Cinematography Course: After 12th Courses, Duration, Top Colleges, Fees, Admission Process, Syllabus, Job Opportunities, and Salary
Cinematography course is the study that involves art of visually telling a story and photography. Which is required in the making of a film or television production.
Cinematography Course: What is that?
Cinematography profession is involved in the every movies that people see in the theatre. In India, cinematography courses are developed to teach technologies like ultra HD technology, 3D technology, drones etc. Candidates can also learn the right use of technology and management of it through the courses. The pictures that we see on big screens is the work of cinematographer. Candidates who wish to achieve national and international claim for their work, should join this course.To acquire knowledge and practice, candidates will have to be assistant an the beginning of their job. Mostly people do like this and later work as a professional. After this, the independent projects are offered to them. So if you are interested in working with light technicians, set designers and directors and producers, you must pursue cinematography courses. In this article, the required information about cinematography field is provided. Do check it out below.
Is Cinematography a Course that everyone can take?
For the cinematography course, passing class 12 is the basic eligibility criteria. This requirement is applicable only if you are seeking for UG program. For other courses it may vary according to the course level. Those who want to check their eligibility, need to read this full article.
Best Courses to Pursue In Cinematography
Candidates looking forward to study art of photographing and visually telling a story, can pursue career in cinematography. A list of cinematography courses at various levels is provided below for candidates.
After 10th / 12th
- Diploma in Cinematography
- Diploma in Film Making
- Bachelor of Film and Television Production
After Graduation
- PG Diploma in Film, Television and Digital Video Production
- Post Graduate Certificate Course in Electronic Cinematography (TV)
Duration of Courses
The Duration of Short-term Diploma course in Cinematography is 1-2 years. This course can be pursued by any stream candidate. There is another Diploma course in film making that candidate can pursue. The duration of this course is 12 months to 2 years. The Bachelor of Arts or BA in Filmmaking and Television production is a full time undergraduate level programme which has a duration of 3 years. This is a production-based course where you will get to learn about planning and shooting. The duration of full time PG or Postgraduate Diploma course in Film, Television, and Digital video production is 10 months and it teaches the tactics of direction. This course also helpful to know the rules of cinematography and the art editing. The PG or Postgraduate certificate course in Electronic Cinematography is a kind of certificate course that takes 1 year to complete.
Required skills for Cinematography Course
Some skill sets are required to pursue career in Cinematography field. In the beginning, you need to take knowledge of film technology as this field is based on it. Other skills like creativity is also plays an important role. The new ideas in cinematography can bring success to you. Hence, this is one of most required skill. Moreover, some skills for cinematography include Attentiveness, Good Communication Skills, Analytical Skills, Networking Skills, Excellent listening skills, Team Management, Technical expertise, Flexible creativity, good training and Practical skills.
Top Colleges
Across India, some of the top cinematography colleges can be found below.
1.) Film and Television Institute of India, Pune
2.) Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata
3.) Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai
4.) Film and Television Institute of Hyderabad, Srinagar Colony, Hyderabad
Eligibility Criteria for Admission
Those who are looking to pursue careers in Diploma, UG and PG level cinematography courses, can check the eligibility criteria here.
To take a Diploma course in cinematography, candidates need to achieve 50% marks in Class 10 or class 12 from any recognized school.
For the Bachelor’s course in cinematography, candidates must have passed class 12 or 10+2 with a minimum of 55% aggregate marks from any recognized board.
Also, candidates looking for the admission in postgraduate diploma course, should have completed their graduation in relevant education.
More than 55% marks should be obtained from any recognized university for the same course.
Entrance Exams and Admission Process
Normally, the institutes or colleges direct admission to the cinematography course on the basis of merit. If there is this kind of admission, then you can directly fill the application form of official website and apply. There are some institutes that accept scores of entrance exam which are conducted by them as well as others. The top entrance exams for cinematography are NIMSEE or NIMS Entrance Exam, FTII JET, KITEE (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Entrance Exam), and XIC OET. With the help of these test you can apply for the admission.
Fees Structure
Sr. no. |
Colleges or University
|
Fees |
1. |
Film and Television Institute of India, Pune |
INR 78,800 |
2. |
Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata
|
INR 3,56,200 |
3. |
Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai |
INR 2,23,700 |
4. |
Film and Television Institute of Hyderabad, Srinagar Colony, Hyderabad
|
INR 2,68,000 |
List of subjects and a Syllabus for Cinematography course
Some of the topics or subjects that colleges teach in cinematography courses are given in the following table.
