Shifted to http://sareesh.com

This blog has shifted to http://www.sareesh.com.

My first DSLR

Canon EOS 550D

Finally I bought my first DSLR – a Canon 550D (T2i) with the 18-55 IS kit lens. I also bought a 32GB Transcend Class 10 SDHC card for video recording capabilities, two Nikon F to EOS lens adapters from Deal Extreme and a Vanguard Lens cleaner from Smarshoppers.

For now the aim is to make it through the first 10,000 shots and master the equipment. For a full review of this camera’s abilities, visit DPReview’s comprehensive report with test images.

I’ll be posting some keepers on this blog as and when I get them. Stay tuned.

IX: Protecting the Impossible

In this post I’ll discuss how to protect your work. It’s not legal advice so please consult a lawyer before taking any decisions.

Protecting the Screenplay

In India, the best way to protect your script/screenplay/short story/synopsis/lyrics/poem/article/novel etc is via the Copyright office. However, dealing with them directly is a PITA. Therefore, find a lawyer who can get it done for you in a reasonable budget.

Second to that, you can register your work at the Writers Association, for which you’ll have to become a member. To become a member, you’ll have to prove published or produced work plus get two other members to vouch for you. It’s not as hard as it seems. This is the cheapest way.

Another good way is to register with the WGA (West or East). You don’t need a membership, and you can do it on the internet by uploading a PDF file.

If you can get it done all three ways, you are as safe as you can be.

Contracts, Agreements and Release Forms

You need to get each and every person on your cast and crew to sign a contract, agreement or release form. These documents are complicated, and even though you’ll find many samples online, you’ll still have to customize them to your situation; and the ideal person to turn to is an experienced lawyer. If you’re filming children, you’ll need forms signed by their parents or guardians.

You’ll also need a location release form signed by the owners/licensees/etc for each location you shoot in, especially if you’re shooting in private or commercial property.

If you’re filming animals, you’ll need permission and clearance from the AWB (in India) or equivalent.

If you are shooting in public places, you’ll need permissions from the police, traffic police, civic bodies, municipal bodies, etc.

If you fail to procure all the relevant documents, your film might not get released. It’s as simple as that. If by chance you do release the film without clearance, any person who has not authorized you for the above services in writing can sue you and stop projection or release. Why take the hassle?

Insurance

What if someone meets with an accident, or worse, dies, during the production of your feature film? Always get insurance for your cast and crew.

In India, it is almost impossible for small time producers to get insurance for their equipment. I have spoken to almost every insurance company in the hope that they would insure my gear, but it was fruitless. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.

Titles

You will need to register the title of your feature film at any of the producers’ associations. For this, you will need to be a member of the association by showing proof of your intent to produce – this will probably include documents of registration (of your banner or production company) and a bank account in its name. You’ll also need two producers to vouch for you. Once you apply for title registration, it might take 30-60 days for approval. Once approved, you will get a certificate for the period you have registered for.

Content Protection

So you’ve shot your film and everything is in the can (or the SD card or hard drive). You can play extra safe and Copyright everything, or wait till final edit. It’s only a question of money and how cynical you are about the people you work for. The indie producer has limited options. Once the film is edited and finished, then it is prudent to get it copyrighted.

Censor Certificate

In India, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) must clear your film prior to release. The most common grades are U (Universal), U/A (Children with adult supervision) and A (Adults only). However, for video, there is another option – V substituted for U.

I had to visit the censor office in Mumbai eight times before my form was finally ready for processing. You’ll have to submit proof of title, a copy of the film with time code, forms, demand drafts, etc, in the specific format they want. There are agents who handle this sort of thing, but I wanted to learn first hand. So know this: you can do it alone if you want to. The film is screened by a member and the grade is announced immediately. The Impossible Murder has a V/A certificate. Luckily, since mine was a video film, I didn’t have to book a hall and screen it for members. My movie was watched on a DVD player at the office itself. Also, another advantage of shooting on video is that with this one certificate, I can project in any form, however if I had finished on film, I would need a separate video certificate for television or DVD, etc.

