“Screenplay is the template upon which a film is made. The singular most important
ingredient in the making the stew called a movie. It is essentially the film
first visualised or dreamt by the screenwriter in his or her head and then put
on blank pages as words. One of the loneliest and the most daunting tasks in
the world because the blank page stares at you mocking you to fill it. And yet
screenwriting is the most satisfying creative pursuit in the world of
filmmaking because that story making noises in your head finds an outlet,” says
Naveen Gupta, media controller, Indira Gandhi National Centre of the Arts, New
Delhi and alumnus of Film and Television Institute of India. He is currently in
Goa to conduct a three-day screenplay writing workshop at Carmel College,
Nuvem.
This is the third time he is conducting the workshop at the
college. The highlights of the workshop will be a brief history of Indian
cinema and influences on screenwriting in Bollywood; aesthetics of
storytelling; structure, characterisation and genres; the art of researching a
script and dialogue writing; crafting a script and screenplay and how to write
and have a premise, how to write a pitch and treatment which culminates in a
full blown screenplay. “It is great to be back to Carmel headed by its
Principal, Dr Sr Aradhana and her dedicated team, including my comrades in
arms, Prof Roxana A. Singh and Prof Brian Mendonca from Department of English.
Carmel College is a pioneer in innovative efforts to keep our education system
in sync with current trends around the world and this screenplay writing
workshop is a proof of that effort. It is an honour to be a part of this
endeavour by Carmel College,” he says.
Naveen co-wrote two feature films showcasing the first and
second acting batches of FTII namely ‘Woh Subah Ki Dhar Nikal Gayi’ (2005) and
‘Jab Din Chale na raat chale’ (2007) and he wrote the dialogues for the third
film called ‘Diploma’ (2006). He opted for the academic aspects of
screenwriting rather than the commercial or professional pursuits.
Noticing a shift in the storylines of Bollywood films, Naveen
explains, “The way movies were made say in the 40s, 50s ,60s and 70s is
completely different from the way it is done from 2010s. The main reason is
that there has been a shift in the content and the target audience has changed.
The Indian film industry has become more professional in the last few decades,
where box office earning has a prominent importance. This makes it essential
for the film makers to work on plots that they know would sell, and sell big,
not only in India but overseas as well. The world of storytelling is open to
something new in terms of genre but it has to be a story worth telling.”
IFFI will be at Goa’s door in a few days. The festival has
brought in a new life in the film culture. “IFFI always showcases great movies
and is a platform of interaction with internationally acclaimed filmmakers and
celebrities. I believe this year at IFFI, they will have a short film making
competition ‘Mini Movie Mania Short Film Competition’. The topic for the film
will be given during IFFI and the movie makers have to submit their films in 72
hours after the topic is announced. This is going to be a great exercise for
blood in young scriptwriters,” he says.
What
are his future projects? “I’ve a book on cinema on hand and as a course
director at the Media Centre, IGNCA, I am conducting a short term certificate
course in screenwriting,” concludes Naveen.
