Career in Dramatics

Introduction: A course in Dramatics offers much wider scope than an acting course. If one wishes to be in limelight, enjoys performing live shows, acting is his passion, life to him means to be under the arc lights, this is the perfect career option. It may not fetch much money, but guarantees a place under the arc lights. Dramatics covers all aspects of the stage like lights, make-up, direction, production, set design, costumes, script writing etc. There are certificate as well as post graduation courses in Dramatics. At present there is great demand for fresh talent.
Career Options: There are various career options available in this field, a few of them are:
1. Stand-up Artists
2. Narrator
3. Stage Presenter
4. Announcer
5. Make-up Artist
6. Dubbing Artist
7. Script Writer
8. Costume Designer
Remuneration: Approx it ranges from Rs.200/ to Rs.1000/ per show or per play. The amount also increases depending upon the brand value, play’s success and one’s talent.
Institutes/Colleges:
1. Mumbai university’s Institute of Extra-Mural studies, Kalina, offers Certificate course in Dramatics. Fees: Rs.4, 000/ http://www.extramural.org/
2. Madhumati Academy of Acting, Dance, Vile Parle, Mumbai, and Ph: 02226204647
3. Ashok Kumar’s Academy of Dramatics Arts, Chembur Mumbai
4. Anupam Kher, Prithvi Theatre, Alyque Padamsee, Rajat kapoor, also offers courses in Dramatics.

Career prospects in film making

Overview about Films:
· India produces about 900 films per year, of which 200 are made in Bollywood.
· Out of 200 movies only a fifth are hits.
· From 2007 the hit-flop ratios has improved by 10% due to increased avenues of income such as more multiplexes, music downloads, in-movie product advertising.
· Bollywood’s annual revenue is forecast to increase by 16% every year over the next 5 years.
· In short the film and television industry is not only huge but also growing constantly. Entertainment is an integral part of people’s lives. With the involvement of the corporate sector the amount of investment in the entertainment industry is rapidly growing.

Future expectancy of global job Opportunities:
1. Job opportunities are expected to grow by 15 to 20% annually over the next 5 years.
2. Mumbai film industry employs 3lakh people, of which half our youngsters.
3. Bollywood has been corporatised, with integrated studios such as, UTV, Eros Multimedia, Realiance Adlabs, Astvinayak Films, Studio 18 abd YRS, Percept offering complete services right from film production to exhibition.
4. Social values have also changed. Earlier, those who worked in films were looked down upon; Parents are now pushing their children to become stars.

The Best of Global Cinema:
· Change in Bollywood: Bollywood has become much more professional. Everyone undergoes some professional training before taking the plunge.
· Technology: Special effects has brought about a sea-change in the quality o films. Digital technology too brought the cost of film making down.
· Role of Multiplexes: With the advent of multiplexes, a wide variety of films have seen the light of day. There is an audience for every kind of film. Film awareness has also shot up, with film festivals and cable channels introducing viewers to the best of world cinema.
· Mumbai as hub of film industry: Mumbai is the place where people all over the country and the world converge. It’s the place where all action is happening.

Challenges in the Film industry:
Piracy: The Hindi film industry loses nearly Rs.1000 crore annually to piracy. Piracy has been the biggest challenge for the otherwise thriving bollywood.
Online piracy: The film industry is grappling with yet another form of piracy (online) that is rapidly eating into the industry’s profits.

Basic skills required:
1. Technical know-how is a must. One must know how to operate the software.
2. Since it’s a creative job one needs to think out of the box.
3. One is expected to have knowledge in music and photography.
4. Patience and calmness is the key one must possess. People around will lose their cool, but it is important to be calm.
5. The most important thing is to grasp over the narrative.
6. One should be able to cope with solitude. One needs to sit alone for 8 to 10 hours, sort the best shots out and string them together into a narrative.

