Organized by Nepal chapter of GRAFTII (Graduates of Film & Television Institute), Pune, the workshop entitled “Cinema for the new generation” has been aimed at Nepali filmmakers and enthusiasts. [break]
Shyam Benegal, one of India’s prominent film directors, Rakesh Ranjan, sound engineer, and Rajan Kothari, cinematographer from GRAFTII, India, conducted the workshop.
Speaking on the occasion, Saroj Kumar Wagley, a member of GRAFTII Nepal, shared, “The program was organized to help boost Nepali film industry.”
During the workshop, Benegal shed some light on different aspects of filmmaking and also answered queries from film enthusiasts.
“Creativity is the most important thing in film industry,” he said, adding, “Movies should be made in such a way that they will have wider appeal not by imitating but by creating your own unique products.”
Handling a peculiar theme and understanding the universality of the situation is important, he said.
Highlighting the cultural similarities between India and Nepal, Benegal said, “There’s so much there to be discovered in Nepali cinema.
The film-makers should concentrate on that and should be able to sustain and inspire the audience.” he said.
When queried by one of the participants if the ‘aesthetic value’ in film-making was achieved through sound or visuals, Benegal replied, “Aesthetics deals with everything and it has a lot to do with sensibility.
It is not limited to sounds and visuals but also rests on consciousness.”
Benegal further said cinema as an industry has become part of mainstream culture and when you make a film “there can be either rejection or acceptance.”
Benegal also urged not to rely on cheap imitation. “It should be timely and credible.”
Meanwhile, Rakesh Ranjan and Rajan Kothari shared their film-making experience.
In filmmaking, the art of storytelling is very important, opined Ranjan. “There’s a constant interplay between sounds and visuals.”
The workshop, overall, focused on script writing, direction, and the role of sounds and audio visuals. A documentary on the history of film-making was also shown on the occasion.
Meanwhile, it was informed that a workshop on ‘cinematography techniques’ will be conducted by Rajan Kothari On February 12.
Similarly, screenings of GRAFTII films by Nepali and Indian students will be held at Nepal Bharat Library.
On the final day, February 13, Rakesh Ranjan will conduct a workshop on ‘sound techniques’ at Yala Maya Kendra, Patan.
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