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Tag: The Content Hub 2020

  • Films are at the mercy of the director, says ‘Neerja’ writer

    Films are at the mercy of the director, says ‘Neerja’ writer

    MUMBAI: Neerja writer Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh in conversation with the audiences at The Content Hub 2020 shared some interesting insights from her movie. “All stories come from life experiences. My film Bobby Jasoos was inspired by the family I am married into. The only part is to make it fictional. The major challenge I faced in Neerja was to bring the spirit into a character. Shabana Azmi's character was completely inspired by Neerja's mother. The structuring of this movie was very different,” says Shaikh.

    Shaikh, who never aspired to be a scriptwriter, has given audiences some wonderful movies like Bobby Jasoos and Neerja. She feels digital writing is liberating; you can get into things that are interesting. She, however, found writing dialogues for Delhi Crime very weird as one cannot write dialogues based on real testimonies.

    Shaikh also believes that scripts should be read by the director, writer and the actors. It helps in better functionality. Asked about having the ownership while working with a director, she said, “Films are at the director’s mercy; he has the complete ownership and cast and crew need to have a trust upon him. If you disagree with a certain plot, there is always an option to narrate your story to some other director.”

  • There is only good TRP and bad TRP show on TV: Sandiip Sikcand

    There is only good TRP and bad TRP show on TV: Sandiip Sikcand

    MUMBAI: In one of the sessions of day 2 of The Content Hub 2020 organised by Indian Television.com, Sandiip Sikcand shared his thoughts on the challenge television is facing today in a conversation with Indiantelevision.com editor-in-chief, CEO and founder Anil Wanvari. He also briefed the audience on his journey from being a garment exporter to creative director to creative head to producer.

    Sikcand said, “I am a classic example of who can learn at the place of work. My first job in the industry was with Balaji Telefilms’ Kayaamat as a creative director. I have learnt from the best teachers in the industry on how to create characters and take risks.”

    He also said, “The channel people are in same level of stress what the creative people or producers are. I understand both the side and bring learning lessons from the creator and channel and that’s what make me a successful producer.”

    “Over the period of time I have learnt to create characters who resonate with viewers, early from Parvati in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki to Sonakshi in Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum. Creative head is someone who brings everything to one spot. He/she takes the show from his/her thoughts to screen,” said Sikcand.

    He added: “Yes, we are taking off Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum but that won’t stop me from creating different stories.”

    Sikcand also believes that the challenge television is facing today is in creating sticky content. “With OTT coming in picture today everybody has an opportunity to watch the show anywhere and anytime on their phone. It’s not like another time when people would rush to catch up their favorite show on television.”

    He also said, “OTT is a blessing and a curse as well. Curse because television doesn’t have a privilege to create any kind of content. So, if television needs to survive we have to keep on telling and creating different stories.”

    He opined, “Television also needs to do things similar to OTT like they only care about views and not about TRPs. Television needs to keep the rating aside and focus on creating good shows. I understand advertising comes from TRPs but we need to change all of these.”

    Sikcand added: “The problem with television is that there is no good or bad content, there is only good TRP show and bad TRP show.”

  • Jyoti Kapoor on high-concept films and screenplay

    Jyoti Kapoor on high-concept films and screenplay

    MUMBAI: There is a myth in Bollywood that high-concept cinemas don’t find their way to the box office. But the economy of film-making is going through a change and more small budget story-driven films are coming out as hits. The list is long with Badhhai Ho, Raazi, Andhadhun, Thappad, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and The Sky is Pink.

    At The Content Hub 2020 Masterclass, Jyoti Kapoor, writers of films like Badhhai Ho and Good Newzz in a candid chat with film-critic Gayatri Gauri shared insights on high-concept films.

    Kapoor said that high concept story is something that is unique and the premise of the film can be defined in one line. However, according to her all good films are not necessarily high-concept driven. She also shared experiences of her early professional life as a journalist which helped her later as scriptwriter also. Although she did not reveal too much she said that real life definitely reflects in her works.

    She also added that constant work teaches you how to make a synopsis less boring, how to balance between breaking and following a screenplay structure. While there are chances of story ideas being stolen, she said that chances of ideas getting tampered increases if a one-page story synopsis is being shared.

  • Case study on Marathi web series ‘Pandu’

    Case study on Marathi web series ‘Pandu’

    MUMBAI: Pandu is a Marathi comedy web-series on the everyday life of Mumbai Police starring Suhas Sirsat, Deepak Shirke, Abish Mathew and Trupti Khamkar. A session at The Content Hub 2020 Day 2 organised by Indiantelevision.com was a case study on Pandu by the creators of the Marathi series. 

    Gulbadan Talkies founder and creative director Sarang Sathaye and co-founder and director Anusha Nandakumar briefed the audience on the establishment of Bharatiya Digital Party (BDP). 

