Cine Writer: Film Making

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12 Tips of filmmaking

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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The maverick director of John and Jane and Miss
Lovely [ Ashim Ahluwalia 12 Tips of filmmaking] shared his insight on
filmmaking. He advised first time directors against the following unspoken
rules of the industry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 1: You need to have a bound script<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Screenplay formats were designed for the Hollywood
studio system. It’s actually meant for script readers who have to go through
hundreds of scripts, that’s why they have invented this format.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The real script is worth worrying about. It’s
without the formatting – one in which you write whatever you want to write.
It’s the one that includes your own notes about atmosphere, colour and mood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Write a “bound” script to raise money but the real
thing should be a mess – notes, pictures, whatever. Godard wrote Breathless on
the back of a paper napkin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is always an emphasis on safer films like
rom-coms, films like you have seen before. But if you’re going to start like
that, it’s never going to rise above the surface. Nobody is going to notice
you. So throw this rule out and startle the spectator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 2:  Your
screenplay should have Three Acts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Go to a Hollywood movie and check when the first
explosion comes in – it will be around 10 minutes, the next one will be roughly
around 20 minutes and in thirty minutes you will have some cliffhanger feeling
because that’s the end of Act one. The thing works like clockwork which means
every film works the same way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The funny thing about the three-act structure is
that it’s not a story structure at all. We don’t know why it became the norm;
it just seems simple enough to follow. It particularly worked for simpler
commercial films. But you can’t find it in our mythology. The Ramayana or the
Mahabharata do not follow a three-act structure. The great stories of the past
don’t have a three-act structure, so why is it being applied to screenplays?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Greeks had no structure, they had plays with one
act. The Romans had five acts. Japanese cinema sometimes has seven acts. So why
are we stuck at three acts?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes you have a story that needs a certain
ending and digression. Fuck the structure, do it the way you want to do. The
key is to keep it engaging and to have enough plot points to move the story
forward so that the momentum doesn’t get flat. But how you do it is really upto
you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 3: Your film should have a clear meaning that
everybody understands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">People will ask you what your film is about, what is
the theme, what is the subject?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You don’t need to summarize your film in one
keyword. It’s not a pamphlet. It’s not an AV. 
It’s a film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s usually the producers who ask you to tell your
story in one line. If that were the case, then there would be no films by
masters like Tarkovsky especially The Mirror which is his best film. How do you
describe that film in one line?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You would only have films propelled by action;
that’s why all Hollywood and Bollywood films are propelled by action. You won’t
have films which are ephemeral, like dreams for example.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 4: You need to give people what they want<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is an abstract statement because nobody really
knows what they want. People are really confused about their wants. This idea
of giving them what they want is very dangerous for filmmakers. The moment you
start thinking this way, you start second guessing your audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think one of the most beautiful things in
filmmaking is to not give people what they want. You make what you want to
make.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 5: You should cast known faces to get money and
distribution<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Unless you’re making a blockbuster or casting one of
the five most famous people in the country, you’re not going to get money or
distribution because of your actors. What you may get, on the contrary, is a
headache from dealing with someone who is very difficult and frustrated because
(s)he is not an “A” list star.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You’re very grateful that they have come to do your
movie. They are taking your money anyway. You’re giving them a big chunk of
your budget that you’re not going to recover. And they won’t let you do what
you want because they don’t like their side profile, for example, or they might
not like the way they look in a certain scene.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What’s going to happen is a conflict of interest and
I’ve seen that with a lot of young filmmakers who want to cast a known face who
is not a star. They think that their first film will gain more momentum because
of that actor. But that actor doesn’t let them make the film they want to make,
nor does (s)he bring any money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 6: You need to be a popular, universally-liked
filmmaker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You really don’t have to cry if your film is not a
blockbuster. Neither was Orson Welles’ Citizen Kanes. Breathless was also a
commercial flop. So was Antonioni’s L’avventura, Coppola’s The Conversation, or
any film by Werner Herzog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Let’s ask another question – where are the
blockbusters from 1975 or 1985, does anyone care? Let’s be honest – nobody is
talking about the director of Kick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The question of popularity is a very complex
question. What’s popular now might be forgotten two weeks later. What’s completely
written off today may be studied fifty years later. So when you think about
popularity, think about a bigger shelf life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 7: You need to get all the finance in one go<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you really care to make your film, especially
with digital today, you have no excuses. You got your cast right; you’ve got
your locations. If you wait for all the money, you will never make your film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mumbai is full of producers who can fund your film
but it’s a very dangerous situation to have a single producer especially if
you’re making your first film. They can easily hijack your project. I strongly
suggest – don’t think about the finance as a single chunk, think about it as
pieces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 8: You need to have a certain degree of
organization on shoot by making story boards, shoot boards etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t think this is necessary unless you’re making
a VFX film on a green screen. The reality is that filmmaking resists planning.
There is a beautiful quote by Orson Welles that says – A real director presides
over accidents. It needs to be understood that filmmaking is not a science. So
if you try to make something and it fucks up, don’t be frustrated. Be open to
accidents – what is in front of your eyes might be a hundred times more
beautiful that what you have sat and imagined in your room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t think of planning, think of structure. Let
those beautiful accidents make their way into the structure. Lose the script
but remember that spontaneous aesthetics demands rigorous discipline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 9: You need to have a consistent style<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not true. You don’t need a consistent style. A lot
of filmmakers blur the boundaries between documentary and fiction, between
different genres.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I come from a school where I love the idea of
collapsing fiction and documentary. My first film John and Jane was set in a
call centre. It was about real people who work in a call centre but I decided
not to make a film about life in a call centre as a traditional documentary. I
decided that this scenario of people working at night with a fake American
accent reminds me of the kind of sci-fi films I used to watch as a kid where
corporations would implant a chip in someone’s brain. So I thought it would be
very interesting to merge a call centre film with a sci-fi dystopian film about
the future. You don’t have to follow genre traditions. Genres can merge and
collapse and interesting things can come out of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 10: There is only one way to shoot a scene<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There seems to be a certain accepted grammar of
filmmaking, like when two people talk you show shot and countershot. You start
with a long shot and cut to a close up. While making a film don’t just presume
that things are shot in a certain prescribed way – establishing shot has to be
in a certain way, a romantic shot has to be in a certain way. There is no one
way of making a film. You can do it in so many different ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 11: You need people to take on definitive roles
on the set<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The idea that you should have people with defined
roles as ADs or art directors is absurd. It’s the industry way of thinking
about filmmaking. Wong Kar Wai’s art director is also his editor. Using people
in multiple roles makes the process much more interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rule 12: You shouldn’t startle the spectator too
much<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is always an emphasis on safer films like
rom-coms, films like you have seen before. But if you’re going to start like
that, it’s never going to rise above the surface. Nobody is going to notice
you. So throw this rule out and startle the spectator.</span></div>
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12 Tips of filmmaking

