Overview

A short film appreciation workshop to Deconstruct, Understand, and Appreciate the Magic of Cinema; while learning about the spectacle, struggles, & power of this Art form.

As film-buffs we passionately love and fiercely criticize the movies we watch. What we don’t realize is that our taste in cinema is also limited by our understanding of it.

A classical music concert is more enjoyable if you understand the nuances of the genre; a game of cricket more fulfilling if one can read the field set-up and predict the next delivery.

Just as a psychologist’s reading of the human mind, or a chess-player’s strategy in competition are all acquired skills, so is the understanding and appreciation of films.

In this two-week ( Mon-Fri; 3hrs per day) film appreciation workshop, we will break down the language of cinema in a manner that is understandable to even the most unaware.

COMPLETING THIS WORKSHOP WILL HELP YOU:

Understand the powers/characteristics of Cinema.
Learn how and why it is so influential.
Learn to Analyse or “Read” a film.
Receive an e-Certificate on completion of the workshop (minimum 80% attendance)

WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR:

If you have a passion for Cinema and want to learn more about this medium, this workshop is for you.

Also, if you are thinking of exploring films as a career option or planning to make films of your own, then this is a good place to start.

Do you ever wonder why some films stay with you for a long time (sometimes forever); Or that one scene that keeps cropping up in your mind ever so often?

Have you ever watched a film where you found a character who inspired you to make changes to your own life?

Ever wonder why Politicians and Big Business are so keen to control Cinema (some they praise and others they denounce)?

If these are some of the questions you want answers to or you have a passion for Cinema and want to learn more about this medium, this workshop is for you.

Also, if you are thinking of exploring films as a career option or planning to make films of your own, then this is a good place to start.

SYLLABUS

The scope of film appreciation is vast and nebulous. Traditional film schools spend nearly their entire first semester or more just on understanding films and their historical development. This workshop being of a much shorter duration, will focus only on the essence and aim to achieve a solid understanding of the nature of this medium and its language rather than just skim through each and every topic related to film appreciation.
The workshop will attempt to uncover this essence by analyzing a variety of specially curated films and stepping into the shoes of the filmmaker.

Some of the specially curated films:

Works of Charles & Ray Eames (Tops, Powers of Ten)
Works of Norman Mclaren (Neighbors, A Chairy Tale, and more)
Naked Island – Kaneto Shindo
Works of Maya Deren
Works of Bert Haanstra
Cast Away – Robert Zemeckis

Some films will be analyzed and discussed in more detail than others. If required films may be added or removed from the above list.

Other questions and topics that will be covered briefly:

The medium that is Cinema: Why and how do movies affect us? How is a film different from other media like novels or plays?
Why do films exist: why did we invent it?
The powers and characteristics of Cinema
The future of cinema: All art forms, be it music, poetry, dance, theatre or even prose, have changed and evolved over the past centuries. But where is cinema heading?

The Workshop will develop organically while maintaining an underlying spine of the nature and language of cinema.

About the Mentor

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. He 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 and Film Appreciation course are highly appreciated by the participants. He is also a partner at Living Bridge.

Prof. Prashant Desai brings to all his workshops his unique sensibilities and unconventional approach. His workshops have a solid underlying spine but develop organically.

9 reviews for Film Appreciation Virtual Workshop

4.78

Based on 09 rating(s)

09 Customer(s) recommended this item

Quality of Content

96 %

Mentor

Overall Experience

Reviewed by 09 customer(s)

Rohit
🙂
20 February, 2021
Share on
Helpful?
Sidharth Satheesh
The workshop was an eye opener for me. I started to enjoy movies in a much more deeper level after taking this workshop.
I highly recommend this workshop to anyone who wants to know more about cinema. Just be patient enough, you’ll walk out with a treasure.
10 August, 2020
Verified Purchase
Share on
Helpful?
Vipul Vivek
This was my first formal encounter with film appreciation. Enjoyed it and learnt a lot of new things. Two working weeks is a really short time to discuss both technical and more general, philosophical aspects of appreciation. But I would still suggest including a little more discussion about film basics, both the study of symbols and the techniques of filmcraft. Just one session on looking at a film through the script structure (the Sydfield paradigm) has changed my understanding of films.
10 August, 2020
Verified Purchase
Share on
Helpful?
Charanjeet Kaur
Film Appreciation Course
Many thanks for this very focussed and intellectually stimulating workshop on Film Appreciation. Prof Prashant Desai has such a keen eye for the finer details and nuances of a film that what we learnt was actually a new way of ‘seeing’. The selection of films was excellent. Have been going back to a number of my favourite films since the course ended and taking in many more levels of meaning, and understanding the multiple thematic layers which visual details reveal. Thanks once, again.
Dr Charanjeet Kaur
Academician,
24 July, 2020
Verified Purchase
Share on
Helpful?
Irfannaqqash Rahman
Helped me understand cinema better
It was a fantastic experience, the perspective of looking at cinema has changed in me completely. Prashant Sir’s plethora of knowledge and expertise helped me understand cinema better. If you’re exploring yourself and not sure whether this podium is for you, then please do this course. It will definitely help.
21 July, 2020
Verified Purchase
Share on
Helpful?

Date (Weekdays)
Time (IST)	Clear

Quality-of-Content
Mentor
Overall-Experience

Film Appreciation Virtual Workshop

18

Min. Age

30+

Batch Size

Basic

Skill Level

30 hrs / 2 weeks

Duration

English

Language

Share This Workshop:

Overview

COMPLETING THIS WORKSHOP WILL HELP YOU:

WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR:

SYLLABUS

About the Mentor

Prashant Desai

Are You Ready To Start?