Short Filmmaking, Acting, Communication & Fine Arts Courses

SHORT COURSE UNIT

Applied AI Filmmaking

Overview

Programme Name	: Applied AI Filmmaking
AI Credits	: ₹15,000
Award	: Certificate Programme in AI in Filmmaking
Duration	: 60 hours Live and 60 hours Assignments
Venue	: Hybrid
Eligibility	: 18+ years(Prior Experience of Content Creation required)

Programme Overview

Applied AI Filmmaking is a 4-week intensive program designed for filmmakers, content creators, video editors, and storytellers who want to integrate AI tools into real production workflows. It is not a beginner tech course – it is built for people who think like filmmakers and want to use AI to make better work, faster

Learning Objectives

By the end of the program, students will be able to:

Design an end-to-end AI filmmaking pipeline (script → visuals → audio → edit)
Break scripts into AI-executable components while keeping narrative intent
Maintain visual continuity for characters, locations, and style
Generate AI video with controlled camera motion and performance intent
Identify and fix common AI errors like drift, uncanny motion, and broken physics
Use AI for lip sync, dubbing, VFX, and cleanup
Edit AI-generated footage with rhythm, pacing, and storytelling control
Manage AI compute budgets efficiently

Course Components

Week 1 – Core Curriculum

Introduction to AI-Native filmmaking
Script breakdown for AI pipelines
Storyboarding and pre-visualization
AI video generation fundamentals
Workflow design and error handling
AI performance and lip sync
VFX, compositing, and cleanup
Music and sound design
Editing and narrative control

Week 2 – Guest Lectures & Applied Curriculum

AI filmmaking systems and pipelines
Visual taste and consistency
Economics of AI media production
Advanced AI control and workflow techniques

Weeks 3–4 – Capstone Sprint

Students work in teams to create a complete short film or media project within a production sprint. Possible tracks include:

Nature documentary short
Animated short
Trailer / proof-of-concept film
New media / experimental film
Music video
Advertisement for a real brand

Schedule And Fees

Overview

Programme fee:
₹ 1,00,000 (Inclusive of all taxes)

Admission criteria:

Applicants must be 18 years or above
Industry professionals who are into Filmmaking
Basic understanding of filmmaking / digital content is recommended
All candidates should have basic English proficiency

Payment & Enrollment:

Payment can be made via Debit Card / Credit Card / Net Banking
Upon successful payment:
Confirmation email will be shared
Programme access details will be provided
In case of payment issues, support assistance will be provided

Basics of Screen Direction

Overview

Programme code	: DIR 100
Credit Point	: 1/2
Award	: Certificate in Basics of Screen Direction
Duration	: 12 hours over 2 days
Requirements	: NA
Eligibility	: NA

Programme Overview

A director uses many skills to put a film with the help of her team. They have to have a keen sense of storytelling, a visual sense, some sense of dramaturgy (including working with actors) and a working knowledge of music – to deal with the various rhythms that a film deals with. This programme attempts to introduce participants to some of the basic knowledge that one needs to even understand what a director does. There is, of programme, much more to directing but this programme will give a taste of what a director does.

Learning Objectives

To learn the filmmaking process and the director’s role
To learn the essential skills required to visualize a narrative and its execution
To learn the process of screen direction in relation to others

Programme Components

How films are made / role of a director
Narrative Structure in films
Visualisation
Director’s relationship with others

Programme Head

Programme Head: Rabiya Nazki

A versatile and seasoned professional with rich experience in strategic planning, creative direction, script writing, film production & direction, account management and people management with well known organizations across arts & entertainment, healthcare, non-Profit, event & publicity. Associated with companies like Network18, BBC, Percept, Zee and many more.

Schedule And Fees

Overview

Fees

Programme Name	: Basics of Screen Direction
Fees (INR)	: 6,600

* GST as applicable (currently 18%) would be additional and is not reflected in the above-mentioned amount.

Notes to fees:

Security Deposit of 20% programme fees where applicable is payable by students enrolling into this programme. This is non-interest bearing and refundable on programme completion or withdrawal, subject to deductions.
Project costs are not included in the fees.
Fee inclusive of refundable deposit, government taxes and registration fee.
Special discounts will be available for groups, WWI Alumni and associations.
Students enrolling for three or more levels of the same programme will be given special concession at the time of payment

Editing Skills on FCP

Overview

Programme code	: EDI 101
Credit Point	: 1
Award	: Certificate in Editing Skills on FCP
Duration	: 40 Hours
Requirements	: Mac OS X working knowledge
Eligibility	: –

Programme Overview

Editing Skills on FCP is designed to empower you with a toolset of editing skills that renders working with all common editing tasks both efficient and effective. The programme participant progresses through the various editorial processes and acquires an overview of the workflow. After this, they systematically explore individual processes.

