Hasta La Motion!

PUBG Mobile team has announced that a new game mode, titled Cold Front Survival, will be added on 16April. As the name suggests, the new game mode will have something to do with snowy landscapes of Vikendi. The teaser image also shows a drone, suggesting they could play a significant part in the game mode.

PUBG Mobile has been hinting at this new mode since the beginning of this year. However, even with today’s teaser, official details regarding it are close to none. From what we can gather, drones might be introduced in the game although we don’t know how exactly they will be used. CoD Mobile has introduced drones as a scorestreak and they’re used for killing players in the multiplayer mode.

Again, PUBG Mobile has not given any information on what role the drone will play in the game but, the reports suggest the drones could help players in spotting animals so that they can either stay away from them or kill them with ease. Reports speculate players will have to survive through multiple snowstorms as well as kill other players during the match.

However, this PUBG survival mode might not require much killing, apart from just animal hunting. Players will have to survive the blizzard by looking for food and heat sources.

Band together to survive ️

Cold Front Survival is coming 4/16! #PUBGM #PUBGMOBILE pic.twitter.com/RJGK3ckPxW

— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) April 12, 2020

According to a Facebook post by PUBG Mobile, there will be a new item added to this game mode as well. “Any guesses on what this new item is? #ColdFrontSurvival #pubgm #ComingSoon,” the post reads. PUBG players speculate this new item would be a ‘heat pack’ of sorts allowing players to stay warm. There is no other information on the availability of this new item in the game, whether it will be a loot item or players will spawn with it.

There’s also a possibility that this could be just a new map instead of a new mode, as some of the game’s fans seem to think. Other reports suggest this mode could be laid out around the Vikendi map.

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Poker Queens, a new documentary available on Amazon Prime, narrates the story of women poker players around the world.  This Amazon Prime exclusive documentary features Indian female poker player, Muskan Sethi alongside other global players namely, Kristen Bicknell, Kathy Liebert, and Jennifer Harmam. The documentary is produced to influence more women to take up poker as a sport. The film, directed by poker pro Sandra Mohr, features many of the acclaimed female poker players internationally and gives a glimpse of the obstacle’s women face in this male-dominated gaming arena.

Talking about featuring in the documentary, professional Poker player, Govt of India first ladies awardee and responsible gaming ambassador of India Muskan Sethi said, “ I am grateful to Elliot Roe, my Mindset Coach for introducing me to Sandra Mohr and would like to thank Sandra for giving me an opportunity to be part of a project which is going to create a wave of change in poker for women. As a professional poker player, this piece of work will remain close to my heart as it tells a story of women in poker. I am delighted to be part of  Poker Queens as it focuses on attracting women to the game of poker and highlighting the interesting aspects of pursuing it professionally. Being the face of Indian poker gaming community, I see a huge opportunity for women in India to have an unconventional career in poker as Indian woman is known for breaking the stereotypes and making a mark in male-dominated professions. Poker is just another male-dominated career which is waiting to be explored by women”

The documentary brings out hard-hitting facts of the poker community where women represent less than 7 per cent  of all poker players, and only about 4 per cent of the WSOP main event each year. This highlights the importance of sensitisation and creating aspiration towards the game among potential women poker players globally. This documentary aims at more women playing poker which makes the sport more popular and mainstream as any other game.

To deep dive into the status of poker in India, online gaming in India is rising steadily, particularly card games. In fact, a KPMG report estimates that the Indian online gaming industry is worth Rs 4,380 crore as of FY 2018. This is projected to grow at a CAGR of 22.1 per cent and reach Rs 11,880 crore by FY 2023. This is a clear indication of a huge professional career opportunity in the game of Poker for the youth in India with professional coaching like any other sport.

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While we stay within the safety of our homes, there are some heroes without capes who risk their health at the forefront of the battle against the coronavirus pandemic to keep us all safe. It is our privilege to salute these frontline fighters -doctors, nurses, police and health department workers for their selfless service during tough times like these.

To express sincere and deep gratitude for the tireless service extended to us all by the members of the healthcare community and the police department in their own way, Toonz Academy is offering 25 per cent fee discount on all their courses to the personnel serving within the healthcare community and police department as well as their immediate family members, mentioned Toonz Academy executive director Sasikumar R Pillai.

This facility is open to all eligible candidates for the next six months. Apart from this fee discount, the successful candidates will also be provided an option to undergo live, on-the-job training via a Toonz studio internship and placement assistance. This will aid the students to be industry-ready professionals and start a great creative career.

“Toonz Academy students are currently making the best creative use of this lockdown period as they are being engaged through online activities and sessions. Industry experts from various studios and creative artists address them online regularly, sharing their experiences and technical tips to these aspiring students,” added Pillai.

Toonz Academy will be launching a series of online courses that will help students to master their creative skills through our industry-academia online programs. To begin with, the academy is launching the ‘Digital Graphics & Motion Graphics’ program by the end of April 2020. Every program includes a hands-on project which will be a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn in a unique manner and will also enable them to be industry ready professionals.

Toonz Academy with its proven experience through the years, is steadfast in its approach to bring out the real talent in students and groom them to be the most sought-after animation professionals. It is the training division of the animation company, Toonz Media Group, which is known for producing animated TV series – Tenali Raman, movie The Return of Hanuman and the first digital animated Malayalam feature film – Swami Ayyappan.

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The country is trying its best to cope up with the Covid-19 pandemic, with a few states like Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab and West Bengal already extending the lockdown till 30 April.

Meanwhile people are quarantined to their homes for almost a month now, looking out for newer ways of indoor entertainment to keep them engaged. Naturally, TV and online VOD consumption have seen a significant rise, growing upto some manifolds.

