FICCI-FRAMES 2017

It’s that time of the year again. Delegate registrations open for FICCI-FRAMES 2017.

Venue: Hotel Renaissance, Powai, Mumbai
Dates: March 21–23

OPENING and VALEDICTORY

State Ministers Panel
The Frames Knowledge Series sets the tone for the media and entertainment sector with key trends and crucial perspectives. In this session, state leaders, the key drivers of state policy, will tell us the strengths of their states in M & E across a diverse range including creating IT hubs, strengthening gaming zones, building on the digital matrix for smoother satellite and internet transmissions, and opening up locations for film-tourism to bring the state’s cultural and technological wealth to the forefront. Ultimately it is India’s diversity which will take its media and entertainment into the next decade.

Valedictory: Visionaries of the Industry Speak
As a grand finale, listen to the M & E thought leaders as they map the way ahead with caution, wisdom, and innovation.

MASTERCLASSES and WORKSHOPS

Scriptwriting Masterclass: The Drama and the Craft with Reshef Levi
With an acclaimed international story-teller weaving magic

Masterclass with Dheeraj – How to make great comics?
There is a big gap in between Bollywood and comics and that’s the reason we aren’t able to produce movies like Avengers which made 1.52 billion USD on a budget of 220 million USD. Even in the 90s, superstar Amitabh Bachchan had a comic-based superhero version of himself – Supremo – written by none other than Gulzar Sahab and illustrated by the amazing Pratap Mullick). Comics are a huge part of pop culture and a sure-shot way of reaching large audiences. In a nutshell, why do we wait for the West; why not make movies similar to Hollywood in the comics genre

Masterclass with Greg Daniels – How to make good TV?
The Primetime Emmy Award Greg Daniels reveals the secret to make good TV & discusses various aspects of TV Production, most importantly conceptualization, writing, building seasonal strength et al.

Director’s Masterclass with Deepa Mehta

Become a YouTube Jedi: A YouTube Workshop
Introduction to managing a Youtube channel, advanced tips, case studies of top YouTube channels internationally and in India, and panel discussions with top YouTube channel operators in India.

Workshop with Facebook
An interactive session with the team of Facebook.

CASE STUDY and MAKING-OF-THE-MAKING

Sairat: Method or Miracle?
Marathi Cinema has seen a meteoric rise in the last few years. Just a few years ago, a 10-crore collection was a measure of success. And then last year Natasamrat touched 50 crores. This year it has surpassed all expectations and a miracle of sorts has happened: Sairat touched 100 crores!! The team behind this mega blockbuster will address the key question – Is Sairat a one-off miracle or is there a method behind this miracle?

Making of The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book indeed deserved the Academy Award for best for the visual effect category this year. The technical & creative team takes you through the journey that made the movie special with spectacular VFX, digital jungle & computer generated creature.

CONVERSATIONS

In conversation Ms. Deepa Mehta and Mr. John Howard Tory, Mayor of Toronto, Canada
Internationally acclaimed transnational artist, screenwriter, director, and producer whose breathtaking & courageous work is well known for the Elements trilogy, Fire, Earth, Water, in conversation with Mr. John Howard Tory 65th & current Mayor of Toronto, Canada. Mr. Tory is well known for his successful career as a lawyer, political strategist, and businessman prior his role the Mayor of Toronto.

In Conversation with Madhuri Dixit Nene

CONFERENCES

Making & Empowering a Sustainable Digital Economy
The media and entertainment industry plays a significant role in a digitally driven economy as it is the only sector whose content is affected directly by the digital medium. How will the dynamics of this digital demand and content mix play out at a time when the country is actively reaching out to a digital transformation in its economy? Let us hear those who have worked with the very building blocks.

Own, Convert, Protect! Intellectual Property as a Driver of Innovation & Growth
The National IPR Policy is a healthy policy prescription for the creative industry that seeks to provide an enabling framework for monetization, protection, and enforcement of copyright. However, the creative in ust y’s own lack of understanding of the value of IPR combined with inadequate enforcement mechanisms and an inconsistent regulatory framework stand in the way of the industry’s growth aspirations. Leading lights of the industry elucidate on the blueprint for translating policy into practice.

