DAY ONE – ABHISHEK JAIN WORKSHOP- 7TH MAY 2009

• Mise-en-scene an expression used in theater and films to describe the design aspects of a production was something we were exposed to theoretically on the 1st day of the cinematography workshop. Mr. Abhishek Jain, an assistant director at the Sanjay Leela Bhansali Production House unfolded a spectrum of knowledge as he narrated and shared with us techniques, aesthetics of filmmaking. He began the session with an interesting m clip from ‘SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION’. In this clip he showed us a lot of intricacies of the usage of camera angles, emotions and sound, which intermingled beautifully. He mentioned how in the film grammar language we are taught that ‘establishment shots are created with long/extreme long shots. But in some of the SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION initial shots, we come across mid shots and close up shots and yet they convey the establishment of the movie perfectly.’ Its like a gradual process that unfolds to the audience-if they’ve come for a two or a two and a half hour film, the film makers want to give them, reveal to them a bit by bit experience of the flavors of their film.
  
  A thematic following should be done in films is what he emphasized on and the treatment of story telling using mediums of aesthetics, sound, props, sets etc. should also be looked upon by the film viewer, besides just story telling, for a film is a wholesome culmination of all these sensitivities.
  
  Gopal, an upcoming filmmaker and visiting faculty at CEPT, (Coffee, Conversations, Cinema) also brought up quite a few poignant matters about the cinematic process as well. He mentioned that the filmmaker took up a certain creative mind space of his audience and essentially a good storyteller is someone who answers the questions of his audience’s mind in that sequence, in which they are raised. He also spoke about a Telegu film called ‘Arya’ which has an excellent example of the ‘expect the unexpected’ feel of films.
  
  A general discussion on the word ‘entertained’ was done among all and in the end the word ‘engaged’ was something we all agreed to when it came to the usage of a synonym of entertainment. Nikita, a student of animation also expressed that it is not that the audience notices all of the aesthetics and enhancements that the filmmakers put through out the film, but they do recognize it as ‘nice’ or an ‘amazing’ moment’ or ‘ I really loved that’ kind moment.
  
  Mr. Abhishek to this explained then, that it is for us and up to us to convey and bring the heightened moment to the audience what shot to take, or what props or sound to use to bring a wholesome enjoyment/entertaining experience to the audience. It is also about affecting the subconscious for if the director is successful in baring the subtext in subtle tones, the soul of the film will give the audience the sense of the enjoyment they came for. It’s all about the theme and if the director follows that- there is hardly a chance that he’ll go offshore.
  
  Next Mr. Abhishek spoke a bit about the practical processes of pre- production, production and the postproduction methods. He shared with us what he had learnt at Whistling Woods and his experiences at the production house, regarding objectivity being the fundamental requirement of every job- be it a director, an editor or any post in the film line.
  
  A very interesting thing he mentioned about sound was that at times, we may not remember a visual but we do remember the song or a sound related to it. Lagaan being one of the assistant director’s Bollywood biblical reference he mentioned how in the first few scenes- the entire gist of the movie gets justified using symbolism of grains, an elderly lady looking for the clouds with her eyes shaded by her hands, racing Britishers on horses and a fistful of wheat. The conflict here is established leading to ‘ Lagaan’.
  
  Marginal utility was also something we touched upon about how it is to only that level, that something is liked, after that it becomes a cliché or just common.
  
  A nice way of expressing an art director was also done in one of his quirky statements- ‘ An art director is who comes down to precision of your visualization.’ It brought into focus the role of what an art director actually is. The structures, textures of various props, atmospheres, that are built up in the film are all the result of the art director’s precision.
  
  After a stimulating discussion of various floating fancies in the art and film world, Mr. Abhishek brought us back to the environment of the space of our club and expressed how he had noticed a Black Alto parked opposite the club’s door, which seemed to form a one point perspective. If you looked at it from its tail lamp parked position that is exactly the perspective one would get. Through this, he merely wanted to point out to us, look, observe, you don’t know what or how you may come across an interesting perspective to see things and express them through your creative traits.
  
  Certain random pointers of films were talked about too, and ways to see a movie differently cropped up, which I felt need a mention-
  
  v Heavy metal rock music was used for the heavy metal weapons in the fight sequence in ‘GANGS OF NEW YORK’
  
  v Lagaan was a live sound recording.
  
  v Lakshya the movie has a three-point perspective in some of its earlier frames indicating the rambling, aimless thinking of the hero, but the later shots are one point perspective representing the fact of his being focused.
  
  v Forest Gump’s first scene compromises of a swaying feather, which gives an insight to the character’s life, which swings like a feather.
  
  v In the film Rock On, we see a random open space where the rock band used to practice in their earlier days. But as Farhan Akhtar moves away from that space, his aspiration to become a singer also ebbs away. His home is narrow heavy colored and heavy spaced area, which overpowers and curbs his wish of becoming a singer and moving away from life.
  
  v We also conducted an interactive hypothetical scene to understand mise-en-scene in a better light. We took up the character sketch and scene of a young director who was dejected after meeting a producer in Mumbai near Nariman point.
  
  v A lot of interesting views to accessorize the scene were expressed by some of the people attending the workshop.
  
  v Ruchi mentioned about the sound of a violin in the background. Faizan expressed that traffic might be a good thing to use in the sound effects, in a diffused manner.
  
  v A gentle breeze with a tinkle of laughter of the children or a sound of the rushing waves crashing on the rocks and retreating was also something we talked about.
  
  v It was quite a nice exercise to also bring home to us as keen observers, and to our audience with this scene, that through this we can show that although the scene has a dejection emotion, as the dominant flavor, the world, the kids, nature is all turning him towards the other positive side of a better tomorrow.