Take your Directing Skill to Next Level

The Film Director is simply one who takes charge of and is responsible for, all the elements that go in the making of a movie. 

Directors are versatile people- independent, creative and sometimes even genius. They are the real superstars of the movie business. They are the God.

God Must Know Everything

As a director, you must have an essential ability to choreograph Performaces for Camera, make an actor understand the complexity of a scene in order to extract believable performance, which itself demands your own understanding of the Character's arc, identifying

& pursuing a character's objective, knowledge of Natya Shastra & Nava- Rasa to Stanislavsky's method of Acting.

Moreover, you are also required to have a broad knowledge and mastery over the visual side of the medium- how to create energy in each frame, understanding Lens & their impact, Directing Camera

placement, knowing different Lighting techniques to evoke desired visual mood and how to use an Environment to enhance Drama, as well as use of Background Music to create an emotional impact. 

A 5 days Master Class on Directing Actors is a series of intensive training sessions, designed by the Institute of Moving Images- the Film School, specially for the film enthusiasts like you who already have a sound knowledge of filmmaking fundamentals, but now desirous of having hands-on practical know-how of Advanced Directing Technique.

Book your seat today to take your understanding of artistic & craft skill of Film Direction to an advanced level, so that you can kick-start a successful career in Films, TV or OTT as a professional Director.

Unique Features



• Advanced training in Artistic & Craft Skills of Directing
• Must for a film enthusiast already having sound knowledge of Filmmaking Fundamentals
• 5 days Master Class on Weekends, spread over 3 Weeks
• Affordable Fees 
• Faculty of high profile, working industry professionals from Mumbai
• Students are trained to first look into the complexity of a Scene & identify its Beat Points
• Students gain deep understanding of Visual, Dramatic and Technical Challenges
• Students learn Directing Syntax & Strategies
• Students develop broad knowledge of different Acting Style & learn to Choreograph a performance for Camera 
• Also gain Mastery over the Visual side of the medium
• Many Directing Exercises similar to on-set Film Production experiences
• Students shoot a Dramatic Scene with Professional Filming Equipment
• Certificate & Show-reel on successful completion of the course
• Many of IMI alumni have made successful career in Film & Television industry as a Director after attending this Program

Program Venue

IMI Teaching Method

During 5 days IMI Master Class on Directing Actors, in addition to hands-on, specialized training in artistic & craft skills of Film Direction through intense lectures, students also participate in Directing Exercises similar to on-set film production experiences, where students take all the aesthetic decisions, solving problems similar to those faced by a professional Director while adding value to bring a Scene to life.

On the last day of IMI Master Class, multiple scenes are shot at an actual location under same strict time constraints, students will encounter in the professional world and thus, teaching them discipline and efficiency of the real world of film Direction.  

Upon successful completion of the course, students also receive an IMI Certificate & a show reel of their work.

What Exactly You Will Learn

Becoming a professional Film Director requires a sophisticated understanding of visual, dramatic and technical challenges a Director confronts on the set, which also demands serious & advanced study of behavioural Science.

Production Goals:

• Choreographing a Performance for Camera
• Shooting a Dramatic Exercise
• Giving playable Direction under the pressured environment of a Film Set  

Learning Goals: 

Day-1

Understanding the Complexity of a Scene

• Biggest mistake a first time Filmmaker makes
• Seven Basic Plots
• How to add value to bring a Scene to life?
• Fundamentals of Script & Text Analysis
• Film Analysis: Directing Strategies of Great Masters
• Scene & Character Study
• Analysing 3 Act Structure in a Story

• Understanding a Characters’ Arc?
• Character Development Exercise
• Observation & Imagination Exercises
• How to identify a Beat of a Scene

Home Work

• Study of Human Behaviour & Creating a Performance based on such Observation



Day-2

(Students direct an Actor in classroom, based on their observation of Human Behaviour)

What is Film Acting?

• What’s the back bone of any Story?
• How to create believable Characters?
• What an Actor must possess?
• Understanding Nava- Rasa
• Exercise on 9 Human Emotions

• Different Acting Style
• Stanislavsky’s Method of Acting
• Classroom Exercise: Meisner’s Acting Technique
• Reacting to the Co-Performer
• Challenge of working with Children and non-Actors
• Casting Professionally & Successfully
• Audition Technique
• Film Analysis: Directing Strategies of Great Masters

Weekly Assignment

Each Student shoots a performance for a Monologue Scene

Day-3

(Screening of students' film for creative assessment by IMI faculty)

Directing Camera

• Impact of Camera Placement on Actor's performance
• How to add Visual Energy to each Shot
• Psychological impact of various Camera movement
• How to make your Film look Cinematic?

