Interview: Super Sema Animators Take Us Into the Unknown

Super Sema Animator Interview

To celebrate the release of Super Sema Season 3 on Youtube Originals, we were able to have a chat with a magnolious creative artist, Anu M George, who is a rank-holder from M.G.University  and has worked on popular animation projects like  Super Sema, Fukrey Boyzzz,  Little Singham, Purple Turtle and  MJ3 (Toon Boom).  She has got a hands-on experience with Adobe Animate, Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Draw, and Toon Boom throughout her colorful career. She rightly says, “Drawing is one aspect but the animation is something, which gives life to it.”

Anu M George, Animator, Prayan Animation Studio

How did you get involved in Animation?

I am one of the many animators out there who began drawing at a young age. As soon as my brain transitioned from consuming crayons to scrawling images, I was hooked on that art of creativity. Actually, my sister had an animation course at her school and I used to help her with it, this is where I learned and developed my skills and landed up here nurturing my passion.

As an adolescent, I clearly remember pausing my favorite animated movies and imitating the images I saw on the screen, especially the hilarious breakdown and in-between drawings that made me chuckle. I nearly felt like drawing and animation were the same thing. The live-action adventure movies I used to watch truly ignited my passion for graphic design, animation, and other aspects of filmmaking.

As an Animator, what does your day look like?

As I tend to be a morning person, I like to get in the studio before the cacophony of the day begins to get into that groove. When a Sema episode is actively in production, it’s not unusual for the entire day to pass while animators work on a single shot, with only perhaps two or three check-ins with supervisors and directors throughout the week. Meetings with supervisors frequently take place in a formal setting that strives to be efficient with everyone’s time to discuss how much the animation is capturing the point of the moment in the film.

What are the most challenging and enjoyable parts of illustration?

Whenever I’m sketching, I’m genuinely thrilled. The day just seems to fly by. When you finish a sketch, you leave a piece of yourself behind because it expresses something about you. An excellent drawing will inspire others and spark their creative spirits when people see it and say, “Aah, now this is something that ignites me to come up with ideas.”

According to you, what makes a film stand out?

A personal viewpoint that is supported by tasteful style, sound, and timing. I’ll always want to see more a movie that blends humor with sincerity and drama with comedy. Every project I’ve worked on has involved amazing people, tasks for which I am immensely thankful, and experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Super Sema Animation

We learned a lot while working on Super Sema. With regard to our process, we got most of them right but made a few blunders as well. With Sema, we got an opportunity to use all that we learned in preproduction and production. We wanted to deliver stories as efficiently as possible so that every last penny would be spent on that screen.

Super Super Super Sema Exclusive: Behind-the-scenes and Interview with the Creators

Do you love watching Super Sema? So do we!

And that’s why we’re excited to share our experience while working with her!

At an early press day for Super Sema, various animators and directors discussed what went into developing Season 3.

Narayanan Thevannur, Animation Director, Prayan Animaton Studio

Narayanan is a charismatic leader who has worked his way up through the industry to achieve his dreams. His skills, work ethic, and love for his job are truly admirable. In this blog, he shares his experience, how he came to be an animator for one of the world’s biggest animation company, and some tasty tips for all those who love animation!

He has worked on diverse animation projects such as Pakdam Pakdai, Tenali Raman, The Hero of Color City and most recently Seaper Powers among many others. Narayanan has set the bar extremely high from the onset of Super Sema Season 3.

According to him, the goal here is to pull off a magic trick — make the animation so life-like, that the kids who watch Sema, start loving science and realize the immense possibilities it has in changing the world.

With more than 2 decades of experience under his belt, he’s an incredible source of knowledge and wisdom working alongside the filmmakers at Prayan Animation Studio. He is phenomenal when it comes to character designing, painting, illustration, and cartooning, you can see it for yourself on bit.ly/3Mns8fx

Working on Sema

It has been a different experience altogether. One of the first African projects to work on with a unique animation style. We could learn more about a diverse culture, with a divergent approach to filmmaking. Holistically a disparate outlook when it comes to character, design, and behavior. Could engage with an innovative way of storytelling, and presentation, and am glad to know they do not compromise on quality and always there is room for improvisation on story quality as well as animation.

For someone who wants to pursue a career as an Animator, here’s his pro tip –

Be your best self when it comes to the things you appreciate and wants to do, and emulate the greatest qualities of the work you see. Don’t be reluctant to invest sufficient time. It’s similar to honing a skill or training one’s mind to write. Simply keep producing subpar artwork until they improve and ultimately becomes excellent. Complete what you started, move on to the next challenge, and be open to considering how you can improve next time. Don’t just work harder but in a smarter way too. Be a kind and patient collaborator as well as a good listener. Understand your clients’ and coworkers’ challenges. Take good care of your body and mind because they might go under a great deal of stress in this industry.

