Geon and the evolving shape of VFX 19 February 2009 10:50 AM
By ANAND GURNANI
Geon studios recently soft launched in Mumbai and with it, the already prominent Indian VFX scenario has received yet another powerful boost. Just a look at the promoters names is enough to overwhelm, the studio being a joint venture between Sahara and Barrie Osborne, (producer - The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Water Horse, Face Off ), Michael Peyser, (producer - Speed2, Hackers, Matilda), Jon Labrie (VFX stalwart and former CTO, Weta Digital) and N. Madhusudhanan (Indian VFX stalwart & evangelist).
LtoR: Jon Labrie, N. Madhusudhanan, Barrie Osborne & Michael Peyser
The studio has been set up with a state of the art facility at SEEPZ in Andheri, Mumbai and currently has a team size of 50 artists.
Here at FICCI Frames, the awe inspiring promoters of GEON in an exclusive conversation with Animation Xpress shared about how the studio came to be and their vision for it.
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"GEON is going to be a VFX studio whose work will reflect its complete understanding of the filmmaking domain. I and Michael have been making films for the past 35 years, even Madhu and Jon gravitate towards storytelling. It is going to be a VFX facility that is anchored in the art of storytelling," shared Barrie.
"We do our own movies and we want to use this creative facility to be our toolbox. We also want other filmmakers to be collaborators," he added.
Michael Peyser added, "We want the studio to be fully active and let the artists grow, we will feed projects in, but we are keen on bringing intriguing and creative projects as well."
"When I started what out was most interesting to me was working with as many talented directors as possible and to learn something new from each of them. Even though we have our own ideas, vision and films, working on others film makers‘ projects as well will only broaden the capability and range of our artists," added Barrie.
Amongst the projects that Geon has worked on include 138 shots for The Warrior‘s Way which is produced by Barrie and is currently in post.
On being asked about India as a choice of location for the studio, Barrie shared "In the beginning when we first started out we were deliberate and methodical and we were analyzing who we wanted to do business with. At that point cost arbitrage was one of the factors, but by the time we set up the cost arbitrage was no longer the attraction, we found something much more lasting than the cost arbitrage in India that would transcend the momentary cost benefit and that was the talent, the actors, directors, the writers, and the artists as well."
"India has such a great culture of Art and the art here is very different from that of the west. We are looking to involve this freshness of Indian art" he added.
An interesting thing that Jon Labrie pointed out was that while most VFX studios were stuck in the services mould, the idea at GEON was to explore content ownership as well. "There‘s a huge Film Industry in India and there is opportunity for us to look at co-production options in return for our participation in projects. That conversation is not possible to have in Hollywood but it is possible in India"
"Its not just about straight service VFX, the involvement can be right from doing shot break downs to pre viz, concept art to set supervision, to post, we would be involved in every single process to make the film look better" he added.
It has been years of effort and work on part of N. Madhusudhanan to realize his Hollywood dream, building relationships, and then more important, building credibility. "It doesn‘t stop with saying hello. You have to prove yourself, it‘s not an easy task and just the dream alone cannot take you to it, you have to prove yourself."
"Now that we have started and have created expectations within the industry we want to bring in the projects and we are going to be involved in some very interesting ones, pretty soon." He added.
Nurturing Talent
"We always motivate our artists and ask them "what do you want to be in the next five years from now, we think it‘s a responsibility we have in terms of nurturing their skills. It should feel like a university also" shared Madhusudhanan.
The effort is to build a creative atmosphere, an enjoyable workplace where there are constant challenging projects and enough experienced artists to guide the younger ones to evolve in their work as well as deliver the best quality work.
On LOTR. On being asked, that while working on it, if he ever knew that LOTR was going to be this big as an Icon or as one of the all time top grosser globally? To which Barrie replied "You never know while working on your movie whether it‘s going to work or not. But you get a feeling about things and I got a good feeling about this project. When I first met Peter Jackson, he had been working on the film for a year, I was at Weta Workshop with him and I saw the wardrobe, the armour, the set designs, and I had seen a lot of great stuff, but when I was at Weta looking at all that had been done, that quality of craftsmanship I had never seen ever before. It was extraordinary."