Common Subjects and Syllabus of Diploma in Cinematography, Diploma in Film Making, Bachelor of Film and Television Production, After Graduation, PG Diploma in Film, Television and Digital Video Production , and Post Graduate Certificate Course in Electronic Cinematography (TV)
Cinema Projection |
Types of film Cameras |
Negative and positive perforation |
Cameras for Motion Picture |
Digital film making |
Batteries for Motion Picture Camera |
Shooting Format |
Special Cinematography |
Additive colour correction method |
Trimmer correction |
Types of magazine |
Lens Mount Flange Depth |
Tacho meter |
Various Camera Test |
Edge No |
Necessity of colour correction |
Plate catch |
View finder. |
Printing colour Correction |
Cores and camera spool |
Perforation loop |
Colour film printing |
Edge marking |
Threading of film |
Reverse Movement |
Intermittent Movement |
Colour correction determination |
A-winding and B-winding |
Sprocket wheel |
Scene to scene colour correction |
CAN. label information |
Music video-styling of lighting |
Studying the conceptual lighting |
Various section of Motion picture lab |
Step printer, optical printer |
Camera Motors |
Eye piece adjustment |
Liquid gate printing |
Colour negative and intermediate film |
Various parts of Motion picture cameras |
Slow motion and Fast motion |
Frames per sec |
Registration pin |
Intermediate film |
Printer |
Colour correction effect |
Pressure plate |
Photo-guard |
Analysis of Claw motion |
Screening of films |
Positive film |
Loading unloading of magazine |
Black and white film printing |
Matte Box |
Transfer of Film to Video |
Wash, Drying, Development |
Different Types of Shooting Formats |
Visual Effects |
Underwater Shooting |
Transfer of Film to Video |
Cinematography Analysis |
Exponometry |
Colour Negative and Intermediate Film |
Batteries for Motion Picture Camera |
Cameras for Motion Picture |
Colour Correction |
Colour Theory |
Various Camera Tests |
Web Designing |
Film History and Theory |
Sensitometry |
Rigging the Camera |
Shooting through Mirrors |
Various Section of Motion Picture Lab |
Responsibilities of Cinematography Professional
Reading scripts and visiting places for test shots is the main responsibility of a cinematographer. Cinematographer always work with creativity and new technologies. Some roles and responsibilities of cinematographer are as below.
- Selection of tools, crew members and equipment
- Analysation of screenplay, story structure and characters.
- Looking at costumes, hair and make-up.
- Giving advice
- Being present at cast rehearsals.
Job Opportunities and Salary after Cinematography studies
In India, Various career choices are there on the completion of cinematography courses. The field of cinematography is not restricted to the film industry. Professionals can now explore the studios, TV, Short films, video businessesand Web series. Some job profiles in cinematography to work are Assistant technician, Cinematographer, Video Editor, Camera Operator, Film Editor, Director of Photography, Lecturer, Motion control operator, and Camera production Assistant. Apart from this, you can start working independently as a freelancer. Some production houses like India Today, Yashraj Films, Balaji Telefilms, Dharma Productions and Doordarshan are there who take graduates of cinematography. Other recruiters in this field are Film Production Houses, Natural Photography Companies, Film Projects, Event Management Companies, Photo Studios, Television Production Houses, and Film and TV Academies. These recruiters also offer good salary amount to the cinematography experts. The salary of every individual depends on their job profile. The average salary that these people get is around INR 2,00,000 annually. Once you have experienced it can go up to INR 15,00,000 per annum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Director and Cinematographer same?
Absolutely not. Both Director and Cinematographer perform different work. The camera in charge is Director and the one who sets camera on proper angle is an cinematographer.
What is the work of a Cinematographer?
Cinematographer is the person who looks at set-up, camera operation, and lighting for the movie. Their main work is to deliver director’s vision on screen. The feel of the movie is very important in the film industry. And, it is done by the cinematographer.
What is the required criteria for a Bachelor of Film and Television Production?
Candidates who have completed their 10+2 level education from any recognized board, can apply for the Bachelor’s degree course in Cinematography field.
What are different colleges in India offering cinematography course?
The Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata, Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai and Film and Television Institute of Hyderabad, Srinagar Colony, Hyderabad are some famous institutes or universities which provide cinematography courses to pursue.
Also See: More Course with Details after 10+2