Design Thinking in Visual Storytelling by Kabir Khurana

This workshop explores how to design a story visually, moving beyond conventional shot-taking into a more intentional, expressive cinematic language. It challenges the overuse of standard coverage, including over-the-shoulder shots, master shots, and predictable blocking, and instead focuses on crafting meaning through form, texture, rhythm, and visual metaphor.

Drawing inspiration from pioneers like Norman McLaren, Pramod Pati, Walt Disney, Tim Burton, Andrei Tarkovsky and Wes Anderson, the session examines how distinct visual grammars shape emotional and psychological experience.

Participants will develop a stronger visual instinct, learning to think in images rather than dialogue, and to treat cinema as a medium of sensation, not just narrative. The workshop argues for the importance of imagination and myth-making over strict realism, and positions animation principles as essential tools for all filmmakers, including those working in live action.

Gates open 30 minutes prior to the event