On successful completion of the programme the student will be proficient in operating the FCP editing systems and well-prepared for the Level 1 FCP User exam. On qualifying the Level 1 test, the participants become an Apple Certified Professional and gets listed on the Apple website. This makes them part of an International FCP-user network and its obvious benefits to a professional.

Learning Objectives

To learn the fundamentals of editing skills
To master the editing tools on the Final Cut Pro editing system
To prepare for the Apple Certification program

Programme Components

Approach common tasks with a logical, efficient workflow
Media Management – Organization of media using Final Cut’s powerful management tools catalogue and search your footage instantly
FCP interface and tools
Editing modes in Final Cut
Basic sound editing
Cutting an audio-visual
Creating a master edit

Programme Head

Programme Head: Prashant Naik & Vivian Pimenta

Prashant Naik: The HOD of the Editing department at Whistling Woods International (WWI). He is a reputed National Award-winning Film Editor. He is also an Apple Certified Trainer in Final Cut Pro.

Prashant specialised in Editing at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune, in 1991, after completing a graduate degree in Law and a post-graduate degree in Commerce.

He has taught at the FTII, and has been the HOD of the Video Editing Department from 2004-2006.

Prashant’s FTII Diploma film ‘Punaravritti’ received the National Award in the Best Short Fiction category in 1992. In 1997, the Oriya feature film ‘Shunya Swaroopa’ (directed by Himansu Khatua and edited by Prashant Naik) won the National Award in the Best Regional Film category. The film went on to receive 5 State awards and was screened at several international film festivals. In 2005, Prashant won the National Award for Best Editing for the film Harvest of Hunger (directed by Roopashree Nanda) in the Non-feature Film category.

Over the years he has edited a number of corporate films, ad films, promotional films and documentaries and also television series such as ‘Junglee Toofan Tyre Puncture’, ‘Fans’, ‘Life and You (FLU)’ and some episodes of ‘Yule Love Stories’ for Zee TV and several episodes of ‘Surabhi’ for Doordarshan. He was the On-line Editor for the live coverage of the India-Australia Cricket World Cup match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, in 1996.

Prashant’s most recent project as Editor is the Hindi feature film I am Kalam (2010, directed by Nila Madhab Panda), which has been screened this year at the Berlin and Cannes film festivals.

Vivian Pimenta : Faculty in the Editing department of Whistling Woods International (WWI), is an Apple Certified Trainer in Final Cut Pro. As faculty, he instructs students on film project workflow, and trains them on Apple Professional Applications.

Earlier, Vivian had been associated with the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, from 2003 to 2006. He was with FTII’s Film Editing department during the significant transition to digitally edited diploma films on the Avid and Apple Final Cut Pro Systems.

He has had a long-standing relation with the industry in the areas of training and support with Avid and Sony Broadcast and Professional.

Schedule And Fees

Overview

Fees:

Programme Name	: The Editing Skills on FCP
Fees (INR)	: 24,000

* GST as applicable (currently 18%) would be additional and is not reflected in the above-mentioned amount.

Notes to fees:

Security Deposit of 20% programme fees where applicable is payable by students enrolling into this programme. This is non-interest bearing and refundable on programme completion or withdrawal, subject to deductions.
Project costs are not included in the fees.
Fee inclusive of refundable deposit, government taxes and registration fee.
Special discounts will be available for groups, WWI Alumni and associations.
Students enrolling for three or more levels of the same programme will be given special concession at the time of payment.

Mobile Filmmaking

Overview

Programme code	: MFM 100
Credit Point	: 0.5
Award	: Certificate in Mobile Filmmaking
Duration	: 24 hours over 4 weeks
Requirements	: Any mobile phone with a camera
Eligibility	: Age 15 years and above

Programme Overview

Mobile Phone is probably the only gadget that has carved out the closest place in the life of the human species. This closeness has resulted in technological advantages that are provided by today’s mobile phones. Mobiles phones have become a mini world that offers a world of possibilities. It not only manages your network and contacts but also has slowly started replacing cameras, handy-cams and notebook computers. This has thrown open huge possibilities for filmmakers. It cannot be ignored that using this device for filmmaking and dishing out quality videos has immense potential and an impressive market. The Mobile filmmaking course will give you an in-depth understanding of this fresh and appealing format, its distribution and exhibition

Learning Objectives

Understanding of how to identify the theme and the purpose of a mobile film
How to plan a mobile film and its nuances
How to shoot your mobile film with appropriate visual design
How to exhibit and also make money out of a finished product

Programme Components

Preproduction process
Production process
Post-production process
Exhibition and marketing strategy
A One-minute film will be made and uploaded as a deliverable

Programme Head

Programme Head: Rabiya Nazki

A versatile and seasoned professional with rich experience in strategic planning, creative direction, script writing, film production, account management and people management with well-known organisations across arts & entertainment, healthcare, non-profit, event & publicity sector, she has been associated with companies like Network18, BBC, Percept, Zee and many more.

