News Broadcasting
Anigraph witnesses ‘FULL HOUSE’ on final day
Being a saturday as well as the final day at Anigraph, Day 3 opened to a full house. The packed auditorium got to view some very impressive showreels interspersed with the talks.
The highlight of the day was the talk on ‘International co-production in animation’ given by Crest Communications CEO A K Madhavan. The successful CEO, very lucidly explained the wisdom involved in co producing animation, answering all questions with a characteristic patience and calm.
Also of note was the presentation by Broadcast Consultancy Services CEO Reena Ashok. Entitled ‘Renderfarm on rent by IBM Shaf’ the presentation had Reena explaining as to how such a service can help studios function more effeciently, cut on overheads and improve output.
Rendering being one of the critical processes in animation and VFX, the presentation held the attention of all industry members within the audience.
Some good showreels were demonstrated in the plenary session ‘Special FX in movies and TV’ and in the presentation on ‘VFX in advertising’.
Played during the FX for Movies and TV plenary, the ‘Hatim’ showreel had the audience spellbound, informed beforehand as they were by Ramesh Meer, that TV shows have relatively smaller budgets for FX. Complimenting Jyoti Sagar on the impressive FX, the audience put up curious questions on topics like miniatures, CG and compositing.
‘VFX in advertising’, the session by the brilliant and renowned FX and graphics artist Ara of famous FX was a short one and could have been longer. Responding to a question from the audience Ara explained the methodology and innovation that went into the famous ‘Yeh pyaas hai badee’ Pepsi campaign featuring Shahrukh, Saif and Priety Zinta.
The commercial had a scene with 800 cars in a single frame, 30 of which were real while the rest were digitally manipulated. Seperate plates had to be shot from different roof tops at the Bandra-Kurla complex, lighting and reflections considered to complete that compelling advertisement.
The enriching last day at Anigraph was however not without it’s share of disappointments.
2 eagerly awaited speakers, Martin Poole of The Pixel Farm (UK) and Pankaj Khandpur of Visual Computing Labs did not turn up.
The organiser, Ramesh Meer announced that both the speakers were stranded, (Poole in germany and Khandpur in the United States) due to visa problems.
Meer expressed his irritation with the Indian embassies abroad and said that it was very difficult to get timely assistance from them.
All in all, as Anigraph 2004 came to an end, the audience and participants went back home contented that they had spent their time well. In the past three days they had learnt a lot about the business of animation, techniques and software. All of this for free without paying even a Rupee. For this Meer thanked all his sponsors, Shaf, Seagate, Apple and Rahul Commerce for their full fledged support.
Way to go …………..!!!
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
