Transition Transference Transformation: ‘Chinatown’ Shot by Shot

with Mr. Kamal Swaroop

Over each scheduled session, Kamal Swaroop will take one film and preview it along with its original script. Applying the principles of 5Cs of Cinematography and the Writer’s Journey, Kamal will discuss shot by shot, scene by scene the construction of classical films. 

‘5 Cs of Cinematography’ by Joseph V Mascelli and ‘The Writer’s Journey: The Mythic Structure for Writers’ by Christoph Volger are among the fundamental reference books for filmmaking. Kamal will clinically observe how the fundamentals from these books are practically applied in a film that makes it a classic.

Announcing 1st Session: Saturday – Sunday, 12th & 13th December 2020; 2 to 5 pm IST

For the 1st session of the series, Kamal will study ‘Chinatown’, a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay by Robert Towne, shot by John A. Alonzo and edited by Sam O’Steen. 

The film will be presented to the participants (play-pause-play mode) to run, rewind and re-run as needed, forming the basis of the discourse and allowing room for the discussions. 

It is recommended, however not compulsory, that the participants go through the reference books and possibly watch the film once before attending the session.

Medium of Instruction: English

Method of Training and Interaction: The session will be conducted online on ‘Google Meet’. Details will be shared with selected participants in time.

Suggested Contribution for the 1st session: ₹1000  – For Indian Nationals $15 – For International applicants from SAARC nations ( i.e Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) $30 – From international applicants outside of SAARC association.

Course director: Kamal Swaroop (Director – Screenwriter)

“I don’t believe in sense, but nonsense. I don’t want to connect, but rather to disconnect. How can you show death in films? Nobody dies. Everybody lives. It’s all pretense.” These words spoken by filmmaker Kamal Swaroop in an interview are an indication of the unconventional, impossible to label nature of this artist. As a journalist once described him, “His ideas are unassumingly bold, preposterously original and tend to cut against the grain almost by design.”

Swaroop is a two time President’s award and Filmfare Award winning film, television and radio director and screenwriter. In 1974 he graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India and even his student works met with unusual international acclaim. He continued with postgraduate studies at the Institute. In 1982, he assisted Sir Richard Attenborough in the filming of Gandhi. Om-Dar-B-Dar (1988) is his path breaking masterpiece.

Swaroop’s career, spanning 42 years, covers a broad range of films, channel promos for Channel V India, ads and Radio Spots.

Assistant Faculty: Richa Hushing & Rrivu Laha

Richa Hushing & Rrivu Laha are documentary filmmakers, both alumni of Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. Richa specializes in Direction and Editing, while Rrivu’s specialization is Direction and Cinematography.  Their films are often character portraits; and portraits of indigenous cultures in face of conflict and at the threshold of change. After a decade-long practice based in Mumbai, in 2017 Richa and Rrivu moved to Auroville, an intentional international township dedicated to the ideals of human unity, free progress and transformation of consciousness. In Auroville, they’ve found Auroville Timelines, a media pedagogy and video arts unit, researching and curating recorded memories of Auroville, creating mnemonics of the dream. Richa and Rrivu are steering now the ‘Auroville Film Institute’ dedicated to the ideal of cinema education, integrating world cinema and world citizenship, experimenting with a new pedagogy, encouraging new practices of conscious cinema. 

Certificates:  Digital certificates of participation will be issued.

Queries: For queries, if any, please write to: filminstitute@auroville.org.in or call / message on +91 9969879319.

*This session is a part of our weekend series. We are initiating with Kamal Swaroop. Various other filmmakers may join to hold subsequent sessions.