Meet the ‘Crazygum’ – Sumi Anup

Sumi Anup is currently the Production Controller at Crazygum, Chennai, India. She had worked earlier at DQ Entertainment as a team lead in the lighting department. At Crazygum Sumi and her team make films, they say "We make effective communication pieces through entertaining cinema. It can be branded content, social messages, self expression, or a genre-bending feature. It’s just that we should be kicked by the idea, so we have fun doing it and the audience is touched as well”. Her company’s specialties are commercials, shorts, features, music videos, and video art."

CG Today : Ms. Sumi Anup, thank you for agreeing to chat with us.

Sumi : Thank you and its my pleasure.

CG Today : You seem to have a real passion for what you do. when did you know that you would be a creative artist?

Sumi : It was when I was doing AutoCAD classes at CADD Centre at Trivandrum, Kerala. I got a chance to attend a seminar conducted by CADD Centre’s M.D about animation and its scope in India. It was an amazing experience. I still remember the day when he said some of the best companies which deal with computer graphics are present in India. So I decided to pursue this stream.

CG Today : Tell us about Crazygum. The name alone denotes such a youthful, lighthearted feeling.

Sumi : "It's Young, Full of Fun, and Energetic..." That's exactly how Sushant's (my Partner & Director) good friend reacted on hearing the name for the very first time. We decided to go with it. And even now we get similar comments. So, it's working! When we started working on the names - we took two routes. 1. A name that means something about the business or a hook to the business. 2. A name that has nothing to do with what we are doing or what we are into. When "Crazygum" struck, it didn't say anything, or meant nothing but displayed the energy. It works well with what we are doing and our culture: Filmmaking, creativity, originality, and being radically different.

CG Today : Would you share with us your educational background?

Sumi : I’m basically a civil engineer, did my graduation at The Indian Engineering College. Then for animation I did diploma course at Vismayam School of Animation at Trivandrum. At Vismayam we had a good team of upcoming artists.

CG Today : Do you have a favorite genre in the extensive list of categories you and your colleagues provide to your clients?

Sumi : Well, my first love is animation – 2D/3D, it still amuses me the extend we can go with graphics, be it conventional or contemporary. I also enjoy the process of making live action films.

CG Today : What about your favorite project so far in your career, or is that like asking a mother to choose her favorite child?

Sumi : Each project for me is special, and has given different experience. I’ll take the liberty of mentioning two of my favorite works. My first project in 3D animation – Les Gnoufs, it’s special, because it was my first project and learned a lot from it. Second favorite will be the three short films – Extreme Existential Disorder in Three Parts – which include Mobile Phone, Bedtime TV, and Home Sweet Home. The filming experience of these three short films where awesome.

CG Today : What is your dream project that you would like to create in the future?

Sumi : My dream project would be to make a movie based on any of my favorite books. Currently the book I have on my mind is Christine by Stephen King.

CG Today : Please tell us about working for DQ Entertainment, the company and your job description.

Sumi : DQ Entertainment has been my first step in my career route. I started off as a trainee and left the company as 3D Team Lead. I worked in the lighting department. By the time the project reached the lighting department it’ll be too close to the deadline and we were always on our toes to finish the project on time. The adrenaline rush you get from this experience is amazing and in the end you get to see your name in the credit list of the project and that is something.

CG Today : Any advice for young artists who would like to make a career in the field of animation?

Sumi : Perseverance and constant learning is necessary in this field. Artists need to be aware of new software, plug-ins. Have your style in doing things creative.

CG Today : We understand that you also produce music videos. Tell us about you experiences with this genre.

Sumi : I’m a musically inclined person. Listening to music is one of my favorite hobbies. I like watching creative music videos. Recently we did a music video for a UK based band named Circus Envy. And we are already into the pre-production of new music video projects.

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