Also, if you’re making promos and trailers to air on television, etc, you’ll need separate certificates for that. But they are not too much trouble.

Marketing

Once the CBFC hands you a certificate and you’ve produced all of the marketing materials like posters, banners, flyers, newspaper ads, promos, trailers, etc, you’ll need to hand these over to your producer’s association to get their approval. It will take about 2-4 weeks but by this stage they know you are the real deal and are very helpful.

If you have maneuvered through this maze of BS successfully without losing your enthusiasm to be a filmmaker, you only have the paparazzi to fear.

Give them your best smile.

VIII: The Impossible Post

Post production on The Impossible Murder took one year.

First it went to a post-house (I won’t name them) who promised to do the editing, VFX, grading and sound mixing for a reasonable fee. After paying them a hefty advance, I learnt their editor was doing multiple jobs at the same time. The editing took months. In between I got busy directing a mini-series and unfortunately caught Jaundice. After a month of R&R, when I returned to the studio, my work was lying as is, without any progress.

I decided to do everything myself. The movie was edited, graded, composited, titled, and finished using the Adobe CS3 suite. It took about six months but ultimately the job was done.

Thankfully, I had a rock throughout the post production phase in the guise of Milin, my music composer. He scored, assembled and mixed the entire background score for the movie, plus a 2-minute score for the trailer.

For sound dubbing and editing, I used a studio in Andheri (Can’t remember the name). For mixing I flew to Chennai to mix at the home-made studio of Sanjay-Vijay. Mixing was completed on Nuendo in about two weeks.

3D Animation was split between two groups. The interior of the house was done by freelancer Gaurav Bal. The exterior house animation was done at my friend Sivanesan’s studio Varnaa. It took seven days to render the exterior animation.

Final rendering of the movie took one week, including four or five crashes. It was rendered to a 16-bit TIFF sequence, and came under 1TB. This became the master.

From this master I edited the trailer. I used the master in Adobe Encore to author and burn the DVD, from which copies were made for distribution within India. In the U.S., the movie is being distributed over DVD, VOD and live streaming on Amazon and Indieflix.

Film School or Not?

My uncle taught himself how to drive with a borrowed car. He learned the hard way. I learnt driving in a school, with a one-on-one instructor. Both of us can drive. I went to a school because no one would lend me a spare car to abuse. If they did, I would have done it the way my uncle did it. That’s how I like it.

Which is why I say: Don’t go to film school.

Why? It’s a waste of time and money. Here’s how:

Money
What are the costs of film school? Let’s take a film direction course as an example. As of March 2011:

Cost of Film Direction course at AAFT, Noida is Rs.72,000 + Housing fees Rs. 30,000 (for three months) and Rs. 2,10,000 for a diploma (one year) + Housing fees

Cost of Film Direction course at Whistling Woods, Noida is Rs.15,00,000 for two years

Cost of Film Direction course at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU is approximately Rs.10,00,000 + Cost of living in the US

These costs do not include expenses incurred over the period of study, which will be more for longer programs.

For Directors and Cinematographers:
The cost of an DSLR that can shoot full HD is Rs 35,000 (for the 550D). Add to this a few lenses, accessories, tripod and film kit, and you can rig an entire kit in around Rs 1.5 lakh. Now you can shoot for life without further expenses. If in the future you need to upgrade, all you need is to change the body.

So why not shoot on your own or give your services to an aspiring director and make a few short films? Even after you’ve made them, you still have your equipment to rent out or sell. If you are smart, you can even recover your invested within a year. But money poured down the drain for film school is gone forever.

For Editors:
The cost of Adobe Production Premium CS5.5 is Rs. 76,500. The cost of custom-built computer that can handle CS5 is around Rs. 60,000. For roughly Rs 2 lakhs, you will have a complete licensed editing and finishing setup that you can start learning and earning with. Think about it.

For Sound Engineers:
The cost Steinberg Nuendo is Rs. 80,000. A computer that can handle 5.1 sound with card is Rs. 50,000 and two Yamaha monitors cost Rs 30,000. Total: Rs. 1.6 lakhs + Padding up your room to make it sound-friendly. You can rent cheap microphones for a few hundred rupees a day for practice. Now you can start earning and learning at the same time.

