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The Story behind Delhi Belly
With an aim to feed the passion among students for the magical world of Film making, we, at Digital Academy – The Film School (DA), conduct various seminars to provide students exposure to the journey of stalwarts within the Industry. We recently organised a seminar on Scriptwriting which was conducted by Akshat Verma, Scriptwriter of the latest Bollywood hit Delhi Belly.

On Delhi Belly
The whole script sprang from just one idea – ceiling fans – Verma's fear of it falling off the ceiling and the consequences that might follow. It took 10 months to write the first draft and a whole year to rewrite. But when it comes to pitching your script in Bollywood, he says, all you can do is drop copies of your script at all the top Production Houses.

This is what Verma actually did and finally got a call from Aamir Khan Productions when Kiran Rao read his script, which happened to be the third she picked from a pile of several scripts submitted. The idea, Verma says, is to have a story that grabs people right from the first page and keeps you engrossed right to the end.

Regarding the controversy on the 'swearing' in the script, Akshat Verma justified saying that he intended to show the 'swearing' as a reflection of the characters and not as a reflection of society. It was intended to make the characters authentic.

On the key points of Scriptwriting

Scriptwriting, Verma says, is not about the theme. The idea is in knowing:

What the character wants?
Why he/she wants it? and
What happens if he or she doesn't get it?
So the whole idea is in building conflict and eventually resolving this conflict, as this is what makes the movie go forward. The idea, Verma says, is to have a story that grabs people right from the first page and keeps you engrossed right to the end.

On the rules & structure of Scriptwriting
Any and every script, be it for a full length feature or a documentary, has to be broken down into three acts:

First act: this should be roughly about 30 minutes (depends on the length of the Film) and by the end of this act, some kind of conflict needs to happen.
Second act: By the middle of the second act, the character needs to discover who he/she is and what needs to be done to resolve the conflict.
Third act: This is the act where the character finally wins!
Verma advises never to underestimate your audience as they are two steps ahead of you, and therefore you need to be ahead of them. They shouldn't feel, "Oh... I know where this is going..." That's the challenge and fun of writing.

On getting paid for your script and reserving IPR
In terms of payment break-up, ideally what happens is:

10-15% of the entire payment is what you get as the signing amount.
You get paid next only when the shooting of the Film starts.
The rest of the payment comes when the Film releases and is screened in the theatres.
In the end, he mentioned something really inspirational. He said that if you have the drive for writing, do not get bothered by the pay. A fresher will be treated & paid like a fresher be it in any industry! All you have to do is stay alert & be prepared for the challenges.

Digital Academy – The Film School (DA) has been committed to excellence since its inception in 2002. As part of this commitment to students, the school in association with Mumbai University, held a seminar on Post Graduation Diploma in Films & Television (PGDFT) for students at the Garware Institute in Kalina Campus on Saturday, June 18th. The seminar was conducted by award-winning Spanish Cinematographer Dani Sanchez-Lopez, winner of the Cecil B. De Mille award for best Cinematography for 'HEAL'. Also present were the Director of DA, Mr. Kartikeya Talreja and the Director of Garware Insitute, Mr. Borude.

The seminar began with an award-winning Film made by the first batch of PGDFT students of DA. Following this, Dani made a presentation interspersed with Film clippings to explain how Filmmaking is a collaborative form of expression and what a person needs to become a Filmmaker. Apart from the obvious necessities like talent and money, Dani highlighted how important it is for a Filmmaker to know how to tell a story and how to do it captivatingly well.

Filmmakers are essentially audiovisual storytellers who tell stories through visuals, images and sound. There are 6 main creators of any Feature Film:

1. Producer, who is responsible for the delivery of the Film pitched to an investor

2. Screenwriter, who writes the story of the Film in images

3. Director, who is responsible for every aspect of the telling of the story (of the Film)

4. Actor, who submerges into the role of a character and personifies this character

5. Director of Photography or Cinematographer, who is responsible for the photographic aspects of the telling of a story (of a Film) and is responsible for everything that passes through the lens

6. Editor, who is in charge of the final narrative of the Film and selects the best Acting, the best shots and the best way to tell a story through editing

The session finally ended with a Q&A interaction where the Director of DA, Mr. Talreja and Dani answered questions on the courses privately available at DA as well as the Post Graduation course in Films & Television at Mumbai University. Mr. Talreja answered questions on the eligibilty criteria as well as the preparations required from students for the entrance test. He said that a prospective student would need to read the newspapers and be well versed with the current news.

