With the advent of digital platforms that promise better employment opportunities in content creation, demand for courses on cinematography and film direction is on the rise.

Many cinema schools in Chennai have reported 15-20 per cent increase in demand for the courses. Some have increased the number of seats to cater to the growing demand.

According to a spokesperson of LV Prasad Film and TV Academy, cinematography and film direction courses cost between ₹35,000 for a short-term course and close to ₹9 lakh for a two-year course.

“It is not like the risk is not there now. But increasing opportunities are pushing many to pursue their passion,” the spokesperson said.

The film institute increased its seat from 40 to 60 in 2014 and is planning to raise them further this year.

A career in cinema involves lot more risk as the work opportunities and income are irregular. But that is slowly changing with many production houses venturing beyond movies into web series.

Rajiv Menon, Founder of Mind Screen Film Institute, said the transformation the industry is witnessing is significant because it now offers greater possibilities of permanent employment and self-employment, which makes a huge difference to the people who want to take the plunge into the cinema field.

Balaji Vembu, an engineer turned film director working on his independent film, said he enrolled in the two-year film direction course in Chennai soon after graduation. “When I passed out in 2012, I barely got ₹5,000 as an film editor in a Tamil movie and did odd jobs too. Five years down the line a lot has changed.”.

Vembu said, “This is because theatre is not the only medium to exhibit your work, though that is the ultimate aim.”

Platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube channels have made it easier for beginners to make a movie and get recognition. “Budget has come down as well. All you need now is a decent camera and you can get going,” he added.

Menon said that apart from movies and web series, many corporates have an in-house video content creation team for market specific advertisements and video content to reach consumers.

Sam Kumar of Mirage Film Institute said, “TV channels are looking for quality content to attract more viewers,” he added.

This is probably why apart from visual communication, these courses have takers from engineering, IT, medicine and law.

Kumar said there is 30 per cent jump in number of engineering graduates joining the courses with more enquiries from small towns and cities such as Dindigul, Erode and Madurai.