For Writers
You need to buy one book: Syd Field’s Screenplay: The foundations of screenwriting. It costs Rs. 569 at Flipkart with free home delivery. Final Draft v8 costs Rs. 15,000 and a nice laptop that can run this software costs around Rs. 20,000 (get one with a DVD drive). Total: around Rs. 40,000. You have everything you need to become a writer. Start writing.

Let’s say you want to be a filmmaker and have your own studio to write, shoot, produce, edit, record, mix and finish an entire feature film. You can do it for around Rs. 8-10 lakhs! Plus, you can start earning right from the word go. Then why the hell do you want to spend 15 lakhs and go to film school, walk out after a year with a few crappy short films and a worthless degree? Remember this: I have never seen or heard of anyone in India hiring somebody because of their film school certificate. It happens in the West, but not in India.

Don’t waste your money.

Time
In one year, you can write, produce and finish an entire feature film. I made The Impossible Murder for around Rs. 10-15 lakhs. While I was at AAFT every other student got to make one short film. I made three in three months. What the hell are you going to do in two years at a film school?

Since then I have made two more short films and one feature film. I learnt more from experience than by sitting in a classroom listening to somebody. If Diego Maradona talks to you about football, will you be able to play like him? What about if A. R. Rahman talks to you about music, can you compose like him? The only way to do it is TO DO IT. Coaches and instructors can only guide you, but they cannot make you. Which is why if you can read, buy books. They are cheaper and last longer. If you have questions, google them. Visit, join and ask for help at forums. There are so many people who are willing to help you for free (I’m one of them). Why not use it? I went to film school in 2002 when the internet was just blooming. There weren’t any forums or online assistance or torrents to help me. It was tough to buy and ship imported books into India since Amazon didn’t support India then. I discovered my mistake on my second day in Noida.

In today’s age, it is wiser and cheaper to waste a few eggs learning to cook an omelette rather than ask a chef to teach you how to make one (You’ll still waste eggs)!

Exception
The ONLY exception I will make to what I’ve stated above is for acting. Even if you are a natural talent you cannot practice acting on your own. It is such an emotional experience that without an objective coach you will be lost.

So, who is film school for then?

People with spare money who don’t care if they lose it.

People with spare time who don’t care if they waste it and never get it back.

People who are afraid to meet new people and network.

People who are lazy to find out things for themselves in this day and age.

What if you don’t have any money and want to learn?

For Writers:
Buy the book, Use Microsoft Word or use pen and paper. What you are learning is how to create characters and compose your script, not fancy wordplay.

For Cinematographers:
Buy a used DSLR and learn photography. It is the same thing as cinematography. What you are learning is to see the world, not operate an electronic device.

For Editors:
Use Microsoft Moviemaker which comes free. It’s the same thing as other software, with lesser features. What you are learning is to time, match and edit footage, not operate expensive software.

For Sound Engineers:
Join FTII. Otherwise find work in a proper studio or under a well-known sound engineer. As far as I know it is impossible to learn without money.

For Directors:
Read. Think. Listen. Discover. Network. Write. Organize. Execute. Nobody can teach anybody direction, which is why everyone thinks they can do it. Create the passion inside you, and the path will open up by itself. My guarantee.

All the best!

VII: The Impossible Shoot

Completing a film shoot on time and under budget is an act of sheer will.

I won’t be going into the details of what a shoot entails. However, here’s a list of things to watch out for:

The tighter the schedule, the lesser the time to think.

The more well-planned you are, the more freedom you have to change things while shooting.

A professional and experienced group of people will save a lot of time and make lesser mistakes.

A crew that knows what’s going on will deliver better than one that is at the mercy of the director’s whims.

Actors don’t need to know about production stuff.

In a sticky situation, an experienced but average actor will turn out a better performance faster than an inexperienced but talented actor.

If you have appointed people for designated jobs, give them the responsibility and trust them to deliver. Don’t micro-manage.

Ensure everyone is well-fed and has adequate rest between shifts.

