New Age Films & Web Series’ That Aced It With Editing
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” gap=”35″][vc_column width=”2/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1561015863493{padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”6/12″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1564147257650{margin-bottom: 100px !important;}”]Mozat had famously said that music is not in the notes, but in the silence between the notes. When talking about film, this can be used as a metaphor for the cuts, the transitions made in between scenes, that speak the language of Cinema in silence. The cuts are where many of the tricks of the magic of cinema can be found- they are designed to go unnoticed by the audience, and yet hold many deep secrets of film. In our new series called “Deep Cut”, we will pull this exact trick out of the magic of cinema and present it to you, by talking about how the cuts affects a scene or the whole film, and how the masters use this magic to make a comment, or set a mood.
1. Aligarh (2015)
When the cuts are minimal, they draw our attention just for a fleeting moment more than usual. This has always happened in films in private, intimate moments. And here is a scene in Hansal Mehta’s ‘Aligarh’, one of the most scintillating private moments you’ll come across on film, that humanizes the language of film with empathy, and meaningfulness.
We follow the lonely life of the much wronged Professor Siras, who is attacked by jealous colleagues citing his sexual preference. The core struggle for Siras is one of his identity as a homosexual – hounded by his fraternity. At his very heart, Siras is troubled by how a person’s identity should deprive him of basic human rights. As his identity is ripped apart outside the doors, at home, behind the doors, Siras uses alcohol and Lata Mangeshkar as his pathway to feel like a basic human once again.
This scene shows us a beautiful glimpse of that – Mehta and editor Apurva Asrani achieve the effect with just a few cuts in a moment of respite. The first shot is of Siras’ reflection in the mirror, as the song “Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha” sets off on a tape – the reflection is a reminder of his identity, his ‘special case’ as society deems it to be, a ghost that follows him into the private world of his room and shows itself in the mirror. As the song soars, and the alcohol begins to take over, Mehta cuts to a shot of his feet wagging to the musical rhythm, as if the quiet dance were becoming a flight of escape out of Siras’ misery. And then finally, when the song is in full effect, the intoxication of the alcohol and the music take him away from his mental rut, his identity crisis, and Siras shuts his eyes and sings the song – for a moment, he has escaped the reflection in the mirror, and Mehta cuts to this shot (3) recognising how this moment is special. Siras is stealing a moment in his very private world to feel like a basic human once again, and Mehta creates this small world of relief by framing him in an extreme close-up, lost in music and away from the usual social malice, as if in this privacy, he is Alice who has just found the magic Wonderland.
2. Made in Heaven (2019)
In the finale of Made in Heaven, Nutan Yadav is being forced into marrying Vishal Singh for her father’s political gains. But we know that the wedding planners are conspiring to bring Nutan out of this pit and unite her with her lover. At a wedding party where Nutan is rescued, let’s take a look at how, through cuts and staging, director Alankrita Shrivastava not just foreshadows Nutan’s rescue, but also makes a comment on the hypocrisy of those in power. The party is absorbed in a Qawwali performance that says
“Aye Ri Sakhi More Piya Ghar Aaye
Bhaag Lage Iss Aangan Ko”
(look friend, my lover arrives at home, many blessings be made to this courtyard)
The irony is that a marriage that is a forced compromise at its roots, is celebrated through a song that talks about a lover’s arrival and the blessings it brings. The hypocrisy is that here they are, the masters of submission, staking their claim over even the radical, romantic spirit of qawwali in their fake social celebration. Alankrita cuts from this stage (shot 2) to Nutan dressing herself in front of the mirror (shot 3) and the audio of the song is also cut to a distant undertone – it is Nutan whose lover is about to arrive, the song belongs to her, and the cut of the audio here in Nutan’s shot makes it seem like what is a loud social celebration of theirs, is actually an inherent spirit of hope within her heart.In shot 4, Nutan arrives into the party, and the qawwali sings now, in full blooming audio
As she is regaining confidence, her deep wishes are expressed in the strains of the song that now declares her state loudly, and the spirit of qawwali, that was earlier a shallow celebration, finds its rightful owner now in this shot – someone who yearns and cherishes, just like the song, unlike those around her. Soon she will be rescued and the tyrants will be broken, but the song and the staging was stating that all along.
3. Munna Bhai M.B.B.S (2003)
We see the poetic magic that masters create on-screen through a simple cut and the play of light.In the film, Munna switches into ‘doctor mode’ upon his parents’ arrival. Some superb comedy is drawn out of this, although this is also a grave issue – Munna is a liar who’s keeping his proud parents in the dark. In the scene above, the film suddenly nosedives from its comedy into a deep-seated feeling of guilt as Munna and Circuit break away from the chaos to sit and converse by the sea.The most basic nature of being a liar is that you remain hidden from the actual joys of life. Look how Rajkumar Hirani makes this profound point through editing. In shot (1), as Munna tells Circuit to let the fake act go on, he stoops his head in shame, hiding himself from the sublime golden reflection of sunshine on the sea waters. Hirani then cuts to a shot of the sea (2), and with quiet, gentle music, makes us look at the resplendent water. The seawater glows at that hour as if it were a gift of nature, an image of all the bright, simple gifts of life – all that a liar cannot access. By choosing to fake it, and concealing himself behind a lie, Munna is effectively concealing himself away from just these simple joys.
4. Manmarziyaan (2018)
Three people and two relationships are boiled in a personal, social fire in Manmarziyaan.The cooking of this story is very intense and at the interval point, it reaches its peak on the night before Rumi’s marriage to Robbie. Kashyap recognises this as a high point of drama, and watch how him and editor Aarti Bajaj cross cut this scene to make us a part of this intense boiling pot.The core of this scene is that it is at the crossroads for all three of them – does Rumi change her mind? Does Vicky arrive after all? Does Robbie go for his wedding next morning even after he’s told by Rumi that she won’t attend? Thus, Kashyap films them together, with a music throbbing with tension. He even breaks the flow of time abruptly in this sequence by filming Robbie in the daylight (2) and Rumi at night – it makes sense because Robbie, just like us watching Rumi at night (1), doesn’t know her decision in the daytime and thus is part of the unpredictability. The music rises to its peak & stops, Rumi looks in the direction of the light (4), the decision is made, the food cooked.Then comes a beautiful move. Even when the unpredictability is crushed, Kashyap & Bajaj cut between shots of Rumi’s marriage in daylight & shots of the dark alley. They still break the flow of time by cutting between daylight & night. It is a breathtaking moment of visual sense because the contrast built due to cutting the scene this way mirrors the state of Rumi’s mind, and presents to us the spoiled, neither-here-nor-there food that this boiling of relationships has led to. It tells us how in the light of society, Rumi may be tied in marriage (5), but in a dark alley within her, she has still let herself loose, waiting for Vicky (6). Rumi voices this out, when a voiceover by her says “Main tenu phir milaangi!”
