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Tag: Nitin Dadoo

  • TCH 2022: Experts discuss the significance of technology to create authentic content

    TCH 2022: Experts discuss the significance of technology to create authentic content

    Mumbai: The media & entertainment sector is facing an adverse effect of the Covid 19 pandemic crisis. During the lockdown period, most of the film production and entertainment houses had to shut down, in such a scenario, technology played an imperative role in generating quality production work by functioning virtually. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of technologies. The introduction of virtual productions, VFX, and game engines changed the film production business. The creation of content is improved by technological development and adapting to new trends.

    On the sixth edition of Indiantelevision.com’s The Content Hub Summit 2022 held in Mumbai recently the media and entertainment industry experts shared their insights on the topic, ‘Tech-celeration of content: where have we reached?’

    The session had the presence of Eros Now chief technology officer Lokesh Chauhan; Contiloe Group CFO and Illusion Reality Studios CEO Nitin Dadoo; EPIC ON & Stream-Sense chief operating officer Sourjya Mohanty. 

    The panel deliberated views on the development of tools and techniques for creating incredible content experiences. There has been immense development on the tech front that is changing the way content is consumed. Cutting-edge content is transforming the media & entertainment sector every day. Virtual production capabilities are becoming a key differentiator for content creators. 

    During the Covid-19 pandemic, the entertainment segment leveraged technology throughout the entire virtual production life cycle to enhance the way content is created. It helped to improve production planning, increase shooting efficiency, and reduce the number of expensive reshoots.

    The panel was also moderated by Plug and Play Entertainment media consultant & co-founder Anuj Gandhi.

    The summit was presented by Viacom18, and co-powered by Applause Entertainment and IN10 Media Network. Aaj Tak Connected Stream is the association partner. Industry partners are Fremantle India, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, One Take Media, Pratilipi, Pocket FM and The Viral Fever. The Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA) is our community partner.

    Understanding the significance of technology for generating content was the starting point of the conversation.

    When asked, Is content & technology limited to OTT and theatre? What has happened to the good old TV? Dadoo said, “I don’t think that technology is only restricted to OTT! Rather, it is highly helpful to all types of storytellers.” He explained that “the use of new technologies like Unreal and Cam, which provide DOP directors camera tracking as well as onset information with an unreal virtual background, has drawn viewers back to television. The amount of time spent has increased during the past three months.”

    In addition, he also remarked on the availability of talent to handle such technologies, “The talent aspect is quite difficult. We came to the conclusion that we needed to hire a foreign crew since Indians are unprepared for these kinds of technologies. After a month or two of preparing the Indian crew for the new technologies, we had another difficulty: keeping them employed when other opportunities in the market were available.”

    Another member from the panel, Mohanty added, “The problem is omnipresent. There is always a talent crunch in the industry.”

    Chauhan also mentioned, “OTT platforms’ journeys are very distinct from those of traditional platforms.” He continued, “All of these systems, including LG, Samsung, Android, and iOS are constantly evolving. There are continually more changes occurring; these are not coming to an end. There will be immersive experiences that will necessitate the complete rebuilding of many of these services, many of which we currently consider to be quite stable. In light of this, you must constantly develop your skills and learn new things, unlike many other technologies.”

    Sharing his view on the impact of technology on the creative side of the business, Mohanty said, “Today is the era where machines decide what we need to think and what we need to do. The basic recommendation engine which is driven by AI and ML decides the content that audiences would like to watch.”

    Regarding the monetization aspect, Chauhan stated, “Right now in India, there aren’t enough individuals utilising these sites. Most of them run in the red. Players on OTT platforms are attempting to optimize their journey. The ugly truth is that Indian OTT services don’t have as much money as Netflix and Amazon do.” 

    Watch the full session:

  • Illusion Reality Studioz partners with Kunal Kohli for Ramyug

    Illusion Reality Studioz partners with Kunal Kohli for Ramyug

    Mumbai: After successfully venturing into the digital space with the web series State of Siege: 26/11, Illusion Reality Studioz has added another title to their list – MX Player’s highly anticipated series Ramyug.

    Directed by Kunal Kohli, the magnum opus is the latest visual interpretation of Ramayana that uses modern technology in a never-seen before manner to narrate the epic. The MX Original series is also the first mythological web series that has been produced from the ground up and starts streaming on MX Player on 6 May.

    Backed by Abhimanyu Singh, Illusion Reality Studioz has become the go-to destination for animation and VFX needs across industries, with some popular projects under their belt including the Mahayoddha Rama, Battle of Saragarhi 21 Sarfarosh, Vighnaharta Ganesha, ‘American Pie Girls’ Rules’ and ‘Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy’.

    Illusion Reality Studioz, CFO and business head, Nitin Dadoo said, “Lately, there has been an increasing demand for quality content strengthened by advanced visual effects. At Illusion Reality Studioz, we aim to extend our services to create high-quality narratives across mediums. Ramyug is the first mythological show to hit digital screens and it gives us great pride to be in the premier league of creating game-changing and cutting edge content. We will continue to expand our visual effects division to support storytellers”

    Contiloe Pictures was the first to pioneer real-time facial motion capture on the small screen. It has also received the National Award in the Best Animation Film category for the 3D animation feature Mahayoddha Rama. In March, Contiloe Pictures rebranded its VFX division to Illusion Reality Studioz, led by Nitin Dadoo.

