| Artist’s Journey | Sanjay Patel |
| Case Study – Feature – Schirkoa | Ishan Shukla |
| Foley, Sound design | Karan Arjun Singh |
| Panel: Indie film makers – vision, approach, challenges & solutions. | Suresh Eriyat , Upamanyu B , Ishan Shukla , Prasad Ajgaonkar & Vaibhav Kumaresh |
| Case Study – Shorts – The Dawn | Suresh Eriyat |
| Case Study – Episodic Series – Tom & Jerry | Vivek Bolar |
| Case Study – Feature WIP – Heirloom (WIP) | Upamanyu B |
Session date and timings will be updated soon
Sanjay Patel is an illustrator, animator, and director, as well as the creator of Ghee Happy, a collection of books, animation, and paper products that marry his whimsical style and graphic cuteness with the awesome universe of Hindu deities. During his 20-year career at Pixar Animation Studios, he worked on numerous feature films and directed the short film Sanjay’s Super Team, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination. Most recently he created an animated preschool show for Netflix called Ghee Happy. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two sons.
His session at AI24
Pixar to Hindu Deities – Discovering your artistic point of view while keeping your day job. Deep Dive into SANJAY’S SUPERTEAM – Development to Production to losing an Oscar Disney to Netflix – Development at Disney to creating Ghee Happy for Youtube
Ishan has been involved in comics, theater, and films since an early age. He discovered animation while pursuing engineering at BITS Pilani. The love for animation films intensified and he dropped out to pursue it as a career. In 2008 he got a diploma in animation from Singapore’s 3dsense Media School and started his career as a CG artist there. He later took a sabbatical and returned to India to work on his first animated short in 2016 that won 33 international awards in more than 120 film festivals. It also won ‘Best in Show’ in SIGGRAPH Asia and ‘Best Animation’ in LA Shorts that qualified the short for the Oscars. Subsequently, he founded his own studio Red Cigarette Media to focus on creating original animated feature films.
In 2023, he directed and wrote a short for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 – the celebrated Star Wars animated anthology streaming on Disney+. He has just finished his debut animated feature film ‘Schirkoa: in lies we trust’ set to hit festival circuit in 2024. An official Indo-French co-production the film is created entirely in Unreal Engine.
His session at AI24
Ishan will recount his journey, spanning from crafting a short film on a home PC during his spare time to transforming it into a full-length feature. The session’s first part will offer practical insights into scriptwriting, pitching, planning, and collaborating on a large international co-production. Shifting focus in the second part, he will explore real-time animation filmmaking, discussing the technological breakthroughs in game engines that have made this advancement possible. Lastly, he will delve into the challenges and risks associated with long projects, sharing his troubleshooting strategies.
Foley artists reproduce the everyday sounds heard in films, television shows, and video games – noises like footsteps, a sword being drawn from a sheath, or the swishing of clothing as two people walk past each other – that often are missed by microphones during principal shooting, or don’t sync with the picture after scenes are reshot and edited, or need to be created for a film soundtrack. Using an arsenal of props, Foley artists devise and record sound effects that are integrated into a soundtrack during post-production to make a movie, show, or game sound as good as it looks.
Karan is one of the most talented Foley Artists, Sound Engineer, Sound Editor and Sound Designer based in Mumbai, India. He over 30+ tyears experience working for the Indian Film Industry and has more than 3000 films to his credit. Using new age technology in Foley and Sound Design, he promises to make the sound post production easier, smoother and the best.
His session at AI24
He, along with an a associate Foley Artist, will perform live on few video clips.
Suresh Eriyat is a 1997 graduate of the prestigious National Institute of Design. His
journey in the world of animation began when he arrived in Mumbai in search of opportunities to create animated films. In the late 1990s, the landscape for animated storytelling in India was still in its infancy, with Indian companies primarily known for providing backend services to foreign studios. In collaboration with Famous Studios, Suresh established Famous House of Animation in 1999. This pioneering venture marked a turning point in the Indian animation industry, where he produced numerous animated ads, shorts, and music videos, breaking new ground and garnering both national and international recognition. His work redefined how animation was perceived in India.
Suresh’s dream of creating original animation films came closer to realization as he embarked on this journey.
