Time Codes, Tapes, Excel Sheets, Strangers, Sniffles, Stress, Satisfaction!
Whew! And it isn’t half over yet. Yes, I’m talking about the Gujarat shoot. I’m currently working with Rakesh Sharma on a set of 5 documentary films, and it’s pretty much taken over my life as of now. 15 hour workdays are normal, 8 hours of sleep a day is a dream, a social life is out of the question, and yet…yet there’s satisfaction. Satisfaction that comes from knowing what I’m doing, knowing why I’m doing it, and knowing that the cause is one I believe in.
The films are about the people of Gujarat and their lives 5 years after the riots. It’s not pretty and it’s certainly not “vibrant.” We shot in Gujarat for a couple of weeks and it was a gruelling schedule. A typical shoot day would begin with a crew call for 9 O’ Clock in the morning; pack up at sunset, discussions till late evening, and a meeting till midnight. Then, some work, many cigarettes and much conversation later, us 2 red-eyed A.D.s would hit the bed.
Then there’s the stress of knowing that this is the real stuff. There is no script and there are no retakes; so if you miss a moment, or a shot, or a question you should have asked when you should have asked it, well, that’s just too bad. It’s gone.
And then there is the emotional aspect. Shooting this film is an extremely overwhelming experience, because these are real people- their pain is real, and the things they’ve been through are too horrific to imagine. The sights the children have seen are sights than no human being deserves to ever see. And its not over yet. These people are now forced to live under sub-human conditions by the government. The government that promises to take care of its citizens. It makes me feel angry, sad, and utterly impotent.
Also, I’ve begun to realise that 2 A.D.s on a documentary film are too few. There’s more back-end work than I had thought, and more on-location work as well. The mind is so full of tapes, logging footage, noting time codes…Hell, I’ve even begun to dream about it!
And now, before we know it, it’s time to leave for the 2nd lap of the shoot. Back to Gujarat- more people, stories, tapes, time codes, maybe even a few sniffles in a private moment, and a lot of stress.
But there will be satisfaction. Satisfaction that my involvement in the subject is not restricted to drawing room conversations in an expensive dress with a glass of champagne in my hand.
Maybe I’m not so impotent after all….
The films are about the people of Gujarat and their lives 5 years after the riots. It’s not pretty and it’s certainly not “vibrant.” We shot in Gujarat for a couple of weeks and it was a gruelling schedule. A typical shoot day would begin with a crew call for 9 O’ Clock in the morning; pack up at sunset, discussions till late evening, and a meeting till midnight. Then, some work, many cigarettes and much conversation later, us 2 red-eyed A.D.s would hit the bed.
Then there’s the stress of knowing that this is the real stuff. There is no script and there are no retakes; so if you miss a moment, or a shot, or a question you should have asked when you should have asked it, well, that’s just too bad. It’s gone.
And then there is the emotional aspect. Shooting this film is an extremely overwhelming experience, because these are real people- their pain is real, and the things they’ve been through are too horrific to imagine. The sights the children have seen are sights than no human being deserves to ever see. And its not over yet. These people are now forced to live under sub-human conditions by the government. The government that promises to take care of its citizens. It makes me feel angry, sad, and utterly impotent.
Also, I’ve begun to realise that 2 A.D.s on a documentary film are too few. There’s more back-end work than I had thought, and more on-location work as well. The mind is so full of tapes, logging footage, noting time codes…Hell, I’ve even begun to dream about it!
And now, before we know it, it’s time to leave for the 2nd lap of the shoot. Back to Gujarat- more people, stories, tapes, time codes, maybe even a few sniffles in a private moment, and a lot of stress.
But there will be satisfaction. Satisfaction that my involvement in the subject is not restricted to drawing room conversations in an expensive dress with a glass of champagne in my hand.
Maybe I’m not so impotent after all….
posted by Mojo | 5:47 AM
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