Filmmaking Foundation Programme

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The 24-week Foundation Course in Filmmaking immerses participating students in each filmmaking craft. Students receive instruction through a powerful integration of student productions, classroom theoretical instruction, motion picture screenings analysis, workshops and interactions with global filmmakers. Students both do and study screenwriting, producing, directing, acting, cinematography, editing, sound design, film appreciation, production design, the aesthetic use of music in productions, literature, art history and cinema studies.

The Foundation Course is hands-on from its start; students begin their first short film in the second week of term. Thereafter, students participate in multiple short-film productions. Working in crews, each student in turn writes, produces, directs, shoots, records sound, and edits. By rotating through all the essential roles and assisting on fellow crewmembers films, students gain extensive practical filmmaking experience.

The foundation course develops within students their own unique story development and filmmaking perspectives and vision. The course also promotes individual professional conduct, communication skills and leadership qualities.

In the Foundation Course, students make 3 projects on DV format:

1. My First Project
2. Continuity Exercise
3. Foundation Film
 

Modules:

A group of well designed modules have been included in the programme, each with a definite course objective, enabling the students to learn every crucial aspect of filmmaking from the onset.

Basics Of Cinematography - 3 Credit Hours

Objective of the Module:
• Students will learn the principles of visual language & communication.
• Students will shoot two video projects
• Students will learn to critically observe and discuss Cinematography on a variety of film/television/video projects
• Students will become familiar with SONY HC 96 & SONY Z1-P cameras.
• Students will learn the process of post-production and post-production planning
• Students will understand the various jobs involved in film and video post-production.

Description:

The Cinematography course runs for 24 weeks in the 1st and 2nd semester. This segment requires an in-depth study of Cinema for the students to be in a position to make a critical analysis of visual content of various films that they view and formulate their own visual outlook and philosophy for the years to follow. The students will get topical inputs on Art – Science & Technology parts of the Language of Visual Communication.

Basics of Direction - 3 Credit Hours

Objective of the Module:
• Our learning objectives are tied in with semester ending films: to enhance conception/direction of semester-end films.
• Introduction to basic cinema concepts with focus on VISUALISATION, STORY & PACE
• Introduction to basics of Direction - focus on CRAFT

Description:

Our course content is covered in class lectures, viewing and discussion of film clips and presentations along with practical exercises.
We also have a mentoring system in place where any learning/academic issue can be explored one on one, between student and mentor.

BASICS OF EDITING -3 CREDIT HOURS

Objective of the Module:
• To learn the principles of visual cutting.
• To critically analyze concepts of editing visual and audio material.
• To learn the process of basic sound editing.
• To learn the basic tools of editing hardware and software.

Description:

This course will familiarize the students with the basic concepts and skills of editing and its importance in the art of story telling.This class is a mix of lectures, demonstrations and hands on, viewing videos, group discussions and interaction with professionals. The class will be intensive, interactive and engaging. Emphasis of the classes will be on the creative & practical principles of visual language.

BASICS OF PRODUCING - CREDIT HOURS: 3

Objective of the Module:

To enable the students to understand

• The role and functions of a producer and the production team;
• The considerations of the producer in choosing and developing a film idea;
• An introduction to the process of making and planning a film and how to ‘breakdown’, schedule and budget the script
• An introduction to Intellectual Property Rights, Copyright and Censorship;
• A basic understanding of film marketing, distribution and exhibition;

Description:

This course introduces the students to the producer’s role & functions before, during and after the film making process.
It takes the student through the different phases of film making from the point of view of the producer and the production team.

BASICS OF SCREENWRITING - 3 Credit Hours

Objective of the Module:
- To initiate students into the craft of screenwriting
- To help them develop their own capacity for enjoying, understanding and discovering stories
- To make them discover and understand the innate structure of each story
- To equip them with an understanding of the technical aspects of screenwriting
- To teach all students to write their own screenplays using the principles of screenwriting
- To prepare them for further specialised training in screenwriting

Description:

The screenwriting component of the foundation course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the craft of screenwriting. Over the course of 24 weeks, students will be made familiar with each aspect of screenwriting. At the end of the foundation course, not only will all students be able to understand the intricacies of a screenplay, but also be able to write one using the principles of screenwriting.

