Film & Television Editing Course

Training/Coaching/Tuition by Digital Academy Mumbai View Contact

Starting from: INR 1,23,595 Per Course (Plus 12.36% Tax) Request Info

If shooting is like generating the raw material of a film, the edit table is where the film finds its final processed & packaged form. The art of editing, no longer an invisible art as it used to be, is perhaps the very essence of Film Making. The Editor is the one who makes the final decisions about what needs to be seen and heard in a film, while also controlling its rhythm & pace. Extremely technical and yet tremendously artistic, a career in film and TV editing is monetarily as well as creatively satisfying.

The current trend is the non-linear editing system that digitizes and stores footage onto computer hard disk drives. Modern day software allows this video and audio information to be viewed, modified, and eventually played back in real time from the system, without changing the original rushes. The technology nowadays is such that it allows the Editor to directly broadcast his or her work in full resolution from a workstation or print it to celluloid, videotape or hard disk.

Students at Digital Academy are trained to be Editors and not mere machine operators. Through hands-on practical training using FCP and Avid Express DV, they are taught the fundamental and aesthetic principles of editing for film and television.

Instruction Module:

Introduction to the Art and Aesthetics of Film & Television Editing
A film is made twice, once on the writing table and the other on the editing table. Editing as an art has come a long way from tape splicing to non-linear editing where-in you can retrieve and edit instantly any frame in a video clip without modifying the source files. Non-linear editing systems are not only user-friendly interfaces but are cost effective as well.

Film and Video Formats

The course explains the different workflows of film and video formats in detail. Celluloid film is an optically acquired image, while video is an electronically generated image. Interestingly, video technology is now at a point of great convergence with celluloid, with the emergence of HDTV, DI processes, 2K, 4K & 6K formats. Nowadays, a deep technical understanding of both these formats is an absolute must for an Editor

Visual Literacy

Cinema is primarily a visual medium. It is not possible to work in a visual medium without being visually literate. A deep knowledge of art history, elements of visual design, principles of visual composition, colour theory, the art of visual storytelling and current stylistic trends is necessary for an Editor. At Digital Academy-The Film School, we strive to give detailed inputs about all aspects of visual literacy.

Continuity

The knowledge of continuity is as necessary for an Editor as the knowledge of grammar is necessary for a Writer. Continuity constitutes the very heart of film knowledge. It is the knowledge that allows Film Makers to weave visually distinct shots into a seamless continuum of time and space. Using well-known codes and conventions of pictorial language, a credible world of reality is created by the principles of positional, directional and relational continuity. Even those who want to break free from such codes and conventions must possess the knowledge of what they are breaking free from. Continuity knowledge is not only a matter of spatial & temporal organization but also constitutes a deep stylistic understanding of the film medium.

Narrative Structure

A story is any sequence of events with a beginning middle & end – not necessarily in that order. What makes a story work is more often than not its structure. Understanding structure means understanding the parts of the whole and understanding how the parts relate to each other. Like any well-designed construction, it is important to work carefully on the ratio, proportion & placement of the various parts of a story to finally make a good narrative. We consider structural thinking to be germane to the making of a good editorial mind and give deep insights into the mechanics of both linear & non-linear narrative structures.

Editing Different Genres

The aesthetic requirements of the various genres & types of audiovisual media are quite different from each other. The aesthetics of long fiction narrative is different from short fiction narrative, which in turn is different from documentaries or advertisements or corporate films or daily soaps. There are various genres and cross-genre conventions and then there are ways to break those conventions. The main thing is to develop a mind that is flexible and agile enough to adapt to the various aesthetic requirements of the job at hand. We insist on the ability of Editors to understand the subtle shifts of styles in various formats of Film Making and excel in all formats.

Introduction to Sound Track Design & Mixing

Sound track design & mixing in present times is as much an Editor's job as it is of a specialized Sound Recordist. Most modern editing systems are nowadays equipped with sophisticated sound processors to enable Editors to generate professional sound tracks and mixes. An Editor must therefore understand both technically and aesthetically the requirements of sound track design and mixing. All four components of audio track design - dialogue, sync effects, non-sync effects, and music must be understood independently and then together as part of the overall image making process of Cinema.

Projects.

P1. Continuity Exercises:
a). The aim of our carefully graded continuity exercises is to give students a clear idea of how discreet shots can be joined together to create a feeling of real time and real space. Exercises are divided to deal specifically with positional, relational and directional continuity, both for intra cutting and inter cutting situations. Emphasis is also given to time expansion and time contraction while maintaining, the illusion of continuity. Certain specific 'tricks' employed by editors for match cutting and cheat cutting as well as jumping the axis or imaginary line, are also taught.

P2. Dialogue Exercises:
There is great creative scope in the editing and re-editing of dialogue sequences. Students are given exercises to hone their skills in areas of Maintaining dialogue rhythm, Maintaining visual balance, Using silences & pauses, Editing sound clearly, Correct use of silent reaction shots.
P3. Action Sequences:
Students are given exercises with the purpose of developing their understanding of dramatic tension in an action sequence. The exercises involve inputs in inter-cutting, cheat cutting, climax building, visual rhythm and tempo.
P4. Montage:
The students are given exercises to help them understand the entire gamut of creative choices available in Montage Cutting. The exercises are specifically designed to teach them Metric Montage, Rhythmic Montage, Tonal Montage, Over - Tonal Montage, Intellectual Montage. Exercises are also given with regard to conventional American Montage style and French Montage style.

