Flying spaceships, fire spitting dragons and levitating aliens seen in various television shows may transport you to a world of fantasy. But as viewers enjoy these soaring flights of imagination, there is a great amount of technology and intricate visual effects that are crucial in breathing life into these fictitious characters. Since mythology shows are being positioned across prime time slots on most general entertainment channels (GECs), broadcasters are keeping aside a considerable amount of their production budget to embrace this technology. Visual effects (VFX), which was once used minimal mainly for science fiction and fantasy shows, is now extensively being used as an enhancer of almost all kinds of programming.

Just as the TV industry is burgeoning by the day, VFX too is finding a good foothold amidst this development. The entertainment portion of the animation, gaming and VFX industry (now included in the overall size of the entertainment and media industry) grew by 24% and was estimated at Rs 13 billion in 2007. This industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25% and become Rs 40 billion by 2012.

Says Vishal Dudeja, vice president, 3D and Gaming, DQ Entertainment, ?The visual effects field ? referring to computerised digital animation and picture-layering processes known as compositing ? is evolving quickly. Very small boutique studios are mushrooming in all metros to cater to the needs of small screen content makers and advertising agencies.?

Industry experts feel that in this technology still has a long way to go and Indian broadcasters are no where near foreign studios when it comes to the budget and the level of dexterity involved in the quality of VFX. While in countries like the US and the UK the budget set aside for a heavily induced VFX sitcom ranges from $4 million to $10 million, in the Indian scenario, the amount is only up to Rs 90 lakh to Rs 1 crore. How about the viability of this medium on Indian television then?

Content producer Dheeraj Kumar of Creative Eye Productions says, ?Special effects and graphics are viable and are cost effective for television. But they are useful only if a particular genre uses the technology in moderation. An excess of VFX thrown in with unnecessary animation which seem like a force fit ruin a programme.?

Although animation and VFX do share a commonality in some areas, live action VFX is yet cheaper than animation by almost 50%. The price point of VFX is generally lower as the content is charged on a per second basis. Broadcasters are charged anywhere between Rs 3500 to Rs 7000 per second based on the quantum of episodes. Since in a particular episode the duration of VFX may only be five seconds to three minutes, the price of the content also diminishes.

Raj Tambaku, creative/VFX head, Prime Focus Plus feels that most of the VFX done on TV looks primitive and still lacks sophistication. ?It is quite an economical technology depending on the level of VFX that is required for the show. But this medium has not yet been adequately explored by broadcasters yet,? he adds. Dudeja says, ?It is important for content producers and directors to learn the knowledge of making VFX. Whether it is expensive or affordable depends on what you want to do with you show and how to use VFX.?

Good quality VFX needs to have slow and sluggish details which can be executed through high quality software. The process of creating quality special effects is quite time consuming as well. Since the quantum of work involved in a TV show is greater and deadlines are made on a daily basis for episodes, the time constraints affect the quality of work too. The key costs therefore are lack of time, creative manpower and high-end machines.

Beside fantasy, science fiction and mythology, genres like action, drama and advertisements too can benefit from VFX. According to a VFX professional, TV commercials can benefit the most from VFX. ?The advertisement industry is becoming very VFX heavy. A TV commercial usually costs around Rs 34 to Rs 35 lakh but if VFX is used entirely then the cost margin can be brought down to around Rs 24 lakh.?

The price for quality content is always high. However, VFX can be quite cost effective. ?Whether it is Ramayan on NDTV Imagine, Arsalaan on Sony Entertainment or the more recently launched Kahani Hamare Mahabharat Ki on 9X, VFX for most mythological shows is a comparatively cheap technology as the costs involved in creating the sets is cut down by almost 60% to 65%,? says a media analyst.

Jyoti Sagar, co producer and director of visual effects, Sagar Arts says, ?With the evolution of the television industry, VFX budgets have also been scaled. VFX budgets are very liquid as the prices vary from scene to scene.? VFX is omnipresent in almost all shows on television. Whether it is a war scene where a crowd multiplication technique is required or a period drama which entails an older version of a city like Mumbai lacking modern dwellings, VFX is used in all kinds of genres of programming. Almost all titles or pack shots are made in VFX today. Story writers and directors need to educate themselves about how to make best use of technology in available budgets.

Man power is a precious commodity for the special effects industry. Almost 90% of the costs involved in producing a show are attributed by the amount of man hours provided on a per second basis. Ideally a minimum of four animators equipped with five machines put together with almost 48 work hours can produce up to 60 seconds of footage.

Currently the VFX industry is growing. More than 10,000 people are employed currently all over India. The VFX market is about 10-20% of all the money spent in the entertainment industry in making feature films, animated movies, TV serials and ad films. However, an acute crunch in talented manpower is proving to be a bane for the VFX industry. Content producers feel that well structured programmes with specific course content need to be available to grow the expertise. Since VFX studios opt for a business to business kind of a marketing strategy, production houses feel that a more aggressive marketing approach needs to be adapted by these studios to make broadcasters aware of the possibilities that SFX and VFX technologies can present the television industry with.

?Currently quality of trained manpower is not up to the mark and as a result, the content produced is not of optimal quality,? says Dudeja. Also, there are no schools where people can learn VFX, and there is no recognised degree or diploma for such courses. ?There is a paucity of artistes in the industry and the current level of personnel available is not up to the mark. Professional institutions providing adequate training for VFX will benefit the industry in the long run and will make this medium even more viable,? avers Sagar.