Careers in Animation

The word animation is derived from a Latin word anima, meaning soul i.e. when life breathes into characters. Then who can forget Walt Disney for the creation of his cartoons especially the Mickey Mouse! In the present sense Animation means linking the series of drawings and simulating their movements together. It is a rapid display of 2D or 3D images to create an illusion of motion. It is an art form in which inanimate objects are brought into life by sequencing the drawn images. In other words animation is making of movies, games or cartoons by moving the drawings or models of animals or people with the help of computers or other electronic means. Animation is emerging a special form of media now days. Animation is growing into a multi-billion dollar industry generating a great scope of employment.

Course Details
There are various graduate and post graduate courses in animation. For a diploma and for a bachelor degree in animation one needs to have passed 12th standard from any recognized board. For postgraduate program one should have a bachelor's degree in any discipline. One should have a basic knowledge of handling computers. Any graduate could apply for Post Graduation in animation. But some institutes like Industrial Design Center (IDC), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Design (NID) follow strict eligibility criterion that is only graduate of architecture, technology and engineering, fine arts can apply for this course.

Besides these graduate and post graduate courses, there are several professional courses that focus on various styles and techniques like Traditional animation , Stop-motion animation , Rotoscoping , Computer generated 3D and 2D animation , Clay-mation , Photoshop , Human anatomy , Drawing etc. One should also have a basic knowledge in computer handling.

Career Prospects
Indian animation industry though a late starter is on the threshold of a boom period and so has a great career potential. India has great mythological stories and characters, good artists and technicians. Numerous job opportunities are available in India as well as abroad in the exciting field of animation. It opens the door to film industries such as Hollywood, which is the world of special effects and imagery for films. Specialized computer knowledge and skills are essential for various jobs in the field of animation. It is a booming industry with wide job openings and one can work on full length animation movies or any other related fields like television, advertising industry etc. An Animated feature film, which offers considerable employment prospects, is a combined talented effort of a wide variety of artists.

Top Colleges Offering UG/PG/Other Courses
Amrita School of applied Arts and Sciences, Kochi; Industrial Design Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai; MAEER's MIT Institute of Design, Pune; National Institute Of Design (NID), Ahmedabad; Academy of Animation and Gaming, Noida; Animaster Animation Varsity, Bangalore; Birla Institute of Technology (Deemed University), Noida; Image College of Arts, Animation and Technology (ICAT), Chennai; Manipal University, Manipal; Media Village, Changanassery, (Kerala).

Remuneration
The training institutes help the candidates in their placements. After finishing the in-house training in some leading animation production studio, you can be a junior animator and can start earning between Rs.12000 to Rs.14000. A senior animator with an experience of 3 to 5 years can take home a sum of Rs.25000 to Rs.35000. But if you have a portfolio of some good and outstanding animation work you would even be able to earn more than Rs 50000 to Rs 60000.