Toon makers under creative stress

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: about Hanuman when it was being made? As a matter of fact, industry insiders say the studio was on the verge of shutting down when it was making the film.

Maya Entertainment Ltd, one of the oldest studios in the circuit, is currently working on a film which is yet to be named. The studio plans to release the film before the end of this year.

Jai Natarajan, executive vice-president, business development, Maya, says, “It is extremely important to control the budget. In case of a live-action film with a Rs 30-40 crore budget, it takes about 3-5 years to break even. And the entire box-office recovery happens in the first two weekends. However, if one has a restricted budget, then the chance of recovery becomes higher. In terms of an animation film, one can sell the distribution halfway through the project and, thereby, can recover as much as 50% of the production cost.”

According to Nataraj, an animation film with a moderate budget of Rs 8 crore-Rs 10 crore can break even in 18 months’ to two years’ time.

Recently in a landmark deal, Crest Animation Studio and Lionsgate, one of the leading international independent film entertainment companies, has inked a multi picture partnership. This includes the commercial release of computer graphics-animated family film Alpha and Omega. Lionsgate and Crest are co-financing and co-producing Alpha and Omega, which is scheduled for release in 2010.

AK Madhavan, CEO of Crest Animation Studios, says, “The potential is huge if the product is a success.

Especially huge profits can be expected from things like toys, apparels, merchandising and licensing.”

UTV Motion Pictures is currently working on three animation films—Arjuna, Alladin and Magic Carpet. Siddharth Kapoor, CEO, UTV Motion Pictures, says, “We are very optimistic about recovering the cost of production. Apart from the distribution rights, we are sure that we will be able to sell the home video rights and telecast rights before the completion of the project.”

All said and done, no Indian animation studio today knows when it will break even—no matter how rosy the industry’s future looks. But everyone agrees that there’s a greater high in creating your own work rather than carrying out someone else’s creative brief.

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