Either you like animation or you don’t. Never try to force yourself to appreciate something you don’t feel motivated to do. Focus on the aspect of being creative that you enjoy the most. If animation is truly your passion and you are aware of the challenges and requirements of the profession, you are probably already the type of person who will enjoy their career every step of the way and have an exciting and rewarding profession.

Glow with Firefly – Adobe’s AI-generated co-pilot

Adobe has now officially entered the generative AI space with Firefly. The company intends to increase the productivity of creators working on projects by implementing AI-based features, while also enabling new users to create various kinds of visual material.

One of the very first features is that you’re able to change the composition of an image with a simple text prompt. As a Photoshop user, it must be a bit difficult, especially for a beginner. For example, if we enter “change scene to winter” and click Generate, it immediately modifies the image with 3 different compositions to choose from; which means the user interface allows us to be more creative.

Software like Mid Journey and Dali 2 is more confusing to the average user since you need to fine-tune and tweak things a bit differently but in Adobe Firefly with just a single click you can obtain your stylistic outputs.

Secondly, we can Generate Similar Brushes and change the texture of certain products, add water, etc. Another cool option in Firefly is Generating Templates from a mood board which definitely disrupts Canva. In fact, one can highlight an image and generate variations. Thirdly, we can merge seamlessly so that the background looks perfect with no real distortion, and that too with an easy UI with a Refresh button and 3 options right in the center.

The AI models in the Adobe Firefly family of creative generative models are intended to improve the creative process for producers, designers, and artists. It provides possible applications in digital imaging, photography, illustration, graphic design, video, marketing, social media, and 3D modelling and enables users to produce extraordinary content using common language. Firefly seeks to give creators useful advantages, improve workflows, and provide AI tools designed especially for creative requirements. This art tool assures accountability and transparency in generative AI.

To access the Adobe Firefly Beta version:-

1.      Visit the Adobe Firefly website at firefly.adobe.com
2.      At the right corner of the screen, select the Request Access button.
3.      You will then be taken to a website where you may fill up your information, including name, email address, nationality, and other details, known as the Adobe Firefly Invite Request.
4.      You can, at your discretion, indicate why you want to utilise Adobe Firefly at the page’s conclusion.
5.      Click the Next Page button to finish.
6.      Adobe will offer you an invitation with instructions on how to begin using Firefly generative AI if your request is ultimately approved.

Super Sema Season 3 – Episode 3

An incredible little girl named Sema and her twin brother MB are on a mission to defend the African hamlet of Dunia from the evil Tobor. Their experiences, which have the potential to change the world, are chronicled. Sema is aware that anything is possible with willpower, imagination, and a little assistance from the fascinating world of science and technology.

Baby Moyo

How cute was Moyo when he was a young goat!  There was a lot of feeding, cuddling, and safety, but in the end, Moyo was really an adorable kid! On the occasion of his birthday, Sema recalls their interactions with Baby Moyo and how this charming, mischievous goat ended up being an inseparable member of her family.

Prayan produces almost 300+ minutes of 2D animation content every year and has also involved himself in children’s book illustrations and game content development. They have recently partnered with Helen Christabel Parker, an Australian/Canadian television producer and writer from Diamond Film Canada, for a co-production called Sonic Bird, a 26*11 series, due for release in 2024.

Super Sema Season 3 – Episode 2

Born out of the urge to produce educational content, tailored to accommodate Africa’s local theme, Super Sema is a protagonist in the series of world-changing adventures. Sema, an extraordinary young girl, and her twin brother MB are on their quest to protect the African town of Dunia from the robotic villain Tobor.

It moulds kids to more creativity, application of science and technology and teaches all and sundry that anything is possible through grit and determination!

Babu’s Back

When Babu hurts his back, Sema and MB technovate a solution to handle all of his errands without him, making Babu feel old and useless. It’s up to a highly unanticipated visitor to restore Babu’s self-assurance and dignity.

Prayan has already gained a name in the industry for outstanding projects in 2D and 3D animation, children’s & comic book illustrations, successful marketing content such as explainer videos, and mastering the hottest trends such as NFT creation. Today, Prayan Animation is taking you to the universe of Super Sema, which has been widely acclaimed and received millions of devoted fans worldwide.

