Delhi gets a channel -Movies Now- and early this morning I and Saurabh (apart from gorging on aloo parathas carrot halwa) settled on watching My Cousin Vinny. I remember Paramesh in Seattle showed that film to me for the first time some 5-6 years ago and since then this movie has become one of my comfort movies. It never fails to bring a chuckle.
Some good ads coming on TV - i like the vodofone superman, the blackberry messenger esp the last long shot of the beds when the students are communicating and ofcourse the levis curve jeans ads.
Friday, March 04, 2011
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Gone to delhi
Till Sun night. Will gorge on the street food. Unfortunately I think I am developing a throat infection plus a panic attack w.r.t my script.
Update: Yes I am gorging on food and yes I am relaxed w.r.t script. And yes I got a supercool hairstyle. And yes I forgot my toothbrush again!
Update: Yes I am gorging on food and yes I am relaxed w.r.t script. And yes I got a supercool hairstyle. And yes I forgot my toothbrush again!
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
What would you do ?
Read this on reddit today: http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/fvk4o/a_customer_died_at_my_register_today_and_i_am/
Read the first reply and also one from pickoneforme.
And do see this - barcode for every movie: moviebarcode.tumblr.com
Read the first reply and also one from pickoneforme.
And do see this - barcode for every movie: moviebarcode.tumblr.com
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Boogie Nights script
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Boogie-Nights.html
Has some gems esp. when it comes to dialogues between two people.
Also was watching cricket and saw this vodafone 3G ad and totally loved it :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GFr_GSjYPI
Has some gems esp. when it comes to dialogues between two people.
Also was watching cricket and saw this vodafone 3G ad and totally loved it :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GFr_GSjYPI
Friday, February 25, 2011
Last week made the most exotic food i think I ever made
In our weekly grocery shopping at Nature's Basket we saw some salmon pieces. And we thought we could experiment and try making Salmon steak at home. We also got some asparagus (really cheap - 50 odd bucks for all that) and baby potatoes (and for some reason saurabh calls them sweet potatoes and confuses the hell out of everybody) and we made this dish as a team effort. Actually I wanted to make it with mash potatoes but we only had baby potatoes in my house.
I later realized that we were out of garlic and I had to borrow garlic from my neighbors and this is my only interaction with them in last 2 years.
So here are some pics of the food -Salmon Steak (with butter garlic dressing), roasted baby potatoes and stir fried asparagus:
I later realized that we were out of garlic and I had to borrow garlic from my neighbors and this is my only interaction with them in last 2 years.
So here are some pics of the food -Salmon Steak (with butter garlic dressing), roasted baby potatoes and stir fried asparagus:
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Best use of extras
Wattsi shared this chinese vid. I think the chinese know how to make the best use of their extras:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfE0jgMUQrc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfE0jgMUQrc
The struggles of making "just a student short film"
Yesterday found out through an sms that my diploma film got Express award for best film. It felt nice. It was not publicized much (and my friends always criticize me for not publicizing my stuff and doing bad networking and I guess both are extremely imp in this field!). But yes it is my first film festival win so thought of bookmarking it!
Anyways like lots of my classmates I should also have a good poster of my film and like a few of them have a facebook page with all the film festival selections of Uss Paar:
- River to River Florence Film Festival, Italy
- Kalpanirjhar film festival, Calcutta
- Article 19 - Won the BEST Short Film Award
- Bhubaneshwar International short film fest
- Xaverian Film Academy ( X.F.A )
These are all small fests - but it is always nice to start small - kinda sets a trajectory. But my first love my short fiction Reflections haven't gotten anywhere. It's sad coz I really think Reflections is my best work till date.
We had worked really very hard for Uss Paar. Infact after the shoot I realized that I was not able to walk normally and when I came back from outdoor and took off my shoes I saw my legs as below. (pls click for clearer view)
Here are some musings of the day of the shoot : http://atkifilm.blogspot.com/2010/04/pruduction-day-musings.html
And here are some musings of "some" of the hiccups before the shoot: http://atkifilm.blogspot.com/2010/04/diploma.html
Reading it refreshes a lot of memories. One was being(ironically) caught by a railway TT coz the ticket was in Dev's pocket and he had left for Goregaon. And I had to pay 500 bucks to bail myself out (And thank God I was carrying that much money - as again I am very bad with cash management). And yes that 4 am cold shower was just so shockingly awesome too.
Anyways like lots of my classmates I should also have a good poster of my film and like a few of them have a facebook page with all the film festival selections of Uss Paar:
- River to River Florence Film Festival, Italy
- Kalpanirjhar film festival, Calcutta
- Article 19 - Won the BEST Short Film Award
- Bhubaneshwar International short film fest
- Xaverian Film Academy ( X.F.A )
These are all small fests - but it is always nice to start small - kinda sets a trajectory. But my first love my short fiction Reflections haven't gotten anywhere. It's sad coz I really think Reflections is my best work till date.
We had worked really very hard for Uss Paar. Infact after the shoot I realized that I was not able to walk normally and when I came back from outdoor and took off my shoes I saw my legs as below. (pls click for clearer view)
Here are some musings of the day of the shoot : http://atkifilm.blogspot.com/2010/04/pruduction-day-musings.html
And here are some musings of "some" of the hiccups before the shoot: http://atkifilm.blogspot.com/2010/04/diploma.html
Reading it refreshes a lot of memories. One was being(ironically) caught by a railway TT coz the ticket was in Dev's pocket and he had left for Goregaon. And I had to pay 500 bucks to bail myself out (And thank God I was carrying that much money - as again I am very bad with cash management). And yes that 4 am cold shower was just so shockingly awesome too.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Advancing on Chaos and Dark ...
