I am thinking of a career in gaming, 3D and animation
I am studying in Std 12 (Science). I am thinking of a career in gaming, 3D and animation. Which professional courses should I take? Which institutes offer these courses?
John / Mumbai
Animators breathe life into simple drawings. They are involved in everything from traditional cartooning to high-tech digital and web animation.
While 2D animation generates two-dimensional characters like what we see on Cartoon Network, 3D animation make real and life-like features for characters. Animation can also be used to produce entertainment such as movies or video games, as well as in practical applications such as industrial design and scientific research.
To become an animator, it is necessary to have a formal training in Fine Arts / Applied Art / Commercial Art / Graphic Design / Animation Design / Visual Communication Design. Many institutes and polytechnics all over the country offer these courses. While polytechnics offer such courses to 10th pass students, other institutes may require students to clear 10+2 first.
A strong portfolio (a collection of the artist’s best work) is the best way to enter the profession. Knowledge of computer packages like PageMaker, CorelDraw, PhotoShop, is a requirement for all animators today.
Some of the institutes offering such courses are: Arena Animation Academy Centres all over India (arena-animation.net), C-DAC’s National Multimedia Resource Centre, Pune (cdac.in); Guwahati (iitg.ernet.in) for B. Des. (Bachelors in Design), National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad (nid.edu), Toonz Animation India (TAI), Trivandrum (toonz.co); Xavier’s Institute of Communications, Mumbai (xaviercomm.org) has a 9-month diploma in animation, ZED Institute of Creative Arts at various places (zica.org).
Dr Vibha Gupta, a feature writer, is a Ph.D. in Mathematics from IIT Roorkee. Her book Careers: A Pathfinder and articles in various publications are an attempt to guide students in choosing a career according to their natural strengths, talents and skills.