Super Sema Season 3 – Episode 1

In Super Sema, an incredible little girl named Sema and her twin brother MB are on a mission to defend the African hamlet of Dunia from the evil Tobor. Their experiences, which have the potential to change the world, are chronicled. Sema is aware that anything is possible with willpower, imagination, and a little assistance from the fascinating world of science and technology.

Operation New Lab

As Sema and her pals reopen their STEAM lab, Tobor comes up with a scheme to end it forever. Will Tobor’s updated, super-smart Bongolalas finally give Sema a run for her money, or will they prove to be too much for him to handle?

With over a decade in the animation industry, one of the leading animation studios in India, Prayan has worked with major international production studios helping them create successful animated movies, episodes, and much more. Following the latest trends and creating new ones with top-notch companies across the USA, UK, France, and the Middle-East, Prayan has used its expertise in hand-drawn animation, ToonBoom, and Adobe Animate to bring the most ambitious projects to life.

A secret recipe to decode a successful Animation project!

Animation tips

Quality video content, especially animated content, is the key to success in the modern world driven by media and communication. Animation production has grown into a huge industry with limited applications that invents and masters new tools and technologies every day.

However, just like any other trend, the use of animated content is becoming more and more competitive, making it harder to create a truly successful animated project that will hit its goal.

In this article, we shall explain how to easily decode a successful animation project and walk you through the essential animation production steps to help you get the most out of it and the opportunities it offers.

Stick to your Animation Technique

 

 Eye Roll By Lucas via Giphy

Integrity is vital for a successful animation video. Follow through the 2D animation steps if this is what you choose to make sure that the visuals are seamless. 

However, with all the limitless possibilities of the modern motion graphics process, try to limit your animation techniques and stick to signature aesthetics.

Not only will it help you easily work out your signature style, but it is also a great way to save time and money on animation production. 

Set the Tone with a Tune

Loop Mood By Noelia via Giphy

Successful animation is not all about visuals. The atmosphere and the emotions it encourages are created by other elements as well. A soundtrack is extremely important if you want to create a successful animation project.

Sometimes creators pick the soundtrack when the animation production is almost over. In other cases, music can even be the inspiration for the whole project. However, music and sound effects are extremely important. They make your video content catchy and memorable.

Stake on visual puns

Obey Me via Giphy

Animated videos are so successful because they are relatable, digestible, and simply… fun! That is why a successful animation process is all about visual puns rather than long dialogues. These short and sometimes random moments add humor and action, keeping the viewers` attention.

Short Gags make it Lively

Prank Hit by Aum via Giphy

Whether your animation video is meant for entertainment, marketing, or education, adding short gags to the scripts during the animation production is a great idea. Whitty and memorable jokes add dimension to the character, classic “knock-knock” -er will lighten the mood and a specific joke with professional slang works great for explainer videos, making them more relatable and digestible.

Find the best Animation Studio for your Project.

When choosing your animation studio, make sure to check out our portfolio and contact us to find out whether our aesthetics and experience correlate with the needs and goals of your animation project.

For example, Prayan Animation Studio lets you see the whole range of our services and previous projects on our website, communicate with the artists, and discuss the project thoroughly before putting it to work.

Keeping a grip on the latest trends in animation, the artists and designers of Prayan Animation Studio prefer to create unique products instead of following mainstream concepts. It allows us and our customers to stand out in the competition, offering viewers truly original and successful animated content.

Contact us today and take your first step towards a successful animation project and the benefits it will bring.

Meet the all-new Disney Animation Immersive Experience

Disney Immersive Experience

Lighthouse Immersive – the studio that has already granted us the Frida Kahlo and Van Gogh Immersive Experience is now helping Disney to bring their most beloved blockbuster to life at the new Disney Animation Immersive Experience exhibition.

The project already kicked off in Toronto in December 2022. Currently, the immersive exhibit is planned in 10 major cities throughout the United States. The organizers of the immersive exhibit also claim that the project will travel across the Ocean and will be presented worldwide, starting with Asia. However, Tokyo is the only city confirmed for the world tour right now.

Immersive exhibits – the new way to experience art.

Immersive art presentation is becoming more and more popular worldwide, letting viewers not only walk into their favorite masterpieces but also helping artists express themselves using cutting-edge technologies such as VR, holography, and digital projection.

The immersive experience kickstarts a new approach to animation and visual design, their potential, and their perspectives in different fields, from entertainment to education and marketing.

With the help of world-leading studios and modern technology, artists like Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo were granted new life and interpretation of their masterpieces. Just like this, Disney is taking grown-ups down memory lane introducing classic blockbusters like Lion King, Little Mermaid, and Alladin into the current Disney Animation Immersive Experience and keeping the fire for the new generation, letting them walk through Casita from Encanto or sing along with Elsa from Frozen.

