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India's Expanding Horizons
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The amount of time and energy that goes into the making of his films
is simply amazing and he and his team deserve full credit for that.
But as he sees his work, one thing becomes very clear, Manick needs
far more exposure to the animation community both for his own benefit
and theirs. The world should know about this quiet magician. To be
more successful as an animator, Manick, must be in active touch with
the community for his own refinement. But even without that, this
animator from the Eastern Region has made an impact outside of India,
and he should be congratulated. His other films include Sniff
and The Sage and The Mouse, both of which were also big hits.
Keep working, Manick! India needs people like you to establish itself
in global animation arena.
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Sinbad is a bright
spot for India’s entrance into the global animation scene.
© Pentafour.
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Pentafour's Sinbad -- A New Revelation In Animation
With the release of Sinbad: Beyond The Veil Of Mists, Indian
animation will touch new heights of achievement. Using the age-old
stories of the Arabian Nights a totally different kind of film
was created. The character designs and background layouts are completely
computer generated, and directors Evan C. Ricks and Alan Jacobs have
done wonders. The most important aspect of the film, which catches
our eye as animators, is the quality of movement. The elegant flow
of motion that has been achieved makes one think this is a cel animation
film. As we move through the film’s promo, the first thing that
we remember is Disney's The Lion King. But where The Lion
King used a "real world" pace, Sinbad uses a
much more stylized flow, reminiscent of Lotte Reiniger or Joan and
Peter Földes, the computer-aided animation pioneers.
From its opening sequence, the audience is left spellbound. Spectacular
and gigantic, yet intensely beautiful colours flow across the screen,
and an excellent soundtrack contributes to an effect that is great
cinema. Motion-capture technology is used and exploited to the fullest.
The computer technology reaches and opens a new horizon for Indian
animation to the world at large. Due for international release soon,
let us wait with a lot of suspense and anticipation to see the whole
feature.
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Ram Mohan teamed with Derek
Lamb to make Meena, It’s Got to be a Boy for UNICEF.
Courtesy of Janyanti Sen. © UNICEF.
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Of Animation, Ram Mohan And Indian Cinema
Today Indian animation has become almost synonymous with a few
names. One is set aside due to the fact that he was chosen by two
all time greats of Indian cinema, Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, to
create pieces of their films using animation. A lot has been written
about his contribution to animation but this is one part of his career
and achievements about which Ram Mohan has never spoken. After his
stint at the Government Films Division, Ram Mohan went on to join
the Prasad Film Laboratories where along with Suresh S. Naik, Satam,
Praful and others, he worked for ten years. In 1979, he opened his
own studio Ram Mohan Biographics. During his time at Prasad, he created
a highly intriguing film using cut-out animation called Harmony,
whose elegance in movement can be compared only to that of Lotte Reiniger.
His association with Yugo Sako to create Ramayana is also very
well known. But when we come to his association with Ray and Mrinal
Sen, let us get it from his own pen. Regarding Mrinal Sen's Bhuvan
Shome he says, "It was the first Indian feature film for which
we animated some footage that was an integral part of the story (as
opposed to animated credit titles for some Hindi comedy features).
Mrinalda gave me a free hand at designing the sequence. The idea was
to create the ambience of a beaurocrat’s work place, with his
swivel chair, a large table laden with files that moved from the 'in'
tray to the 'out' tray. Shome's presence was suggested by a smoldering
cigar." This was done in 1969 and according to Mrinal Sen by using
conventional paper cut-outs. The other animated sequence is when Shome
dreams of going duck hunting, and has a ring of quacking ducks, circling
round Utpal Dutt's head. The animation used the combined efforts of
the director and animator to create the feeling of deep loneliness,
which every human being at some point has to face and must come to
face in order to have a better understanding of the person within.
Another of Ram Mohan's important projects was with Satyajit Ray's
film Shatranj Ke Khiladi. According to Ram Mohan, "The film
opens with an introductory sequence that explains the political situation
in Wajid Ali Shah's Oudh, and Dalhousies' plans to annex certain states
which he saw as cherries ripe for the plucking. The animated scenes
were essentially political cartoons and Ray was very clear about how
he wanted these visualized. He suggested the ‘company drawings’
style for the character designs and the limited, staccato movements
of the cut-out animation inserts one saw in Monty Python shows. It
was a great pleasure working with Ray who is one of the few filmmakers
I have met who could communicate his concepts with such clarity and
precision." This is perhaps the best capsule of what constitutes the
basic elements of animation use in Ram Mohan's involvement with Satyajit
Ray.
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