The maverick director of John and Jane and Miss Lovely [ Ashim Ahluwalia 12 Tips of filmmaking] shared his insight on filmmaking. He a...

14:00:00

Article of Filmmaking

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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Filmmaking (often referred to in an academic context
as film production) is the process of making a film, from an initial story,
idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing,
editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result
in a theatrical release or television program. Filmmaking takes place all over
the planet in a huge range of economic, social, and political contexts, and
using a variety of technologies and cinematic techniques. Typically, it
involves a large number of people, and takes from a few months to several years
to complete, although it may take longer if there are production issues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Film<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a
series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic
images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual
effects. The process of filmmaking has developed into an art form and industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Films are made up of a series of individual images
called frames. When these images are shown rapidly in succession, a viewer has
the illusion that motion is occurring. The viewer cannot see the flickering between
frames due to an effect known as persistence of vision, whereby the eye retains
a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed.
Viewers perceive motion due to a psychological effect called beta movement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The origin of the name “film” comes from the fact
that photographic film (also called film stock) has historically been the
primary medium for recording and displaying motion pictures. Many other terms
exist for an individual motion picture, including picture, picture show, moving
picture, photo-play and flick. A common name for film in the United States is
movie, while in Europe the term film is preferred. Additional terms for the
field in general include the big screen, the silver screen, the cinema and the
movies.</span></div>
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Article of Filmmaking

Filmmaking (often referred to in an academic context as film production) is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, o...

