[The Destination Film Shoot]
10 April, 2015
We set off early in the morning. Or rather, we tried to. By the time we got ready, loaded the equipment, picked up drinks and food to last the entire day (we were going to the middle of nowhere, so we had to be well prepared), filled petrol and finally got on our way to the desert to shoot the climax (and other scenes), we were already running about 45 minutes later than our initial plan.
There were 6 of us in 2 cars - the editor, his cousin who would be our production assistant and still photographer for the day, the actor, the actress, the cameraman and the director that is me. I sat in the same car as the editor (also the driver) and the cast, so that I could get them to rehearse for the next few hours. But then, the actress readily fell asleep, so the rest of us just chatted away for most of the 300 kms that we covered.
It was a long, rather pleasant drive. We made a couple of stops on the way at fuel stations and also spent some time driving around to buy some mutton biriyani for the Baluchis who are managing the camel farm where we were planning to shoot at, as a token of gratitude for their help. We ended up losing our way and found no mutton biriyani, so instead we got them some chicken biriyani (there is a real difference).
Close to noon, we had long left the city behind and also the towns and the arid landscapes that followed and started to see the dunes ahead. My cast kept muttering "wow" through the journey because every turn provided yet another picturesque view. I myself had uttered a million "wow"s during my previous visit here for location recee, so this time I smugly sat back and took in the views once again.
We made a couple more stops to capture the scenic views on camera and soon were at our destination, the camel farm in the midst of that massive desert. The sun was blazing down. The temperature was close to 40 degree celsius and it was extremely dry.
We were warmly welcomed by the Baluchis who were very amused hearing us talk about the heat. According to them, this was pretty pleasant weather and the real heat is weeks away. OK then.
As soon as the pleasantries were over, the team started the preparations. We had a few scenes to shoot in that location and we had no time to lose.
I looked around the location, refined the story board, gave instructions to the crew on the camera placements and framing and to the cast on their blocking.
And then I felt like I was gonna die.
I felt nauseous and extremely faint and had to hold on to a pole for support. I didn't realize what was going on, and I tried to push through it. I was still trying to converse and process thoughts, but I knew I wasn't making great progress. Then someone in the team, I don't remember who, noticed that I looked like a mess and quickly passed me a yogurt drink that we had picked up on our way. I drank that and recovered pretty much instantly from the first and last incident of dehydration I had ever been through.
Then we started the shoot and immediately met with our first major technical issue. It was, after all, only a matter of time.
We were planning a multi-cam shoot - i.e. shoot with two cameras at the same time from different angles. This is pretty helpful because you can get one camera each to focus on the two actors, which enables the shoot as well as the edit, to be completed in half the time. So yeah, that's what was planned. But one of the two cameras got extremely heated up as soon as the shoot began and rendered itself pretty useless.
Which meant that we were left with one working camera for the day. Which in turn, meant double the time for shooting each scene. But there was a more serious problem - there was no longer a back up camera, with the nearest available one probably a few hundred kilometers away. So all we could do was pray for the working camera to continues working for the rest of the day.
So we wished for the best and we shot. There were again a multitude of issues - e.g. too much backlight in the frames, the actress not being able to look straight at the intense light without blinking her eyes, the sand that kept blowing, the reflector that kept flying, and what not.
But soon it was done. We wrapped up that scene at about 3pm and took a lunch break in a shack on the farm.
After the break, we shot a few montage sequences within the farm.
We then explored the area for a suitable location to shoot the climax. By the time we figured the perfect spot and set the equipment up, the sun had pretty much started to set.
I think it would be hard to describe what I was been going through at that point in time.
I mean, here I am. Filming my biggest project ever. In a foreign location. In a desert which is 300kms away from the city. Shooting the climax scene - which is arguably the most important scene. With a maximum of 30 minutes before losing light. With just one chance to get it right.
