Govt plans animation, visual effects centre

[dwarakesh]

Buoyed by the surge in outsourcing demand for animation and visual effects, the government has decided to set up a National Centre for animation, visual effects and gaming.

Announcing this move, the Information and Broadcasting Minister Anand Sharma said in Goa recently that there were also plans to upgrade the FTII in Pune to include new courses in the relevant areas of cinema and television.

He told delegates at the 39th International Film Festival that the new animation centre would be set up within three years in a public-private partnership model with the focus being on creating a talent pool that can service the growing gaming and animation market.

A sum of Rs. 250 crore has already be set aside for the project which aims to bring in a large group of talented experts into the animation and gaming arena in order to make India the outsourcing hub for these activities.

A recent Nasscom report had said that India would require as many as 300,000 professionals in the animation and gaming content area by 2008.