• Different Lighting Techniques for dramatic presentation
• Practical Exercise with 3 Point Light Set-up

• Low Key & High Key Lighting Techniques
• How to use Natural Light for a Dramatic effect?
• Scene Analysis : Different Lighting Technique

Day-4

Directing Syntax & Strategies

• Understand Safety, Etiquette & Protocol of a Film Set
• Basics of Set Design & Floor Plan

• How to Choreograph a performance for camera 
• 5 Stages of a Scene Blocking
• Importance of informing Image size to actors
• Directing Rehearsals using Improvisation Exercises
• Creating dynamic, moment by moment Performances
• How to use an Environment to enhance Drama
• Importance of Make-up & Costume Designing

• How to use Background Music as Dramatic Tool
• Film Analysis : Modern Age Cinema

Weekly Assignment:

Students are tasked to write a Script, make Pre-Production Plan & rehearse with actors for next week on-location shoot under pressured envoronment.

Day-5

(Each student group's Script & Production Plans are evaluated by the faculty before giving go-ahead)

Shooting a Dramatic Scene

• Each Student Group shoots a dramatic scene with professional equipment
• Screening of students’ Films
• Q&A Session
• Certification Ceremony

IMI Course Fee

Despite market forces, IMI fees for the Master Class on Directing Actors is very nominal.

In fact, most of the collected amount is spent on your Course Kit, Study Materials, Classroom lectures, Practical demonstrations & exercises for your hands-on experience with professional Sony 4K HD Camera & Sound equipment as well as on the Screening of world class Films as per the subject of the day. 

During the Master Class, students are advised to make their 2 exercise films without incurring any additional expenses and are encouraged to pool in their resources to arrange any production needs for their projects.

Who Should Apply

• Film enthusiasts who want to go for an advanced learning in Film Direction.
• Committed and dedicated people with a proven passion for Filmmaking. 
• Have sound knowledge of the Fundamentals of Filmmaking.
• Collaborative, articulate and creative people.
• Have a strong instinct for the grammar of Visual Storytelling.  

Why Choose IMI

Institute of Moving Images is an intimate and innovative film school for high standard of practical training in all key areas of filmmaking with latest equipment.

Today the Institute of Moving Images is considered one of the prominent Film & Television institutes of India.

Located inside a reputed University at Pune, IMI is run by Moving Images Educational Trust, recognized by the NITI Aayog, Government of india under Public Trust Act, 1950.

IMI offers Diploma, Certificate & Short Programs in various aspects of Filmmaking. IMI also offers different Master Classes on Professional Script Writing, Acting, Production Management, Digital Cinematography, Editing & Documentary Filmmaking Programs in collaboration with various colleges & universities across India.

We can now proudly say that many of our alumni are today gainfully employed in prestigious Film Production houses like Aamir Khan Production, Yashraj Films, Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions, Rajshri Productions, Balaji Telefilms, UTV and others.

Some of IMI alumni have worked in the creative team of Directors like Kabir Khan for "Bajrangi Bhai", Sujoy Ghosh for "Kahaani”, Anurag Kashyap for “Gangs of Wasseypur" & “Raman Raghav”, Meghna Gulzar for “Talvar” & "Raazi", Nitesh Tiwari for "Dangal" and Sanjay Leela Bhansali for "Gangubai Kathiawadi" & "Heera Mandi".

IMI Alumni Success Story

Watch below the Trailers of the Feature Films & Web Series created by our Direction alumni. They really made us proud at IMI by turning their film school dreams into reality.

O2

Medical Thriller / Kannada Feature Film

Written & Directed by IMI alumni Raghav Nayak & Prashanth Raj

GHICH PICH

Coming-of-Age / Hindi Feature Film

Written & Directed by IMI alumnus Ankur Singla

31st OCTOBER

Historical Drama / Hindi Feature Film

Written & Produced by IMI alumnus Harry Sachdeva

DUPAHIYA

Satire / Hindi Web Series

Created by IMI alumnus Salona Bains Joshi

PUBGOA

Sci-Fi Crime Drama / Tamil Web Series

Written & Directed by IMI alumnus Laxmi Narayana

Pankaj Roy - Since 2006, he has been at the helm of Institute of Moving Images- the Film School as its Director with a single minded mission to develop imaginative visual storytellers who can make their mark in Indian as well as in World Cinema.

An alumnus of FTII & a Senior Member of the Indian Film & Television Directors' Association, Pankaj also teaches at Pune University as a Guest Professor for its Filmmaking Course.

Till now, he has trained more than 7600 students across India & also conducts live-interactive online sessions for students joining from far away places like California, Paris, London, Ukraine, Ghana, Nigeria, Dubai, Bahrain, Yemen & Bangladesh.

Pankaj Roy has also independently produced & directed more than 1500 hours of entertainment content for Television Channels such as "Khiladi", "Agnipath", "Raag Anurag", " Ek Shoonya Shoonya", "Ebar Jombe Moja", "Chena Mukh, Achena Manush". In addition to all these, he has many more stylized & sleekly produced Corporate Documentaries and Ad films in his credit.

Gargi Nandi - A prolific fiction writer & an experienced Film & Television Actress working in Mumbai Film Industry. Also a member of Screen Writers' Association, Mumbai.

Gargi also regularly features in many Prime Time debates on National News Channels like Times Now, CNN News18, Republic TV, Mirror Now, NDTV, AajTak etc.

A postgraduate in Sociology from Mumbai University, Gargi Nandi also holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

Gargi has written many shows for Televisions & acted in Ads, Serials & feature films in major roles.