From Game of Thrones to Interstellar & Avatar - Indian Animation & VFX Companies in Hollywood

[Echo_419]

Is 10 inch tablet okay ? Just kiddin' ...I hear it's a good movie.. and damn.. I need a break..

You need to watch it in Cinema anything less than that & you are commuting a crime

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

An Indian-owned company just won an Oscar for Interstellar’s incredible special effects​

Namit Malhotra was still a teenager when he founded his own company in Mumbai, working out of his father’s garage.

It was 1995 and he had opened an editing studio, which swiftly moved into film production equipment rentals in two years, and eventually became Prime Focus, the visual effects force behind Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Visual Effects.

The Oscars victory was led by Double Negative, the London-based VFX studio, that merged with a subsidiary of Prime Focus in 2014. That created one of the world’s largest 3D, animation and visual effects outfits. Over 80% of the merged company is still held by Malhotra’s Prime Focus, which is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.

Some of the funds for the 2014 merger came through Reliance MediaWorks, the film and entertainment arm of the Reliance group, that infused Rs120 crore ($19.2 million) into Malhotra’s company to buy a 30.2% stake.

Update: In a statement on Feb. 24, Prime Focus said that Double Negative provided all the visual effects for the film, including the wormhole, a massive black hole, robots and space landscapes. “I have always been a great admirer of Mr. Nolan’s films,” Malhotra added, “and hence it is really heartening for me to see our work on Interstellar being recognised as the world’s best.”

For Malhotra, who moved from India’s film capital to Los Angeles five years ago, an inclination for lights, camera, action ran in the family. His grandfather M.N. Malhotra was a cameraman, and he even shot the Indian film industry’s first colour movie Jhansi Ki Rani in 1956. Malhotra’s father Naresh Malhotra has worked as an associate director and producer in Bollywood.

When Malhotra started Prime Focus along with three others two decades ago, his aim was “to find a bridge between Bollywood and technology because our industry did not really use technology as easily as you saw in Hollywood,” as he explained in a 2011 interview.

Of course, Bollywood films till this day are notorious for shoddy homegrown visual effects—and borrowing too much technology and too many techniques from Hollywood for its films. In such a situation, for an Indian company to win an Oscar for VFX is a tad ironic.

Although he has worked on a long list of Indian films, including Go Goa Gone, Agent Vinod and Rockstar, Malhotra’s claim to fame comes mostly from the West.

To his credit are Hollywood entertainers like Gravity, Avatar, Shrek,Tron: Legacy, among others. Avatar and Gravity are both Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects in 2010 and 2014.

In 2011, the company collaborated with American film production company, Lucasfilm, for the 3D conversion of Star Wars: Episode I-III. A year later, Prime Focus bagged five Oscar nominations for the studio’s work in Tree of Life, X-Men: First Class, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Hugo.

Here is the full list of movies whose visual effects have been made by Prime Focus.

Today, the Mumbai-based company, which went public in 2006, has more than 4,500 employees situated across three continents.

“We should be the Indian Pixar or the Indian version of Pixar or Marvel which we can absolutely create,” Malhotra said in a 2013 interview. “We have the opportunity, we are the company that can do that.”

Source:- An Indian-owned company just won an Oscar for Interstellar’s incredible special effects - Quartz

 

[Koovie]

Also Indian films like Bahubali that cost over Rs150 crores to make. 90% is animations, special effects and CGI. It busted all box office records in India garnering over Rs50 crores in the first week itself!

Thats from LoTR

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Special effect: From Hyderabad to Hollywood​

HYDERABAD: Huddled in the confines of their cabins, surrounded by myriad screens and a story board to guide, a group of Hyderabadis are working round the clock to give finishing touches to a new Charlie Chaplin TV series, which will soon be aired across the world. And that's not a one-off case. Work like the animation for a new series on Peter Pan and a brand new Jungle Book, complete with the latest visual effects, are keeping thousands of visual effects supervisors in the city busy.

After its world famous biryani and pearls, the latest addition to Hyderabad's pride is its growing animation industry for games, TV and feature films pegged at a staggering $1 billion, arguably the highest in the country.

"The industry has been thriving in the city for the last few years. But it was not until recently that it became recognized as a hub for animation in films and television shows," Rama Krishna, founder and promoter of Animation VFX Comic Gaming (AVCG) Industry of AP told TOI.

Some of the prominent animation works taken up in the city have won accolades in Hollywood. Don't be surprised if these include famous ones like the Incredible Hulk, Chronicles of Narnia and a major chunk of James Cameron's magnum opus Avatar. Another film that relied entirely on city-based experts was the action-comedy movie Knight & Day.

