What is Electronic Cinematography?: Course Fees 2025, Subjects, Top Colleges, Admissions

Based on the science and technology of digital image acquisition, Electronic Cinematography is all about making students see the world differently and presenting it in an engaging way. Through courses related to Electronic Cinematography, students are introduced to the technical knowledge of media involved in visual aesthetics, art appreciation, composition and shooting techniques, lighting theory, etc.

Electronic Cinematography not only brings art and digital media together. Rather, it is also helpful to a great extent in speeding up the process of filmmaking. This is the reason why many filmmakers are now giving more preference to Electronic Cinematography. If you also wish to make a career in filmmaking, then you can make a career in Electronic Cinematography.

In India, the duration of the Cinematography course can vary between 3 months to 3 years, depending on the level of the programme. You can check the table given below for more details:

Candidates seeking admissions to UG and Diploma courses should have passed at least class 12th from a recognised Board. For a Diploma course in Electronic Cinematography, candidates should pass class 12 in any stream from a recognised board and If the candidate wants to pursue a PG course in Electronic cinematography then they need to complete their graduation with the minimum percentage which is specified by a particular university/ college in which they are seeking admission.

The minimum requirement for admission into a cinematography programme is Class 12. After Class 12, one may go for various certificate and Diploma courses in cinematography to acquire knowledge in the field. Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)-Pune; Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute-Kolkata, Zee Institute of Media Arts and Whistling Woods International in Mumbai are some of the prominent institutes that conduct courses in cinematography.

Many colleges conduct an entrance exam in order to shortlist aspirants for admission to courses offered by them. Students can secure admission to an Electronic Cinematography if they fulfil the eligibility criteria for the course in which they want to secure admission. the general eligibility criteria is that the candidate should have completed Class XII or 10+2 in any stream from a recognised board with a minimum aggregate percentage for UG level Courses. If the candidate wants to pursue a PG level course in Electronic cinematography then they need to complete their graduation with the minimum percentage which is specified by a particular university/ college in which they are seeking admission.

CUET exam centre is allocated on the basis of the preferences entered by the candidate while filling the CUET application form. NTA allotes exam centre as per the preference entered and is subject to availability and logistical consideration.

While filling the CUET application form, candidates can select four cities of their choice. Choice of CUET exam centre cities will be limited to the State of permanent address or State of present address only. In case there are very few candidates from a city, the NTA reserves the right to merge one, two, or more cities.

CUET 2026 exam will be held in May-June 2026 in computer based mode over a month window. The exam will be held across more than 300 exam cities in India. Candidates will be able to know the alloted exam centre on issuance of CUET intimation slip or CUET admit card.

NTA will commence the CUET registrations 2026 at cuet.nta.nic.in tentatively in first week of March. Candidates can fill the online CUET application form online on official website when released. Candidates will be able to enter the personal, educational and CUET subject details to appear for the exam. Candidates must pay the CUET application fee to complete the registration process.

Besides practical experience, there are a host of other skills and qualities that are required in this field. Some of them are listed below:

The major topics that are common at all the levels of Electronic Cinematography Course are listed below:

• Film screening, shooting, appreciation
• About Cameras, types, angle and it's functioning
• Lighting, its basics and techniques
• Introduction to lenses

Some of the popular colleges that provide Electronic Cinematography Courses are:

• Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
• Gulshan Kumar Film and Television Institute of India
• Asian Academy of Film And Television
• Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU)
• Biju Pattanaik Film and Television Institute

The course fee for various colleges offering Diploma courses in Electronic Cinematography ranges from INR 50,000 to INR 5 LPA. The fees depends on colleges to colleges.

There are four Colleges in India that provide Courses related to Cinematography. Below is the list of Colleges along with the time durationof the Courses:

Cinematography is a very promising career. After completing a course in cinematography, one can join any small or big organisation as a cinematographer. For this role, one must have experience in the camera department. With these technical skills, and in-depth knowledge of lighting and filmmaking is also important. The ability to make creative decisions, and organisational skills are a must too.

It differs from one individual to the other, depending on one's choices and interests. It is true, though, that the more experience you have with this topic, the better it is. The field is both fascinating and exciting to work in. It is all about your perspective towards filmmaking and the process involved in it. For this role, one must have experience esp. in the camera department. With this; technical skills and in-depth knowledge of lighting and filmmaking is also important. The ability to make creative decisions and organisational skills are a must too. If you have all of this, then this is the field for you.

To be a cinematographer is to be part of a large crew. A cinematographer, also referred to as the director of photography (or DP), is the individual in charge of the camera and lighting crews on a movie or other production. That's usually the job of the camera operator, who works under the cinematographer.

After completing a course in Electronic Cinematography one can work for production houses like Yashraj Productions, Dharma Productions, UTV movies, Balaji Telefilms Ltd, Eros International Media Ltd etc. Some Cinematographers are also hired in Television Production Companies such as Balaji Telefilms, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Colors TV (Viacom18), BBC Studios India, etc..

Cinematography course entails the skill of capturing and visually telling a story in a film or television production.  Some of the most common undergraduate cinematography courses are BA Cinematography, BFA Cinematography, and BSc Cinematography. Some of the specialised courses available at the master's level include a Post Graduate Diploma in Television Production and a PG Diploma in Digital Cinematography. Cinematography courses can range in price from INR 5,000 to INR 3 lakh.

There are no such requirements to become a cinematographer but a bachelor's degree in cinematography or film production can help candidates in learning the required skills for the profession.