Mohanlal’s facebook link
By Asha P. Nair
20th August 2009 12:05 AM
Team Vismayas.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lieutenant Colonel Mohanlal must be a proud man now. His young brigade in the city is marching towards global recognition.
Vismayas Max, the animation studio owned by the actor, has been picked by
the international social networking community Facebook to create its video applications, which would reach nearly 250 million Facebook users around the world. It’s for the first time that Facebook, which is ranked second in the world as the most used social network after My Space, has outsourced the creation of video applications. Around 30 video greetings lasting 30-35 seconds done by Vismayas have already been uploaded by Facebook in its site and they are turning into a hit in Australia and USA. They are all set to be launched in India next month.
At the Vismayas Max studio in Vellayambalam, the ambience is that of subdued happiness. “The feeling is great, to work for an international client. But we are grounded in reality. Right now, we are pumping in 24x7 into work, with no sleep and no extra activity, to meet the schedules. The music is sent to us one day and in three days we are to return the animated clip. It’s an understatement to say it’s hectic,’’ says K.D. Shybu, Creative Director of Vismayas.
The clips carry several themes, like romance (I love you songs), apology (I am sorry), gratitude (thank you), fun (just for fun items) and classic (that brings a smile on your face).
Music for the video greetings have been done by renowned Israeli musician Nir Danan, a young and creative man whose music would be an out-of-the-box treat for Indian ears. “Some of the sound tracks that come are so exceptional that we were initially nervous if our animation would match its grandeur,’’ says Vinod, Academic head of Vismayas.
The animation characters are not any less adorable. Enrique, the cat, was the first animation character that Vismayas did for the project. A fat cat with a guitar, it can wish you a happy birthday in the most appealing way.
However, it’s Pong Panda that has turned out to be a huge hit with Facebook users abroad. One has to see the cute Pong with big round eyes, singing its heart out for an apology with ‘I am sorry’ , to believe its instant popularity.
The latest character that the Vismayas team has churned out is that of Jamal, the camel. With its red cap on, the camel looks so naive and yet so uncanny.
“There is a kind of positivity that radiates from the characters, which we were told from Facebook is to kindle a kind of harmony among its users. Once launched in India, we hope to bring Indian themes into the applications for the market here,’’ says Pramod, marketing head of Vismayas.
It’s a 52-member Vismayas team, right from its creative head to the trainee, who are racking their brains to come out with amusing animations. They have only completed 32, and 500 are in the offing. All they speak now is about Pong and Jamal. And listen to Zen chants to keep themselves going.
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