"There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance, that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.
The power which resides in him is new in nature and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.....
But we half express ourselves and are ashamed of that divine idea that each of us represents."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson (from his essay Self-reliance)
The power which resides in him is new in nature and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.....
But we half express ourselves and are ashamed of that divine idea that each of us represents."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson (from his essay Self-reliance)
50 greatest opening title sequence of all times
http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/02/the-50-greatest-opening-title.php?utm_source=twitter
Friday, February 18, 2011
Random thoughts ...importance of supporting actors in your films
Nothing compensates for a lack of good performance and nothing brings to table more than a good performance...
Perhaps perhaps perhaps
So I have songs from various countries in my music player and I love putting them in various bins - depending on the mood they create. One of the songs that just stayed with me for a while is Quizas Quizas Quizas.
Probably because this song replays the melancholic images of "In the Mood for Love" for me. But also when I listen to it in my car - I imagine a really teasing dance between two people on a midnight french street. So I thought I should research a bit more about this song. And found out that it was sung by Nat King Cole in 1958 (here is the youtube link): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjVfiZM09YA
I also found out the song has a history. It is a 1947 song written by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farres. I have not been able to find the original video of the 1947 hit song.
But I found a delightfully slow version by Ibrahim Ferrer & Omara Portuondo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSEiyF64z3o
And as I was researching more - listening to various version of the songs - I really enjoyed the beauty and the personal touch Nat King Cole lent to the song. For comparison listen to this version and you would know the importance of a voice selection while composing a song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjhjw6u5TqQ
Here is a verbatim translation of the spanish song for you
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"
I am always asking you
When, how and where
You always tell me
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
The days pass this way
And I am despairing
And you, you always answer
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
You are wasting time
Thinking, thinking
That which you want most
Until when? Until when?
The days pass this way
And I am despairing
And you, you always answer
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
You are wasting time
Thinking, thinking
That which you want most
Until when? Until when?
The days pass this way
And I am despairing
And you, you always answer
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
Though the truth is that one need not know the lyrics to enjoy the song.
Probably because this song replays the melancholic images of "In the Mood for Love" for me. But also when I listen to it in my car - I imagine a really teasing dance between two people on a midnight french street. So I thought I should research a bit more about this song. And found out that it was sung by Nat King Cole in 1958 (here is the youtube link): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjVfiZM09YA
I also found out the song has a history. It is a 1947 song written by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farres. I have not been able to find the original video of the 1947 hit song.
But I found a delightfully slow version by Ibrahim Ferrer & Omara Portuondo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSEiyF64z3o
And as I was researching more - listening to various version of the songs - I really enjoyed the beauty and the personal touch Nat King Cole lent to the song. For comparison listen to this version and you would know the importance of a voice selection while composing a song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjhjw6u5TqQ
Here is a verbatim translation of the spanish song for you
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"
I am always asking you
When, how and where
You always tell me
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
The days pass this way
And I am despairing
And you, you always answer
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
You are wasting time
Thinking, thinking
That which you want most
Until when? Until when?
The days pass this way
And I am despairing
And you, you always answer
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
You are wasting time
Thinking, thinking
That which you want most
Until when? Until when?
The days pass this way
And I am despairing
And you, you always answer
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
Though the truth is that one need not know the lyrics to enjoy the song.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Social Network
Social Network was a good movie that came out in 2010. It is not like best of the best type of movies but as compared to other movies that came out from Hollywood last year it stands tall. Also it is one of the really well-received films.
What stands out about that movie is perfection. Perfection in script and execution. A 2.5 hours movie going at 1000 miles per hour. The experience of the craftsmen involved really showed.
After I saw the film, I read notes of the script writer and read the script and then I saw the film again. So I know the movie like the back of my hand. You also realize that everything that was mentioned in the first scene, drives the rest of the movie. It is more about "invisible" class difference and deals with the illusion of democracy that a capitalistic society sometimes exhibit. It has quite a little material about Facebook the site itself. An interesting point to note is that - Mark Zucerberg was a socio-path and Facebook is a socio-path's idea of the society.
Recently Zain posted the 93 minute making of the film. 93 min is a long time for the making of any film - but it is prob the first making that I saw that actually made you go through the process of rehearsals, selection of costume, look of characters. It was also a great way to understand the forces that operate when a group of people come together to make a film.
So here are some of the resources for "The Social Network" enthusiast:
The script:http://wiscreenwritersforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Social-Network-The-by-Aaron-Sorkin-May-28-2009.pdf
Aaron's (scriptwriter's) interview: http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/2010/10/facebook_film?currentPage=1
The making of Social Network: http://www.slashfilm.com/watch-social-network-movie-facebook-93minute-scenes-documentary/
What stands out about that movie is perfection. Perfection in script and execution. A 2.5 hours movie going at 1000 miles per hour. The experience of the craftsmen involved really showed.
After I saw the film, I read notes of the script writer and read the script and then I saw the film again. So I know the movie like the back of my hand. You also realize that everything that was mentioned in the first scene, drives the rest of the movie. It is more about "invisible" class difference and deals with the illusion of democracy that a capitalistic society sometimes exhibit. It has quite a little material about Facebook the site itself. An interesting point to note is that - Mark Zucerberg was a socio-path and Facebook is a socio-path's idea of the society.
