CG Today - Behind The Scenes

DQE, the entertainment production and distribution company, today announces the signing of two equity and distribution co-production agreements for The Jungle Book, a 3D TV series and The New Adventures of Peter Pan a 3D stereoscopic TV series with PT Metropolitan Televisindo ("B-Channel"), Indonesia.

DQE concluded both the contracts with B Channel, during the recent visit of DQE Chairman and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti to Jakarta, Indonesia. B Channel confirmed participation as a equity and distribution co producer for the first season of 'The Jungle Book' TV series, which is in production now, as well as 'The New Adventures of Peter Pan'. Under the terms of the agreement B channel will contribute towards the global budget of Euro 9.20 Million for the 52 X 11' TV series of The Jungle Book, as well as towards the global budget of Euro 10 Million for 26 X 22' Minutes 3D stereoscopic TV series The New Adventures of Peter Pan.

Axsotic a German based company have created a new standard in professional 3D interfacing, '3D-Spheric-Mouse'. Axsotic team said that, "3D-Spheric-Mouse, does everything at the same time (move, zoom & rotate) , have a perfect handling and it also does not require any specific drivers.

Overview:

Do everything at the same time

In a normal 3D-Workflow, you need to serialize navigation steps to move, zoom and rotate, and then finally you can work.

With the 3D-Spheric-Mouse you can do all of the steps at the same time.
This is possible, because the 3D-Spheric-Mouse gives direct control of your 3D-Navigation, without any failure input.

Working with the 3D-Spheric-Mouse feels as natural as drawing with a pen tablet.

Perfect handling

The 3D-Spheric-Mouse's (patent pending) suspension gives you maximum freedom to rotate and move your virtual objects in 6 achses with only one hand!

Students from Nirmala Bhavan create the best animation film at the World Animation Day Workshop conducted by Toonz Academy.

The first runner up is Christ Nagar HSS and Second Runner up is St. Roch’s Convent School!

Trivandrum, October 29, 2010 – Supriya D, Resmi L R and Ann Sara Abraham of Nirmala Bhavan, have bagged the first prize for the best animation film they created at the World Animation Day workshop conducted by Toonz Academy. The first and second runner ups have been bagged by Christ Nagar HSS, Kowdiar (Jishnu B and Vishnu B) and St. Roch’s Convent, Shangumugham (Rubina Rajabudeen and Jincy Joseph). The winners were announced at the valedictory function held today at the Kesari Memorial Hall. Hon’ble Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs, Shri M Vijayakumar gave away the prizes to the winners.

Toonz Academy had organized a one day workshop to celebrate World Animation Day on October 27, 2010 where 60 students from 27 schools from Trivandrum district participated. The students in groups of 2 to 3 were provided with a theme – ‘A Man in front of a Whale’ and were asked to brainstorm on story ideas. The groups with the guidance of Toonz experts created their own animation characters into 40 second films. 24 animation films were produced by these students.

The animation films were screened at the valedictory function today. Renowned film editor and director Sri. Arun Kumar awarded the certificates to all the students who participated in the workshop.

Giving away the prizes, the Chief Guest Shri M Vijayakumar expressed his happiness in being part of such an initiative where children were given the opportunity to give wings to their creativity through a medium that is most liked by them – Animation. He also stressed on how learning can be made interesting in schools by adapting animation as a way to communicate.

In his presidential addres, Toonz Academy President R K Nair said, “We are immensely happy to have conducted this workshop for children on World Animation Day. Animation today is being used in all sectors and it is necessary that students understand the latest technology and innovation in the animation field. The workshop was held solely with the objective to make them understand the efforts behind making a good animation film. The enthusiasm displayed by these 60 students to learn every nuances of animation has given us immense satisfaction. We were also astounded at the creativity these students exhibited and the stories they have created in the process. Their enthusiasm and response to this workshop is a morale booster for us.”

Noted film editor and Director Sri Arunkumar, himself a graphics artist and 3D animator, gave an expert talk on animation in movies which the participants found to be very informative. He also shared his own personal experiences in animation, post production and direction.

Mr Vinod AS, Academic Head of Toonz Academy talked, with the help of film footage, and explained to the students how some of the spectacular scenes of famous movies were actually made with the help of animation and special effects.

The ceremony was also attended by staff and students of participatory schools, and from Toonz Academy.

Bangalore has stamped his class with the acclaim of being the country’s IT capital. Experts, however, feel that Bangalore has a greater prospect in the field of animation which is beyond what IT has achieved so far.

“The presence of HAL, IISc and IIM-B has helped in the rapid growth of the animation industry. Bangalore has the potential to be creative capital of the country,” according to Biren Ghose, country head, Technocolor India.

Media & Entertainment, Bangalore Campus, hosted 'Spectrum 2010', a day-long event, as part of the International Animation Day Celebrations in the city. The highlight of the celebrations was the special lectures delivered by two stalwarts from the animation world, namely Max Howard & Shelley Page. Max Howard is an acclaimed producer from Walt Disney with Hollywood blockbusters such as Aladdin, Lion King, Space Jam and others to his credit. Shelley Page from DreamWorks Animation Studio has worked on animation movies such as Shrek, Madagascar, KungFu Panda, Shark Tales and Monsters Vs Aliens, among others.

The two experts offered a global perspective on the animation industry, the dedication and focus that the field demands from students and aspiring professionals and the continuous skill up gradation that is required to stand out among competitors. The students, through their interactions with the experts, understood the nuances of the industry and the key factors needed to establish themselves as professionals in the industry.

Spectrum 2010 provided a platform for aspiring animation professionals from across various schools to showcase their talent through activities such as Animation Ka ABCD (a quiz competition on the basics of animation), Face Painting, Sketch Your Character and Inter School Gaming Competitions.

Through the day-long event, students were exposed to different aspects of Animation and its applications and the vast array of fields where animation has become an important part - from movies to medical sciences, e-learning, defense and advertisements with emphasis on the different career options that one could focus on with animation as their specialization.