In 2009, he founded Studio Eeksaurus, partnering with his wife Nilima. This studio continues to raise the bar for quality Indian animation content on a global scale. Eeksaurus is also renowned as one of the top advertising film production companies in the country. Suresh’s contributions to animation have been widely acclaimed. He received the first-ever Annecy Cristal for India in 2005 and has won the President of India’s national award for the best animated film in 2016, 2018, and 2021. He has served on the jury panels of prestigious awards and festivals such as Clio, D&AD, Apollo, One Show, LIA, Promax, Adfest, and Krok, among others. Additionally, he has been actively involved in educating students, corporate teams and aspiring filmmakers across India. With a remarkable portfolio of over 500 films and more than 200 national and international awards, Suresh Eriyat is not only an accomplished animation filmmaker but also a trained Carnatic musician and a gifted artist. His interests extend beyond animation into the realms of philosophy, anthropology, and culture, enriching his creative perspective.
His session at AI24
Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes journey into the making of ‘Sri Aurobindo: A New Dawn‘. In this session, delve into the dynamic team collaboration, the visionary directorial approach, and the unique challenges faced in bringing this extraordinary film to life. Discover how every frame of this 28-minute film was meticulously hand-painted, a testament to the dedication and artistry of the team. Learn about the intricate balance between meeting client expectations and staying true to the artistic vision. Gain insights
into the powerful impact of music and sound design in storytelling. This session is a must-attend for event professionals and students alike, offering a rare glimpse into the world of innovative animation film production and creative storytelling.
Upamanyu is an animation director and illustrator based in Kolkata. He’s a founder and partner at Otter Studios. He co-directed ‘Wade’, an animated short film, and is currently working as writer-director on his first animated feature film, ‘Heirloom’.
His session at AI24
Time flies when working on an animated feature. This session will be an open book discussion about the creative processes that have gone behind the project so far (art direction, animation, story, etc), but more importantly, the logistical and mental implications of mounting a project of this nature.
A self-driven and motivated entrepreneur, Prasad Ajgaonkar is the Founder and Managing
Director of iRealities Group, one of the pioneers in producing indigenous animation films and among the best providers in successful disruptive strategies, gamification solutions and humanoid services. Among the most recognized and reputed voices in digital disruption in India, Prasad has given some of the most expensive, most watched and most innovative television serials and films to the digital world in the last 27 years.
His session at AI24
The presentation delves into the personal journey and experiences of Prasad Ajgaonkar an accomplished animation filmmaker, in the creation of renowned animation films.
Director, Vaibhav Studios, Mumbai, Vaibhav is an International Emmy nominated animation film maker and Founder, Director at Vaibhav Studios, Mumbai.
Founded in 2003, the studio has created some of India’s favourite animated content in the field of TV commercials, episodic series and channel promos: the Amaron Battery ad campaign, Chulbuli for Clinic Plus, Buladi’s AIDS awareness campaign for the West Bengal government, the Vodafone Zumis, Simpoo the angry sardaar math teacher on Channel [V] and Lamput the globally acclaimed, International Emmy nominated micro short series for Cartoon Network to name a few. The studio’s maiden animated feature film Return of the Jungle, premiered recently at the IFFI 2023 in Goa.
A Fine Arts graduate, Vaibhav studied animation film making at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He is an active committee member and the Honorary Secretary of The Animation Society of India (TASI) and Founder Director of TASI Animation Association. Vaibhav also teaches animation and is a visiting faculty at various animation and design schools across India.
His session at AI24
Panelist: Indie film makers – vision, approach, challenges & solutions.
An animator by training, Vivek founded AUM Animation Studios (formerly Bluepixels Animation Studios) in 2009. He directed the witty non-dialogue series “ANDY and PIRKI” and recently directed Asia’s first “Tom and Jerry” series produced by AUM.
His session at AI24
Aum Animation Studios reveals the making of ‘Tom and Jerry’ in India: From Script to Screen. Join Vivek Bolar, the director of the series, as he guides us through the enthralling journey of bringing the cherished characters Tom and Jerry to life in India. Explore the process from story and storyboards to the final animation on the screen, delving into the behind-the-scenes narrative of creativity, animation, and the iconic duo’s adaptation tailored for Asian audiences.
