Guinness records holder holds a workshop on Steadicam operations

On the 5th of June, 2009, the renowned Creator and Director of the hit television series, C.I.D, Mr. B. P. Singh held a seminar for the students of Digital Academy – The Film School Mumbai (Bombay) India, on the topic of Film and Television Direction, Cinematography and Steadicam operations.

Mr. Singh, who holds the Guinness record for the longest television episode shot in a single shot and a single take (an astonishing 111 minutes) .In the seminar at Digital Academy – The Film School, Mr. B. P. Singh gave the academy’s students a hands-on practical lecture in cinematography, explaining via demonstration, the use of the camera and Steadicam operations

Sharing some of his earlier experiences as a Cameraman and Cinematographer, Mr. Singh then moved on to talk about the ‘Power of the Camera’. As a Director, one has to transfer ones thought on to the screen. This is very different from writing the scene. Contrarily, a Director has to make the camera ‘speak’.

Starting off with his tutorial on lighting, Mr. Singh showed the students how lights must be adjusted to best portray the actors on the basis of the actor’s relative disposition in the scene. He also showed how lights can either be directed onto an actor or bounced off another light source by means of thermocol bounce cards. Mr. Singh compared the cameraman to the painter, a person who has the capability to start something beautiful with a single stroke.

The students were then instructed about the basic protocol that was necessary for any cameraman to know, such as specific ways to hold a camera, the right body positions one should take in relation to the camera and the right hand placements and grip that allows one to shoot with the maximum amount of care and flexibility. Also, they were taught the method of placement of the camera on the base plate and the manner in which it needs to be fixed.

He then delineated the effects that various lenses create with respect to the final visual image. With the help of a video assist, students were able to see how the size of the person on the screen relates to their position in front of the camera. Furthermore, they were taught lens adjustment in order to make the frame tighter or wider, as per the film’s requirement.

Mr. Singh then gave the students a demonstration of camera lensing and camera zooming. Students were shown how various zoom lenses were used to focus on a particular object or person and learnt that the whole point of zooming on an object is so that the object appears to be coming closer to the camera. He contrasted this with the camera movement towards the object by means of a trolley, particularly emphasizing the different ways in which the object that was focused upon grew in relation to its surrounding objects with each of these techniques. In the process of this training, the students learned how to assemble and disassemble the trolley tracks together, hence learning a valuable lesson in teamwork as well.

The students were then explained the properties of wide angle and telephoto lenses, which have bigger and smaller depths of field, respectively. A frame with a larger depth of field will have more objects in focus as compared to a frame with a lower depth of field.

They were then taught, in detail about camera panning. After the demonstration, each student was required to step up and try out his or her newfound skills in relation to a thematic purpose that Mr. Singh wanted him or her to portray.

Each student was then given a chance to shoot a live acting scene with the camera, with the instructions that they were to use all the techniques that they had learned throughout the lecture, including trolley motion, zooming and lensing. While the students began their mini-projects, Mr. Singh explained the concepts behind individual character lighting.

Finally, the students were given a demonstration on how to use a ‘Steadicam’, which is a substitute for a trolley and allows freer and faster motion. A Steadicam is a stabilizing mount for a motion picture camera, which mechanically isolates the operator's movement from the camera, allowing a very smooth shot even when the operator is moving quickly over an uneven surface. In this way, the Steadicam allows unimpeded motion of the camera on the set. Informally, the word may also be used to refer to the combination of the mount and camera. Each student was given the opportunity to try this instrument under Mr. B. P. Singh’s supervision.

The seminar proved to be a great success and the students learnt much about the field of Direction and Cinematography, simultaneously getting hands-on experience in working with the camera and shooting live acting scenes. At the end of the day, the students were extremely grateful to Mr. B. P Singh and took with them immense knowledge of procedures of filmmaking. Furthermore, they seemed to have taken a considerable boost in confidence with regard to venturing into the film and tv world as upcoming Directors and Cinematographers.

