Here are some of the tweets about the new Tamil film Urumeen “URUMEEN 5 mins sequence features, India’s first film using 3D portion using open source software and motion capture” “The 1st few mins of #Urumeen r goin to b unlike anythin u'v seen b4! Motion Capture 3D by TN technicians! Watch out!”
So, animation artist Sivaprasad Velayudhan and his team at Realworks Studios in Coimbatore have reasons to be thrilled. “We have done the motion capture sequence in an entirely frugal method with free tools that are available online,” says Sivaprasad.
The introductory war sequence in the film that takes place in the pre-independent era has been captured virtually. “Filmmakers get such work done in studios abroad. We have used the motion sensor hardware that is used in gaming and other open source tools to create the 3D portion. The film’s director Sakthivel Perumalsamy is happy with the outcome,” he says. Urumeen features actors Bobby Simha and Kalaiarasan and has two parallel stories, one set inside a forest and another in an urban background. It releases today.
Sivaprasad who left his IT career to start this venture says Coimbatore should become the film hub it once used to be. “In the South, movies started from Coimbatore. Why can’t we bring those glorious days back? The city is buzzing with so many short film directors and film makers . I want to tell film makers, instead of going abroad for animation work, come to Coimbatore,” he says.
His 13-member team operates out of a studio that is based on Linux, which is free. “I don’t invest on software and workflow. We use free tools like blender and gimp. This way we cut cost and offer work at a fraction of industry standards,” he says. His team is currently working on director Ramprakash’s film Pokkiri Raja that features actors Jeeva and Hansika.
Recently, Sivaprasad was in the news when he made a trailer of Ranadheeran , modelled on Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan , to prove the possibilities of open source software. “We got 1.4 lakh views in one month. Soundarya Rajnikanth, who directed Kochadaiiyaan , tweeted about our work. It was an in-house experiment. We spent 10 weeks to make the four-minute trailer. It’s an experiment to let the filmmakers know the immense possibilities of virtual production with open source software.”
He says it’s time filmmakers start thinking out of the studios. “You don’t have to shoot everything in a studio. With films like Baahubali , things are already happening. While visual effects are used to show explosions, car stunts, and action sequences… 3D visualisation is a virtual production. English movie Tin Tin was entirely virtual,” says Sivaprasad.
Talking about the advantages of a digital platform, he says: “There is an option of undo. And in 3D you see things from all angles. Though I started drawing from an age of four, I made a transition to the digital platform for efficiency. My family has been very supportive. Also my team, who have explored and experimented with me.”
Sivaprasad says the virtual production helps filmmakers explore genres like science fiction.
“I can replicate 1000 pillars, a war sequence, a 3,000 ft waterfall or 10,000 warriors fighting a battle…but the same can’t be said about human emotions. We are working on it. Whatever we do, there is no way you can replicate a Rajinikanth, virtually.”
To know more, visit: www. realworks.in
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