State-of-the-art facilities and academic expertise will allow YouTube content creators in India to learn more about film production, connect with others in the industry and create quality video content—for free
Online content creation got a shot in the arm as YouTube unveiled its space in Mumbai on Thursday. After Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, New York, São Paulo, Berlin, and Paris, Mumbai now has a space dedicated to online content creators, for no charge at all — a space where they can access audiovisual and editing equipment to produce original and innovative digital video content for their own YouTube channels.
David Macdonald, head of YouTube Spaces, Asia Pacific said, “India has a vibrant creative culture and we’d love to be everywhere, but we have to start with one place first. Mumbai was an obvious choice. We will see where we go from here. Mumbai is a very creative city; I have been managing the Asia operations of YouTube for five years now and have been in and out of the city for quite sometime. My time here has always astonished me in terms of the kind of creativity it offers. Of course there is a rich cultural legacy with TV and Bollywood but we are hoping to explore drama, comedy and horror as our genre of content here.”
Macdonald reminded about the power of the medium when he said that home-grown creators such as TVF and AIB have earned a name for themselves worldwide. “They have huge audiences across and we hope to get more creators like them,” he added.
While there are certain conditions that one needs to fulfil to access the production facilities (creators with more than a thousand subscribers, creators with basic technical know-how of the equipment), the workshops and connection events are open to all.
“We have three studios and the largest one is 3,500 sq ft., which is bigger than most professional studios in the city. Besides, Filmcity offers much greenery and space, making it a dream space for any creator. We also plan to get faculty to train our creators in various fields of production.”
Subhash Ghai, founder and chairman of Whistling Woods International, said, “Without doubt, digital platforms are the present and future of content creation and consumption in India. We, at Whistling Woods have always endeavoured to bring the future to today’s film and media industry and, by partnering with one of the largest and most respected companies in the world to set up the YouTube Space Mumbai, we have taken another big step towards making India the content creation powerhouse that it deserves to be.”
How does one benefit from the space YouTube will organise events, workshops and connect sessions open to all. Creators and aspirants can register via their official website. The first session begins on Saturday, December 5. The events will be open to all on first-come-first-serve basis and the registrations will close once the stipulated number is reached, depending on the venue. The space ideally wants to cater to creators who want to pursue content creation professionally and not just as a hobby.
Everybody is welcome to attend sessions, but only creators and channel owners who have a subscriber base of more than a 1,000 get access to the production facilities at the Whistling Wood Campus.
What will be taught in the workshops Production techniques, comedy writing, horror make-up, audience development techniques, lighting, business campaigning are a few things on the syllabus.
What will Whistling Woods provide The YouTube Space Mumbai encompasses a 1,400 sq ft home for YouTube creators. This includes a 400 sq ft studio open to YouTube creators five days a week, a lounge area and an edit bay with two machines for video editing. Events, workshops, and networking engagements will be organised in Whistling Woods’ auditorium and classrooms. In addition, creators have access to sound stages and post-production facilities, including two fully-equipped professional studios over 3,000 square feet each.