Find the time for a pre and post shoot team meeting to ensure everyone’s on the same page. Keep actors away from these meetings.

Meet each actor personally and sort out their issues. They need to be able to trust you, and you must earn that trust.

Be on time. There’s nothing worse than the producer-director being late or lazy.

Always be positive. When the shit hits the fan, the first person everyone’s going to turn to is the director. Be a leader.

Don’t let the negativity of certain members affect you. Deal with these issues early, and nip them in the bud.

Don’t be afraid to fire people to set an example. Unprofessional-ism should not be tolerated. Ever.

Treat everyone with equal respect. Spot boys, lightmen or actor. They are professionals, not servants.

Allow others the freedom to come up with new ideas. Try them out if time permits. It might be better than what you had in mind.

Don’t be late in your payments. For some people this is a way of doing business. Be the person who stands out.

Music on set is a good thing.

Humor on set is a fantastic tool. Let it flow.

Keep your word and get the job done.

I’m sure I’ve missed out on many ideas. But following the above will result in a fun and productive experience – guaranteed.

VI: The Impossible Logistics: Food, Travel and Living

If nothing else, an independent filmmaker must:

Provide adequate, tasty and nutritious meals to all its cast and crew members, never treating anybody with prejudice as regards their designation, skill or experience.

Provide comfortable travel (even if cheap), and ensure the cast and crew don’t have to struggle to find a location or place of residence.

Provide comfortable and convenient accommodation (if the project requires it) with adequate toilet facilities, in a safe and peaceful area.

Many producers forget that the three basic needs – Food, travel and living – of a production crew are the most important. If a crew is not well-paid (if paid at all), the least one can do is make them comfortable enough to enjoy their work. After all, filmmaking is hard. Often, a shooting day on a low-budget film will easily cross the 12-hour mark. I have had two seventeen hour days on The Impossible Murder, and it took a toll on everyone.

I would go out of my way to ensure everyone else is fed before I ate myself, and would fret and fume at my assistants if any crew member is displeased with their arrangements. This is only fair, and must be top priority. This would also apply to well-paid multi-million dollar budget films, a house party, an army or a classroom full of toddlers on a school picnic.

During the making of The Impossible Murder I often had issues with food, travel and living. The logistics I had taken on for the project were too high for my inexperienced assistants, while I assumed they would learn quickly. They did not. It is not fair to assume everyone will learn so quickly. The penalty I paid for this lapse in judgement was to get involved in these details while shooting was in progress. This adversely affected my ability to direct the feature film. I would go so far as to say The Impossible Murder never had a director. Harsh, but justified. The end result clearly shows this.

It would be a tragedy if:

While you are trying to get the best take from your actors, they are thinking about an SMS or an email;

While you are trying to get the DP to get the best shot, he is thinking about food or alcohol;

While you are trying to focus on getting all the shots, your AD is so tired he is sleeping on his feet; and

While you are trying hard to make a movie, all you can think of is how to survive to fight another day.

Nobody, but the producer and director, is responsible for these mistakes. Don’t skimp on Food, Travel or Living.

Film Photography services in Mumbai

Here’s a quick list of resources to go to for photography in film, either 35mm or medium format:

Equipment and Repairs:
Go to Manish (Madhu) Patil, who is as honest as they come. He sells and repairs used camera equipment of all kinds, and gives you the best price. I would recommend him over buying from an unknown ebay or jjmehta forum member because he gives a warranty on his equipment. If there’s an issue, he’ll fix or replace it.

Contact Details:
346, Standard Building, 1st Floor. D. N. Road, Mumbai-1
022-22883672
9821280823


More Repair and advice:
Mini Cameras. Deepak and Govind – two experienced camera enthusiasts who will repair anything you give them.

