Setting up of animation parks with studios for animation movie making can generate employment opportunities for two lakh skilled workers in the next three years, industry body Assocham has said.
"The parks could alone generate employment opportunities for skilled animators to the extent of a minimum of two lakh in next three years," a study paper by Assocham said.
Currently, the Indian animation industry employs anything between 9,000 and 15,000 animators and needs another 30,000 manpower immediately.
India would need skilled professionals like creative animator, conceptualiser, visualiser, 3D modeller, character designer, digital effects artist etc, who can handle multimedia software such as 3D Studio Max, Maya and Tictactoon, it added.
These parks would also help Indian animation industry market size to reach over one billion dollar by 2010, with a CAGR of 30 per cent. In 2007, the animation industry market size was estimated at $450 million, Assocham said. Assocham President Sajjan Jindal saiddearth of quality institutions in India, which can provide technical training in quality animation, has caused a severe shortage of animators, visualisers, conceptualisers and 3D modellers, in the absence of whom animated movie makers are forced to look overseas for skilled workmen and have to spend a lot of money on them.
Despite the lowest cost of animation film production in India compared to countries like the US, Canada, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines, Indian companies get lesser work, Jindal said. Production cost of a half-an-hour animated movie is around $60-70,000, while in the US, it is around $250,000-300,000.
Assocham has further pointed out that the Indian government can also help the animation industry by providing them with funding, guidance on manpower development and recognising the animation courses. By recognising these courses, the government would help students and youths conveniently get the bank loans which is missing at present.
It further said the corporates that intended to set up the suggested parks, should be given a minimum of 10 years' tax holiday as well as land allocations at concessional rates.