About 3,000 people are employed in the animation sector in India and the demand is for about 10,000 animators.
The reason for the talent crunch, industry observers say, is the absence of animation from the curriculum as a structured course. Also, there are very few training institutes such as MAAC and Maximus, who provide some technical education to aspiring animators. MAAC, an animation training studio, which has about 35 centres across the country, produces 2,000 animators annually. Sachin Bhatnagar, technical head, MAAC, says that big names like UTV, Crest Animation, Prana Studios, Rhythm and Hues, DQ and Prime Focus recruit from their campus. For a fresher to enter this industry, he should be equipped with basic qualities such as creativity and the ability to visualise content on paper, apart from technical expertise. Youngsters who want to join this industry should take it seriously, because a lot of effort goes into the conceptualisation of a character before transforming it into an animation.Career growth in this profession is completely based on the performance of an employee. A fresher can join an animation house at a junior/trainee level with a monthly salary of Rs 8,000-15,000 and can become a character animator or a modelling expert in three-four years. The salary at this level will range between Rs 25,000 and Rs 35,000. One can also earn as much as Rs 1 lakh a month if he has experience of seven years.