Recently Zain posted the 93 minute making of the film. 93 min is a long time for the making of any film - but it is prob the first making that I saw that actually made you go through the process of rehearsals, selection of costume, look of characters. It was also a great way to understand the forces that operate when a group of people come together to make a film.
So here are some of the resources for "The Social Network" enthusiast:
The script:http://wiscreenwritersforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Social-Network-The-by-Aaron-Sorkin-May-28-2009.pdf
Aaron's (scriptwriter's) interview: http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/2010/10/facebook_film?currentPage=1
The making of Social Network: http://www.slashfilm.com/watch-social-network-movie-facebook-93minute-scenes-documentary/
Friday, February 11, 2011
Just a quote that I liked
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars." - Jack Kerouac
So I wonder
If people who deactivate their social networking accounts exhibit more suicidal tendencies than others. Atleast Saurabh worries so.
But well I deleted my twitter account. Here is a summary of the useful content of my old twitter account:
Some quotes:
"Those are not stars in the sky- those are your brain cells" - Biutiful.
"It is stunning how much we gather back after death. Effortlessly the
net pulls to shore what it needs." -Zain (from his story "Foreword")
"I'm aware what tremendous feats human beings are capable of once they
abandon dignity." - Hans Landa - Incredible Basterds
"Private behavior will be a relic of an era gone by" - The Social Network.
"Sometimes reason it matters to care passionately about something is that it whittles the world down to a more manageable size. " - Adaptation.
"Information underrepresents reality”
"There is always another death to die, beyond the death you know." - rumi
“The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not
our ability to explain why it is good.” —Stanley Kubrick
"there is a certain deliciousness in the oblivion."
"When two rivers cross they borrow eachothers water."
"Sometimes talking is interference and sometimes not talking is interference"
Links of posters:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/02/vintage-posters/?pid=1391&viewall=true
http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2011/01/15/look-out-soviet-bloody-posters/
http://www.reelizer.com/
http://www.slate.com/id/2279923/pagenum/all/#p2
http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=8013
http://observersroom.designobserver.com/rickpoynor/entry.html?entry=24218
Some good movie posters of 2010: http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/2708
Talks:
Are you a cyborg: http://bit.ly/ff1voN
www.harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination
Your brain on improv. An amazing look at creativity and the mind http://on.ted.com/8oVd #TEDxMidAtlantic
http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_keep_your_goals_to_yourself.html
why i never manage to lose those 10 kilos!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGt3-fxOvug&feature=player_embedded
john cleese on creativity and i agree 100%
Youtube vids:
Poem by the NRI lady: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9W1j5NCy9s&feature=player_embedded
Powers of 10 - to just get some perspective:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpn8MANhdLU Watch the beautiful
cinematic kisses at the end of the video. Also nice shots of
depression.
I guess this band is too smart to know that they need to act dumb to
be popular:http://bit.ly/dfbWts Too cool though esp the peepin old
man.
http://filmmakeriq.com/2010/11/a-seminar-with-steven-spielberg-from-1978/
Slomo videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsdDyJJPDeA
Trivias:
Life etc: http://www.miltonglaser.com/pages/milton/essays/es3.html
Working with actors- point: 6,9,10 are good.
http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/issues/spring2002/features/inner_monologue.php
How Mike Leigh extracts such wonderful performance from his actors
-http://ind.pn/aseL2X
Good cab services in mumbai: http://www.olacabs.com/ Check their About
us :http://www.olacabs.com/info/about_us
241543903 - is the tag for all pics that people have taken while trying to insert their head in the freezer.
Good paper on how emotional responses are created by make-believe fiction: http://bit.ly/9lRgPz - "real is good but interesting is better"
"There is no co-relation between the strength of a given experience and the reality status of the object of experience."http://bit.ly/9lRgPz
Well dunno where I had my growth spurt: http://bit.ly/d1qS4u
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2010/feature-articles/“films-are-vulgar-and-this-vulgarity-i-love-it”-an-interview-with-arnaud-desplechin/
http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_udaan-changed-his-life-forever-rajat-barmecha_1440506
-they misspelt my name but its ok i guess
Some of the links to the scripts I read and liked:
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Boogie-Nights.html
Social Network: http://bit.ly/aISsDI
various drafts and the shooting script of Udaan : http://bit.ly/dOUrKB
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Inglourious-Basterds.html
That was all the useful content that was there - rest was personal fluff and imaginary outings.
Will promise to keep the content in the bins above updated.
P.S:
Best tweet: My macbook runs computer se bhi tez :).
Best useful tweet: Save paper - print 4 script pages on one paper. Print on both sides and as left edged booklet. Added bonus- It is less spread out and more readable.
But well I deleted my twitter account. Here is a summary of the useful content of my old twitter account:
Some quotes:
"Those are not stars in the sky- those are your brain cells" - Biutiful.
"It is stunning how much we gather back after death. Effortlessly the
net pulls to shore what it needs." -Zain (from his story "Foreword")
"I'm aware what tremendous feats human beings are capable of once they
abandon dignity." - Hans Landa - Incredible Basterds
"Private behavior will be a relic of an era gone by" - The Social Network.
"Sometimes reason it matters to care passionately about something is that it whittles the world down to a more manageable size. " - Adaptation.