BASICS OF SOUND RECORDING & SOUND DESIGN - 3 CREDIT HOURS

Objective of the Module:
• Students will learn the ‘basic principles’ of sound and sound recording.
• Students will record two video projects: ‘My first project’ and ‘Foundation Film’.
• Students will learn to critically observe and discuss sound on a variety of films/ television/ video projects etc.
• Students will become familiar with mics, location recorders, portable mixers and their proper uses for a shoot.
• Students will become familiar with using ‘FCP’ for track-laying & basic ‘balancing’ of various sound tracks.
• Students will learn the process of pre-production and post-production sound track planning and various jobs associated with it.
• Students will learn how ‘Persistence of vision’ is “applied” to motion picture, the basics of film & sound projection system and various release print ‘sound formats’ in use.

Description:

This segment requires an in-depth study of Cinema for the students to be in a position to make a critical analysis of sound content of various films that they view and formulate their own outlook and philosophy for the years to follow. The students will get topical inputs on Arts – Science & Technology parts for Recording Sound & Designing it for Cinema.

BASICS OF FILM APPRECIATION - 2 Credit Hours

Objective of the Module:
To expose students to the vast diversity of cinema and deepen an understanding of cinema by emphasizing visual storytelling.

Description:

The purpose of Film Appreciation is to deepen the understanding of cinema by introducing students to a variety of filmmaking traditions in the world. There would be viewing sessions where the specific social, historical and aesthetic context of the film will be highlighted and the screenings would be followed by in-depth discussions. There would also be some lectures on the major film movements in broad outline form in power point format. This would be followed up in the subsequent semesters. Through intensely interactive sessions that will be centered on some specific films, student’s critical faculties would be sharpened. Students would be provoked to understand their own personal responses, questioning their notion of personal ‘taste’ and learn from the vast resources of world cinema.

The classes are an interactive mix of classroom instruction and film viewing.

International Art Literature & Culture

Objective of the Module:
Students gain insight into the diverse cultural contributions of key historical groups and periods and learn how they have influenced modern tastes, trends and attitudes. The familiarization to artistes with great works shall develop the students' artistic expression. Completion of this module enables students to make more informed comparative and critical assessments of art, culture and social issues.

Description:

The module is a presentation and study of Liberal Art, Fine Art and Literature from across the globe. Students are introduced to the language of arts in various media while examining the purpose of art. It investigates the work of key artistes in the field of painting and literature in various historical periods emphasizing how and what art communicates about the culture from which it is produced.

Total Course Period – 90 hours

Basics Of Music - 1 Credit Hour

Objective of the Module:
a. To recognize the sound and appearance of a wide range of musical instruments.
b. To recognize global musical styles and traditions
c. To be able to achieve emotional impact in film by making appropriate musical choices.
d. To communicate effectively with music specialists in the creative process.
e. To build music and sound designs into scripting process.

Description:

The importance of music in the film making process cannot be over estimated. Film makers require a solid understanding of the music making process, the sounds and moods of a wide range of instruments and styles, music of the world in cultural and historical context - and how music has been used successfully in Cinema.

Basics Of Production Design - 1 Credit Hour

Objective of the Module:
To enable the students to observe the process involved in converting the text from script into the tangible sets. Their learning of Production Design would be complete with the practical as well as theoretical aspects of initial visualizations and consequent execution on practical ground to create and maintain a specific look on the basis of a given script consistently throughout the entire film, so that when required in their respective films, their manipulation of Production Design elements will be simultaneously innovative and doable.

Description:

Production designer is a term used in the movie and television industries to refer to the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production Designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the Director and Producer, they must select the settings and style to visually tell the story.

Whistling Woods International

The Institute

Founded by one of the India’s leading filmmakers – Subhash Ghai and is promoted by Mukta Arts Limited & Filmcity Mumbai. Whistling Woods International(WWI) is Asia’s largest Film, Television, Animation and Media Arts institute, providing world-class education in all technical and creative aspects of filmmaking and television.

Whistling Woods has also been rated amongst the top 10 film schools in the world by ‘The Hollywood Reporter’, alongwith institutes like NYU Tisch, NFTS, FAMU & AFTRS. WWI was the youngest school to be featured in that list.

The WWI Mumbai campus is located inside Mumbai’s film & television production hub ‘Filmcity’, and offers courses that vary in duration from 1 year to 3 years, both full-time and part time in nature. All the major specializations of the Media & Entertainment industry are catered to, including Acting, Animation, Cinematography, Direction, Editing, Producing, Screenwriting, Sound and Media Studies. WWI also offers India’s first MBA in Media & Entertainment and India’s first MBA in Media & Communication.

