Pentafour Software bags US animated film deal
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Our Bureau in Chennai
Multimedia major Pentafour Software and Exports Ltd has bagged a contract for the creation of an animated film, scheduled for release in the United States in the summer of 2000.
The total budget of the film is estimated to be about $40 million.
This is the first project that has come out of a strategic alliance that Pentafour recently forged with Cyber Arrow Technologies, a subsidiary of the US-based New Media Venture Partners Inc.
The alliance would bring together the digital and multimedia production capabilities of Pentafour Software and New Media's marketing, sales and distribution capability throughout the Americas. The venture is to focus on providing multimedia products and services to top clients in the US, Canada and Latin America.
Pre-production work for the new film has kicked off and the project itself is to be completed in a year. "This will be the first major film in the world to be produced entirely in digital," Christopher Cain, the producer and director of the film told reporters in Chennai.
"The film is about technology and about 70 per cent of its total content would be animation, which would be sourced from Pentafour Software," he added. "The film is expected to involve about 100,000 hours of special effects and animation and the rates per hour for such projects vary from $70 to $100 per hour," said the chairman and managing director of Pentafour Software, V Chandrasekaran.
"Creative production rates in India are extremely competitive. A similar project would involve a cost of $200 to $300 per hour. International rates are about three to four times more expensive," said New Media chairman, Scott McKinley.
New Media is currently producing three more films. One is a sequel to the $40 million digital movie project. The follow-up is also being developed simultaneously as it would result in cost and time savings, besides utilising advertising costs better.
"The first movie is to be released in the summer of 2000 and the sequel would be ready by Christmas the same year," Cain said.
New Media's third project is to contain a 15 per cent special effects, which will also be sourced from Pentafour Software. The company is also planing another epic movie project, which will be shot entirely in India.
Pentafour Software is currently in the post-production stage of the world's first 3D motion capture animation film, Sindbad.
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