Design Led Content Creation – The Future
The success of the Indian content creation industry is largely driven by changing tastes and commercial success tends to be one of happenstance! Be it the dependence on superstars or on a tried and tested ‘m s l fo mul ’ this industry is searching for innovation and fresh thinking. Indians are famed for our ‘jugaad’, but does this work when high stakes are involved in a creative sphere? The need of the hour lies in introducing a “systemic thinking process” to infuse a much-needed vitality into the industry. This process is informed by the key tenets of ‘ esign thinking’ a concept working wonders across so many industries today. The panel comprises several distinguished ‘ esign thinking’ evangelists who will share their perspectives and insights as to how design thinking could provide a boost to the media and entertainment industry.

Do the Lions Still Roar- A reality check for Media and Entertainment Industry & its contribution
The M&E industry has been a steady contributor to national revenues, employment growth and socio-economic development; it has shown a trajectory of growth over the past 15 years, been at the real cusp of “Make in India” while promoting Indian culture and its soft power globally. And yet it is largely dismissed as a glamour hub rather than a serious economic nerve centre. Of late, the industry has seen a battle of wits between stakeholders and the Government, thus preventing the sector from realizing its full potential. The narrative of Indian media and entertainment thus needs to encapsulate both sides of the spectrum. Has the industry done enough to highlight its own story? Have the players in the content ecosystem have done their part to address the in ust y’s shortcomings or has the plot got lost in translation? Doyens gather for a reality check and discuss why it takes them a ‘scream’ to attract regulatory attention while other industries manage with just about a ‘sneeze’.

Finding Sustainable Solutions: Advent of Green Filmmaking
Repairing and preserving the environment is the need of the hour – how can film-making become a sustainable environment-preserving endeavor? How do we make films responsibly?

Connecting the Unconnected – Upgrading technology and infrastructure to the last mile
4G has finally been launched in India and has changed the market dynamics in the telecom sector. However, there have been multiple challenges in terms of pricing, connectivity, spectrum, among other matters. On the other hand, multiple initiatives too have formed around 4 G by Google, Facebook, Microsoft etc. The gove nment’s initiatives are also focused on connecting India within itself with the Digital India campaign, Railtel etc. even though sometimes the initiatives have been efforts towards pushing agendas through. The idea however has been to provide empowerment, information, services, jobs, e-governance etc. In this panel, we look at the status of digital infrastructure & connectivity in India, the challenges, the learnings and focus on the way ahead. The journey of transforming content to adapt to various 4 G platforms will only come from overcoming the odds.

The Woman is the Big Story – Breaking the Glass Ceiling of Misogyny in Indian M&E
Is Bollywood finally doing greater justice to its woman actors? There is enough evidence around us that a movement is growing; scripts are becoming progressive and free of bias and finally Bollywood in its true sense is moving beyond plain old love stories. Films like Pink, Sarabjit, Kahaani 2, Neerja and the more recent Love u Zindagi and Dangal are celebrating the power and will of the ordinary women of India and their not- so-common stories. And yet there are many miles to go till we can break the barriers of misogyny and declare ourselves truly gender neutral.

Digital Dreams for the Independent and Regional Content Makers
Shorts are suddenly back in the media and entertainment fray with edgy scripts, polished acting and online distribution. Let us understand the immense hard work and meticulousness of craft and planning which go into making them.

Digital Dreams for the Independent and Regional Content Makers
Shorts are suddenly back in the media and entertainment fray with edgy scripts, polished acting and online distribution. Let us understand the immense hard work and meticulousness of craft and planning which go into making them.

The Third Dimension – Relevance of Storytelling
The dynamics of storytelling has been changing with the advent of AR/ VR few years back. The advances in VR technology have shown the potential to revolutionize TV & Films. The panel would focus on the VR as the third dimension in storytelling.

Grammar of the new TV content
Not only did television change the world but even in the age of the internet, Facebook, and YouTube, it remains the most powerful generator of our collective memories, the most seductive and shocking mirror of society, and the most virulent incubator of social trends. Its critics categorise it into “goo television” “b television” and “too much television” but the reality is that there is no escape from television! However, of late, the ground beneath TV has been changing rapidly due to the evolution of both technologies and audience tastes. The experts on the panel discuss what really is the grammar of TV content which could withstand the pulls and pressures of the time we live in.

The ‘Young Czars’ of M&E
The heir apparent and the disruptors, the innovators who are also the young and the restless unveil the future for us.

