Explaining BOATS

This is a follow-up post.

Thank you, everyone, who've seen the film and have provided me with their criticisms, advises, appreciation and questions. A lot of people who I've spoken to about the film have told me what they thought about it and the problems they had with it. Soon enough, I found a pattern there. I will be addressing the most redundant views. This is not a post condemning the opinions nor a defense against criticism. I'm really glad that people are telling me what they thought. I just want to explain what went through my mind when I made it so that another viewing might help you understand the film better.

1. The short was a tad too long
I was trying to show the sheer inactivity in our lives. Our lives don't happen like they are shown in the movies. Phenomenal events don't happen to us every day and likewise, we do not remember what we had done yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that. Because so many days are equal, a little inordinary ones seem so special. The idea was to capture the inactivity. Also, I looked at myself as an auteur and likewise understood that all art films need long, voiceless shots for the viewer to decipher the mood. Guess I screwed up there.

2. There was no plot and the dialogue was redundant
When we look at our lives, do we have any idea why we are wherever we are? Or do we have the capacity to be accountable for every action and every moment in our lives? Life just flows. And only when you look back, you connect the dots and try to create a plot. And redundancy is probably the most redundant part of our lives. We think the same things over and over again, talk the same things over and over again because talking and thinking lets us be in our comfort zone and dream of a better future. That's what both my characters did. They had been talking about the film for years and that's what they did on yet another day too. Because taking out a camera and shooting was such a pain in the ass. Dreaming about it was comforting and gave them a feeling that they were going somewhere with their lives. They could justify their joblessness by believing that they were the creative ones and were waiting for the right spark of inspiration.

3. Editing was pathetic and bad Re-recording
Have to second that. No excuses or explanation there. Should consult a pro. For the record, we recorded the dialogue on an iphone. And there is no lip sync because my actors improvised with the dialogue and we had to make do with what we could hear amidst the blare of Vinayaka Nimarjanam.

4. Shot in Black & White and no BGM
Again, the auteur stuff. I thought I was being clever by keeping everything under the rug. Implicitly sharing everything. Black and White for two reasons- 1. Two complementary characters 2. The minimalist, subdued mood.
No BGM because the one thing I scored on my computer felt right for a horror film. Otherwise, I'd have loved to have music at the end of second scene when they are walking away. That is precisely why I didn't cut that shot. But despite having no BGM, I couldn't cut it because I fell in love with it. Oh, btw, if you noticed, the end credits roll with a guitar strumming pattern. Its just two chords, G and C,  one after the other, repeating and never changing. That was supposed to be an allegory to the repetitiveness mentioned in point above.

5. Ending too abrupt/inconclusive 
Everyone of us has life-changing moments in our life. When we think of the most important incidents in our lives, there's a specific moment pertaining to that incident that is stored in our heads. But we map them only when we're looking back, trying to find the point where that big turn came. None of us have ever been able to be in the moment and decide that this one will be life changing. Past gives us our bearings, not the present. I wanted to signify that. I could have had a simple voice over stating if the film was to be made or not. But I didn't. Because I've had hundreds of meetings like the one between the two protagonists in the film and only one of them shaped this movie. This film is a tribute to the forgotten hundreds.

6. The acting could have been better
Fair enough but I have to take the blame for that. I was so overwhelmed with the process of making the movie that I didn't explain it to my actors precisely how I wanted them to be. They did the best they could have. Novice direction- Charged Guilty.

7. No character depth
I thought this was uncalled for. I thought I had stuffed the characters with a lot of traits, opinions, feelings that even if they weren't anything else, they were real, normal people. Nothing is on the face but if you pay a little attention, I believe, you can learn quite something about them.

I can't think of anything else right now. But yes, despite people patting my back that this is good for a first film, I know I should have done a much, much better job. But I'm glad that I've learnt so much from it.

So, after listening to what people have thought about it, would I change anything in the film if I had to make it again? No. I'd probably improve the re-recording and add a little BGM. But I won't meddle with anything else. What I'm trying to say, the content, is as relevant as the form, the way I've chosen to do it. This was never intended to be a fifteen minute miniature version of life where something accountable is happening every second. This is life as how I see it. And like somebody pointed out, since life is like this anyway, why should I watch your film; I can go live my life instead. I can't argue against that.

But this is how I want to live my life. By making films. What a phenomenal boats ride it has been.
Oh, before I forget, I'm working on another short. Been scripting it now for more than a month. Really excited about it. Back then soon.

Notes of a rookie filmmaker- Part I

From the sets of Based on a True Story

Here is my first film ever.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Based on a True Story.

I've worked on the movie for about 10 days, spread across 40. Its been an amazing learning experience, great amount of fun and something substantial I've managed to accomplish. Actually, its for the first time in my life that I've worked as hard as I have on this film, putting in copious amounts of energy to try to make my first film as good as possible. I know it could've been better, way better but then I'm pretty glad that I actually put together something instead of dreaming about it. I thought it'd go viral, had the lip sync been better, but then the reaction has been lukewarm at best. People have been telling me that I dragged it a tad too long, the conversations were boring, and the ending too abrupt. They also have been telling me that the acting has been top notch ( all credit to the actors ), the cinematography good and the subject, pretty interesting. I've been listening, digesting, analyzing, accumulating all those remarks and suggestions. I'll do best for my next film without compromising on my core ideology of how I think that film ought to be. Popularity is one end of the spectrum and I want people to like my film. But more importantly, I want to make a film that I'd like to watch sometime in the future. Period.

