For the professional film makers, this is cake walk... For an ordinary middle class like me, this is one helluva achievement. This year will definitely be memorable for me purely for the reason that i managed to achieve something on the next level of creative passion. I have successfully directed my own short film and managed to release it too. I have to confess, am not crazy about film making but i have huge penchant towards 'being creative' Some thing that gives uniqueness to a human.
Here are the links pertaining to my first ever AV fantasy product, 12AM
The trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOSRZXYD8iY
The Promo song (this is actually promo footage shot for Suttakadhai movie, i snatched it )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL1EfJOosE8
The Short film, 12:AM (with English subtitles) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riDxIRA4U5U
My contribution to the film : Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, Direction, Lyrics (promo / End credit song), Dubbing, Production and Subtitling (including patching and rendering)
Here are some Question and Answers regarding the short film itself. I am tired telling many individually and here is the compiled list... (Please don't speculate things, am no way blowing my own trumpet, as always, my blog's intention is to help my learning reach every one.. Take it or Leave it)
Q : What is your objective out of this short film ?
A : Frankly, no objective. I was on a stretch of theory classes learning film making and i want to put this out as a hands on class and hence tried this short film. Purely for the sake of creative satisfaction and learning curve. For sure, i have no desperation to make an income out of it though i wont rule out the possibilities.
Q: Did you achieved ?
A: Indeed, i must say, i am proud of the product and learnt lots of what not to do :)
Q: How was the support ?
A: In theory, nothing much. However, my good circle of friends, my parents and my wife encouraged me to go for it reading my mind. That's all the support i needed.
Q: Why such an abnormal-fantasy subject ?
A: To me, there are 2 types of admiration. One are those who want to see (possibly/probably or) exactly what exists in real world (Eg., Pursuit of Happyness, J Edgars, Nayagan etc.,) Others, who would love to experience something that doesn't exist but thrills them.(Eg., Lord of the Rings, Butterfly Effect, Arai Enn 305il Kadavul etc.,) I love portraying fantasies, specially supernatural stuffs.
Q: Why Super natural ?
A: From the childhood, you always have a supernatural fantasy running in your mind. Like, what will i do if i become a superman... What will i do if i become an invisible man... What happens if i go back in time few years ago... etc., This is something that excites you (even when you grow up) and keep your mind engaged for hours. After converting my imaginary world in to a film, i realized i am not the only one living in a fantasy world :)
Q: The logic about your title, 12AM ?
A: The holding point of the story is the incident/accident that happens at 12 Midnight. The AM literally means Anti Meridian which is basically the midnight but if you notice, the lead characters Alex and Margret also has AM ;) If you further notice, the clock actually shows 1:20 as the time which is irrelevant. The 2 hands points these 2 characters A and M in the title logo.
Q: Any other detailing, apart from the main content ?
A: We did focused on few minute detailing like the timing of the title (which is the title and real time), the connection between the romantic first few minutes and emotional pre climax, tried logical screenplay with mobile phone playing a part, no un-necessary characters in the frame etc.,
Q: What exactly is the mood of the film ? Comedy, Surreal, Absurdity, Action, Thriller, ????
A: Well, i never concentrated to portray a particular mood. To confess, i initially penned this to be a sarcastic humor but honestly, i cant get my dialogues do the just. So, i wanted to try multiple emotions like romance, humor, sarcasm, anger etc., So its an up and down of emotions through out and am glad it isn't a chaos.
Q: You like Mysskin ?
A: I know where you coming from, Yes, i was greatly influenced by Mysskin's Oanayum Aatukuttyum. The framing, the music all influenced me (and amazingly, my team too) on subconscious level. So, you can see lots of mysskinish things in 12AM but the plot and content no way close to his geniusness
Q: Why did the team info didn't appear in the beginning ?
A: Am not a Nolan and this is not a high budget hollywood film where people just know who is what by names in beginning. I wanted to showcase the product first and then show names in the end which to me, is real credit. I have also ensured the pictures of them also appears so that they get better recognition for their hard work.
Q: What was the positives about 12AM?
A: Every time i narrated the story, the first feedback was "You better plan well, this seems like bigger than short film" and therefore, i took the challenge and i set myself a goal, I should finish this film in less than 15 minutes and ensure the story is conveyed clearly. Bingo, i reached my primary goal as a writer and director. Apart from this, the work of technicians like Music, Editing and Cinematography was impeccable for a short film. All these made 12AM, a visual treat for sweet 15 minutes.
Q: How was the experience with the crew ?
A: I don't wanna fake it as amazing, mind blowing bla bla.. I like things to be organized and people should know the importance of what they are doing. Frankly, i didn't enjoyed directing much. I always had this Money-being-wasted thing running in mind all the time as i produced this myself. However, the chief technicians and artists did their work professionally.. Infact, they did more than what is required for a short film (given, the no/low remuneration they received) Overall, a good learning and i paid heavy for it. No Regrets though.
