Shoot at site
Being a part of Zero Dark 30, Bigelow’s recapture of Osama’s elimination by the US Navy Seals, was a huge learning experience, writes Mona

Kathryn Bigelow in Chandigarh for the shooting of Zero Dark 30 Jessica Chastain with a crew member Jason Clarke on the sets Photos: Reuters

EVER thought of slipping into a staid skirt and a button-down shirt, dabbing on some makeup and lining up in a queue for a breakfast with a hundred-odd people at 5. 15 am? Well, desperate times require desperate measures. And when the slice of pie is as tempting as Kathryn Bigelow (of Hurt Locker fame) and her plum Hollywood project, one is more than a game to try. Getting on the sets of wasn’t a cakewalk.

The first brush with the Hollywood crew (they are the same team as that of famous Avatar I am told) comes at the Grain Market, Sector 26. It’s tea break and the crew is fiercely protecting their privacy. When the journalists are refused beyond a line, becoming a junior artiste looking for work is the only way left to saunter in.

A day later, is a call for measurements. The "wardrobe base" at Kaimbwala is a replica of a US thrift store. There are rows and rows of clothes — formals, casuals, uniforms (of Pak army, the police and the much-famed US Navy Seals.) If clothes are on the hangers (a truck ferries them each morning to the sets even before sunrise), there are 100-odd cartons full of shoes. From high formal heels to combat boots, there are varied sizes to suit every foot that will be a part of the action flick.

Real action starts, when one lands at the Base Camp — the Punjab Engineering College campus — at 5 am. The vans are in place, 13 in total. Tracey Miller, the costume director, pulls out stuff for each artiste. Then comes a quick touch-up with foundation and kohl for women and a neat hair cut for men. Before main leads (actors) take centrestage, varied teams set the scene. The light team is armed with black screens and white muslin sheets. No flash lights here, but immaculate planning on camera angles. As the Second Team (call them human props) takes position, sound, camera professionals get on to the job.

This is when Kathryn shows up for quick check. Even in her 60s, she oozes the radiance and energy of someone in her twenties. Clad in blue jeans and a plain cotton tee, she sports a mauli (a holy thread, she got after puja on the sets) on her left wrist. The scene is set, the second team steps out as the first team takes charge. Kathryn seats herself in the control-room. Producers Mark Boal and Colin Wilson keep her company as do her assistants. After numerous rehearsals, comes the scene. Camera rolling`85. action. Kathryn is not happy with the take. She suggests some changes that are promptly followed.

While actors and assistant directors (there are eight of them on a given day) are thick into action, there are scores of others who patiently sit through the 12-hour shoot. Virginia Holmes, the Brit make-up artist, settled in Mumbai, is one of them. She is ever-ready with her huge bag, keeping tabs on each artiste. In between takes, she patiently waits in the corridor or even on the floor. The prop team selects the freshest fruit to be placed on the table. The glasses have water. If all the files bear the stamp of the department concerned, even the papers in them are related to the subject. One envies their eye for detail. Then there are sound and light technicians who are forever perched on the roof with their equipment.

Though every local on the sets swears by the system by which these goras work, for them it’s a plan gone awry. "This is a bit haphazard and chaotic," says Mark Wilson when we talk of the shoot. That’s the kind of bar (very high) they set for themselves.

Meanwhile, the team is ready for another take. And, this time it’s a perfect cut!

Stars on the sets

Dan the man: Jason Clarke aka Dan the Man (that’s how Kathryn calls him) is the only actor, who is not in the formals on the sets. Good looks aside, he comes across as an affectionate soul who doesn’t mind giving a fan a tight hug when requested for a picture.

Playing actor: Jessica Chastain is like a fresh breeze on the sets. Playing the actress isn’t easy by any standards, but this girl isn’t complaining. "This is what I dreamt of doing – being an actor – and I am enjoying it to the hilt."

Humble Harold: Harold Perrineau is humility personified. When an eager scribe questions him how many films on his first flick. He says, laughing, "I have done millions".

Dialect coach: Jerome Butler is one of the many who minds his own business. As the reel rolls, he puts on his headphone and makes notes, oblivious of the camera and solves crosswords as he waits in between the shots.

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