By Mr Jesuraja Joseph for BISMumbai

Don Bosco Academy Nerul (DBAN) in collaboration with Don Bosco International Media Academy (DBIMA), Paris, conducted a 2-hour masterclass on the topic ‘Filmmaking and Doing Film Studies in Europe’ on 12 January 2023, and 1-day International Media Workshop on the following day. The masterclass and workshop were conducted by renowned European filmmakers and professors of DBIMA in order to initiate and impart media knowledge to the young generation and prepare them for challenges in the digital world.

The masterclass began with a hymn to Don Bosco at 4:00 p.m. on 12 January. Ms Priya Alphonso welcomed the gathering, while Ms Assumption George annotated on the activities at DBAN. Fr Barnabe D’Souza felicitated the guest professors. He introduced Fr John Paul Swaminathan SDB, the CEO of DBIMA to the audience. Fr John Paul is a film director and producer working in Paris, France. He has completed his higher studies in philosophy, English literature, theology and a European Master’s degree in film and television production. With professional experience in advertising and documentaries, he made his first French short film 'ALIVE, la mort n’arrête pas la vie' which received the prestigious Albert R. Broccoli Award in 2016.

Fr John Paul presented an introduction about filmmaking in general and doing film studies in Europe. He then introduced the other professors present with him: Prof. Jean Achache, an assistant director who has worked with renowned film directors, and is now the head professor for the Department of Direction at DBIMA; Prof. Didier Soubrier is a famous Director of Photography with his first feature ‘Off Season’ in 2019 which was selected in Glenn Film Festival, California, and is the Head of Studies at DBIMA; Prof. Cécile Quiroz has real experience in collaboration with directors in art direction and editing, and she teaches the basics of editing at DBIMA; and Prof. Nathan Taieb is an independent Filmmaker and cinematographer, who lives in Paris, and teaches Cinematography at DBIMA

With such an eminent panel, the participants were indeed eager and curious to enhance their own understanding about film making. As the floor was open for questions and answers, the participants posed as many as 25 questions. The masterclass ended by 7:00 p.m. with a thanksgiving by Mr Jesuraja Joseph, the coordinator of DBAN.

The international media workshop began with the registration at 8:00 a.m. on 13 January. The sessions started at 9:30 a.m. and ended at 5:30 p.m. Prof. Taieb dealt with post-production techniques and distribution, while Prof. Soubrier shared his knowledge on audio-video production techniques, using Sony FS7 Professional Camera. Prof. Quiroz educated the participants on editing techniques, and Prof. Achache, with his 50 years of cinema experience, narrated the complete process of filmmaking. Each of the 4 sessions lasted about one hour and thirty minutes with theory, practicals, questions, and clarifications at the end.

At the end, the professors distributed the certificates of participation and the workshop came to an end with a photograph session. Plans to begin certified media courses at DBAN in collaboration with DBIMA, Paris, are in motion.