We collaborated with Fables of Film to curate the magic that masters create onscreen through simple cuts. Think you can make such keen observations from films like nobody else? Share your writings with us and get featured on India Film Project. Download the IFP app, make your profile, head to the PARTICIPATE section and start sharing your observations![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1587562666400{border-left-width: 5px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #f5f5f5 !important;border-left-color: #1e73be !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1587562595155{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-right-width: 20px !important;border-left-width: 20px !important;}”]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” gap=”35″][vc_column width=”2/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1561015863493{padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”6/12″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1565007866371{margin-bottom: 100px !important;}”]Shooting short films on a mobile phone is not a brand new concept. Filmmakers have been using their smartphones to shoot full length feature films too. Be it a commercial or a short film, smartphones are used to shoot high quality videos which have a contrasty, rich, and elegant look. Here are a few hacks for shooting a film on the small screen.
Don’t Treat Your Phone Like a Phone
There are some filmmakers who still see mobile filmmaking as unprofessional and will avoid using it rather than taking full advantage of a smartphone’s features. But hey, so many beautiful, cinematic, pro-level work has been shot with smartphones. Don’t treat your phone like a phone! Sean Baker shot Tangerine on an iPhone 5 and Steven Soderbergh shot High Flying Bird on an iPhone 8 and Unsane on an iPhone 7. So clearly, these filmmakers treated their phones like cinematic tools. You should do the same.
We have tried to put enough information here to get you started, without burdening you with too much information and technical jargon.
1. Learn by Doing
Firstly, whether you are shooting on a smartphone or a professional camera, the basic principles of filmmaking apply. Pretty much every film or video camera is essentially doing the same job. So if you want to learn how to make short films, check out 5 Tips for Beginners to Start With Short Filmmaking
There’s a lot you can learn only from shooting and editing. Those two activities are at the centre of what you produce as a filmmaker and there are books, websites and tutorials on the web which will cover more knowledge than you will ever be able to fit inside your head.
Secondly, there really are no rules. Filmmaking is an art and you will discover your own voice, and your own method, by making films. There’s no short-cut to becoming a filmmaker other than to spend as much time as you can filmmaking.
2. Pro video camera app
If you want to shoot a short film on smartphone, the first thing to do is to download a video shooting app that gives you manual control over your camera and allows recording at maximum bit rate. In addition, the camera has a fixed aperture lens so there’s no iris control, which means your exposure will be the result of just your ISO setting and shutter speed.
Shoot at UHD 4K and at maximum bitrate, which is around 100 – 105Mbps. Try to use 1080p high frame rate setting for specific special shots. It’s much more important to have the maximum bitrate and maximum resolution for post.
You can use apps like Filmic Pro but it isn’t the only one out there. Mavis is very good also, and gives you a histogram which is very useful for judging your exposure.
These are the most important things you want to learn to use manually.
– ISO
– Shutter Speed
– Focus
3. Stay Steady
You obviously don’t want your short film to come out distorted, blurred, or affected by “rolling shutter” the best thing to do is to keep your phone steady while recording. Use both hands to hold your smartphone as close as possible to your body as you record the video. This can be a bit fatiguing in long takes or sequences, and there are other ways to support the phone:
Things like Tripods, Stabilizer and Camera Cages allow you to keep your smartphone or mobile device still when taking a video with it; they have perfect handles to accomplish this.
If a tripod or stabilizer for your phone is not in your budget or not practical for you in your circumstances, you can rest your phone on other physical supports like tables, chairs, desks, shelves, etc.
4. Exposure
Selecting your exposure with a smartphone is often a trade off. In some cases you can capture all the light and contrast in your scene, but sometimes you have to choose between retaining detail in the highlights or sometimes in the shadows or find some middle ground and compromise.
When you choose to compromise, make sure you are aware of what detail you are going to lose, and know how it may affect you further down the line.
Exposure on a phone camera with a fixed aperture is going to be controlled by setting your ISO, and your shutter speed.
5. Good Lighting is Critical
Proper lighting has a great impact on smartphone cameras because they have smaller image sensors and lenses. Unless it’s not necessary try to shoot as much as possible to shoot your video in brightly lit areas. This will help you avoid unnecessary shadows and grainy areas in your video. Conversely, you also must be careful not to point the camera directly at bright light sources, it will lead to unusable overexposed footage and lens flaring.
Lighting should be stable and steady, image sensors in most of the smartphones do not react to dramatic changes in lighting very quickly. If the light is still making it tough to shoot your video try working with back-lighting and white balance settings if your phone or app provides them. Most phones also offer touch focusing in the event your camera is focusing on the wrong area of your composition. After setting the focus on the most important aspect of the video, the automatic exposure control will have an easier time making small adjustments if the lighting condition begins to change.
6. The Audio Matters as Much as the Video
Even if your video is in high quality with poor audio quality, it’s junk unless you plan to add a completely new audio track “in post” while editing your video. While you want your video to look good, the quality of your audio is more important than the video so it should matter as much, if not more. Unfortunately, the built-in microphone in most smartphones is both low quality and improperly placed. It is very common to catch wind and unnecessary environmental noise that will compete with or drown out any important audio while shooting video outside. This is almost impossible to edit out later. It is advisable to shoot your video in a quiet place, preferably indoors when possible with less ambient noise.
Professionals are shooting all sorts of commercial grade videos and feature films using their mobile phones but audio is mostly captured with a separate recording device suitable for the job.
So, for exceptional quality videos with superb audio, you should get an external recording device or at least a directional microphone that will work with your smartphone. If using an external microphone isn’t possible or in your budget stay as close to the audio source as possible and try this little trick: use your hand to cover around the phone’s microphone (but don’t completely cover it). This way, unwanted noise can be reduced, which might give your final product a chance.
If you haven’t caught up with the trend of using your mobile phone for filmmaking, then it’s high time that you do. These hacks will ensure that you start off on the right note. If you are an aspiring filmmaker, you can try your hand at mobile filmmaking in India Film Project’s 50 Hour Filmmaking Challenge and win professional lighting equipment and audio gear to kickstart your career without any investment![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1587562798821{border-left-width: 5px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #f5f5f5 !important;border-left-color: #1e73be !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1587562739840{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-right-width: 20px !important;border-left-width: 20px !important;}”]
10 Songs You Didn’t Know Were So Detailed & Layered
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” gap=”35″][vc_column width=”2/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1561015863493{padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”6/12″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1566897162218{margin-bottom: 100px !important;}”]Unlike in the West, every Indian film is a musical in its own way ranging from soulful songs to party songs to romantic songs and much more. But there are a few songs that help drive the narrative of the film instead of merely focusing on selling music rights or being a promotional asset. When we are “Decoding The Song”, we take a look at some of the most meaningful songs and try to give a different perspective to the viewers about it. It can be through pointing out usage of a particular musical instrument at specific points, or sometimes the visuals that symbolize an important aspect of the film, and of web of words weaved into beautiful lyrics. Here are the top 10 songs which you didn’t realize had much detailed layers.
1. Moh Moh Ke Dhaage – Dum Lag Ke Haisha (2015)
This song is a great example of how to build a narrative. In the film, we first get to see it from Sandhya’s point of view. The film started off as a comedy – always full of people, with no space for this couple away from the society. At home, they are packed in a room like rats in a laboratory. Which is why the “spaces” of this song are stunning. The town is vacant at night, as if giving time and space to these two, and the first romantic expression is made through the song, breaking the film away from the comedy. But Sandhya’s song is snuffed out just as they are in bed and Prem shrugs her advances. We now know that there is a male version of the song and the narrative has set itself up for that version.
