Patna, May 18: First, you hear a thumping sound, and see the surface of water in a puddle shiver. Then, a Tyrannosaurus rex appears on the screen with a deafening roar.

The familiar scene from Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park would have been rather limp without the state-of-art animation. The Oscar-winning film not only changed the dynamics of movie making, it also introduced a generation to the magic of animation.

Technology and art have an equal attraction for a number of youths, who are signing up for animation courses at the various institutes in the city.

Most are attracted by the magic of this art that can create a completely new world, albeit a virtual one, like in Hollywood blockbuster Avatar. Others are lured in by the moolah on offer for animation artists.

“I realised there are better job opportunities in this sector,” said Abhishek, an economics graduate.

He added: “This is a good option as there are better opportunities in this industry. So, I thought an animation course would be a better option than conventional courses.”

Abhishek is now a student of a specialist programme at Arena Animation Academy, the Patna franchise of Arena Multimedia.

The career opportunities on offer for animation artists are countless.

“Digital video production, computer animation, graphic illustration, animation consultant — all these and more high paying jobs can be taken by an animation artist,” added Abhishek.

But the best remuneration on offer is the recognition as an artist, and the applause of one’s audience.

Pramod Kumar Singh, director, Arena Multimedia, said the institute, housed at NP Centre in Dakbungalow Road, has been initiating students into animation for the past 15 years.

“Creativity has been the driving force for the entire human civilisation. In animation, not only your creativity but also other skills like sense of colour and technical knowledge are important. One must know about the latest software. If you are interested in these things, animation is your cup of tea,” said Singh.

He claimed that he had been introduced to animation by Spielberg’s blockbuster.

“It is my passion for the art that has helped me stick to it for so many years despite the sea change in technology. We had only 13 students in our first batch. Now we have more than 80. Over the years, around 3,000 students from our institute have been given placements. More than 80 per cent of our students have established themselves as artists in animation studios, production houses and advertisement agencies,” said Singh.

Simran Raj, another animation student, said: “I could have done an MCA after completing my BCA course. But I wanted to do something creative. My course in animation requires imagination and creativity. That was the exciting part.

“The other reason for choosing this course was the career opportunities. A course in animation is a real boost to one’s career,” added Raj.

Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) at Patliputra Industrial Area is yet another institute where youths can learn animation. It has only been two years that the academy opened its doors but MAAC is attracting students, courtesy its own production house in the city.

“The institute started only two years back but we are very happy with the response. We have around 20 batches,” said Arpita Bose, faculty member, MAAC.

She added that most youths these days are aware of basic computer technology and this helps boost their learning process.

Neelmani Kumar, director, NiSD Multimedia Training Centre at Nayatola is also of the same opinion. “Creative and technical knowledge can take one places in the field of animation,” said Neelmani.