The entrance test is to screen students on the basis of their communication skills. The writtten test will be on July 15th and if a prospective student clears this test, there will be a one-on-one interview with Mr. Talreja, the Director of DA or there might even be a panel interview with the prospective student. When asked about the prospects of a student in the Film industry after finishing the course, Mr.Talreja highlighted the fact that the course will help students hone their talent and skills as well as provide the technical 'know-how' and the appropriate environment with like-minded people. All these factors elevate the chances of students to get a good foothold in the industry through the right placements. Seeing the participants teeming with curiosity, it seemed like DA will be honing the skills of many future Filmmakers to come!

KJ Singh, the renowned Sound Engineer / Producer for many leading music directors and bands in India visited ‘Digital Academy – The Film School’ to share his experiences with the Sound Recording and Engineering students on the future directions of the recording industry.

Mr.K J Singh has won the Pro Sound Systems - AES India Awards 2006 and 2007 for Mixing/ Mastering the Best Recorded Film Soundtrack for ‘Tere Bina’ from the film Guru, and ‘Tu Bin Bataye’ from the film Rang De Basanti, both composed by AR Rahman. He was nominated for the Best Song Recording for the filmSatya for the Lux Zee Cine Awards in 1999. He has also won the Best Sound Design FILMFARE award for Omkara in 2007.

Mr.K J Singh began his workshop by sharing his early days of his career where he used to use true analog gear and his nostalgic experiences working with one of India’s leading sound engineer / producer, Mr. Daman Sood, who is the Head of Sound Department in Digital Academy. He then explained the revolution and advancement in modern music production and the concept of MIDI by demonstrating the Apogee GiO and its application as a guitar interface for Apple’s Logic Studio 9 and Mainstage 2 with total access to incredible sounding guitar amps and effects in a single foot controller.

Mr. Singh added, “Even though technology has been changed, all new digital recording platforms are designed in such a way that helps engineers like me who come from the analog days to utilize most features of an analog recording device in a contemporary fashion” that he validated by demonstrating Apple Logic Pro’s ‘varispeed’ function to track instruments.

He also emphasized on the role of mobile music production/playback devices and how it will mold the future of music making with the introduction of devices like Apple’s iPad where an artist can virtually bring the reality with the touch of a finger.

He was shown the new 5.1 surround sound studios at Digital Academy - The Film School and was very pleased by the facilities and equipment that the students were getting the opportunity to work on.

Kiran Deohans, the renowned Cinematographer of "Jodhaa Akbar", "Aks", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham" giving lecture to students of Digital Academy-The Film School.

Imtiaz Hussain, the writer of Films like "Parinda", "Is Raat ki Subah nahin", "Ghulam e Mustafa" and "Vaastav" giving a lecture on Screenwriting to students of DA-The Film School with a focus on writing for Gangster movies.

Shibani Bhatija, Writer of "fanaa","Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna", "kidnap" & "My Name is Khan" giving lecture on Screenwriting to students of Digital Academy.

Sajid Khan, Film maker of "Heyy Baby", "Darna Zaroori hai" and "Housefull" visited Digital Academy - The Film School to share his experiences with students of Cinema.He commenced by talking about his personal journey where he spoke about his obsession about watching films and owning the best Home Theatre money can buy....he said that he and his sister struggled a lot during their childhood, for they did go through a lot of financial problems...He said that he a poor rich kid because he never had enough money but he did have the best home theatre at that time. He spoke about his love for new film related technology especially the latest home theatre at his home and very happily said that he lives in a home theatre...

