Amity University Gwalior Organises Film-Making Workshop under Cineaste 2015

AMITY UNIVERSITY GWALIOR ORGANISES FILM-MAKING WORKSHOP UNDER CINEASTE 2015

A film-making workshop was organised by Amity School of Communication, Amity University Gwalior on the 19th of March, 2015 within the premises as a part of Cineaste 2015. All students who had a taste for the art attended the session and got to learn the nuances of film-making.
The Resource persons for the workshop were, Mr Pranshu Kaushal, an actor best known for his role in television serials like Manzil Apni Apni and Fiza. He has recently debuted in a Bollywood movie called Hum Hain Teen Khurafaati which is set to release this year. He is an Amity alumnus and has also completed his Diploma in Film Making from the New York
Film Academy, U.S.A.

During the workshop Mr Kaushal spoke about his life as an actor and outlined its graph. ‘There are ups and downs and you can’t lose hope, you need to maintain yourself, take care of yourself, trust and respect your director as he is the captain of the ship’, said Mr. Kaushal. He also emphasized that one needs to remain focused on the track, pray as it helps a lot and cooperate with people one is working with. Mr. Kaushal gracefully answered a lot of queries from students, making it a very interactive session.
The second guest for the workshop was Mr. Ashish Rao. While Kaushal talked about things in front of the camera, Ashish highlighted on things behind the camera. Mr. Ashish Rao is a wildlife photographer and a wildlife documentary film maker who makes documentaries for the National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel. Besides, he is also working as an Assistant Professor, and Senior Manager, ASCO Studio, AUUP. He has studied Photography and Digital Photography at the New York Film Academy and Deakin University, Australia.
Mr. Rao stated that Filmmaking needs a subject and travelling gives the opportunity for research, which is of paramount importance in film-making. According to Mr. Rao, one needs to observe, notice, and inbibe. “It is not about dream or creation. Research and information gathering plays a pivotal part, especially when we go for documentary filmmaking”, said Mr Rao. One needs facts so that he/she can turn it into a story that can be understood by people. He also mentioned that a documentary revolves around a central point. He showed the students the kind of cameras and the techniques that are required for the work. He also showed the students his recent documentary for Discovery Channel and highlighted the techniques and skills that were used in it.
The entire session was engrossing and enlightening and acted as a window to the art of film-making for students. There was a lot of interaction, and the entire workshop was successfully conducted and well appreciated by those who attended it.

Amity University Madhya Pradesh organized CINEASTE 2015

CINEASTE 2015- A Tribute to Films and Cinema by ASCO,  Amity University Gwalior
Amity School of Communication, Amity University, celebrated its Annual Film Festival “CINEASTE 2015” on 18th March 2015.

The chief guest for the event was the National Award winning actor Rajkumar Rao of Kai Po Che, Queen, Citylights and Shahid fame. A versatile actor, Rajkumar Rao shared his knowledge and experience related to his life and work in an interactive session with the students. Calling himself a learner still, he told the students how closely he could relate to them.

He shared the experience of his bollywood journey and got nostalgic recalling his first break in the industry and his National Award winning performance in Shahid. He answered all the questions put forward by the students very tactfully and even fulfilled the wish of one of his fans to have a dance with him. His energy and charming presence filled everyone with enthusiasm.

The event was also graced by the presence of Media Expert Mrs. Rachna Johri. She has about two decades of experience in areas of National Production and Development of Communication for Broadcast media and Audio- visual teaching in music production and Radio Broadcast. Deeply rooted in executive, business and management skills, Mrs. Johri has worked with Doordarshan Delhi, BIG FM, ISRO and has been a visiting faculty at DAVV University, Indore.

The film festival invited movies and documentaries from all over the country and was successful in receiving more than 50 entries, out of which a selected few were chosen to be screened during the event. The event started with an audio- visual tribute to 100 years of Indian Cinema, prepared by the ASCO students, followed by an innovative ‘ASCO Showreel’ showcasing the fantastic members of faculty of Team ASCO – the organisers and conveners of this event.

‘Telegram’, a heartwarming movie from Indore based on invasion of modern technology on the primitive telegram system, won the award for the Best Film. ‘Pristine Waters’ from Noida was selected in the Best Script category. The movie focused on the importance and utility of river Yamuna in the lives of the people and showed a contrasting phase of it getting adversely polluted due to human activities. The award for the Best Direction was grabbed by the movie ‘Poverty Nemesis’, by ASCO, AUMP students that depicted an emotional story of a son carrying forward the lineage of poverty inherited by him from his father. Prizes worth Rs.50000 were awarded to the winners of Cineaste 2015.

Cinesta 15 was intended to encourage the art of film making by appreciating the efforts and vision of the people associated with this field and also to inspire prospective film-makers among the students.

Amity University Madhya Pradesh Organises Theatre Workshop under Cineaste 2015

AMITY UNIVERSITY MADHYA PRADESH ORGANISES THEATRE WORKSHOP UNDER CINEASTE 2015

17th March 2015

A Theatre Workshop was organised by Amity School of Communication, Amity University Gwalior on 17th March 2015. The workshop was organised under the annual film fest Cineaste. The objective of the  workshop was  to illuminate the basics of the art of acting and theatre for the students.

The workshop was conducted by eminent theatre artist Mr. Zulfiqar Khan. Zulfiqar Khan is a theatre graduate from Punjab University,Chandigarh, and is the Founder - President of a non-profit organisation ‘Theatre Age’, based in Chandigarh. He was also featured in the 'Stories of Hope and Courage’ series by CNN IBN for his noble work of giving acting and theatre lessons to the under-privileged sections of the society and he has literally given “new roles” to street children. He expressed his ambition of letting the children escape the fate of their forefathers by providing them opportunities for a bright future. He shared success stories of children’s transformation from rag pickers to makeup artists or from beggars to assistant directors.

The session was full of fun and learning with more than 100 students participating in it. Mr. Khan opined that “Shame is the poison for an actor”, and so the students were trained for open and loud expression of emotions like happiness, sorrow, anger or agony. Mr. Khan explained how the road going towards making of a versatile actor passes through simple exercises like laughing freely, crying loudly and being spontaneous. Explaining the qualities of an actor, Mr. Zulfiqar told that it’s all about presenting a lie in the form of a truth. Showing the excellence of his learning and with the enthusiastic participation of the students, an on-the-spot skit was performed very marvellously.

Apart from a practical session, Zulfiqar interacted with the students and elaborated on the significance of acting and theatre, and how it is different from cinema. The discussion brought about the differences in acting on the stage in front of an audience, and acting for cinema.  Do’s and don’ts for the theatre were discussed, emphasising the importance of loud and emphatic acting in a theatre because actors have to make the audience ‘hear’ their acting. He was keen on focusing on the facts that theatre inculcates life-skills and values among people. His blazing energy throughout the session kept the students engrossed during the entire workshop.

On being asked about his passion towards theatre and the zeal to transfer his knowledge to the budding talents, Mr. Zulfiqar said that it was his struggle that inspired him and continues to do so till date. He called it his privilege to get an opportunity to contribute to the society with his work and also help posterity to achieve their dreams.

The workshop proved to be a great brush up session for the students – a perfect blend of entertainment, exposure and learning.

Captivated audience during the workshop

Mr. Julfiqar Khan teaching students skills of theater acting

Students enacting a Scene given by Mr. Julfiqar Khan