    Sathaye said, “We wanted to have our own voice on the digital space in a long format series. We started with the idea of making our own digital platform, so we started to make Marathi digital content in BDP four years back."

    Speaking on life before the making of Pandu, Sathaye briefed the audience on the struggle they went through in creating what they actually wanted to create. He said, “Despite having numbers on our site we were struggling to mark ourselves as a creator that can create long format content too.”

    Nandakumar said, “Lots of Maharashtrian youth were not watching Marathi content because they were not able to connect with the shows. So, we felt the need to create Marathi content that connects well with viewers. Pandu is a typical Maharashtrian comedy series and we are happy that MX Player supported us. The show is about what happens to Singham when he goes home.”

    Sathaye believes comedy lies in our regular conversation. “For us Pandu is made of all our day-to-day unique moments. Every episode is theme based," he said.

    He further said, “There was hardly any platform that was backing regional content and MX Player truly supported us with Pandu. Makers should look at regional content and make Marathi content to that extent that one day people will wake-up to watch Marathi content in the US like we watch Game of Thrones here.”

    The creators also spoke on challenges they faced in hiring talent for the show and selling the content to the OTT platform. 

  • Visuals are as important as storytelling for content, says Travelxp’s creative director

    Visuals are as important as storytelling for content, says Travelxp’s creative director

    MUMBAI: Along with storytelling, the impact of visuals is also important, says Travelxp creative director Kamakhya Narayana Singh, while addressing the crowd about the advantages of 4K and 8K format experience on day two of The Content Hub 2020, an initiative by Indiantelevision.com.

    Travelxp is the first Indian travel genre broadcasting channel to come up with high quality viewing experience of 4K and 8K to the viewers.

    Singh mentions that the concept of 4K is not just about enhancing pixels but making the screen and viewers' experience beautiful. He adds that it may take time and investment to produce 4K content but the results they achieved were tremendous.

    Producing content is a futuristic process and it’s done for the generations to come, said Singh. “And, it is very much viable in terms of returns as it increases the viewers' experience altogether,” he said.

    He said, “The channel, Travelxp, made a difference and mark in the broadcasting industry because of the quality of content in 4K and 8K that we started producing. However, it took us time to understand what 4K is but eventually, it started bearing results for us.”

  • Writers are the key to creating great content: Radhika Gopal and Caleb Franklin

    Writers are the key to creating great content: Radhika Gopal and Caleb Franklin

    MUMBAI: Day two of The Content Hub 2020 started with a fireside chat with Tulsea talent manager Radhika Gopal and Matter Advisors founder and managing partner Caleb Franklin where they discussed the importance of creating an ecosystem and a platform for writers. Writers are the key to creating great content.  

    Radhika Gopal said, "Through Tulsea we worked with some great writers, directors and actors. We make sure the talent roaster is balanced. We want to be an objective narrative party in order to make deals more transparent."

    Franklin, who has been in the content industry for the past 16 years, believes the journey from storytelling to origination to how writers are delivering the content to end-user is important. “There is a plethora of talent in India. Our primary job is to inform business to our clients. What story is happening, what are the current trends, new podcasts and much more. We usually don’t care about where you are or what your background is," he said.

    Radhika further added, “I believe being financially stable helps you to focus on your passion. We at Tulsea are also enabling producers to get one-stop access of talent so that they can access our platform to deliver great content. We are talking to people across the globe to set the proper structure.”

  • Women’s role in media and entertainment has evolved, says all-women panel

    Women’s role in media and entertainment has evolved, says all-women panel

    MUMBAI: Women’s representation and role in media and entertainment has evolved and increased over a period of time. This was the primary opinion of the all women panel discussing on the topic ‘women in entertainment’ on day two of The Content Hub 2020.

    The panel, moderated by She Means Business co-founder Dipika Singh, comprised of IN10 Media VP corporate strategy and development Mansi Darbar, Shemaroo Entertainment chief operation officer Kranti Gada and Women In Film and TV (WIFT) India’s founder Petrina D’Rozario.

    The panel spoke at length on the challenges and opportunities for women in the media and entertainment industry. It also made an attempt to send a message to fellow and budding women in the industry to focus on themselves and not pay heed to people’s opinions and comments.

    The panel also echoed a similar view that talent has nothing to do with gender discrimination, be it male or female protagonist; content speaks for the film’s success. They also pointed out that the talent ingrained in a person stays irrespective of age.

    Gada mentioned that women bring core values such as commitment, passion, honesty, empathy, integrity among others to the work. Meanwhile, D’Rozario said, “There is a misconception within youth that the entertainment industry is all about glamour. However, it’s not about just glamour, but a lot hard work involved in it.”