Now, the industry has taken to the storyboards once again for the next Narnia sequel, which is scheduled to release in 2016. "We can't tell you exactly what we are up to as we have a non-disclosure agreement in place. All we can say is that we are putting together some great visual effects," said a representative of Rhythm and Hues.

Hyderabad's booming VFX industry also caters to roughly 50 per cent of the animation work for cartoon channel Nickelodeon, industry insiders said. The city is now counted among the country's premier animation hubs, with stakeholders ranging from Green Gold Animation, DQ Entertainment, Pixxel Arts, Gameshastra as well as the outsourcing units of several global conglomerates such as Dream Works, Pixar and Disney.

It's not just Hollywood, animators are getting increasingly more work from the Telugu film industry itself. Even as Bahubali has become a runaway hit and is racing to join the Rs 200 crore club, animators are already busy with the pre-production work for its sequel. "Especially after the release of Bahubali, which is currently raking in all the moolah, animation has become the talk of the town once again," said a visual effects supervisor.

Rama Krishna explained that animators from the city have panache for two-dimensional to three-dimensional conversion

. "Usually in this kind of animation, a new perspective is given to an already two-dimensional movie. We add the third element, which makes the movie look three-dimensional," he said.

The technical expertise is making a mark in the world of gaming as well, animation for which has grown by leaps and bounds in the city. "Gaming is a fast emerging industry in the city.

With international players such as Electronic Arts and NVidia entering the fray, the gaming industry is booming in the city. Apart from coming up with conventional console games, there are many studios in the city which are developing android or iOS based games for smart phones," said Rama Krishna.

Among the six dedicated studios which develop console games in the country, the city proudly possesses two. "There are many independent companies which are working on developing games. Presently, the gaming sector has its sights set on smartphone games because it is readily available and has a wider reach," said Ravi K, COO, X Cube games.

The gaming industry, apart from catering to client needs, carries out independent work as well. "We had drawn up the Star Trek game for CBS-IT and Madagascar the Game as well. But now we are coming to terms with drawing up games on our own. To attract crowds, one such game that we are developing is called Fairytale City," said a project manager of X Cube. In this game, players would be able build a complete city centered on fairies.

"It is fun to work in the animation industry as we get to be part of the creative team that brings characters to life. Our job revolves around the design, once the client informs us of his requirement. We draw up the imagery and send it across," said Pranay Dey, an animator.

No wonder then that experts peg the total visual effect supervisors at a staggering 6,000 and growing every day.

Source:- Special effect: From Hyderabad to Hollywood - The Times of India

 

[jhungary]

It used to be a time when movie producer produce CG and animation to cut cost (You don't need to hire actor and they won't complaint). And now even a CG movie cost twice or thrice as much as using Hollywood A-list star. The trend is once again shifting.

 

[Echo_419]

Special effect: From Hyderabad to Hollywood​

HYDERABAD: Huddled in the confines of their cabins, surrounded by myriad screens and a story board to guide, a group of Hyderabadis are working round the clock to give finishing touches to a new Charlie Chaplin TV series, which will soon be aired across the world. And that's not a one-off case. Work like the animation for a new series on Peter Pan and a brand new Jungle Book, complete with the latest visual effects, are keeping thousands of visual effects supervisors in the city busy.

After its world famous biryani and pearls, the latest addition to Hyderabad's pride is its growing animation industry for games, TV and feature films pegged at a staggering $1 billion, arguably the highest in the country.

"The industry has been thriving in the city for the last few years. But it was not until recently that it became recognized as a hub for animation in films and television shows," Rama Krishna, founder and promoter of Animation VFX Comic Gaming (AVCG) Industry of AP told TOI.

Some of the prominent animation works taken up in the city have won accolades in Hollywood. Don't be surprised if these include famous ones like the Incredible Hulk, Chronicles of Narnia and a major chunk of James Cameron's magnum opus Avatar. Another film that relied entirely on city-based experts was the action-comedy movie Knight & Day.

Now, the industry has taken to the storyboards once again for the next Narnia sequel, which is scheduled to release in 2016. "We can't tell you exactly what we are up to as we have a non-disclosure agreement in place. All we can say is that we are putting together some great visual effects," said a representative of Rhythm and Hues.

Hyderabad's booming VFX industry also caters to roughly 50 per cent of the animation work for cartoon channel Nickelodeon, industry insiders said. The city is now counted among the country's premier animation hubs, with stakeholders ranging from Green Gold Animation, DQ Entertainment, Pixxel Arts, Gameshastra as well as the outsourcing units of several global conglomerates such as Dream Works, Pixar and Disney.