Speaking about his personal life, he shared that the only reason he has not got married is because he cannot love another human being more than Cinema. He did have a few relationships.Sajid mentioned that he rather make a film which is given no stars by the critics and is a box office hit rather than make a film that gets appreciated by the critics and is a commercial flop. When he was a critic, he always criticised films as a viewer.

He said that the greatest high he had experienced was when his film "Housefull" ran for many weeks. He along with his editor, Akshay Kumar and Ritiesh Deshmukh and other star cast went to Chandan Cinema in Juhu to experience the audience's reaction on the 20th day after the release. He said that for a Director, there is no greater high than seeing the audience enjoys his/her Film.

He advised students never to download movies from the net because it kills the experience of watching it from an original DVD and also it very unfair to the Producer and the industry overall.
Speaking about Actor's, he said that the reason Manmohan Desai could make many films in a year was that he would lure the Actor's of that time with money which would in return get him the dates. Today's Actors think very differently. They are very professional and committed. They are all looking forward to doing good work and building a brand for themselves by working with talented Directors.

Speaking on Actor handling, he spoke about his experience with Akshay Kumar. He said that Akshay is very gifted with a knack of comedy. He always knows what antic or situation performed by him will get a reaction from the audience. He said that many a times, after an Ok take, Akshay would suggest another one with an improvised performance. On the editing table, Akshay would prove to be right.

Sajid said that shooting on the set is the easiest thing to do.The difficult portion is the planning, which is very time consuming and the most important thing any Film Maker should do.
Kartikeya Talreja, Director, of the film school said that it was wonderful knowing the first hand experience of a film Maker especially from a man who is so obsessed and passionate about Films.

Sajid was very happy visiting Digital Academy - The Film School and with the students who were very enthusiatic a similar passion for the medium.

On the occasion of announcement of it second year of the Post Graduate course in Films and Television by Mumbai University in association with Digital Academy - The Film School at it's Kalina Campus, the guest of honour, Saurabh Shukla, the renowned Film Maker, Actor and Scriptwriter spoke about the wonderful world of Cinema. .

Speaking on the topic of " Careers in Cinema ", Mr Shukla said that to be a Film Maker, one should obviously know the art of Direction but should acquire knowledge of all aspects of Cinema or at least have the working knowledge in areas of Cinematography, Writing, Editing, Acting and Production Design. He recalled his own days as a student in Delhi when he was studying for his M.Com when he was trying to be a " Nobody " He said that that was the time when he sensed a certain calling towards theatre and dramatics.He said that he was never formally educated in anything that is part of his profession.Those days, he said, when I look back, I worked very very hard but it was not work....everything that I did gave me a lot of joy...Every morning , after waking up, I felt the eagerness to go to the theatre for rehearsals, I read and analysed a lot of literature..and tried to analyse great works to the best of my ability....but had I been formally trained, I would have gone further and at a much quicker pace.Mr Shukla said " The greatest thing that formal education gives you is a way, a much richer scientific and methodical path. I never had an opportunity that you people are getting now.

He said that the if a person is talented and works sincerely, he is bound to be successful in the world of Film and television which could not only pay very well, but also give enormous satisfaction and recognition. As a parting note, he said that in the journey that the students were about embark upon, he suggested to make the best use of all that they will get and wished the students all the very best .

Ashok Mehta, one of India's most celebrated Cinematographer with acclaimed films like Bandit Queen, 36 Chowringhee lane etc visited Digital Academy - The Film School to speak to it students on the Art of Cinematography. Mr Mehta did touch upon his fascinating journey from a canteen boy in a Film Studio to becoming one of India's most respected Directors of Photography in current Hind Cinema today.

Upon being asked by one of the students on the working relationship between the Director and the Cinematographer , Mr mehta replied " It is important that the Director & Cinematographer communicate with each other. The Director should explain what he requires & wants to achieve in the scene. As long as the communication channel is open between them there is no reason why they will not be on the same page. At times some Directors are unable to express themselves. So the Cinematographer should probe him to find out what he exactly wants. Some Directors give total freedom to the Cinematographer to shoot the scene. The style of functioning differs from one Director to another. But it is essential that they both communicate, through whichever means, in order to understand each other."