"Information underrepresents reality”
"There is always another death to die, beyond the death you know." - rumi
“The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not
our ability to explain why it is good.” —Stanley Kubrick
"there is a certain deliciousness in the oblivion."
"When two rivers cross they borrow eachothers water."
"Sometimes talking is interference and sometimes not talking is interference"
Links of posters:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/02/vintage-posters/?pid=1391&viewall=true
http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2011/01/15/look-out-soviet-bloody-posters/
http://www.reelizer.com/
http://www.slate.com/id/2279923/pagenum/all/#p2
http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=8013
http://observersroom.designobserver.com/rickpoynor/entry.html?entry=24218
Some good movie posters of 2010: http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/2708
Talks:
Are you a cyborg: http://bit.ly/ff1voN
www.harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination
Your brain on improv. An amazing look at creativity and the mind http://on.ted.com/8oVd #TEDxMidAtlantic
http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_keep_your_goals_to_yourself.html
why i never manage to lose those 10 kilos!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGt3-fxOvug&feature=player_embedded
john cleese on creativity and i agree 100%
Youtube vids:
Poem by the NRI lady: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9W1j5NCy9s&feature=player_embedded
Powers of 10 - to just get some perspective:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpn8MANhdLU Watch the beautiful
cinematic kisses at the end of the video. Also nice shots of
depression.
I guess this band is too smart to know that they need to act dumb to
be popular:http://bit.ly/dfbWts Too cool though esp the peepin old
man.
http://filmmakeriq.com/2010/11/a-seminar-with-steven-spielberg-from-1978/
Slomo videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsdDyJJPDeA
Trivias:
Life etc: http://www.miltonglaser.com/pages/milton/essays/es3.html
Working with actors- point: 6,9,10 are good.
http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/issues/spring2002/features/inner_monologue.php
How Mike Leigh extracts such wonderful performance from his actors
-http://ind.pn/aseL2X
Good cab services in mumbai: http://www.olacabs.com/ Check their About
us :http://www.olacabs.com/info/about_us
241543903 - is the tag for all pics that people have taken while trying to insert their head in the freezer.
Good paper on how emotional responses are created by make-believe fiction: http://bit.ly/9lRgPz - "real is good but interesting is better"
"There is no co-relation between the strength of a given experience and the reality status of the object of experience."http://bit.ly/9lRgPz
Well dunno where I had my growth spurt: http://bit.ly/d1qS4u
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2010/feature-articles/“films-are-vulgar-and-this-vulgarity-i-love-it”-an-interview-with-arnaud-desplechin/
http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_udaan-changed-his-life-forever-rajat-barmecha_1440506
-they misspelt my name but its ok i guess
Some of the links to the scripts I read and liked:
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Boogie-Nights.html
Social Network: http://bit.ly/aISsDI
various drafts and the shooting script of Udaan : http://bit.ly/dOUrKB
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Inglourious-Basterds.html
That was all the useful content that was there - rest was personal fluff and imaginary outings.
Will promise to keep the content in the bins above updated.
P.S:
Best tweet: My macbook runs computer se bhi tez :).
Best useful tweet: Save paper - print 4 script pages on one paper. Print on both sides and as left edged booklet. Added bonus- It is less spread out and more readable.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Spending time with Borges again after a long time ...
"I want to tear down the exceptional preeminence now generally awarded to self, and I pledge to be spurred on by concrete certainty, and not the caprice of an idealogical ambush or a dazzling intellectual prank. I propose to prove that personality is a mirage maintained by conceit and custom, without metaphysical foundation or visceral reality .. There is no whole self - any person who defines personal identity as a the private possession of some depository of memories is mistaken." - Borges.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Childhood Crush
Arati: Saurabh my childhood crush has moved to Mumbai!
Saurabh: Jaa mill kar aaa.
-----------
Arati in childhood version - pink dress, matching pink shoes with white socks, pink watch and a pink bow in her hair.
Knock knock.
A giant shirtless, large hairy-stomached, naturally balding guy opens the door.
Arati: Hey I am Arati. I came to meet you. You are my childhood crush.
Childhood Crush: Duh
Arati: {blink} {blink} {uncomfortable silence} {blink}
Arati: Here I got Amul fruit and nut chocolate for you. It's my favorite chocolate. I don't even share it with my brother until he starts crying. It's very tasty.
Childhood Crush: (taking the chocolate - looking at it) They still make it. Gee ....Thanks Arti.
Arati: (smiles) {blink} {blink}
Arati: Ok bye.
----------------
Back to disheveled hair, torn jeans, spot-ridden shirts and mismatched slippers with an half-dead cockroach stuck on one of its sole.
Arati: Saurabh mein apne childhood crush se mill kar aa gayee
Saurabh: Achcha ... Ab khaana khaa le.
Saurabh: Jaa mill kar aaa.
-----------
Arati in childhood version - pink dress, matching pink shoes with white socks, pink watch and a pink bow in her hair.
Knock knock.
A giant shirtless, large hairy-stomached, naturally balding guy opens the door.
Arati: Hey I am Arati. I came to meet you. You are my childhood crush.
Childhood Crush: Duh
Arati: {blink} {blink} {uncomfortable silence} {blink}
Arati: Here I got Amul fruit and nut chocolate for you. It's my favorite chocolate. I don't even share it with my brother until he starts crying. It's very tasty.
Childhood Crush: (taking the chocolate - looking at it) They still make it. Gee ....Thanks Arti.
