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MISSION ADMISSION - THE SILVER SCREEN STARTUP

May 04 2017 : The Times of India (Chennai)
MISSION ADMISSION - THE SILVER SCREEN STARTUP
Saranya Chakrapani


Choosing a course after school can be confusing as a simple `no' or `yes' can be career-changing. While a plethora of options at hand is convenient, reaching an informed decision could be cumbersome. To help students make a better choice, TOI lends a helping hand with `Mission Admission'. Today's focus: Film-making
Talent, Technology & Degree In Film-making Can Take One Beyond Mainstream Industry

In March this year, Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune decided to reach out to a small but growing seg ment of aspiring filmmakers from tier II cities. As part of its SKIFT (Skilling India in Film and Television) initiative, the institute signed up with Canon India to offer “skill-oriented courses“.
The courses -which include digital cinematography, documentary film-making and screenplay writing ­ were in response to a rising demand for “technically sound people“ to cater to an industry that is no more confined to mainstream films but expanding to include allied cinematic fields, said dean of films at FTII Amit Tyagi. “We have 150 people graduating every year from our campus in Pune. We want to expand so that we are more visible. Several state governments have been asking us to start courses at nonmetro cities,“ says Tyagi.

After running short-term courses on scriptwriting, acting and film appreciation at Banaras Hindu University earlier this year, FTII is moving to Guwahati, Raipur, Vishakhapatnam, Jaipur and Chandigarh with courses ranging from digital cinematography and documentary film-making to film criticism and journalism.

With medium and technology becoming more accessible, smaller towns have emerged as the new talent pools for film-making, said Rajiv Menon, cinematographer and founder of the Mindscreen Film Institute, Chennai. “You no more have to come to the city and access a laboratory to make a film.If you have a DSLR and a reasonably powerful laptop, you could be making films anywhere,“ he said.

But that said, getting a break in the film industry has always been hard. Unlike in other industries, an aspirant here faces numerous challenges ­ from the number of competitors to the lack of money to make showreels for themselves. Although the trend is changing, actors and producers are still skeptical about providing opportunities to newcomers, unless they have formidable talent.

Luckily for newcomers, there is a rising demand for various types of talent.And when the talent is coupled with the reach of social media, YouTube channels and digital entertainment platforms emerge ­ and some of them go viral and become household names.Experts say the volume of audiovisual content being produced today is 100 times more than that being made two decades ago.

Evolution of technology, which is cheap and readily available, has pushed film schools to introduce new courses. Mindscreen for instance, is planning to offer courses on sound engineering, editing and VFX.

“When we started working, the base film was around 100 ASA (film speed). Today , the ISO of the digital camera is 800 ASA, which means it is eight times more sensitive to light than the film that we were using back then. You can now work with available light, but need to study the role of art, costumes and various aspects, which go into creating a memorable film,“ said 
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