It is also interesting to note how this version plays out in the night, because their passion is one sided from Sandhya, waiting to emerge fully and confidently into light. Note then, how, when the male version does play in the climax, it is in daytime when Prem and Sandhya realise their well reciprocated love – now also from Prem’s point of view. Sandhya’s version had stated this nature when she had sung
“Tu din sa hai, main raat
Aa na dono mill jaayein shamon ki tarah”
There is also a sweet and witty contrast between the motion in the two songs. In the first version, they are on a scooter, a vehicle that belongs to the family, taking a ride that they are reluctant to. The male version disrupts this with a great contrast – Prem is carrying her on his back even when the race is over; as if now that they’ve accepted each other, they don’t need a social vehicle to drag them. Once again they break away from the busy populace as the film ends with this song. They kiss each other as the camera tracks back – accepting each other and their environment. The light slowly dims out in this shot – night and day have truly come together to meet like evening.
2. Tu Bin Bataye – Rang De Basanti (2006)
In this lovely song, AR Rahman equates the experience of love with the activity of flying, of an extra-dimensional journey rising upwards. We suggest you listen to the song (earphones recommended) as you follow.
As the song begins, he ushers gentle synth plucks from silence, summoning us quietly to begin. At 00:21, the percussion of the song emerges like the sounds of a train – he is initiating a journey. At 00:30, she begins to sing slowly, sheepishly. At 01:03, as she repeats the intro line, viola sounds emerge, spurring her vocals with energy, giving her further push. At 01:35, her voice bursts into a more affected, confident high note, and it is marked by shivering cymbal rolls and rising violins. When she says ‘Mishri Ki Dali’, the energy pauses, as if she stops mid-air to taste the experience, as a flute plays gently. From this pause, she returns to her sheepish notes, this time more sure of herself, and the drums emerge here for the first time – as if marking her new found heartbeats.
Then comes the saxophone, and a sudden shift in tone at 02:55; it appears like a sudden change in gear. We learn at 03:21, as the drum beats more fiercely, that this gear change is towards her lover’s mindscape, who begins to sing. Rahman creates magic here – he introduces the sounds of a church prayer – choir & bells which equate the reciprocation of love to an answer from God, a response to a prayer. And when he sings ‘Bheeg Jaaye..’, his voice breaks into two, as if riding too much passion for a single voice. At 04:10, he sinks to sing the same intro line to her and her voice returns with a ‘La La..’ – upon being reciprocated, she needs no more words to express, the viola sounds return with her too. It seems like the song is ending now, they’re flying downwards, but at 04:59, they blow up into one final lunge upwards, as if refusing to stop. It ends gradually, with the same starting synth plucks dying into the same silence they had initially risen from.
3. Bismil – Haider (2014)
Bismil’ is a beautiful case of “drama within a drama” in film songs. It fits right into the film’s narrative here. Haider is pushed to the point of insanity by the wedding of his mother to his uncle and he can see through the farce that it all is. But he cannot simply lay accusations at them – it would not only be mocked, but wouldn’t match the intensity of his anger. The truth that can’t be revealed in simple words, Haider laces it into a bewitching performance. He creates a farce of his own, turns their social celebration upside down by talking about the bloodshed behind this wedding.
He begins sanely, the song initially talks about a wounded bird (Ghazala) finding a love-scented flower (Khurram) when he sings “Khusbu-e-Gul Me Ishq Bhara Hai”. But it slowly grows more grave. Listen to the music at 03:00 when Haider sings about Bulbul’s dreams being polluted, how Vishal Bhardwaj gives the music itself a slowly contaminating quality. Or how the choir sounds like the ominous approach of death at 04:00, turning into a victorious chant of rebirth at 05:00!
The climax is astounding. It begins from that idea of rebirth at 05:00, and you can feel how this is a special moment for Bhardwaj the artist. Bhardwaj the musician is asking his orchestra to rack it up, the lyrics talk about the victory of truth, and Bhardwaj the director is preparing Shahid for a final leap of insanity, as the choir grips Haider. Before that leap comes one final sane plea by Haider to his mother at 05:30 – “Hosh Me Aa Jaa”. The early lyrics now finally become “Khusbu-e-Gul Me Zeher Bhara Hai”
Then a literal leap happens at 05:45 – with the music at its heaviest, Haider leaps off the stage, from his performance into real life. It is the ultimate revelation of truth by him, as he stops before Khurram, slinging mud at his face, as if saying to him “truth now buddy, this act was always meant for you”
4. Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji – Ishqiya (2010)
How do you create a song about a person falling hopelessly in love even when he thinks his age may not allow? You create music and lyrics that are not just about falling in love, but the curse of doing so, the lack of control over it, and the conversation that such a person has with his heart. “Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji” is a wonderful testament to the same.
Vishal Bhardwaj creates this experience by spining restlessness with each note in the song. The effect is that of a heart beginning to dance and a person reluctant to do so. The essence of love here is that theme with which the song starts, which rises and curls like spinning a web around Khaalujaan. The lyrics become a argument of this person with himself. It is this early theme that will explode into dancing in the song – listen to the feet tapping that starts at 01:40, and how wonderfully this dancing theme trails off into a worried panic as the music turns sour at 02:00 – this is Khalu getting scared at the peak of his joy. He pauses to whisper when he sings “Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji”, as if he’s warning his heart, before it explodes into the dance.
After the first stanza, at 03:18, the theme dance spins into its most heaviest, with that ‘Hey, Hey’ voice spurring it. A genius touch that follows in the second stanza where Rahat Fateh Ali Khan raises his voice to a higher pitch (as if scolding his heart now). It is also evident in the loud banging notes when he sings ‘Darr Lagta Hai Tanha…” at 4:20. The song pauses at this point for a confrontation with his heart. Then a flute starts to buzz at 04:28, as if after that fit of anger, his heart begins teasing him with a slow whirl around him, as he pleads repeatedly, defeatedly ‘Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji’, before they break into dancing one final time.
5. Nadaan Parinde – Rockstar (2014)
Almost all films on musicians end with a final performance, but none quite like Rockstar. Unlike others, it ends not with success, but on a bittersweet note of the cost of artistic expression.
The beginning of the song is the earlier suggested point of JJ’s life – he hits into loss, pain and yearning in order to become an artist. JJ pleads Khatana bhai that his heart must not break, only for just that to happen when Heer goes comatose.
The song begins there, with a deep mourning by a choir, out of which the strains of JJ’s rock song emerge. For JJ, the loss of Heer becomes the loss of his sanity, his simplicity too. He finds his artistic merit, but loses himself in the process. This is why the first part of the song is sung by AR Rahman, directed towards JJ, who is.the “Nadaan Parinda” here. Rahman is the Sufi voice from the Dargah after all, singing to JJ just like in ‘Kun Faaya Kun’. Listen to how his singing begins as JJ struggles with policemen, such beautiful tonal contrast of violence & music – JJ lost in the world, the song summoning him back home.