The Digital Academy student benefit:

• No previous knowledge required, however being computer savvy would be an added advantage.

• Short-term intensive hands on course that covers all aspects of editing in detail

• Strong theoretical base with focus on high cinematic standards and aesthetic standards

• Basic and Advanced editing formats for feature films, serials, music videos, ad films, documentaries and corporate films

• New-age styles of editing and in house professional Non-linear editing set ups (FCP, Avid etc.)

• Editing practice will be given on rushes of released feature films

• Unlimited practical time with prior booking

• Editing curriculum devised to adapt to any media

• Students can take their edits as their demo reel

In short, an editing student from Digital Academy is equipped to edit in Film, Television as well as print media.

Note:- Curriculum subject to change

Faculty

We have professionals teaching our course – some of whom are mentioned below.
Any one or more of the experienced faculty can be assigned to a course batch.

Mr. Sankalp Meshram

Mr. Sankalp Meshram, after doing his Post Graduate Diploma in Editing from the FTII Pune, has been working as a Editor and Film Maker. He edited the Feature Film “Katha Don Ganpat Roanchi” in 1997 (Marathi) which won the state award for the best Film apart from being shown at various International Film Festivals and the National Award for Best Editing in the year 2001 for the Film Lokapriya. He also wrote and directed “Chhutkan Ki Mahabharat” which got him the National Award in the year 2005.

Mr. Yogesh Sharma

Yogesh Sharma graduated from Mumbai University in commerce followed by a post graduation in Event Management. He joined the Film Industry in the year 1991 first as an assistant director and then moved on to working as an editor. He has edited hundreds of television serials, ad-films, music albums, documentaries and dozens of feature films including a couple of international projects in last fifteen years. He is now a faculty in Digital Academy.

Abhijit Deshpande

Abhijeet Deshpande is a Post Graduate Diploma holder in Film Editing from the F.T.I.I, and has also been awarded a scholarship by the Govt. of France in the University d’être at La Femi’s, Paris. He has worked with some renowned directors like Amol Palekar and Sanjay Jha as an editor. The television series Rishta.com produced by Yashraj films was also edited by him. Along with this Abhijeet has also done some major editing for Marathi television. His work, The Potato Eaters was screened at the Mumbai international Film festival and Cinema was screened at the First National Film Festival for children in the year 2006 at Delhi. He has also been nominated for the best editing at the Maharashtra Times Awards in the year 2001 for the TV series Vartamaan and at the Maharashtra Times Awards in year 2009 for the Feature Film Gandha. His passion for acting has helped him in bagging a nomination for the best actor at the ZEE Awards in the year 2006 for the play Fridge Madhe Thevlele Prem (Frozen Love).

Career

India makes the maximum number of films in the world. In addition to this, there are some 30 prominent channels, along with many regional networks. The Indian Media & Entertainment Industry is inviting great investment and has tremendous growth potential. Today, the number of aspirants who wish to make a career in films and the television sector, especially in the field of editing, is at an all time high. The scope of editing is ever widening in this era of technological explosion because every piece of audio visual media, requires an Editor.

Editing is a crucial job, which goes far beyond matching visuals and sound in accordance with the script. A good Editor can make the critical difference to a program's final quality.

An Editor is therefore both an artist and a technician. As a technician, s/he needs to be abreast of the state of the art technology, which keeps moving towards higher levels of sophistication. At Digital Academy-The Film School, we not only ensure a hands-on experience with state of the art software, but also prepare students for the possible changes of technology in the future for e.g. the shift of Standard Definition Television (SDTV), to High Definition Television (HDTV) or the change of celluloid based technologies to Digital projection technology, be it 2K, 4K or higher.

What we aim for is to impart an education that grounds the student's minds in the unchanging principles that govern narrative communication, while also preparing them for the ever changing flux of technology.

With greater responsibility comes greater visibility and better money. Today's Editor's can expect to earn top of the line remuneration especially in the high end spectrum.

Fees

Fees for Indian Citizens Inclusive 12.36% service tax

INR 1,23,595/-
10,000/-On admission
23,000/- Before batch starts
23,000/-Within 1 month (PDC)
23,000/-Within 2 months (PDC)
23,000/-Within 3 months (PDC)
21595/-Within 4 months (PDC)

Scholarship Fee Plan for Indian Citizens Inclusive 12.36% service tax

INR 1,01,124/-
10,000/-On admission
18,000/- Before batch starts
18,000/-Within 1 month (PDC)
18,000/-Within 2 months (PDC)
18,000/-Within 3 months (PDC)
19,124/-Within 4 months (PDC)

Fees for International Students Inclusive 12.36% service tax

USD: 2060
Full Fees to be paid on Admission

Digital Academy

Digital Academy was the result of a simple thought; to introduce the art and craft of cinema to passionate minds.

We firmly believe in going the extra mile for all our students and hence placements are an integral part of our program. Our well-placed network has enabled us to set our students in ace film and television production houses. And it is pure pride that we wear seeing their success.

At Digital Academy we compete with ourselves to set new standards. And because we believe we can, we always achieve, for a goal is only unattainable when you give up trying. So if you have a dream, come to us and we will make it real.