It's not just Hollywood, animators are getting increasingly more work from the Telugu film industry itself. Even as Bahubali has become a runaway hit and is racing to join the Rs 200 crore club, animators are already busy with the pre-production work for its sequel. "Especially after the release of Bahubali, which is currently raking in all the moolah, animation has become the talk of the town once again," said a visual effects supervisor.

Rama Krishna explained that animators from the city have panache for two-dimensional to three-dimensional conversion

. "Usually in this kind of animation, a new perspective is given to an already two-dimensional movie. We add the third element, which makes the movie look three-dimensional," he said.

The technical expertise is making a mark in the world of gaming as well, animation for which has grown by leaps and bounds in the city. "Gaming is a fast emerging industry in the city.

With international players such as Electronic Arts and NVidia entering the fray, the gaming industry is booming in the city. Apart from coming up with conventional console games, there are many studios in the city which are developing android or iOS based games for smart phones," said Rama Krishna.

Among the six dedicated studios which develop console games in the country, the city proudly possesses two. "There are many independent companies which are working on developing games. Presently, the gaming sector has its sights set on smartphone games because it is readily available and has a wider reach," said Ravi K, COO, X Cube games.

The gaming industry, apart from catering to client needs, carries out independent work as well. "We had drawn up the Star Trek game for CBS-IT and Madagascar the Game as well. But now we are coming to terms with drawing up games on our own. To attract crowds, one such game that we are developing is called Fairytale City," said a project manager of X Cube. In this game, players would be able build a complete city centered on fairies.

"It is fun to work in the animation industry as we get to be part of the creative team that brings characters to life. Our job revolves around the design, once the client informs us of his requirement. We draw up the imagery and send it across," said Pranay Dey, an animator.

No wonder then that experts peg the total visual effect supervisors at a staggering 6,000 and growing every day.

Source:- Special effect: From Hyderabad to Hollywood - The Times of India

Hopefully we will see more Indian games

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

It's Rogue Nation this time!

Indians weave visual magic in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation’

New York, July 29 (IANS) A battery of visual effects professionals from India are behind the breathtaking visual effects seen in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” movie which is set to release in India on August 7, a media report said.

Dhirendra Chhatpar, Saurabh Nandedkar, Abhishek Singh, Indranil Bhattacharya and several others have weaved the graphic effects for the fifth instalment of the successful “Mission Impossible” series, India West reported on Tuesday.

Chhatpar, the visual effects dailies editor with the film, has been working on numerous films in both India and the US.

Beginning his career with filmmaker Tarsem Singh’s 2012 movie “Mirror Mirror”, his most recent Bollywood films include megahit “Bajrangi Bhaijaan,” “Hamari Adhuri Khaani” and “Tanu Weds Manu Returns”.

His best known Hollywood projects are “Edge of Tomorrow”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “White House Down” and “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” to name a few.

Nandedkar and Singh who are digital compositors for the new “Mission Impossible” series have earlier delighted the audiences with their work in “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” and critically acclaimed film “Barfi”.

Nandedkar’s credits also include films like “ABCD”, “Non-Stop” and “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.”

Bhattacharya is the 3D modeller for the fifth instalment of the American action spy thriller. He has earlier worked on projects like “Kai Po Che!” “Dabangg 2″, and “Housefull 2″.

The visual effects crew also includes Jayesh Makwana (lighting technical director), Bhavik Patel (prep artist and roto artist), Shraddha Uppu (roto artist), Mrityunjay Singh (digital compositor) and Vikram Mohan (matchmove artist).

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, “Mission Impossible — Rogue Nation” stars Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris and Alec Baldwin.

Source:- The Indians Behind Mission Impossible 5s Stunning Visual Effects - NDTV Movies

@Skull and Bones @Echo_419 @nForce @OrionHunter @Koovie @itachiii That A400M shot was awesome!

​

 

[nForce]

all animations done in Prime Focus. I can bet.

 

[proud_indian]

all animations done in Prime Focus. I can bet.

i think they don't do animation just visual effects or vfx

 

[Echo_419]

It's Rogue Nation this time!

Indians weave visual magic in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation’

New York, July 29 (IANS) A battery of visual effects professionals from India are behind the breathtaking visual effects seen in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” movie which is set to release in India on August 7, a media report said.

Dhirendra Chhatpar, Saurabh Nandedkar, Abhishek Singh, Indranil Bhattacharya and several others have weaved the graphic effects for the fifth instalment of the successful “Mission Impossible” series, India West reported on Tuesday.

Chhatpar, the visual effects dailies editor with the film, has been working on numerous films in both India and the US.