    “The team at Illusion Reality Studioz (Contiloe Pictures) has been reliable and extremely proactive, given the pressure of content, delivery, and time to present world-class visual effects. They have truly become a VFX – CGI outfit at par with the best in the world. The detailing in their work is immaculate. Their contribution to Ramyug cannot be described in words. From CGI to VFX, they have created memorable content and truly brought Ramyug to life”, filmmaker Kunal Kohli said about the association.

  • Illusion Reality Studioz aims to revolutionise post-production space in India: Nitin Dadoo

    Illusion Reality Studioz aims to revolutionise post-production space in India: Nitin Dadoo

    MUMBAI: Contiloe Pictures has proved itself a pioneer in the industry since its inception two decades ago. And now, the fully integrated, premium broad-based entertainment content production company announced that its VFX division will be rebranded to Illusion Reality Studioz.

    With the aim to become the one stop destination for all VFX needs, the in-house vertical will solely focus on VFX, animation, previz/techviz, on-set camera tracking, lidar scanning amongst others, and will continue the Contiloe ethos of merging storytelling and art with science. The vertical will be helmed by Illusion Reality Studioz( a Contiloe Pictures group company) animation & VFX business head, Contiloe Pictures CFO Nitin Dadoo.

    “For the last three years, we were evaluating the significance and the extension plan.  Apart from in-house content we started taking external projects – from Hollywood, OTT or regional shows. During this time, we realised that the complexities and number of projects are increasing and it is the best time to start a new vertical which will cater into both VFX and animation,” explained Dadoo, adding that the rebrand was deferred from 2020 to 2021 due to the Covid2019 pandemic.

    At present, the studio has a strength of more than 200 employees who are working from its Mumbai and Bhubaneshwar facilities. The team is bifurcated into two divisions – one solely focused on internal projects and the other handles external projects. The creative team is headed by Nicholas Camecho, along with creative directors Deepak SV and Indraneel Roy. Nicholas boasts of over 35 years experience in the VFX and animation space including his stints with studios like Disney and Warner Bros. He has also held the title of creative supervisor, director and producer across several CG development projects in London. Deepak is an old hand in visual effects and animation, and handles foreign and Indian clients. A national film awardee creative director with a demonstrated history of working in the entertainment industry, he has had successful stints working with Pixion, Maya Entertainment and Accel media. Roy’s expertise lies in motion pictures and visual effects. With 25 years of diverse experience, he has worked closely with the directors, producers, production houses, cinematographers and studios as Visual Effects Director / VFX Supervisor to materialize their varied visions. Nishikant is the CGI and VFX supervisor. Head of production Bharat Mistry has been associated with Contiloe Pictures for well over a decade now.

    In the aftermath of the virus outbreak and resumption of filming, it was observed that several production houses are venturing into virtual production to minimise the budget and avoid outdoor shoots. The team at Illusion Reality Studioz is aiming to take virtual production a notch higher, as it is going to be a key pillar in the VFX facility. Under this technology, there will be functions like unreal motion builder which will be used to create photo imagery. Within the camera, the team can showcase what the directors are emphasising. Through this technology, directors, creators  and DOPs can become the part of visualisation process before it goes on the edit table.

    Citing an example, Dadoo mentioned that for their upcoming premium series, they are virtually creating some assets and locations within the script to make it easier for the director to figure out the cast needed for the show and other important details. He shared that this process will save time on post-production.

    Virtual production will allow them to create photo real and hyper real assets within the existing system. Through on-set camera tracking, lidar scanning (used to scan the set) it would be easier to create an environment in real time and it will also allow to create final imagery without going into post production.

    “In India, we spend 15-20 per cent of our time in pre-production, 40 per cent in shooting and another 35-40 per cent goes in post-production. But in the western world, things are more organised. They spend 40 per cent of their time in pre-production followed by shooting and in post-production they only spend 20 per cent. India is still in the learning process, with our studio we are also trying to get into that space where we plan much in advance and save cost and time,” Dadoo detailed.

    He envisages to become the first VFX studio in the country to use these tools and change the landscape of post-production process.

    Apart from working on current projects like Vighnaharta Ganesha, State of Siege 26: 11, the studio is busy developing an original series – Akshardham, the shooting will commence in may. On the external projects, the team recently finished working on MX Player’s eight-part web series Ram Yug. The series is directed and produced by Kunal Kohli. The studio will also start working on 26-part animation series for The Jim Henson Company.

    Dadoo said he is flexible with working on both co-production and commission based projects. Acquisition and syndication of content is also on the cards, stating that he’s working on syndicating content from Thailand and the Sri Lankan market. However, the major focus will be on creating content where the studio can retain the rights.

