Prashant Rao, the managing director of D-Ammo Imagineering, a Mumbai-based visual effects and animation start up, talks about the sector.
What are the main challenges for visual effects and animation companies in India?
The major challenge for companies is hiring of talent which turns out to be expensive in tier one cities compared to tier two and tier three towns. The number of service providers have increased in the last five years, leading to tough competition. The solution to survival is being present in more than one city.
How do the prices of visual effects services in the India compare to the US? How much cheaper are they?
The supply of visual effects service providers is enormous. With many taking up freelancing along with their regular visual effects jobs at various production houses, the prices keep fluctuating. Unlike production houses that have infrastructure overheads to operate with, they work from an apartment and could be very economical. Overall, prices of quality and experienced production houses in India as compared to US are approximately 30 per cent lower.
What other factors are affecting the sector?
Demand for expensive action content by some Hollywood producers narrow down [Indian companies] to a limited number of big players. Having said that, the volume of work generated by the Indian film industry and the voracious appetite of the Indian masses for content, compels producers in India to create fresh and young content deploying the latest technology. There are a number of channels, mediums and a plethora of options now available to view content, thanks to Amazon, Netflix and YouTube. Apart from Hollywood, India’s contribution to the Asian film industry is seeing tremendous growth.
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