an average Jane. The person next door is important not just for the sake of neighborly affection/dislike but for reasons of observing the minutest details of the person’s character.

This is the minimum requisite that is demanded of in the field.  For the technical qualifications, there are ample animation institutes like AAFT School of Animation that provide a holistic curriculum for preparing real animators ready to take to the professional world.

An animation career from aaft can open floodgates of opportunities if you are the right fit for the programme. A little research and knowledge of your own self can lead you a long way in the field of animation.

Why Choose a Career as a Special Effects Artist?

The advancements in animation and technology, has changed drastically on how the media industry tells a story. From being restricted by not being able to create certain visuals and thus having to either travel to a selected place or create the sets by hand. The media industry now has the ability to create almost any type of visual effects from their computer only. Animators, special effects artists, texture artists and more are in high demand these days, as they allow a director to bring to life anything they imagine.

With the help of these artists, one can make anything come true, from mythical creatures, to unbelievable landscapes and more. A section of the animation industry houses the special effects department, which deals with creating illusions of various kinds from optical, mechanical and computer generated too. These illusions are then used in video games, movies and television shows.

In order to have a successful career in this field, it would be advised that one complete either a bachelors degree or at least a diploma course in from a reputed animation school. One can choose from many different subjects like animation, computer graphics and graphic design.

Being a highly creative field, one might think that a formal education is not necessary, and while it is not mandatory to get a degree, however it can work in favour of the student while applying for jobs. A career in animation is quite a popular area to work in, as it allows one to be both creative and versatile in their dealings.

And one is also not limited to just the media industry, special effects are being used in almost every sector such as schools, corporate and even in some cases the government. Thus, one will have a large playing field to explore from while looking for jobs.

MOVIE ANIMATION VS. GAMING ANIMATION

Childhood days were the days of Tom and Jerry and the Popeye Show. Such was the impact of these animated shows that we never used to miss an episode! Animation has been catching attention since a long era and I love the fact how animation has the ability to fill life in a character. Animation tools and techniques are used in movies, games, cartoons and what not!

The use of animation in all the things that we see around is the reason why an animation career is becoming so popular among the people. To a layman, all kinds of animation may look similar. But it is only in the animation schools that you to get know the techniques of animation used is different in different kind of work.

AAFT Animation School prepares students for taking up animation jobs in various industries of entertainment. Let’s look at the differences between an animation used in movies and animation used in gaming.

•    Angle: In movies, the animator animates only the things which are in view of the shot camera. Audiences keep watching the movie at a fixed angle from beginning to end. In games however, the angle keeps changing. The animation in games has to be done really carefully to make it look good from multiple angles.

•    Control: In animated movies, you have no control over what’s going on. You are merely watching it and the story will go on as the animator has made it. In games however, you are the one taking the story forward! Not that you can do whatever you like, but still, the area is quite large for making your character move.

•    Sound: In movies, a planned audio goes on during the course. On the other hand, while making an animated game you have to have multiple sounds in store for every act- such as walking, running and gunning, to sound differently.

But be it an animated movie or an animated game- both offer amazing entertainment to us!

Animation As A Medium Of Education

Imagine you’re an 11-year-old kid, sitting at school and chewing on your pencil, gazing out the window and mindlessly listening to the teacher ranting on about World War II or what have you. Now, imagine you’re the same 11-year-old kid sitting in a classroom where you and your peers are recreating World War II through some stellar animation. Which do you think you’d prefer? Which would grab your attention? Which would invoke that desire to learn and have fun all at the same time?

Surely, your answer is quite obvious –as would be everyone’s! And that’s exactly why a lot of people these days have been advocating the inculcation of animation in the education system. It’ll be like getting an animation course and a history lesson all rolled into one! 

But all fun and games aside, the education system as a whole must come to realise the sheer benefits of animation as medium of education. Let’s take a quick look at how using animation in the classroom can be a highly effective tool of learning.

•    Communication: Whether it’s textual, verbal or visual, creating animation will allow a student to better their communication skills by putting across their ideas, understandings and concepts in a creative fashion.

•    Story telling: You don’t need to go to Animation Institutes In Delhi to learn the art of story telling through animation! Students will be able to form coherent and impelling stories and convey their ideas and philosophies by using exciting and challenging animation tools.

•    Facilitate positive peer interaction: By introducing animation as a medium of education, students will learn to collaborate in creating their works, and also learn presentation skills that will lead to the creation of a classroom environment that will stimulate positive peer interaction.

•    Creativity and logical thinking: Animation, being an art, will allow students to explore their creativity and be innovative, which will lead to not only aesthetic growth but also work on the intellect and cognitive and emotional aspects of their personality through novel approaches at problem solving etc.

•    Artistic qualities will naturally enhance learning in various other content areas –such as history, literature, etc.

ANIMATION YIELDS FASCINATION

Watching movies has always been one of my favorite pastimes and I go out with my friends almost every weekend to watch the latest movie on the big screen. A movie freak like me can watch movies of any language, (yes! even Tollywood, Would need the subtitles though) and any genre be it thriller, rom coms or action. But movies like Gravity and Interstellar have left an unparalleled mark on my mind and has made me want to see them over and over again. Thanks to the 3D animation techniques used in the film that made us feel like we’re actually in space. The movement of engines of the space ship and the falling of meteors were so realistic that it gave us all the scientist experience. While 3D animation techniques are widely used in depicting outer space scenes, some of the movies also use animation to put a lot of life in war scenes. You would feel like the axes and stones are coming to hit you. Movies like these fill us with lot of energy and are lot more fascinating than the general 2D movies. Another movie, Maleficent used a great animation in putting life into exotic creatures living in the forest. It made me feel like I am one of the characters of the forest. War scenes were equally amazing. Animation career is one of the most popular careers among students today, probably because movies like these are such a hit.
 

A lot of Bollywood films also have come a long way in making animation films. Krish3 and ABCD2 are some movies which has used animation in action and dances. Top 10 Animation Colleges in India are offering courses on various animation techniques such as VFX, computer animation and 3D animation encouraging students to make their own animation films.