Framestore Goes Talent Hunting in Mumbai
Training and upskilling have always been a key focus for Framestore, and the same agenda ranks high on its Mumbai studio’s priority, which has participated in Framestore’s Launchpad Pro training programme and global mentorship scheme. Headed by MD Akhauri P Sinha, who joined in February 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, the state-of-the-art facility was launched in September last year.
Within a short span of time, its portfolio of high-profile clients such as Netflix, Disney, Marvel, Universal and Warner Bros has kept the team busy with a packed pipeline of projects. Akhauri shares that the state-of-the-art studio will be focusing on the film and episodic VFX aspects of the business for a start, with future plans to ramp up offerings in Framestore’s diverse repertoire of services.
As the first Asia studio for Framestore, its presence is significant, and in Mumbai, the birthplace of India’s film industry, no less. Mumbai is a city with a very large, creative ecosystem with many advertising agencies present, and the location of the studio in Goregaon’s Nesco IT Park places it in the heart of the technology hub as well. These factors provide the ideal conditions for Framestore to set up its 90,000 sq ft custom-built facility.
Importantly, Akhauri adds that there is a wide spectrum of talent to tap into. “The film ecosystem in Mumbai is very strong. In addition to film production, there is also a significant pool of talent in post-production as well. Mumbai has also always had a strong animation industry. So, in terms of post-production, animation and VFX, there is a rich ecosystem and availability of highly-qualified talents to draw from across all segments of the industry.”
Targetting to double its current 300 employees within the next 12 to 15 months, Akhauri adds that professional development is key for Framestore. Its Launchpad Pro training module takes candidates through workflows and proprietary tools and processes via virtual and in-person live sessions. Additionally, Framestore’s global mentorship programme enables candidates to gain in-depth learnings, of which Mumbai has seen a good number of mentor and mentee match-ups.
Akhauri also shares that Framestore is currently looking at ways to give back to the community in terms of employment training and development. “We would like to help those who might not have had the access to courses and programmes that would enable them to work in this industry, and to give them the opportunity by training them. For example, in VFX, you would need access to a technology stack and not everyone has the resources. We are still in the midst of working out the details.”
Bolstered by a well-trained team with diverse skillsets, Framestore Mumbai is poised to take advantage of the current explosion in content demand, spurred by the advent of online streaming platforms, among them Netflix and Disney+. “They all have a fairly significant and strong slate of projects and shows that they need to put on, which bodes well for us. And a lot of the projects that have been done for streaming platforms have involved fairly big names from the traditional film and television industries, with many of them being the showrunners in these projects,” says Akhauri.
With film studios and content streaming platform providers forming the core pool of clients for Framestore Mumbai, Akhauri is excited about the high level of quality that his team is delivering for its clients. He says, “We have worked on shows such as The Matrix Resurrections; The Sandman; Moon Knight; Beast; Thor: Love and Thunder and we have just delivered the final season of His Dark Materials.
“We want to continue to create great artistry and to deliver great work. And as we work towards our team expansion and development of a full-service studio, we will be able to provide an even greater level of sophistication with our spectrum of services.”