MA (Film & Media)

Major in Direction and Cinematography

Cinematographers excel in the use of light and movement. They can turn a dull, uninspiring image into a moving piece of art, with the help of perfect lighting, composition, framing and digital colour correction in Post-Production.

This program teaches students the complete craft of Direction – for varied mediums such as Film, Television, Web Series etc. It additionally hones their knowledge in the area of Cinematography – covering aspects such as range of camera, lighting and grip equipment as they move from simple exercises to increasingly complex projects.

The MA (Film & Media) – Major in Direction and Cinematography Program offered at Annapurna College is affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University (JNAFAU).

Join Annapurna College of Film and Media to Further Your Career.

Program Flow

Semester 1

Foundation Setting

  • Build Critical Thinking Skills required for an advanced study in the field of Film and Media
  • Explore Various Aspects of Filmmaking
  • Learn the basics of the preferred area of specialisation

Semester 2&3

Explore Core Subjects

Delve deeper into the preferred area of specialisation:

  • Wide range of Camera, Lighting and Grip Equipment

Continue with Liberal Arts Education.

Semester 4

Advanced Study in the Area of Specialisation

MA (Film & Media) – Major in Direction and Cinematography will help students:

  • Build Technical Skills
  • Get Project-based Experiential Learning in the area of specialisation
  • Gain wider exposure to a wide range of media

*During the course of their studies, students develop their professional portfolio.

Upon completion of the course, students have the option of entering the industry through our placement office, freelancing, or continuing with their post-graduate education. They can also follow the path of Entrepreneurship.

Career
      Choices

  • Filmmaker
  • Director of Photography
  • Assistant Cinematographer
  • Assistant Gaffers
  • Lighting Chief
  • Television Cameraman
  • DI Colorist
  • Cinematographers specialised in genres like Documentary, Advertising, Corporate Films, OTT and New-Media Platforms
  • Cinematographer and Visualiser for Visual Effects, Live Events Shooting and Online Multi-cam

Student
      Pathways

Faculty

Ramchandra PN
Professor and HOD - Direction

  • Award winning Filmmaker, Film Academician and Film Appreciator with over three decades of experience in making feature length films, documentaries – short and long, Fictional short films and T.V. programs, teaching, writing criticism and the theoretical aspects about it.
  • Conducted workshops at FTII (Pune), Whistling Woods International (Mumbai), LV Prasad Film Institute (Chennai), Sarojini Naidu School of Communication(Hyderabad) among others.
  • Selection Committee member for commissioning of Documentaries and short films for Films Division (FD), Samaj Pragati Sahayog (SPS), Madhya Pradesh; Language and Culture Department (LAC), Government of Himachal Pradesh; and Rough Cut Committee at Films Division
  • Chairman, Jury and pre-selection jury at various film festivals.

Pradyatan Bera
Member of Faculty for Direction

  • A filmmaker, writer, editor, researcher and an academician.
  • Studied Direction and Screenplay Writing from Film and Television Institute of India and Master of Arts, Film Studies, Jadavpur University.
  • His film ‘Bhumigat’, won the Special Jury Prize at Indian film festival of Bhubaneshwar, 2019.
  • Has been actively involved as an editor and associate on a documentary film, Toward Happy Alleys, which reflects on the condition of women in Iran.
  • Chief Assistant Director of a French Production named ’Kolkata, 8:30a.m.’, directed by Adriano Valerio, Associate Director in ‘A knock on the door’, directed by Ranjan Palit, currently editing a documentary on ‘Tiger Widows in Sunderban’ while working on a feature length script.
  • Has conducted various workshops on Direction and Editing
  • Interests include humane stories and folktales.
Linkedin

Mr. Zaid Ali Khan
Member of Faculty for Film Direction

  • Alumnus Central Film School, London
  • Successfully released his first Feature Film, ‘Khwaabb’ in 2014 and has worked on several award-winning documentaries and corporate films
  • His recent international collaborations include work with The Economist, UK and a Canadian Netflix Documentary
Linkedin Imdb