I've encountered a lot of situations while making the film which have taught me something about the process of filmmaking and the role of the director.

1. Clarity- The first scene we shot was the one where Ankith and Deekshith are entering the cafe. I took the script out, saw there were no dialogues, told them to walk into the cafe and started looking into the eyepiece.  Only to find that they were waiting for my instructions. They wanted to know how exactly they were to enter, from where, conveying what mood and where to stop. I hadn't thought of it. I had just dreamt of them entering the cafe and wrote it down. My first lesson was this- I could not be vague. I had to be clear of what I wanted, why I wanted it and had to give specific instructions to my actors. My lack of clarity cropped up in  quite a few situations where they were asking why I wanted to do a shot only that way. I had to be ready to explain. I undestood that my actors have to convinced of my actions and comprehend why their characters were behaving the way they were. Because if they don't, they won't have enough conviction to bring out their best.

2. Detail- Every inch of the frame should be filled. And filled with stuff related to the shot. And should take the story forward. Attention to detail is something I've learnt while making the film. No unnecessary object should be seen, nothing that takes away the attention can be allowed and whatever is seen has to sync in with the story. The position of the hand when the last shot was cut, the hair growth between the days of shoot, the shadow of the cameraman, the modulation while re-recording that has to go hand in hand with the expression; nothing is inconsequential. And knowing how to fill the frame without being superfluous nor wanting is something that I have to learn soon.

3. Open to ideas- It is one thing walking in with a bound script and a set of ideas. When I was on the location, with two other people passionate about the film, ideas were bouncing off like crazy. We argued, convinced, fretted about and dissected every shot. Why should it be like this, what are we trying to convey, can there be a better way, will it fit in with the next shot. The energy can be contagious and it was, as we shot all through nights, till daybreak, oblivious to hunger, thirst and sleep, excited with what we were doing. But it was also important to realise that the best idea didn't have to necessarily fit into the film. Sometimes, Ankith proposed a shot that was brilliant, or Deekshith produced a modulation that was emphatic. But I had to convince them that though the isolated action was truly outstanding, it didn't exactly fit into the jigsaw. But there were a lot of ideas that were incorporated making those scenes better than I envisioned them to be.

4. Director just takes the credit for all the ideas bouncing on the set- Every scene has had contributions from all those who were on the set. And they've made the film better, richer, deeper. I just get to take the credit all alone. All criticism to me is justifiable because I'm calling the shots, taking the decision but a lot that is good is actors and friends contributing.

5. Filmmaking is a lot of Hardwork- And all that work is liberating. And its an insane amount of fun. We've laughed like crazy on the sets while shooting, doing take after take, ignoring sleep and thirst just to bring out the best we could have. For the first time in my life, I knew why I was doing something, the result was there for me to see, just beyond my reach, urging, pushing, teaching and inspiring me. I loved every moment I spent on working for this film, spending upto 20 hour days while re-recording and editing, doing the best I could have. For the first time all my life, I understood the meaning of loving my work, so much so that I want to make more films because it fills me with a zest to live.

6. It is important to refine the script. And work over it again. And again- Something I learnt from the audience. Just because I find something interesting, doesn't mean everyone has to. And just because the audience cannot accept it, I cannot cheat myself into making a film that I don't like and respect. And so the middle path. Tell what I want to in a way the audience is willing to listen. Like one of the characters in the film says, "Approach change."

7. You start observing every sound, image, film. Try to dissect and understand it- Since I've started making this film, I've been more and more critical of every film that I've been watching. Understanding why the director chose to make the film the way it turned out to be. Understanding how background score elevates the scene, when a great looking shot does not stand out of the script, and see how the writer ensures that the point is driven forward without the characters seeming too contrived. Ultimately, I've been trying to understand how the filmmaker manages to put together piece after piece, string it with music, maintain consistency with the visuals, collaborating with the cast and the crew, ensure the script does not falter or fall off and use jagged pieces to weave a cohesive picture that so closely resembles life.

8. It is important to make not what you can but what you want- The most important lesson I've learnt. I can make a film, right from my comfort zone. But if the process of filmmaking does not challenge me, inspire me, help me grow, evolve, make me think and feel better, if I'm not investing my heart and soul in every one of its shots, then I'm not truly making what I've dreamt of. This movie has taught me the basics of photography, the act of man management, how to use adobe premiere, and how to strum that basic chord pattern among others. I maybe able to cheat my viewers but I cannot deceive myself and proclaim to the world that I've put in all that I could've. Wtih Based on a True Story, I haven't done that. I've hardly put in my 50%. There's so much more I could've done. But there's nothing I can do to change that now. All I can do is promise myself that I'll make a better film next time around.

Reality is an illusion. Dreams are real. And films are the closest we can come to comprehending reality.

This post has a follow-up.