"The enthusiasm and the passion of the team working on it was remarkable. From day 1 of the early development to the delivery of the movie, they were trying to make the movie better at all steps and in all possible ways. We started shooting on 10 October 1999 and then we went to Cannes in May 2000 and we showed 25 minutes of the film. I remember anonymously sitting behind two british journalists and from the response, I knew that we had a movie that was definitely going to work. I must tell you that with audiences you never know"
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As CTO of Weta, Jon Labrie was also part of the Lord of The Rings in fact he was already involved on the project for a better part of the year before Barrie joined in.
"Weta was a small company and we were not sure about whether we were going to be able to make it through. Tolkein could have been cheesy and bad. Until, for me personally and it‘s true for quite a few of the team members, the first dailies came out and we saw this very moving scene between two actors and there was no dry eye in the room. We knew it worked for us and we were relieved, it also put even more pressure on our shoulders, we needed to ensure that we could pull it off." Shared Jon.
"Out there in New Zealand and in the studio, we were in a way insulated from the rest of the world. When the film released and started becoming big, we didn‘t understand how big, a deal it was." He added.
The best part is that you can‘t plan the best parties, they just happen spontaneously. The right people, the right place, the right time.
As the conversation on Geon and about LOTR drew to an end, the last line kept ringing in the ears of your‘s truly, .... The best parties are not planned, the right people, the right place, the right time...
And just like Barrie, got a good feeling about LOTR, your‘s truly gets that feeling about Geon.
TurtleinMotion Studio,a group company
of the RDB Organisation which has been engaged in production and distribution
of movies and television series for over 40 years ,is in search of talented
artists in the field of 2D/3D animation for our Kolkata based office in various
department
Script Writers
Character Designers
2D B/G Artist
Storyboard Artists
Layout Artists
2D Animators
Flash Animators
3D Artists
Marketing Executives (based in Mumbai)
Freshers may apply as interns.
Interested candidates may send an e-mail with
updated resume at careers@turtleinmotion.com
along with the link to your showreel or call at 033-6616-9718.
UK-based Snipple Animation is building
up a new animation studio in Pune that is pulsating with creative energy. A
place where art, technology and sharp business acumen co-exist and complement
each other. Snipple provides 3D as well as 2D animation services for films,
TV series, advertising and related areas.
At Snipple we hire only the best of the best,
and we take pride in our relentless pursuit of excellence in everything we do.
If you think you have what it takes to be a part of this world-class team, we
would like to hear from you.
We are currently recruiting for the following
positions: 1) Senior Modeler
2) Senior Surfacing Artist
3) Senior Rigging Artist
4) Senior 3D Animator
5) Senior 2D Animator
6) Production Manager
Reliance MediaWorks Limited is India`s
fastest growing film and entertainment Services Company and a member of the
Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group.
The Company has a dominant and comprehensive
presence in the Film & Media Services: Motion Picture Processing and DI; Visual
Effects; Film Restoration and image enhancement; Digital Mastering: Studios
and Equipment rentals with facilities located at US and India.
Reliance MediaWorks invites you to be a part
of India`s fastest and largest growing entertainment conglomerate. We are launching
VFX Films Division in Mumbai & Pune shortly. We are in search of talent
from the industry that meets our requirements. We are currently looking out
for:
Also send hard copies along with showreel
to:
Reliance MediaWorks Ltd. Plot No A - 62 and 63, Kodak Cinelabs Building, Behind
Tunga International Hotel, Post office Lane, MIDC, Andheri (E), Mumbai-93
Cornershop Animation Studio, A Zee Network
Company (Essel Group Enterprise) which focuses on 3D and 2D animation content
development and broadcast media has opportunities in various departments.
For our 2D Operations in Pune, we are
looking for following artists.
1. Visualiser
2. Flash Animators with 2D background
3. Storyboard Artist
4. 2D Compositor
5. 2D Classical Animators
6. Layout Artist
For our 3D Operations in Mumbai, we are
looking for following artists. 1. Art Director
2. Broadcast design and Motion Graphic Artist
3. 3D Animator
4. Lighting Artist
5. Compositing
6. Production Coordinator
Tasaa Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd (Formerly
Tasaa Netcom Pvt. Ltd) is a rapidly growing IT
corporate with focused interests in:
Packaged solutions from World renowned organizations
like: Autodesk Media and Entertainment Software, Adobe (Gold Partners), Apple,
Wacom, Corel, Microsoft (Gold Certified Partner), PTC, Sage Accpac. We are also
Authorized Training Partner for Autodesk, adobe and Corel.
