Words like X-box, Compressor 3, Shake etc may be merely words for technologically malnourished individuals like myself, but there are those who have dedicated their lives to this wonderful new phenomenon. “Animation is a fantastic field especially for those who want to go crazy with technology and have tremendous creative potential. Very soon, India will see itself competing in the world market. Now that software like Shake, Final Cut Pro Motion 3, Color et al have made the whole process lot easier, all we need is to tap the right kind of talent. Animation industry will provide job opportunities to people in varied walks,” holds Shashikant Singh, a self-confessed “animation geek”. And he has reasons for believing that. Animation is being described as a revolution not only in IT but in relatively every sector! Ladies and gentlemen, the world of animation and gaming has now officially entered essential areas like education, web-designing, movies, medical, visual communication, defence to name a few. The same concept also made its presence felt at the Chandigarh Film Fest recently.

“Knowing technology alone is not enough. You have to put life into your characters through your own creativity,” asserts Philip Edward Alexy, an animator who has worked on movies like Flubber, Casper, Jumanji, Star Wars. The Canadian is currently teaching at Picasso Animation College, Delhi. “India has an extremely rich culture which will help animators with ideas,” Alexy says that abroad a graduate may earn about Rs 30 lakh every year. “In India an animator may start anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000,” adds Anand Kapoor, Director, Image Foundry. “Now that international companies like Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, IMAX and Sony have invested in the Indian market the bars will be raised. And if you are really good, you will get your worth.”

Ashok Kaul, Director of India’s first full-length animation film, Bhagmati believes that without imagination technological know-how is useless. “Ingenuity is the key to succeed in any field. No matter how many degrees you possess, if you have no good ideas up your sleeve the industry does not need you.” Chandigarh Administration is in the process of building a multimedia filmcity in a 30-acre area near Sarangpur. Apart from a multi-media college, multi-media technology park, and a digital studio, a multimedia entertainment centre will also be built which will be open to the public. The centre will exclusively provide a state-of-the-art gaming experience to visitors.

The gaming industry has not only given India a long list of its Lara Crofts but it has ignited young minds to explore career possibilities. “Being media students we were always interested in the big screen. But with the advancement of technology and ease of use, gaming is an option we seriously want to consider,” echo Neha Joshi and Mehak Malhotra, students of SD College. Be it online gaming or mobile gaming, everybody is fiddling with a gadget for some time-pass or pleasure. And by 2009, the Indian game development market is expected to reach 30 million US dollars.