Q: Any particular bad experience ?
A: A lot, i would say and mostly because of my poor approach. Nothing can replace a good teacher like a bad experience. I am glad i had this during my intentional-learning-project.
Q: Will you direct again ?
A: Pass, Next ?
Q: Will you write again ?
A: Till i die
Q: Whats your take on the basics of film making ?
A: To spend enormous time during pre-production stage. Do proper planning and sort things out frame by frame. Write things down, have a good direction team, listen to suggestions but decide yourself, engage artists and technicians well ahead of your shoot and talk to them a lot. I did my best but still i slipped up in many places purely due to inexperience. Its an achievement if you get even 60% of what you conceived but am happy i got close to 80%
Q: Special names to thank ?
A: Thanks is definitely not the word but my love and wishes to the sweet hearts, Venky, Lakshmi Priyaa, Aroul D Jody, Ashwath, David, Alen, My (co-director) incarnation, Madav, the direction team (Alex, Mary and Sri) and the Libra Production staffs (Praveen, NRN Narayanan etc.,) I am indebted to them for my life. They all came out of the way to help me achieve what i was working for. There are many who refused to accept payments and worked in this for the love of art (i believe) and for sure, they have special place and wish them a successfull career.
Q: Is that all the names you go to thank ?
A: I needed a separate section to thank special 2. The first is my brother, my good friend, my mentor, Mr. Venkatesan (Dir. Nalanum Nandiniyum). I gained some knowledge and experience working under him in Nalanum Nandiniyum during which he was instrumental in sharing the work ways and many nice aspects about creative film making. The second is the hyper-active-knowledge ware house, Mr. Subu (Dir. Suttakadhai) I didnt get the opportunity to work under him but had observed his way and totally perplexed with the way he planned and executed things. Always on toes, and knows what he is doing, he never wasted his time. I took lots of inspiration from him doing multiple roles in film making than just being director. When it comes to film making, these 2 are my practical 'gurus'. Thanks to Libra Productions for making this happen.
Q: What next ?
A: No plans. For now, spend time with family. Honestly, I am not all that crazy about film making that makes me to stay ages away from family. For me, family is first and the world is next. Besides, my passion is to be creative and i always to keep myself dynamic. To me creativity lies every where. Writing, Photography, Cooking, Editing (just started) One has to challenge himself balancing life and work on his passion with out troubling both. Remember GodFather, One is not real man if his family isn't happy :)
Here are the links pertaining to my first ever AV fantasy product, 12AM
The trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOSRZXYD8iY
The Promo song (this is actually promo footage shot for Suttakadhai movie, i snatched it )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL1EfJOosE8
The Short film, 12:AM (with English subtitles) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riDxIRA4U5U
My contribution to the film : Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, Direction, Lyrics (promo / End credit song), Dubbing, Production and Subtitling (including patching and rendering)
Here are some Question and Answers regarding the short film itself. I am tired telling many individually and here is the compiled list... (Please don't speculate things, am no way blowing my own trumpet, as always, my blog's intention is to help my learning reach every one.. Take it or Leave it)
Q : What is your objective out of this short film ?
A : Frankly, no objective. I was on a stretch of theory classes learning film making and i want to put this out as a hands on class and hence tried this short film. Purely for the sake of creative satisfaction and learning curve. For sure, i have no desperation to make an income out of it though i wont rule out the possibilities.
Q: Did you achieved ?
A: Indeed, i must say, i am proud of the product and learnt lots of what not to do :)
Q: How was the support ?
A: In theory, nothing much. However, my good circle of friends, my parents and my wife encouraged me to go for it reading my mind. That's all the support i needed.
Q: Why such an abnormal-fantasy subject ?
A: To me, there are 2 types of admiration. One are those who want to see (possibly/probably or) exactly what exists in real world (Eg., Pursuit of Happyness, J Edgars, Nayagan etc.,) Others, who would love to experience something that doesn't exist but thrills them.(Eg., Lord of the Rings, Butterfly Effect, Arai Enn 305il Kadavul etc.,) I love portraying fantasies, specially supernatural stuffs.
Q: Why Super natural ?
A: From the childhood, you always have a supernatural fantasy running in your mind. Like, what will i do if i become a superman... What will i do if i become an invisible man... What happens if i go back in time few years ago... etc., This is something that excites you (even when you grow up) and keep your mind engaged for hours. After converting my imaginary world in to a film, i realized i am not the only one living in a fantasy world :)
Q: The logic about your title, 12AM ?
