09 February,2017 07:00 AM IST | | Krutika Behrawala
A unique four-hour walk not only lets you soak in SoBo's sights, but also captures them in a theme-based indie short film
Chanda Gauranga mounts a DSLR on a tripod to shoot in Colaba. Pics/Bipin Kokate
A Two-Minute short titled Thoughts? unravels a world where humans communicate through telepathy in the heritage precinct of Kala Ghoda. Without uttering a single dialogue, two characters chase each other across the streets as a voiceover drives home the point that nobody speaks their mind these days. Uploaded on YouTube this week by Chanda Gauranga (aka Gaura), the sample film tells you what's in store at a unique walk to be conducted by the 21-year-old this Sunday.
The first meet-up organised at Gauranga's home in Chembur
Free and open to all above 18 years (those under 18 require adult supervision), the first-of-its-kind initiative brings together budding independent filmmakers to shoot two to five-minute short films during a four-hour walk from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) to the Gateway of India. "It's inspired by the tradition of photo-walks. The idea is to build a network among filmmakers since it's a team-based activity. Hopefully, with this walk, guests will help each other out," shares the Chennai-born, Mumbai-bred mass media graduate.
A still from the short, Thoughts?
Enter the indie league
The event has been organised by League of Indie Filmmakers (LIF), a platform in Mumbai and Chennai that Gauranga launched in December 2016 for independent artistes related to films to discuss, collaborate, screen their works and receive feedback from the community. "After graduation, when I went to Chennai to work on a web series, I realised it was difficult to put a team together due to lack of contacts. I returned to Mumbai and looked up filmmaking meet-ups, but couldn't find any. So, I launched LIF, and hosted the first meet-up in my living room," recounts the filmmaker, who now hosts monthly meet-ups at QTube Café in Bandra.
Shoot at site
Starting at 6 am from CST railway station, the walk's route offers beautiful settings - from markets to historical fountains - that filmmakers can weave into the script. "They can either walk with the group or stay back at a particular spot to shoot a scene," he shares, adding, "They need to be prepared with a basic script on the theme (narrative voiceover) and complete the shoot within four hours."
Depending on the turnout (15 had registered at the time of going to press), the guests will end up making either a single film together or individual ones. "In case, someone is proficient in a particular department (acting, camerawork or direction), we will team him or her up with others. Since we're shooting on streets, there's no need for heavy equipment. You can make a film with a DSLR or even a mobile phone," he adds.
Post the shoot, the teams get a week's time to edit their films, which will be screened at LIF's next meet-up later this month. "The meets are attended by casting companies, film marketing folk and producers, who are often searching for talent to work with," says the filmmaker. He plans to make the walks a monthly affair with new themes and locations.
