Animation is always in demand, whether in movies, videos, or games. At present, there are more than 80,000 job openings in India for VFX and graphic designing. Watching 3D and Visual Effects movies have aroused the will in me to learn this art. Hi! My name is Sneha Khatri & I am from Madhya Pradesh. Although I belong to MP, I stay with my father in Roorkee due to his transfer. When I was in school, I was good at sketching & drawing. I used to draw movies & cartoon characters and since then had the urge to join the film industry and work as a VFX Artist. A question might arise: what’s the link between drawing & VFX? Creativity is the answer. Any artwork needs creativity and good visualization, it is a must.
A good VFX designer is responsible for making stories alive. You have to inject life into characters. My parents have always supported me in my decisions and my choice to learn Animation & VFX was encouraged too. After my 12th I decided to join the best school of Animation in Mumbai but, due to some health issues, my parents refrained me from going out of the station. After searching for a number of colleges here, I was lucky to land at Quantum University for BSc. Animation & VFX program. I found the university suitable in both ways. Firstly, It was in Roorkee & secondly, it is one of the famous universities for Animation & VFX.
It was my first day in college where I got to meet new friends. I have seen very few girls who get into the animation industry & I had to break the cliche that “the world of VFX tends to be an old boys’ club.” In India, the number of women leadership in VFX dwindles due to the lack of women participation in creative leadership. But girls can do wonders too, just like Saraswathi Balgam, aka Vani, who has excelled in the VFX. She has been one of my inspirations that made my determination even stronger than before.
I learned skills in matchmoving, modelling, roto, photo editing, & web designing which I continued practicing during my free time. I kept myself occupied most of the time working on my gaps. Apart from the lectures in the class, I used to follow youtube channels of the top VFX artists like Zach King (Final Cut King) & Surfaced Studio to learn some tricks. It was my last semester when I got an opportunity to work as an intern in Double X Animation Studio, Delhi. There I learned lighting, prep, typography, modelling, texturing, and much more. I got to work on the projects like Atrio Hotel, Ajanta Hotel, Voyage Cafe, Skylark Institute of Travel, and a few more. Till the time I graduated, I was confident in my skills.
My company was impressed with my work & had hired me as a full-time employee with a good salary package. As I knew what my aim was, I needed a lot of experience before joining the film industry. I worked harder every day & succeeded in training my hands on various aspects of Animation & VFX. I served the company for three years. My team was very supportive as they knew where I actually wanted to land. After receiving a positive response from one of the applied companies in Mumbai, I left for the airport the next day. Although I experienced mixed emotions of nervousness and stress, my excitement had dominated my emotions. The interviewers were surprised with my artwork and were impressed by knowing that I was a pro at the top VFX software like Adobe After Effects, Autodesk Maya, & Nuke. To test my potential they gave me a task to create visual effects on their current project. I got 5 hours to work on the task as VFX takes time followed by its rendering time. Being a girl, I felt more challenged not because they doubted my skills but because I wanted to stand out in their eyes anyhow. With my fingers crossed, I was expecting something good to happen. To my amazement, I was called by the Founder & CEO of the Pixel Digital Studio, Mr. Ankur Sachdev for that good news.
I have been working as a Junior VFX artist at Pixel Digital Studio for four years now. I have worked in some of their minor & major projects like Gully Boy, Student of the year 2, Arjun Patiala, etc. Recently we are working on premium originals for Netflix’s “Little Things”. There is an incredible amount of scope available for students willing to build a solid career in Animation & VFX. FICCI-EY report has projected the industry to grow Rs.114 billion by 2020. My parents are happy & proud to watch me live my dream job with a great salary package. I would urge especially girls to pursue their careers in Animation & VFX despite demotivating themselves and quitting their dreams.