Mr. Raman Iyer
Head of Department

  • Alumnus FTII, Pune
  • Over 20 years of experience in Television and Film Industry as a Director of Photography
  • Won best Cinematography awards for short films telecasted on regional TV channels in 2003 and 2005.
  • Accredited as DP for feature films in Malayalam, documentaries, television shorts, and commercials.
Linkedin

Mr. Sistla VKM
Member of Faculty for Cinematography

  • Diploma in Film Technology (D.F.Tech), Film & TV Production (Cinematography).
  • Over 7 years’ experience in industry and academia.
  • Prior experience as cinematographer for a documentary film for Indian Army – Recruitment Camp, Assistant Cameraman for Tamil feature films and Assistant Director of Photography for number of South Indian TV serials for SUN TV, Asianet, and Star Vijay, etc.
Linkedin Imdb

Chinmayi Sirsi
Member of Faculty for Film Studies

  • MA (Literature), English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad
  • PhD (English), University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles
  • 6 years experience with undergraduate teaching in liberal arts, writing, and literature. Also has a background in journalism.
  • Believes budding filmmakers need as much practice thinking through questions of representation and social justice as they do learning technical skills and uses a humanities-based approach to cultivate critical and analytical thinking skills in students.
  • Chinmayi teaches courses in visual culture, storytelling, literature in translation, adaptation, and creative writing.
  • She also serves on the Graduate Film Committee.
Linkedin Imdb

Arun John
Member of Faculty for Liberal Arts

  • MA (Communication), Sarojini Naidu School of Communication, University of Hyderabad.
  • Pursuing PhD at the Department of Communication, Sarojini Naidu School of Communication, University of Hyderabad, working on Community Radio in South India.
  • Seven years of combined experience working in the Communication industries and teaching.
  • Has worked with the Solution Exchange Program of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), New Delhi as a Research Assistant for the ICT4D Community.
  • Started academic career as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, St Francis College for Women, Hyderabad.
  • Believes in the emancipatory power of education and strives to contribute to the well-being of the society by fostering democratic dialogue, critical thinking and informed action.
  • Teaches courses in media theory, culture studies, contemporary political history, political economy of media industries, Social theory and Media Research.
  • Vice-Chairperson of the Participatory Communication Research Section (PCR) of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR)

Commonly
     Asked Questions

Annapurna College is the only film school that offers dual specialisation. Direction + Editing / Cinematography/ Sound/ Script writing/ Production. And there is a reason for it. In the Industry, successful directors have often started their career either in the technical fields (Editing / Cinematography / Sound), as a Scriptwriter or as a Line Producer. Over a period of time, they have gained experience, gained expertise, polished their skills, built their teams and are ready to direct a film.  The Industry is tough and demanding. A dual specialisation means dual skills – something that will help you start off your career and build it to your role of a director. Names to consider are Santosh Sivan (DOP and now Director), Sanjay Leela Bhansali/ Vidhu Vinod Chopra (Editing and now Director), Sriram Raghavan (Script Writer and now Director). We not just attempt placements for our students; but also ensure that we support them in building their career.

It is good to hear that you have absolute clarity on what you want to do and we do hope that you will be able to do so. Annapurna College has a process that needs to be adhered to. There is a SET (Specialisation Entrance Test) that will be conducted at the end of Semester 2. Your attendance for the 1st two semesters and your internal exam scores will be considered along with SET and then specialisation offered. Hence,  you will need to ensure that your attendance and scores are not just good, but the best. It’s a tough competition and hence there are limited seats in each specialisation.

Affiliation
           and Eligibility

Annapurna College of Film and Media is affiliated with Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University (JNAFAU), Hyderabad. The Degree is given by JNAFAU, Hyderabad.
Eligibility: Bachelor’s Degree in any field with 2-3 years of industry experience or
Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication / Visual Communication or
A Degree in a related discipline, with minimum marks of 50%.

Mandatory: Students are required to carry their portfolio of creative work during the Admission Interview.

For further details regarding the Admission Process, Course Fees and Student Support for Financial Aid,
please call our Student Support Helpline: 1800-572-4736 or write to us at info@acfm.edu.in