The song then shifts to JJ, the mourning theme from earlier now playing on the guitar at 02:25. When JJ is onstage, the song changes into a ballad of love by Mohit Chauhan- this is now in reference to the loss of Heer, where Irshad Kamil’s lyrics introduce the timeless yearning of Sufi and Bhajan verses in the ballad (“Kaga Re Kaga Re” has an almost physiological pining, that fits the degrading state of JJ)
We watch JJ howling bestially, as if he’ll break away from his agony by screaming alone – which is practically what happens as the song ends. On the highest note of screaming “O Nadaaaaan…”, as if high in the sky, JJ stops, the crowd takes over his words, as he turns to look at an ephemeral image of Heer emerging delicately out of a holy door. The voices die out, and as Heer walks closer, we hear a song that becomes an irony of JJ’s life. He who always wanted this stage, is in tears when he does have it, and the last words of the song here are “Tumko Paa Hi Liya!”
6. Uyiril Thodum – Kumbalangi Nights (2019)
This beautiful song in Kumbalangi Nights may sound to you like a regular sweet romantic number, but dig deeper and you’ll find an extraordinary secret of songs in films – how music becomes an extension of the soul of a character.
Before we see Bobby fall in love, he is mostly an idle, sleepy slacker. He entertains his constantly sleepy or intoxicated self through a bluetooth speaker that he always carries around. He is always listening to new age music with ambient electronic sounds and tipsy techno beats. “Uyiril Thodum” is set off at the beginning of his love affair. The song starts on gentle guitar strokes, sung from Baby’s POV in a sort of a whisper – “Uyiril Thodum Thalir, Viralavane Nee” (you be the finger that touches the soul). But then, the song shifts to Bobby’s POV, and behold what happens here – the music of the song accommodates ambient electronic sounds and techno beats. Through musical choices in the song alone, composer Sushin Shyam has shown us how the music that Bobby was always listening to, has become a song of his own when he falls in love. Through that earlier music given life now, the slacker has been given romantic energy.
The second half of the song begins later in the film, when Bobby & Baby have agreed to marriage and are even closer now, thus, when the second half is sung by Sooraj Santosh, the music is gentler, and more passionate. From this gentler, slower part, the earlier techno beats build into an even speedier tempo, as if the relationship is really taking flight now. Baby’s POV returns now through singer Anne Amie’s voice, and with her, the beats here settle into a wonderful dancing rhythm – what better way to suggest that she has entered his world? That these two people have become one? Baby’s lyrics tell us exactly this when it says “Melle Theeramithilolangalolangalay Nee Varoo” (tenderly, you come to my shore wave by wave)
7. Ang Laga De – Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela (2013)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a director who interprets his lovers as forces of nature that are marred by worldly interruptions. Here are his protagonists, in a room away from their home, going through self-doubt and looking for faith in each other. This could have very well been a sequence in a quieter coming-of-age indie film.
Bhansali gives magnificence even to this low-key tense affair between them. And it makes perfect sense. Because both Ram & Leela are more than ordinary humans – they are archetype holy lovers. And self-doubt causes them to become human like all of us. So through this song, and through Leela’s performance act, Bhansali and Leela are trying to revive the holiness of this love (which is why Leela performs it like a Pooja, as if she were looking to purify themselves of their impurities). The music design is terrific – Santoor notes beat like stings in their heart, and out of it singer Aditi Paul flows with yearning into “Ang Laga De”
The other important factor here for Ram & Leela is erotica. They are extremely sensual beings, so in times of doubt, they are trying to revive themselves by reviving their sexuality – “Ang Laga De” becomes a contrast to their earlier confident sensual exchange in “Lahu Muh Lag Gaya”
You see this revival of holiness again as they embrace, and Bhansali marks this with hymn chants and pacing bass and drums. Smoke wraps them up as they kiss – a throwback to the verse “Tu Hawa De Ise, Toh Mera Tan Jale” by lyricists Siddharth-Garima in the antara – it’s like a ritual being consummated.
Bhansali has finally purged them and made them godly again. But just then, a stone is hurled through the window – as tense silence grows and the song stops abruptly, you realise that they have been hauled down from magnificence to being vulnerable humans again. This will be their final moments together before worldly flaws take over.
8. Sooha Saha – Highway (2014)
Two voids are filled in this song, which is the first song that belongs to Mahabir in the film. One between Mahabir’s adulthood and childhood, and one between the poor, indignant Mahabir and the rich Veera. And both these voids are related – Veera ends up becoming the absent mother in his life. You see this with how the song begins – Veera drops humming notes from the rooftop, and from that emerges Mahabir’s lullaby. Some stunning imagery follows this – Mahabir, who has been running from his past, is confronted by it suddenly, with both good and bad memories crashing in (which is perhaps why the images are marked with lightning like flashes). When we see the mother singing to an infant Mahabir in the fields, the vocals are doubled – it’s like his past and present is in sudden, unexpected sync.
While all songs work with musical interludes, here we get a beautiful quiet interlude. Veera speaks to Mahabir, pleading him to seek out his mother (2). This is very relevant because until now in the song, she was merely a presence around him. Now when she’s speaking directly to him about his troubles, the song quietens down into real life. Randeep Hooda’s performance is magnificent here. He displays catharsis by simply breathing still, suddenly caught emotionally off-guard.
What follows this is a superb director-composer-lyricist moment. Imtiaz Ali recognises what this means to Mahabir – through Veera, years of deposited grief and venom in Mahabir is pouring out, creating a rush of emotions within him. So Ali makes Randeep simply walk vulnerably, uncertainly, probing what Veera is doing to him. Irshad Kamil’s lyrics talk about letting go – “Jo bhi hai rookha sookha..”. And A R Rahman introduces the rush of violins in the music, like the anxious rush of Mahabir’s emotions. The ending then is breathtaking. The main “Sooha Saaha” line is repeated, and the violins slowly die out, leaving “Sooha Saaha, Amma ka” alone – it’s like the childhood lullaby has finally taken over adult anxieties.
9. Kitni Baatein – Lakshya (2004)
Kitni Baatein, a heartfelt poignant song, is about two estranged lovers looking for long-awaited answers, beautifully vocalised by Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam.
They don’t sing it out loud, rather they exchange prolonged glances, which act as a means to communicate the words that are running in their weary minds. Karan and Romi had drifted apart because they wanted different things from life, but fate has brought them together at the same place again, even so at a location where danger is lurking at every corner and they need to stand by each other. Javed Akhtar’s lyrics speak of a combination of longing and helplessness. While Karan tries hard not to recall the beautiful picturesque memories they had shared as she is sitting right there in front of him (“main kaise inhe bhuloon, dil ko kya samjhaun”), Romi is looking for a way to break the ice and talk about what they have gone through and possibly make things alright again (“ek roz inhe sun lo, kyun aise gumsum ho”), or maybe just get the closure she never had.
As Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s mellow, lingering tunes break into a powerful interlude, we witness an explosion at the site, and Karan grabbing Romi’s hand to drag her out of there, while her eyes show a very brief moment of surprise. In the sheltered area with the other soldiers, they continue their silent retrospection. This time it is Karan who wishes they would both speak up and try to clear the misunderstandings (“dono ke dilon me sawal hai, phir bhi hai khamoshi”), while it seems that Romi is slowly yielding to the confusions and conflicts of her heart (“ab hona hai kya haasil, koi kya kahe”). After a storm of trepidations, a hopeful Romi smiles weakly at Karan with tears brimming in her eyes, while he looks back at her with eyes that express something between hurt, incompleteness and yearning. Romi gives Karan a last look before driving away from the war zone, with none of them having managed to speak to each other. The questions they had held onto their hearts still remain unanswered.
10. Agar Tum Saath Ho – Tamasha (2015)
This Song analysis was posted on the IFP app by Purva Thakkar
Background: Ved agrees to meet Tara at a coffee shop, despite knowing it well that he won’t be able to face her, especially after his excited emotional display on rejecting him, which caused sufficient turmoil in their so-called relationship.
Thought: Initially, he wanted to hide himself but something in him stopped him from taking escapism route and rather confront her.
Action: He stays glued to phone when she comes. He pretends he’s super-busy and unaffected by her presence. He attempts to flaunt a stone-hearted image in front of her, half-expecting she’ll go away.
Reaction: A conversation occurs. She almost begs him to stay but he can’t.
Music: While Ved struggles to get away from Tara and she struggles to not lose him, the song “Agar Tum Saath Ho” plays in background. The lyrics are so much synonymous to present situation! Song opens with the words, “Pal bhar theher jaao, dil yeh sambhal jaaye” (“Stay still for a while, let the heart settle”). He realises, she wants him. He hugs her. Though, he finds solace in her arms, right now he’s mad at her. So, he pulls himself away from her. Together they sit with their heads down on the table. She imagined Ved to be full of life and love, but he’s living two lives: one which he likes, and other which the world likes. He turns his head towards Tara and looks at her for a while. Then he turns away. Even looking at Tara has become painful now! She comes closer and caresses his hair, with an intention to comfort him. When, in song, Alka Yagnik sings the word “behti” (it means “flows” — in this context — emotions), a tear falls from his left eye, exactly at that moment. He gets up and goes out, leaving a weeping Tara behind. I loved the use of time-lapse photography technique when Ved escapes and she searches. She finds him hiding in graffiti. There’s a change in her expressions — conviction to vulnerability. She sits on her knees, apologetically. Still, he abandons her. She breaks down in tears.
We collaborated with various writers, including FABLES OF FILM, to curate these gems from the Hindi film industry. Think you can make such keen observations from films like nobody else? Share your writings with us and get featured on India Film Project. DOWNLOAD THE IFP APP, make your profile, head to the PARTICIPATE section and start sharing your observations![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1587562869119{border-left-width: 5px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-left-color: #1e73be !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1587562845345{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-right-width: 20px !important;border-left-width: 20px !important;}”]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” gap=”35″][vc_column width=”2/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1561015863493{padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”6/12″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1565007992584{margin-bottom: 100px !important;}”]You have an astonishing script for your short film. Actors you hired stayed true to their character and have beautifully portrayed them. Your cinematographer captured the visuals through amazing compositions and lighting. But, there is just one problem…
Audio. Dialogues written with so much thought and emotion are distorted, vocals are muddy because of background noise and wind, levels are all over the place.
There are many independent filmmakers for whom audio is the last thing they want to compromise on than anything else in making, it can make or break your short film. Even bad films can be passed off as “creative” when accompanied by perfect audio, but poorly recorded and mixed audio will give you the dreaded title of “unprofessional filmmaker” and make great films look bad.
Here are a few tips on how to record audio that will make your short film polished and professional, even with a micro budget.
1. Shoot with Dual System Configuration
Not all of us are privileged enough to buy expensive equipment or gear, even with a high quality DSLR which gives us high quality frames, is not able to record sound appropriately. The onboard microphone is only good for basic audio, nothing else.
Double system provides better audio quality than Single system.
Even if you purchase an external microphone to plug into the auxiliary jack, you will not be able to get proper placement of the microphone. In other words, the mic is simply pointing in the same direction as the camera, from the same distance. This leads to no control over sound recording.
Instead, you should buy, rent, or borrow an external digital recorder. You can even add external equipment that will turn your phone or tablet into a field recorder and can be used via their respective apps. By using a field recorder, you can control microphone placement and volume.
2. Use the Proper Accessories
Depending on your recorder, you can either use internal microphones or connect an external one. It is recommended that you use a boom pole and a directional shotgun mic. By using them you can move the mic in close to your actors and focus the recording on one particular source. Now we, being Indians, are pro ‘jugaadus’ so you may just not buy an expensive pole and simply attach the mic to a standard broom pole to give you more reach.
Other accessories you need to include are headphones, XLR cables, and windscreens for your microphone. Again, if you are running low on budget you can always cheaper options available. For example, instead of buying studio headphones you can get away with using just normal earphones that we use in our daily lives.
3. Include a Sound Recordist and Boom Operator on Your Crew
Usually when you are shooting a low-budget short film, people usually ask their friends and family to be a part of the crew. When planning your team, make sure to have top priority for a sound recordist alongside your camera operator. Other factors like the size of your crew and the content being filmed will determine whether or not you need a separate person to hold the boom. Most of the time, an experienced audio person can both record and boom, but a second member of the team is handy even if it’s another crew member doing double duty.
4. Scout Locations for Audio
During pre-production, ask your audio team to do a tech scout at whatever locations you will be shooting so that they can find out about potential problems you may encounter while recording. This will help you even when you start editing in later stages. For shooting a film in 50 hours for India Film Project, there obviously is a time constraint but by proper management you can handle things really well. Take this for instance, when your actors are rehearsing or you are writing the script, your audio team can do the scout for you. By addressing these issues in the planning stage, you will prevent wasted hours of filming and headaches in post production.
5. Be Aware of Your Levels
To record the perfect quality of sound, the volume needs to be at the highest level possible without being distorted. Ideally, distortion tends to start at around 0 dB, and the optimum level is around -12 dB. This can vary somewhat depending on what the sound is, for example, scream is naturally going to be higher than a whisper (though keep that scream below 0 dB!).
Be aware about the volume that is recorded too low. The smallest measurement of sound is your noise floor and it’s where a lot of “garbage noise” exists, so the closer your recording is to that noise floor, the audio is going to be equally poor. Remember that any problems you have recording while on-set need to be fixed in post production, which means that if you have to raise the gain in post in order to hear the actors, you’re also going to increase the background noise.
6. Be Aware of Mic Placement
If your microphone is attached to your camera, then the sound waves from your source takes more time to reach the mic, thereby creating an “empty room” feel. This forces you to increase the gain and mic picks up more background noise. Try to place the mic as close to the performer as possible.
You can always borrow or rent lavalier microphone. This microphone, also commonly known as lav, is an omnidirectional microphone that clips onto the costume of an actor.
7. Record Room Tone
Even if you are careful in recording proper levels on each actor for each shot, when you start editing, you’re going to have to do clean-up work, which means you may end up with the background audio at various volumes throughout your edit. To avoid this, record a minute or two of room tone, or just the background noise with no one speaking at each of your locations. This will provide your sound editor an uninterrupted environment onto which to build the dialogue and sound effects and will make your film sound professional.
