Vidya Deshpande
Bennett UniversityThe Times School of Media has once again broken new ground. Realizing the change in the way audiences consume entertainment content, the University has launched two path breaking programs – BA (Film, TV and Web Series) program for undergraduate students and Post Graduate Diploma in Film, TV and Web Series. for graduates.
The programs are first of their kind in India and have been launched to meet the requirements of the entertainment industry which urgently needs trained manpower to create television and OTT content.
According to the 2021 FICCI and EY Media and Entertainment report, 28 million Indians bought online subscriptions in 2020, leading to a 49% increase in digital revenue. Over the years, over 40 video on demand channels have set up shop in India led by Disney+Hotstar.
International platforms like Netflix and Amazon are investing heavily in Indian content, especially in regional language products. Telecom companies like Jio and Airtel are sensing the change in viewership and are offering free subscription to streaming channels as an incentive to broadband customers.
There is also an explosion in regional languages. Viewers are choosing to have content dubbed in the language of their choice or often prefer subtitles in their own language while retaining the original sound. According to YouTube estimates, 7% of all video content consumed in India in 2020 was in English, 56% in Hindi and 37% in regional languages.
By 2025, this percentage is predicted to lean in favor of regional content, with over 50% of the content coming from regional production houses; Hindi fell 11 percentage points to 45% and English at 5%. This means that content production in regional languages will get a huge boost.
Styles are also expanding. Market players continue to redefine genres to add more and more themes to their repertoire in order to maintain audience interest. In a content hungry world, where will these entertainment production houses find talent to produce new content?
Existing film and television schools still have to change gears. There is a yawning gap between what the industry wants and what film and TV courses are teaching, and that gap is only widening.
A common complaint from industry recruiters is that mass communication students are not industry ready. This is an important point, and should be taken into account by all existing and new program makers. Film, television and OTT courses should prepare students to produce quality content ranging from storyboarding to post-production aspects, with no additional on-the-job training required.
There should be an effort to develop a curriculum curated by the industry. where is it Bennett UniversityThe two programs – the three-year Bachelor of Arts (Film, Television and Web Series), and the one-year Post Graduate Diploma in Film, Television and Web Series – come as a breath of fresh air.
Both the shows have been curated by Mumbai-based film production house Junglee Pictures, which has given major hits like Raazi, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Badhaai Ho. The program promises to involve filmmakers, directors, actors, film marketers and OTT professionals in teaching the craft of film and serial production.
Students passing out from such courses will become eligible for a variety of jobs. These include Script Writer, Video Editor, Cinematographer, Audio Editor, Assistant Producer, Casting Assistant, Line Producer, Production Assistant, Location Assistant, Floor Runner, Assistant Director, Prop Master, Art Department Trainee, Video Assistant Trainee, Sound Mixer. Lighting Trainee, Post-Production Trainee, Archivist, Editorial Trainee, Marketing Assistant etc.
These are programs for all the youth who dream of entering the world of film, television and web series.
(Vidya Deshpande is Associate Professor at Times School of Media, Bennett University.)
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