I no longer know exactly what I said or did but I remember pushing the actors, I remember not letting the crew have even one light moment that was out of scope of the work right then, I remember taking some extreme priority calls on how many takes we should have for some of the dialogues, I remember improvising on the script, asking the actors to skip a few dialogues as I mentally worked alternative ways to incorporate them into the film later, I remember looking at the sun a million times as it was fast dipping beyond the horizon and threatening to disappear behind a dune, I remember holding tight on to my script, biting my lips and praying feverishly.
The last frame was shot and the sun dipped beyond the dune, with maybe 30 seconds to spare.
"GET INTO THE CAR!!! LET'S SHOOT THE SUNSET!!!", I immediately screamed. The idea was to take a shot of the sunset itself, without the actors in the frame. The sun had dipped beyond the dune but not beyond the horizon yet, and if we were quick, we might just be able to find a spot that has an unblocked view of the sunset.
We rushed, and we found a spot just in time. And we shot the sunset!
And then it struck me that we still had to shoot a poster in this location! Well, it seemed like there was one poor sun and a 100 things we had to accomplish before he decides to rest for the day.
Anyway, the sun itself had already disappeared but there was still enough light to shoot a few photographs. So that's exactly what we did. First we shot a few for the poster and when that was done, we shot a few fun team photos!
And then we lost the light completely, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. We had completed all that we had to in the day.
Then came the night. We still had one night scene around a campfire, to be shot in the camel farm! Yup, we wanted to make the most of that location!
Interestingly enough, by now, there was a big group of Malayalees (husbands, wives, kids) gathered in the camel farm. Yup, that's right, in that very same camel farm - in the middle of nowhere, late in the evening and they were waiting to see what a "film shoot" would look like. Oh well.
It was an interesting experience. There were kids running around, threatening to knock over our tripod with the camera, and coming pretty close to that potential disaster on more occasions than one. As I was prepping the actors and instructing the crew, there were parallel conversations among our audience on how a film is shot.. things like "You see how they have set up the fire, that is how 'feel' comes". It was rather fascinating commentary.
By the time we actually started to shoot, it was about 9pm, because we had difficulties in getting the right lighting as we only had the campfire to aid us. By then our audience had left - I guess they tired out from waiting and some of the youngest members (i.e 6 month old babies) seemed to think being in that dark place in the middle of night wasn't a great idea.
After they left, peace and quiet returned. As the crew figured out the lighting and the frames, I plugged on to my music and stared up at the sky, at the stars. And I felt that everything is gonna end just fine.
And it did too. Compared to everything else that had happened during the day, the campfire scene went pretty smoothly and we wrapped up close to midnight.
Soon we packed up, bade goodbye to the hospitable Baluchis and started on our long journey back to the city. But not before a few more shoots on the road! I wanted to capture what it feels to move away from the dark expanse of the uninhabited desert and enter the lighted world of civilization, and so we did a few shoots from the car on the way back.
About an hour into the drive, both the drivers tired out and we stopped for supper. Post lunch, we hadn't eaten anything save for dates and camel milk. I wasn't hungry, so I stayed on in the car together with the actress who had once again, readily fallen asleep. The rest had their fill and we started off again. This time, I was in the same car as the editor and the actress while the actor and cameraman was in the cousin's car. It was late at night and there was a danger that the drivers would start to feel sleepy. To keep the editor up, I started reminiscing about our old projects like Mausams, thereby successfully ensuring that he remained alert. He did remain alert and we reached our hotel by 4am. However, his cousin who drove the other car decided to stop and take a nap. So they pulled up somewhere and all three took a nap until 6:30am before they started back to the city.
As I hit the bed, feeling incredibly exhausted, I counted my blessings for the day.
The one working camera, that worked through the day.
The dehydration that struck, but left without causing much damage.
The heat, the dryness, the sand that blew but did not fatigue the cast or crew.
The sun that didn't set too fast.
The sunlight that didn't disappear too soon.