Arati: (smiles) {blink} {blink}
Arati: Ok bye.
----------------
Back to disheveled hair, torn jeans, spot-ridden shirts and mismatched slippers with an half-dead cockroach stuck on one of its sole.
Arati: Saurabh mein apne childhood crush se mill kar aa gayee
Saurabh: Achcha ... Ab khaana khaa le.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Gulmohar (35 mm) 10 min film trailer feedback
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Monday, November 08, 2010
Film Editing Resources
Kubrick was quoted as saying: "I love editing. I think I like it more than any other phase of film making. If I wanted to be frivolous, I might say that everything that precedes editing is merely a way of producing film to edit."[3]
Edward Dmytryk stipulates seven "rules of cutting" that a good editor should follow:[4]
"Rule 1: Never make a cut without a positive reason."
"Rule 2: When undecided about the exact frame to cut on, cut long rather than short."[5]
"Rule 3: Whenever possible cut 'in movement'."[6]
"Rule 4: The 'fresh' is preferable to the 'stale'."[7]
"Rule 5: All scenes should begin and end with continuing action."[8]
"Rule 6: Cut for proper values rather than proper 'matches'."[9]
"Rule 7: Substance first—then form."[10]
According to Walter Murch, when it comes to film editing, there are six main criteria for evaluating a cut or deciding where to cut. They are (in order of importance, most important first, with notional percentage values.):
Emotion (51%) — Does the cut reflect what the editor believes the audience should be feeling at that moment?
Story (23%) — Does the cut advance the story?
Rhythm (10%) — Does the cut occur "at a moment that is rhythmically interesting and 'right'" (Murch, 18)?
Eye-trace (7%) — Does the cut pay respect to "the location and movement of the audience's focus of interest within the frame" (Murch, 18)?
Two-dimensional plane of the screen (5%) — Does the cut respect the 180 degree rule?
Three-dimensional space of action (4%) — Is the cut true to the physical/spatial relationships within the diegesis?
Murch assigned the notional percentage values to each of the criteria. "Emotion, at the top of the list, is the thing that you should try to preserve at all costs. If you find you have to sacrifice certain of those six things to make a cut, sacrifice your way up, item by item, from the bottom."-Murch
Some good documentaries on editing:
The Cutting Edge Magic of Movie Editing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJcQgQHR78Q
Some Good books:
1) The Technique of Film Editing- Karel Reisz and Gavin Miller- Focal Press
2) In the blink of an eye - Walter Murch
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Some of the good short films available on the net
Well since I have made 3 short films now, I have done considerable research on the short films available on the net that I have liked. This is like a central database. I might have forgotten a few but will keep updating.The list is in no particular order (the order in which they appear on my mind)
1) Miracle Fish
I really liked this oscar nominated film coz of the story. It took me by surprise at the end. It has a great staying power in your mind - good aftertaste.
2) Signs
Nothing profound but amazingly simple - amazing repeat value. Really well structured.
3) Spin
How a good story can be told in 8 minutes. Really good acting.
4) Father and Daughter
This is actually animated film but by far my favourite. Very very profound.
5) Ten minutes
Watch this movie for one of the best long takes. Warning- will really hurt your heart.
6) Harvey Krumpet
This is a 22 minute animated film - I really like the nuances here - and the book of fakts :). How to use an interesting device.
7) The black rider
The people who have watched dev-d would rem this. Mr Kashyap used its concept for one of the scenes but it the build up in this 10 min film is too good. And the old lady though racist is really sweet.
8)Instead of Abracadabra:
3 part short film - really amazing acting - really great nuances
9) The New Boy
10) The new Tenant - this won an oscar - really whacko
11)
To ber continued... got to go. Please help contri.
1) Miracle Fish
I really liked this oscar nominated film coz of the story. It took me by surprise at the end. It has a great staying power in your mind - good aftertaste.
2) Signs
Nothing profound but amazingly simple - amazing repeat value. Really well structured.
3) Spin
How a good story can be told in 8 minutes. Really good acting.
4) Father and Daughter
This is actually animated film but by far my favourite. Very very profound.
5) Ten minutes
Watch this movie for one of the best long takes. Warning- will really hurt your heart.
6) Harvey Krumpet
This is a 22 minute animated film - I really like the nuances here - and the book of fakts :). How to use an interesting device.
7) The black rider
The people who have watched dev-d would rem this. Mr Kashyap used its concept for one of the scenes but it the build up in this 10 min film is too good. And the old lady though racist is really sweet.
8)Instead of Abracadabra:
3 part short film - really amazing acting - really great nuances
9) The New Boy
10) The new Tenant - this won an oscar - really whacko
11)
To ber continued... got to go. Please help contri.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Some nights
Some nights the world dies,
And I see myself as a spec,
Sitting alone, lighted by a tiny lamp.
And as I call out to the world -
All I hear back is my echo.
And some nights I am surrounded by people,
Eating drinking making merry,
And with them I go go from one dance floor to another.
And as I hurry along I feel,
Life leaving me after every dance.
Some nights - normal nights -I try to remember -
The most beautiful memory of my life
And then wonder why
It doesn't come with smile anymore
And everytime I touch it with my finger,
I find
Dust settled all over it's floor.
And then there are some nights like tonight
when I wake up
And find the world quiet and violet
I look out of my window for a while
And try to make sense -
Of the velvet darkness outside
And as I wait... suddenly I see
At the far away distance -
My first morning light.
