Career in film-making
By Taru Bahl

INDIAN cinema has, from its inception, combined the hugely successful Hollywood formula alongwith its own earthy folk, classical and traditional themes. The audiences comprised not so much the proletariat but the burgeoning middle classes. We have come a long way since our first feature film, Raja Harishchandra.It was released on May 3, 1913, followed by Ardeshir Irani’s Alam Ara in 1931 signalling the end of the silent era, topped up by V. Shantaram’s first colour film Sairandhari in 1933, which was processed in Germany.

Today you don’t just have hi-tech multiplex theatres fitted with Dolby sound systems and hi-tech projection paraphernalia but also a new breed of talented professionals who are willing to experiment with scripts, production values, direction, cinematography, stunts, acting, make-up and camera, creating in the process a unique cinematic experience.

If films from the Hollywood stable have the largest international audience, those from the Indian subcontinent top in their sheer numbers, with more than a thousand releases a year. Our regional cinema is active and the South way ahead in technical wizardry. With audiences becoming discerning and fickle film- makers are under pressure to have their pulse on the market before venturing into the tricky and expensive world of film-making. A lot is at stake, more so since mistakes are not benevolently overlooked here.

So how does one get into film making? Other than feature films there is the wide spectrum of advertising films, corporate films, documentaries, newsreels, promotional and corporate films, music videos, training and educational films to choose from.

Commercial and parallel cinema is the mainstay of independent producers or institutes like the NFDC. Once a story or film project is okayed by a producer who is willing to chip in the money, the search for a good director, casting and technical crew begins. Lesser-known facets of film-making like dubbing and editing are today full-fledged professions in themselves.

Film production is all about film management and administration. There are professional courses which equip you to make a smooth entry into the trade. On-the-job experience and contacts get people the bulk of their initial assignments. If you are competent and lucky enough to have a successful project on your hands, you will be flooded with work. Because, ultimately everyone wants to back a winning horse. Films is one profession where your BA, B.Sc. degrees matter precious little. What does matter is your aptitude and perseverance.

Producers and their assistants raise capital through private financiers and business houses; draw up contracts after carrying out exhaustive negotiations; take care of legal matters and acquisition of intellectual properties, adhere to budgetary allocations; hire and organise casting crew, undertake public relations, promotional campaigns and coordinate the overall picture.

They tie up airline and hotel bookings, obtaining clearances for shooting from government bodies like the ASI, Railways and civil aviation, get papers in order for clearing equipment when shooting on foreign locales.

Producers can sub-contract some of their tasks by taking the help of individual professionals or a smaller set-up. This reduces their burden, brings in fresher ideas and makes accountability easier. Set and prop management for a dream song sequence needing period costumes could for instance be handed over to a professional. He/she can arrange for the outfits, head-gear, accessories, stage set, props, construction and even guide the make-up artistes on giving the right touch. So the look, mood and ambience is created.

The producer who is so much under pressure is relieved to find things taken care of. When shooting gets postponed or a schedule gets cancelled due to non-availability of an artiste it is these professionals who dismantle and then re-do the entire set ensuring that continuity and order be maintained. Many Art directors from the advertising world have made a switch over to films.

Movie companies have been set up with the singular purpose of providing filming facilities to foreign film-makers wishing to shoot in and around India. They offer production management, casting, transport arrangements, location surveys, liaison with local authorities, etc. The director and his team make all the creative decisions vis-a-vis script, cast, location, camera, make- up and sound. They visualise their shoots with or without inputs from the producer. The producer on his part provides all physical back-up support and makes sure that the cast, extras and crew concerned is available.

Once the movie is ready it is sent for editing which splices the processed film together sequentially. Editing, deletion, synchronisation with the soundtrack, adding of titles and credits is done while making sure that the film sticks to its scheduled running time.

Dubbing is another crucial part of film-making which calls for more than just a good voice and diction. Leela Ghosh was a playback singer for Bengali and Oriya films before she took to directing dubbed films. She started with Shakti Samanta’s dubbed Hindi version of Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom, and went on to do the Hindi versions of Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Men in Black, Anaconda and The Lost World. She also dubs Hindi films and serials into Bengali. With the large number of English films and serials being dubbed in Hindi and other vernacular languages there is a lot of work for good dubbing artistes.

Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s College offers a short course in voice modulation and Partap Sharma in Mumbai runs a voice-training course. You could be paid anywhere in the region of Rs 10,000-25,000 for a film and Rs 5,000-7,500 for a character depending on the length of the role. TV serials pay about Rs 1,000 per episode.

Make-up and hairstyle artistes like Mickey Mehta design and apply the latest styles on actors and actresses depending on what would suit them best. Other than being employed for a film, they are also private consultants to film stars, advising them on their fitness regimen, diet, wardrobe and make-up.

With villains and character artistes going in for different, stylised looks and a flood of horror shows requiring special make-up wizardry, make-up professionals are in demand. So are the special people. Films like Duplicate and Indian set their producers back by a couple of crores for just a few hi-tech special effect scenes. Snowstorms, monsters, explosions are engineered on editing tables using computers, animation and sound effects.

When you talk of cinematography, camera and lighting Baba Azmi and Priyadarshan are the names which come to mind. Photographers like Gautam Rajadhyaksha, Shantanu Sheory specialise in still photography. They procure, hire, maintain camera equipment and raw film stock. They visualise and compose scenes, guide assistants on angles, natural and artificial lighting and coordinate their work with computerised imagery.

Dress designers could be employed for the entire film on the recommendation of a star or could be the personal designers for film stars. Dressing for celluloid is different from dressing models on the ramp which is why ‘filmy’ designers are a separate breed. With movies and sets becoming extravagant and song sequences being shot overseas, the dress designer has to be able to connect the outfit with the star’s own appeal and the demands of the script. Madhuri’s purple outfit in Hum Aapke Hain Koun, designed by Anna Singh proved to be her swan song. Bhanu Athaiya has the unique distinction of winning an Oscar for her costumes in the film Gandhi.

Other specialised areas of the work could be film journalism in the print and electronic media, research and archives, consultancy and distribution. Work can be sought in film and editing studios, production and software companies, processing laboratories, advertising and government departments which make films. The best place to study the different facets of film-making is Pune’s FTII where you have three and two-year diploma courses in film editing, direction, sound recording and engineering, screenplay writing, acting, motion picture photography.

Some of these are after plus two and some at the post- graduate level. Jamia’s Masters in Mass Communication equips you to make documentaries, newsreels, corporate films and educational films and videos.