The course begins with an orientation into the world of Ad films. Students are given a detailed run through of the entire history of Ad film making and the important of Ad films in the current market scenario. This orientation is crucial in order to create the necessary historical and ideological context within which Ad film making thrives. Apart from the history of Ad films, students are also given an introduction to the history of cinema in general and are taught how the changes in film grammar have affected the evolution of Ad films.

At an abstract level any Film Maker basically deals with only two elements – Space and Time. The conceptual rendition of reality by efficiently using limited units of space and limited brackets of time is skill unique to the world of film making. The Ad film making course places a large importance upon the basic and through understanding of the concepts of Space and Time in Cinema and especially in Ad film making, where the short duration forces the film maker to use space and time optimally.

At Digital Academy – The Film School, we believe that good script writing is the backbone of good film making. The ability to convert a germ of an idea into a polished script requires theory training and practice. The Ad film making course at Digital Academy – The Film School concentrates on a step by step development of script writing skills starting with writing basic actuality trip reports and silent one character one space exercises to full blown Ad film scripts involving many characters and spaces along with sophisticated sound design. Inputs are also given about how drama is created through conflict and how the graph of dramatic tension is delineated in various story structures.

In order to break a rule, one must learn initially to follow it. The Ad film making practice today involves many departures from classical continuity roots. But without a thorough grounding, in classical continuity principles, it will be impossible for Film Makers to deviate away from them. That is why at Digital Academy – The Film School, we give great importance to the understanding of correct continuity principles. Positional, relational and directional continuity is taught not only theoretically but through carefully graded practical assignments which teach the student how spatial and temporal continuity is maintained even in complex situations.

While visual literacy is important for all film makers, it is critical for those who wish to make Ad films. The course places utmost importance to the development of sophisticated visual imagination and a deep understanding of viewers’ psycho-perceptual response to visual design starting with the basic elements of visual design like line, shape, form, colour, texture and scale. We impart a thorough knowledge of the principles of visual composition like balance, harmony, contrast, contradiction, visual tension, depth, perspective, rhythm, individuation and articulation. Detailed inputs are also given in colour theory using Itten’s classic colour wheel, along with specific cultural responses to colour as also the basic synesthetic connection between colour and emotion. Graphics both as part of visual composition and as typography is another area that the students are given detailed inputs on. The use of textures and the deep psychological relationship between image recall and textures is also taught in great detail. Overall, the visual literacy module ensures that the student develops the requisite aesthetic sensibilities which differentiates an average film maker from an Ad film maker.

The broad objective of the Ad film making course is to combine theory and practice in a seamless fabric so, apart from grammatical and aesthetic inputs, great emphasis is also laid on modes of practical execution of ideas. Inputs are given in Production Design, Production Planning, Budgeting, Scheduling, Location recee’s, Casting and preparing Post Production workflows. Students are given detailed inputs on how to make prop lists, costume lists, call sheets, continuity sheets and log sheets. They are also given detailed technical information regarding workflows specific to celluloid, digibeta, DVCAM, HD, 2k and 4k workflows. They are also given information about audio workflows, in pre-production, production and post production. In all the students are given a deep and detailed insight about all the technical and practice related aspects of Ad film making.

The art of shot designing acquires special significance in Ad film making. The combined dynamics and the special syntactical relationships of actor movements, camera movements, lensing, lighting and composition – all combing to make a single cognizable articulation – is what Mis-en-Scene involves . In Ad films a lot of information needs to be compressed in small units of space and time. Also clarity of articulation is of paramount importance. Hence, specially designed Mis-en-Scene practicals, as well as theory classes have been created for this course to enable students to master the craft of shot designing for Ad films.

The art of Montage making involves not only understanding how a juxtaposition of images creates meaning but it also involves the larger philosophical understanding of the structure of syntax itself. The various conceptual approaches to Montage making, be it the classical American style, the French new wave style or the Russian approach are all necessary mental precepts which help in making dynamic and unforgettable Ads. Through detailed analysis of well known Ad films, as well as live demonstration of Montage making, the course ensures that the student is aesthetically well prepared to make Montages which are effective for the purpose of Ad film making.

The role of sound in Cinema is well known, but in Ad films, sound designing acquires special importance. Sound combines with the picture to create an image. These combined images juxtaposed in the correct manner together create that larger memory which triggers the recall so necessary for actuating sales or creating brands. Sound design therefore is an inseparable and intrinsic part of the creative process of Ad film making. The course gives specialized inputs in jingle concepts, jingle recording, track laying, dubbing and mixing. Not only are the students trained in the technical workflows of sound designing but are also trained aesthetically to use sound along with pictures to create effective Ad’s

Ad film making is all about innovation and fresh thinking. In the crowded space where ad-films compete with each other, it is only those whacky and out-of-the-box ideas that get the eye-balls and the mind space. At Digital Academy- the film school, we not only pay attention to the theory and practice of ad-film making, but also try to unleash and unlock the latent creativity of students through a series of fun practicals. In these practicals students are encouraged to play with funny crazy ideas and concepts. They are also asked to run riot with color designing, graphic designing, and copy writing. The idea is to help students develop a personality that is comfortable with mind bending imagination and is not conservative in its approach.

In this project the students are introduced to the special ways in which film makers observe reality. Students are generally taken to some public place and made to record on paper, the visuals they see and the sounds they hear. By doing this, the students realize how reality needs to be subjectively observed in order to showcase the latent meanings of any space.

3 Shot Continuity Exercise
This project involves taking three static shots which create a seamless space-time continuum. It is a basic exercise to test a student’s conceptual grasp of physical continuity be it positional, directional or relational. The understanding of physical continuity forms the basic foundation of film grammar and is a basic craft-skill that any film maker needs to know.

Drawing Story Boards
Story boards are an integral part of Ad-film conceptualization and visualization process. The students are expected to develop free hand drawing skills in order to communicate their visual imagination. The students are also introduced to various story-boarding software, but the project requires them to work with free hand drawing however rudimentary it may be.

Presentation of full Script with Story Board
In this project the students are expected to present a full fledged Ad-film screenplay comprising of concept note, treatment note, and description of action, dialogues, voice-overs and on-screen graphic text. They are also expected to present a complete story-board using free hand drawing.

Diploma Ad-Film
The final project is the diploma Ad-film which each student will shoot using crew members from other specialization streams of Digital Academy- the film school. The editing and sound post production of the diploma ad-film will be done at the in-house facilities of Digital Academy. The films will be judged on parameters like quality of ideas, quality of visual design, quality of sound design and innovation. This film will serve as the students’ show reel.

Careers in Ad-Film making

A career in Ad-film making is undoubtedly both creatively satisfying as well as highly remunerative. Ad-film makers have the option of working as independent freelancers or work for production houses. Career graphs are totally dependent on each individual’s brilliance and capability. It is not uncommon to hear about some young bright mind going right to the top in almost no time. It is a profession where seniority doesn’t count for much and new talent is always in with a chance to hit the big time. Financially speaking, Ad-film makers can expect to earn much more than Film and TV directors because they are able to work on many more projects per time and the budgets in each project are generally quite high. After completing the Ad-film making course at Digital Academy, students may have to work as Assistant Directors or Production Assistants for some time before working as full fledged professional Ad-film makers. This however is no set-rule and it is also quite possible to straight away start working on Ad-film projects as a Ad-film Director. After that, as they say, the sky is the limit.