About FTII –
The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up by the Government of India in 1960, in the premises of the earlier, Prabhat Studios in Pune. Today, we got an opportunity to visit this esteemed institute which was arranged for the identified gifted students, 27 of them attended the visit.

Prabhat Studio was a pioneer in the business of filmmaking and shifted to Pune from Kolhapur in 1933. The archaic studios of the time, which were the production grounds for the films of Prabhat are still present and are being used at FTII. The old Studios of Prabhat are now heritage structures and FTII students continue to work at the world’s oldest functioning film shooting studios.

Today, FTII is recognised as a centre for excellence in audio visual media across the world and one of the best film institutes in India. FTII offers courses on Direction and Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Sound recording, Art direction and Production Design. The students were taken to the sound and film editing studios, wherein they learnt the functioning of cameras, its composition, lensing, lighting, photography and its different angle. The sound systems and all the latest technological equipments that are currently in use in the film industry were highlighted. We also visited the dubbing studios and the sound proof rooms that are used for recording. They were also taken to Department of Screen Acting and department of film editing, wherein they were told about the information on how films (videos) are edited. And we ended the visit with Prabhat Museum. The Prabhat Museum traces its origins back to 1995. The collection includes artifacts and pictures handed down to the institute by the Prabhat Film Company. It includes the ancient jewellery, props, pictures and even costumes worn by the stars of the era. Walking through it is like sifting through the pages of history.

The students were thrilled with the sets that were constructed and the use of technology that they had.

Overall it was an enriching and motivating experience.