  • The Content Hub 2020: An enriching and engaging first day

    The Content Hub 2020: An enriching and engaging first day

    MUMBAI: Indiantelevision.com’s The Content Hub 2020 progressed into more insightful afternoon sessions after an enriching morning session. The discussion centred around the need for focussing on quality content and right storytelling. Top industry executives spoke about trending topics in the industry as well as the need to focus on creating relevant content.

    The power of regional storytelling

    The panel on the power of regional storytelling was moderated by Bodhitree Multimedia co-founder-director Mautik Tolia with the panelists Endemol Shine India CEO Abhishek Rege, Vaishnave Mediaa Works managing director Kutty Padmini, Star Maa & Star Vijay creative consultant and Zee Network Programming Trainer Vivek Bahl, Fakt Marathi co-promoter Shirish Pattanshetty and Prime Focus Technologies SVP-global localisation Jyoti Nayak. 

    The panelists elaborated on the need for exploring regional stories, challenges faced by the broadcasters and creators, dubbed content and remaking of regional content and the way forward. The panelists mentioned that more localised stories are the way forward to connect with larger audiences.

    Originals created on OTT bring more stickiness

    The second panel discussed the need for generating audiences and building stickiness around the content that has been created. The panel was moderated by ISOBAR India chief growth officer Shekhar Mhaskar with panelists Red Chillies Entertainment head marketing Binda Dey, MX Player head of marketing and business partnerships Abhishek Joshi, Juggernaut Productions chief operating officer (OTT) Samar Khan, Filme founder Abhishek Shukla, EVP Lionsgate India executive vice president Amit Dhanuka, and Shemaroo Entertainment digital new media COO Zubin Dubash.

    The panel discussed why reaching the target audience is important and how traditional broadcasters would retain their core audiences in view of increasing affinity towards on-demand OTT platforms.  

    The panelists said that OTT works in two ways: one is the technology which is giving someone, who used to watch television earlier at 9 pm, an opportunity to watch the same show at any time. OTT has supplemented television audiences in many ways and also brought in audiences who are not getting that content on television. The originals created on OTT are bringing in more stickiness which consumers were not getting to watch earlier.

    Research important while creating content: Nepa India

    Creating content is nothing without appropriate research about the audience and their choices, said Nepa India’s managing director Esha Nagar.

    Dwelling at length on the nitty-gritty of research, Nagar pointed out that it's important to understand how the content resonates with the audience.

    Due to the proliferation of over-the-top platforms, content has been consumed across genres, genders and boundaries, says Nagar. She said at least 60 per cent of the South Indian viewers watch Hindi content. Similarly, 50 per cent of the audience watch shows due to the ‘fear of missing out’ and peer pressure.

    The way forward with movies

    Viacom18 Studios COO Ajit Andhare in a fireside chat with Film Companion founder-editor Anupama Chopra spoke about discovering new stories and new talent. They also touched upon the need for studios to be open for stories coming from everywhere. 

    Andhare says regional cinema is an exciting space. It is far ahead in experimentation compared to the Hindi cinema since directors down South are willing to take creative risks.

    Asked about the secret behind choosing a movie, Andhare said: “It is actually reacting to what is happening around you. You only go with stories that make sense to you that broadly have been the approached. The content conceived a year ago may not be relevant now.”

    According to Andhare, Bollywood actors are at the heart of the universe of films and you cannot take that away from them. But today you cannot also just go with a star-led project; it is also important to look at the content. Even the star needs a story.

  • The Content Hub 2020: Creators emphasise on importance of content quality over formats

    The Content Hub 2020: Creators emphasise on importance of content quality over formats

    MUMBAI: It was an exciting morning session on the first day of the Indiantelevision.com’s fourth edition of The Content Hub 2020, hosting discussions across a wide array of content-creation topics. Some of the most successful and powerful names from the content industry shared secret recipes and insightful and incisive analyses of churning out engaging stories.  The conversations revolved around every genre of content like long-form episodic, short-format videos and digital-original movies.

    The Korean connection!

    The session started with an investment banker-turned-film maker from South Korea who has now expanded his creative horizon to India. In conversation with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Anil Wanvari, Kross Pictures co-founder Thomas Kim stated how he started his career as an investment banker and then working in Walt Disney and Pirates of the Caribbean inspired him to become a filmmaker.

    ”I was working on a project where I realised that movies can be made with any kind of story. This thought stuck with me and I decided to become a filmmaker. So, I quit Disney and started my company in 2003. I am mostly active in Korea and China in making films and TV series based on famous IPs, mostly in comics and novels. In 2015 I had the pleasure to come out to India and worked on a film project called ‘Teen’ with Amitabh Bachchan. This was my first experience in Bollywood. Today I have offices in Seoul, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Hyderabad," Kim stated.

    Kim believes that not all stories are able to resonate in foreign countries, except some. He is currently working on the adaptation of the Bollywood film Kahaani and finds Indian films exciting and emotional. However, he feels there is a lack of disciplined storytelling in India. That's what Kross Pictures can bring to India.