Schedule And Fees

Overview

Fees:

Programme Name	: Mobile Filmmaking
Fees (INR)	: 10,000

* GST as applicable (currently 18%) would be additional and is not reflected in the above-mentioned amount.

Notes to fees:

Security Deposit of 20% programme fees where applicable is payable by students enrolling into this programme. This is non-interest bearing and refundable on programme completion or withdrawal, subject to deductions.
Project costs are not included in the fees.
Fee inclusive of refundable deposit, government taxes and registration fee.
Special discounts will be available for groups, WWI Alumni and associations.
Students enrolling for three or more levels of the same programme will be given special concession at the time of payment.

Production Design - Level 1

Overview

Programme code	: PD 101
Credit Point	: 0.5
Award	: Certificate Production Design – Level 1
Duration	: 20 hours over 5 weeks
Requirements	: –
Eligibility	: 18 years & above

Programme Overview

From early in pre-production, the production designer collaborates with the director and director of photography to establish the visual feel and specific aesthetic needs of the project. The production designer guides key personnel in other departments such as the costume designer, the key hair and make-up artists and the locations manager (among others) to establish a unified visual appearance to the film.

The Production Design – Level1 programme offers a unique specialised training in the basic responsibilities of a Production Designer, with respect to the aesthetic aspects and practical skills needed to create the visual impact of a film.

Learning Objectives

To comprehend the importance of pre-production – research and script breakdown
To learn about the significance of colours, props, costumes, locations etc.
To understand the components of set construction
To learn different components of set-dressing

Programme Components

Components of Production Design
Defining the job responsibilities of a Production Designer’s team
Script Study
Script Breakdown
Research skills
Character Study
Colour Theory
Prop selection
Elementary principles of costume designing
Elementary principles of prosthetics
Locations vs constructed sets
Workflow of set construction
Budgeting
Set Dressing
Project

Each Class will be 20% theory and 80% demonstration. The Student will have supervised hands-on sessions with a follow-up assignment to monitor the learning curve.

Programme Head

Programme Head: Salim Arif & Sabyasachi Bose

Salim Arif

Salim Arif, faculty at WWI, is an alumnus of the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, having specialised in Direction.

He has also researched on the interaction between traditional and contemporary Indian theatre. Beginning as a costume designer on prestigious productions for television such as Shyam Benegal’s ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’, Gulzar’s ‘Mirza Ghalib’, Nirja Guleri’s ‘Chandrakanta’ and Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s ‘Chanakya’ etc., Salim Arif has gone on to be a Film and Stage Designer.

He has worked on films such as Ketan Mehta’s ‘Sardar’ (1993), Gulzar’s ‘Maachis’ (1996) and ‘Hu Tu Tu’ (1999), Govind Nihalani’s ‘Thakshak’ (1999) and Mani Ratnam’s ‘Guru’.

Innovative in his approach, and exploring new contents for staging, he is one of the noted directors of the Hindi theatre scene in India, with numerous plays such as ‘Aapki Soniya’, ‘Kachche Lamhe’, ‘Kharaashein’ and ‘Lakeerein’ and events like Octave 2010 to his credit.

Sabyasachi Bose

Sabyasachi Bose, Faculty in Production Design at WWI, graduated from the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata in 1992. In 1994, he began his career in the field of Production Design under the tutelage of Bijon Das Gupta. He then went on to work with Sanjay Dhabade and finally with Samir Chanda.

Sabyasachi has been involved in film projects that include ‘Raja’ (1995), ‘Barsaat’ (1995), ‘Gupt- The Hidden Secret’ (1997), ‘Judaai’ (1997), ‘Chocolate – A Deep Dark Secret’ (2005) and ‘Krrish’ (2006). He has worked as TV serials such as ‘Chandrakanta’, the theatre production, ‘Legend of Rama’, along with shows such as ‘Manikchand Filmfare Awards’, ‘Hum Ek Hai’. He has also contributed to ad shows for companies like Samsung, Onida, BPL, MRF Tyres, Apollo Tyres, Tata, Britannia, Times of India, Anandalok etc.

