Now Showing: Camcorder Tales

“The short film highlights the importance of using a flyover,and shows that people die while crossing the railway lines,” he says. “We had no source of funding and the film was made with contributions from the PMC staff and my own salary. The equipment was rented,” he adds. Buoyed by the initial success,Kadam is now working on films called Sachin Out on 11 and Standard First.

Like Kadam,26-year-old Amol Laldhare has discovered short films. At his home in Mankhurd,Mumbai,a TV set constantly beams the National Geographic channel,and Laldhare — an electrician-turned-auto-rickshaw driver-turned-videographer — points towards it as being his biggest influence. “In 2006,I joined the NGO Apsara. I’ve been helping them in making socially relevant films,” he says,adding that in five years,he has worked on more than six short video films,without any formal training in the medium.

“I was always interested in filmmaking but didn’t know where to start,” he says. Help came in the form of a Goa-based organisation called Video Volunteers. Through their ‘Community Correspondent’ programme,they provided him with film-making equipment and know-how.

So,if you have a message,short films could be your medium. And the lack of training is no hindrance. Manoj Mathew,programme director at Delhi’s Jeevika Film Festival,agrees. “The use of the video or film medium has picked up lately due to the easy availability of cameras. Even cellphones come with a ‘record’ button. We get a few entries from people with no technical background. They have learned filmmaking on the job but produce remarkable stuff,” he says.

Among the names to watch out for is Rohini Pawar,25,from Jejuri near Pune,who now records stories about her village and posts them on a website called IndiaUnbound,affiliated to Video Volunteers. In her earthy images,you see an untold story of the events of village life. Clearly,the camcorder tales are gripping,and showing everywhere.