|
<< Previous
EXCERPTS
The Early Years
Even in the late 1990s, the Indian animation industry was in the embryonic stage. Most animation studios were unaware of the cost advantages that India could offer. Toonz, being the pioneer in India, tried to present India to animation studios as a cost-effective country for outsourcing animation work.
|
From its first year of operation (1999), Toonz began organizing a biennial event called "A Week with the Masters". The event brought 'Masters' - distinguished and veteran animators, artists, and film makers - from around the globe to India to screen their films and to talk about their art. They made presentations on their work and spoke about the future of the animation industry.
Toonz also invited locally renowned filmmakers, animation directors, artists,
animation enthusiasts, and other guests to this event, which also included
interactive panel discussions and open forums on various topics relating to the
animation industry. It held retrospectives on the masters' works...
|
|
Creating Original Content
In the early 2000s, India witnessed an explosive growth in the number of television channels available to viewers. The number of kids' channels - both exclusive cartoon channels and channels which showed animation serials in certain time slots - also increased.
|
|
Toonz, which till then was working mostly on outsourced work gradually moved towards creating original content to earn higher margins and greater long term revenues. "While it pays today's bills, subcontracting does not provide for a future. Products you develop are yours to promote, expand, and exploit. And by developing your own materials, you also develop the skills of your artists. These enhanced skills help their work on service projects," said Dennis. In 2001, Toonz set out to produce its own animation series. This presented a challenge because it had to evolve from a provider of services to a content creation house, which required developing skills in character design, story development, and storyboarding... |
Excerpts Contd...
>>
|
|
