NEWS
Students interpret Bollywood through a lens
Media and photography students have travelled to India on a two-week study tour to explore Bollywood culture and gain an understanding of the world’s largest producer of film.
The first phase of the tour kicked off in Mumbai, where students had the opportunity to meet Hindi film industry professionals such as actors, choreographers, directors and producers.
Students also took part in a special Bollywood dance masterclass held by Longingus Fernandes, dance director of the award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
RMIT Master of Media student Danni Li took part in the tour and was intrigued by Indian film and Bollywood culture.
“Dance is a huge part of cinema in Indian film culture and is prevalent across a range of genre – this is what makes Indian film so unique,” Li said.
“The study tour also provided me with an insight into how this particular industry functions; for a filmmaker it's important to know not only how to make a film, but to know about aspects such as marketing, social media, narrative structures, music and effects.”
In Delhi, students collaborated with the prestigious Vivekanad Institute for Professional Studies (VIPS), to produce short documentaries under the guidance of media lecturer Vikrant Kishore.
“Students teamed up with local students to work on a project based on a chosen theme that relates to Indian culture,” Kishore said.
“They had just four days to research, film and presented their work at a seminar held at the campus.
“This project was particularly important because students had the opportunity to experience working in an international, multicultural team collaboratively.”
Master of Media student Prachi Daga worked with photography students from Melbourne and India to create an awareness documentary for the NGO, Prayas Social Welfare Society.
“For my project, I got to speak to the founder of Prayas and filmed in communal areas around the city,” Daga said.
“This experienced really solidified to me what I want to do - make docudramas based on history and culture and take it to a global market.”
“The two weeks in India was extremely eye-opening. In such a short amount of time I was exposed to a range of influential professionals in the industry and learnt about how Indian cinema functioned.”
The "International Media Collaboration: India" subject and study tour is open to all students in the Master of Media degree and as an elective to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (Photography).
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Story: Jordan Di Stefano