L to R: Munjal Shroff, S K Pathak, Atul Kumar Tiwari, Subhash Ghai, Hande Ercel and Ashish Kulkarni
Following two consecutive days filled with industry sessions, the third day of FICCI Frames 2024 shone a spotlight on skills and education within the M&E sector. The agenda for the day included discussions and presentations centered around skill development initiatives and the integration of skill-based courses into educational institutions.
FICCI Frames is a prominent media and entertainment event that is conducted in Mumbai every year. The 24th edition of the event took place from 5 to 7 March this year at Hotel Westin, Powai Lake in the city. Under the theme Reflections, Realities & Road Ahead, the convention honours the industry’s journey, celebrating its evolution while casting an insightful gaze toward its future trajectory.
The day’s inaugural session, titled LEAPing Into the Future, delved into the intricate art of shaping a dynamic landscape for media and entertainment (M&E) education in India. Welcoming the audience were esteemed figures including FICCI secretary general S K Pathak, filmmaker and Whistling Woods International founder & chairman Subhash Ghai, Govt of India MSDE secretary Atul Kumar Tiwari, Graphiti Studios director and COO Munjal Shroff and FICCI AVGC-XR Forum chair and Punnaryug Artvision founder Ashish Kulkarni. Also on the dias was special dignitary Hande Ercel, who is a Turkish actress.
L to R: Merzin Tavaria, Arpan Gaglani, Biren Ghose, Akhauri Sinha and Bejoy Arputharaj
The panel titled Revolutionising Storytelling: The Rise of Visual Effects in Films delved into the integration of real-time visual effects, virtual sets, and immersive environments within the production pipeline. Through case studies of successful projects employing these cutting-edge technologies, the session illuminated both the creative and technical advancements driving the M&E industry forward. The speakers of the session were DNEG co-founder and global production & operations president Merzin Tavaria, philmCGI managing director Arpan Gaglani, Framestore India managing director Akhauri P Sinha and phantomFX founder & CEO & VFX supervisor Bejoy Arputharaj. The panel was moderated by Technicolor Creative Studios managing director – Asia-Pacific Biren Ghose.
In the panel State-led Innovations in Media & Entertainment for Workforce Development, speakers touched upon proactive measures aimed at fostering a skilled workforce in key areas of media production, content creation, digital media, animation, gaming, and more. The speakers included: Maharashtra State Skill Development Society’s Shreshta Gupta, Telangana Academy for Skill & Knowledge (TASK) CEO Shrikant Sinha, Association of Bangalore Animation Industry (ABAI) convenor & special projects director B. S. Srinivas and World Design Council India country head Philip Thomas. The panel was moderated by Graphiti Studios’ Shroff.
L to R: Shreshta Gupta, Shrikant Sinha, Munjal Shroff, B. S. Srinivas and Philip Thomas
In the rapidly evolving landscape of entertainment, virtual production has emerged as a transformative force, redefining traditional filmmaking methodologies. The panel Immersive Narratives: India’s Adoption of the Virtual Production Workflow delved into the immersive realm of storytelling, focusing on India’s embrace of the virtual production workflow. The panel consisted of cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa, Annapurna Studios CTO C V Rao, FutureWorks co-founder & CEO Gaurav Gupta, Film Engineers founder Vivek Kandasamy and DNEG Virtual Production creative supervisor Parth Shah. The panel was moderated by Whistling Woods International CTO Chaitanya Chinchlikar. Chinchlikar kicked off the session by explaining what virtual production is, when it’s useful, and the different types available. Panelists then showed examples of how they’ve used virtual production in their projects, along with videos and case studies. They walked through the planning stages and how they put virtual production into action.
The third day ended on a high note with Manoj Paramahamsa, phantomFX’s Arputharaj and The Mill India executive director RK Chand showcasing VFX breakdowns of popular films. Paramahamsa discussed collaborating with phantomFX and MPC on key sequences from the movie Leo, including a thrilling car chase and a hyena attack scene respectively. Arputharaj shared insights into the extensive VFX work done for the recently released film Ayalaan, totaling around 4,500 shots. Chand then showcased breakdown reels from MPC’s projects such as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Napoleon, and Bhediya. The session came to an end with the showcase of the trailer of the animated feature film Return of the Jungle by Vaibhav Studios.
Dignitaries, students, and aspiring filmmakers departed with a wealth of knowledge and insights gleaned over three days dedicated to the exploration of the M&E sector.
L to R: Chaitanya Chinchlikar, Manoj Paramahamsa, C V Rao, Gaurav Gupta, Vivek Kandasamy and Parth Shah
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