So I said a small thank you to the universe and then dozed off.
10 April, 2015
We set off early in the morning. Or rather, we tried to. By the time we got ready, loaded the equipment, picked up drinks and food to last the entire day (we were going to the middle of nowhere, so we had to be well prepared), filled petrol and finally got on our way to the desert to shoot the climax (and other scenes), we were already running about 45 minutes later than our initial plan.
There were 6 of us in 2 cars - the editor, his cousin who would be our production assistant and still photographer for the day, the actor, the actress, the cameraman and the director that is me. I sat in the same car as the editor (also the driver) and the cast, so that I could get them to rehearse for the next few hours. But then, the actress readily fell asleep, so the rest of us just chatted away for most of the 300 kms that we covered.
It was a long, rather pleasant drive. We made a couple of stops on the way at fuel stations and also spent some time driving around to buy some mutton biriyani for the Baluchis who are managing the camel farm where we were planning to shoot at, as a token of gratitude for their help. We ended up losing our way and found no mutton biriyani, so instead we got them some chicken biriyani (there is a real difference).
Close to noon, we had long left the city behind and also the towns and the arid landscapes that followed and started to see the dunes ahead. My cast kept muttering "wow" through the journey because every turn provided yet another picturesque view. I myself had uttered a million "wow"s during my previous visit here for location recee, so this time I smugly sat back and took in the views once again.
We made a couple more stops to capture the scenic views on camera and soon were at our destination, the camel farm in the midst of that massive desert. The sun was blazing down. The temperature was close to 40 degree celsius and it was extremely dry.
We were warmly welcomed by the Baluchis who were very amused hearing us talk about the heat. According to them, this was pretty pleasant weather and the real heat is weeks away. OK then.
I looked around the location, refined the story board, gave instructions to the crew on the camera placements and framing and to the cast on their blocking.
Trying to figure out how best the frame the location
I felt nauseous and extremely faint and had to hold on to a pole for support. I didn't realize what was going on, and I tried to push through it. I was still trying to converse and process thoughts, but I knew I wasn't making great progress. Then someone in the team, I don't remember who, noticed that I looked like a mess and quickly passed me a yogurt drink that we had picked up on our way. I drank that and recovered pretty much instantly from the first and last incident of dehydration I had ever been through.
Then we started the shoot and immediately met with our first major technical issue. It was, after all, only a matter of time.
We were planning a multi-cam shoot - i.e. shoot with two cameras at the same time from different angles. This is pretty helpful because you can get one camera each to focus on the two actors, which enables the shoot as well as the edit, to be completed in half the time. So yeah, that's what was planned. But one of the two cameras got extremely heated up as soon as the shoot began and rendered itself pretty useless.
Which meant that we were left with one working camera for the day. Which in turn, meant double the time for shooting each scene. But there was a more serious problem - there was no longer a back up camera, with the nearest available one probably a few hundred kilometers away. So all we could do was pray for the working camera to continues working for the rest of the day.
So we wished for the best and we shot. There were again a multitude of issues - e.g. too much backlight in the frames, the actress not being able to look straight at the intense light without blinking her eyes, the sand that kept blowing, the reflector that kept flying, and what not.
But soon it was done. We wrapped up that scene at about 3pm and took a lunch break in a shack on the farm.
After the break, we shot a few montage sequences within the farm.
The Baluchi with his camels
We then explored the area for a suitable location to shoot the climax. By the time we figured the perfect spot and set the equipment up, the sun had pretty much started to set.
I think it would be hard to describe what I was been going through at that point in time.
I mean, here I am. Filming my biggest project ever. In a foreign location. In a desert which is 300kms away from the city. Shooting the climax scene - which is arguably the most important scene. With a maximum of 30 minutes before losing light. With just one chance to get it right.