    ZEE5’s content strategy relies on consumer understanding

    ZEE5 programming head Aparna Acharekar said that the core values of ZEE5 are based on three Cs – compelling content, convenience and the consumer-viewing experience.

    Acharekar said that the content must eventually give value for their money while increasing the viewing experience.

    “Relatable content that is real and resonates with the audience is going to work,” Acharekar says. She believes that convenience is the basic reason we see the shift of audience towards over-the-top platforms.

    The golden age of content

    Sooni Taraporevala, an Indian screenwriter, photographer and filmmaker best known for her work in Mississippi Masala, spoke on The Golden Age of Content at the Content Hub 2020. Taraporevala also shared her experience on the making of Salam Bombay and how a rejection from National Geographic changed her fate.

    Sooni Taraporevala believes it’s a golden age of content for writers and others as suddenly they are in demand. Yeh Ballet, currently on Netflix, proved to be a game-changer for her. A Harvard University student, Taraporevala came to movies both by chance and destiny. Her biggest lesson, ‘never hate the naysayers and never give up,’ made her successful and relevant in the industry.

    Uncovering opportunities to create great content

    The first panel discussion discussed uncovering opportunities to create great content. The panel was moderated by Bulldog Media and Entertainment co-founder and producer Akash Sharma. The panelists included: Zee Studios VP & head Ashima Avasthi, SonyLiv original content head Saugata Mukherjee, and Contiloe Pictures CEO Abhimanyu Singh.

    The panel discussed the drivers of content boom, how creating great content differs between TV and digital and content strategies adopted by production houses.

    Avasthi said:  "As technology grows and boundaries demolish, content boom has to happen. In our country it's fabulous to see how we have gone from television to every person watching content on mobile."

    According to Singh, the number of screens has increased as well as the number of audiences, and therefore, there is more requirement for content today.

    The panelists also said that there are opportunities in creating any kind of content as audiences are open to experience different genres. They also believe that the focus should be on telling the story and not on what the audience wants.

    We are hungry for people who have not been discovered yet: Netflix Aashish Singh

    Netflix, the streaming colossal that revolutionised the way of consuming content, is now trying to make inroads in India, said Netflix India original film director Aashish Singh, during an interaction with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Anil Wanvari. Along with long-format episodic content, the streaming giant promises a slate of 15 new original films by the end of 2020.

    Singh revealed the platform’s intent to work with new talent while not overlooking content quality.

    Singh reemphasised that good stories can come from anywhere and can be watched everywhere.

    Talking about new talents, he said the platform is working with ten new directors, nine writers, eight women directors and writers this year. “We are hungry for people who have not been discovered yet," he said. He made it clear that Netflix does not want to keep working with the same faces repeatedly.

    Once a film gets the nod, Netflix will have a positive involvement, helping the filmmakers throughout the project across segments including pre-production, post-production, VFX and finance, he said.

    TikTok has a comprehensive set of community guidelines: Nikhil Gandhi

    TikTok has taken the Indian social media universe by storm. Although TikTok India head Nikhil Gandhi did not reveal the exact numbers, he said that the platform has witnessed massive growth in the last two years in terms of the user base in India.

    He mentioned that the platform lends a lot of support for anyone with talent, which is unlikely on other platforms and provides huge discoverability too.

    He also added that short-form content is being enabled with the growth in vertical video format, which, according to him, was pioneered by TikTok.

    While there are a number of controversies around TikTok videos, Gandhi noted that it has a comprehensive set of community guidelines which it keeps updating every year. “We do a lot of social campaigns for creators to make them conscious about posting responsibly and be sensitive to issues relating to India,” he said.

  • India’s leading content creators to come together at The Content Hub 2020

    India’s leading content creators to come together at The Content Hub 2020

    MUMBAI: India’s content creation community will head to The Content Hub 2020, India’s largest content creators’ gathering organised by Indiantelevision.com, today and tomorrow (4-5 March 2020) in Mumbai’s Sahara Star Hotel.

    The Content Hub has been designed as a coming together of thought leaders in the creation and production of films, TV shows, OTT digital series, short-form digital videos, and podcasts. The conference will also have masterclasses and workshops by writers, directors and creators of some the biggest box office and viewing hits.

    “There’s a tremendous demand for content – video and audio – and there is not enough quality supply to meet it,” said Indiantelevision.com Group founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari. “The Content Hub is bringing together leaders from both the business and creative spaces of film, TV, OTT and short form content to catalyse new ideas, conversations, relationships, opportunities for those involved in the content ecosystem.”

    Close to 80 professionals will discuss and share the experiences of their journeys and giving insights on how success can be attained in the content creation ecosystem through fireside chats, presentations, and panel discussions.