Beginning his career with filmmaker Tarsem Singh’s 2012 movie “Mirror Mirror”, his most recent Bollywood films include megahit “Bajrangi Bhaijaan,” “Hamari Adhuri Khaani” and “Tanu Weds Manu Returns”.

His best known Hollywood projects are “Edge of Tomorrow”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “White House Down” and “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” to name a few.

Nandedkar and Singh who are digital compositors for the new “Mission Impossible” series have earlier delighted the audiences with their work in “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” and critically acclaimed film “Barfi”.

Nandedkar’s credits also include films like “ABCD”, “Non-Stop” and “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.”

Bhattacharya is the 3D modeller for the fifth instalment of the American action spy thriller. He has earlier worked on projects like “Kai Po Che!” “Dabangg 2″, and “Housefull 2″.

The visual effects crew also includes Jayesh Makwana (lighting technical director), Bhavik Patel (prep artist and roto artist), Shraddha Uppu (roto artist), Mrityunjay Singh (digital compositor) and Vikram Mohan (matchmove artist).

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, “Mission Impossible — Rogue Nation” stars Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris and Alec Baldwin.

Source:- The Indians Behind Mission Impossible 5s Stunning Visual Effects - NDTV Movies

@Skull and Bones @Echo_419 @nForce @OrionHunter @Koovie @itachiii That A400M shot was awesome!

​

 

[punit]

Yes, that seems very very very familiar.

LOR is short of bench mark for any Any ancient era fantasy movie!

 

[nForce]

i think they don't do animation just visual effects or vfx

Yes.. to be technically correct, that's what they do. I'm just a layman when it comes to that.

 

[proud_indian]

Yes.. to be technically correct, that's what they do. I'm just a layman when it comes to that.

yes you are right
animation is a very grossly used term when it comes to movies and vfx

 

[OrionHunter]

Way to go Indians!! While some are busy exporting terrorism we are busy exporting special effects!!

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Hollywood's best-kept secret: Indian animators​

Mumbai: They call themselves Hollywood's best-kept secret: India's animators, long-time partners for the likes of Walt Disney Co, are reaping the rewards of surging demand for visual effects and gaining the confidence to venture out on their own.

India's animation industry generated revenue worth Rs 44.9 billion ($675.7 million) in 2014, a 13 per cent increase from the previous year, according to data from a FICCI-KPMG report on India's media and entertainment industry.

A Prime Focus employee works inside a visual effects studio in Mumbai. (Reuters/Danish Siddiqui)​

The industry is expected to double in size to Rs 95.5 billion within five years, as Hollywood studios tap a large pool of low-cost, English-speaking animators who are familiar with Western culture.

So far, animators based in India have created crowd scenes and props for the Emmy award-winning TV series Game of Thrones as well as more prominent visual effects for films including Disney's 2014 Angelina Jolie movie Maleficent and Dreamworks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon, among other Hollywood hits.

"We are one of those best kept secrets. We do all this amazing work and no one knows about it," said Biren Ghose, who runs the Indian subsidiary of US firm Technicolor, which includes the India-based animation units that worked on Maleficent.

In a bid to gain more business and build a higher profile, a unit of Mumbai-listed visual effects firm Prime Focus Ltd last year bought London-based Double Negative, the studio that this year won an Oscar for best visual effects for Interstellar.

Prime Focus employees work inside a visual effects studio in Mumbai. (Reuters/Danish Siddiqui)​

Others like Prana Studios have attracted investment from some of the country's richest men - Reliance Industries' tycoon Mukesh Ambani and Anand Mahindra of the diversified Mahindra Group.

"Of course cost is a big factor," said Arish Fyzee, Prana's chief executive and creative director, when asked about the Indian animation industry's appeal. Both Mahindra and Reliance declined to comment for this story.

"But ultimately, animation is about performance and understanding cultural idioms and idiosyncrasies. The combination is what our clients find helpful."

India's animation industry is almost as old as its movie industry, the world's biggest in terms of revenue. In 1956, a local movie studio invited a Disney animator to train them, and a year later, India's first animated production The Banyan Deer was made.

A still from 'The Banyan Deer' (1957)​

Over the years, studios have generated their own animated movies, ranging from 2008's box office flop Roadside Romeo, a 3D cartoon movie jointly produced by Yash Raj films and Disney, to this year's hit war epic Bahubali, India's costliest film on record.

Indian demand for local animation is dwarfed by business from Hollywood, but some studios like Prana say working on their own movies will elevate the industry's status, and their own profile.

"It's a departure from waiting for work to come from the United States," said Prana's Fyzee. The firm is creating its own animated movie Wish, about wishing wells.

Source:- Hollywood's best-kept secret: Indian animators - IBNLive