01
Screenwriting
Character, conflict, structure, scenes, dialogue, subtext and screenplay format.
Creative Arts Exploration · Film course · W.I.P aDDa, Lado Sarai
Gali Gali Cinema
A four-week short film intensive in the lanes of Lado Sarai. Write it. Cast it. Shoot it. Cut it. Screen it.
- Length
- Four weeks
- Cohorts
- Weekday or weekend
- You make
- Your own short film, screened in public
- Starts
- Dates to be announced
There is a cinema already unfolding in the galis of Lado Sarai: a twelfth-century ruin sharing a wall with a contemporary gallery, the sound of a metal workshop bleeding into the call to prayer, light falling through Mehrauli Archaeological Park at four in the afternoon. Gali Gali Cinema asks you to learn how to see the stories that are already there, and then to make one of your own.
The course
Gali Gali Cinema is a one-month, hands-on course in making a short film, using Lado Sarai, one of Delhi's oldest villages and now a home for artists and galleries, as its set, its backlot and its inspiration.
The gali, the narrow lane that turns, doubles back, dead-ends and reopens, is the organising idea of the course. It stands for the complexity of everyday life and for storytelling that refuses the straight line.
Step by step you find an idea, write a screenplay, work with actors, plan a shoot, direct on set and shape your film in the edit. You direct your own film and crew on your classmates' films. Alongside the making, the group watches and argues about landmark short films from India and the world, and every week an invited filmmaker joins the class.
By the end of the month every participant has written and directed their own short film and premiered it at a public screening at W.I.P aDDa.
Who it is for
- Anyone aged 18 and above: students, working professionals, writers, photographers, theatre artists, and anyone with a story to tell
- Design students building a portfolio with a strong moving-image component
- First-time and emerging filmmakers ready to move from shooting on a phone to telling stories with characters, performances and intent
You will need
- Basic comfort shooting video on a smartphone
- A laptop (Mac or Windows, 8 GB RAM or more, with free storage), your smartphone and a notebook
- A love of stories in any form, and a willingness to work as part of a crew
- No prior filmmaking experience is required
We provide
Professional cameras, lenses, sound recording kit and lighting.
The whole craft, in one month
02
Directing actors
Casting, rehearsal, blocking, and drawing truthful performances from trained and first-time actors.
03
Cinematography
Shot design, coverage, continuity, camera movement and lighting a scene.
04
Sound
Clean dialogue on location, room tone, ambience, and building a soundtrack in the edit.
05
Production
Shot lists, storyboards, schedules, locations, permissions and running a set.
06
Editing and finishing
Rough cut to picture lock, sound mix, colour basics, titles and export in DaVinci Resolve.
07
Watching like a filmmaker
Screenings and discussion of landmark short films from India and the world.
08
Your film, small by design
Up to five minutes. One or two locations. Two or three characters. You direct it; your classmates crew it.
09
Guest sessions
Weekly sessions with award-winning filmmakers, a cinematographer, a sound designer or editor, and an actor or casting director. Names to be announced.
What you leave with
- A finished short film you wrote and directed
- A screenplay shaped through drafts and table reads
- Crew credits on your classmates' films
- A network of filmmakers, actors and mentors
- A roadmap for taking your film to festivals
- A certificate of completion from W.I.P Labs
Two cohorts
Weekday cohort
₹35,000
4 weeks, 20 sessions
Monday to Friday, 3 hours a day (15 hours a week)
Weekend cohort
₹50,000
4 weekends, 8 full-day sessions
Saturday and Sunday, 7 hours a day (14 hours a week)
Starts
TBA
Dates are confirmed once we gauge interest.
Where
Lado Sarai
W.I.P aDDa, Lado Sarai, New Delhi. Nearest metro: Saket.
Student discounts are available with a valid student ID. Food, travel and accommodation are not included. Costs specific to your film, such as props or costumes, are your own.
Weekday cohort: day by day
- Week 1: Story and screen
- Day 1Welcome and screeningsLandmark fiction shorts, then an observation walk through Lado Sarai.
- Day 2Story fundamentalsCharacter, want, obstacle, change; turn your walk into five loglines.
- Day 3Visual storytellingShot sizes, coverage, the 180-degree rule; shoot a silent one-minute scene.
- Day 4Sound for fictionRecording dialogue on location; re-shoot your scene with clean sound.
- Day 5Guest session GuestAn award-winning fiction filmmaker: screening, conversation and Q&A.
- Week 2: Writing and directing
- Day 6Pitch dayPitch two or three ideas, get feedback, choose the film you will make.
- Day 7Screenwriting craftScenes, dialogue, subtext and format; begin your first draft.
- Day 8Directing actorsCasting, rehearsal, blocking and giving notes, with actors in the room.
