AFTER AVATAR AND RA ONE, VFX IS FAST BECOMING NEW BYWORD IN BOLLYWOOD AND AMONG AUDIENCES. ZUALA CHHANGTE REPORTS.

SURREAL

Vanishing are the days when Bollywood had to make do with hilarious stunts and unbelievably bad visual effects ( especially in the horror genre) which either made one cringe or roll in laughter. Thanks to state- of- the- art special effects being used films today terms like visual effects and 3D have become new catch phrases and among professionals and audiences.

Bollywood and the regional film industries are quickly embracing new technology.

With budgets getting bigger, producers

and directors are increasingly depending on VFX to attract audiences. A majority of next years releases are expected to open in 3D. What exactly is 'VFX'? 'VFX'( Visual F/ X) are the various processes by which imagery is created and/ or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot.

The whole process involves the integration of live- action footage and generated imagery to 'create'environments, which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or simply impossible to capture on film. Visual effects using computer generated imagery ( CGI) have become increasingly common in big- budget films, and have also recently become accessible to the amateur filmmaker with the introduction of affordable animation and compositing software.

" Say, a director wants to shoot a basketball match. All he has to do is get the main actors play the match with a green screen as background. The crowd, the court and the cheerleaders can all be incorporated through VFX software on the editing table," explains Pixion, Films Division Head, Viraal Thakkar. His resume includes working on the VFX for films like Golmaal3, Bodyguard, Double Dhamaal and Toonpur Ka Superhero.

Commonly referred as 3D or Computer Animation- animation is based on the technique of classical or 2D animation.

The difference being the ability to create the illustrated world in 3D space, with advanced controls like virtual lights, cameras and characters. The whole film is created 'virtually'or mixed with live shooting.

3D ( correct term - stereoscopic or 3D imaging) refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2- D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3- D depth. Examples: Avatar, Tin Tin.

But there is a catch. While VFX certainly enhances viewer experience and is generating more revenues, unless the film is intrinsically good- from the script to the acting and editing- experts feel special effects cannot save a bad film.

" I feel the Indian audience is more open to watching a visual effects film. But this really comes with a caution. We need to be aware that story is really the king at the end of the day. If a film has great VfX and a bad storyline, it will not be accepted by any kind of audience. VfX is a great medium for a filmmaker to tell his story without any hindrance. If he can think without any boundaries, then VfX can help showcase what he has in his mind," points out Thakkar.

" At the moment, we aren't getting our screenplays right. So VFX is actually a long way to go. We can make good films around good visual effects, but they just won't work if the basic elements are not addressed properly," agrees film editor, Nishant Radhakrishnan. He has worked for projects like Ghajini.

Indian VFX companies like Prime Focus are already delivery the goods internationally.

The company earned Rs 18 crores for creating 200 shots for Hollywood box office hit- Avatar. It has also done work for films like GI Joe and New Moon.

" We have good minds, equipment and a good sense of what is potentially a good VFX sequence. It would be at par with Hollywood or Australia- New Zealand if we were working at that level consistently.

At the moment, a lot of their work is outsourced to India and the VFX services offered here are meeting their briefs successfully.

Our own production line is less understanding of the time, workflow and human effort it takes to make something good," Radhakrishnan opines.

With the film industry pegged to grow at 11.6 percent ( CAGR) and touch Rs 18.5 billion in 2013, the market potential for VFX is huge. As per Business Today report this year, 110 screens across the country have already been equipped with 3D compliant technology by film technology company UFO Moviez plans to roll out 1,250 3D compliant screens in the next two years.

Multiplex chains owners expect 3D enabled screens to grow by about 30 to 40 per cent annually. As an industry, the countrys animation is expected to grow at 18.5 percent ( CAGR) according to a report by FICCI- KPMG. Conglomerates are already moving in trying to cash in on 'first mover'advantage.

Reliance Entertainment has already launched an academy for animation and VFX- BIG AIMS- which offers a range of courses including Bachelor of Arts ( B. A) Degree in Animation & Visual Effects Filmmaking. It already has opened 16 branches nationwide and has successfully placed a number of its students in leading VFX houses. Subhash Ghais Whistling Woods International ( WWI) too is also offering animation courses for its students.

" We are touched by the enthusiastic response from young aspirants. We try and organize a number of seminars so that the youth can get themselves acquainted with the overall process and understand the nitigrities of the field. I am confident they have the potential to take Indian film- making to the next level," Reliance Animation, CEO, Ashish SK says.

VFX is now widely used in Commercials too. It is now a growing trend to showcase photo- real effects in commercials. Future seems bright for the Indian VFX industry.

The next five years will see big budget Bollywood movies with high end visual effects and most of them being either shot or converted for stereographic output," predicts Thakkar.