And I see myself as a spec,
Sitting alone, lighted by a tiny lamp.
And as I call out to the world -
All I hear back is my echo.
And some nights I am surrounded by people,
Eating drinking making merry,
And with them I go go from one dance floor to another.
And as I hurry along I feel,
Life leaving me after every dance.
Some nights - normal nights -I try to remember -
The most beautiful memory of my life
And then wonder why
It doesn't come with smile anymore
And everytime I touch it with my finger,
I find
Dust settled all over it's floor.
And then there are some nights like tonight
when I wake up
And find the world quiet and violet
I look out of my window for a while
And try to make sense -
Of the velvet darkness outside
And as I wait... suddenly I see
At the far away distance -
My first morning light.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
saurabh
saurabh logged into facebook after ages today - only to share the trailor of my movie uss paar.. sigh...i am touched...
Well I like the trailer. I see it every morning :).
Well I like the trailer. I see it every morning :).
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Visiting 2005
One of the memories in my old blog - thinking what i was thinking then - http://iitk2us.blogspot.com/2005/12/suffering-quotient.html
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
The mermaid dream
Will it be just like the dreams
Where one becomes the water..
And laughs and plays and jumps...
Or will it be masked by the crude reality
Where the bodies restrict our flows
And the souls limit our depth ...
Or will it be some third thing
Not the dreams nor the real thing
Somewhere in between
Maybe I would be tied to a rope
The invisible one
And I will float all over
Discovering the possibilities in that radius....like
Touching the blue star fish
Collecting the pearls....
And once I have the pearls in my hands ...
I would let them slip
From between my fingers
To the bottom of the ocean
And not care ...
And then may be one day I would tickle the yellow stone
And it would silently laugh
But won't admit
The Embarassment of discovering how to laugh.
(unfinished)
Where one becomes the water..
And laughs and plays and jumps...
Or will it be masked by the crude reality
Where the bodies restrict our flows
And the souls limit our depth ...
Or will it be some third thing
Not the dreams nor the real thing
Somewhere in between
Maybe I would be tied to a rope
The invisible one
And I will float all over
Discovering the possibilities in that radius....like
Touching the blue star fish
Collecting the pearls....
And once I have the pearls in my hands ...
I would let them slip
From between my fingers
To the bottom of the ocean
And not care ...
And then may be one day I would tickle the yellow stone
And it would silently laugh
But won't admit
The Embarassment of discovering how to laugh.
(unfinished)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Thursday, July 08, 2010
was talking about that thing of life
with bro ...why are the most unattainable things the most coveted ?
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
memories
Nima: Who was she ?
Yeshe: ......Some memories are like bubbles... better leave them untouched.
Yeshe: ......Some memories are like bubbles... better leave them untouched.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Random day dreams...
"So you look familiar ...have we met earlier ?"
Imaginary answer: "No we haven't met. Not in the past. But may be you don't know me from the past... you know me from the future. Maybe we would meet again and again in a way that would make this familiarity of today justifiable...maybe we would fall in love - the real eternal kind...
.. Or maybe we would never meet in the future and instead spend random moments of our lives wondering why we found ourselves familiar today or ...again...
...maybe we have never met in the past and we will never meet in the future and no thought of eachother will ever cross our mind and then that would make this moment of our interaction so potent that it would require contemplation of all our past and future lives.........hmmmm.....or maybe we are not meeting even now...and it is just my dream..."
Real answer: "No"
-Arati
Imaginary answer: "No we haven't met. Not in the past. But may be you don't know me from the past... you know me from the future. Maybe we would meet again and again in a way that would make this familiarity of today justifiable...maybe we would fall in love - the real eternal kind...
.. Or maybe we would never meet in the future and instead spend random moments of our lives wondering why we found ourselves familiar today or ...again...
...maybe we have never met in the past and we will never meet in the future and no thought of eachother will ever cross our mind and then that would make this moment of our interaction so potent that it would require contemplation of all our past and future lives.........hmmmm.....or maybe we are not meeting even now...and it is just my dream..."
Real answer: "No"
-Arati
AD giri
Quote by one of my friends (who has subscribed to this blog):
"I dont think a single person joined WWI because they dreamed of one day
becoming an AD, or that they would get one day get to stick thermocol
balls on Shreyas Talpade."
"I dont think a single person joined WWI because they dreamed of one day
becoming an AD, or that they would get one day get to stick thermocol
balls on Shreyas Talpade."
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
india shopping
Now that i am in india - the onus of india shopping rests solely on my bro's shoulders. And this time apart from giving him a list of cereals and health foods i asked im to et anything interesting for me. And i think after a week's contemplation he answered:
i am not getting anything for u apart from wat u asked
i dont understand women's section
instead of stuff for u
i got another thing for saurabh - a nice tie
now u ask him to buy stuff for u
I could surely sense the frustration.
i am not getting anything for u apart from wat u asked
i dont understand women's section
instead of stuff for u
i got another thing for saurabh - a nice tie
now u ask him to buy stuff for u
I could surely sense the frustration.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Direction and writing
After doing a course in direction and having struggled to create my unique moments/scripts I have realized that direction or conceiving shots is not that difficult- working with actors too - I mean it is difficult and requires efforts - sometimes a lot of efforts but it is not torturous to your soul. One can carry that out provided one doesnt complicate things. What is difficult and torturous is writing - writing uniquely. And I am experiencing it now.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Indo chinese
In the era and place where I grew up (nagpur in the 90s) there was just chinese. Only when I - years later - went to US and visited a real chinese restaurant - named Chengdu (not really an appetizing name on the first thought but it is named after a chinese city told my mandarian friends), there on having lots nad lots of steamed vegetables alongside pigs ears and chicken feat (not kidding really - i saw them), I realized that the chinese we eat is a improvised version to suite the spicy, oily indian palatte.Infact there was no manchurian there.
