In what possible manner could a film-making workshop be of help to an engineering student, except, of course, to guide him through the rudiments of projecting his/her message on the screen?

Actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, who is also president of Annapurna International School of Film + Media (AISFM), on Tuesday said going through the basics of film-making would help to improve confidence of engineering students who were hard-pressed for time and busy with projects. “It facilitates expression of ideas. Sheer brilliance needs to be expressed properly. Just getting a degree is not enough, and you need to sell your ideas,” he said.

“When I was told about the proposal for the workshop, I was reminded of my days as a mechanical engineering student at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, and later as I did my Masters in Automobile Engineering at San Jose State University. There were times when I was simply unable to put my ideas across, at a presentation in a crowded seminar hall,” he recalled. Another reason for designing such a short-term course/workshop is his firm belief that everybody needs a passion that needs to be nursed, even while being busy in a profession. “Today, life has become so mechanical and stressful that people need an outlet for their creativity,” he said.

Chris Higgins, AISFM’s vice-president, said the four-week summer workshop will be held from May 27 on the Annapurna Studios campus.

According to actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, going through the basics of film-making will help engineering students to develop self-confidence.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by  Suresh Krishnamoorthy / Hyderabad – May 22nd, 2013