How to be a Filmmaker: Webinar with Industry Expert to Bust the Myths!

We often hear questions like is it necessary to go to a film school to be a filmmaker? Or is becoming a theatre actor a must before stepping into the profession of Direction?

To answer queries about the job role and much more related to the subject, The Telegraph Online Edugraph organised a webinar with Mr Prasenjeet Ghosh, Associate Professor at SRFTI Kolkata. He has varied experience in teaching as well as directing, which includes international projects like “In the Twelfth Night” and “Shadow of Time”, that have been talked about quite a bit.

Here are some crucial takeaways which can benefit students to make a career in this field.

What is Filmmaking?

Mr Ghosh started with the very basic idea of what actually filmmaking is. Unlike other professions or subjects, filmmaking is a hands on profession. It may be called an art of creating magic. It involves a lot of knowledge, particularly of technology, as you cannot make a film without a filmmaking camera or sound recording devices.

He then went on to talk about the very basic necessity or quality required to become a filmmaker: that you have to have an idea of how filmmaking has evolved over the years. Going back to history, he talked about how most renowned filmmakers have learned or got training while they were working for other filmmakers or productions. In other words, hands on experience, inspired by the desire to learn and grow, is something which everyone needs to have within themselves to crack the success code.

Career in Filmmaking: How can you start?

Contrary to popular belief, Mr Ghosh highlighted that to be a filmmaker, it isn’t necessary to go to a film school. Most people who have mastered the art of filmmaking, have done so through hands on experience. And so far as gathering additional information and knowledge, these days learners have much easier access via the internet, particularly YouTube.

Qualities that help you to become a filmmaker

• Ability to create and narrate a story without being whimsical. The first process involves the development part where you need to decide on the idea or the story of the film, how you’re going to take it forward. From here is developed the script. This script is actually the blueprint of the film. So, building up the story to aid in scriptwriting is an area that you need to pay attention to.
• Having a talent for pitching ideas. This is an important area which generally tends to be overlooked. This is where you need to bring in your convincing skills and present the purpose, budget, outlining of the film - so that you are able to then go ahead and turn your imagination into actual art.
• Being a team player. We tend to think that the director is the filmmaker, and solely responsible for its success. But in actuality, it is the whole crew that contributes to the success of the film. For instance, the film Lagaan had almost 10,000 people featuring on screen. And this is in addition to the crew - which makes it imperative that the filmmaker be able to function as a team player and coordinate all the aspects.
• Having a fair idea of music or painting or photography. Filmmaking is actually borrowing from other art forms, and these skills these can actually help you in your filmmaking process.

In addition to these, Mr Ghosh also shared a number of other skills and interests that can aid you in your filmmaking journey. And, for all those wondering what to study after school or your bachelors, or at any point in your career when you want to take a dip into filmmaking, a long list of courses, as well as the top institutions in the country were also shared in the webinar. So, what are you waiting for? Watch the video to find out all the other insights shared by Mr Prasenjeet Ghosh.