We are a one step solution for all software needs
of Animation, Gaming, Visualization, Post Production and Manufacturing Industries.
Besides being a professional training and technical
resource for our clients, Tasaa is committed to providing high level support
to our customers and ensuring their success by improving competitiveness, streamlining
operations and helping them to be current on technology.
Requirement for Mumbai Programmer:
Candidate needs to know Programming: MEL and Python.
He should have relevant work experience in a
studio and must have worked on Developing Tools/
application for Autodesk products.
Please send your CV at resumes@tasaa.com
or call at +91-22-42121717.
BIG AIMS, a premier animation training institute
of BIG Animation (I) Pvt. Ltd. a part of Reliance Big Entertainment - the largest
entertainment group in India is hiring for following position for various franchisee
locations in India:
1) Centre Head: Candidate with experience
of over 7 years in heading an animation or educational institute. The candidate
should have skills in marketing and
managing day to day operations of an institute.
2) Counselor: Candidate with of over 3
years of experience in counseling students and should have good communication
and interpersonal skills.
3) Faculty: Candidate should have working
experience of minimum 3 years in a production studio and over 2 years as faculty
with a well established training institutes.
After Effects, Nuke,
Fusion ,Combustion, Boujou, Shake
Post-production (editing) faculty
Editing & sound
Premier, FCP & Editing
Interested candidates can e-mail their resumes
with the position applied in the subject line to: hr@biganimation.com or can
send a hard copy of the resume along with demo-reel to "The Human Resources
Department", BIG Animation (I) Pvt. Ltd, 3rd Floor Muttha Towers, Don Bosco
School Road, Yerawada, Pune 411006.
Sheen Animation Studio Pvt. Ltd. A Delhi
based Production Studio is looking for talents in 2D and 3D for their ongoing
and new international as well as national projects. If you have the experience
an expertise of 2-5 years in the relevant domain handling any of the following
functions, apply in confidence.
Pre-Production
1) BG Design Artists
2) Character Design Artists
3) Matte Painting Artists
4) Concept Artist
2D Animation
1) Flash Animators
2) 2D FX Artists
3) IB And Clean-up Artist
Hiring for all VFX Positions Digital Media Imaging Ltd (a Reliance Media Works Limited company) is involved
in Digital restoration of films, content processing, and 3D Stereo conversion
of filmed entertainment. We are in the process of ramping up to become the biggest
2D to 3D conversion facility in the world. As part of the phase II of our growth
plan we are hiring Compositors and 2D to 3D Stereo conversion Artists.
The required Software skills are:
1+ years experience in any of the following
software platforms
Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, Combustion
Digital Fusion, Nuke, Shake
Smoke, Flame, Inferno
Silhouette Paint & compositing
3Ds Max, Maya or any other 3D software.
Traditional artists with Painting skills in
Photoshop also can apply
Besides a Quality work environment and Sophisticated
Infrastructure,
We offer you…
Specialized VFX and 3D Stereo conversion training
by an International team from Hollywood.
Opportunity to work on popular international
blockbusters.
Opportunity for tremendous internal growth
for talented Artists.
Long term association will be rewarded based
on performance
We are an employee centric organization, who
believes in touching and changing lives.
We are in a growth phase with ambitious plans
where our primary aim is to build a culture in the organization which focuses
on building careers meaningfully for each employee with a very caring & warm
working culture where everyone is approachable and believes is being proactive
to building a great organization together with a fantastic employee experience
and great results from each employee.
Be part of an exciting journey! Technicolor India (previously Paprikaas) is a premiere animation studio,
based out of a state-of-the-art centre of excellence in Bangalore, working on
international projects for marquee clients in animation, gaming and Film visual
effects.
Technicolor India is currently seeking
highly talented artists to work on international projects in animation and film
visual effects.
