Pune: The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune has announced a six-month course on ‘Writing for Television Fiction’ geared towards producing trained TV screenwriters.
The 24-week course, oriented towards TV industry, will begin on February 11, 2019 and continue till July 26. Only 15 candidates will be selected, based on their application and Statement of Purpose (SOP), which will be followed by an interview.
Bhupendra Kainthola, Director, FTII Pune, said, “For those who want to write for modern television, here’s the chance to learn how. In the Indian situation, discerning viewers do not respect most of what is shown on Indian TV, the daily soaps, dumbed down storytelling, black-and-white characters, etc. In contrast, in the international situation, Game of Thrones, Newsroom, House of Cards, Homeland, Narcos and countless other shows have created their huge legions of followers.
India still doesn’t have enough writers qualified to write such high-quality series. It is to address this glaring gap that FTII Pune has designed this 24-week writing-intensive course, which will have constant instruction and mentorship from leading TV screenwriters.”
Vinod Ranganath, Course Director and noted TV writer, said, “Students successfully completing this course will come away not only with the knowledge of episodic writing, but also with two full ‘bibles’ for two TV programmes, in two different genres, ready to be pitched to broadcasters. Together with episodic writing, the course will cover all essential fundamentals of TV screen writing, including non-fiction, equipping students to professionally take up the kind of writing that interests them.”After course completion, the students will be well trained in the fundamentals of TV writing.
The course is open to all graduates with no age bar. Last date for applying for it is November 15.