The students were delighted to have such a big personality from the industry who has really worked his way up to achieve a status which very few can reach.

Digital Academy – The Film School, Mumbai had the privilege to have the renowned Filmmaker Mr Ketan Mehta of Mangal Pandey, Mirch Masala fame address the students on the world of Cinematic storytelling. Mr Mehta spoke on his own fascinating journey which began with the making of his first Film Bhavni Bhavai, which won many awards and brought him a lot of critical acclaim worldwide. He told the students that he had a lot of trouble arranging finance for the film and with a lot of difficulty he arranged three and a half lakhs to produce the film. He said that he just wanted the film to happen no matter what and did not sleep till the film was finally made. He said that in this field, passion is the greatest driver .

He then spoke about his film Mirch Masala, how literature influenced the the story and screenplay of the film and how just the art of listening to people around him during research inspired him to have a better ending as compared to the original story.He then spoke of his blockbuster with Aamir Khan, " Mangal Pandey - The Rising ' and the difficulty while doing research that went in the making of the Film. He said that very little is known about Mangal Pandey and most of the records availible are by British people. There were also controversies surrounding the contribution of Mangal Pandey in the Mutiny of 1857. He said that the most important theme that surrounds all his films is the sense of freedom and he always chooses stories of his films that revovle around it. Upon being asked by a student whose query was that his upcoming short student film had a well etched plot but the character did not have a defined character arc, Ketan replied that there is nothing wrong in breaking the rules but we must know the rules first....

The students were delighted to have such a session with such a renowned Film Maker and were very inspired with all his advice and wisdom that he imparted.

Paresh Mokashi , Writer, Director of the Marathi film " Harishchandrachi factory " or " The factory of Harishchandra', India's entry to the Oscars, while on a visit to Digital Academy - The Film School, surprised the students when he said that he had never assisted any Film maker before he started making this film and also revealed that the first time that he ever visited a Film set was for this debut film of his. He had been part of Marathi theatre for a long time as an actor, writer and Director . He said that the greatest two qualities that any Film Maker should have apart from the know how of the technique of Film Making is clarity of mind and stubbornness. He said that most of what he learnt about Film making was by seeing films, many made by the masters of Cinema. He said that he did spend a lot time watching the treasures of world cinema in the National Film Archives in Pune and it is by watching these films that he enhanced his visual sense and knowledge. He said that this is what helped him have clarity of mind as to what he wanted the film to look like and this was most of the battle won. If a Director is confused, then the crew will take over the decision making and ultimately the look of the film will reflect that. Once a director knows what he wants, stubbornness helps in sticking to his decisions.

Speaking about the film's journey, he said that patience is a necessary quality in this business. He said the the budget of this period film was about 3.5 crores , an unusually high figure for an Indian regional film whose recovery in the box office is very difficult. He said the when he selected his crew, all of them ie the cinematographer, costume designer etc had never done a single film independently before.After the wait for finance of almost three years, he was the only person in the crew who was making his debut...all of the other technicians were experienced by a few films...

Paresh then spoke about research he had to do for a period subject such as this. The film concentrates about a period in the life of Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema, when he made his first film " Raja ( King) Harishhandra". The entire story deliberately was chosen not to be a biographic but about the time when Phalke was Directing and producing his first film. It was also given a humorous touch because Mr Phalke, according to many sources did have a good sense of humor. Research was an exciting part of the process because not only the city and costumes looked different, also the sound of the rickshaws operating then had to be sourced and or produced to get as close as possible to the original.

Speaking on the Oscars, he said thet I am not surprised the my film did not make it to the final list of the Oscars as the final five were much better than my own film.He was happy to inform that the next film revolves around an archaeological treasure hunt and is linked to the journey of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata .

The students were very enlightened by the visit of Mr Mokashi and after being given a tour of the Film School, Mr Mokashi was delighted with the facilities of the school, its vision and objectives of creating visionary Film makers of tomorrow.

