Close on the heels of its cutting edge VFX work for Om Shanti Om, the scene at RedChillies.vfx is further spicing up!
Led by the trio of Keitan Yadav, Arjun Mitra & Haresh Hingorani, the studio has moved to a larger facility spanning more than 10,000 sq feet in Andheri West.The relocation is in sync with the studio‘s expansion plans which include setting up of a division for International VFX projects too.
Speaking to AnimationXpress.com, RedChillies.vfx COO Keitan Yadav shared, “At RedChillies.vfx, the focus has always been on creative, innovative and cutting edge VFX work, we have made our mark with films like Main Hoon Naa, Paheli, Don, ChakDe India and Om Shanti Om. While our aspiration to creativity and innovation will continue to drive the kind of work we do, we are scaling up and are also in the process of corporatization, the new facility is part of that strategy”
“The earlier facility was not perfectly suited to serve as a VFX studio, whereas out here we have the space to build a proper organised workflow, set up pipeline & processes, have a R&D unit, have a recreational area for the artists with pool table, table tennis, Foosball, indoor games, Gaming consoles,bunkers, a cafeteria, our own workshop place for knowledge enhancement & training, movie section, all of it” he added.
The studio has four to five interesting Bollywood projects in hand including Subhash Ghai‘s Yuvraaj and is aggressively recruiting. It plans to ramp up from its existing base of 30 artists to 100+ in the coming six months.”There is a lot of interesting work lined up and we are gradually also going to set up an International projects division” shared Creative Head Arjun Mitra.
Keitan pointed out that, “Earlier we had a reputation of very long hours and work timings, over stretched shifts & non-relaxed work environment amongst artist circles, however all that is set to change. We are setting up proper HR & managment processes, and we want our team to have a proper work life balance. We are going all out to ensure a work environment in the studio which induces competition, quality & creativity.
Speaking about the Indian VFX scenario, Haresh Hingorani(Head of VFX) commented, “The work is getting better, DoP‘s, Directors, Producers are now recognising the value addition that VFX brings to the table. Of late, quite a few Cinematographers are not only appreciating the VFX team‘s contribution but are also getting more knowledgeable about FX and collaborating with their expertise as well. This is lifting the overall standards of the VFX work in the country”
Talking further about the expansion, Keitan Yadav commented, “Apart from the quality of manpower we are also the pioneers in investing in the latest & the best technologies the market has to offer. Like the current installation of Bluearc storage or being the first studio in the country to have acquired AMD Quad processors”, adding in the same breath that “While we identify the contribution of technology, however the machine is only as good as the man behind it and talent regins supreme”
Concluding the conversation, Arjun Mitra once again emphasised on the scaling up of the studio and shared, “We are aggressively recruiting and we want to work with artists who are driven and passionate about VFX. We want to create a body of VFX work that will inspire awe in audiences and want to always keep pushing to the next level.”
RedChillies.vfx shall operate out of its Andheri facility for the next couple of years while its final destination shall be the main Red Chillies set up which is being developed in Khar, Mumbai.
Coming soon – Watch out for the exclusive case study on the VFX in Om Shanti Om & Chak De India only on AnimationXpress.com!