  • Technology needs to be upgraded for quality storytelling

    Technology needs to be upgraded for quality storytelling

    KOLKATA: The Indian media and entertainment industry is standing at a point when the requirement for video content is, more or less, growing in tandem with the investment in it. While Indian producers are branching out into new types of content across genres, formats, they need to scale up their investment in technology.

    To deliberate upon this changing landscape, Indiantelevision.com hosted a virtual webinar on Friday themed ‘Accelerating the new age of content with technology,” and moderated by founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari. At the beginning of the discussion, Wanvari elaborated why more focus is required on faster seamless content delivery in the emergence of various formats like HD, 4K, 4K HDR. He also mentioned that a new breed of machine called workstation has emerged which is being increasingly used in studios across the world to deliver on hard and extremely tough specifications that are demanded by platforms.

    Media Partners Asia vice president Mihir Shah agreed that technology is going to play an increasingly crucial role going forward. In terms of production, there is a lot of innovation that is yet to be seen on the online video side. While India has tried to emulate the west, we have only been replicating what’s successful on television and films. Hence, there are a lot of things to be done on the online video side where different streaming options are available, he opined.

    “Technology will be used widely as ever before with the online opportunity available right now and you will see a lot of interactive videos coming in, short videos coming in, different format, vertical videos, we have just touched the tip of the iceberg,” Shah stated.

    He also brought up the aspect of the gap in creating franchises as the audience is used to seeing a lot of daily soaps. If the country starts focusing on more franchises, more innovations will come around. He believes a lot of local franchises can be created and monetised by utilising technology.

    In a fireside chat during the webinar, Dell Technologies’ Dell Precision Workstations marketing consultant & product evangelist Suhas Pingat remarked upon the importance of using workstations and technology to create content. He stated that times are changing and 5G is going to be widespread in a period of 18 to 20 months.

    According to him, India is not behind as far as accepting content is concerned. There are some technologies that are superior in developed markets, among which is MoCap (motion capture), then there is virtual filming which is taking place. In the west, the adaptation of technology is progressing at a pace that far outstrips India, noted Pingat, although he believes the scenario is slowly changing with the rise of OTT platforms.

    However, broadcasters and content studios still have a lot to catch up on, said Pingat. Moreover, there is a need for change in the way content is given to consumers in India and we need to move far ahead, as far as adapting technology is concerned. He also elaborated on how Dell Technologies has a very industry-specific approach to the business ecosystem, with a large media and entertainment vertical. He also touched upon the topic of how Dell workstations are helping its partners in the domain from a technology standpoint.

    “These are exciting times ahead in terms of technology. Whatever is available abroad, globally, is available in India too, in terms of not only workstations but from an infrastructure standpoint as well.  That’s one pint which is very good with Dell. We are the oldest workstation brand. We do partner across industry platforms which would be ISPs, global customers. We have a separate work team that has been helping solve customers’ problems. We look forward to fantastic content being delivered by our great partners in the country. Look forward to more exciting immersive years ahead,” he detailed.

    Post this discussion, the webinar hosted an engaging session on the role of technology with eminent experts. The panel included Excel Entertainment CG supervisor Apul Mehta, Endemol Shine India chief operating officer Gaurav Gokhale, Hats Off Productions chairman and managing director JD Majethia, Contiloe Pictures CFO & Illusion Reality Studioz business head – animation & VFX Nitin Dadoo, Redchillies VFX technology head Rajiv Sharma, and Epic On chief operating officer Sourjya Mohanty.

    The experts came to the conclusion that innovation is key to implement new technologies at this point of time. The transformation journey has started already but a lot more needs to be done. Storytelling and execution need to be in sync with upgradation of technology. It is imperative now to leverage technology at its best because consumers are demanding more quality content, not only on OTT bit also on TV.  While media organisations are significantly upping their investment in content, there is no point in shying away from technology.

    Technology needs to be brought to speed in the country. The demand side constraints can be met by great content and marketing strategy but supply side constraints can be rectified only by technology. Moreover, if big tech companies can look at the media and entertainment vertical as an industry and offer a solution rather than a product, a sea change will take place.

  • Nitin Dadoo quits Disney India, Ankush Shetty takes charge

    Nitin Dadoo quits Disney India, Ankush Shetty takes charge

    MUMBAI: TV distribution professional Nitin Dadoo is moving on from Disney India. According to sources, Dadoo, who is the executive director & head-distribution at the India subsidiary of the mouse house, is serving his notice period.

    Disney India kids channels ad sales director Ankush Shetty has been elevated and will take charge of the distribution business.

    Dadoo was not available for comment, neither was Shetty, despite repeated attempts to reach out to them by indiantelevision.com.

    Dadoo has been associated for 11 years now with Disney. He joined the network in August 2006 as Disney consumer products head finance. Prior to that, he was working with Dutch MNC Dumex India as a manager corporate planning and MIS.

    Shetty joined Disney as director ad sales kids channels, media networks in June 2014. Before this appointment, he was working with Turner International as national sales director, Pogo for more than two years. Shetty was associated with Turner for more than 10 years. He joined Turner as associate account manager in January 2005. He has also worked with National Geographic channel India, Mid Day and Parekh Marine agency.