SCREENPLAY- NARRATION & PITCHING WORKSHOP

Learn the art and craft of screenplay- narration and pitching from eminent film professionals like Robin Bhatt (Writer, Baazigar, Koi Mil Gaya, Krissh) Atul Tiwari (NSD Grad + Writer, Mission Kashmir) Jyothi Kapur Das (FTII Grad + Creative Director, Development & Production, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures) and Amitosh Nagpal (NSD Graduate + Actor, Dabang).

The Indian film and television industry is looking for fresh voices. With the diminishing appeal of the formula masala film, there is a demand for out-of-the-box thinking, for writers who understand the art and craft of story-telling. It’s a great time to enter the field.

But in the Bombay film industry, it’s not enough to approach a producer or a film star with a well-written script. Because people often don’t read scripts. They ask for a verbal narration. And a bad narration can mean that you, and your script, are shown the door. A narration is a performance. But a very specific kind of a performance, in which you have to narrate your script in a dramatic way, so as to make the listener ‘see’ the film in their minds and feel emotionally moved by it.

Pitching a script is an art form, and although it can be stressful, it’s something every writer has to perfect before approaching producers, studio executives or stars. So what is pitching exactly? A pitch is a dramatic verbal summation of a script with emphasis on the main characters, the conflict, and the genre. It’s a big help to have a great pitch prepared before you contact industry personnel. You never know when you’ll be called upon to sell your story or how you’ll be asked to sell it. In this workshop, you can learn to pitch, that is, what to say about your proposed film and how to say it, in order to get the producer or star to say yes!

This practical-oriented workshop will have limited seats, so that attention can be given to every student. The 1-month workshop will have full-day classes every Sunday, so you can pursue your dreams without forsaking the responsibilities of your work or studies.

DURATION
The course will be conducted as full-day classes on Sundays over 1 month.

VENUE
The classes will be held in an air-conditioned hall in Oshiwara, Andheri (West).

CERTIFICATE
The students would be awarded a certificate at the successful completion of the workshop.

FEES
The fees for the workshop would be Rs 12,700. They would be payable in full at the time of registration.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Participants would be required to know the basics of screenwriting. Please note that the participants would not be taught how to write scripts in this workshop, they will only learn how to pitch their proposed films and narrate their scripts to producers, directors and actors.

FACULTY
Amitosh Nagpal will lead the workshop and conduct the practicals. Robin Bhatt, Atul Tiwari and Jyothi Kapur Das will give lectures.

ROBIN BHATT: He is one of the most successful script-writers in Bollywood, having written Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin, Koi Mil Gaya, Krrish, and 50 other films. He won the Filmfare Award for Baazigar. He is the Joint Secretary of the FWA.

ATUL TIWARI: Dashaavataar with Kamal Haasan was his latest release. He has scripted more than twenty films like Yeh Woh Manzil Toh Nahin, Mission Kashmir and Netaji: The Forgotten Hero. An NSD graduate, he has adapted and directed plays of Shakespeare, Shaw, Goethe and Schiller apart from Indian plays. Also conducts workshops on screenwriting and theatre. He works very closely with Kamal Hassan.

JYOTHI KAPUR DAS: She is a graduate from FTII. An award-winning filmmaker and writer, she is currently the Creative Head, Development & Production, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

AMITOSH NAGPAL: A graduate from NSD, he is a talented actor, script-writer and lyricist. He has acted in Dabang, Aarakshan and Powder. Amitosh has written and sung a song in Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye. He is currently writing scripts for some feature films.

ORGANISER:

Rajashree: Has been working in Bombay after studying direction at the Film and Television Institute of India, Poona. She’s assisted Mansoor Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. A film she wrote and directed, The Rebel, was screened at many film festivals, and won the National Award and the Golden Ten Award. Her critically acclaimed first book, Trust Me, is a lighthearted romantic comedy set in the Bombay film industry. According to figures given by The Times of India and The Sunday Telegraph, Trust Me is the biggest-selling Indian chick lit novel. She is represented by Isabel Atherton, the director of Creative Authors, a literary agency based in the UK. She has taught at her alma mater and some of the best film schools in Bombay. She has been organising courses independently since 2009.