Chennai
has been the traditional destination for several
film-related activities such as shooting,
sound recording, digital imaging and several
other aspects. There are many advantages in
Chennai. It has a long-standing tradition
of excellent movie infrastructure in the form
of studios and post-production theaters. Some
of the best technicians who can be counted
amongst the top in international standards
live and work from Chennai. Even Bollywood
which has a greater commercial system prefers
Chennai for the operational aspects. Therefore,
Chennai indeed enjoys the obvious benefits.
What then is the approach for the future?
The
industry must become more organized and networked.
Although films are the product of individual
creativity, they also represent marketable
products. Hence, cost becomes the main factor.
As long as production costs remain low in
Chennai, producers will make a beeline. One
way to ensure this is corporate organization
with greater transparency. Chennai has the
talent but it has to be moulded to match international
requirements. Another important area is technological
upgradation. There should be more investment
in new and sophisticated technology and training
for professionals. We have already seen the
benefit of such tech-savvy in the animation
arena. Chennai is home to animation business
which earns considerable foreign exchange.
If only the trend could be transferred to
other areas, there will be greater revenue
in the industry.
It
is just not enough to say that we make the
largest number of movies in the non-English
segment. We must leverage the obvious advantages
that we have so that we can hold our heads
high in storming another important bastion.