Anil Sharma, the Director of the block buster "Gadar : Ek Prem Katha" gave an interactive lecture to students of Digtal Academy - The Film School. Mr Sharma,spoke about his earlier days in the Film Industry and said that it was he perseverance and patience that helped him succeed. He narrated a story about how he signed Rakhee for a thousand rupees which incidentally he had borrowed from his Aunt....and his rise began from " Shradhanjali ".

He also shared his experiences from "Gadar : Ek Prem Katha " that it was a screenplay inspired from a true story and the trials an turbulence's and joy's he faced as a Film Maker during the making of it.

He lamented on the fact that he is now tagged as an action film Director said that it is ironical that he never had flair of watching action films and even today he only sees clippings from action films and not the whole film ever. He is a great fan of comedy films and is desperate to make one but is getting no Producer for the same.

He really congratulated Digital Academy - The Film School for it's great contribution in the world of Film and TV education.

Raju Singh, the acclaimed National award winning background music composer of the award winning films like "Chandni Bar" and "Page 3" gave a very inspiring lecture to the students of Digital Academy - The Film School on background score for Films and Television.

He stressed on the infinite possibilities when composing about back ground scores and also stressed on the importance in acquiring knowledge of good music by a Film Maker, for him/her to decide on the musical piece which one should use for the scene or a signature tune of a soap...
Talking about his Mentor, the great Music Director Shri R.D. Burman, he said that panchum dada was highly innovative for he always thought out of the box and was not afraid to experiment with sounds and the source from where he could possibly get them. He gave examples of how Dada obtained certain foley sounds by gargling and some but making a hole in an earthen pot and then playing from a cello string which he passed through it.
The students were very inspired and enlightened by Mr Raju Singh thought process about the world of Sound Design.

Film Maker Rohit Jugraj, Director of "James" and "Superstar" discussing “Contemporary World Cinema and its influence on celebrated Indian Film Makers with the students of Digital Academy – The Film School.

Ms. Nasreen Munni Kabir the achiever of the Women of Achievement Award in Arts & Culture (1999) is an Indian-born Television Producer, her work includes the 46-part series “Movie Mahal”, “In Search of Guru Dutt”, “Follow that Star” (a profile of Amitabh Bachchan) and Channel 4 series such as “How To Make It Big In Bollywood”. She has also written 9 books on Hindi Cinema including LATA IN HER OWN VOICE, GURU DUTT A life in Cinema and more, interacting with the students of Digital Academy – The Film School.

Mr. Mushatq Sheikh the Writer-cum-Fashion Choreographer-cum-Author,who has scripted various Films, namely “Om Shanti Om”, “Hey Baby”,“Ashoka” and is also the Author of “ Still Reading Khan”, a book on the story of Shah Rukh Khan’s journey to stardom, sharing his experience with the students of Digital Academy – The Film School.

Omi Vaidya, the noted Actor, who had the entire nation in splits by essaying the role of Chatur or Silencer with utmost ease shared his experience with the students of Digital Academy – The Film School.

He got nostalgic and spoke about his own days as a student while attending Film School in the US. He gave the students a lot of insight about the real world when he spoke about his experiences while working with his co-stars Aamir Khan and Director Raju Hirani and the wonderful team of “ 3 Idiots”.

He spoke extensively about hard work that he had to do for getting into the character of “ Chatur “. Having being trained in the art of Editing and other avenues of Film making, he also gave the students advice on making better movies. At an ending note, he had the entire audience into splits when he once again delivered his famous speech of “ Chamatkaar “ and more. He was extremely impressed with the faculty, facilities and students of Digital Academy – The Film School and said that he will not be surprised to see the next generation of acclaimed Directors and Technicians very soon from here.The Actor nurtures a dream of being a Filmmaker in the future as the job of a Director may not be glamorous but very satisfying. He does not want to get typecast into the same category but is game for interesting roles.

This newcomer is sure a Promising actor and is here to stay for a long time with his innate acting skills and talent.

Prominent Filmmaker R.Balki, with crtically acclaimed Films like “Paa” and “Cheeni Kum” to his credit, shares the experience of his journey as a Filmmaker with the students of Digital Academy – The Film School.

