These three semesters have had a lot of practical sessions and I have always looked forward to them
Swami Vivekananda said, “All our knowledge is based upon experience and experience is the only teacher we have.”
Since the first semester, practical classes have always been one of my favourite parts about college. The industry works on experience and practical knowledge. Simply knowing the features of Premiere Pro or FCP in theory is futile till you actually use the software. I always wanted to do photography but I actually got hands-on experience during the practicals of the Foundation in Photography course in the first semester. Introduction to Camera and Lighting taught me how to independently do basic camera movements and take basic shots.
What I like about SCMC, is that they make sure to teach the basics, no matter how many students are already acquainted with them. Experienced professionals from the industry like FTII professors form the backbone of these practical lessons. These lessons are about exploring those basic features and eventually create bigger art. How you can add a particular emotion from a particular camera movement and the likes of it. In Sound, you learn how to add SFX, how Foley works and the impact it has. And the more you spend time with a software or equipment, the more you understand it. Practice helps you fix errors that you might face while being on the field. This in turn affects and enhances your creativity. It is always more useful to understand concepts with trial and error.
Theory will tell you what icon is next to which one and what it does but when you get used to the software, your hands, eyes and brain will automatically know and mechanically get the work done.
Since we have to do assignments in these practical sessions on the spot, it helps us become pro-active as is the case in the industry. The industry doesn’t work on the model of a Sunday 00:00 a.m. deadline. It all happens in the moment. When we have practical sessions we also learn a lot of things from our peers. We learn from their mistakes as well as from the feedback they give us. Doing something together as a group helps us learn so many new things each time.
Getting the camera in your own hand; equipment that is of good quality and is either the same or close to the equipment used in the industry, prepares us better. These three semesters have had a lot of practical sessions and I have always looked forward to them. I hope they get better and more interesting that keep this AV student intrigued.
Article by: Akansha Tiwari (Batch of 2019)
Photograph by: Akansha Tiwari (Batch of 2019)
