A career in animation is one of the most sought after and an apt choice for today's youth due to its high salaries, career growth and opportunity to showcase their creativity. The animation industry offers multiple roles for aspiring individuals from various fields and profiles.
Over the years, it has also developed into a multi-billion-dollar trade with a significant rise in demand for skilled talent. The demand comes from all countries in fields like entertainment, government, education, and marketing among others.
1. Creative Paradise
Animation has always been a medium of creative storytelling and the animator assumes utmost importance. That being said, a major advantage of choosing a career in animation is the fact that it is easy to train interested youngsters. Entry into the field only requires an aptitude in sketching, drawing, and basic knowledge of computers. Post training, the animator’s creative skills and ideas play a major role in the climb up the animation ladder.
2. Content creator is the King
One can witness the proliferation of both linear and nonlinear channels. With a plethora of TV and OTT platforms doing the rounds, content creators have been given a license to create disruptive storylines which can be aired on a number of platforms.
Age-old formats have started changing. Episode numbers are no longer stipulated. As content producers, there are a lot of creative liberties animators are getting nowadays, but whatever the medium, the connection with the audience still holds paramount importance.
3. Industry growth
The Indian animation industry has grown rapidly in the last 5 years. According to a recent FICCI report, the Indian animation & VFX industry is growing in excess of 20%. Animation, now itself a full-fledged industry, is no longer on the sidelines of the Indian M&E industry. The growth is akin to the Indian IT industry 10 years back. Small time studios have grown to become large brands.
4. Animation – The new IT
Another aspect that has increased the demand is international broadcasters approaching India to produce shows and movies. IT projects have for long been outsourced to India. The animation industry is witnessing a similar pattern.
Such arrangements have proved mutually beneficial. International producers and broadcasters get the requisite technical skills and speed of production in India. Indian studios benefit from the knowledge transfer, enabling them to raise the bar with respect to animation quality and creativity. Take, for example, movies like Avengers and Transformers. These have significantly raised the audiences’ expectations of quality. Similar standards need to be set in India. We have the artists and creative resources; we only need to be abreast with the latest technology.
5. Investments
The animation industry in India has a very lucrative present and a shining future. No surprises then that huge investments are flowing in. One example that strikes the mind immediately is that of Cosmos-Maya. Emerald Media, the Pan-Asian media investment platform backed by US private equity giant KKR, has acquired a controlling stake in Cosmos-Maya, thereby further strengthening the kids’ animation landscape in the country.
6. Government Initiatives
Government initiatives are also coming up in this field. Telangana has its very own animation, visual effects and gaming organization, TVAGA. TVAGA (Telangana VFX, Animation and Gaming Association), is a nonprofit association, formed and led by a team of well-known CEOs, founders, and academicians of visual effects, animation, and gaming industry in India. There are massive plans to create infrastructure for the animation industry and the government is willing to offer subsidies to companies to create new jobs.