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Award winning dialogue writer Pathik Vats, of the acclaimed film "Sarfarosh" starring the celebrated theopian Amir Khan,discussing the art of writing dialogues for films at Digital Academy-The Film School.

Ustad Zakir Hussain, an internationally acclaimed percussionst, recently visited Digital Academy–the Film School. The students of the academy were more than delighted to have an exhaustive genius Hussain with technical knowledge of Sound Recording and Engineering. Hussain blessed the students with his golden words and the students were all thrilled to experience an opportunity of a lifetime and were all ears to the maestro. Hussain also recorded at the Film School's state of the art recording studio.

Renowned Film Actor, Boman Irani who has acted in films like "3 Idiots","Munnabhai MBBS", "Lage Raho Munna Bhai", "Khosla Ka Ghosla" etc..visited Digital Academy-The Film School for his third guest lecture .

Darshan Jariwala, the National Award winning actor giving a lecture on "The use of Emotional Memory while playing characters" to the students of Digital Academy- The Film School.

Vinta Nanda, distinguished Writer-Director-Producer of the historical T.V. serial " Tara " fame sharing her valuable insights with the students of Digital Academy – The Film School.

Swanand Kirkire, Lyricist-Dialogue Writer-Singer and one of the most versatile personalities in the Film industry, having won the National Award for Best Lyrics in 2007 for the song "Bande Mein tha Dum" from the film "Lage raho Munnabhai", visits Digital Academy-The Film School.

Mahesh Nair,Director of Film "Accident on Hill Road" and acclaimed documentary maker interacting with students of Digital Academy-The Film School.

Renowned Bollywood Media Publicist, Dale Bhagwagar at Digital Academy- The Film School,Mumbai.

Read More:-www.dafilmschool.blogspot.com

Renowned Director of movies like "Jannat" & "Tum Mile", Kunal Deshmukh held a guest lecture on the topic Filmmaking at Digital Academy-The Film School.

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Renowned Music Director, Shamir Tandon held a guest lecture on the topic of Music in Cinema at Digital Academy-The Film School.

Renowned Film and Television Actor, Benjamin Gilani conducts an interactive workshop on Acting for Cinema at Digital Academy-The Film School.

Renowned Filmmaker, Piyush Jha who has made films like "Sikandar", "'Chalo America" & "King of Bollywood" visited Digital Academy- The Film School for a guest lecture on Filmmaking.

Renowned Writer & Director of movies like "D","Sarkar","James","The Stoneman Murders", Manish Gupta held a workshop in Digital Academy-The Film School about storyboarding & scripting.

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Ashu Trikha,Writer & Director of the film "Baabarr", holds a lecture at Digital Academy- The Film School on the topic of Special Effects & Direction.

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Vinay Shukla, renowned Writer & Director of the Film "Godmother",which won the National Award addresses the students at Digital Academy-The Film School.

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Renowned Production Designer & Art Director,Samir Chanda who has worked on movies like "Ghajini","Omkara","Rang De Basanti","Makdee" visited Digital Academy-The Film School.

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National Award winning Director & Editor,Sanklap Meshram (Head of Digital Academy's Editing Department) speaking to Mumbai University Students about careers in Cinema & Television.

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Anurag Kashyap,one of the most versatile and prolific filmmakers in contemporary hindi cinema speaks to Mumbai University students,about careers in cinema.

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Award winning Filmmaker, Neeraj Pandey speaks to students at Digital Academy-The Film School.

Acclaimed Film Critic, Mayank Shekhar addresses the students of Digital Academy-The Film School.

Saurab Shukla acclaimed actor,writer,director of films like "Satya",Salaam-e-ishq", gives a full day workshop to students of Digital Academy-The Film School.

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Sanjay F.Gupta,Cinematographer of films like "Singh is King", "Welcome" etc.gives a guest lecture on cinematography to students of Digital Academy-The Film School.

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Actor Vipin Sharma, of "Tare Zameen Par" fame holds a workshop on acting for Digital Academy students.

Guinness book of world record holder B.P.Singh takes a workshop on steadicam at Digital Academy-The Film School.