Simultaneously, as an artist, he has continued to participate in many prestigious group shows such as:

‘Exhibition’ organised by ‘Indian International Art Centre’ at Kolkata in1992
‘Open Air-1994’ organised by Birla Academy of Art and Culture at Kolkata
‘Annual Art Exhibition- 1996-97’ organised by The Art Society of India (Mumbai)
‘Annual Art Exhibition’ organised by Indian Society of Oriental Art at Kolkata in 1999
‘9th Harmony Show’ organised by the Art Trust, co-organised by the Textile Division, Reliance Industries at Mumbai (2004)
‘Art Watch’ organised by Galerie 88 at Kolkata (2004).

Schedule And Fees

Overview

Fees:

Programme Name	: Production Design – Level 1
Fees (INR)	: 20,000

* GST as applicable (currently 18%) would be additional and is not reflected in the above-mentioned amount.

Notes to fees:

Security Deposit of 20% programme fees where applicable is payable by students enrolling into this programme. This is non-interest bearing and refundable on programme completion or withdrawal, subject to deductions.
Project costs are not included in the fees.
Fee inclusive of refundable deposit, government taxes and registration fee.
Special discounts will be available for groups, WWI Alumni and associations.
Students enrolling for three or more levels of the same programme will be given special concession at the time of payment.

Production Design Level 2

Overview

Programme code	: PD 102
Credit Point	: 1
Award	: Certificate Production Design – Level 2
Duration	: 40 hours over 5 weeks
Requirements	: –
Eligibility	: PD 101 Production Design – Level1 or equivalent

Programme Overview

The Production Design – Level 2 programme offers sessions of compact, seriously effective and direct-experience-driven knowledge. It enables the students to enter the field with an exciting career prospect as a Film and TV professionals. The practical and conceptual skills required to fully realize a project’s visual potentials will be developed.The combination of theoretical analysis and participation-based practical experience will enable students to learn how to apply production designing skills to visually express stories with the a desired emotional impact.

Learning Objectives

To analyse the role of production design in different a genre
To learn advanced skill and tools of designing and dressing a location or constructed set
To learn make-up and costume designing in order to create different characters
To learn detailed costing and contingency planning

Programme Components

Production design for TV
Production design for feature Films
Research skills
Floor-planning
Carpentry and painting
Budgeting
Character study and costume designing
Character study and prosthetics
Period and futuristic films problems and nuances while shooting
Field trips

Each Class will be 30% theory and 70% demonstration. Students will have supervised hands-on sessions with a follow-up project assignment to monitor the learning curve.

Programme Head

Programme Head: Salim Arif & Sabyasachi Bose

Salim Arif : Salim Arif, faculty at WWI, is an alumnus of the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, having specialised in Direction.
He has also researched on the interaction between traditional and contemporary Indian theatre. Beginning as a costume designer on prestigious productions for television such as Shyam Benegal’s ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’, Gulzar’s ‘Mirza Ghalib’, Nirja Guleri’s ‘Chandrakanta’ and Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s ‘Chanakya’ etc., Salim Arif has gone on to be a Film and Stage Designer.

Sabyasachi Bose: Sabyasachi Bose, Faculty in Production Design at WWI, graduated from the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata in 1992. In 1994, he began his career in the field of Production Design under the tutelage of Bijon Das Gupta. He then went on to work with Sanjay Dhabade and finally with Samir Chanda.

Simultaneously, as an artist, he has continued to participate in many prestigious group shows such as:

‘Exhibition’ organised by ‘Indian International Art Centre’ at Kolkata in1992
‘Open Air-1994’ organised by Birla Academy of Art and Culture at Kolkata
‘Annual Art Exhibition- 1996-97’ organised by The Art Society of India (Mumbai)
‘Annual Art Exhibition’ organised by Indian Society of Oriental Art at Kolkata in 1999
‘9th Harmony Show’ organised by the Art Trust, co-organised by the Textile Division, Reliance Industries at Mumbai (2004)
‘Art Watch’ organised by Galerie 88 at Kolkata (2004).

Schedule And Fees

Overview

Fees:

Programme Name	: Production Design
Fees (INR)	: 32,000 – Level 2

* GST as applicable (currently 18%) would be additional and is not reflected in the above-mentioned amount.

Notes to fees:

Security Deposit of 20% programme fees where applicable is payable by students enrolling into this programme. This is non-interest bearing and refundable on programme completion or withdrawal, subject to deductions.
Project costs are not included in the fees.
Fee inclusive of refundable deposit, government taxes and registration fee.
Special discounts will be available for groups, WWI Alumni and associations.
Students enrolling for three or more levels of the same programme will be given special concession at the time of payment.