Excerpts…
Maestro, what are thee creating these days?
I don’t know if you can call me a Maestro, but I would definitely confess to being a perfectionist. I have my own approach, my own levels of what I want to do with every project and story I work on. These days I am working on developing character design and look development for a client’s project. Parallel I am also developing my own concepts in terms of the story as well as design and overall art.
What according to you is the difference between Good Work and Excellent Work?
Good work is very skillfully done but excellent work is a balanced combination of creative skill and uniqueness of the work. Good work satisfies but excellent work delights. Good work seems perfect but excellence is the pursuit of perfection.
What are the characteristics of your Art Direction?
If I understand your question properly, you want to know about my approach. Well, Its like creating a whole world on empty canvas of screen. A working metaphor, a specific psychological, atmospheric and emotional image of what you want to visually project. I create the visual look of the script, a color palette in visual metaphors, developing character art & design, costume design, architectural concepts, period specifics, location designs, props and sets etc., enable Directors to realize their vision. And that’s what I do, with all passion and emotion
In particular, the art director is in charge of the overall visual appearance and how it communicates visually, stimulates moods, and psychologically appeals to a target audience. The art director makes decisions about visual elements & aesthetics used what artistic style to use and create.
When did you begin your tryst with Art and Animation?
Its a childhood memory, I first drew a Krishna, and Guru Nanak copy from a calendar and that’s when I first got interested in drawing. And finally my parents admitted me to “Sun Flower Art “ at Rourkela and my first Guru’ Jaspal Singh’ taught me how to hold the pencil, to brush and professionally I got further development with my BFA from the Baroda Fine Art College. It was a great experience to learn there from all the gurus.
I always was fascinated with animation, and I had this desire to do an animation short film of my own, but little did I know that this would eventually become my field and industry. I was not aware of how tedious this great process is. After BFA, I eased into the animation profession and did a 3year Diploma in Animation Film Making under the guidance of Russian Gurus Victor Arcgansoves, Valadmir Tarasov and I S Mathur at ZICA, Hyderabad. I felt on top of the world when I did my first animated pendulum exercise, as my static pencil lines start dancing. For me Art & Animation is like one soul. I believe any film’s strength is good story, script and good balance between art & technology is equally important.
Are you working on your own films as well?
The concepts are there and now I am on the study, research and story stage. Next I will be getting into the 1st draft of script. But all of this I do in my extra time, as my freelance and other development on art direction work and character design projects are underway as well.
Have you ever given Workshops and Master Classes where you could mentor aspirants?
Not yet, as I didn’t get the time. But I am considering getting active in that area because it’s a process of giving back to the community as well as refreshes and recharges one’s own creativity. I would love to do animation workshop with children in different medium of creativity..
What is your favorite medium?
All mediums are my favorite. It’s the demand of the project which medium it lends itself to best and at that time, that medium automatically becomes the favorite.
Be it 2D, 3D, Stop Motion, Experimental or even mixed media, there have been great films and work created in each of these, so it is about the project, and what it demands. Some projects demand realistic treatment, others demand cartoony, some demand stylized. As a professional I can fit into any shape. I work with the demand of the project’s style.
Amongst the people that you have worked with, who have impacted you the most?
Simi Nallaseth. She is highly intelligent as a director, story teller, very strong in her visualizations and concepts. She is someone who brings about a very good balance between art and technology and working with her is like being amidst a lot of experience and knowledge. Ashutosh Pathak is a musician, lyricist and its also great fun & experience working for him as well.
I believe you are planning to go work on an international project
Even Dream Blanket which I have worked on, is an International Project and I think it would be fun to travel to new cultures and new places, as long as the project is interesting.