The full-time faculty of WWI is a body of academics and renowned industry professionals like Subhash Ghai, Rajen Kothari, M Krishhnamurthy, Rob Reece, Anjum Rajabali, Rakesh Ranjan, Ashmaki Acharya, Somnath Sen, Samar Khan, Prashant Naik, Yusuf Mehta, Dhananjay Khore with regular guest lectures by leading Indian & International filmmakers, actors & technicians like Ashutosh Gowarikar (Director of oscar-nominated ‘Lagaan’), Farhan Akhtar, Ashok Amritraj, Shyam Benegal, Naseeruddin Shah, Danny Boyle (academy award winner for Slumdog Millionaire), Rajkumar Hirani, Rakeysh Mehra, Vishal Bharadwaj, Farah Khan, Nagesh Kukunoor, Shelley Page (head of international outreach for Dreamworks Animation), and several more. Students at Whistling Woods, hence, have a unique opportunity to interact on one-on-one basis with some of the most successful professionals in the Indian film industry.

The courses at WWI are designed to ensure that the students’ learning is collaborative and industry oriented. The curriculum at WWI is a unique hybrid of theoretical and practical aspects and ensuring that the creative dovetails well with the business aspects. All students also undergo rigorous study in several co-curricular faculties like Film Appreciation, International Art Literature Culture, Production Design & Music.

These unique elements in the curriculum & the teaching methodology have seen WWI’s student body growing over three times over the past three years. Further, almost 15% of the student body now comprises of International students, from the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Italy, France, Holland, Vietnam and others who choose WWI over the multiple film-studies options available in their own countries.

The Institute is also highly committed to ensuring that its students move into the industry in creative and rewarding areas of employment. WWI alumni are currently working at several leading media organisations like Aamir Khan Productions, Annapurna Studios, BIG Animation, Balaji Telefilms, Dharma Productions, Dreamworks, Excel Entertainment, Fox Star Studios India, Mukta Arts Ltd, Percept Picture Company, Prime Focus, Rajshri, Red Chillies Entertainment, Reliance Mediaworks, Rhythmn & Hues, Star TV, Technicolour, Walkwater Film, UTV Motion Pictures, Yashraj Films and several more.

In early 2011, The Sony Media technology Center – a global Center of Excellence established by Sony Corp. & WWI and located at the WWI campus in Filmcity, Mumbai was inaugurated by Sir Howard Stringer (Chairman, CEO & President, Sony Corp.). Sony has recognised WWI as a leader in the Media & Entertainment education sector in Asia, decided to partner with the institute for setup of the same. This follows Sony’s two other centers in London & LA and is the only one that has been setup in association with another organization, the first two being standalone centers. The Sony Media technology Center (SMTC) at WWI will focus on new and emerging technology in the fields of High Definition filmmaking, 3D filmmaking, High Definition Exhibition and HD Broadcast. Sony has equipped the WWI Mumbai campus with the latest technology in both HD filmmaking & 3D filmmaking and will also be stationing on campus their global subject matter experts from whom WWI students would learn a great deal.

In 2010, WWI was accepted as a full member of CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision) – a global association of film schools, which lays very high standards on admitting members (there are only 150 members of CILECT). This membership has enabled huge expansion in WWI’s international operations with student & faculty exchanges been planned with the best film schools in the world. In the past as well, WWI has initiated affiliations with several global film schools, including first-ever-in-India activities like International student co-productions. Some of the schools that we have undertaken these activities with are Deakin & Griffith in Australia, Bradford College UK, Syracuse University USA & NYU Tisch Asia.

In a major step in secondary education in India, WWI was invited to partner with India’s premier High School Board - the CBSE board by the Ministry of Human Resource Development - Government of India to design a Media Studies curriculum for the country’s primary High School board (the CBSE board). WWI has prepared the curriculum, teaching methodology & is undertaking teacher-training for the ‘Media Studies’ elective in the 11th & 12th grade.

With the Mumbai campus operational since July 2006 and the student body having grown from 90 to 350 over 3 years, WWI is strongly looking at expansion both in terms of course verticals and campuses.

The above is just a snapshot of what Whistling Woods International has achieved in the short span of five years and the institution strongly marches on its way to fulfilling it’s goal – to be the institute of choice for media education globally.