This 25th April, Nilima & Suresh ‘Eeks’ Eriyat of Studio Eeksaurus teamed up with TASI for an exclusive screening of their latest short film – Fisherwoman and Tuk-Tuk.

The screening was followed by a presentation on the making of the film and a straight from the heart talk by Suresh about pursuing your passion while battling with the harsh realities of life as they attempt to sustain a mid sized studio and build a successful brand.

"As artists, creators, film makers we are always caught up between what our heart tells us to do and our mind veers us against. While we must thoroughly enjoy what we do- there is the reality of survival and sustainability that we can not ignore in order to keep doing what we enjoy. Which is where the dilemma lies- that elusive ‘Balance’ between the passion and the practical.

This is a humble attempt at sharing our journey of pursuing our passion while battling with the realities of sustaining a mid sized studio; while doing commercial work and keeping in-house projects live for many years and wondering ever so often if we are doing the right thing!

The completion of 'Fisherwoman and Tuk-Tuk' seems like things have come a full circle and this is just the end for a new beginning."

- Nilima & Suresh Eriyat

Date: Mar 15, 2015
Venue: Brahmakumari Center, Hyderabad
Speakers: Ranjit Singh, Vaibhav Kumaresh & Akshata Udiaver

TASI recently went to Hyderabad to conduct a session on Animation film appreciation where school children were introduced to different mediums of film making, followed by an interactive pixillation workshop.

The event began with introductions by Bhakti Deepak who coordinated the entire event in Hyderabad, and a creative skill and personality development session by a Brahmakumari Mentor. Vaibhav Kumaresh and Tony Singh then screened a variety of animated short films for the kids and parents in attendance.

After a delicious and healthy lunch organised by the Brahmakumari Centre and sponsored by Mozilla Hive India and Collab House, everyone got into the mood for some animation-action. Vaibhav invited 2 volunteers, one little girl and a granny, from the audience to participate in a quick demo of what Pixillation is. The result was screened within minutes by compiling the images from the shoot and that got all the amazed participants excited to be part of a much bigger Pixillation sequence.

The final Pixillation animation comprised of kids as young as 6 and ‘still-kids-at-heart’ adults in their 60s. It was directed by Vaibhav and filmed by Bhakti while Tony played the role of ‘villain’ in the film. Our friends joined in as well – Deepak enthusiastically clicking away with his camera, capturing all the action as it unfolded, and Prajakta skilfully guiding the participants in acting for the camera.

Finally, the film was quickly compiled and edited on the spot while the Q&A session went on. The young audience asked such intelligent questions, they left us awestruck by their awareness and eagerness to learn. The event ended with the screening of the final film, and the participants were thrilled to see themselves animated on screen.

The success of the event was evident in the number of people asking when the next such session would be held. With enthusiastic participants like this and the support of organisations like Mozilla Hive, Collab House and the Brahmakumaris, as well as the untiring efforts of Bhakti, supported by Deepak and Prajakta, we would be happy to conduct many more such session in Hyderabad in the future as well.

Event Sponsor: Mozilla Hive India | http://hivein.org
Community Partner: Collab House | http://collab.house/

Date: 11th October 2014
Time: 11 am to 5 pm
Venue: Pelicula Auditorium, Whistling Woods International, Filmcity, Goregaon East, Mumbai

Speaker: LAIKA Studio’s Steve Emerson – Co-VFX Supervisor on The Boxtrolls, is flying down all the way from Portland, Oregon to Mumbai to present:

“The fusion of stop-motion and CG in the upcoming film The Boxtrolls and the challenges faced when integrating new technologies into LAIKA’s hand-crafted, stop-motion worlds.”

The presentation included:

• An introduction to LAIKA and stop-motion animation.
• Rapid Prototyping/3D Printing: The challenges of implementing LAIKA’s groundbreaking facial animation techniques.
• Digital Crowds and Set Extensions: How inter-departmental collaboration and attention to detail enables the expansion of LAIKA’s worlds.
• Visual Effects for Stop-Motion: Why creating effects for stylized, hand-crafted worlds is a tricky endeavor.
• Trailers, shot breakdowns and behind-the-scenes footage from LAIKA’s latest feature The Boxtrolls.

Photos

About The Boxtrolls (2014):
LAIKA’s third film is The Boxtrolls, based on Alan Snow’s bestselling novel Here Be Monsters. Introducing audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award® winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, “into the light,” where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnie (Elle Fanning). Together, these soft-boiled detectives uncover the hidden connections in Eggs’ past and devise a daring plan to save his unique family.

About ParaNorman (2012):
A misunderstood boy who can speak with the dead takes on ghosts, zombies and, worst of all, grown-ups, in order to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

About Coraline (2009):
Coraline was the first stop-motion feature to be conceived and photographed in stereoscopic 3D. Written and directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach), Coraline is based on a novel by Neil Gaiman.

About LAIKA:
LAIKA is an animation studio that produces award-winning films. Travis Knight serves as President and CEO of the Oregon-based company, which is owned by Nike co-founder and Chairman Philip H. Knight. LAIKA has produced two Oscar-nominated features: Coraline (2009) and ParaNorman (2012) as well as the CG short Moongirl (2005). LAIKA’s next animated feature, The Boxtrolls, will premiere in theaters on September 26, 2014. For more information: www.laika.com.