“IAD is getting bigger with each edition” – Bill Dennis

By Bollywood Hungama -

November 1, 2010 - 4:00 PM IST

International Animation Day's (IAD) celebration is on worldwide and the turf has begun heating up for the Mumbai edition of IAD. Right from Pune, Indore and Bangalore the festival is now reaching to its culmination with a grand fun fare, scheduled to take place in Mumbai on 31st October 2010. Bill Dennis, CEO of Zanymation Studios and Executive Director, ASIFA International & President Emeritus, ASIFA India (ASIFA is the organizer of IAD celebrations) is here in India and Bollywood Hungama's Money Sharma had a quick tete-a-tete to know about his India tour, the industry, talent and much more...

“IAD is getting bigger with each edition” – Bill Dennis

Excerpts...

Your experience about the India visit?

My visit to India has been great. I've been to India dozens of times, but in the past, I've only passed through Pune, Indore and Bangalore. This visit I'm able to spend time with students, professionals and faculty in those locations. I'm very impressed with the level of enthusiasm these folks have for animation. They're excited to be in this industry and they're jazzed about having their own subchapter of ASIFA.

How has your experience been with IAD so far and what are your expectations with IAD's Mumbai edition?

IAD in India has become a gigantic event. This year, we expect well over 10,000 will attend the various events around the country. To give this some perspective, attendance at IAD events in India is more than twice the attendance at the next largest location around the world. Every year it gets bigger.

What kind of upcoming talent do you see here in India?

Animation talent in India continues to get stronger. Indian artists are being given more and more complicated and challenging work. As they tackle this higher level of work, their skills are improving. This has been going on for the past 8-10 years. You know, to become a world class animator takes a very long time. Not only do you need the talent and a great animation education, you need tons of experience. A rule of thumb at Disney is that an animator needs 10-15 years of experience before he/she rises to the status of a level 1 animator.

Your message for aspiring animators?

So, my advice to aspiring animators is to be patient. There's so much to learn. The good projects are starting to come to Indian studios and the opportunities to work on these world class film projects is there.