Just like this, Immersive exhibits at schools, higher learning institutes, and museums allow us to engage a broader audience in learning and find a new approach to teaching, presenting, and processing information.

Immersive art and experience have already become an integral part of the program of annual festivals and seminars such as the Mobile world congress and Cannes Lions.

All those are the signs of a new emerging trend that introduced immersive experience to modern marketing and advertising strategies, lets it created a new niche in the art and entertainment industry, and encouraged the world’s best animation and web design studios to create new forms and master new technologies and tools that would make immersive art accessible for a wider range of prospective customers and find it new efficient application in different fields.

Disney Animation Immersive Experience – step inside the dream

The immersive effect of the ongoing Disney Animation Immersive Experience is achieved through a visual projection of the artistry from Disney’s hit movies and showcasing their official soundtracks.

Except for the opportunity to jump into the atmosphere of the latest blockbusters like Zootopia and Encanto, visitors to the immersive exhibition will walk through evergreen hits like Peter Pan, Lion King, and even the original version of Pinocchio from 1940.

The Toronto-based Lighthouse Studio is mainly known for its hit Van Gogh immersive experience exhibition, attended by over 4 million people worldwide.

The ongoing Disney Animation Immersive Experience is already believed to be another success and turning point in the immersive art and presentation industry.


Do you want to know more about the perspectives of immersive art and animation and the new opportunities that professional animators can offer your business or project? Contact Prayan Animation today!

This is a home for India’s best animators and content creators who are acknowledged as trendsetters in the industry and have an exclusive approach to every new client and project we take. Discover a magical world of modern animation and whole new tools and opportunities with this professional team of passionate artists!

Role of Animation in Metaverse

Role of animation in metaverse

Most people heard of the term Metaverse for the first time in 2021 when Mark Zuckerberg presented his billion-dollar project to the public and even re-named his company Meta, to highlight how serious he was about it.

It was initially clear that the role of animation in Metaverse would be huge, and the development of Metaverse will take the whole industry to a new level. Today, when giants like Disney and Microsoft are taking the concept as a promising business development perspective, it is time to talk about the importance of animation for various aspects of Metaverse and the perspectives of the use of animation in the future.

Animated content – the core of Metaverse.

It goes without saying that animated video content is the most successful, time and money-efficient tool today. The uses of animation are almost endless, especially when it comes to a space like Metaverse, which is now becoming one of the most perspective market and business spaces.

Animated content informs and educates, guides and directs, and of course, sells!

Here is what animation does for Metaverse already:

Explainer Animation and CRM

Animated explainer content is simply irreplaceable when you need to guide a viewer and seamlessly convert them into a customer, boost the customer experience, etc.

Businesses and content creators also admit the importance of animation in multimedia, as it allows to design and explore Customer Relationships Management (CRM), SaaS, and apps that create a clear view of customers’ behavior, reaction, and demand.

Animation in Head-Up Display (HUD)

Mainly used as an integral part of video game tutorials, the concept of HUD became familiar to the whole world thanks to Marvel`s Iron Man franchise.

Today, HUD animation is seen by the designers and creators of Metaverse as one of the most potent fields for advertising and storytelling in Augmented Reality. It can easily be integrated into VR and MR tools and have endless commercial, informative, and customer experience potential.

Animation for immersive perception in a Metaverse

Metaverse is built using both Virtual and Extended reality, which allows you to integrate immersive perception animation into it and do wonders for your marketing campaign, educational project, etc.

The immersive experience is one of the uses of animation that actually makes Metaverse attractive for businesses today. It allows using various projections to create an impression that animated objects are moving in the #D space of a metaverse. Whether it is a virtual assistant, a tutorial, or an ad, immersive perception is one of the most efficient and leading roles of animation in Metaverse today.

Animated Kinetic Typography

It is another functional use of animation in multimedia for a Metaverse. Motion animation used for text messages that guide, inform, or set the mood may encourage communication or simply boost user experience leading to a stronger attachment and seamless conversion.

Final thoughts.

As you see, the role of Animation in Metaverse simply cannot be overrated. The animation basically creates the whole concept and turns it into what people and brands are looking for in an alternative space with an innovative approach to communication, business, and entertainment.

If you want to know more about the perspectives of animated content for your business and start developing your own successful animated video marketing strategy, make sure to contact Prayan Animation today! This team of innovative and passionate creators and developers is known for their original view on trends in video content and unconventional approach that has already helped hundreds of their clients worldwide stand out and leave competitors far behind.