Indian VFX: On the Verge of Breaking Out
Around two years ago, Indian movie audiences were streaming into multiplexes and single screen theaters, eager to watch the Bollywood blockbuster, Koi Mil Gaya, which had become the talk of the town. The film starred teenage hearthrob Hrithik Roshan and his adventures with an extraterrestrial called Jadoo, in a tale reminiscent of the Steven Spielberg classic, E.T. The film, replete with vfx and Jadoo, a product of animatronics, caught the imagination of the box office, the critics and pocketed scores of awards. It had a visual effects budget of Rs. 40 million out of a total film cost of Rs. 250 million.
Around the same time, a sci-fi series, Josh, aired on Star Plus, India’s leading television network. It was packed with action sequences and reminded viewers of the visual effects that they had seen in the Hollywood mega blockbuster, The Matrix. The series did not do well, but the fancy effects drew lots of oohs and aahs. Star Plus invested close to Rs. 4 million per episode, figures that were unheard of for a TV event before. The coo of the network, Sameer Nair, said that the initiative was worth it, as television needed to lift the barrier in creativity.
Clearly, the role of vfx in Indian cinema and television is increasingly being felt today as craftspeople try every trick in the book to stand out from the rest of the pack and earn more from the box office. India continues to produce the largest number of movies (around 870 last year). A good 70% of these use vfx work these days as compared to a fraction hardly half a decade ago, points out Maya Ent. ceo Rajesh Turakhia. “Ten percent of Bollywood movies then had budgets for fx; today the figure has risen by 60% for digital, which includes post, DI and fx.”
The increasing exposure to Hollywood via television and multiplexes has forced filmmakers to lift the quality of their product as the Indian filmgoer has become extremely choosy. Audiences are gradually acquiring a taste for CG, slick editing and vfx. The newer breed of fil makers is much more technically sound and is beginning to involve vfx visualizers and producers early in pre-production.
The Indian market for vfx is estimated at around $30 million annually and is estimated to grow to $50 million by December 2005. Eighty-five percent of the turnover comes from the local market, while the rest comes from international work. There are pockets within cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, which are quietly working on international projects. Given India’s IT track record and the Indian animation industry beginning to deliver quality long-format work, the market for international vfx work in India is poised to blossom.
Currently, there are around 60 to 70 vfx facilities in India, a majority of which are actually post houses that also do vfx work. Some of the large studios that have more than 50 employees include Tata Elxsi Visual Computing Labs, Ketan Mehta promoted Maya Ent., Primefocus, EFX, FX Factory, Rajtaru Videosonic, Famous Cine FX, Padmalaya, Land Marvel and Ramoji Rao.
Some other acclaimed yet relatively smaller vfx houses include Artery, Blue Dew and Frame Flow. These companies, headed by some of the best talent in the country, are growing and hold a lot of promise. Additionally, there are 300 odd Ad film production houses, which are equipped with high end equipment such as flame and smoke.
Realizing the importance of photorealism and high quality vfx, a growing number of technically sound producers and directors are signing on individual vfx producers, who then collect the best of freelance talent for projects.
There are 1,500 to 2,000 technicians and artists involved in the Indian vfx industry. Of these, there are only a handful of producers who can actually turnaround projects. There are 500 to 600 high-end equipment operators and around 800 animators and compositors who are evolving and improving everyday.
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