Maju Mohandas, Freelance 3D Artist

Maju MS is an independent freelance 3D artist hailing from New Delhi. He has a degree in BFA in Fine Arts and Sculpture from University of Kerala and the College of Fine Arts in Trivandrum. He has worked as a 3D modeler for Tata Elxsi and as a Senior Character Modeler at Fusion Toonz and currently functions as a freelance modeler at Katputhalee Animation Studios.

CG Today : Mr. Maju, thanks for accepting our request and a warm welcome to you.

Maju : Hi everybody, and thanks CG Today for giving this session to share my experiences and thoughts.

CG Today : Katputhalee Animation Studios is instrumental in honing creative personalities from diverse fields such as music, fine arts, theatre, visual studies and graphic design. How has been your experience so far, working in a constructive environment provided by Katputhalee?

Maju : At Katputhalee Animation Studios, I was hired as consultant modeler. Working with KA Studios was a fantastic experience. They have a dedicated creative team and follow a stringent pipeline for production. Their approach to work is different. While they are busy with projects, there is nothing in their mind except work; after finishing the projects, rock on. As a freelancer at KA studios I was responsible for modeling & textured assets and pros. Each time, I got a chance to develop or sharpen my skills.

CG Today : Chotey Motey, Who is the Boss, Boo and the Lane are some of the upcoming story lines in the Katputhalee creative space. Can you throw some light on any of the upcoming creative pursuits of the Studios?

Maju : In KA Studios I played the role of a consultant modeler. Recently I worked for “The Taj Mahal”; it’s a promotional movie for full length feature film. As a consultant I have certain constraints to reveal more facts in this regard.

CG Today : Your biggest professional stint so far has been with Fusion Toonz which offers quality IT and animation services for customers globally. You have worked in the capacity of a Senior Character Modeler. During this time, what was your favourite character model that gave you lot of enjoyment and satisfaction?

Maju : Basically I am a sculptor; so each and every model is important for me. I enjoy challenges. For me satisfaction never ends. Every time, I feel that I could do better.

CG Today : What role did you play at Fusion Toonz in order to build a strong team that masters the execution of character modeling? How important is the team work to deliver strong and memorable performances day in and day out?

Maju : At Fusion Toonz I was responsible for the modeling team, yet my role was not limited to it. As a team we did creative conceptualization of models and developed 3d models that are suitable for making animations with proper rigging skinning. The entire team worked together from conceptualization to composition at Fusion Toonz. Everyone can bring their creative ideas and suggestions to the table and execute properly. Every day we analyzed project progress and give guidelines for getting better quality output. Teamwork is everything for an animation studio (Weta Digital is an example for that); fortunately FT has a creative team, thanks to Swati Gupta (studio manager).

CG Today : You have worked at Tata Elxsi whose Visual Computing Labs is amongst the leading visual effects studios in the country. More than cutting edge technology, Tata Elxsi boasts about on time project delivery, superb artistry and mastery in technology. What procedures were followed to keep a project on schedule? How were you planning to deliver assets on time?

Maju : I started my CG career at Tata Elxsi as a Modeler. My lead was Mr.Ravi Datla. Working with him was a good experience in my career. I was able to explore a lot of new techniques that helped me a lot.

VCL gives more freedom to creative artists. You feel home working there. Either it is day or late night you get dropped at your door step. Artists just require focusing on their work. And I am sure, yes they will never drop deadlines and quality.

CG Today : As a freelance artist, do you mostly prefer to work on your own strengths or are you looking to collaborate with others, leverage the synergies and come out with higher quality of products. How would explain the difference between freelancing and working as part of a team?

Maju : Both of them have their advantages & disadvantages, as a freelance artist I have a greater flexibility with my schedule. But I cannot expect good quality projects all the time, so that I have to compromise on quality (FL more dependent on local market). Studio brings better Technologies and quality Projects. Talents under one roof will get more chances for learning. Definitely it speeds up one’s career growth. Personally I prefer Studios.

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