Film Direction Course and Classes in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow
From story to camera: learn to put up your own short film, web series or YouTube show.
- 90 days
- Gomti Nagar, Lucknow
- ₹50,000
What this course teaches that most courses don't
Multicam directing
One scene, four or five cameras at once. This is how Gapistaan is shot.
Directing without a script
Giving actors only a situation and drawing improvised scenes out of them.
Lens and emotion
Which lens and which shot makes the audience feel what.
The actor's language
Talking to actors in the vocabulary of Yogesh CineAct, so scenes land in fewer takes.
Shooting in Uttar Pradesh
A practical understanding of locations, shooting permissions and the state's film policy.
Series and YouTube shows
Episode structure, planning a whole show, and thinking in titles and thumbnails.
The 90-day curriculum
Month 1Shared by all three courses
Shared foundation: in front of the camera
Every film craft is expression. An actor expresses with body and voice, a director draws it out of others, and an editor shapes it for the audience. So in the first month students of all three courses learn the camera together, through an actor's eyes.
- Observation, Emotion, Expression: the three steps of acting
- The four pillars of Yogesh CineAct: Believing, Respect, Seriousness, Enjoying
- The Observation System: Live, Imaginary, Micro, Nano and Combination Observation
- Foundations of the Natyashastra, the nine rasas and sattvika bhava
- Body, breath, voice and diction
- Camera look and camera language: scaling a performance to the shot size
- Improvisation: building scenes without a script
- Shooting on a phone and starting your own channel
Month 2Only in this course
Depth in your course
From the second month the three courses separate. Each student trains in detail, and technically, in the course they joined.
- Story to screenplay
- Concept, Conflict, Climax, Resolution; scene breakdown and screenplay format.
- Shot division
- Shot lists, storyboards, coverage, the 180-degree rule, axis and eyeline match.
- Camera and lens
- Shot sizes, focal length, camera movement and composition.
- Blocking and actors
- Setting actors' movement on set, rehearsal, and finding scenes through improvisation.
- Multicam shooting
- Several angles at once on phones and small cameras, and preparing audio sync for the edit.
- Light and sound
- Three-point lighting, natural light, lapel and boom microphones, room tone.
- Production
- Budgets, call sheets, schedules, locations and shooting permissions.
- Working with the editor
- Post-production, DI and final delivery, from the director's side.
Month 3Only in this course
On a real set
The third month belongs to the set, not the classroom. Every student works on real PICHCHRAPA shoots and leaves with a portfolio.
- Directing an episode or short film yourself on a PICHCHRAPA project
- Running a full team and set
- Publishing the first episodes of your own show or channel
With every course
Special for YouTube and Instagram: make your own channel
Many artists today don't wait for a film; they build their own stage. So every student, in all three courses, launches and runs a channel within the 90 days.
Acting for YouTube and Instagram
Being natural in front of a phone camera, speaking and playing characters.
Your channel's identity
Deciding the character, subject or show you'll bring.
Shooting on a phone
Light, sound and framing: clean video without expensive gear.
The first three seconds
Hooks, titles and thumbnails: the craft of making a viewer stop.
Reels, Shorts and long videos
Story and editing for both formats.
Consistency and analytics
A publishing calendar, and learning from the numbers.
A case in point: every actor in the comedy series Gapistaan (Gen Gap) trained at this academy, and the series is shot using the same method.
Who this course is for
- Anyone who wants to direct films or web series
- Anyone who wants to start a YouTube show or production of their own
- Anyone who wants to make low-budget work that looks big
What you leave with
- An episode or short film you directed
- Experience running a set and a team
- A full plan for your own show
- A channel of your own
Where it leads
- Assistant director on films and web series
- Music videos and advertising
- YouTube shows and brand content
- Your own production
What comes after the course
90days
The courseClasses, live shoots and a channel of your own.10selected students
A 3-month internshipAfter the course, ten selected students from each batch intern at PICHCHRAPA production house, with travel allowance.6months on
Job opportunitiesWe also offer job opportunities to our best students, at our production house PICHCHRAPA or elsewhere in the industry, as actors, directors or editors.
Internships and job opportunities depend on the student's performance, selection and the projects available at the time. They are not a guarantee of employment or income.
People who have seen the academy
Artists and officials from the film world who visited the academy, in their own words. Click any video to hear the full byte with sound.
Fees and admission
- Apply onlineChoose a course, fill in the form and register, or simply call us.
- Selection auditionA short audition and conversation at the academy. Scholarships are decided here.
- EnrolmentPay the fee at once or in two instalments to confirm your seat.
Other courses: Cinematic Acting · Film Editing
Fee for each course
₹50,000
90 days of training, live projects and a certificate
- In two instalments
- ₹27,500 + ₹27,500 (₹55,000 in total)
- Merit scholarship
- Up to 20%, based on the selection audition
- Eligibility
- 16 and above, from any background; no degree required