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Amlan Barua was a fourth-year student at a medical dental college in the port city of Chattogram in 2010 but he dropped out of his college.
The same year he got admitted into a Malaysian University for an animation course going against his family choice.
Amlan returned to the country in 2013 after the course and since then he has been working as an animator in Dhaka. He is also a 3D project entrepreneur.
“I have been fond of animated cartoon since my early life. I have always dreamed of becoming an animator. Other professions have never attracted me though they have high demand in the society,”said Amlan Barua.
Now I have a dream of producing an animated movie like Hollywood and Bollywood, Amlan said.
Neighbouring India is now dominating the animation sector almost everywhere including social media, television and film sector. Bangladeshi producers have to hire Indian animators for VFX effects despite a huge number of animators here, he regretted.
“We need a proper guideline on this rising sector so that a fresher artist can have a smoot access to the job market or can make his/her own project,” Amlan added.
Amlan Barua is a lead animator at Attrito, a 3D Artist Studio, that made ‘Zero Hour’, an online tactical FPS (first-person shooter) with an online video game.
Amlan and his friends have already created an animation-related Facebook group ‘Bangladesh Gaming Community’ that has now 1,14,000 members.
Bogurar Adda, a regional language-based Facebook and YouTube channel, has hit more than a million viewers on its single funny content.
A physician of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College in Bogura initiated the new idea in September 2019 as a dream project.
Not only Amlan or Bogurar Adda’s stories but a large number of Bangladeshi youths are involved with the rapid pace of the industry.
Insiders say with the technological advancements animation is becoming a major driver for the global communication, entertainment and media industry.
Now it’s a big business sector for high-quality visual effects in digital advertising, gaming, cartoon,
drama, film, multimedia production houses, interior firms, real estate firms and a more immersive consumption experience.
There is no exact figure on the animation market size in Bangladesh but thousands of people work in the animation industry at local firms, own projects and freelancing international companies.
A report from Precedence Research project says the global animation market was worth $354.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to hit around $642.5 billion by 2030.
Local animators say digital marketing or advertisement sector is the country’s top animation consumer and after that comes freelancing. But the Bangladeshi film industry has yet to make an animated or full movies with VFX effets like neighbouring India.
India’s animation and VFX industry was valued at around 83 billion rupees in 2021 despite the Covid-19 pandemic effects.
The growth rate is expected to grow an estimated 29 per cent in 2024, according to Statista, a German-based website specializing in market and consumer data.
Al Amin Hossain, another admin of ‘3D Animation Bangla’, a Facebook-based group told The Business Post that there are around more than 20,000 animators across the country who are skilled in 3D and 2D but only 3000 to 4000 are active here.
He said this technology is expensive in learning and device cost. That’s why a large number of fresher animators cannot stay in this profession.
Md Fahad Ummat, an SEO (search engine optimization) expert and animator told The Business Post that the country’s most animators are now working as freelancers for online marketplace services Fiverr and Upwork.
Secondly,they are working with local digital marketing or
advertisement firms, who make TVCs for television, social media and billboards etc.
Hollywood animated features often perform well at the box office with films such as Shrek, ‘Moana’, The Lion King’, ‘Frozen’ which hit across the world. ‘Frozen’ has become the highest-grossing film of 2013 with $1.28 billion in revenue.
Walt Disney Studios hit the market with ‘Jungle Book’ and now they are going to come to the market with a new movie ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’.
The Indian film industry’s box office also hit animated or VFX movie ‘Baahubali’. An example of a new wave of VFX effects in movie looks promising with the Baahubali 2.
Bangladeshi stakeholders are slowly adopting the visual effect technology on movies, games, and cartoon contents.
A few broadcast TV channels are creating animation studios for original content like Duronto TV, a cable children’s television channel.
Blaze and The Monster Machines, Bubble Guppies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle are its animated series.
‘Saturday Afternoon’ and ‘No Land’s Man’ sorts of films were released by renowned film director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki.
‘First War Royal Game’ is the first-ever science fiction developing war game. Motu Patlu and Shiva are Indian top children’s series.
Bappa Dey, a 3D animator/VFX artist said there is a prospective of big size market as all - children to adult - like animation contents such as drama series, movies, funny or children cartoons etc.
Bangladeshi film producers used to hire Indian VFX animators but now local artists are doing it.
Around 95 per cent of animation-related work is done here. So the government should invest in the rising sector by setting up new institutions and by granting loans to artist.
Insiders hope Bangladesh will dominate the global animation market like freelancers because our working hour demands is low.
Besides, local viewers can have easy access to animated content through smart phones, laptops and computer which creates huge opportunities in the upward industry.
The average monthly salary of a skilled 3D animator is Tk 1,00,000 to Tk 2,00,000, while a skilled 2D animator’s salary is from Tk 50,000 to Tk 100,000, according to industry insiders.