8. Reduce Echo and Reverb
Sometimes shooting locations can be unpredictable, especially when it comes to sound recording. One of the most common, and unfortunate side-effects of an indoor location is bouncy sound.
To avoid this, Professional Filmmakers have developed a number of practical solutions for beginners. By just adding soft textile items such as rugs, curtains or acoustic paneling to walls helps to reduce echoes.
Your whole audio team while setting up the location should carefully listen to the space preferably with professional headphones and make a careful determination of whether additional items are required to reduce echo.
9. Record Camera Audio
Now you must be wondering this contradicts the tip on recording dual system sound that we have been talking about. But NO, because you’re not going to actually use the camera audio in your edit. This sound will be used for syncing purposes. Softwares that are generally used by most of the people uses audio waves from various sources to automatically sync all the elements, including multiple cameras.
However, you must have audio recorded on your footage for this to work, otherwise your editor will be cursing you for having to manually sync every shot.
The main purpose of the slate is to provide visual information to the editor and to sync sound to picture through use of the clapboard. Even though editing programs may have the ability to match the actual audio waves from numerous files, a clap gives a distinctive sound pattern that makes it easier to sync. And if you end up having to sync manually, it will be a lifesaver as you can visually see when the stick connects with the board and match it with the beginning of the sound of the clap.
10. Use a Slate and Proper Cadence
The main purpose of the slate is to provide visual information to the editor and to sync sound to picture through use of the clapboard. Even though editing programs may have the ability to match the actual audio waves from numerous files, a clap gives a distinctive sound pattern that makes it easier to sync. And if you end up having to sync manually, it will be a lifesaver as you can visually see when the stick connects with the board and match it with the beginning of the sound of the clap.
11. Don’t FIX IT IN THE POST
Not all locations will provide you prime audio recording options, so there will be times when you might have to do Automatic Dialogue Replacement (ADR), where you bring the actors back during post production to re-record their dialogue by lip syncing to the edited shots. However, this will give you a different sound quality than in your original location. Exteriors and interiors inherently sound dissimilar. It’s not always perfect when actors try to match their lip movements and emotions and to do this for 50 hour filmmaking challenge, therefore never count on “fixing it in post,” but rather try to get the cleanest sound on location as possible during principal photography.
Whether you are registering for professional filmmaking or amateur filmmaking, pay attention to your film’s audio needs as well as the visual ones. Sound design can add a whole other dimension to your final production that complements the cinematography, and approaching it in every stage of production as an important piece of the puzzle will elevate your work. Give it the proper care and attention that you would to lighting, casting, wardrobe, and every other element. Remember that no one notices good sound-it only stands out when it’s done poorly.
Now you know about production sound, but don’t stop your education there, because great filmmakers are as much crafts people as they are artists – possibly even more so.
10 Movie Scenes That You Didn’t Know Had A Hidden Meaning
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” gap=”35″][vc_column width=”2/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1561015863493{padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”6/12″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1566976572152{margin-bottom: 100px !important;}”]Movie viewing experience has become very dynamic, the technology has developed, the content has improved and even the audiences have evolved. But as a viewer amidst all these advances what we still value the most are the moments in the movies that make you pause the film and then ponder about it for a while. The scene might be having hidden subtexts, some trivia around the film, an inside joke, a crossover reference, juxtaposing two situations or even a frame with scope of viewer’s interpretation. With this thought itself we aimed to develop a series called #PausedOnPurpose where we bring to you some moments from films that have been crafted specially and need a revisit to acknowledge the geniuses that lie beneath.
1. Gully Boy (2019)
These scenes have been #PausedOnPurpose to capture the brilliant detailing in the characterization of Muraad and Safeena (from #Gullyboy) through a metaphor. These frames indirectly speak a lot about their narratives.
In these scenes, both of them are reluctant to walk side by side with their respective mothers (in the case of Murad, it’s his stepmother). The mothers can be perceived as metaphors for the mess in their life, giving the viewers an impression that they are walking away from those problems both figuratively and literally.
Zoya Akhtar’s visual language has been top notch and very expressive in this film. Even in these frames we can see a contrast between their problems. In Murad’s frame, there’s action, noise, people around, just like how his life has been in his gully, full of people and liveliness – but still incomplete.
In Safeena’s frame there is a monotonous off-whitish background with no one around them, just like her life, complete and peaceful from what it appears but hollow from the inside. Remember, she doesn’t have a single friend shown in the movie except for her mutual friends with Murad, which is a testament to her lack of social life because of forced conservatism.
Both these characters want to break out and escape from their worlds of problems and are trailing for it, but till that time they have each other to make this chaos a little more bearable.
2. Piku (2015)
The frames were #PausedOnPurpose to ponder upon a very simple yet striking thought. You would’ve questioned yourself “hang on, are Rana and Piku a thing or not?”. And if this question crosses the viewer’s mind then there lies the victory of the genius filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, who should be given due credit for it.
In Indian cinema, there’s been a trend of depicting love and romance in a particular template. There have been some over the top romantic sequences, sometimes borderline and sometimes out and out cheesy expressions of romance, due to which beauty of subtlety becomes really rare. But Sircar dares to deviate from it through and through in the film.
In the film there are several subtle scenes when cute glances and stares are shared between Rana & Piku, they seem to grow an organic bond, and there are also scenes when Bhaskor (Amitabh Bachchan) goes in the background and the focus is on the little yet very expressive moments that they share. One such moment is shown in the upper images, where Piku says that whoever wants to marry her will have to adopt her 90-year-old baby (Bhaskor) and then jokingly asks Rana, “Can you take the pain of marrying me” to which Rana replies “Do you think I have lost it, to do something like this” and both share a laugh.
All of this does hint the viewers that there is some chemistry building between both of them but right till the end Sircar avoids to explicitly define their relationship. In the last scene, they are just shown playing badminton casually, which again doesn’t spoon feed any perception and leaves the viewers to think it their way.
Couple or not a couple, does it really matter? If it’s beautiful then let it be its own kind of beautiful, that’s what Mr. Sircar teaches us through this interesting journey of Rana & Piku’s companionship.
3. Swades (2004)
B-I-J-L-I
When you hear this word from the mouth of the wrinkly old woman in her hoarse voice, everyone rejoices, even you as a viewer can’t help but feel the happiness of the villagers of Charanpur. After the 12 minute long scene of Mohan with a bunch of enthusiastic villagers trying to generate electricity through hydropower, we see all the tension getting released through this scene.
The beauty of this scene lies in the way Gowarikar has used this bulb. It was symbolised very beautifully and we as viewers could perceive it in certain ways. Bulb is widely known as the symbol of innovation. It’s considered as one of the most important inventions in the history of mankind. When the bulb gets lit up, there are several other hopes that light up – hope of innovation, hope of development & hope of the much needed change in the lives of the people of Charanpur.
The usage of lights has been very evident throughout the film, in different ways, even in the lyrics of the song “Ye Tara Woh Tara”, there is description of starlight after they face a power cut during a film viewing.