Indo – UK Year of Culture
This session will highlight 2017’s significance as the Indo-UK Year of Culture in a rare example of an Indo-UK co-production and an interesting mix of government and private investment. The focus is on adapting Shakespeare (and in this, TITUS ANDRONICUS, a particularly gory Shakespeare play) into an India setting. Also worthwhile is the fact that its director is Bornila Chatterjee is a woman. While the West has been obsessed with finding female directors, India has had them in droves! (And interestingly, an American version of the play, TITUS, was also directed by a woman, Julie Taymor).

Chasing Viewership in a Digital Paradigm
The online video and TV market has become hyper-competitive as the demand for content grows exponentially and viewership gets fragmented. Despite all the hype around new media, monetization continues to be a challenge due to poor infrastructure, high data costs and low time spends. As a result, linear TV still takes home the lion’s share of ad and subscription revenues. So how real is the threat of online video to traditional TV? Or is TV here to stay with online video continuing to be a catch-up or adjacent offering to consumers? In this session, leading heads of EDGE providers and VODs analyze emerging trends on entertainment consumption habits and ensuing monetizing opportunities.

Global Co-Productions: Tapping talent pool across borders
Globally Co-productions have been increasingly utilized to create content for a global market reflecting socio economic & cultural integration of on a global scale and provide a means to pool financial, creative and technical resources from participating countries. The panel would shed some light on the potential to tap talent pool across borders via co-production.

The ‘Free To Air’ growth story – Short Term Gain or Long term pain?
With rural India turning measureable and the continued uptake of DD FreeDish services in non-digitized markets; Free-to-Air (FTA) channels have had sustained success in terms of ratings and advertiser spends in 2016. Content windowing between primary channels and FTA channels has become blurred. While this has helped industry growth, does this augur well for the industry from a subscription point of view? While broadcasters are gaining in the short term from increased advertising revenues, is this enough to offset the shortfall in subscription revenues as more consumers may choose DD FreeDish as opposed to Pay TV?

Censorship Woes: Bollywood’s Battle Against Thousand Cuts
The film industry is unique in the sense that it has to continually face “cultu l c iticism” something th t’s unheard of in other sectors. While it is true that the media and entertainment sector has the onerous responsibility of shaping and influencing public opinion, there remains the frustrating and endless debate of “Ce tification vs. Censo ship” which is yet to reach a conclusion. Given these challenges, how is it possible for the creative community to satisfy all shades, and, at the same time, live up to the expectations of aficionados, audiences, investors, and regulators altogether?

Media & Entertainment Workforce: Bridging the talent gap
The Indian Media and Entertainment industry is on the cusp of a strong phase of growth driven by evolution of multiple platforms and new technologies. The industry offers immense scope of work calling for sophistication in both hard and soft skill sets. However, there is an urgent need to provide Indian youth with tailor-made and industry-vetted educational courses that bridge the gap between academia and the typical requirements of the sector. The experts in the panel share their experience on the state of the media curriculum in the country and the way to address the demand and supply gap.

The Spectacle of the Future: Storytelling with the advent of VR/AR
Immersive media including its constituents Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are becoming common terminologies in the content lexicon of the day. As the global media and entertainment sector continues to push the boundaries of creativity and engagement creating more immersive experiences, artists and technologists have an immense opportunity to participate in one of the most dramatic turning points in the history story telling. The year ahead will be a critical inflection point for VR/AR since devices are proliferating the landscape and there is a race for a seamless experience. An increasing number of content creators in storytelling for entertainment and brands are experimenting with this medium to convey their message. This panel explores the state of the art & possibilities of where the immersive content experience is today; the challenges that remain and will showcase pioneering examples of the projects that have leveraged these pathbreaking mediums in 2016-17.

The Changing Face of Indian Sports
The global sports sector is estimated to be worth anywhere between $480-620 billion. But in India sport is yet to be recognized as an economic sector, as there has been little or no comprehensive study done on the in ust y’s size, potential, and on the available opportunities that are on offer. After the success of the Indian Premier League in cricket, there have been numerous leagues across different sports thereby indicating that India has tremendous business potential, especially in the fields of broadcasting, marketing, management, sponsorship, merchandise, sports medicine, and tourism. Will professional leagues change Indian sports for the better? How likely is India to emerge as a force to reckon with in the international sporting arena? Do the recent judicial pronouncements have ramifications? The connoisseurs of sports in the panel discuss the road ahead for the development of sports in India.

‘India in a Day’ – Google-funded Ridley Scott Initiative
In conversation with the crew of ‘India In A Day’: Google’s Crowdsourced Documentary on India capturing the essence of India across 24 hours.

