How My Parents Tried To Keep Me Away From TV

Each child loves to watch animated cartoons and movies, but when I was small, I was addicted to cartoons. While it was still possible for my parents to keep me away from watching television during weekdays, the mere advice of getting involved in outdoor activities during the weekends sounded preposterous to me. My fascination didn’t seem to subside and I started understanding more about animation. I dreamed of getting admission in one of the top 10 animation colleges in India. I dreamed about the success I would get on making the best animation cartoon. Meanwhile, my parents went all out to keep me away from television. This is what they did:

1.    They told me how my eyes were being adversely affected (which was true) due to my excessive indulgence. Even the idea of me wearing big glasses did not deter me. I guess I was pretty obstinate. 

2.    I loved to (and still love to) dance; hence my parents enrolled me in a dance institution which held classes on the weekends. I absolutely loved to go for my dance classes and never missed even one class unless I was sick.

3.    The best thing they did was introducing me to the world of books. While my father often read out to me, he started asking me to read books myself. While it was a little difficult at first, I finally got the hang of it and derived great joy from books. My newly acquired habit kept me busy and I got to learn so much. My vocabulary improved and I started conversing in English. Now my time was equally divided between books and cartoons.

But unlike me, if you are really serious about pursuing animation in the future, find out more about the best animation course in Delhi. Find out about the eligibility criteria and if you fit the requirements. You could have a bright future in the field of animation if you work the right way!

Animated Films - A Late Entrant to the Oscars

So here’s the somewhat unbelievable truth about the Academy Awards and animated films –there wasn't even a permanent category for animated movies till the year 2001! So imagine globally beloved ‘Lion King’ not having won an Oscar for best animation, or even, best film (sure, they won Oscars for music, but that’s just not the same as ‘Best Picture’)! If there had been a category for the best animated film in 1994 –or if animated films could compete with feature films for the Best Film altogether- then Lion King would have definitely bagged both those awards, eh?

But that’s the somewhat unfortunate tale of animated feature films at the Oscars. The Academy was rather hesitant about creating an exclusive award for animated films sooner because they asserted that there just weren't enough productions to compete for an award each year at all. But with the advent of technology and animated films growing not only in popularity but also in number, the Academy had no option but to introduce a brand new category for the Best Animated Feature in the year 2001. And thus in 2001 commenced the short history of animated films at the Oscars.

Yet, the new category of best animated feature did not come without a set of rules and regulations. For instance, the Academy defined an animated feature film as one with a running time of at least 40 minutes in which the characters’ performances are created using frame-by-frame techniques, a significant number of the major characters are animated, and animation absolutely must figure in no less than 75% of the running time. Moreover, they also included a rule that stated that the award would not be presented in a year with less than 8 eligible films in the running.

Now since the year 2001, a series of absolutely stunning films have won the Oscar. With the animation industry growing at a rapid rate, if you've been inspired to enter the field of animation, then there are a number of animation studios and Animation Institutes In Delhi that could offer you the education you need. With no scarcity of animation studios and Animation Institutes In Delhi and across the country, there’s nothing stopping you from living your dream –not even the Academy!

Tim Burton: Animator, Genius

When I think of animators, the first name that pops in my head is Walt Disney. But I’ll just attribute that to the extreme popularity of Disney (well-earned, of course, but when you see the name flashed about everywhere there’s no way your brain doesn't pick up on it and register it better than any other). So, the second name, now that’s more important for me: Tim Burton.

Tim Burton, that crazy and twisted fellow makes some of the best animations of today. A director, producer, writer, animator and artist, he’s an all-rounder when it comes down to it, and the ace in his field. But first let’s give you a little background on his roots. Tim Burton attended the California Institute of the Arts (most renowned for its animation, it did also offer other multimedia courses) where he did an animation course. His talent wasn’t picked up for a while, but when it was, all hell broke loose (quite literally, seeing as his films are more often than not fairly dark and twisted).

His movies like Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have all been big hits. Burton’s animated films take on a dark, gothic, macabre theme that’s got fantasy, quirk, humour and horror all at the same time. That’s what sets him apart. Despite his seemingly off-beat film ventures, he comes out at the forefront of the mainstream as well. Tim Burton’s stop motion pictures creep under your skin, but you’ll love it. Movies like Alice in Wonderland Corpse Bride are the epitome.

So if you're as inspired by Tim Burton as I am much as I am (and are actually able to do something about it if you have the necessary technical and artistic skills, unlike me) then pick an animation course or choose one of many multimedia courses available worldwide, and kick start your animation career. If it’s anything like Tim Burton’s, you’ll be sure to have at least one fan in me!

The Inherent Love of Cartoons

So here's the thing about animation, whether we'd like to admit it or not or even be unaware of it altogether –we love it. I’ll tell you why. We've all grown up watching cartoons, haven’t we? From watching Cartoon Network to all the myriad cartoon channels that followed, every kid of the generation in question spent half their childhood glued to television sets. With the advent of television and its skyrocketing growth, gone were the days of children going out and about playing outdoors all day long! Generation X would understand what I’m talking about, while parents ceaselessly attempted to drag you away from the ‘idiot box’ whilst lecturing you about how back in the day, they were more active and curious about the outside world. Did your world revolve around the 47 inch, or what have you, television screen? Then riddle me this, what was it that you whiled away your childhood with? Easy breezy: cartoons. Ergo, case and point!

And thus grew our unknowing love for animation. Watching Tom ceaselessly attempt to chase and capture Jerry (knowing full well that it was never going to happen) is something I believe everyone cherishes as a fond memory of childhood. Or perhaps Mickey Mouse, who’s been around since times immemorial, so just about everyone has watched it, I’m sure. Say the evolution of Mickey Mouse over the years has inspired you and sparked an interest in animation and creating it; then there a number of excellent animation studios and Animation Institutes In Delhi that you can enroll yourself in and learn the intricate art of animation. With the knowledge and skills you pick up form an education from one of the various Animation Institutes In Delhi, perhaps one day you can hope to have your very own animation studios¸ and give back to the next generation, what you cherished about yours!

Animation and Creativity as a Calling

Computer Graphics and Animation is a promising industry. Animated movies tend to score over the non-animated ones. And it is not only the movies that amass acclaim, but games, themes parks, virtual reality and scientific and medical research that make use of computer graphics and animation are gathering steam.  The extensive use of graphics in design sector including automotive design, consumer products, industrial design and interactive design has only perked up the utility and efficiency of the animation and multimedia courses.

Graphic designers are known for having an attention to detail, design sense, problem solving skills and knowledge of the latest software and hardware pertaining to design and animation. Most design schools start with conceptualization and sketching before jumping onto 2D and 3D software which comes up in the advanced stages. They begin with the good old drawing concepts and then move on to the design fundamentals of colour theory, graphics, typography, scanning, colour correction and printing, says a student of animation course. Character modelling, set modelling, texturing, lighting, animation, visual effects and rendering are some of the other exciting aspects of a design course.

Many D-schools focus on basic education required to learn and unlearn the rest that keeps springing up in the profession. The curriculum and development team from design schools are adept at collecting inputs, interacting with the industry related personnel to keep themselves updated on the current trends and updating the curriculum in parallel to improve upon the employable skills of the students. Group discussions form an essential and an indispensable part of D-schools and they pep up the knowledge by providing all vital creative design inputs, asking students to analyse the concepts and inspire them to engage in innovative activities.