Guinness records holder holds a workshop on Cinema Fundamentals

On the 5th of June, 2009, the renowned Creator and Director of the hit television series, C.I.D, Mr. B. P. Singh held a seminar for the students of Digital Academy – The Film School Mumbai (Bombay) India, on the topic of Film and Television Direction . Mr. Singh, who holds the Guinness record for the longest television episode shot in a single shot and a single take (an astonishing 111 minutes) spent a large portion of his lecture talking about the importance and responsibilities of the Directorial role, as well as a few tips and tricks that one needs to keep in mind to be successful in the elusive film and television industry.

“The admirable post of the Director,” he said to the students, “has the unique opportunity to translate one’s thoughts onto the stage and onto the screen, and truly there could be nothing greater.” Needless to say, Mr. Singh’s deep motivational speech had the class’ rapt attention as he continued to urge the students to learn and understand other types of art as well, in order to truly have a mastery of the medium of film as a Director.

By insisting that the Director is the one who has a vision that he intends to put on film, Mr. Singh made it clear that the Director has the prime responsibility for calling the shots. His entire thought process goes into the film, and so it is very important for a Director to be able to relate well to his team members. This includes the Editor, the Set Designer, the Cinematographer, the Scriptwriter and various other artists. This ability to communicate with one’s team is what will ultimately result in putting his ideas across in the right manner. Using a lot of real-life examples from his own multitude of work experiences, Mr. Singh effectively drove home the point that teamwork is the backbone of any successful movie and different artists with different talents, temperaments and styles had much to bring to the working board.

Apart from the differences in Directors, one value that they all must hold in common is the art of good story telling. Films that win Oscars are the result of extreme hard work. It is thus very important to utilize what is being taught and transfer all of it to the script and ultimately the screen. “The more time spent on a script,” he stated, “the less time would be wasted later on. The foundation of the movie is its script, which therefore, needs to be firm and well written.”

On the topic of screenwriting , he then explained the importance of gripping the audience right from the first scene itself. T.V programs are generally no longer that half an hour and there are too many of them on air. As a result, how then can one grip the audience and make them want to watch the program till the end? Mr. Singh answered this question by explaining a strategy by which filmmakers could use their script’s structure to establish a hold on the viewers from the first scene itself. In order to do this, one must give the viewers a glimpse of the story in the first scene without revealing it in its entirety. Every story, he stated, has three main parts: the beginning, the body and the climax. Once again, he emphasized that the beginning must be dramatic and grab the attention of the audience. This would arouse their curiosity and thus make them interested in the scenes to follow. Next, the body of the program is where the story unfolds, finally coming together in the climax, which can most aptly be described as the point of no return. If all of this were to be accomplished in the right manner, one would have created a gripping show. Mr. Singh ended the screenwriting portion of his lecture with the powerful statement, “A bad Director can spoil a good script, but a bad script cannot be much improved by even the best Director.”

He then gave the students a lesson on time management and its implications when it comes to the film and television industry. Typically, a large number of lights and instruments need to be set up for every individual shot. Sets need to be created, lights need to be adjusted and so on. Thus, a 2-minute scene may take 2 hours if it has to be shot well. Therefore, one must be realistic in allotting time and the number of shots that one decides to shoot in a day.

The Art of Being a Film Maker

Everybody is on a journey as an artist. Many considering film schools are overwhelmed by the commitment when they consider it. With numerous film schools present worldwide it leads to a tough selection process. Choosing the right film school can have incredible benefits. But which one is right for you? Cinema today shapes our ideas of ethnic identity, our ideas of culture, our ideas of the future as well as of the past, but most importantly it shapes ideas about ourselves and is perhaps the best means of self- discovery.

The Film maker (Director) is without a doubt not only a person who tells the story, but also one who fully understands why the story must be told and the manner in which it should be presented. A film maker may or may not write the screenplay, but certainly visualizes it, controlling the film’s artistic and dramatic aspects while guiding technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of the vision.

The growing number of multiplex theaters throughout the country and the government’s support to this novel concept has created great demand for films. With the advent of Digital Video, films now can be made at a very low budget which is just a fraction of the cost of regular feature films. This will also induce film makers to break away from the traditional formula films and to try new and innovative ideas and to make a large number of experimental films. This will lead existing, new and aspiring film makers to make more and more films thereby creating a totally new demand for the film maker and assistant film maker.

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Digital Academy-The Film School is India's premium Film School to offer courses in all aspects of Film Making including Animation