Democratization of Content– In conversation with filmmakers who released worldwide on premium digital platforms
Keeping with the context and mood of the times, these are those mavericks who have gone straight to the internet and released full-length movies. Did they hit or miss? Let us find out from their experiences.

Storm in a Teacup – Radio Phase 3 auctions
The Radio Phase 3 auctions were expected to significantly expand Radio’s reach and market size. However, the results have been lopsided with only major cities seeing success while a number of licenses in smaller centres remained unsold.

India Needs a Free-to-Air Terrestrial Kids’ Channel
Are we creating sensible children programmes? Kids’ channels in India are roughly about 3% of the total number of channels with limited Indian content. Programming for children for television is a responsible job; sensible and responsible children’s programming has the objective of making youngsters imbibe a sense of responsibility & morality. To strengthen the kids’ content industry and bring about sustainability, stability and growth to the artist community and other stakeholders in the industry, India needs a Free-to-Air Terrestrial Kids’ Channel. The panel would shed a light on the needs & opportunities.

The Digital Rat Race: Strategies for Survival
As consumption moves towards digital means, organizations are looking at building digital models to reach consumers. However, digital models are early in their evolution and operate on very different economic structures as compared to traditional models. This has resulted in a push and pull between subscribers, revenues, profitability, and cash flows. Let us examine strategies which are all still very nascent and yet have the potential to become gamechangers.

Bollywood in trouble? Will Hollywood and Regional Take Over? Is Indian Cinema in any kind of trouble?
Bollywood box office performance has been flattening in the face of inconsistent content. Unviable movie economics are making major studios take a hard look at their strategies and movie pipelines. Would we see Hollywood and regional content step up to take advantage of this gap?

Cold, Factual Reportage or Dominating Opinion: Is there even a middle road?
In the post-truth world that we inhabit currently, truth seems to have become a casualty in news reportage. Dramatic rhetoric clouded by opinion has crept into the various narratives of news. Can we really let our age-old messengers of truth, those who “should tell us like it is” and those who need to hold up the mirror to society be swayed by the power of plain opinion? An array of newspeople examine a complex question in this session.

AR – VR session

Indian Print – Looking inward to profitability
The Indian print growth story continues to be strong as compared to global markets. However, over the last few years, growth rates have started to slow down due to saturation and digitization. Print companies are now looking inwards towards operational efficiencies to not only improve bottomlines but to also operate in an increasingly digitised environment.

Media for Greater Good
Research sometimes suggests that media and movies can be a negative influence and have to be reined in. But new studies highlight media’s potential to spread goodness on a wide scale. The research on positive media is still evolving. But so far, it suggests that when we select inspiring content on TV, in films, or through social media, we’ e not just making ourselves feel good for the moment. We’ e nurturing our instincts for compassion and kindness. This panel looks to influencers who harness the power of media to drive social change. Some of them work strategically to pair the media space with causes at the local, national, and global levels. Some utilize existing and emerging technologies to increase awareness around important causes.

The Flavour of the Season is the Biopic
The year 2016 saw a rush of spectacular and well-researched biopics, namely, MS Dhoni, Dangal, Sarabjit, and Aligarh. Is the success of the biopic all about intense hero worship? How much do real life drama, a well- researched and balanced script, marketing, and effective distribution matter in the cocktail of success? Let us ask the makers and the studios.

Where’s the money, baby? Trend-casting by VC in the entertainment business
Why are some venture capitalists investing big money in the digital entertainment space? And why are some absolutely ignoring it? Is there a deal or isn’t there?

FOCUS COUNTRY: CANADA

Canada 360
The session would discuss shooting in Canada, short introductions by provincial / municipal partners to present partners, tax credits, locations, logistics, etc. & 7-day Song Sequence Shoot: Region by Region

Canadian capabilities in VFX, Animation and Post Production
This will focus on Canada’s cutting-edge skills in the VFX and animation and will be a learning ground.

Educational Partnership Opportunities with Canada
A seminar on exploring educational partnership opportunities between India & Canada.

A session Canadian work permits and visa information
With an India-based diplomat from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada

NETWORKING TIME

Lunch break
March 21-23 | 1:30-3:00 pm

Evening snack break
March 21-23 | 4:00-5:00 pm

Canadian Night
March 21 | 07:00-11:30 pm

BAF Awards
March 22 | 07:00-11:30 pm