Kathmandu:

You’ve watched Tom chase Jerry all over the place and run smack into a table and take the shape of that table and then bounce back to his original shape. If you’ve wondered how such a film is made, you may not have to look much further. You may be making your own Toy Story very soon as Maya Entertainment has recently launched the first centre of Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics in Nepal (MAAC) at Jamal.

MAAC is good news for those aspiring for a career in multimedia animation as it provides technology-focused trainings on creating virtual reality through 3D animation and visual effects. MAAC is the academic wing of Maya Entertainment Ltd (MEL), a premier 3D animation and visual effects house based in Mumbai, India and promoted by internationally renowned producer-director Ketan Mehta and acclaimed film actress Deepa Sahi. MAAC currently operates from more than 40 centres spread over various locations in India.

At the rate this industry is growing in terms of systems and technical requirement, it is essential to upgrade and improve the quality of manpower in computer graphics and entertainment industry. “There are shortcomings of quality in the market of Nepal. Realising the need for quality, we have introduced MAAC and its standards, which is an internationally acclai-med company for learning Computer Graphics and 3D animation, and visual effects,” says Indra Lal Balami, MD, MAAC, who is the first Adobe Certified Expert of Nepal.

Courses offered :

MAAC has a wide range of courses suited for all profiles, be it a beginner or an experienced computer graphics artist looking for a skill set upgrade. The course content covers the effective application of latest software including award-winning Alias Maya. Rajesh Bajracharya, manager, customer Care and Business Development says, “Sometimes animators are more like operators and stick to working on software. We want to do away with this genre of professionals and bring in what we call Techno Artists.”

Infrastructure and instructors:

The technical staff comprises industry certified trainers and professionals who derive from their vast experience in production. The centre features the best in infrastructure and quipment. “Our trainers bring with them expertise and experience of working in the real world. We conduct workshops by leading experts and representatives from 40 centres of MAAC at time intervals to upgrade and improve,” says Dhupten Khadka, GM of MAAC-Nepal.

Eligibility:

The only eligibility criterion is a knack for learning an art, which requires dedication, patience and deep understanding. Other than that, basic computer skill is essential. There is no age limit because creativity is not bound by age.

MAAC’s best features:

• Technical support from the production division at Maya Entertainment Ltd that ensures you o have exclusive access to the latest trends, techniques

• Batch strength of 8-10 students ensures exclusive attention is paid to every student

• Industry certified instructors with experience and deep understanding of their subjects.

• High-end computers and technical infrastructure to support the course range.

• A broadcast and cinematic oriented course

• Frequent workshops by experts

• Education Training Partners of discreet for 3Ds max and combustion

• 24 FPS Award to deserving students competing from 40 centres annually

Career options:

• Graphic designers

• Non-linear video/film editors

• 3D animator

• Character modellers

• Character animators

• Compositor

• Architectural pre-visualisers

For those who dare to dream, there is another virtual world possible through 3D animation and visual graphics.