Today, we list five gripping Indian web series on OTT paltforms to keep you engaged during this lockdown, which you can’t help but binge-watch.

Special Ops (2020)

Created by Neeraj Pandey for Hotstar Specials, Special Ops is an Indian espionage thriller that revolves around a task force team of five agents, supervised by Himmat Singh (Kay Kay Menon), who are on a hunt for the mastermind of six terror attacks.

The cinematography is stunning with a powerful script and casting. It keeps the audience on the edge. Menon’s portrayal of Himmat Singh with a calm yet strong demeanor is commendable that steers the entire premise of this story of pursuit.  

The rest of the cast including popular faces – Karan Tacker, Meher Vij, Divya Dutta, Saiyyami Kher and more have done justice to their roles.

No. of Episodes : 8

Where to Watch : Disney+Hotstar

Karan Tacker in Special Ops

The Family Man (2019)

The Family Man is an Indian action thriller web series created by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. Starring Manoj Bajpayee (Srikant Tiwary) in the lead role, it tells the story of a middle-class man secretly working as an intelligence officer for the T.A.S.C, a branch of the National Investigation Agency.

Bajpayee effortlessly dons the hat of the confident, yet somewhat confused and helpless undercover agent, while Priyamani, Sharib Hashmi, Darshan Kumar and others help to weave onto the well knit plot of trying to prevent a catastrophe from befalling the national capital. Neeraj Madhav as Moosa Rahman sure deserves a clap for his performance.

The Family Man has been renewed for a second season which began filming in November 2019.

No. of Episodes : 10

Where to Watch : Amazon Prime Video

Code M (2020)

Created and produced by Juggernaut Productions, Code M is a coming-of age thriller that throws light upon preconceived notions and taboo of the society amidst a military encounter case.

Starring popular TV actress, Jennifer Winget, who’s bold and brainy as the protagonist Monica Mehra, Code M unravels conspiracy, mystery and the sham of the ‘valorous men’ that sends ripples through the entire Indian Army.

Lately, ALTBalaji boss Ekta Kapoor announced a sequel to this series at the Code M success party.  

No. of Episodes : 8

Where to Watch : ALTBalaji and ZEE5

Hostages (2019)

Written by Nisarg Mehta, Shiva Bajpai and Mayukh Ghosh, Hostages is a crime thriller under Hotstar Specials. Directed by Sudhir Mishra, it is an official adaptation of an Israeli series of the same name.

Starring Tisca Chopra, Ronit Roy, Parvin Dabas, Aashim Gulati and Mohan Kapoor, Hostages revolves around Dr. Mira Anand (Chopra) whose family is taken captive the night before she’s going to operate on the CM, and asked to kill him. What follows is the choice she makes and adventurous circumstances.

The series is very intriguing at some parts with the cast doing a great job. It received mixed reviews from the critics and audience.

No. of Episodes : 10

Where to Watch : Disney+Hotstar

SHE (2020)

Written and created by renowned Bollywood filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, SHE revolves around a female constable, Bhumika Pardesi (Aaditi Pohankar) who’s “sent on an undercover mission to bust an underworld gang, and rises above her own expectations to find power in the most unexpected ways.” 

This assignment becomes the timid Mumbai constable’s road to self empowerment as she realises her dormant potential. SHE also stars Vijay Verma of Gully Boy fame as a thief. 

SHE is dark, edgy and piques the curiosity of the audience for being somewhat off-beat in Netflix’s content slate. It is produced by Window Seat Films and Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ Tipping Point. 

No. of Episodes : 7

Where to Watch : Netflix

So, what are you waiting for? Grab some snacks and go binge-watching until we bring a new list! 

The post #WhenAtHome: Gripping thrillers you can watch online during COVID lockdown appeared first on AnimationXpress.

The Karnataka ChitraKala Parishath (CKP) has announced an animation degree course this year as a part of the four-year Bachelor of Visual Arts programme. 

This comes after CKP introduced ceramics in the visual arts degree course for the first time in the country.  

Commenting on this, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath College of Fine Arts principal Tejendra Singh Baoni said, “This is the first time in Karnataka that a University-approved course in animation has been introduced as part of the Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) at CKP. We have taken permission from the Bangalore Central University for admitting extra students to our degree courses. We had five disciplines earlier — painting, applied art, sculpture, artistry and graphic art. Last year, we added ceramics and this year from June, we will have animation. We will have 250 students, which is an increase of 100 seats. We are constantly looking for newer subjects to add to our visual art study. Admissions are open now.”

Baoni himself is also a professor of sculpture.

CKP Animation Department assistant professor Supreeth Adiga believes this to be the perfect time to introduce animation. The animation classes will take place in well-equipped studios and labs at the 14-acre campus in Kengeri.

While Bengaluru has several private institutes offering animation courses, the CKP curriculum, according to Adiga, offers a broader perspective. Even the teaching methodologies are also different from the programmes offered in Bengaluru. 

Added he, “It equips students for the industry as 2D and 3D animation is crucial for media today, just as it is for the film and advertising industry. Apart from our experienced faculty, we will have industry professionals addressing students to help them with the on-ground reality and expectations of the job industry. The one-on-one association will help them understand how to market themselves. When graduates scramble for jobs today, our animation students will see a 95 per cent placement opportunity.”

Bengaluru is one of the major hubs for animation, having more than 200 studios involved in animation work. Notable Hollywood projects movies, with the likes of Avatar, Life of Pi, Game of Thrones and many more have got a major part of their work done in the city. 

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