Cynthia Rodrigues

Visual Computing Labs is a name to reckon with in the Indian graphics industry. This division of Tata Elxsi is creating magic on the silver screen within India and in Hollywood

When the Lumiere brothers showed their short film, Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat, audiences in 1895, unfamiliar with the concept of moving images, reacted dramatically, rushing out of the hall in panic and fear at the sight of the train coming headlong towards them.

More than 100 years later, there may not be viewers fleeing the theatre in a wild panic, but modern cinema's ability to invite dramatic and awestruck reactions from viewers has only increased. Sophisticated production technologies have enabled the motion picture industry to override its earlier shortcomings and exploit the potential of the medium.

One such technology — CGI (computer generated imagery) — has taken the celluloid world by storm. And Visual Computing Labs (VCL), a division of Tata Elxsi, is at the forefront of this cutting-edge creative art. Having contributed to Bollywood blockbusters like Rang De Basanti and Dhoom, Tamil hits like Boys and Anniyan and Hollywood productions like XXX2 and Into The Blue, VCL has proved its competence in the art of moving audiences to laughter and tears, of using exaggeration and caricature to tell unimagined tales, of drifting between fantasy and fable to portray startling realities.

K Chandrashekhar, general manager and head, VCL, is justifiably delighted with the headway his division is making. He says, "We offer services like 3D animation, visual effects and graphics required for feature films, corporate films and television commercials. Our purpose is to build skills in every area."

VCL's skills in 3D animation and VFX are much sought after in the industry today, and studios from Hollywood have commended it. Its prowess is evident in the ease with which it gained the confidence of one of its earliest clients, Film Roman / Hasbro. The leading toy manufacturer wanted to promote the relaunched Weebles range of toys for pre-school children through 10 seven-minute DVDs. Initially, VCL was asked to design 16 secondary characters. Pleased with the results, Film Roman / Hasbro contracted VCL to initially design four primary characters and later all the remaining characters too.

Says Chandrashekhar, "For the first film we did exactly what the client wanted. In the second film, however, we stuck to their script, but we also gave them another version in which our guys gave in to their creative urges and ideas. The client liked it so much that they not only let go of the controls for the third film but also asked us to re-do the first two."

"Another time," says Chandrashekhar, "We did a small sequence from Snow White, a 2D cartoon, as a test for Disney. The client wanted to see what the cartoon would look like in 3D. It was a test of our modelling abilities, so we created two of the seven dwarfs in the movie, Grumpy and Dopey. It also tested our ability to create the particle effect (a technique for creating visual effects with digitally created water, smoke ,fire ,etc )." Although it was a tough assignment, Disney was more than happy with the results.

In the clip created by VCL, Grumpy retrieves a sack from a stream and hoists it up at the end of his fishing tackle. The realistic display of the spray of water as the sack is raised is called the particle effect. As Grumpy holds the tackle, the line, frayed with the weight of the sack, snaps and the sack falls on Grumpy's foot. Angry, he hits the sack, which is now moving suspiciously, with a stick, even as it wriggles and squirms every time the stick strikes. "Through the animation, you can see Dopey's beard moving and the ripple effect in the water. But the most difficult part was the sack animation, which is considered quite a challenge in the animation world. If not done well, the sack looks shapeless and lifeless. In this case, it had to look like a character inside a sack," explains Chandrashekhar.

Through the years, VCL's work has included all the Yashraj films, including Bunty aur Babli, Veer Zaara and Hum Tum, other productions like Kaal, Kal Ho Na Ho and Swades, besides the graphics R&D for the 75th Academy Awards and graphics for New York City's 2012 Olympics bid. The division has people who specialise in set design, character design and modelling, lighting, animation, etc.

But what sets the team apart is its ability to go beyond client expectations and to ensure authenticity in its creations. Chandrashekhar elaborates, "Ensuring authenticity is something that we do as part of our research. We try to push ourselves further, to give the client a very good output. And that is why we retain these clients for years. If we don't research the subject well, it will show in the quality. We have to get a feel of the character."

For Bose — the Forgotten Hero, a Shyam Benegal film, VCL thoroughly researched the submarines of the time. For Agnipankh, a war film, it studied the aircraft of the Indian and Pakistan air force before painstakingly building them and then playing around with a magnificent parade in the sky. Says Chandrashekhar, "They used real fire in the film, but we maximised it using digital fire."

In Rang de Basanti, VCL has created 35 minutes of Visual Effects, including the creation of an airbase in the paddy fields and a tower on a Delhi school to make it look like a radio station, besides all the MIG aircraft used in the film. So convincing was their work in the film that the ministry of defence demanded to know who gave them permission to shoot the aircraft. VCL also did extensive wire removal work and visual effects for Dhoom.

In Boys, it merged a 3D character with the live action. For Anniyan, VCL had to show the lead character as a split personality who believes he is Satan and doles out punishment for various crimes. The setting was hell, and VCL studied the scriptures to create the setting and learn more about the subject.

VCL is now doing work for well-known ad agencies and independent ad filmmakers. Its portfolio includes advertisements for Cheetos, Pillsbury, Huggies, Fanta, and MSN Messenger, besides two Coke commercials for overseas audiences. The division has also worked on projects for Sony Pictures Imageworks, Lions Gate, MGM and Digimation.

The challenge, according to Chandrashekhar, is "to keep impressing the client, to make it cost-effective and viable for the client to work with us. To achieve this, we need to beef up our skills, cut costs, and complete the work faster."

Chandrashekhar has great hopes for the future of the division. "The animation industry is evolving at a wonderful pace. And our guys are the best in the business. They are armed with the right technology and bubbling with ideas. As we go on, we hope to do more work in both the domestic and international market. We also have plans to get into content creation. We will hire the right people with experience in doing those things."

VCL has perfected the art of creating magic on screen, wielding the twin wands of technology and imagination. Stretched by a host of new ideas and armed with artistry and inventiveness, the division is poised to grow at an astounding pace.

Uploaded on October 19, 2006