A: The holding point of the story is the incident/accident that happens at 12 Midnight. The AM literally means Anti Meridian which is basically the midnight but if you notice, the lead characters Alex and Margret also has AM ;) If you further notice, the clock actually shows 1:20 as the time which is irrelevant. The 2 hands points these 2 characters A and M in the title logo.
Q: Any other detailing, apart from the main content ?
A: We did focused on few minute detailing like the timing of the title (which is the title and real time), the connection between the romantic first few minutes and emotional pre climax, tried logical screenplay with mobile phone playing a part, no un-necessary characters in the frame etc.,
Q: What exactly is the mood of the film ? Comedy, Surreal, Absurdity, Action, Thriller, ????
A: Well, i never concentrated to portray a particular mood. To confess, i initially penned this to be a sarcastic humor but honestly, i cant get my dialogues do the just. So, i wanted to try multiple emotions like romance, humor, sarcasm, anger etc., So its an up and down of emotions through out and am glad it isn't a chaos.
Q: You like Mysskin ?
A: I know where you coming from, Yes, i was greatly influenced by Mysskin's Oanayum Aatukuttyum. The framing, the music all influenced me (and amazingly, my team too) on subconscious level. So, you can see lots of mysskinish things in 12AM but the plot and content no way close to his geniusness
Q: Why did the team info didn't appear in the beginning ?
A: Am not a Nolan and this is not a high budget hollywood film where people just know who is what by names in beginning. I wanted to showcase the product first and then show names in the end which to me, is real credit. I have also ensured the pictures of them also appears so that they get better recognition for their hard work.
Q: What was the positives about 12AM?
A: Every time i narrated the story, the first feedback was "You better plan well, this seems like bigger than short film" and therefore, i took the challenge and i set myself a goal, I should finish this film in less than 15 minutes and ensure the story is conveyed clearly. Bingo, i reached my primary goal as a writer and director. Apart from this, the work of technicians like Music, Editing and Cinematography was impeccable for a short film. All these made 12AM, a visual treat for sweet 15 minutes.
Q: How was the experience with the crew ?
A: I don't wanna fake it as amazing, mind blowing bla bla.. I like things to be organized and people should know the importance of what they are doing. Frankly, i didn't enjoyed directing much. I always had this Money-being-wasted thing running in mind all the time as i produced this myself. However, the chief technicians and artists did their work professionally.. Infact, they did more than what is required for a short film (given, the no/low remuneration they received) Overall, a good learning and i paid heavy for it. No Regrets though.
Q: Any particular bad experience ?
A: A lot, i would say and mostly because of my poor approach. Nothing can replace a good teacher like a bad experience. I am glad i had this during my intentional-learning-project.
Q: Will you direct again ?
A: Pass, Next ?
Q: Will you write again ?
A: Till i die
Q: Whats your take on the basics of film making ?
A: To spend enormous time during pre-production stage. Do proper planning and sort things out frame by frame. Write things down, have a good direction team, listen to suggestions but decide yourself, engage artists and technicians well ahead of your shoot and talk to them a lot. I did my best but still i slipped up in many places purely due to inexperience. Its an achievement if you get even 60% of what you conceived but am happy i got close to 80%
Q: Special names to thank ?
A: Thanks is definitely not the word but my love and wishes to the sweet hearts, Venky, Lakshmi Priyaa, Aroul D Jody, Ashwath, David, Alen, My (co-director) incarnation, Madav, the direction team (Alex, Mary and Sri) and the Libra Production staffs (Praveen, NRN Narayanan etc.,) I am indebted to them for my life. They all came out of the way to help me achieve what i was working for. There are many who refused to accept payments and worked in this for the love of art (i believe) and for sure, they have special place and wish them a successfull career.
Q: Is that all the names you go to thank ?
A: I needed a separate section to thank special 2. The first is my brother, my good friend, my mentor, Mr. Venkatesan (Dir. Nalanum Nandiniyum). I gained some knowledge and experience working under him in Nalanum Nandiniyum during which he was instrumental in sharing the work ways and many nice aspects about creative film making. The second is the hyper-active-knowledge ware house, Mr. Subu (Dir. Suttakadhai) I didnt get the opportunity to work under him but had observed his way and totally perplexed with the way he planned and executed things. Always on toes, and knows what he is doing, he never wasted his time. I took lots of inspiration from him doing multiple roles in film making than just being director. When it comes to film making, these 2 are my practical 'gurus'. Thanks to Libra Productions for making this happen.Q: What next ?
A: No plans. For now, spend time with family. Honestly, I am not all that crazy about film making that makes me to stay ages away from family. For me, family is first and the world is next. Besides, my passion is to be creative and i always to keep myself dynamic. To me creativity lies every where. Writing, Photography, Cooking, Editing (just started) One has to challenge himself balancing life and work on his passion with out troubling both. Remember GodFather, One is not real man if his family isn't happy :)