Contact Details:
177, Sultan Manzil, 1st Floor, Bora Bazaar, Fort, Mumbai-1
022-66315270


Film:
You can buy 35mm and 120 roll film from anywhere on D. N. Road in the fort area (outside CST), but the professional brands are only consistently available in two stores:

Dave Brothers – Shop 9, Oriental Building, 170, M. G. Road, opp Regal Cinema, Mumbai-39 (Adnan at 9769094316)

Standard Supply – Image house, 123 Walchand Hirachand Marg, Mumbai-1 (022-22612468)

Developing and Printing:
Idea Creative uses Ilford archival Paper on an Epson 9900 (and another one, but I can’t remember which). They scan on an Epson v700 with or without ICE. They develop negatives, sometimes with Nilesh’s help (Ask Manish Patil for Nilesh’s contact details). They do B&W, C-41 and E-6 processing. Good people.

Contact Information:
Opposite Prabhadevi Mandir
Ramesh – 9594055751
www.ideacreative.in

Another place to develop your rolls is Mazda, in the fort area. But I’ve heard many of the shops who claim to print use Idea Creative and charge more, so beware.

My photography camera wishlist

If I had all the money in the world, these are the cameras I would buy to use for the rest of my life:

1. LEICA M9 with Summilux and Summicron prime lenses

The Leica M9, a digital rangefinder, is the ultimate in 35mm photography (film or digital). There are other cameras that are much better for tasks like wildlife, landscape or sports, etc. But this camera does it all, and is the smallest and most refined piece of equipment you can ever own. Think Rolls Royce of photography.

Leica makes lenses that are among the world’s best, and the Summicron, Noctilux and Summilux are probably the best lenses money can buy. If I had to buy just one camera, this would be it.

At the time of this writing, a Leica M9 (body only) costs USD. 6,995.00.


2. Mamiya RB67 Pro-S (or SD) with C Mount or KL lenses with a 120 film back and a Phase One IQ180 Digital back

The Mamiya RB67 is the ultimate medium format system for me, over and above other systems like the Hasselblad, Rollei, Pentax or Contax, etc. The most important thing is that this camera does not need batteries. It weighs a ton, but takes earth-shattering images.

I can use my favorite film Tri-X and TMax with the 120 film back and also connect (via an adapter), an 80 Megapixel Phase One IQ180 Digital Back.

This back gives close to 8×10 resolution, and at the time of this writing costs USD 44,000.00! The Mamiya RB67 (used of course) along with one lens and back with a waist-level finder costs around USD 500 (in excellent condition).

I would use this camera for shots where the ultimate in quality is required, in landscape and studio photography.

3. Fuji GX617 (Special Mention)

The Fuji GX617 is a 6×17 camera, and has the resolution of 5×7 but cropped to an almost 3:1 aspect ratio. If I need to shoot cinemascope-type large format landscape photography on film (using Velvia), this is what I will use.

So, how much will this expensive hobby cost me? I estimate around USD 100,000 (or INR 45 lakhs) including all cameras, lenses, film and accessories.

Anybody love me that much?

My 35mm film cameras

Here are my 35mm film cameras:

1. Nikon FM10
2. Yashica Electro GTN
3. Yashica MG-1
4. Canon SM111

I prefer to use primes for the Nikon. I have a 28mm/2.8 and a 50mm/1.8 Nikon to go with the FM10. It’s a fully manual camera which works perfectly.

The greatest issue with the Yashica cameras is that their batteries are no longer available. An adapter is available in the US/UK but it needs to be imported to India, and is not really worth the hassle. These two have become part of my humble antique collection.

The Canon is a weird camera my uncle handed over to me. It has a 35mm lens and a film loader and rewind motorized mechanism, but seems to be a cheap consumer grade camera. Can’t find any info on this anywhere, but I see a lot of Chinese companies offering bulk sales of this for some reason.

For film, my favorite two films of choice are Kodak Tri-X and Kodak TMax. Unfortunately, they are in short supply in Mumbai, and Tmax is not available anywhere.

Most of the time, I practice on the Nikon with Kodak Ultramax 400 film, which is easily processed at my local lab for Rs. 25. Each print costs Rs. 5, and I get 39 shots off a 36 roll film. For a CD, it costs Rs. 75 but it’s only 72dpi low res, enough for 4×6 but not higher.

UPDATE: 13th May, 2011

Nikon F2AS

One more camera to my collection: A Nikon F2AS – fully manual and built like a tank.