Director Sanjay Gadhvi, having an interactive session with students of Digital Academy on "Directing and Handling Actors".

Cinematographer ,Sanjay Jadhav of "Mumbai Meri Jaan" and "C Kompany" has an interactive session with Digital Academy students.

An interactive session for the students of Digital Academy with Kaushik Ghatak, acclaimed director of "Kyunki Saas bhi Kabhi Bahu thi", "Sanjeevani", and many more and the upcoming film "Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi".

Acclaimed Film Analysits, Komal Natha addressing the students of Digital Academy on Business of Cinema and analysis.

Acclaimed screenplay writer and dialogue writer,Sanjay Chel of hit films "Rangeela", "Daud", "Kismat Konnection", "Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya" and many more, addressing the students of Digital Academy on Screenplay writing.

Ujjwal Nirgudkar, giving a detailed lecture on Lab processing to Digital Academy students.
He has received the Maharashtra Government Award for Technical Excellence for being the first Indian to be granted a U.S.Patent in Motion Picture Technology in April 2005 and the Western India Cinematographers Association's Special Award for Contribution to Film Processing Technology. He was the technical advisor for the Marathi film Shwaas which won the National award in 2003 and was India's entry to the Oscars. He is, *Patel* India's Managing Director.
The Cinematogrphy students were also taken to Patel Labs to explain the whole process in detail practically.

Acclaimed writer and International Documentary Film maker, Paromit Vora at Digital Academy-The Film School giving the students a lecture on documentary film making.

Balaji Telefilms holds auditions at Digital Academy-The Film School.

B.P. Singh, giving a practical workshop to the students of Digital Academy-The Film School.

Daman Sood (Head of Digital Academy's Sound Recording & Engineering) in Newspaper article.

Cinematographer,Bobby Singh of "Gangster", "Metro" and "Murder" addressing the students of Digital Academy.

Filmfare award winner Cinematographer ,Aseem Bajaj of "Shabd", "Chameli", "U me aur Hum" giving a lecture at Digital Academy.

Anurag Basu, Director of the film "Murder", "Gangster" and "Metro" addressing students of Digital Academy on Film making and Direction.

Anurag Kashyap, Critically acclaimed Director of the film "Black Friday" and "No Smoking" and dialogue writer of films like "Shool", "Yuva", "Nayak" etc.

Asit Kaul, our Direction Student has won the Best Film Award for his short film"Suspect" at "Saarang" an International Short Film Festival in Chennai.

Padmashree Govind Nihalani Film Director, Krishna Shah: Renowned film maker and a doctor in script writing from Los Angelos, and Sanjay Gadhviji: Director of the film Dhoom during the launch of Iranian film festival at Digital Academy-The Film School.

Arbaz Khan: Visits Digital Academy for a guest lecture on Acting.

Vikram Bhatt, director of films "Red", "Raaz", "Gulam" addressing the students of Digital Academy-The Film School on direction and film making.

Mohit Suri, Director of “Woh Lamhe”, giving a lecture on making of the Film to Digital Academy students.

Celebrity British DJ Mark Kane, giving a lecture to students at Digital Academy.

Directing Actors by noted Actor Mr. K. K. Raina.

Onir – Director of Film “My Brother Nikhil” and “Bas ek Pal”.

Vivek Agnihotri – Director of Film “Chocolate” in Digital Academy-The Film School.

Kunal Kohli – Director of Yash Raj Films "Fanaa", "Hum Tum" & "Mujhse Dosti Karoge".

Manish Shrivastava - Director of Ram Gopal Varma’s Film “GO”.

Celebrated veteran Cinematographer, Ashok Mehta giving a lecture on Cinematography to Digital Academy Students.

Sankalp Meshram, (Head of Digital Academy's Editing Department), receiving the Award for the Director of the best Childrens Film 2005 by the President of India H.E. Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at the 52nd National film Awards ceremony in New Delhi.

Basant Talreja, Chairman, Digital Academy and Gemini Studios & Innovations Pvt. Ltd. with Superstar Amitabh Bachchan during the shooting of film Aankhen at Gemini's Studios, a part of the Digital Academy campus.

