Explosion of creativity in M&E industry due to technology access: Experts

Mumbai: Easy access to technology has led to an "explosion" of creativity in the media and entertainment industry, experts said here Thursday. "This explosion needs to be supported by openness in collaboration, experimentation and various stakeholders learning from mistakes. Filmmakers need to break down silos and engage with audiences," said Colin Maclay, managing director of Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Maclay was part of a discussion, `Skills in M&E - The Next Big Leap Towards Creating Greater Talent`, at the 14th edition of `Ficci Frames` -- the annual convention of the media and entertainment (M&E) industry here organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci). Mumbai is the next big scene in the M&E industry, said Jonathan Taplin, director, Annenberg Center for Innovation at University of South California. Sanjay Gupta, CEO, Star India, said there were serious challenges in the human resource (HR) policies of the M&E industry. "Over six million talented people will be needed to achieve our goal of growing the media industry from $17 billion to $70 billion in 10 years. There are some serious challenges in our HR polices. The informal ways of recruiting need to be changed and we need to be serious on training, mentoring and recruiting the right and local talent," he said. Teri Schwartz, dean of University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theatre, Film and Television, said storytelling remained one of the most important aspects of filmmaking. "We at UCLA believe story telling is at the core of it all. Story is a timeless and universal tool to enlighten, engage and inspire change. No matter what the new technology is or the different platforms available, story telling is the one thing that remains the most important aspect," she said. D.J. Narain, director, Film and Television Institute of India, said there was a pool of untapped talent in the counyry`s small towns. Meghna Ghai Puri, president, Whistling Woods International, said there was a need to focus on all-inclusive and grassroots development of talent. IANS