A Good Filmmaker Is An Artist

Shyam Benegal, one of India’s most influential filmmakers, spoke to Aeshwarya Tiwari on how students can go about choosing a career in filmmaking…

- Aeshwarya Tiwari

Q. You have been in the Indian film industry for decades. Would you advise a student to make a career out of it?

A.  Filmmaking is not just a job that you do; you should have passion and genuine interest in cinema. Also you must learn the ropes; which means learning everything that is required in terms of filmmaking. You have to learn the use of camera and the different lenses, and the exposures that you need to set to get you the desired image texture and quality. Also, you need to understand the nature of sound, and how to record sound; dialogues, music – solo instrumental, vocal and orchestral. Filmmaking is both a craft and art. A good filmmaker is both an artist and a craftsman.

Q. What according to you is a good film institute?

A. A good film institute is one that will train you in all the skills required to make films; technical as well as interpretative in terms of drama and dialogue through visuals and sound.

Q. Is filmmaking course the right step for aspirants?

A. There is no question of right or wrong steps to join a filmmaking course. The only thing that matters is how useful the course is for the students.

Q. How can one choose a specialization in this field?