Another important scene which should not be missed is of Mohan confronting the villagers that they have started to accept their fate without the electricity and have got used to the darkness (metaphorically & literally). Mohan steps up by taking the charge to make them independent by generating their own electricity and shows the sign of being their guiding light in the darkness.
These are the simple little things that Gowarikar has taken care of to pour the emotion and feels of the people of charanpur and make us question ourselves as to what we intend for our country, our people.
4. Andhadhun (2018)
A blind person beautifully playing the piano with a lot of chaos around, sounds like a scene from Andhadhun (2018), right? But guess what, director Sriram Raghavan had created a similar scene in the uniquely shot action-sequence in one of his earlier directorial ventures Agent Vinod (2012). It had the song “Raabta” playing in the background.
In both the scenes the filmmaker has ensured that there is tension and a sense of rush through the visuals, but at the same time there is an element of poise with the musicians keeping their calm and doing their job silently.
5. Barfi! (2012)
“Barfi adhoora tha, par uska pyaar pura tha”
This line truly encapsulates how love and the expression of it has been depicted in this film.
They say that to express your love it is important to use maximum of your senses & abilities, but Barfi & Jhilmil defy all these ideas and notions to prove them wrong. Both of them collectively miss out on the privilege of speaking, listening and touching at times (because of the authentic portrayal of Jhilmil’s autism) and still manage to be hopelessly romantic for each other.
Jhilmil has been shown as the victim of a really selfish and unempathetic family, and with her condition she needs utmost empathy and care. In the song “Sawli Si Raat”, the scene where Barfi beautifully connects with jhilmil over a simple reflection in the mirror, that’s all he needs with a chaplin-esque puppetry act. Probably that’s how Barfi is, he doesn’t know how to complicate things, he is just a golden-hearted gem who knows how to give love limitlessly.
Through the other frame we can observe how the physical touch between both of them has been shown minimal throughout the film. But still the pinky finger lock between them manages to feel more heavenly than some of the warmest hugs shown on screen.
If there’s a class on how to love like Barfi does, then we’d enroll there for a lifetime.
6. Dear Zindagi (2016)
Both these scenes have a very interesting similarity.
Kaira and Jehangir can’t seem to get enough of what they are enjoying.
Kaira is shown taking therapy sessions from Jehangir. In the initial sessions she is shown having a ton of pre-conceived notions and seems to be in an uneasy space of mind because of her circumstances. But as the sessions progress, it grows on her and she develops a liking for therapy, so much so that she would every time want to extend the session for a little bit longer because of how great she feels.
On one occasion, Jehangir decides to take a beachside session breaking the rules of therapy because he had a very special memory attached to the beach – playing ‘kabbadi’ with the waves. We see a child-like energy and zeal on Jehangir’s face which is infectious to Kaira as well. We can see him very innocently insisting to play for a couple of more rounds as he wants to extend this very special brief moment. It almost feels like it’s therapeutic to Jug.
This clearly tells us that how much ever mentally tough someone appears to us, they do have a tendancy to flow into something that is really special to them and feel like they can’t get enough of it.
7. Masaan (2015)
These frames have been analysed to point out a subtle yet strong nuance that the makers want to communicate. In this scene, the inspector comes to give the not-so-gentle reminder to Vidyadhar Pathak to pay the remaining amount of the bribe. The piercing words and brutal stare at Pathak just tells us how intimidating the inspector could be, cut to the next frame when a little girl enters saying “Papa, chale?”
For all this while, the inspector was shown threatening and warning Pathak to pay the remaining amount of bribe so as to not make the intimate videos of Pathak’s daughter public. Pathak is shown helpless and struggling to gather the money, but he still tries his best to save himself and his daughter from the consequences. Suddenly, when you see the inspector’s daughter for a few seconds (her only scene in the film), you realize that such films justify the saying “every frame and every scene has to have an intention”. After seeing the inspector sweetly affirming to his daughter saying “Haan, chalo”, in that moment it feels like irony died a painful death.
The appearance of the inspector’s daughter in that frame for only a few seconds was a purposeful device to highlight the irony of the situation and to show the two-faced nature that humans carry. And who knows if later on, life could have come full circle for the inspector in the future. But great films never serve anything easily, and this piece of greatness is no different.
8. Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Mira Nair’s Monsoon wedding is one of the most layered Hindi films we have ever watched – there are many subplots and even little moments in the films are a commentary in itself on various issues ranging from class divide to child abuse to censorship and many more.
Here are two situations that we have analysed to juxtapose and highlight how filmmakers convey similar moments with different kinds of environments and messages. The film in the first half has a scene with Tej Puri (Rajat Kapoor) kissing Riya (Shefali Shah) on her forehead. Kissing on the forehead is considered as one of the warmest gestures there is, which symbolizes love and security. The scene was shot to make it look plain and emotionless purposely as it is not supposed to be a comforting scene and the filmmaker wants to treat this scene with just that blandness. The scene also establishes in the viewers’ minds that Riya is not comfortable with Tej Puri because of some sort of history. Even the frame is such that the kiss on the forehead is not visible to us properly.
Whereas in the second frame we see one of the most heartwarming scenes of the film. Lalit (Naseruddin Shah) confronts Tej once he gets to know that he had abused Riya as a child. Atfer this, he commits the most unexpected act for his family – he didn’t hesitate asking Tej to leave even though he always considered him as the head of family. Lalit did that for his daughter, for his family.
Nobody in the room including Riya could believe what Lalit did to Tej. Then Lalit walks to her and kisses her on the forehead in the most gracious manner. The forehead kiss shot that felt incomplete in the first half got completed almost after 80 minutes. And the treatment of this shot is starkly different. There’s background music playing, the kiss is pleasantly visible on the screen and the warmth & love for Riya takes over the screen magically.
9. A Death In The Gunj (2016)
A Death in the Gunj is centered around the character of “Shutu” – a docile, timid and reserved character in the film whose existence is not very significant to others in the family. In fact it’s almost heartbreaking to see him being neglected for most part of the film. There’s just one character who has stayed with him majorly i.e. “Tani”
While he and Tani were playing in the fields near the house, Tani searches for the family tree and soon as she finds it she checks the whole tree and reads the names of all family members one by one. She very innocently asks Shutu that why his name is missing on the tree. Shutu knows why it’s not there and knows how he is treated like an outcast, but he gently dismisses poor Tani by distracting her.
His name not being there was a pretty clear sign that he was never considered a part of the family, neither was he treated like that. That is why throughout the film one feels the sorrow for Shutu as a viewer, your heart goes out to him.
The third frame is one of the most hauntingly beautiful frames we have seen in contemporary Hindi films. The blood is dripping and sliding all over the tree veins and is shown for a few chilling seconds. *Spoiler Ahead*
We all know (or at least can safely assume) that it’s Shutu’s blood, but his face or body was never shown after that. Our interpretation is that through this frame it’s reassured that Shutu could never have been a part of that family tree but it’s only soul-crushing to see him imprint his presence this way on the tree.