I remember two years later an Indian opened an Indo chinese restaurant - Inchin's we would call it and even on a snowy weekday Desi would be queued up to eat it.
Infact it is the BCCI near town side in mumbai where a chef improvised on chinese and made it more appetizing to Indian tastes. The recipes he made are actually displayed there. Maybe next time I should click the pictures.
What I love about the improvisation, apart from the great taste is though they improvised and made it spicy, they never added the indian spices like bay leaves or haldi or dhaniya powders. So though the chef improvised he had some basic moral code of conduct of not massacring it totally. That is the part I like :). Somehow.
I remember two years later an Indian opened an Indo chinese restaurant - Inchin's we would call it and even on a snowy weekday Desi would be queued up to eat it.
Infact it is the BCCI near town side in mumbai where a chef improvised on chinese and made it more appetizing to Indian tastes. The recipes he made are actually displayed there. Maybe next time I should click the pictures.
What I love about the improvisation, apart from the great taste is though they improvised and made it spicy, they never added the indian spices like bay leaves or haldi or dhaniya powders. So though the chef improvised he had some basic moral code of conduct of not massacring it totally. That is the part I like :). Somehow.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
..
"I almost wish - I hadn't
gone down the rabbit hole
-and yet - and yet
it is rather curious - you know
this sort of life!"
-Alice
gone down the rabbit hole
-and yet - and yet
it is rather curious - you know
this sort of life!"
-Alice
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Mail I sent to my bro- something around 6-7 years ago
World is basicaly interconnection of people. They are the ones who create the dynamics around you, influence you, get influenced by you.
I know by very nature you are very sesitive. I however want you to be strong , get least bothered by people who affect you in negative ways, without feeling the need to bash them up or give them some ulta jawaab. Remember being quiet is the best answer sometimes you can give to people. Also God always gives you chance to even the scores.
Having said this, I want you to say that never compromise on your ambitions, principles, ability to judge right and wrong. If you feel that by not doing or havingn xyz you are being uncool thoguh doing it wont give you ny significant pleasure then remember that that's how only college kids evaluate themselves and people. Be proud for being what you are. And you are really wonderful with that great sense of humour. Keep your yourself intact and just evolve from there.
I know by very nature you are very sesitive. I however want you to be strong , get least bothered by people who affect you in negative ways, without feeling the need to bash them up or give them some ulta jawaab. Remember being quiet is the best answer sometimes you can give to people. Also God always gives you chance to even the scores.
Having said this, I want you to say that never compromise on your ambitions, principles, ability to judge right and wrong. If you feel that by not doing or havingn xyz you are being uncool thoguh doing it wont give you ny significant pleasure then remember that that's how only college kids evaluate themselves and people. Be proud for being what you are. And you are really wonderful with that great sense of humour. Keep your yourself intact and just evolve from there.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Best weekend and best movie
Best weekend code:
while (1)
(
;
}
This weekend I and saurabh were at home and literally did nothing. Ofcourse we did goto gym, a small dinner outing tonight, and cooked at home etc but primarily we just did nothing watched movies. talked read books. And this weekend was better than any vacation anywhere else in the world.
----------------------
Last week I saw the movie "The science of sleep" and am still not over it. I identify so much with the main guy. Loved the movie - loved everything about it. One of the best movies I have ever seen! Check the trailer out:
while (1)
(
;
}
This weekend I and saurabh were at home and literally did nothing. Ofcourse we did goto gym, a small dinner outing tonight, and cooked at home etc but primarily we just did nothing watched movies. talked read books. And this weekend was better than any vacation anywhere else in the world.
----------------------
Last week I saw the movie "The science of sleep" and am still not over it. I identify so much with the main guy. Loved the movie - loved everything about it. One of the best movies I have ever seen! Check the trailer out:
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Short film ideas - my analysis
Related Post on list of good short films available on net: http://aratikadav123.blogspot.com/2010/11/some-of-good-short-films-available-on.html
----
Brilliant(and not emotional) short film ideas - contrary to popular belief - are not a flash of brilliance. They are infact two flashes of brilliance. The first flash comes to you - that is the setting - the set up. For the second flash which is the payoff or the end part - you have to torture yourself to death, fight with everyone, yourself, spend days looking at the fan, walk around your house, almost become a lunatic, give up, contemplate suicide and then it comes to you (but there is no guarantee, you might actually end up committing suicide). The pay off that you have come up is then something that only you could come up with and no one in the world while watching the film can predict.
Anyways the above statement is keeping in mind that you are an average human being. And you don't smoke weed. Not super intelligent or eccentric or anything. And that there would be people in audience who could be super intelligent or eccentric and you wish to keep them engaged till the last frame of your movie.
The satisfaction of film making is directly proportional to the torture at the scripting stage. And the learning too.
The truth is unless you have tried you wouldn't know what you are made of.