If you are game for tough challenges, cut out to work in high pressure situations,
and are armed with excellent credentials in any of the following disciplines: Concept Art
Matte Painting
Modeling
Texturing
Effects
Character Animation
Lighting & Compositing
Film Visual Effects (Rotoscopy, MatchMove, Paint & Prep) or Production Management
ANTS is seeking talented artists and teaching
faculties to be a part of the expansion team and work on various national and
international projects. Areas of key vacancies are: Lighting, Animation and Rigging,
Dynamics, Game Design, Texturing, Creative Art, Designer, Web Developer and Content Creator. Interested candidates can send their resumes and works to hr@antsindia.com.
URL: www.antsindia.com,
Phone Numbers: 080 - 40627000 (ext) 224
Redchillies.vfx is all ready to start
their next project - Ra.One, post the success of "My Name Is Khan".
Loads of challenging 3D and Compositing visual effects work is to be done for
the live action sci-fi superhero film starring Shah Rukh Khan as a superhero.
We are currently looking out for extremely talented
& experienced candidates to work on employment/contract basis. Key vacancies
are Lead Lighting Artist (3DS Max), Animators (3DS Max),
Lead VFX Artist(Maya), Lead Rigging Artist(Maya), Animator(Maya), Lead Match
Moving Artist, to name a few. For details on many more vacancies Click
here.
Apply on hr.vfx@redchillies.com
with your show reel OR send in your showreel at the following address: Ground
Floor, Crescent Towers,Off New Link Road, Oshiwara, Near Morya Estate, Andheri-W,
Mumbai-58.
India`s No.1 Multimedia & Animation Academy
with one of the best state of the Art infrastructure requires trainers in the
field of:
3D Animation: Experience in a 3D Production
Environment. Must have good working knowledge of Max or Maya with simulation
systems-particle, cloth, fluid, fur.
Editing & Vfx: Experienced Candidates
in Premiere, After Effect, Final Cut Pro and Nuke. Knowledge of other compositing
software will be added advantage (Apple Shake & Fusion).
Flash Animators: Experience in Flash with
advanced scripting, Toon Boom Harmony. Should have knowledge in sketching /
traditional animation skills.
Pre Production Artists: People from fine
arts background with pre production experience of animation industry.
Graphics: Candidates with Print Media
and Advertising background with sound knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel
Draw & Indesign.
Candidates with Adobe & Autodesk certification
would be preferred.
India`s largest Animation & Multimedia Training
Facility reputed for its path-breaking academic initiatives and profound
achievements requires the following talent to meet surging demand for its revolutionary
training programs and to complement its expansion plans:
CLOTH HAIR & FUR ARTIST
DYNAMICS FX ARTIST
MAYA INSTRUCTOR
3D STUDIO MAX INSTRUCTOR
Dilsukhnagar Arena is a people-friendly organization
offering enriching and rewarding careers with the emphasis on personal as well
as professional growth. You will be working with some of the most talented people
in an empowering, challenging and inspirational work-environment with ample
"Learning and Career Progression" opportunities.
Cornershop Animation Studio, A Zee Network
Company (Essel Group Enterprise) which focuses on 3D and 2D animation content
development and broadcast media has opportunities in various departments.
BIG AIMS, a premier animation training institute
of BIG Animation (I) Pvt. Ltd. a part of Reliance Big Entertainment - the largest
entertainment group in India is hiring for following position for various franchisee
locations in India:
Sheen Animation Studio Pvt. Ltd. A Delhi
based Production Studio is looking for talents in 2D and 3D for their ongoing
and new international as well as national projects. If you have the experience
an expertise of 2-5 years in the relevant domain handling any of the following
functions, apply in confidence.
Hiring for all VFX Positions
ANTS is seeking talented artists and teaching
faculties to be a part of the expansion team and work on various national and
international projects. Areas of key vacancies are: Lighting, Animation and Rigging,
Dynamics, Game Design, Texturing, Creative Art, Designer, Web Developer and Content Creator. Interested candidates can send their resumes and works to 
India`s No.1 Multimedia & Animation Academy
with one of the best state of the Art infrastructure requires trainers in the
field of:
