October 21st, 2003 - The Indian animation is well on its way to global success: this is the feeling at Visual Computing Labs, a division of Tata Elxsi Limited, which is part of the multimillion-dollar Tata Group. The company has successfully delivered projects for global as well as desi clients, including animated TVCs (2D and 3D), ad commercials, animation & integration with live characters for feature films, animation for television serials and VFX for films and TVCs. Visual Computing Labs’ recent initiatives include the television commercial for Top Ramen noodles, NISSIN where claymation (animation with clay models) has been used without actual clay models and a song sequence for the Tamil feature film, Boys, wherein a CG girl character has been introduced in the midst of live characters.
Says K Chandrashekhar, Head, Visual Computing Labs, “Indian studios are getting more aggressive in their marketing strategies, and the Indian animation industry is reaching out to the production houses worldwide with a renewed vigor. However, the onus rests with Indian studios to match their marketing aggression with delivery of quality output.”
He adds, “Studio capacity plays a major role in determining the quantum of work that can be outsourced to India and how much funding an Indian animation studio can garner to sustain the demands of this business. The biggest challenge lies in finding good quality animators who are so crucial to this manpower-intensive industry. There is a dearth of good quality, experienced animators who are the lifeblood of the industry.”
What is the USP of Visual Computing Labs? Chandrashekhar states, “As part of the multibillion dollar Tata Group of Companies, we enjoy tremendous financial stability from which we derive the sustainability over long production periods which is very critical for overseas clients to entrust work to us. We provide versatility in handling diverse styles of animations and VFX services, and our technically creative team got approvals for our initial tests on the first take with studios abroad. We are a board-managed company and the management has tremendous industry experience. We are driven by a well-chartered plan based on our vision, and our short, medium and long-term goals.”
What lies ahead for Visual Computing Labs? Chandrashekhar responds, “Our R&D team works on innovating interesting technologies that have tremendous commercial value for our industry. For instance, we are in the process of developing advanced tools for automation of certain aspects of Film Management Process, which in turn could save a great deal of time for the film industry. Similarly, we are devising new techniques and technology to offer more creative options for Scriptwriters in terms of ‘Digital Manipulation of Images’. This procedure could take out a lot of constraints filmmakers are facing now.”
VCL has undertaken many projects that have met with success in the market. Some of its projects include the ‘cool’ promos for Microsoft Messenger Version 6.0, Monsanto’s Bollguard, Mak Lubricants for Bharat Petroleum, visual effects for Boom, Chupke Se and Bangalore Bandh. |
