Foundation

Filmmaking
Course

With Film Direction at its core, this filmmaking course covers the fundamental aspects of the art and craft of making movies.

| Made for the Aspiring Filmmaker |

Pune, India
Mentor: Prashant Desai
Duration: 9/16 Days

This is an intensive, comprehensive hands-on filmmaking course in Pune where the aesthetics of cinema are explained in theory as well as in practice.
Participants will learn the narrative film form and the collaborative nature of its creation by participating in its production process.

Screening and analysis of classic masterpieces will give a sense of the power of this medium.
A team of experienced mentors and other film industry professionals from various areas of expertise will instruct and guide the participants through all major stages of professional filmmaking, from History of Cinema, Screenwriting, Direction, Production, Cinematography to Video Editing on FCP.
During the filmmaking course a short film will be developed and produced by the participants. This will give you a practical experience of the entire filmmaking process.

This Workshop is suitable for:

Passionate individuals who want to learn to make movies.
Students who are considering films as a vocational pursuit.
Film industry/Media professionals working in any department.
Aspiring Youtube/online video content creators.
Educators/Trainers (to make films as a tool for training)

We are currently running two modules for Filmmaking:

9-day Filmmaking Course
Theory & Practicals + 5-7 minute Short Film
16-day Filmmaking Course
Theory & Practicals + Extra sessions on Direction + 2 Exercise Films + 5-7 minute Short Film

Mentors:

Prof. Prashant Desai (Anchor Faculty) graduated from the Film & television Institute of India (FTII), Pune in Cinema with specialization in Cinematography in 1982. Since then he has worked in the industry in various capacities in Cinematography, screenplay writing, Production and Direction. He has taught at FTII, Pune and NID, Ahmedabad. Prashant was the HOD (Film & Video) at MIT Institute of Design, Pune and Xavier Institute of Communication, Mumbai. He teaches at SNDT, Mumbai, regularly since 1996. He has also taught at FLAME and MRID (Maharaja Ranjit Singh Gaekwad Institute of Design, Baroda) His Filmmaking course is highly appreciated by the participants. He is also a partner at Living Bridge.

Course Content:

Origins of Cinema: What is Cinema? Why do we watch Films?
Pioneers in the field of Cinema: Lumiere Brothers, Georges Melies, D. W. Griffith, Sergei Eisenstein, et al
Film Language: Key Concepts
Semiotics in Cinema, Signs and Symbols
Screenings of films by Norman McLaren, Charles & Ray Eames, Maya Deren, et al. Samsara, Inception.
Major Movements in Cinema
Hollywood Continuity, Soviet Montage, Italian neo-realism, French New Wave/ Nouvelle Vague, German Expressionism
Film Screening : Battleship Potemkin (or other relevant film).
Forms in Cinema: Documentary, Dominant Mainstream, Hollywood studio system, Film noir, et al.
Introduction to the film theories: Sergei Eisenstein, Andre Bazin , auteur theory.
Film Screening: Roman Holiday, Citizen Kane, Breathless, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (or other relevant Film)

Direction

Grammar of Cinema
Mise-en-scene, Intellectual Montage , Deep Focus, 180-degree rule,
shot/reverse-angle shot, Framing, Lighting, Close-up.
Film Screening: Citizen Kane, Cinema Paradiso (or relevant film)
Role of the Director
Responsibilities during the entire process
Director as the author of the film
Vision and realization of vision through cinema
Film Screening and analysis
Pre-Production duties of a Director
Shot Divisions
Production duties
Handling Actors, working with the DOP
Post Production duties of a Director
Working with the Editor

Screenwriting

Screenwriting: An Introduction
Basic characteristics of “Cinematic” writing
Story Idea/Concept; Character and Plot
Writing Exercise with Prompts
The Three Act Structure – beginnings, middles and endings
Construction of Scenes
Script formatting
Discussion of story ideas for short film.
Development of script (Plot, Characters, Basic story line)
Writing first draft

Cinematography

Role of a Cinematographer
History – Cinema and Cameras
Basic Still Photography
Framing, Exposure, Depth of Field, Shutter Speed, et al.
Lensing
Image Magnification, Area of Coverage, Plane of Focus
Camera and Gear options
Camera Movements and Continuity
Lights and Lighting
Practice Session with Lights and DSLR camera

Sound Design

Physics of Sound; Measurement and Units
Sound and Cinema: a brief history
Importance and Use of Sound
Diegetic and Non-diegetic sound
Recording Devices and Media; Storage Media
Live monitoring; Documentary sound recording
On set Duties; Post production duties
Practice Session: Live Recording a conversation

Video Editing

Editing Concepts:
Rhythm and pace of a film
History of Editing:
Soviet Montage; American Continuity; French New Wave
Storytelling through Editing
Types of Cuts: Jump cut, Match cut, Cutting on action, et al.
Transitions: Fade, Dissolve, Wipe, Iris, et al.
Layering Music and Sounds on the Video
Making a First Cut: Rushes, Assembly, & Software.

Film Production: Writing, Shooting, and Editing

Students will learn about the production process by making their own Short Film.

The development of the final film will begin during the screenwriting session.
In preparation of the shoot, students will:
Write the final draft of the Screenplay
Create a Story-Board for the Film
Make Shot Divisions; shooting schedule
Scene breakdown; Props and equipment required
Make Props; Design and create sets
Our professors will be present during the entirety of the shoot, constantly guiding the students and ensuring that the correct methods are followed.
Roles/duties will be rotated regularly between students to allow them to experience all the different aspects of a Film shoot.
The day after the shoot, students will sit with an editor and edit all the footage that was shot.

Behind the Scenes

Participant Feedback

What people say

What a great experience. Starting from the first day where we learnt the meaning of Cinema to getting to know the basics of filmmaking and learning together as a group. It's truly a great feeling to see the effort and teamwork take shape into something like this. This is the best example of the sum being bigger than all of its parts. Special thanks to Mr. Prashant Desai and the Living Bridge Team for this wonderful course.

What a fantastic experience the film making workshop with Prof Prashant Desai was!!! An amazing 9 days filled with loads of learning, insight, technicals!!! and of course fun!!! Workshops like these leave you confident of understanding the trade and bring that zeal to create something of your own. Loved being here!!!

Over a week to cram each and every concept of film making is almost impossible. However living bridge does it so well. It not only felt like it increased my knowledge bank, but connected me with wonderful people from every walk of life. So if you are looking for a place to either brush up on your skills or just to learn. I would definitely suggest their workshops. The thought and the care put into every lecture is incredible. Thank you for your time and care!

Perhaps the best place to learn professional film making by a very experienced, senior and passionate faculty. Touching every aspect of film making in a very short course. Highly recommended even for film students and industry artists. Amazing value.

Thank you. Living Bridge. Thank you Prashant Sir. Thank you all my co-participants. This is a well designed Filmmaking Workshop. I strongly recommend for all those who want to become a Filmmaker.

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