Archive for the ‘Workshop’ Category

Bit bored and tired today, so just copy pasting the release.

Unlike a few years ago, filmmakers today readily and repeatedly admit that without a good script, a good film is impossible. In fact, talent hunts and script contests are announced every other month. Every producer and studio is on the lookout for good scripts and competent writers.

While writing well is hard work, a sound knowledge of basic storytelling principles combined with an understanding of the form & rhythms of the screenplay help free up the writer’s imagination. This gives him the confidence to follow his intuition, helping him uncover interesting aspects of the characters, which in turn make the screenplay more nuanced, fresh and engrossing.

The Workshop will tackle all aspects that go into the construction of a script, starting with the basic central idea that drives the story.

Five intensive days of six hours each will cover the entire journey of the script from theme, premise, character, and plot, to structure, scene construction, and dialogue, and the use of music and song in Indian script. Plus, there will be a substantial session on mythology, with particular reference to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata which have had such a lasting influence on Indian cinema. The final session will deal with writers’ rights, model contract, copyright matters, and other professional issues.

Questions like

  • What makes for a compelling idea?
  • How does one know if a story could make a good script?
  • Can a great story turn into a weak screenplay?
  • How does one figure out the appropriate structure for a script?
  • What makes for an interesting character?
  • How can one write scenes that are crisp, compact and yet dramatically meaty?
  • Is there a technique to writing good dialogue?
  • What is the difference between Hollywood style of screenwriting and what we have here in India?
  • How relevant is the navras theory to modern Indian screenwriting?
  • What is the relevance of songs in modern Indian script?

and other relevant concerns of the Indian screenwriter will be discussed in depth.

About the Workshop Instructor : Anjum Rajabali has been a professional screenwriter for 20 years with films like Drohkaal, Ghulam, The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Raajneeti to his credit. He is the Head of Screenwriting at Whistling Woods, as well as Honorary Head of Screenplay Writing at FTII, a course that he began in 2004. Apart from being a script consultant on several films, he also conducts workshops and seminars on screenwriting in India and abroad.

According to him, “Screenwriting is an exceedingly interesting and rewarding craft. Learning it should be an enjoyable process. It is with that aim that I conduct screenwriting workshops.”

Three Guest Faculty will be invited from among Vishal Bhardwaj, Jaideep Sahni, Sriram Raghavan, Shridhar Raghavan, Saket Chaudhury.

Venue :  Whistling Woods International, Film City, Goregaon (E), Mumbai.

Dates :  April 25-29 (both days inclusive)

Timings : 10 AM – 1 PM and 2-5 PM

(Film viewing : 5.30-8 PM, April 25, 26, 27)

Fee : Rs. 6000/- (inclusive of lunch and tea/coffee on all days)

– The workshop is open to all.

– To Register for the workshop, please call 30916003 or e-mail: kanchi.parikh@whistlingwoods.net

WHAT: IMAGING CINEMA 2012: An International Screenwriting and Filmmaking Course

DATES:  1-10 JUNE  2012

VENUE: IIT Madras

Resource people :

▪    Atul Tiwari (Mission Kashmir, Dasavataram, Viswarupam, forthcoming with Kamal Haasan)

▪    K Hariharan (Director, LV Prasad Institute of Film & Television Chennai)

▪    Rohan Sippy (Dum Maro Dum, Bluffmaster,  Taxi NO 9211, Kuch naa  kaho, The President is Coming)

▪     Shridhar Raghavan ( Screenwriter: Khakee, Dum Maro Dum, Apaharan)

▪     Sriram Raghavan (Director: Agent Vinod, Johnny Gaddar, Ek Haseena Thi)

▪     Anurag Kashyap (Dev D, No Smoking, Gulaal, That Girl in Yellow Boots, Shaitan)

▪     Patricia Gruben (Director, Praxis Screenwriting Programme, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver)

 COURSE :

Hands on training with experts in screenwriting and discussion of mechanics of screenwriting and direction with major industry figures.

– The course will be divided in four parts-

1. THE MAGIC OF CINEMA – This capsule in the first 3 days will introduce the participants to the magical world of Cinema, by making them go through a FILM-APPRECIATION module. How to read a film is the basic theme of this section.

2. THE MECHANICS OF CINEMA – This section for next two days will introduce the participants with the mechanics that goes into making a film including Camera, Lighting, Sound, Sets, Editing, Special Effects etc- to demystify and tell how the magic is created.

3. THE METHOD OF CINEMA– This section will introduce the participants to the most basic & important aspect of any film – the Blueprint, the Map, the Method behind the madness – THE SCRIPT. This will go on for next 4 to 5 days and the emphasis will be to make the students WRITE scripts and to dissect and discuss their work in class. It will be a group exercise where a group of 4-5 students will work together on mini-scripts to understand the process of film-script construction. At the end of this the groups will be ready with one short 3-5 minute executable script.

4. THE MAKING OF CINEMA – For Next 2 days – this will be very interesting hands on exercise with the students,  where they will have to shoot, act, record sound, edit, do post-production and be ready with their films within 48 hours. Candidates can bring their video cameras or use cell phone cameras.

5. THE MAJESTY OF CINEMA – The last day will be a ‘red carpet’ event where the films made by the student groups will be seen by all. A jury will then rate them and announce the AWARDS to the films – with
analysis – so that this too is a time to learn. The certificates will be given to all at the end of the event.

– An IIT-M CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION WILL BE GIVEN AT THE END OF THE COURSE

Fee structure:

▪  Rs 10,000/ for professionals

▪  Rs 9000/ for attendees of 2009 & 2010 events

▪  Rs 8000/ students with valid ID and documents

$250 for NRI’s and International Students/professionals.

Last date of application : April 30

Application Forms can be dowloaded from Application form IIT Madras Screenwriting Filmmaking Course

– Limited rooms available in IITM guest house (AC), based on the date of applying.

– Few rooms available in hostels (Non ac).

– The course fee does not include accommodation payment.

– Application form duly filled in can be mailed to : draysha@iitm.ac.in

– For daily updates, visit www.imagingcinema.wordpress.com