When animation comes alive at Anifest India 2013

In 2005 when Anifest was first organised the event was like none other in the field of animation Eight years down the line the festival remains just as unique ldquoArtistes and their craft remain the focus of the festivalrdquo reveals Ranjit Singh founding trustee The Animation Society of India TASI But over the years TASIrsquos festival has grown from ldquoa one evening affair that brought artistes to discuss what ails the industryrdquo to a twoday event which serves as a great platform for students as well The biggest highlights of the festival will be an interactive session with the Rhythm and Hues team which played a key role in the making of the virtual world in Life of Pi ldquoThere is no better way for students to meet and converse with professionals who might not be accessible to them under normal circumstancesrdquo says Singh ldquoThe idea is also to boost the morale of animation students who have recently graduated The recession has hit the animation and effects industry to an extent But the situation isnrsquot as bleak as it seemsrdquo adds Akshata Udaiver honorary secretary TASI Filmmaker Arnab Chaudhari says the panel will give special attention to the animated television content at Anifest A piece of the Pi One of this yearrsquos biggest highlights is a session by the Rhythm and Hues team ldquoThe team had a significant role to play in the making of the virtual world in Life of Pi The session will reveal just how they created the characters the environment and also their interactions with director Ang Leerdquo says Udaiver This session is a part of the extremely popular behindthescenes segment of Anifest which will also include a look at the making of Pacific Rim Singaporebased Adam Lee from Lucasfilms has been invited to tell all about the effects that made the scifi film that much more impressive Polish filmmaker Damian Nenow part of the brigade of international speakers at Anifest will divulge details about the creative as well as technical aspects of making his awardwinning short film Paths of Hate The organisers of Anifest India u00a0pose for the camera The fest was started to provide students a platform to interact with professionals from the animation industry What TV wants Animation on the small screen will receive special attention at the festival this year ldquoThere is going to be a panel discussion about animated television content whatrsquos working what to look out for whatrsquos neededrdquo divulges Arnab Chaudhuri filmmaker and former creative director of Disney Apart from Chaudhuri the panel will include Anu Sikka from NICK India and Krishna Desai from Turner Networks ldquoLast year during a similar session the panellists were grilled about the state of animation films in India We expect a similar session from students this yearrdquo laughs Udaiver adding that the sessions are always kept as informal as possible The festival hopes to bring together students experts and animation enthusiasts Inspiring innovations The festival also includes a Young Innovators segment ldquoWe invite young people from the industry to submit innovations they have made to their daily tools to help them in the field of animation For instance last year we had a young chap talk about reinventing the lightboxrdquo says Singh Young animators from across the globe are also invited to submit short films they have created for the Viewerrsquos Choice Award ldquoWe screen the films at the festival and viewers are asked to vote for their favouriterdquo explains Udiaveru00a0 Animation designer Dhimant Vyas will show quick sketches and sculpting techniques at Anifest Beyond animation Over the years the festival has been incorporating arts affiliated to animation as well ldquoFrom gaming to graphic art and comic books to technology we aim to cover as many arts as possiblerdquo says Singh Although the team is selective about the speakers they bring in every year they attempt to broaden the spectrum of topics we touch upon u00a0ldquoOver the eight years wersquove been organising this event Irsquove never witnessed a session that hasnrsquot lived up to the expectations The speakers always make every effort to come up with gems of stories that are invaluable to even the most seasoned professionalsrdquo he adds recalling a session they had with Malaysian cartoonist Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid last year ldquoHersquos the equivalent of Indiarsquos RK Laxman Hersquos in his 60s but has the enthusiasm of a child His zest for life was truly inspiringrdquo Singh recallsu00a0