Courses in Cinema

A large number of people are passionate about cinema and want to join the movies professionally. However, only a select few manage to do so, primarily due to the lack of a technical knowhow and contacts.

Over the years, several films – centric institutions have come up that offer courses related to the field of cinema and provide students with the technical knowhow that can help them make it big in the film industry. Not only that, but these institutes also help students get in touch with people who are likely to provide them with employment opportunities and chances to hone their skills. Such institutions are commonly known as Film Institutes or Film Schools.

Most Film Schools offer courses in the following fields:

Acting, Direction, Production, Cinematography, Film Editing, Script and Screenplay Writing, Sound Design, and Dance.

Apart from above mentioned courses, many institutes also offer courses in fields that are closely related to cinema such as:

Modelling, Anchoring, Fashion Designing, Animation, Music, Advertising, Photography, Radio Jockeying and Mass Communication.

What is the content of these courses?

Most of the courses offered by Film Schools focus on a particular specialization in cinema, such as Direction, Cinematography, Editing, Sound Design etc. The purpose is to provide you with theoretical and practical exposure in these fields, while providing you with an overview of how films are made alongside.

However, some courses such as Film – making and Mass Communication (with a specialization in cinema) focus on different aspects of moving pictures and help a person gain expertise in all cinematic departments such as Direction, Cinematography, Production, Writing, Editing and so on.

Please keep in mind that each institute has its own approach towards any particular course. There might be significant differences between the curriculums and methods of 2 institutes for the same course.

What qualifications does one receive through such courses?

Most institutes offer Diplomas and Post Graduate Diplomas for courses related to cinema as it is a professional field. For extremely short courses, many institutes offer Certificates.

However, some institutes like the Amity School of Communication, Whistling Woods International etc. offer Bachelors and Masters level degrees in fields related to cinema.

As is the norm, Certificate Courses are the shortest and their duration ranges from 1 month to 6 months. On the other hand, Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma courses are generally of a longer duration and range from 6 months to 1 or even 2 years. On the other hand, Bachelors and Masters level degrees are of standard duration, i.e. 3 years and 2 years respectively.

How are the admissions conducted?

Even though every Film School has its own Admission Procedure and Eligibility Criteria, the general practice is to admit students by conducting Interviews. In these Interviews, applicants are judged on their creative aptitude and basic intelligence, passion for cinema and aptitude for the particular course they wish to join, such as Direction, Cinematography etc.

For performance related courses such as Acting and Dance, it is a common practice to conduct Auditions where applicants are asked to perform. They are admitted on the basis of their performance in the audition.

Some reputed institutes like the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Xavier Institute of Communication (XIC) and Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) admit students on the basis of their performance in an Institute – level Entrance Exam. These exams generally test your creative aptitude, intelligence and knowledge about the world of cinema.

Before you decide to apply to any institute, go through the eligibility criteria and admission procedure mentioned on its website. For most Post Graduate Diploma programs, a graduation in any field would suffice.

Some reputed Film – Schools/Institutes:

FTII (Film and Television Institute of India): http://www.ftiindia.com/
XIC (Xavier Institute of Communication): 
http://www.xaviercomm.org/
AJK Mass Communication Research Center (Jamia Millia Islami):
http://ajkmcrc.org/
SRFTI (Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India):
http://srfti.ac.in/
Whistling Woods International:
http://www.whistlingwoods.net/
NSD (National School of Drama):
http://nsd.gov.in/delhi/
NID (National Institute of Design):
http://www.nid.edu/education/postgraduate-diploma-programme-in-design/film-video-communication/p-overview
Amity School of Communication(Amity University):
http://www.amity.edu/asco/
AAFT:
http://aaft.com/
Roshan Taneja School of Acting:
http://www.roshantaneja.com/
Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute:
http://www.knkactinginstitute.com/
Barry John Acting Studio:
http://www.bjas.in/
Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares:
http://www.actorprepares.net/
CRAFT Film School:
http://log2craft.org/
Government Film and Television Institute, Bangalore:
http://www.filminstitutebangalore.com/
AISFM (Annapurna International School of Film and Media):
http://www.aisfm.edu.in/
Mindscreen Film Institute:
http://www.mindscreen.co.in/
Neo Film and Broadcasting School:
http://www.neofilmschool.com/
Filmzcool:
http://www.filmzcool.org/#sthash.5M0LNrEW.dpbs
Rama Naidu Film School:
http://ramanaidufilmschool.net/
Roopkala Kendro:
http://www.kendroonline.org/
L.V Prasad Film and TV Academy:
http://www.prasadacademy.com/
Institute of Creative Excellence:
http://www.theiceinstitute.com/index.php
Digital Academy, Mumbai:
http://www.dafilmschool.com/
Shemaroo Institute of Film and Technology:
http://www.shemarooinstitute.com/
ZIMA (Zee Institute of Media Arts):
http://www.zimainstitute.com/


Cinema Courses

Entrance Exam

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