17:00:00

10 Tips For Film Making

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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1. What’s the right format for your film?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Filmmakers now have a plethora of choices available
to shoot their films. So, the first question a cinematographer/filmmaker has to
deal with is – what’s the right format for the film? Format is dictated by
various factors such as the look, style of shooting, lighting and most
importantly, budget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2. Camera and its entire workflow needs to be
thoroughly tested<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once you narrow down your choices, the next step is
to test the camera thoroughly. Camera should be tested in the conditions which
the film demands. If you plan to shoot mostly handheld, test it in similar
conditions. Keep in mind the lighting conditions, your style of shooting – if
it involves following a constantly moving character. Certain cameras might be
good for something but might not work in different situations. So go with what
works for your film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3. Use DSLR to its advantage<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While DSLRs enable you to make your film despite
budgetary constraints, they also come with a few strings attached. DSRLs could
be a real pain if you have to follow or lead a character. You can’t use the
optical viewfinder while shooting video on DSLRs. So, use them to your advantage
and plan your shoot keeping their limitations in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> On the other
hand, DSRLs give you the liberty to shoot with a smaller crew without
attracting attention and in low-lit situations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I had to insist on not shooting Peddlers on a DSLR
as the film demanded following the characters. 
I had to bring down my lighting requirements to afford RED. I did use
DSLR for certain situations where I needed to shoot on real locations without
drawing people’s attention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4. Higher resolution doesn’t necessarily mean better
images<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">New cameras promise higher resolutions. It’s not
always the resolution but the quality of the image that matters. Think of the
look of the film, does the crisp clarity help you tell the story? Think of the
image of the film from an aesthetic perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5. Celluloid isn’t always the expensive medium<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I shot Titli on super 16 mm while the production had
the budget to go for a higher end Digital Camera (Arri Alexa). I preferred to
shoot on super 16 because it gave the film a nice texture. I didn’t think that
the sharp and clear digital images would help the film. Super 16 turned out to
be a less expensive format compared to Alexa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">6. Script is the only reference<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A good script is half the job done. It’s not a good
idea to look for references for your film in other films. I try not to watch
other films when I start working on a film project. Don’t try to emulate
others. Read the script and spend time with it. If it’s a good script, it will
have visual clues. Try to find the mood and look of the film in the script.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">7. Working with non-actors<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I insist on getting a good remote focus system. You
can’t ask non-actors to follow your focus marks. You can’t restrict their
movement. You have to be always prepared. It’s not always that their performance
will improve with every re-take. So be ready to capture all takes without
losing out on anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">8. Camera should enable storytelling, not hinder it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">An indie cinematographer has to be prepared always.
When you are working with non-actors or new actors, you cannot afford to not be
ready. Give them their space; don’t expect them to just do what they’re asked
to. In order to help them get into the skin of their character, your camera
needs to respond to their performance and not the other way round. Be intuitive
and be ready to improvise. If you’re shooting in conditions where things aren’t
exactly in your control, be innovative and always prepared to capture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">9. Getting the film look on digital cameras<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Images captured on digital cameras are too sharp.
Celluloid, on the other hand, gives images a softer look. Since we’re used to
watching films on celluloid, we associate this softness with celluloid. You can
either use old lenses or a filter to add softness to sharp digital images.
Digital cameras with smaller sensor have a large depth of field. Shallow depth
of field is associated with cinema. You might, at times, need to use light to
compensate for low latitude of digital cameras. But as said earlier, the script
should be guiding your creative and lensing decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">10. Get over celluloid<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While I’m in love with the images captured by
celluloid, emulating them on digital isn’t a bright idea always. Digital images
have a different texture, explore that. Think beyond the celluloid imagery and
explore what digital has to offer.</span></div>
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10 Tips For Film Making

1. What’s the right format for your film? Filmmakers now have a plethora of choices available to shoot their films. So, the first ...

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