MUMBAI: How did the ancient Romans build a city of a million people without modern technology? What prevents Dubai?s super tall skyscrapers - balanced on unstable sand - from toppling over? How can San Francisco survive - sitting on the edge of a major earthquake fault? Infotainment broadcaster Discovery has announced a new hybrid engineering-geology series ?Strip The City? looks to answer these questions by pulling apart six major metropolises to expose the hidden infrastructure beneath each city?s skin and solves key mysteries surrounding their origins, geology, archaeology, engineering, weather and industry.

The six part series kicks off on 18 May and will air every Saturday at 9.00 pm. The show took two-years to make and utilises over 130 minutes of computer-generated imagery (CGI) to break down each city, layer-by-layer, to reveal a geological universe normally hidden under water, tarmac and concrete. The show uses CGI animation and expedition-driven actuality reminiscent of the movie ?Inception?.
 
Every episode will home in on six iconic features of each city, ranging from man-made weatherproof skyscrapers and vast metro systems, to natural dunes and lakes. Viewers will be taken deeper into the city, bringing to light an alien landscape of underground volcanoes, hidden rivers, subterranean cliffs, fragile fault lines, and ancient catacombs - geological wonders that play a surprising role in the shaping of these cities and lives of the people above. Hear from leading engineers and geologists as they examine the ingenious designs, innovative technologies and teams of forward thinking professionals who are instrumental in keeping each city alive and well.

NEW DELHI: The 14th edition of FICCI Frames, the annual conclave of the media and entertainment industry in Mumbai from tomorrow, comes against the backdrop of increasing digitisation in both television and cinema.

The three-day event on the theme ?A tryst with destiny ? Engaging a billion consumers? will begin with Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Uday Kumar Varma presenting a vision statement for the information, media, and entertainment industry in the country.

Uday Shankar, Chairman of the FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee, will speak on the theme, while the keynote address will be delivered by Andy Bird, Chairman of Walt Disney International. Dr.Soon Tae Park, Deputy Minister for Culture, Sports and Tourism in South Korea which is the partner country this year, will be the Guest of Honour.

Like every year, the FICCI-KPMG Report on the outlook for the Media and Entertainment Industry will be released during the opening ceremony.

I&B Minister Manish Tewari will be the Chief Guest at the valedictory function on 14 March, which will also feature ?Karan Johar in conversation with Kajol? and panel discussion featuring Uday Shankar and Kamal Haasan, among others.

FICCI Frames 2013 aims to deliberate on the growth of the industry and find ways to maximise both its creative and economic potential. The range of topics to be covered includes digitisation, censorship, marketing, exhibition and distribution.

?Engaging A Billion Consumers in the Media and Entertainment Industry? session on day 1 will see how stakeholders from the world of media and entertainment and policy makers share their perspective and vision on meeting the challenge in the face of emergence of new technologies and media platforms which have given consumers a wide range of choice.
 
?The Second Phase of TV Digitisation? session will discuss the dynamics of digital content and the future roadmap. ?Perception and Portrayal of Women in TV and Film?, ?Re-inventing Regional Content in the Digital Era,? and ?Single Window Clearance: Making India easier for filmmakers,? are among the other important sessions.

Being the 100th year of Indian cinema, FICCI Frames is also launching a film tourism initiative called ?Shoot at Site?, which will attempt to give participants insider?s tips on location-scouting, production facilities and services, and navigating through state-specific production benefits across India.

This year, being the 4oth anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and South Korea, FICCI Frames will focus on culture, tourism, entertainment and business between the two nations. Various sessions will tackle challenges in co-production between India and Korea, as well as potential avenues of cooperation between the two countries. Korea has transformed itself into one of the world?s most outstanding visual technologies centres with CGI and 3D. A 40 member Korean delegation is participating in the event.