----
Brilliant(and not emotional) short film ideas - contrary to popular belief - are not a flash of brilliance. They are infact two flashes of brilliance. The first flash comes to you - that is the setting - the set up. For the second flash which is the payoff or the end part - you have to torture yourself to death, fight with everyone, yourself, spend days looking at the fan, walk around your house, almost become a lunatic, give up, contemplate suicide and then it comes to you (but there is no guarantee, you might actually end up committing suicide). The pay off that you have come up is then something that only you could come up with and no one in the world while watching the film can predict.
Anyways the above statement is keeping in mind that you are an average human being. And you don't smoke weed. Not super intelligent or eccentric or anything. And that there would be people in audience who could be super intelligent or eccentric and you wish to keep them engaged till the last frame of your movie.
The satisfaction of film making is directly proportional to the torture at the scripting stage. And the learning too.
The truth is unless you have tried you wouldn't know what you are made of.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
what a day :(
Came up with 3 cool ideas for my next short film for ww and saurabh rejected them midway during narration :(.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Too many plans
Spoils Saurabh's weekend. My kid editor who is not feeling well is still staying with us till monday I guess. Then Swati - my sweetest friend from iit - who now works in intel and whose hubby now has joining P&G in mumbai is coming to have dinner at my place. Since I with my sprained ankle couldn't handle all this I called my mother too. Well, Swarna - my school and engg friend is visiting from Nagpur so she is also coming. Also my two cousins who are both doctor are in mumbai so they will come on sunday.
Saurabh who was shocked at the sudden development of weekend has left for bangalore for some work - he will come back tonight nonetheless. So much so for his plans of lying on the couch and watching friends and reading Richard Dawkins :(.
Saurabh who was shocked at the sudden development of weekend has left for bangalore for some work - he will come back tonight nonetheless. So much so for his plans of lying on the couch and watching friends and reading Richard Dawkins :(.
3 D photography link central data base
Actually I read lots of stuff about 3 D but these two are simplest to begin with.
Basic: http://graphicssoft.about.com/library/uc/oransen/uc_stereo.htm,
http://www.thinkdigit.com/Digital-Cameras/How-to--Make-anaglyphic-photographs_2861.html
I will share my notes as I work more.
Also the software that I use is
http://www.stereoeye.jp/software/index_e.html I thought it was simple and the best software on the net. Ah! How I love japanese food and software. I am friends with this guy on facebook now. Really cool japanese dude.
The above links were for photographs. For me the biggest struggle was to know how to place the two cameras and all mathematics and everything aside to determine the distance and angle between the two cameras, I felt that simple common sense worked best. Basically try to notice how you see. If I look at an object at the centre of my forehead, my left eye is looking towards right and right eye is looking a little towards left to concentrate on the object in between. So place your cameras accordingly. If I am looking at a far ahead object, my eyes are parallel to each other. I use my own common sense to determine the distance. Few things require practice and self-inference - i need to try to formulate them.
Well now I think I should move on to some videos as well. Maybe begin with a stop motion claymation. Also some prior research on how to shoot movies in 3D. It is a little more complicated esp when the objects move towards and away from the frame and am still trying to grasp it:
http://www.the3drevolution.com/3dscreen.html
http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-shoot-edit-3d-movie-271382/
how to upload youtube videos on 3D: http://informationmadness.com/cms/technology/tech-tips/1582-how-to-shoot-3d-video-using-two-cameras.html
A 3 min video - http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-shoot-edit-3d-movie-271382/
Still trying to fathom this.
Basic: http://graphicssoft.about.com/library/uc/oransen/uc_stereo.htm,
http://www.thinkdigit.com/Digital-Cameras/How-to--Make-anaglyphic-photographs_2861.html
I will share my notes as I work more.
Also the software that I use is
http://www.stereoeye.jp/software/index_e.html I thought it was simple and the best software on the net. Ah! How I love japanese food and software. I am friends with this guy on facebook now. Really cool japanese dude.
The above links were for photographs. For me the biggest struggle was to know how to place the two cameras and all mathematics and everything aside to determine the distance and angle between the two cameras, I felt that simple common sense worked best. Basically try to notice how you see. If I look at an object at the centre of my forehead, my left eye is looking towards right and right eye is looking a little towards left to concentrate on the object in between. So place your cameras accordingly. If I am looking at a far ahead object, my eyes are parallel to each other. I use my own common sense to determine the distance. Few things require practice and self-inference - i need to try to formulate them.
Well now I think I should move on to some videos as well. Maybe begin with a stop motion claymation. Also some prior research on how to shoot movies in 3D. It is a little more complicated esp when the objects move towards and away from the frame and am still trying to grasp it:
http://www.the3drevolution.com/3dscreen.html
http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-shoot-edit-3d-movie-271382/
how to upload youtube videos on 3D: http://informationmadness.com/cms/technology/tech-tips/1582-how-to-shoot-3d-video-using-two-cameras.html
A 3 min video - http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-shoot-edit-3d-movie-271382/
Still trying to fathom this.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Side effects of 3D experiments
Found on a website - also now i know it is true:
Warning: If you look at anaglyphs(3D pics) for too long, everything will appear in 3D (even a flat blank sheet of paper) when removing the bicoloured glasses from your nose. It is scary but not dangerous. Colour vision comes back to normal after a while.
Warning: If you look at anaglyphs(3D pics) for too long, everything will appear in 3D (even a flat blank sheet of paper) when removing the bicoloured glasses from your nose. It is scary but not dangerous. Colour vision comes back to normal after a while.
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