I no longer know exactly what I said or did but I remember pushing the actors, I remember not letting the crew have even one light moment that was out of scope of the work right then, I remember taking some extreme priority calls on how many takes we should have for some of the dialogues, I remember improvising on the script, asking the actors to skip a few dialogues as I mentally worked alternative ways to incorporate them into the film later, I remember looking at the sun a million times as it was fast dipping beyond the horizon and threatening to disappear behind a dune, I remember holding tight on to my script, biting my lips and praying feverishly.
The sun setting behind the dune
The last frame was shot and the sun dipped beyond the dune, with maybe 30 seconds to spare.
"GET INTO THE CAR!!! LET'S SHOOT THE SUNSET!!!", I immediately screamed. The idea was to take a shot of the sunset itself, without the actors in the frame. The sun had dipped beyond the dune but not beyond the horizon yet, and if we were quick, we might just be able to find a spot that has an unblocked view of the sunset.
We rushed, and we found a spot just in time. And we shot the sunset!
And then it struck me that we still had to shoot a poster in this location! Well, it seemed like there was one poor sun and a 100 things we had to accomplish before he decides to rest for the day.
Anyway, the sun itself had already disappeared but there was still enough light to shoot a few photographs. So that's exactly what we did. First we shot a few for the poster and when that was done, we shot a few fun team photos!
And then we lost the light completely, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. We had completed all that we had to in the day.
Then came the night. We still had one night scene around a campfire, to be shot in the camel farm! Yup, we wanted to make the most of that location!
Interestingly enough, by now, there was a big group of Malayalees (husbands, wives, kids) gathered in the camel farm. Yup, that's right, in that very same camel farm - in the middle of nowhere, late in the evening and they were waiting to see what a "film shoot" would look like. Oh well.
It was an interesting experience. There were kids running around, threatening to knock over our tripod with the camera, and coming pretty close to that potential disaster on more occasions than one. As I was prepping the actors and instructing the crew, there were parallel conversations among our audience on how a film is shot.. things like "You see how they have set up the fire, that is how 'feel' comes". It was rather fascinating commentary.
By the time we actually started to shoot, it was about 9pm, because we had difficulties in getting the right lighting as we only had the campfire to aid us. By then our audience had left - I guess they tired out from waiting and some of the youngest members (i.e 6 month old babies) seemed to think being in that dark place in the middle of night wasn't a great idea.
After they left, peace and quiet returned. As the crew figured out the lighting and the frames, I plugged on to my music and stared up at the sky, at the stars. And I felt that everything is gonna end just fine.
Taking some time off between takes
And it did too. Compared to everything else that had happened during the day, the campfire scene went pretty smoothly and we wrapped up close to midnight.
Soon we packed up, bade goodbye to the hospitable Baluchis and started on our long journey back to the city. But not before a few more shoots on the road! I wanted to capture what it feels to move away from the dark expanse of the uninhabited desert and enter the lighted world of civilization, and so we did a few shoots from the car on the way back.
About an hour into the drive, both the drivers tired out and we stopped for supper. Post lunch, we hadn't eaten anything save for dates and camel milk. I wasn't hungry, so I stayed on in the car together with the actress who had once again, readily fallen asleep. The rest had their fill and we started off again. This time, I was in the same car as the editor and the actress while the actor and cameraman was in the cousin's car. It was late at night and there was a danger that the drivers would start to feel sleepy. To keep the editor up, I started reminiscing about our old projects like Mausams, thereby successfully ensuring that he remained alert. He did remain alert and we reached our hotel by 4am. However, his cousin who drove the other car decided to stop and take a nap. So they pulled up somewhere and all three took a nap until 6:30am before they started back to the city.
As I hit the bed, feeling incredibly exhausted, I counted my blessings for the day.
The one working camera, that worked through the day.
The dehydration that struck, but left without causing much damage.
The heat, the dryness, the sand that blew but did not fatigue the cast or crew.
The sun that didn't set too fast.
The sunlight that didn't disappear too soon.
So I said a small thank you to the universe and then dozed off.
