The Higher Education Review

India is a home to more than 500 animation studios, which have created blockbuster Hollywood movies like The Jungle book, Life of Pie, Shrek and many more. Working closely with the Hollywood Industry, the Animation Industry in India has predicted that it will generate more than Rs. 9,000 crores by 2020. Now in a process to produce quality home-grown content,debutants in this industry face a cut-throat competition, as there are numerous animation academies churning out a surplus number of animators. Established in the year 2001, Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) has been a premier institution in this sector, providing career-oriented courses to the people who come with a creative flair. “We emphasise more on the principles of animation before we start teaching them with advanced software. There are always new tools and software which arrive into the industry, but the principles remain intact,” says Ramkumar Warrier, Director, MAAC.

MAAC imparts training on par with the industry standards through courses designed by Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) of its Research and Development (R&D) team.

The in-house team at MAAC is also responsible to provide the students with experienced trainers who are able to meet-up with the ever-changing demands of the Industry.
“Our trainers are going through the faculty development program (FDP) which updates them with the cutting-end technology,” explains Warrier. In every FDP, industry experts play a vital role, as the R&D team invites them to demonstrate the advancement of software and tools, which in turn helps the students to push the boundaries of immersive entertainment and animation production to the next level.

A Perfect Launch Pad for Creative Designers
Thos who wish to work in the Animation,VFX and Gaming industry need to understand the significance of creative communication and expressions before they start working on their portfolio. MAAC, a part of the Aptech Computer Education, provides their students with a complete insights in principles of motion graphics. “Further to enter into the industry, our ICAP (Industry Connect & Placements) Cell plays a vital role,” claims Warrier.

MAAC conducts National events to encourage students to develop their skills. They host several events like 24 FPS, National Students Meet, MAAC KLICK and so on. “Our students form groups and make animated movies, which are showcased & judged by industry-experts,” explains Warrier. These events emphasise on various aspects including concept development to making of a full Animation movie, which will help the students get a full understanding of the production challenges. This showreel also becomes a portfolio for them before they start working with the Industry. 24 FPS International Animation Awards and National Students Meet are two biggest events at MAAC. These events are conducted every year by the MAAC, which give their students an opportunity to interact with like-minded people and Industry experts. Now, most of the students from MAAC have become successful professionals in the film and television industry. “We have around 110 centres all over India now and we would be taking ourservices to smaller towns such as Asansol, Raipur, Davangere and so on in the near future,” concludes Warrier.