Production Design is a world where the designer is the delicate link between the director’s vision, the cinematographer’s eye, the cameraman’s lenses, and the actor’s stage

The course could be designed to utilise students’ existing expertise in arts and instil in them, skill-sets needed to become a good Production Designer.

The course helps students develop keen understanding of the story in order to create a believable and realistic world on screen as well as on stage. They also develop the traditional and technological skills needed for entry into an art department. (or even supervise high level art productions as well as take on small projects on their own after the course ).

The course will also provide the students the opportunity to get a look at how international art departments are run.

The curriculum amongst other essentials will include set illustration, drafting, model building, budgeting, colour theory, the latest digital design, the practical lighting and locations and the practical management of the process. Students will learn to transform design to reality on the stage or on location, while being restricted to areas like budgets and time. The course will help also help students understand the working of a production and the crew involved in setting it up.

Through a constant industrial interface students will get traction into their skill development. They will learn how to communicate their vision and execute it professionally. The course will allow them opportunities to interact with the best professionals in the Indian and International media industry and get inspiration from their work.

Course Structure

The course should be divided into 4 Terms.

Term 1: Freshmen at WWI – 22 weeks

This semester will introduce students to the industry and the basics of production design like drafting, model making and colour theory along with fundamental understanding of scripts and concepts for a project.

Introduction to working with DV cameras and associated editing software at WWI will be part of WWI orientation programme.

All these exercises will be executed through class practical and / or project work. They would also be required to understand different genres of film and television.

The first semester of Freshmen in Production Design will have:
a) One Week of Orientation
b) One Week of Mid Term Break
c) Four Weeks For Two Examinations with time for necessary preparations.
d) Sixteen Weeks of Theory, Practical and assignment work.
Every week at WWI will have mandatory classes of IALC, Film Appreciation and the guest interaction every week besides the regular specialisation classes

Term II: Sophomores with A Prominent Production Designer and WWI – 22 weeks

The Second Term of Sophomores will essentially be a Prominent Production Designer Studio based curriculum where the students will get an opportunity to move out as trainee professionals.

This module will give them a chance to train under one of our most eminent Production Designer and his team at his premises, while still maintaining an academic link with WWI.

The second semester of Sophomores in Production Design will have:
a) Sixteen Weeks – Training with a Prominent Production Designer
b) One Week of Mid Term Break
c) 5 Weeks For Two Examinations with time for necessary preparations and a term end exhibition.

*Lectures will be divided in the studio of a Production Designer and his work office

Term III: Junior Batch resumes at Production Designer’s Studio and WWI– 22 weeks

The Junior Term of this Production Design Course will resume at Production Designer’s Studio after the mandatory assessments and exams. This term will involve students in ongoing projects of PD Studio, besides projects and assignments given to them. They will come back to WWI for an examination and assessment before the mid term break and at the end of the semester.

The third semester of Juniors in Production Design will have:
a) Nine Weeks – Training with a Prominent Production Designer at PD Studio
b) One Week of Mid Term Break
c) Twelve Weeks - Training modules at WWI, Two sets of Examination with time for necessary preparations and a term end exhibition.

Term IV: Seniors at WWI – 22 Weeks

This semester will have no theory or Practical classes. The students will be expected to work as Independent Production Designers in Diploma Productions of Senior Batch students of WWI for 12 weeks. This term will give them the much needed on the field, practical exposure to handle major projects later.
-The final 7week module will have the students doing two basic projects.
-The first would be to assist an art director in the industry to get hands on experience and also be prepared to experience some of the things taught to them during the course.
-The second would be the final project, the topic would be the students choice, they can choose any genre, any medium, choose from an existing list of books, already existing scripts or even come up with something of their own. They would be required to show strength in all areas of production design and art direction through the project in the form of their set designs, model making, set dressing and detailing, overall look for the project.

A mandatory part of the term would be a visit to a location outside of Mumbai as a Recce on the process of converting the existing locations to suit a given script with extensive photographic and logistic data required for the shooting of a feature film. The students would come back and do their designs on the basis of those locations and prepare a project.

This module would end with an exhibition of this final project and industry persons like directors, art directors, and film personalities could be invited to view the work.

The overall purpose of this course would be to train and ready the students for the world of art direction and production design. The multiple tasks involved in film and TV industry.

It should bring a certain amount of professionalism into the students so that they are prepared to face the tough regime of the film and TV world.