Advantages of film making career:
· You can earn lacks a month if one is good at his job.
· One can even edit at the site where the shooting is going on
· There is a sense of power in weeding unnecessary bits out of the film and showcasing the best efforts of the cast and crew. It is the editor who finally gives shape to a film.

Disadvantages of film making career:
· Tensions at the workplace can run high especially with deadlines approaching.
· One needs to have patience while dealing with the director.
· Long hours at the studio, fighting loneliness and going through taxing schedules are tough.
· Your eyes are affected by sitting for long hours in front of the computer.

Career ladder:
Editing:
Level 1- Newcomer
Documentaries pay less. The money is in feature films.
Money: Rs.3000/ to Rs.10,000/ pm
Level 2- after a year or two
You can either work with a big studio or strike out on your own.
Directing:
Level 1- Newcomer
A lot of assistant directors are quite young and they come as early as in their late teens.
Money: Rs.6000/ to Rs.7000 pm
Level 2: 3-4 projects old
There could be a meteoric rise if you have talent, or if you have graduated to 2nd or 3rd assistants to directors such as Vidhu Vinod Chopra or Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Money: Up to Rs.1, 00,000/
Level 3: Director
The sky is the limit if you can deliver a hit.
Cinematography:
Money varies with talent, experience and the scale of the project. The pay package is for feature films.
Level 1: Lighting assistant
Money: Rs.500/-1000/ per day or a shift of 8 hours.
Level 2: In charge of lighting/focus-puller
Money: Rs.5000/-Rs.7500/ per day or for a shift of 8 hours
Level 3: Director of photography
Money: Between Rs.2-3 Lacks and Rs.1 crore feature films, again depending on the scale of the project.

Institutes conducting Film Making course:
1. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata
2. Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune
3. Whistling Woods International, Mumbai

For further details about film mcourse click here to read India’s first head-to-head comparison of Institutions offering the Film Making course click here.

Film Making, Television and Media Arts Course - College Comparison

Educircle team has prepared a comparison of various colleges offering Film Making, Television and Media Arts course in India. This should serve as a guide to candidates who wish to pursue their career in Film Making, Television and Media Arts.

Following institutes/colleges are included in our latest comparison:
1. Whistling Woods International Institute of Film Television and Media Arts
2. Film and Television Institute of India

Click on the image below to view the comparison table:

Film, Television and Media Course – Career in Film Making, Television and Media Industry

Introduction to Film Making, Television and Media Arts:
Cinema and Television are creatures of technology. They combine many forms and require the participation of team of individuals with high technological skills. In film making and television production, well trained individuals have a much better chance of creating their own equity and succeeding in a highly competitive world. The institutes such courses offer state-of-the-art training facilities, an internationally developed and structured curriculum, affiliations with highly respected global media corporations and a faculty that combines the best in Indian and international professional experience.

Objectives of the course:
1. To train students in top-of-the-line digital and analogue systems using the latest, state-of-the-art equipment.
2. To give the best available infrastructure and environment to prepare students for the ever-changing technological development sweeping the industry.
3. To also have the unique opportunity to experience technologies and systems long before other students and professionals do.

Eligibility:
The eligibility for the course is 10 + 2

Fees : The fees ranges from Rs.1,00,000/- to Rs.7,00,000/- for the entire course

Institutes/ Colleges/ Academy:
. Whistling Woods International Institute of Film Television and Media Arts
. Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)

Course Contents:
The full-time two-year program includes 84 weeks of comprehensive training and hands-on project experience in almost all specialized streams of filmmaking, viz.:
. Acting
. Direction
. Cinematography
. Editing
. Screenwriting
. Business of Film & Television
. Sound Recording, Design & Music Production
. Art & Technique of Animation.

Career Options:
Candidates can find employment with
. Film Studios
. Production Companies
. Advertising Agencies
. Government Department, or
. Start their own venture as producer, director, editors, cameramen, soundmen, lighting crews, assistants and so on.