10. Satya (1998)
Satya was Ram Gopal Varma’s marvelous attempt at showing us the consequences of taking violence as a means of living. And the film was appreciated by the masses as they related with it as something which was very close to reality and was like a mirror to the underworld in Mumbai during those times. RGV was able to capture the essence of Mumbai in the film through different aspects – right from the lingo to the characters to the sea, everything was on point. But one more quintessentially Mumbai flavoured tool was the Ganapati Visarjan. The iconic visarjan scene is considered as one of the grittiest scenes in the hindi films.
These scenes were #PausedOnPurposeto show how cinema resorts to such cultural tropes to design violence aesthetically. The final scene of the film is when Satya goes to kill Bhau. It’s Ganesh Visarjan – the biggest festival in the city that embellishes the seashores of Mumbai. The vibe is super chaotic, just what Mumbai is known for. Bhau, after winning the election, is celebrating at the Visarjan. Satya, poised yet full of angst, walks towards him amidst the chaos of the festival, with Sandeep Chowta’s chilling background score of stotra (Hindu chant) playing. And we see the inevitable yet stunning sequence of Satya stabbing Bhau. It gives an oddly satisfying feeling to the viewers even though we know that each and every person in the contention is wrong, including Satya.
The takeaway for us here could be how using such cultural and local references in a piece of craft can elevate its level and connect with the audience better. And it’s pleasing to see irony used to their advantage i.e. making an impact by using festivals (which are meant for unity, peace and harmony) blending it into a well designed violent scene.
Think you can make such keen observations from films like nobody else? Share your writings with us and get featured on India Film Project. Download the IFP app, make your profile, head to the PARTICIPATE section and start sharing your observations![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1587562979413{border-left-width: 5px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #f5f5f5 !important;border-left-color: #1e73be !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1587562951408{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-right-width: 20px !important;border-left-width: 20px !important;}”]
How To Write A Short Script – First Draft to Production
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” gap=”35″][vc_column width=”2/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1561015863493{padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”6/12″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1565354033824{margin-bottom: 100px !important;}”]Are you sitting by the phone waiting for a producer to call & kickstart your career? Well, you always have another option: kickstart it yourself by writing short movie scripts.
Writing short scripts for films is a great calling card for a writer to find representation or financing. Short films aren’t a lesser form of cinematic storytelling. In fact, writing them requires the exact same skills as writing a feature length script – though on a smaller scale.
Writing short films can be daunting, but it’s one of the best ways to improve your screenwriting and get noticed.
Start by brainstorming ideas for your short. Think of any ideas you can and try to see what you can experiment with your writing. Some conversation starters that can help you hone your search include: “What images or events can you clearly remember from childhood?”, “What are the themes you find yourself attracted to in cinema?”, etc. Perhaps you gravitate toward stories about family relationships, love triangles, underdog victories, or particular historical periods. Once you come upon the central idea for the short, write down all moments, set-pieces, beats, or bits of dialogue you’d love to see in the film. Don’t worry about whether or not you’ll actually include that dialogue or if that scene make sense, just write whatever comes to mind.
After you have a clear and simple premise, start to outline the film idea. Like feature films, short scripts have a beginning, middle, and end. During the outline phase, the goal is to map out the structure of the film, so it’s okay to not have an idea of every single scene. However, some writers find it helpful to know every scene, moment, or beat in a film before they start to write it. A beat sheet is a helpful companion to the outlining process.
The Shorter the Better
A short film can be anything from 15 seconds to 45 minutes in length. Make your short film script as short as possible because the shorter the short, the less costly it will be to produce. It’s obvious that digital technology frees up filmmakers, yet time still costs money, so does feeding a hungry crew. If you shoot too fast your short film might end up looking bad. It has to be a low budget film but shouldn’t look like it! Also, if you want to get your short into a festival, then keep it to no more than ten minutes, which is usually 10 pages maximum. Ideally 1 minute duration is 1 page while writing a short script for any short film. Why? Because if your short film is longer, it will eat up a longer slot and festivals love to play as many shorts as possible! You can also create real emotion in just a few minutes.
Keep the Practicalities of Writing in Mind
The best thing about writing short films is that they can be anything which has never been done before. Experiment as much as you can if the story is genuine. However, don’t discard the practicalities of writing your script. The scenes that are mostly going to be occupying the whole movie should be low on pre-production costs. Scripts with pages of chase-action scenes, great locations are not something you want to include unless it’s really necessary to make your movie stand out. In fact, see the writing of a short as an opportunity to become more aware of what each line you put down on paper implies and costs. If you only have access to modest resources, plan your script accordingly.
Write every line after visualising it first!
Visual writing in a screenplay is everything which is part of your script that’s not dialogue – in simple words, visual descriptions.
This includes:
Scene action: What’s happening in the scene? Did a car just whiz by? Did a horse gallop past a window? What’s happening around your characters?
Character appearance: What does your character look like? Are they clean-cut? Sloppy? Bright-eyed? Tired? What are they wearing? A school uniform? A wedding dress? A sweater and slacks? The visual details you choose will tell us about your character as a person and what they are experiencing in the moment.
Location appearance: What does the space in which your scene takes place look and feel like? Share details that are unique to that space. Don’t say that the kitchen has a stove and refrigerator, instead, say what makes that kitchen different from another kitchen. Is it small and cramped? Vast and sterile? Warm and cozy? Be specific.
Character action: What is your character doing? How do they act and react? Someone just said “I love you” to your character – did they look down and start to cry, jump for joy, run away? Their physical responses can communicate what they’re feeling – don’t ignore them.
Highlight single moments
The best short films are often where a single moment is played out, but one that has a story at its depth. Try to find inspiration in a particular element, moment, or feeling in your story. From there, grow it into a compelling, fully realized stand-alone short film
For example, story can be a conflict that has to be resolved, where there’s a dilemma at stake and a choice that the protagonist has to make. Think of extraordinary ways to glorify a deadline, or ticking clock. These are just some ways that will add some tension to your short film for this kind of story or genre.
Formatting your Screenplay
The layout of a screenplay can be quite a tricky thing to get right. This also involves loads of repeated formatting that over the course of the screenplay will take ages to complete. This is a very monotonous and lengthy process, so to save all this time and effort, it is recommended that you buy a specialist screenplay word processor like Movie Magic, Final Draft or Scrivener. There are other many other programs out there, a few of which are even free like Fade In, WriterDuet & Trelby.
Just to give a basic idea of sluglines commonly used in script, have a look at the format described below
Rewrite the Script
There’s a common phrase among writers that “writing is rewriting.” Once you have a first draft on the page, give the script to your friends or mentors for notes. When you go back in for the second draft, you might find that you need to restart the process and create a new outline. If that happens, that means there’s a problem with your overall story. Once your story is solid, you might only rewrite the script to finesse a scene or refine dialogue.
Try to make your short film YouTube friendly even if you are writing short films to submit in the festivals. You want to get noticed, think of a concept that’s unique. Execute them with creative ideas and never be afraid to experiment, these are the things that will make your script stand out from the rest and will never be just another copy in the pile of scripts waiting to get produced.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1587563221652{border-left-width: 5px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #f5f5f5 !important;border-left-color: #1e73be !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1587563195931{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-right-width: 20px !important;border-left-width: 20px !important;}”]
Rewrite the Script