Acting & Film Making - Course Details, Fees, Eligibility, Syllabus, Admission, Career, Scope

About Acting and Film-making

Acting courses train students about different techniques and styles of acting. Students during classes are introduced to different acting theories such as Method, Meisner, Stella Adler, Kristin Linklater, HB Studio and others. Acting classes are open workshops that let students use their imaginations, give performances, stage combat, improvise their dialects and learn stage makeup. In the final semester, students are given roles from famous classics, historical plays etc.

Film Making specializations give aspirants an opportunity to combine their technical film and training with the liberal arts programme. Along with this, students in Filmmaking learn about communication, knowledge, literature, theories, and graphic arts. Many colleges during coursework also offer exchange programs where aspirants to get to meet top filmmakers and enable them to understand international production and its technicalities. They also learn editing and sound specializations to master post-production techniques.

Courses in Acting and Film-Making

Many colleges in the country offer a wide range of courses in the field of Acting and Film-making, ranging from PG Diploma to PG Certificate courses. In most Media and Mass Communication colleges in India, aspirants would find PG Diploma/Certificate courses in Acting and Film-Making. Here are some courses that you can pursue.

• PG Diploma Courses
  • PG Diploma Courses in Direction and Screenplay Writing - 2 to 3 Year Duration
  • PG Diploma Courses in Cinematography - 1 to 3 Years Duration
  • PG Diploma Courses in Acting - 1 to 2 Year Duration
  • PG Diploma Courses in Screenplay Writing - 1 to 3 Year Duration
  • PG Diploma Courses in Editing - 1 to 3 Years
  • PG Diploma Courses in Sound Recording and Design - 1 to 3 Years
  • PG Diploma Courses in Art Production and Direction for Film and TV - 1 to 3 Years
• PG Certificate Courses
  • PG Certificate Courses in Acting for Theatre, Films and TV - 3 to 6 Months Duration
  • PG Certificate Course in 2D and 3D Animation and Multimedia - 3 to 6 Months Duration
  • PG Certificate Courses in Screenplay Writing and Film-Making - 6 to 12 Months Duration

These are just a few of the courses on offer at the different acting and film-making colleges of India. Being such a diverse and dynamic field, most colleges tend to offer a uniquely-designed programme which moulds the students into capable film-makers and actors.

Acting and Film-Making Course Highlights

Here are some of the major course highlights of Acting and Film-making courses in India.

Acting and Film-making Eligibility Criteria

• Minimum Qualification Required for B.A.: 10+2
• Minimum Qualification Required for PG Diploma & M.A.: Graduation in any field.
• Age Bar: Few institutes such as NSD has an age limit of a minimum of 18 years to maximum 30 years of age.

Note: It is necessary to submit all original documents, certificates, and mark-sheets at the time of admission. 

Admission Processes for Acting and Film-Making Courses

Unlike many courses in India, admission processes for acting and film-making courses in India can differ slightly as the course requires a unique set of skills and knowledge to complete. However, most colleges still conduct an entrance test followed by an interview and/or group discussion to shortlist students for admissions. Here are the admissions processes for Acting and Film-Making courses in India.

Entrance-Based Admissions

• The Media and Mass Communication colleges usually conduct a university-level entrance test followed by subsequent processes defined individually by different colleges.
• Therefore, candidates must appear for the entrance test conducted by the college and await the results.
• Once the results have been released by the college in the form of merit lists, then candidates will be called to participate in further admission processes, which may include a Personal Interview, a State of Purpose and/or Group Discussion.
• Each college will define its admission processes and will be unique to that college, therefore, candidates must read through the admission policy and criteria prior to applying for admissions.
• Based on the performance of the candidates in the entrance test, personal interview and/or group discussion along with their explanation in the State of Purpose will determine their admission to the courses.

Merit-Based Admissions

• Here, the colleges will offer admissions to the candidates based on their qualifying marks and performance in the selection parameters defined by individual colleges.
• Candidates will first be asked to apply to the course of their choice and appear for the admission processes such as a Personal Interview and/or Group Discussion. They may also be asked to submit a Statement of Purpose for joining the course at the institute.
• After the scrutiny of applications and state of purposes, the overall performance of the candidates in other selection parameters such as the personal interview and/or group discussion will determine their admission to the course.

Entrance Exams for Acting & Film-making Courses

• NSD Preliminary Acting Test/ Audition. Students who clear the acting audition would have to take the medical test.
• Whistling Aptitude Test conduct general aptitude test, creative ability test and also require a statement of purpose.
• AISF Entrance Exam
• FTII Entrance Exam
• SRFTI Entrance Exam

Acting and Film-making Career Options and Job Prospects

India is one of the largest film producing country in the world. More than 1100 films are made every year. Bollywood tends to make more than 4 billions $ every year, making it one of the most lucrative business. Not only this stage plays, theater, and street plays are doing equally well in the country. Once you are a famous and successful actor you can charge as many fees as you want to. But this required a lot of effort, dedication, and passion towards your work. However, acting is not only limited to films but television actors are paid equally well. The salary of a TV actor who is working for a well-known production can go up to lakhs per episode whereas famous movie actors can get paid as high as crores for each film

However, the income of the actors is not fixed. It varies as per projects, endorsements, advertisements, production houses etc. Actors can also start new ventures by starting their own acting schools.

A career in Filmmaking is both direct and indirect. Direct careers in filmmaking include jobs such as producer, editor, director, animator, actor, animator, cinematographer, and others, Whereas other filmmaking careers are film critic, film archivist,

The potential employers after pursuing filmmaking degree include film studios, advertising agencies, production houses and others. There is no fixed salary for a filmmaker, a filmmaker can earn as high in crore depending on the success of the film.