We all find sense in moving pictures, relevance in line drawings and even a smile with the odd GIF, meme or two.
However, these animations – from large-scale, blockbuster releases to a clip that’s just gone viral – are all signs of a silent revolution brewing in India, the new hub for animation in the world.
Animation industry in India
We’ve come a long way from the early comics that kept the dynamic world of animation restricted to their offline pages.
They’re now everywhere – film, television, smartphones, smart TVs, YouTube, blogs, web-comics – even classrooms, as part of better learning methods.
Whether it’s the mainstream acceptance of a VFX-fuelled Lion King and Jungle Book, the binge-watching experience of Baahubali – the lost legends or even children bingeing on YouTube channels like Chu Chu TV or Maha Cartoon TV – the consumption of 2D & 3D animation in India is enormous.
It’s not restricted to an age group or a demographic. And it’s also not just about entertainment. It can easily be about communicating the right messages.
Creating an animated world
The Indian Animation and VFX Industry Outlook by Goldstein Research Projects that the industry would swell to a size of $91 billion by 2025.
While this is largely VFX, animation has a projected arc for 9% too. This is largely due to a massive animation workforce in India – talented minds who dwell to do better in 2D and 3D animation.
They’re working as freelance artists, working with the biggest animation employers in the country like Maya Digital Studios, Pentamedia Graphics, Toonz Animation India, UTV Toonz and Reliance Media Works. They’re also receiving massive recognition, work, and support from across the globe.
With Hollywood and Bollywood projects and organised government initiatives like the Telangana VFX, Animation and Gaming Association (TVAGA), there is now a move to organise this talented workforce and support their needs.
They also strive to inspire more and more animators to join their ranks.
Where do they go next
Now, let’s look at what this massive workforce of animation experts – from 2D & 3D animators, graphic designers to modellers and storyboard artists, can find their next big opportunity.
This big opportunity is actually here and on a much smaller scale – in fact, it’s on a handheld device!
Faster internet connections and more exposure to low-cost technology have opened a new world for all budding animators.
Here, everyone can be a content creator and broadcaster. They can put together a package and present it on a YouTube channel – all for free.
As the world converges to our smartphones and smaller screens, the scope for animation rises in contrast. It’s part of nearly everything we consume in our digital diets – learning, news, entertainment, ads, marketing and even gaming.
While big-ticket entertainment is breaking the barriers to combining reality and 3D animation, the smaller screen is all about telling a good story – one that could be easily created with speedy, 2D animation software like Moho, Stop Motion Studio or Pencil 2D.
Many cloud-based freeware variants are also available – which can also be used to tell (and sell) a clear concept.
These concepts are deemed at conveying a brilliant meaning, beyond the means of conventional films and video production.
With colours, styles and the only limit being an artist’s imagination, this is the way forward for animation in India.
Penned by Shakir Ebrahim, Founder of GoBisbo Broadcasting Network Pvt Ltd and Creator of Bisbo.
Shakir Ebrahim, Founder of GoBisbo Broadcasting Network Pvt Ltd and Creator, is a Mumbai-based serial entrepreneur, a seasoned businessman with a demonstrated history of working in the publishing industry.
He is a skilled content creator, newshound, script-writer, editor, and believes in the future of animated video journalism.
At the age of 25, (1991-93) he had published the same concept in print called, The World in Pictures, it was way ahead of its time then.
Bisbo, registered as GoBisbo Broadcasting Network Pvt Ltd is India's first and only YouTube channel that creates intriguing animated news videos and has a combined subscription base of 1 million subscribers and 105+ million views across 11 channels in 10 different Indian languages.
Shakir Ebrahim, Founder and creator of Bisbo, is a Mumbai-based serial entrepreneur, a seasoned businessman with a demonstrated history of working in the publishing industry.
Bisbo is the only channel in India that produces news content in animated format and has recently launched an international news channel targeted at the American market.
Shakir Ebrahim is the Founder of GoBisbo Broadcasting Network Pvt Ltd and Creator of Bisbo. Shakir produces animated news content and is an expert in animation, OTT and SVOD industry.