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STUDENT UNION• ANNAPURNA COLLEGE OF FILM & MEDIA
HEADING FOR THE SUMMIT
By Natasha Block Hicks
In 2021 for the first time, the Telugu-language cinema, or ‘Tollywood’, surpassed the Hindi-language ‘Bollywood’ to become the highest-grossing film industry in India. Although these results were skewed by how the two sectors faired through the pandemic, Telugu cinema is fast-becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Mr Raman Iyer, associate professor and head of the cinematography department at the Annapurna College Of Film & Media (ACFM) in Hyderabad – the heart of the Telugu filmmaking industry – joins us to explain how the provision of formal education in film and media is critical in supporting a viable industry.
“When Sri. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, who was a Southern Indian film pioneer, looked at our industry,” relates Raman from his office via Zoom, “he was dismayed to find that, despite being a big industry, Telugu cinema didn’t receive a lot of recognition in terms of national awards.
“So Akkineni wanted to create an educational institution where filmmaking would be taught properly.”
As founder of Annapurna Studios, which has been producing Telugu films since 1976, Akkineni had the perfect location for his new school. ACFM opened its doors in 2012 in the heart of the 22-acre studio plot.
All programmes at the college are dual specialisation, with direction taught alongside another industry discipline such as scriptwriting, editing or cinematography. Both three-year BA (Hons) Film & Media undergraduate degrees and two-year MA (Film & Media) postgraduate degrees are offered in each dual specialisation.
The BA degree is aimed at school-leavers, “those teenagers who are dreaming about making films,” as Raman says. “We want to provide them with a proper route to reach the industry,” he continues, “with the emphasis that, to succeed, they need to fully-understand the technical and creative processes that go behind making a film.” The first year of the BA programme serves as a foundation in filmmaking, with the history of cinema taught alongside a thorough grounding in the major disciplines and techniques of film production. The first two semesters culminate with a SET (Specialisation Entrance Test). Access to the student’s preferred specialisation depends on their overall attendance and marks in this test.
Year 2 invites a closer exploration of the students’ chosen majors, with the direction element branching-out to include advertising, digital marketing and acting fundamentals. Year 3 allows a total immersion in the specialisation. For cinematography students, this includes getting hands-on with industry-standard camera kit, such as the RED One MX and the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, as well as learning lighting techniques using the college’s extensive lighting inventory that encompasses Fresnel, HMI and LED panels, and exploring composition and post-production.
“We also have an equipment partner – Taher Cine Tekniq – that provides us with extra camera, lighting and grip equipment whenever needed for the student projects,” adds Raman.
The MA degree follows a similar pathway to the BA degree, but is condensed into four semesters with the specialisation introduced earlier in the programme. Applicants coming to the MA from backgrounds outside the creative arts are offered a bridge course – a combination of online learning and practical exercises – to get them up to speed with the fundamentals of filmmaking.
shoots, Annapurna Studios’ air-conditioned sound stages, plus external sets on the studio plot, are also available for shooting student projects. The 88-seat Shiva Preview Theatre, with Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound, is used for project reviews, curriculum screenings, seminars and the Graduate Film Festival.
Pre-Covid, around 75% of teaching at the college was given by the faculty staff, with 25% provided by professionals visiting to host workshops and masterclasses. Hampered over the last two years by Covid restrictions, ACFM has managed, nonetheless, to organise a number of events with outside lecturers. These include a two-day workshop with renowned Telugu and Tamil DP Soundar Rajan, known for Maattrraan (2012), on lighting for digital in extreme low light conditions, and an intimate masterclass with Sudeep Chatterjee ISC, the distinguished cinematographer behind the multi-award-winning epic drama Bajirao Mastani (2015), for students on the cusp of shooting their graduate film. Niketh Bommi, who lit the Amazon Original movie Soorarai Pottru (2020) was also able to share his experiences as an upcoming DP in the Telugu and Tamil industries with students via an online platform.
Although relatively young as an establishment, ACFM is fast building a network of alumni. Each student is given access to the online alumni portal, where campus news, outside opportunities and contact details are shared with students past and present.
The college has formed close relationships with Annapurna Studio Productions Ltd (ASPL) and ‘aha’ – a Telugu and Tamil-language over-the-top (OTT) streaming service – to offer graduates entry-level placements and internships in the industry, including as trainees on feature films.
“For the students who have done well in their final year project,” adds Raman tantalisingly, “their material is considered to be made into OTT serials or films.” Links to student graduation films streaming on ‘aha’ can be found on the college website.
Using this support, Annapurna alumni are navigating pathways into the industry. 2013 BA student D. Sameer Kumar gained an industry placement as assistant DP to P.S. Vinod ISC on the Telugu action feature Dhruva (2016). From 2017 to 2021 he assisted P.S. Vinod on several more features and recently, on the sci-fi thriller Attack (2022, DP P.S. Vinod), moved up to camera operator.
Pemmasani Uma entered the MA programme in the same year as Sameer. In 2020 she was accepted as a member of the Telugu Cinematographers Association and in 2021 was assistant DP on the feature-musical Rang De (2021, DP P.C. Sreeram ISC).
Chuppi (2020), the graduation film lit by 2015 BA (Hons) student Devansh Mehta picked up a number of film festival awards, including an Honourable Jury Award at the 8th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival. Another achievement that set the campus buzzing was when graduate film Benchi (2020, dir. Chennamadhauni Shreyas, DP M. Saichandrahas) was shortlisted as a semi-finalist for the Student Oscars.
Applications for the college are open for six months every year. Candidates can either apply via an online platform or by registering their interest in person at the school. They must undertake an All India Entrance Examination, which, once completed, is followed by an interview with the faculty staff. The offer of a place, and access to financial support in terms of a scholarship, depends on the scores from these assessments.
For prospective students applying to the BA degree, demonstration of an existing body of creative work is not imperative, however, postgraduate applicants electing the MA course – which assumes candidates will already have some experience of employment or higher education – are expected to enter a showreel or artistic portfolio with their application.
“If somebody is going to select cinematography,” Raman illustrates, “we would like to see what that person has done in terms of visualising something. Maybe through photography, painting or applied arts.”
The college enrols twelve BA and ten MA students per intake.
“We are seeking individuals with a passion to learn,” says Raman, “who will observe and absorb even the most rudimentary morsels of knowledge that may contribute to their mastering the art of cinematography. The ability to think outside the box is important, as is patience and perseverance.”
India is, in its nature, a diverse country and this is reflected on campus.
“We have students coming from many different ethnic
milieus,” says Raman. “Many students cannot understand their classmates’ language when they arrive. In spite of that, it takes only a couple of months for them to be behave like a homogeneous entity.”
The uptake of cinematography by female students is increasing, plus in 2014 the Indian Supreme Court officially recognised a third gender in law.
“In all application forms,” states Raman, “there is an additional column and you can fill your gender choice
there. As a college we have no reservations about taking students who come from that category.”
In recognition of a rapidly evolving college, which is a micro-cosmic reflection of a rapidly evolving industry, ACFM has created a Think Tank from a selection of faculty representatives, industry professionals and exstudents, whose task it is to look to the future and help the college stay viable and relevant. The Think Tank’s current focus is on the construction of a brand-new campus and the rise of the computer-generated environment.
“We strongly believe that whatever might change in the field of virtual reality, the basic talent of a cinematographer is to tell a story,” says Raman.
“Even if cinema becomes entirely virtual, there will still be human beings behind it, and we will be training those people.”
Applications for the August 2023 intake open in January 2023. https://acfm.edu.in/