Veteran Film Star M.P. and former Central Minister late Sunil Dutt, along with Kartikeya Talreja, Director appraising the work of an SFX student at Digital Academy- The Film School.

The well known Comedian, Boman Irani (of 'Munnabhai MBBS' fame) visited Digital Academy for a celebrity guest lecture on acting for Cinema. Here he poses with the students of the Academy.

Noted Film Maker, Mahesh Bhatt delivering a guest lecture at Digital Academy - The Film School.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, flanked by Sashilal Nair on his left and by Basant Talreja, Chairman of Digital Academy, on his right, during a filmmaking workshop.

The versatile actor-director Satish Kaushik, (extreme left) being shown around Digital Academy- The Film School by Basant Talreja and others.

Govind Nihlani, Prakash Mehra, Prayag Raj and Sashilal Nair at Digital Academy's filmmaking workshop.

Music Director, Mr. Pyarelal (of Lamikant-Pyarelal fame) seen chatting with filmmaker Sashilal Nair during their visit to Digital Academy- The Film School.

The Consul General of Poland, Marek Moron, lighting the traditional lamp at the inaugural ceremony of the Polish Film Festival at Digital Academy- The Film School. Seen with him (from L to R) are Padmashree Govind Nihalani, Director (Chandni Bar & Page 3 fame) Madhur Bhandarkar and Director Krishna Shah.

The Consul-General of Poland, Marek Moron and Helena, in conversation with Govind Nihalani and Madhur Bhandarkar during their visit to the Academy.

Late Film Mlaker, Vijay Anand of "Guide" fame with the Chairman Mr. Basant Talreja during his guest lecture at the Academy.

Ghazal Maestro Ghulam Ali, addressing the students of Digital Academy on Music, Lyrics and the art of ghazal.

Dinyar Contractor, Actor, Director, Comedian conducting a workshop on writing techniques for comedy.

Renowned Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali being shown around the sound recording & dubbing studio at Digital Academy, by Director of the Academy Kartikeya Talreja.

The Television Producer, Director & Scriptwriter Raman Kumar (of 'Tara' fame) conducting a guest lecture at Digital Academy- The Film School.

Internationally acclaimed writer-director Krishna Shah (of 'Shalimar' fame), during a scriptwriting workshop at Digital Academy- The Film School.

Acclaimed visual effects artist Warren Bone of Discreet, conducting a workshop on Visual Effects in Animation at Digital Academy- The Film School.

The prominent Art Director, Sharmishta Roy (centre) of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayege fame with a guest and Kartikeya Talreja, Director, Digital Academy- The Film School during an Art Direction Seminar.

Film & Television Director Ashok Pandit delivering guest lecture at the Academy on the Difference between direction for Television & Films.

Ravi Rai Director and Screenplay writer of Sparsh, Thoda hai Thode ki Zaroorat, giving a guest lecture during the workshop on Writing for Television.

Sharang Dev, Music Director, delivering a guest lecture on Music and Music Direction for Films & Television.

Ruksar, the leading actress of Ram Gopal Varma's film "D" talking to the students o Digital Academy about acting for cinema.

Partho Mukherjee, the Chief Assistant Director of Ram Gopal Verma, talking about the role of the Director, the assistant director, and their association with the various departments of Film Making.

B P Singh, Celebrated Director Cinematographer, Scriptwriter, & Associate Producer (of CID fame) explaining visual composition.

Uttam Singh, the celebrated Music Director of "Dil to Paagal Hai" fame talking about Music for Cinema.

John Goheen, Television, Documentary and News producer, a 12 time Emmy award winner talking to students on Documentary Making.

Aruna Raje, Editor & Film Maker giving a lecture on Editing to Digital Academy Students.

Keya Victor Banerjee, The Visual Effects Artist / Supervisor of the Film "Lakshya", posing with Digital Academy students after a seminar on "Visual Effects in Film".

Veteran filmmaker, Lekh Tandon delivering a guest lecture at Digital Academy- The Film School.

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