DDU dazzles with Merry Madagascar at CGTExpo ‘09 25 May 2009 08:50 PM
BY CHAITRA SHETTY
DDU at Paprikaas, from L to R, Philippe Gluckman, Soumitra Gokhale , Madhavarao Bheesetty,Anand Baid, Jennifer Lasrado,Vimal Subramanian, Sachin Paranjpe
The DreamWorks Dedicated Unit (DDU) at Paprikaas, Bangalore started with a set of 13 employees and today has a manpower set up of 125 and is still growing. The major challenge in this growth journey was training and adapting the employees to the DreamWorks pipeline. The extended training started with work on commercial projects but the major project came in the form of Merry Madagascar (initially known as Mad Santa) a 20 min film which features the characters of the movie Madagascar in a Christmas adventure.
In an exclusive ‘professionals only’ session at CGTExpo ‘09, the team from DDU showcased the work that is currently going on at DDU for Merry Madagascar. DDU Creative Director Philippe Gluckman shared that even though this project is meant for broadcast, the quality, amount of care and the production schedule followed for the same is equal to a feature project.
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The timeline of Merry Madagascar falls between Madagascar one and two. “Although we weren’t blazing new grounds with this project since the assets for the same were ready and were provided by the US team, the execution of this project was very challenging and enriching experience. We had to develop few environments and plenty of FX to spice up the film and the artists working here were asked to scale upto the quality of the original film in a span of just three months,” adds Phillip.
Anand Baid, Character Animator, DDU explained the complete procedure that is followed at the studio in the animation process. The work is done on the proprietary EMO software and is done in various stages. It starts off with rough blocking were only key poses are animated and the progression of shot, the energy level and transition points are defined. This is then approved by the director and sometimes after a lot of to and fro is finalized.
He shares, “Animating Marty was a learning experience since he is a Zebra, a horse like character but still a biped. In my first pass of animation I made him walk like a man and my director actually felt it was looking like a pregnant woman walking.” When it comes to the final animation Anand shared he uses a layered approach wherein every body part is animated separately, simplifying the process and at the same time giving more control.
“For years I used to wonder seeing the DreamWorks films, what is it that they do differently? But today working at DDU I know the answer and it is the animation process, animation technique and the animation software. Here at DDU we do two or three passes of animation at the blocking stage itself. The director doesn’t compromise on anything and insists on maintaining one on one relationship with every artist working on the project.” said Soumitra Gokhale, Character Animator, DDU. He said that the rigs that they were animating with were the ones that were used for the movie and had as many as 500 controls but they had to refrain from getting into detailing in the blocking stages. And unlike other studios after the final animation is locked, artists are given the time of one and half day to work on finessing it further.
Jennifer Lasrado CFX artist at DDU talked about the various areas across which CFX team works including fixing character contact intersection, Hair/Fur/Cloth simulation, secondary animation and developing and automating setups. “On this project the mane of Alex the lion was one of the things that we had to work upon. When the wind blew even though his hair is flying and the mane is getting deformed, it still had to maintain a particular shape with the hair not falling on his face. The character of King Julian called also for a lot of work to deal with fur penetration due to his love of touching himself all the time while talking. Another complicated sequence was the one that involved an air balloon catching fire. Since the balloon is in air and the wind is blowing heavily, we had to get the wrinkles and deflations right,” she adds.
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Adding to this sequence of air balloon catching fire DDU FX Artsit Madhavarao Bheesetty adds, “Creating fire and making it stay with the balloon was a difficult task. The balloon was rotating fast and it was not easy to make the fire rotate with the balloon. We actually created different versions of fire and the way the balloon will catch fire to make them look connected. Finally we went ahead with the way in which the balloon catches fire and the fire spreads following the lines of lettering on the balloon to make it look more realistic.”
Merry Madagascar has Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman going across the world on a sleigh driven by penguins and the power of some amazing Pixie dust delivering presents. Sachin Paranjpe, FX Artist DDU shares, “We wanted to create a stylized reality with the pixie dust and wanted it give it a graphical element. But the pixie dust had particles and smoke and the integration was a major challenge. We had to treat the behavior of pixie dust in different environments and setups because the sleigh goes through different locations including snow clad regions and the deserts of Egypt. We had to also device it according to the speed of the sleigh which kept on varying.”
“I started maintaining a log of the sequence so as to record how many times it went back and forth which was around 50-60 times. It actually shows our journey starting with excitement going to exhaustion to ecstasy,” he adds.
Being the last leg in the 3D process isn’t an easy task as you are the one to locate the problem in the last stage, detect which department has to fix and go back to the department and get it fixed shared Vimal Subramanium Lead Lighter DDU. He adds, “In lighting we go through three very stable approval processes and one very painful approval process. Although we start the lighting process according to the key art our main responsibility is to make the storytellers stand out in the frame and the shot is not over if you only work according to the key art.”
Another innovative practice at DDU is that they don’t have a dedicated compositing department; artists of every department handle their compositing work themselves.
Although the session was a two hour long one, the gung ho attitude of the energetic speakers and the beautiful work that was being showcased kept the audience wanting for more. There was a repeat session of the same on the Day 2 of the Expo as well and needless to say it went houseful as well.
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,
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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
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We are currently recruiting for the following
positions: 1) Senior Modeler
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4) Senior 3D Animator
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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
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Effects; Film Restoration and image enhancement; Digital Mastering: Studios
and Equipment rentals with facilities located at US and India.
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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
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6. Production Coordinator
Tasaa Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd (Formerly
Tasaa Netcom Pvt. Ltd) is a rapidly growing IT
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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
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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
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Besides a Quality work environment and Sophisticated
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We offer you…
Specialized VFX and 3D Stereo conversion training
by an International team from Hollywood.
Opportunity to work on popular international
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Opportunity for tremendous internal growth
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Long term association will be rewarded based
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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),
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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
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CLOTH HAIR & FUR ARTIST
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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:
