Shoot & Tell

“Filmmaking is the new way to communicate. Just imagine its reach and impact,” Sidharth says. “My brush with filmmaking took a serious turn a couple of years back when I assisted my uncle on a documentary on prayer rituals in Delhi. I have been hooked to it ever since,” he says. Sidharth,in fact,is part of an increasing number of kids in the city who are using the viewfinder to look at themselves,others and the world. “It is more immediate than reading and writing. It is there for instant consumption and gratification,” says Aryana Vala,Sidharth’s friend. Along with another aspiring filmmaker,Varundeep Singh,they form a troika. While Sidharth and Aryana are working on a documentary on teen entrepreneurs,Varundeep’s entry—an advertisement—had made it to the finals of the Nokia competition.

“We find filmmaking entertaining,artistic and creative. We write,act and direct at the same time,” they say,as they display their work on their laptops. Aryana,for example,who is part Iranian,often backpacks with her father. She has travelled to Iran,as recently as after the elections last year,recording the trials and tribulations,the culture,people and the underground life. “I have grown up watching members of my family make films on the traditional format— rolling,cutting reels and editing manually. Now,you just need to log on to social networking sites,upload,and there will be hits,even sponsorship,” she says.

For Sukhdeep Pannu who has just finished his Class XII,filmmaking started with shooting home videos a couple of years back. “It’s a fun yet creatively satisfying activity. One can be a Spielberg,a rich guy,a hero or an activist,” he says,talking about his plans of making a documentary on eve teasing.

“The trend is picking up,even my 13-year-old sister has made a film,” says documentary filmmaker and Panjab University law student Utsav Bains. “A generation of amateur filmmakers will soon come up,” he adds. According to Bains,the process is simple: you shoot a few pieces,find copyright-free music under the creative commons license,edit on Windows moviemaker software and upload on sites like Facebook and Youtube. “It is the perfect weapon of information,the correct use of right of freedom of speech and expression,” says Bains whose film Lost Childhood was shortlisted for the prestigious New York Film Festival recently. Veteran filmmaker and activist,Dr Gaurav Chhabra feels that because the Indian education system is regressive and passive,filmmaking,thanks to cheap technology,is fast becoming an outlet for creativity.

Take Bhawan Vidyalaya’s Class XII student Aditi Sheoran. After directing two school plays,this 18-year-old is working on a film on female infanticide. “I want to pursue a diploma in filmmaking now,” she says. “Films reach a wider audience than theatre and are more entertaining. You also get to meet likeminded people,” she adds.

“The visual media is the currency of the brand new world,a world that trades in talent. It’s all about streaming and sharing thought,ideas and information,” Sidharth sums up.