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Hey! i found some more cool stuff. There is a video that i watched which is some real good stuff. Check it out. They have used this mime artist who has done a fab job around films and it looks great. Guess there is going to be a lot for us to watch on PIX this month. I am really liking this channel. I told you guys about John and Jane, right? Yup! in my last post. You know I have this friend who works with this BPO and apparently these guys from the film got in touch with her and some of her friends where they did this special screening only for people who work with BPOs. So cool! i wish i could have been there. Anyway guys I am rushing now. I am planning to work on a short film myself. Ha ha! hope its not a disaster

Catch you guys soon

Adios!

Hey guys

Well, Sameer has been talking to you'll about all the serious stuff on film making and film makers. The guy has some crazy amount of knowledge. As for me, I just love chatting about everything and the one reason I am here with Sameer is that we both love films. I can go on forever on movies and the stories and people who go in to the making of these films. Movies are such a fabulous source of entertainment and knowledge.....wait! what do you call that? INFOTAINMENT. How apt!

I want to share with you'll my views on the whole thing.

At first, GATEWAY! After Bejoy's win, there is going to be no looking back for him. He is all set for L.A. But guess what? Prashant, the runner up, has bagged a film with none other than Anurag Basu. Yup! he was one of the judges and if you guys happened to watch the last episode, he announced that Prashant was going to direct his next film. A little bird tells me that all this was not just some masala to add to the show. Anurag and Prashant have been spotted together working on the upcoming project. So, in a way, both of them have won.

Other than Gateway, I saw this promo last night on PIX for a film called John and Jane and guess what it is all about? THE BPO BIZ. Isn't that awesome? Apparently the BPO culture is penetrating India so rapidly that one Indian actually decided to make a film on it. This film has bagged a number of awards so I was wondering if all of us could watch it together.

Post me your comment and I will plan the rest. What say?

It's finally accomplished! No, I'm not talking 'bout my DVD collection. Was talking about Gateway. Every aspiring Director's dream reality show. Well the curtains were finally raised on the winner. The remaining 2 participants Bejoy & Prashant were put through a final test where they had to make a 10 minute movie each. And they really came up with some really mind-blowing stuff!I actually took a break from this project that I'm working on to see the finale. Both the films were good, but Bejoy's 'Soap' clearly was superior to Prashant's 'Children of Light'. So what happens next? Well Bejoy won & will now direct a movie for Hyde Park Entertainment. I so so so wish I was in his place right now! Well my dreams are still where they are & am totally working towards them full speed ahead. So watch this space people. You never know, you might just find my name in the rolling credits of a first class film some day!
For now, all the best Bejoy. Hold on buddy, you're journey has just begun! :)

Hi! Hola! Namaste!
Thought I’d do something different today. So here goes... I decided to impart some Cinema 101 history. This list is hand picked & I have viewed each & every one of these. These masterpieces come from all around the world & are truly a force to reckon with, even in today’s day & age. Believe me, if you truly love cinema for all it is worth, these babies will leave you looking at films like you have never seen before. They excel in technical finesse, master sound & the acting, direction & cinematography is simply excellent. These are groundbreaking films that have set into motion the world of film that you see today. Many of these films are available at your local DVD store or closest friend with an awesome internet connection :P


Here goes then...
Movies that have changed the face of cinema forever!
• Seven Samurai (1954)
• The Rules of the Game (1939)
• Metropolis (1927)
• The Seventh Seal (1957)
• The Battleship Potemkin (1925)
• Solaris (1972)
• Last Tango in Paris (1972)
• The Battle of Algiers (1965)
• Les Enfants du Paradis (1945)
• Breathless (1959)

An honourable mention, although not a ‘Cinema Granddaddy’ you just HAVE to get your hands on this baby. It’s ‘City of God’ (Cida De Deus) (2002). This gritty movie accompanied with a compelling storyline simply left me with my jaw on the floor. Hope you took notes ‘cause that’s all for now class :)

Seven Samurai


Metropolis

Whoever agrees that actions speak louder than words must have just finished seeing a silent film that truly shook them in the knickers. Silent films, associated by the ignorant as a phenomenon of yesteryear. Something that need not be taken off the shelves, dusted & replayed. Alas!! How I pity the fools, just like Mr. T does. :P For they know not the power of silence. What brought me to this topic once more was the difficulty I noticed that participants of Gateway (remember the reality show that promises one lucky fella a chance to direct in Hollywood?) faced when they were told to make a silent film. Many were stumped! Simply because the distraction of the dialogue was taken away. It was just them, their subjects & the story that needed to be told.

I hope to make a silent film too one day. And for all that may feel that a silent film may not be financially viable or a wise move career wise, I would like to remind them of a movie I saw as a boy. It starred Kamal Hassan & was called ‘Pushpak’. It left people in splits, made them think, cry & fall in love all without uttering a single word. I rest my case. Silence still reigns supreme at the end of the day... ask Charlie Chaplin if you don’t believe me.

This is an open challenge. See your favourite movie devoid of any music in it. Yes I’m talking about the soundtrack, the score, the original music from the motion picture. Chances are that you will despise it. Throughout film-craft, the importance of sound design rings true. It forms the thread upon which stories are woven. Sounds can set the mood, enhance emotion, numb the viewer, scare him/her or simply make them laugh. It has long been established, that if the script & cinematography are the mind & body of a film, then its sound is the soul. This is one main reason why cinema today relies heavily on sound designers & musicians to give a film that extra special touch.


These are my TOP 10 favourite Motion Picture Soundtracks NOT in any particular order.

• The Empire Strikes Back - John Williams, 1980
• Kill Bill: Vol 1 - Various, 2003
• The Godfather I & II - Nino Rota/Carmine Coppola, 1974
• Once Upon a Time in the West - Ennio Morricone, 1968
• Pulp Fiction - Various, 1994
• Where Eagles Dare - Ron Goodwin, 1968
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy - Howard Shore, 2001-2003
• Chariots of Fire - Vangelis, 1981
• Gladiator - Hans Zimmer and Lisa Bourke, 2000
• Jaws - John Williams, 1975

Here are a couple of mind blowing soundtracks. A small tribute to the power of sound :) Enjoy.

You’ve heard of one hit wonders. But have you ever come across one shot wonders? Well in the world of cinema, this kind of phenomenal movie making rarely surfaces, but when it does, it creates waves!

Now you may wonder how I suddenly thought of ’One Shot Films’. Well I was seeing Gateway & came across this task where these wannabe directors had to make a one shot film. Phew, did some of them crumble or what! But a few films I saw were simply awesome! Speaking of one take films, I had mentioned one in one of my earlier write ups, ‘twas by an Indian director & was called ‘Right Here Right Now’. It was shot in one take. But don’t be fooled, these one shot films take months, sometimes years to plan & rehearse. Everything has to be perfect! Everything must work like clockwork. Take this next example for instance, it’s a Russian film called, ‘Russian Ark’. The film contains 2000 actors, features through 300 years of Russian history, goes through 33 Rooms at the Hermitage Museum & all this done in one single shot! Phew! See this clip to believe it yourself. :)