HYDERABAD: Padmalaya Telefilms, engaged in TV software development, film production and distribution, cable network and animation, plans to commence education and training business under the brand name ZICA (Zee Institute of Creative Animation) by mid-September this year.

The company, which has a strategic business relationship with Zee Network, plans to leverage on the computer- based training infrastructure of Zee Interactive Learning Systems (ZILS) and CMTES Informatics to expand into north and south India markets. PTL will offer a two-year animation course for students from Zica centre in Hyderabad combining 2D and 3D animation training and courseware.

With the Indian animation industry set to grow at more than 30% annually, there is a gap between the demand-supply of animators. Dr Rao said the two-year course will be a project-based content delivered using Zica’s training methodology and technologies.

“Zica will impart education from the pre-production stages like scripting, character design, story boarding, layout and background painting to production stages of key animation, and clean ups. The post production stages of scanning, ink, paint, composing, visual F/X, editing and sound design will also be taught,” he said.

PTL runs the animation division of Zee group and its foray into animation education and training marks the re-entry of the Zica brand in Hyderabad after five years. Zica started its operations from Hyderabad in 1995 before Zee group had relocated the operations to Mumbai in 1998.

Meanwhile, PTL is working on producing animation content on Hindu mythological characters, Hanuman, Ghatochkacha and Krishna.

“We are working on the script and content of the three characters. By beginning of next quarter, we would start working on the production of the episodes,” said PTL’s senior Vice-President, Dr V Srinivasa Rao.

PTL is working a 200-episode animation series on “Jataka Tales” in association with Film Club of USA and Panchatantra stories. In addition, the company is working on short moral stories drawn from the content provided by Sri Satya Sai Books & Publications Trust.

Dr Rao said the US firm is working on the creative content, while the post-production will be taken up by PTL.

“PTL is targetting 54 episodes of animated series every year. We want to make PTL as a major production centre for animation content from US and European countries. With the production infrastructure already existing, we are enhancing the training infrastructure to train a large pool of animation professionals through the network of ZILS and CMTES,” he said.