Under the Arc-lights-1

Like any dreamy, hazy eyed youngster,one of my earlies desires had been to act in a movie.I have grown up watching Superstar Rajinikanth deliver memorable punchlines in movies like Annamalai,Batsha,Padayappa and innumerable flicks that appealed to me as a kid.I reminisce how many times i have worn an over-sized shirt( my dad's) over another(mine) and feigned that i was the superstar mouthing those famous one-liners at an invisible enemy,at bliss that i am invincible.Well now i am a bit too old to attempt the same at home or my parents and younger brother would seriously doubt my sanity and counsel for treatment.

Well this summer i was caught unawares when my friend called me up one fine afternoon, and told me there was a small role for me in a short film which a mutual friend is making.Initially my excitement knew no bounds,and acting seemed like a piece of cake .Be it just a 10 minute short film and a small supporting role;nevertheless the prospect of appearing under the camera looked dazzling.Reaching the shooting spot, the script was narrated and frankly i wasn't enthralled by the depth of the story.I shall come to that later.

My primitive impression on films was very much limited to the end-product that we see on the screen.It all changed in about 15 minutes i spent with the film team, which comprises of only teenagers. The first scene we shot needed about 2 or 3 rehearsals and another 2 retakes after the camera started rolling.I learnt from the director, that a particular scene needs to be taken in different angles ;and retakes results in perfections.It was really funny the way we mouthed our dialogues( which are pretty ordinary considering the story of the film which i shall describe later)..It was at this point of time i realised that screen presence is what determines the value of an actor and a good actor has a natural screen presence.As i contemplate about it now i am filled in awe for those superstars on the silver screen,who inspite of their short-comings are unabated and at ease in doing whatever they attempt.Hats off to them.

The shooting schedule spanned over a period of a week and comprised of out-door shoots as well as indoors.Another lesson i learnt here was that the director faces an ardulous task in getting the retinue into gelling as a cohesive unit.Afterall one needs good on-screen chemistry between the co-artists...Though the project i was involved in was just a 10 minute short film and involved no monetary benefits to the artists, the director( my friend ashok) assumed on himself the onerous responsibility of providing us lunches.Being a fellow student himself, it would have been a burden on him.This provided me an insight into the vicissitudes faced by the production crew of muti-million dollar blockbusters which hit the silverscreens.Small hiccups and minor glitches can compound into serious delays ,which aggravagate the losses faced by the producer considering the scale of investment .Phew!! Perhaps the most important aspect of movie-making is witnessed in the finesse associated with the end-product.So the onus of ensuring a clean, watchable, coherent content lies on the post-production unit spearheaded by the editor.It is he who substantiates and decides which shots are to be included and which are to be discarded.

The shooting part of the film now complete,i was informed that the editing work would be completed in a few weeks time.Well it was a memorable summer fo me learning new things .

Hope when the end product comes i have looked better or atleast on par with thala Sam Anderson....