- Day 9Table readsEvery draft read aloud; rewrite notes; breaking your script into shots.
- Day 10Guest session GuestAn award-winning cinematographer, plus a hands-on lighting workshop.
- Week 3: Production
- Day 11Pre-production lockFinal scripts, shot lists and schedules; crews assigned; kit orientation.
- Days 12 to 14Shoot daysCrews shoot across Lado Sarai with faculty on set; daily footage reviews.
- Day 15Guest session GuestAn acclaimed actor or casting director on what actors need from you.
- Week 4: Editing, finishing and screening
- Day 16Editing fundamentalsOrganise, sync and assemble your footage in DaVinci Resolve.
- Day 17Rough cut screeningsPeer and faculty feedback, then one-on-one edit mentoring.
- Day 18Guest session GuestAn award-winning sound designer or editor, plus a sound workshop.
- Day 19FinishingPicture lock, sound mix, colour, titles and export; the road to festivals.
- Day 20Public screeningYour film premieres to an invited audience, then certificates and a closing celebration.
Hours: To be confirmed. Tell us your preferred slot when you write in. Time outside class: Expect 4 to 6 hours a week of independent work on writing, rehearsals and editing. Some shoots run beyond class hours, scheduled with your crew.
Weekend cohort: day by day
- Weekend 1: Story and screen
- Day 1, SatWelcome, screenings and storyLandmark fiction shorts from India and the world. Character, want, obstacle, change. An observation walk through Lado Sarai that becomes five loglines.
- Day 2, SunCamera and sound GuestShot sizes, coverage and the 180-degree rule. Shoot a silent scene, then re-shoot it with dialogue and clean sound. Afternoon session with an award-winning fiction filmmaker.
- In the weekIdeasDevelop two or three film ideas to pitch.
- Weekend 2: Writing and directing
- Day 3, SatPitch day and screenwritingPitch your ideas and choose your film. Then scenes, dialogue, subtext and screenplay format. Your first draft is due Sunday morning.
- Day 4, SunTable reads and directing actors GuestEvery draft read aloud, with rewrite notes. Casting, rehearsal and blocking with actors in the room. Session with an award-winning cinematographer, plus a lighting workshop.
- In the weekPreparationFinal draft, casting, location scouting and shot list, with written script feedback midweek.
- Weekend 3: Production
- Day 5, SatPre-production lock and first shootsFinal scripts and schedules, crews assigned, equipment orientation. Shoots begin in the afternoon.
- Day 6, SunFull shoot day GuestCrews shoot across Lado Sarai with faculty on set. A drop-in from an acclaimed actor or casting director. Evening orientation to editing in DaVinci Resolve.
- In the weekFirst cutAny remaining shoots with your crew; assemble your first cut.
- Weekend 4: Editing, finishing and screening
- Day 7, SatRough cuts and sound GuestRough cut screenings with peer and faculty feedback. Session with an award-winning sound designer or editor. One-on-one edit mentoring.
- Day 8, SunFinish and premierePicture lock, sound mix, colour, titles and export. In the evening your film premieres to an invited audience, followed by certificates and a closing celebration.
Hours: 10 am to 6 pm with a lunch break (to be confirmed). Time outside class: Expect 5 to 7 hours of independent work each week on writing, rehearsals and editing, with faculty check-ins available midweek.
Faculty
Imon Raza
Filmmaker, designer and educator
Imon Raza is a filmmaker, artist and design educator whose practice sits where experimental cinema, ecology and climate meet. A graduate of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, in Film and Video Communication, he is pursuing a PhD in Design at NID on storytelling and pedagogy. He grew up beside the Brahmaputra, and rivers, wetlands and floodplains recur in his films as protagonists rather than backdrops.
His films have screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival, Dharamshala International Film Festival, the Indian Independent Film Festival and the Azores Fringe Film Festival. He is a Godrej Design Lab Fellow (2026), and his work carries the UNESCO Living with Rivers label (2026).
He has taught for more than ten years, as Assistant Professor at CEPT University, Anant National University and Karnavati University, and as visiting faculty at Bath University, Cotton University, NIFT, MIT and UID. At CEPT he set up Cinemascapes and led field schools in the Havelock Islands, Majuli and the United Kingdom. He brings to Gali Gali Cinema the eye of a working cinematographer and a way of teaching that begins with observation, not equipment.
How to join
Write to us to express your interest. It commits you to nothing and puts you first in line when registration opens. Seats are limited.
Tell us which cohort suits you (weekday or weekend), a few lines about yourself and why you want to make a film, and, if you like, a link to anything you have shot, even on a phone. We confirm dates once we have gauged interest.
Write to learn@wipcollective.in
Gali Gali Cinema is a W.I.P Labs programme under Creative Arts Exploration, made with filmmaker Imon Raza.