The first thing that we were told at Mindscreen Film Institute was that you need to be prepared to struggle,” says Gautham Ramachandran, an alumni of Mindscreen. These students realise that the path to success is not rosy, especially in filmdom.
Just six months
Three decades ago, if someone wanted to become a cinematographer, he/she had to study at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) for three years and work as an assistant for another three years to make a mark in the industry. But in today’s fast track world, everyone is eager to learn the ropes in as short time as possible. And cinematographer Rajiv Menon understands this well. He began Mindscreen Film Institute in Chennai for cinematography in 2006 with just 11 students. And in six months they were ready to join the film industry. “My course at FTII, Chennai, spanned over three years. But today, time and money constrain students. Their attention span is very less, thus we decided to start a fast track six-month course. We have also tried to remove the redundant modules in the course at FTII,” explains Menon.
The admission process is very rigorous. Aspirants need to submit a photo story or a portfolio of photography work on a specific topic.
Hands-on training
“I was earlier working as an assistant to cinematographer Ratnavelu before I joined Mindscreen. The course is a different experience altogether and you learn things that you will not pick up on-the-job,” says cinematographer Laxman, who worked in the Tamil film Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu. The institute that has already produced eight batches of professional cinematographers trains students on the latest equipment and technologies. The course includes few indoor classes and modules on advanced digital photography, lighting etc.
Students have to produce at least one film by the time they complete the course. The faculty members include professionals from the industry who help students to keep abreast with the latest trends.
Self-reliant students
This year, the institute also started a six-month screenwriting course. Nearly half of the class comprises engineers, lawyers, chefs and even financial consultants. Most of the students are financing their education.
“I worked as an assistant cinematographer in two Tamil films and have an year’s experience in the industry. Even people in the industry do not know the basics. At Mindscreen, we learn everything about cinematography and also about the script,” says Moses Justin, from the 2010 batch of the cinematography course.
“Till a couple of years ago, it was thought that writing could not be taught. But we are looking at changing this view. Traditionally, serious writers did not take up film writing. But over the last decade or two, there has been a return of good storytelling through experimentation,” says Menon.
Students get to hone their creative and screenwriting skills through this course. The course fee is Rs 2.15 lakh for cinematography and Rs 2 lakh for screenwriting. The student intake for the cinematography course is restricted to 15 students and 10 for the screenwriting course. This ensures students get individual attention. They also get to interact and analyse each other’s work.
Apart from cinematography and screenwriting, students also get to polish their acting skills. They get to learn about budget filmmaking, creating stories, film posters, making short films and documentaries too. “We do not intend to compete with other film institutes. Our aim is to create complete professionals at Mindscreen,” says Menon.
— janani@expressbuzz.com