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Date:14/10/2009URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/10/14/stories/2009101458700200.htm

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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Enlightening flashes of film-making

Staff Reporter

More light: Director Nandhini J .S. handling a session at a workshop on science documentaries and short filmsat Anna University in Chennai on Tuesday.

CHENNAI: From writing scripts to framing shots, students of the Department of Media Science, Anna

University, are learning the nuances of film-making at a two-day workshop on Science documentaries and short

films, which began here on Tuesday.

Addressing the inaugural session, film-maker Usha Rajeshwari spoke on conceiving an idea and developing it

into a story. Screenplay is an art that needs out-of-the-box thinking. Extrapolate your idea into different angles

and choose the best one. Develop your story by giving as many angles to it as possible, she said.

Describing screenplay as a product of innumerable permutations and combinations , Ms. Rajeshwari said

creativity was the key to churn out engrossing stories for films. During the interactive sess ion with the students ,

she gave the gist of a story and called on the participants to complete it in different ways. Speaking on Script to

action, director Nandhini J.S. discussed a directors point of view in making a film. Talking on her struggles to

create a movie, she said that until a few years ago, women found it difficult to get a chance as ass istant directors

but the s cenario is changing in recent times. On her maiden venture Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru, Ms. Nandhini said

the first draft of her script had to be improvised upon for over 30 times as her co-workers offered sugges tions to

make it better. The movie, with Ajmal and Roopa in the lead, is a breezy romantic comedy. Since this is my first

venture, everything was a challenge. From a controlled budget to new faces in the movies, every aspect of

direction was a learning experience.

Selling the story to producers and actors is the toughes t part. Once that is done, half the movie is completed.

She urged aspirant directors to persevere constantly to make a mark in the film industry. Lectures on scripting

and photography rounded off the workshop on Tuesday. Head of the Department,V. Sundareswaran spoke.

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